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Perilous
Gateways
Portals
of the Frozen Wastes
By James
Wyatt

Four
portals form a trail connecting four frigid regions of Faerûn's
northern wilderness: the Sea of Moving Ice in the west, the High Ice in
Anauroch, the Great Glacier, and . . . someplace else. Nobody has yet
figured out where the latter portal leads, but those who have used
say it is a frozen locale shown on no map of Faerûn. The frost-rimed
ruins in this mysterious place hold the key to unlocking the secret of
the four portals -- if some hardy adventurers can brave the frigid
cold and ancient ghosts long enough to discover it.
Follow
a magical path to learn the secrets of the portals of the frozen
wastes!
Statistics
and supplemental information:
Maps:
Any individual
location described on these pages can be introduced into an established
campaign set in Faerûn's cold regions, or the entire network can form
the basis of a mini-campaign focused around the discovery of Jhothûn.
Consider the following hooks to draw characters into the adventure and
mystery surrounding the portals.
- The characters
accidentally stumble on one of the portals (in the Sea of Moving
Ice, the High Ice, or the Great Glacier) while busy on another adventure.
- While involved
in fighting some representative of the Empire of Shade, perhaps at another
Netherese ruin, the characters learn that the shades are interested
in exploring a cavern under the High Ice where a Netherese colony once
stood. It is clear that the shades have high hopes for recovering powerful
magic from these ruins.
- The characters
are captured by the Icy Claws of Iyraclea (a group of gelugons who each
have some character levels), but one of the devils insists on taking
the characters into his own private custody. This devil, Tosvin, actually
negotiates with the characters, offering to give them their freedom
if they help him defend the portal in the Great Glacier against
shades using the portal in the High Ice.
- The characters
discover (perhaps in an ancient dragon's hoard) a scroll that mentions
the ancient cities of Choshein and Gharreil, which are seats of two
Satraps of the Empire of Jhothûn. Without knowing any more than the
meager information mentioned in the scroll (it assumed much knowledge
that is lost to history), the characters are motivated (through the
promise of great treasure, perhaps, or simply by historical curiosity)
to learn the truth of this lost empire.

About
the Author
James
Wyatt wrote articles for Dragon Magazine and Dungeon
Magazine before joining the Wizards of the Coast staff in January
2000. Game design is career Number Five, after stints as a childcare worker,
ordained minister, technical writer, and web designer. He currently resides
in Washington state.

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