'Tis the Season (for a Sandbox): Into the Jinglebell Barrens

This post is a part of Prismatic Wasteland's Hexmas Blog Bandwagon. The intention was for participants to make a single holiday-themed hex with connections to other participants' holiday-themed hexes, but I'm a sandbox sicko, and I really wanted to make a whole miniature sandbox of my own. In keeping with the format, let's say the whole sandbox is contained within one hex (0601). 

Here is state of the sandbox on the date of this post's publishing:

Connections:

• North: ???
• Northeast: The Peppermint Wood (0701)
• Southeast: Talking Wishing Well (0702)
• South: Sadtown (0602)
• Southwest: Snomes (0502)
• Northwest: Rankin/Bass Pro Shop (0501)

Presenting the Jinglebell Barrens:

Key:

• 01.01: Yuletide's End
• 02.03: Frostyford
• 02.04: Rednose Rest
• 03.01: Silver Sleigh Caravan Camp
• 03.04: Tower of Noel
• 05.03: Solstice Doomhall
• 05.05: Carolcrag Cave

The Jinglebell Barrens are a vast expanse of icy sand desert which gleams bright in the sun and glitters under the light of the moon. When the wind blows across the flats, the grains of sand tinkle like tiny bells. On stormy nights, great gusts from the cliffs to the east and southeast whip the sand into a frenzy, rattling the land with a deafening metallic clatter. Unless traveling on a road, it takes 2 hours on foot to enter a barrens hex, and it takes 4 hours to cross one.

The Barrens are bordered to the east and southeast by the Carolcliffs, a towering escarpment of jagged blue-white ice which encase the bleak gray mountain peaks known as the Carolcrags. Wind howls through the ice like organ pipes, creating eerie music known to locals as Cliff-Carols. Hidden paths and passes snake through the cliffs, leading to ancient ruins captured in ice, and into the mountains where monsters dwell. Unless traveling on a road, it takes 3 hours on foot to enter a cliffs hex, and it takes 6 hours to cross one. It takes 4 hours to enter a mountain hex, and it takes 8 hours to cross one.

To the southwest lies the Tinselgrass Steppe, a land of long, thin grasses that glitter gold and red at sunrise and sunset. Silvery elk graze and winter wolves hide among the tallest, wildest grasses. It takes 1 hour on foot to enter a steppe hex, and it takes 2 hours to cross one.

01.01 Yuletide's End: Once a thriving city of artisans and traders, Yuletide is remembered as the Merriest City that Ever Was. It was a festival city, and learned scholars of the region say that every day was a "Holly Day". The city was full of looming towers which housed great silver bells, rung at dawn and dusk each day.

But Yuletide was not as merry as it seemed. It was ruled by the Bellwrights, a theocracy which worshipped the mysterious Saint Nikodemus - a merry god of festivals to the faithful and a capricious demon of revelry to others. The Bellwrights worked enchantments upon the city's bells, closely monitored Yuletide's citizens, and spoke to Nikodemus directly. 

Through the Bellwrights, Nikodemus passed down a pair of lists - one Naughty and one Nice. Those on the Nice list were invited to live on Hearth Hill among the belltowers, enriched with gifts from the city's greatest artisans and kept warm by the glow of roaring fires, while those on the Naughty list were consigned to the Coal Warrens, where fire was forbidden, forced to mine and haul the fuel-stones which powered Yuletide's industry.

Yuletide is said to have met its end when the Bellwrights conspired to assign to the Naughty list - and thus confiscate the material wealth of - Magister Skruj, master of the city's most powerful mercantile enterprise. Skruj was alerted to the plot by Thoralf, High Priest of Revels and Skruj's agent within the clergy. On the eve of Demus Mass, Yuletide's most sacred Holly Day, Skruj consorted with the Defrocked - former Bellwrights themselves condemned to the Naughty list and the Coal Warrens - to slaughter the high priests in their White Chapel on Hearth Hill.

The chapel was stained red with the blood of Nikodemus's favored. Yuletide was cursed to never know joy again. The following dawn, the Great Bell rang out from the White Chapel - and shattered. The hearths died, no matter how much fuel they were fed. The city froze. The bells did not ring out at dusk on Demus Mass, and never did again. 

Until recently. The bells have mysteriously begun to ring out again across the Barrens. The usual treasure hunters - a superstitious lot - have begun to avoid the place, but a different breed of adventurers has replaced them, venturing to the region to investigate the strange phenomenon.

Yuletide's End contains five neighborhoods, each with its own dungeon:

• Peddler's Village: The road into Yuletide's End leads here. It was once a middle class neighborhood where artisans and traders gathered to sell their wares. Many of the city's inns for travelers were found here. Now the markets stalls are empty and the inns cold. Some snomes have come here to explore and cause trouble.
• Skruj's Manor: A dungeon for 5th-level characters. Magister Skruj lives here. For his greed, he was turned into a humbug - an insectoid creature cursed to hoard all the wealth it can acquire while deriving no joy from it (use xorn). He has accumulated all the wealth of Peddler's Village and jealously guards it here. He is always hungry for more, and craves treasure from the other districts - graves goods from festival square, religious artifacts from Hearth Hill, diamonds from the Coal Warrens, and silver from the Foundry. He is friendly towards those who bring him gifts.
• Connections: Festival Square (N), Hearth Hill (NW)
• Festival Square: Once a middle class neighborhood where residents and visitors gathered to celebrate Yuletide's Holly Days. It is now filled with frozen fountains, crumbling statues, empty halls, stinking breweries, and other remnants of revels past.
• Revel's End: A dungeon for 3rd-level characters. It is a tomb for the Bellwrights. Many revels were held within the tomb itself so that the spirits of the dead could join in the festivities. Thoralf, being the Master of Revels, was charged with maintaining the place. For the crime of betraying his fellow Bellwrights, he was turned into a garland snake - a giant serpent covered in braids of leaves and flowers - and charged with guarding the tomb against predations. The serpent has a bite which injects the victim with powerful alcohol, causing severe intoxication and even death (use giant poisonous snake). Thoralf wants to atone for his sins and believes that the wealth of Skruj, if delivered to the White Chapel in Hearth Hill, will restore the city to its former glory. He is friendly towards those who offer to help.
• Connections: Peddler's Village (S), Hearth Hill (SW)
• Hearth Hill: Once an upper class neighborhood, home to Yuletide's belltowers, Nice-listers, and the Bellwrights themselves. The bells ring out from their towers at dawn and dusk each day, though the tops of the towers remain encased in ice. It is especially cold due to its elevation and winds blowing between the ancient towers and tightly-packed buildings.
• The White Chapel: A dungeon for 6th-level characters. Once the seat of power for the Bellwrights, the temple was shuttered for good when the clergy was murdered on Demus Mass Eve. It is now haunted by corporeal and incorporeal undead alike. Chief among them is a trio of spirits calling themselves the Ghosts of Yuletide Past, Present, and Future (three will-o-wisps). They have been awakened by a vision of Yuletide's future in which its streets are filled with revelry again. They have begun the ringing of the bells to summon revelers to Festival Square. They are friendly to those who bring gifts of treasure, food, or alcohol.
• Connections: Festival Square (NE), Peddler's Village (SE), The Foundry (SW), Coal Warrens (NW)
• Coal Warrens: Once a lower class neighborhood designated for Naughty-listers. It is filled with crumbling tenement buildings, dark alleys covered in soot, and disease-carrying filth and vermin.
• The Coal Mines: A dungeon for 1st-level characters. This is where Naughty-listers were put to work as slaves, mining coal to fuel Hearth Hill and the Foundry's great fires. The mines are now controlled by a gang of five coal rats - the cursed Defrocked who once employed their swords in the killing of the Bellwrights (use wererats). They are led by the Rat King. They are harmed only by silver, and slain instantly by silver weapons forged in Yuletide's Foundry and blessed by the Bellwrights (only the Ghosts of Yuletide Past, Present, and Future, or Thoralf, can bless such weapons now, unless a cleric learns the appropriate 1st level spell in the White Chapel). They are driven mad by the ringing of the bells and are friendly to those who offer to help.
• Connections: Hearth Hill (SE), the Foundry (S)
• The Foundry: Once a middle class neighborhood where Yuletide's best artisans crafted its silver bells and weapons with the aid of the Bellwrights' enchantments. The forges have all gone cold and quiet.
• The Forge: A dungeon for 2nd-level characters. It is a mazelike collection of storerooms, workshops, and smelting chambers, connected by a labyrinth of access tunnels and catwalks. The Krampus, a monstrous silvered automaton of fearsome demonic aspect, has perfect knowledge of the structure and prowls its passages for intruders (use minotaur). It captures those it deems naughty (Chaotic or Evil creatures, or those who have earned the enmity of the Ghosts of Yuletide Past, Present, and Future), stuffs them in its sack, and delivers them to the White Chapel. It ignores those bearing the holy symbol of Nikodemus (a sprig of mistletoe worn around the wrist).
• Connections: Coal Warrens (N), Hearth Hill (NE)

The ringing of the bells is an illusion fabricated by the Ghosts of Yuletide Past, Present, and Future. Lifting the curse on Yuletide's End is difficult:

• The Forge must be reignited. This can be done via a spell cast by the Ghosts or by a cleric capable of casting 3rd level spells who learns the proper spell in the White Chapel. The spell consumes a 5,000 g.p. diamond from the Coal Mines, which must be obtained by convincing the Rat King to surrender it willingly. Once the diamond is gifted, the curse on the Defrocked can be lifted by a remove curse spell if they are willing.
• The Forge must be used to craft a new Great Bell. This must be brought to the White Chapel to be enchanted by the Ghosts, then hung in the Great Belltower to replace the old one. 
• The curse on Thoralf must be lifted. This can be done by a remove curse spell only after a new Great Bell is hung, and only if Thoralf is willing.
• Skruj must learn the true meaning of Demus Mass. He must be brought a truly thoughtful gift (something with little to no monetary value). He will only listen if Thoralf is present. If he is willing, the curse on him can then be lifted by a remove curse.
• Skruj himself must use a flame from the Forge to reignite the Great Hearth in the White Chapel. This will magically light the other hearths throughout the city, which melts the ice encasing the city's many belltowers.
• A party must be held in Festival Square. The party must convince enough people to attend such that the Ghosts are satisfied that Holly Day cheer has returned to the city. They, Skruj, Thoralf, and the Defrocked are able to pass peacefully on to the next life. The hearths go cold again, the bells stop ringing, and Yuletide's End is still once again, ready to be repurposed or to fade into memory according to the wishes of those in the region.

Of course, there is no requirement that the players lift the curse on Yuletide's End. They might simply slay all the monsters and take their treasure, or align with one faction or another and establish them as the de facto "rulers" of the ruin, but it seemed worthwhile to define exactly how the "good" ending might be achieved.

If the curse is lifted over Yuletide's End, the Krampus will wander the city streets, eventually heading to the Rankin/Bass Pro Shop. It longs to become real and punish the naughty creatures of the world.

02.03 Frostyford: A thorp of about 30 people within the domain of the Tower of Noel (03.04). The thorp gets its name from its river crossing, a bridge of solid ice created by the ice witch named Rimehilda. 

Noel's agent in the thorp is his henchman Ridley, a human fighter. Ridley has been tasked with overseeing the construction of a stronghold here to control the crossing into the Barrens. Ridley commands a retinue of eight men-at-arms. Usually, four guard Ridley and await his commands while four others man the toll booth at the southern end of the river crossing. They charge 5 gold pieces per head, hoof, or wheel to those traveling north or entering the thorp from that direction.

Since the bells began ringing in Yuletide's End (01.01), the workers have become superstitious, and progress on Ridley's hold has crawled to almost a halt. Ridley recruits adventurers to travel to Yuletide's End to silence the bells.

Rimehilda traveled to Solstice Doomhall (05.03) to learn the magic of the frost giants, but never returned. Ridley will recruit adventurers to go in search of her, believing that her return could bolster his own position.

• Ridley: LE human fighter 8. A forceful, imposing, serious man of middle age. His taciturn nature has earned him few friends. He knows that he is not Noel's favored henchman and that he will likely be replaced once the stronghold is finished. He enjoys ice fishing and can sometimes be found at the river's edge with only two men-at-arms as guards.

02.04 Rednose Rest: A hamlet of about 300 people within the domain of the Tower of Noel (03.04). The hamlet gets its name from Noel's slaying of the Red-nosed Beast, a particularly ornery and intelligent reindeer which once rallied its kind against the hamlet's people. The Beast's nose is housed in a beacon tower in the hamlet's square. It still glows with unearthly red light, which guides travelers towards the hamlet when snowstorms kick up.  

The cleric Lothar is Noel's agent here, but he has gone rogue and is collecting tithes to send to Yuletide's End (01.01) - instead of the Tower - to appease the spirits there. He will attempt to recruit adventurers to travel to the ancient city to deliver the hamlet's tribute (2,100 silver pieces) to the White Chapel.

• Idina: CG human fighter 1. A strong young woman dressed in a dirty tabard. She is looking for work as a henchman and will join non-Lawful non-Evil characters, but they must pay for her food, lodging, and equipment, and offer her a proportionate share of treasure.
• Karlotta: LG human magic-user 1. A highly intelligent and agile young woman dressed foppishly. She is gullible and frail, her analytical nature is often off putting, and her unyielding curiosity sometimes gives the impression of mental instability. She is compelled by her curiosity to investigate the tower of the snomes.
• Elphira: CN half-elf fighter 2/magic-user 2. An intelligent young half-elf woman with a rustic, unkempt unkempt appearance. She is trusting and diplomatic, but due to her elvish blood she can sometimes come across as haughty and insensitive, which rubs some people the wrong way. She has learned from refugees of the plight of Sadtown and wishes to liberate the people there.
• Lothar: LE human cleric 2. A discerning, somewhat intelligent young man dressed in immaculate priestly vestments. His religious fervor, neurotic doomsaying, and contrarian nature is unpleasant to some. While he does not identify as a Bellwright or follow their religious practices (he worships some non-descript unforgiving God of Winter - perhaps some vestige of Saint Nikodemus passed down through the generations), he recognizes their influence on the region, and believes strongly that the ghosts of Yuletide's End must be appeased with gifts, and does not fear that he might be punished by Noel for usurping his authority.

03.01 Silver Sleigh Caravan Camp: A large encampment atop a tall plateau of packed snow and gravel. The camp houses 15 merchants - led by Miloslav - 15 drovers, and the Painted Battalion - 120 mercenaries in brightly colored military dress (think nutcracker dolls). A magic-user, Blazenka, also camps here.

The caravan has stopped here to provision adventurers heading to Yuletide's End (01.01) - and to buy any treasure they might pull out. Here they are conveniently out of reach of the Tower of Noel (03.04) and Noel's underlings in Frostyford (02.03) and Rednose Rest (02.04).

The total value of merchandise in the camp is 10,000 gold pieces. The merchants have 20 oxen and two sled wagons, their runners shod with bright silvery steel.

• Blazenka: NG human magic-user 6. A very intelligent middle aged woman. She lives in a richly appointed tent, wears fine jewelry, is well spoken and cheerful, and genuinely well-liked by the entire camp. She will lend her aid in spellcasting services to adventurers (for a price), but won't accompany them in their travels. She is interested in information about the ice witch Rimehilda, whom she hopes to stop, should she ever resurface.
• Miloslav: NG human merchant. He is a loquacious young man and a scrupulous trader. He sharply questions all adventurers who come to his camp, suspicious that Noel might send agents to infiltrate and rob them.
• Pay chest: Hidden in Miloslav's tent. It contains 3,000 gold pieces, 300 platinum pieces, and ten 100 gold piece gems.
• The Painted Battalion: Brightly-dressed mercenary soldiers in tall hats. They are led by Yosefine and her lieutenant, Freya. Yosefine and Freya share a retinue of 12 2nd level guards (all in addition to the 120 regular soldiers). They employ a mix of arms and have 60 war elk: 12 light, 36 medium, and 12 heavy. Each heavy war elk belongs to a 1st level fighter who rides it into battle.
• Yosefine: N human fighter 10. An imposing, strong young woman. She is arrogant but honorable. A few of the Battalion chafe under her command.
• Freya: LG human fighter 8. A somewhat gullible middle aged woman. She is very righteous and does not drink. While she can be a bit overbearing, she is better regarded than Yosefine, and some in the Battalion wouldn't mind her taking charge.

The camp houses 15 swift riding elk for use by the merchants. If the caravan is attacked or robbed, the merchants will mount up and ride swiftly to the north to acquire more mercenaries, then return to hunt down the thieves or murderers.

03.04 The Tower of Noel: A six-story tower ruled by Noel, a cruel human fighter who controls Frostyford (02.03) and Rednose Rest (02.04). Noel is cautious of new adventurers arriving in his realm. If adventurers encounter a patrol from the tower, it will be led by Clotilde (see below). She is unfriendly, and will attempt to round up any trespassers to bring to Noel for judgement.

The tower is garrisoned by 10 heavy elk cavalry, 9 light elk cavalry, and 24 men-at-arms, led by two 3rd level fighters and two 4th level fighters.

Noel cares little for Yuletide's End (01.01) though he is interested in its treasures and religious artifacts, and in obtaining one of the city's famous silver swords. He covets the wealth of the Silver Sleigh Caravan Camp (03.01), but doesn't possess the means to take it himself. He would be willing to deal with enterprising individuals who might help him obtain it. His scouts have encountered the Silent Knights of Carolcrag Cave (05.05) in the cliffs to the southeast, much to their dismay.

• Noel: NE human fighter 12. A well spoken, haughty young man with an immaculate appearance. His mood swings, paranoia, unforgiving nature, dishonesty, and penny-pinching have earned him no favor from his subjects, or even his followers. He has a keen interested in the ancient religion of the region, and it is for this reason only that he entertains Lothar's insubordination. His chambers are decorated with a robust collection of swords. He favors Clotilde, tolerates Mistique, and is suspicious of Nasjenka's loyalties. He trusts Ridley (see 02.03), but only to the extent that he might use him to further his own ends.
• Clotilde: CN human fighter 8. A very strong, intelligent, hardy young woman dressed in ragged furs and leather. She is violent, antagonistic, and harsh. She is Noel's lover, and is a zealot for whatever his current religious fixation or curiosity is. She enjoys hunting, and often leads the patrols out of the tower. Her patrols have encountered the Silent Knights, and she is particularly invested in rooting them out of their cave. She does not get along well with Mistique or Nasjenka.
• Mistique: LN human cleric 8. A highly observant but feeble young woman in modest religious garb. She is saintly in her collection of holy books and scrolls, and always driven to acquire more, which she maintains in the tower's chapel. She is pessimistic, cold, and craven, which has caused Noel to distance himself somewhat. She is jealous of Clotilde's relationship with Noel. She is helpful towards adventurers, and will attempt to recruit them to travel to Yuletide's End to retrieve religious artifacts, which she hopes to gift to Noel in exchange for his favor.
• Nasjenka: LN human fighter 8. A strong, intelligent, hardy middle aged woman in ragged armor. In battle she is brave and energetic, but also hot-tempered, which occasionally leads to careless mistakes. She has charge of the tower's garrison due to her greater battle experience, but is otherwise solitary and secretive, interacting with the tower's inhabitants rarely, and lying to them about her activities when questioned. She is greedy and easily bribed, and has a large collection of daggers secreted away in her chambers. She does her best to steer clear of visitors to the tower.

05.03 Solstice Doomhall: An ancient, crumbling, enormous castle, frozen by icy winds. It was once the forward outpost for an empire of giants who embodied winter itself, before festival and ritual took hold in the minds of men. Long ago, the Bellwrights of Yuletide's End (01.01) would travel here at the solstice and again at the equinox, bearing gifts for the giants. A feast was held and, if the gifts pleased the giants, they would permit a mild winter and an early arrival of spring. To the Bellwrights, the giants were known as the Arbiters of Winter.

Before they were slain, the Bellwrights met with the Arbiters at the solstice to ensure a mild winter. They never met again - spring never came, the winter became harsher with each passing solstice, and Solstice Doomhall was abandoned and fell into ruin. The road from Yuletide to the Doomhall was buried in icy sand. With the ringing of the bells, the giants have returned and prepared a solstice feast for the Bellrights, who never arrived. 

Instead, they hosted Rimehilda of Frostyford (02.03). Rather than a mild winter, Rimehilda negotiated for something else - a child, to be fathered not by the giants but by the spirits of winter itself. The giants agreed, and the child was immaculately conceived in a profane ritual in the fortress's temple. Now, Rimehilda feasts with the giants until the solstice passes and the child is born (21 days).

The "child" Rimehilda carries is in fact Cryonax, Prince of Evil Cold Creatures. If born, he will summon white dragons, frost giants, and yetis to plague the region, laying waste to strongholds and settlements before eventually taking his seat as Lord of Winter in the White Chapel in Yuletide's End, with Rimehilda as his regent mother and true power behind the throne. 

If the curse is lifted over Yuletide before then, the city will be warded against Cryonax's intrusion, and he will wander off into the northern wastes to claim some other seat. Winters will continue to be harsh in the region unless the Arbiters are appeased each year, bought off with a considerable one-time sum of treasure, or slain.

• The Arbiters of Winter: A clan of frost giants consisting of four males, two females (use stone giant), and a young child (4 hit points, 1-2 damage/attack).
• Hrothvar: The Arbiters' chieftain. He is a young giant, dressed in fine furs and hides. He is of average intellect, and Rimehilda has his ear so that he will be suspicious of adventurers, though he is even tempered when assessing threats. He is not one to back down from a challenge to his authority, and he is extremely vengeful should anyone harm Rimehilda or his clan. He is smitten with Rimehilda and chafes under his mother's chastisement.
• Hailveig: Hrothvar's mother. She is old, but imposing, well-spoken, and intelligent. She wears a cloak of white dragon skin from a dragon she claims to have slain herself. She is harsh on her own son for his boyish infatuation with Rimehilda. She is a devotee of Cryonax and puts up with Rimehilda's cruelty out of mutual purpose. Like Hrothvar and Rimehilda, she is suspicious of adventurers' intentions.
• Kolvi: Hrothvar's only son. He is the frost giant equivalent of a toddler - as large as an ogre, but doughy and badly proportioned. He is always accompanied and protected by his pet winter wolf, Hoarfang. He is lazy and cowardly, has a child's temper and petulance, and wants nothing more than to see adventurers slain, roasted, and served up at a feast. He hates both his father and grandmother, but adores Rimehilda. He will run to her and make up any lie about adventurers which might get them into trouble. One adventurer, before being killed and eaten, spoke of a talking wishing well. Kolvi begs Rimehilda to take him there so that he might wish for all adventurers to be killed and eaten by him.
• Rimehilda: CE human magic-user 10. A highly intelligent, maniacal, and malevolent old woman dressed in silver-stitched robes lined with winter wolf fur. She is cold, hard, and utterly without moral scruples. She eats ravenously - all to feed the "child" gestating within her. She is obsequious towards Hrothvar but cruel to Hailveig. She is unfriendly towards adventurers, suspecting that they have come to murder her and her child.

If a fight breaks out here, the giants will defend Rimehilda with their lives (or until their morale breaks). Hrothvar and Hailveig will both fight to the death for her. If all of her protectors are slain, flee, or surrender, Rimehilda will teleport herself to the Doomhall Dragonpit's treasure vault (with which she is very familiar due to her insistence that Hrothvar show her it multiple times). The vault is well-provisioned with ample food and drink so that Rimehilda can bring her child to term there if needed.

• Doomhall Dragonpit: A dungeon for 7th level characters. The dungeons of Solstice Doomhall were excavated long ago by the giants to expand the interior area of the castle above, hold prisoners, and guard treasure accumulated from the Bellwrights' biannual gifts. The dungeons are also home to a subdued ancient white dragon, Hrímkaldr, charged with guarding the entrance to the dungeons' vault. The dungeon has a secret entrance from the Peppermint Wood. The dragon has managed to survive and grow to incredible size by venturing out into the wood to feed on licorice eels, reindeer, elves, and syrup. It is currently in a state of deep sleep and is dimwitted if awakened, so it is possible to sneak past it if intruders are silent or clever.

05.05: Carolcrag Cave: This icy mountain cavern is home to the Silent Knights - or what's left of them. Originally an order of 25 knights charged with protecting the Bellwrights of Yuletide's End (01.01), they were cursed when they failed to do so on that fateful Demus Mass Eve. Their commander, Lady Walburga, broke her vow of silence to express concerns about the Bellwrights' plans to Thoralf, who then warned Magister Skruj. The Knights accepted gifts from Skruj and agreed to partake in the evening's festivities, rather than protect their charges.

For breaking the vow of silence, the Knights were cursed to never utter a sound again. For allowing their masters to be slain, and for the hearths of Yuletide to go forever cold, they were cursed to experience only pain from the warmth of fire. After the slayings, they exiled themselves to the Carolcrags, dwelling forever in this cave. 

With time, they became beastly monsters - 300 pounds, covered in white fur, with pale blue eyes and ivory white claws and teeth (use yeti). Only two of them remain - Lady Walburga herself and Sir Inglebert, her second-in-command. They have outgrown their armor and have entirely forgotten their knightly ways - namely chivalry and swordsmanship. Only snarling beasts remain. They don't call themselves anything, but locals refer to them as Mr. and Mrs. Claws.

Carolcrag Cave is deathly silent - not even the sound of Cliff-Carols can penetrate its icy depths. Any noise inside will alert the beasts to the presence of intruders. The beasts are hostile towards intrusion and use their ability to blend into their surroundings to lie in wait for the moment to strike. 

While unable to speak, they can be reasoned with, but only briefly, and they only half remember the common tongue. If they can be convinced to return to the White Chapel in Yuletide's End, the Ghosts of Yuletide Past, Present, and Future will release them from their oaths, allowing the curse to be lifted via remove curse.

And that is the Jinglebell Barrens! This was a lot more work than I thought I'd be doing on this, and its much more detailed than sandboxes I've drawn up for this blog in the past, but once I got started I just couldn't stop. It was too fun tying things together and giving everything a kind of grimdark Christmas vibe. 

I think you could have a pretty wild seasonal adventure here. We've got a couple of very manageable settlements with some political intrigue (all contained within one faction), a stronghold that exerts control over a large chunk of the region, a ruined city with five (!) dungeons and almost as many factions, a friendly merchant camp to trade with (or plunder for its riches), a frost giant lair in a ruined castle with an ice witch brewing up an Elemental Prince of Evil, another dungeon beneath complete with a dragon, and the lair of a pair of fearsome yetis. Curses abound, and they all have thematic means of being lifted.

Hopefully, this is a welcome gift to you, dear reader. If you're feeling generous yourself, you can give me the gift of sharing this post wherever you want, or commenting down below with your favorite parts, constructive criticisms, or whatever. 

As you celebrate the season in whichever way you're inclined to do, remember that there are always d100 creatures encysted beneath the surface of the earth, wishing you glad tidings this year and next!