Chap 10: Winter Road

Winter Road is a gravel road that hugs Mount Gawking, climbing to great heights. The raod starts at the Raven River crossroads (Chap 2, area R) and travels seven miles to a gatehouse (areas T1-T3) and the winter watch (tower) (areas T4-T6), as well as a stone bridge (areas T7-T9) that spans the Loon River. Wind and snow make the journey treacherous. Without some way to keep warm, characters who aren't dressed for cold weather suffer the effects of extreme cold at night (see Chap 5 of the DM's Guide).

Areas of the Road
The following correspond to labels on the ORIGINAL CoS map of the Tsolenka Pass on page 158. These structures are made of tightly fitted stone and can't be scaled without the aid of magic or a climber's kit.

T1. Gatehouse portcullis
When the PCs approach from the west: 'The shelf of rock to which the mountain road clings grows narrow. To your left, icy cliffs rise to the gray skies above. To your right, the ground falls away into a sea of fog. Ahead, through wind and snow, you see a high wall of stone crusted with white frost and topped by statues of two-headed dogs at attention. Set in the center of the wall is a closed portcullis, behind which burns a curtain of sky-blue flame.
On the other side of the wall, gripping the mountain's edge, is a frost-crusted stone watch tower topped by golden statues.'
The gatehouse is 30 ft high. The walls are 20 ft high and watched over by 6 petrified death dogs. If PCs fly or climb over the gate, the death dogs (area T2) animate and attack.
If the characters approach within 10 ft of the portcullis, it shrieks, metal upon metal, as it rises. It stays open for 1 min, then closes.

T2. Statues
The six two-headed dogs are death dogs, petrified to stand watch for eternity. If they are attacked or if the PCs bypass the gatehouse, they revert to flesh and attack until the PCs flee or they are killed.

T3. Curtain of flame
A curtain of sky-blue flame fills the eastern archway of the gatehouse. Any creature that enters or starts its turn in the curtain takes 33 (6d10) fire damage.
A successful dispel magic or antimagic field (DC 16) suppresses the curtain for 1 min.

T4. Winter watch, ground floor
The tower door is wooden and barred from within. It can be forced open with a DC 22 Str (Athletics) check.
Text: 'A cold hearth stands across from the door, the wind howling down its chimney. A stone staircase is on the south wall. Three windows look out over a sea of fog.'
The stairs climb 20 ft to area T5.
Teleport destination
PCs who teleport here from area K78 in the Elder Edelwood arrive at the point marked X on the map.

T5. Winter watch, upper floor
Text: 'The upper level of the tower is an icebox with windows set in almost every wall. A rusted ladder bolted to the floor and ceiling leads up to a trapdoor. The wind howls through the chimney.'
The trapdoor in the ceiling pushes open with a squeal, revealing the rooftop (area T6) and the stormy gray sky.
The wind will blow out any non-magical fire lit in the hearth.

T6. Winter watch rooftop
Text: '10-ft-tall, gold-plated statues stand atop the battlements, facing outward. Each one depicts a helmeted knight holding a lance. The cold wind stirs the snow, under which you see a tangle of skeletons.'
The roof is 40 ft high and 540 ft above the misty valley below. A wooden trapdoor in the floor squeals as it is pulled open, revealing area T5 below.
The skeletons are the remains of the last guards to hold this post agains the forces of winter. Their armor has been removed and placed on the statues.
If your card reading reveals a treasure here, the statues animate. They are 6 animated armors and attack the PCs until they leave the rooftop or are defeated. Only after all six have been destroyed can the PCs find their treasure by searching in the snow.

T7. Western arch
When the characters approach the bridge: 'The snowy pass comes to a gorge spanned by a stone bridge. At each end of the bridge is a 30-ft-tall, 30-ft-wide stone arch. Atop each one are two states of armored dogs on turkeyback with lances, charging one another. The wind bites and howls for them.'
The western arch contains empty guard posts, one on each side of the bridge. The 10-ft-wide chambers provide protection from the wind but not the cold.

T8. Stone bridge
Text: 'The low walls enclosing the frost-encrusted stone bridge have fallen away here and there, but the bridge itself is intact. A shadowy rider in a cloak and antlers stands guard in the middle of the bridge atop a giant turkey.'
The rider is an illusion of the Beast to warn traverlers from proceding further. If the PCs interact with the rider in any way, it disperses as mist.
500 ft below the bridge is the Loon River, barely visible through the fog. The 10-ft-wide, 90-ft-long bridge has iced over and is extremely slippery. PCs must make a DC 10 Dex (Acrobatics) or Str (Athletics) check to avoid falling prone or worse at the DM's discretion.

T9. Eastern arch
Text: 'One statue atop the arch has crumbled, leaving only the hindquarters of the giant turkey intact. The mountain pass continues beyond.'
This arch contains 10-ft-sq empty guard posts, one on each side of the bridge.
Beyond this arch, Winter Road hugs the mountainside for 3 miles before branching north and south. The northern branch leads to Winter Place (Chap 13). The southern continues to wrap around Mount Gawking until it ends at the stone wall that surrounds the Unknown.

Special Events
You can use one or both of the following events as the characters make their way along Winter Road.

Stone golems of the bridge
As the characters cross the stone bridge (area T8), the three intact giant statues of the armored dogs on turkeyback animate and attack. The statues use
stone golem stats, their lances attached to their bodies acting as natural weapons.
They gang up to attack a random creature on the bridge but cannot leave the bridge without returning to inanimate stone.

Revenge of the scapegoat
As the characters make their way along Winter Road, they encounter a giant goat once intended as a sacrifice by the Black Turtle cultists in Tavern Town. This goat escaped to the mountain pass and now attacks all humanoids in the memory of its near-death experience at their hands.
Text: 'The road ahead is cut out of the mountainside, rising steeply to one side and falling away on the other. Mist and snow reduce visibilty, and the wind cuts through you like an icy knife.'
If no character has a passive Wis (Perception) score of 16 or higher, the party is surprised. Otherwise: 'A 9-ft-tall goat stands atop a crab above you, its gray fur blending perfectly with the rock of the mountainside. It lowers its head, and malice glimmers in its eyes.'
Modify its stats as follows:
-Int 6
-33 hit points
-Resistance to bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage from nonmagical attacks
-Challenge rating 1 (200 XP)
The giant goat charges down the mountainside (using its Charge feature) and rams a character. If the attack hits and the target fails its saving throw, it is sent tumbling down the mountainside, falling 100 ft onto a ledge.
The goat flees if it takes 10 damage or more. The mist and snowfall preven seeing anything more than 60 ft away. Once the goat is out of sight, it disappears through a cleft.
Development
If the characters have lost favor with Lady Fiona of Tavern Town, they can offer the pelt of the giant goat to her as a gift and restore her favor.