Dolmenwood Factions #02: The Cold Prince

01 Jul, 2024

Back with more Dolmenwood factions! This time, I take a closer look at the powerful yet banished Cold Prince and his fearsome frost elves. How can this seemingly limited faction snowball into one of the biggest game changers in this world? Let's find out!

Goals

This faction's goals are straightforward, reflecting the Cold Prince's intense focus on regaining his domain in the mortal world¹.

• 🐵 Locate Secret Pathways into Dolmenwood: This essential goal helps the faction gain a foothold. While multiple pathways are ideal, even one fast and easily reachable passage will suffice. Until achieved, this faction plays a minor role in the campaign.
  • Discover one or more reliable ways into Dolmenwood.
  • Secure the exits to maintain control.
  • Continuously send frost elves to support other efforts.

• 🙈 Seek Alliance with Other Fairy Nobles: Primarily known to those traversing Fairy, this goal supports the first one. Alliances with other Fairy Nobles diversify the threat to mortals, adding new dynamics.
  • Gain additional allies among the Fairy Nobility.
  • Leverage these alliances to discover more pathways into Dolmenwood.
  • Utilize these allies in confrontations against mortals.

• 🙊 Destroy the Ring of Chell: The ultimate goal. The Campaign Book describes the dire consequences if the Standing Stones fall. The return of the Cold Prince will herald an eternal winter over Dolmenwood.
  • Uncover all information about the Ring of Chell.
  • Begin toppling the first stone.
  • Continue toppling stones until the Cold Prince can return.

Resources

The Cold Prince has powerful resources but faces the challenge of bringing them to Dolmenwood.

• Frost Elves: From large cadres of highly trained, elite knights to intricate spies and powerful elf lords.
  • Execute intricate missions.
  • Attack and defend key positions.
  • Treat with other Fairy Nobles as equals.

• Winter Magic: Mastery over powerful frost and winter magic².
  • Control the environment.
  • Provide powerful enchantments.
  • Create magical barriers and constructs.

• Ancient Artifacts: Relics and enchanted items from Frigia.
  • Enhance combat abilities of followers.
  • Tempt mortal dissidents with trades.
  • Unlock long-forgotten secrets in Dolmenwood.

Actions

This faction has a slow start due to its lack of footholds in Dolmenwood³. My campaign began with the Winter's Daughter module, where players traveled to Frigia⁴, meeting Lady Snowfall-at-Dusk and attracting the interest of other Frost Elf Courtiers at her tower. This likely caught the Cold Prince's interest, before I introduced Faction Turns to the campaign.

• 📔 Locate the rift that has sent mortals to Frigia (Winter's Daughter)
  • 🕵️ Lady Frost-Dust-Shadow (DCB p302)
  • 📝 Send word to Lady Frost-Dust-Shadow.
  • 📝 Have enchanted servants find and verify the rift's existence.
  • 📝 Frost-Dust-Shadow conducts experiments to stabilize the rift.

• 📔 Tip the eternal battle in Everborne into the Lady of Midnight's favor and gain her as an ally⁵.
  • 🕵️ Princess Echoes-of-Ice
  • 📝 Frost Elf Knights win an important battle against the forces from the moon.
  • 📝 Courtiers sway important people in Tainglass with promises and gifts.
  • 📝 Field a campaign to secure another foothold outside of Tainglass.

• 📔 Establish a secret foothold in the High Wold.
  • 🕵️ Ever-Night-Frost
  • 📝 Send a trusted courtier through several detours to Dolmenwood.
  • 📝 Find a suitable location and disguise.
  • 📝 Gain the trust of the locals.

Further Thoughts

Other potential missions include recruiting a Breggle Lord by promising control of the High Wold, sharing common enemies like the Drune for a temporary or permanent alliance.

Once enough passages to Dolmenwood are secured and alliances forged, the primary goals include gathering information about the Ring of Chell, questioning Drune, and starting missions to topple the Summerstones. At this point, the presence of the Frost Elves should cause chaos and panic among mortals², leading to swift reactions from other factions.

As stated in the Goals, the consequences of the Summerstones falling are outlined in the Campaign Book⁶, providing inspiration for the next steps.

Potential Alliances

The Cold Prince has these potential allies:

• Other Fairy Nobles: Beyond the Lady of Midnight, the Cold Prince could attempt to repair his relationship with his estranged half-brother, Prince Mallowheart⁷, or rekindle his former alliance with Queen Abyssinia⁸.
• House Ramius: Though not his first choice among the Fairy Nobles, Lord Ramius might seek an alliance with the Cold Prince. Confident in his ability to manipulate the situation, Ramius may consider pledging fealty if his standing in other circles has deteriorated significantly.

Example

The Cold Prince is off to a promising start in my campaign, making steady progress on all missions. The Prince is very interested in the rift that sent my players to Frigia, and it makes sense that in his single-mindedness all he is doing to investigate this potential source before it closes for good. Outside of Ygraine, who is working to impede possible alliances the Cold Prince could make with the Fairy Nobles, nobody is really paying any attention to the frost elves. But this will surely change once they make some noticeable moves in Dolmenwood!

Conclusion

The biggest advantage the Cold Prince has is that apart from the Drune and Ygraine, he is on nobody's radar. The Drune are heavily occupied on all fronts dealing with the Nag-Lord, the Church and Nobles, and the Breggles. Ygraine is powerful but not a huge force. Her best bet is to interrupt possible alliances with other Fairy Nobles or even try to turn them against the Frost Elves, but this is a slow process requiring many favors and goodwill from whimsical beings.

However, once the Frost Elves gain momentum, they will be a key factor in Dolmenwood, dedicated to achieving their ultimate goal with arguably the biggest impact on the world. I'd love to see it happen!

This concludes the deep dive into the faction of the Frost Elves. As always, if you have other ideas or implementations, feel free to share them! Next time, I take a look at the Drune!

References

#dolmenwood #faction turns #legwork