Frozen Terrortory

The adventure begins in the spring time with the group traveling from the Western Empire to Bizantium by ship. They can be employed on the ship or just be traveling. 5 merchant frigate vessels with 3 escort frigates. They meet and become friends with several sailors, Young Dan, One Eye Zeke, Oliver the cooks mate. They get a glimpse of Zaya and meet several of his men.
The encounters are unpleasant. The journey is otherwise uneventful until they pass north of the Land of the Damned where the convoy is attacked by 3 "Black" demon ships. Emerging from a bank of fog they sink the 2 lead escort frigates quickly. The merchants scatter while the last frigate moves up to cover their escape. The ship with the group on it turns north into the fog and runs up every inch of cloth it can . Fortunately there is an air/water warlock on board that helps speed them along. They run north for a day but at dusk find that one of the demon ships is following them. It appears damaged but is slowly gaining on them. Hoping to loose them in the dark the captain orders all lights and fires extinguished and silence from everyone, as they run blindly into the darkness.
The air is already growing quite cold and a low fog hangs over the water as all sit quietly in the dark. By morning the fog is thicker and small ice flows have started to appear in the water.
"Ice ahead!" cries the lookout, there are several large floes and a huge iceberg dead ahead.
"What the hell is ice doing this far south this late in the season?" mutters the captain as bits of ice bump loudly against the hull.
Note: Give the group a few moments to get on deck to see the iceberg.
The ship suddenly lurches as if it has run aground. A huge spray of water and ice showers onto the deck as a monstrous sea serpent rears up before the ship. Just like on the cover of 1st Ed AOTHS. Rushing water and screams come from below deck. and the ship begins listing to stern. The ship will sink in within minutes.

The groups doesn’t have many options here.
They can stay and try to fight the sea serpent. It is too huge for them to destroy here, they will meet it and its children later in the iceberg.
Those that can fly should probably do so.
They can make for the life boats.
There are 6 life boats available each holds 15 men. only 2 are near them. Zaya Arrath and his 6 men are in one and are lowering it without waiting for anyone else.
No matter what happens the boat with the group and the party led by Zaya Arrath are the only ones that make it to the iceberg, the sea serpent gets the rest.
Note: Draw out the pursuit letting all 6 boats get into the water and have the serpent get each one, one at a time. Zaya’s boat is in the lead and they head straight for a flat area at the base of the iceberg, with the group in the second boat.

Zaya and his men pull the boat up a good ways onto the ice and hotfoot it for the ice ridge, but do slip and fall several times. Which they scramble over and are lost from sight.
The group will have little time to do more than jump out before the serpent beaches itself trying to get them, crushing their boat and belongings. It continues after them but cannot get over the ice ridge.
It will stop there emitting earsplitting bellows at them for a good 20 minutes. It is unlikely they can kill the creature should they stay and try to fight it, it is not in the script.

Zaya and his men are halfway up the steep and slippery slope heading towards an opening in the ice with a small waterfall spewing from it. They will be inside by the time the group gets to the base of the cliff face if they follow at all.

What will they do now?
Everyone and thing is wet and freezing. They will all die of exposure in a few hours if they can’t figure a way to get dry and warm. Their best bet is to go into the cave.

The slope is wet and is glare ice. Everyone should be down by half their SDC by the time they all make it to the top and get inside by damage from cold, slips, falls cuts and scrapes.
The opening is 20 ft high and 15 ft wide teardrop shaped, fat end at the bottom and has a slight upward tilt and goes straight into the iceberg. There is ankle deep freezing water coming down it at a good clip. Falling water can be heard ahead far in the distance. The passage widens to 30 ft slowly after several hundred feet. Falling water comes from several places in the ceiling along the way. At last the group comes to a large ice cavern, water is dripping from the ceiling everywhere and more roaring water can be heard coming from across the cavern in the distance. There is a faint light ahead the water is knee deep to a human and bitterly cold. The light moves to the right then behind an ice outcropping which it backs lights for a few moments it is held higher and reveals in silhouette a ship encased in ice then the light goes out.

Zaya and his men have climbed the outcropping and entered the ship. Hopefully the group will do the same. As the get closer they see that the ship is only partially encased in ice and can climb up the side by the old rigging hanging there. As they climb up the smell of smoke fills the air. Zaya has started a fire in the stove in the galley and he and his men are there warming themselves. When the party comes in they act startled, but he greets them saying " he can’t believe they escaped from that creature out there. " He introduces himself as Zaya Arrath noble and merchant of the western empire, on his way to meet distant relative in Bizantium.
They will all act friendly and share the heat. Once everyone has a chance to warms up Zaya orders 4 of his men to search the ship and report back what they find. The make torches and do so. They report that this appears to be the Bizantium brigantine "Sea Song", that most of the ship is locked in ice, there are several bodies frozen in the ice in several places. The hold is empty of cargo and half full of ice. The doors to the cabins and captains quarters are frozen shut or stuck from the swollen wood or both. There is no food but plenty of wood for heat.
If the party searches on their own they find the same thing. If someone should hang over the side they can make out a frozen body slumped over a large table covered with papers and maps.

The door can eventually be broken in. Zaya and his men will help. Only Zaya will enter the captains quarters with the party.
Captain Donavan was a middle aged human. His body is frozen to the table and the maps beneath him. His log book is under his hand and can be easily pulled free.
Once it is thawed it can be read. It details his last journey 50 years ago.
He and 3 other vessels were on a mission to the far north in the summer of that year.
They were hired by a group of wizards calling themselves the "Protectors of Knowledge"
a sketch of a broach worn by one of the order is the symbol of mystic knowledge and protection.
They transported them to the edge of the ice sheet far to the north. the latitude and longitude are given. The ships unloaded of the orders 10 wizards, 30 men at arms and 50 slaves. Several hundred dogs with sleds and several tons of food and other supplies. They were to wait there for them to return within a months time. They never returned. The ships were damaged in a freak storm and they were left stranded with no way to escape. The rest details the following months of cold and eventual starvation of himself and his crew. He details how they searched for the party for several weeks after they had not returned. He and his men made a week long foray but found only the empty supply containers heading in a due northerly course towards a lone mountain rising from the ice, but as they had neither the supplies nor equipment to continue to look they turned back well before reaching it.

If the party thaws the captain a bit and lifts him carefully they will find a map of the landing location and of the areas they searched looking for the party. The mountain is detailed on the map. Zaya will of course recognize the name of the order and knows who they are and probably what they are after. He will steal the log book from whom ever has it this evening and flee with his men in the remaining life boat trapping the group here.

Magic lore will reveal that the order had sought to protect knowledge and magic from the purge after the great war. All were supposedly killed and their secret caches of knowledge and magic were destroyed. Could one of these caches have been missed? What treasures and power could be hidden there?

Outside a great ruckus can be heard. Once topside everyone can see that 2 of Zaya’s men are battling a smaller version of the sea serpent at the side of the ship. 2 others can be seen coming towards the ship as well. 2 more of Zaya’s men rush to fight the creatures, the other 2 hustle him below to the galley.

The baby serpents are 60 ft long 4 ft across and can easily swallow a man whole, and look very hungry and quite nasty. They will attack and attempt to eat anyone on deck. Their mother can be heard bellowing from across the cavern, but she cannot reach the ship due to her size and the smallness of the opening into the cavern.

After the battle there should be Zaya and 3 of his men left, all 3 have minor wounds. All but 2 of the sailors that came in the groups boat will have been killed. Both have minor wounds as well. That evening Zaya successfully steals the logbook and escapes from the iceberg on the boat he came in on with his remaining men. He will be picked up in 3 days in the shipping lanes and makes for Bizantium where he will setup an expedition to find the lost treasure.

That evening someone awakens to feed the fire and finds Zaya and his men gone. If the group searches they find the lifeboat and log book missing.

Hopefully the group will find the map and the ships own life boat still frozen in the ice. Once thawed out it can be fairly easily be floated down to the sea. The serpent has gone now that her young are dead. But she will reappear later on in the story. The party will be picked up 5 days later on a ship bound for Bizantium if they use the life boat.

Will they go for the treasure?
Will they beat Zaya to it?
We shall see, we shall see.