Session Recap: The Glacier Awakens
Our party ventured into the Singing Glacier and discovered something that should have stayed frozen. Here's what happened in Session 12.
Session Recap: The Glacier Awakens
Campaign: Frozen North | Session: 12 | Party Level: 5
The party: Sigrid (human fighter), Dain (dwarf cleric), Ylva (half-elf ranger), and Torsten (tiefling warlock).
The Setup
After spending two sessions gathering supplies and information in Rimhavn, the party finally set out for the Singing Glacier. The Jarl's mission was clear: find out why the glacier's song had changed from its usual harmonic hum to something deeper, almost like a heartbeat.
Into the Ice
The first challenge was the entrance itself — a crevasse in the glacier face, barely wide enough for single file. Ylva's survival skills got the party through without incident, but Torsten noticed something unsettling: the ice walls were warm to the touch.
Inside, the glacier was unlike anything the party expected. Instead of rough ice tunnels, they found carved corridors — smooth walls with geometric patterns that predated any known civilization. Dain recognized the stonework techniques as similar to ancient dwarven methods, but the scale was wrong. Everything was built for creatures at least twelve feet tall.
The Discovery
Three hours in, the party reached a central chamber. The "heartbeat" sound was deafening here, pulsing through the floor. In the center of the room: a massive crystalline sarcophagus, completely transparent, containing what appeared to be a giant in full armor, perfectly preserved.
And its eyes were open.
The Combat
Sigrid wanted to leave. Torsten wanted to investigate. While they argued, the sarcophagus cracked.
Initiative!
The Frost Giant Revenant (homebrew stat block, CR 8) burst free and attacked. Highlights:
- Sigrid landed a critical hit with her greataxe on round 1, dealing 34 damage. The giant barely flinched.
- Dain's Spirit Guardians proved essential, providing consistent radiant damage each round.
- Ylva's Spike Growth at the chamber entrance prevented the giant from fleeing into the deeper tunnels.
- Torsten's Eldritch Blast knocked the giant prone on round 4, and Sigrid finished it with an Action Surge.
The Cliffhanger
As the giant fell, the heartbeat sound didn't stop. It accelerated. The geometric patterns on the walls began to glow, and the party felt the floor vibrate as something deeper in the glacier responded to the giant's destruction.
Dain cast Detect Magic. The entire glacier lit up like a bonfire.
End of session.
DM Notes
This session was about atmosphere. I played a low-frequency heartbeat sound effect through a speaker for the entire session, gradually increasing the volume. By the time the giant woke up, the players were genuinely tense.
The frost giant revenant was tough but fair at level 5 — the party used their resources well. Next session, they'll discover what the glacier is actually containing, and it's going to change the campaign.
Want to run something similar? Our Frozen North setting guide and the Frost Giant Revenant stat block will be available in the store soon.