It takes minimal research to determine that the Crystal Falls are a 100-foot tall waterfall located in the southern Aspodell Mountains, between Andoran to the east and Cheliax to the west.

If they teleport, read:

The ground is solid stone beneath your feet, and a bitter wind cuts through you. As your vision clears you see the grey sky above and below. You realise you are standing on an incline, and it only takes a second of looking around to realise you are halfway up a mountain. Perhaps more than halfway, as what appears to be the summit is visible up ahead.

False Summit

In fact this is a false summit, and reaching the real summit means two hours’ walking. If the heroes reach the peak they have a magnificent view of the landscape below, although the falls aren’t directly visible from this angle. There’s also a frozen corpse of an elf up here, wearing cold weather gear. Their satchel contains 40gp, a bag of beans, preserved in the frost, and a hydra mutagen.

Climbing Down

On the way down, heroes succeeding on a DC 35 Perception test can spot tracks leading away from the well-worn path. It takes them to a shortcut that will get them down the mountain faster, but requires climbing (a DC 30 Athletics test). A failed check results in a 40-foot drop. As they climb, a hero might see a large crystalline spine buried in the rock. The combat on this path leads to an athach named Gneip and its pet frost worm Skrija. Gneip wears a medal of unicorn’s purity, though he has no idea of its magical properties.

Perception +22; darkvision

Languages Jotun

Skills Athletics +25, Intimidation +21

Str +7, Dex +3, Con +7, Int -1, Wis +4, Cha +3

AC 33; Fort +25, Ref +20, Will +21

HP 250; Weaknesses cold-iron 10

Attack of Opportunity (Special) R An athach gains an extra reaction at the start of each of its turns that it can use only to make an Attack of Opportunity with its claw. It can't use more than one Attack of Opportunity triggered by the same action.

Catch Rock R

Athach Venom (poison) Saving Throw DC 32 Fortitude Maximum Duration 6 rounds Stage 1 2d6 poison damage and enfeebled 1 Stage 2 2d6 poison damage and enfeebled 2 Stage 3 2d6 poison damage and enfeebled 3

Swift Claw R Trigger The athach hits a creature with two fist Strikes Effect The athach makes a claw Strike with no multiple attack penalty against the creature it hit with its fist Strikes. This claw attack does not increase the athach's multiple attack penalty.

Speed 40 feet

Melee A fist +25 [+20/+15] (reach 10 feet, unarmed) Damage 3d12+13 bludgeoning

Melee A jaws +25 [+20/+15] (unarmed) Damage 3d8+13 piercing plus athach venom

Melee A claw +25 [+21/+17] (agile, unarmed) Damage 3d8+13 slashing

Ranged A rock +25 [+20/+15] (brutal, range increment 120 feet) Damage 3d8+13 bludgeoning

Throw Rock 1

Perception +22; darkvision

Languages None

Skills Athletics +25, Stealth +20

Str +7, Dex +4, Con +6, Int -4, Wis +4, Cha +0

AC 33; Fort +24, Ref +22, Will +20

HP 225; Immunities cold; Weaknesses fire 15

Death Throes (cold, primal) When a frost worm dies, it explodes in a 100-foot burst of searing cold blood. All creatures and objects in range take 10d8 cold damage (DC 29 basic Reflex save).

Freezing Blood R (cold) Trigger The frost worm takes piercing or slashing damage Effect The frost worm's freezing blood sprays out on a random creature within 10 feet of the frost worm. That creature takes 7d6 cold damage (DC 29 basic Reflex save).

Worm Chill (aura, cold, primal) 5 feet. A creature that enters or begins its turn in the emanation takes 3d6 cold damage (DC 29 basic Reflex save).

Speed 25 feet

Melee A jaws +25 [+20/+15] (unarmed) Damage 3d8+10 piercing plus 2d6 cold

Breath Weapon 2 (cold, primal) The frost worm exhales a blast of frost, dealing 13d6 cold damage to creatures in a 50-foot cone (DC 32 basic Reflex save). It can't use Breath Weapon again for 1d4 rounds.

Worm Trill 1 (auditory, concentrate, mental, primal) The frost worm emits a hypnotic trill. Each non-frost worm creature within 100 feet must attempt a DC 32 Will save. The effects of Worm Trill last for 1 round, but if the frost worm uses this ability again on subsequent rounds, it extends this duration by 1 round for any creature already affected. Success The creature is unaffected and is immune to Worm Trill for 24 hours. Failure The creature is by the frost worm. Critical Failure As failure, but the fascinated condition doesn't end if the frost worm uses hostile actions against the creature.

Standard Path

The journey takes much longer along the standard path, meaning the heroes are caught in a snowstorm. It reduces their Perception checks by -4. There, a snow oni apparates in front of them. “Wrong turn?” it grins cruelly.

Twice per day, the snow oni can use two actions to summon an icewyrm from a rocky outcropping. In the snow oni’s pocket is a small toy piano, which turns out to be a phantom piano. It is inhabited by a virtuoso pianist named Ambrus.

Perception +26; greater-darkvision, snow vision

Languages Common

Skills Acrobatics +24, Athletics +25, Deception +27

Str +8, Dex +5, Con +5, Int +0, Wis +5, Cha +8

AC 33; Fort +23, Ref +25, Will +21

HP 290; Immunities cold; Weaknesses spirit 15

Greater Darkvision

Snow Vision Snow doesn't impair the snow oni's vision; they ignore concealment from snowfall.

Bean Panic Oni are curiously afraid of beans, especially as the seasons begin to change. If a creature Interacts to throw a handful of beans at the oni, the oni becomes frightened 2. While frightened this way, their weakness to spirit damage is increased by 5. The oni then becomes immune to bean panic for 24 hours.

Icy Deflection R Trigger The snow oni is targeted by a ranged Strike or spell attack roll that doesn't have the fire trait Effect The snow oni creates a reflective blockade of ice, gaining a +4 circumstance bonus to AC against the triggering attack roll. If the attack misses, the snow oni redirects the attack to another creature within 20 feet of the snow oni. The attacker rerolls the attack roll against the new target.

Reactive Strike R

Speed 40 feet

Melee A fist +27 [+23/+19] (agile, magical, reach 10 feet, unarmed) Damage 2d8+16 bludgeoning plus 2d6 cold

Melee A jaws +27 [+22/+17] (magical, reach 10 feet, unarmed) Damage 2d6+16 piercing plus 1d6 bleed

Ranged A ice dart +25 [+20/+15] (cold, magical, range increment 60 feet) Damage 3d10+4 cold plus 1d6 spirit

Primal Innate Spells DC 31, attack +23; 2nd invisibility (at will, self only)

Change Shape 1 (concentrate, polymorph) The snow oni can take on the appearance of any Medium or Large humanoid creature. This doesn't change their Speed or their attack and damage bonuses with their Strikes but might change the damage type their Strikes deal (typically to bludgeoning).

Chilling Combo 1 (cold) The snow oni makes two fist Strikes targeting the same creature. If they both hit, the target becomes slowed 1 for 1 round.

Falling Frozen Lightning 2 (cold, primal) The snow oni calls down a bolt of icy lightning, white as fallen snow. The bolt strikes a location within 60 feet, freezing the air into a cloud of snow that fills a 20-foot burst and lasts for 1 minute. All creatures within the snow become , and all creatures outside the snow become concealed to creatures within it. A creature that enters the snow or begins its turn there takes 15 cold damage, with a DC 33 basic Fortitude save.

The Base

After all that, the heroes can finally reach the base of the mountain, where a small log cabin sits. Inside, a dwarf named Kron lives, and has done for eighty years, alone. He’s perfectly happy! He knows where the Crystal Falls are, but doesn’t know anything about the temple or Nivi Rhombodazzle. He is happy to offer them a warm place to sleep on his floor, as well as a nip of his whiskey.