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Dire Articuno
The Frozen Phoenix
Dire Articuno are avatars of the winter, beasts
of ice, a chill wind against the heat of life. They
find warmth insufferable and seek to cleanse
their domains of it. With a harsh intelligence,
they extinguish any source of heat, living
beings included, bending it to the will of the
ice. In their dreams, the sun itself is frozen
over, casting a cooling glow over a planet of
endless winters.
The Dire Articuno is a large blue bird with
ice Intermingling with its body. Its long wings
begin with soft feathers that gradually
transition to razor sharp ice blades. A trident
crest on its skull pulses cold energy, freezing
many who get too close, instantly. There is an
ice harness around its neck, a punishing
reminder of its servitude to winter and a cold
power far beyond this world. It has a thick tail
that it can shake to create small blizzards
from the snow stored within.
Solstice Born. Dire Articuno are created
when their lesser forms perish at precisely the
right moment during the longest night of the
year. The plunge into darkness and cold
weakens the boundaries of the Winter Realms,
allowing some things to seep through. Powers
from that realm may happen upon the fresh
body and use it as a vessel for their will. In a
blast of cold flames, a Dire Articuno is born.
While not directly possessed by whatever
revived it, it is in possession of a shard of the
Winter Realm’s power. Should it fall again, it
can pull upon this energy to rise from its icy
corpse, indulging in rebirth’s endless cycle.
Winter Warrior. The Dire Articuno is a
creature of ice, uncaring and unflinching. It has
only the desire to expand its realm, covering
everything it can see in winter. This act creates
stable places for the Winter Realm to tear
open reality, stepping through to claim
another world. It is not unwilling in this task,
instead it seems to revel in it. Whatever
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Art @LluisAbadias Patreon.com/LaserLluis
Stats/Lore @Snickelsox Patreon.com/Snickelsox
Base Map @DysonLogos Patreon.com/DysonLogos
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#DireEmAll No 7
warmth was left in the Dire Articuno died with
its original body.
A Life Lost. Dire Articuno make huge nests
made of ice, converting ancient trees or
abandoned towers into fortresses of frost.
Atop this frozen keep, it scans over its land for
new targets, recovers in chilled sleep, and
occasionally lays eggs. These eggs are the last
vestige of what the Dire Articuno used to be.
Unfortunately, its cold body is unable to care
for the growing life and the eggs quickly
freeze long before life can truly begin. This
loss only serves to steel their hearts; unwilling
to let anything else live if the world would
deny it children while forcing immortality
upon it.
A Dire Articuno’s Lair
A Dire Articuno will begin nesting in gigantic
oaks or upon deserted castle ruins. Its
presence causes the land around it to begin to
freeze and its home will slowly grow into a
pillar of ice. Atop this it will gather large icicles
and arrange them much the same way a bird
arranges sticks for its nest. By doing this, its
nest becomes a dangerous place of
frictionless surfaces and deadly spears.
The higher the tower goes, the more bodies
and bones can be seen frozen into the walls
themselves. Dire Articuno are fond of leaving
tunnels and pathways in their towers. They
will create small traps and guard them with
Ice Thralls, but this in itself is a trap. They
know that the only creatures who will
challenge the ice phoenix are the strongest in
the surrounding lands. Once it has dispatched
of these foolish heroes, there is nothing left to
guard the villages and cities it wishes to
plunge into winter.
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Lair Actions
On initiative count 20 (losing initiative ties), the
Dire Articuno takes a lair action to cause one
of the following effects; it can’t use the same
two effects in a row:
• Ice shards jut out from the walls, floor,
and ceiling in a 60-foot-radius
centered on the Dire Articuno. Each
creature in that range must make a
Dexterity saving throw (DC 12), taking
10 (3d6) piercing damage on a failed
save or half as much on a successful
one.
• The Dire Articuno whips up an intense
blizzard in a 120-foot area centered on
it. Creatures without True Sight cannot
see beyond 10 feet, all movement is
taken as if on difficult terrain, and all
non-magical sounds are silenced until
initiative count 20 on the following
round. This does not inhibit the Dire
Articuno.
• If standing on its nest, the Dire
Articuno can briefly preen itself,
recovering 14 (4d6) hit points.
• The ice within 3 miles begins to imitate
life, growing in shapes that resemble
life. This includes plant life, wild
animals, and even civilization; all of
these are inanimate, icy statue
replications.
If the Dire Articuno is truly killed, the effects
begin to recede naturally.
Ice Thralls
Ice Thrall are creatures who have been frozen
within the walls of the Dire Articuno’s lair.
They are typically humanoid and have bits of
the original body frozen in a shell of ice. They
act as mindless guards, attacking anything of
warmth if they get too near. While in the Dire
Articuno’s lair or within 500 feet of the
creature, they are mentally linked to the bird
and follow its commands to the best of their
abilities. They are not very fast or very strong
and rely on their defensive ice and sheer
numbers to overwhelm foes.

Regional Effects

The region containing a Dire Articuno is

warped by its connection to the Winter Realm,
which creates one or more of the following
effects.

• The land around a Dire Articuno’s lair

is covered in varying layers of ice.
Everything within 1 mile is frozen solid.
Land up to 2 miles away has several
inches of snow. Land up to 3 miles
away is covered in a persistent light
frost.
• Non-magical fires become weak and
draw very little heat within 3 miles of
the Dire Articuno’s lair. The Dire
Articuno can sense the exact locations
of any fire within this range.

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1 - Base
3 - Food Chamber

“Bookshelves and tables, still covered in old

“Large animals are frozen into the wall,
arcane materials, are frozen under several
several missing large chunks of their
inches of translucent ice. Many humanoid
bodies. There are humanoids frozen deeper
ice sculptures litter the room and many
in the ice. The cold is biting and heavy.”
more are frozen to the walls.”
Animals. Choose 2d4 CR 1 or less animals
Wizard Junk. Most all the materials here
to attack. They deal an additional 7 (2d6) cold
have been ruined by the ice. There is nothing
damage per attack. There are 2d6+1 Ice Thralls
left more valuable than a common potion.
Treasure. 312 gp scattered, Frost Armor
Guards. The guards are Ice Thralls, reacting
(med +2 armor, resist cold damage, immune
to touch or to surprise. There are 4d6+6 here.
cold effects), 1d6+3 healing potions, Crack
Secret. An Investigation check (DC 20) will
Hammer (+2 hammer, 2x damage to objects).
reveal a hidden doorway by the staircase.
Behind it is a +2 weapon of your choice frozen
in several inches of ice. Melting the ice will 4 - Nest
result in an ambush of 2d6+2 Ice Thralls
.
“Razor sharp points threaten you
2 - 2nd Story everywhere you look. The beast waits here,
its cold eyes stare at you with frozen fury. “
“The stairway up is iced over and destroyed. Boss. The Dire Articuno will not
A set of doors are covered in this same ice.” immediately attack but can sense dangerous
intent. It will prioritize the warmest target.
Trap. Going up the stairs requires a
Icy. The nest is difficult terrain. PC must
successful Dexterity check (DC 15) or the PC
make a Dexterity saving throw to move (DC 5),
will slide back into ice spikes on the back wall,
falling prone or taking 7 (2d6) piercing
taking 33 (6d10) piercing damage.
damage on a failed save (PC’s Choice).