DANCE OF THE

DEATHLESS FROST

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A supplement for ​Baldur's Gate: Descent into
Avernus​.
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by DYLAN RAMSEY
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DUNGEONS & DRAGONS, D&D, Wizards of the Coast, Forgotten Realms, the dragon ampersand, ​Player’s Handbook, Monster Manual, Dungeon Master’s Guide,
D&D Adventurers League, all other Wizards of the Coast product names, and their respective logos are trademarks of Wizards of the Coast in the USA and other
countries. All characters and their distinctive likenesses are property of Wizards of the Coast. This material is protected under the copyright laws of the United
States of America. Any reproduction or unauthorized use of the material or artwork contained herein is prohibited without the express written permission of
Wizards of the Coast.

©2016 Wizards of the Coast LLC, PO Box 707, Renton, WA 98057-0707, USA. Manufactured by Hasbro SA, Rue Emile-Boéchat 31, 2800 Delémont, CH. Represented
by Hasbro Europe, 4 The Square, Stockley Park, Uxbridge, Middlesex, UB11 1ET, UK.
 Using this Supplement
Dance of the Deathless Frost ​is meant to be used to supplement and expand upon
ideas presented in ​Baldur's Gate: Descent into Avernus​, providing a whole new way
for a DM to allow their players to approach the adventure! This supplement provides
characters with the chance to go on a quest to find an artifact that is capable of
controlling a demon lord, complete with plot hooks, new adventure locales, NPCs,

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and magic items! The power to control or destroy a demon lord could be yours, but
only the Mother of Hags, Baba Yaga, knows how to find it.

Do you dare tangle with the most famous witches in D&D history in order to try and

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tame the ferocious might of Kostchtchie?!

The Story of Kostchtchie

Kostchtchie is not your average demon lord. Once, he was a human warlord who,
after defeating every enemy in his path, sought to conquer the greatest enemy of
all: his own mortality. To do this, he sought out a powerful archfey known as Baba
Yaga, the Mother of Hags. Baba Yaga did as Kostchtchie demanded and made him
immortal, placing his soul within a special receptacle not unlike a lich's phylactery
and hiding it in a place that only she knows. So long as his body and soul were apart,

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Kostchtchie could not be killed. However, the warlord soon learned that the gifts of
Baba Yaga are often not as benign as they at first appear.
Each time Kostchtchie suffered a blow that would have killed a regular man, he
eventually came back to life, but his body became more and more twisted,
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eventually becoming that of the hideous giant that he appears as today. To end his
tormented existence, Kostchtchie rallied an army and marched into the Abyss,
declaring war on countless demon lords with reckless abandon. Continued exposure
to the chaotic energies of the Abyss have transformed Kostchtchie into a demon
himself, but he hopes that somewhere in that plane's infinite depths, he will find a
way to obliterate himself once and for all, that the Deathless Frost might finally die.
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Plot Hooks
A backstory is one thing, but where do the player characters come in? Listed below
are several possible ways that the player characters might learn the story of
Kostchtchie and his phylactery, which could entice the party to try and find the
artifact once they learn of the demon lord's presence on Avernus and his opposition
to Zariel:
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∙ The party hear about the story of Kostchtchie in Candlekeep, which was in part
founded to protect lore from those like the demon lord. When he was a human,
Kostchtchie devastated many libraries and killed many scholars in his attempts to
find knowledge on how to become immortal. To the caretakers of Candlekeep, his
current state is a warning, both to those who destroy knowledge and those who
seek power without understanding. Once they get to Avernus and learn of
Kostchtchie's presence there, this information could be extremely useful.
∙ Bel sees Kostchtchie as a potential pawn in his plans to oust Zariel and reclaim his
title as archdevil of Avernus. He believes that if the party find the demon lord's
phylactery, they can use it as leverage against Kostchtchie upon freeing him, while
Bel swoops in to destroy the now-vulnerable demon lord once Zariel has been
thoroughly humiliated in battle against the Deathless Frost. The way Bel sees it,
 the more ways that he can discredit Zariel and make her look incompetent in the
eyes of Asmodeus, the better.
∙ Zariel has bound Kostchtchie in Avernus because she cannot kill him without the
demon lord returning to life. To this end, one of her agents informs the party about
Kostchtchie's phylactery and the fact that it can be used to not only control the
demon lord, but destroy him forever. This agent hopes that they can use the
characters in a scheme to earn favor with the archdevil, who will surely recognize
the part that her lackey played in destroying such a powerful enemy.

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∙ The sibriex knows Kostchtchie's story, and, as a master of the art of fleshwarping
itself, is incredibly interested in the ways in which the demon lord's body has
become twisted into its current state over the centuries. It could tell the characters
about Kostchtchie and his phylactery as a scholar of abyssal lore.

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Regardless of where the characters learn about this information, the first step to
finding Kostchtchie's phylactery should be clear: to find the only person who knows
where it is hidden--​Baba Yaga​.

Part 1: The Search for Baba Yaga

Unfortunately, Baba Yaga and her Dancing Hut are not the easiest things to track
down. The Dancing Hut of Baba Yaga wanders the multiverse at its mistress's
command (and sometimes of its own volition), never stopping in any one place for
long. Fortunately for the party however, there is someone in Avernus who might just

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know how they can contact the Mother of Hags! Dare the characters pay a visit to
the legendary Witch-Queen?

A Visit to the Witch-Queen

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The Witch-Queen is a spellcaster of near mythic
proportions who is greatly feared across the
multiverse. She was raised and tutored by Baba
Yaga (who still lovingly calls her 'Natasha'), bound
the demon lord Graz'zt and had many foul children
with him, and is said to be the foremost expert on
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fiends in all of existence. She is mortal enemies with

Mordenkainen and the Circle of Eight, and would love
nothing more than to crush the balance-obsessed
wizard and his associates for good.
The Witch-Queen appears as a beautiful human
woman of Kozakuran descent, with long black hair
and extremely pale skin that seems almost too
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perfect. Her eyes are solid black orbs, and a mocking smile often creeps across her
face when something amuses her. She wears a cloak made from the flayed skin of a
pit fiend, a form-fitting dark green robe, and fingerless gloves that show off her
talon-like hands. She enjoys playing chess with Black Comet, her quasit familiar,
using a board that has pieces shaped like devils and demons (Asmodeus is the king
on one side, while Graz'zt is the king on the other). Naturally, the Witch-Queen
always plays demons.
She uses the lich stat block, with the following changes:
∙ The Witch-Queen is neutral evil.
∙ She is a humanoid (human) instead of an undead.
∙ She speaks Common, Infernal, Abyssal, Draconic, Primordial, and Sylvan.
 ∙ The following legendary actions replace those listed in the lich stat block:
Cast Lesser Spell.​ The Witch-Queen casts a spell of 3rd level or lower.
Cast Greater Spell (Costs 2 Actions).​ The Witch-Queen casts a spell of 6th level
or lower.
Master Binder (Costs 3 Actions).​ Each outsider within 20 ft. of the Witch-Queen
must succeed on a DC 18 Charisma saving throw, or be magically bound to serve
the Witch-Queen for 24 hours. If the creature was summoned or created using
another spell, that spell's duration is extended to match the duration of this effect.

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Bound creatures must follow the Witch-Queen's instructions to the best of their
ability.
∙ She has the following spells prepared in addition to those noted in the lich stat
block: ​summon lesser demons,​ ​summon greater demon​, ​infernal calling​, ​circle of

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power​, ​geas​, ​planar binding​, and ​gate.​

The Witch-Queen's Abode

The Witch-Queen's summer home on Avernus is built within the massive skeleton of
a slain goristro demon just south of Bel's Forge and Kostchtchie's Maw. A ​wall of
force​ fills the space between each of the skeleton's ribs, and ​Mordenkainen's private
sanctum h ​ as been cast upon the interior to prevent unwanted visitors from spying in
on the inhabitants. A sign hanging from the goristro's skull (which acts as the main
entrance to the abode) tells prospective guests to knock three times. If they do so,
the skull's jaws will open wide, revealing a passageway into the interior.

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The Witch-Queen knows a ritual that can be used to summon the Dancing Hut of
Baba Yaga to Avernus, but before she provides this information to the party, she
wants them to steal a tome from her rival, Mordenkainen, and deliver it to her. She
has tried to use yugoloths and demons to claim the tome in the past, but to no avail.
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The tome that the Witch-Queen seeks is none other than the accursed Book of Vile
Darkness, which lies within the Tower of Urm. The Witch-Queen can teleport the
characters and any war machines that they have with them to the tower if they ask
her, and she is more than happy to see them go.
Chess.​ A particularly brave character might instead challenge the Witch-Queen to a
game of chess for the information that they seek, which she finds infinitely amusing.
She is always looking for entertainment and agrees, but only if the character makes
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it interesting by putting up something in return. Bets might include their soul or the
soul of one of their companions, a magic item of legendary or artifact quality, or
something else that the DM deems acceptable. Iggwilv seals the deal with a ​geas
spell to make sure the character doesn't try to back out.
To defeat the Witch-Queen, a character must succeed on a series of three contested
ability checks against her. Possible skills that could come into play include
Intelligence (Investigation), Dexterity (Sleight of Hand), Charisma (Deception),
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Wisdom (Insight), or, if the player comes up with something suitably logical and
creative, any other ability check that the DM deems appropriate.
If the character successfully defeats the Witch-Queen, she lets out a surprised
chuckle and provides them with the agreed-upon information. If the character loses
however, she smiles and collects on whatever terms they agreed to beforehand
without hesitation or mercy.

Breaking into the Tower of Urm

If the characters accept the Witch-Queen's original mission, there are several ways
for them to get their hands on the Book of Vile Darkness. They could attempt to
break into the Tower of Urm, which is protected by all manner of magical defenses
 put in place by Mordenkainen himself. Feel free to come up with your own defenses,
or use any of the ideas presented below:
∙ A maze made up of invisible ​walls of force ​and sprinkled throughout with ​glyphs of
warding,​ each of which has been imbued with a different spell effect. Since the
walls of the maze are transparent, it is an incredibly simple task to bypass the
maze by teleporting to the far side of the room using a spell like ​misty step o ​ r
dimension door.​

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∙ A pack of ​Mordenkainen's faithful hounds ​that attack any group who doesn't first
throw them a bone from the nearby skeleton of their master's old red dragon
friend, Gorky, before proceeding across the room.
∙ A ​Mordenkainen's sword ​that has gained sentience and challenges a melee
combatant to a duel for the right to pass over the bridge that it protects, which

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spans a hundred foot deep chasm full of spikes between two doors in the tower.
Since the spell cannot talk, it uses dramatic flourishes and writes out words in the
air with its blade to communicate.
∙ A long and winding stairwell that requires each character to roll on the Wild Magic
table in the ​Player's Handbook f​ or every round that they spend inside it.
∙ A spectator tasked by Mordenkainen with protecting the door to the chamber
where the Book is kept; the spectator itself inhabits a mirrored room that makes it
difficult to figure out what is a reflection and what is the real thing, while also
providing the guardian with the means to do trickshots by bouncing its eye rays off
of the mirrors (a feat which canny PCs can also pull off with their spells if they

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realize what's going on)!
Development.​ If the characters are too loud about their intrusion, Mordenkainen
teleports the tower away, taking the Book of Vile Darkness with it if the characters
have yet to claim it, and depositing the party themselves back outside, making it
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next to impossible to retrieve the tome until the tower returns, which could take
anywhere from a day to a year, at the DM's discretion.
Diplomatic Approach.​ On the other hand, the characters may decide to just ​ask
Mordenkainen if they can have the Book of Vile Darkness. A character can, with a
successful DC 20 Charisma (Deception or Persuasion) check, convince Mordenkainen
to hand over the tome, as "the balance dictates" that the characters are meant to
have it. The DC of this check decreases by 1 for each ally of a different alignment
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that is within 10 feet of the character making the check. If the ally is of the
alignment on the exact opposite side of the spectrum from the character (such as a
lawful evil ally and a chaotic good character), the DC instead decreases by 2 when
counting them.

Returning the Book

If the characters return to the Witch-Queen with the Book of Vile Darkness in hand,
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she doesn't thank them, but has her quasit familiar bring it to her in order for her to
determine that the book is the genuine article before magically dismissing it to
another one of her lairs. In return for retrieving the book, the Witch-Queen teaches
the party the ritual that can be used to summon the Dancing Hut of Baba Yaga to
Avernus, which will allow the characters to speak with the Mother of Hags.
Development.​ It is possible that the characters may seek further aid from the
Witch-Queen, and she can provide such things at the DM's discretion. In return for a
small favor, such as information about Avernus and its inhabitants, the Witch-Queen
might ask the party to capture a certain creature within her iron flask and return it to
her; while asking for help as immense as the truename of a demon lord like
Yeenoghu (which a spellcaster of her caliber may in fact know) might require the
party to infiltrate Zariel's Flying Fortress in order to sabotage the citadel or steal
 something from its vaults. She might also give them such a task if they failed to
claim the Book of Vile Darkness for her and still seek information on how to reach
Baba Yaga, although continued failure will certainly result in their destruction as
punishment for wasting the Witch-Queen's time.
After the characters leave, the Witch-Queen sends her quasit familiar to invisibly
follow them and learn what they are after from her adopted mother. If she learns
that they seek Kostchtchie's phylactery, she will do everything in her power to get

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her hands on it, as she desires control of the demon lord herself. She could send
fiendish assassins or a simulacrum to try and steal the phylactery from the
characters, or, if they stop such attempts, call upon one of her pet demon lords to
retrieve it for her.

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Performing the Ritual

Once characters have learned the ritual that will summon the Dancing Hut of Baba
Yaga to Avernus, they can see about performing it. Performing the ritual takes 10
minutes and requires a character to strut around and dance like a chicken inside of a
circle made out of abyssal chicken guts, while chanting ​"Little hut, little hut, lend me
your ear; little hut, little hut, come over here." W
​ hether the ritual is easy to
complete or if complications arise during the process is up to you as the DM. Possible
complications might include:

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∙ A mass of abyssal chickens driven wild by the performance flock to the area, intent
upon whatever foul things the creatures desire.
∙ A passing pack of demons believe that they have been challenged to a dance-off,
refusing to leave until their honor has been satisfied.
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∙ A patrol of airborne devils land to inform the party that ritual dances are restricted
in this area. They want to fine the characters for being in violation of this infernal
edict.
Upon completion of the ritual, a loud squawk echoes across the blasted landscape of
Avernus for miles around as the Dancing Hut of Baba Yaga is summoned.

Part 2: Into the Dancing Hut

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The Dancing Hut appears on the horizon and sprints towards

the party. However, the Hut has no intentions of stopping so
that the characters can waltz in through the front door. It
charges past the characters and might even trample those
foolish enough not to get out of the way. If the characters
want to get inside, they will have to jump into their infernal
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war machines, chase the Dancing Hut down, and either beat
it into submission, or leap aboard as it lopes full speed across
Avernus!
The Dancing Hut of Baba Yaga is home to the Mother of Hags,
a mighty archfey known for her capricious nature. The
Dancing Hut appears to be a small peasant shack sitting
astride a pair of gargantuan chicken legs that it uses to run
around in the capering, almost frantic-looking, dance for
which it is named. A single front door with a porch and
canopy that resemble a bird's beak leads into the interior,
which consists of a labyrinthine demiplane that contains a
seemingly infinite assortment of rooms populated with all