Vydhrar, the Slumbering Winter

Long ago, during the Age of Ordering, Kyria was ravaged by the forces of **Vydhrar**, a warlock of terrible power, who unleashed a century of winter upon the northern continent as he strove to break Minathren from her bonds and release her madness upon the world. Drawing upon the shadowy power of the Dark Weave and accompanied by hordes of undead, Vydhrar was only defeated by Kasthyrha, queen of Ardulidyl, when she ascended to godhood to become the Kasthyarhi and drive Vydhrar back into shadow.

Following his defeat, Vydhrar was cast from the highest tower of Am Alaknyr into the underground sea known as the *Vichnameran*. There, in the dark depths, Vydhrar has waited ever since, gathering his power and awaiting the day when he may strike again against the surface world.

## Basic Information

### Alias(es):

The Waiting Cold, the Freezing Hunger, the Darkness in the Deeps, the Undead King, the Betrayer of Kyria

### Class:

Warlock (20), Wizard (Necromancy, 18), Cleric (Death, 10)

## Personal History

### Birth and Childhood

The chronicles tell little of Vydhrar's childhood or whence he came. Legend says that he was born under a dark star, which fell from the sky and landed beside the very hut in which his mother brought him into the world.

As far as historians can tell, the young Vydhrar grew amongst a scattered nomadic folk high in the Frostgrave, where he was a renowned hunter and a practitioner of the arcane arts.

### The Call of Minathren

In -1593 EM, whilst he was wandering upon a mountainside in search of new pastures for his clan's herds, Vydhrar had a great vision. Lights appeared in the sky above, more beautiful and terrible than the lights of the north were before, and in his mind he heard a thousand maddened voices calling out to him.

Upon that mountainside, Vydhrar was promised power the likes of which he had never known, if he could but do one little thing: slay the Warden and free Minathren from her acient tomb.

There and then, Vydhrar made his pact with the dark power of the Mad Goddess, and from that day he accumulated power and followers, awaiting the day when he would strike to free his goddess from her chains.

### The Century of Frost

In -1600 EM, Vydhrar, by dark magic, raised about him an army of undead horrors, many abominations the likes of which no mortal eye had seen, which had been dreamed by the madness of Minathren and given form by Vydhrar's hand. With this army Vydhrar marched south from the Frostgrave, destroying all in has wake as his army ravished Kyria.

As the power of Vydhrar grew, so did his fell magic, till the whole continent of Kyria was subsumed by a bitter winter which never faded. This winter would last for 100 years, as Vydhrar warred with the Kyrian nations to the south, seeking ever to grow in power till he could one day free his mistress from her bondage.

### Defeat and Imprisonment

In the year -1700 EM, the Kasthyarhi, then queen of Ardulidyl, ascended to godhood in a desperate bid to protect her empire from falling to Vydhar's undead armies. With the power of a goddess on their side, the armies of Ardulidyl drove back Vydhrar's undead hordes, and Vydhrar himself was cast from the highest tower of Am Alaknyr into the freezing depths of the Vichnameran sea below.

Working with her patron Nex'il in Ravina's ancient forge, the Kasthyarhi forged unbreakable chains of mithral, binding Vydhrar in the depths of the sea so long as her power should last in the realm of the gods.

## The Slumbering Winter

Although chained at the bottom of an underground sea, even there Vydhrar is not helpless, and his dark powers continue to reach out from the depths, twisting minds and bending wills towards his own influence.

The most direct means by which Vydhrar influences the world is through his scions, **Vydhrar's Faithful**, once powerful warriors and mages now bound to Vydhrar's will, searching the world for a means to restore him to power. Beyond such direct control, Vydhrar has numerous minions and cultists who see him as a kind of ascended god, including the **faceless**, terrible shapeshifting creatures of shadow created by Vydhrar long ago.

Yet even where he has no minions, Vydhrar's grasp may still reach, as his very presence slowly pollutes the waters of the *Vichnameran*, twisting the minds of T'initawi merfolk and Locharni drow and humans alike. It is this subtle influence of Vydhrar, as much as anything, which drives the church of the Kasthyarhi away from true faith, and as it does, the Kasthyarhi is weakened, and the bonds holding Vydhrar weaken with her.

### Cults of the Slumbering Winter

The first signs of Vydhrar's growing power and influence comes through increasing activities from his cultists. Cultists of Vydhrar worship the warlock as an ascended deity, believing he is the only mortal to achieve godhood, not from the will of the Primordial Gods, but by his own power and might.

#### Tenets and Beliefs

The Cult of Vydhrar worships Vydhrar as a dark but powerful god. They believe he has promised his followers that should they free him, he will grant them the gift of godhood themselves, raising up a pantheon of dark deities to stand against the Ascended Gods themselves.

To this end, cultists of Vydhrar do all in their power to spread the influence of Vydhrar in the world. This primarily includes attempting to undermine the influence of the Kasthyarhi in the world, as it is by her will that Vydhrar is kept chained.

### Blessings of Vydhrar

Although chained, Vydhrar is still able to extend his power to aid and bless those who serve him in the world. The following blessings may be found on NPCs and monsters acting in service of Vydhrar, to represent his influence over them and increase their power.

Blessings of Vydhrar

***Dark Innate Spellcasting.*** The creature's dark spellcasting ability is Charisma. The creature can cast the following spells from the shadow weave. Instead of material components, the creature takes 1d4 necrotic damage per level of the spell (this damage cannot be reduced in any way). Spells cast from the Dark Weave cannot be countered or dispelled except by magic from the Dark Weave.

At Will: *chill touch, minor illusion*
 *Blessing of the Walking Shadow* | Vydhrar touches the creature's shadow, allowing them to infuse their own shadow with the Dark Weave to live and fight alongside them. The creature gains the following action option:

***Summon Shadow (1/Day).*** The creature causes its own shadow to come to life, using the statistics for the *shadow* (MM, p.269). The shadow acts on its own initiative but obeys the creature's commands, and it remains until it is killed or until the creature dismisses it as a bonus action.
 *Blessing of the Slumbering Winter* | Vydhrar teaches the creature in the mastery of ice and cold. If the creature has the *spellcasting* or *pact magic* feature, it adds the following spells to the list of spells it knows:

Cantrips: *frostbite, ray of frost*
1st Level: *armour of Agathys, ice knife*
2nd Level: *frigid blade*
3rd Level: *sleet storm*
4th Level: *ice storm*
5th Level: *cone of cold*
6th Level: *investiture of ice*
7th Level: *tomb of Levistus*
8th Level: *control weather*
9th Level: *eternal winter, frostmirror*

A creature can only add a spell to its list of spells if it has spell slots of that level or higher.

Each of these spells is considered to be cast from the Dark Weave, even if that creature's spells are not normally cast from the Dark Weave. When a creature casts a spell from the Dark Weave, it takes 1d4 necrotic damage per level of that spell (this damage cannot be reduced in any way), and spells cast from the Dark Weave cannot be countered or dispelled except by magic from the Dark Weave.

### The Faceless

*For full article, see Faceless (Vydhrarite)*

The **Faceless** are terrifying creatures of shadow, created by Vydhrar when he marched upon the world and now tasked with securing his freedom. The Faceless were once humans who marched with Vydhrar's armies, but they had their bodies ripped from their souls and their personality drained away to create minions for the Slumbering Winter, shadowy creatures able to adopt almost any form or identity even as they themselves have had their form and identity stolen from them.

### Vydhrar's Faithful

*For full article, see Vydhrar's Faithful*

Most feared and terrible amongst all Vydhrar's creations are the unholy abominations known as **Vydhrar's Faithful.** Once sixty-six of Vydhrar's most trusted commanders, warriors and warlocks, the Faithful were put through an unholy ritual, where each soul was splintered apart and then merged together with others, until eventually, only thirteen remained. These thirteen lich-like creatures of shadow, ice, and undeath stalk the world in search of the means to finally bring about the freedom of the Slumbering Winter.

## Signs of Awakening

Vydhrar's agents in the world seek to free him from the ancient chains that bind him and unleash him upon the world again. Should this ever come to pass, a number of signs are said to preceed his awakening.

### Fleeing Fish

The first sign that Vydhrar is awakening is in the *Vichnameran*, where the fish begin disappearing, followed closely by the T'initawi merfolk. Over time, ships leaving or heading for the Alaknyr harbour never make sure, disappearing in the vast, trackless dark.

### Harsher, Longer Winters

Over the next few years, the winters become increasingly harsh, with widespread famine, especially in Kyria. Until one year, when spring comes, the winter does not abate, but pushes on throughout the year.

### Endless Winter and Sunless Days

As Vydhrar finally breaks his chains, the world is plunged into an ice age. The sun ceases to rise each day, as his shadow reaches across Kyria. He is awakened.