Bitterly Cold Conditions

The land is a great, desolate world, where nights are clear and the moon glows with awful luminosity. The icy world is silent, as every living thing goes to ground and nothing moves; the land is locked tight as a drum. The silence bludgeons you dumb. And every movement is stiff and numb, as you lumber along in heavy dun.

Bitterly cold conditions describes a temperature range between -21 and -30°F. The air is brutally frigid, piercing exposed skin with an intensity that causes immediate discomfort and presents a severe risk of frostbite and hypothermia. Without multiple layers of thick, insulated clothing, characters cannot endure these conditions for long. Any exposed flesh is susceptible to freezing within minutes, and breath crystallises upon exhalation. The landscape is locked in deep winter, dominated by ice, wind-hardened snow and treacherous terrain that makes travel slow and dangerous. Even well-worn paths become hazardous, covered in deep drifts or concealed sheets of ice.

Within settlements, survival depends on constant heat sources, and even well-built homes struggle to retain warmth. Fires must be maintained continuously, with fuel supplies carefully rationed to ensure endurance through the worst of the cold. Water sources freeze solid, requiring sustained effort to access. Clothing is excessively layered, with fur-lined hoods, mittens and thick boots becoming essential rather than optional. Daily life slows as people retreat indoors, avoiding unnecessary exposure. Fresh food is nearly impossible to find, as crops cannot survive such extreme conditions, and preserved goods must be meticulously managed to prevent shortages.

Public gatherings are rare, and commerce is severely restricted. Trade routes become nearly impassable, and markets operate at a fraction of their normal activity. The few businesses that remain open focus entirely on survival necessities, such as firewood, heavily insulated garments and supplies for reinforcing homes against the cold. Community life centers around mutual aid, with neighbors pooling resources and supporting one another through the relentless freeze.

For adventurers, these temperatures present deadly obstacles. Prolonged exposure results in frostbite, movement is hindered by deep snow and ice-covered surfaces, and basic survival tasks require far greater effort. Encounters with wildlife become rare, as most creatures hibernate or migrate, while those that remain are either desperately scavenging or specially adapted to the lethal cold. Predators may be drawn closer to settlements in search of food, increasing the risk of dangerous encounters.

Dungeon exploration under these conditions introduces unique hazards. Frozen corridors, ice-choked tunnels and permafrost-laden structures become nearly impassable. Equipment can become brittle and fail, torches struggle to remain lit, and extreme cold can sap characters' strength before they ever encounter an enemy. Only those exceptionally prepared or magically shielded can hope to endure prolonged exposure, making preparation critical for any journey into this perilous environment.

Ambience

The extreme cold causes metal to grows brittle and clings to unprotected flesh, causing painful burns or even stripping skin away when touched with bare hands. Bowstrings stiffen and snap, while oil thickens and congeals, making delicate mechanisms slow and unreliable. Leather bindings and straps become rigid, requiring careful manipulation before buckles and fastenings can be adjusted. Water carried in flasks must be warmed regularly or risk becoming solid, forcing adventurers to chip at their own supplies with a knife just to drink.

The need for warmth is relentless. Clothing must be layered, every gap sealed against the biting air. Exposed skin can freeze within minutes, and even well-insulated travelers must keep moving to prevent the creeping onset of numbness. If sweat accumulates from exertion, it can turn deadly as damp fabric rapidly draws heat from the body. Frostbite is not a slow process at these temperatures — it is immediate, blackening fingers and toes before any real pain is felt. Prolonged exposure leads to weakness and disorientation, as the body struggles to maintain its core temperature against the constant assault of cold.

The landscape itself transforms. Trees become brittle, their trunks groaning and splitting as frozen sap expands within. Ice accumulates on any surface left exposed for long enough, coating stone walls, wooden beams and even weapons left out too long. Fire struggles against the cold, its warmth barely spreading beyond the flames. Smoke hangs low in the air, curling sluggishly, refusing to rise.

Wind, when it comes, turns an already hostile environment into something truly life-threatening. Even the lightest breeze drops the felt temperature far below its measured range, stealing warmth in seconds. Any attempt at speech becomes a painful effort, as cold air sears the lungs, reducing breath to shallow gasps. The sound of wind howling through frozen trees and across barren, snow-laden plains is haunting, a constant reminder of how little separates life from death in such conditions.

Life continues in these conditions only through relentless preparation. Settlements must burn immense stores of wood to maintain even a fraction of warmth indoors, with fires burning day and night. Water is a constant concern, as wells freeze over and must be laboriously reopened each morning. Those who live here know that every action, no matter how small, must be deliberate — because in this unrelenting cold, even a moment's carelessness can prove fatal.

See also,
Arctic Conditions
Very Cold Conditions