Brainstorming ideas for Evermelt and the Reghed Glacier
So I've reworked a lot of the module, introduced some homebrew characters, and brought in content from previous adventures, and I'm not sure where to send my players next. Here's where they are at:
They have currently allied with a friendly member of the Arcane Brotherhood (my addition to the module). He asked for their help to travel to Evermelt, so that he could use Speak with Dead to talk with Icingdeath's corpse and learn what the dragon knows of Ythryn. The party also have a Reghed guide with them, and they managed to recruit the Bugbears from the Lost Spire.
However, in my campaign, Evermelt is where the Bear Tribe who turned to Auril are gathered. They have a large camp there, and they are attempting to animate the bones of Icingdeath to serve Auril under the direction of Hedrun's simulacrum (from Legacy of the Crystal Shard).
The party managed to convince the Bear Tribe's scouts that they were devotees of Auril called to the location by the Frostmaiden's will. However, they weren't successful enough to avoid all suspicion, and the Bear Tribe informed them that they would face Hedrun's scrutiny.
Now here is where I am spinning my wheels. I'm thinking some sort of quest to the Reghed Glacier, or maybe they have to steal or kill a target from the goliaths of Skytower Shelter who they recently befriended, but I'm struggling to think of a good McGuffin.
What are some ways that Hedrun could test their loyalty or devotion to Auril? If things turn combative, how can I help them escape from overwhelming odds without handing out plot armor? And how should I whittle down their increasingly unmanageable list of allies?