Session 158 - Cold as Ice

General Summary

25^th to 27^th Halane (Second Month of Autumn) 723TR

The Story So Far

Quazzy has defeated her arch-rival, the Raven Woman, and taken up her mantel.

Meanwhile, Yureb has received word that his old master, the Illusionist Elzoldor, the Prism, may be in danger. Elzoldor saved Yureb life years ago and took him on as an apprentice despite Yureb's attempts to rob him.

The continuation of Session 157 - Tower of The Raven Woman.

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Location - On another world adjacent to a Fey Realm.

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Part 1 - Mistress of the Raven Tower

Quazzy spends time harnessing the power of her new stronghold, the tower of the Raven Woman. She can now send her ravens out as spies and use its resources to enhance her magic. Furthermore, she receives an ambassador from a nearby nation, and two followers arrive, a necromancer and a cutpurse.

While going through the library and journals, Quazzy learns about twenty cultists of the previous Raven Woman. They are scattered throughout the Hârnic Islands. As she considers what to do with them, she receives a visitation of her Warlock Patron, the Demigod Desridaen. "If they will not be converted to my cult, then they will be sacrificed to it," he commands.

Part 2 - Plots and Betrayal

Athena spends time with the young copy of Quazzy. The pale white-haired girl, who prefers the nickname Swan, has no memories beyond a few years ago and did not live a happy life at Vabar Village. Athena decides to progress with her plans to adopt her and arranges for her to be kept safely among friends.

Next she decided to check up on her enemies. In a solemn ritual, she places her ancestral sword Retribution in holy fire and performs a Scry. Through the flames, she sees the leader of her Order, the Sisterhood of the Crimson Dancer, Akarata Baliela Shernath, writing letters. This seems important and in some way related to her.

When she Scrys on her hated enemy, Rarval Hamlen, the conspiracy become more apparent, that letter was written to him. He is talking to his sick-looking steward, who has possession of an evil artifact, an Ara'Dunrangash, and making plans to travel.

Athena's subsequent attempt to scry on the Akarata Baliela is detected and unceremoniously fails. The Akarata dismisses her spell with a curse.

Athena is concerned for her friends and followers among her fraction of the Sisterhood, the Valkyries. She sends a message and warning to Vibeke using her Earthmaster Artifact, the L’kirl-Wysan. This strange egg-like device finds Vibeke. The startled warrior reports back that Athena's loyalists have been assigned to protect her estates and manors; however, nothing suspicious has occurred, but the Valkyries are on guard.

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Location - City of Cherafir in the Kingdom of Melderyn.

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Part 3 - The Apprentice

The heroes prepare to return to the Kingdom of Rethem, where Athena will have to deal with the machinations of her enemies.

Just before entering the Godstones at Cherafir's Guild of Arcane Lore, Yureb recognizes an old acquaintance. Glyfin, the apprentice of his old master, Elzoldor the Prism, preparing to transport through the same Godstone. The last time he laid eyes on Glyfin was when he farewelled him and Elzoldor departing on a ship, intending to travel to the far North to study the Northern Lights. That was five years ago.

Glyfin is dressed in warm furs with a large bag of supplies. When questions, Yureb learns that his old master has been in the north all this time in the Viking lands of Ivínia and later in the more distant Altin Mountains. Elzoldor became aware of the Hwæthârwyn, commonly known as the Snow Elves, and spent two years making contact with these elusive nomads. From them, he discovered the location of Tôrmaris, an Earthmaster Site, which he was planning to use to take a short-cut home via its Godstone. He also acquired a number of their legendary Ice Glass objects. It is said this ice will never melt. Intrigued, he has spent time enchanting some of these items with the power of the Aurora (Northern Lights).

Unfortunately, a week before he was planning to return home, he was bitten by an Ice Spider and put himself in a magical stasis before he dies of its Poison. Glyfin made it to the Godstone, transported himself to safety, acquired an antidote, and was now planning to return. Yureb volunteers to help. Elzoldor saved him from Mindflayers years ago during a robbery that went bad. The adventurers purchase cold-weather clothing and supplies then follow Glyfin through the Godstone to Tôrmaris, located in the far, cold North.

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Location - Altin Mountains, in the far Northern reaches of Western Lýthia.

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Part 4 - Tôrmaris

The heroes emerge on a circular 50'ft diameter pseudostone disk in a snow-covered mountain valley. It is freezing, party due to the environment, and partly due to the nearby elemental creatures. These four large blue-skinned serpentine monsters, partially formed from ice, seem to be radiating cold. However, the four Frost Salamanders prove vulnerable to Quazzy's Hold Monster magic, and the creatures are soon dispatched.

Part 5 - White Furred Foes

Things get colder, and later that day, predators acquire the scent of the heroes. Two massive white-furred beastly humanoids lead a pack of six giant white wolves. The Yeti's chilling glare freeze Lucinda in place, and they tear into her while Athena moves behind them and activates her Rod of Awe, exhausting most of the creatures. However, she is soon mobbed and pulled to the ground with the wolves going for her throat. Nevertheless, the monster's advantage is short-lived, Yureb catches some of the Winter Wolves in a Hypnotic Pattern, and Quazzy drives off all of the remaining white-furred monsters away in Fear.

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Glyfin leads the heroes to an ancient, possibly Dwarven, construction built into the mountains. This is where Elzoldor set up his base. "Oh No," whispers Glyfin as he notices a dark blue-black mucus-like material covering the entrance to the tunnels, "This was not here before."

To be continued.

NPC Interactions

Desridaen, Demi-god.

Baliela Shernath, Grandmistress.

Baron Rarval Hamlen.

Challenges Overcome

Athena learns of a betrayal.

Defeated 4 x Frost Salamanders.

Defeated 6 x Winter Wolves and 2 x Abominable Yetis.

Created Content

Hwæthârwyn also know as Snow Elves.

Related Reports

Earthmaster Sites - Updated.

Godstones.

Players Character Status

Athena the Banshee - Level 20 Paladin of Vengeance.

Yureb - Level 20 Arcane Trickster.

Quazzy the Raven Woman - Level 5 Necromancer and Level 15 Warlock Disciple of Desridaen.