New Frontiers #78

[GM Mad]

New Frontiers #78


Outside Fort Fletcher Argent has just witnessed the Auril Priestess vanish from sight. In response, the Invoker creates a Wall of Fire around that area to make sure she’s not just hiding. The magic springs into existence and a twenty-foot high ring of fire surrounds the spot in question.

No noise is forthcoming from the ring of fire and Argent relinquishes control of the magic. While waiting for the wall to come down, Argent notes that the area is suddenly clear of any of the enemy ice constructions. The gargoyles that filled the sky earlier are long gone.

The ring of fire finally vanishes. That area has been completely cleared of snow due to the intense heat. The object of Argent’s search comes into view pretty easily. The silver tiara lies on the ground, but is a bit tarnished and blackened from the fires. Once it has cooled down enough, Argent picks it up and flies back to the Fortress to report.


Inside the fortress, the siege has suddenly ended. Those who were supposed to be on guard duty take up their positions while the others are divided up on numerous tasks. In the kitchen meals are being prepared. More ammunition is brought forth and the breached defenses are being shored up.

The wounded are being tended to. Yusef heals the damage done to the elfin watchman and to the human solider. Grondar, Ivy, and Lyonessa all assist in this task, as do the Priests of Helm and Heironeous. Olivia has the infirmary ready to receive the wounded, but this turns out not to be necessary. There is enough healing magic here restore everyone to full health.

Carpenters among the human soldiers get to work on replacing the doors that were breached. The most expedient solution is to remove nearby inner doors and re-hang them in the outer openings. A few sturdy planks salvaged from the breach doors are nailed across the openings to back up these new doors. The task takes the rest of the day to complete.

Sherra will restock her arrows in case another attack wave is spotted. So far, it seems to be over, but Sherra remains alert. If it remains peaceful, she will seek out Corley to see if he would like her to scout around any.

Sir Corley will agree to this idea. Sherra is dispatched to scout the areas around the fortress to make sure the enemy is truly gone. Yusef sent out with her as backup. Arocken and the elf watchmen keep their eyes on the pair while they are gone. The immediate area does seem to be deserted of enemy activity.

[GM Mad]

The dwarves eventually return from their adventures in the mines. Aria encountered giant spiders and her companion, Dougan of Moradin, was bitten. The poison was not fatal and the effects easily countered.

Farian returns from the chasm followed by a slow-moving Salem. They came across innumerable small spiders and were bitten. Farian shows no effects from the bite, but Salem does. As they near the top of the chasm, other dwarves come forth with torches and drive the few spiders chasing them off. Salem will recover from the bite, as the poison was not fatal.

Stories are exchanged and it seems that there has been excitement both in the fortress and in the mines below.


The day drags on and still Sir Acerion and Sir Validar have yet to return. An alarm is sounded as it seems a silver-haired elf has just appeared out of nowhere on the outside battlements! Arocken is among the first on the scene and the war elf realizes that it is Silvarn! The Guardians are summoned together and Silvarn relates her tale.

“Good to see you again, my friends! Sir Validar asked me to scout the areas around the fortress, but it seems that your missing enemy has already surfaced. I did find some disturbing things during my search. About forty miles north of here I found hundreds of orc bodies half-buried in the snow. They seemed to have been frozen to death, but from what I could tell they are not undead.”

“I also have located the citadel of the Cold One’s forces. To the northeast of here among the mountain peaks there sits a magnificent citadel seemingly carved out of ice itself. I didn’t see much in the way of guards, but given how remote this ‘Ice Palace’ is, they are probably not needed. Those guards I did see seemed to be animated hunks of ice in various forms. I did not see any living beings there.”

(The Ice Palace is in the white hexes near the top of the Stone Ridge map.)

“I must also report that both Sir Acerion and Sir Validar will not be returning for a few more days. Several dire situations have arisen while you’ve been here in Fort Fletcher. I’ve managed to locate the missing Duke of Corunglain. Unfortunately, he is being held in the main temple to Hextor in New Keln. They plan to sacrifice the nobles they captured in an attempt to summon the Horn of Acheron, an evil artifact. A strike force is being assembled to raid the temple and rescue the nobles. Validar and Acerion will be among them, along with many others. This attack will begin in about a day from now.”

“It has also been revealed that demons from the Deville family have been secretly masquerading as the Duke of Elcadan for many decades now. The King discovered this when he sought an audience with the reclusive Duke. He saw through their deception and nearly slew one of the demonesses before she escaped by magic.”

“The situation is that the ruling family of Elcadan were killed long ago. They have no heirs, so new rulers were required. The King has decided to elevate the Baron of Pyris to Duke and he shall now rule Elcadan. There is going to be many changes in that city to come.”

“Sir Validar requested that I pass this information on to you and to get an update on your situation. He plans to return to Fort Fletcher after the attack in New Keln is completed. Within a day or two.”

When she has a moment, Silvarn will privately relay Sir Acerion’s message to Ivy.

"Good to see you again as well Silvarn," Acerion replies. After listening to Validar's message, Acerion has very little to add. He will say, "If you have the chance to speak with Ivy, tell her I shall return to her in short order and she has no need to fear. Tell her she is never far from me for she is in my heart."

[GM Mad]

GM Notes:

XP’s have been awarded! The new totals can be viewed on the Roster page in the private area. Here are the new level’s gained thus far:

Argent – 9th level Invoker, new spell is Cone of Cold.

Ivy – 7th level Priestess of Azrella

Po – 5th level fighter.


Now what?

[farian]

Farian

Climbing as fast as his arms can carry him, Farian can see the lip of the chasm. “Come on, Salem it ain't much further!” He hears the shuffle of footsteps and lights from torches not too far away. As he grabs hold of the edge he looks back at Salem, seeing he is slowing down. He hurriedly climbs over and once anchored, reaches down and grabs his fellow dwarf by the hand, helping him up.

Once safely on solid ground and the spiders are driven off by his other kin, Farian reiterates what transpired down below. “Think we have spider squatters. Damn bugs been breeding like rats!! I’d wager a whole keg of ale that we found the nest down below cause there were lots of them critters!”

“We may be needing to burn them out.”

Upon hearing Aria reiterate the same encounter only larger, Farian says, “Perhaps we should be bothering one of them mages up top.”

[Chareos]

Chareos

Carpenters among the human soldiers get to work on replacing the doors that were breached. The most expedient solution is to remove nearby inner doors and re-hang them in the outer openings. A few sturdy planks salvaged from the breach doors are nailed across the openings to back up these new doors. The task takes the rest of the day to complete.

Chareos watches for a time as several soldiers trained in carpentry begin to re-hang the inner doors and secure them with boards from those doors that fell. After a while Chareos makes his way down to the lower floors of the fort only to hear alarms coming from the above battlements!

Moving back up the stairs to the tower he was just in he soon learns it is a false alarm and that they have a visitor! Word is sent and the Guardians are gathered about as she tells of her findings.

“Good to see you again, my friends! Sir Validar asked me to scout the areas around the fortress, but it seems that your missing enemy has already surfaced. I did find some disturbing things during my search. About forty miles north of here I found hundreds of orc bodies half-buried in the snow. They seemed to have been frozen to death, but from what I could tell they are not undead.”

“Then the ones we encountered were no freak of nature. Let us hope they stay buried in the snow till the carrion birds grow too large and fat to fly.”

“I also have located the citadel of the Cold One’s forces. To the northeast of here among the mountain peaks there sits a magnificent citadel seemingly carved out of ice itself. I didn’t see much in the way of guards, but given how remote this ‘Ice Palace’ is, they are probably not needed. Those guards I did see seemed to be animated hunks of ice in various forms. I did not see any living beings there.”

As Chareos leans on his staff listening to Silvarn’s words a question forms in his head. “Were there any ways of possible approach?” he asks curiously.

“It has also been revealed that demons from the Deville family have been secretly masquerading as the Duke of Elcadan for many decades now. The King discovered this when he sought an audience with the reclusive Duke. He saw through their deception and nearly slew one of the demonesses before she escaped by magic.”

“The situation is that the ruling family of Elcadan were killed long ago. They have no heirs, so new rulers were required. The King has decided to elevate the Baron of Pyris to Duke and he shall now rule Elcadan. There is going to be many changes in that city to come.”

“At least those living there now will have a second chance at life with Pyris now in charge. Who would have ever guessed that Demons could take such a strong hold on our lives and go undiscovered for so long.”

[Yusef]

Yusef:

“I see, Tymora was with her, and us, this day!” he says with a smile and a slight sigh of relief.

Yusef quirks an eyebrow at Chareos. "I cannot say for sure what deities may have smiled on us this day, but it seems that we have received divine blessings from somewhere. However, I do believe that Celestian may have helped guide us on the road to victory."

Sherra's smile dominates her features when Yusef approaches. "Yes, I am fine," she replies. "It is good to see you are not harmed either." Then she adds, "From what I am hearing, the magic defenses worked well."

"Thank you. I'm rather happy about it myself," Yusef replies with a grin. "Fortunately, the battle ended before they had a chance to really overwhelm us with numbers.

"You're right, they served their purpose well," Yusef says. "Still, with the damage to the doors, it will take time to get our defenses back in place."

Sir Corley will agree to this idea. Sherra is dispatched to scout the areas around the fortress to make sure the enemy is truly gone. Yusef sent out with her as backup. Arocken and the elf watchmen keep their eyes on the pair while they are gone. The immediate area does seem to be deserted of enemy activity.

Yusef accepts the assignment happily, both for the chance to get out and see if there are any more threats developing, and for the excuse to spend more time with Sherra. The pair of them slink noiselessly around the region for a fair while, but find nothing more than drifts of snow and ice.

After they return, a thought he's been mulling over for a while returns to him, and Yusef mentions it to his beautiful companion. "I've been thinking a bit about my interest in travel and how best to prepare myself. It seems to me that being able to speak multiple languages would be of benefit to someone who wants to visit a lot of new places - such as myself. However, I only speak Cynalonian and my native tongue of Midani.

"What about you, Sherra? You've travelled a fair bit. Do you speak many languages?"


Later, Silvarn arrives and fills them in. She has scouted the area and verifies that there appear to be no living enemies nearby. The fort should be safe for a while. However, Silvarn also reports finding a citadel that she believes to be the headquarters of Auril's forces. If they are to truly break this seige, Yusef suspects that they will have to assault the citadel and vanquish those within.

Silvarn also describes events in Elcadan and other parts of the kingdom. Sirs Validar and Acerion seem to have become busy for a while. No doubt their efforts in New Keln will be successful and a great boon to the King's plans.

The news of the impostor Duke surprises even Yusef. He had known that the family was very influential in Elcadan politics, but had not realized the true extent of their influence. Still, the choice to move Elcadan under the rulership of Pyris is an interesting one. Yusef is quite familiar with the animosity between the two cities; this move will surely fan that ember into open flame.

When he has an opportunity, Yusef will approach Silvarn. "Pardon me, Silvarn. Thank you for bringing this news of Elcadan. It is good to hear that my father's family will finally get what they deserve."
___________________________________________________________
What, no mention of hunting down the surviving members of the Deville clan?

[Grondar]

Grondar:

Sherra enjoys the moment of laughter with her friend, but knows his talents may be needed elsewhere so she refrains from engaging him in any more conversation at this point.

Grondar gives his friend a wink before dashing off looking for others to help. It turns out that there are few enough wounded that he and the other priests are quickly finished with saving those that can be.

With that task completed, Grondar zips off to the mine to find out how his dwarven friends are doing. They have quite a story to tell, filled with webs and spiders. Amidst it all they have made progress and found the location of a supply depot in the mine. Unfortunately, they will need to get past the spiders to reach it. Still, they have made significant progress in his absence. As they discuss the matter, Grondar examines and treats the wounds suffered by Farian and Salem.

Upon hearing Aria reiterate the same encounter only larger, Farian says, “Perhaps we should be bothering one of them mages up top.”

"A good idea, Farian. Argent or Chareos may be able to help us with that. Wanna ask them while I examine Salem here?"


Some time later, an alarm sounds in the fort. Thinking it may be another attack, Grondar speeds off to check on it. Instead, he finds that Silvarn has arrived and brings news. "Greetings, Silvarn! Glad to have you," he calls out upon spotting her.

Joining the rest of the Guardians, Grondar listens quietly as Silvarn tells them of many things. There is to be a major attack against a temple of Hextor in New Keln, which Validar and Acerion will be participating. Grondar wishes he could be there as well, but knows that his place is here right now. Still, if they can end the Hextorites' plan, all will benefit.

The dragon has found what she believes is Auril's base! Now they can carry the fight to that frigid witch! Grondar begins to feel a yearning to destroy that citadel and remove her taint from these lands. No previous enemy has inspired this depth of feeling in his heart and Grondar finds himself surprised by its intensity. Perhaps Berronar is telling him that this is a part of her plan for him. If so, he will do everything in his power to see this job completed.

It seems that much has happened in Elcadan. The Deville's family has been ruling from the shadows behind demonic impostors of the Duke and Duchess. Validar's father has been given charge of the city and the effort to restore order there. Grondar suspects it will take time, but the situation for the people of that beleagured city will improve.

As he has nothing to add to the discussion of this news, Grondar sits back and listens. There are plans to be made, but Sir Corley must begin that process as he bears responsibility for the group in Validar's absence.

[Corley]

Sir Corley:

Time seems to pass slowly after the attack. Lady Argent returns with her tale of combating the Cold One’s minion and having driven her off. The repairs to the fortress seem well underway and it seems that those few who were wounded have already been treated. All things considered, it has been a good day!

The dwarves return from their mines with excitement of their own. They seem to have run into spiders on several fronts, but it doesn’t seem like an insurmountable problem to the young noble. He lets Lady Aria deal with this matter as she sees fit.

Many hours later yet another alarm sounds, but this time we have a guest! Lady Silvarn has arrived from seemingly out of nowhere.

“Lady Silvarn! What brings you among us this day?”

It seems that Silvarn was asked by Sir Validar to scout the area around Fort Fletcher in an effort to locate the enemy. Alas, he didn’t know that they arrived shortly after Lord Sharadin left.

"Good to see you again, my friends! Sir Validar asked me to scout the areas around the fortress, but it seems that your missing enemy has already surfaced. I did find some disturbing things during my search. About forty miles north of here I found hundreds of orc bodies half-buried in the snow. They seemed to have been frozen to death, but from what I could tell they are not undead."

“That would be the orc invasion force we were expecting,” Sir Corley remarks. “We had guessed that the Cold One had taken control of them to some degree. Zombie-like ice orcs attacked us earlier in the day, but were no match for the power of our assembled priests. Based on what you found it appears that the Cold One was only able to bring a few under her thrall and the rest perished in the attempt. I almost feel pity for them. That is no way to die.”

"I also have located the citadel of the Cold One's forces. To the northeast of here among the mountain peaks there sits a magnificent citadel seemingly carved out of ice itself. I didn't see much in the way of guards, but given how remote this 'Ice Palace' is, they are probably not needed. Those guards I did see seemed to be animated hunks of ice in various forms. I did not see any living beings there."

This news is of great interest to Sir Corley! “My friends it seems that we have an opportunity here. The enemy knows our location, but they do not know that we know theirs. Thus we have an advantage. If we can reach this Ice Palace then we might be able to break the Cold One’s stranglehold on this part of Cynalon. The fortress is secure for now, but we remain vulnerable to further attacks from the Cold One’s fortress. I for one will take an offensive campaign against a defensive siege any day!”

As Chareos leans on his staff listening to Silvarn's words a question forms in his head. "Were there any ways of possible approach?" he asks curiously.

“Indeed, Lady Silvarn. Is there any way for us to reach this Ice Palace quickly? Our enemy seemed to have retreated by way of magic. If we can use similar methods to reach them, then we can strike while they are not ready for battle. I feel that we must make the most of this opportunity if we can get there quickly and are able to return to Fort Fletcher with equal ease. We can leave Fort Fletcher for maybe a day or two, but I don’t wish to be gone any longer than that. While I have every confidence in the soldiers here, the most recent siege would have gone very differently without our presence.”

“What say you, comrades?”

"I must also report that both Sir Acerion and Sir Validar will not be returning for a few more days. Several dire situations have arisen while you've been here in Fort Fletcher. I've managed to locate the missing Duke of Corunglain. Unfortunately, he is being held in the main temple to Hextor in New Keln. They plan to sacrifice the nobles they captured in an attempt to summon the Horn of Acheron, an evil artifact. A strike force is being assembled to raid the temple and rescue the nobles. Validar and Acerion will be among them, along with many others. This attack will begin in about a day from now."

Sir Corley listens to news from elsewhere in the kingdom with great interest. He had heard many stories of the actions of the followers of Hextor in the Frontier lands from Sir Validar. The fact that these vile warmongers are involved in this plot does not surprise Sir Corley, nor does the fact that Sir Acerion and Sir Validar volunteered for this mission.

“I understand, Lady Silvarn. The Guardians shall continue to hold Fort Fletcher during their absence. If things go well then perhaps we’ll have a raid of our own to conduct.”

"It has also been revealed that demons from the Deville family have been secretly masquerading as the Duke of Elcadan for many decades now. The King discovered this when he sought an audience with the reclusive Duke. He saw through their deception and nearly slew one of the demonesses before she escaped by magic."

"The situation is that the ruling family of Elcadan were killed long ago. They have no heirs, so new rulers were required. The King has decided to elevate the Baron of Pyris to Duke and he shall now rule Elcadan. There is going to be many changes in that city to come."

This news stuns Sir Corley visibly! “It is almost unthinkable that such a thing could happen without anyone knowing! Although, now that I think about it, Duke Maurice hasn’t been seen by many in a very long time. It does explain a great deal.”

“I have had the privilege of spending much time at Castle Pyris. Baron Relon is a wise man and he will do everything he can to bring order back to Elcadan. Law and order will be restored to that beleaguered city.”

No doubt Baron Relon will need his son’s assistance in this monumental task. It does make Sir Corley wonder just how much longer Sir Validar will be among the members of the Guardians.

"Sir Validar requested that I pass this information on to you and to get an update on your situation. He plans to return to Fort Fletcher after the attack in New Keln is completed. Within a day or two."

“You may report, Lady Silvarn, that we have withstood two attacks by the Cold One’s Minions. They were defeated in both attempts. The dwarves have run into nests of spiders in the mine, but they seem to be only a temporary problem. If we are able, we are going to make an attack on the Cold One’s fortress. If we are successful then her icy grip in this area should be shattered for good!”

[Argent]

Argent:

Casting the Wall of Fire proves not be necessary. The villainess has departed, either by use of a Contingency spell or the priestly equivalent. The silver tiara is quickly found and picked up once it cools down. It’s obviously a magic item of some sort. While its exact function is unknown, Argent does have an idea what it does.

While waiting for the tiara to cool, the thoughts for a magical spell come flooding into Argent’s mind! As if a damn has burst open, the formula for a Cone of Cold spells has been revealed! Finally that one book of spells she has been trying to understand since the dragon’s lair is making sense!

Excitedly, Argent picks up the tiara and flies back to the fortress. The fighting seems to be over and men are on the upper levels repairing the damaged doors. Arocken is watching. Argent goes inside and back down to the ballista level to report.

“The deed is done, Sir Corley! I caught the priestess unaware, but she seems to have escaped by way of magic. It was much like when we initially fought Opikus. She seemed to vanish after one of my attacks without invoking any spells of her own. If what I’ve heard is true and that the cold one’s followers do not have much in the way of spells, then perhaps this woman has taken up magecraft to supplement her abilities. The staff she bore was able to conjure a spell like Magic Missile but using icicles instead. Perhaps her area of specialty is cold related spells, which makes sense given the goddess she chooses to worship.”

Argent holds up the tarnished tiara. “I managed to appropriate this from her. She dropped it and left without it. From what I say, she expected my Magic Missiles to not affect her. But when they did she reached for this, but it was gone. I suspect that this tiara is enchanted and performs a function similar to that of a Broach of Shielding. It drinks in Magic Missiles, spearing the wearer of their effects. At least I have a trinket from this endeavor.”

“Now, if you’ll excuse me, I believe a whole new level of magic has opened up to me! The formula for a new spell did enter into my mind! I have much to scribe into my spell books and many new spells to learn!”

Argent will happily make her way down to her quarters and scribe Cone of Cold into her spell book. Then she’ll pour over the book she has from Opikus and try to learn new magicks from that.

If she comes across Chareos or Lyonessa, Argent will ask if they have an Identify spell in memory. She'd like to find out what this tiara does. If not, she'll attend to the task at a later date.


Later in the day, another alarm sounds. Argent looks up in annoyance, but decides to at least see what is going on for herself. She hopes that it’s not another attack! Instead it is Silvarn, whom they meet back in Corunglain.

The elf maiden tells of her scouting efforts and that not only did she find our missing orc army, but also that she found the lair of the Cold One’s forces! Most here seem very interested in taking the battle to them. It seems that getting there and back is a problem.

“I may be able to help with getting us back to Fort Fletcher,” Argent speaks up. “As some of you know, I’ve gained access to new spells. Among them is the Teleport spell that Sherwood, Jallarzi, and Lord Sharadin use so frequently. However, I am very limited with the use of this spell. I could only take myself and at most one other with me per spell. I could memorize as many as three, but there is no way I could bring everyone back this way.”


Silvarn continues on with news that the Hextorites are going to be performing a big sacrifice tomorrow night and that Acerion and Validar are both going on that mission. Because of this they won’t be returning until after that.

News about Elcadan follows. The old nobility seems to have been demons in disguise and Validar’s father is now the Duke there!

“This is interesting. While I did train with Jallarzi, I didn’t spend a lot of time in the city other than running errands. If it is going to be cleaned up, it might make a good home down the road. Perhaps a place to settle down in.”

Argent will wait to find out what the groups plans are before retiring for the evening. If they are going to this Ice Palace, she’ll prepare a proper spell list and try to learn Teleport. If not, then she’ll replace the spells she spent this day and try to learn more from the book.

[Sherra]

Sherra:

Sir Corley will agree to this idea. Sherra is dispatched to scout the areas around the fortress to make sure the enemy is truly gone. Yusef sent out with her as backup. Arocken and the elf watchmen keep their eyes on the pair while they are gone. The immediate area does seem to be deserted of enemy activity.

Yusef accepts the assignment happily, both for the chance to get out and see if there are any more threats developing, and for the excuse to spend more time with Sherra. The pair of them slink noiselessly around the region for a fair while, but find nothing more than drifts of snow and ice.

Sherra was hoping for some alone time, but Corley's caution makes sense. Plus she has no complaints that it is Yusef who is accompanying her. She smiles at him knowingly, showing her joy to be outside with a bit of freedom.

There is no enemy about, and Sherra marvels at Yusef's abilities. She thinks of all the places the two of them could get into and explore. Moving about without anyone being the wiser.

After they return, a thought he's been mulling over for a while returns to him, and Yusef mentions it to his beautiful companion. "I've been thinking a bit about my interest in travel and how best to prepare myself. It seems to me that being able to speak multiple languages would be of benefit to someone who wants to visit a lot of new places - such as myself. However, I only speak Cynalonian and my native tongue of Midani.

"What about you, Sherra? You've travelled a fair bit. Do you speak many languages?"

"I too have a desire to see the world," Sherra replies. Her attraction to Yusef is growing as he tells her things that she longs to do. "I agree that knowing several languages can prove to be a boon. I have been learning dwarvish from Grondar. I've come a long way with it, although reading it is a completely different matter. He might disagree, but I think my verbal skill of the language is pretty good."

Sherra seems to drift off in thought a bit. "I just had this undescribable desire to learn dwarvish," she says. "My last memory of my father was one night when he was sitting with a good dwarven friend of his. They were just talking and I couldn't understand them, but they were having a good time. I guess my interest grew from there."

"I don't know any other languages though besides Cynalonian and my native Thothian," Sherra admits. "I was struggling to stay alive for so long that academic pursuits were furthest from my thoughts. Now that things are much different, I have been trying to learn as much as I possibly can."

"I'll be happy to teach you anything I can," Sherra says with a playful smile. "Only if you will teach me everything you can."

The day drags on and still Sir Acerion and Sir Validar have yet to return. An alarm is sounded as it seems a silver-haired elf has just appeared out of nowhere on the outside battlements! Arocken is among the first on the scene and the war elf realizes that it is Silvarn! The Guardians are summoned together and Silvarn relates her tale.

There is a bit of tension as Silvarn arrives. That quickly passes though once she is recognized. Everyone is called together and she has quite a bit of news to share. It seems that Validar and Acerion will not be quick in rejoining us. She can't help but wonder how Validar is doing, but she figures that he will undoubtably be thrilled at these new developments and can picture him planning things already. Sherra's smile fades a bit though as Silvarn reveals another piece of information.

“It has also been revealed that demons from the Deville family have been secretly masquerading as the Duke of Elcadan for many decades now. The King discovered this when he sought an audience with the reclusive Duke. He saw through their deception and nearly slew one of the demonesses before she escaped by magic.”

Sherra looks over privately at Yusef. He's uncertain at exactly what her look is telling him, but he can see concern on her face. She returns her attention to the rest of what Silvarn says, keeping her face neutral for benefit of the others.

From what Sir Corley says, it seems that they will be looking to attack this ice palace, probably sometime very soon. Sherra will lend whatever aid is needed and make sure she is prepared to depart depending on what is decided.

[Lyonessa]

Lyonessa:

The wounded are being tended to. Yusef heals the damage done to the elfin watchman and to the human solider. Grondar, Ivy, and Lyonessa all assist in this task, as do the Priests of Helm and Heironeous. Olivia has the infirmary ready to receive the wounded, but this turns out not to be necessary. There is enough healing magic here restore everyone to full health.

Lyonessa is relieved that there was enough magical healing to go around so that none of the soldiers had to suffer for long. "Bless Mystra," she says softly to herself while she smiles at the other priests knowing their job is almost finished. She will continue to sing softly while the last of the wounded are tended to.

The day drags on and still Sir Acerion and Sir Validar have yet to return. An alarm is sounded as it seems a silver-haired elf has just appeared out of nowhere on the outside battlements! Arocken is among the first on the scene and the war elf realizes that it is Silvarn! The Guardians are summoned together and Silvarn relates her tale.

Lyonessa's heart jumps upon hearing the alarm. As word spreads that it is only Silvarn, she calms down immediately and heads off to hear the news. What news there is! Sirs Validar and Acerion involved in a rescue mission. News of demons impersonating royalty in Elcadan. The location of an ice palace where these ice creatures could be coming from.

Sir Corley asks for approval to the plan to attack the ice palace, and Lyonessa agrees. The only concern will be how quickly we can get there. Corley doesn't wish to leave the fort for too long and that makes sense.

"If we can get their quickly, then once we have all of the magical defenses back in place would be the best time," Lyonessa suggests. "we were also able to heal all of the wounded, so we would not be leaving the fort with those concerns."

[Yusef]

Yusef:

"I too have a desire to see the world," Sherra replies. Her attraction to Yusef is growing as he tells her things that she longs to do. "I agree that knowing several languages can prove to be a boon. I have been learning dwarvish from Grondar. I've come a long way with it, although reading it is a completely different matter. He might disagree, but I think my verbal skill of the language is pretty good."

Sherra seems to drift off in thought a bit. "I just had this undescribable desire to learn dwarvish," she says. "My last memory of my father was one night when he was sitting with a good dwarven friend of his. They were just talking and I couldn't understand them, but they were having a good time. I guess my interest grew from there."

"Dwarvish, huh? I can understand why you've become such good friends with Grondar. He seems a pretty decent guy. It might be interesting to see the inside of one of their cities, but I'm not sure their ceilings would be very comfortable for me. Have you ever been to one of their underground cities?"

"I don't know any other languages though besides Cynalonian and my native Thothian," Sherra admits. "I was struggling to stay alive for so long that academic pursuits were furthest from my thoughts. Now that things are much different, I have been trying to learn as much as I possibly can."

"I'll be happy to teach you anything I can," Sherra says with a playful smile. "Only if you will teach me everything you can."

Yusef chuckles. He's not sure, but it seems like this raven-haired beauty is actually flirting with him! "I didn't realize you were Thothian, Sherra. That's somewhere off to the east of here, isn't it?" Unfortunately, his knowledge of geography is fairly poor.

"I would be happy to teach you anything you would like to learn. Perhaps we could start with an exchange of languages; I could teach you Midani and you could teach me Thothian? Those lands are far enough apart that we would be able to speak privately pretty much anywhere we went without the fear of being evesdropped upon."

“Indeed, Lady Silvarn. Is there any way for us to reach this Ice Palace quickly? Our enemy seemed to have retreated by way of magic. If we can use similar methods to reach them, then we can strike while they are not ready for battle. If feel that we must make the most of this opportunity if we can get there quickly and are able to return to Fort Fletcher with equal ease. We can leave Fort Fletcher for maybe a day or two, but I don’t wish to be gone any longer than that. While I have every confidence and the soldiers here, the most recent siege would have gone very differently without our presence.”

“What say you, comrades?”

Sir Corley's thinking seems to reflect Yusef's own, at least to some extent. "I am in favor of bearding the icy lion in it's frozen den."

Sherra looks over privately at Yusef. He's uncertain at exactly what her look is telling him, but he can see concern on her face. She returns her attention to the rest of what Silvarn says, keeping her face neutral for benefit of the others.

Yusef notes the look of concern from Sherra, but isn't certain what to make of it. He will have to ask her about it later.

[Chareos]

Chareos

Argent wrote: If she comes across Chareos or Lyonessa, Argent will ask if they have an Identify spell in memory. She'd like to find out what this tiara does. If not, she'll attend to the task at a later date.

As Argent comes near him, he greets her with a smile. She soon asks if he has an Identify spell in memory. His smile is quickly lost.

“Unfortunately I do not, I memorized all my spells for the siege battle.” As he says it he can’t help but feel how ironic it is he only used one of his spells. As an afterthought he will have to rethink his spell uses and choices for later on that night.

As Argent begins to walk away, Chareos debates on saying something to her about the previous day, and quickly gathers his courage and swallows his pride as he knows just how wrong he was.

“I’m sorry If I offended you yesterday. Your words stirred something in me that no one here would likely understand. I have seen handsome men cast women aside as if they were garbage after they got what they wanted… I just wouldn’t wish to see that happen to you.”

Sir Corley wrote:“Indeed, Lady Silvarn. Is there any way for us to reach this Ice Palace quickly? Our enemy seemed to have retreated by way of magic. If we can use similar methods to reach them, then we can strike while they are not ready for battle. If feel that we must make the most of this opportunity if we can get there quickly and are able to return to Fort Fletcher with equal ease. We can leave Fort Fletcher for maybe a day or two, but I don’t wish to be gone any longer than that. While I have every confidence and the soldiers here, the most recent siege would have gone very differently without our presence.”

“What say you, comrades?”

"If we can get their quickly, then once we have all of the magical defenses back in place would be the best time," Lyonessa suggests. "we were also able to heal all of the wounded, so we would not be leaving the fort with those concerns."

“Lyonessa is right, If we are to leave this fort It would be in our best interest to give those who remain behind as much support and defense in our absence.”

“If we are to free our land of this threat I foresee no other course of action but going after them. With any luck they do not yet realize we know where they are. It would be unwise to let such a opportunity go to waste.”

Looking around to the others, “If we are going after them, You can count me in.”

[farian]

Farian

With that task completed, Grondar zips off to the mine to find out how his dwarven friends are doing. They have quite a story to tell, filled with webs and spiders. Amidst it all they have made progress and found the location of a supply depot in the mine. Unfortunately, they will need to get past the spiders to reach it. Still, they have made significant progress in his absence. As they discuss the matter, Grondar examines and treats the wounds suffered by Farian and Salem.

Farian wrote:
Upon hearing Aria reiterate the same encounter only larger, Farian says, “Perhaps we should be bothering one of them mages up top.”


"A good idea, Farian. Argent or Chareos may be able to help us with that. Wanna ask them while I examine Salem here?"

As Grondar steps forward and begins examining him Farian looks at him as if he has three heads. “Don’t Be fixing me up! By gods man it tis but a scratch! Go see to Salem he’s been needing it more.” looking his way over to a lethargic Salem.

Looking to Aria, “You think they be willing to help out. After all it’s a Dwarf problem….” as he thinks this will justify not asking….. “Alright Ill be going to go ask em.” and Farian heads off to talk to the tall people.

He will then go through the fort seeing if he can get ahold of Argent Chareos and Lyonessa and ask, “We have quite the infestation down below…We’s been wondering if you would be willing to give us a hand with your Hocus pocus.”

[Ivy]

Ivy:


After the wounded have been tended to, Ivy will cast what protection spells she has left on the areas that were breached during the attack. She tries to keep herself busy as the day progresses, but still Acerion has yet to return and it is a concern. She can’t help but feel that something is wrong. Ivy tries to chase her troubled thoughts away, but not even her devotions to the Blue Lady seem to help.

Another alarm is sounded and it gives Ivy something to focus on. Grabbing her mace, Ivy rushes to defend the fortress. Alas it is not necessary, as Silvarn has mysteriously arrived bearing news.

"Good to see you again, my friends! Sir Validar asked me to scout the areas around the fortress, but it seems that your missing enemy has already surfaced. I did find some disturbing things during my search. About forty miles north of here I found hundreds of orc bodies half-buried in the snow. They seemed to have been frozen to death, but from what I could tell they are not undead."

“I am pleased to hear that not all the orcs were changed into undead ice zombies. We should send someone up there to burn the bodies to prevent them from being used against us in the future. It is the proper way to insure that they will not become undead.”


Silvarn also relates that she’s located the enemy camp. It’s a fortress up in the mountains that’s being called the Ice Palace. The others seem to want to take the battle to the enemy, if they can reach them.

“I have to agree. If there is a chance we can stop the Cold One’s forces before they launch any more attacks, we should take it if we can make the journey quickly. If we do go, we priests will need to stock up on spells to counter the cold we are sure to be facing.”

"I must also report that both Sir Acerion and Sir Validar will not be returning for a few more days. Several dire situations have arisen while you've been here in Fort Fletcher. I've managed to locate the missing Duke of Corunglain. Unfortunately, he is being held in the main temple to Hextor in New Keln. They plan to sacrifice the nobles they captured in an attempt to summon the Horn of Acheron, an evil artifact. A strike force is being assembled to raid the temple and rescue the nobles. Validar and Acerion will be among them, along with many others. This attack will begin in about a day from now."

Ivy seems to be on the verge of tears upon hearing this, but holds them back. She just knew something like this was going to happen! If Acerion goes and gets himself killed she’ll never forgive him!

Then comes news of the change in leadership in Elcadan! Ivy is just as stunned as everyone else.

“Demons would explain a great many things,” Ivy notes. “I’ve spent most of my life in Elcadan and I know just how deplorable conditions can be there. I take this as a sign of good things to come for my adopted home.”


After the general discussion is over with, Silvarn wishes to speak privately. She bears a private message from Acerion.

"If you have the chance to speak with Ivy, tell her I shall return to her in short order and she has no need to fear. Tell her she is never far from me for she is in my heart."

“Alas, fear I must. He is charging headlong into the den of his greatest enemy. But he bears with him many tools of Heironeous. The Axe of the Valorous and the Shield of Justice. Perhaps those will see my sweet Acerion through. Thank you for bearing this message, Silvarn. It means a great deal to me.”

Early next morning, Ivy is praying for her spells when she realizes that a whole new group of spells is now open to her. Many of them deal with negating magical attacks. Ivy will humbly thank the Blue Lady for her increase in personal power.

[Aria Stonehand]

Aria:


With Dougan slung over her shoulder, Aria climbs back up the rusty ladder. She makes her way back down the tunnel to the chasm. Farian and Salem are there. They also ran into spiders.

Once safely on solid ground and the spiders are driven off by his other kin, Farian reiterates what transpired down below. “Think we have spider squatters. Damn bugs been breeding like rats!! I’d wager a whole keg of ale that we found the nest down below cause there were lots of them critters!”

“We may be needing to burn them out.”

Upon hearing Aria reiterate the same encounter only larger, Farian says, “Perhaps we should be bothering one of them mages up top.”

“We can handle a few creepy-crawlies,” Aria snorts. “’Sides those mages are likely to bring the tunnels down around us with their big boom spells! We were just caught unawares is all.”

“But I’ve got other concerns,” Aria says in a quieter voice. “As me pappy used to say, ‘If’n you got spiders in yer tunnels, then you’ve also got drow to contend with!’ I’ll wager that those blasted dark elves moved into this area after the dwarves left. They probably left these spiders to act as guards against intrusions to the outside world! If that be the case, then we’ll need to send a large group to burn those wall-crawlers out!”


Upon returning to the Fortress, it seems that they were under attack by the minions of some nitwit goddess of cold. “If those icicle huggers try that in Hammerfall, I’ll bash their heads in!”

Aria doesn’t think much of their plans to launch a good old fashion raid on the enemy fortress. But it would help secure Fort Fletcher and in turn keep the dwarves free to continue on towards Hammerfall. Plus Grondar seems unusually aggressive when the subject comes up.

“Alright, I’m in. Let’s sack this Ice Palace and send Cold Britches packin’! Maybe she’s got some icy treasure too, say like diamonds!”

The spiders can wait another day or two. Aria will have guards posted at the chasm to keep an eye out for any more wall crawlers.

[GM Mad]

Post Continued:


Silvarn has arrived at Fort Fletcher bearing news. She’s found the remains of the orc invasion army and the headquarters of Auril’s forces up in the mountains. In addition, she brings word that Sir Acerion and Sir Validar will not be returning immediately. They have joined a rescue mission to recover the Duke of Corunglain from the forces of Hextor. They plan to return in a few days.

There has been a change in leadership in Elcadan. The former Duke was only demons of the Deville family masquerading in disguise. Baron Relon of Pyris has been elevated to Duke and will take control of the city.

The location of the Ice Palace greatly interests the Guardians.

As Chareos leans on his staff listening to Silvarn’s words a question forms in his head. “Were there any ways of possible approach?” he asks curiously.

“Indeed, Lady Silvarn. Is there any way for us to reach this Ice Palace quickly?”

“There are overland routes, but those passes are filled with snow right now. It is a very isolated place. As you noted, they must use magic to travel back and forth.”

Silvarn notes that the Guardians are very serious in their desires to take down the Ice Palace.

“It would be possible for me to take you to the Ice Palace, but I must warn you that other duties will not permit me to remain among you. You would be on your own, for perhaps as long as a day. This is potentially a very deadly mission you seek to undertake. As long as you know and accept the risks, then I will transport you there. I will remain here for the evening and move you to the Ice Palace in the morning if that is what you wish. It will give you time to prepare.”

When he has an opportunity, Yusef will approach Silvarn. "Pardon me, Silvarn. Thank you for bringing this news of Elcadan. It is good to hear that my father's family will finally get what they deserve."

“Hello,” Silvarn easily answers. If she’s startled by Yusef’s appearance, she doesn’t show it. “I don’t believe we’ve met before. Are you saying that you’re related to the Deville’s? Would you perhaps have any idea where they might have fled? They’ve proven to be a menace to the Kingdom and are to be hunted down and dealt with. Any information you could provide would be helpful.”

“Alas, fear I must. He is charging headlong into the den of his greatest enemy. But he bears with him many tools of Heironeous. The Axe of the Valorous and the Shield of Justice. Perhaps those will see my sweet Acerion through. Thank you for bearing this message, Silvarn. It means a great deal to me.”

“It was my pleasure,” Silvarn graciously answers. “I am sure that you’ll be reunited before you know it.”


The rest of the evening passes quietly. Silvarn is very outgoing and will converse with anyone who wishes to speak. She’ll join in singing with Lyonessa when the bard is playing. She’ll ask if Lyonessa knows some of her favorite songs. The young bardess knows several, while others are not known. Silvarn will even share some of the songs that she knows.


GM Notes:

Time to decide if you’re going to take Silvarn up on her offer or not. If so, then you’ll need prepare spell lists for this mission.

Now what?

[Grondar]

Grondar:

As Grondar steps forward and begins examining him Farian looks at him as if he has three heads. “Don’t Be fixing me up! By gods man it tis but a scratch! Go see to Salem he’s been needing it more.” looking his way over to a lethargic Salem.

"Of course, Farian," Grondar replies with a smile. He can see for himself quickly enough that the wound is quite minor and should heal quickly enough on its own. "Just be sure to keep it clean and dry."

“But I’ve got other concerns,” Aria says in a quieter voice. “As me pappy used to say, ‘If’n you got spiders in yer tunnels, then you’ve also got drow to contend with!’ I’ll wager that those blasted dark elves moved into this area after the dwarves left. They probably left these spiders to act as guards against intrusions to the outside world! If that be the case, then we’ll need to send a large group to burn those wall-crawlers out!”

"Drow. Now there's a grim tiding," Grondar replies. "We'll need to remain very alert for any other signs of their presence."

“What say you, comrades?”

“It would be possible for me to take you to the Ice Palace, but I must warn you that other duties will not permit me to remain among you. You would be on your own, for perhaps as long as a day. This is potentially a very deadly mission you seek to undertake. As long as you know and accept the risks, then I will transport you there. I will remain here for the evening and move you to the Ice Palace in the morning if that is what you wish. It will give you time to prepare.”

Grondar has heard what both Corley and Silvarn have to say. "Sir Corley, I have searched my heart and my convictions, and I believe that this is what Berronar Truesilver would have me do. I shall go with you into yon frozen fortress."

If the decision is made to go the next day, Grondar will make certain to request appropriate blessings from Berronar during his morning devotions.

[Yusef]

Yusef:

“Hello,” Silvarn easily answers. If she’s startled by Yusef’s appearance, she doesn’t show it. “I don’t believe we’ve met before. Are you saying that you’re related to the Deville’s? Would you perhaps have any idea where they might have fled? They’ve proven to be a menace to the Kingdom and are to be hunted down and dealt with. Any information you could provide would be helpful.”

"Yes, ma'am. I'm sorry to say that Daniel Deville was my father." Yusef pauses to consider the question. "I know they have some business partners down in Athenos and Kingsport. It's possible they would flee to one of those cities. I can provide some names if it would help."

Something else suddenly occurs to the young tiefling. "Wait. I know of another place; I've never been there, but I've heard tell of it. The Devilles have a vacation home on the shore of Lake Amsorak, roughly a day's travel south of Akorros. They might very well have gone there, as few know of it."

That evening, Yusef will listen to Lyonessa and Silvarn's singing. It is a pleasant respite from the tensions of the day, and of those to come. If Sherra is about, Yusef will chat with her and begin teaching her Midani if she so chooses.

[farian]

Farian

“But I’ve got other concerns,” Aria says in a quieter voice. “As me pappy used to say, ‘If’n you got spiders in yer tunnels, then you’ve also got drow to contend with!’ I’ll wager that those blasted dark elves moved into this area after the dwarves left. They probably left these spiders to act as guards against intrusions to the outside world! If that be the case, then we’ll need to send a large group to burn those wall-crawlers out!”

"Drow. Now there's a grim tiding," Grondar replies. "We'll need to remain very alert for any other signs of their presence."

“That’s gonna make my job a whole lot more interesting.” he says with frown. “But Let em come.. We’d be giving them a fight they wont soon forget!” a smirk beginning to play about his face.

[Corley]

Sir Corley:

“It would be possible for me to take you to the Ice Palace, but I must warn you that other duties will not permit me to remain among you. You would be on your own, for perhaps as long as a day. This is potentially a very deadly mission you seek to undertake. As long as you know and accept the risks, then I will transport you there. I will remain here for the evening and move you to the Ice Palace in the morning if that is what you wish. It will give you time to prepare.”

“I understand, Lady Silvarn, and we appreciate your gracious assistance. Alas, I fear that this mission is one that we must undertake. To remain here and just wait for their next assault is not a winning strategy. The battle must be taken to them.”

Turning to the others, Sir Corley will say, “You all know the situation. We’ll be placed in enemy territory without a defensive position. As such, only volunteers will be going on this mission. It is necessary to keep Fort Fletcher secured while we are gone. Arocken and Po will remain here for certain.”

“In the meantime we must prepare for what lies ahead. We’ll need to bring several days food and drink with us. The priests should place whatever defensive spells they can here at Fort Fletcher, but also be mindful that we’ll need your magicks during the mission. Spells to block the cold and even Silence spells to foil enemy spell casters. And of course healing magic should it be necessary.”

“Mages should carry whatever magic they see fit, for either combat or in Lady Argent’s case, being able to whisk some of us away should it be necessary.”

“There’s really nothing else for me to add right now. You know what you need to do. Get some rest. Tomorrow promises to be an interesting day.”

Before retiring for the evening, Sir Corley will alert the various unit commanders and the priests of their impending departure. Once that is accomplished and a hardy meal has been consumed, Sir Corley will retire for the evening.

[Chareos]

Chareos

Turning to the others, Sir Corley will say, “You all know the situation. We’ll be placed in enemy territory without a defensive position. As such, only volunteers will be going on this mission. It is necessary to keep Fort Fletcher secured while we are gone. Arocken and Po will remain here for certain.”

“In the meantime we must prepare for what lies ahead. We’ll need to bring several days food and drink with us. The priests should place whatever defensive spells they can here at Fort Fletcher, but also be mindful that we’ll need your magicks during the mission. Spells to block the cold and even Silence spells to foil enemy spell casters. And of course healing magic should it be necessary.”

“Mages should carry whatever magic they see fit, for either combat or in Lady Argent’s case, being able to whisk some of us away should it be necessary.”

“We all know the risks are great. For many of us we have been in situations that we would dare not wish on anyone. Here, laying before us is yet another perilous task. You say we will be alone, Lady Silvarn. I am do not see it as such. The Guardians are the finest men and women I have had the pleasure of knowing and fighting beside. We would have each other and that is no small fact to overlook.”

“Sir Corley, you need not ask me to volunteer. I will be ready coming morning.”

[Argent]

Argent:

On her way to record her new spell, Argent comes across Chareos.

“Unfortunately I do not, I memorized all my spells for the siege battle.” As he says it he can’t help but feel how ironic it is he only used one of his spells. As an after thought he will have to rethink his spell uses and choices for later on that night.

“I really didn’t expect anyone to have one in memory given the circumstances,” Argent easily answers. “But you never know, so I thought I would at least ask. I’m very curious to see what the enchantment on this tiara I appropriated is.”

As Argent begins to walk away, Chareos debates on saying something to her about the previous day, and quickly gathers his courage and swallows his pride as he knows just how wrong he was.

“I’m sorry if I offended you yesterday. Your words stirred something in me that no one here would likely understand. I have seen handsome men cast women aside as if they were garbage after they got what they wanted… I just wouldn’t wish to see that happen to you.”

“What’s that?” Argent says as she turns back to face Chareos. Her minds a whirl with the formula for her new spell that she needs to record and the properties of her new magic item that she doesn’t really hear everything Chareos has to say. Turning back, she tries to focus on him.

“Offend me? Why would I be offended? In truth, I wondered for a time why you would be so offended? I’m a very outgoing woman and if I see something that interests me I say so. Just because I found some of the soldiers arriving handsome does not mean that I would be inviting them to my bedchamber anytime soon. Were I a man would anyone have thought anything of those comments?”

“There are those who would brand me with the same words you used to describe men who use woman. I admit that I’ve had several romantic encounters in the past and in each case we’ve parted ways. Physical attraction can be a powerful thing, but in my experience it does not always last.”

“Admittedly when I was just starting out as a novice spellcaster I tried to choose powerful warriors to romance mainly for my own protection. But as I’ve grown more experienced and more powerful in my craft, that is no longer the case. I do not need that much protection.”

“Much to my surprise, I’m finding that looks are not everything anymore. Take Sir Corley for instance. Our young knight certainly is a feast for the eyes, but not someone I would seek out for intellectual conversation. Romance is wonderful, but I’m finding that I need more than that from a companion. I need someone I can relate to and discuss things arcane with. I need someone who is my intellectual equal, not some swordsman or armored warrior who couldn’t even spell Mordenkainen.”

“At any rate, thank you for your concern.”

Reaching up, Argent will kiss Chareos on the cheek.

“Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got lots to do.”


Later on Silvarn arrives and conversation turns to raiding the fortress of Auril’s followers. “You can count me in. This time we should be able to not only defeat evil, but also gain some riches in the process. I really want to get my hands on that staff the ice priestess used.”

“Also, it is my believe that these ice creatures we encountered were conjured and directed by this staff. Should we come across them again, we need to target their controllers. Remove the puppet master and the puppets are no longer a threat.”

“I’ll go study Teleport and then prepare for the battle to come.”


Once back at her quarters, Argent will study Teleport and try to learn it. Once that is accomplished, she’ll try a few other new spells as time permits. She won’t stay up late and will get to sleep early. On a whim, she’ll take a quick look at those spells she knows but doesn’t use very often or not at all. Perhaps one of those will be useful in this situation.

Next morning, Argent will memorize a new series of spells for the day to come. She’ll use Identify to ascertain the enchantment on the tiara first. She’ll replenish her Stoneskin. The remainder of her spells will be held for the battle to come.

[Ivy]

Ivy:

“It was my pleasure,” Silvarn graciously answers. “I am sure that you’ll be reunited before you know it.”

“That is my hope.”


It has been decided that we shall go to engage the enemy in their own fortress. Ivy will prepare accordingly. She’ll raid the stores and prepare enough food and water for three days use.

After that, Ivy tries to sleep but slumber does not come easily. She’ll pray for new spells in the morning and cast one Glyph before leaving on the mission. She’ll have Endure Cold spells ready for the party's use.

[Aria Stonehand]

Aria:

"Drow. Now there's a grim tiding," Grondar replies. "We'll need to remain very alert for any other signs of their presence."

“That’s gonna make my job a whole lot more interesting.” he says with frown. “But Let em come... We’d be giving them a fight they wont soon forget!” a smirk beginning to play about his face.

“No need to be so grim lads! After all, none of us thought that this was going to be easy! Nothing worth while ever is! We’re dwarves. We’ll keep hammerin’ at’m until we are victorious!”

“But in the meantime, let us settle cold britches hash first. Then we can worry about the spiders and their dark hearted masters!”

Aria will be ready to depart in the morning. She’ll wonder just how that little elf will be able to take everyone to this distant fortress.

“Magic,” Aria will snort disapprovingly.

[Chareos]

Chareos

“Offend me? Why would I be offended? In truth, I wondered for a time why you would be so offended? I’m a very outgoing woman and if I see something that interests me I say so. Just because I found some of the soldiers arriving handsome does not mean that I would be inviting them to my bedchamber anytime soon. Were I a man would anyone have thought anything of those comments?”

“I would imagine not. Some would, some would not. More then likely all would be forgotten by the time the words left his lips.”

“Much to my surprise, I’m finding that looks are not everything anymore. Take Sir Corley for instance. Our young knight certainly is a feast for the eyes, but not someone I would seek out for intellectual conversation. Romance is wonderful, but I’m finding that I need more than that from a companion. I need someone I can relate to and discuss things arcane with. I need someone who is my intellectual equal, not some swordsman or armored warrior who couldn’t even spell Mordenkainen.”

“At any rate, thank you for your concern.”

Reaching up, Argent will kiss Chareos on the cheek.

“Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got lots to do.”

Chareos laughs at irony, and quickly spells out Mordenkainen as if it is a more known word like bone. “It wasn’t so much as being offended, More so a bit of jealousy. You would not have known the way I felt about you or what I think of you because I never spoke my mind before now.”

blushing slightly from her kiss, “You seem to be in a rush so perhaps I could talk to you at a later time? When it is more convenient for you.” he says, as he takes a lock of her hair and pushes it from her face toward her ear

[Lyonessa]

Lyonessa:

“In the meantime we must prepare for what lies ahead. We’ll need to bring several days food and drink with us. The priests should place whatever defensive spells they can here at Fort Fletcher, but also be mindful that we’ll need your magicks during the mission. Spells to block the cold and even Silence spells to foil enemy spell casters. And of course healing magic should it be necessary.”

Lyonessa listens to Sir Corley's words carefully. She isn't excited about going to this ice palace without an easy way back if they should run into trouble. She agrees though that we need to take the fight to this priestess and whoever else is there.

Lyonessa will help Ivy prepare enough food and water. She will also cast any spells she needs to help in the defense of the keep before praying for a different set of spells for the following day.

During the late moments in the night before sleep comforts her, Lyonessa's mind wanders to Laucian and the others, wondering how they are faring. She wishes he was here so she could take some comfort in his presence. Finally she drifts off to wherever her dreams take her...

[Grondar]

Grondar:

“That’s gonna make my job a whole lot more interesting.” he says with frown. “But Let em come.. We’d be giving them a fight they wont soon forget!” a smirk beginning to play about his face.

“No need to be so grim lads! After all, none of us thought that this was going to be easy! Nothing worth while ever is! We’re dwarves. We’ll keep hammerin’ at’m until we are victorious!”

“But in the meantime, let us settle cold britches hash first. Then we can worry about the spiders and their dark hearted masters!”

Grondar smiles at the enthusiasm voiced by Farian and Aria. They may need that before this battle is through, especially if it is true that the drow now inhabit this place. They won't give it up without a vicious fight.

“In the meantime we must prepare for what lies ahead. We’ll need to bring several days food and drink with us. The priests should place whatever defensive spells they can here at Fort Fletcher, but also be mindful that we’ll need your magicks during the mission. Spells to block the cold and even Silence spells to foil enemy spell casters. And of course healing magic should it be necessary.”

Grondar greets Corley's instructions with a nod. Already, he is thinking through what spells he will request come morning.

Of those that hadn't already done so, the rest speak up, stating their intention to accompany them to the ice castle. It is good that they are unannymous; they will likely need all of the power and skill that they can muster.

Grondar will cast any defensive magics remaining to him before he goes to bed. He is careful to make sure he can get a good night's sleep, which he does by sleeping in Argent's magical mansion. He'll need it the next day.

In the morning he rises early and performs his prayers and devotions. He follows this with breakfast and casts his Wyvern Watch and two Glyphs of Warding to further secure the fort. Once that is done, Grondar collects all of his gear and joins the others ready to depart.

Seeing Ivy, Grondar approaches the priestess. "Berronar has granted me a blessing that I believe would be of most benefit if used by you. It greatly increases the recipient's physical might. The duration is not long, but could be of great use if cast just before a great battle, such as we are likely to encounter before this day is done. Is this of interest to you?"
__________________________________________
Revised spell list posted.

[Yusef]

Yusef:

The decision is made and all appear to have volunteered for this mission. It makes Yusef proud to be among such valiant and stalwart people.

That evening, Yusef makes time to seek out Rat. "Master Rat? I have noticed that you carry a sling with you at all times. I presume you are skilled with this weapon? It is one I have an interest in learning to use. Would you be so kind as to train me in its use?"

Yusef will find time to sleep around his usual guard duty. When he awakens in the morning, he begins his day with prayers to his patron Celestian. He eats a light breakfast, then casts his Wyvern Watch and Glyph of Warding spells wherever Argent believes they will do the most good.

He then goes in search of Sherra to see if she is up and ready to leave on their new mission. Perhaps they can work on their new language skills on the way to the castle...
_________________________________________
Spell list updated.

[Validar]

Po and Arocken will remain with the troops at Fort Fletcher to help with its defense and to help ensure against another attack.

[Sherra]

Sherra:

Yusef chuckles. He's not sure, but it seems like this raven-haired beauty is actually flirting with him! "I didn't realize you were Thothian, Sherra. That's somewhere off to the east of here, isn't it?" Unfortunately, his knowledge of geography is fairly poor.

"I would be happy to teach you anything you would like to learn. Perhaps we could start with an exchange of languages; I could teach you Midani and you could teach me Thothian? Those lands are far enough apart that we would be able to speak privately pretty much anywhere we went without the fear of being evesdropped upon."

Sherra smiles warmly. "That's why I inherited this," she says, indicating her cascading curly black hair. "I grew up in the Minothrad Guilds though, at least until I was taken. It's a collection of islands to the southeast. My father had found better opportunities in those islands which is why he had decided to move the family when I was so very young."

"A learning of languages would be beneficial, I agree," Sherra replies. "I'll have to see if I can continue mastering Dwarven while I try to learn Midani. I can just see Grondar's face if I let the two languages get mixed up." She'll smile at the thought of him scolding her at butchering the Dwarven language.

The decision to assault the Ice Palace is made and everyone agrees to go, including Sherra. She has very little she needs to do before she is ready, so that leaves her with some free time. She seeks out a couple of the Elven archers that she was fighting alongside of and sees if any are free for some target practice. She will learn what she can from these skilled archers, seeing if there is anything that she can use to improve her own skill.

The following morning comes quickly enough, and Sherra feels the growing anticipation of their coming assault. She welcomes the feeling after having seen these same walls for several long days now.

He then goes in search of Sherra to see if she is up and ready to leave on their new mission. Perhaps they can work on their new language skills on the way to the castle...

"Good morning Yusef," Sherra says with an easy smile at his approach,"I hope your night was restful." Yusef inquires about starting to learn already, which Sherra is agreeable to.

"We might not have a lot of time before we arrive at the ice palace, because I believe we are being dropped off by Silvarn, unless something has changed," Sherra comments. "Still we can use whatever time we do have."

[farian]

Farian

“No need to be so grim lads! After all, none of us thought that this was going to be easy! Nothing worth while ever is! We’re dwarves. We’ll keep hammerin’ at’m until we are victorious!”

“But in the meantime, let us settle cold britches hash first. Then we can worry about the spiders and their dark hearted masters!”

“Whose be sounding grim?” he asks with confusion in his voice. “I’m saying it sounds like fun! I can‘t wait to have them within reach of me hammer. ” A wide grin playing about his face as images of pain-filled drow faces fill his mind.

“That be meaning I have to wrap my beard better!” he exclaims as he absently rubs his beard.

Farian will make himself ready for the Ice Palace.

[Yusef]

Yusef:

Sherra smiles warmly. "That's why I inherited this," she says, indicating her cascading curly black hair. "I grew up in the Minothrad Guilds though, at least until I was taken. It's a collection of islands to the southeast. My father had found better opportunities in those islands which is why he had decided to move the family when I was so very young."

"Your hair is beautiful, though I don't know enough about the peoples to the east to know that it is characteristic of them. It is also common among my people, who usually have dark brown or black hair, though not quite like yours."

"A learning of languages would be beneficial, I agree," Sherra replies. "I'll have to see if I can continue mastering Dwarven while I try to learn Midani. I can just see Grondar's face if I let the two languages get mixed up." She'll smile at the thought of him scolding her at butchering the Dwarven language.

Yusef chuckles at Sherra's comment. "Well, we certainly wouldn't want to get Grondar upset...

"Perhaps we should start with you teaching me. Avoid confusion that way, and I probably won't learn as fast as you anyway. Once you are comfortable with your skill in Dwarven, we can switch to teaching you Midani."

"Good morning Yusef," Sherra says with an easy smile at his approach,"I hope your night was restful." Yusef inquires about starting to learn already, which Sherra is agreeable to.

"And good morning to you, fair lady," Yusef replies. "Thank you. I did sleep well, as I had thoughts of you to keep me company."

"We might not have a lot of time before we arrive at the ice palace, because I believe we are being dropped off by Silvarn, unless something has changed," Sherra comments. "Still we can use whatever time we do have."

"True. But as one of the elders at the monastery used to say, every journey begins with one small step. So it shall be with my education in your native tongue."

[GM Mad]

Post Closed