Onto The High Ice

The party’s relief at having survived their encounter with the white dragon was tempered by Zhustin’s death, and their mood was somber as they climbed out of the glacial rift, bringing the boy wizard’s body with them. They wrapped it in a shroud of furs, counting on the extreme cold to preserve the body, and began the long, cold trek back to Iqualiat.

Death in the Dragon's Lair

After defeating the Erutaki shaman, Tunuak, and his thrall, Naquun, the group discovered that Naquun had been possessed by a quasit. The tiny demon wriggled out of Naquun’s mouth, and began desperately trying to flitter away. Marie smacked it with her adamantine mace, but the blow bounced off, and Sawyer dealt a similar glancing blow with Suishen. Finally Sandoval swept his echoblade at the creature, and it fell lifeless to the ground.

Hostile Reception

Ulf had taken a detour to the village of Iqualiat, concerned about what looked like bad weather on the horizon ahead. Upon arriving at the village, they found the locals less than welcoming, although Ulf’s old friend, the hearthmistress Sonavut, took them into her home. There she gave them the bad news: the Path of Aganhei was blocked by the morozkos, the “hungry storms” that normally never came this far inland or south off the High Ice. She said that their shaman, Tunuak, blamed the storms’ presence on the villagers' lack of devotion to the wind spirits they worshipped. “He says that first the wind spirits called the dragon to punish us, and now they are bringing the morozkos to wipe us out.”

River Crossing

The party had stumbled into an ambush from the undead Witchfire, Old Maguyu, and things were not going well. They’d gotten a bit cocky that their fire-based spells could easily handle anything they encountered here in the frozen north, but Nicki’s Fireball had done absolutely nothing against the hag, and his Scorching Rays had passed harmlessly through her summoned Will-o-the-Wisp. Meanwhile, Marie had taken some serious damage from witchflame, and both she and Bella were wreathed in the sickly green flames.

Rough Road

The party built a funeral pyre for the unfortunate victims of Rimakak, and slid Arnaalak’s body through a hole in the ice and into a watery grave. The pyre was still smoldering the next morning when the caravan set off in silence, deeper into the Gaarjuk Hills. As Ulf had predicted, they came to a small Erutaki encampment a couple of days later. They left Rimakak’s lone survivor in their care; the girl had not spoken two words since they’d left the remains of her village. Hoping she would be all right, the party forged on.

The Tragedy of Rimakak

The trek across the frozen north was proving to be every bit as dangerous as advertised – and they’d barely started. But the group was determined not to let anything stop them from escorting Ameiko to her destiny in distant Minkai, so they healed up after the battle with the bulettes, and continued on into the Gaarjuk Hills.

On The Road Again

Having come to an “arrangement” with the King, the party’s preparations for their arctic journey proceeded rapidly. Ulf replaced Sandru’s wagons with heavier models, with sturdy sleigh runners that could be affixed to the axles when the path became too snow covered for wheels. He hired a crew of Erutaki with leathery faces wrinkled from years of exposure to wind and cold. The party spent their time upgrading their magical gear and worrying that they wouldn’t have enough protection from the cold (Ulf merely snorted at their concerns). On the day they set out, Thyrie Tarnalsdottir met them at the edge of town with a banner embossed with the sigil of King Sveinn Blood-Eagle. Mounting it to the lead wagon, they set out for the north.