The Path of Spirits

The caravan descended from Ovorikheer Pass, leaving the plateau of the High Ice for the last time, and travelling down to the rolling plains below. The ground was still frozen tundra, but the sun was in the sky (at least for a handful of hours), the cliffs behind them cut off the biting wind, and the party could actually imagine that they might see spring again in their lifetimes.

Off the High Ice

Surrounded by a horde of ravenous zombies, things were looking grim for our intrepid heroes. They were battling furiously atop Dead Man’s Dome, and undead were falling left and right, but for every walking corpse that fell, five more stepped up to take its place.

Dead Man's Dome

In their trek across the arctic, the party had stumbled upon what seemed to be a Gate to the Elemental Plane of Cold. It was sucking what little heat remained in this polar climate, and making what was already a dangerous journey even more so. Koya Summoned a small earth elemental to go investigate the Gate, but as it approached, a trio of Ice Elementals rose up out of the ice pack to defend their turf. The one in the center was far larger than his kin, and stepped forward and promptly stomped Koya’s earth elemental into oblivion.

A Fungus Among Us

After their grueling battle with Katiyana and the storm gems, the group awoke bruised and sore, but grateful to be alive. The storm sphere that had hung above the tower was gone, leaving the interior dark, but through the hole in the ceiling they could catch glimpses of stars through the wisps of remaining cloud, the first time they’d been able to see the sky in weeks. They took this for a good omen, and set off to rejoin their friends in the caravan.

Katiyana's Demise

Having reached the top of the Storm Tower, the party found themselves engaged in a battle royale with Katiyana, disciple of the demon lord Sithhud. She expounded on some nefarious plot to use the power of the Storm Tower, along with the strange monoliths she had scattered across the arctic, to control the morozkos, the Hungry Storms, to send them to batter the warm lands of the south and bring glory to her demon lord. But the party couldn’t really care less about her mad schemes – they just wanted to survive the encounter.

Mistress of the Storm

Following Nicki’s unprovoked attack on the crysmals that were tending the crystalline “mainframe” of the Storm Tower, the group found themselves under psychic attack from the scorpion-like creatures. Two had already fallen to their blows, but four more still remained.

The Storm Tower

Trying to find the source of the undead infestation that was blocking their path across the Crown of the World, the party had stumbled upon a long, black road that led them to an incredibly tall hexagonal tower jutting up out of a lake of vile black slush at the foot of the Alabastrine Peaks. The tower was taller than any building they’d ever seen before, easily 300’ tall, and seemed to be made of the same black, seamless stone as the road they’d followed. Whatever lost race had constructed it must have rivaled the power of the fabled Thassilonians of yore.