B1E18- Solstice Island
Donobis (Tiefling paladin, Bill), Mareshi
(human Cleric, Tony), Draggo (Dragonborn Barbarian, Brian), Thokk
(half-Orc Warlock, Duane), Knott (Firbolg Druid, Matt), Fabian
(1/2 elf Bard, Goeff)
Back on Vellynne’s dogsleds 4 days north to the Sea-of-Moving-Ice
for another 2-day whale ride (Angajuk) to Solstice Island. Where once again we met the Ice
Mephit (Sopo)… “What brings you back?” Mareshi was willing to trade her map of
‘Two-Towns’ for the info, but Sopo was too accommodating, “Auriel’s book? That
is in her vault within her fortress. Not interested in a tour of the eastern
side of the island? Then I can take you to her fortress of Grimskalle; front
gate or back door cave entrance?”
With torches and magical light, we entered the dark cave
littered with bones. No webbing per the expected spiders. Besides, these were
walrus bones! Sopo told us to be calm when we saw the Yeti in a corner gnawing
on bones. And he repeated his warning as we ventured deeper, encountering more
Yeti who growled at us yet stood their ground. But the huge Abominable Yeti who
guarded the interior tunnel was too much, especially when it casually snapped
the head off of the bear Knott summoned! We backed out to Sopo’s displeasure.
Too bad we couldn’t lure him out to kill him for trying to bait us in that
death trap!
We stood in front of the 600-ft tall fortress that rose
above the fog. Were the giant steps meant to intimidate us?! Each step was 4ft tall,
which required coordination to climb, especially considering they were covered
in snow and icy rime. Huge double-doors greeted us with the dwarven word Grimskalle
etched above. Surprising how easy the doors glided open to us mere mortals.
With 30ft ceilings, sounds echoed throughout. Such as that annoying “Weee” from
somewhere distant.
Tall steps, huge doors; it was only natural the first
door to the left was an armory for giants. That “Weee” sound continued.
The door to the right presented a weathered old Frost
Giant sitting on a stool, “Death, at last we meet. I am ready.” As much as
Mareshi offered alternatives, the giant wanted to go out in glory. Not much
glory killing a blind giant but at least we gave him his wish. Mareshi cast Speak
with the Dead and began, “We gave you your honorable death. Return the
favor by telling where the Codicil of White is stored.” Jotun replied,
“Seek the vault below. But know that only he who survives the 4 tests can
enter.” And once again that “Weee” sounded before Jotun added, “Prepare for Preservation,
Endurance, Cruelty, and Isolation.”
As the dead spoke, Thokk inspected the rear door that
proved to hold Jotun’s treasure of: huge piles of coin, 4 giant gold rings, a
giant shield, a 2ft tall statue of Thrym (frost giant god). But it was Knott
with his ‘Detect Magic’ who found the jug with multiple stoppers. And soon he
was pouring beer for all. Except for Donobis focused on the mission, “Time is
short, and we need our wits about us.”
Mareshi let the Shield Guardian lead the way downstairs
to an iced floor room in the shape of a snowflake where finally we found the
source of the gleeful sound. It was a walrus on ice skates! “Greetings my
friends. I am on guard duty. What do I guard? Why, the vault of course. And the
other 4 doors Auriel told me to watch over.” Not the sharpest tool in the shed
as the walrus named each of the doors: the vault and the 4 tests. We began
with…
Endurance: no sooner did we enter than we were whisked away to a
frozen tundra where a snowstorm threatened. 30 members of the nomadic Elk tribe were busy
packing. Mareshi asked, “Why are you tearing down your shelter in the face of a
storm?!” To which the leader answered, “Per the prophecy of Auriel’s chosen
appearing with a snowflake icon over their heads, we are to journey to our next
hunting grounds.” No reasoning with a prophecy, we could only help them pack to
sped up their journey before the storm hit. An anti-magic field hindered our ability
to withstand fatigue. Hours upon hours of exhausting (CON save checks) trudge
before we reached their destination where a herd of moose roamed. And that’s
when we were teleported back into the ice rink room. [All passed the test as
none of us reached level 4 exhaustion]
Isolation: once again we were whisked away into blizzard
conditions, arriving at a camp of the Tiger tribe sharpening their weapons and
putting on war-paint. We were led to their queen where a sabertooth tiger sat
at her feet. “As prophesized by the arrival of Auriel’s emissaries! Come, you
can guard our camp while we raid the Elk tribe who have killed much needed
food.” And once again, reasoning was useless; the idea of an alliance between
tribes rejected as “Too many mouths to feed.” When Fabian and Donobis protested
the raid that would result in innocent lives lost, they were whisked back to
the ice rink (failures). Thus, it was the remaining 4 who stood guard of the
Tiger camp. An anti-magic field hindered their ability to withstand the cold. Group
Survival checks every 12 hours (with increasing difficulty) soon led to
Mareshi whisked away into isolation. Thokk failed his next check and he too
faced isolation. On the 6th day, the queen and her 40 tribesmen
returned with Mareshi and Thokk in tow. Isolation came with its own trauma
(Indefinite Madness): Mareshi displayed a pompous attitude of a know-it-all
best at everything (what changed?). Thokk’s change was more obvious: instead of
an arrogant miser, he acted more giving and personable like Draggo.
Preservation: this time we were whisked to the edge of a camp under
clear sky. Buzzards feasted on corpses half buried in the snow. Mareshi howled
with rage as she recognized fellow members of her Wolf tribe! The only survivor: a
whimpering 9yo girl (Aerix Vocatoc) described the scene, “My father
stood against the Bear clan wielding their black-stone weapons. They came
during sleep time and slaughtered all in sight. Only I was spared per my
father’s planning.” And that’s when bear hoots announced the arrival of 4 Bear
tribesmen. Their leader taunted, “Aerix, I can smell you! I’ve come to skin you
as covering for my tent.”
Mareshi’s eyes flared with rage, but she kept her head as
the threat was challenging, “Protect the child at all costs. And help me seek
vengeance!” The battle raged for long minutes before a bear tribesman fell. But
2 of us had already fallen to their vicious brutality, requiring healing hands
to rejoin the fight. Mareshi’s cast web slowed their advance, allowing us to
single out targets. Donobis cast Darkness to blind their leader as he [Hunter’s
Mark] zeroed in on his foe. The bearmen were at their best against wounded foe:
Draggo quickly fell and was near death (2 death saves lost already) before
Knott healed him at range with a spell. As much as Mareshi was needed to
group-heal, she too fell when engaged in melee. Which required Knott to heal
versus fight. Even Fabian face-planted in the snow before being revived.
It was like a kid’s game of Wack-A-Mole as we fell but
were soon back up. But in the end, the bear leader was the last to fall. And
that’s when another Wolf tribesman appeared, “Well done. I will take Aerix to
join our tribe and keep the clan alive.” And with that, we once again stood in
the ice-rink where the walrus skated, “Nice to see you again. Ready to check
out the last room before the treasury?”
Cruelty:
Next Episode:
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