Toilday, Abadius 15, 4713 evening
Caravan, Path of Aganhei, Domagolki Forest
We were sitting around the fire, enjoying a much needed meal of roasted meat and vegetables with fresh baked bread, when Olmas suddenly stopped talking as a vacant look came over him.
“Oh, that’s much better,” quipped Timber. “Quiet,” I admonished, and watched Olmas to see what he would say next. We had seen this before whenever Suishen privately talked to him, and always Olmas reacted the same: a startled look followed by sudden silence and various facial expressions, depending upon whatever insight the intelligent sword deemed fit to impart to its bearer.
Clearly Olmas was not as used to voices speaking in his head as I, and was not adept at hiding when such conversations occurred.
“Ah, hmm,” Olmas began. “It seems that Suishen has decided we have done well enough that he is granting me access to more of his abilities. Three times a day he can make me resistant from the cold, and he can also produce flaming bursts when I hit particularly well.”
We all looked at one another, and Pookie echoed what most of us were thinking, “It’s a fine time to grant abilities that would help us on the high ice now that we have just come down from it.”
Pookie had touched upon a sore point in our party’s relationship with Suishen. Many of us had already expressed our opinions of what we would have done with the sword had we been the ones unfortunate enough to wield it.
Sunday, Abadius 20, 4713 evening
Caravan, Jaagiin
We arrived in Jaagiin at mid day, and aroused the usual looks and comments from the locals seeing a caravan coming down from the ice at the wrong time of year. We continued to stick to our fabricated story, but I wondered if it was already way too late for subterfuge.
Jaagiin is about the size of Sandpoint, and so it offered more services and variety of goods than Ul-Angorn. We planned to take advantage of this and sell some of the items we collected on the high ice.
When Ameiko announced she wanted to go shopping I said I needed to get supplies as well (true enough: we needed components for a new wand of Lesser Restoration) and would accompany her. I looked over at Shalelu and pointedly asked, “Didn’t you need to get some supplies too?” She gave me a blank look, and so I winked, adding, “You know, for the, um, thing you mentioned.” She got the point and agreed to join us, as did Olmas.
It turned out Ameiko used shopping as a euphemism for gathering information, and she was quite good at it.
We learned that news of the death of the white dragon near Iqaliat had already reached this side of the ice. While it is unusual for caravans to travel during the winter, apparently locals often make the trek via dog sled, and do so quickly.
Complaints about the unusual ferocity and frequency of winter storms were commonplace. At first we thought these were outdated reports from the ice, and our intervention at the Storm Tower had put a stop to them. But most of the storms the locals talked about were from the south, in the passes of a large mountain range directly on our route.
Jaagiin has three inns, and when we returned to the caravan later on I suggested some of us head back into town to see what we could hear at each pub.
“That’s a great idea!” Ameiko said as she reached for her lute. Uh oh. I glanced over at Kali, who’s eyes had widened and nostrils flared, but she remained silent. We decided it would be best if the entire party came along, just in case.
Nothing bad happened. Ameiko played and sang at each of the inns, and we heard a variety of local gossip, basically confirming what we had picked up earlier. All in all it was an unexpectedly uneventful evening, which would have been relaxing had we not all been on edge waiting for some form of attack.
Moonday, Abadius 21, 4713 evening
Caravan, Jaagiin
I spent most of today at the caravan working on a Wand of Lesser Restoration, while the others prepared the caravan for our trip south. We leave in the morning.
Moonday, Abadius 25, 4713 evening
Caravan, Path of Aganhei, south of Jaagiin
The days have passed uneventfully as we moved steadily south. The soft tundra has given way to firmer soils of a forested upland, and the ground has risen little higher each day.
Yesterday we passed by a cabin with smoke pouring from the chimney. The door opened and several trappers watched as we passed by. I waved, but they just stared glumly after us.
Today we came across a large pile of animal carcasses a short distance off the path. Shalelu and I investigated and found that the bodies had been badly slashed, but not as if someone butchered them for meat, but rather they did so for fun. The pile was frozen solid and I estimated they had been there at least a week. Sick.
Ivan asked for a Sending spell. Interesting. I typically only prepare Sending when I want to contact Elias in Kaer Maga, as I did after we came down from the ice. Ivan will his spell in the morning.
Toilday, Abadius 26, 4713 evening
Caravan, Path of Aganhei, south of Jaagiin
Today just after noon we climbed around the shoulder of a large hill and saw a line of white tipped jagged peaks reaching up into the blue sky before us. The mountain range is called “The Wall of Heaven” and there is one pass through it: Altan Zuud, “The Golden Pass”.
As the day progressed dark clouds crept around the peaks, reaching towards us and blotting out the sun. The temperature began to drop and the wind picked up. Not long after snow began to fall. It will be a cold and comfortless night.
Wealday, Abadius 27, 4713 evening
Caravan, Path of Aganhei, at the feet of The Wall of Heaven
The wind and cold intensified overnight, and snow was now falling thick and heavy. The caravan moved slowly toward the pass, but before the weather became too severe we stopped and set up camp for the night.
On the shrieking wind Kali and I thought we could hear a hysterical laughter that reminded me of the crazed cackling we had heard at Dead Man’s Dome.
Oathday, Abadius 28, 4713 evening
Caravan, at the feet of The Wall of Heaven
If anything the storm had become worse overnight.
We decided it was too dangerous for the caravan to move onto the pass, and so my companions and I made our way on foot to scout out the trail. After only an hour it became clear that we could not go this way.
The snow and wind kicked up to beyond blizzard conditions, and rocks small and large came crashing down around us.
Some sinister force was behind this storm, and there was no way the caravan could pass this way. I wanted to push on to find the source of the storm, but the others pointed out that the storm could be hundreds of miles in width, and we would be vulnerable the entire time we were exposed to its fury.
We returned to the caravan dejected. Ulf said the only alternate route was many miles to the east, where we would then need to find a way to cross the Gulf of Khorki, which he thought far too dangerous a course for the caravan.
The only other choices were to wait out the storm here, consuming our provisions, or return to Jaagiin to wait it out. But if this storm had been summoned to block our passage, then there would be no waiting it out.
Desperate, Kali decided to perform a Harrowing, with Koya looking on. Unfortunately the results were not obvious or helpful. Even Koya seemed unable to draw any useful conclusion from the cards.
The only action I could offer was to prepare to summon a planar ally the next day to scout out the source of the storm and report back to us its nature and location. It would be somewhat expensive, but it might be our only way forward.
We took the caravan back north a dozen miles to get out from the storm, and in the morning we will assess our options and make a decision.
Fireday, Abadius 29, 4713 morning
Caravan, at the feet of The Wall of Heaven
Some time after midnight Koya came out from her wagon in a highly agitated state. “I was given a dream about the Harrowing, and I believe I understand what it was telling us!”
“It is thought that Desna lives at the northern star, and the spirits of those faithful to her journey there to live with her for eternity after they die.”
“Legend tells that the followers of Desna in eastern lands delved a passageway through the roots of The Wall of Heaven so their souls could easily travel to be with Desna.”
“They called this tunnel the ”Path of Spirits”, and it is said that its northern exit is west of the Path of Aganhei. Nobody knows how far west, but the entrance to the cavern is flanked on either side by statues of Desna.”
Ulf was skeptical, but he admitted that “Nobody ever goes west because there’s no reason to go that way, and so I suppose there could be a way into a tunnel like Koya says.”
When the dim echo that passes for morning’s light began to dawn we broke camp and started westward. Kali has Nihali scouting ahead.
Fireday, Abadius 29, 4713 evening
Caravan, Path of Spirits
A couple of hours after mid day Nihali returned very excited: she had spotted a statue to our left not far ahead.
Presently we came upon the opening of a narrow valley with a pedestal of stone on either side. A statue of Desna perched upon one, but the other had toppled and lay in fragments on the ground.
A quarter mile south and the two ridges forming the valley came together. At their apex was the entrance to a cave.
We had little choice but to enter. The storm had been growing all day, and already we could hear the screaming of its winds among the peaks above us.
Thanks to our preparations for a winter crossing of the Crown of the World we were ready for the dark. The tunnel walls are lined with columns upon which human skulls have been set. The skulls all face north and have been crudely painted with a red daemonic face.
Kali thought the skulls were symbols of Fumioshi, the Tien god of dishonor, envy, graves and undead. They served as a warning to us to be on the alert for undead. Their spacing became further and further apart the deeper in we went.
During part of the watch Ivan had mentioned how he used Deathwatch as a long duration crude form of Detect Undead. Clever. I made a mental note to adjust my usual set of spells to better handle undead.
We set up a marching order with Sparna and Ivan leading out in front of the caravan, with me halfway between. Kali and Radella were just in front of the lead wagon, while Shalelu brought up the rear after the last wagon.
10 miles later we stopped to make camp, and after a hasty meal we set up the watch. It was then that I noticed the footprints in the dusty floor ahead of the caravan. Large humanoid prints of shod, partly shod, and unshod beings going to and fro. Takoda summed up exactly how I felt with “I’ve got a bad feeling about this.” I let the others know that we were not alone.
Starday, Abadius 30, 4713 evening
Caravan, Path of Spirits
Early this morning a group of headless figures shambled toward the caravan. Sparna spotted them first and spread the alarm, and then planted himself firmly between them and us, urgosh in hand.
I moved up with Sparna and noticed that each of the creatures was surrounded by pale glowing wisps that made it difficult to see exactly where they were. I commented on this, but Sparna remained silent and still, as usual.
Olmas moved up with Suishen flaming and at the ready, and then he too became still and quiet.
“Well, what are you all waiting for?” asked Star, “Attack!”
Suddenly a circle of flame surrounded the four creatures, and a wall of fire sprang up between them and those of us on the front line. Ivan and Kali had been busy and Star squeaked out her approval.
I noticed that Sparna and Olmas had yet to move or say anything since the creatures had approached, and realized they must have been paralyzed. There was little I could do to assist, and so I flew above the flames and the headless zombies and began to channel energy.
Between the flames and the channeled energy the creatures were soon reduced to dust. A few moment later Sparna and Olmas were released from whatever force that held them.
After discussing their appearance and behavior Kali and I concluded that these creatures were some sort of mummy.
The rest of the day was mostly uneventful (as it could be while traveling along an underground road beneath mountains to escape a supernatural storm) and we managed to travel 25 miles.
We did encounter several side passages, but each of them dead ended a short distance in. We also noticed that they looked natural, like fissures opening in the rock, whereas the main tunnel was smooth and obviously shaped stone.
Sunday, Abadius 31, 4713 afternoon
Caravan, Path of Spirits
We made 15 miles today when the spacing of the columns that line the tunnel became closer. Moving forward cautiously we entered what appears to be the necropolis that Koya had described when she told us of this odd path. There is a huge chasm barring our way and stretching off into the darkness to our left and right. A bridge crosses over the chasm, and towers carved from the stone walls guard either side.
We are suspicious, and the caravan has stopped before reaching the towers. We plan to head out on foot and scout the way over the chasm before leading the caravan forward.