Starday, Neth 17, 4712 night
On the Ice
We have traveled north from Iqaliat for nearly a fortnight and have reached the “high ice.” We are now high enough that the air is much thinner than to what we and our beasts are accustomed. From here on we must acclimate and move forward slowly. Very slowly. Perhaps a day or two of easy travel each week for a month.
I envisage a tedious thirty days ahead, but like many of life’s unpleasant circumstances it too will be endured. My friends are already chittering to themselves about how to make the time go by more swiftly.
“Find another white dragon to slay!” Star suggested most eagerly, to which Timber countered, “No, play more games!”
“I’ll finally have time to finish my novel.” Pookie said, with a wistful air.
I suspect they will remain well nestled beneath the five layers of shift, shirt, jumper, coat and cloak I’ll be wearing; each ready to cry out in bitter protest if I let so much as a puff of cold air reach them.
Skygni has left us, and I will miss his company. Perhaps we will see him again if we pass this way on our return. If we return.
Sunday, Neth 25, 4712 night
On the Ice
Only a week on the high ice and we’ve already broken an axle. Fortunately with Sandru’s knowledge and a Make Whole spell what could have been a long delay became a short pause.
Most days we do not move: we pull the wagons into a circle and keep the lights shining. It is dark all of the time, except for our little island of magical brightness. We then sit around camp keeping ourselves busy, unless we are on guard duty. The scouts get away for some furtive hunting, but most of us remain close to the comfort of the light.
Many of us do not need to eat, but it is still nice to have a hot meal and feel the warmth spreading out from a full belly. Ameiko and I are busy and doing our best to present a wide variety of meals throughout the week.
Starday, Kuthona 1, 4712 late night
On the Ice
After dinner, while most of the camp was asleep, the sky was lit by streaks of blue green streaks of light. They began to swirl about the caravan high above, and probably attracted by our lights. Kali and I were on watch and being mindful of Skygni’s tale of lizards dropping from such lights, we raised the alarm.
Sure enough lizards were soon swooping down upon us, crying out with sonic bursts that blasted the snow and ice into sharp projectiles. They were ferocious beasts that proved difficult to slay. They were also tenacious and even after we killed most of the… flock? swarm? the survivors continued to dive at us until each was slaughtered in its turn.
The lizards had tiny, almost non functional eyes, which explained why attempting to blind them had little affect. If we encounter them again deafness will be more helpful.
Moonday, Kuthona 3, 4712 night
On the Ice
We have been enshrouded in the howling winds of a blizzard for the past two days, making conditions even less pleasant than usual. It’s a good thing we’re still only traveling once a week.
Moonday, Kuthona 16, 4712 night
On the Ice by the Alabastrine Peaks
Finally we are able to travel each day at a reasonable pace. We can see the Alabastrine Peaks up ahead and off to the right. The look like white hulking crags dimly visible in the perpetual starlight. After so long in the nearly featureless plane of the high ice I think they’re beautiful.
Fireday, Kuthona 21, 4712 night
On the Ice before the Storm Tower
By mid day we saw a bluish glow from the north which grew larger and brighter as we advanced. The ice beneath our feet reflected this eerie blue glow and the Alabastrine Peaks turned from pale white to indigo.
Later we saw it: the Storm Tower, standing tall and thin like a fang rising up from the stone and ice. Its top was obscured by a brilliant blue globe of light, about which whirled a tempest of clouds with violent velocity.
“That’s close enough!” Sandru announced as he brought the caravan to a halt some miles away. He was right. The tower looks more than dangerous. It looks unhealthy. Tomorrow my companions and I will approach the tower on our own.
Starday, Kuthona 22, 4712 late morning
Storm Tower
We could see that the tower was hexagonal in shape and soared several hundred feet up into the blue blaze and swirling clouds. It sat in the midst of a dismal pool of slushy oily ooze, and a tumble down rampart led across this pit to an open gate. The wind, which had increased steadily as we walked the two miles from camp, roared out from the entrance with such ferocity that it was difficult to move or stand while in its path.
We cautiously entered and a trio of wights descended upon us. We quickly destroyed them and looked around. Snow drifts had piled up in the corners, and a central chamber lay directly before us. It was from there that the wind was blowing.
The ceiling of the ground floor was a good hundred feet up. Rooms on either side of the central chamber offered some relief from the arctic blast, and so I moved off to the right. A large network of interlacing roots covered the floor and led up to a large tree creature, which took an unfriendly interest in us.
We engaged the tree-thing in combat, but I was quickly taken out of the action when the thing swallowed me, and then spat me back out encased in a tough woody cocoon. Digestive juices began to burn my skin as the sack began to tighten around me.
My friends cried out in alarm.
“It burns! It burns!”
“We need to break out!”
“I can’t breathe!”
“You don’t need to breathe.”
Fortunately my companions were there and Ivan carved away at the woody sack that held me. I emerged from the trap just in time to watch Olmas beat the living crap out of the tree-thing, which fell to the ground with a loud splintering sound.
After some healing we explored the rest of the ground floor. There was not much more to see. On the opposite side from the tree creature was a room filled with mushrooms. Olmas thought they were edible, and we may harvest some later. But it was the central chamber that held our interest.
It was hexagonal like the tower itself, and some sort of panel was set in one of its walls. I looked up inside the chamber and saw that it was the bottom of a shaft that lead up to the top of the tower. It was through here that the wind whistled down from the giant glowing blue orb.
Radella studied the panel for quite a while before fiddling with it. A platform appeared in the center shaft and climbed about a hundred feet up before it paused, and then moments later vanished.
There was only one way to go, and so with spells of Featherfall at the ready we stood in the shaft and Radella operated the panel. Up we went until the platform stopped and we quickly lept off.
A pair of remorhazes were waiting for us. It really makes you wonder what the hell these creatures do that are simply standing around guarding remote places like this, and who feeds them?
Another brief but fierce skirmish later and the remorhazes were dead. The symbol of Sithude had been etched into both of their scales — not much of a surprise there.
This level was also divided into different rooms, but the doors out from the main chamber shut and locked. Control panels were next to the doors, but even Radella found them too complex to decipher.
Fortunately the tower is built from stone, and so I used Stone Shape to create my own doorway.
Bizarre crystal scorpions scuttled about a room of glowing clear crystals. They began to swarm the opening, and we were prepared to take them out one at a time. Unfortunately they dimension doored out and among us and it soon became a free for all melee. We bashed and blasted the things as they stung and clawed at us, using a surprising and effective combination of spell and force.
We killed them all and looked into the room. A bewildering array of crystals and wires connecting to one another lined the walls. There was a low humming sound and we detected a large number of magic effects from some of the crystals, which we pried out.
| [422] | 2 cubic crystals of abjuration: activated by pressing a side.
|
| [423] | 2 prism evocation crystals: activated by command word (50 charges).
|
We also collected the other non-magical crystals and the humming stopped.
What is next? Up obviously. The ceiling here is also a hundred feet high, leaving room for another chamber (if each floor is as tall as the others) before the top of the tower. There is a panel here that will no doubt call a platform to take us up
Questions:
- We used a some spells to get past the guardians on these lower levels. Are we ready to head up now?
- Some of my companions were hit by Touch of Idiocy effects from the crystal scorpions. Should we restore them before proceeding? I think we need to.
- Are there any protective spells we can cast or have on hand before heading up? Not knowing what is up there makes it hard to know.
- Why didn’t we bring more cheese? Thanks Pookie.