What to do when not everyone shows up.

So last weekend I knew that the party leader would not be able to make it. Then just before the game was to begin another player let us know he was too tired from jet lag. A new player also did not show. Usually, this does not happen in this campaign but I found I had only 2 of the 5 players available and I was missing the party leader. Luckily, the group was not in the middle of an adventure and I had a nice short adventure that was ready. So I was in a perfect situation to use it and give a pair of the quieter players a chance to be the center of attention. Since it was not in the middle of an adventure I could also give myself a break and not play missing player characters.

Session 88: The Corpsemaker

Eathwund (human fighter), Domago (human cleric), Fenris the Filch (human thief NPC), Lantosh (human fighter NPC), Aashdoshan (human necromancer NPC).

Lantosh and Fenris spend a week recovering from their near-death experiences. During this time Aashdoshan checks in on Fenris every day anxious for the thief to accompany him into the tombs beneath the Temple of the Dark Lady. Lakima sequesters himself in his library with only his apprentice allowed entrance as he studies the tome, he found in the Frost Giant Jarl’s tomb. Flora stays over one night and then wanders out into the town to explore.

After a little over a week, Fenris and Lantosh are recovered sufficiently and have returned to the Manor House. Aashdoshan calls a meeting in the dining room of the Manor House and asks those adventurers who have assembled to accompany him into the Necromancer Crypts. He knows that one of the body parts of the Ghoul King is located in the tomb of a famous necromancer who was called Corpsemaker. Alrix declines, he has not known Aashdoshan for long and owes him nothing.

“This is not something I am interested in – you are on your own.” 

Aashdoshan looks over the remaining adventurers and Eathwund, Domago, Fenris, and Lantosh agree to accompany him. The group of five adventurers heads over to the apothecary adjoining the Temple of the Dark Lady. They enter and see an unfamiliar man behind the counter. The man asks if he can help them.

“Get Malyn now!”, Aashdoshan demands.

“Why, do you need to speak to Master Malyn?”

“Just get him now, tell him Aashdoshan is here!”

The man leaves and returns with Malyn. Malyn does ask about the whereabouts of Lakima. He goes over the conditions of giving them the key to the Corpsemaker’s tomb. He asks that they not harm the caretaker, do not rob the tombs, and do NOT remove the Masks of Peaceful repose. He steps past Aashdoshan and pointedly gives the key to Eathwund.

Malyn’s assistant takes the group through the old temple and down into its crypt. In the crypt, an iron gate is unlocked and the adventurers enter. The assistant closes the gate behind them and locks it.

Fenris moves ahead and descends some steps. As he enters the first chamber a number of torches spring to life lighting the chamber. Eathwund whispers not to worry this is supposed to happen (Eathwund explored this crypt over a year ago). The rest of the adventurers join Fenris in the lit area. Domago points down one hallway and says, “What is that?”

The adventurers see a large patch of grey ooze slowly moving towards them. Fenris immediately fires a crossbow bolt at it. Domago and Lantosh fire sling bolts. Eathwund lights a torch and tosses it in the patch of ooze. The torch fizzles and goes out. Eathwund switches to his short bow and takes a few shots. The ooze stops moving, seemingly killed.

The group discusses which way to go. Malyn told them that the tomb they wanted was down the Main West Hall so Eathwund suggests they take the west passage. Fenris leads the group but they shortly come to a crypt with a large tomb – a dead end. They turn about and head back the way they came and turn north into a hallway covered in cobwebs and spider webs.

Fenris slashes aside some webs and is attacked by four giant spiders. Eathwund runs up and attacks with his two-handed sword Wormbane. Lantosh uses his War Hammer, Fenris falls back and uses his crossbow, and Domago uses his sling. Aashdoshan keeps well back of the melee. During the fight, Lantosh is bitten twice by spiders and is poisoned on the second bite. He collapses but Domago is able to remove the poison using his Book of Protection from Poison. Realizing they have gone the wrong way; the adventurers pass through the entry hall again and move south. They immediately see a gelatinous cube at the end of a long hallway headed west. Domago asks if they should attack it but Eathwund explains that this is the caretaker and they should avoid it. They head south and then west avoiding the cube.

The group heads down a curved hallway lined with alcoves. In each alcove stands a stone sarcophagus. Ahead they see a square chamber with twin pillars. Four stone sarcophagus rests in alcoves. Fenris leads the way checking for traps. Once the entire group is in the chamber, the stone lids slid back and four ghoul-like creatures (ghasts) leap out and attack the adventurers. Fenris and Eathwund are on the north side of the room and end up surrounded by ghasts. Fenris desperately defends himself with his sword, Eathwund is struck by a claw and paralyzed. On the other side of the room, Lantosh fights off two ghasts. Aashdoshan slinks back from the chamber. Domago blows the Silver Horn of Valhalla and summons four berserkers. The berserkers immediately attack the ghasts. With Eathwund out of the fight, Aashdoshan finally uses one of his offensive spells and casts magic missile at one ghast. The fight goes badly at first but slowly, with help from the berserkers, they manage to kill all of the ghasts. Domago gets to Eathwund and tells everyone that he is okay. The paralysis should wear off in about 6 hours.

Aashdoshan asks Fenris to scout ahead. Fenris comes back quickly and tells everyone that there is a sarcophagus covered in chains in the next chamber ahead. Aashdoshan wants to move immediately leaving Eathwund behind but the rest refuse and insist on waiting for Eathwund to recover.

After about six hours Eathwund is able to move properly again and the group moves into the chamber holding the Corpsemakers sarcophagus. It stands upright in a chamber. Iron chains are wrapped about it. A rusty padlock holds them closed. Aashdoshan signals Eathwund to bring up the key. As they talk the sarcophagus thumps loudly twice. As if something inside is trying to get out.

“Are you sure?” Eathwund asks.

“Give me the key!”

Aashdoshan unlocks the padlock and removes it. The chains fall to the floor. He pauses but no one offers to slide off the lid. So Aashdoshan manages to push the lid to one side himself. Inside they behold a mummified corpse with its hands extended like they were trying to push the lid open. Aashdoshan looks for the femur bone of the ghoul king and immediately sees it clutched in one skeletal hand.

Aashdoshan reaches out for the bone, and Eathwund sees the skeletal hand tighten on the bone, he looks up at the skull and sees a blue light glowing in the empty eye sockets.

“Defend me my servants!”, Corpsemaker says in an echoing dry voice. Everyone immediately hears and sees stone tiles being tossed aside on the floor. Cadavers start pulling themselves up out of the floor. The five cadavers scramble up out of the floor and split the party members from each other. Before the Corpsemaker finishes his sentence, Eathwund stabs his blade deep into its chest. The creature's mouth opens and it lets out a horrifying scream that chills Eathwund and Aashdoshan to the bone. Both fight off the impulse to flee.

Aashdoshan draws a magic dagger and slashes and stabs at the creature while Eathwund tries to stab it with his blade. The Corpsemaker lashes out at Aashdoshan with both of its clawed hands. Meanwhile, Domago, Lantosh, and Fenris fight against the cadavers. Domago blows the Silver Horn of Valhalla again and this time only two berserkers appear. During the melee, Domago tries to turn the creatures away with his holy symbol but it does not work. Fenris is clawed and feels a strange weakness begin to take hold over him. Lantosh is bitten but he is not sickened by the bite.

Aashdoshan changes tactics and hacks the Corpsemaker’s hand completely off. The skeletal hand falls to the ground and rolls out into the chamber. Aashdoshan grabs the femur bone before it can fall to the floor.

“I have it, I have it!”

Eathwund ignores Aashdoshan and plunges his sword into the creature’s chest once more. The creature cries out again and then the light is extinguished in its eyes. All of the cadavers fall to the ground. They slowly begin reburying themselves beneath the floor.

Eathwund steps over and picks up the severed hand and tosses it into the sarcophagus. He then moves the lid back into place and reattaches the chains and padlock. Eathwund spends a moment checking that all parts of the creature are back in the sarcophagus and that it is securely closed.

“Let’s get out of this place!”, Eathwund curses loudly. Then he turns to Aashdoshan and tells him his debt to him is paid. Aashdoshan ignores him as he watches the femur bone meld with his Bone staff forming a longer staff.

Everyone begins to move back the way they came. Fenris is laboring, breathing heavily, and sweating. Aashdoshan notices and lets out a sigh. He mutters a spell and Fenris immediately feels better. Aashdoshan points a bony finger at Fenris and tells him he owes him a debt.

The entire group makes it to the exit. They see the gelatinous cube cleaning the area where they killed the grey ooze. They see Malyn’s assistant sitting on a wooden chair on the other side of the iron fence, asleep. Yelling at the man they awaken him and he lets them out of the crypt. Locking the gates behind them.

Up in the shop, Aashdoshan strides right out, but Malyn takes Eathwund aside and checks with him that the Corpsemaker is at rest. Eathwund assures him that all of the Corpsemaker is locked back in the sarcophagus.

Everyone returns to the manor.

The Grey Monk

I wanted a single session interlude adventure to give me time to finish writing the next big adventure. I took an adventure seed idea from Edge of the Wilds The Thousand Trails Part 2 by True Mask Games and mixed it with an adventure from Dungeon Magazine 6 Bristanams Cairn by John Nephew. I created the VTT map in a few hours and the rewrite took only a few more hours.

I had a new player starting with this session and with the players just finishing a large adventure it was good timing to have someone join.

Session 87: The Grey Monk

Lakima (human magic-user), Eathwund (human fighter), Alrix (couatl sorcerer), Flora (elven thief), Fenris the Filch (human thief NPC), Lantosh (human fighter NPC).

Flora checked the ground again to make sure she was still on the trail of the marauding wolves. The tracks from the human homestead continued on to the north up into the mountains. The wolves’ tracks were enormous, easily the size of a mountain lion. She followed the tracks up into the mountains and down into a glacial valley. At the end of the valley rose the wall of ice that was a glacier. The tracks lead toward the glacier. Strewn about the valley floor was the wreckage of merchant carts, dead horses, humans, and possibly a few dwarves. Flora paused and scanned the glacier. A stream emerged from the front of the glacier from a tall crack. The glacier looked to be rapidly melting in the noonday sun.

Splashing sounds came from the front of the glacier and Flora drew an arrow from her quiver. First, one human fighter emerged then several more humans including one in a blue robe with a staff that burned with blue fire. The humans paused regarding her and then the robed figure called out.

“It's okay Fenris, there is no danger”.

Flora was startled as a human figure suddenly emerged from behind a bush-clad in a green robe. He had advanced within 30 feet of her without making a sound. Something unheard of from humans she had met before. She advanced slowly to speak with these humans.

After the Company of the Black Dragon interrogates the spirit of the wizard Vermis, they notice that the glacier is melting rapidly and quickly exit the glacier with Fenris in the lead. Fenris signals that he has spotted a single figure waiting outside for them. Lakima sees a single elven woman and moves forward to talk to her. The elven thief Flora meets the Company of the Black Dragon. Once the party explains that the Winter Wolves were the pets of Frost Giants and have been dealt with, Flora agrees to accompany the party to the village of Larm. She is surprised when they take out a book, touch a piece of paper to it and they are all pulled into a pocket dimension inside the book. In this pocket realm of browns and greys, floats a gigantic open book. Rising from the pages of the book is a tower seemingly made of parchment. But inside the tower appears to be made of stone. Lakima tells her that the company often travels inside the book in comfort while he puts the book in a saddlebag and flies on a hippogriff. Lakima leaves with the hippogriff.

Lakima flies south along the river all of the way to the village of Larm landing in a cloud of dust in the village common. Despite having seen this before the villagers are still startled and scatter into their houses and shops. Soon the militia arrives and then the Captain of the Militia. Lakima tells Captain Arboghast that the Company of the Black Dragon has defeated the Frost Giants in IceFang pass. He also tells him and the trade master that the glacier will soon melt opening the pass to travel. Trademaster Osmund prepares a note for Lakima to take to the Merchant Adventurers Guild in Edgerton and get paid.

That evening some members of the company enjoy a meal and several ales at the Borderland Tavern. They regale the owner Haldo Bramwise with tales of the fight against the giants. Eldric Trollslayer meets up with the other members of his party who have recovered much of their strength. He bids the company goodbye. The Mayor, Claus Oland enters the tavern and asks to speak privately with the group. They move to a corner of the tavern and invite Flora to join them. The mayor asks them if they would check in on a man known locally as the Grey Monk. A hermit who has a cottage near an ancient cairn in the woods a few miles outside Larm.  There have been reports of the normally peaceful monk attacking travelers without reason. The Merchant’s Guild has put up a 40-gold bounty for his capture (dead or alive). The mayor tells the party of the many good deeds the hermit has done over the years. He is sure it is just a misunderstanding. A powerful group like theirs should be able to figure out the cause of the attacks without hurting the hermit. When Lakima expresses disinterest in such a minor adventure, the mayor shows him a wooden scroll tube.

“This is a family heirloom. Three magic spells handed down from my mentor. They are yours if you check in on the hermit”.

Lakima takes a poll of the party and they agree to check on the hermit without hurting him. But not until the next morning. The mayor thanks them and leaves.

The party enjoys a restful sleep and awakes refreshed if still a little battered from their previous adventures. They all exit the Tower in a Book and partake in a meal at the Tavern. Haldo’s son discovers that the river has risen two feet overnight and that there are chunks of ice floating down the rapidly moving river. Boats strain at their moorings. Haldo comes in with the breakfast and remarks that it must be because the glacier in IceFang pass is melting.

Domago begs off from the mercy mission they have signed up for – stating that he would like to spend some time at the local Temple of Law. Before leaving he casts some Healing prayers on some of the more battered party members.

Lakima, Alrix, Eathwund, Flora, Fenris, and Lantosh set out on foot for the hermit’s cottage. After a few hours of walking, they arrive at the cottage. The cottage is very small but well-kept, smoke drifts out of its chimney. In the clearing, there is a large cairn of cut stones at least twenty feet square and 6 feet high. A small pile of neatly stacked stones sits nearby. The cairn looks to have been disturbed recently. Not seeing anything amiss, the group goes up and knocks on the door of the cottage. An older man in grey robes answers the door. They ask if he is the Grey Monk and he remarks that folks hereabouts call me that. He steps out of the cottage to talk to the party. The grey monk claims to have no knowledge of attacks on local travelers.

Lakima asks the grey monk about the Cairn and the man walks over to it and sighs saying that it is his penance. When asked to explain he tells them that every day he removes the stones to free his ancestor and every night the cairn is rebuilt. This statement elicits a stream of questions from the party which the monk tries to answer. He feels that there is a trapped ancestor beneath the stones who needs to be freed. If only he could work harder and remove them all before noon. Lakima asks the group if they should help and everyone agrees, a few shrugging without much thought. They get to work. The stones are heavy but working as a team they manage to dismantle the cairn before noon. Under the cairn, they find a single, large, flat rock. It takes four of them working as one to shift it to one side revealing a dark hole in the ground. The noonday sun shines down into a stone chamber.

At this moment the Monk collapses and convulses on the ground. Lantosh checks the monk and finds he is unconscious. The company checks out the hole they have uncovered. Then the monk sits straight up again. He looks about confused.

“Who are you?” Then he spots the uncovered pit.

“What have you done!” he cries in horror.

The monk yells at them that they have freed the evil beneath the cairn. An evil that he and his brethren have stood guard over for years. He says that in the last three months it has become much more difficult. Every day he awakes at noon and finds the cairn partially dismantled, so he works until sundown rebuilding it. After a time, he realized that it was his other self that was doing the dismantling. He lived in terror of the thought of his alter ego tricking someone into helping remove the cairn. But now that it is uncovered there is no turning back. He must enter the dungeon and confront the evil that will be found there.

Lakima tells the monk not to worry. He can wait here and the adventurers will take care of the evil. They have handled worse. When Fenris questions this decision Lakima tells Fenris that there will be treasure in this pit. Fenris leaps into the pit.

Fenris reaches the bottom of the pit and finds he is in a circular chamber made of stone. He listens carefully not hearing anything and calls up that it is safe to descend. The entire party descends one after another into the pit.

Fenris checks the passage leaving the chamber and states that it is safe. Lakima moves forward with him but feels the floor coming loose under his foot. He and Fenris jump back to safety as a ten-foot-deep pit opens up beneath their feet. The bottom of the pit is lined with rusty iron spikes. Fenris apologizes and steps across the corner of the pit to the western passage. The rest of the group follows until they come up to a wooden door. Fenris declares the door safe but he is unable to push it open. Each of the members of the group takes turns putting shoulders on the door but it does not budge. Lakima casts the Strain cantrip increasing his strength but is still unable to move the door. They decide to turn around and try the other direction.

Stepping over the pit again they head east and arrive at another wood door. Fenris presses his ear up to the door and says he cannot hear anything. It turns out that this one is not as badly stuck as the last. Eathwund is unable to budge it but Lantosh is able to shove it open. Once the door is open, they see a chamber with battered, corroded armor and swords scattered across the dirt floor. Some armors have been buried in the dirt. Eathwund decides to use his sword to detect magic. The sword communicates the location of three magic items to him. He digs two javelins and a suit of chainmail out of the dirt.

A corridor leads out of this chamber to another door. As they walk along the corridor Lakima notices that Fenris is scratching his right ear with vigor. He shines a light into the ear and spots something moving. Fenris yells at Lakima to get it out. So, he takes a pair of clippers from Fenris’ thieves' tools and tries but cuts Fenris on the ear. Lakima hands the tools to Eathwund who manages to expertly spear an ear seeker and pull it out of Fenris’ ear. Fenris carefully checks the next door for traps being sure not to press his ear to the wood. Declaring it safe, he gestures for one of them to open the door and Alrix shoves it open.

There is a flash of bright blue light as a Glyph of Warding trap is triggered. Eathwund and Alrix are caught in a blast of freezing cold while Lakima and Fenris are caught in the edge of the blast. Once it passes, they get to their feet and enter the chamber. In the middle of the stone-walled chamber rests a large wooden box. The sides and lid of the box are carved in elaborate patterns depicting elves, men, dwarves, and trees. The box is apparently unlocked. Fenris checks it and says it looks safe. He carefully lifts the wooden lid and lets it fall back to the floor. Inside the box is a bronze urn. The urn is unstoppered and is inlaid with a silver pattern of six dancing skeletons. The eyes of the skeletons are tiny emeralds. Not trusting what looks like a trap to him, Lakima summons his Glow Minion. The minion is instructed to remove the urn from the box and place it in the Bag of Holding. Everything works without incident and everyone starts breathing again.

Exiting this chamber is another door in the west wall, and an open passage to the north going into another, larger chamber. In this chamber rests a similar box although this one is much bigger and longer – sort of coffin-shaped. Fenris checks the box for dangerous traps and finds none. He flips open the lid and jumps back. Flora tip-toes forward and peers into the open box and realizes it is a coffin. A skeleton wearing a bronze crown lies in a bed of ancient copper, silver, and gold coins. The skeleton is half-buried by the treasure.

Eathwund uses his sword to check for magic and finds none surprisingly. Disappointed he starts searching the walls of the chamber. Meanwhile, the Glow minion and Fenris begin filling leather sacks with the treasure. Lantosh remarks that he does not trust treasure without guardians in a tomb. Lakima points out the traps they got past. Just then Eathwund shouts, “found it” and points at the stone wall behind the coffin.

“There is something magic behind that wall.”

Lakima checks the wall for doors but is unable to find anything. He asks Flora to check with her keen eyes and she does find something. Flora pulls out a stone brick revealing it to be fake and drops it to the floor. There is something hidden behind a false stone wall. Working quickly Flora soon realizes she is uncovering a body entombed upright in the wall. She continues until it is completely revealed. A human-looking skeleton stands in a shallow niche in the wall. It wears fairly intact leather armor, has a red cape, and its bony hands clutch a magnificent-looking longsword.

Flora steps back and Eathwund goes up to the skeleton. It is unmoving, its mouth hanging open. He reaches out to peel the skeletal finger bones off of the sword hilt. As his fingers touch bone, he is shocked by how cold they are. His attention on the sword pommel he does not see blackness rise in the eye-sockets of the skeletons followed by a spark of blue light that gets brighter. But his companions see it and shout a warning.

“Get Back!”

Eathwund steps back leveling his sword as the skeleton raises its sword and steps out of the wall and into the chamber. Its head creaks from side to side as if it is counting the number of intruders. Eathwund feels a magical wall of fear slam over him but he fights it off. Then the skeletal death knight opens its mouth and speaks in infernal. There is a flash of flame and smoke and a ten-foot-tall frog demon appears next to Lantosh on the far side of the chamber.

Alrix casts the Magic missile spell before Eathwund even has a chance to raise his sword. Missiles slam into the Deathknight. Then Eathwund slashes at it with Wormbane. The sword strikes true but the Deathknight seems unconcerned. He hears Lakima chanting a spell. There is a bright flash and two kobolds with spears appear. Lakima shouts at them to attack the demon. The kobolds immediately attack but the demon shoves them aside. Lantosh is not so easily shoved aside, his war hammer strikes the demon in the shoulder with a crack.

The Deathknight attacks and hits Eathwund getting past the expert brawler’s defenses. The Demon claws and bites Lantosh injuring him. Eathwund manages to strike the Deathknight again and this time it takes notice. It steps away from Eathwund leaving its sword which continues to dance and lunge at Eathwund despite being dropped by the skeleton. Alrix hits the Deathknight with magic missile again. Lakima uses his Amulet of Demon control and casts Charm on the demon but the spell sputters and dies. Angered by the damage it has taken the death knight casts Fireball right on the demon. The explosion rocks the chamber and the demon is unharmed. But as the smoke and fire clear, Lantosh, Fenris, and the two kobolds lie unmoving on the floor.

Lakima yells at Eathwund to get away from the Deathknight. He backs up as the Deathknight retrieves its sword. Then Lakima casts Fireball on the skeleton. But the spell fails! Alrix also casts a fireball and the Skeleton is not able to block this one. For a second time within seconds of each other a fireball blasts the chamber. The Deathknight is incinerated.

Despite the death of its summoner, the demon fights on. It attacks Eathwund but he expertly blocks the claw and bite attacks then he counter-attacks slashing open its stomach. Flora leaps in and slashes the demon in the neck. It staggers looking for a way to escape but it is then hit with a barrage of magic missiles from Lakima and it is killed. The body is quickly consumed in flame and only ashes remain.

Alrix picks up the Deathknights sword that is now lying quietly on the dirt. The rest of the group does one last check for treasure. Eathwund busies himself picking up Lantosh’s dead body. Lakima directs the Glow Minion to pick up Fenris. They make their way back the way they came and are greeted by the Monk.

“Are you alright? I heard a lot of screaming!”

Lakima assures the monk that though they have been injured they are okay. The bodies of Fenris and Lantosh are hauled out of the pit. The monk is crestfallen to see that two of their companions are dead. He offers to bury them and say a prayer. But Lakima assures him that they know someone who can raise the pair. The Monk is shocked by this statement. He is jubilant that the evil Deathknight has been destroyed. He tells them that he is sure his curse is broken. He does not feel an alter ego lurking in his mind anymore. He asks them to thank the mayor for sending them. He also cannot contain himself and hugs Eathwund who is standing near him.

“At last, I have peace for the first time since the Temple fell”, he says cryptically.

The company returns to Larm arriving late in the day. Carrying two companions slows them down. At the town gates, they are told that adventurer burials should be done outside town on the hill. They wave off the guards. Lakima tells the mayor that the problems with the Grey Monk are over. He is rewarded with a spell scroll containing the spells, Magic Mouth, Fly, and Haste.

Once they have located Domago they step inside the Tower in a Book. Domago checks on Fenris and Lantosh and shoos away Aashdoshan who is hovering near the bodies. Lakima tells everyone to rest while he flies the hippogriff. When the hippogriff grows tired, he will land and rest and they can guard the camp. First, he asks Domago for a healing prayer as he was badly injured by their recent adventure. He sets off and flies deep into the night. Late in the evening, the hippogriff begins to grow tired and Lakima takes it in for a landing. He summons the rest of the company and gets them to make a camp. The hippogriff grows frantic on its tether and they soon realize why as a large wyvern circles the camp. Eathwund grabs one of his javelins. The wyvern suddenly dives on the camp surprising and scattering the party. It slashes at the hippogriff, opening a deep wound in its shoulder grounding it. But as it flies back up Lakima hits the wyvern dead center with a lightning bolt. The wyvern cries out and begins to fall, it flaps to regain height, and just as it begins to right itself, Alrix casts Magic missile and brings it crashing to the ground. Their hippogriff pulls up its tether and trots over and stamps on the dead reptile.

The next day Lakima flies all night until he is forced to land at the Restless Knight Inn. They stay the night and then the next afternoon they arrive in Edgerton. Lakima lands the hippogriff right in the courtyard of the Church of St. Cuthbert. Abbot Marta is summoned by the commotion and takes charge of the healing. The previous day Domago raised Lantosh from the dead successfully but now both are exhausted. Marta takes Fenris inside and casts Raise dead bringing the thief back to life. Once it is clear that Abbot Marta has things well in hand, the other members of the party go to the Black Dragon Manor House. Flora is invited over to stay in one of the guest rooms.

The next day Lantosh and Lakima collect the full reward of 7,000 gold from the Merchant’s Adventurers Guild. Rasmus Orbin, the Guildmaster examines the note they have brought from Larm.

“I expected you might deal with those Frost Giants, but how did you melt an entire glacier?”

Back on Track

After an interlude fighting a Lich, the party of heroes got back on track. Or rather they took a seemingly unrelated adventure on and it put them back on track. I used the Creations Edge Games mini-adventure King of Icefang Pass very loosely for this adventure. The published adventure involves Frost Giants finding a sword that makes them the king of the Frost giants and they block an important trade pass. In my campaign, I had a larger plot in the background from the Advanced Adventure, The Conqueror Worm which involved an otherworldly creature to the far north, and a weapon in a Frost Giant Jarl's tomb which could destroy the threat. The plots of the two adventures seemed to mesh well so I combined them. The Frost Giants are blocking the pass with help from a wizard and weather magic (causing a glacier to block the pass) while they try to get into the Frost Giant Jarl's tomb and secure the magical weapon that is a danger to the Conqueror Worm. They meshed together quite well.

Session 86: Icefang Pass

Lakima (human magic-user), Eathwund (human fighter), Alrix (couatl sorcerer), Domago (human cleric), Aashdoshan (human necromancer NPC), Fenris the Filch (human thief NPC), Lantosh (human fighter NPC).

The Company of the Black Dragon gathers in their Manor House and plans a trip to Ice Fang pass. They have accepted a mission for the Merchant Adventurers Guild. They await to see if Aashdoshan will allow the use of his Tower in a Book and if he will go along. Aashdoshan makes one last plea for the company to first enter the crypt beneath the Temple of the Dark Lady but Lakima argues doing the Merchant’s paid mission first. Aashdoshan does agree but lets the company know that they should remain on the first floor of the Tower for their own safety. Lakima waits a safe distance away as Aashdoshan draws Eathwund, Alrix, Domago, Lantosh, and Fenris into the Book. Then Lakima places the book in a saddlebag and flies east on the back of the Hippogriff.

Lakima follows the Dolm river for three days, stopping at night and when the weather is windy or rainy. At night Eathwund joins Lakima at the campsite. On one occasion Lakima switches to his Horse in a Bottle when the weather is too poor for the Hippogriff. Lakima flies down into the main dirt common of the village of Larm causing quite a stir. Three members of the local militia arrive quickly and question him. Once they learn of his mission, they send for the militia captain. While he waits, Lakima enters the Book and tells everyone else that they can exit now. All but Aashdoshan join Lakima in the common causing even more commotion amongst the locals.

In Larm they stay at the Borderland Tavern and pick up a few local rumors about Icefang pass. The Captain of the guard meets with them and then directs them to the Merchant Trademaster Osmund. Osmund tells them that the previously hired adventurers still have not returned. He suggests they hire a local guide named Durgam who knows the Icefang valley. The next day they fly north still following the Dolm river valley. Durgam has been transported into the tower. He tells Lakima to land on the east bank of the river when it climbs into the mountains and forks. From there he will take over on foot.

As the Hippogriff wings into the mountains, Lakima spots woodsmoke in the forest near the valley. Curious he flies over and circles a campfire. He can make out two figures about the fire near a tent. Lakima lands near the fire. He meets Eldric and Thamthuen a pair of adventurers from the group known as the Trollkillers. Eldric is cautious at first raising a bow, but soon he asks for help for injured companions. Lakima goes into the book and brings out the rest of the group with the exceptions of Fenris and Aashdoshan. Domago runs over to the tent and finds a Dwarf with broken ribs and internal bleeding who is dying. Nearby is a man who died a few days earlier. Domago is able to heal the dwarf enough so that he regains consciousness. Eldric’s disposition to the group improves immeasurably (though Thamthuen is still quiet and mysterious). Lakima suggests that they put the adventuring group into the tower and they continue to the glacier together. Eldric disagrees. He is concerned about what will become of them if the adventurers are killed. He thanks them but says he will guide his party south to Larm. Lakima argues that they should join the group and Durgam offers to take Thamthuen and the dwarf south. Eldric agrees and joins the group. He knows the way to the glacier as his group was ambushed by winter wolves and giants (he thinks) within sight of the glacier. The group enters the tower for a quick stay as Lakima flies over the river near the fork where the trail climbs into the mountains. They all get out of the tower (even Aashdoshan) and head north on foot.

That night in the mountains they hear wolves howling nearby but it is hard to say if they are the howls of normal wolves or something more sinister. The next day they arrive near the glacier and observe the valley. They see broken carts, skeletons of horses, and broken crates and barrels. There is no sign of wolves or giants. Lakima uses the Arrow of Direction asking for the largest nearby collection of wolves. The arrow points towards a forest. Fenris is sent to investigate and when he returns, he reports seeing three enormous, blue-furred wolves. Lakima asks where he saw them and then throws a fireball spell into the trees at the spot. One winter wolf emerges on fire and races off yelping in pain. Fenris reports the corpses of two more wolves. The decision is made to approach the glacier at night. From the valley wall, they can see a stream emerging from the front of the glacier from a large crack that is big enough for a giant.

As evening arrives the group fans out and approaches the glacier. Fenris carefully wades along the stream into the opening into the glacier. He reports hearing the sound of a large creature breathing. Aashdoshan, who has brought four zombie minions, sends two of the zombies forward into the cleft in the ice following the stream. The rest of the group follows behind. The zombies enter a chamber with a pool and surprise a Frost Giant and its pet winter wolf. The giant grabs and a large chunk of ice from the wall. Meanwhile, Alrix casts Magic Missile striking the giant. Domago fires a rock from his sling but misses. The Frost giant hurls the chunk of ice at Domago and misses. But the Winter Wolf breaths out a cloud of freezing mist which envelops the two zombies destroying them. The Winter Wolf splashes through the water and bites Lantosh on the forearm before it is driven off and killed by Eathwund using his flaming sword. The Frost Giant is killed by another magic missile from Alrix. They check the body and find a magical Drinking Horn that is giant-sized.

Fenris moves ahead to scout and reports that the passage through the ice forks. In one direction he saw a cave full of crates and barrels and in the other direction, he saw that the tunnel ended in a wall of ice with a tunnel above it. At the mouth of the tunnel was a very large Winter Wolf. Fenris suggests that they check out the chamber full of stolen goods first. But Lakima rejects that idea. They head the other way. Domago casts Continual light on his mace and provides light for the entire group. As Lakima spots the growling Winter Wolf, he casts Charm Monster. The spell succeeds and the wolf stops growling and starts whining. It walks up to Lakima who pets the wolf. The head of the wolf is at Lakima’s shoulder height.

Fenris leads the way again and carefully steps into a chamber that while covered in ice and frost looks like it is made of stone. Apparently, they have left the glacier and entered the mountainside. Shortly after he enters, two hulking golems made of ice step out of hidden alcoves. They block a door at the end of the chamber. Fenris hurriedly retreats. Alrix tosses a fireball into the chamber and the flame and smoke roar and fills the room. As the flame clears away, they see that the melted stumps of the legs of the golems are all that remains. Fenris checks the door and opens it. Beyond is a chamber with bas-relief carvings covering the walls. At the far end of the chamber is an open hallway. Fenris is about to advance when Lakima tells him to wait. Lakima asks Aashdoshan to send one of his zombies into the chamber. The zombie is sent in and it strides across the chamber until it reaches the halfway point and two enormous spinning saws extend out from either wall and travel across the room at waist height. The zombie is sliced in two before anyone can react. They watch the two saws travel back and forth across the chamber for a minute before the saws finally retract into the walls. Fenris is sent into the chamber to look for a trap mechanism. He just spots the trigger as the trap starts up again, but this time Lakima quickly casts Wall of Iron smashing one of the saws. Fenris has to leap aside from the other blade and it clips him tearing open a wound in the side of his leg. Fenris hobbles out of the far end of the chamber. The rest of the company finds they can skirt the remaining blade by standing close to the Wall of Iron.

 They make their way into the corridor. The corridor branches and ends in two iron doors. Fenris goes to check but Lakima asks him to wait while he uses his Wand of Secret Door Detection. He finds a door in the blank wall of the corridor. It is open and they find a short hallway leading to another chamber. In this stone chamber, they see the stone head of a Dragon mounted on the far wall. The dragon's head is sheathed in ice and frost. Lakima asks Aashdoshan to volunteer his last zombie. The zombie is sent forward into the chamber toward the dragon's head and nothing happens.

“Look out, we are under attack!” Lantosh yells from the rear of the group.

Everyone turns to where Lantosh stands and they see an old-looking Frost Giant standing fifteen feet tall. The giant has a sheathed sword at its side and it picks up a block of stone and hurls it at Lantosh knocking him down. Eathwund rushes the giant setting off the saw trap again but he ducks by it. He is joined by Eldric. Alrix casts Magic Missile striking the giant. Aashdoshan also casts Magic Missile. Eathwund then stabs the giant in the chest killing it. The giant crashes to the ground groaning about being brought low by puny humans. 

“We should never have come south”, it says with its last words. Eathwund searches the body and finds a pouch full of gold coins.

The party returns to the chamber with the stone dragon head. As they approach, they examine it more closely. Eathwund notices writing carved into the stone floor but no one is able to read the language. Domago suggests melting the ice covering the dragon's head. A torch is pulled from the Bag of Holding and lit. It is held to the dragon's head but the ice does not melt. Lakima casts Detect Magic and tells everyone that the dragon head is enchanted. He casts Dispel Magic at the stone dragon head and nothing seems to happen. But he tells Domago to try and melt the ice again. This time the torch melts the ice covering the stone head. As the ice melts away, a section of the wall beneath the dragon's head begins to slide to one side. They see a short hallway ending in another iron door. Fenris goes up to the door and carefully checks it. He quickly notices that the door is false and is trapped. He asks Lakima to try his Wand again. The wand is used and another secret door is found. This is opened and they see a horrifying sight in the next chamber.

“Undead Giants!” Fenris shouts and pushes to the back of the group. Looking into the chamber they see two undead Frost Giants standing before an iron door. Judging by their long sharp claws they appear to be ghouls. Domago presents his Holy Symbol to them and demands that the undead creatures be gone in St. Aleena’s name. They ignore him. Aashdoshan moves to confront the creatures next. Using his necromancy, he attempts to banish the undead and he gets one of the creatures to obey his command! He directs the creature out of the chamber and they close the door behind it. The remaining giant ghoul continues to wait before the door watching them with cold, dead eyes.

Before the fight begins, Domago casts Cure Wounds on Lantosh. Then Lantosh, Eathwund, and Eldric rush the ghoul spreading out around it. As soon as they come close it springs into action, lashing out with claws and teeth. Lantosh is slashed by a claw and paralyzed. Turning its attention from the helpless Lantosh, the ghoul bites Eldric on his shoulder. Eldric is also paralyzed. But this gives Eathwund an opportunity to strike and hit the ghoul twice and it begins bleeding black blood onto the chamber floor. Lakima throws darts at the ghoul and Domago strikes it with a flung sling stone then Eathwund shoves his sword deep into its chest and it gurgles and collapses in a heap.

Domago immediately checks on Lantosh and Eldric and tells everyone that the two will be paralyzed for at least an hour. He casts Cure Wounds on Lantosh while they wait. Lakima and Fenris continue on to scout the next chamber. Here they find a large pool of water surrounded by a low lip of stone. The stone is covered with magical writing. Lakima busies himself trying to read the magic runes. An hour later, Eldric and Lantosh recover. Everyone enters the room with a pool. They can see that the water in the pool must be warm, as steam rises from it. On the bottom of the pool, they can see a scattering of gold and silver coins. They also spot a tunnel headed from the bottom of the pool out of the room. Lakima casts Detect Magic and Read Magic but is only able to decipher that the runes near the pool power an enchantment. Eathwund decides to toss a gold coin into the pool. As soon as the coin touches the water, Lakima notices the runes flash as something has been triggered. It looks like an enchantment has been momentarily disabled.

Lakima asks Aashdoshan to have his last zombie minion investigate the pool. Reluctantly, Aashdoshan directs the zombie into the pool. The zombie enters the water and slowly sinks to the bottom, apparently unharmed. Lakima decides to try his luck and he strips out of his clothes and enters the water. He jumps into the pool and surfaces telling everyone that the water is fairly warm. He then swims down through the tunnel and surfaces when the light of his staff reveals an opening above. He emerges in a similar room with a similar-looking pool. There are no exits from the room but right near the pool lies an enormous white-furred wolf. The wolf is easily twenty feet long. The wolf appears to be alive and sleeping. Lakima heads back to the previous room to rejoin his companions and gets dressed.

The company makes plans on how they can traverse the pool and tunnel. Eathwund activates his armor and slips into the ethereal plane. The rest of the group begins deciding how much equipment they need to remove to avoid drowning. Then Lantosh asks Domago if he still has pages in his Book of Drowning Protection. Domago does and the group gathers near as he reads the page. Everyone gains water breathing. One by one they drop into the pool and sink to the bottom. Each walks the length of the pool and down the hallway before using a rope to climb out into the room beyond. Lakima tells everyone to spread out so the wolf cannot get them all in one breath attack. Eathwund emerges from the ethereal plane.

Lakima whistles at the giant wolf.

Session 87: Icefang Pass continued

Lakima (human magic-user), Eathwund (human fighter), Alrix (couatl sorcerer), Domago (human cleric), Aashdoshan (human necromancer NPC), Fenris the Filch (human thief NPC), Lantosh (human fighter NPC).

Lakima waits for everyone in the group to exit the pool. He then takes his Staff of Striking and gently pokes the side of the giant Wolf (not expending a charge). The Wolf stirs and growls. Its eyes open and it regards the adventurers surrounding it.

Lakima tries talking to it, “So, ahh, can you understand me?”

The Wolf responds by getting to its feet and growling. As it prepares to strike Eathwund swings his sword wildly at it and misses. Lantosh strikes it in the side with his war hammer, and Lakima hits it with his Staff of Striking. Other members of the group try to attack but find their blows bouncing off its think fur. The wolf breathes out a cloud of freezing mist which engulfs Eathwund and Eldric. Eathwund is able to scramble out of much of the mist but Eldric takes a full blast. The fight goes on for a few rounds with the giant beast standing up revealing that it was lying on a metal lever. The beast is almost too big for the chamber and has difficulty moving to allow the adventurers to strike it several times. Eldric gets the killing blow with his flaming sword and the creature dies.

During the fight, Aashdoshan casts clairvoyance to look about for an exit. As the beast falls, he tells everyone that there is a passage behind the wall leading to another chamber. Fenris pulls the lever opening a secret door that leads into a dark passage. Lakima casts Glow Minion and sends the minion of light ahead into the passage. The passageway leads to an iron door that proves to be unlocked. Fenris opens it and the Glow minion is sent into an ice-covered chamber. On the far wall, they see a stone face carved to look like a frost giant. After a brief discussion, some of the adventurers enter the room. They see no exits but Aashdoshan declares that there is an opening in one wall hidden by several feet of ice. As Lakima and Aashdoshan check the ice Fenris investigates the stone face.

"Brave warriors and good steel possess it, humans lack it!”, the face calls out in a deep voice. The statement is followed by a loud bang as the door to the chamber slams shut and locks. Alrix, Lantosh, and Domago are still out in the hallway and are cut off from the rest of the group. Able to hear the riddle through the doorway, Alrix calls out “Strength?”

"What can be as cloudy as a winter day or as clear as glass, yet fragile like a human's offer of truce?", the stone face saws in reply. Lakima then notices that the ceiling is growing closer. It is not descending, but ice is forming on the ceiling in effect lowering it. The group discusses possible answers to the second riddle. Fenris busies himself at the door but he is unable to unlock it. The ceiling continues to lower. Eathwund looks at the ice-covered chamber and at the ice on the ceiling, “Ice!”, he says triumphantly. As he says ice, the iron door to the chamber unlocks. Ice begins to rapidly melt on one wall revealing the doorway Aashdoshan had seen earlier. The group waits for a minute until the doorway is clear of ice.

Fenris peaks through the doorway and sees another chamber without doors. Enormous iron braziers sit in each corner of the room. In the center of the room rests a 6x4 foot chest big enough for a Frost Giant. An iron padlock hangs on its front. Fenris moves quickly to the chest and begins carefully checking for obvious traps. Once he is certain it is safe, Fenris inserts a lockpick in the key opening. A needle darts out and strikes him in the finger. Fenris feels his throat tightening and he struggles to cry for help. Domago rushes to his side and uses his Book to cast Neutralize poison, saving the thief. Unwilling to try again, Fenris backs away from the chest. Lakima suggests using the Cursed Helm again looking about for volunteers. However, Aashdoshan steps out of the shadows and casts knock on the lock, and the chest swings open. Inside, Fenris finds 4 large clay pots full of oil, and a giant-sized flint and steel. He locks about puzzled.

Alrix is the first to suggest that they pour one pot of oil into each brazier. Nothing happens so Lakima tells Fenris to light each one using the Firestarter. Each brazier in turn bursts into flame. As the last one is lit, a door opens in a wall revealing a new passage. This new passage is rougher hewn than the others. It leads a short distance to a large oval chamber. They stand on a ledge on the wall of the chamber. Another ledge can be seen, 50 feet away. The bottom of the chamber is too dark to see. Stone Stalagmites rise up out of the depths and are carved off into small 2-foot platforms. They can see a difficult route across by jumping from stone to stone. Alrix suggests that he transform and fly across the chamber but Lakima tells him to wait and he casts Luminous Bridge. The light from the spell forms an arched bridge right across the chamber to the other ledge.

“Quickly, run!” Lakima urges.

“How long will it last?” Alrix asks.

The group rushes across and then Lakima tells them that it will last for an hour.

The passage on the other side leads a short distance before turning. Ahead they see an iron door. Aashdoshan tells them that the next room looks like a crypt. There are no exits from it. Fenris opens the door to the chamber and they behold a crypt for a Frost Giant Jarl. Six stone statues each at least 15 feet tall stand to either side of the door. The statues depict the same Frost Giant in the same pose. At the far end of the room is a stone sarcophagus more than 20 feet long. Giantish runes are carved into the front of the crypt.

Fenris is the first to cross the chamber. Several of the adventurers check the runes but none are able to read them. Finally, Fenris examines them closely and says that they say that this is the resting place of a Frost Giant leader named Harald Hardrada. He died fighting the Great White Worm.

Eathwund tries opening the lid of the tomb but it does not budge. Alrix, Lantosh, and Domago also try without success. Eldric manages to budge it slightly. He asks Eathwund for help and the two are able to slide the lid back by working together. They look inside and see a mummified frost giant holding a twelve-foot-long two-handed sword. The giant corpse is shrouded in ice. His skin is marked with red-brown runes.

A moment after the tomb is opened, the giants’ eyes open revealing that they are burning with a blue flame. The giant rises in the tomb and steps out onto the floor in the midst of the scattering adventurers.

“Humans! Humans cannot be my champion!” it rasps with a voice like the grave.

Alrix immediately strikes the dead giant with his battleax, Eathwund hits the giant with his sword and he invokes his flame strike ring to engulf his sword in flames. Domago smashes the giant in the knee with his mace. Meanwhile, Aashdoshan scrambles for cover, and Lakima casts Mirror Image, producing a single duplicate. The Giant is barely affected by their attacks and he laughs and swings his enormous sword. He flies over most of the adventurers’ heads but strikes Alrix with a glancing blow.

Alrix transforms into his true form of a giant flying snake and moves to bite and coil about the frost giant. Domago hits the giant again in the knee. The giant strikes again this time solidly hitting Eathwund knocking him back against the stone tomb. Domago hits the giant again in the knee and it stumbles forward but it strikes Eathwund again. Alrix wraps about the giant’s other leg and bites into his side injecting poison (to no effect). Eldric strikes with his sword and the killing blow goes to Eathwund. The giant collapses to the floor. Everyone steps back from the giant. Aashdoshan looks over the chamber with his magical sight and proclaims that there is a hollow space beneath the tomb. Fenris steps into the tomb and begins checking.

At this moment the giant steps to its feet again. As everyone turns to face it, they watch as it steps forward, goes to one knee, and offers its enormous sword to Eathwund.

“You are chosen as my champion!”

Eathwund accepts the enormous sword with difficulty. For a moment he is almost overwhelmed by its weight but then the sword shrinks down to fit him. Eathwund bows briefly to the giant but the light again leaves the giant’s eyes and it falls back to the floor.

Eathwund examines the sword and feels it calling out to him from deep inside. Meanwhile, Fenris discovers a secret compartment in the tomb. Inside he finds a battered, cloth-covered book, a figurine of a strange animal, a pair of horns (one silver and one gold), and a chest full of coins and gems. He eagerly starts handing the items out of the tomb. Domago takes the book and carefully opens it. But he finds he cannot read anything. Using the newfound power of his sword Eathwund declares that he can feel that the book is magical. Lakima looks at it and casts Read magic. But the writing is not magical. It is just in giantish. Fenris looks over Lakima’s shoulder and tells him that he thinks it is a training manual that is supposed to improve your mind. He scoffs derisively, but Lakima’s eyes light up and he carefully puts the book in the Bag of Holding. Alrix looks at the figurine and tells them that it looks like a creature from his homeland called an elephant. Accept the figure is strangely covered in fur. The rest of the treasure is put in the Bag of Holding.

Lakima tells everyone that if they hurry the Luminous Bridge will still be present. The group races back to the cave crossing. Alrix is the last to leave the chamber. He pauses to look about at the statues of the Frost Giant Jarl. As he turns to leave, he sees the dead giant get to its feet and clamber into the tomb. He turns to run and he hears the sound of stone closing on stone.

The group makes it back across the chasm and through the open doors of the ice chamber. In the chamber with the pool, they pause and again make offerings of a gold coin before entering the water. The water-breathing spell is still active and they walk underwater to the next chamber. They emerge and find the winter wolf Lakima charmed still waiting for them. From this chamber, they head down passages until they come to the chamber where the corpse of the giant ghoul still lies. The door to the chamber is still closed. Fenris swings it open and he is immediately attacked by a second giant ghoul waiting on the other side. In the tight space, the adventurers attack the undead giant ghoul. Domago and Aashdoshan try to turn it without success. Lantosh, who was in the lead, is struck and paralyzed. Domago pulls him to safety. Eathwund leaps into the gap to attack the ghoul and he also is struck and paralyzed. While Eldric works to pull Eathwund to safety, Lakima orders the Winter Wolf to attack. It breathes frost on the ghoul and bites it savagely. The ghoul bites the wolf back paralyzing it. Finally, Eldric is able to kill the ghoul with his flaming sword.

Three of the group are now paralyzed. Domago grabs and carries Eathwund, Eldric grabs Lantosh, and Aashdoshan has his one zombie carry the winter wolf.

The group makes their way down the passage and finds a blank stone wall where they previously passed through a secret door. It takes Fenris a while but he finds the trigger and they continue on. In the room with the buzz-saw trap, they find that the Wall of Iron spell is still active. Keeping to the wall they pass the trap as the buzz saw activates and moves back and forth. In the next chamber of ice, they find a pool of blood where they killed the Frost Giant but no sign of the dead giant. They continue carefully down into the glacier. Fenris is scouting ahead and when he reaches the branch in the tunnel, he spots winter wolves and another Frost Giant in the direction they had not yet gone. He comes back to the group and tells them of the ambush waiting for them.

Lakima gets a packet of Dust of Disappearance out of his pack and tells everyone to step closer to him. He empties the dust over everyone. They then try to quietly sneak out of the glacier. However, once they are passing the entrance leading further into the glacier, they hear a human voice shout.

“They are getting away! Get them!”

The group runs for it making it to the exit with the howls of winter wolves coming up behind them. The group runs out of the glacier into the sunlight. They spread out expecting a pitched battle. As Lakima emerges, he fires a Lightning Bolt spell back behind him. It strikes three Winter Wolves. One of wolf dies and the remaining two flee into the glacier.

Lakima points at the nearby treeline and yells for everyone to flee into the trees. They run up the side of the valley some members dragging their paralyzed friends until they reach the cover of the trees. Once there Eldric and Alrix take up defensive positions and Domago examines the paralyzed heroes. He declares that it should wear off in a few hours. Lakima suggests that they hide the book in a hollow in a tree and retreat into the Tower in a Book. Fenris points out what happened last time when they tried to hide the book. However, he is convinced to go in the book. All of the heroes enter the book to rest.

The Company of the Black Dragon (and Eldric) rest in the book for the next three days. Domago administers healing to those that need it. Eathwund, Lantosh, and the wolf recover from the paralysis. Aashdoshan disappears into the upper floors. Lakima checks the area around where they hid the book in the forest with his Crystal Ball.

Once everyone has mended most of their wounds, they start making plans to deal with the remaining Frost Giants and fulfill their contract. Offensive spells are memorized and Eathwund familiarizes himself with his new magical sword. Eathwund does experience one, strange suffocating dream in which an enormous mass of white flesh is smothering him. He does not tell the others about the strange dream.

The party emerges from the book and Aashdoshan takes it from its hiding place and puts it in his duffel bag. The group descends once more to the glacier. Lakima has scouted ahead using the Crystal ball and they all note that everything looks just like it looked when they first arrived here a week ago. Fenris is the first one to enter the water and move upriver into the glacier. Despite traveling through the stream, Fenris barely breaks a ripple in the water. Then Eldric and Eathwund follow stomping through the water in their heavy armor making a lot of noise. Aashdoshan sends four zombies behind them.

In the first chamber, they find no one waiting for them. They killed a giant and a winter wolf here a week ago but nothing remains other than a dry puddle of blood. Fenris leads the way to where the tunnel divides. One direction heading to the Jarl’s tomb and the other direction further into the glacier. Fenris scouts ahead and tells them he can see two giants sleeping in a chamber ahead. This puts everyone on alert and Lakima directs who should move up first, Eathwund, Eldric, and Lantosh followed by the zombies. Aashdoshan agrees to send two zombies ahead. As they enter the chamber, they see the two giants. But they are dead. The two giants appear to be the Frost Giants they killed on their last foray into the glacier. Someone has clearly dragged their bodies here.

They advance again and Fenris signals that he sees more giants. They look into the next chamber and see a Frost Giant advancing toward them. Two winter wolves leap ahead of the giant towards them.

The two zombies block the charge of the winter wolves in the narrow tunnel. The frost giant steps over them and into the midst of the fighters. The wolves breathe out frost and both zombies are frozen over and collapse. Domago pulls out the Horn of Valhalla and blasts a note on it. Seven berserkers appear. Domago orders the berserkers to attack. The Frost Giant finds itself surrounded. Berserkers attack it with swords, Eathwund draws Wormbane and attacks, and Alrix, Aashdoshan, and Lakima each hit it with magic missiles. Realizing that he is being overwhelmed, the Frost Giant tries to leap back into the chamber but he is pulled down by berserkers and killed. The berserkers then move to attack the two wolves. Two berserkers are killed but the rest kill the wolves. The group carefully moves into the large chamber beyond. The fight over, the berserkers vanish to wherever they arrived from. 

Behind an ice stalagmite, Fenris finds a dead human mage. Another victim of the berserkers. Fenris and Lakima move to the end of the ice cave and find a covered wagon with steps leading up to a door in its back. Near the wagon are a small fire burning in a brazier and human foodstuffs. Against the wall, Lakima spots a glowing crystal or chunk of ice sitting on a stone plinth. He moves toward it but finds it is putting out waves of cold. Lakima casts Detect Magic and discovers that it is highly magical and connected with the glacier in some way. He casts Dispel magic on it and it shatters. Immediately, the temperature in the chamber starts to rise.

Fenris and Lakima enter the wooden home on the back of the wagon. Inside, is a bed, desk, and chair. Parchment covers the desk. Fenris checks them but finds he cannot read them. Lakima searches and finds a hidden panel beneath the bed. Under the bed, they find a small chest and a book in a leather pouch. The book looks like a mages’ spellbook. Lakima eagerly opens the book and beholds the runes on the first page. The book explodes into flames in his hands.  Outside the other adventurers hear a loud bang and the door of the wagon flies open. The windows blow off and flames and smoke pour out of the wagon. Fenris and Lakima emerge from the wagon coughing and choking. The spellbook Lakima was holding is gone, reduced to ash. All of the contents of the wagon are destroyed except for the small chest Fenris liberated. He opens it and finds a large collection of gold, silver, and copper coins.

Lakima laments that all of the documents were destroyed so they will never learn who the wizard was and why he was working with the giants. Lakima points at the mages’ corpse and tells Aashdoshan he has another body for his collection. Aashdoshan looks at the corpse and remarks that they could question the corpse.

Aashdoshan asks the group to give him three questions and then he casts Speak with Dead. A ghostly image of the mage rises up out of the corpse. Aashdoshan asks for the mage’s name.

“I was the wizard Vermis”

Then he asks who Vermis works for.

“I follow the wishes and desires of the Great White Worm, my master”.

Finally, he asks why Vermis was here.

“At my master’s orders. I was to aid the Frost Giant Ulric in finding Wormbane. The sword is a threat to my master”.

With that, the group packs up the treasure and heads out of the glacier. As they are leaving, they note that the glacier is melting. It may take weeks, but the pass will be open to merchants again.