Final Round - Second Match: Zenld vs. CarpeDavid
Ingredients
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Bride of the Cyclops
Lizard-Riders
Holy Halberd
Amphitheatre
Error in Judgment
Ice Volcano
Mirror Bright
The town of Mirror sits at the edge of a large ice plain. Surprisingly temperate conditions surround the town, allowing it to grow its own food, and otherwise be fairly self-sufficient. The town gets its name from a rather imposing feature; the wall of the glacier extends straight up for over one thousand feet, landing at the north end of town and rising to meet the shoulders of a mountain, the only mountain in sight. The glacial wall is mirror bright and perfectly smooth and straight, as if cut by some giant extremely sharp blade. The top of the mountain is rounded, the mouth of the volcano.
Due to the weird climate, a strange situation has developed within Mirror. Though normal domesticated animals suffice for most work and travel, the town militia has found a different answer. A small nest of white dragon eggs was discovered several miles onto the glacier. Several eggs were taken and the resultant young were raised and trained as defenders of the town. Eventually, the militia was able to breed and train them as mounts. These mounts and the troops they carry have earned the town a good reputation, enough so that the King is served by a loyal cadre of “Lizard-Riders” and they are among his best and most feared troops. All the members of the cadre are born and raised in Mirror, as are their mounts; the town will not let the secret of their breeding program get out.
The secret to the breeding program is within the mountain. Shortly after the town was founded, they discovered small caves that led into the glacial wall. When followed, they led into the stone eventually ending in a large hollow space, open to the sky. The mountain was hollow, open to the sky. There they met a strange personage. A large man, standing head and shoulders above the tallest of the exploration party, stood in the center of the space, as if waiting for them.
His name was Magnus. He told them the following story. The mountain was actually a volcano, dedicated to Sibil the Ice Queen. A lesser goddess, Sibil had been somewhat overlooked by the larger pantheons and their followers so she had come here. Keeping to herself, she had maintained her privacy for millennia. Then a white dragon came and deposited her eggs in the bowl of the volcano. Sibil decided to let them be, as they were unaware of her presence. This error in judgment was one she would regret. For centuries, one of every generation of the offspring has returned to the volcano to lay her eggs.
Eventually, humankind discovered the glacier and the valleys that surrounded it. They discovered the natural tendency for gentler climates much warmer than would be expected around the volcano. So they settled in. Sibil, in her solitary place, did not notice them. But finally the dragons did. One newly hatched clutch tore down upon the unsuspecting village and slaughtered them. The release of all that destruction finally woke Sibil to her surroundings. She arose only to discover it was too late. Her grief exploded, sending waves of ice crashing out of the volcano, covering the entire area in a giant ice field. Only then did she notice she was not alone. One small child had survived, by climbing into one of the caves that ringed the base of the volcano. He was lost and alone and her heart went out to him. She realized her failure and sought to make it up. So she raised the child, and trained him, and finally granted him great power to help her watch over others. As a final test, he was sent into the bowl of the volcano to fight in single combat one of the white dragons who came here to nest. After she had laid her eggs, he strode out to face her, blazing in Celestial glory, carrying naught but his hands as a weapon and wrestled her to the death. When she lay defeated at his feet, Sibil appeared before him. Taking a mighty halberd from the dragon’s trove, she gave it to him, blessing it and declaring him, Magnus, Defender of Sibil. Among the powers she gave him, was the ability to control white dragons. She then commanded Magnus, “Hold this place always as sacred and keep it pure, and I will always be with thee. But should you pass without successor, and allow it to be defiled, I will destroy it and all around it once more.”
Sibil then returned to the world, seeking to make up for her lapse. But this area is still special to her and the volcano is dedicated to her. Part of the blessing she left on the place is that any white dragon born within the bowl of the volcano shall find its evil nature tempered and become a suitable companion to a trooper of the cadre.
Magnus grew old. But by that time, another village had grown at the edge of the glacial field created by Sibil’s ice volcano. And always, the best warriors of the village return from their time in the cadre of the King, and go to the bowl of the volcano, there to face challenges to determine which of them is worthy to be the next Magnus. Ever since, in honor of the title, the bowl has become known as the Amphitheatre of Magnus.
But now, the town faces dire straights. The King just finished a bloody war against giant invaders. In service to him, the cadre was doubled in size. However, this left few warriors in town. And the war left even fewer alive, for the cadre was decimated time and again as their foes realized how important they were to the King’s strategy. But the giant folk were finally defeated. As they ran, a band of frost giants came upon the valley, with its little town and ice pocket. They have camped out on the ice and have even found their way into the Amphitheatre. Unfortunately, Magnus had grown old, and with no one to replace him, he was no match for the leader of the giants. He has been killed, the Halberd, his staff of office, claimed. And the town is in mortal peril.
The PCs are on the road. They may be camped or at an inn. They are approached by a solitary traveler, disheveled and travel stained. A large man, with the look of much combat about him, for his arms and armor, while in good repair, show signs of heavy use. There is a small device sewn into his clothing; a white dragon. Characters knowledgeable about this area (DC15) may connect him with the famous Lizard-Rider Cadre of the King. When he stumbles upon the PCs he will have nothing but the clothes and arms on his back. He is penniless and hungry.
“I am Trevan, servant of the Cadre. My mount was destroyed during a recent war with giant folk and I was left for dead. As I lay dead to the world, a vision appeared before me. A beautiful woman, all in white spoke to me. ‘Come to me. I have need of you.’ Then she vanished. When I awoke, the field was empty for the King’s forces had moved on. I pondered looking for them, but something drove me to head for home with all possible speed. Please help me. I have not eaten in days, and must return to my village quickly. I cannot repay you now, but will when we reach my village.”
Should the characters help Trevan, he will answer any questions they have about his village and the war with the giants. He will be friendly and courteous at all times, but will always be hoping for more speed, and will wish to travel longer each day. It is a three day journey to the town of Mirror.
Along the way, the party may run into small bands of giants, scattered form the force the King’s army recently destroyed. They also may run into small companies of warriors chasing these renegades.
Second night: the party receives visitation from Sibil. She makes Trevan a paladin, and tells him he has 7 days to reclaim the Amphitheatre of Magnus. (ftr12/pal1)
Third night: the party reaches Mirror. The town is a shambles, having been raided by the giants. The few militia left have chased them off but are not fairing well against them on the sides of the volcano. And the Amphitheatre itself is the province of one called Cyclops. He is a large frost giant, who lost an eye somewhere in the past and has given up his real name. So far, he has defeated any attempt to retake the volcano or the Amphitheatre. And his personal guard is frightening. A trio of female frost giants, well armed and skilled, calling themselves the Brides of Cyclops. They are hell’s own fury released in battle. They have killed many members of the militia in defense of their leader.
Cyclops has also claimed the Holy Halberd of Sibil. While it pains him to do so, he holds it when he stands at the edge of the glacier and demands the village pay tribute to him as his followers shower rocks and blocks of ice down upon the town.
Trevan asks the characters to help him, as his own people are badly in need of respite.
If they agree, he will lead them into the caves that lead to the Amphitheatre. Meanwhile, the remaining militia will stage an assault upon the ice, drawing most of the giants out.
If the party is privy to any scouting, they will learn that Cyclops does not always keep the Halberd with him. It is possible though of course exceedingly dangerous to steal it from him so that when Trevan fights Cyclops, he will have a +2 Holy Halberd in his possession.
Will the assault work?
Will the PCs be able to overcome the trio of formidable women, the Brides of Cyclops?
Will Trevan prevail against Cyclops himself?
Will they recover the Holy Halberd in time for Trevan to become the next Magnus and prevent the town’s destruction?
Time will tell.
Ingredient review.
Bride of Cyclops – the bodyguards of the frost giant leader.
Lizard-riders – the town militia and an elite force within the King’s army using white dragons as mounts. This is also the force Trevan belongs to.
Holy Halberd – the symbol of the Magnus, Trevan must recover it from Cyclops and reclaim the…
Amphitheatre – of Magnus, the bowl of the volcano, the center of the temple to Sibil.
Error in Judgement – was Sibil’s in allowing the white dragons to stay thus allowing many innocents to be killed.
Ice volcano – the main backdrop to our story, home to a temple to Sibil, and the location of the Amphitheatre of Magnus, the final combat of the story.
