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Message: <blockquote data-quote="JollyDoc" data-source="post: 6618252" data-attributes="member: 9546">The High Ice8 Sarenith, 4715 - 5 Erastus, 4715 "I've had enough," Sly said. The companions were gathered in Sonavut's home, discussing their next move, when the witch had abruptly stood up and made her announcement."This isn't what I signed up for, and no amount of money is worth this. I've almost died at least three times now, and we aren't even halfway to where we're going yet! I want out!"The others looked at her, silently judging. It was Sandru who finally spoke."Well, I'm sorry to hear that," the caravan master said calmly. "You have been an asset to our cause, but we all have our limits. We would not keep you here against your will."Sly nodded firmly."I understand Piotr is going to be making a trip back to Kalsgaard," she said.The sorcerer looked dubious, but nodded his head."Yes," he replied. "I have purchased a pair of teleportation scrolls, and I'm going to sell off some goods that we've accumulated, and do a little shopping as well.""Good," Sly said. "Then I'll go with you, you can pay me my cut, and we'll go our separate ways.""Boris going too," the goblin chimed in. "Have some personal business to handle.""I guess that's settled then," Zula said. "We will wait for your return, and then I suppose we have a dragon to deal with."_________________________________________Piotr and Boris returned from their trip the following afternoon. Boris had not been at all forthcoming with the sorcerer about the nature of his business in the Ulfen city, and had promptly vanished as soon as they arrived in Kalsgaard, only to reappear at exactly the predetermined time and place to return with Piotr to Iqaliat. Despite Piotr's suspicions, however, the goblin's mission was anything but nefarious. He had sought out an armorer and fetched a good price for the fine breastplate that Arnaalak had given him, and then gone to the orphanage he'd visited previously. He'd left the gold the breastplate had fetched at the back door with a simple note instructing that it be spent to buy the children toys and sweets. The following day, the Scions prepared to depart Iqaliat in search of the lair of the dragon Vegsundvaag. Sandru had decided that the caravan would remain in town for safety, and he, Ameiko, Shalelu, Koya, Spivey and Ulf would stay with it. Ulf had no knowledge of where to find the dragon, and didn't think he would be of much use. Just before the companions were about to leave, however, Chief Nalvanaq approached them, a tall, heavily muscled Mwangi man trailing him. The big man, dressed as he was in only a loin cloth, and carrying a long pole-arm, looked as out of place among the Erutaki as Boris did among the humans. "This is Mongo," Nalavanaq said by way of introduction. "He knows the terrain between here and Vegsundvaag's domain. He will guide you."The Chief didn't wait for a response. He simply turned on his heel and walked away, leaving the companions staring at their strange new guide.________________________________________It took four days of travel on foot across the barren expanse of the High Ice to reach the glacial rift where Mongo indicated the dragon laired. Along the way, the big Mwangi man told his new companions of how he had come to be so far from home. Deep within the darkest Mwangi jungles, a small tribe known as the Toot-Tutes (which in common translated into Great Warriors) hunted with great success for many generations. When Mongo came of age, he became bored with hunting pumas and giant snakes. He left his tribe in hopes of learning to become the greatest warrior in the world. Aboard his tiny dugout canoe, Mongo traveled to the Sodden Lands where he hired on as a city guard. There he served for several years , learning to use a guisarme and becoming a skilled guard. However, he soon grew tired of city life and yearned for more advanced knowledge of fighting styles. Thus, Mongo boarded a ship bound for Varisia. There he met the love of his life, a woman named Tootsie. Tootsie slept with Mongo every night and it only cost five copper pieces! Among other things, Tootsie was a monk and taught Mongo how to fight with only his hands and feet. They were pledged to be married. However, only months before their wedding at the Temple of Gorum, Tootsie died of mummy rot and Mongo was left broken hearted. Filled with despair and self loathing, Mongo travelled to the Land of the Mammoth Lords. There he made a name for himself as a gladiator at Tankin’s Gamehouse and Hobgoblin Brothel. Mongo won many, many matches and eventually attracted the attention of a merchant know as Morcash. Morcash lured Mongo out of the fighting pits and encouraged him to join him on a venture to other side of the world. Mongo agreed in hopes of traveling to meet the Tian people and learning their fighting styles. However, not long into their journey, Morcash’s caravan was ambushed by a tribe of terrible cannibals. Everyone but Mongo was captured. Luckily, Mongo made his way to the village of Iqaliat where he had remained stranded and seeking revenge."An...interesting tale," Zula said once the loquacious warrior had finished his story. "We are bound for Tian Xia once our business here is concluded. If we survive this, perhaps you could journey with us.""I would like that," Mongo nodded. "Not enough trees here."The rift that Mongo had led them to was about twenty feet wide, but over one-hundred feet in length. The companions approached cautiously and peered over the edge. It looked as if it widened after thirty feet or so, but then it extended away into darkness, beyond even the sharp eyes of Boris. "Boris go down," the goblin volunteered. "He more sneaky than big people, but Boris need talking fire sword to make him walk on air like Mazael.""Easy enough," the war-priest agreed."And...," Boris continued, "Boris need Piotr to make him invisible too. Boris sneaky, but it never hurt to be careful."Piotr couldn't argue the logic, especially where dragons were concerned. So, once the goblin had been rendered invisible and lighter than air, he dropped over the edge of the crevasse and began making his way down. After descending some sixty feet, he saw a cave opening on one side of the rift, but he also noticed something on the opposite side: the ice there looked thinner in one spot, and he thought that if he hit it hard enough, it might break. He thought better of it, not wanting to make any more noise than necessary. He continued down. After another forty feet, he found two more openings on opposite sides, but one of them was much larger...dragon-sized. He entered quietly and found himself in a long cavern. It extended back well over a hundred feet, but was bisected by a small chasm halfway across. At the far end, crouched in the shadows, was a white-scaled dragon, roughly the size of a large warhorse. Boris had seen enough. He retreated as silently as he had entered, and made his way back to the top of the ravine. Once Boris had reported that the dragon was indeed home, there seemed to be nothing for it but to go back down and see what happened. "I would like to at least try and speak with her," Piotr declared. "Maybe if we can explain the circumstances of her eggs being destroyed, we can placate her.""Hmph," Mazael snorted. "If a dragon showed up and killed my kids, and  then another dragon came along and said, 'Sorry about that. That other dragon was bad and I took care of her. No hard feelings,' I would be having dragon stew for weeks!""It's worth a try," Zula said, "but don't get your hopes up."Mazael asked Suishen to grant Haroldo the power to air walk along with himself and Boris. Then, the war-priest allowed Lucian to ride piggy back, while Haroldo carried Piotr. Zula tied off a rope at the top of the ravine and threw the other end into the abyss. Then, at her mark, she and Mongo leaped off the edge, each one holding on to the rope with one hand. As they began to fall, the thundercaller uttered a spell, and the two of them began to drift slowly down, as light as feathers. Using the rope to guide them, they landed softly on the ledge of the large cave mouth, just as the others joined them. In formation, they companions entered the large ice cave, and at the sight of them, Vegsundvaag reared up in anger. Her scales glittered like polished ice edged with silver, but her face was marred with claw marks, and the horned frill surmounting her head was tattered and scarred. "More warm bloods!" she screeched. "Come to steal more from me!?""Mighty Vegsundvaag!" Piotr called out, his hands held up placatingly. "We have come here seeking a peaceful resolution. We know that you have been victimized, but we found the individual responsible. He was a worshipper of a foul demon, and he thought to sow discord between the Erutaki and yourself with his actions. His plans have been foiled, and he is now dead at our hands."The dragon's wings beat furiously as she rose into the air."I am well aware of what happened to my eggs!" she roared. "I found the evidence! A hammer lay amidst the ruins of my clutch, as well as a  talisman marked with the filthy scrawlings of Iqaliat! On that day I swore vengeance on humans, and I vowed to devour every hot-blooded ape in that village until my wrath is sated! Now, you will be my next meal!""So much for peaceful negotiations," Maazel sighed as he drew Suishen. "Time to move to more aggressive tactics!"Piotr had hoped that his efforts would bear fruit, but he was no fool. As the dragon launched herself towards him, he hurled a fireball into her path. She bellowed in agony as the flames washed over her, melting gaping holes through her scaled hide. Yet she did not falter, and as she rushed forward, Piotr felt his hear quail at her fury. Next to him, he saw Mongo's face grow pale as well. She back-winged above them and opened her jaws wide to spew forth a storm of frost and ice-shards that enveloped most of the companions. Fortunately, Suishen had shielded each of the scions with his protective magics from extreme cold, and the frigid breath caused no harm. Zula, however, did not share in that status, and she took the brunt of the blast, her skin turning bluish white where the ice clung to her. Mongo managed to leap aside at the last instant, else he would have fared no better. Haroldo charged into the air, his great-sword held above his head. Vegsundvaag snapped at him as he came, but the blood-rager dodged aside, and then plunged his blade into her chest. A moment later, Mazael joined him in the air, flanking on the dragon's opposite side. She whipped her from this way and that at the warriors, but then another fireball from Piotr exploded in the air above her, driving her to the ground. As she fell, Haroldo and Mazael struck at her viciously, opening terrible wounds in her flesh. She landed heavily...right next to Piotr! Her jaws gaped above the sorcerer, but then two arrows sprouted from the roof of her mouth as Lucian's bow sang. She clawed at them, breaking them off just as Haroldo descended on her from above. She bit at him, sinking her teeth into his thigh. Unfortunately for her, it was not his sword arm. He brought his blade down with furious strength, cleaving almost completely through the dragon's neck. She collapsed heavily, her pale blood flooding out of her.__________________________________________The heroes searched the remainder of Vegsundvaag's lair, and found her nesting place, which was littered with broken eggshells. A stone hammer lay amidst the debris, as did a talisman which was the twin to the one that Ulf Gormundr carried. In another cave they found the dragon's horde...an astounding bounty of coins, gems, art objects and other wondrous items. They collected the trove, and then decided to investigate the bottom of the ravine before they departed. There they were surprised to find the remains of another dragon lying among the jagged rock spires. It had been reduced by scavengers to little more than shattered bones, but the wound patterns suggested that it had been mauled by a large predator...perhaps another dragon. The companions took their leave of the dragon's lair, bringing Vegsundvaag's head with them as proof of their victory. When they reached Iqaliat four days later, the Erutaki hailed them as mighty heroes, and held a great feast of caribou, goat, and fish in their honor. They were invited to stay for as long as they wished, and the villagers repaired all of their wagons and equipped them with cold weather gear. Sonavut also gifted them with a sashimono of comfort, a magical banner that would provide warmth to those gathered around it, as well as two wands that would also help the travelers to endure the harsh elements that they were sure to face. During the feast, Chief Nalvanaq and Sonavut took the Scions aside, and informed them that they had studied the pictograms in Tunuak's bore, and believed they had discovered more of the shaman's plans. Ancient tales told that the morozkos were the roaring scourge wielded by the demon lord Sithhud, who ate the flesh of the dead and bound their bones to serve him in ages past. The three-fingered skeletal claw was Sithhud's mark, and the pictograms suggested that the dark-winged woman may have found some way to reclaim the demon lord's ancient power, perhaps using the strange black monoliths or other forgotten magics discovered in the Nameless Spires. The elders believed that the third pictogram showed a place that the Erutaki called the Storm Tower. So named because of the storms that always seemed to swirl above its pinnacle, that spire was similar to those found in the Nameless Spires, but it stood alone near the Alabastrine Peaks. The morozkos had already been awakened, but if the woman gained full control over the hungry storms, none would be able to stand before them, and the Scions and their caravan would never make it across the Crown of the World. If they hoped to make the crossing, they would have to journey to the Storm Tower and deal with her before her designs were complete. ____________________________________________'I see you, Scion of House Amatatsu,' the voice spoke into Zula's head."What?" she asked, looking around."It's the sword," Ameiko said, smiling as she approached, "Suishen. It has informed me that you have become a Scion of my family's House.""What?" Zula repeated. "How?"Ameiko shrugged. "Maybe by repeatedly risking your life for the sake of this caravan and my quest. You have no vested interest in seeing this through, yet you have remained with us and gone out of your way to defend us."Zula was at a loss for words."I...I am honored," she said, bowing her head. "I give you my word that I will do everything in my power to see you restored to your throne. In turn, I only ask that you might allow me to impart to you the wisdom of my experience, to use as you will."Ameiko smiled again."I think I'm going to need all the advice I can get."______________________________________________"So we have agreement, yes?" Boris asked. The Erutaki warrior eyed the goblin suspiciously but nodded, weighing the sack of coins in his palm."Just so we on same page," Boris said, "why don't you tell Boris plan again?"The man sighed."I will journey to Lake Nallishoot and watch over it for one year. I will make sure that no harm comes to any of its...inhabitants.""Exactly!" Boris said. "Now you get going, and if you meet Mer-Queen, you tell her Boris sent you, and not to eat you."The man gulped, but then looked at the heavy bag of gold again and nodded._____________________________________________Ulf informed the rest of the company that, by his estimate, the journey from Iqaliat to the Storm Tower would be about 700 miles across the High Ice and into the Boreal Expanse. Though he had never been that close to the pole before, the guide had heard stories and seen enough maps that, using the mountains as a landmark, he was confident in his ability to bring the caravan there, and afterwards guide it beyond the far end of the Alabastrine Peaks to rejoin the Path of Aganhei at Dead Man's Dome. Traveling across the High Ice proved more difficult than the tundra, both because the terrain was more rugged, and because it was more desolate and thus harder to navigate. The environment also became more extreme the further north they ventured. One hundred miles north of Iqaliat, the elevation passed 5000 feet, and in the thin air the companions and their horses became easily fatigued. Furthermore, the temperatures atop the High Ice dropped precipitously from the relatively balmy 40 degrees of the tundra, to ranges between 0 degrees and negative 20! The cold weather gear the caravan was outfitted with helped, as did the sashimono of comfort and the wands of endure elements Sonavut had given them. Still, the going was rigorous. Two weeks out from Iqaliat, the caravan was well in the Boreal Expanse and, being Summer, the sun remained fully risen and shed its light all day and night, appearing to move in a circular pattern in the sky  rather than rising and setting. At some point, the companions began to see a bluish glow at the northern horizon that intensified as they drew closer. Finally, as they crested a rise, they saw a massive black tower some ten miles in the distance. The strange blue light emanated from its apex. Just then, Skygni came up the ridge from the opposite side. The warg had been scouting some distance ahead, as was his wont."I don't think you're going to be able to get the wagons much closer," he growled. "What did you find?" Sandru asked."Corpses," the wolf said, "lots of them. Walking around. Couple of hundred I'd guess, but I don't count so well."The caravan master cursed."We'll never get past them," he said."No, I suspect not," Zula replied pensively, "but perhaps a smaller group could. The caravan can stay here under close guard, while we Scions go in for a closer look."Sandru looked to Ameiko, who nodded her agreement."We will stay here until we hear from you that the path is safe," she said.___________________________________________The Scions, plus Mongo, left the caravan behind and began crossing the wasteland towards the black tower in the distance. "This never going to work," Boris complained. "Boris is sneaky. Big-voice lady sneaky, but all rest of you sound like pots and pans in Boris's kitchen when he washing after big meal! We going to get caught! You wait and see!"Less than an hour later, the goblin's prediction came true.From out of the blowing snow and mist came staggering a dozen of the frozen dead. Boris spotted them first, and he called out a warning to his companions, putting an arrow through the neck of one as he did so. Lucian followed up with a second shaft through the thing's forehead, and it collapsed. The others simply walked over it as they continued to shamble forward. Haroldo rushed forward to meet them, hacking as he went. He quickly found himself surrounded, however, and their frigid claws began to tear at him. More of them moved past him and reached Boris. The goblin tried to backpedal away, but the creatures grabbed at him and ripped deep gouges in his flesh. Mongo ran to the goblin's aid, his polearm pulling the legs from beneath one of the undead, which he then impaled to the ground with the axe-like blade of his weapon. Zula's voice cracked through the cacophony of the storm, throwing a quartet of the corpses back. Mazael was among them in an instant, chopping them down like saplings. Boris managed to fight his way free through the opening Mongo had provided him, slashing one of his swords across the throat of an assailant as he passed. Lucian's bow continued to thrum, bringing down another corpse, and Haroldo's blood rage filled him as he hewed about him, felling another three. Then, a rolling sphere of fire came bowling through the undead as Piotr summoned his magic, setting one of them alight like a pyre. A few moments later, the last of them fell as Mazael and Boris struck together, and Lucian found his marks with the precision of Old Deadeye himself.________________________________________________________It took several more hours of slogging through the snow before the companions reached the Storm Tower. It was even more impressive up close. The hexagonal spire of black basalt loomed hundreds of feet into the air, mired in a lake of black slush, with a shattered causeway leading across towards a gaping opening in the wall at its base. A huge, crackling ball of blue light floated just above the tower's roof, while a raging white storm turned in an expanding spiral overhead. "We going...in there?" Boris panted, fatigued from the trek through the thin air."Looks that way," Mazael said.Boris nodded. "Ok, but don't expect Boris to save you this time. Boris knows he is irresistible to women, but only so much of him to go around."</blockquote>

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