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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Deuce Traveler" data-source="post: 3432493" data-attributes="member: 34958">As they depart, Kel hands Silas a strange, square crystal.  The key to where the Lord of the Mountain rests, and a device of astonishing perfection.  The blue-tinged crystal itself is more transparent than opaque, but no flaw can be detected on or beneath its surface.  It fits comfortably and lightly in the abjurers hand, although it's about the size of a closed fist.The journey itself takes two weeks by horse, and the party has several encounters it is forced to deal with.  Early on, a patrol of a dozen inexperienced orcs sees the party and tries to teach the trespassers a lesson.  By the time they got into melee range, five of their number had fallen to bows or magic and the blades of Barok, Dartis, and Ventus quickly dispatch the rest.At a rocky campsite closer to Ice Mountain, a cougar decides to try and make off with a sleeping Caramip but finds itself grappling with more than it can chew.  The result of the conflict ended with a few extra bits of treated fur to keep the party warmer.And the cold becomes an important enemy.  The temperatures have dropped significantly the farther the party advances, and the horses suffer as well as you do.  The land is sparsely dotted with trees, and each morning the dew freezes into the rare grass, causing your steps to make a crunching noise when you walk.  Any animal large enough to skin and cross the party's path is quickly killed; for both the coat and also because the tasteless porridge coming from the magical spoons that were given to you quickly becomes old fair.  Bathing and shaving becomes less frequent for several of the less disciplined party members, since the cold water on exposed skin could be dangerous if not used and then quickly wiped away.Finally, clothed partially in your own clothes and also in new furs and some more hairy than they had left, the party reaches Ice Mountain.  On the other side of it you can see the orc capital, a surprisingly large sprall of badly constructed buildings and huts.  By the size of the settlement, you guess that there are over fifty thousand orcs in that one location alone, a number that astonishes since it is larger than the Dorinthian capital during that cities hayday.Climbing an old mountain trail shown on the map, the party begins to slowly ascend Ice Mountain.  It takes all day to get to the shown location, and at night you reach it; a flat wall with two rocky spires flanking the surface.  In the dim twighlight and torchlights you don't see anyway in, which is strange since the map indicates that this is where you want to be.  Also, the temperature is dipping uncomfortably, the horses are neighing with tired protests, and you can feel the exhaustion in your body as the night grows darker and you become aware that you have yet to set up camp.</blockquote>

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