Welcome to the Everlasting Night

The sun hasn’t risen over Icewind Dale in two years. Many believe that the goddess of winter’s wrath -- Auril, the Frostmaiden -- is weaving a spell to lengthen winter and increase the suffering of Ten Towns. No one knows exactly why, but the people of Icewind Dale are hoping for heroes to step up and save them from the everlasting night.

On behalf of Sheriff Markham Southwell of Bryn Shander, bounty hunter Hiln Trollbane has hired a group of adventurers: Anatol, a human paladin of Amaunator; Harvan Stonebridge, a halfling cleric of Yondalla; Ligs, a dwarf fighter from the Dwarven Valley; Ratimir, a human bard; Ziff, a kobold rogue; Glim Peppadimmie, a gnome druid; and Lain Sorenstarr, a drow ranger. What began as a search for a serial killer has become a struggle for the survival of Icewind Dale, and perhaps the world itself.

Map of Icewind Dale Map of Icewind Dale - West Map of the Sword Coast (5e) Expanded Map of Faerûn (3e) Harptos Calendar

Session Recap Menu

Session 26: All My Wealth is Tied Up in Sex Daggers

July 23, 2022

A Moment of Reverence

The streets of Lonelywood were radically changed from the night before. The look of abandonment had given way to activity as the townpeople looked to the sky in hopes of catching another glimpse of daylight. Nimsy Huddle reminded the party that a wagon was ready for them to haul their wood back to Bryn Shander when they were ready.

As the adventurers turned to go, the crowd parted reverently and cast hopeful eyes on "The Dawnbringers."

Back at the Ramshackle Inn, townsfolk had left a pile of offerings consisting of dried fish, clothing, some homebrew liquor, and other small gifts. Two carpenters, Stewart and Fen, arrived and offered to make some repairs to the Ramshackle. Soon after, the wood was loaded into the wagon, the axe beaks hitched up, and the party was off to Termalaine.

Anatol and Ligs took turns with the reins as Glik, Ziff, and Harvan sat in the back and looked up at the full moon shining brightly over the dale.

No One Will Step On Us Now

The wagon pulled up to the Termalaine Mine entrance to let Glik reunite with his brood. Sensing that he was uneasy about presenting himself after his tranformative encounter with the Manifold Mirror, Ligs and Anatol tied the axe beaks up and the party ventured into the mine once more.

Despite having been warned by Ratimir about Glik's new appearance, Moss tore into Glik, yelling at him in Draconic (which was quickly translated by Ziff to everyone else):

“Did you stop to consider the long-term ramifications of this? Did you think about what this could affect the brood?” Moss

“Everything I do I do for the brood. Everyone steps on us! They treat us like muck to be scraped off their shoes. But no one will step on us now.” Glik

“The very next mirror you see, before you touch it you ask me or Neve first!” Moss

The Doorknob

Ziff, Harvan, Anatol, and Ligs drove the wagon to Sune's Comfort for an evening's rest. Ratimir and Graendel were already there soaking in the hottubs. Sanhar silently stood watch on the veranda while inside, Ziff experimented with the mysterious doorknob Ratimir and and Graendel retrieved from the room embedded in the bottom of the Termalaine mine.

Using his art supplies, Ziff drew the outline of a doorway on the wall and placed the doorknob inside. The knob attached itself to the wall with an audible "click". He turned the knob and the the edges of a door appeared on the drawn lines, swinging open in the kobold's hand. Inside was a 10 foot by 10 foot room, lined with wooden shelves and drawers. Immediately in front was a tea kettle, cups, and a selection of Ziff's favorite teas. To his left, a rack for potions and vials. Below, a set of drawers that contained multiple sets of Thieves' Tools. Each of the group opened the door in turn and found a room customized to their particular needs. Ratimir stashed some of his more decorative gear in his space, such as the Betrayal of Kresselack daggers.

Puzzling over the keyhole in the center of the knob, Ziff plunged his hand into the Bag of Holding and focused on grabbing a key. When he withdrew his hand, in it was a fine key made of obsidian. He placed the key into the knob and turned it. Once again the door opened, but this time the room beyond was dark. After his darkvision adjusted, Ziff saw that it was the mysterious room in the Termalaine Mine.

With that discovery under their belts, the party turned in for a long rest.

Old Aquaintances

Graendel left for Targos early the next morning, eager to delve into his library to research what he'd seen in the mine. Before he left, he gave the party two of a set of three Sending Stones.

After breakfast, Ratimir led the party back to the Schamedar Quarter of town to visit two residents they'd met at the kobolds' hearing at town hall: Sarshax Nordvaalen and Ka'el Balefrost. Ratimir wanted to find out what they knew about Auril and her recent history in the Dale. Neither had much to offer, save for a couple of facts:

Auril was a associated with a group known collectively as the Deities of Fury. Other gods in this pantheon are Talos the god of storms, Umberlee the god of the sea, and Malar the beastlord. Auril fell out with them for unknown reasons.
She is unique among the gods because she chooses to inhabit the Prime Material plane, specifically Icewind Dale.

Before leaving, Sarchax tells Ratimir that for old lore he should visit an old bard named Yinric Devant in Easthaven.

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Session 27: Maces I'd Like to Find

July 30, 2022

At the Limit

On the way out of Termalaine, Sanhar collapsed and fell from his Axe Beak. Ziff carried the mummy back toward town and he regained consciousness. The party theorized that perhaps the two mummies they encountered in the Lonelywood had wandered outside the range of some sort of magic emitted by the barrow that kept them alive. They resolved to return to the forest, find the mummies, and return them to the barrow.

Eager to conduct research in Graendel’s library, Ratimir departed for Targos. Anatol took the wagon of wood and departed for Bryn Shander.

Harvan, Ligs, Ziff, Moss, and Sanhar returned to the Lonelywood and spent a few hours scouring the forest for their previous paths. With Moss’ tracking assistance, they located both mummies, constructed a litter to carry them, and followed Sanhar back to the barrow.

Along the way, one of the mummies – Moldilnen – regained consciousness. The other mummy, Atabar, showed signs of considerable damage and did not re-awaken. Molldilnen revealed that she lost her mace after being attacked by the Wendigo in a ravine closeby. Moss tracked the path left by the Wendigo weeks ago and followed them to the site of the attack. There was something about the place that seemed off to the kobold ranger, and he warned the party that he, "didn't like it."

Once back at the barrow, Sanhar activated the moon dial and the party remembered the Glyphs of Warding left by Ratimir in case Ravisin returned to the barrow. Ligs manually triggered the one at the doorway while Harvan dispelled the second. Once inside, the party placed Molldilnen and Atabar in their sarcophagi.

Information Gathering

Before bedding down for the night, Sanhar activated the Manifold Mirror for the party so that they could scry.

They saw Ravisin working on spells in a dilapidated house near the giant oak tree in the Spine mountains.
They saw her sister Vernis in a prison cell somewhere in Caer-Dineval.
When they asked about Skath, all they received was darkness.

The next morning, before they set out to the ravine, Sanhar activated the moon dial once again for the party to scry.

Remorhaz

They saw Molldilnen's mace underneath a layer of ice at the head of the ravine.
The magical music pipes Ratimir discovered in his research -- the Solensäng -- was located in a deep, guarded vault somewhere in the Jotunlands, home of the Frost Giants.
Harvan’s father was bedridden and being attended by Harvan's brother Merser.

An Unforeseen End

They set out for the ravine, melted the mace from the ice and were attacked by a Remorhaz. During the battle, Harvan was seized and swallowed by the creature. Despite a desperate attempt to heal Harvan inside the gullet of the Remorhaz, the halfling cleric died.

Sanhar cast Longstrider on himself and took Harvan’s body back to the barrow, placing it within his own sarcophagus. In the morning, nothing had changed. The restorative properties of the sarcophagus apparently only worked on the undead.

Editor's Note: I've summarized the information Ratimir gleaned from an evening's research in Graendel's library in Targos, including a late night visit from his new patron.

The Story of Angajuk, the Awakened Whale

Graendel provides a book of local lore for Ratimir that explains the story of Angajuk and provides a location for Angajuk's Bell.

Swimming in the frigid waters is the legendary Angajuk, an old awakened sperm whale with a boat on its back. Most sperm whales live to be seventy years old, but Angajuk has been plying the waters of the Sea of Moving Ice for two hundred years.

Angajuk is famous among Ten-Towners. Most people leave it alone, knowing that the whale is the beneficiary of powerful magic, but uncaring hunters see the whale as a source of ambergris, which is a valuable commodity.

Angajuk was once the companion of a druid named Anga a friend of the legendary archdruid Arundel, who cast an awaken spell on Angajuk to give the whale sentience and intelligence. Not much is known about Anga, but those who befriend Angajuk can learn about its beloved companion.

Auril and the Netherese

Graendel had no information connecting Auril to the Netherese, but during a late-night visit from Olidammara the deity hinted to Ratimir that there's something from the Netherese that "she can't figure out".

Frost Giants and Music

Graendel provided Ratimir a Compendium of Frost Giants, telling him to start with the story of Ottar and the Solensäng.

The Solensäng is a magical set of musical pipes that can be traced back to Ottar, one of the mortal children of Annam All-Father and Othea, creators of the Frost Giants.

Annam gave Ottar the Solensäng to defend the lands of the north against many threats, including the sea god Ulutiu. Ottar's mother Othea forbid Ottar from using the solensäng to deliver a decisive defeat to Ulutiu, so Lanaxis, Ottar's older brother, schemed to murder Othea by poisoning the waters of the Well of Health, the family's ancestral spring. In the process, Lanaxis accidentally poisoned Ottar as well and the solensäng passed into his care. Lanaxis exhibited no prowess with the pipes and so acted as their caretaker until one of his offspring were old enough to wield them.

Eventually, the Solensäng passed to the frost giant queen Vassavicken, who was often depicted holding it while sitting on her throne of ice. She possessed great skill with the Solensäng and led her people to prosperity under her reign. Upon her death, the instrument would have passed to her son, the half-giant Kresselack, had he not been betrayed and killed by his lover, the druid Lysan. Instead, Vassavicken's daughter, the full frost giant Geluvicken, was to receive the pipes, but they were stolen and hidden away before she could take possession.

Graendel told Ratimir that the Frost Giants live in the Jotunlands high in the glaciers of the Spine of the World Mountains.

Sheet of Music From the Elven Barrow

Graendel was mistaken: the symbol on that slip of music found in the sarcophagus at the elven tomb does *not* depict Eilistraee, the Dark Maiden of the drow. When Ratimir woke in the morning, he found Graendel in his library pouring over tomes of elven deities.

“Ah, Ratimir! My apologies, I was incorrect about that symbol on the music you found. That symbol is actually associated with Corellon Larethian, the elvish god of Magic, Music, Arts, Crafts, Poetry, and Warfare. Long ago, when Sanhar’s people lived on Toril, she was often depicted with the crescent moon. In modern times, she is more readily associated with a silver star.”

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Session 28: Secrets and Negotiations

August 20, 2022

Siege of the Barrow

At the Elven Barrow in Lonelywood, four Ice Golems and one Rime Hulk fell out of the sky and landed in a surrounding formation. Sanhar decided that it was time to "take the barrow off the Prime Material Plane for the time being" and encouraged Ziff, Ligs, and Moss to use the Netherese Doorknob to escape to Termalaine.

The three adventurers carried Harvan's body through the arcane doorway and spilled sideways into the bottom of the mysterious room at the foot of the Termalaine mine. Through the doorway, they could hear the frozen minions forcing their way inside the barrow. Then, the doorway was filled with light as the barrow disappeared and they heard a feminine voice scream in anger as the arcane portal slammed shut and sent the doorknob bouncing around the room.

There's No Backup

Ratimir met Anatol at the House of the Morninglord in Bryn Shander. The bard appealled to Mishann for resources to research and guard the barrow, telling her that the Manifold Mirror is too powerful to be left untended.

With a look of regret and desperation, Mishann explained to him that there were no additional resources to tap. All the strength they had was already spread thin tending to the people of Ten Towns.

As Mishann spoke, Copper Knobberkocker returned from his errands and listened to Anatol relate the account of Macreadus and the Summer Star. The story drove him to tears and he thanked Anatol for returning his friend's body.

Mishann detailed to Ratimir and Anatol her research on severing Sephek’s connection with Auril.

"I would first need to cast the Hallow spell on the location where we would perform the sundering. That would require a full day. Then, I would need at least an hour to cast the Atonement spell on Kaltro. If he is truly contrite, then the connection between he and Auril would be broken. I don't know what to expect if we do this. She will certainly be aware of this effort and may attempt to stop us."

"And there's another issue. There are certain elements here that I would rather not raise to her attention, so...we would need to find another location to perform this ritual." Dawnbringer Mishann

At this, Copper injected, saying, "Mishann, maybe it's time we took them to the Garden."

Three Children Sprang from Kuldahar

Copper led Ratimir and Anatol down to the undercroft, where they had inspected their first murder victim a ten-day ago. From there, they descended a winding set of stairs until they entered an enormous natural cavern over 320 feet across at its longest reach, 110 feet wide, and 80 feet high. In the middle of this space was a magnificent tree, radianting light and heat. Underneath the tree were cultivated rows of plants: wheat, barley, vegetables. Across the cavern walls were catwalks, ladders, and hanging gardens. Every inch of usuable space within the cavern was being used to grow food.

Tending the gardens were a score of gnomes pruning plants, maintaining the mechanisms that managed irrigation and harvesting, and processing produce for delivery.

Copper's tone changed to one of pride as he explained.

"So, this is the garden. There used to be an oak tree called Kuldahar in the foothills of the Spine that was said to predate people on this world, that it was planted by Silvanus himself. It radiated sunlight and heat, providing an oasis of spring in this cold land. A town sprung up around it and druids of the Old Faith took up residence to protect the tree and foster crops underneath its branches."

"Then, after Auril chose the Dale as her home in this plane of existence a three centuries ago, she lay siege to the tree, calling it an insult to her authority. And so, the tree eventually went dark. But before it did, a druid named Arundel harvested three acorns and entrusted two of them to druids of his order. The last he brought here and planted in this cavern to keep the spirit of Kuldahar alive and protected from Auril's power."

"The gnomes of my clan have kept it and the crops it feeds watered and fertilized for generations. Without it's light, the people of the Dale would have starved."
Copper Knobberknocker

At the foot of the oak tree was a stone monument with the following poem, written in Druidic, carved into it. Ratimir cast Comprehend Languages and read the passage to the group.

Three children sprang from Kuldahar, Everlight of the Old Father
Whose light and warmth fostered the Dale forsaken by Ilmater
One to Arundel the Watchful, to light the darkest depths
A second with Tolben the Strider, to the frigid tundra steppes
The third with Lysan the Shepherd, to the vertiginous Spine
A triad of light to vanquish the frost and prevail when combined

Underneath the poem appeared the same acorn motif that adorned the rear of the scrimshaw art Anatol had examined back in Lonelywood.

In the garden, Ratimir and Anatol met Gullivan "Gully" Pilwicken, one of Copper's colleagues. Gully agreed to accompany the party in their efforts to bring Harvan back from the dead.

An Inexorable Part of Life

Anatol, Ratimir, and Gully paid a visit to the Temple of Yondala in the western side of Bryn Shander. There they met priestess Hajen Tossgrove and told her the story of Harvan's demise. She expressed surprise at their interest in resurrecting him.

"You want to bring him back? Such a thing hasn't been done for some time. You see, Yondala is the goddess of halfling life, and an inexorable part of life is death. Many of our order are trained in bringing someone back who has just died -- we view that as correcting a momentary mistake and fostering the fragility of life. But someone who has been dead for a longer time, well that's seen as the will of Yondala.

"Still, exceptions have been made in the past for those Yondala feels warrant special attention. I haven't lain eyes on the spell in years, but I recall there's a hefty price to be paid: we would require a flawless diamond of substantial size. Acquiring such a gem would be a feat, unless you're on extremely good terms with the Battlehammers."
Lifewarden Hajen Tossgrove

Tossgrove agreed to prepare Harvan's body and research the ritual while the party ventured north to the Dwarven Valley to seek a diamond from the Battlehammer Dwarves.

If You Change Your Mind, I'll Be First In Line

The next stop was the Northlook Tavern, where they planned to meet Ligs, Ziff, and Glik once they'd arrived from Termalaine. Inside they found Sven the Bard entertaining the crowd. Spying a group of Battlehammer dwarves in the crowd, Ratimir launched a plan to butter them up. He proposed a dual oratory performance of a traditional dwarven ballad with Sven.

After the ballad, they approached the dwarves and told them of their plan for Harvan. Having already gained the respect of the Battlehammers, the dwarves agreed to help, however there was one problem: duergar had recently taken over the mine for gem production. The dwarves planned to depart for the valley in the morning, and they promised to take the party to meet with their Dain and discuss the issue.

Ithlis and Soldondremn

Once tucked in for a long rest in his attic apartment over Sugarberry's, Ziff felt the Crystal Dragon Staff call to him in his sleep. He awoke, grasped the staff, and was once again mentally connected to the dark landscape he visited before. There, he encountered Ithlis, the kobold mage that was searching for him. As they spoke, the blue dragon Soldondremn emerged from the shadows behind Ithlis with a large chardalyn gem embedded in its chest.

Duergar Outpost

Clan Battlehammer

After an uneventful trip across the tundra on their axe beaks, the party arrived at the Dwarven Valley. They met Dain Stokely Silverstream who told them of the duergar threat they faced.

"Two ten-day ago, the duergar took over that outpost. I don't know why they want that gem mine, but according to our scouts they've been digging around the clock for something. There's about a dozen of them, and they look most unusual: many of them look identical."

Silverstream provided the party with a map of the outpost and marked the location of the secret passage. The passage -- a series of hand-hewn tunnels that connect natural ancient lava tubes -- departed from the north end of the Dwarven Valley and wound underground for just over two miles. It hadn't been used in years and it's condition was unknown.

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Session 29: No Country for Old Duergar

August 27, 2022

A Gnawing Hunger

With a sketch of a plan in place, the party visits Blaine Dekryl’s armor and weapons shop and Ratimir, with the help of Ligs, acquires a pair of Gloves of Missile Snaring on credit. Afterward, Ligs invited everyone back to his place for a night's rest. The party learns many things about Ligs, including his extensive literature collection and that his elvish name in his previous life was Ahnvae Daoin ("Night Star" in common).

When Ziff awoke the next morning, he was overcome by an intense, gnawing hunger. Unable to control himself, he barged into Anatol's bedroom and bit the sleeping paladin. Anatol deftly used his shield to push the crazed kobold out of this room and shut the door. Ziff was able to shake the feeling and returned to his normal self soon after. The party discussed the event and compared Ziff's frenzy with the curse placed on Glik by one of the Wendigos back at the Elven Barrow, then decided to store the chardalyn obtained from the bodies of the wendigos inside a closet of the Dimensional Doorknob.

Artificial Foes

The party departed for the outpost via the secret passage while dwarf scout Kartha Farzaash lead a team of four dwarves across the tundra to the outpost entrance to standby as backup. After circumventing the obstacles inherit with an unstable and unmaintained tunnel system, the party arrived at the secret door leading to the interior of the outpost.

Ratimir cast Detect Thoughts to scan for any inhabitants in the rooms they were about to enter. He detected one sleeping duergar. Ligs opened the secret door and Ziff, as he silently stepped into the room, noticed a warm pulse from his bracers as he turned invisible. He entered the room with the single sleeping duergar and masterfully killed him with one fell plunge of his dagger.

After clearing the officer’s barracks of any other inhabitants, the party moved to the east into the densely-clustered barracks for miners and guards. Inside one of the rooms they found an inoperable crystal and metal automaton leaning against the wall. In another, only a pair of metal legs with no upper body.

As Gully dissected the whole but inoperable automaton, a functional one entered the room and the party quickly hid in individual rooms. The automaton opened the door to Ratimir’s hiding spot and was immediately attacked by Ligs and Glik. Before long, the crystal and metal construct was finished off by Ratimir’s Vicious Mockery and its body hidden in one of the rooms.

Duergar Outpost Battle Map

A Broad Conspiracy

Proceeding northeast, the party passed the outpost entryway with two double doors on the other side of a drawbridge spanning a 30 foot pit. Ratimir cast an explosive Glyph of Warding on the door to the far east leading to the lookouts of the outpost.

Ziff, Ligs, and Anatol made their way into the foreman’s office and found a note as well as 6 pieces of dark chardalyn on a desk. The note read:

Brother,
You will find me on the frozen ferry in Easthaven. From this new base, the search for chardalyn continues. Long may our father reign over this dark land! Durth

Hearing heavy, metallic footsteps advancing from the mine entrance, the party concealed themselves. Inside the office with Ligs and Anatol, Ziff turned invisible again. Two duergar and an automaton appeared from the mineshaft and strode to the foreman’s office. The one in charge flung open the door, and seeing Ligs and Anatol inside exclaimed, “Who the hell are you?!” just as Ziff lunged and stabbed him in the throat.

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Session 30: Doors and Corners

September 3rd, 2022

Nildar Sunblight

After blocking Anatol’s attack with his Mind Shield, the duergar in charge -- Nildar Sunblight -- alerted the other duergar, turned invisible and fled. Ligs’ Seeking Arrow quickly found and killed him.

Ratimir’s Glyph of Warding exploded as two duergar responded to the alert and emerged from the lookouts. Ratimir and Glik rapidly finished the two off as Gully 2 traded blows with a third.

Gully, having previously inspected one of the automatons in the barracks for possible weaknesses, cast Heat Metal on the legs of the one attacking Ligs, Anatol, and Ziff. Ligs aimed for the weakened leg and quickly hammered the left leg off of it. Once hobbled and on the ground, Ligs and Anatol finished it off. The party spiked the door leading to the mine, hoping to prevent any surprise visitors from there.

Ratimir received word from Kartha via the Sending Stone that another group of duergar were approaching the outpost from the ravine outside. Ligs took up position in the pillbox lookout to monitor their approach. Ratimir instructed Kartha to wait to attack until the duergar were at the door to the outpost.

The Blizzard Tyrant, Returned

While sitting watch in the lookout, a sound passing overhead caught Ligs' attention. The beat of enormous wings thumped across the sky as the source of the sound made its way south past the Cairn, then turned west. It caused the hairs to stand up on the back of the dwarf's neck, as it was a sound he was very familiar with.

Somehow, the ancient white dragon Ingeloakastimizilian, the Blizzard Tyrant — known to many as Icingdeath — soared above Icewind Dale once again.

Nice of You to Drop In

Ziff cast Disguise Self to change his appearance to that of a duergar. Ratimir manned the lever controlling the entryway drawbridge while Anatol, Ligs, and Glik hid inside the entrance and waited in ambush.

The approaching duergar opened the outpost doors and stepped inside onto the drawbridge. Ratimir activated the lever from the lookout post and the duergar dropped into the 30 foot deep pit.

The party quickly learned that the captured duergar were on a supply run: their packs were laden with food and supplies. Certain they were holding back more information, Ratimir cast Detect Thoughts to probe their minds. He learned that they worked for Xardorok Sunblight and his two sons Durth and Nildar. Nildar's job was to extract chardalyn from this mine near Kelvin's Cairn and transport it to Durth's hideout at the frozen Easthaven Ferry dock. From there, Durth delivered it to a location in the Spine of the World mountains.

After tying up the captured duergar, the party considered how to proceed into the mines below, where a duergar artificier -- the master of the automatons they had encountered -- awaited them.

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Session 31: Let’s Take it to “Danger”

September 17th, 2022

The Descent

The party gave Nildar Sunblight’s office a thorough investigation and found a lantern that slowly changed the color of light it emitted underneath a cloth on the desk. Inside the desk they found some gold and some broken glass pieces.

A complete investigation of Nildar’s body uncovered a key, three potions of healing (two regular, one greater), and shining splint mail with the image of a face engraved on the breastplate. The face changed into a skull depending upon the angle of view.

While this was going on, Ligs was spending time with the hammers recovered from Nildar. As he inspected them, he felt it was truly time to let go of the last remnants of his elvish self. And so, leaning into the training he’d taken with Dain Silverstream, he left the Arcane Archer behind and embraced his new discipline as a Battlemaster.

Ziff once again turned invisible thanks to his stealth skills coupled with the Moonflower Bow and Bracers, then descended into the mine. As he dropped, the passage became warmer and damper. After several hundred feet, he came to a chamber where a system of bronze and steel half-pipes contained a raging torrent of water that flowed in from a tunnel and a waterfall from above. The pipes conducted the water into a round receptacle from which three half pipes departed and flowed into three mine tunnels.

Water flowing through the mine system could be temporarily diverted to one of the mines, leaving the other two free of water and traversable.

Straddling the aqueduct was a 25ft gantry with a ladder that climbed to it. Near the gantry, a water wheel spun furiously, its transmission linked to a system of gears, pulleys, and rods below the gantry and to a mechanical node in the center of the round water receptacle. From here, more rods and wormgears attached to louvers that seemed to be capable of selectively closing off the flow of water to the three mines. Having seen this, Ziff returned to the surface and retrieved the rest of the party.

Wet Work

Ratimir, Anatol, Gully, Gully 2, Ligs, Glik, Ziff, and Gary* returned from the outpost above to the water distribution chamber. Gully, after examining the mechanisms and control panel, formulated a method for its operation.

The control panel featured a central wheel, above which was a horizontal gauge with a sliding indicator. This gauge was marked with four discrete positions labeled in dwarvish “Lotun,” “Hadaz,” “Izril,” and “Tiwaz”. Ligs translated these to “Garnet,” “Diamond,” “Agate,” and “Rest.” To the right of of the wheel was a vertical gauge labeled, from bottom to top, with “Dal,” “Khatul,” and "Uzkhul.” Ligs translated these to “Good,” “Danger,” and “Destroy.”

Meanwhile, Ziff sent Gary* on reconnaissance flights into the three mines. Due to the twisting passages and wild water cascading through, Gary* could only two of the mines: The Hadaz and Izril mines. Inside Hadaz – the diamond mine – Gary* found an almost spherical mine chamber. Near the entrance of the chamber there was a short catwalk riding on pontoons and attached to a pair of vertical rails reaching close to the ceiling. Attached to the catwalk with steel cables were a pair of pontoon boats, each with a winch in the bow to reel in the steel cable and a rudder at the rear.

Inside Hadaz – the diamond mine – Gary* found an almost spherical mine chamber. Near the entrance of the chamber there was a short catwalk riding on pontoons and attached to a pair of vertical rails reaching close to the ceiling. Attached to the catwalk with steel cables were a pair of pontoon boats, each with a winch in the bow to reel in the steel cable and a rudder at the rear. Hadaz was empty of people but showed signs of significant work in the walls. The richest diamond deposits appeared to be closer to the ceiling of the chamber.

Gary* wheeled over to Izril where he found an elongated mine with a longer history of work. A similar catwalk and boat installation waited at the entrance, but one of the boats was paid out along its steel cable to one of the large stalagmite islands extending from the streambed below. Near the boat was an armored duergar supervising four automatons that were working at extracting minerals from the chamber walls.

After two flushes of the Izril mine, no duergar automatons appeared to remain.

With this information, the party decided to try and flush the duergar and his automatons out by diverting all the water to Izril. The party activated the water control system and monitored the safety gauge, letting the water flow until the system began to shake. After shifting the machine back to “Rest” and equally distributing the water between the three mines, Ziff sent Gary* to determine the results. The owl familiar found two remaining automatons pulling themselves out of the mud and the armored duergar angrily reeling himself in on the boat.

The party diverted the water to Izril, this time deactivating it before the water strained the system. Once the water had cleared, Gary* found the mine empty of duergar and automatons, but he did notice a ten-foot wide, perfectly round bore hole intersecting the water exit channel at the other end of the mine.

Mason's Tools Used For Mining? Unthinkable.

Ligs, Ziff, and Ratimir cautiously descended into Hadaz after diverting the water away. They boarded a boat while Anatol, Gully, Ligs, and Glik directed the water into the mine. The boat rose toward the mine ceiling where Ligs extracted two 500-600GP diamonds, more than enough to complete the spell needed to bring back Harvan from the dead.

After the water receded and the trio had reeled their boat to the catwalk, a borehole opened in the mind floor and a swirl of water from the streambed dropped into it. A spray of water then erupted from the hole as an enormous Purple Worm carrying the armored duergar shot forth into the chamber.

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Session 32: Tumescent Horrors

September 24th, 2022

This Interruption Will Not Be Tolerated

Ziff immediately sent Gary up the mine tunnel to warn the others of the danger they faced. Back at the gantry, Anatol, Gully, and Glik were monitoring the flow of water when they noticed a long coil of rope on the gantry floor that none of them had marked before. Anatol descended the gantry and tied the rope securely to a strut near the entrance to the diamond mine and let the water carry it down.

Purple Worm

Below, Ligs bolted from the catwalk and through the water flowing from the tunnel to draw the attention of the duergar and the purple worm it rode. As he passed the tunnel, he called up to his friends above, hoping his voice would travel faster than Ziff’s owl familiar. Anatol heard the call as he tied the rope and jumped into the torrent of water after passing along the message.

Ligs landed a pair of arrows in the duergar riding the worm. Ziff followed with a pair of crossbow bolts. The duergar pulled the arrows from its body, exclaiming, “This interruption will not be tolerated! We are already behind schedule and I was assured there would be no further interruptions!” The duergar fired two bolts of lightning from a gem embedded in the breastplate of his armor at Ligs.

As the worm drew closer, Ratimir attempted to confuse the duergar by calling out in broken dwarvish, “Xardarok Tiwaz!” This seemed to make the duergar pause, but was followed soon after by attacks from Ziff and Ligs. The wounded duergar went invisible, though still appeared to remain astride the worm.

The purple worm attacked Ligs with its teeth and poisonous tail stinger. After the attack, the shimmering light of a Faerie Fire spell from an unknown source engulfed the worm and duergar. With the spell revealing the exact location of the invisible duergar, the party quickly eliminated him. Ratimir cast Bane on the worm.

Anatol emerged from the mine tunnel and caught himself at the entrance. He attacked the worm and cast Hexblade’s Curse on it. Ligs climbed to the top of a precipice and jumped into the saddle on the worm’s back, striking it with his pair of hammers.

Glik arrived down the water chute, grew large, and grappled with the worm. Ratimir’s Bane saved the dragonborn from the worm’s poison stinger attack. With the worm firmly fixed in place, Anatol attacked the worm’s belly and killed it with a devastating critical hit combination of Hexblade’s Curse, Booming Blade, and Divine Smite.

Ziff sent Gary to explore the bore hole created by the worm. He found a network of boreholes that eventually opened up into an immense cavern far beneath them. Not being able to see the other side, Gary returned to the mine.

Ratimir retrieved the circlet from around the head of the duergar while Gully removed another riveted firmly into the carapace of the Purple Worm. Ratimir had attempted to don the duergar’s circlet while the worm was still alive and was met with searing pain in his head. After the worm was dead, he was able to put the circlet on without issue.

Another dull metal amulet was found around the artificer's neck, identical to the one the party recovered from Nildar Sunblight. Careful inspection revealed them to be Necklaces of Adaptation.

Anatol recovered a number of teeth from the purple worm, while large Glik pried off three large sections of the worm’s carapace. Gully gingerly removed the gem from the center of the duergar's armor, the largest piece of chardalyn the party had seen yet.

Using the rope they’d found above and that Anatol had secured, the party ascended the tunnel against the flow of water.

Tonight, We Celebrate

They returned to the Dwarven Valley with Kartha and her team of scouts guarding the pair of duergar prisoners. Once there, they informed Dain Silverstream of the duergar, the automatons, the purple worm, and the duergar presence in Easthaven.

With their work finished for the evening and a pair of enormous diamonds in hand, the Ligs threw a celebration in his quarters. Ratimir wrapped up the evening with a short speech about how far they’d come and finished with a mention of the new threat they may face soon: the return of Icingdeath. The dragon’s name chilled the mood, and so the bard ended with a toast.

“Tonight, we celebrate. Tomorrow, on to business.”

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Session 33: A Dangerous Line of Work

October 8th, 2022

Making Sense of It All

The party awoke the next morning in Ligs' Dwarven Valley home and spent some time making sense of everything they'd learned.

Thousands of years ago, the Moon and Star Elves inhabited Icewind Dale and discovered secrets about the nature of magic and the universe previously unknown. When the Star Elves departed the planet, they left Manifold Mirrors behind, guarded by undead Moon Elves, in case they ever needed to return.
The knowledge accumulated by these elves was left behind in a repository of knowledge known as the Nether Scrolls.
Soon after their departure, a magocratic civilization that came to be known as the Netherese discovered this knowledge and began to leverage it to rule the planet from their enormous, flying cities.
At some point in this civilization, a great calamity occurred and the cities of the Netherese Empire crashed to the planet surface. One of the city fragments ended up buried in the bottom of what would become the Termalaine Mine, having phased into the solid rock.
Three centuries ago Auril chose Icewind Dale as her home on the Prime Material Plane.
Auril was offended by the presence of the primordial tree Kuldahar in the Spine of the World mountains, so she laid siege to it to end the light and warmth it provided to the people of the Dale.
As the tree withered and died, the archdruid Arundel harvested three acorns from it. He kept one for himself and entrusted the others to the druids of his circle: Tolben the Strider and Lysan the Shepherd.
Arundel planted one of these acorns in the secret caverns deep beneath the location of Bryn Shander to keep it hidden from Auril.
Two centuries ago, the arcanist Damien Morienus began conducting macabre experiments on the people of Icewind Dale. The half-giant barbarian king Kresselack the Black Wolf, son of the Frost Giant Vassavicken and an unknown father, united the people of the Dale against Morienus and defeated the evil wizard.
Kresselack used his influence to forbid human sacrifice and encouraged development of a secular society.
Kresselack was betrayed by his lover, Lysan, at the bidding of Auril. Fearing that he could return from death to challenge her, the Frostmaiden cursed Kresselack and his army to everlasting undeath trapped in their mountain fortress in the Vale of Shadows.
The Frost Giant Queen Vassavicken died, and her magical artifact, a musical instrument named Solensäng disappeared. Her daughter Geluvicken, who would have inherited the instrument, was furious at its disappearance.
One hundred years ago, Wood Elf of the Silver Marches Ahnvae Daoin and the Companions of the Hall fought and killed the ancient white dragon Icingdeath in its lair Evermelt on the Reghed Glacier. After delivering the killing blow, Daoin was slain by Icingdeath’s death throes. He was soon reincarnated by an unknown druid in the body of a dwarf, Vanyali gyz Khazad, or Ligs.
Arcanist Akar Kessel used the sentient, evil magic artifact Creshinibon (“The Crystal Shard”) to construct Cryshal-Tirith (the “Crystal Tower”) near Easthaven and many satellite towers near other towns. The Companions of the Hall fought and defeated Kessel, destroying the towers in the process. The destruction of these towers released a massive amount of arcane energy into the ice of the tundra, creating rivulets of chardalyn in the Dale.
Two years ago, for reasons unknown, Auril began using her powers to prevent the sun from rising on Icewind Dale.
Several months ago, a pair of Frost Druid sisters – Ravisin and Vernis – passed through Bryn Shander, Targos, Termalaine, and Lonelywood demanding that those towns make sacrifices to Auril.
One month ago, Ligs and his companions were delivering a shipment of iron from the Dwarven Valley to Lonelywood when they were ambushed by a group of invisible duergar on the tundra. These duergar carried a shipment of agates bound for Ravisin in the Lonelywood Forest. The note accompanying the shipment said that the supply of agates was exhausted and she should experiment with other substitutes.
Hiln Trollbane put together a purpose-built team of adventurers to investigate a string of killings in Ten Towns seemingly related to humanoid sacrifice and Auril.
While in Targos, this team of deputies was followed by Capt. Akmus Skath of the Targos militia. Ratimir and Anatol captured Skath and slit his throat during his interrogation in their room at the Luskan Arms in Targos.
That night, the serial killer in concert with a group of Coldlight Walkers killed Targos Speaker Naerth Maxildanarr and the officers of the town militia. The body of Akmus Skath disappeared.
The deputies were ambushed by a pair of Ravisin’s awakened Winter Wolves on the road between Targos and Bryn Shander. The wolves were in possession of pouches of chardalyn crystals.
The party unraveled a criminal conspiracy being run by the Zhentarim via Naerth Maxildanarr in Ten Towns. They learned that another participant of this conspiracy was operating in Easthaven.
A group of Kobolds, on the run from their former master (the blue dragon Soldondremn) seized the Termalaine Mine for themselves. The deputies discovered that their leader Trex was under the influence of some sort of infectious, mind-controlling monstrosity.
Three of the Termalaine kobolds -- Moss, Neve, and Glik -- were trained into their specialties by three adventurers that they rescued from Drow in the underdark. These three rescued adventurers -- a Feywild elf ranger, a goblin rogue, and a golden dragonborn -- were on a mission seeking a draconic artifact that had been stolen from the vault of an powerful Waterdeep crime lord and brought to the Dale.
The deputies apprehended serial killer Sephek Kaltro and transported him to an anti-magic holding cell in Bryn Shander.
A pair of awakened white moose – corrupted into Wendigos via the use of dark chardalyn during their creation by Ravisin – terrorized the Lonelywood Forest around the vicinity of the Elven Barrow, location of the Manifold Mirror.
Searching the Lonelywood Forest for the wendigos, the party encountered Ravisin's flock of hive mind crows. The crows told the party, "There are worse things than everlasting night locked beneath the ice."
The deputies drove Ravisin, her wendigos, and her flock of crows from the Lonelywood Forest. She fled to the ancient site of Kuldahar in the Spine mountains.
The party learned that Ravisin had been using her awakened animals to search for and gather chardalyn fragments, which she sent to the duergar. In return, the duergar were sending her agates for use in the Awaken spell.
A note from a duergar delivery party found in Ravisin’s belongings stated that deliveries to the other druid in Kuldahar had been stopped because no delivery party has returned from there.
After experimenting with the Manifold Mirror, Ratimir gained a magical rapier and forged a relationship with an offworld god named Olidammara.
Ziff gained a magic wizard's staff and two books during his encounter with the mirror: the first, a spellbook from an alternative arcanist version of himself. The second, an indecipherable tome that was being sought after by an alternate dimension version of his nemesis Ithlis.
Macreadus, a gnome artificier and former companion of Copper Knobberknocker, accidentally killed himself experimenting with a weather control device called the Summer Star. The deputies, aided by the ghost of Macreadus, repaired the device and the sun briefly rose over Icewind Dale for the first time in two years.
While temporarily shunted into the Ethereal Plane after an accident with the Summer Star, Ligs reconnoitered Caer-Dineval and found a coffin filled with dirt in the basement of Akmus Skath and a number of undead Frost Giants patrolling the empty streets.
In her anger over the Summer Star, Auril retaliated against the deputies as they returned through the Lonelywood Forest from Macreadus' Black Cabin. Later, after rescusing a collapsed Sanhar and his undead moon elf companion, the party took refuge at the Elven Barrow. The deputies consulted the Manifold Mirror and found Skath alive in Caer-Dineval torturing a woman dressed in druid garb. Ratimir saw the Solensäng deep in a vault guarded by Frost Giants in the Spine Mountains.
In a late-night impromptu conversation with the god Olidammara, Ratimir learned that "Auril has something powerful that she can't quite figure out."
When Auril sent a number of minions to attack them, Sanhar, the undead guardian of the barrow, told the deputies to flee via the Netherese Doorknob back to Termalaine so that he could remove the Elven Barrow from this plane of existence and hide it from Auril.
Ziff learned that his old nemesis Ithlis had taken his former master -- the crystal dragon Saryndalaghlothtor -- prisoner and was now working with a chardalyn-enhanced Soldondremn, the blue dragon.
In an effort to resurrect their friend Harvan Stonebridge, the deputies (now known as the Dawnbringers because of their association with the Summer Star and the temporary sunrise) defeated Nildar Sunblight and his force of duergar in the Battlehammer's agate, diamond, and garnet mine near Kelvin’s Cairn. The duergar appeared to be using automatons to mine chardalyn from the mine.
Chardalyn from this mine was transported across the tundra to the abandoned Easthaven ferry dock. From there, Durth Sunblight took the chardalyn to his father Xardarok somewhere in the Spine Mountains.
While securing the agate mine from the duergar, Ligs recognized the familiar wing beat of Icingdeath in the sky above. Through means unknown, it seemed that the ancient white dragon had returned to life.

Feeling they had a better handle on the activities of Auril, her frost druids, the duergar they worked with, and the looming situations with Ithlis, Soldondremn, and the returned Icingdeath, the party resolved to leave for Bryn Shander. But first, Ziff, Ratimir, and Glik made a brief stop at Blaine Dekryl's armory to be measured for custom Purple Worm armor.

You're in a Dangerous Line of Work

Upon arriving in Bryn Shander, they noticed that the streets were more active than they'd seen in the past. They also noticed that everyone seemed to recognize them, and heard several whispered mentions of "The Dawnbringers".

The party gave Wandering Warden Hajen Tossgrove at the Temple of Yondalla one of the diamonds they recovered. She prepared and performed the hour-long Raise Dead ritual on Harvan. Just before he regained consciousness, he heard the voice of Zanth in his ear, saying, "You're in a dangerous line of work. I'll keep an eye out for you."

The Bone Machine

Sheriff Markham Southwell informed the party of the news from Easthaven. With Town Elder Luther Stonebridge absent and unable to keep Speaker Danneth Waylen straight, Children of Auril leader Teagan had pressed her advantage and taken de facto control of Easthaven. She had Speaker Waylen fire Captain Imdra Arlaggath from the town militia and replace her with one of Teagan's lieutenants. Markham asked the party to get to Easthaven and to do what they could.

They visited Blackiron Blades, where Garn and Ezra unveiled the fully renovated Bone Machine.

Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting

While Ligs participated in an organized pit fight at the Northlook Tavern, Ratimir and Ziff surveryed the audience for magic users and items. Ratimir spotted one human male with a magical aura over his face. Ziff picked his pocket and found some gold and a lottery coin from Easthaven bearing the number 150. Ratimir then cast Dispel Magic on the man and the illusion dropped, revealing him to be a red tiefling. The individual immediately raised his hood and made for the exit with Ziff close behind, but due to the unusual crowd inside the Northlook, the rogue lost sight of his quarry.

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Session 34: So, Plan B Then?

October 15th, 2022

Eastbound and Down

Anatol, Ziff, Harvan, Ratimir, Ligs, Moss, Neve, and Glik loaded up the Bone Machine and began the journey to Easthaven along the paved Eastway road. The travel was easy and comfortable with their heated, rolling fortress.

On the way, Ziff, Ratimir, and Anatol discussed their respective relationships with Auril, Kresselack, Amaunator, Olidammara, and Saryndalaghlothtor. Anatol expressed surprise that none of Ratimir’s or Ziff’s patrons had ever demanded they kill anyone.

The 150 lottery coin

They stashed the Bone Machine outside of town, hidden inside a copse of trees. Moss camouflaged the exterior and stayed behind with Ligs, Neve, and Glik while Anatol, Ratimir, Ziff, and Harvan made their way to the guard house near the entrance to town. Ziff cast Disguise Self to change his appearance to that of a halfling.

At the guard house, Ratimir and Anatol were required to register for the sacrifice lottery. Both provided fake names and received numbered coins. Ratimir received #277 using the name “Derzu Uzala” and Anatol #193 with “Steve of the Northlook”.

Ziff produced the coin stamped with the number "150" he had stolen from the magically disguised tiefling he’d encountered at the Bryn Shander fights. The guards retrieved the lottery registry ledger and asked for his name. Realizing he didn’t have the name associated with this coin, Ziff made a break for a dark alleyway and hid from the pursuing guards. As soon as he was safely hidden, he dropped his disguise.

The remaining guard turned on Harvan, but the cleric was able to successfully convince the guard that he wasn’t with Ziff. He provided a fake name and registered for the lottery with coin #233.

Dzaan at the original "Burning Man"

Burning Man

Ratimir and Anatol passed through the center of town where large crowd had gathered. A group of town guards were preparing a prisoner to be burned at the stake. Asking some bystanders about the spectacle, they learned that the condemned man was a wizard from Luskan named Dzaan. They learned that he had murdered a group of adventurers he’d hired.

Looking around the crowd, they noticed that every pair of town guards was accompanied by a blue-armored soldier with a snowflake tattoo on the left side of their face.

Leyton Falck was wearing a black metal snowflake ring on his right hand

Encounter with a Blade

Out on the streets, they were challenged by a pair of town guards and their snowflake-tattooed escort. Anatol recognized the escort as Leyton Falck, a bandit that he’d arrested a couple of years ago and was supposed to still be serving time in an Easthaven jail. Back then, Falck was missing his left arm that he’d lost to frostbite. But the Falck standing before him appeared to have both arms.

An elderly bard played to himself in the White Lady Inn lounge

The situation deteriorated quickly. Ratimir and Anatol traded blows with Falck who appeared to possess warlock powers similar to Anatol. Ratimir successfully persuaded the uneasy town guards to trust them while Anatol killed Falck. As his blood began pooling in the street, the left arm crumbled into bits of ice and snow.

The guards -- Stoori and Fohl -- led them to an abandoned house where they hid Falck’s body. The guards were glad to know that Southwell had sent help, but neither knew where Capt. Imdra Arlaggath had gone after her sudden dismissal by Speaker Danneth Waylen. Anatol found a black metal ring featuring a snowflake on Falck’s right hand.

Just Promise Me You Won’t Go Full Skath

They continued on to The Wet Trout Tavern where they found Scython, the tiefling owner of the Easthaven Ferry. They attempted a ruse to lure the tiefling away from his compatriots at the bar, but the inebriated ferry master didn’t go for it. Deciding he had no useful information to share, Ratimir and Anatol left the tavern.

Solo Reconnaissance

On the other end of town, Ziff changed his appearance yet again and reserved a room at the White Lady Inn. He met an elderly bard calmly playing his lute in the lounge area. Through the bay window in that lounge, Ziff looked out onto the abandoned Easthaven Ferry.

The Easthaven Ferry

Ziff turned invisible and explored the ferry. Proceeding carefully below the dock on the frozen surface of the lake, Ziff checked for guards or any sign of invisible duergar and found nothing. He climbed the rime-coated hull to the deck. The large ship had taken on a list as the lake ice pushed it against the docks. Two cargo holds stood open to the cold night air and dwarf-sized footprints littered the fresh snow on the deck.

Ziff continued aft to the captain’s quarters underneath the poop deck. There, he found the room in disarray, as if someone had left in a great hurry. A large wooden desk and table sat against opposite walls and whatever contents had not been taken were strewn about the floor. Among the detritus, Ziff found a map case and inside a map of Icewind Dale with several locations marked and labeled in Dwarvish. One clearly denoted the Lotengrung mine they had just cleared for the Battlehammers. The other marked a location deep in the Spine of the World Mountains.

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Session 35: How Far Does Magic Go?

October 22nd, 2022

We come from the land of the ice and snow
From the midnight sun where the hot springs flow
The hammer of the gods
Will drive our ships to new lands
To fight the horde, sing and cry
Valhalla, I am coming
-Unknown Bard of the FrozenFar

The Edge of the Blade

Ratimir used his newly discovered ability to disguise himself to appear as Leyton Falck, the recently slain Blade of Auril, and escorted Anatol (stripped of weapons and appearing in shackles) to the Easthaven Town Hall. He contacted Ziff with the Sending Stones before he set out, outlining their plan and asking him to meet them in the street outside the building. He told Ligs – who was still waiting outside town in the hidden Bone Machine with Moss, Neve, and Glik – to wait for his signal, then race into town causing as much commotion as they could muster.

Ziff turned invisible and left the White Lady Inn for the Town Hall by way of the waterfront. Few people were there save for a few drunks.

Soon after leaving the abandoned house where they had stashed Falck’s body, Ratimir and Anatol heard horns sounding in the center of town followed by harsh voices. The crowd that had been slowly disbursing in the streets after the execution of Dzaan quickened and soon a line of town guards with Blades advanced down the street.

“Attention! Curfew is in effect! Everyone proceed to your homes at once. Visitors to Easthaven go to your inns and boarding houses immediately. Anyone remaining on the streets will be arrested and held for questioning.”

Ratimir, in the guide of Leyton Falck, persuaded the Blade in charge that he was taking Anatol to the Town Hall. The Blade assigned a pair of town guards as escort and let them go.

Pause for Reflection

They met the invisible Ziff outside the Town Hall found the streets crawling with Blades and Coldwinds -- priestesses of Auril. They entered the side door, on the western wing where the guard post was located. Inside they secretly asked a sympathetic guard to get a message to former militia captain Imdra Arlaggath telling her that they needed her help. Then, to buy some time, they convinced a Blade that Anatol was too dangerous to see Teagan unprepared, so Anatol was deposited in a holding cell while the Blade fortified the entryway of the Town Hall with extra security.

Teagan, Isdrøm of Auril

The Ride of the Bone Machine

With the plan in motion, Ratimir blew his Horn of Silent Alarm to alert Ligs and the kobolds to charge into town with the Bone Machine. Moss leapt into action, removing the camoflage he'd carefully set, and Ligs launched the tusked war wagon down the Eastway, barreling hell-for-leather into the empty streets of Easthaven.

An Isdrøm Falls

The Blade returned to escort the disguised Ratimir and his prisoner Anatol to the entryway of the Easthaven Town Hall. The situation rapidly transformed into a desperate battle with Ziff, Ratimir, and Anatol fighting against five Blades, two Coldwinds, and one Isdrøm of Auril ― the halfing woman Teagan. Ten town guards stood by, unsure of what to do in the face of Auril's minions fighting The Dawnbringers. Ratimir clung to life as he thrashed the Blades that flanked him with the Rapier of Desperate Measures while Anatol traded blows with Isdrøm Teagan as his life force was siphoned by the two Coldwinds.

The tide of battle swiftly changed when the Bone Machine blasted into the street outside the Town Hall simultaneously with the arrival of Imdra Arlaggath and a detachment of her most trusted militia. They burst through the entryway doors, firing arrows and bolts at any Blade or priestess they could spot. The guards inside, upon seeing their former captain, turned their swords against Auril's forces. Isdrøm Teagan fell quickly and the two Coldwinds disappeared in a vortex of frost.

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Session 36: A More Radical Idea

October 29th, 2022

The Lay of the Land

After Harvan registered for the lottery under a fake name, he found himself alone on the streets of Easthaven. He spent the time making a loop around town to see what had changed. At the Stonebridge’s store, he ran into Wylden Fylden, the dwarf in charge of Shipping and Receiving. Wylden filled Harvan in on the condition of his parents – Luther and Rosalee – and sketched out what his brothers had been doing.

Campaign Almanac

Day 16 of the campaign, 9 days until the new moon.

Anatol, Ziff, Ratimir, and Ligs have defeated Isdrøm Teagan in Easthaven and the remaining Children of Auril are assumed to be fleeing town. Harvan, recently resurrected after a deadly encounter with a remorhaz in the Lonelywood Forest, has returned to his hometown after two years.

Leaving Stonebridge’s, Harvan made his way to the Town Hall where the battle with Teagan had just ended. In the street outside, Harvan saw one of the Coldwinds teleport to outside one of the windows of the main entrance. Harvan connected with a Guiding Bolt, but the Coldwind turned and encased Harvan in a solid block of ice before making her escape.

A Missed Opportunity

Inside, Imdra Arlaggath expressed anger and frustration over the execution of the wizard Dzaan.

ARLAGGATH: Corporal? What did you find? Was there anything left?

CORPORAL: No, sir. It was completely burned down to ash. Nothing left, I'm afraid.

ARLAGGATH: NOT EVEN A SKULL?! Gods damn it! We really could have used that information. Look (addressing the Dawnbringers), we're thankful that you're here and that Southwell is thinking of us, but your arrival sure as the Nine Hells came at a bad time. We were about to grab Dzaan before they led him to the pyre, but I received word that Mr. Stonebridge had arrived in town and we've been trying to make contact with you ever since. Does anyone know where he is, by the way?

Not only was Dzaan a member of the Arcane Brotherhood out of Luskan, but he's also Thayan. Being an associate of the Arcane Brotherhood would be enough to haul someone in for questioning, but a Red Wizard? Up Here? Something's afoot, no doubt. Teagan and her people didn’t want whatever he knows to get out to the public, so they fabricated some murder charges against him.”

But now, Dzaan's dead and his information dead with him. Perhaps if there had been a head or even a skull left, Mishann could have extracted some intelligence...

She switched the subject to the location of Isdrøm Davris Fain and the Coldwinds, saying that she would establish a perimeter around town to attempt to grab them before they escaped.

Ziff took the initiative and picked the lock on the safe in Speaker Waylen's office at the town hall. Inside, he found a letter from Luther Stonebridge to Waylen and a finely-crafted dagger.

Tonight, on a Very Special Episode of "The Stonebridge’s"

Harvan led his companions to his family’s home where they met Merser in the entryway, putting away his coat after closing the store for the night. Upstairs, Conret was sitting with Luther and Rosalee in their bed, both unresponsive. Conret described how his father's condition had worsened over the last year until two months ago he was rendered completely bedridden and Rosalee followed suit just two weeks ago. Conret was waiting for the arrival of the town healer, Aunt Serah, to check in and deliver a fresh batch of remedies. She arrived a short time later and examined both parents.

I have heard of diseases such as this affecting halflings of your parents' age, but I've never seen it myself until now. I've prescribed just about every treatment I have available, and I'll keep trying until something works.

However, with the return of your brother Harvan and his new friends, perhaps there's a more radical idea we could explore? When I was learning my trade, my mentor used to talk about a cave out past Caer-Bannog that was lined with beautiful crystal walls. Far into this cave and behind a waterfall, there's a natural spring whose waters are capable of curing any disease.

It's dangerous – no one living today has every returned from the cave. My mentor said scores of people used to make the journey, and she personally knew of two patients that ventured there in search of a cure. The one that returned experienced a full recovery but didn't remember anything of the journey beyond the mouth of the cave.

According to the legend, the magic of the waters is endemic to the cave, but I can provide you with a special jar that will preserve the magic until you return here. You need only dip the jar into the fountain and seal it while completely submerged.
Aunt Serah

Jomin Stonebridge

I Hope You Like Jomin, Too

After the healer had left (and Anatol, Ziff, and Ligs had exhausted their fascination with the Stonebridge's anti-flatulence wards in the house) Harvan's brother Jomin stumbled in from the tavern and shared a few rounds of shots with the party. Ligs produced the pouch full of brown powder he'd recovered from Teagan's body and asked Jomin if he knew what it was. Jomin tasted it and his eyes widened.

This is suude, man. It's intense stuff. Comes from high mountain fields out past the Anauroch Desert. Wizards and magic types can take this to give them a little boost, you know?

As the whiskey loosened things up a bit, Jomin asked Harvan why he'd left town.

Was it the lottery? You didn't need to leave because of that. Dad fixed it, just like he fixes everything. They took your coin – #150 – out of the pot and drew another one. After you left, Dad kept that coin with him all the time. We put it in his beside table when he got sick.

Harvan answered that it wasn't just the lottery: he'd soured on the ethics of running the family store and wanted to dedicate his life to a higher cause.

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Session 37: Into the Hills

November 5th, 2022

Campaign Almanac

Day 16-17 of the campaign, 8 days until the new moon.

The party awakened after a night's rest at the Stonebridge Mansion in Easthaven before setting off across the tundra to Caer-Bannog.

The Lottery Coin

Ziff, puzzled as to how Harvan's lottery coin came into the possession of the mysterious, magically-disguised red tiefling he'd pickpocketed in Bryn Shander, asked the Stonebridge brothers about the lottery procedure. What happened to coins that were drawn in the lottery? Why did Luther keep Harvan's coin? How did it leave the Stonebridge residence? Conret answered.

People are issued metal coins to keep on them as proof of registration. The town selects a number by pulling from a bag of wooden tokens stamped with the numbers. Lottery numbers are retired once they're pulled. Harvan's was drawn near the beginning and I think Speaker Waylen contacted Dad about it on the sly. I don't know what they discussed, but after that visit, Harvan's number was retired and another number was drawn. Of course, no one knows this but us and Waylen.

Across the Tundra to Caer-Bannog

The party awakened early the next morning to a halfling breakfast prepared by the Stonebridge's housemaid Marta. She told Harvan that Aunt Serah had left a package at the front gate with the special magic earthenware container for gathering water. Wih full stomachs, the party wasted no time setting out for Caer-Bannog.

20 minutes out of town, Moss and Ligs spotted a line of owlbears migrating southwest, perpendicular across their desired path. With the wind in their face and no worries about the owlbears catching their scent, Ligs diverted east to avoid them.

The rest of the journey passed uneventfully. Ligs parked the Bone Machine just outside the site of the old town and the party disembarked. Harvan immediately noticed sounds of biting and tearing coming from the direction of the crumbling watchtower. Ziff turned invisible and set out for a look with Gary up above for aerial reconnaissance. The owl familiar spotted a pair of dead yetis near the ruins with five ragged-looking humans eating and harvesting parts of the yetis for later consumption.

Ligs fired up his flaming warhammer, bathing the area in light. The ragged humans eating the yetis were alerted and began moving cautiously toward the Bone Machine. Glik, eager to backup Ziff, jogged forward and drew the attention of the ragged humans. The one in the lead said, “Well, looks like fresh meat! Hedrun may well reward us for this lot.”

The party handled the unknown attackers fairly quickly. At the beginning, Ratimir decided to sample the suude they’d recovered from Isdrøm Teagan and immediately passed out, face down in the snow. Once the threat had been neutralized, Ratimir regained consciousness and felt enervated with access to metamagic abilities, if only for a short time.

An Unexpected Path

Ratimir inspected the bodies of their attackers and determined that this group once belonged to a Reghed tribe known as the Tribe of the Bear. They wore little clothing and their skin had been ravaged by frostbite.

He located a silver ring on one of their fingersand removed it for closer inspection. Suddenly, everyone in the party – with the exception of Moss who was over 60 feet away – was teleported to a narrow mountain path that fell away to chasms on either side. The path lead to a cave opening rimmed with a crude wooden portico in the shape of a bear’s mouth.

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Session 38: Cave of the Berserkers

November 12th, 2022

Campaign Almanac

Day 17 of the campaign, 8 days until the new moon.

After defeating a group of frostbite-ridden berserkers at Caer-Bannog, Anatol, Ziff, Ratimir, Ligs, Harvan, and Glik were teleported to the entrance of a mysterious bear-themed cave high in the mountains.

Into the Gaping Maw

Ziff entered the cave and triggered an alarm tripwire, which summoned a white dragon wyrmling to investigate. Ratimir quickly disguised himself as one of the berserkers they had just killed in an effort to confuse the dragon. His ruse didn't last long, as the dragon smelled the rest of the party and attacked. The young dragon was strong, but ultimately not much of a threat to the Dawnbringers.

Inside, they discovered three jail cells. Inside two open cells were the remains of three large dragon egg shells. The third locked cell contained the unconscious body of Oyaminartok, the legendary werebear. A silver-tipped spear was lodged in her chest.

You are familiar with the legend of Oyaminartok, the Barbarian werebear. As the story goes, she roams the Frozenfar protecting travelers and the balance of nature. But the story is a children’s fable, designed to console kids wary of the wildlands, or so you thought.

Every once in a while a trapper or hunter will stumble into a tavern and swear they saw a humanoid polar bear carrying a fishing rod. But people chalk it up to drink, or just the fog that comes from dangerous encounters in the wilderness.

Harvan pulled the spear from her and she awoke. She explained to the party that she’d been tracking and fighting a band of duergar across the tundra. After killing three of them, the rest escaped, leaving her in a weakened state. She was then captured by a band of berserkers as a trophy for their master, Hedrun the Ice Witch. As she spoke, the party saw her wounds close and heal before them.

Oyaminartok, the Werebear

The Resurrection Flame

Oyaminartok and the party dove deeper into the cave complex, splitting themselves into two groups. Ratimir, Harvan, and Glik discovered a stone brazier that burned with bright blue flames. Periodically, the flames would take the shape of a woman.

Ziff, Ligs, Oya, and Anatol came upon a berserker butchering carcasses in one of the chambers. A fight ensued, but each time they killed the berserker, a flash of light would fly from the brazier through the tunnels and revive him. Ratimir cast Dispel Magic on the brazier, quenching the blue flames. After that, the berserker did not revive.

Ziff pressed deeper into the cave system and discovered a meat storage cavern where a pair of white dragon wyrmlings were sleeping in alcoves. He disengaged and dropped back after a failed sneak attack awoke the pair of dragons. He followed up with a chardalyn-tipped arrow which had the side effect of casting Investiture of Ice on him, providing protection from the wyrmlings’ cold breath weapons.

Hearing the conflict, the rest of the party made their way to the room and concentrated their attacks on the two dragon younglings, dropping them after a few rounds.

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Session 39: Goliath Women in the Mood

November 19th, 2022

Campaign Almanac

Day 18 of the campaign, 7 days until the new moon.

Anatol, Ziff, Ratimir, Ligs, Harvan, and Glik have defeated three white dragon wyrmlings in the Cave of the Berserkers. Oyaminartok made Ligs an attractive offer. After the party defeated a band of returning berserkers, they made the long journey back to Caer-Bannog.

The Bear and the Black Wolf

Oyaminartok eyed Anatol suspiciously and, looking at the sword he carried, asked him, "How did you come into possession of Kresselack's Vargensklinga?" Anatol insinuated that he'd been in contact with the trapped barbarian king.

Then you have done what I could not. I stood with The Black Wolf and Lysan during the fight with Morienus, and afterward I watched as they worked together to lead the Dale into a new age of prosperity. Now, Kresselack is regarded as a bogeyman, locked away in his mountain tomb and Lysan's name doesn't find the tongues of Dalefolk at all. Curious, isn't it? Oyaminartok

Exploring the remaining rooms of the cave, the party found a dozen sleeping pallets in one chamber and that the blue flame brazier Ratimir previously dispelled had reignited. Oyaminartok confirmed that the illusory woman appearing in the flames was Hedrun Arnsfirth, the Ice Witch. Oya related that Hedrun used to be the chosen of Auril, but at some point they'd fallen out with each other.

Ratimir asked Oya about the location of the Solensäng. She replied that its location has been a mystery ever since Kresselack was locked in the Vale of Shadows. She added that "Geluvicken was furious that it had been denied to her."

But Wait, There's More...

Ziff and Glik spotted five berserkers returning to the cave entrance from the stone path outside. The pair carefully climbed down filthy waste chute near the entrance to flank the berserkers while Ligs, fearing that the magical blue flames would resurrect the band of berserkers, worked feverishly to destroy the stone brazier. He extinguished its flame just as the berserkers stepped onto the cave portico.

Ratimir cast Shatter on the entrance portico, inflicting a respectable amount of damage to the berserkers and the wooden structure itself, though just short of enough to compromise its integrity. The party and Oya engaged the berserkers and whittled their numbers until only one remained. As he turned to flee, Ratimir used the Duergar Mind Control Circlet to temporarily control his mind.

After the battle, Oya offered the Gift of the Werebear to Ligs. He accepted and with a simple bite to his forearm, Oya conferred her lycanthropy to Ligs.

The returning berserkers carried the body of a dead duergar with them. The party searched the body and found him dressed in a similar fashion to those they encountered at the Lotungrung mine near Kelvin's Cairn. He was also carrying a pouch with a dozen dark chardalyn crystals.

Ratimir and Anatol discovered that the berserkers had been using weapons made of chardalayn, so they gathered a collection of their axes and flails and stored them in their Netherese Doorknob lockers.

Return to Caer-Bannog

The party descended from the cave and walked for about four hours downhill until they encountered Moss and the Bone Machine. The kobold tracked the footprints of the berserkers they’d fought at Caer-Bannog to find the party.

Reunited and in need of rest, the party returned to Caer-Bannog where they spent the night in the Bone Machine to recharge from their experience. Ligs and Oya spent the night in a snow shelter elsewhere near the crumbling remains of the old keep. Oya used the time to instruct Ligs in the new powers and responsibilities at his command.

In the morning, the party drove the Bone Machine southeast along a latent path into the hills. It wasn’t long before the path became too narrow for the wagon to proceed, so Moss and Glik volunteered to stay behind with the axe beaks and watch the party’s rear.

The canyon path wound through the hills, ending in a rock face with a simple cave opening. Ligs looked inside and saw a dusty cavern – no sign of ice or snow – and the tracks of many animals on the floor.

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