(Following: Unwelcome in Bryn Shander)
From the perspective of Agaric, Druid of the Circle of Spores, seeker of balance, Springwarden of the Emerald Enclave. Continuing the story from the prior journal entry as related by Aelar, picking up from departing Bryn Shander, heading northward.
Gnome and Elf's Excellent Adventure
I have to say, when I took upon myself the care for the frightened Sea Elf, I had a feeling twas soon to be a heap o' excitement! Fate did not disappoint!! For I found myself now bound to the Sea of Moving Ice, to a ship that sounded made-up by fey Aelar, mysterious and alive and whatnot - but indeed it proved a fine vessel for the job. A most dangerous job, too! But if these strange folk could so anger the White Inquisitor, then they be folk I would see free to stir up yet more of that anger, oh yessir!
Ya see, the elf lass that's taken this title o' White Inquisitor Inquisitor, yes, she be an Archdruid, sure, but she's up to no good - has ne'er been one to give any but her own a chance. And ye hear tales o' her collecting treasures - and bodies even - in ice, just like ya see Auril doin'. Preserving is not natural, it halts the cycle of life and death and decay and rebirth. So there is much work to do to stop this cold madness, and I've felt an omen-sign of these folks being a path to doin' just so.
But back to the most excellent adventure - best for the story I explain about the ship a bit later. We arrive by sea at the docks of the prison built by the cities in the warm south - and called Revel's End. This prison is to hundred feet up a sheer sea cliff by way of a cranky-job elevatin' platform. It's not a sneaky way to reach the place, but climbing the ropes as a rat, then tweakin' the brains of the guards a bit, we had secured our entry from the back door, I suspect they did not watch like the front.
Dungeon
One must admit, my rogue partner has impressive skill with stealth, with impersonatin' and with his lock-picking tools. The building was carved of the mountain base's stone itself - seamless and sturdy, but the doors still had locks and hinges and whatnot. Magical torches kept the place ever-lit, but still the light flickered and was dim enough for sneakery by the skilled and the rat-shaped.
Most of the light and attention was aimed at the cells of the prisoners. Some cells had one, many had two - all of our new friends were paired.
- The horned wizards together - the blue-skinned Dex with the purple-skinned Alyks Askaria.
- The elven weapon-masters - the dark-skinned Zaknalimar with the ashen Sudon.
- And last, worth a chuckle, that dastardly villain Vaelish Gant with (I kid you not) an iron bar-chewing beast of an Uthgardt, the barbarian tracker called Phantom.
To spring these folk, we would need a distraction, then a way to free them, then enough time to escape to the ship. Once there, we would be clear.
I was able to supply the distraction by way of a fine mix of certain fungi I had been so lucky to notice and collect that were growing on dead barnacles on the strange ship. Usually quite rare, and slow-growing, the strange nature of their environment allowed me to gather in such number the guts of the guards would not stand a chance. As a rat, it was not difficult to thoroughly "season" the guards' food supply.
While waiting on the meals and all that would erupt in their wake, Aelar was able to disguise himself as one of the guards and even converse with the elves, setting the plan into motion. The crafty wizard Dex had somehow learned of the way to unlock the cells, guiding us to the central tower. When the innards of the guards began to unloose forward and in reverse, we took the room, clicked the buttons, and our lads and lass were freed. (The wizard Gant suffering a rather nasty beating from his cell-mate Phantom before being locked back in!)
Maybe we had made a wee under-estimation of the get-out locks compared to the get-in locks, but after the barbarian held back a few guards who must have not yet had their meal (guards armed with shock-rods of some sort!) - Aelar was able to finally jimmy our escape, whereupon the wizards' powers were restored, away from whatever bindings had prevented the like before. It was Alyks who magic'd up a most useful means for each of us to fall safely to the docks far below, only needing a bit o' lint from me clothes! This put us far ahead of the pursuers and crossbows whose bolts were smeared with a nasty bit of paralysis goo.
But we made the docks and onto the ship and this is the part of the story where it is best to tell of this friend-ship of Aelar's. I do not know when they met or how, but the sea elf was chums with the whale to which the ship was fastened. And by fastened, I do not mean like a dogsled, I mean the ship was more like a saddle on the whale's back. But that isn't half the story - tis only a third of what makes the excellent adventure and truly the genius of the escape. For this whale be an Awakened beast, by a druid long ago and for whom it is named - the whale has the smarts of a person and speaks Common (albeit slowly). The whale calls itself Angajuk.
So now these poor souls we have sprung from the prison, they float to the docks, they hop on our ship - and far above, a fiery bird has the warden on its back, and all looks to be disaster in the making. It is then the final bit from this ship jaw-drops the newcomers - and no doubt brings cursing to the lips of the warden from up high. For the whale dives into the sea, a bubble of air forming over the ship and safely transporting us beneath the ice-covered sea, lost to pursuit.
Our newfound friends, freshly escaped, were delighted to have their own clothing and spellbooks and weapons and whatnot returned to them, a matter nearly halting the escape as they insisted they would not leave without such things. We kindly thanked Angajuk as he put us to shore just north of the Ten Towns, where we would make for Lonelywood (unsure of our readiness to disguise ourselves among the towns closer to Bryn Shander as yet).
A day inland a blizzard would sweep out of the west, but our wizard Alyks had another trick - a magical room to house us safely and comfortably and wait out the storm. The Uthgardtsman Phantom insisted, instead, to dig an ice cave and shelter there. I offered to share that warmth, but it would seem I have yet to win such trust from the wild folk, as he refused.
Dragon
We continued southward toward Lonelywood, when we came upon a strange sight - a figure in the distance that as we approached we made to be an elderly man in a chair atop a drift-hill of fresh snow. Investigating, the man was long-dead and desiccated - dry and bone-thin, with a long white beard and tattered wizards' robes.
Suddenly, the ground shook and some lost footing. The wizard Dex hopped upon his hooked staff, floating as we looked about for the source of the disturbance. The drift to the south then burst as a great wing extended outward - then the same to the north, and the slick snow began to tumble, taking us all (save for the hovering wizard) with it to the underside of the great white wyrm emerging from the blizzard's hill - where it had, no doubt, opted to take a bit of a rest rather than fight the wild winds.
The creature peered momentarily at Dex, its eyes dull with waking and its manner utterly indifferent to us, assessing we posed no more threat than we would consider stray insects. With flaps of enormous wings, it lifted into the air and off to the east toward the Reghed glacier. A long silence finally ended, with each finally able to exhale after holding our breath - and perhaps a fresh icicle for some. Phantom then shared with us lore of the beast - it was the dragon Arveiaturace, one of the White Dragons of the Frozenfar whose longtime friend - the wizard Meltharond died long ago of old age, while in his position riding her. Their longtime friendship too much for her to let go, she has continued to carry him to this day, unable to accept his death and pretending he remains alive.
The following day a massive herd of reindeer passed in the distance, and that night within the magical shelter, we saw pass by on the hunt for that prey both a pack of winter wolves - and then a fearsome Frost Giant hunter, riding a mammoth as its mount. Secure within the shelter, none of these sensed us and we were able to make it to the small and remote logging village of Lonelywood the following day.
(Next: Grim Trophy)