Episode 18: The Maiden Calls

That evening the people of Goodmead gave a grand celebration for our heroes for the recovery of their mead and the re-establishing of much needed trade. Aldrick conversed at length with speaker nominee Olevessa. The other candidate Shandar also made an appearance and was cordial in his interactions but it was plain to see also that there was discontent simmering beneath his placid demeanor. 

For many present, especially the children, Tor was the first Goliath they had encountered and she made the most of playing with the little ones as a joyful respite from the recent dangers that had been incurred.

Shayde was solemn and distant. Very much distracted by the pull of the 2 magic objects that she carried and was constantly reaching for under her clothing to gain a sense of calm and relief. Shayde took herself off to rest early to try and break her connection to these items. 

As the evenings festivities began to wind down, Shandar and his companions departed with no further discourse. Our heroes took themselves off to their lodgings for a much needed rest. For all but one of them the morning came as a delight. Fully rested, restored (and Level 5 attained). But not for Shayde. Her night had been full of dark, cold and disturbing visions. These nightmares took her to a place of intense cold and ancient evil contained. A hillside circled atop by a ring of standing stones and unintelligible whispers that invaded her thoughts and dreams compelling Shayde of the need to go to this place. Come morning Shayde found herself standing Infront of an open window in just her undergarments shivering from the icy cold. 

At breakfast it was plain to see that Shayde was not herself and the curse attached to these items was indeed taking its toll. Nemeia suggested that she could try to break the curse by calling on the divine powers of her deity. Agreeing to such an action Shayde presented the items. As Nemeia called forth the power of the devine the internal struggle became too great for Shayde and she pulled away the items before the spell could be finished. Shayde shared with Aldrick and Nemeia what she could recall from her nightmare and the compulsion to seek out this place where they could find the standing stones. 

The dogs were fed and the sleds made ready for departure. Finn and Silja joined the party and they set off for Dougan's Hole. The short journey would take just a couple of hours. Silja was delighted to see her parents again but more so that they would get to meet Finn. The town of Dougan's Hole is the smallest and most isolated of the Ten Towns. With the Red Waters frozen and all the boats out of action the hardiest fishers had taken to pole fishing through the ice. 

Arriving in town late morning the odd local who had braved the outdoors stared in fascination as our party rode by. Coming to a stop in the centre of town outside the largest building that Silja informed them was the home of speaker Edgra Durmoot. Presently a figure emerged from the building heading towards our group and enquired quite curtly as to what business they had. Silja and Finn went to find her parents while the party explained their business concerning the rescue and return of young Silja. 

While this exchange went on, Shayde got a sense of the nearby circle of stones and quietly began to drift away from the others before exclaiming that this was the place from her dream. She could feel the pull.

"What are these stones hereby?" asked Aldrick. 

"What's dat. Ol, dem old fings. Dey is our famous landmark, int dey. Dem old Stones of Thruun." explained Speaker Durmoot. 

Tor recalled the name of "Thruun" as a childhood story of a malevolent entity that rode on the biting winds that assaulted from the North, told to Goliath children when a storm was about to hit.

Furthermore Aldrick could recount from his studies that "Thruun" was the name given to a destructive aspect of Winter brutality. The text was unclear on the exact origin but it was believed to have been a demon or devil that rampaged though Icewindale some 10000 years ago. 

The very mention of "Thruun" sent a weird sensation through Shayde akin to pins and needles. Our heroes thanked Speaker Durmoot and said they would like to take a look at these stones while they waited for the two youngsters to finish visiting with Silja's parents. And so they set off along the trail that would take them from the edge of town to the top of the nearby hill, the summit of which was encircled by stone monoliths approx 20-30ft tall. 

The closer our heroes approached the stones, the more intense were the feelings Shayde was having. Upon reaching the stones it was clear that each one, although natural looking in shape, was infact made up of different types of rock including granite, limestone and a smooth black crystalline rock, the very same chardalyn that had been found throughout the Ten Towns. The group split into pairs to more closely inspect each of the stones by removing portions of accumulated snow and ice which inturn revealed various snowflake like pictograms. As a precaution Aldrick weaved a pattern in the air and spoke some words to cover himself with "Mage Armour". 

At the touch of the stones Shayde started to experience a lessening of the previously intensely uneasy sensation and a more relative calm enveloped her. Tor, Halfdan and Nemeia had gathered in the centre of the circle when suddenly Tor's mind was besieged by a presence unseen or unheard by the others, setting her into a trance like state.

Halfdan used his divine sense. There was something there but what was it. He couldn't tell but it was powerful. 

"I AM THE WINTER AND I AM THE NATURE" came the rasping voice as it penetrated Tor's mind. She fought back against the chilling cold by invoking the name of Theleya the goddess of fertility and growth. This seemed to anger the unseen presence further. "HOW DARE YOU! YOU PRAY TO THESE FALSE, WEAK GODS! YOU HAVE MURDERED MY FOLLOWERS AND STOLEN GIFTS I HAVE BESTOWED ON THEM". Failing her saves Tor's mind was momentarily fractured and suddenly she was looking down on a great frozen landscape devoid of all life, where every plant, animal, person was frozen still, encased within ice like a perfectly frozen effigy of what had once lived. 

Tor fought a battle of wills and managed a couple of good saves pushing this entity from her mind. "Be gone you witch! This is not the way of Nature! Nature is life and death. Of growth and decay. The squirrel that eats the berry, the fox that eats the squirrel, the person who kills the fox. We are all part of the great cycle! Now get out of my head Witch! 

As Tor came round there came a low humming, vibrating sound from within the circle and the glyphs on the stones began to glow with an electric bright blue light. A flash of blue energy crackled out from the stone sited due north, arcing to the neighbouring stones. The party watched on as the energy arced again to the next stones and a field of energy started to envelope the top of the hill. Everybody turned and ran. Those nearest the edge of the stones made it 10-15ft outside the circle but those in the middle; Tor, Nemeia and Halfdan only made it as far as the circle edge before a wall of force created a dome like energy field. The ice and snow at the centre of the circle began to form into a solid moving mass, an Ice Elemental had been summoned! Roll for Initiative! 

Shayde, not her self didn't know what was happening and so moved behind one of the massive stones and hid, readying her short sword should any creature come within 5ft of her. 

The elemental surveyed the hill top, then fixed it's sight on Tor and lumbered across to  attack with it's slamming fists. Nemeia cast "Guiding Bolt" at 3rd Level straight at the creature. Tor staggering back from the attack took hold of her Druidic focus, a bear carved from solid oak and summoned forth a pack of eight wolves. "Attack" cried Tor and the wolves surrounded the elemental and started to bite at it. As each wolf bit into the icy exterior of the elemental they suffered damage as shards splintered from the intensly cold icy creature. Lookout swooped in to try and distract the elemental giving Aldrick and opening to hit it with a fire bolt. Out of range Halfdan moved closer and then dashed to get into melee range for his next turn. As a bonus action he cast magic weapon on his longsword to increase the potency of his attacks. Grom also threw himself headlong into the frey, swinging his Dwarven great axe with fury. He too suffered damage in response to his attacks hitting the elemental. 

Shayde moved again, darting from stone to stone staying out of site. The elemental made another grasping attack at Tor trying to encase her in ice but despite the damage she managed to maintain her concentration on the summoning spell. The eight wolves all made biting attacks again but the cold damage sent half them back to the fey wilds from which they had been summoned. Tor disengaged and took a step back only to find herself trapped by the force wall that had enveloped the stone circle. Nemeia conjured up her "Spiritual Weapon" and used it to attack the elemental before moving forward to cast "Healing Word" on Tor. Aldrick cast "Haste" on Grom imbuing him with an extra action, double speed and increased AC which he then used to attack the elemental remembering to add "Hunter's Mark" on his second attack. Halfdan also attacked throwing in a "Divine Smite" on top of his two attacks. The elemental had taken a pummelling. 

With all attention on the hulking Ice Elemental, the very living embodiment of Winter's Fury four Yetis crested the hill from the North moving towards the stone circle, eyes locked on our heroes with a viciousness, savage stare as if they had been sent to kill!

Shayde swept out from behind the nearby standing stone pulling a dagger from it's sheath and flung it at the elemental scoring a hit with added sneak attack but the damage done was less than she hoped for. Two of the Yetis managed to close in on Halfdan from behind. One managed to claw at him while the other scraped off his shield. Having moved within range Tor was able to see them advancing and as she looked away from the elemental at this new threat she was fixed by it's "Chilling Gaze". Failing her constitution save Tor became paralyzed. The realmaing wolves vanished and suddenly the tide looked like it could be turning on our heroes.

The other two Yetis advanced on the opposite flank towards Aldrick. Their "Chilling Gaze" had no affect on stalwart wizard. With Tor incapacitated and having not taken fire damage in the previous round the Ice Elemental was able to pull some of the surrounding snow and ice into itself to repair portions of the damage it had sustained. Then it went for Tor again slamming her with it's icy fists. An incessant onslaught against the being it's Mistress felt had wronged her! 

With the Yetis now in close proximity and the elemental engaged on two sides Aldrickheld aloft his dragon headed staff and started the verbal part of his incantation. A swirling ball of sparks erupted from him and whirled about which within seconds had grown to whirling mass of flames which he hurled to a point centre between all the monsters. Three of the four Yetis along with the elemental where caught in the blast of the "Fireball" and all four failed their Dex saves. Aldrick was able to sculpt the spell so that Halfdan was spared from the engulfing flames. 

Nemeia attacked with her "Spiritual Weapon" but the attack missed. She then cast "Sacred Flame" at the Elemental. Both Halfdan and Grom piled on their simultaneous attacks of Great Axe and Long Sword piling more damaged on to the beleaguered elemental whose icy carapace like exterior was now dripping from the damage I flicked by the wizards fire magic. Grom used his "Second Wind" to lesson the damage he had suffered from the splintering icy shards following his attacks.

Shayde stood resolut. The pull of the objects lessened by the instinct to fight for her friends. She pulled a second dagger from her belt and like before flung it with precise aim at the elemental, scoring a hit with added sneak attack damage. The Yetis behind Halfdan continued to claw at him this time landing their hits and tearing through his armour with their razor sharp claws. The other two Yetis closed in on Nemeia. She managed to fight off their "Chilling Gaze" but their claw attacks struck home. The combined attacks of Grom with his Dwarven Great Axe, Aldrick with a well placed "Fire Bolt" and Halfdan with another "Divine Smite" put end to the Ice Elemental. 

With the hulking Ice Elemental reduced to pool of slushy ice out heroes spirits raised. None more so than Shayde who raced forward to engage the Yetis attacking Halfdan. Drawing her short sword as she bounded up to plunge it deep into the heart of the first Yeti. As the first Yeti slumped down dead she drew her second shott sword to stab at the second but missed. The Yetis responded with their claws against Halfdan and Nemeia with Nemeia taking heavy damage. 

Aldrick now knowing that fire was the Achilles heel of these monstrosities sent forth three 'Scorching Rays" wounding one of the Yetis deeply. Grom rushed forward to aid Nemeia felling one of the Yetis with his great axe. Stepping over the corpse he moved to strike again at the other. Halfdan, gripping his sword tightly feinted left then slashed at the Yeti in front of him. It dropped to the ground it's innards spilling across the pristine white snow. 

And so it was Shayde who with a final dash, slid passed her allies and between the legs of the last remaining Yeti plunging her blade upwards. With an agonizing howl the last Yeti dropped. At the same time Tor threw off the paralysis. And with this victory a chill wind swirled around the stone circle whipping the snow into ethereal like images and that voice that had tormented Tor cried out for revenge. 

"Thank you" exclaimed Tor. "You have all done me a great service, and I'm indebted to each of you". Looking at each of her companions in turn, all of them bloodied and exhausted gave a silent salute to the halfgiant druid,  returning a knowing glance that this was infact Auril The Frost Maiden's doing. 

Shayde, standing perfectly still, took a moment to reflect that she felt more like herself. The uneasy feeling and weird compulsion had lifted. She took the pearl and wand from our beneath her garments and walked across to Aldrick. "Here. Take these. I no longer want them and I think they will serve you well!" And with that she handed them to Aldrick, the curse lifted. 

To be continued............