Journey North

The journey away from the warmth of the Dwarven halls was a bitter one, as we turned our sights north toward the ancient ruins of Minas Emras. The early morning air was sharp, and with the paths crawling with gnolls, we were forced to scramble through the treacherous northern peaks.

The Frozen Ascent

The climb was grueling, taking us thousands of feet above the forest floor. While Shinigawa and I braved the physical world, Qenthal and Hidami drifted through the Border Ethereal, sparing the Drow the agony of the sun. From our vantage point, we watched great flying shadows circle the forest below—a mile away, yet still too close for comfort.

Near the snowline, we encountered a shallow cave where a giant and his mate were roasting a humanoid over a spit, guarded by two massive, unchained wargs. Sneaking past was impossible, but Hidami solved the problem with volcanic efficiency. Transitioning into his magma-form, Yogan-ishi, he turned the very cave floor into a mire of mud, sinking our foes into the earth before they could even draw a breath.

As we pushed higher, a winged, stone-like creature ambushed us, clutching Shinigawa and attempting to haul him into the abyss. I blinded the beast with a chromatic orb, allowing Qenthal to strike it from the Ethereal plane. It plummeted, dead, as Shinigawa drifted back to the path using his psionic lightness.

The White Snake and the Cloned Men

Higher still, we found a forty-foot white snake coiled in the snow, its territory guarded by a primitive alarm of bone fragments on silk. It attempted to freeze the very air around me, but I unleashed the Crown’s steam breath, melting the snow and searing its scales before finishing it with a single sword stroke.

Escaping the summit’s lethal cold, we leaped from a cliff, floating down on the winds to the rocks below. There, we were ambushed by identical, bald warriors bearing shields marked with an eight-pointed star. Their uniformity was unnatural—they felt "created" rather than born. Bolstered by a potion that increased my skills, I cut through them, though their weapons were curiously infused with dweomer.

The Price of Stone

Our journey took a darker turn after we ambushed a group of gnolls and recovered the body of a fallen elf. As a sign of my loyalty, I sent his body and the Palantir back to Queen Inwe via the Astral Sea, a gift for her growing reach.

But the world soon exacted a price. A giant, brass bull charged us in the night, its breath a petrifying mist. I was caught in the cloud and turned to stone, my existence suspended in cold basalt. Though Shinigawa eventually slew the beast, I was only saved by Hidami’s mysterious kin on the Plane of Fire. I was restored, but at a heavy cost: I am permanently scarred, and my backpack was destroyed with everything in it other than the Crown of Positivity and the Keys of Kagrash.

Raiders and Riders

Starving and depleted, we raided an orc caravan for supplies. Shinigawa’s fireball turned the defenders into a pyre, allowing us to restock on rations and scrolls. We continued north, only to be intercepted by Elven riders of the Old Forest. Qenthal’s shooting stars decimated their ranks, leaving us with their magical gear and a growing list of enemies.

Our path was further contested by:

- Many-legged worms that erupted from the earth, defeated by my sword, Yogan-ishi burning them while caught in their mandibles, and a blast of fear from Mao.

- Dog-faced goblinoids who targeted Akumi with strange, focused hatred, working together with discipline to attack only her even when we tried to get in the way. They eventually broke and fled when more than half of their number were dead.

- Terrifying flying shadows on the high cart tracks that broke my resolve, sending me fleeing in a magical panic until Akumi pulled me into the safety of the Ethereal.

We neared the high spurs, watching the lights of the northern valleys flicker in the distance but expecting the path to be guarded. Alon stood to the north, although we meant to veer east before reaching it. I travel now within the Border Ethereal, my spirit shaken but resolute in my duty to the council.