Tales from Icewind Dale - Session 2

Session 2: 4th of Hammer - 5th of Hammer, 1490 DR

Deep in the heated caves of Termalaine, we rejoin our heroes as they negotiate with the Kobolds. Preach, the new 'Grand Dragon' of the Icewind Kobold Tribe, has stepped aside with Vott to investigate a strange cave that is too small for anyone larger than a Kobold. Within was a crystal that glowed with a soft purple light. Preach put it in her pouch, and promptly forgot about it as she was led to a cavern absolutely filled with Geodes. Managing to break a small chunk away from the wall, she returned to the party as distrust began to foment.

[Ta'Lua of the Steel-Hearted Mane distrusts Kobolds, especially when they creep off to their own devices]

Ta'Lua was the main source of the distrust, surrounded by Kobolds, he worried aloud that Preach would betray them for her own benefit. While there were a few murmurs of assent, Rose Pyre kept the party's attention elsewhere by focusing on the good they had done together.

On Preach's return, they made their way out of the cavern, only to be attacked by a Grell! A strange creature of the Underdark attempted to ambush Preach with its barbed tentacles, only to be attacked in kind by the party. Despite his misgivings about the Kobold, Ta'Lua leapt into action, while Rose and Tyriel covered with spellfire. Harradin's shield caught the creature's beak, leaving Ta'Lua's blades space to sever the tentacles as Harradin's flail caved in the creature's head.

Upon its death, the creature's corpse turned into a strange crystal by Preach's magic, which she pocketed before anyone could notice.

[A strange creature of the Underdark makes its presence known!]

Returning to Termalaine, the deal was struck. The kobolds would be granted an old boarding house to live in, in exchange for work around the town. The party was paid by Speaker Masthew, and offered lodging for the night. Harradin took the time to bless the mine in the name of his patron, while Rose attempted to discover a little more about his origins. Speaking to a local wizard, who ran a gatcha-style spell-scroll operation, he obtained a Spell Scroll of Ray of Sickness as well as information about the blanket he had been wrapped in before being tossed to the sea. It was made by Reghed Nomads, the strange tribespeople who resided on the Glacier.

Later on, in the Inn, the party was served by a young woman named Marta, whose father had taken ill. Harradin took it upon himself to look into it, diagnosing him with the Creeping Cold. This disease, identified by intense fever, weight loss, and a constant cough, was fatal and curable by only powerful healers. Harradin promised to return after he gained more strength from his god, pledging to cure the ailing man.

While he was there, the dwarf also Identified the strange ring the woman bore on a chain around her neck. It had been given to her grandparents as payment by an ailing old woman long ago, who had needed food and medical attention. The strange woman had come and gone like a gust of frigid air, leaving only the ring as payment. The ring, as it turned out, was a Ring of Warmth, a rare item that would render the attuned bearer totally immune to environmental cold.

[A curious ring, a godsend in this frigid place.]

His curiosity sated, Harradin left the woman to her grief, telling her to keep the ring safe. The next day, the party left for Lonelywood, a small logging and hunting town that suffered under the wrath of a horrid beast, and potentially a murderer. 

[A small town beset by danger it cannot withstand]

Upon entering the town, the mood was dour. Hunters and loggers stood with nothing to do as they were unable to enter the forest. Pressing them for information, the party learned of a strange white moose that hunted those that dared step foot into the woods. The party soon met with the town's speaker, a halfling named Nimsy. Nimsy begged the party to deal with the moose, in exchange for the deed to the local inn, which had shut down due to the eternal winter. They agreed, but decided to deal with their original quarry first. Sephek Kaltro.

Sephek worked for Torga's Caravan, a merchant outfit ran by Torrga Icevein, a weaselly dwarf that dealt in suspicious goods. While the party made small talk with Torrga, buying a mining pick and a shortbow for criminally low prices, Preach snuck behind the caravan and discovered a grisly sight. A half-elf, dead and frozen amongst the stock. A standoff ensued, coming to an end only when Torrga revealed that the elf was wanted in Luskan, and her side gig as a bounty hunter would bring her down there soon. Not long after, she packed up and made for a rented home, while Sephek went to the tavern.

[Sephek Kaltro, a creature as cold as the ice he wields]

In the Tavern, the party confronted Sephek, accusing him of the murders in Bremen. In return, he could only laugh. He traveled through all the Tentowns, slaying those who escaped the sacrifices to the Frostmaiden. He was doing the work of his patron, and would not allow himself to be stopped. The party attacked him on the spot, and panic broke out. During the scuffle, one citizen of Lonelywood was slain, and Ta'Lua was greviously injured. Thanks to the quick thinking of Preach, using an enslaved badger minion, and expert casting from the magically inclined party members, Sephek was slain before he could cause any more heartache, although it did end with the party being banned from The Lucky Liar Tavern...