Session 12: Difficult Decisions
General Summary
After yielding and demonstrating signs of submission, the treant stopped attacking. This sign of respect to the forest was well received by the chiwenga's which came back out upon Reinaldo’s strumming his fiddle. After convincing them of your good intentions, the chiwenga’s gifted Amelia and Atalanta their blessing. Shortly thereafter you made your way through the remainder of the forest.
After meandering through the densely wooded forest, you stood in a broken region sprinkled with small dark stones peeking through the snow. You felt noticeable pressure on your chest as you looked back the way you came and were reminded of the climbing altitude, now standing well above the collection of pines that made up the Treeback Forest. Looking ahead a feeling of unease washed over all of you as you must continue to climb before entering the Gaintsbane Crags, landmarked by a frozen waterfall.
Forced to the dogs behind, you made sure they were sheltered and safe in a cave hidden behind the foot of the frozen waterfall. As you began your climb up, the journey proved to be more challenging and time consuming than anticipated. Nearly three-quarters the way up the mountain, a familiar sensation washed over the party as all your thoughts became one. Suddenly the voice of the familiar albino tiefling entered the correspondence, “The Arcane Brotherhood needs not the aid of insufficient swine. Turn back immediately and let the Hosttower’s Chosen do their work.”
After refusing to turn back, Arveiaturace's frustration was taken out in the form of a lightning bolt that struck the upper portion of the snowy cliff face, inducing an avalanche headed directly your way. With all haste the party scattered to seek protection, some of them avoiding the snowy cascading wall, others getting caught in it. This ended up making the rest of the climb quite difficult, especially after a second avalanche caused by Morthos’ Thunderwave spell.
The party learned from Amelia that the "Hosttower's Chosen" was in reference to the Hostower of the Arcane located in Luskan. In recent history it was once a beautiful tower created by a powerful wizard who resided within. This wizard was the one who created the Arcane Brotherhood, which was originally a cabal of powerful wizards gathered together for the protection of the realms. Over time the wizard passed and the altruistic motive of the Arcane Brotherhood was lost.Through the hanging fog looming within the valley, the party journey unknowingly until venturing into the lair of Orintaga the Ogre Monger, ruler of the Giantsbane Crags. The party prevailed after a lucky spell rendered Orintaga incapacitated. This enabled them to end the young white dragon’s in team coup de grâce. Taking the rest of the day to recover the treasure frozen within his lair the party set out early the next morning. Beyond the snowy foothills low-lying clouds obscured the icy peaks of the gargantuan mountains. Eventually, you got above the clouds to behold a sheer mountain wall rising more than a hundred feet before you. Carved high on the wall were rows of arrow slits with lights burning behind them and clanking sounds issuing from them. A narrow staircase hewn from the rock led up along one side of the wall. Boldly, you continued forward when suddenly from high above came a loud grinding noise as large sheets of ice broke off the fortress walls and tumbled down the mountainside. Great doors of ice previously hidden under snow stand open more than three hundred feet above you, and from between them flies a huge dragon made of the same dark ice that you all now know as Chardalyn. Its eyes glowed with a bright golden light as it let out a terrible roar, hurling itself into the air. It began to glide away from the fortress as it turned and headed north toward Ten-Towns. This left you with the painstaking choice; press on into Sunblight or turn back and help defend Tentowns.
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