Scroll of Raise Dead

The battle continues. A score of dark dwarves die in fire and blades and to Tyr's mafa'liki. Four more quaggoth are put down. The Dark Dwarves, they put bar behind big stone gate thinking they will stop us.
I fly with Steps of Night, bringing Torinn and Dahr to the top of a tower. We take it and break the defenses. IS good choke point for killing guards and quaggoth who charge at us.

I am thinking, the darkdwarfs, they only know Deep Duerra. They do not know of the gifts Tyr gives his Twilight clerics.

Near this wall, we discover prison guarded by three dwarven hammer machines. They are not easy to strike with sword and axe. These dwarf-machines, they resist many spells. Are good gurads for many imprisoned dwarves of gold and shield tribes. Not good enough.
With these 10 dwarves are Kapunak Talltree, a goliath hunter of the Thuunlakalaga tribe, and Pekoe T. Quint, a human who claims to be a brewer's apprentice without home.

I listen to Pekoe. I am thinking I catch a few twists and bends in the apprentice's story. The human confesses that it is Doppelganger, paid to infiltrate Sunblight and kill Markoth. Seems okay fellow for all that he can change his face so easily.

Torinn of Bahamut, Dwarven paladin Menthana of Moradin, and myself, we work together to heal and encourage dwarven fighters, then equip them with the war picks of the darkdwarves and some of the blackmetal chain shirts. But only the ones that we only cut little holes in. The dwarves, they want to reclaim their weapons, shields, and armors without holes, so we make plan to push in direction of darkdwarf treasure vault.

More guards and quaggoth are gathering to defend the vault and southern passages. Rahm Pibb, tiefling bard, changes their minds with fireball.
But some darkdwarves are smart. They become invisible instead of very big. They try to ambush us when we engage with other defenders, yet they struggle with the mafah'liki spirits that guard the party.

Perhaps another dozen darkdwarfs guard the treasure vault hallway and 3 hammerer machines block the door. These Shield and Gold dwarves, they show no fear or concern for their wounds as they leap into the teeth of the enemy and break them with steel and courage. I am much impressed with results of this cayana tactic. They all fight well, but I am not sure how much more I can cast without rest.

With dwarves back in their equipment of good craftsmanship, we work together to surprise and strike down the darkdwarf leader Markoz and his subchiefs. Only opportunity for justice is for Markoz to face trial by combat. Almost a score of dwarves, goliath, and adventurers is maybe not fairest odds, but outcome was same.

We learn that darkdwarf priest of Deep Duerra is source of Markoz's insane plans and plans for chardalyn dragon. Pekoe uses his abilities as doppelganger to pose as Fake Markoz. Tells priest story about interrogation going bad and needing healing for guard captain he is torturing. Is good lie. Priest does not suspect anything as Pekoe strikes him in back of head. Should be lethal blows to critical place in head... but darkdwarf priest is not actually dwarf. Is Barbed devil in priest suit wearing disguise hat.

Paladins, barbarians, and a monk trap in Barbed Devil. No escape in corner where Pekoe has trapped it. Fight is over before I make it down hallway. Is okay, killing fiends is more their job than mine anyway.

We destroy Sun Blight's forge, collapse tunnel to DarkUnderThing where darkdwarves live. Destroy idols of Depp Duerra, Demagorgon, and other strange gods I do not know.

We sleep deeply on that night, secure in the treasure room with lots of eyes for watching. No darkdwarfs remain to trouble us. On return back to Dougan's Hole, we find 4 frost giants that have killed Battlehammer dwarf search party. We kill giants without too many injuries, but the death on the air brings a pack of ghoulish wendigos. Again, Rahm Pibb's fireballs do so much work and rest of us are left to clean up the few that avoid worst of blast.

We return to Dougan's Hole. There Dahr of Elk Tribe reconnects with his Chief and war band again. He returns back to Rheghed. I will miss him. Pekoe sets off through Ten Towns to find good place for still.
Talltree returns to Thuunlakalaga goliath tribe to tell them of our success.

We set back out into Spine of the World to investigate rumors of crashed ship in mountains. In snowy trees, Torrin was surprised by strange undead that Rahm the bard calls Coldlight Walkers. they blinded many in the party and they resisted my attempts to Turn Undead, but we managed to destroy them.

Further into valley, I am hearing strange howl, but not natural like wolf. Was Rahm and Kuma who discovered sled. This thing she has two dogs who run away, giving up wimpers, but third dog sits and watches man who screams in pain. Man has been taken by some aberration. We must use much radiant and fire to destroy the man-thing. I am suspecting third dog is shapechanger, but it takes fast chase through woods before Torrin catches this thing with his Axebeak and I am placing a Moonbeam on it to burn aberration with light of Selune. We burn every part of this thing that we find. Is terrible.

Up mountain we climb and discover crashed ship. Rahm the Bard, his mindtalking lets him speak to the mind of the ship captain. Discovers that Rahm has found a mindtalker's crystal rock. This rock, he is needed to make little tentacle-brain eater's ship work again so he can be leaving our mountains and "Planet." Rampart explain to me later that the mountains sit on ball of rock and this thing, she is called Planet Toril.

Rahm makes trade deal for weapons, 6 that look like staffs that shoot radiant beams and 6 looking like handcrossbows that give out radiant beams, not crossbow bolts. Third box has three-score crystals to make these weapons work. I am not good with them, but we are hoping Rampart will begin to use this thing instead of his bonfires.

A wizard named Vellynne Harpell met with the group, hiring us to help her find a lost city of ancient Netheril, frozen deep within a glacier. In order to find the city and access it, you need two items: Vellynne's professor orb, and the Codicil of White, a book bound in white fur and written by worshippers of Auril the Frost Maiden.
The book is said to contain a magical incantation that can split a glacier.
Both are to be found at your destination, the Isle of Solstice. However, this Isle is known to be Auril's abode since she came back to the material plane.

While underway, the lookout spotted the shipwreck of the Dark Duchess in the Sea of Moving Ice. Aboard we discovered the dead captain with a pile of treasure frozen into the cargo hold, but also some kobolds and an ice troll. These posed little danger, but not so the ancient white dragon Arveiaturace.

She breathed frost, nearly killing Rahm, but he was saved by Torrin. Rahm then negotiated with the dragon, and Torinn cured the cataracts in her eyes in exchange for free passage off the scuppered ship.

Vellyne ordered ship to pull anchor and began moving after dragon landed in ship we were searching. Is some mistake to leave without us and was taking us much effort to be catching her. Was only after we did that we noticed a small lifeboat dripping onto the deck. It then makes more sense that the wizard wanted to save this other boat and was not leaving us for dragon food. That would be without honor and would be an offense if that was what happened, so surely it is not.

The second lifeboat, it holds three dead men and one still alive. He is Sai, a half-elf, and he has escaped the Dark Duchess. Sai is seeking passage aboard our hired ship to escape the domain of the white dragon. I say Sai has proven his survival instincts and is good with bow. He must come. Kuma'tiki shows the wisdom of a third son in this decision.

On the Island of Solace, we discover ruins of frost giant city. Nothing lives but an Ice troll... until the artificer upsets the Frostmaiden and she calls an abominable yeti to hunt us. I try to banish itm but it is not from some other place. On snowblown cliff, we make a place of defense; killing Yeti and pack of wendigo with spells, bows, and one of the laser sticks, before they can come too much closer. There is still some good opportunity for Torinn and Egan to put swords into the yeti and for him to freeze the dragonborn. Second time Torinn is almost frozen by breath today. The pains he takes to prove himself to his dragon-god, Bahamut.

After yeti is dead, Vellyne, she recovers her professor orb. This orb, Professor Skant, he is very polite rock. Knows much. Ghost of Vellyne's rival tries to attack Torinn, but he smites it with single stroke. Professor Rock, as I have begun to call him, tells us the Codicil WhiteBook is in big fortress on the island. Was made by frost giants and called Grimskalle. It looks and sounds like castle from skald's tales of Prince Adam of Eternia. We must make haste to complete our raid before the Frostmaiden returns to this island.

The group knocks, but no one answers door at Grimskalle. Kuma ritually cast Divination to help locate the Codicil of White. To gain entry to the vault where it is kept, the Frostmaiden has set it so four tests must be passed.

1. The test of Cruelty required Kuma and the others to turn their backs on a Tiger Uthgardt tribe where they had begun cannibalising the elderly during the famine created by the Rime of the Frostmaiden. Though we stood on edge of camp and witnessed this horror for almost an hour, only minutes had passed in the chambers back at Grimskalle.

2. The test of Endurance found the group assisting an Elk tribe of Uthgardt in a 14 hour journey, holding up in the worst of blizzards. Kuma endured and only became exhausted in 2 of the later hours, but many others of the party were frostbitten from 3 or 4 hours of overexposure.

3. The test of Isolation found Kuma and his group assigned to watch over a Rheghed Tiger tribe's women and children for just a day, but this duty stretched to seven. Sai and Torinn disappeared into the snows in foirst two nights, but returned days later. Sai has been driven into the IceMadness and is now a drunkard who will not trust us. We must find healing for him in TenTowns.

4. The test of Preservation found us at a Rheghed Wolf Tribe's camp. It was a scene of slaughter. Kuma chased away giant vultures, but none could be saved except for one boy. Aerix Vokototh is 9-year old whelp of the tribe's chieftain. Some magic makes Aerix strong against snow like goliaths, so boy hides in snowbank during massacre.
   Raiding Uthgardt tribe returned for Aerix, but we killed them to preserve the boy's line. An awakened wolf named Old Silver comes to take the orphan to another wolf tribe.

Egan, Torrin, and Vellyne retrieve the Codicil of White from the Vault of the Frostmaiden in Grimskalle. Kuma spends this time befriending Ukuma, the awakened giant walrus.
A brief inspection leads the group to recover a silver dragon egg and some small amounts of treasure as well. We ignore the burial vaults of the frost giants so that we do not linger until the Frostmaiden returns.
As we exit, we find only one old, blind and lamed Frost Giant warrior in the complex. He welcomes us, obviously seeking a warrior's death and we give him this just end.

Sailing to the mainland, the expedition travels and rests in Bremond. Neither Kuma'tiki or Vellnye have the skill to restore Sai. We seek out a more powerful cleric, druid, or wizard to break Sai's madness and alcohol dependency that came from his ordeals in the Frostmaiden's endurance trial. The only nearby person known to posess this skill is a wizard named Macreadus, who is said to live and study in a residence called the Black Cabin.

The Black Cabin, she is a wreck with a hole in the roof. Inside, the wizard's skeletal form slumps in a corner. It looks very burned. Kuma casts detect magic, and discovers that an amulet around the neck of the body and a strange device on the table are all that give off auras.

Rahm moves forward to investigate this object and when he touches it, it explodes in a flash of radiant light. Kuma and Torinn are sorely injured, but Rahm drops to the floor unconcious. Between the paladin's lay on hands and Kuma's aura of vitality, the trio are put back into operating shape.

Rampart the artificer sleeps through blast, but wakes from her slumber in the dog sled when we call for her. She uses the magic of identify to discover the amulet Macreadus wore is an amulet of health, while the strange gyroscope made of coal is some sort of weather altering device. It does not take an artificer to understand this thing is not working right.

Rampart, quiet gnome artificer, she is able to read bluepapers for this device. Rampart, she melts down scraps to make a third ring and repair the Summer Star device. This magic thing, it casts control weather once. Allows Rampart to bring arctic cold and gale winds to cool day and light breeze over for 8 hours. The completion of the device and the reversal of the weather allows the spirit of the Lathanderan priest Macreadus to move on to the afterlife.

Also in Black Cabin, we find 4 barrels of Dessarin Valley Sweetberry Summer wine. Is 800 bottles, Sai tells me. Oh, I forget. I pray for Greater Restoration last night and fix Sai madness from Frostmaiden's trials.

These barrels, they are frozen and very heavy, but with a short rest worth of using arithmetics, we are able to find solution to bringing them out without much risk and using axebeaks, not dogs to haul these barrels back. Every tavern in Ten Towns has good wine for sale now.

The crew read the Rime of the FrostMaiden from the Codicil of White, cracking the glacier. We descended into the Caves of Hunger, destroying mephits, shadows, kobold & goblin Vampire spawn, and another creature whose nature we were unable to determine.

Scroll of Raise Dead

The battle continues. A score of dark dwarves die in fire and blades and to Tyr's mafa'liki. Four more quaggoth are put down. The Dark Dwarves, they put bar behind big stone gate thinking they will stop us.
I fly with Steps of Night, bringing Torinn and Dahr to the top of a tower. We take it and break the defenses. IS good choke point for killing guards and quaggoth who charge at us.

I am thinking, the darkdwarfs, they only know Deep Duerra. They do not know of the gifts Tyr gives his Twilight clerics.

Near this wall, we discover prison guarded by three dwarven hammer machines. They are not easy to strike with sword and axe. These dwarf-machines, they resist many spells. Are good gurads for many imprisoned dwarves of gold and shield tribes. Not good enough.
With these 10 dwarves are Kapunak Talltree, a goliath hunter of the Thuunlakalaga tribe, and Pekoe T. Quint, a human who claims to be a brewer's apprentice without home.

I listen to Pekoe. I am thinking I catch a few twists and bends in the apprentice's story. The human confesses that it is Doppelganger, paid to infiltrate Sunblight and kill Markoth. Seems okay fellow for all that he can change his face so easily.

Torinn of Bahamut, Dwarven paladin Menthana of Moradin, and myself, we work together to heal and encourage dwarven fighters, then equip them with the war picks of the darkdwarves and some of the blackmetal chain shirts. But only the ones that we only cut little holes in. The dwarves, they want to reclaim their weapons, shields, and armors without holes, so we make plan to push in direction of darkdwarf treasure vault.

More guards and quaggoth are gathering to defend the vault and southern passages. Rahm Pibb, tiefling bard, changes their minds with fireball.
But some darkdwarves are smart. They become invisible instead of very big. They try to ambush us when we engage with other defenders, yet they struggle with the mafah'liki spirits that guard the party.

Perhaps another dozen darkdwarfs guard the treasure vault hallway and 3 hammerer machines block the door. These Shield and Gold dwarves, they show no fear or concern for their wounds as they leap into the teeth of the enemy and break them with steel and courage. I am much impressed with results of this cayana tactic. They all fight well, but I am not sure how much more I can cast without rest.

With dwarves back in their equipment of good craftsmanship, we work together to surprise and strike down the darkdwarf leader Markoz and his subchiefs. Only opportunity for justice is for Markoz to face trial by combat. Almost a score of dwarves, goliath, and adventurers is maybe not fairest odds, but outcome was same.

We learn that darkdwarf priest of Deep Duerra is source of Markoz's insane plans and plans for chardalyn dragon. Pekoe uses his abilities as doppelganger to pose as Fake Markoz. Tells priest story about interrogation going bad and needing healing for guard captain he is torturing. Is good lie. Priest does not suspect anything as Pekoe strikes him in back of head. Should be lethal blows to critical place in head... but darkdwarf priest is not actually dwarf. Is Barbed devil in priest suit wearing disguise hat.

Paladins, barbarians, and a monk trap in Barbed Devil. No escape in corner where Pekoe has trapped it. Fight is over before I make it down hallway. Is okay, killing fiends is more their job than mine anyway.

We destroy Sun Blight's forge, collapse tunnel to DarkUnderThing where darkdwarves live. Destroy idols of Depp Duerra, Demagorgon, and other strange gods I do not know.

We sleep deeply on that night, secure in the treasure room with lots of eyes for watching. No darkdwarfs remain to trouble us. On return back to Dougan's Hole, we find 4 frost giants that have killed Battlehammer dwarf search party. We kill giants without too many injuries, but the death on the air brings a pack of ghoulish wendigos. Again, Rahm Pibb's fireballs do so much work and rest of us are left to clean up the few that avoid worst of blast.

We return to Dougan's Hole. There Dahr of Elk Tribe reconnects with his Chief and war band again. He returns back to Rheghed. I will miss him. Pekoe sets off through Ten Towns to find good place for still.
Talltree returns to Thuunlakalaga goliath tribe to tell them of our success.

We set back out into Spine of the World to investigate rumors of crashed ship in mountains. In snowy trees, Torrin was surprised by strange undead that Rahm the bard calls Coldlight Walkers. they blinded many in the party and they resisted my attempts to Turn Undead, but we managed to destroy them.

Further into valley, I am hearing strange howl, but not natural like wolf. Was Rahm and Kuma who discovered sled. This thing she has two dogs who run away, giving up wimpers, but third dog sits and watches man who screams in pain. Man has been taken by some aberration. We must use much radiant and fire to destroy the man-thing. I am suspecting third dog is shapechanger, but it takes fast chase through woods before Torrin catches this thing with his Axebeak and I am placing a Moonbeam on it to burn aberration with light of Selune. We burn every part of this thing that we find. Is terrible.

Up mountain we climb and discover crashed ship. Rahm the Bard, his mindtalking lets him speak to the mind of the ship captain. Discovers that Rahm has found a mindtalker's crystal rock. This rock, he is needed to make little tentacle-brain eater's ship work again so he can be leaving our mountains and "Planet." Rampart explain to me later that the mountains sit on ball of rock and this thing, she is called Planet Toril.

Rahm makes trade deal for weapons, 6 that look like staffs that shoot radiant beams and 6 looking like handcrossbows that give out radiant beams, not crossbow bolts. Third box has three-score crystals to make these weapons work. I am not good with them, but we are hoping Rampart will begin to use this thing instead of his bonfires.

A wizard named Vellynne Harpell met with the group, hiring us to help her find a lost city of ancient Netheril, frozen deep within a glacier. In order to find the city and access it, you need two items: Vellynne's professor orb, and the Codicil of White, a book bound in white fur and written by worshippers of Auril the Frost Maiden.
The book is said to contain a magical incantation that can split a glacier.
Both are to be found at your destination, the Isle of Solstice. However, this Isle is known to be Auril's abode since she came back to the material plane.

While underway, the lookout spotted the shipwreck of the Dark Duchess in the Sea of Moving Ice. Aboard we discovered the dead captain with a pile of treasure frozen into the cargo hold, but also some kobolds and an ice troll. These posed little danger, but not so the ancient white dragon Arveiaturace.

She breathed frost, nearly killing Rahm, but he was saved by Torrin. Rahm then negotiated with the dragon, and Torinn cured the cataracts in her eyes in exchange for free passage off the scuppered ship.

Vellyne ordered ship to pull anchor and began moving after dragon landed in ship we were searching. Is some mistake to leave without us and was taking us much effort to be catching her. Was only after we did that we noticed a small lifeboat dripping onto the deck. It then makes more sense that the wizard wanted to save this other boat and was not leaving us for dragon food. That would be without honor and would be an offense if that was what happened, so surely it is not.

The second lifeboat, it holds three dead men and one still alive. He is Sai, a half-elf, and he has escaped the Dark Duchess. Sai is seeking passage aboard our hired ship to escape the domain of the white dragon. I say Sai has proven his survival instincts and is good with bow. He must come. Kuma'tiki shows the wisdom of a third son in this decision.

On the Island of Solace, we discover ruins of frost giant city. Nothing lives but an Ice troll... until the artificer upsets the Frostmaiden and she calls an abominable yeti to hunt us. I try to banish itm but it is not from some other place. On snowblown cliff, we make a place of defense; killing Yeti and pack of wendigo with spells, bows, and one of the laser sticks, before they can come too much closer. There is still some good opportunity for Torinn and Egan to put swords into the yeti and for him to freeze the dragonborn. Second time Torinn is almost frozen by breath today. The pains he takes to prove himself to his dragon-god, Bahamut.

After yeti is dead, Vellyne, she recovers her professor orb. This orb, Professor Skant, he is very polite rock. Knows much. Ghost of Vellyne's rival tries to attack Torinn, but he smites it with single stroke. Professor Rock, as I have begun to call him, tells us the Codicil WhiteBook is in big fortress on the island. Was made by frost giants and called Grimskalle. It looks and sounds like castle from skald's tales of Prince Adam of Eternia. We must make haste to complete our raid before the Frostmaiden returns to this island.

The group knocks, but no one answers door at Grimskalle. Kuma ritually cast Divination to help locate the Codicil of White. To gain entry to the vault where it is kept, the Frostmaiden has set it so four tests must be passed.

1. The test of Cruelty required Kuma and the others to turn their backs on a Tiger Uthgardt tribe where they had begun cannibalising the elderly during the famine created by the Rime of the Frostmaiden. Though we stood on edge of camp and witnessed this horror for almost an hour, only minutes had passed in the chambers back at Grimskalle.

2. The test of Endurance found the group assisting an Elk tribe of Uthgardt in a 14 hour journey, holding up in the worst of blizzards. Kuma endured and only became exhausted in 2 of the later hours, but many others of the party were frostbitten from 3 or 4 hours of overexposure.

3. The test of Isolation found Kuma and his group assigned to watch over a Rheghed Tiger tribe's women and children for just a day, but this duty stretched to seven. Sai and Torinn disappeared into the snows in foirst two nights, but returned days later. Sai has been driven into the IceMadness and is now a drunkard who will not trust us. We must find healing for him in TenTowns.

4. The test of Preservation found us at a Rheghed Wolf Tribe's camp. It was a scene of slaughter. Kuma chased away giant vultures, but none could be saved except for one boy. Aerix Vokototh is 9-year old whelp of the tribe's chieftain. Some magic makes Aerix strong against snow like goliaths, so boy hides in snowbank during massacre.
   Raiding Uthgardt tribe returned for Aerix, but we killed them to preserve the boy's line. An awakened wolf named Old Silver comes to take the orphan to another wolf tribe.

Egan, Torrin, and Vellyne retrieve the Codicil of White from the Vault of the Frostmaiden in Grimskalle. Kuma spends this time befriending Ukuma, the awakened giant walrus.
A brief inspection leads the group to recover a silver dragon egg and some small amounts of treasure as well. We ignore the burial vaults of the frost giants so that we do not linger until the Frostmaiden returns.
As we exit, we find only one old, blind and lamed Frost Giant warrior in the complex. He welcomes us, obviously seeking a warrior's death and we give him this just end.

Sailing to the mainland, the expedition travels and rests in Bremond. Neither Kuma'tiki or Vellnye have the skill to restore Sai. We seek out a more powerful cleric, druid, or wizard to break Sai's madness and alcohol dependency that came from his ordeals in the Frostmaiden's endurance trial. The only nearby person known to posess this skill is a wizard named Macreadus, who is said to live and study in a residence called the Black Cabin.

The Black Cabin, she is a wreck with a hole in the roof. Inside, the wizard's skeletal form slumps in a corner. It looks very burned. Kuma casts detect magic, and discovers that an amulet around the neck of the body and a strange device on the table are all that give off auras.

Rahm moves forward to investigate this object and when he touches it, it explodes in a flash of radiant light. Kuma and Torinn are sorely injured, but Rahm drops to the floor unconcious. Between the paladin's lay on hands and Kuma's aura of vitality, the trio are put back into operating shape.

Rampart the artificer sleeps through blast, but wakes from her slumber in the dog sled when we call for her. She uses the magic of identify to discover the amulet Macreadus wore is an amulet of health, while the strange gyroscope made of coal is some sort of weather altering device. It does not take an artificer to understand this thing is not working right.

Rampart, quiet gnome artificer, she is able to read bluepapers for this device. Rampart, she melts down scraps to make a third ring and repair the Summer Star device. This magic thing, it casts control weather once. Allows Rampart to bring arctic cold and gale winds to cool day and light breeze over for 8 hours. The completion of the device and the reversal of the weather allows the spirit of the Lathanderan priest Macreadus to move on to the afterlife.

Also in Black Cabin, we find 4 barrels of Dessarin Valley Sweetberry Summer wine. Is 800 bottles, Sai tells me. Oh, I forget. I pray for Greater Restoration last night and fix Sai madness from Frostmaiden's trials.

These barrels, they are frozen and very heavy, but with a short rest worth of using arithmetics, we are able to find solution to bringing them out without much risk and using axebeaks, not dogs to haul these barrels back. Every tavern in Ten Towns has good wine for sale now.

The crew read the Rime of the FrostMaiden from the Codicil of White, cracking the glacier. We descended into the Caves of Hunger, destroying mephits, shadows, kobold & goblin Vampire spawn, and another creature whose nature we were unable to determine.