Frozen Frontier Episode 35

Thursday 30th March 1511
Still in the crypts of the Illumis

After the mask of terror attaches to Pharis, feels normal but is unable to remove it. It is also impossible to open the mouth, so Pharis thinks he can't eat or drink. But after trying to eat, the mask opens and shuts, controlling Pharis' real mouth.

Overnight, Pharis checks his pulse and everything is normal.

Friday 31st March 1511
The party heads to the surface and decides on their next action is to rest for 2 weeks at the Temple of Velmontarious.

Pharis asks Jaromir to do some experiments to remove the mask. Jaromir finds that the mask has fused to Pharis face. Jaromir casts dispel magic on the mask, and the flame in the eyes go out and the feeling of terror goes away, but the mask will not come off.

Grimes continues loot the crypts and finds 5000 copper. Also Grimes inspects the city walls and the frozen park. A week as passed and Grimes has discovered nothing new about the city. He sets a trap in the park, but it catches Nimrod in them.

Thursday 6th April 1511
Grimes, walking on the walls, spots three 20-foot-tall Giants, some miles away to the south, walking North-West. After showing the party the giants, Grimes tries to follow the giants on skiis, but is spoted straight away. Grimes returns to the party as the Giants walk towards the city. Kel William orders the dogs and supplies to be hidden in the dungeons below the temple. Grimes and William climb on the ruins of the keep while Jaromir starts a fire below on ground level. As the giants close distance, Kel William blows his horn and Grimes fires a warning shot with his crossbow.

Grimes begins talking with the giants. The giants react with curiosity and a dose of patronising tone. Jaromir casts enlarge on WIlliam. The lead Giant. Lidia, asks if they were the ones to kill her cousin Tolin back in episode 16 at the gnoll tower. William and Grimes lie and say they weren't the ones to do that. Grimes suggests they team up to kill Frostbite, but Lidia only chuckles and calls Grimes 'a cheeky fellow'.

Lidia introduces herself as well as Georgiana and Yarl. Their current ruler is Gordoth the Sixth the Wise. Many giants have gone in to hibernation and live for many hundreds of years. That 1500 years ago when her ancestors weren't frost giants but another kind of giant before the lands froze over.

Lidia also informs the party of the existance of two more white dragons in the land, Squall and Gale to the mountains to the south on the high peaks. The two dragons are not children of Frostbite.

Also Lidia reveals the existence of two ruins that are too small for the Giants to investigate but would be pleased if the party would investigate and explain their ancient purpose. Two tunnels, one at the mountain near the bay, and the other directly below the Giant's Temple to Nerual to the south. Also reveal that elf druids sometimes visit Caldonia by riding on an island.

The Bizarrely Friendly Giants leave and the party returns to resting.

Thursday 13th April 1511
The party finishes resting and now investigates the crypts of the temple of Velthara. Down the stairs into the crypts of the temple, Grimes, Pharis, & William all feel this rising tension in their spines and the hairs on the back of their necks stand on end. They feel this sense of trepidation and hesitance, like there is something down there that wants them to come down there that is going to rip their heads off, drink their blood and wear their skin as a suit. Full body lurking fear not allowing them to walk down the rest of the stairs. Jaromir feels normal.

Jaromir walks behind the group and casts Fear on them, so they will be forced to run down the stairs. But the party all resist Jaromir's spell. Pharis tries to jump, but that fails. Pharis then tries pushing William down the stairs, but William turns the push around and makes Pharis fall down the stairs. Pharis feels paralysed at the bottom of the stairs, unable to go down the corridor, and thinks he sees someone. Pharis flees back up the stairs.

Jaromir walks down the stairs alone, with a rope tied around him and carrying the lantern. He doesn't see the humanoid shape. He leaves the rope behind and goes into the tunnel. He sees a vision of a woman before him, who looks like Victoria. Victoria backs away from Jaromir, saying that she feels his hatred. The bottom of her dress begins to catch on fire. Jaromir pulls out the portable hole and pulls out the magical watering can and uses it, but it falls though her form. Jaromir casts displace self on the watering can so it can interact with Victoria. Victoria doesn't notice the fire, but Jaromir can feel the heat. Giving up, Jaromir decides to spend time talking with Victoria instead. Jaromir's clothes begin to burn, but he ignores it. Victoria starts to vanish and Jaromir feels powerless and weeps. Victoria disappears and Jaromir feels broken and just sits there a while.

Eventually Jaromir stands up and noticed the apparition of a man down the corridor, frozen, naked, with an unfrozen clothes offered in outsteached arms. Jaromir, with his current clothes charred and burnt, walks out naked back up the stairs to the party, still shell shocked. Jaromir stares blankly at an empty wall. He uses some spells on his mirror to project the face of his daughter on the wall. William gives Jaromir his cloak and gives Jaromir some distance.

After a time Jaromir stands up and hands William the Amulet of Tempos. William again tries to head down the stairs, but is still unable to do so, so he returns the amulet. The two return to camp, on the way back William offers to be there if Jaromir needs to talk.

Friday 14th April 1511
The party returns to temple of Velthara. Jaromir goes down the stairs and heads to the crossroads back to the frozen body with the robes. He searches down the left path first. The faces of those in the crypt somehow remind Jaromir of family members, even those he doesn't remember. He casts Past Life on one of the bodies, the one that reminds him of his wife. It ends up being a bald man, who is murdered by a Skrag jumping out of a tree.

With the vision over, Jaromir finds new determination, searches the rest of the crypts, then returns to the frozen man with the robes. Jaromir throws the robes over his shoulder, casts reduce on the frozen man, and carries him up the stairs. At the top of the stairs the party inspect the robes after laying them down on the grounds. The robes are made of threads of silver mixed with some wool, inside are many pockets. Jaromir puts on the robes and finds the pockets full of many things.

Saturday 15th April 1511
The party heads out north of the city. They make 15 miles of progress.

Sunday 16th April 1511
Moderate weather day. They make 9 miles of progress.

Monday 17th April 1511
Another moderate weather day. They make 6 miles of progress.

Tuesday 18th April 1511
Yet another moderate weather day. They make 13.5 miles of progress. They each the edge of the swamp.

Wednesday 19th April 1511
A light weather day. The party make 13.5 miles of progress. As the party travels North-West towards the mountains, Grimes notices Zaaz's ship pull into towards Swampside. William decides that they don't need to head back to camp and the party continue towards the mountains. They find that they can't take the sled up into the mountains. Grimes scouts ahead and finds a path.

Thursday 20th April 1511
A light weather day. The party continue searching in the mountains. They manage to make 1 mile of progress. Jaromir finds a old metal sign on a rotten woodem spike. On it are the words "Imperial Mine" and it points in a direction. The people find a man-made carved out passage. At the end they find a mine, framed in timber and some mine-cart tracks.

The party enter the mine. The mine cart rails are corroded after 1500 years, but are still frozen in spot. Jaromir finds a tracing in the wall that is vaguely man-shaped, like the shape the Salt Golem left behind in the last mine. A stone golem stands inert in the wall. Jaromir also finds the text on the mine exit like he did in the Salt Mine, but this time he can read it. It has symbols for Golem, Protector, Guardian, Enemy, Monster, & Villan on it.

WIlliam crosses in front of the Golem and nothing happens. Pharis crosses in front of the Golem and it activates.