December 12, 2020 The
party recuperated from their violent confrontation with the Stone Cold Reavers
and then Cormac sent Gladys out to continue their reconnaissance of Icespire
Hold. In the early hours before dawn, the snowy owl slipped into the hold
through arrow slits. There, the familiar discovered the fortresses' outer
defenses cold and forlorn and Cryovain still perched atop the hold's roof,
waiting for the sun to rise over the Sword Mountains. Hatching what seemed to
Tibor to be an overly complicated plan involving fireplaces and warning bells,
the party dashed across the bridge from the gatehouse to the fortress. Once
inside Icespire Hold, the adventurers found much evidence of destruction
within. It seems its previous occupants, savage orcs, had completely ransacked
the place. The fortress was filled with broken furniture, filth, and grime. The
party discovered the same scene in every chamber--filth and destruction. They
also discovered evidence of the fortresses' occupants before the orcish
invasion--the skeletal remains of humanoids wearing a coat of arms depicting
lightning bolts striking a black tower. Later, they also discovered what
appeared to be some sort of suicide pact within the warlord's quarters. The
party searched their memory for any hint that might help them sort through this
puzzle but came up blank. Continuing
their search, Simplejack discovered a secret door leading down to deathly cold
crypts below the hold. The Paladin of Selune did an about face and the party
decided to board up the secret door and save that expedition until after they
dealt with the dragon. Then, a bit later, the party discovered evidence of a
battle between the dragon and orcs. Apparently, the dragon had broken into the
fortress and fought the orcs inside. Armed with this knowledge, they now knew
the dragon could enter the hold. All
paths now led to a spiral staircase leading up to a rooftop tower and a
confrontation with the white dragon they had only previously glimpsed from
afar... Up
they went and the keen-eared dragon heard them as soon as they emerged into the
ruined tower. The battle was on! A
terrific battle ensued atop the fortresses' icy roof. Bells rang! Smoke
billowed! Eyes shot bolts of lightning! Fireballs exploded! Blizzard breaths
were blown! Magical Books were thrown! Rays were Scorched! Steps were Misty!
Constrictors Slithered and Bit (and most importantly, kept the dragon at bay)!
Simplejack flew! Cormac fell! Cormac rose! Heck, even Tibor got off a pretty
darn close shot with his crossbow! In
the end, it cannot be said Cryovain did not fight tooth, nail, and with her
last, dying, frigid breath. With the adventurers'
resources dwindling, Cryovain burst into the tower to take down Cormac and
Travyn. Things were starting to look grim. A quick message from Cormac,
"Flee now, all is lost..." was all it took for Tibor to jump astride
one of the horses and skedaddle all the way back to Phandalin... But
atop the fortress, Simplejack rushed in behind the dragon and plunged the
dragon-slaying sword deep into Cryovain's back. It could not have come too
soon, for the dragon was just mere moments away from blowing what would have
undoubtedly been the finishing stroke for Cormac and Travyn.
Sword
buried deep, Cryovain slumped down onto the icy, rubble-strewn floor. The Fellowship
of the Hat prevailed and ended the dragon's predatory reign of terror over the
people of Phandalin and the surrounding area! PCs Present: Cormac, Matthias, Simplejack, & Travyn + Tom (Chiao) for virtual/spiritual support Items Gained: 750 cp, 9222 sp, 2300 gp, 110 pp, Ornate Silver Mirror set with Malachite (250 gp), Brass Coffer (250 gp), Fine Steel Gauntlets (250 gp), Sable Coinpurse (250 gp), cracked spyglass (100 gp), stuffed and mounted head of a large white wolf with glassy blue eyes (priceless)