Betrayal in the Square and a Trip to the Pale Tower

"Halt in the name of Queen Elvanna," the sergeant exclaimed.  "I assume you mean to surrender and submit to the witch of the Pale Tower," intimating a that far worse awaits them-and the villagers-if they refuse.

"What makes you think we would just give in?" Casia shot back.

"Then prepare to die!"

The battle was joined and since the parties were still a distance apart bows and crossbows were the weapons of choice.  A screaming bolt came flying from the sergeant as the party fired back and maneuvered around keeping Nadya to the rear.

Two guards fired crossbows and the other two moved forward to engage.  Casia and Amadeo were the first to meet the onslaught.  Then the party saw Emil and Katrina emerge from the White Weasel.  They joined the battle with Emil firing crossbows as Katrina followed behind him.

Santrel attempted to sleep the inn owners but only Katrina fell to the snow of the town square.  As soon as he could Emil awoke her and moved forward.  Soon the battle fell to hand to hand as Fanara charged a crossbowman, Jorgen was sniping from off the main throughfare.  Milos was attacking but was Fatigued by Katrina, Santrel was splashing acid around the battlefield but when Milos and Santrel were hit by Burning Hands the battle turned dicey.

Fanara was winning her battles and had dropped four of the enemy before any one else even killed one. Milos channeled healing as he and the party were in need but this also healed some of the enemy.  The battle continued but the heroes had taken turned the tide and they soon dispatched all the enemy.

"We need to leave as soon as we can get the sleds loaded," Milos implored.

"First we should find out more about the proprietors of the White Weasel," Fanara suggested. "Nadya, do you know anything about the couple?"

"They have been here for years.  Of course everyone has been threatened by the Pale Tower guards, so who knows what some may do to escape from punishment." Nadya responded.

Santrel was searching for magic on the dead bodies.  He found that the rapier wielded by the sergeant was magical cold iron.  Amadeo immediately claimed it.  Santrel also found four potions and a magic locket opened to a mirror inside.  Emil had magical leather armor and a fine looking heavy crossbow.  Katrina had four scrolls, each with four spells, cure light wounds, command, sleep and cause fear.

"Should we search the tavern again?" Casia suggested.

A search of the White Weasel did not turn up any evidence of conspiracy but Santrel noted a large mirror hung behind the bar.  He thought nothing of it before but now with the mirror from the doll's eye, the mirror around the sergeants neck and this big mirror it was possibly related.

"Does this Radosek or Nazhena have a method to watch through a mirror? he wondered.

"We should talk to Hatch again before we leave and get some good maps," Casia said.

At this point the townsfolk were gathering on the street again.  The undercurrent was fear and trepidation.  They were suggesting that the foreigners should get out of town as fast as possible so that no repercussions would be inflicted on Waldsby.

The group hurried to the storehouse, loaded the sleds and headed for the Pale Tower.  Casia suggested that they not take a direct route to the Tower but try to disguise their intentions. After around an hour of travel with Amadeo riding one sled and Nadya the other.

"We need to travel slower.  Slow us down, we are going to tire out too quickly.  Slow us down," the lead dog on Amadeo's sled said.

"Nadya, do your dogs normally talk?" Casia asked.

"No they cannot. Does anyone see anything around?" Nadya responded.

Then Nadya's lead dog began a different conversation, "We need to speed up.  Hurry we have to get going.  Hurry, hurry!"

In the middle of the sleds four images of  a jet black bird appeared.  As the party continued forward under Casia's command the bird spoke in common.

"Who are you and where are you headed?  You are off the beaten path."

"We are headed to the Tower," Fanara offered.

"Well you are not in line to get there normally," the crow said as the four of them flew directly at Fanara and then rummaged around in her pack and then flew away. 

The battle was then begun with the party firing ranged weapons and acid splashes at the creature which was identified as a witchcrow.  Fanara was the target of an evil eye as he knocked off one of the mirror images.  Others were not as lucky as their missiles seemed to miss the creature.  Santrel was the victim of Ill Omen as the crow flew around the still moving caravan of dogs and sleds.  Nadya was directing the dogs with vocal commands as the party fought off the attacks of the crow.

The party quickly gained control of the situation and kept knocking off images and finally dropped the crow with arrows and bolts.  Fanara was concerned and looked into her backpack but found everything intact.  Milos looked for magic items but there was nothing on or around the crow.  

"What was that witchy creature after I wonder?" Jorgen said sarcastically.

"I think it wanted one of Baba Yaga's keys.  This means others may notice we have them," Fanara responded with seriousness.

The party headed on toward the Pale Tower.  Sharp winds whistled across the stark white plain, stinging the eyes along with the near-blinding rays of the reflected sun. A great eruption of frozen ice rose in the distance-an imposing pale tower crowned with icicles spearing into the sky. Seemingly born of the land itself, an unbroken circular wall of ice guards the tower's base, with no means of entrance visible. High above, a large gash opened in the tower's bowl-like crown, ringed in icy spikes and split by a massive plane of ice resembling an inverted crescent moon. A trampled path of snow, heavily tracked by foot prints and sled trails, ended abruptly at an opaque wall of ice. Carvings and ancient glyphs depict only the semblance of a gateway on its surface. The outer wall of ice was twenty-five or thirty feet high and there were guards on the parapet.

"Who goes there?  Halt in the name of Nazhena Vasilliovna," one of the guards called down.

Nadya moved to the fore "I have come with the food supplies for the Tower.  I would trade them for the release of my daughter Thora as promised."

"Nazhena is not present in the Tower, so there is no one to release the girl."

"I cannot leave and return to Waldsby with the food, you need it now in the Tower."

"We will ask Radosek," the guard replied calling another guard over and ordering him to speak with Radosek.

When the guard returned the group was informed they should enter and unload the sleds in the courtyard after which Nadya would be allowed to talk with Radosek about the trade for Thora. The guard then made the wall of ice covered with glyphs disappear.  Behind it was a portcullis made of huge icicles.  The portcullis was raised and the party was allowed in to the courtyard.

A massive ice sculpture of a dragon dominated the open courtyard, standing with raised wings upon a dais of solid ice. Six squat shacks sat along the inner wall, with several dogsleds stored outside. Between them, four ice chutes descended from the battlements of the outer wall. To the west, large double doors studded with icicles lead inside the Pale Tower itself, just beneath an overhang of sharp icicles which dangled from above.

"Put those goods in the dog shed to the north," a guard said as he and another slid down different chutes to meet the party.  The other guard lowered the portcullis and shortly thereafter the wall of ice once again appeared.

"Where are the dogs?" inquired Casia.

"They are out on patrol, some are expected back soon." was the response.

"Can we get some water for the dogs?" Nadya asked.

"Get it out of the sheds."

The sheds had straw and dog droppings on the floor, none of it seemed recent.  The water was available but there was not much available.  As the heroes began unloading the sleds one of the guards headed toward the double doors.  Fanara hurried to keep pace with him.

"Can I come along? I really want to see inside the ice." Fanara excitedly exclaimed.

"No, you can't enter! Stay back now!" the guard answered.

Fanara then attacked with her sword precipitating a battle.  The guards immediately attacked in return one guard firing from the parapet.  The party was mostly firing crossbows bolts and arrows but Fanara and her guard were in hand to hand combat.

A new guard appeared from under the overhanging pillar when another dog shed opened and a large creature with  light blue-green skin and cold, piercing eyes appeared with a battleaxe in hand. Dressed in rough furs, its tusked jaw juts forth in a long underbite.

"Who has invaded our realm?  They will die for waking me up," the large creature yelled in giant speak.

"We are just here to deliver some goods, let us be," Casia replied in giant.

"No, you will die!"

The rest of the party was busy firing away, Santrel slept the guard on the parapet to lessen the load. Fanara dropped the guard but was approached by the large Ice Troll that she identified it as.  Taking a hit she tried to move away and then throw Alchemist's Fire at the monster.  This seemed to do more damage but also enraged the creature and it hurled its battle axe away and charged Fanara.  

The party began to get a hand on the other two guards, Santrel tried Daze on the monster to no avail but Milos also hit the Troll with fire damage.  The monster then dropped Fanara with a bite and took a swipe at Milos with a claw.

The battle continued as Milos and Jorgen finally put the Ice Troll down, Casia and Amadeo were busy with the last guard but he also died as Milos was stabilizing the unconscious Fanara. After some healing revived Fanara the group used rope and grappling hook from Jorgen to ascend an ice slide and bind and gag the sleeping guard.

DM's Notes: The party earned 959 XP for all this work and now have 4162 requiring about 1850 to reach 4th level.