Following their near fatal encounter with the black oozes, FCG set up camp in the corner of the icy cavern. While many took a much needed rest under the cover of Triple J’s dome, Endrin maintained a vigilant watch. A few hours into the watch, the gnome’s perceptive eyes caught sight of a Bladescarred expedition party climbing up out of the ruined tower and into the cavern. Endrin roused his companions with hushed urgency. Rather than wait for the Bladescarred to stumble upon them or proceed any further, FCG unleashed an explosive surprise attack on the newcomers. Endrin suppressed their movement with dunamantic force, upon which Artaema followed up with a ball of immense fire. Triple J and Nyx volleyed with psychic damage and more flame. The Bladescarred archers whirled around, firing shots in FCG’s direction. The archer’s arrows, laced with necrotic energy, called forth the remains of the ancient Aeorians trapped beneath the ice, whose limbs burst forth and restrained Nyx in their dead, chill, embrace. Eris and the pant-less Malcolm charged into the fray, engaging the bulkier Bladescarred head on. The two expert warriors made quick work of the death defying brutes with the help of Triple J’s faerie fire, Eris decapitating one with lightning, while Artaema attempted to free Nyx with a little dunamis of her own. Spellfire and arrows were exchanged between Endrin and the last archer who had since taken cover further into the next ruin. As the archer ducked for cover, Malcolm and Endrin ran up along either side of the entry, flanked, and nearly killed her with their surprise attack. Malcolm, made extra menacing by Triple J’s spiritual magic, terrified the archer, sending her running deeper into the ruin. Nyx broke free of her skeletal prison just in time to sprint out across the entry way and catch sight of the fleeing archer. The divine sorceress unleashed a crackling bolt of chaotic cold energy at the archer, striking her square in the back of the head and shattering her into ice crystals.
As the cavern grew cold, quiet, and dark once more, the party gathered up a few of the Bladescarred’s heads, along with their fur armor. On one of the archers, Endrin discovered a map of Foren with various locations circled and crossed off, including the one FCG currently found themselves in. Curiosity and concern did not outweigh the party’s need for rest however, as FCG settled back in under Triple J’s dome atop the warm fur armor of their fallen foes. When the group awoke, they elected to finish exploring the ruins around them before heading back out to investigate any of the other locations marked on the Bladescarred’s map. FCG headed into the next section of the frozen ruin. Endrin and Artaema investigated the room thoroughly, discovering large metallic doors marked numerically and a corresponding control panel in a much smaller, adjacent, chamber. Inside the smaller chamber were three more doors, each marked in sequence. Endrin noticed the key sockets on the panel matched the amulet they had found earlier in the ruined tower and concluded that it was the device needed to operate the door controls. The whole party gathered into the chamber to discuss which door to open first.
The group elected to open the largest door, C5, out in the main chamber first. Endrin placed the amulet in the corresponding socket and the door slid open. A large iron golem whirred to life and lumbered out into the central chamber. As the robotic entity began scanning the central chamber, the party panicked and began attempting to open the other doors within their current chamber. Unfortunately, none of the others would open until the door between the party and the central chamber, which was currently stuck halfway open, closed. Malcolm and Endrin scrambled to repair the damaged door, combining their knowledge of tinkering and metalworking. The duo succeeded, and the door to the central chamber closed. Eager to exhaust all other options before contenting with the Aeorian sentry, the party opened up the leftmost door, C2, next.
Before they could thoroughly examine the chamber, an alien-like cat creature, with a large eye attached to its tail, sprang forth from the shadows and attacked them. Nyx was burned by her own fire as the creature absorbed and redirected a portion of the sorceress’ attack. Triple J managed to incapacitate the beast with a mental assault, allowing Eris and Malcolm to charge in and begin hacking away while Endrin and Artaema provided arcane support from behind. Wild magic surged and flowed around the gnome wizard, empowering him for the duration of the battle. However, as the beast fell the wild magic surrounding Endrin took a turn for the worse as it electrocuted and siphoned the life from his allies. It wasn’t until the wild magic subsided that FCG was able to safely dig around in the chamber.
Within, they found what looked to be a ruined laboratory. At the far end of the lab stood a tank of sickly yellow liquid, dimly illuminated from beneath, with an angelic figure suspended inside. The deva bore similar symptoms to the party’s infirmed princes in the form of icy blue veins running all across its long dead body. As the party speculated as to the meaning behind this discovery, Artaema informed FCG of the Aeroian’s distain for divinity and the history of Aeor’s ultimate destruction at the hands of the gods, prime and betrayer alike. Still without concrete proof of what befell the celestial in this chamber nor its implications, the party proceeded on to the next room, C3.
As Endrin placed the amulet into the panel, the door to C2 shut and the door to C3 cracked and slid open. After a moment of silence, an ominous hissing noise filled the small chamber, followed closely by a milky blue gas. All but Eris began coughing violently. Blue veins began running up Nyx’s neck, as she was unable to resist the effects. As grim realization set in, Eris charged in to the next chamber, along with Nyx, hoping to uncover a shred of truth. The gas lingered, trapped in the chamber with the party. Tried as he might to resist, Endrin too fell prey to the effects of the gas. Further in to the next chamber, Eris and Nyx discovered another ruined laboratory, this one littered with shattered glass vials and scattered notes. The pair grabbed what they could and quickly departed. The party closed the door to C3 as soon as Eris and Nyx returned.
Quickly, FCG opened the final door, C4, and was met with icy rock face, and a dead end. With no where left to go but back through the chamber with the iron golem, the party took a moment to examine Eris and Nyx’s findings. Of most importance was a research journal written in ancient Aeorian. The journal detailed the Aeorian’s work on pathogen L-17H, or the Frigid Woe, along with it’s cure L-17I. The journal also discussed the disease’s resistance to divine based healing as evidenced by its effects on the celestial test subject housed in this facility, and concluded that L-17H would be an effective weapon against the gods. Along with the journal, the party also recovered a pair of enchanted gloves along with a vial of L-17H.
FCG braced themselves, as they opened the door back to the main chamber. Immediately, the iron golem scanned the party with a bright red beam and gargled a mishmash of robotic noises at them. Artaema quickly discerned that it was asking for identification, to which Endrin responded by showing the entity the jeweled amulet they had been using as a key. Satisfied with FCG’s form of identification, the golem returned to its post and sat dormant once more. FCG breathed a sigh of relief, and began exiting the ruin.
On their way out, the party allowed Triple J a moment to speak with the two Bladescarred heads they had recovered. From the grim conversations, the silver tongued bard discovered that the Bladescarred were searching Aeor’s ruins for an ancient tome, a tome that would help the Black Wizard restore the Whispered One to their former glory. Triple J also learned that the map that the party had recovered noted locations that the Bladescarred had already searched and found nothing, along with potential other entrances to Aeor’s Cognouza ward where they believed the book to be. Their destination clear, FCG departed ruin with their sights set on Aeor’s crash site.
