Scorched and clinging to life, FCG trudged their way up from the banks of the River Inferno and took a short respite. The party tended to their wounds and steeled themselves for the journey that still lay ahead. Waning time still being their utmost concern, the group elected to take the more direct yet more treacherous route to Aeor’s crash site and headed towards the mountains on the near horizon. Part way up the mountain pass, Malcolm and Eris spotted a figure higher up heading down in their direction. Malcolm lost sight of the entity until he found himself staring face to face with its ghastly visage as it appeared out of thin air. Startled, the vigilant fighter slashed at the ghost.
Upon being struck, the ghost’s expression turned from one of sorrow and loss to one of immense anger. The ghost proceeded to enter Malcolm’s body, possessing him, and pit him against his allies in melee combat. To Nyx, the solution was clear, Malcolm had to be put down. The sorceress electrocuted Malcolm multiple times with her shocking grasp in an attempt to knock him out. As the ghost retaliated with Malcolm’s limbs and blade, Endrin held the possessed warrior in his place with hold person before the blade could collide with Nyx. Artaema and Eris joined in the fun and battered Malcolm with abilities of their own. Triple J sought an alternate solution and attempted to probe the thoughts of ghost within his friend. Triple felt the ancient pain of the ethereal being and attempted to coax it out of Malcolm. Before the Bard’s words could find purchase however, Eris finally succeeded in knocking Malcolm unconsciouss with the hilt of her blade.
As Malcolm’s body fell limp, the ghost remained floating there in his place. The ghost began to cry and beg for release from its eternal torment. FCG learned that the ghost was once a citizen of Aeor and that it had lost its family in the crash, the search for which had proved fruitless for nearly a millennium. Now sympathetic toward the ghastly entity, Triple J and Eris performed final rites for the ghost, allowing it to pass into the heavens with soothing song. The party then pulled Malcolm’s body up from the snow and got the dizzied warrior back on his feet.
Despite FCG’s sustained damage, the day was still young and thus they proceeded onward up the mountain pass. As the party crested the pass’ apex, exhaustion nipped at their bodies. Their weariness faded however as they caught sight of the valley beyond, Aeor’s crash site and their ultimate destination. With renewed vigor they descended the other side of the mountain range. A few lost footing down the icy slopes, but Endrin and Artaema managed to cast fly in time and the party all floated down safely.
At the mountains’ base, the jagged, canyon ridden, valley lay before them. With daylight waning, FCG attempted to head in the direction of the circled location on the Bladescarred’s map. Upon reaching the approximate location, the party did not spot an obvious land mark or cave opening and elected to split up in order to thoroughly search the area. Artaema and Malcolm spotted it first, a narrow crack at the base of where two canyon walls collided. FCG reconvened, threw some ropes down the canyon, and descended to the valley below.
Recalling their prior experience with cave systems, FCG briefly contemplated resting first and entering at full strength but decided against it. Instead, the party trudged through the valley, right up to the cave entrance. As Malcolm and Eris stepped within 20 ft. of the entrance, they were met by a volley of arrows from above. The party looked up just in time to catch sight of two Bladescarred archers before a skeletal frost giant leapt down from the ledge above. FCG found themselves right in the middle of a sizeable Bladescarred ambush and had no choice but to fight for their lives.
Malcolm endured the majority of the archers’ arrows and found himself restrained by the bones of dead Aeorians, seemingly summoned from beneath the ice. Eris engaged the giant head on, shattering its bones with her divine smite. However, the channeling of such potent magical power caused the latent energy of Eiselcross to swirl around the paladin and transform her into a sheep. Eris’ time as a farm animal was short-lived as the giant immediately smacked the sheep with it’s giant axe, reverting her to her natural, now slightly more bloodied, state. Meanwhile, FCG’s spell casters ducked for cover, attempting to avoid a particularly deadly assassin lurking on the ledge above, peaking out only to exchange shots of their own.
As the skeletal giant was struck down by Eris, another Bladescarred warrior leapt into the canyon and stabbed Malcolm’s restrained body twice, nearly killing the now unconscious fighter. Instinctually, Endrin enshrouded his friend in a sphere of protective gravity, shielding Malcolm from any outside influence. The alert wizard had the wherewithal to drop his spell just in time for Triple J to bring Malcolm back from the brink with a healing word. Triple J’s healing ability made him the next target of the Bladescarred above. The bard quickly found himself blinded and restrained as he sustained attacks from the Bladescarred archers and spell caster. Endrin dispelled the blindness afflicting Triple J only to be teleported to the ledge above by Eiselcross’ fluctuating arcane current. Wild magic, now in full force, began to swirl around Nyx as well. As Nyx blasted off chaos bolts, suddenly a unicorn appeared in the space next to her. The unicorn sensed the alignment of all parties on the battlefield and chose to side with FCG in the conflict. It scooped up Nyx onto its back and charged into battle to aid Eris, and the weary Malcolm against the Bladescarred’s melee warrior.
The battle reached its climax when Triple J, who was still restrained by grasping skeletal limbs, managed to pull out a small red bead, that Artaema had given him earlier, from his pocket. The bard flung the arcane bead up toward the canyon wall nearest the Bladescarred. The bead collided with the wall, causing a massive fiery explosion to engulf the canyon side. From up above, all in the valley heard a faint rumbling sound. Quickly FCG and Bladecarred alike realized they were in grave danger as a gargantuan section of cliffside high above had dislodged and was now sliding down in their direction. The remaining Bladescarred on the ledge fled, while Endrin hopped down and blasted Triple J free from his skeletal restraints. Malcolm charged after the fleeing Bladescarred on the canyon’s floor and ran him through just inside the cave’s entrance. The unicorn teleported itself along with Eris and Nyx inside the cave’s entrance as well. Endrin and Artaema scurried inside, while Triple J made a mad dash across the valley, barley managing to dive inside the narrow cavern just before the avalanche came crashing down, sealing the party within the cave. With only one direction to go now, FCG bedded down and began preparing for the danger that may lie ahead.
