(From: To the Shadow of the Spine) (+ see also: Dwarven Aspirations)

Arrival at the Stronghold

Having mounted the snow-laden heights of the Spine of the World, the party and its sleds drawn by sure-footed caribou navigate the mountain passes and rising trail into the thin air of the windswept range. It seems being closer to the fringe of the Everlasting Winter evens out against what would have been shocking cold.

The night of Tarsakh 26th, approaching the intimidating fortress along the narrow mountainside pass, the bellow of one of Auril's favored minions, a yeti, echoes across the mountains. A second responds, as the party halts to listen and assess danger. The two beasts then scream an ear-grating sound soon followed by a distinct rumbling sound - an avalanche. Rounding the curve of the pass to peer across the last contour to Sunblight Stronghold, let in the dwindling aurora of the Frostmaiden and the pale moonlight of a near-full moon (as the 1st of Mirtul approaches) the party's hearts sink as they see the avalanche has buried the final stretch of pass before the entrance. This would mean a great deal of labor ahead - particularly if the snow set to ice before arriving.

Perhaps an omen the ice queen favors the work of this mad Duergar?

But other forces seem to be at work here - for upon rounding this final bend to face the buried path, the party is greeted by the awkward-but-practiced humanoid disguise a-la-"totally-three-kobolds-in-a-heavy-coat" - servants of Vellynne Harpell, and her snowy owl familar, who speaks with the necromancer's voice, "Make haste, friends, we have not much time!" Greatly relieved, and with the kobolds carefully disguising the footprints back from the pass, four of the party begin their hour-of-Invisibility, while Dex dons his Drow disguise (as "Dzain") and Zak prepares his announcement at the door. The owl-familiar wishes luck and mentions something about "the kobolds will prepare the zombie-dog sleds".

Arriving at door of Sunblight Stronghold soon after the mid-day's dimness fades, the (visible) pair of minstrels stand at the door, dusting off and looking bright, then turn where a Duergar voice addresses them in Undercommon from a wickedly-placed arrow-slit in the side-wall. One full day remains before a pre-dawn return of h'Rothgar's spirit to his body on Tarsakh the 29th.

Zaknalimar: "Greetings! We have arrived, the talented Zaknalimar and Dzain to perform."

The communication in the prior Sending to the matriarch seems to have paid off, as the dour but curious and at least dutiful guard dwarves confirm the expectation and open the gates, allow through the portcullis and its viciously-devised kill-zone, to lead the pair (with the invisible spies just behind) to the dining hall just down the hallway on this level of the fortress.

The walls and rooms of the stronghold are formed in a fashion expected of dwarves - in particular those from the deepest of the Underdark. Cut from the gray stone of the mountainside itself, the fortress is purely functional - lacking any ornamentation or artistic flair while holding to high standards for level floors and ceilings and right angles. Unlike usual dwarven dwellings often imposing the need to crouch on taller humanoids, the halls and rooms have 10 foot high ceilings and wide walls - reminding of h'Rothgar's warning of the Duergar racial ability to Enlarge/Reduce their size.

From h'Rothgar's recollections there are three main levels to the stronghold - a hundred or so feet above housing a workshop and watch rooms and a hundred or so feet below, within the mountain the forge (and throne room, dungeon, and passage to the Underdark). Shafts connect up and down between these levels - some for ventilation some for moving people or supplies. Even at this upper level, the rising smoke of the forge thickens the air - areas lit with the coal braziers are both dimly lit and lightly obscured in this haze. 

Music & Merriment for the Muzgardt Matriarch

The Sunblight Stronghold is an intimidating fortress, but its otherwise lame attempt at celebration and entertainment by deeply-focused smiths, engineers. thieves, and warriors are just what a talented traveling bard is here to fix! Within the dining room, an assembly of Duergar sit expectantly waiting on food and entertainment, some Sunblight natives (including - according to h'Rothgar, the sons of Xardorok Sunblight: Durth of Easthaven and Nildar, of the outpost near Caer Konig) some the Muzgardt visitors - most prominently the matriarch Grandolpha.

Far from acting aged or passive, Grandolpha leaps to take charge of the room, showing welcome to the pair of Drow performers, as the Sunblights respond with relief at what must have been an ongoing awkward socialization, if not silence. Kicking off with a display of Bardcraft ribbons, and sparkles, the bard launches into song, drawing a melody from his lute and Bardcraft-played flute, mimed by "Dzain". After several songs, including use of Magnificent Performance to enhance Dzain's contributions, Zak-and-spider-h'Rothgar have a moment with Grandolpha, beckoned over at an intermission as the main course (Intellect Devourers seasoned in their own juices and sprinkled with ash) is served. Perched in the room's corner at her flank is her elegant gift from Xardorok (and significantly crafted by h'Rothgar), the Unknown shaped from Chardalyn, truly an impressive work of art and engineering.

Grandolpha notes of the ten at the table - six are Sunblight-loyal (4 + Durth and Nildar) and four Muzgardt-loyal (2 turncoat/traitors-to-Sunblight + Grandolpha and her retainer/bodyguard). h'Rothgar confirms there are infiltrators within, and Grandolpha signals with motions to her loyalists. She does not know where Xardorok is, and already had no luck calling for him to join the meal, even pretending some offense. The sons have done their best to attend and show charm and graciousness.

As the feasting of the disgusting meal comes to a close, awaiting dessert (who knows what THAT might be?) Zak strums his lute for attention, and seeking to buy more time for the spies and prolong the room's attention (and distraction) begins to tell epic stories. The bard having carefully woven a Tongues spell onto Dex-as-Dzain allowing him to share stories as well, understandable as if in Undercommon, the language expected of Drow and Duergar. The two Duergar turncoats depart the room, replaced by two others, seemingly pleased they gained a reward of dessert.

Expertly "reading the room", the stories include a sketch by Dzain of the spooky exploration of a strange derelict craft with Illithid mind flayers - always a fine enemy antagonist subject for the Duergar. Time begins to grow long, with the 1 hour mark nearing (at the end of which, so will the Invisibility spells and Dex's Disguise Self) - h'Rothgar, having settled on Grandolpha's arm to conspire, climbs to Zak's shoulder, whispering, "It has begun - when we break, Grandolpha will request you and Dzain be granted passage to the tunnel to the Underdark as she returns to her room in the forge level - and she will see you off. The others are heading down there already."

At the end of Dzain's story, an impatient-seeming Durth is the first to excuse himself, presenting awkward formalities to Grandolpha and departing the room. The others repeat much the same, until, last, Nildar and three Duergar escort the two Drow, Grandolpha and her retainer "Vinny" (who may dress and speak somewhat fancy, but shows too many scars to be a court-creature) below via a mining cage-on-pulleys from the room passed on the way to the dining hall.

Phenomenal Phantom

First to break off from the invisible crew, climbing to the ceiling of the hallway and biding his time, Phantom slips into what had been labeled Xardorok's Quarters on the map sketched by the wizards from h'Rothgar's memory. On a knife's edge between caution and itching for a fight, he applies unusual caution to avoid exposing the group too early by running in to the Lord of the Stronghold himself - though his reasonable and justified expectation was Xardorok would be at the feast with Grandolpha.

The room off the hall led to doors to a second room, but was dominated by a stone table on which a detailed map of the Ten Towns had been drawn - and a tiny perch made for a palm-sized toy dragon, whose eyes sparkled slightly - like a firefly. Tipping a switch at the base of the perch, the dragonfly-sized toy flapped toward what was labeled Dougan's Hole, which it pantomimed violence before lifting to flap-flap to Good Mead, repeating the pretend-violence and flight to each of the other Ten Towns - in order: Easthaven, Caer Dineval, Caer Konig, then over the towering Kelvin's Cairn to Termalaine, Lonelywood, Bremen, Targos, and finally Bryn Shander before returning to its perch.

Phantom pockets the toy (which does not protest), and enters the second room. The room is decorated with a wall carving of a large carving of a scowling Duergar clenching his teeth, but otherwise unfancy - a stone bed, furs, an iron chest bolted to the floor with a heavy padlock - a door to a privy and another to a closet with shelves.  The barbarian is startled on opening the closet, facing seven skulls of what can only be mind flayers - and on a top shelf a chardalyn statuette of a nude female duergar with no face, a bald head, wearing only a crown. Despite the voices of his grandfather feeding his superstitions, and even the symbiote itching against the temptation, Phantom reaches out to break the thing, only to recoil with horrific visions of his brain being devoured by mind flayers, its backlash delivering psychic damage.

Disturbed by this, and seeing no way to open the chest - he departs the rooms, listening carefully to time his exit and cross the hallway to the guard room and its elevator shaft.  The machinery is as alien to phantom as the devices on the Nautiloid, and uncertain of its design, he leaps to the shaft's wall and climbs first to the top floor, which just contains more machinery and smithwork - and left alone, then descends down and down again to the bottom, rolling away as he is nearly crushed by the descending cage, which carries on it two Duergar.  Phantom pauses to observe as these two exchange words in the Undercommon speech of the Underdark, three of them vanishing to Invisibility as the third opens the door for them, pokes out his head and shouts something that sounds like an "all's well" of a town guardsman, and with the opening, Phantom slips out - making care not to run into the invisible ones, who he hopes are part of this "resistance" he heard about in the planning. What else would explain this behavior?

Phantom clambers across the back wall of this new room, which is vaulted to a height of thirty feet, crawling over a raised area that hosts a misshapen throne made entirely out of the black crystalline form of that chardalyn material so many warn against. If small amounts drive people to madness, what would a throne of that much chardalyn do? (Phantom seems to miss at this point that he himself has been carrying the toy made of the same... and the thought is but passing, for his interest is in goings-on against the far wall.)

Here, a quiet yet gentle-looking creature - something like a soft-glowing mushroom man - is reeling at one of its arms being torn off by a foul humanoid covered in white fur, accompanied by another of the same kind, but with a sort of glow to it quite similar to that of the mushroom man. It stands with a dull look on its face, the dull expression reminding Phantom of the faces of zombies. Leaping on the fur-thing, full of rage and claws and teeth, the barbarian tears in to what would later be named a "Quaggoth". The violence of the attack snapping into action the zombie-like quaggoth, which was soon joined by three others, also bearing the slight glow and dull expressions, bursting from a room aside the throne. 

These things proved quite strong and tough, delivering slashing wounds and moving with speed - the sharp-looking leader even employing magical tricks , such as shimmering to appear as more than itself. But these many-selves quickly fell to the flurry of claw attacks by the bestial barbarian, now noting through the fog of his rage the other quaggoths falling to javelins and crossbow bolts launched from the three previously-invisible duergar dwarves, and the one at the door. In the midst of the battle, the mushroom creature loosed a cloud of spores on the melee, inhaled to speckle Phantom's vision for a short moment, but shaken off. The battle is ended and the tall tribesman faces what he hopes will be allies - one of whom speaks in Common with a heavy Undercommon accent, "password?" the crossbows and javelins are leveled, and the four are spaced tactically.

Remembering, Phantom speaks, "Dark Lake Must Flow" and all five relax their stances, two turn toward the hallway exit, and look to the one who spoke, this one taps his chest, naming himself, "Dreck" - the barbarian does the same, "Phantom", receiving a nod, then all look to the exit, Dreck speaking, "Will now be a bit of a trick to get through that killzone now.."

But before taking such action, and before addressing the screech of the descending elevator, the bodies of the quaggoth are dragged into the back room, along with the wounded Myconid (mushroom guy).  As the door closes, a dark form slips from Phantom into the room, emerging and rejoining him just before the door from the elevator shaft room opens...

A Wizard, a Warlock, and a Rogue step into a Temple

Following the bard troupe escort down the hallway, the invisible wizard, warlock, and rogue assess what h'Rothgar had labeled "VIP rooms?" on the wizard-drawn map. Benefitting from the almost immediate drawing-of-attention and out-of-the-normal-routine the entertainment distraction was providing, the rooms at the far end of the hall proved to be empty.

Alyks Askaria, the wizard and source of the Invisibility casting for the others, was the only one among the invisible crew able to track each of the others (self-casting See Invisibility). While Alyks investigated the room to the left, the warlock Sudon and the rogue Aelar found the room to the right was in fact some sort of room for combat training - and held another miner's cage-lift in a shaft, much like the other one passed in the hallway - the one investigated by Phantom.

Emerging from investigating a stately-but-simple room with a stone bed and trunk, Alyks noted the pale elf and the blue elf conversing at the edge of a hole in the floor across the main hall. Her intuition tingling, she skipped the door at the hall's end to quickly intervene before an avoidable disaster was created. Never having seen such a thing, the two elves were quietly debating their options to descend the 100-foot shaft, noting hefty ropes, estimating weights - and putting aside her own invisibility, the tiefling wizard simply cast Feather Fall, enabling all three of them to softly descend the shaft to the lower level.

The sounds of hammering and machinery accompany a thickening smell of smoke and molten metal here. Invisible Aelar peers around the corner of the shaft to the landing room, where a strange guard watches the two exits. It appears as a gray dwarf, but one somehow entombed within a suit of heavy armor - with arms replaced by cruel tools, as easily weapons as useful in crafting. 

In the interest of holding onto the invisibility's stealth as long as possible, Alyks tries (and succeeds!) at using Sleep upon the creature - unsure if enough of a living thing remained. With the creature now snoozing (but still solidly standing), the three sneak through the door toward the forge-sounds. They find themselves in a temple - with a seven-foot tall statue of a stocky female (presumably Deep Duerra, the Duergar's deity) her head from forehead-up a a brazier flickering with flames.

Chained to the pedestal at the foot of the statue is a nearly skeletal creature - little more than sunken purplish rubbery skin clinging to bones, and a plate over the back of its skull. Taller than the Illithid gnomes found on the crashed Nautiloid craft, this Mind Flayer has also had its face-tentacles amputated, rendering that attack impossible and likewise ensuring starvation. Once more feeling something of pity, the party addresses the creature, who responds telepathically, identifying itself as "F'yorl". As Fy'orl and Alyks exchange thoughts, Aelar and Sudon investigate the noises coming from a back room -- and despite their being invisible, the creature found within, surrounded by piles of stone tablets, responds immediately and violently, apparently wholly indifferent to the invisibility.

The creature's appearance as a robed priest in a tall miter hat flashes away for a moment as Aelar's crossbow lands a critical (assassinate + sneak attack) blow to the shoulder: for the duration of a glance, replacing the illusion with its underlying form - one of the horrifying Unknown with skin the color of seared flesh and bristling with sharp barbs, spines and hooks. Sudon invokes (his newly-advanced) Raven Queen's Blessing, vanishing as the area fills with the shadows of ravens. From the outer room, Alyks launches her signature Fire Bolt - landing squarely in the priest's face, but delivering no effect whatsoever! Responding, the creature hurls fire at the sea elf and tiefling, a roar like the tearing of meat erupting from its throat.

Alyks turns her attention to freeing F'yorl as Sudon reappears, the shadows vanishing, and from behind the priest fires his beam weapon, striking the fiend-priest in the back. It turns and cuffs with claws and a tail strike, exposing its flank to Aelar, who has found and begins loading a silvered bolt. Sudon, off-balance, fires his weapon again, but off balance and fumbling, the beam streaks into the outer room, striking the barely-alive F'yorl in the head and killing him instantly. Aelar's second shot (natural 20) pierces the priest's neck, fully damaging with the silvered point, whereupon the creature melts to the floor and disappears in an oily and foul-smelling swirl of smoke, leaving only the fancy priest hat - which slowly becomes a red felt cap.

Alyks is disheartened by the loss of F'yorl, but at least had learned from it a few useful things:

1. Xardorok regularly prays here, drawing strength from the statue's flames,
2. the priest called itself Klondorn and spoke to a voice very much NOT "Deep Duerra" - and obsessively added to the heaps of writings on stone tablets heaped in the antechamber, and
3. (suggesting a route for escape) notes there is a secret passage - but died before saying where.

Examining the granite tablets, Alyks recognizes the language as Infernal runes, the language of the creatures of the Nine Hells - and casting Comprehend Languages, quickly confirms her suspicions - an Archdevil is manipulating these plans and the dwarves, actively through the priest and the Sunblights devotion to what they believe to be their goddess speaking to them through the statue - and more subtly and consistently through the obsessively gathered and worn and worked Chardalyn crystals and minerals. The temple's rooms are now quiet, no response from the sleeping watcher, while the group takes care to remain quiet and keep the doors closed. Studying further, Alyks comes to believe the Archdevil may be Asmodeus himself - the ruler of all devils, Supreme Master of the Nine Hells - and urges she and the elves leave these accursed rooms.

Heat of Battle at the Forge

What follows is purely the perspective of the bard, the minstrel, the talented, the handsome, the dashing and dapper Zaknalimar Farrington of Luskan, (bastard) son of Jarlaxle, rising officer of the Bregan D'aerthe. 

We stepped off this mining crate that had slowly dropped us into the heat and stench of the forge level of the Sunblight's stronghold, and already I noted the subtle hand-signals the Muzgardts must have picked up from our mercenary company - or perhaps the Zhentarim, indicating to me that more sympathy leaned to new leadership than the madness of Xardorok and his kin. In quiet contrast to the banging and hissing in rooms beyond, this room sat dark, serene, and grim - dominated by a massive throne worked clumsily from what could only be solid chardalyn! Were that even a slice of the rumors of its madness-driving powers be true, one so reckless as to seat oneself there in prolonged contemplation would surely lose one's sensibilities.

While the duergar hosts conversed with guards occupying the room, I noted, with concern, my fellow minstrel - the disguised Dex - having set his eye upon the dark throne, tip his head as if drawn by a queer enchantment, and begin a slow approach to the thing. Then, shattering the sullenness of the room, our escort Nildar and his retinue suddenly turned and hefted weapons as a blood-spattered Phantom stepped through a door on the other side of the throne, his hands, forearms and chin shimmering with a slight glow - like that of the luminescent fungi found deep in the Underdark. Several tense heartbeats spanned the frozen moment in time, all surprised and sizing up the moment... until the matriarch herself spoke, decisively.

The old dwarf-lady commanded the powers of the mind widely-known among the Grey Dwarves, Grandolpha swiftly brought the Sunblight Son to his knees, his mind hers to command. The Sunblight loyalists were far outnumbered, surrendering without resistance - and now regrouping with our barbarian friend, we learned from him more details of the plot for destruction-then-conquest of the Ten Towns: death from the sky on chardalyn wings of the great dragon-construct h'Rothgar had warned of.

Rescue

We set in motion a plan to trick those within the forge to allow us passage to the dungeon cells - I, appearing a Drow bounty hunter (with spider familiar), would escort Phantom, a captured spy, to his cell, accompanied by Dex-as-Nildar, equipped with the keys I'd taken, while Grandolpha and her attendants would escort her to her quarters beyond the forge room. Dex paused just before we opened the doors, having received a Sending from Alyks - she and Sudon were in the temple across the forge room. The two of them would meet us at the dungeon cells, Alyks using Invisibility to avoid attention.

Opening the door, we were struck by the smoky heat of the crew of metalsmiths diligently at work on what must have been final preparations. Xardorok himself was indeed present, and manic with energy and excitement. In such a state, he was also distracted and focused, waving away Grandolpha, but shooting her an attempted charming smile and tapping his crown with a wink her way... the Muzgardt matriarch and her retinue masterfully drew attention to themselves, providing a convenient distraction as the rest of us played casual and confident making our way to the dungeon cells. We had to breathe shallowly in the smoke and soot of the room, passing by the fiery box, I could sense was very much like one I'd seen long ago in the Underdark - stoked by the heart of a Red Dragon!

A single guard was posted - one of the horrifying dwarf-within-machine creations we learned were called "Hammerers". This guard was quickly dispatched by the focused effort of the party, while h'Rothgar eagerly crawled into his own cell to occupy his body once more (and releasing the spider, who scurried up into the darkness).  I used the stolen keys to unlock h'Rothgar and the wizard who had helped him, who enthusiastically introduced herself:

Oh- Hello there, ha! My name is Vellynne Olivia Minerva Igrene Timothea of Clan Harpell, but you may call me Vellynne. I’m so glad we can get out of here - I’m so hungry I could eat the north end of a southbound steer!

Dex recognized Vellynne right away from her classes at the Host Tower, as she had been an instructor of the School of Necromancy.

Having now succeeded in at least the first part of h'Rothgar's rescue - we now had to contrive an escape - or a distraction. Considering options for creating commotion, we released the other prisoners being held - these included a resident of Dougan's Hole named Pekoe Quint, a dwarven woman from Caer Dineval named Deana Auldrice, and an enormous tribesman barbarian of a race I had not seen before, what I understand to be called a "Goliath", whose name was "Kapanuk Talltree Thuunkhalaga" and who offered us hospitality and celebration if we did make it out and ever came to his home of Wyrmdoom Crag in the Spine of the World mountains to the east.  While Deana and Kapanuk actively took part in the remainder of the actions, only later did I realize we somehow lost Mr. Quint. Hopefully he found his way out safely - though as events would unfold, his home would not be very welcoming, alas.

We hoped at this point to try to slip off down the tunnel into the Underdark, but this was complicated by Vellynne being insistent on one more task: "My goodness the nasty darkbeards have my magical goodies locked away somewhere thereabouts!" The necromancer gestured across the forge room, where Alyks noted within the temple there were indeed two rooms with supplies and weapons. So Alyks took on a disguise of a Duergar, to lead herself and Vellynne-cast Invisible (self), Phantom, and Kapanuk to the needed supplies (the goliath, with the same stubbornness as Vellynne being rather keen on retrieving his family axe) - accompanied by the still-Invisible Sudon. Half way to the temple, Vellynne protested they were going the wrong way - and she (and Sudon) headed instead through the doors into which Grandolpha's group had exited - while Alyks, Kapanuk, and Phantom entered the temple to arm up and prepare a distraction.

The Midden Hits the Windmill

Battle ensued almost immediately upon exiting the dungeon, however, as Xardorok noticed the now bitter-enemy h'Rothgar, speaking with heavily-accented dwarf-common:

Bearn mah beard! The dwarf whose hammer's bigger n' his anvil has a notion tah stop th' works o' my genius.
Y'haid's full o'clay, h'Rothgar, yer a few hairs short o' a bay-eerd, an' you an' yer friends be gooin' oop th' tall side o' the mootin'.
In two bells the game is oop!

Xardorok and several dwarves then grew from their four-foot stature to what must have been twice that, towering over even the barbarians - and wielding massive weapons. Backed by the white-furred Quaggoths, we were on shaky ground to survive. But it turned out we had several hidden allies in additional Muzgardt sympathizers, who engaged some of the incoming forces. Phantom and his fellow barbarian burst forth from the temple, wreaking havoc on defenders - followed by Alyks' fiery attacks from a hidden window. (An unfortunate turn for Kapanuk, however, resulted in his family axe falling into the vat of molten metal!) We held our own, our back to the dungeons and with the barbarians and tiefling wizard cutting through the ranks... but none could touch Xardorok himself. Minions were interposed, and his armor absorbed and then released ranged magics - while he freely launched severe attacks on all of us, including a bolt pushing Phantom into the molten metal!

BONG!!! The ringing of the first bell shook the room...

Suddenly - to our right the doors to the mines opened, bringing in Sunblight reinforcements, including the ranks of zombie-like creatures h'Rothgar had warned of... but almost at the same moment, the doors to our left also swung open to reveal Vellynne, Sudon, and a number of (freshly-made) Duergar zombies, the fallen of a revolt within the barracks beyond those doors. The Muzgardts were certainly making their move decisively!  Vellynne cast a spell toward the zombie ranks, black tentacles rising from the floor and attacking these slow-moving soldiers. In turn, Xardorok launched a lightning bolt at the necromancer's battalion, frying them to ash.

From the temple, a flock of ravens poured from a window arcing high in the room to land at our back - in the dungeon hallway (Alyks escaping an ambush within the temple). Another flock of ravens - or more specifically - shadows of ravens perched all around the base of the platform holding the chardalyn dragon. Moments later, the shadows vanished, with Sudon taking initiative to charge Xardorok from his flank, surprising the mad despot, slipping through his guardians. The Hexblood Greatsword came down on the elder Sunblight, its attention caught by the newly-formed Alyks - projecting her will to make the hit count. Empowered with Eldritch Smite, a devastating wound was delivered to Xardorok, but in response, his armor lashed out at Sudon with an absorbed spell cast earlier by Dex.

BONG!! The ringing of the second bell shook the room...

The battle was beginning to tip in our favor, when suddenly Xardorok lifted the chardalyn-gauntleted hand into the air, as if pulling a lever - and indeed a mechanical sound responded, followed by a series of effects, intermixed with the ongoing combat within the forge room.

1. Soot and dust swirled and began to rise from the temple and the throne room - as air is forced down the elevator shafts by anchoring counterweights falling from the top level.  The room begins to fill, blinding all.
2. Xardorok vanishes, teleporting to the back of the dragon on the platform as the clamps release and a deep yellow light flickers from within the mechanical beast.

As the platform chains tighten ahead of launch, a final shout from the wounded-but-maniacal Xardorok:

"Mah fine cray-ture o’ fire n’ mey-tahl and fury, yah shahl have naught but ash n’ wailin’ o’ the wee ones left to the winds o’ the Frostmaiden in the Dale afore two tarns o’ the darkened dawn!"

1. A translucent bluish field descends from above, surrounding the dark-and-yellow dragon, a tube connecting upward and upward to the large double doors at the top of the fortress.
2. The air pressure continues to increase with a rushing sound rising like an incoming storm, soot billowing to completely fill the room in a thick black cloud, choking all within. There is a sound of chains drawing tight and an ominous mechanical groan.
3. The ground is shaken by twin THUDs as the shaft-weights reach the floor followed by a deafening squeal of gears and brilliant light piercing the darkness from the rising dragon, launched like a slingshot upward.
4. This draws the room's clouds of dust with it from the room, like a vacuum, great winds pulling everything to the shaft where the blue field has vanished and with the clearing of the air, showing everyone within caked dark grey with a thick layer of soot.
5. Just as the launch inhaled from the room, puffing a great plume into the sky - the frigid air from above now exhales back into the room, accompanied by the swooping arrival of the snowy owl familiar, landing on Vellynne's shoulder.

The remaining Sunblights are swiftly subdued and many locked into cells until loyalties can be assessed or "adjusted."

Warnings and Preparations

Phantom shares his recollection of the path of destruction planned by Xardorok within his chamber's war room, and the group discusses what is possible in preventing the terrible deaths and hardships now coming to visit the Ten Towns.  Alyks uses two Sendings before taking her short rest - one to Vaelish Gant, one to Agaric.

• (#1) Dougan's Hole and (#2) Good Mead are taken as hopelessly lost.
• Zak will employ the Warden's Harper's Pin to teleport the group to (#10) Bryn Shander, warn Speaker Duvessa Shane, immediately head to (#3) Easthaven to try to intercept the dragon.
• Vellynne and Deana leave immediately on the zombie dogsleds to warn/assist in (#4) Caer Dineval. Vellynne sends her owl ahead carrying a message of warning. Vellynne tries to gain a rest on the way, her sleds driven by her kobolds.
• (#5) Caer Konig is seen as hopelessly lost, given its proximity to the Sunblight outpost.
• (#6?) Termalaine is where Agaric reports being near, he will carry warning to them and have them send warning to (#7?) Lonelywood.
• (#8?) Targos has already been warned by messengers from the Muzgardts, who apparently have a pre-existing connection with the town's Speaker Naerth Maxildanarr.
• (#9?) Bremen is where Vaelish the Brown reports as his location, and he pledges to ready its defenses.

But before heading off, captured gear within the Sunblight vault is seen as crucial to retrieve. 

Treasure and Rest

h'Rothgar works with the Muzgardts, Kapanuk and Phantom to devise and otherwise force access to the vaults, while Alyks, Dex, Sudon and Zak take a short rest to restore themselves ahead of what will no doubt be a tiring and bitter struggle ahead. Healing potions are provided to all to full health.

Within the vaults, treasures of value are claimed by Grandolpha - these include rare liquors, items of gold and silver (chalice cup, statues, mask) and bejeweled (headdress, robe, rings and earrings).  From the weapons racks, a large number of javelins, bolts and melee weapons tipped or solid with chardalyn are locked away. The moonlight scimitar found in the racks is kept by Zaknalimar.

The chest opened by Vellynne is now empty except for a chardalyn case, which had held her wand. Other than her own enchanted items, this had only contained the Black Sword Amulet, claimed by Deana Auldrice prior to her departure. h'Rothgar finds his Dread Helm and religious vestments of Moradin, including two vials of holy water.

Kapanuk is given the silvered greatsword to replace his family's axe, as well as reclaiming his Boots of the Winterlands found in a chest along with a cloak spun from dark spider-silk (that Zaknalimar calls a Drow "Piwafwi"), as well as an unidentified arm band carved with an eagle inlayed with opals (a yellowish opal as its eye, blueish opal wings, and a white opal as an egg) and an unidentified magical ring.

Alyks has the unidentified red felt hat left when the devil-as-priest vanished in oily smoke. Phantom is still carrying the toy chardalyn dragon, which has begun to influence the symbiote - perhaps even moreso than Phantom himself.

(Next: Ten little Towns)

While visiting Lonelywood on the 12th of Chas, the Sewer-side Squad hears of a brilliant falling star from a tenday prior (on the night of the 1st of Ches).  A streak of light slashed across the sky, followed by a great rushing noise and boom. The group estimates from the reports that it landed to the northeast, in the general direction of, but perhaps eastward of, Revel's End.  

In conversations later in Termalaine, the town's seer - in fact the one insisting Dzaan a deceiver (see Hostage King), adds that she has felt a pulsing psychic wave about once an hour following that night. She asked around some of the other psychic seers of Ten Towns, and some of them sent back confirmation they too have felt this - Telvaster of Lonelywood even experiencing terrifying nightmares of strange creatures after several days had passed.

These Ten-Towner-seers are briefly described below, having agreed to meet in Termalaine on the first day of what would be Spring (19th of Ches) to figure out what to do about the disturbances.

• Vedda Starsprit, a frail 30-year-old seer with severe exotropia (opposite of crossed eyes) who does fortune-telling and advises leaders in the town of Termalaine
• Nars Beldrun, a tall, heavyset, 33-year-old shipwright from Targos who complains about everything
• Telvaster Hangingbell, a 25-year-old man from a well-off merchant family in Neverwinter, looking to escape his responsibilities by hiding out in Lonelywood
• Kaska Lang, a 30-year-old author writing a mystery novel about a series of fictional murders in Ten-Towns, residing in Bremen

The meeting is delayed by the Dzaan matter, as Vedda Starsprit is obsessed with the matter.

Result

On the 20th of Ches, the party sets out to investigate this for an offered 300gp reward from the fortune tellers.

(See: Brain Freeze)

Largest and most populated of the ten towns, positioned at a crossroads to the others, Bryn Shander serves as the trading center for the Icewind Dale. It is the youngest of all the towns, attracting scrimshaw artists at a humble crossroads and growing into what it is today. Despite several attacks, it has become a stronghold for the people of Ten Towns against hordes of tribes of Orc, Unknown, Goblin, and barbarian alike - even a group of Unknowns.

Following the Chardalyn Dragon Desolation, launched by Xardorok Sunblight in the Year of Three Ships Sailing (1492 DR) and the end of the Council of Speakers of the Ten Towns - formed the Free Towns alliance (with Termalaine and Easthaven) and the Dwarves of the Valley (of Clan Battlehammer).  Great hardship was endured due to the refugee numbers compared to availability of shelter and food. While Targos and Bremen closed themselves off and focused on capitalist opportunism - fiercely competing for resources in a "survival of the fittest" mindset, the Free Towns attempted a more "community-based" order - banding together and sharing resources to survive the harsh environment. 

This had limited success - while well-meaning, it was limited by the realities of what was available and the actions of selfish and desperate groups and individuals. Easthaven's fishing and the lumber from the caravan forest and Lonelywood became essential. The Northway built as the Eastway had been - bypassing Targos to connect with Termalaine and Lonelywood. The Bright Moon Caravan, equipped by the Valley Dwarves, patrols and escorts along the greater roads. To honor heroes protecting the Ten Towns during the Desolation, towers were given their names and a room in the tower's floor level offered as a free and safe (guarded) location for them to reside.

While technically there is a rivalry with the Targos-based Chardalyn Syndicate, that organization is so deeply-entrenched in Bryn Shander, Easthaven and Targos' underworld (the criminal sort - not the subterranean one) that their profiteering offers more value than any direct confrontation.

About

Leader: Duvessa Shane (human/noble), Speaker for the Free Towns 

Population: 1200 (many refugees of the Desolation remained)

Industry: Center of trade, political seat, blacksmithing (iron/coal from valley dwarves), also now center of of the Bright Moon Caravan - an alliance with the Battlehammer Dwarves escorting caravans on the Ten Trail, Eastway, and Northway.

Construction: 30ft wall enclosure, now being reinforced and fitted with weaponized towers - as hostilities rise in the dale.

Map

(see also: wiki which includes an interactive map)

h'Rothgar Anvil'bjorn

A dwarven cleric so devoted to the god of the forge and metalwork, he is rarely seen without his hammer and outside his mail armor. h'Rothgar is the son of the prolific (in both forgings and children) Überdvärg Anvil'bjorn. The Anvil'bjorn clan once held a position of prominence in Dorn's Deep under the Wyrm's Tooth glacier of the Spine of the World mountains, but driven out by invaders were forced to scatter and settle where they might be welcome - or at least tolerated. Like many of his siblings, h'Rothgar is born of a dalliance his father had in his travels - but Hildra so loved raising children, she welcomed them all, even the ones with features and skin tones that were clearly other than her own.

h'Rothgar had been a promising cleric in the temples, in fact - even sent to assist a retiring Hierophant in a project down in Waterdeep. Something seems to have gone amiss in that assignment as he made a hasty retreat from there to the far north and now has turned his interests to Rime of the Frostmaiden.

On his journey north, he is said to have had a transcendent vision from Moradin aboard the vessel Twinkle, of Ship Kurth, as it entered the harbor of Neverwinter. He fell to his knees, eyes wide and mouth open on seeing the floating islands" (earthmotes) called Pirate's Skyhold and Fisher's Float just north and south of the harbor. (See: Storms to the North and Death to the South)

Forge Cleric (Variant)

Bonus spells (always prepared, do not count toward total):

1. (st) level spells: Identify, Searing Smite
2. (nd) level spells: Find Traps, Magic Weapon
3. (rd) level spells: Protection from Energy, Tiny Servant
4. (th) level spells: Fabricate, Stone Shape
5. (th) level spells: Creation, Suspension

Divine Abilities:

• (1st level) Blessing of the Forge (1/long rest) make a non-magical armor, simple or martial weapon +1 until next long rest.
• (2nd level) Channel Divinity (1/rest - 2 at 6th level, 3 at 18th) Turn Undead or Celestial Armor
• (6th level) Soul of the Forge: Resistance to Fire damage, +1 to AC when wearing Heavy Armor
• (8th level) Divine Strike: one attack per turn does +1d8 fire damage
• (14th level) Improved Divine Strike: one attack per turn does +2d8 fire damage (replaces Divine Strike)
• (17th level) Saint of Forge and Fire: Immunity to Fire Damage, While in Heavy Armor: Resistant to non-magical Bludgeon, Piercing, and Slashing 

Celestial Armor: (bonus action) Instantly doff (Moradin-consecrated) armor you are currently wearing, vanishing to a celestial plane under the protection of Moradin.  At any point in the future, with a word (and bonus action) the armor so sent away can be instantly donned from that celestial plane (and nicely cleaned and shined!) (Consecration of the armor can be performed using Ceremony).

The most commonly shared trait of those called or self-identified as the Children of Auril is devotion to the Goddess of Winter, Auril, also called the Frostmaiden.  The term is exclusively used in the Frozenfar of Faerûn.  The primary sub-groups are:

1. The Frost Druids: a circle of druids dedicated to cold, ice, snow, winter, and generally darkness as far as that opposes the sun's meltiness. The Archdruid of the circle is called the White Inquisitor, and she holds even more merciless cold wrath than the other fanatics.  She took this position after Gildreban the Timeless departed from the Frozenfar (rumored to have joined Auril in her court.) Others include the sisters Ravisin and Vurnis of Lonelywood, Faash (friend of the giant Garagai), Siovakis (Reghed Bear Tribesman said to have fallen into madness), Augvald the Storm-summoner of Kelvin's Cairn, Drofn (Auril's messenger to the Goliath peoples), and Bitra, who menaces the Redwaters region.
2. Shrine-keepers of Auril: In contrast to the wild-ranging druids, there are also clerics/priests of the Frostmaiden who maintain more town-oriented shrines and places for sacrifice. None have risen to the prominence of the druids, however.
3. Fanatics of Auril: encouraged by the Frost Druids and the Shrine-keepers, a cult has emerged over the past years without the Spring melt, composed of those driven mad, lost in depression or desperation, and simply some eager to follow what is clearly a divine presence on the lands - for so many other gods remain aloof from the lives of mortals.

Prior to the Desolation at the end of Tarsakh in 1492 DR, the presence of the Children of Auril and their hand on political power were felt most strongly in Good Mead, Targos, and Dougan's Hole - where humanoid sacrifices to Auril were performed regularly for well over a year.  Lonelywood's proximity to the deep forest area has also caused it to receive added attention, though perhaps unwanted. Sufficient fear and respect for the Frostmaiden prevailed throughout the towns to ensure compliant sacrifices and influence in the night to night goings-on.

After the Desolation

When the Chardalyn dragon of Xardorok Sunblight burned nearly all the Ten Towns to the ground, all this changed. There may not be any direct connection of these events, but such a consequence was realized all the same. (See Ten little Towns).

1. The regularity of the nightly auroras associated with Auril ended the same night as the attacks - adding to superstitious speculation linking the events, And while the colored lights across the skies were a reminder of the wintery grasp, they were still a prominent awe-inspiring phenomenon of beauty.
2. Bitter blizzards descended during the attacks on the northern towns: Termalaine, Lonelywood, Bremen, Targos and Bryn Shander - and in all cases the Frost Druids were openly calling forth the weather and unrepentent. These blizzards then persisted for a week, burying the roads and leading to most of the casualties by way of exposure and starvation.  Many so dying became Coldlight Walker spirits, further creating fear and death in the aftermath.
3. Swift retribution and hatred arose in the people of the Ten Towns against the Children of Auril - and even the creatures associated with her such as Yeti and Ice Trolls. At the forefront of this was Vaelish Gant the Brown, the new Town Protector of Bremen, who nurtured a personal vendetta against the White Inquisitor and several Frost Druids for bad treatment in the past, including the incarceration in and pursuit after escaping Revel's End. Targos and its new-influencers the Zhentarim also pressed for this harsh treatment of Auril's devout.
4. The Knights of the Black Sword declared their focus to free those in the grip of this tomb of ice, launching expeditions into pursuit of arcane lore and ancient sites.
5. The White Inquisitor herself withdrew from what was once prominent imposition of her indignant demands on the Ten Towners, making only occasional and brief appearances, but often well-timed to spare the followers from deadly wrath. Her whereabouts remain unknown, her power remains as intimidating as anything in the dale.
6. Frost Giants, ever-respectful of the Frostmaiden, though perhaps even predating her rise, began to be seen to gather in larger war-ready groups, where previously only seen in lone or paired hunting parties.