On our sixth day at sea, we reached the treacherous environs of The Sea of Moving Ice. In the morning, we came under attack from five merrow: fearsome aquatic monsters who nearly capsized The Frostskimmr. I fell into the icy water, along with most of my fellows, and a few crewmen. Brick clambered back onto the ship beside me as I scorched a pair of merrow with my Burning Hands. Tolarin killed the first creature with Lightbringer. Gunx climbed back onto the boat, only to be dragged back into the water by a merrow’s harpoon.
Brick, from the ship’s rail, hacked the second merrow dead with Hew, while the foe I faced fled in fear. Tegan wielded his wit like a rapier while helping Jorad out of the frigid water, as our warlock blasted the fourth merrow to eldritch bits. The fifth merrow fled before Brick could finish it off. We gathered back on board to dry off, warm up, and tend our wounds. Two crewmen were lost in the attack. We started our way through the ice floes again, when a second wave of murderous merrow appeared. This time, we were ready. Gunx and Tolarin quickly killed two on the aft end of the ship, and Brick hacked apart an attacker at the fore. Tegan’s Shatter spell broke one more, and forced the last to flee for its life.
In the evening, we arrived at an iceberg populated by indigenous hunters. Jorad employed one of the sailors to serve as our translator, who led us to their primitive settlement, which they called Oyaviggaton. The path was lined by a wall of frozen corpses. The rough, war-like villagers and their dogs surrounded us menacingly, and their Chief, who calls himself Barking Seal, tried to intimidate us into leaving. To gain their respect, I proposed a challenge: their champion against ours, in non-lethal combat. If we won, we would be welcomed as honoured guests. If we lost, we would each forfeit a steel weapon, and leave in the morning.
The challenge was accepted. They put forth a warrior named Orca Heart as their Champion. Little Tolarin, chilled to the bone and still shivering, stepped forward as our fighter. Though he was not triumphant, by Beshaba’s will, his misfortune turned to our favour. The village shaman, a woman named Bone Carver, secretly invited us to her tent in the evening. There, she revealed that her village is being held prisoner by Arauthator, and that Maccath the Crimson is also here. Even more, she revealed a hidden passage to the dragon’s lair. On the morrow, by Beshaba’s grace, we will make short work of this quest, klaatu barada nikto amen.
