Frozen Bohlvarai

Ursina kept an eye on the penguins who remained haphazardly moving around the same area.  Agna kept attacking people or herself randomly.

"The dwarf has an insanity spell cast upon her," Ciprian stated, "We should try Break Enchantment on her."

Armania used her Break Enchantment staff on Agna but it had no effect whatsoever.

Ciprian meanwhile cut down the web at the ceiling but it had no magic or other effects in or behind it.

Erevel noted the thrown web still moving and Armania said to Erich to play a high note if he was outside the web.  She immediately heard the lowest note the viol could play.

Erich cast Freedom of Movement and headed out of the web just as Armania cast scorching ray at the thing to destroy it.  Erevel was moving north, back toward the penguins while Gavril began searching the western wall for some passageway.  The rest of the party moved slowly to the north and then Gavril noted some anomaly in the wall just north of him. Armania moved to the area and found that there was an illusionary wall extending for several feet to the north.

Ursina found that the penguins were also an illusion.  Erevel stuck her head through the wall and found another passage, of the same construction leading south, parallel to the path they were on.  Again the party forged forward through an empty passageway with an icy floor and some debris scattered on the floor.  After around an hour the tunnel ended and the party saw before them the sky open up.

Upon exiting the mountain tunnel, the path quickly became a makeshift road through a metropolis of ice-encrusted stone. Buildings fabricated by some ancient race littered the landscape. Each structure ran counter to human architecture and design. Other sections were complete rubble. Some buildings were smashed with no discernible cause or evidence of a natural geological event. There were no stairs anywhere, only ramps. The number five strongly influenced many designs, from building shapes to doorframes, as if four walls ran contrary to the most basic building designs.

Architecture notwithstanding, the scope of the city suggested a once-thriving community. Immense hive-like arcologies, stadiums, universities, and marketplace plazas as far as the eye can see stood empty. The city was haunted by a whistling wind that sometimes carried strange cries. No bodies were evident anywhere, not even skeletons. Mixed with the stark loneliness was a palpable sensation of being watched, though the only suggestions of life were huge and sinister shapes frozen in sheets of ice where bridges once traversed flowing rivers—rivers that were never possible in this climate.

The city lay slightly lower than the tunnel exit but was still covered by snow and ice.  Armania and Erich both indicated that they were feeling fatigued as they had a hard time breathing in the area.  The whole party felt the thinness of the air.  Agna cast Life Bubble on Armania and Erich to help them breathe easier which made the fatigued feeling go away.

The size of the city made finding the stelae a challenge, even locate object had its limits.  Agna had Barnabas take a survey of the city.  He came back with little information.  The only site of interest was a decorated pillar on a ten foot base.  The rest of the city was rubble or monotonous pentagonal buildings.

The party headed toward the pillar described by Barnabas and on approaching it was suddenly hit by a blizzard that drove some of the party to seek shelter in some ruins even as Ciprian headed in the opposite direction.  A forlorn howl split the air causing Gavril, Erich, Armania and Agna to cower in fear.  Erevel began to move away from the creature after dropping her sword.  This left only Ciprian and Ursina to battle whatever emitted the howl.  Ursina saw it first as the snow ended, a hideous shape which had the head of a feral elk with jagged teeth and sharp antlers. Its humanoid legs ended in blackened, burnt stumps.  Flying it moved to Ursina a bit her then flew away once again.  Gavril and Agna cowered as Ursina thought about identifying the monster but found she knew nothing of it.  Invisibility seemed like a great choice.

The monster then attacked again, this time flying by Erevel who headed away from it as best she could.  Ciprian identified it as a Wendigo, an outsider, who was Vulnerable to Fire but also had Evasion.  He then cast remove fear on Agna, Armania and Erevel.  Armania began with a heavy Scorching Ray but Erich was still cowering.  The Wendigo attacked Armania and flew away once again.  Gavril was still fearful and Ursina tried a Flame Strike which the Wendigo ignored.  Now the Wendigo moved to attack Gavril as it was spreading around the pain.  Erevel moved toward it but could not reach it in any sense.  Ciprian moved to cast another remove fear to cover Erich and Gavril.  He then began a performance and Agna fired flaming arrows at the creature and Erich began another performance.

The Wendigo howled once again and this time only Agna began cowering.  The party then finished off the battle with fire as the main damage element.  They were tired but inspired not ready to sleep yet but wondering how long they would have to stay in this cold and forsaken land.

DM's Notes: The party earned 17,067 XP for the night and now have 902,988 and are at 16th level.