Saralas: Session 45

• We flee successfully on the sleds, putting distance between ourselves, the tornado, black cabin, and remaining coldlight walker
• We eventually come to the Elven Tomb. We fled fast enough we are not really sure the status of the tornado. We assume the coldlight walker is coming our way.
• We debate what to do, rest, use the mirror to watch Auril, or other
• Resda saw the tornado as she was flying off. She saw a large ice tornado with frozen chains whirling about, it tore through a path about 50 feet wide.
• A blizzard moves in. It is nonmagical but we don't know if it is unusual.
• Karthos lets us know he predicts a long heavy snowstorm
• Min starts readying for bed and casts alarm on the entrance we used to get in here
• Meanwhile the device has become very hot
• Saralas knows that the black ice fragment is quite unusual, and is not like the other black ice we have seen before. It contains dramatically more energy than anything we have experience with so far, and it is prevented from being released in an instant by the rings, including the third ring we installed.
• It contains a weather modification spell, powered by the black ice, metering out the energy.
• The machine appears to be actively working, but something may be wrong with it. It doesn't appear to be stable.
• The machine does appear to be constructed in accordance with the blueprints. We question if the third ring was quite enough to correctly fix the device.
• I attune to the device. It is certainly casting the control weather spell, and the spell is working properly, but something doesn't seem right with the device.
• I try to shut down the spell. It shuts down, and the machine seems to cool off a bit.
• The machine cools off a bit more but still seems somewhat unstable, and I wonder if it seems safe to transport.
• The machine is currently, likely, safe as it sits, but not safe to transport.
• We debate on what to do with it. This place seems fairly safe given that the abjuration spell protecting it is still active. We suggest placing it in the room that has a door locked by the moon. Korag pushes for placing the device within the sarcophagus itself.
• I carefully move the device into the room Ravasin had been occupying
• Baerwin ties 150 feet of rope to himself to go try to gather deadwood in the blizzard. He makes it back safely with some firewood, and I help him light the fire.
• Korag brings the dogs inside. The cave becomes more cheerful.
• We try to rest. Night passes uneventfully, but by morning there has been a significant accumulation of snow, about 3 feet or so.
• It's still snowing, though it seems to ease up somewhat. Thinking of the dangers of a blizzard, I think we prefer to wait the blizzard out. Karthos says it will probably abate by night.
• Karthos attunes to the mirror to check in on Wodna. She is talking with Hoot about our wherabouts, and giving information about the terrible storm.
• Korag volunteers to gather wood to stoke the fire. Baerwin goes with.
• We pass the time. Late in the day into evening the snow lets up. There's about 4 more feet of snow. It's a winter wonderland.
• There is an extended discussion on where to go next, what to do, should we build a reputation again. Korag suggests going to the prison to try to find Resda's grandmother.
• Resda has been pretty quiet, but she wants to see her grandmother.
• We stay the night, and in the morning make our way north, towards Revel's End
• It takes a couple of days, bit finally we come to the prison. Perched on a cliff over a sea of moving ice is a gigantic prison, carved from a giant rock. There are arrow slits and guard towers.
• We approach. A guard stops us and demands to know our business. Resda explains why she is there, looking for her grandmother. She is initially denied a visit.
• Resda makes a claim about the black ice dragon. They are skeptical, and asking about if we have proof.
• I make a faithful copy of the map and give it to the guard.
• Min surveys the prison and sees it is very well defended, and mounting an assault on the prison would be suicidal.
• The guard eventually comes back with the warden, who is a very self-important man.
• After a while they come to a price for a meeting, eventually coming to a price of 100 gold for a private meeting. Resda produces 100 gold.
• We head inside, the sled dogs are brought into the stable area to stay warm. We head to the visitor area, it is roughly hewn, cold, and miserable.
• After several hours, 2 guards appear with an older woman in magical shackles, who they lead into the room before departing and closing the door.
• Resda opens with an introduction.
• The woman looks around trying to see the trap
• As soon as Resda mentions wild magic, the woman becomes apparently panicked and starts pacing very nervously. She demands rudely to know when exactly it started and what happened with her daughter.
• She is so shocked at the story that she slides to the floor, shaking with fear.
• Korag tries to cast calm emotions and he flinches and an alarm goes off. 5 incredibly well armed guards come in screaming "what is going on here". They grab Resda's grandmother and hustle her out of the room.
• Korag tries to explain what he was doing. Resda's grandmother can be heard screaming from the hallway. She seems inconsolable. The warden looks pensive.
• Resda tries to convince the warden she can help calm her down. The warden seems convinced, but Resda's grandmother is still somewhat incoherent. Resda passes him another 100 gold.
• He takes the gold, chain grandma to the wall, and leave the room.
• Her Grandmother is saying something about "the vast gate". Though he has an excellent memory of everything he has seen in the library over the years, but can't recall ever hearing this phrase before.
• Resda offers her grandmother her bedroll for warmth. She asks "when did this begin, when did your powers come?"
• Moran begins to tell Resda about how she grew up completely non-magical, until, being employed on an expedition, she encountered The Vast Gate. It is a gateway to The Farplane. When this happened she was inbued with wild magic she could never control. She was incarcerated for trying to steal a trinket that could absorb the wild magic effects.
• She succeeded in stealing this trinket, and she hid it in Baldur's gate before being arrested. Over time the magic faded, and she thought this meant The Vast Gate was closed.
• But if Resda has the magic power now The Vast Gate may be open again. She must get free to return to the gate to close it again. The gate is located in near firestorm peak in the shirelands in the mountains of frost. The Far Plane or Far Realm is one of the least known planes, for even the Red Wizards don't dare to travel there.
• All worlds are threatened by the Far Realm, as it is the only realm that has the power to destroy them all.
• She says she has to get out of prison to travel immediately south to get to the Vast Gate.
• Saralas knows stories of the Far Realm, but as far as he knows there are no known portals. He is aware of a vast portal that destroyed an old elven civilization. There are probably other portals as well.