Party: Ship Dandies
Konguq-Human Wizard Captain
Ace-Human Rouge Quartermaster
Calix- Minotaur Marshal Night Watch and Battle Master
Oliver- Half-elf Bard and Navigation
Insomnia was not a symptom unfamiliar to Oliver. It was apparently common for Half-elves to struggle with bouts of it as his elven blood tried to have him trance but his humanity reminded him he was incapable. He found fighting it a lesson in futility, but he could sometimes trick it.
Jay and Crow, he found, were particularly good for that. With Jay always curled right onto his chest and Crow on his head, their purrs were often just what he needed to calm his mind enough to convince his body he was trancing. But with them two days behind them he instead found himself alone with his oldest friend, Aleina. With sleep playing hard to catch, now was the perfect time to give her the much-needed attention. The fine engraving on her rosewood face plate needed more cleaning than when they first set out in the world, but she could still sing the most wonderful of notes. He took careful care to clean out the dirt she acquired while he tuned her strings. He stayed close to the fire as he worked to make sure he didn't miss any spots. Tomorrow was going to be important, and he needed to be in the best shape he could.
Konguq is unable to breathe. The hands are around her neck, and her book is gone, as is her penguin. There are Thanoi closing in around her, blood on their armor, and screams of pain floating through the air from behind them. She looks up at the owner of the hands, but the face is made up entirely of static. The edges of her vision grow fuzzy until the face in front of her reveals a cruel smile. Suddenly, she is in the dark, a light snoring coming from beside her. Her eyes adjust to the darkness, and her breath returns. deep breath in, hold for 3, deep breath out. This is the mantra Mama had taught her when she was little. ”Good for when you are scared or angry. Remember, my little gosling, you need a clear head to think. Your mind is your best weapon.” She had said, gathering a little Konguq in her arms.
Oliver paused for a moment, swearing he heard something move. Teacher was better at noticing things than him, but it sounded like more than the wind. He glanced over at the captain's tent. It was a little late for round two, wasn't it?
The memory fades as Konguq inhales deeply, taking in all around her. It’s her wedding night; the snores come from her husband, who appears to be heavily sleeping. Konguq sits up slowly, reaching for something to throw over her body. She finds Morris’s shirt and a long cloak with a sash. She tightens the sash around her middle, then pulls the blankets up to Morris’s chin. He has a big day; he deserves this rest, she thinks before placing a kiss on his cheek. She grabs her staff and steps out into the chilly night air.
Oliver raises an eyebrow as he watches his captain exit the tent. "Everything okay Konguq?" Oliver called out, placing Aleina at his side now.
“Oh! Oliver!” She glances back at the tent, face screwed in concentration. Morris is still snoring. Her face relaxes, and she starts trudging over to her teammate. “Yes, everything is fine. Just thought I would take a walk. What are you doing awake?”
"The joys of my lineage know no end," he smiles sarcastically, "Insomnia. Usually, my cats help." He stands up now to face her. "getting the after-marriage jitters?"
She grins at the mention of his cats; they are quite the pair. Her smile softens, and she glances at the ground. “No, nothing like that. It was..” pausing briefly, she looks back at Oliver, “I had a nightmare. An awful one. I can’t get back to sleep now, at least not for a while.” Konguq glances around the village before looking back at him. “Would you like to come with me? Sometimes walks help me when I suffer from insomnia.”
He blinks in surprise at the honesty. Well, it shouldn't surprise him; she's as honest as they come. But some teachings are hard to break. "A walk will be nice," he nodded. "I'm no stranger to nightmares either. Did you want to talk about it?"
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The Dandies stand tall at the top of the ice wall, watching with bated breath as the line of Minotaur and thanoi dot the horizon line. The wind blowing over the snow was nearly deafening until the charge began. As they charged, Oliver started his drumming, invigorating the warriors. Ace and Calix prepare the trebuchet and start flinging at the oncoming waves. Konguq ruins the terrain for them while Zim and Aron guard the ladders. The trenches catch a good chunk of the troops as they begin to unload onto the others.
As they begin to reach the wall, Zim blows poison onto them, and Oliver destroys another, hindering their ascent up the wall and creating an easy path to pick off the others. The battle appears seemingly one-sided until a familiar roar reaches them—one that Ace and Konguq haven’t heard since Solace.
On the horizon, a white dragon appears.
Konguq, filled with the memory of fire and screams of Solace, flees the scene with Morris as it overcomes her. Ace, Calix, and Oliver steel their resolve. Oliver takes off after his captain to help bring her to her senses. His usual way of magic will not work, so he switches tactics and shows her a letter he shared the night before, casting through it instead. He calms Morris and Konguq down with the spell cast and quickly snatches it back.
Back on the wall, Ace, Calix, and Aron aim the trebuchet at the dragon, not submitting to its might. Ace locks onto the creature, waiting for the perfect strike, and critically hits it. It severely injures the rider, and the dragon roars, “Retreat!” before flying over the village and hitting the others with its ice breath. It freezes Ace, Calix, Aron, and Nattugalik.
Konguq, Oliver, and Morris return to the wall and stabilize their friends. Nattugalik’s fate seems uncertain as Taupek picks up the command in his stead. Isapoinhkyaki joins the fray with Konguq, and the two continue their assault with magic and blade. Aron and Ace lock arms and shout, “Est Solarus oth Mithas!” and attack with no restraint.
The army flees as the rest of the village gets onto the snow boats. The rest of the Dandies also get on, successfully fending off the attack. They hand Taupek a potion for Nattugalik, and she immediately gives it to Isapoinhkyaki, who can barely survive the magic assault.
The Dandies head to Ice Wall castle, where the village suffers minimal casualties.
They rest, celebrating their victory on the way to the castle. They arrive near the castle and find that it’s incredibly high and would have to climb for an extended time to get anywhere near an entrance. After some scouting, they spot what seems to be another Ice Worm. They try to maneuver away from it but quickly discover it’s not an Ice Worm but a young white dragon. Oliver ducks below deck momentarily while the party attempts to assess their options. Oliver quickly reemerges, disguised as Feal-Thaas. The white dragon stops its hunt while Oliv-Thaas explains that he’s looking for weaknesses in the castle’s defenses and is being helped by a fellow black robe pointing to Konguq. With the rest of the company they keep, the dragon falls for the lie and offers to help the majority get into a cave. Oliver asks for the dragon’s name, and it tells them Aserex.
The party enters the cave, overcoming a significant leg of the journey in a few hours. They try to sense magical traps but find a chimera guarding the entrance instead. Not wanting to waste any more resources after being spent in the battle, the party tries to trick the chimera away from the entrance. The beast nearly falls for it until it becomes aware of the rations on Calix and starts to attack. It lunges at Calix, pinning Zim to the ground. Ace, remembering Jabbie’s chimera’s attacks with his lightning sword, severely wounds the monstrosity. It tries to flee but is quickly killed, ending the fight. The group in the fight notices a glint in the ice. With further inspection, they realize it’s a silver dragon and its rider, holding a broken Dragonlance. Ace recognizes the duo as Heart and Huma from Legend. Realizing what they have on their hands, they melt away the ice and take the Lance out. Once removed, the bodies disappear. With no way to return the lance or contact anyone, they wrap the lance up and continue into the ice tunnel. As they disappear, they hear Aserex return and know their ruse. He tries to find them, asking about what happened earlier, but the group remains silent. Aserex takes off, and now their presence is known to the inhabitants.
They climb up the ice for a long time until they reach a grate that leads into what seems to be a prison. Ace notices what looks to be a blind thanoi who takes off. Oliver, allowing Ace to use his magic, gets right behind the creature and quickly kills it. The rest emerge, and Oliver notices it's not a thanoi. After describing them, Ace realizes they are not Thanoi but a quiet race of folks called Noskwa, who are usually weak, defenseless, and worship gods.
Ace has a slight mental breakdown as they feed the body to Zim and begin to look around. Calix notices chanting coming from one hall while Oliver becomes interested in a chest. Ace and Oliver investigate the chest and realize it's holding up an enormous potential rock slide. Oliver hands Konguq the lock for a spell, and Calix helps open the chest from the side. They pop it open and get some treasure.
Ace scouts ahead, where Calix hears the chanting and finds a chamber where he sees a group of Noskwa in the middle of a ritual. He gets the group together, and they sneak in together. Konguq interrupts to try to introduce the party. The majority of the Noskwa flee, leaving the one in the center. She recognizes the symbol on Ace's neck as a symbol of Mishakal and claims they're the ones they have been praying for. While uncertain of the divine influence bringing them there, they follow the Noskwa woman named Sunlight in her Eyes. (Sunlight)
They are brought inside their settlement and find the other Noskwa nervous but curious. Oliver takes out his violin and begins to play for them, easing them into the rest of the group. Another Ice Walker woman appears to them, someone Konguq last saw long ago. Most thought Thanoi killed Aunt Aviuk, but it turns out she ran off with them instead and had been living in Ice Wall Castle. The two reunite, and the group settles in the camp. Aviuk gets updates on the outside world from the Dandies, and Aviuk warns them about the perils of this castle level. She warns them of the undead that roams, a split faction of the Noskwa that worship Chemosh, led by one named Blood on his Soul, a giant walking metal man, and a lizard that turns people to Ice. She also informs them of Feal-Thaas’ twelve-foot patchwork flesh girlfriend that roams around.
The party discusses their options and decides to take their chances with the undead in the morning. Aviuk couldn't take her eyes off Calix during the conversation, so she offered to share bedrolls for the night. Oliver is also provided the option of taking a sleeping partner, but he declines.
Ace and Aron share a tent for the night. Ace confesses to Aron that he still harbors feelings for Konguq despite having missed his chance with her. Aron tells Ace that men like them put the needs of others above their own to better protect those around them.
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