We returned to Caer-Dineval in the morning. Two knights met us at the road and led us to the castle.
A tiefling named Kadroth addressed us as we entered, with the manner of a man who expected to be listened to. The party walked past him. He looked as though he could not quite believe it. I found that rather satisfying.
Hethyl was expecting us. She looks ancient. She told us plainly that she had foreseen her own death, and that our arrival had confirmed it. She did not seem distressed by this. I respected that.
She told us two things:
- The commander we killed at Caer-Konig was Nildar Sunblight.
- His father is a duergar warlord named Xardorok Sunblight, who intends to conquer Icewind Dale.
It seems the party has made an enemy of Xardorok Sunblight before we even knew his name. The killing of his son will likely not go unanswered.
We met Avarice after. An albino-white tiefling with a raven on her shoulder. She spoke of something called the Arcane Brotherhood, though from the way she described it, “brotherhood” seems a generous word. They are a group of wizards that are spread across Icewind Dale, each searching independently for a Netherese city buried beneath the ice. Ancient magic.
She requested us to find her “colleagues” and take their spellbooks. She did not explain why, though with the contempt she showed for her “colleagues”, it was not difficult to guess. Corren seemed eager. I reserved my judgement.
. . .We made for Easthaven after.
There was a crowd gathered in front of the Town Hall as we entered. A man was bound to a stake, gagged, burning. I have heard of what the larger towns do under the new moon. This was not that. This was a warning dressed as spectacle.
I broke away from the party then, looking for Osbert. It was not long before I found him, he has opened a bookstore. Of course he has.
I told him what I had seen at the Town Hall. He told me the man was a Red Wizard of Thay, a murderer that had killed several Ten-Towners who was doing some work for him. The execution was deterrence. A message to anyone else considering the same. I understand the reasoning. I still find burning distasteful. But I kept that to myself.
I told him of my current travelling companions, and asked if he knew of the races I was curious about. As expected, he answered by pulling out a book. The turtle is called a Tortle, a race of intelligent tortoise-like humanoids indigenous to the southern reaches of a land called Chult. The golden scaled one is a Dragonborn, of draconic lineage. No wonder I saw traces of the Aman in them.
I asked about chardalyn after. Osbert knew it by another name. Black ice. He said prolonged exposure induces madness, and direct contact would be worse. He seemed to want me to take that seriously. It did get me thinking, are such afflictions curable?
Osbert offered me the spare room above the shop for the night. I accepted.
. . .I sat with the events of the day for a long time. This is the first time in a while I had really used the divine powers within me.
I felt the divine energy within me swell, as a fair bit of my old strength returned, the channel inside of me wider than it was before.
If adventuring is what is needed for me to regain what I lost, then I will continue on this path.
P.S. Ah, I’ve forgotten to get the names of the my travelling companions. Something to do for tomorrow.