| Session Date | May 20, 2023 |
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| Base XP Gained | Carry Over |
| Player Notes | ZZ's Notes |
The party entered a parley with the Petty Dwarf, Kavatch. He said he knew the party was there to end the Fimbulwinter and he was willing to make a deal with them to that end. Essentially, he would tell them where to go and how to do it in exchange for something he wanted. The party was skeptical but asked if he would submit to a detect lie spell. He was incensed at this and said he didn’t trust the party to not ensorcel him into aiding them without reward. But, with some coaxing he finally relented with a huff. ZZ cast the spell from a scroll and the parley continued.
He told them that the Ice Wizard would kill him if he knew he was even just talking to them. He had not reported their presence to him, either. Indeed, the ice Wizard was in a deep rest after expending his power on intensifying the Fimbulwinter and repelling the party’s aerial “attack” on the palace. Still, he claimed with certainty that the Ice Wizard could easily kill them all in a fight. He did admit that his plan was extremely dangerous to the party, but far less so that simply blundering around the palace. In exchange for his information, he wanted the party to help him kidnap Bridgit, the ice Wizard’s daughter. The party was none too happy at doing such an act and spent some time debating the morality of putting the weird sorceress into the Dwarf’s hands. Hans also pointed out that it would certainly make the Ice Wizard an even more bitter foe in the future. For his part, Kavatch feared Bridgit’s spellcasting and believed the party could neutralize that.
Further debate amongst the party ensued, and even the Paladin invoked utilitarian ethics to advocate for doing what was needed for the “greater good.” With an agreement reached, the Dwarf said that his plan of escape was to steal a blue wyvern and fly off with his prisoner – he refused to say where he would go.
Kavatch now led them to a room they’d previously explored and opened an undetected secret door, leading them up a staircase and into the palace proper. They passed a guardian Ice Golem (he said it would not attack them so long as they were with him or another from the household). Most of the place proper was actually abandoned, he told them, though there were garrisons of Ice Imps and Ice Spiders lurking in one room nearby. They selected a room with two doors and, everyone becoming invisible, Kavatch set his plan in motion.
The Dwarf departed, but Hans immediately began to scry him. He went to a nearby Ice Imp sentry post and handed one a note. The Imp ran off and Kavatch returned directly to the party. It was not long before the 7’ tall, blue-skinned Bridgit came rushing into the room shouting “What’s wrong with Aranochus?” as the party hit her with a silence spell. Unable to cast spells, Kavatch whipped out a rope of entanglement and trussed up the woman. The party dropped the silence spell and Bridgit tried a suggestion on Kavatch, who shrugged it off. She was quickly gagged, blindfolded, and wax was placed in her ears as she cursed the party who “she knew was there, too.”
Kavatch now demanded the party help carry her to the wyvern aeries high above the palace, which they did. However, Sirius quaffed an ESP potion to gather information. He learned that Bridgit hated Kavatch. He also learned that Aranochus was a dragon that the girl was fond of. After a long climb, the Dwarf led them ostentatiously (and still invisible) through an Ice Imp barracks and finally to the Aeries, where numerous Blue Wyverns were quartered.
Finally, the Dwarf selected a Wyvern and prepared to mount it and fly off. He told the party the Fimbulwinter was generated by a great iron cauldron on the roof of the tower. Destroy that and the Ice Wizard would be unable to create another for a very long time, if ever. To get there, he gave the party a set of directions to bypass the Ice Wizard’s quarters high up in the central tower, as well as a command word for an elevator they would need to ascend upon (glacier). A powerful magical lock secured the door to the roof but he had stolen the key and provided it to the party. Once the deed was done, the party would be on their own to escape in any way they saw fit – fortunately for them, the Ice Wizard’s ability to affect them at greater ranges would be impacted by the loss of the cauldron.
Having the information they needed, the party performed a bait and switch with Bridgit with a polymorph spell. Once ready, Hans then slew Kavatch with two volleys of magic missiles. Bridgit was left tied up in the Aerie with a note from the party stating that they’d rescued her and they would never meet again.