Note that this is written from Momen’s perspective after resurrection, not a realtime play-by-play.
Well, that was thoroughly humbling. Nothing quite reminds you of your mortality like being stabbed to death by ice spears and waking up in a temple.
We’d made our way back to Trondkan after dealing with the remorhaz, hauling the monster parts through the frozen wasteland. The locals were impressed - apparently it’s rare to see anyone take down one of those creatures. I suppose there’s some pride to be taken in that, though Spesof looked like he’d rather forget the whole ordeal of being eaten alive.
With five days left before the banquet, I figured we had time to kill and could make productive use of it. I’ve been collecting elemental cores as part of my research into elemental dragons, and the icy wastes of Tillnola seemed like the perfect place to hunt for ice devils. Their blood, mandibles, and carapace could all prove useful in my work.
Tittlin was game for the expedition, though Spesof decided to rest and recover from his remorhaz trauma. Can’t say I blame him - being digested alive would put anyone off their stride for a while.
The hunt itself started well enough. We used my Move Earth spell to create a sixty-foot pillar for Tittlin’s sniper perch, giving him excellent range and positioning. I set up Rary’s Telepathic Bond so we could coordinate silently. The plan was sound: Tittlin would provide cover fire from his elevated position while I engaged from closer range.
We found our target feeding on what looked like someone’s lost goat. The ice devil was exactly what I’d hoped for - a prime specimen with all the components I needed for my research. We positioned ourselves carefully, with Tittlin two hundred feet away on his pillar and me approaching from a different angle to divide its attention.
The fight started perfectly. Tittlin’s arrows found their mark, and I managed to get close enough to engage with my spells. That’s when things went sideways.
The creature summoned a second ice devil - something I hadn’t anticipated. Suddenly we were outnumbered, and my positioning became a liability rather than an advantage. I tried to use fear tactics to control the battlefield, but these devils proved more resilient than expected. When one of them trapped Tittlin in a dome of ice, cutting off his ranged support, I knew we were in serious trouble.
I should have been more conservative with my positioning. Should have had better contingency plans. Should have researched ice devil tactics more thoroughly beforehand. Instead, I found myself caught in the open, taking a barrage of ice spears that my shield couldn’t deflect.
The last thing I remember is the pain of multiple spear wounds and the cold spreading through my body. Then… nothing. Or rather, something that felt like nothing but probably wasn’t actually nothing, philosophically speaking.
Apparently Tittlin managed to escape his ice prison using some creative application of fire magic - setting himself ablaze to melt his way out, if I understood his explanation correctly. He harvested what he could from the devil we’d killed, stuffed my corpse into his bag of holding, and navigated his way to Norholt for resurrection services.
I owe him considerably more than the five hundred gold the resurrection cost. Being dead is expensive, but being alive is worth considerably more.
The silver lining is that we did obtain some ice devil blood, though only three vials instead of the five I’d hoped for. The blood has a seven-day expiry when exposed to air, but properly stoppered it should remain viable for my research. Small consolation for dying, but I’ll take what I can get.
We’re now in Norholt with our party reunited - Spesof received our message and made his way here. The town is filled with nobles, and most seem to hold the Fossen family in high regard, viewing them as honorable northern warriors. This could complicate our infiltration plans, but at least we’re gathering useful intelligence.
Five days remain until the banquet. I need to be more careful about combat positioning going forward - my research won’t advance much if I keep getting myself killed in the pursuit of components. Perhaps I should invest in some better defensive equipment, or at least develop better tactics for fighting alongside Tittlin’s ranged style.
Note to self: ice devils can summon additional ice devils. This seems like the sort of thing that should have been in the research literature, but apparently field experience remains the most reliable teacher. Expensive lessons, but lessons nonetheless.