"Do you have any specific information on what we may find down there before we go, Master Toad? Your master said undead of some sort. Either way, we are prepared to face the dangers and we shall take you up on those scouts to help show us the way, sir. Thank you very much for your aid," Perry bows as he responds to the elder toad.  

Lawrance observes the tribe and it's activities that have been minorly disrupted by their arrival Once inside the warmer 'building' he examines circumspectly the techniques they are using to keep the chill at bay, hoping to apply it to the spell he's been developing recently. 

Lawrance finds not a single trace of magic here. A small fire provides warm air, and the icy walls seem to insulate with minimal signs of melting.

The elderly toad croaks out, "None of ours who ever entered returned, and even some who strayed to close at night disappear, I am sorry but we know little. Since you are so determined..."

She crooks a finger and says something to the guard. "Follow him, and he will lead to to the place."

The toads set a fairly brisk pace, traversing the snowbanks with deft alacrity. Soon enough, they point you to a fold in the ice, a natural crevasse leading down into darkness.

Once the party reaches the crevasse, Perry peers into the darkness.

"Bah! I'm not afraid of this dark, frozen, undead-filled pit! It will take more than some minor ghost stories and frozen water to defeat the unwavering, indomitable strength and tactical prowess of the famous Silver Blaze!" he proclaims with unfounded confidence. "What's the worst that could be down there anyway? Zombies? A polar bear? A zombie polar bear?" 

Once the toad guide is gone, Velon states "I am concerned that heading underground, or under ice as the case may be, leaves our castle at the mercy of a white dragon in his own territory, one that was allied with our enemy during the last great conflict.  I know he seemed like a fine chap, but it still seems...unwise.  We could send it away and call it later, or commit now to teleporting out and meeting our friends elsewhere.  Then again, perhaps Old White Death is our ally for now, as we do his work for him, and is in fact protection from the red we heard about.  I suppose we must risk it, eh?"

Looking up at the clouded sky, Lawrance thinks about their flying fort and what Velon mentioned. "I think they'll be safe enough. They can fly excessively fast, they have magic available, and they have those ballistae we spent so much gold on. If they need us, Poppo can cast a Sending, but it's not like we could run over there in a few minutes. It might be worth while to ask them to keep very high up at the top edges of the clouds and look like just another formation, maybe? If you want a fast exit, I can study a teleport for the next day and we could go to Waterdeep or other safe places, if needed, but I don't have it prepared just now." Looking back to the hole of doom, he adds "Either way, we will be on our own again. No handy bombardment to distract any enemies, this time."

  Lia frowns as Velon mentions not trusting Old White Death.  " I think we have to risk it.  The castle should be safe.  I know that a lot of you don't trust our dragon friend.  I sense no malice in him. Not saying that I can't be wrong of course.  The castle has the speed and protection that should keep it safe even if I'm wrong.  Let's get this over with and get back to a warmer climate.  I detest wearing these furs.  " She looks with disdain on her clothing.  

  Mari grins at the others.  " I'm guess I'm up.  One of the perks of my job is to be the first into places called the Death Hole. " She draws both of her blades and moves close to the entrance.  " Well...?" 

"Yes indeed Mari. This shall be a good display of your progress. Show us all the results of your training, young apprentice," Perry says to Mari. "In the meantime, I'll be supervising from back here."

Eventually, people begin to enter the dark rift. The going is slippery and steep, the passage going ever down below the ice. Perhaps a hundred feet in, it opens up into a fair sized ice cavern, naturally formed from the looks of it. Well, the majority of it is natural. On the far side is a large wall of well dressed stone. A hole has been opened in the wall, as if by some manner of violent explosion, and somehow the air before the hole seems even colder than the howling winds above. You can hear clicking sounds in the air, but it is difficult to pinpoint the source.

Lawrance peers deep into the hole from his position near the rear, curious at what lays beyond. Sending Gamliel off into a safe dimension, he grips Aisling firmly, ready to disperse magics at need. 

  Mari's breath comes quicker as nervousness begins to affect her.  She tries to calm herself mentally and walks closer to the hole in the wall. Her blue eyes peer into the darkness looking for anything at all. 

   Lia follows along with the others.  She breaths a silent prayer to Sune to guard them in this darkness.  Peering ahead, she studies the cavern and the hole also. 

Velon looks back in the direction of the castle one last time before heading beneath the ice.   He hangs back a bit from any scouts such as Mari because he is noisy, but is happy to put himself and his shield between Perry and any danger in front of them.  The paladin casts Light on his shield for himself and the rest of those not blessed with darkvision.  As they near the hole Velon says "I am probably the least subtle person here, but I'll go first if you want me to, or...."  He glances at Poljen and raises an eyebrow.

Beyond the hole in the wall, you can see what appears to be a hallway stretching in both directions. Sconces line the walls, but they are quite empty. Piles of an oddly pale rubbish  are spread across the floor, mostly swept up in the corners and cracks.

Poljen shrugs.  "I will go with Mari.  I can see well enough in the dark.  But please, the rest of you do not be too far.  I do not like this place."  He turns to Mari, "You choose left or right."

   Mari nods at the others.  " Here we go then.  Looks like a really nice place to visit.  " She glances at Poljen.  " Let's go right.  " She turns to the right with blades bared still.  Mari creeps along listening and looking for anything out of place.  

A little further down the hall, Mari and Poljen spot a ladder in the wall, leading up to what was once a trapdoor. The door itself appears to have been torn from its hinges. Filling the space beyond is a smooth barrier of ice.

Moving on, the group finds themselves in what appears to have once been a large castle's gatehouse. Massive doors are on both sides, and a third one is across from you. The strange chittering sounds are louder than ever here.

   Mari looks at the doors with concern.  " I've got a bad feeling about this.  "  She studies the doors from a distance for a moment.  " I'm going to try to determine where that sound is coming from.  It's probably best to avoid whatever causes that as long as possible.  " She advances cautiously to each door and will put her ear up to each to see if the sound comes from that door.  Mari will check the center door first followed by left and right. 

As Mari crosses the floor, the door across the room bangs open, an oddly shaped skull pushing it aside. Bony spines along the thing's neck rattle as the thing starts to crawl into the room on several dozen legs arranged much like a massive centipede.

A few moments later, a tickling sound can be heard from behind the group. The piles of bone fragments are shifting, gathering, starting to pile up and block the passage back the way you came.

"What the heck is that thing?!" Perry yelps as he sees the massive skull-centipede enter the room. Then, he turns around and witnesses the bones all whirling about from behind. "This seems really bad you guys..."

Morgaine follows the group into the depths and keeps her eyes open to what may come their way or from behind. She is weary of the area but keeps her wits about her.

Upon seeing the massive bone skeleton creature and the other fragments begin to move and gather; she is on high alert and readies her sword for the fight she knows is coming.

Intitiaive : 20