A Winter's Knight

"A Winter's Knight" is the session taking place on May 28th, 2020. On the way to the Winter Queen's palace, our heroes must overcome an enchanted forest -- and a formidable foe.

Synopsis
The party completes a long rest and continues into Winter's Walk in early morning, seeking the palace of the Winter Queen. The coniferous forest has been blanketed with fresh, powdery snowfall overnight, creating beautiful scenery. However, the thickness of the snow creates difficult terrain.

Saphir pulls Alavara aside, informing her how to activate Phyrra's teleportation spell once it's complete, in case he's incapacitated. The conversation takes place in Elvish, so they're the only two that understand.

The forest teems with wildlife: squirrels, birds. A gecko covered in a thin layer of ice catches the party's attention. When Saphir approaches, it begins to scream. He backs off and it scampers under a tree, displacing a marmot.

At the bottom of a steep incline, Ally spots a sleeping creature that resembles a T-Rex covered in fluff. She leads the group away.

An hour later, the party encounters a cultivated clearing, with paths leading in all cardinal directions. Kalza's keen mind keeps the party's bearings. Cinnabar climbs a tree, but finds it hard to get a read on which way will take them to the palace. It appears that they have entered a maze.

They decide to take the path to the west first, Saphir marking trees as they go. This path, however, takes them right back to where they started. Ally charges north, the group hurrying to catch up to her. Clairen notices that the path Ally took is a little colder than the others. The northern path leads to a new clearing! But the party decides to go east from here and ends up back at the start. At this point, they hear a voice on the wind. It says, "You are unwelcome here. Leave."

Clairen invokes the Rite of Guests and explains that the party only seeks an audience. The only response she receives is snow in her face.

Undeterred by the mysterious warning, the party continues through the maze, testing different paths. Kalza discovers that this place is filled with illusion magic and every path is identical down to the very snowflake.

Clairen returns to the start of the maze by herself. She throws rocks down a path she knows is incorrect. The rocks hit a tree. She attempts the same on the correct path...to the same result.

Sorithyn uses dispel magic to uncover a non-magical rock that reveals the correct direction for one of the clearings: south. The clearing beyond is about 10 degrees colder than the others.

Taking the eastern path from there, the party arrives at the base of a massive glacier, atop of which stands the Winter Queen's palace. An eladrin woman donning dark crystalline armor stands in their way.

Once again, she tells the party that they are unwelcome and demands to know why they have disturbed these lands. Clairen declares that they seek audience, to which the woman replies that regardless of what the Rite of Guests says, outsiders may not pass in times of war.

Sorithyn quips that the Winter Court would yet allow the forces of Nyl to wander through their backyard and receives a blast of cold air that, even with her natural cold resistance, chills her.

Clairen says that, rather than in service to the King of Altun, the party is here of their own accord to determine the fey's situation and how they can help. The eladrin, intrigued by her manners, asks for their names. Scrambling to come up with a group name, the party calls themselves the Seekers. We will see if it sticks.

The eladrin challenges the party to a fight to first blood in order to prove their convictions. She summons two Frost Atronachs and reveals her name, the Lady of Black Ice. The party may also call her "Adversary".

The Lady of Black Ice slashes at Clairen, her first strike missing but the second finding purchase. In addition to the cut of the blade, cold seeps into her wound. Clairen's Armor of Plegethos lashes out in response, burning the Lady. She raises her buckler, which shimmers strangely, and assumes a defensive stance.

Sorithyn casts Hold Monster, but the spell is reflected back on her, and her concentration breaks. Saphir uncorks his Dust of Disappearance and turns every ally but Sorithyn invisible. The Lady is visibly upset by "such a profane use of clipped wings". He slips to her flank unseen and waits.

Sirocco lunges from invisibility and breathes lightning on one of the Atronachs. Clairen launches a fireball at both of them while remaining in melee with the Lady. The same one that Sirocco attacked loses an arm, but both remain standing.

Rylee casts Guardian of Nature, wild shaping into a giant tree spider. Kalza moves into melee as well and casts Inflict Wounds. The Lady counters with an attack of opportunity, and Kalza counters the counter with Hellish Rebuke. Unfortunately, the Lady manages to duck away.

Ally holds Gronash's maul close, her holy symbol of Chauntea in the other hand, and attempts to Turn the Faithless. Sadly, it seems that the plague in Everrise is keeping her occupied today.

One Atronach, slowed by Rylee's spider form, heals itself, while the other attempts to hit Sorithyn with its remaining arm. One of its swings lands to similar effect as the Lady's sword.

The Lady gestures toward Clairen and casts Cone of Cold. Ally's paladin saving throw buffs keep Clairen, Ally, and Kalza from succumbing. From invisibility, Saphir lashes out using his mage killing expertise to sink his Grue's Bite into the Lady. The blinding effect of the Grue's Bite fails to take hold.

Sorithyn takes the attacking Atronach down with Flametongue and provides bardic inspiration to Ally. Then, Saphir stabs the Lady for a second time, drawing her silver blood. She ends the fight.

Pleased with their fighting prowess, the Lady agrees to guide them to the Winter Palace. She advises them that expectations for them are high and violence will not be tolerated.

The party asks for a moment of privacy to change into their formal attire, and she obliges by creating an igloo around them. Sorithyn changes in front of everyone because she's a theater kid. Rylee and Clairen make no pretense of averting their gaze. Borrowing Sorithyn's disguise kit, Saphir manages to give himself a decent makeover. However, still not satisfied with his appearance, he asks everyone to leave and casts Disguise Self to appear like an idealized elf.

The spellcasters all see through his illusion and attempt to convince him that he looks fine the way he is, but Saphir insists that this is what he needs to do to appear "perfect" for the Winter Court. He exits the igloo without another word.

Player Characters

 * Alavara
 * Clairen Longridge
 * Kalza Palod
 * Rylee Puddlefoot
 * Sorithyn Tolkuthol
 * Saphir

New

 * Lady of Black Ice

Returning

 * Sirocco

Mentioned

 * Phyrra
 * The Winter Queen

Quotations
Sorithyn: "And yet you allowed the forces of Nyl to walk through your backyard."
 * Lady of Black Ice: "During times of war, outsiders are forbidden."
 * Lady of Black Ice: (to Sorithyn after reflecting her spell) "Worry not what I bring, but what you may throw at yourself."
 * Lady of Black Ice: (to Saphir after he uses the Dust of Disappearance) "Such a profane use of clipped wings...I shall bring you to task for this."