Common Worlds

The Heroes watched (and in some ways assisted, whether they knew it or not) as the Councillors to Ice Fist attempted to summon him from the spirit world.

They all gathered at one or another point of the great snowflake-shaped dias at the heart of the Winter Palace. At the center of the dias a misshapen lump of ice sat, the size of a rhinoceros.

As the Heroes answered various questions in the tests, the room shook and everything grew colder.

The Councillor's magic reached a peak, and the hunk of ice shifted in place, then began to rise up on a column of ice. It revealed itself as the fist of Ice Fist, and the column was his arm. Only Garusharp noticed that as the arm rose up, a thin silver chain that has surrounded the lump of ice ended up catching and encircling Ice Fist's bicep.

A shiver ran through the Winter Palace, collapsing a far wall and cracking the ceiling. Red moonlight flooded through and down.

Immediately the magic worked by the councillors changed, and they suddenly revealed moon powers they had not previously used. They had a strong link between each of them that worked to both attack Ice Fist and to repel the attacks of the Heroes on their circle.

Cursing loudly at the weakness of Men, Speth jumped up on that dais in front of the great giant that has just sprung from the center. She seemed oblivious to the magical battle Ice Fist fought with the councillors.

Clenching her axe tightly in front of her, Speth yelled up to the winter spirit "Mighty Ice Fist, I am Speth axe maiden. I have not been given the chance to prove my mettle to you. Beautiful indeed is your daughter, but I have more interest in showing you the axe blade of my heart and determined fury of my soul. We seek the nesting place of our ancestors and the enemies that foul our sacred home. What say you, oh great winter spirit?"

Worse, it soon became clear that the Gerendetho Goat men whom the heroes had repelled earlier had mustered another attack. They came rushing across the chamber, intent on combat.