Almost to the Top

The morning after the Jarl's kidnapping the party decided that ending the cold was more important than rescuing Steinolfsson and set out up the mountain. After exploring for some time and fighting through the extreme cold the party discovered the passage up to the high places and decided to rest and recover their strength before proceeding. While exploring the area around their encampment they came across an ancient ruin of some unknown arcane purpose. After investigating for some time the heroes discovered a secret door that led to an ancient tomb. In the tomb the party discovered some ancient artifacts and was set upon by some undead dwarves from the long past. Following a decisive victory the party went back to their encampment and rested. The next day the party pressed on up the mountain and encountered some hostile spirits of the mountain guarding the passage to the high places. Before battling the spirits the party learned that the Ice Queen was not in fact up the mountain as they presumed from hearing the previous spirit's message, but rather a mountain to the north of their present location. Faced with the great power of the spirits the party decided to retreat and pursue the Ice Queen.

On the way back down the maintain the party came across the scene of a slaughter in an encampment tucked inside a hidden alcove in the mountain. The heroes managed to revive one of the fallen and investigated the scene, only to learn that the casualties were a group of bandits that was set upon by a mysterious lone warrior. 

The Jarl is Betrayed

As the feast died down some of the party left with Sadine to commune with the spirit of one of the frost giants felled in the battle, hoping to learn about the origin of the attack. Humber and Sora stayed behind at the keep, getting deeper into their cups until the Jarl retired for the night. The party was ambushed by a force led Sigbrand Eilifsson, Herstien's henchman, convinced that the party has unduly influenced the Jarl to bend the knee for some insidious purpose. The party fought off the attackers and then split up, with  half continuing on with Sadine, while the others rushed back to the keep to check on the Jarl. Predictably, the party arrived at the Jarl's chambers to find his room tossed, Dalla near-dead, and a large white hand painted on the wall. After interrogating the captives and following the tracks of the abductors the party determined that the White Hand had carried the Jarl off towards Hasbergen. Meanwhile, the rest of the party gathered around the corpse of a fallen frost giant that they had stashed in a burnt out house the previous day. With dark necromancy Sadine contacted the giant's spirit, who recounted to the party how an entity known as the Ice Queen had put them up to the attack. When pressed about her whereabouts he said only that she can be found where the wind blows coldest. The next morning Sora communed with the spirits of the mountain asking where to find the Ice Queen, which pointed the heroes north.