If I pretend that it hasn’t actually been seven months since my last update, would you pretend with me?
I have issues with self-discipline and focusing on tasks that should be important to me, like this blog. I would love nothing more than to be able to update this weekly, but between my inability to keep to a schedule, work, various Dungeons and Dragons games, and of course the pandemic, it’s becoming increasingly obvious that my dream to make this update more often is folly. Nonetheless, I’m back with another letter and please excuse the pun in the title. It’s a running joke at the table.
Temples?
This letter introduces the Temple of Pure Ice, based on some modules somewhere that my DM wouldn’t let me look up. This temple and the others that will follow make up an important portion of these first few letters and sessions. Potentially, the one we haven’t been to yet is going to be incredibly important at the end of the campaign, but I won’t talk any spoilers just yet.
Each temple follows a basic repeating pattern. Firstly, it’s themed around a specific element, in this case Ice obviously. There’s always a figure of authority, the Maiden of Ice, who is a anthropomorphic identity for that element. Still have yet to determine if they’ve any significance outside the temples. Each temple also has a boon, a magical essence we can acquire for one person upon sealing the element, as well as a specific magical item. In this letter, that’s what the Scepter of Pure Ice is. Nash, being the Ice Wizard that he is, takes all this in with stride.
~~~
Heron – Tai Lin, Monk and Nash’s betrothed.
Phoenix – Nash Yosoku, Wizard
Sparrowhawk – Seiichi Aimoto, Kensai
Falcon – Toshiro Kibun, Fighter
Owl – Hayami Riyu, Ranger
Osprey – Jhin Toshiro, Rogue
~~~
Heron
I almost died. Sort of. The rest of the crew kept me alive, kept each other alive. I’m only going to say this once, but it turns out a group is a damn fine way to make progress. Maybe they’re growing on me. Maybe they’ll turn on me. I’m keeping them at an arm’s length for now, but there’s some trust. It’s a new concept I’m trying out.
We left Jade City and traveled northeast to Kaepo, Falcon’s home in Pegasus lands. It was a small, but fine enough place and it turns out that Falcon runs a tight ship, but I’m concerned about the way he treats his subordinates. Don’t get me wrong, he treats them much in the same way that others in his position would and that’s the problem. But, it’s as you keep telling me, it doesn’t fall on me to change this aspect of the world, just individuals.
We split up in Kaepo, half of us going to speak with the Elders of the city and the other half going to a local Wu Jen temple of Ryu. We both inquired about the Temple of Pure Ice, gathering information. With varying degrees of success, we set off further north towards the mountain range, with knowledge and equipment in hand.
The Wu Jen Master I spoke with gave me a ring that would get me into the Temple of Pure Ice, as well as others apparently. I put it on and it stuck to my hand, but it enhances the power of my spells occasionally. Very useful. He also warned me of a foul corruption that made Ice magic unstable and said we could summon the Maiden of Ice to purify it if we could gather all the pieces to the Scepter of Pure Ice.
Approaching the temple, we saw bootprints that changed into clawed feet headed towards a crack in the giant ice wall that marked the entrance to the temple. We also saw clawed foot prints that changed into boot prints leaving from the crack. I question the power of the man or creature that could have forced their way into the temple, corrupted it, and then left once more. I won’t admit it to anyone else, but this creature frightens me.
The temple itself was mostly unfinished. It leaves me with so many questions. Who built it and why did they never finish it? Were they interrupted or killed? Called away for some higher purpose? If I ever finish my current mission, I want to study these temples. The Wu Jen Master I spoke with told me the ring would open other temples, so there must be others dedicated to different elements. If so, they’ll need protecting as well.
You should have seen the things in this temple, Heron. They were magnificent to behold. Artificial constructs of metal and ice, animated by elemental shards. We were able to salvage some that I think might prove useful in the future. Some were humanoid in shape, while others were shaped like something out of the scrolls that described creatures long dead.
I have to admit that I was pretty useless in this temple. As a wizard who specializes in Ice, my spells didn’t affect the Ice Elementals or the constructs of ice that we fought. Top it off, even if they did, my spells didn’t always work with the corruption of ice magic. My new companions fought bravely and I did my best to aid them, but I was dead weight. It wasn’t a total loss, however. I learned a lot about their abilities and I learned to give them the tiniest bit of trust.
I’m not sure how well placed my trust in Osprey is, though. He found some potions, really valuable and useful potions, that he tried to keep for himself. Thankfully, Owl noticed what he was doing and called him out on it. Sometimes even I forget that we’ve known each other too little for actual trust. This is still a game, part of the Jade City tournament. Genbu only knows what will happen when we find the would-be assassin and turn their head over to the Emperor.
We might even part ways. I wouldn’t be opposed to it, but I’m not immediately for it either and that’s progress.
After gathering together the pieces of the Scepter of Pure Ice, we returned to the main room and called forth the Maiden of Ice. A massive orb of Pure Ice came down into the room and the Maiden ripped her way into this plane with a scythe of ice. I’ve never experienced such bone numbing cold in all my time as a practitioner of the frozen arts.
I asked her to cleanse the temple and she obliged, the act visibly weakening her. I take this to mean that the rot was deep and powerful and once more, I found myself afraid of the power that could do this. I asked of her what she knew about the creature that did this and she did not know. She granted me a boon for my efforts and left.
As she left, a single silver feather floated down towards Falcon, one that matched another feather on his blade. He took it and attached it, it seemed to make sense to him, but I know not what it did. We left the temple and headed towards Kaepo once more and that’s where I’ll end this.
I hope all is well there and that you’re safe. Be careful. My heart would be frozen still without you and if anything happened to you, then not even Suzaku’s flame could unfreeze it.
With love,
Phoenix
~~~
Well, that’s all for this post, folks. I’ll eventually stop apologizing for being so late with these, but today is not that day. Honestly, the inspiration for this came out of a job posting that I saw which asked for my blog site as part of the application. Immediately I thought to myself, “Shit! I should be updating more.” So here I am updating before I finish the application. If you’re reading this, Roll20 HR team… Uh, hi I guess!
As always, if you haven’t already, enter your email address below to sign up for notifications when I post the next entry in ten months.
Josh Hoffman 