The Silver Sphinx

 

“Let's start with the basics. The Para-Elemental Plane of Ice is very, very, very cold.”

Sanctimarin, Master of the Frozen Breeze, ice mephit

 

 

Third Market Day of Savorus, 126 HR

Dilae squinted into the wafting snowflakes, which now began to fall around them more and more densely. The Para-Elemental Plane of Ice could be a dangerous place full of avalanches, blizzards and aggressive ice elementals. But it could also be a snowy winter wonderland, like the wide plain she and her companions were now crossing by sledge. The sledge was pulled by six large white wolves and glided silently over the snow. Of course, they had been lucky to come across a settlement soon after passing the portal. From the massive iceberg in which the gate to Sigil was located, it was only about an hour's walk to the small but bustling village of Frosthaven. From a distance, they had already seen the soft, bluish light of the lanterns cut from ice, which had shown them the way to the settlement. Frosthaven consisted mainly of igloos and ice houses, some of which were connected by crystal-clear ice tunnels. The inhabitants, a mixture of ice genasi, frost gnomes and white-furred humanoids, had given them a friendly welcome. They were used to visitors thanks to the nearby portal to the City of Doors, with which they also traded. Not knowing where exactly to look for the Keeper and the Proclaimer, they had decided to get a means of transportation and had asked for a sledge at the marketplace in the center of the village. 

Dilae had left it to Garush and Yelmalis to take care of the purchase, while she, Tarik and the monodrone F-45 looked at the market stalls. Sekhemkare had remained a little way off, still annoyed that he had had to venture into this icy environment. Although they had brought a whole crate of fire potions with them, which could heat up his poikilothermic body for a few hours per dose, the yuan-ti had understandably been the least enthusiastic about the destination of their journey. The sleigh that Garush and Yelmalis had finally acquired was made of shimmering silver wood, carved with snowflakes and stars. There were two wide, fur-padded benches with room for three people each, and the runners were made of Eternal Ice that never melted, even outside the Plane of Ice. The salesman, a gnome with white hair and light-blue eyes, had explained that the sled even had a transparent, dome-shaped cover that could be activated by touching two magical crystals on either side. The six white wolves that pulled the sled were enduring runners – and, to Dilae's great joy, also tame and playful. After Yelmalis had oiled the joints of his familiar F-45 with a special lubricant and Sekhemkare had taken another fire potion, they had boarded the sled and left Frosthaven behind them. 

At first, the vehicle glided quietly over a wide plain of ice, where the wind had shaped the snow into gentle, undulating dunes. In the distance, huge crystalline mountains rose up, and when the light hit them at certain angles, the air above glistened in all the colors of the rainbow. In addition, frozen cascades of ice repeatedly poured over the flanks of the mountains: frozen waterfalls. Garush had taken over the steering of the sledge and sat on the coach box, wrapped in furs and pelts. After she had gotten a feel for the vehicle, she called out to the wolves one of the commands the frost gnome had taught her. Immediately, the ice wolves quickened their pace and the sledge sped over the snow at high speed. 

Dilae was grateful to be able to just sit on the front bench and watch the fairytale surroundings. On departure, she had beckoned Sekhemkare to sit next to her, and now the yuan-ti was scrutinizing the snowy landscape – with considerably less enthusiasm than the dark elf. Of course, Dilae had asked Sekhemkare to come to her side primarily so that Tarik would take a seat on the bench behind, next to Yelmalis. She was able to use her eyes and had well noticed the two of them approaching each other - even if she was not sure whether the tiefling and the air genasi were also aware of it. At least Tarik had taken a seat behind her with a smile, even if he seemed a little shy about it. Yelmalis, on the other hand, had frozen briefly when the Signer had moved towards him to make room for F-45, who was being lifted into the sled by Garush. Dilae smiled contentedly as she thought back on it. Some people needed a little push to be happy, she had often found that to be true. Wrapped in a thick pelt, which she had put on over her fur-lined clothing, she leaned back and enjoyed the ride. The wolves now effortlessly pulled the sled up a steep slope, from the top of which there was a breathtaking view over the Plane of Ice. A short distance away, they could see frozen lakes that reflected the sky like huge mirrors. Nearby were frost geysers, whose occasional eruptions hurled fine ice needles into the air. Here Garush ordered the wolves to take a short break, and Dilae looked around in awe.

“Isn't this beautiful?” She turned around to ask Yelmalis and Tarik the question, knowing that the heat-loving yuan-ti would hardly appreciate the surroundings.

Indeed, Sekhemkare merely hissed disparagingly, but the air genasi smiled. ”It really is. And look, up there: northern lights.”

He pointed towards the lakes, and sure enough: the sky was filled with dancing lights in a variety of colors, reflected in the smooth ice below. They immediately drew Dilae's attention, until she heard a faint clinking sound behind her.

“Really?” Garush said from the box. ”Now you want a drink, Guvner?”

“Why not?” Tarik answered the question instead of Yelmalis. “While you were getting the sledge, Dilae and I took care of some provisions for the journey.”

“In case you haven't noticed yet, we do have provisions,” the amazon replied curtly. ”Enough for two to three weeks if we ration it sensibly.”

“Garush, Garush,” Dilae said reproachfully, but with an amused laugh. ”This is not just about pure survival. It's also about enjoying this special trip.”

The half-orc snorted a little and waved it off, but didn't say anything more. As the only other woman in the group, it was usually the dark elf who dared to stand up to the amazon. And although it wasn't really in Dilae's nature to argue things out, she regularly took on this responsibility so that the pleasant moments wouldn't be neglected. Yelmalis nodded at her with thanks and quietly spoke a magic formula to warm up the drink that Tarik was now holding up in a bluish bottle.

“Heat and fire spells aren't really my specialty,” the air genasi remarked. ”But that doesn't mean I don't know them.”

Then he took out five blue ceramic cups and had Tarik fill them before handing them to the others. A cautious sip of the now hot drink revealed to Dilae that it might be a type of green tea sweetened with honey. However, it tasted more intense and had a touch of walnuts, cinnamon and berries. The dark elf sighed contentedly as the hot liquid warmed her throat and stomach while she watched the aurorae borealis play over the frozen lakes. Even Garush and Sekhemkare nodded, apparently appreciating the warm drink and the short break. It was a special, harmonious moment, one that Dilae sensed connected them as a group, and she therefore enjoyed it all the more. 

Then Garush urged the wolves on again and they continued their journey. They had been on the road for a long time, and basically without a destination, since they didn't really know where to begin their search for the Keeper and the Proclaimer. They hoped for another of Tarik's dreams or some information from a soul shred Sekhemkare could invoke. For the moment, the only thing left for them to do was to venture further into the Plane of Ice. Once they were caught in a short but intense snowstorm, but the magical dome of the sledge protected them while the ice wolves safely found their way through the storm. Another time, they were traveling through a forest where the trees and plants seemed to be made entirely of ice. There they spotted groups of snow hares and a few polar foxes. After that, they came upon a wide, glittering snowscape once again, but the previously peaceful journey was suddenly interrupted by a deafening roar that rang out through the air. It came from behind and Dilae, who had just been admiring the breathtaking icebergs on the horizon, spun around. She gasped as she saw three massive figures emerging from a sudden snow flurry. They were at least three steps high, had thick white fur and pointed, curved horns.

“Yetis!” Tarik shouted. “Three of them, and very big!” There was a hint of panic in his usually calm voice.

Garush only looked back briefly, then she urged the ice wolves on. But something was wrong ... The sled was moving more heavily than usual, and instead of picking up speed, it was slowing down.

“The wolf in front!” the amazon shouted through the falling snow. ”I think it's limping – it must have hurt its paw!”

The yetis were approaching with frightening speed, and now Dilae could see that they were holding large chunks of ice in their mighty hands. One of them missed the sled by a hair's breadth and shattered into a thousand glittering splinters right next to them.

“Hold on!” Garush shouted, steering the sled between two jagged ice formations in a daring evasion maneuver.

Dilae was thrown roughly against Sekhemkare and clung desperately to the side planks. Tarik quickly grabbed one of F-45's legs to prevent the monodrone from being thrown out of the sled.

“Thank you!” Yelmalis called out in relief, then he got up, knelt on the bench and began to speak a arcane formula. With his right hand, he held on to the door of the sled, but with his left, he drew an intricate gesture in the air. Then a glowing ball shot out of his fingers, exploding in a shower of sparks on one of the yetis. The yeti roared in rage, but also in fright, as the flames scorched his fur.

“Yes, they don't like fire,” Sekhemkare hissed. “And hopefully they don't like this either.” He lifted up a vial of green liquid and flung it out the back of the sledge.

It shattered on the icy track the sleigh was leaving behind and released a dense, green smoke. Fortunately, the group in the sledge quickly moved away, but the foremost yeti coughed and gasped as it was hit by the smoke.

“That will stop them, but not kill them,” the yuan-ti explained. ”We have to leave here quickly!”

“Easier said than done,“ Garush shouted over her shoulder. “The wolf in front is injured – I fear it can't keep this up for much longer!”

Dilae stood up. “Sek, hold me!” she called through the driving snow. “I need both hands free!”

Without thinking twice, the yuan-ti put his arms around her waist to stabilize her in the wildly racing sledge. Then Dilae began to sing, and her clear voice rose above the chaos. It was an old elven melody that spoke of Eilistraee's beauty and the magic of the moon. But in this case, it was not the prayer of the cleric, but the song of the bard that sent its healing energy to the wolves. The animals pricked up their ears, then the pace of the wolf in front quickened.

“Very good!” Garush called. ”And now hold on!”

Ahead of them, some tall icebergs rose up, with a crevice in the middle ... not too wide, as Dilae noted with concern. But it wasn't long, she could see to the end. There ... the dark elf's heart sank. Was Garush serious? Quite obviously, because she steered the sledge into the narrow gorge without hesitation. The walls closed in ominously, icicles scraped over the sides of the sleigh. The yetis, although still gasping for breath, could now be seen behind them again. The end of the gorge was already in sight – and directly behind it an abyss. A narrow ridge of ice led over it ...

“There!” Garush shouted. ‘The ice bridge! If we can make it to the other side ...”

“Over there?” Tarik's voice sounded genuinely horrified. ”Are you insane?”

“I have a feather fall spell ready for all of us in case of emergency,” Yelmalis assured them, now grabbing one of F-45's legs.

Sekhemkare let out a sound in response and Dilae wasn't sure whether it was supposed to be a nervous laugh or an outraged hiss. But Garush paid no attention to this ... The sledge shot out of the gorge, directly towards the fragile-looking ice bridge. Behind them, the yetis' footsteps thundered as they caught up again. The bridge creaked and groaned under the weight of the sleigh. Cracks began to form. Dilae hid her face in her hands and said a prayer to the Dark Maiden. She heard Garush urge the wolves on to a last, desperate sprint. They actually reached the other end – just seconds before the bridge collapsed with a deafening crash behind them. The foremost yeti, in mid-jump, reached out wildly, its claws scratching across the ice but getting no grip. With a frightened roar, it plunged into the depths. The other two white-pelts remained at the edge of the abyss, shaking their fists in anger. Garush kept urging the wolves on until they were out of sight of the remaining yetis, then the sled came to a sliding halt. Tarik and Yelmalis on the back bench were both holding onto F-45 tightly and had slid closer together than ever intended. Despite her racing heartbeat, Dilae did not fail to notice that the air genasi smiled apologetically at the tiefling as he moved away from him again.

Sekhemkare, on the other hand, looked at Garush, his eyes a little narrower than usual. “Are you insane? You could have killed us all!”

“Oh, come on.” The amazon pushed her tusks forward with a grin. “You heard Yelmalis: feather fall, if necessary. Besides, everything went well, so stop complaining, Taker.”

Now Dilae had to laugh with relief. “And I thought we were just going on a leisurely sleigh ride. So much for that.”

“Indeed.” Tarik smiled. ”And I have a feeling that was just the beginning of our adventures on this plane.”