With more kytons to deal with, Theo unleashed the flames again. He wished he'd thought to put up some defensive spells, but he loathed wasting his energy and the durations on those spells were always finnicky.
Despite their nimbleness, both kytons stumble and fail to dodge Theo's fire snake, crying out as the fire scorches them. Calendula tears into the one that dared to attack her with her holy blade, taking her down, then Rudrik and the iron golem slice and pound the other one until she falls as well.
In this room's southeastern corner, a search reveals a tiny hidden panel embedded in the ice wall. Inside this cubby are a ring of force siheld and a ring of retribution. Also in the cubby is a small journal bound in untanned skin, in fact a ledger of items written in Shadowtongue. Most of the list is crossed off, including entries for a flute made of an angel’s leg bone, a quiver of arrows made from the bloody feathers of an avoral agathion, and a plague mask made from a nosoi psychopomp’s skull. However, the ledger’s last entry is uncrossed, and it reads: “canopic jars with frostbitten liver, heart, and lungs.”
The small door to the north here is locked, though the kytons here each have a key to the door. The wrought iron doors to the east, however, are unlocked, and carved onto them is an elaborate image of a hulking humanoid figure sitting atop an icy mountain range, a collection of baubles at her feet.
When the journal is translated, Nime frowns. "Worst shopping list ... ever," she says in distaste. She points towards the door the kytons had keys to. "How about we leave the door with the intimidating art for last?"
The north door opens into a room that contains all manner of terrible torture devices, including racks and iron maidens, knives, scalpels, spikes, and other violent objects hung up on the walls. Most of these items are made from mithral, though a few are made from adamantine, cold iron, or silver—the better to overcome the damage reduction of the kytons’ various victims.
In addition to these torture devices, there are a few tables crudely carved into the walls to the north. On them are several dozen pages of loose-leaf notes written in Infernal in a dark, sludgy ink--blood. It would likely take an hour or more to read through all of the notes.
Another door leads to the east.
Calendula shudders walking in the torture room, but gulps and steels herself. She has a hard time moving through it but never stumbles or hesitates past her entry. "Only been a few days since the end of my own," she mutters to Rudrik. "I think they'd've been crueler than the Peacockers tho. Pain worshipping idiots."
Shenuska, whose sang froid seems to match the air around them, collects up the assorted torture implements and stores them in a storage bag that her golem carries.
"We can melt them down and reforge them into other useful items." She explains. "The metals are rare in themselves."
Nime leaves Ieldana's side to place a warm hand on Calendula's shoulder. "Are you ok?" she asks, her eyes full of concern.
"I'll live. Lived thru worser things." She squeezes the undine's hand. "Thank ya, Blue."
Nime searches the paladin's eyes for the emotions buried deep within. "My heart breaks for that truth," she responds. "That doesn't mean that you have to continue to live through them ... alone." She moves her hand up and brushes the back of her knuckles along Calendula's scarred cheek gently. Taking a breath, she turns away.
"Is it possible to make an iron maiden like that one out of something like this?" she asks Shenuska, holding up a long black poker made of adamantine and gesturing towards the golem.
"Yes, but for all the work and expense Ayavah and I went to, it would be double or maybe even triple the time and the work. But enhancements for my Iron Lady here... those wouldn't be too bad..." Shenuska trails off as she ponders the possibility of melting so adamantium and mithril to coat the golems fists....
"That would be pretty amazing. And a nice way to demonstrate 'by the way, yes, I am a legitimately scary magician to cross.'," says Rudrik to Shenuska. "Can you imagine the Iron Lady with a big ol' adamantine sword? Or knuckle-dusters? Frightening."
"Knuckledusters perhaps." Shenuska agrees. "Better not to be a sword, that might be removed or stolen, but if we incorporate the dusters straight onto her fists... that would work nicely. We'll need a good forge though and we won't find that here! Time to move on."
You continue to the east. The rime-covered walls here jut and weave to form tight, dizzying corridors that seem to lead to nowhere.
Rudrik spots a trap—foul magical energies are gathered here, ready to unleash their power at anybody traversing the passages if not disabled.
"Whoop! As you might expect, another magical bit of chicanery," says Rudrik as he holds up a hand to halt progress. "Gimme a good minute to find the trigger mechanism."
"Or if you'd really like to impress onlookers, she could be holding a mithril violin bow," Nime says. She looks around at the others. "It's a very difficult instrument to play."
Rudrik narrows the magical trap’s source down to a circular area to the north, adorned with tiny runes. He expertly disrupts the runes and disarms the trap safely, allowing you to navigate the icy labyrinth. In the southeastern corner of the labyrinth, you uncover an ice-encrusted suit of forsaken banded mail. In the eastern corner, you also come upon a rod of shadows.
The far end of the labyrinth opens onto a long, narrow hall. The icy walls are ridged and knifelike, like a million frozen finger bones reaching into the chill air. At the far end is a wrought iron doors, onto which is carved a gruesome, stylized scene of kytons engaged in battle. The door is locked, but Rudrik fiddles with it for a few minutes and is able to get it open.
In this small circular chamber, there are several rows of shelves carved into the ice walls, each lined with tomes written in Shadowtongue, Infernal, and a few other obscure languages. More iron doors lead to the south and east—Rudrik spots a magical trap on the eastern one.
After dealing with the latest set of kytons, Theo realised that a cloak like what they had probably wouldn't go amiss for him. It didn't really work with his coat and he didn't want to think about what the cloak had been present for but that was stuff they could sort out next time they were in a city. For now, he threw the cloak on and felt its protective magics kick in.
Shen peruses the shelves to make sure that there is nothing untoward there, and then picks up a book written in Infernal and starts skimming.
The book seems to contain esoteric information about the Shadow Plane. It will likely take at least 30 minutes to look through these books to find any pertinent information.
"I might be able to gather something from these but its going to take time." Shenuska says. "We'd best press on and maybe come back here later."
"Yes, we should move on," Nime says, taking Ieldana's hand. "We do need to save the world," she adds, turning to the shadow woman.
"Truth. C'mon. We can always come back with magic if this place collapses when we destroy the Runelord or somethin'."
Rudrik is able to disarm the trap on the east door, which opens into an abandoned chamber. Dozens of thick, frost-encrusted chains weave between a wide, low shelf of ice and four rocky outcroppings. A search here reveals three scrolls tucked in a hidden compartment. They are a scroll of heal, a scroll of project image, and a scroll of limited wish.
The south door leads to a larger vault. The vaulted ceiling of this ice cavern is heavily carved with the leering faces of kytons with icicles jammed through their lips, eyelids, cheeks, and necks. The sanctuary’s centerpiece is a trio of two-tiered risers, upon which loom enormous likenesses of these kytons. In the southwestern corner, frosty chains drape from the walls and ceilings.
A blue-skinned woman in a pale blue dress, the fabric and her skin alike pierced with icicles the length of her arm, stalks down from the sanctuary’s risers. A distinctive pendant hangs around her neck. “Irritating interlopers,” she sneers. ”Such annoyance you’ve caused. But I am not an unreasonable mistress. Leave this realm, and no harm shall pursue you. Resist, and the wrath of Frozen Tears falls on your heads. Your choice.”
Calendula walks vaguely toward the woman, shaking her head. "Right, so what path would ya recommend we take should we take yer advice? I'm horrible with directions, jus horrible. Could ya draw us a map?"
”Return from whence you came and continue away from the icy chains. You will find the exit swiftly,” she replies, watching Calendula through narrowed eyes.
Shenuska casts haste.
"Just so we can leave quicker." She says with a beautific smile, before ducking behind her golem.
Her blood pumping, Calendula charges straight into the woman, sword first.
"Your instructions were very helpful," she murmurs.
As Calendula begins her charge, the kyton sighs. Two of the ice sculptures begun to uproot themselves!
The kyton drops into.a defensive stance and sweeps her hand, hurling icicles that impale the paladin! The icy constructs move to intercept her charge, one pummeling her with a fist.
Seeing that this will be a battle that requires all her healing abilities, vaporous wings appear at the undine's back and she rises into the air to move to Calendula's side.
While he was sure that there was going to be magical countermeasures on the constructs, ice was ice and Theo let the flames loose.
Shenuska winces slightly as Calendula takes a massive beating. At her direction Iron Shen soars into the air and descends upon the kyton like a large, well shaped meteor!
Shenuska follows up by throwing highly damaging magic the kyton as well.
"Ice golems." She calls, "Fire magic only!"
"Steel magic for me!" shouts Rudrik as he hammers at one of the ice constructs.
Theodric's fire spell proves super-effective, melting the golems into piles of slush! The spell falters against the kyton's resistance.
Shenuska's golem slams into the kyton, knocking her back a few paces with a grunt of exertion. The psychic fires a disintegration ray at the icy woman, but she dodges aside.
Nime heals Calendula, then the paladin and Rudrik both rush into melee with the kyton, circling around her. The kyton narrowly avoids Calendula's blade, but gasps in pain as Rudrik scores a critical hit!
As her wounds begin to regenerate, the woman unleashes a flurry of melee attacks with her sai, claw, and chains. She lands a critical hit on Rudrik, stabbing for his eyes! Then her chain wraps around his blade and yanks it out of his hands.
Rudrik is caught off-guard by the savage attack and falls to his hands and knees, gasping as blood gushes from his face out the narrow eyeslit of his adamantine helm.
Seeing Rudrik in trouble, Theo redoubled his flames against the kyton, channelling them through his metamagic rod.
The oracle touches Calendula with a warm hand, speaking a prayer to her goddess.
She then takes to the air again to move to Rudrik's side. "I am right here, Rudrik," she says in a soothing voice. "One moment."
"Don't worry, Rudrik," the scarred woman murmurs as she chops and swings, "Blue'll patch you right up, and then you an me'ull have sum matchin scars."
Seeing the kyton dodge rather spectacularly Shenuska falls back on old reliable. Iron Shen does too.
Rudrik pushes himself off his knee and suddenly lashes out with his sword again. Apparently the serious wound was not as bad as it first appeared!
Though Theodric's magic falters again, Shenuska blasts the kyton, then Calendula and Rudrik slice her up. Significantly injured, the woman holds up a hand to forestall further hostilities.
"Let us have a truce! You are obviously formidable foes, tough enough to withstand my attacks. I have no doubt you would defeat me should the battle continue. What is your purpose here in Frozen Tears?"
"We need to return to the material plane from the throne room of White Death's Diadem." Shenuska replies, although Iron Shen waits with fists raised to recommence the hostilities. "Your pendant is an important part of that I believe."
"I see. So you only wish to use my lord's throne room as a staging ground to return to your world. Intriguing," the kyton says, toying with one of the icicles impaling her body. "I will not give you my pendant, but there is another individual who wears one, and I care not for her fate. So long as you honor your truce, I will aid you in attacking her--Lady Wollnoxe, a vicious jotund troll that dwells in the Western Tearvault."
Calendula spits at the kyton's feet. "Yer jus stalling. Yer a coward, hopin that while we're away you'll have time to finish your rich-ual. Tain't no negotiation, ugly, You will die and no one will ever remember you."
"Ugly? Now, that's just hurtful," the kyton scolds, though she does take a few steps back in the face of Calendula's fury. "I said I would accompany you to slay Lady Wollnoxe, so you will not have to take your eyes off of me the entire time. Once you have the troll's pendant, I will escort you into White Death's Diadem that you may perform your ritual and leave this place, at which point, the terms of our truce will end. I want you out of Frozen Tears as much as you want to leave this place."
"Violence is not my preferred solution to any problem," Nime explains in a calm voice. "So why would we choose the option you offer rather than simply take your pendant?"
"Because then our truce will be at end," the kyton says icily, "and I shall teleport to Inkariax's side and inform him of your plans. You may be able to defeat me without much difficulty, but I doubt you will fare so well against a demigod. The choice is yours, mortals."
The kyton appears to be speaking truthfully.
Shenuska, who is more than capable of quashing most attempts to teleport, raises one perfect eyebrow at the kyton's confidence but nods. "It seems we have an accord then."
She steps between her friends, and a brief touch to Calendula's arm establishes a link between the two.
'You can strike her down once we defeat the troll.' She offers. 'Besides, she seems to fight in melee. Perhaps the troll will do the job for us?'