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Alabaster and the Ring of Winter

Prologue

by Sanada

***

Snow. As far as the eye could see. An entire plain of the white powder stretched for countless miles in all directions, a veritable wasteland of tundra. Few traveled this far north, beyond the reach of the civilized world, and even fewer returned. Only the hardiest of travelers survived the brutal and bitter cold that was the ice field of Varsune. Jagged, glacial peaks enclosed the frigid plains, tucked away at the northern most part of western Aurilous. Only a single treacherous, winding pathway offered passage to the outside world.

Some of the hardiest and most ferocious creatures of the world called it home, ranging from destructive glacial worms that created the vast, subterranean caverns beneath the tundra, to the wandering and nomadic yetis, clans of wicked ice trolls, and even a few scattered bands of wolven barbarians.

Yet, that was the place Lucius and his band of hired mercenaries now stalked. A dozen men had left Havenswrought two ten days before hand, fully stocked and as best prepared as they could be to survive the harsh, arctic wastes. Now only nine remained. Three of the band had already fallen to the bitter wind and unrelenting snow, even with Lucius' magic keeping them warm.

"This really is an unforgiving place," Torgus Fargo muttered, his breath coming out in puffs. The polar bear shivered despite the thick layers of fat and fur that covered his body. "We've already lost good men to this weather, wizard. I hope you find this damned cave soon."

The storm that had set in had not stopped in the slightest since the company had entered the plains. The snow seemed to never let up, except for when the sun reached its zenith, though they could never see the great fiery orb beyond the perpetual grey of the clouds. The wind chilled to the bone and stung their faces with every gust. It was as if the Faelinoth himself, God of nature, in all its forms, had set the storm to stop them.

Lucius turned to regard the bruin with cold, calculating sapphire eyes. The fennec scowled, using a paw to brush the heavy layer of snow that had settled on top of his cowl, though he knew it would be quickly replaced a few moments later. The vulpine's large ears twitched, and he rested a hand easily upon the wand looped into his belt.

"I hear your concerns, Captain, but rest assured, you will be rewarded handsomely for your losses," Lucius said with a sly wink, slowing his walk down to move beside the large warrior. "Remember our agreement," the spell caster added. "You take the share of the men who have fallen for yourself."

The words seemed to placate the bear into silence, Torgus only offering a single grunt and a nod before continuing his march. Lucius grinned under his hood, dusted more snow off of his fine garments and strode onward.

It didn't matter, because the wizard knew that they were drawing near. Already the howling wind began to subside. The ancient tome explicitly stated the neigh incessant gusts would only quiet themselves near the cavern. Even so, Lucius remained skeptical. They had traveled to the heart of the ice fields without a single defining landmark. A cave might be anywhere, perhaps buried under their feet beneath the ever falling tide of snow.

Perhaps the tome was wrong, he mused.

A scream from behind wrenched his attention away from his inner doubts. Panicked voices echoed behind him, prompting the mage to turn back. Torgus had heard them too, for the white furred bear was hastily trotting back to investigate.

"What happened?" he demanded, casting his gaze around to the others before his eyes fell upon a gaping hole in the tundra itself. "Where is Grosoth?"

A diminutive lynx, shaggy furred and wearing heavy winter clothing twisted his muzzle in the direction of the pit. The feline's muzzle turned up in a savage grin.

"Swallowed into that hole, he was. Must have been covered by the snow," the lynx explained as Lucius strode over to take a look for himself. The fennec took note of the tone in which the mercenary spoke of his fallen companion. Lucius wondered again how this group had managed to stay together for so long, considering its members hardly seemed to care for the fate of each other.

"Well, fish him out then!" Torgus barked, motioning to another one of the men who was already busy pulling out a long length of rope from his traveling pack. Lucius stopped that with but a wave of his cream furred hand.

"I wouldn't bother, Captain," the fennec said as he peered into the cavern. The pit was black as night, but a quick gesture of his fingers and an arcane chant sent a ball of glowing luminescence down into the cave. The tunnel went on for a long ways, the globe of light illuminating the perfectly smooth walls of ice that comprised it, before ending in an abrupt stop of sharp rocks glistening with frost. Grosoth's broken body rested up those rocks, several jagged tips protruding from the rat's thick clothing, coated in blood, the rodent's face locked in a scream. "I've already located your missing person."

Torgus looked down the frozen chute, muttering under his breath.

"What a waste," he said, though like the lynx before him, Lucius knew that deep down, the bear didn't care. More gold to line his own pockets with.

Fools, the fennec thought to himself before mentally projecting the ball of light around the opening, looking it over. A pathway descended down further, sloping gently and going further than the light could show him. Like the rest of the pit, the walls were sculpted of frozen stone of pristine craftsmanship, beyond even the hand of man. Magic had crafted this place.

"Could this be it?" Lucius mused aloud, tapping the side of his muzzle with his finger. It certainly seemed plausible. He had to see for himself. "Captain, we need to descend. I want to take a look at this cavern. This may be what we have come for," the mage said with an eager flick of his tail. The armoured bear looked doubtfully at the opening. It was going to be tight to squeeze the lot of them down there. They would have to go one at a time, one behind the other. Orders were orders however, and the bruin had his men tie off the rope to a stake before dropping it down the chute.

Lucius was the first to descend, marvelling at the magically sculpted passageway, running a paw along the perfectly smooth walls of ice as he lowered himself down. The orb of light allowed him to see everything in exquisite detail, the walls glimmering in the luminance. The fennec stepped over the body of the fallen mercenary and moved beside the mouth of the passage, waiting for the others while peering down into the darkness. He kept the light orb beside him. It wouldn't do to have the others dropping off the rope too soon, only to slam into the ground unceremoniously.

The passage went on for several paces at an easy incline before doubling back on itself, dropping steadily lower into the tundra. Lucius had to keep his excitement in check. If his hunch was right, this might be the place they had been seeking.

"Dead men have no need for weapons," Torgus muttered as he dropped onto the floor. The polar bear stopped low to remove the finer pieces of gear and supplies that Grosoth had on his person before taking the point position at the front of the passage. As he reached for a torch, Lucius put a hand on his arm.

"Don't bother with firelight. We wouldn't want these ice walls to melt and cave in on us. My magic can light our path," Lucius instructed, drawing a grunt from the surly bear. Torgus didn't like taking orders, but the mage paid exceedingly well.

One by one, the men dropped onto the floor and began the descent down the path. Torgus left one behind, the lynx who had informed him about Grosoth's fall, to keep watch. Not that the captain expected any trouble. Lucius brought up the rear of the line, though he kept the orb pacing Torgus at the point.

The chute was only somewhat steeper going down when the path turned back on itself, and grew more so as they went forward. Eventually, Torgus called for a halt and for the men to let Lucius by. The mage squeezed by the bodies of the other mercenaries before standing upon the lip of another drop into sheer darkness.

"Any idea what's down there?" Torgus asked, his breath coming out in frigid puffs. As they had traveled, the air had become increasingly colder. Despite being shielded by the abysmal temperatures of the surface, the ice cave did little to retain any semblance of heat. Aside from the mage and the company leader, the men were shivering, rubbing their hands together or holding themselves tightly.

"I have an idea, yes," Lucius replied, sending the globe of light into the bottomless pit.

A landing formed of the same frost-covered ice and stone lay several feet below them, thick walls of the stuff encompassing the area behind the globe, while the cavern opened up beyond the front. A natural waterway perhaps, Lucius mused before signalling Torgus to drop another length of rope.

The bruin complied, pulling out another length of rope. Though it wasn't quite long enough to reach the bottom, the length of stout cord could be reached by an easy jump. A fairly large boulder, covered in thick sleet sat near the opening of the cave, a piece of rock that had been trapped here, likely from the time that the cave was first created. Torgus broke off some of the ice with a small hammer before striking a stake into the stone. After a few moments and many hard strikes of the hammer, the metal restraint was secured and the bruin tied the rope off.

"To be safe, I want you two to stay here. I don't trust this rock, so I want you to brace the rope," Torgus instructed two of his men. The pair of warriors, none to eager to enter the cavern, agreed readily.

Lucius rolled his eyes, sensing their fear. Courage is in short supply, it seems, the mage thought to himself.

Lucius let his eyes drift around the cave, mentally sending the ball of light forward and willing it to increase the intensity of its glow. Rays of light bounced off the massive walls of frost. It reached into the far back of the cave to illuminate a waterfall, the flow of water long frozen in ages past. A bridge of natural frozen rock stretched from one end of the landing to the far side, spanning across a lake of ice, pocketed with holes. The churn of chilly water greeted their ears. Lucius smiled to himself, his suspicion correct.

Glittering stalagmites and tremendous icicles that could pierce even the toughest dragon scale hung precariously from the ceiling. Lucius took in the sights before his eyes finally drifted to the open space across the bridge. A single, smooth stalagmite, its tip shorn off to resemble an altar of sorts, sat at the far back near the wall. The wizard's heart skipped a beat and he tried his best to quell his excitement. Though he couldn't quite see what lay atop the stone, the glimmer that reflected was a good sign.

"Gentlemen," Lucius said, turning to regard them all with a wry grin. "I think we may have found our artifact. Come quickly, but be careful. It wouldn't do to have you slipping off the bridge. I don't think I need to explain what sort of fate might befall any of us, should we slip into those waters."

The mercenaries nodded, and one by one, they set off across the span, staying as close to the center as possible and taking extreme care to make sure their footing was secure. Lucius hardly worried about himself. The mage waved his hands through several arcane passes while muttering the words of a spell before pulling a wad of bitumen from one of the pockets of his robe.

Several tiny hairs had been stuck into the chewy substance; spider's hairs. The fennec swallowed the fuzzy stuff and the spell took affect. The paw pads of his hands and feet sprouted dozens of tiny, sticky hairs that latched onto the freezing ground with great stability. Finished with his spell, Lucius casually walked off after the others.

The light globe hung suspended in the center of the cavern, and Lucius eyed the walls as he walked over the bridge. Something drew his eyes to the sheets of ice behind the altar, to the strange formations beyond the veil of glinting frost. Several areas bulged out obscenely, in what the fox could only assume was a face peering out from beyond the prison of ice.

Curious, the wizard thought to himself, growing wary. The others had reached the far side by now, standing around the broken stalagmite in a half circle, one spot open in the center for the mage. Shrugging away his encroaching worry, Lucius walked up the stone, and his heart skipped a beat.

There it was, the illusive Ring of Winter. It appeared simple enough, a band of glittering ice that sparkled in the brightness of the light orb, reflecting the luminance in a myriad of colours upon the frost-covered rock. An artifact that contained unprecedented power over the weather itself. Snow; frost, hail, blizzards, the very essence of cold itself. The ring had the potential to send the world into another Ice Age, if the wielder felt so inclined.

Perhaps it was a good thing that the mage had never informed Torgus what the object of their hunt was specifically, though he didn't doubt that the company leader would have no idea what the ring even was.

"This what you were after, wizard? The ring?" Torgus asked, looking somewhat disappointed. Lucius nodded, already working through the motions of a spell to detect traps and wards. The fennec's hands danced and weaved, and ended when he extended his index finger to the band. Nothing happened. Lucius' brow furrowed.

"I do not sense any wards upon it," the wizard decided. Even as he said that, his eyes felt drawn to the bizarre visage peering at them from beyond the wall. Lucius wasn't sure if there were wards or not, but he kept the information private. They would soon find out.

"Why not just try picking it up then?" one of the mercenaries said, reaching a paw for the ring. Lucius smacked the appendage away.

"I will take it," the fennec snarled at the wolf, who flashed his fangs in anger. Torgus silenced the lupine's growls with a glare.

Warily, Lucius reached for the ring. It was cold, freezing to the touch, but the moment his fingers clasped around the hollow circle, a deep, low rumble resonated throughout the cave, shaking it to the very core.

"Wizard?! What is going on?" Torgus shouted above the sound of cracking ice and falling rock. The bear whirled on the mage, but Lucius merely shrugged.

"That would be the ward I failed to detect. I would suggest running now," the fennec stated matter-of-factly, spinning on his heels and dashing across the narrow bridge with remarkable ease. Torgus blinked, the realization of what was going on taking a moment to settle in before he barked an order of retreat, all the while the shaking and rumbling intensifying.

A thunderous crack sounded from behind Lucius, and the fox turned back long enough to see the strange wall breaking apart, a massive hand of glittering ice shooting forward and grabbing one of the mercenaries, the wolf whom had reached for the ring. The lupine yelped as the ice golem shattered the rest of the bindings that held it.

The wolf's cries for help silenced abruptly when the golem tossed him through the far wall with bone crushing force before moving to pursue. Lucius heard Torgus curse under his breath, followed by another loud shout as the golem caught another of the men, squeezing the life from him. The armoured ferret gave a soft squeal of pain before exploding in a torrent of gore. Lucius skidded to a stop near the rope, turning to watch the carnage, while rummaging through his pockets for something that could stop the thing.

"Quick, up the rope!" Torgus shouted as the others hurried across the bridge. The polar bear held his axe in hand, crouching low into a defensive stance. The golem was half way across the bridge, the ground trembling with every step it took.

Icicles rained down from the ceiling as the rumblings broke them loose, only to crash into the water below, showering the cavern with flecks of frost. One massive shard fell on top of one of the fleeing men, the icicle piercing right through the unfortunate fox's body. Lucius watched as the lifeless corpse tumbled off the edge of the bridge and fell under the water.

Lucius pulled out a tuft of fox fur laced with powdered fire opal and began muttering under his breath, eyes never leaving the golem. The orange fur sparkled in his palm as he cast the spell, before igniting into a ball of intense flame. Lucius grinned to himself, before hurling the fireball at the construct. The ball exploded in a shower of sparks, steam and shards of ice, causing the fennec to raise an arm over his eyes to protect himself. His ears drooped when the smoke cleared however, the golem still moving unerringly towards them. Though it had melted some, with a clean hole punched through its torso, the protective enchantments laid upon the thing had proven to be quite formidable. The fennec's eyes narrowed.

"We have to get out of here!" Torgus shouted, dropping his axe and leaping up and taking hold of the rope.

Lucius scowled at the bruin's cowardice. The broad-shouldered warrior cared more about himself than any of those beneath him, his employer amongst them.

The golem had reached the other side.

Lucius fell back against the wall, searching his mind for a spell, any spell that might halt the thing in place. If only long enough for him to escape. The fennec looked at the polar bear struggling to pull himself up, and a fanged grin flashed across his slim muzzle. Holding a piece of bone between his paws, Lucius chanted the words of another spell. He crumbled the ivory fragment between his fingers and then jumped up, catching Torgus by the foot. The bear jerked in his grasp, his body going ridged and locked in place. He couldn't even offer any words as to the fox's betrayal.

Lucius chuckled as the ghoul's touch spell went to affect before jumping onto the wall. The spider climb spell he had cast to cross the bridge earlier was still well under effect, and the sticky hairs on the pads of his hands and feet allowed him to scale the vertical sheet of ice easily enough to reach the hole. The fennec grinned as Torgus' eyes followed him, but otherwise couldn't move.

The golem meanwhile, had engaged with the rest of the mercenary band. Despite the fireball having melted some of its girth, the massive construct still battered aside the group with ease, sending bodies flying with each swipe of its powerful hands. The sound of metal on ice echoed throughout the cavern, swords and axes chipping away at the thick legs of the golem with little effect.

The wizard pulled himself out of the cavern, turning to regard the two roguish males Torgus had left behind to keep watch. For the moment, they were safe. There was no way the golem could reach them.

"Where is everyone? What's going on down there?!" one of the men asked, a stout mole in dented and battle-worn plate armour. The molekin fingered the edge of his axe nervously. Lucius stepped away from the cavern entrance, the words of a spell on his lips, should the duo decide to attack him.

"See for yourself," the fennec said. The mole peered over the lip, staring down at the scene below. The golem had slaughtered everyone, broken bodies littering the floor. Even now, the icy construct was reaching a massive hand towards the paralyzed bruin stuck on the rope.

The sound of cracking bone and muffled screams carried up through the opening. The molekin glanced over at the boulder securing the rope, seeing the line jerking furiously from side to side.

"I've got to cut the rope!" the warrior shouted, already lining his axe up for a chop. Lucius nodded.

"Do it. They are lost to us now," the wizard replied, eyes narrowed. The molekin nodded and swung, severing the rope from the rock and the three watched as it tumbled into the pit.

The mole paled visibly, as if realizing that he had just doomed his company leader, but the fennec paid them little heed. The wizard turned away from the pit, looking back over his shoulder at the remaining men.

"It would seem the three of you that remain now have to decide who is in charge," the fennec stated, grinning before recalling his sphere of light from the cave. "We should depart from this place as quickly as possible."

"Y-yes, sir," the mole stammered as him and his companion dashed up the passageway towards the surface.

Lucius let his hand slip into the pocket of his traveling robes as followed after them, fingering the ring and feeling its sleek, perfectly smooth but frigid sides. Though he had lost most of the mercenary company, the price of a few miserable lives was more than enough.

The ring of winter was now his. The first stage of his grand scheme was now complete. The wizard only had to get back to civilization and out of the ice fields to put things into motion.

He would keep the three that remained alive with him until they reached the outskirts of Havenswrought. From there, it would only take a simple bolt of lightning, or fireball to be rid of the cowards. Most of the men had been lost. The Gods could stand to lose a few more in their cosmic game of chess. No sense in wasting money on those whose lives were not worth the effort.

The fennec's ensuing laughter echoed up the passageways, shaking the three remaining men to the core.

***

Thanks goes out to Eldyran for taking the time to look over this with me. You crazy 'yote, you. ;)