As Reported by The Avalon Press

The March Heroes gathering brought the Host to an interesting location: the Lands of Ice and Snow. In February, an envoy of Countess Elmyra, Queen Regent of the Isilvare (Ice Elves preferred term for themselves) arrived in what can only be best described as a whale asked for the Heroes aid. This envoy explained that Aurelina, the Demon Knight of Tivvanarius, was attempting to take over Eryndralis, the capital of the Isilvare. Should Aurelina succeed, then the Lands of Ice and Snow would be overrun by Tivvanarius’ forces. In addition, the Host learned that another piece of the Crown of Hell had fallen into the Lands of Ice and Snow.

On Friday of the gathering, the Heroes travelled by whale into the Lands of Ice and Snow. From there, they had to pass through customs. While several exceptions had been made for the Host, the Common Laws of the Isilvare were expected to be followed. Surrounding the capital city of Eryndralis, was a massive Endless Storm that protected the Isilvare and prevented many creatures from attacking, save those with some immunity or protection from ice. However, Countess Elmyra was able to control the storm, allowing for safe passage.

On Saturday morning, many gathered outside an Inn where everyone congregated to watch what appeared to be an honor duel between Sir Ilium and the Isilvare Lord Tempastis for Baroness Cora’s hand. According to reports, Baroness Cora was betrothed to Lord Tempastis and Sir Ilium. The fight was intense, but in the end Sir Ilium won. However, Shaun Vicks appeared. He taunted the Host and pontificated, invoking a Haven About Me to ensure he would not be interrupted. Calling on the Powers of Hell, Shaun then caused the Endless Storm to drop for a month and a day. As soon as the storm fell, Ice Demons, Frostmares, Frost Giants, Hags, and other creatures rushed into Eryndralis. After the Heroes defeated the initial assault, they quickly split up to deal with other attacking forces. It was a hard fought battle, but thankfully this initial assault was repelled. However, with the protection of the storm gone, other forces attacked Eryndralis throughout the gathering, including Ice Spiders, Northern Barbarians, Outlanders, and Chaos creatures.

During Saturday afternoon, much of the time was spent delving into the ruins around Eryndralis and in the Lands of Ice and Snow. There was also a report of the Fae Grimm causing trouble and inflicting folks with shards of a cursed mirror. Later in the afternoon, King Agoneral, Lord of Winter, arrived to launch the Winter Knight competition. Several hopefuls had gathered trophies of various monsters around the lands as entry fees. The competition took the form of a grand melee where “there were no rules except those you make for yourself.” As the fighting commenced, King Agoneral and his two judges watched the fight. After several rounds of fighting, King Agoneral declared Barbaro as the new Winter Knight and granted him his frosty shield.

During the evening, several items of note occurred. Baroness Cora and Sir Ilium were wed in a private ceremony. Huzzah to the couple and may they have a long and happy marriage! In addition, a common human arrived in the Inn, only able to say “As I have lived through the City of Truth, so I have seen the Void.” The City of Truth was once a Kurig city that was corrupted by the Lord of the Deep upon removing himself from the Hierarch Council and can best be described as the capital of the Void for lack of a better description. However, with some workarounds, the human was clearly asking for help and in distress. A group was sent to assist and deal with the Void’s influence.

By Sunday, the Host was ready to fight Aurelina’s main forces. Traveling by dog sled, the Host met Aurelina’s army of Ice Demons, Fire Demons, and Demonologists. As the fighting began, there was the presence of a Hierarch crossing over Tivvanarius. But, aiding the Heroes, a being of Light appeared: according to reports, it was a Monolith. The fighting was tough, but the Host cut a path through the hoards of demons. Aurelina and her personal guard soon took the field, but were overwhelmed, having to escape via a Ritual of Leaving. The Heroes rushed in, stopping the rite from taking place and performing a rite of their own. Thanks to their efforts, over the Lands of Ice and Snow surrounding Eryndralis, all Servants of Darkness were cut off from their powers. But Tivvanarius was still on the field and confirmed to be back in Eryndralis. The Heroes began to rush back, but halfway back Tivvanarius left the plane. It is still unclear at this time as to what exactly happened.

Regardless, the Heroes were successful in aiding the Isilvare and, to the best of our knowledge, recovering the piece of the Crown. 

The Host will be returning to Avalon for the April gathering. On a final note, the spell Icy Imprisonment is no longer castable.