White Summer

 White Summer

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Jordero Summer Festival. As the summer solstice arrives in Jordero. Merrill, Jerrin, Asa, and Bruenor head for the capital city of Jar-an. The group decided to attend the famous

Summer Festival of the Summer Harvest Goddess Chauntea. The celebration helps with the successful spring and upcoming harvest for the people of Jordero. Traveling the streets of

Jar-an street performers and vendors call out to passing celebrants. Excusing himself to attend his summer quarter review as a provost marshal. Jerrin and Bruenor take Asa through the festivities of the summer festival. However oddly the clear day starts to drop snowflakes on the festival. People stare up at falling snowflakes and turn in the direction of

the weather cleric of Silvanus on what is happening here.

The middle-aged South Jordero man scratches his graying beard and hat and has no idea what it could be. Soon a street performer charges into the streets claiming that the Frost Queen is coming and she is angered by the weather dynamics arcane study arising nowadays. The cleric attempts to dissuade the people. “Fellow citizens, do not fear from the Frost-queen. I will pay any adventurers 250 gold pieces to find out what is behind this. Do I have a strong group of adventurers”

Several people raise their hands and so does Bruenor for his friends. “Each group will be given a designated location and we hope to see you back in a few days. Dwarf, you will head northeast.”

Moments later. Bruenor and his friends start to head out in the location assigned to them. Merrill quickly joins them after news of the snowfall got to Provost Marshal headquarters.

Picking up the odd winter gear needed, the heroes head out to the northeast. Traveling for several hours the party spots a group of druids surrounding a pasture field being led by a malformed woman wearing the colored robes of the Frost-queen. “Worshipers of the Frost- queen the new common man has disturbed the skies above and must pay for their crimes against nature.”

Standing a distance from the heroes the blue-skinned snow hag directs her followers to place a series of blue and white stones in a hexagon. “My followers, the perpetrators shall feel the wrath of the frost-queen this summer solstice. Let us begin the weather ceremony.”

Jerrin looks over to his longtime friend Merrill Brillcrek. “Any suggestions on how to handle this Merrill?” Merrill watches as the followers begin to walk forward mumbling a few words as the blue-white stones begin to glow on and off. Counting the number of followers of the Snow Hag.

“if my knowledge is correct agree or disagree with me, Asa those stones serve as a control weather type of device and with the right words can change the weather patterns. Is that right Asa?”

Asa mumbles a few words trying to decipher her husband's knowledge concerning the stones.

“It is correct, my love, and for it to work it's entirely the weather needs to stay clear. This snow hag appears to be a druid and the stones seem to enhance the spells and its potency.”

Bruenor speaks “ So we have two choices one darken the skies which are limited or destroy stones. I go with destroying stones.”

Jerrin looks over to his sister-in-law. “ Asa, can you create some kind of anti-magic spell that could contain the situation?”

“I could but it would take a lot out of me unless Bruenor how much do you think one of those rocks is?”

“ Magic stones are based on their condition from what I see it could maybe between 350 GP to 500gp but I am not a magic stone gem-cutter. Why?”

“ I see what Asa is saying Bruenor if we can get a hold of at least three stones maybe we can get her scroll with an anti-magic spell. I like it.” Comments Merrill.

“If that works Merrill how do you suggest we get close enough to steal them,” comments Jerrin.

Bruenor massages his graying red-brown beard. “That's the easy part, Elf.” Bruenor reaches into his belt and pulls up three bottles in his gloved hands. “ I only got three potions of stealth but I am sure Merrill wants to hold back.”

“ Fair enough, Dwarf. I will be your cover why you snag some stones.” Merrill raises his mace and adjusts his religious medallion. ' If things go sour, Asa you know what to do.”

“ Trust me, lover, everything will be good. Let's hit it, boys.” The trio sips their stealth potion and slips behind the druids who are having trouble releasing their rocks into the hexagon.

The Snow hag continues her religious zealot chant. “Frost-queen, I Serenade your humble servant demands we bring back the frosty weathers that plague our lands years ago. Step forth

through your skies and accept this token of worship.”

Moments later The heroes come up behind the struggling druids, Bruenor grabs one of three standing behind the Snow Hag. The druid struggles but is quickly subdued by Bruenor who drags him away from the Hexagon altar. Mumbling a few words Asa displays the druids who are taken from behind by Jerrin and Bruenor.

Holding his position Merrill quickly prepares to strike any druids who seem suspicious of their friends. Moving quickly Jerrin and Bruenor take the remaining stones and walk through a portal set up by Asa in the deeper woods as the snow starts to blow harder and drops quickly. The breath of the heroes is quickly appeared like frosty steam.

Jerrin and Bruenor quickly return carrying a scroll they hand off to Asa who is making her illusions move like puppets. Reviewing the scroll the puppet illusion begins to disappear.

The mix of druids points out to their high druid. Who turns and sees the heroes.

Zipping off a quarry of arrows at some of the druids. Bruenor charges the others with his war-hammer ax. Merrill pushes his way from the shrubbery charging the Snow hag with his mace of smiting. “ You will pay for interfering with my plans heroes.”

Serenade raises her fist and releases a sleet storm on the heroes who struggle in the advancing sleet storm. Asa releases the spell on the scroll into the air as the sleet storm starts to surround everyone within the hexagon altar.

Asa yells over to Merrill. “Merrill use some of your fire divine spells. The hag is vulnerable to fire. Do it now why I have the weather storm contained in the hexagon. Do it lover or no dessert from me tonight.”

Merrill acknowledges his wife and releases a series of divine fire spells on the Snow Hag.

Starting off with small flames he then strikes the ground with his mace and a bright orange fiery flame strikes the Snow hag.

NOOO! Screams the Snow hag in burning 3rd-degree burns from fire strike. The fire burns thirty percent of her body release a storm of steam and mist from her. She vanishes into a portal that is quickly opened with Asa and her free hand. Sending the Snow Hag into a magical ice prison built the Kapaka people and the mage Lander.

The remaining druids flee casting into their wild animal forms and fleeing back in the surrounding deep woods. Finishing their opponents Jerrin and Bruenor gather up the remaining blue-white stones and placing them in a box taken out by Bruenor in his backpack of holding.

Asa joins her friends but is drained from her spell-casting. She collapses into Merrill's hands as he gives her a potion of vitality to bring her strength back. Asa looks up at her husband and kisses him as the skies return to early summer solstice.

Epilogue

“Asa, since you have not been to Jan-ran where did you send Jerrin and Bruenor to get that scroll that drained you.” Merrill helps her to a log on the perimeter of the hexagon altar.

“ I sent them to Master Lander and his library, it was there I was sure the boys could find something to help out with that Snow Hag. He also has been training me in some arcane combat arts and more facts about my new home here in Jordero.”

But how did you know lander would have been helpful?”

Jerrin speaks up to Merrill for Asa. “ I can offer that answer, my brother, in arms, Master Lander is a Calimshan, Elementalist and he Bruenor and I play Calimshan poker and keno with him twice a moon. So this time for his win we gave him...”

“ A Snow Hag for him to study in his ice library prison.” Smirks the Kapaka dwarf who places a reed-weed in his mouth.

“So that is where you guys go twice a month on a Saturday night,” Asa comments as all three laughs together in the hexagon worship area.

“So who wants to get that new desert field mead Ale being served at the Jan-ran Festival. Since my throat is parched?” Inquires Bruenor to the others.

“I'm in Bruenor but I need to let the judiciary know about the druids who were in league with that Snow hag. I'll meet you guys after I check-in and get my wife to the Sune temple to heal her up.”

Asa smiles at the others “ First rounds are on me after the Sune clerics help me out.”

The heroes head back to Jan-ran after their tiring battle and await again future missions to help protect the good people of Jordero.

The End.