Buffy - Book 4, Drodda the Icewitch Options

[Kane]

Well, that certainly does make it seem like Dreanna has become irredeemable. I wonder if the love interest yet lives, or is another victim of the ice!

[Lopov]

Poor Vladgeir. He fell for Dreanna's charms and not even the wisest witchmen of his clan could bring him back on the right path. At the beginning of his journal she still addresses her as Dreanna, later on she'll be referred to as "my Mistress".

It's time to bring down the ice siren!

[ghastley]

Since the 'immense source of power' has its connections to Buffy,, I am starting to wonder how that will factor in. Can't wait to find out!

[Acadian]

Previously- The journal of a defeated Direfrost Clan mage revealed how Drodda had presented herself as Dreanna - a refuge being pursued by a coven of witches - and worked her way into the sympathies of the Direfrost Clan. Using her growing ability to manipulate others, she worked her charms on the journal’s author to learn his skill with necromancy which she was able to combine with her powerful ice magic. It is clear that Drodda managed to first manipulate, then enslave or kill the entire Clan to help her access the source of power she detected beneath the keep.

Renee- It seems the Dreanna we learned about from the Windhelm guild has come a long way – and none of it good. Buffy and Mirri will continue to hope that Drodda is too overconfident and distracted by her task of siphoning magic from the corpse of Acadian’s dragon to realize that her keep is being infiltrated.

Rider- Fascinating consideration that perhaps Drodda actually is part of a coven of witches who deliberately took down the family’s farm instead of the tragic accident that precipitated Dreanna's downward spiral. Though that is not the case here, it certainly could have provided some wild twists and turns!

SubRosa- It seems Vladgeir’s journal shed quite a bit of light on what Drodda’s been up to. Her interest in Direfrost Keep is finally revealed, for Buffy knows exactly what that cold source of power is.

Grits- ‘Creeping sense of dread’ is exactly what I was hoping to achieve in showing how skillfully Drodda manipulated an entire clan of witch hunters. Thanks for noting those potions as a means of showing the passage of time.

Kane- I think you are right about Drodda – as was Hreinhilde when she said, “Even if you find her, she won’t cooperate, you know,” Hreinhilde said to both of us. “In fact if you anger her, she’ll try to kill you. The Dreanna I once knew is gone.”

Lopov- Thank you. My hope for the journal included showing the gradual descent of Vladgeir into the web of Drodda’s wiles.

ghastley- Very astute about that the ‘immense source of power’ and its connection to Buffy. When the combined spirit of Phantom and Superian that Buffy carries within gets close enough to its frozen corpse, might the dragon be able to exert some beneficial influence?

* * *

Episode 39

Up the wide stone steps we crept. As we got to the top, we found ourselves at the junction of a large ‘L’ shaped area. Mirri pointed to a door ahead and slightly to our right. As we crept toward it, we could now see down both wings of the chamber.

To the left, at some distance, we could see another door and numerous patrolling Direfrost undead ice soldiers.

To our right, sections of the roof had caved in and much of the floor was covered with resultant debris and drifts of snow that were eerily illuminated by shafts of sunshine. That wing appeared to be a dead end with no doors.

Mirri quietly asked, “What could have caused this much fetching damage?”

I shrugged. “Perhaps even the keep itself objects to the nature of Drodda’s activities and magicks.”

We decided to focus on the door ahead of us for the moment. As we crept up to it, Mirri turned to watch our backs. I examined the door to find it slightly ajar. I pushed against it to no avail. Mirri added her strength to my effort, but we were only able to coax it open enough to see stone debris blocking the other side. Willow slipped through the narrow opening to investigate but returned after a few moments shaking her head.

Mirri pointed to our left. The other – and guarded – door. She frowned and whispered, “Those ice soldiers are well-dispersed and I count fully a dozen of them. I can see a pair of mages and at least one archer among them. I could taunt one and thereby draw all the melee defenders to me, but the ranged ones will keep their distance. And all of them except the one I taunt will be just as likely to attack you as me.”

I scratched my head for a moment. “How about if we open the fight from the top of the steps and retreat back down? That should channel all of them onto the stairway. If we back up all the way to the bottom, even the ranged ones will have to come at least part way down the steps.”

Mirri rubbed her chin. “That might work. You’ll have to stay close to me so I can protect you.”

“When the ranged attackers get close enough to engage us,” I said, “that means I’ll be able to attack them as well. But you may end up with quite a few melee fighters in your face depending on how quickly I can kill some of them before I have to shift fire to the ranged ones.” I then added, “I can certainly keep the healing and shielding of my spells in effect while we make our stand.”

We crept back to the top of the stairs. I smiled. The archer was within range and would be my first target. Damage from mages was unpredictable, but archers could generally attack faster so they were my priority. I spiked my staff to cast Regeneration – it’s healing would activate Spell Power Cure and thereby boost my damage. I then launched a Blazing Spear at the ground close to the archer and, even before it landed, cast Radiant Glory. The Blazing Spear exploded almost the same time my beam of Holy Light hit the archer. She instantly fell dead.

I cast another Blazing Spear where I estimated our foes would very soon be. Mirri grabbed me by the back of my robe and ordered, “Down the stairs!”

As we rapidly backed up, I was pleased to see that my Blazing Spear damaged and briefly stopped the advance of several foes. I cast another, trying again to estimate where our foes would be as it impacted. I repeated this all the way down the stairs, grateful that Mirri still held the back of my robe to control how fast we retreated and make sure I didn’t trip on the stone steps while moving backwards and casting. Our efforts resulted in death or damage to several enemies as they charged after us.

Once the stairs ended, we continued retreating for another couple of horse lengths before Mirri commanded, “Make our stand here.”

I claimed the ground around us with my Cleansing Ritual and continued casting Blazing Spear closer and closer to our position. Among the chaos of my bursting Spears and number of enemies – some of them now engaged with Mirri - it was the appearance of a globe of frost slowly headed our way that alerted me the mages had closed to engagement range. I quickly cast Healing Ward on Mirri as I stepped behind her and launched a Blazing Spear at the ground between the two mages.

The frost spell impacted the ward I had placed on Mirri and fanned out harmlessly. My two target mages, however, were not warded and a second Blazing Spear killed them both.

I wasted no time dropping another Blazing Spear on the ground at our feet, damaging the remaining three ice soldiers. Though two were engaged with Mirri, the third turned toward me and raised his battle axe. I lifted Carsomyr to block, but Mirri turned toward me and interrupted his attack with a shield bash. I cast Healing Ward on her again as the other two fighters raised their weapons to exploit Mirri’s exposed back. Their blows fell harmlessly against the brief ward. I then cast Blazing Spear on the ground at Mirri’s feet again as I backed away. It kept all three weakened foes close to Mirri, allowing me to safely recast the spell.

As the last one fell something struck my left shoulder with a searing pain, violently spinning me around and slamming me into a nearby pillar. My legs collapsed and I ended up on my rump with my back against the pillar, still facing the battle. There was an arrow protruding from my shoulder, my hand had come open - dispelling Carsomyr - and the contingency casting of my Cleansing Ritual spell had been activated.

Mirri had located the hidden archer and, after sprinting behind her shield part way up the steps, used her gap closer spell to smash into our foe. The archer was no match for my partner’s skill in close combat.

Mirri raced back and fell to her knees beside me. “Buffy! How do I heal my healer? Tell me what to do!”

“M-my Cleansing Ritual is helping, and keeping me conscious,” I managed to say, “but. . . spell won’t last long. . . .”

The next thing I remember was the somewhat fruity and unmistakable taste of healing potion as bare fingers rubbed the stuff inside my mouth. When I opened my eyes, Mirri said, “As soon as you passed out, Willow dove into your mage pouch and came out with this red potion. I didn’t want you to choke but I tried to get some into you. Now that you’re awake, try to drink some.”

Mirri brought the vial to my lips. As I sipped, I noticed she had removed her gauntlets and somehow managed to find some pieces of broken furniture and start a small fire nearby while I was unconscious.

Shortly, I felt able to control and channel my magicka. “Kynareth, I need your help.” I placed both hands on my shoulder around the protruding arrow shaft and was able to call enough magic to dissipate the arrow then mend most of the internal damage. “I need to rest a few minutes,” I said weakly.

Mirri helped me lie back, cradling my head in her lap. “It’s safe here for now, partner.”

I closed my eyes. I felt Willow gently land on my uninjured shoulder and rub her little hands on my cheek. Before long, I was able to lay hands upon myself again and finish healing the wound. I slowly got to my feet. Mirri handed me her waterskin and Willow hopped from my shoulder into a hover.

The water helped. “Thank you, my friends – Kynareth, Mirri, Willow – all three of you.”

We then started back up the steps.

This post has been edited by Acadian: May 14 2025, 06:17 PM

[ghastley]

No, sneaky archers was (will be?) a Skyrim thing.

I suppose they are in that part of Tamriel, and the meme has to start somewhere. Just tell Buffy to mind her knees.

[haute ecole rider]

First, a couple of nits:

Mirri pointed to our left. The other – and guarded – door. She frowned and whispered, “Those ice soldiers are well-disbursed and I count fully a dozen of them.

I admit I had to scratch my own head Buffy style and re read it a few times because that one word hit me wrong. Then I realized, did you mean well-dispersed?

As we rapidly backed up, I was pleased to see my Blazing Spear damage and briefly stop the advance of several foes.

This one resulted in a bit more Buffy style head scratching too. Did you mean damage as a noun, MMO style? In which case the 'and' would be unnecessary. However, if you meant it as a verb, then it's fine as it stands. I must get my head out of that gaming space and read it as a verb, yes?

What a wild mage fight that was! Mirri didn't do much until they hit that open space near the foot of the stairs except keep Buffy from losing her balance. Good job, sellshield! But once they made their stand, here is where our intrepid Dunmer truly shone. Shielding Buffy from a battleaxe while fighting two others! It's clear to me where her priorities stand. And here it becomes clear once again Buffy's priorities aren't so different.

And the healing afterward was well done - good for Willow for identifying the right potion to help Buffy, and for Mirri to actually take her gauntlets off to rub some of it on our Bosmer's gums as if she was a teething child.

And a brief rest, and onward we go! Getting closer now!

[SubRosa]

It looks like Drodda is not much for housekeeping. I wonder if Buffy and Mirri are not the first to come for her, and the damage in the abandoned wing is the result of a battle?

Ah, its the attack, feint a retreat to pull the enemy out after you, followed by a counter-attack once you have them on ground of your choosing. This is one of my preferred tactics in tactical, team-based games like Pillars of Eternity. I typically send the rogue ahead to make a single sneak attack at range. Then they run back around a corner where the rest of the team awaits. The monsters all follow and Bam! Fireball in the face from my wizard.

That went well. At least until the glass cannon received a crack. Thankfully she had that contingency spell prepared. Also, thankfully she had a pouch fairy to fetch out a healing potion when she needs it.

Very handing healing spell, that also removes the need for physically removing things like arrows. That is very economical, and sensible to develop.

In the end Buffy gets by with a little help from her friends. Just like the song.




haute: I did not have trouble with the term "well-disbursed". I am used to seeing "disbursed" or "disbursement" being associated with money, specifically allocating specific amounts to people or projects. But I have also seen it used to refer to other resources as well. In the case of the undead soldiers here it implies a deliberate will behind their placement, rather than a perhaps accidental spreading of them about the castle. It also implies that they are not regarded as people, but rather objects, such as quantities of steel or grain.

[Renee]

Hmm, I don't know. Drodda is supposedly busy with the siphoning, and the Snowman sentries who could've at least informed the Ice Witch she's got company didn't bother to send any signals, magic or otherwise, which could've warned her. Warned her, but also caused any other snowmen to become aware as well. But no. The initial snowmen simply attacked the visitors because they assumed they could just shrug them off.

But I don't know.... Suspicious about Drodda's knowledge here.

Either way, whether she knows the elves are here or not, that's a disadvantage of living in such a huge fortress, while also ridding most of its residents. Drodda hasn't got the communication from lowly assistants she could've had. Place is mostly empty, lots of void areas.

"fetching!"

Well never mind, this room they're in now has a lot of combatants. Maybe they'll also make the same assumptions as the initial snowmen. "Nah, don't bother Drodda, we got this. We can defeat these puny elves!"

I like all the strategy Buffy & Mirri are discussing beforehand. See? Communication.

Mirri's grabbing the rear hem of Buffy's robe! You were in the military, Acadian; I'm guessing this is an infantry strategy. Making sure your buddy doesn't get lost or overwhelmed?

Lots of spell-casting on Buffy's part! Please don't run out --- oh no, she's been hit. Hit, then healed then back at it. Alright. These chapters are super-short!


This post has been edited by Renee: May 14 2025, 05:25 PM

[Grits]

That is an excellent use of the staircase! The image of Mirri guiding Buffy down backwards makes me grin. These two are great partners!

Once the stairs ended, we continued retreating for another couple of horse lengths before Mirri commanded, “Make our stand here.”

I claimed the ground around us with my Cleansing Ritual and continued casting Blazing Spear closer and closer to our position.

I love this. “Make our stand here” could be the Templar catchphrase. I can picture the two elves defending their field of golden light, Spears blazing under their foes. Whoop!

Yikes! Spinning someone around with an off-center arrow was one of Buffy’s past tricks, now used against her! Hats off to Mirri for finding that archer. It took all of Team Buffy to get her back on her feet. A grim reminder of how fragile she is, despite the power she just displayed.

What a fight!!

[Kane]

Thank goodness an arrow didn't find Buffy sooner or Miri would have had a tough go of it! "How do I heal my Healer?" is indeed quite the conundrum.

[Lopov]

I wonder if Drenna already knows that "her" keep has been invaded and is sending her undead ice soldiers on the front line to weaken the invaders.

Even the best healers need healers sometimes. Or at least good friends.

[Acadian]

Previously- Buffy and Mirri found a door they hoped would lead deeper into the Keep. The door, of course, was well guarded. The pair executed a retreating attack down a wide set of stone steps to channel their foes – including archers and mages – into a killing zone. Buffy was knocked out of commission by an arrow to her shoulder near the end of the fight, but Mirri managed to defeat the last foe. Using a healing potion, Mirri and Willow were able to revive their healer enough that Buffy could lay hands on herself and mend her wound.

ghastley- You’re right! Buffy would never live it down had she taken an arrow to the knee!

Rider- I did mean ‘dispersed’ and do appreciate you pointing that out so I could correct it. I believe my intent/use for ‘damage’ was correct but can see the potential for confusion, so I clarified it. That was certainly their wildest fight to date. Mirri’s role quickly changed from babysitting Buffy down the stairs to superbly managing several foes in her face while protecting her healer. A potion is the limit of what Mirri and Willow can manage when it comes to healing but, happily, Willow knew which type to grab and Mirri knew how to get some into Buffy without choking her.

SubRosa- I’ve already taken heavy liberties with the Direfrost Keep found in ESO. I did want to at least acknowledge the mysteriously significant degree of structural damage found in the dungeon though. That said, by the end of the dungeon crawl there should be some suggestion that it is probably not wise to try and steal the residual magicka from the corpse of an ancient ice dragon who was created by Kynareth. . . . Thanks for your kind words about how Buffy and her crew were able to manage healing the healer.

Renee- Thank you. Buffy has always tried to plan her attacks in advance. Happily Mirri seems to agree. Mirri was trying to make sure her healer didn’t trip over the hem of her robe while trying to backpedal down stairs and cast spells. That episode was about 1350 words which is really my ‘target’ and average. It looks like there will end up being 46 episodes for this book and they range from just under 1000 to just over 1700 words.

Grits- As we have and will continue to see, Mirri is not above physically moving her pocket healer out of danger. ‘Make our stand here’ was exactly as you envision – Blazing Spears going off within the golden radius of Buffy’s Cleansing Ritual. I’m so tickled you remember Buffy’s tactic of offsetting her arrow impact to spin her foe and help conceal her firing position!

Kane- Thanks! Buffy is very glad she grabbed a few normal healing potions back in Windhelm and that Willow was clever enough to remember.

Lopov- While we’ll find Drodda to be a formidable foe, I suspect she is somewhat lulled by the idea that no one would consider looking for a witch inside a lair of witch hunters. I also suspect she is quite preoccupied with her task down in the bowels of the keep.

* * *

Episode 40

Once back up those troublesome and now corpse-littered steps, we investigated the remaining door. It appeared operational but its heavy handle would not budge. After careful examination, I reported, “It’s a special lock and won’t open without the magical artifact that fits – like a key - in that little star-shaped recessed area.” I pointed. “That’s the size and shape of the item we’re looking for.”

“Drodda values her privacy, it seems,” remarked Mirri. “Check the area around here. I’ll see if any of the ice soldiers we just killed carry such an object.”

Our search yielded no key.

“Damn,” said Mirri. “How about we double check the corpse of that necromancer downstairs and more carefully around his altar?”

I was about to agree when I noticed Willow quite purposefully hovering in front of the area where the star-shaped object would go. She stuck her face into the recess and inhaled deeply. She then ran both tiny hands around the inside of where the item would fit. Finally, she turned away from the door and pointed to the top of the stairs.

I smiled. “I almost forgot about your tracking.”

Mirri said, “By examining the keyhole, she can track the key?”

We both looked at Willow who nodded and did an aerial pirouette.

Mirri urged, “Lead on, little one.”

We followed Willow back down the stairs, past the dead necromancer and his altar over to the other passage leading out of the chamber. There, she stopped and pointed down the unexplored corridor ahead of us. She then maneuvered behind us, making it clear she expected us to lead the way into whatever danger might lie ahead.

As we crept through the passageway it soon widened and we found ourselves at the head of a bridge. Five undead corrupted Direfrost ice soldiers guarded the far end. My Blazing Spear spell was able to immobilize the group, and two more casts killed them in place.

“I feel badly having to kill these Direfrost clansmen,” I lamented as we searched their bodies.

Mirri replied, “I suspect the fate we’re giving them is better than the perpetual undead mindless slavery that Drodda has forced upon them.”

I sighed. “I suppose you’re right.”

As we crossed the bridge, we could see that it passed over what appeared to be a bottomless glacial crevasse.

Our path then narrowed again. Eventually we came to an area where the passage widened into a small chamber. After dispatching the handful of foes within, I illuminated myself with Holy Light so we could better search this area. None of the corpses in our wake had yielded the star-shaped artifact we sought. Searching the various chests and crates in this small chamber also did not uncover our elusive key. At the end of the chamber, the passage ahead had collapsed and was unpassable. On the right side of the chamber, however, was a tunnel. Its opening was blocked by the vertical bars of a metal gate. We could see through the gate and, where the icy corridor turned sharply to the left, stood an ice troll.

“Is this gate to keep us out or him in?” asked Mirri.

I examined the gate more closely. There was no keyhole, latch or handle suggesting how to open it. Then I saw it. Along the wall, half a horse length beyond the gate was a lever as long as my arm. I pointed to it. “Obviously the gate is meant to be opened only from the other side. Perhaps we could use our rope and try to cast a loop over that lever so we could pull it from here?”

“I’ve tried roping wild guar before but with little success,” said Mirri. “Probably even worse trying to do it with my arms stuck through these bars. After a moment she added, “But. . . maybe I do have an idea.”

“I’m all ears,” I said hopefully.

She grinned and teased, “Yes, though covered by your hood at the moment, I’ve seen how they rival Superian’s in size.”

I blushed but couldn’t resist returning her grin.

Mirri extinguished her grin and continued, “If you can hit the troll with a spell, he might charge up here and open the gate to attack us. Maybe. I’m not sure how smart trolls are.”

“Worth a try,” I replied. I slid the end of Carsomyr between the gate’s bars and cast Blazing Spear out as far I could. It impacted the ground short of the troll but its burst radius did damage him. He made a show of thumping both fists against his chest then charged with a roar.

Mirri pulled me back until we were at least a horse length from the gate.

Rather than activate the lever, the beast reached between the bars of the gate and flailed his long arms at us in furious frustration.

We backed up a bit farther and I cast Blazing Spear on the ground at the troll’s feet followed by a heavy attack from Carsomyr. After two such combinations, the hapless creature fell.

Mirri shook her head. “Not very smart at all, are they?” She clearly felt no more satisfaction at the hapless beast’s death than did I. “Now what?” she added.

“Back to the rope idea, perhaps,” I offered as I summoned my storage trunk and retrieved our rope. “Can you tie a loop in the end of it?” I then turned and said to Willow, “You can easily fit through these bars. Do you think you could place the loop of our rope over that lever?”

Willow nodded, climbed through the bars and hopped into a hover on the other side. By now, Mirri had finished her task and handed the looped end of the rope through the bars to the little nixad who deftly placed it over the lever.

Mirri then routed the rope under the bottom of the gate so that pulling it from our side moved the lever down. The gate creaked and groaned until it was fully raised.

After stowing the rope and dismissing my storage trunk, we climbed over the troll and entered the narrow passageway. Once we turned the first corner, the stone walls became ice and the passage was more of a tunnel through what appeared to be an ancient glacier. The tunnel opened up some and we had to dispatch another ice troll. The ice beneath our feet sloped gently downward as we continued to what looked like a wall of ice ahead.

Rather than a dead end, we were able to turn sharply to the left. Here the floor and walls once again become stone. At the end of this short passage, we encountered another barred gate, beyond which I could see firelight.

[Renee]

Nice, so Willow's got some Thief skill as well. More than Thief. In fact she's got a Skill not mentioned in any game I've ever played. Tracking was a skill in the table game we played, but it involved the ability to discern where friends or foes had been, especially if they'd trekked through some underbrush or forest.

Hmm, maybe that's not a skill. Just an intuition.

I agree with Mirri. Better to free these monsters of their undead-ness so they might continue into some other afterlife which is more appropriate. So yeah, don't feel bad, little elf.

Trolls and troll-like enemies always "make a show" of some sort, usually beating their chests, right?

Another shorty chapter! I like short chapters but this week I'm hanging over the cliff!

[Grits]

Mirri makes an excellent point that in killing the Direfrost soldiers they are ending their undeath. Buffy’s concern for them sheds an interesting light on her thinking. While they did try to harm her and her friends, they didn’t want to.

“I’m all ears,” I said hopefully. Love it, and love Mirri’s reply!

Neat solution for a lever that’s on the other side of a door! That worked much better than punching the bars and cursing.

Firelight! Who’s there? Maybe a mortal? :edgeofseat:

[SubRosa]

Some neat sympathetic magic by Willow, as she is able to track down the mate for the lock to the remaining door.

There is always a bottomless pit...

Well, it was worth a try with the troll, but I am not surprised that it did not open the gate. They will just have to get more resourceful. I wonder if Willow could fit through the bars? She probably could not move the lever, but she could tie a rope around it.

I see great minds think alike!

This is turning out to be quite a dungeon delve as Buffirri venture deeper and deeper into the depths of Direfrost.

[ghastley]

Willow is almost running the show now. I hope she remains a non-combat pet, as she is probably even more fragile than Buffy.

Does Drodda know what the magicka source is, or just where? You have suggested that she is getting access to more power as she gets closer, but the rules aren't clear. Does the team benefit from luring her away from it? And is she running out of ice zombies?

[haute ecole rider]

While I echo what everyone else has pointed out, there is one thing I noticed . . .

Mirri changed from speaking of Willow as an object to speaking to Willow as a fellow adventurer. That endeared her to me even more than ever.

[Lopov]

Willow is a handy companion. She'd be very useful in point'n'click games as well, where searching for micro-sized or pixelated objects can be very difficult.

Firelight? Maybe there are some Direfrost soldiers ahead that haven't yet been turned to undead. Because if the door, behind which the troll was, was meant to be opened from the other side, maybe they wanted to prevent someone from entering their area. Maybe they wanted to keep Dreanna away? In any case, it's an enjoyable cliff hanger and in a few days we'll see if I was at least partially right.

[Kane]

Willow has indeed become a vital part of the team. They would have had a much tougher time without her aid.

[Acadian]

Previously- After encountering a magically locked door requiring a special key, Mirri and Buffy discovered that Willow, after examining the keyhole, could track the key. The nixad led them back down those pesky steps and into another corridor. After figuring out how to raise a gate blocking their progress, they were able to continue until they encountered another similar gate of bars.

Renee- I borrowed the concept of a tracker from the Rylee Adamson urban fantasy series of books by Shannon Mayer. I like how SubRosa describes it as sympathetic magic. I made up Willow’s skills to make her more useful as a familiar but keep her out of direct combat. Having hands and being able to fly give her a level of utility that make her pretty useful.

Grits- Thank you for pointing out that Buffy seems to have gradually softened the hard edge on her ‘doctrine’. I suspect that evolving into both paladin and healer has evolved her compassion as well. Thanks also for the big ears comment; I think it shows Buffy has developed a bit more self-confidence and, also that she and Mirri are getting more comfortable with each other. While there are plenty of times when the ‘bigger hammer’ approach of Jerric is helpful, Willow proved her worth with that gate.

SubRosa- After the troll failed to open that gate, I’m glad you were struck by the same idea that Buffy had of using Willow. It is indeed a large dungeon dive! We’ll reach Drodda in today’s episode, then one more episode to deal with her before getting somewhere warm!

ghastley- Willow’s defenses are limited to staying out of the way, hoping to be being mistaken for just part of the environment, speed/agility and tiny size. I suspect Drodda didn’t know exactly what the source of power she sensed was until she actually found it – that would have been around the beginning of the book because that’s when Buffy began sensing the drain on her dragon-mare. I figure this entire book probably spans not much more than a month or so and would guess that’s about how long Drodda’s been draining Phantom. As Kynareth advised Buffy, it would take Drodda a very long time to fully drain the dragon corpse’s residual magic.

Rider- As one who so fully and skillfully incorporates animal companions into your own work, you can appreciate how Willow tends to write herself into scenes and sometimes steal them. Thank you for noticing how even Mirri is growing attached to the useful nixad.

Lopov- I can see how Buffy’s mention of firelight would imply possible warmth and survivors, and it may have been unwise on my part to end the previous episode with mention of it. I’m afraid we’ll find that the firelight is from a meager source and, unfortunately, does not harbor potential allies.

Kane- Thanks! It’s been fun building Willow into a little utility familiar who can generally earn her keep.

* * *

Episode 41

We crept up to the gate of vertical bars blocking our way. The chamber beyond was about three horse lengths across. Magical glow stones provided most of the illumination but in the center of the chamber was a brazier that hosted a small fire. One wall was dominated by an altar and guarded by another undead Direfrost ice soldier. He wore a full panoply of heavy armor and a daedric maul rode upon his back. He was accompanied by a banekin. . . but this small daedra was covered in frost. Another anomaly enabled by Drodda?

Through the bars, I could also see a large lever like we had encountered with the previous gate. This one was similarly beyond our reach. Still undetected, we backed away to plan our next step.

Willow pointed toward the gate and nodded.

“She believes our key is in there,” I whispered. “That armored defender looks important – and strong. I don’t know what to make of his . . . frostkin? Clearly this foe has some skill with daedric magic.”

“I say we use the same tactic we initially tried on the troll,” began Mirri, “only this fetcher looks smart enough to open the gate for us. Just stay behind me after you get his attention.”

I nodded. After loosing a light attack from Carsomyr through the bars of the gate then immediately branding the ground around us with my Cleansing Ritual, I backed up well behind Mirri.

Our foe ran to the lever and lowered it. As the gate began to raise, his banekin suicidally exploded right at the gate. While doing no damage to the ice soldier, the detonation dropped Mirri to one knee.

By now, the gate was up and his maul filled our opponent’s hands. I cast Healing Ward on Mirri as our foe raised his long, heavy weapon. Rather than landing squarely on the back of my partner, the blow glanced harmlessly off the ward around her. The spell’s brief but strong healing allowed Mirri to get back on her feet. She wasted no time using her blade to taunt our foe and her shield to block his next attack.

Finally, I was able to shift my focus from trying to keep Mirri alive to contributing some damage. I began alternating Blazing Spear with heavy attacks from Carsomyr. This foe had no magical warding and my attacks cut through his armor quite readily. He raised one hand and, to my horror, a small cloud of conjuration magic appeared quite a ways behind me.

The frostkin was still materializing as my Blazing Spear impacted at its feet and I channeled the beam of my Radiant Glory into its small body. Thankfully, my damage was strong and fast enough to detonate the suicidal daedra before it could get within burst radius of me.

By now, my partner had bashed and maneuvered our opponent back in his chamber and into a corner. By staying within an arm’s length of him – as she had with the scythe-wielding necromancer - she ensured his longer weapon was at a distinct disadvantage to her short sword and shield.

I repositioned into the room and continued my attacks, refreshing Cleansing Ritual as needed. Once I could see our foe was flagging, I switched to Radiant Glory and he quickly fell.

After ensuring the soldier was dead. . . or perhaps, fully undead, Mirri stood still as I laid hands upon her.

After allowing the healing bond to fade, I reported, “You are one sturdy mer!”

She smiled. “I had help with this one. Lots of it.” She then added. “That soldier’s weapon and armor will fetch good coin. Let me strip them from him while I search his corpse for the key.”

“I think Willow’s already found it for us,” I said as I noticed the nixad had already picked the padlock that secured a small chest.

Sure enough, the star-shaped key was soon in our possession. I then summoned my storage trunk.

Mirri stowed our loot while I quickly checked the rest of the chamber. “No journals or other clues.” I then moved close to the central brazier to warm my hands, but its small fire did little against the cold.

“Let’s get back to that door and try this fetching elusive key,” suggested Mirri.

Our trek back through the large altar chamber and up the stone stairway to the locked door was uneventful.

Sure enough, the star-shaped key fit perfectly into the recess near the handle and we were rewarded as the heavy door swung open. I removed the key and gave it to Willow to stow in my mage pouch before we proceeded into the passage that beckoned ahead of us.

Eventually, we came to a long series of stone steps leading down. “This is hopeful,” I said. “That necromancer’s journal said Drodda was seeking a source of power beneath the keep.”

“Finally, an encouraging sign,” agreed Mirri. After a moment, she added, “Buffy, your teeth are starting to chatter again. We need to drink another potion.”

Mirri pulled one from her thief pouch while Willow retrieved another from my mage pouch. I said, “That leaves three more for each of us.” Willow seemed to agree that the potions were helpful as she impatiently waited for me to give her the last of mine. Once fortified against the cold again, we started our descent deeper into Direfrost Keep.

We dispatched several small groups of undead ice solders as we progressed through more passages and stairways leading down. Eventually, all stone construction ended and we found ourselves moving through tunnels of ice, sloping ever downward.

“How big is this fetching place?” pondered Mirri.

“I believe we’re getting close,” I replied. “I sense the presence of evil – different and stronger than what we’ve encountered thus far.”

The ice tunnels eventually widened into a cavern. Another tunnel led off to the right but the large chamber ahead of us seemed to be a natural pocket within an ancient glacier. The center of the area was dominated by a large, circular patch of shining ice.

We crept around the large chamber’s perimeter. Once satisfied that we were alone and there were no additional tunnels or exits, we headed back toward the one tunnel we had noted when we first entered the chamber. Before we could step out onto the central patch of ice to cross the chamber, Willow darted in front of us chittering and waving her arms.

“She believes this large patch of smooth ice is trapped,” I said.

“Traps usually guard something,” replied Mirri. “Perhaps the ice is hiding something we should know?” She rubbed her chin for a moment. “Buffy, move back against the wall.”

Though apprehensive, I trusted my partner and did as she bid.

Mirri grabbed a chunk of loose ice the size of a footstool and tossed it out onto the ice before sprinting over to where I crouched at the edge of the chamber.

Pale blue magic began to rise from the center of the large patch of ice and quickly rose to three times our height. The creaking and groaning of shifting ice could be heard as it materialized into an atronach of ice.

Fortunately, our distance and stealth kept us unseen. I whispered, “This creature is not evil, simply a powerful minion. Likely created by Drodda as a guard and triggered by stepping upon that ice. I say we gain nothing and lose time if we engage it.”

“I agree,” replied Mirri. “It’s too large to enter the next tunnel so I’m not worried about it trying to follow us.” We sneaked around the perimeter and back to where we had entered the chamber.

We then entered the only tunnel in the chamber besides the one that had brought us to this point. It too, continued sloping gently downward until finally ending in a small cavern. There were pickaxes and shovels strewn about amid piles of excavated ice. In the center of the chamber was a makeshift trapdoor of wooden planks.

“I can sense evil from Drodda and the magicka of my ice dragon. Both are very close.”

Willow nodded and pointed at the trapdoor.

Quite unsure what to expect, I watched as Mirri slowly lifted the wooden hatch.

Magical light shone up through the opening. The trapdoor’s frame hosted the top of a ladder.

“I want to get a better look at what’s below before we go down there,” I said. “Don’t let me fall.” I quietly leaned over the opening and, using my arms on the ladder’s rungs, started climbing down headfirst. Mirri had a firm grip on each of my ankles. Once I could see enough of what awaited us below, I paused to look around. I then began trying to push myself back up with my hands. Mirri easily retrieved me.

Once we got the hem of my robe sorted out from above my waist and back down to my ankles where it belonged, I was able to report, “It’s a very large, roughly circular cavern. Along the back wall, I can see the frozen corpse of Phantom. I can also see streams of the dragon’s residual magicka being siphoned into several crystals arrayed around her, presumably to amplify the magic or perhaps make it easier for Drodda to absorb. Each crystal is channeling its power into our ice witch who is standing in the center of the chamber – and quite focused on the process. I think we can climb down without her noticing.”

“Good scouting,” said Mirri. “I’ll go first.”

Once Mirri got about halfway down, I started down as well, feet first this time.

We made it to the cavern’s floor undetected and quietly backed behind a pile of ice near the base of the ladder. “Buffy,” whispered Mirri, “the journal spoke of dangerously low temperatures down here but it doesn’t seem much colder than the rest of the keep.”

Acadian silently provided the explanation which I quietly shared with Mirri, “Though long dead, Phantom still has a bit of protective magicks that enable her to amplify the cold against those who would defile her corpse. It’s only Drodda’s prodigious skill with ice magic that allows her to survive against those defenses. You, I and Willow are no threat to Phantom of course so, for us, it remains no colder than the bowels of any other three thousand year old glacier."

Mirri slowly shook her head then gave me a crooked smile. “Well, I’ll not look a gift dragon in the maw. Thank you, Phantom.”

We both stuck our heads out just enough to get a better view of she who would harm the spirit of my dragon.