The Avalanche (Private)

[Rissterus]

Rissterus looked back at the angry priest with a look of irritation on his face.
"And trust our fate to some money-hungry captain? There are too many storms this time of year, and besides, pirates are becoming more and more bold on the Táic Sea, or haven't you heard?" Rissterus had allowed Oswin to almost come up alongside him, but now he hurried his horse forwards to move farther ahead.
"And finally," he added, "the sea leaves very little room to manuever in case of trouble. We are very much better off making our own way by the overland route."

And with that, the Sorcerer's tirade was finished, and he moved farther up ahead where annoying monks wouldn't bother him.

[Oswin]

Oswin fell back into line, still muttering angrily.

The day seemed to drag on and on. Finally, they stopped for the night. It was long and uncomfortable, and Oswin could sleep but little. Rissterus refused to allow them to light a fire since they were still trying to evade the pursuing sorcerers. When morning came, Oswin felt as if he had hardly slept, and Rissterus wasted no time in getting everyone saddled up and moving again.

For two days, the three companions fled further into the mountains. Rissterus eventually changed direction so they were heading to the west, along the mountain range rather than north into the mountains.

The temperature dropped rapidly as they gained in elevation. One night, it began to snow...

Oswin pulled his cloak closer around him as the flakes began to drift down, slowly at first. He looked up at the shrouded sky. A wind was picking up, meaning the snow would come down harder.

"What if there's a storm?" Oswin asked, turning to look at Rissterus. "What if there's a blizzard? We can't stay in the mountains anymore. It's too cold!"

[Elyiravëra]

Elyiravëra huddled against a rock that was starting to turn white with the frosty snow. She adjusted her hood to cover her head a little more. If her hair got wet with the snow, then it wouldn't dry for hours. She was beginning to forget about their plight with the sorcerers. Instead, she was more worried about freezing to death. She looked up at Oswin as he spoke, then shifted her gaze to Rissterus, awaiting his response.

[Rissterus]

Rissterus looked over at Oswin, reflecting on the priest's words. What he said was true; it was very cold. And with the prospect of a blizzard, it was likely that they would all freeze.
"Search the area for wood. We'll start a fire and stay here for the night."

Rissterus turned and began to look for wood, expecting the others to do the same. The place they were in was protected on one side by the maintain face, and on the opposite side was a large stone, which would protect them from the wind. From here they had only to worry about forwards and back. And above.

By the time they had collected enough wood, the snow was falling harder and faster. Rissterus tossed the wood into the small pile and drew his robes closer around him. He was not immune from the cold, as much as he wished to be.

[Oswin]

Oswin rose quickly to his feet to help Rissterus get firewood. The longer they took, the harder it would be to start the flames. The snow was beginning to get more fierce when Oswin added his wood to the pile. He looked up at Rissterus, who looked just about as cold as the rest of them.
"How do you intend to start a fire with this snow? The flints will never light it!"

[Rissterus]

Rissterus didn't reply to Oswin. Instead he merely lowered the tip of his staff to the pile of wood so the blue sapphire touched the wet wood. Through unspoken magic, blue flames began to envelope the sticks. When the blaze was finally able to sustain itself, Rissterus stepped away. The blue flames turned color so that they were once again normal.

Rissterus sat down and leaned against the cold stone, preparing to rest. He closed his eyes, but was unable to fall asleep. He just laid against the rock wall with his eyes closed, listening to the wind and snow, Oswin and Elyira, and his thoughts...

[Oswin]

For once, Oswin didn't flinch at the sight of Rissterus' magic. Instead he hurried forwards to soak in the warmth of the flames. He scooted aside so Elyira could join him, then sat down as close to the small fire as he could get. After several minutes, Oswin began to warm up again.

He looked out at the mountains to see the blizzard raging all around their little rock formation. He glanced over at Rissterus and guessed he was asleep. Leaning over to Elyira, he said, "If Rissterus keeps us out here we'll freeze. We're also running low on supplies. Tomorrow we should make our way out of the mountains, with or without him." He finished with a jerk of his head in Rissterus' direction.

[Rissterus]

Rissterus let out a slight laugh, opening his eyes. "You'd never find your way out of the mountains. And you'd more likely freeze if you went off by yourself than if you stay with me. Besides, as much as you think I might be, I'm not lost."

[Oswin]

Oswin looked over at Rissterus in suprise.
He tricked me! Oswin would never believe Rissterus was actually asleep again. He stammered for a response.
"You - well - then where are we going?"

[Elyiravëra]

She was about to reply to Oswin, when Rissterus spoke. Elyiravëra, like Oswin, turned to look at him. Oswin stammered a response to Rissterus, looking completely caught off-guard. Elyiravëra opened her mouth to say something but closed it, deciding to just watch for the time being.

[Rissterus]

Rissterus slowly got up and leaned closer to the fire.
"During the course of my wanderings, I have discovered many things. One of which, is a secret entrance to the Dwarven Mines of Glovein." He looked at Elyira to see what her reaction was. The Mines of Glovein were famed throughout Mirawold, once upon a time. Now the gigantic mine was empty. The Dwarves had exhausted it during the Dwarf Wars. The Dwarven kings had needed gold to fund their campaigns, and the mine finally gave out. Afterwards, the Dwarves closed the mine off, sealing all the entrances.

"Yes," Rissterus repeated, "I know the location of one of the entrances to the mine, and it is very close to where we are now. If we can hold our course for just a little longer, we'll reach it, and disappear. No one will be able to find us if we go in there."

He brought his hand up to his chin, observing his listeners.

[Elyiravëra]

Elyiravëra's eyes widened in suprise. She knew of the mines' history, but had thought that all the entrances were sealed completely.

He know's where one is! she thought excitedly. And if they were really heading for it, then perhaps she would be one of the first people to see what it looked like in ages! She dismissed Oswin's suggestion of leaving Rissterus and trying to get off the mountains. She had invested too much time in this adventure to give up now.

I knew I was right to go with Rissterus. Think of how boring my life would be if I stayed! Elyiravëra smiled.
"I shouldn't have doubted you," she said to Riss. "How soon will we get there?"

[Rissterus]

Rissterus looked away with a smile on his face. Elyira seemed perfectly fine with going into an ancient mine where who knows what could be roaming around. What about Oswin, though. Would he be still leave?
I doubt it. If Elyira is going with me, then so will Oswin.

He looked back over at Elyira and replied, "We'll get there definately before two days pass."

[Oswin]

Oswin scowled. You know the location of a dwarven mine indeed! He didn't believe one word of it. Rissterus was a good lier, that was it. He probably could -
"I shouldn't have doubted you," Elyira stated with a charming smile. "How soon will we get there?"
All Oswin could do was stare stupidly with his mouth open.
"We'll get there definitely before two days pass," Rissterus replied.

Oswin really couldn't believe it. Elyira was going to go along with this evil sorcerer into an old ancient mine where there could be goblins or worse, and leave Oswin all alone! This wouldn't do. If Rissterus did know the mine's location, then they probably would elude the pursuing sorcerers, and if Oswin stayed behind, they would come after him instead. Well, it looks like he was coming after all.

Oswin started to grumble something, but it was unintelligible. He leaned over and stoked the fire.

[Rissterus]

Rissterus did not try to hide his smile as he also looked back at the fire, letting the mesmerizing flames take hold of him.

The next morning, Rissterus woke the two others early in the morning. The sun had not yet risen, and a deep fog had settled over the mountain. A blanket of snow covered the ground. It did not take long for them to pack up their small camp and continue on their journey. The mountain side was already treacherous, and with the snow added to it, they had to substitute speed with caution. The horses were liable to fall on such dangerous terrain. Around noon, the fog began to finally burn off, and after their brief lunch, the snow began to sizzle.

Now personally, Rissterus found this odd. The air was cold enough up here to where the snow should be able to stay, but instead it was now melting. Perhaps it was because they were closer to the sun up in the mountains? No, that seemed ridiculous. It must just be bad luck.

That night, Rissterus discovered something very, very unpleasant. He could sense the presence of other magic users.
How have they managed to keep up so well? We have made good progress! With luck, we will reach the mine by noon tomorrow, but it will be useless if they are so close!

Rissterus was disturbed. He looked over at Elyira and Oswin briefly, but said nothing.