But the Aurilites were not finished. While the temple hierarchy quickly established an alliance with the nearby Frost Giants, an Aurilite druid savaged several Amnian advance and scouting parties with guerilla tactics. Meanwhile, other efforts to draw allies to their side failed, including efforts to curry the aid of the white dragon Icehaupt. The Amnian forces did not waste time to dispatch their own infiltrators; a spy placed powerful traps along the Aurilite defensive perimeter. While the Aurilites were able to detect some of the traps, they were forced to sacrifice precious defenders to do so.
Still, by the time the Amnian hosts reached the Temple of Auril, their once-certain victory was now anything but. When the Nashkel Militia under Captain Sinoc Haven and the Elite Amnian Military under Pryat Gilthisanthilas at last converged with the Helmites under Watcher Wai Li, soldiers under Baron Forvik Trankret and the Athkatlan Radiant Heart under Lord Aaron Lyonaler, they were met in force by battalions of frost giants, local wildlife, ice elementals, and orglashes.
The battle was frantic and costly. To reach the temple, the Amnian forces chose to navigate the treacherous canyon pass dividing the Frost Giant Keep from the Aurilites' territory. Overlooked on both sides by tall cliffs, Amn's forces found themselves subject to the whims of the Aurilites' many spellcasters. The scouts Nicho Allener and Safa Reyer navigated ahead under the cover of stealth, with Nicho scaling the cliffs to provide live reports. Nicho and the druid Sane used their connection to nature to disperse much of the wildlife - the remaining wolves and yetis were quickly cut down. Meanwhile, the dark consecration warding the canyon pass entrance was disjoined by Weim Dogery.
Icewind Ontelima Frozenfield, a priestess of the Temple of Auril, made a courageous stand in the canyon pass where she and her battalion of frost giants engaged in a punishing melee with Pryat Gilthisanthilas' warded elite soldiers, scattering them before ultimately being defeated herself by heroes such as the Pryat, Captain Sinoc, and the half-orc Thok. Her defeat was also aided by the spells of Weim Dogery, who successfully weakened Ontelima with curses and fire before being incapacitated himself.
As the Amnian vanguard dealt with Aurilite's frontline defenders, the middle guard was ambushed by a mass of undead, trolls and frost giants. Swift action by Thok, Maevyn, Declan, Michael Dunn, Bolgar and Knight-Commander Veslana Raven of the Silver Rose saw the ambush thwarted before it could shatter the soldiers' procession. At the rearguard, much to the Amnian forces' surprise, an undead dragon seemingly emerged from nowhere and poured its frozen breath down upon Amn's armies, doing significant damage before ultimately being defeated by the efforts of the adventurers Foxy, Ekvir, and Yuri Lichelina.
A wall of ice summoned to impede the Amnians further was reduced to a cloud of steam by a well-placed wall of fire conjured by Vanira, Councillor of Doron Amar and Captain of the Radiant Heart. As Frost Giant mages continued to pelt the advancing Amnian armies with spells, the dragon druid Sane counterspelled an attempt by the Aurilite agent Blizzard to strip Amnian forces of their wards. He further replied with a furious storm of vengeance, weakening the frost giants’ advantage from elevation.
Declan Nash, a Knight of House Marshall, revealed his secret stratagem. Although arcane magi had been barred from joining the advancing army by Amnian law, Declan had secretly carried the Bardess Maevyn, reduced in size via magic, to join the battlefield. Her spells of fire obscured the Frost giants' vision, and a well-placed spell of Grease by the knight Aiden Vega and Meteor Swarm by the tiefling Hinzel caused several giants to tumble into the canyon to their deaths. The mage Midas answered these efforts by delivering a devastating blow with a single spell, transforming a significant number of Amnian allies into harmless fowl. Now an obvious threat, Midas would succumb to the united fire by battalions of crossbowmen and siege weaponry, along with counterattacks by Wai Li, the dragon druid Sane, Hinzel, Nathaniel Collins, and Bolgar Harrin.
Veslana and Grand Knight Aaron Lyonaler of the Radiant Heart used powerful spells of healing and warding to keep their soldiers' alive under the persistent attacks of their Aurilite assailants. Those too wounded to continue fighting and those incapacitated by magic were brought to the Amnian forward camp where the mage Natariel had disguised herself as a simple healer. She was not only able to tend to the wounded but also undid the most fowl curse placed upon several adventurers by Midas.
Back at the canyon pass, the Aurilites made the Amnians pay for every foot they advanced. Soldiers fell wounded and dying with every passing moment, but so did the Aurilites' defenses. When at last it seemed the pass had been cleared of its defenders, Lady Deep Winter Astrid Ragnarsdottir - at the behest of the Aurilite agent known only as Blizzard - beseeched the Icedawn for her wrath. Her prayers were heard. Atop the highest mountains of the Cloud Peaks, snow and debris began to topple downward in a furious avalanche, smashing forward against the Amnian host, intending to bury them alive. But even as the overwhelming force appeared to reach Wai Li and her allies, a brilliant, golden light formed a massive shield around the Amnians, summoned by the power of Helm to protect them. This holy shield was reinforced by the efforts of Rose Wintertal, carried on the back of her beloved Mathilde Farmer in the form of a dragon, whose spell to control winds further weakened the summoned avalanche.
Seeing the tide turn in the battle, the dwarven provocateur Vargas Khazad'Amon fired two last devastating shots into the Amnian military before fleeing the battlefield entirely, his laughter echoing into the canyon. Amnian allies such as Michael Dunn and Kruger strode forth to cut off the Aurilite retreat. The agent known only as Blizzard, recognizing that the canyon could no longer be held, ordered a hasty withdrawal inside the Temple. Saving the priestesses Ontelima, Lady Deep Winter, and the mage Midas, Blizzard teleported what remained of the Aurilites to safety. There was no time to spare; outside, the Amnians had set up their siege weaponry and catapults and had begun bombarding the temple structure at Wai Li's command.
Only one Aurilite now remained on the battlefield: Lady Cold Circle, Alva Sigurdsdottir, high priestess. Knowing she had failed to keep her goddess' temple from being sacked, Alva made the ultimate sacrifice. Even as her body was gutted by Safa Reyer's hidden blade, the Lady Cold Circle summoned what remained of Auril's wrath. With a satisfied smile, she perished, knowing she had made the only penance to the Icedawn that she could: A massive avalanche, larger than the previous one by a factor of five, surged downward toward the Amnian hosts' position. Helm's golden shield was once again summoned, but even the Watcher's protection had its limits, here in the heart of Auril's power.
The Amnians were victorious, but they paid a most terrible price. While the Helmites and the Radiant Heart under Wai Li and Aaron Lyonaler managed to protect most of the adventurers in their care, Watcher Shirene of the House of the Guardian was swept away and lost while en route to the healer's camp. Captain Halrond Strom was crushed to death underneath a massive rock face dislodged by the Icedawn's petty vengeance. Baron Forvik Trankret managed to claw himself out of the icy debris, his armor battered and dented in ways that appeared almost impossible for any normal humanoid to survive.
Of the hosts that had marched with Wai Li, all suffered significant losses.
- The Amnian military elite/profession garrison was scattered, with only 5 out of 22 soldiers able to survive the return trip to Nashkel.
- Of the Nashkel militia, 70 out of 100 soldiers dispatched with Captain Sinoc Haven would survive to return home.
- Of Baron Forvik Trankret's host of 100, only 40 of his soldiers would return to Crimmor with him.
- Of the 70 Helmites from the House of the Guardian, only 35 would return to Nashkel.
- Of the Athkatlan Radiant Heart, 15 of 25 junior knights survived, including Knight-Captain Regan Grath.
On the Aurilite side, the summoned ice elementals, orglashes, and the local fauna were completely dispersed. Of their frost giant allies, only 8 of the 40 giants promised to them by the Frost Giant King would return to the Crystal Frost Keep.
When the calamity was over, the Temple of Auril was completely destroyed. Auril's sacred place was no more. With the temple's destruction, the blizzards that had plagued Nashkel soon began to subside. Frost and rime melted away to herald the summer sun, brilliant in its warmth and promise of renewal.
In Nashkel, Mayor Ghastkill celebrates the return of the surviving host by commissioning a war memorial in their honor. He congratulates and thanks all the soldiers and adventurers who fought on behalf of Nashkel to rid the town of Auril's wrath. Those blessed by insight and perceptiveness might note that the Mayor hides a note of worry behind his grateful smile and effusive praise. Whispers already spread that the Council of Six - while vindictively pleased to be rid of the Temple that dared to threaten their authority - are nonetheless dissatisfied at the high toll that was paid. Some rumors suggest that Ghastkill made a critical blunder in rejecting the aid of the Fire Giant Baron, whose forces might have more easily swept the Aurilite threat had Ghastkill been willing to trade a portion of Nashkel's mines in exchange.
For now, the people of Nashkel strive to return the town to normalcy, after having suffered months of unnatural winter. Many look to Chaunteans for aid in salvaging what can be of the harvest. If there is a silver lining in the losses of so many lives in the war, it is an unspoken one: Nashkel now has fewer mouths to feed.
As for the Aurilites ... most of Nashkel's citizens do their best not to linger on the knowledge that the faithful of the Icedawn were not completely defeated.
Credit: Unknown
But for the vigilant, most know that whether the Icedawn's house will rise again is only a matter of time.
Credit: Wizards of the Coast
