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Gaspode quickly searched the bodies of the giants, before the group moved on through the caves to see if any more enemies lay in wait for them. Finding none in the five caverns in this area, the group stopped for a few moments to allow the healers to minister to the injured. Four deities were invoked and much pain was eased in this time. Once the group was ready again, they set off out onto the ledge again and into the final opening before the ledge fell away into the misty rift below.

The tunnel through the ice immediately bifurcated and the Mothers went right, due to the fact that one of their number had gone left previously. Another junction ahead showed a small side passage that was a dead-end. Continuing on the Mothers entered a larger chamber that had one exit to the south. The chamber itself was of little consequence, but the passage to the south had runes carved into the exposed stone floor stopping the party in their tracks. Gaspode examined the runes, determining them to be in the Dethek script, used by the dwarves but in the language of giant-kin. It was a stark warning to shun this passageway.

The Mothers and their allies ignored this and pressed on down the passageway over the runes. Once they had got twenty feet into it they were all overwhelmed with an awful coldness, which sapped the vitality from them. An ominous brown covering sped towards them along the walls of this ice tunnel. The party withdrew as quickly as they could but not before another wave of cold staggered them further. Some were unfit to walk after they had retreated around the corner past the runes. They decided that the only thing to do was to retreat to the fire-pit where the giantesses had been cooking in the hope of warming their frostbitten limbs. Once there, the clerics and druids used up their final curative magics and Gaspode dug deep into the stores of potions to heal their injuries. Realising that without such help they would be vulnerable, the group decided to let the spellcasters pray and meditate while the others watched.

Less than three hours later, however, a band of frost giants approached the entrance to the cave. Initially there were four of them, but another six joined shortly afterwards. Gaspode drank a potion of speed while Guthranka downed one of invulnerability before they stepped in to block the giants from coming at them in the wider cavern. While four fighters engaged the two giants at the front, the supporting party members lobbed spells, missiles and suggestions where required. After three rounds, four giants had fallen, but Gaspode and Guthranka had to withdraw to allow some healing, while Levi and Tettet stepped in to their places. Gamm was passed a speed potion after he dispatched a giant and managed to swig it down just in time to defend himself from a giant痴 axe. When only two of the ten giants were left standing, five stone and five hill giants came along the ledge to lend their weapons to the attack. These re-enforcements were followed into the passage by three fire giants. The Mothers and their allies were disheartened by this turn of events and so thought of other tactics that might assist them. Fonesca attempted a burst of light from her wand of illumination, but none of the giants seemed to be affected. Meanwhile the fighters ploughed through the ranks of the frost giants, reaching back to the stone giants in short order. When the hill giants and the fire giants saw the stone giants start to fall they withdrew, heading back within the rift. The last stone giants ran with them. Gamm Ironcrown and Gaspode were still hastened by the potions that they had consumed and managed to kill one of the fleeing giants while seriously wounding another one. The whole party followed the giants out onto the ledge, trying to ensure that the giants would not get away. Fonesca and Siosiann let fly with fireballs at the retreating giants, catching them as they entered the ice caverns by the furthest passage. In the process of burning all of the hill giants and the remaining stone giant, they also destroyed the last thirty feet of the ice ledge and the bodies of the giants fell into the rift below accompanied by large chunks of ice and a cloud of steam.

Distracted by this spectacle, the party had not seen the huge form of the white dragon that they had seen earlier, reappear over the entrance to the rift and swoop over them, lowering its huge maw to spew an awful cloud of extreme cold over the whole group. Fonesca fell to the ground, a terrible blue hue covering her exposed flesh. Guthranka痴 frozen form clanked audibly against the ice floor as she fell dead. Each of the others was also harshly wounded. The clerics reacted first, Goned Giantbreaker and Levi almost acting in unison, calling down pillars of flame from the sky to crash down upon the body of the wyrm as it circled for a return pass. Kurtalla Thinst, pulled a large bead from a necklace that he was wearing and tossed it at the approaching beast, once it reached its target, it blossomed into a ball of flame similar to the ones summoned by Fonesca and Siosiann earlier. Siosiann herself launched an arrow of acid at the dragon at the dragon as it emerged from the fireball, its wings blackened and bent and it fell, plummeting into the mists below them in the rift. Fearing further attack and in no state with withstand it, the Mothers withdrew into the kitchen cavern with Gaspode already asking Levi about retreating by use of his plane shift spell.

Realising that it would be difficult for the entire group to re-locate to a safer environment by magical means, a more conventional approach was called for. The spellcasters tallied up their remaining invisibility magics and cast them appropriately on the members of the group. Those who could move stealthily were left out as was Fonesca and Gebhart as they could change their shape to be less conspicuous. Since Gebhart was already in the shape of a polar bear, Fonesca adopted that form too. Kurtalla followed up behind, as the group headed out of the rift for the crevasse, obscuring their tracks and laying false trails.

To reach the relative safety of the ice cave, Fonesca and Jito combined in rigging up a rope bridge the ledge. Quickly the Mothers and their companions slid across, with Siosiann opening the way with her flaming blade. As the rest of them spoke Tyr痴 name and continued along the spiral down into the glacier, Levi laid two more protective glyphs on the ledge and the beginning of the ramp to help ensure their safety.

Down below, Fonesca and Gaspode were planning; Gaspode with the watches and Fonesca with her own arcane matters. The priests gathered in the fragrant swirl of one of Levi痴 incense blocks to pray to their deities. The fingers of the dwarves were cold on their axes by the time the clerics raised themselves. Four watches had gone by in the eerie quiet. Without delay, Levi motioned for Gaspode to unfurl Guthranka痴 body. Meanwhile, the human priest had removed his arms and armour, and donned his simple white tabard emblazoned with the symbol of Tyr. His invocations took some time, but they were successful, as an ashen-faced Guthranka slowly eased herself up on her elbows, coughing quietly. Goned the dwarf stepped forward and healed her of all but her most minor wounds. Then they let her rest, with only quiet conversation and prayers from Levi to distract her.

After a further period of rest and watchfulness, Guthranka was strong enough to stand. She decided that she would wait with the freed captives in the cave, protecting them should any creatures get past Levi痴 wards. She felt that she could not stand against giants any more, perhaps retiring to the community in Arabel would be the best course of action. She would decide when the others returned and the menace of the giants was removed.

The rest of the Mothers left the cave with their companions, eager to track down the fire giants that had eluded them. They had planned their strategies and spell selections carefully, so when they set off across the ice they were confident of their ability to handle the giants. Entering the rift again, they took the left hand (easterly) side that had been the route of their first foray. They found the caves that they had visited before abandoned, so they plunged deeper into the ice, searching for the caves that Regid had described as being well guarded. The large dual-cavern where he had seen many ogres was abandoned of all but their stench. The cavern beyond, where a particularly large frost giant had stood, blocking further delving, which his companions guarded the approaches, was unattended. The Mothers took this passage, hoping that the previous guard痴 position showed that it was of some importance. The passage led to a junction where a wide passage descended to the south in a gentle slope, and the easterly passage connect to the rooms that Grimath had mapped out for them. Quickly checking this side, they confirmed that the fire giants were not lurking in the cave where Grimath had originally noted them. So they decided to descend.

At the foot of the slope was a huge cavern, no longer completely encased in ice, but where the stone was now mostly visible. Carved into the walls of the chamber were scenes of pillage and destruction, with huge humanoids raiding settlements and slaying other mighty beasts. The Mothers did not study these images for very long, deciding to search for exits to the chamber. As they went along the walls they found two boulders blocking openings to the east and west. The one to the west was carved to make it look like the rest of the wall of the cavern, but Gaspode痴 keen senses noticed the small gaps that betrayed its purpose. They tackled the obvious boulder first. Gebhart stepped forward and twisted the huge stone around, revealing a rough passageway leading southeast into darkness. They all crept in moving along until the passage turned sharply to the northeast and opened into a large cavern. Gaspode took it upon himself to scout out the dimensions of this place. After noting several large natural pillars supporting the cavernous roof, a huge sink-hole opening in the western wall, the tempting pile of gold coins interspersed with other treasures in the northern reaches and a rocky stone shelf some fifty feet above the eastern wall, Gaspode heard a very disconcerting sound � wing beats. He glanced up towards the ledge in time to see a white dragon launch itself into the air above him. He ran as did the others towards the hoped-for safety of the passage, but he was not in time to save himself or two of the others from feeling the effects of the dragons icy breath before they reached the bend. They all managed to continue on through to the great hall again as the screeches of anger and frustration of the wyrm beat down on they with an unsettling rhythm. Gebhart closed over the boulder in an effort to quieten the din.

Next Gaspode checked the concealed door for any little surprises that the giants might have left them. Finding none, Gebhart again did the necessary, opening the passage beyond for them. A guardroom of sorts lay beyond the passage. A large table with four chairs, suitable for giants, stood to the side with two looping pieces of metal attached to the wall above it. But it stood empty. A rough corridor led off west into the rock with openings on either side. The Mothers ventured into those rooms that were not blocked by boulders and saw that they had been universally abandoned. Some were chambers for giants, others for smaller creatures. A large passageway led them off to the south and opened into another huge chamber, this one dimly lit by some fire beetles in small cages attached to the walls. On either side of the cavern, ramps led up to alcoves shrouded in darkness. The alcoves had a good view of the whole of the long cavern, including the raised dais at the southern end, which had a throne set on it. There were two other exits to the north and northeast, nearer the party. Gaspode quickly scouted along this northerly edge discovering that the first chamber was filled with mist from a hot spring within.

A quick check to the northeast revealed a passageway leading off into the darkness. The Mothers turned their attention back to the shadowy alcoves. Gaspode led the way up the westerly one where he found a ballista, or what might have been a crossbow for a frost giant, resting against the wall of the alcove. He cut the string so as to make it unusable as he could see that the ledges here gave full view of the entire hall. From his new vantage point, he could make out the alcove opposite and it was similarly equipped. Gaspode crossed the floor of the cavern and dealt with that crossbow in the same fashion. He could make out more details of the throne area from here. The throne was made of bone and ivory, decorated with skulls, gems and silver; the hide of a strange beast backed it and before it sprawled the skin of a huge polar bear. An alabaster table had three stools sitting before it on a level just below the throne. The Mothers headed in that direction, Gaspode being drawn by the gems in particular, but they decided to search the lower portion of the chamber first. Here they found another exit, leading to the east from the very southeasterly corner behind the throne. This led, bypassing another passage leading off to the north, to a trophy room of some sort; it had heads and pelts of various creatures, liberally interspersed with armour, weapons and the odd tusk hanging upon the walls. The far end of the room, higher than the rest of the chamber by the height of two giant sized steps, was screened from view by a large tapestry that hung from the ceiling.

Not wanting to get into cataloguing each item just now, the Mothers returned to the “throne room” and went to the northeastern corner to see what lay there. A series of interconnected passages led to various chambers that might once have been interesting, but now looked abandoned. They did not take the passage that was blocked by another boulder to the southeast, but headed back to the chambers north of here where they had entered this area. This time they tackled each of the boulders that blocked passage, Gebhart’s great strength helping significantly with the effort. All of the rooms were abandoned except one. This contained a giant female, manacled to the wall by her wrists and ankles. In the centre of the chamber, just out of her reach were all manner of delicious foodstuffs in precious jars and bowls; just out of her reach. She heard the Mothers enter and implored them to leave her be. It took some cajoling to convince her that the party were not here to mock her. It seemed that the Frost Giant Jarl and his lieutenant, a cloud giant, had imprisoned her. She had been scouting in the area, because she had heard rumours of suspicious activity. She had been captured imprisoned here. Once Gaspode released her, she agreed to join with them, hoping that she could pick up some arms and armour to be of assistance in routing the frost giants. When asked she revealed that she, Hunnath, was a storm giant and that she, and her family, lived on a mountain not far away.

The party then went all the way back to the entrance cavern with the wall carvings. They went further to the south than they had been before, taking the first branching passage to the east, which came to a dead end. The next passage to the southeast led to a larger cavern that was supported by natural columns of rock. It had an irregular shape and was too large for their light sources to make it out fully from their first vantage point. Gaspode crept off to the east with Regid to scout out the area. There he found a spur leading off north and then west to a dead end. Further east a larger branch headed off northeast. Creeping along this, they spied some huge frog-like creatures crouching in the gloom. They were white and had a cold mist surrounding them. Returning to their fellows, the two reported what they had seen and the group decided to engage the creatures. Short work was made of the eight ice toads that they found in total, though the creatures’ icy breath caused some degree of consternation amongst the less snugly wrapped of the party. The rest of the cavern was now open to them to explore. In the southeasterly corner they found a dead frost giant sprawled on its face as if trying to avoid the huge rock-fall that buried its lower limbs. Stretched out in its left hand was a long metal tube, closed at both ends.

Leaving no stone unturned for clues, Gaspode searched the fallen giant. But found nothing of value beyond the obvious metal tube. He checked this for any traps that might be present and then prised it from the dead giant’s fingers. When they opened it up they found a map of the cave system that they were in, showing the location of the Jarl’s audience chamber and various other treasure rooms. The Mothers discussed the map but could not come to a complete understanding of which caverns it represented. Gaspode tried thinking of a way of determining the caverns contents without risking attack. He remembered that he possessed a potion of gaseous form, so he led the group back to the passage off the throne room where they had seen another boulder blocking the way. He took the potion and drifted through the rock. Here he saw four polar bears that were looking somewhat the worse for wear. It looked, from the way their fur was shaped, as though they used to have collars around their necks, but that these had been removed. The bears realised that Gaspode was there and ineffectually tried to swipe at him with their heavy paws. Moving through the room, Gaspode could see that there was another boulder blocking the far exit. He managed to get through this, seeing a large chamber beyond that was somewhat better appointed that the communal caves they had seen previously, before having to return to the others in case his gaseous nature stopped functioning. He reported what he had seen and when he was substantial again the Mothers and their allies moved in to put the bears out of their misery.

The well-appointed chamber would have been home to about twenty giants and each had a bed, a locker and a chest. There were also communal chairs and tables where they might have sat together. Nothing remained in the containers bar the occasional article of clothing. A side chamber was possibly even better furnished and ten giants would have lived there, but it had no further exits. None of these chambers sat well with what they might have expected from the map that they found. The southerly exits from this room led to the trophy room that they had encountered earlier, so they moved east, up the steps and behind the hanging into another room, this time all hung with furs and tapestries over all of the walls, with one even dividing the far eastern portion from sight. Huge tables, chairs and chests lay in the western portion, while a huge bed and some other items lay to the east. The Mothers stopped to contemplate the apparent anomaly of the map and to decide their next steps.