Cleatus appeared and landed softly in a foot of fresh fallen snow. He looked about the mountainside, the summit before them with the multiple cliffs ahead and the long fall into the mist below. Shaynen and Odelia appeared and fell flat onto the snow. Shaynen jumped up with wide panic eyes.

“What is this?” He snapped loudly. Voice echoing around the mountain.

“Shh, you could cause an avalanche by yelling!” Odelia hissed.

“That’s a myth,” Cleatus chuckled. “You’ve never seen snow before, Shaynen?” Shaynen’s frown got deeper and more disgusted as he looked around the snowy mountain.

“No,” he said with a frown.

“Where’s Haagut?” Odelia said, finally getting to her feet. What was left of the party looked around worriedly.

“Ah shit,” Cleatus scratched at his ear. There was no entrance to the mines or any way to get back the way they came. As they were deliberating what to do, a fourth figure appeared. A short pale duegar dropped into the snow behind them. Odelia stared at the short cavern dweller for half a second before picking up a ball of snow and tossing it at the dwarf.

“You jackass,” She sneered. “It’s too cold for jokes.” The duegar giggled through the snow. He pulled his cloak around and revealed the cheeky face of Haagut smiling mischievously. His smile faded when he felt the chill set in.

“Where are we?” He asked. Pulling his cloak around his shoulders tightly.

“Near the summit.” Cleatus pointed up to the top of the mountain covered by snowy white clouds. “We’ll have to walk the rest of the way.. Or climb rather.” Shaynen dug through his bag until he pulled out the black thin boots and a white and green cloak that was so sheer it was see through. The sky was turning purple as evening was falling, the night winds brought colder winds that pulled the party’s loose clothes and hair down toward the mountain’s base.

“It’s s-s-s-so c-c-cold.” Shaynen stuttered.

“That’s odd,” Cleatus said. Unaffected by the cold. Odelia put away her driftglobe in favor of an ever-burning torch, her eyes glowed a faint orange and the fire of the torch went from burnt orange to a yellowish white that melted the snowflakes that came close to it. Haagut produced a fire of his own in a yellow glow.

“What’s odd?” Odelia asked as she and Haagut moved onto either side of Shaynen. Cleatus pointed to the mountain top slightly above the storming white clouds.

“Almost didn’t notice, but the mountain top is above the clouds.” He said. “It ain’t got snow on it.” The peak of the mountain above the cloud was nearly invisible against the quickly darkening sky but it was barren of any snow.

“Weird.” Odelia said. “Let’s find a place to get out of the cold for the night before Shaynen turns to ice.” Shaynen’s teeth were chattering too hard for him to think of a comeback. Instead he just nodded desperately.

Cleatus led the party to a little cave, he built a sturdier covering from snow to cover and keep the warmth in while Odelia and Haagut built a fire, mostly made up of magic and the ever-burning torch.

“I guess it doesn’t snow much where you’re from, huh?” Haagut asked as he crudely stitched the pelts of rats together into a heavier coat. Shaynen shook his head.

“Where I come from, winter means six months of heavy rain.” He said, still shivering. “Warm heavy rain.”

“Sounds miserable,” Cleatus shook off the snow from his fur. “How you liking real winter weather.” Shaynen stopped shaking for half a second.

“I hate it.” He said, then resumed shivering.

The next morning the party left their camp and looked up toward the peak again. The storm clouds still obscured the topmost parts of the mountain. However many snow covered cliffs rose up in opposition before them.

“We’ll have to climb them,” Cleatus said. Haagut fiddled around with his bag and corralled the party together.

“Do we have to? Isn’t there a road or something?” Shaynen whimpered.

“Unfortunately not,” Cleatus said. Staring at Haagut interestedly as Haagut pulled a pair of rat pelts out of his bag. “With all the snow and such, any road that would exist would vanish instantly under the snow. Not to mention the numerous rockslides would bury it.” Haagut threw the rat pelts onto the ground and jumped onto them. The party wobbled as they all felt a little lighter.

“Ah-ha! It worked!” Haagut said excitedly, stepping off of the pelts and on top of the snow.. “We can walk on the snow, that’ll help keep us from frostbite. Though we will probably have to pause every so often to recast.”

“That’s very helpful Haagut.” Cleatus said. “Now we better get to climbing.” The party moved along up the mountain. Looking down at the ground to keep from becoming overwhelmed by how far they had to go. They stopped at the base of the first massive cliff and looked up to it.

“Anyone got any climbing gear?” Cleatus asked as he pulled his rope out of his bag.

“No,” Haagut said. Odelia shook her head and Shaynen was shivering too much to tell if he was shaking his head or not. But he wasn’t reaching for his bag, so the answer was implied.

“All right then. Haagut, I’ll carry you up and then we’ll drop the rope for you two.” Cleatus said.

“I could probably climb it without help,” Shaynen said, the confidence of his statement greatly undermined by his chattering teeth. “I could even carry Odelia up.”

“Go ahead Cleatus,” Odelia said. “We’ll climb up the rope.” Cleatus snickered and leaned down for Haagut to climb up over his shoulder.

“Hold on and try not to pull my fur,” Cleatus said.

“Right, right.” Haagut nodded and took the time to find a handhold that wasn’t on Cleatus’ fur. Cleatus took a hold of the rock wall and started climbing up the cliffside as easily as he walked. Mounting up the side and crouching down for Haagut to drop down onto the ground. While crouched, Cleatus noticed large and fresh prints in the snow. Haagut tied the rope tightly around his spear and spoke the command word to stop it from moving. He threw the rope over the side for Odelia and Shaynen.

Odelia grabbed the rope and began climbing up the cliffside. Shaynen tore his hands free from where they were under his arms and reached to climb the cliff. His hands and the rock were so cold that it felt like the rock slit his fingers open. He recoiled and looked over his hands; finding no injury. He huffed or tried to. Instead he hyperventilated for a few minutes, then took the rope and began climbing up the wall. Odelia struggled up the cliff and Shaynen followed behind just as slowly. Haagut couldn’t help pull either of the two up over the cliff so he stood to the side and waited for first Odelia to crawl up over the side where she turned and helped Shaynen up.

“Ogre tracks,” Cleatus pointed. Crouched down in front of a small divot in the snow. He pointed off into the snow storm. “They go that way, up the mountain.” The party looked around paranoid at any shadow in the wind blown powder.

“Hey, what’s that?” Haagut pointed higher up the mountain.

“Where?” Shaynen stepped closer to Haagut and tried to look where he was pointing but it was difficult. Haagut’s arm was shaking and Shaynen himself was trembling.

“Where I’m pointing!” Haagut snapped irritably.

“I’m looking where you’re pointing!” Shaynen snapped back. “What are you looking at?!”

“It’s the.. The th-thing! The THING! Big, rock, thing! Cave lean-to! Y’know? The thing!” Haagut yelled. Wildly gesticulating at the mess of cliffs ahead of them. “I don’t remember the word, you know how hard it is to speak a different language?”

“Yeah,” Shaynen tried to shrug but couldn’t quite manage the action. “Common isn’t my native tongue either, I speak four languages.”

“I know like.. Five.” Cleatus said. Odelia shrugged.

“I know draconic.” She said simply.

“It’s the-” Haagut tried to articulate again.

“The old ruins up there?” Cleatus asked. Pointing more stably at the large ruins of an old fort on a hill.

“Yes! That.” Haagut sighed tiedly.

“It might be warm in there,” Shaynen said hopefully.

“Might be where the ogres are heading,” Odelia said.

“We should be wary of it as we head up.” Cleatus said. His words were drowned out by the wind suddenly picking up and screaming in their ears. Cleatus motioned and started hiking over the snow for the next cliff.