Letters from the Ice Queen
Contained here are letters discovered in the Frozen Gates by the Aurora Expedition. Preserved for over a thousand years by the region’s extreme cold, they may be translated and read by people of the modern day...
Missives Found:
1. The Icy Outpost
2. The Silent City
The Icy Outpost
Note from the translator: This letter was found in the ‘Icy Outpost’ by members of the Aurora Expedition. When I first saw it, I was startled and amazed - we seldom see Phoenix Speak used for anything but religious hymns nowadays, which means that this is either very old... or someone of my Order came here before us. Which I find unlikely, given the state of the door.
After over a week of feverish work, I think I can offer this halting translation. I am sure my peers back in Sunkeep would have done a far superior job, but I think it will suffice to satisfy the curiousity of myself and others, for now.
I myself... have so many questions. What was a Xocrian doing visiting dragons in ancient times? And how she signs herself off... well, I won’t spill all my thoughts out here, but I desperately hope we will find more.
...
“After about a week traversing that icy channel, Frost and I have finally made it… The Frozen Gates. The native dragons here… moonvipers I believe? were rather pleasant in my first interactions with them. While some of them speak using the language of the Dutorians and a short-response language known as ‘Vento Oratio’, They seem to primarily use a form of communication that I haven't witness in the entirety of my travels; ‘Lapis Oratio’ they call it - Using their own venom, they are able to miraculously shape mere stones and sort of "attach" their thoughts, emotions, and even their own memories onto it. It is an… odd feeling at first, but after experiencing a few stones, it becomes more natural.
They have brought me to a small settlement not far from the coast known as Ianua - Apparently visitors from the mainland rest here before making the journey off to the capital. As we made our way into Iauna, there were a few things I had to document;
There seemed to be a small crevasse at the base of the village. It was irrelevant to the natives as we walked past but to me, it seemed to have a little bit of a limited personality of sorts…cold… and lonely… I know it sounds like I am humanizing a hole in the ground but I can't help but find it interesting. Frost peered over the edge and then immediately huddled right next to me… guess to say I am not the only one who sees the little importance it has.
As they led me towards the place I'd be staying until my leave for the capital, the moon vipers introduced me to another of their village's Landmarks - The Starshower. From afar, it looks as if the Cliffside is painted with hundreds of radiant stars but as we drew closer, the beauty of the cliff gained a more solid meaning behind it. From what I was told, the cliff is what they called a 'cemetery'; a place for which they bury their dead, however in Iauna's case, they deposit the bodies within the icy walls and mark their graves using a plenthora of star-related imagery. Alongside these beautiful markings, they embed the entire gravesite with memories and feelings of what the deceased was like… almost like a retelling of their entire life.
It is oddly intriguing to witness the different burial practices that other nations do regarding their deceased. Back in our kingdom…. The dead don't get this much respect thanks to our drakes…
We made our final stop at the place me and Frost will be staying - The Upper Houses. They say these houses were built and furnished with those of great status in mind…. They were not wrong; The house they placed me in was absolutely comfortable and I was able to make it feel like a little home away from home. I had a lot of choices in the decor as well; I placed my family's house banner on the largest of the walls [Translator’s note; this section was plotted, perhaps deliberately, with ink and rendered illegible] and decorated the tables and such with an assortment of valuables, even the papers that make up this very Journal entry can be found neatly stacked at this neat desk they offered to place in my room.
In a week's time, me and Frost will finally make our way to our final destination… Achori.
Signed, Heleanor, Heir of the Ice Queen”
The Silent City
Content warning: contains brief description of violence and blood.
Note from the translator: My prayers were answered; when the Aurora Expedition stopped in the ruins of an ancient city called ‘Achori’, another of Heleanor’s letters was found. This one was more of a challenge to translate; the years and damp have not been kind to it, but I think I have managed it. I am sure that the senior priests back home would have done better, but they are not here, so my work once again must suffice.
I must admit I am unsure what to make of this. We knew that the Elder Drakes were horrible tyrants, but to hear what it was like to experience their rule first-hand… and the implication that Heleanor served them… one must be glad to have been born now, and not then. The comparison is beyond vain and bordering on blasphemy, but I cannot help but see parallels between our respective journeys north; we both come as the representative of another power, and both face truths that we would be more comfortable turning a blind eye to.
As much as I dread what might await us there, I think I will have to support the dragon’s - Gloria’s insistence that we see what lies at the end of this ‘North Pass’. I fear what we will find, for surely anything of value to a Drake must be reprehensible to moral, decent people, but nothing good has ever come of ignoring an issue. I think I know that now.
...
“Achori… capital of the Gates. To say that the city is lively would be an understatement; Energetic would be a better word. The fact that the Moonvipers were able to build a city of this size this far below the ice with it simply being warmed by underground hot springs is something that piques my interest - this a feat I believe that only could be accomplished with their natural abilities.
As we entered the city, me and Frost made our way into what the natives referred to as the Common District; Home to much of the general populus of Moonvipers. We couldn’t help but acknowledge the amount of various buildings that filled the area - full markets, beautiful restaurants, well-kept schools, and even a luscious public garden full of flora.
As we progressed through the city, we had ended up arriving in the Craft District - the apparent engine that seemingly powered all of Achori’s mechanical needs. Many of the people that lived here were craftsmen from the various groups known as ‘Craft Houses’; They are sort of like guilds or unions in a sense, tasked with providing and preserving access to the trade they represented. Some of the ones that me and Frost got to encounter were:
The House of Green; The guild responsible for the presence of all of the exotic and nonexotic flora found with Achori. As I entered their Craft House, I couldn’t help but be pulled in by just how much vegetation they were able to fit within such a large entryway. There were even flora covering the various sculptures found within the entry as well, memories describing what they are and who tended them.
The House of Song; By far, this particular house had piqued all of my interest - a guild dedicated to the musical arts. As soon as me and Frost were led into their Craft Houses, we were greeted by members handing us a handful of memory stones while singing a delightful melody using a mix of Vento Oratio and lilting. They gave us a small history lesson about some of their members and even gave us a private performance.
After previewing all that the Craft district had to offer, we bid farewell to the craft houses and made a small flight to the east side of Achori… The Moon District. Unlike the Craft District, The Moon District was less about craftsmanship and more about the artistic side of things. Many of their buildings were decorated with complex carvings, most likely created using the Moonvipers’ natural abilities. Aside from the buildings, the Moon district was filled with courtyards that presented many different sculptures of Moonvipers. Each one of the statues was unique in their own way, similar to the statues in the Craft District. The statues were embedded with the memories of who the statue was designed for and what they did to deserve this highest honor; from artistic achievements, scientific achievement, or even militaristic achievements. The Moonvipers went to great lengths to honor those that were considered to be greatest among them, even years after they had passed.
Before we made our departure for the Sun District, we made one final stop within the Moon District… The Lunar Temple. It was where the Moonvipers’ came to worship their trio of deities known to them as; “The Moon Sisters”. Apparently they corresponded to each of the moons within the sky, even the largest who I know to be a representation of The Sovereign’s pale light. We made it to a central point within the temple where dozens of eggs were seemingly placed on a large platform… A Moondial they called it. This is where I immediately became fascinated; Similarly to how the Sovereign and the Phoenix would bless those of us who earned it, the Moonviper Goddesses would bless the eggs that were bathed in their light during their gestation. Once they had hatched, they were given the term… ‘Moons’ Child’ or something to that effect. Of course I never got to witness this in person as, from what I was told, all Moon Children were whisked away as soon as they hatched… never to be seen by their families again.
As we were leaving the temple, I couldn’t help but look at the back wall within the central area… the gigantic mosaic of the Moonvipers’ Elder Drake, Midas Of The Gates, took up the wall in all its glory. It was… Overwhelming to say the least.
We left the Moon District and flew to our final stop and to the region we would be staying in… The Sun District. As beautiful and as gigantic as the buildings are, I could only assume that Sun District was home to Achori’s version of esteemed nobility. Located on an elevated plateau, seemingly overlooking all of Achori, was a massive golden palace with immense light radiating from its center. We tried to ascend above it to get a better view of it but we were met in the sky by Moonviper guards adorning golden armor; they ordered us to continue our visit to the ‘Sun Palace’ using our feet instead of wings. They accompanied us until we landed at the grand entrance of the palace and followed us in.
As we were ushered in, we greeted with a… new face; A kind moonviper, scales as black as the night above the ice and jewelry as red as blood. A frozen crown sat upon her head and a red, translucent veil covered her eyes. She handed me a small stone and introduced herself using the memory embedded within - her name was, like the other Moonvipers, quite long but hers was… interesting. ‘Snow’s Gleam Under the Sisters’ Gaze’ though the memory indicated that I could just shorten her name to just ‘Snow’. She was the apparent Empress of the Moonvipers, only second in leadership to the owner of the Sun Palace and her Elder Drake… Midas. Snow gave me and Frost a rather extensive tour of the palace, viewing all the golden statues and elaborate paintings of Midas scattered around all the massive rooms within the palace, before making our way back to palace gates.
Before we took off, the Empress handed me one final stone as a parting gift… It was a private invitation to the Moon Palace and then… a message? ‘Look below the Sun’ the memory quietly circled through my mind as my hand took a hold of the stone. Me and Frost took flight, but not without taking a look back at the Empress and guards; despite the Empress calmly waving at us, her face gave off a different feeling… it was unnerving, almost as if something was deeply upsetting her.
I clutched the stone again, trying to figure out what the message meant; ‘Look under the Sun’… mind you, there is no sun here… not unless you counted - a fire awakened within my head as I dived down the slope of the plateau. Frost was confused for a moment but soon followed after me. As we glided down the slope, I could see something down at the bottom. We made sure to stay out of sight and landed at a nearby ledge…
It was a door, gigantic in size just like the ones in the palace and guarded on sides by guards dawning golden armor. As we watched, a small group approached the door; Moonvipers and a handful of humans of various ages, chained together ever so tightly with pleas and prayers for mercy being heard among them. More guards were at each corner of the group, weapons all in hand… What is this? One of the humans, a younger man, was able to free himself from his chains and bolted from the group… Only to be chased down by the guards and brought back shortly after… dead… blood still dripping from a deep hole within his chest…
The guards at doors moved aside as the gigantic door opened. They then proceeded to help the other guards usher in the other captives into a single-file line before forcing them into the dark entrance, the body of the dead human being forcibly dragged by one of the guards alongside them. As the last of the captives went into the entrance, the doors began to close upon them. We watched as the door finally shut and the guards that were originally at the door took their original positions again. They were unfazed and unmoved, even when dozens of screams could be heard from behind the door…
I couldn't help but… sit in a daze… This… This…
I had to see the Empress.
Me and Frost immediately flew to the Moon Palace, while it was more serene than the Sun Palace, it was also just as imposing. We arrived at the palace gates and the Empress was already awaiting us. She escorted us inside and led us into a private area within the palace, large enough for Frost to fit through but too small for anything larger. Her attendants saw to it that I was given a comfortable place to sit and Frost a place to lay down, before being quietly ordered away by Snow herself. We sat silently for only a few minutes before she handed me another memory stone;
“I am assuming you were able to translate my message… yes?” the memory spoke.
I looked away from her… The images of the human… The moonvipers… The guards flooded back into my mind as a raging waterfall. I slowly turned back towards her, the emotions of what I saw still engulfing my very being, and spoke - They are being used for… rituals aren't they?
She responded “Yes.” in Vento Oratio, preparing another memory stone within her talons. She held the fresh stone out to me;
“It’s more than just the catacombs, my dear Ice Queen. It is something more… sinister than what you and I could possibly imagine. Have you been informed about the missing Moon Children, yet?”
I nodded, When those at the temple first told me about it, I was… bewildered to say the least. What could the hatchlings possibly be used for?
She made another stone “With all honesty at play, I cannot tell you what use Midas has for them or where they are even taken to once they are born. However, there is one particular thing I have knowledge of; She has sent a few of them out north before… to collect something.”
My eyes widened at this discovery; collect something?
The memory continued: “I don’t know exactly what they bring back from their journey or where they even take it afterwards, but what I do know is that it is extremely important to Midas. She has me arrange for extra security from the royal guard to transport them to and from their northern destination…”
Our conversation continued through the night as Snow began to recall the horrid things that have been happening in the city; I left the palace with Frost feeling shocked, bewildered, hurt, and most of all… Angry. We arrived at an apartment that Snow had prepared for us and I immediately broke down…
To think that my entire life, me and my family have lived to serve and follow the rule of you and the rest of your siblings, Hera… To think I spent the last few years of my life traveling all over the realm, carrying out all of your orders, all of your tasks, just to be confronted with the searing fact that you are not better than any of the other drakes. Not even Selene, in all her kindness and joyous nature, is free from the sins you all bear. I will reclaim my throne, I will reclaim the power that I already know I possess… I am ending this tyranny… Here and now.
Signed, Heleanor, Heir to the Ice Queen.”