Previously:

In our previous episode, Eilwen, Aron, Cadfael, and Mabon enter the mine in an attempt to get away from the Wolf Fang warriors and return to Rockriver and then Frostrbridge. After a few hours they recross the rope bridge and navigate the mine's dark tunnels and reach the edge of the dark underground lake. Eilwen shows the lake-side skeleton to Cadfael and Mabon and is about to resume their journey, when Cadfael and Mabon, still weary and worn and suffering from the abuses incurred at the hands of the Wolf Fang clan, call a halt to their journey. They decide to rest and make camp. They find some old ruined boats now bone dry, perfect for starting a fire and decide to make camp there. Eilwen discovers another boat under a worn canvas wrap that is in fairly good condition with workable oars. She also sees something is reflecting her torch light back to her far in the distance on the large lake. While Cadfael and Mabon work on starting a large fire and setting up camp, She and Aron take the boat to investigate what caused the reflection. They paddle across the lake and find a strange structure, an archway made entirely of iron but tilted askew. Eilwen investigates the markings on the archway, and with some excitement and dread, finds she can read them. She tries to interpret them, and upon touching the archway, receives a vision of sorts. Therein, she sees that an entity of great evil and destructive power is trapped inside the archway, a being with the same skeletal structure as that of the lake-side skeleton. She somehow knows from her vision that the archway was constructed to imprison the being, and that after unknown ages of imprisonment, a group of death cult worshipers of the same race try to free the entity. A battle ensures between the cult and between guardians, also of the same race, set to protect the archway. During the battle, powerful magics are unleased. They rupture the earth and bring forth the fountains of dark waters to drown both warring parties. The imprisoned being tries to break free but as its cult goes to a watery grave, the ritual to break the prison is incomplete, and the thing falls, shrieking and thrashing, into dark oblivion once more. Eilwen's vision ends and upon doing so, a new threat awakens in the form two graceful skeletal creatures, that crawl forth from the slimy lake's depths. These are known as bone horrors. They are legends and children tales now come to life. The creatures leap upon the slanted archway's side and with slashing forearm blades try to kill Eilwen and Aron. A brief battle ensures, and she and her brother barely manage to flee to their boat and then back to Cadfael's bonfire. They convince her father of the immediate threat and the party decides that flight is once again necessary. And as they leave the lakeside's fire burning and run into the dark tunnels, they can see dripping out of the water and muck two bone horrors scanning the shore.

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Attributions:

- 'The Long Dark' by Scott Buckley (www.scottbuckley.com.au) - released under CC-BY 4.0.

- Various tracks by Tabletop Audio ( https://tabletopaudio.com) - released under CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0. Minor modifications (fading/splitting) made to support this podcast format with written permission from the creator.

Previously:

In our previous episode, in the dead of night, Eilwen spots, within the Wolf Fang Clan raiding party's encampment, her Father, Cadfael, and Frostbridge Chiefton Mabon in a wooden cage with some old women. She awakens Aron and they get a closer look. When they see that only one sentry is on duty, guarding the cage, she and Aron decide they won't get a better chance to rescue the two men. With Aaron covering her with her bow, she stealthily moves from boulder to boulder and approaches the cage with only her dagger. She uses the runic magic her mother, Arwed, taught her for first time by herself to call upon the shadows to cloak her movements. And they come to her, but her magic betrays her, and instead of being cloaked in shadow, the shadows shift and change, and she is imbued with a ghostly sapphire light. She makes the best of it and pretends she is Shilvhana, Queen of Spears--a name and deity of her own creation--come down from the heavens to secure new retainers. She uses the tale to get close to the half-drunk guard who initially believes her. But he's ambivalent about following her, and when it looks like he might call out an alarm, she clubs him over the head with his own spear, and he crumples. She frees her father and Mabon without raising any alarm, but the captive women remain huddled within the cage, unwilling to leave, though the door is wide open. Eilwen and Aron with Cadfael, and Mabon all retreat back to the southern of Mt Hingworth to the mine entrance to make their way back through to Rockriver.

Ways to Show Support:

• Join my patreon for free at https://patreon.com/rollponderandplay or as a paid subscriber and get additional additional content
• Give the show a positive review
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Attributions:

- 'The Long Dark' by Scott Buckley (www.scottbuckley.com.au) - released under CC-BY 4.0.

- Various tracks by Tabletop Audio ( https://tabletopaudio.com) - released under CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0. Minor modifications (fading/splitting) made to support this podcast format with written permission from the creator.

Previously:

In our previous episode, Eilwen and Aron find a sheltered spot with an overhang, largely obscured from view where they can see the valley below. They prepare for the Wolf Fang raiders to circle the mountain and come into view. Eilwen goes hunting and nearly falls to ruin when she encounters a pack of hungry wolves that chase her onto an slippery log over a ravine. She manages to escape and returns to camp. From their hidden overhang, they spot the Wolf Fang encampment in the distance with tents and cookfires and cages and sleds amidst a field of huge boulders that had sloughed off from the mountain's face eons ago. When Eilwen hears the cries of the children and the women in distress, she wants to go and help, but Aaron thinks it foolish to attempt to rescue everyone, and they argue. She vows to someday free the captive women and children.

Ways to Show Support:

• Join my patreon for free at https://patreon.com/rollponderandplay or as a paid subscriber and get additional additional content
• Give the show a positive review
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Attributions:

- 'The Long Dark' by Scott Buckley (www.scottbuckley.com.au) - released under CC-BY 4.0.

- Various tracks by Tabletop Audio ( https://tabletopaudio.com) - released under CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0. Minor modifications (fading/splitting) made to support this podcast format with written permission from the creator.

Previously:

In our previous episode, Eilwen and Aaron leave behind Drystan behind in Rockriver with instructions for him to care for Kyffin so that they can move more quickly through the mines and get ahead of the Wolf Fang warriors and their prisoners. They find the mine entrance one valley over to the west and enter it about mid-morning. In the timeless dark, they find a large underground lake and a strange skeleton of a creature they have never known, an ancient skeleton that starts to crumble in places when moved. A shield and nearby helm are rusted beyond all usefulness. They resume their journey and come to a half-rotted bridge over an underground chasm of peerless depth where they hear roiling river rushing through the bowels of the mountain within. With some ingenuity involving some barrel staves and some rope, they make it safely across and finally at day's end, they exit the mine, now on the southern end of Mount Hingsworth.

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• Join my patreon for free at https://patreon.com/rollponderandplay or as a paid subscriber and get additional additional content
• Give the show a positive review
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Attributions:

- 'The Long Dark' by Scott Buckley (www.scottbuckley.com.au) - released under CC-BY 4.0.

- Various tracks by Tabletop Audio ( https://tabletopaudio.com) - released under CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0. Minor modifications (fading/splitting) made to support this podcast format with written permission from the creator.

Previously:

In our previous episode, Eilwen, Aron, and Drystan arrive safely at Rockriver, however they find that the town has been attacked and half burned to the ground, its inhabitants dead or missing. They aid one of the wounded survivors, a man named Kyffin. He tells them that the town was attacked by none other than Uzak an erstwhile and now exiled member of the Frostbridge settlement who has raised his own warband and terrorizes the country side, calling himself clan chief of a Wolf Fang clan. Kyffin doesn't know if Uzak has captured Mabon and her father, Cadfael, but he tells Eilwen that if they want to get ahead of Uzak's raiding party, there is a shortcut through a nearby mine that takes them directly through one of the mountains and should position them on the far side. He warns them, however, that the mine is rumored to be haunted and have strange creatures. He gives them a map. They decide to go through the mines, seeking whatever advantage they can in their quest to quickly save their Cadfael and Mabon. They make preparations for the journey through the mine.

Ways to Show Support:

• Join my patreon for free at https://patreon.com/rollponderandplay or as a paid subscriber and get additional additional content
• Give the show a positive review
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Attributions:

- 'The Long Dark' by Scott Buckley (www.scottbuckley.com.au) - released under CC-BY 4.0.

- Various tracks by Tabletop Audio ( https://tabletopaudio.com) - released under CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0. Minor modifications (fading/splitting) made to support this podcast format with written permission from the creator.

- River sound is from ZapSplat (Zapsplat.com) and used in accordance with their standard license.

Previously:

In our previous episode, Eilwen chases the retreating figure and ends up in a clearing where she finds ancient stone blocks and two strange iron pillars. She investigates the pillars and to her surprise realizes she can read at least some of the angular runes on their faces. She remembers how her mother had taught her the skill through a deep study of the iron disks. At the base of one of the pillars, she discovers a panel which she presses it, it springs open spewing out a large cloud of white dust, dust that she realizes with growing horror is likely dried bones ground to dust from a sacrifice a sacrifice of a little girl made to some power. She mourns such loss and vows to find out if her mother was affiliated with such a cult, and if so to stamp them out. Upon making the vow, she finds the way back to her brother and Drystan revealed. She spends the night in the forest and dreams of the child who tells her thank you. The next morning, she returns to Aron and Drystan and they resume their journey towards Rockriver to find Mabon the chieftain of Frostrbidge and their father, Cadfael.

Ways to Show Support:

• Join my patreon for free at https://patreon.com/rollponderandplay or as a paid subscriber and get additional additional content
• Give the show a positive review
• Share the show with others
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Attributions:

- 'The Long Dark' by Scott Buckley (www.scottbuckley.com.au) - released under CC-BY 4.0.

- Various tracks by Tabletop Audio ( https://tabletopaudio.com) - released under CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0. Minor modifications (fading/splitting) made to support this podcast format with written permission from the creator.

Previously:

In our previous episode, Eilwen and her twin brother, Aron, meet with Drystan, a member of the Frostbridge community. They manage to convince the large man to aid them in their search for Mabon, the missing chieftain of Frostbridge and Cadfael, their missing father. Drystan agrees and brings his sleds and dogs so they can travel more quickly over the snow. During their travels, Eilwen hides her mother's wooden box containing the crown and the iron disks in a cleft. After traveling for some time, they located the hunting grounds where Mabon and Cadfael should have been. There they see signs of a struggle and many boot prints that lead southward to the next settlement, they begin to make their way south in pursuit. After surviving an avalanche, and spending the night huddled together with the dogs, they arrive at the Green Grip, a vast swath of greenery thick with tall pines in a huge valley. The grip is rumored to be haunted. While Aron and Drystan set up camp, Eilwen goes hunting, attempting to recover their meager supplies. Instead of finding hare or doe or fox, she sees a tall slender figure whose features she could not make out under the shadowy boughs of the thick pine trees. It speaks not and only watches her. She tries to return to her brother and Drystan, but discovers that the game trail she had just been following was inexplicably gone, completely hidden from view, fresh needles and snow obliterating all traces of her previous route. With nowhere else to go, she decides that following after the strange figure who had retreated deeper into the trees is the only way she'll be able to get clear of this strange forest.

Ways to Show Support:

• Join my patreon for free at https://patreon.com/rollponderandplay or as a paid subscriber and get additional additional content
• Give the show a positive review
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Attributions:

- 'The Long Dark' by Scott Buckley (www.scottbuckley.com.au) - released under CC-BY 4.0.

- Various tracks by Tabletop Audio ( https://tabletopaudio.com) - released under CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0. Minor modifications (fading/splitting) made to support this podcast format with written permission from the creator.

- 'Just Run Adventure Cinematic' by Roman Gim (whvle) on Pixabay, used in accordance with Pixabay's royalty-free Content License (https://pixabay.com/service/license-summary/).

This episode was sponsored by Friends & Fables.

Previously:

In our previous episode, Eilwen her twin brother Aron, both 18 years old, find out their father and Chief Mabon have not returned from their morning hunt. Eilwen vows to find them and she and Aron gather supplies in preparation. Before they can set out however, a huge silverback bear enters Frostbridge hoping for an easy meal. In the ensuing fight, two members of the community are slain by the bear before it retreats into the snowy wilderness of the Veiled Mountains. Eilwen and Aron continue their preparations and overhear conversations between the dark-hearted Belvan and his cronies talking ill about their family and planning something. Eilwen decides to do something about Belvan once they find their father. She takes the finely wrought box with the crown and its strange iron disks and brings it with them. Disks she doesn't reveal to Aron, disks her mother taught her to read.

Ways to Show Support:

• Join my patreon for free at https://patreon.com/rollponderandplay or as a paid subscriber and get additional additional content
• Give the show a positive review
• Share the show with others
• Reach out to me and say hello

Attributions:

- 'The Long Dark' by Scott Buckley (www.scottbuckley.com.au) - released under CC-BY 4.0.

- Various tracks by Tabletop Audio ( https://tabletopaudio.com) - released under CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0. Minor modifications (fading/splitting) made to support this podcast format with written permission from the creator.

- 'Just Run Adventure Cinematic' by Roman Gim (whvle) on Pixabay, used in accordance with Pixabay's royalty-free Content License (https://pixabay.com/service/license-summary/).

This episode was sponsored by Friends & Fables.