The Caves of Ice

Sighing, Thoran Frosthammer, a large boy for his age, undressed himself and slid into his warm, straw bed. Gazing out the window, he imagined himself as the warrior that he saw in the stars, battling creatures ten times his height, and saving villages from impending doom. Thoran liked that word, impending, ever since he heard it he used it often. Sighed, he mumbled "I wish I could be like you" in musing tones.

A clatter awoke him from his daydreams. It had come from outside so he looked out the window again. What he saw would haunt him to his grave. Beasts, wild, misshapen, and horrible they were. They were marching toward his house!

Immediately, he ran to awake his father, who was a rather good huntsman and skilled with a spear. Grabbing his weapon of choice from its place on the rack, Rhoran Frosthammer, father of Thoran Frosthammer, bolted to the door and waited. Silence.

Suddenly the door shattered like glass and a beast so vicious as to chill even a Nord's blood appeared at the door. "Balouk-Mir" was all Thoran's father could say. It smiled without humor but with maddened insanity at Rhoran, and in one swift motion ripped the stout man into two bloody pieces with its bare hands.

Thoran looked on in horror, shocked at the sight he had just witnessed, his mind unable to accept what had just happened. The beast looked down at Thoran, tilted his head menacingly and muttered something about Thoran's death would be a blessing to him; whatever it said Thoran wasn't listening.

The beast moved on along with his horrible soldiers, into the house. Even as that happened the boy never moved. Not until he heard a strangled scream that was cut off by silence. The scream came from his mother! Immediately picking up his father's spear, Thoran ran to his mother's room. But when he got there and entered the room, all he saw was blood smeared across every inch of the room, and the beasts were gone.

Thoran, recovering from his shock and reliving what happened, let out an anguished cry, which was choked off by a strangled sob.

The last thing Thoran Frosthammer did before he collapsed was gasp out, "I will find you monster," he sniffed hoarsely, "and I will kill you..."


Thoran Frosthammer gripped his warhammer tighter and surveyed his surroundings. He stood at the heart of the Ice Caves and as the name implies he was standing in a cavern made completely out of ice. The caves had been cut into the mountains long ago by a dreadful daedra. Balouk-Mir. Thoran had been chasing this daedra for many years after the beast slaughtered his entire family in Snowhawk.

Finally, the vengeful Thoran Frosthammer, lord and chief of his village and father of two sons, stepped into the lair of Balouk-Mir son of Sheogorath. The crystalline altar was the first thing Thoran noticed, ten feet width and breadth, it could "comfortably" fit a human atop it with room to spare. That was probably what it was for judging by the red blood now frozen and crystallized. Beside this altar on either end stood two large, iron braziers, one carved in the likeness of the daedra standing at the altar: Duke Balouk-Mir.

Thoran, having not seen him standing there just moments before, blinked away the fuzziness around his tired eyes, cursed himself for falling into one of Balouk-Mir's mind tricks, and gripped the handle of his warhammer even tighter still.

"Good evening Nord," the daedra breathed, his voice smooth and even, "come and have a cup of tea." he offered and gesture toward a table in the corner of the room bristling with life now that it was set with tea, cream, moon sugar, and small cakes, all illuminated by a three-candled holder in the middle.

Again Thoran cursed himself for a fool for being the victim of Balouk-Mir's tricks.

Ignoring the gesture of "hospitality," the now-steaming Nord yelled. "Balouk-Mir, son of Sheogorath, you have invaded my land, destroyed my livestock, murdered my family," Thoran took a second to regain his composure as the last word faltered into a sob. "And you dare to disrespect me so."

The daedra may not have even heard him as he replied casually, "My dear Nord," he began, "do you really want to kill me? If this is true, I beg you Nord, come strike me down," he mocked.

Thoran rushed the daedra, his hammer whistled through the air... and stopped with violent force as it struck what hadn't been there moments before: a solid ice wall that sprang up protectively around the daedra. Balouk-Mir laughed, while Thoran massaged his stinging fingers resulting from the unexpectedly early impact, a vicious, deep, baritone voice, contradicting the previous voice he wore.

"Typical," he said simply, "What would be the most ironic way for you to die?" he mused. Seeming to reach a conclusion, the daedra smiled.

Horrified, the Nordic lord's head darted around for an answer as he realized that, yes, something was definitely wrong. He began to shiver, and a bluish glow emitted from his skin. The glow intensified and spread, as did the shivers.

"What's happening to me?" he yelled, feeling the cold trying to make its way through his natural resistance and grasp his neck with frozen fingers.

As Thoran dropped to his knees, the coldness of the cavern finally touching the resilient Nord, Balouk-Mir cackled, "Tell me Nord, do you fear the cold?"

Through supreme effort, Thoran picked himself off of the ground, and gathered up his remaining strength to retort, "I fear not what shouldn't touch me." he said hoarsely, the coldness of the cave freezing his lungs.

Thoran glanced around and noticed that the glow emitting from his skin seemed to have effected the table set with tea, and noticed that the tea was now frozen. The candle had gone out and the cream crystallized, the cave's frozen touch grasping them as well being no longer protected by the daedra's magic. Adding all of this in his mind Thoran looked up at the daedra, now laughing madly, and suddenly realized what he must do.

"Tell me Daedra," Thoran Frosthammer whispered, able to do little else through his frozen throat, "do you fear the cold?" Grabbing his hammer from off the ground, Thoran Frosthammer, Lord of Snowhawk, let loose a horrible cry and rushed Balouk-Mir whirling his weapon.

As the glow touched the icy barrier surrounding the daedra, it shattered as if struck by a mighty blow, the daedra's protection from the cold was broken!

Realizing what he had done, Balouk-Mir's eyes shot wide and he screamed in terror as the glow, the very same spell he had used to kill his enemy now touched him and he felt the grip of ice as his vision went black.


[In some versions of this story it is said that Thoran broke the spell by slaying his enemy but most scholars believe that if this story is true, then they are both still below in the Caves of Ice now lost from a horrible collapse of the tunnel, frozen as statues.]