Episode 0: Frozen

A group of travelers takes a job from a man on the road and ends up contributing to one of the most catastrophic events in the history of the world.

#### Plot Synopsis

This adventure followed the antics of Alisia Silverstone, Gut Thunderpunch, Alf Cateater, and Sam. While traveling north on the King's Road of Stin Cepel, the group was jumped by Goblins. Soon after, they ran into William Maynots, heading southward, who gave them a tip about a job he'd heard rumors of in Gurno, the northern University town. The group took the information and headed there.

When they arrived, they explored the town, sampling its famous meats and other fare. They made their way to the library, the contact point for the job, and set up a meet with their prospective employer. With some time to kill, the group split up, each exploring the town in their own way. Sam hung around the library and noticed a group of students snickering at a particularly angry-looking male Eladrin. When she witnessed him snap at the students, she attempted to talk to him, but he avoided her; finally, he shot her with magic and told her to leave him alone.

Meanwhile, Gut did some creepy stuff at a local sorority and Alf checked the group into an inn.

That night, the group met their contact, a dark elf. He told them their mission: travel to a cave in the Freezing Wastes, retrieve a gemstone buried there, and bring it back to Gurno. Simple. The group agreed to carry out the job. They spent the night in an inn - Sam and Alisia got drunk and Sam slept with a barwench after doing some serious drugs - and departed the next morning.

Their trek through the Freezing Wastes was long and arduous. Eventually, though, they found the cave. When they entered they noticed blood on the ground and, as they moved further in, heard some ramblings. They encountered a crazed Goblin magic user and his trained wolves; they killed them all. They found the gem, lodged deep inside thick sheets of ice, and grabbed it.

When Alf Cateater took the gem, he got a flash of quick-moving images and the sound of five voices in his head. Scared, he dropped it. After some discussion, the group agreed to take the gem, and wrapped it in some linens as to not make direct contact.

They returned to Gurno, slightly freaked out. They met their contact in the inn; it proved to be a Human man in orange robes. They gave him the gem, he gave them the money, and all was well.

#### Aftermath

That gem was the prison the Council of Three had used to imprison Cyric after the last time they'd defeated him. The job, through intermediaries, had come from Gramorn Duskfell, and it was Seaorin who retrieved the gem in the end. The influence of Cyric was a strong factor that led to the Harbinger Coup and, eventually, the Astral Civil War.

Alf Cateater and Gut Thunderpunch ended up joining the forces of Dryadis in opposition to the Harbingers of Purity. They were present at the Battle of Broumov. Sam, wracked with guilt, overdosed on some drugs and died. Alisia Silverstone also died during the Harbinger Coup after getting into a fight with some Harbinger soldiers. She reappeared in Episode II: Oasis as one of Maron's Enforcers.

***NEXT: Episode I: Reclamation***