Battle of the Frozen Lake

The Battle of the Frozen Lake was a surprise attack orchestrated by the Muscle Factory in hopes of killing and looting the Party. It was one of the Party's greatest defeats, resulting in the deaths of several companions.

### The Ambush

The Muscle Factory, fresh from killing a forest druid who had been causing them some trouble, got word that a group of adventurers was trespassing on lands they considered their territory in the Feywild. They prepared to ambush the group, expecting an easy victory and perhaps some loot. After spotting the adventuring party, the Muscle Factory unleashed two goblin orphans who had been strapped with explosives. The pair sprinted towards their targets, though only one was able to do any damage to the Party. This was not the only preparation the Muscle Factory had made, however, as one of their servants wheeled out a catapult and Biting Ant deployed a device that would eventually summon a giant ant to assist in the ambush. As the Party scrambled to get off of the frozen lake and onto solid ground, the Muscle Factory began to attack with their main force.

### The Early Moments

The battle began with a volley from the goblin catapult that reigned gore and viscera upon the Party. The goblin wizard Biting Ant then attempted to incinerate the Party with a ball of incendiary ants, though Enyo was able to dispel the magic before it could do any harm. Orn took to the skies on his drake, launching a counterattack that felled Biting Ant with two well-placed crossbow bolts. The wizard was quickly revived by Pierre Delecto, who stayed behind as the goblin vanguard rushed towards the Party. The Party was crippled early in the attack, as Dolugar unleashed a baneful curse and magically enfeebled Thrasios. He then waded directly into the heart of the Party, as Bobo and Thrasios tried vain to fell him. Enyo sprinted away from the front lines, knowing that getting within melee range of any goblin would mean certain, but fell through a crack in the ice. Funkie Foodle was able to pull him to safety, but not before the goblins closed in around him.

As the Party fought below, Orn took to the sky on his drake. Though he originally hoped to rain bolts down onto the goblins, he soon faced a greater threat. A goblin zeppelin, staffed by a maniacal crew, burst through the clouds. Orn quickly determined that the craft was attempting to crash directly into the Party and summoned magical spikes to rupture its balloon. In perhaps the only bit of good luck they experienced that day, the resulting zeppelin crash killed Anaal Saax but did no damage to the Party. Less lucky was the arrival of the Giant Ant, summoned by Biting Ant. The creature began rampaging out of control, but was brought to heel by Hans Dickler, who turned its focus on the Party.

### The Party's Collapse

The Party survived the goblins' initial onslaught, but the fighting became a brutal slog. Dolagar, though surrounded, resisted the Party's attacks and slowly drained their life force. Thrun summoned a moonbeam that slowly and steadily chipped away at their defenses. Distracted and fighting for their own lives, the Party was unable to protect their allies. One by one, the goblins picked them off. Isabelle was eviscerated by a stream of ants summoned by Biting Ant. The Giant Ant swalled Shan whole. Funkie Foodle was sliced in two by Pierre Delecto, just moments after donning the Harvest Crown. Though Enyo was able to temporarily remove Pierre from the fight, afflicting him with a magical fit of laughter, he was cut down by Erg's polearm. Nearby, Toevehl had been darting between goblins and delivering brutal sneak attacks using his psychic daggers. One such attack killed Biting Ant, though revenge offered the rogue little solace. Even his agility, however, could not save him from the goblins' relentless attack. He was set upon by many goblins, but it was an arrow from Hans Dickler that finally knocked him out of the fight. In desperation, Thrasios smashed the ice he and Dolagar stood upon. Though he hoped to quickly drown the cleric, the two became embroiled in yet another close-quarters brawl, this team in the freezing water. It was at this point that the Party began to realize that the fight was lost. First to retreat was Bobo Dakota, who sprinted across the frozen lake to safety. Krangle attempted to follow suit, but was cut down by Pierre Delecto before he could flee. Thrasios, exhausted from his fight with Dolagar, swam away in the same direction. The Party's fate rested in the hands of Orn, who produced a handful of goodberries in the hopes of reviving his fallen allies. He managed to safely slip berries to both Enyo and Tovehl before escaping himself. Tovehel quickly followed suit and dashed away in his wererat form. Enyo was able to revive Krangle by magically transferring the lifeforce from nearby plants into the fighter. He attacked a weakened Erg before fleeing, but ultimately failed to kill the goblin. Krangle was the last Party member to escape, disentangling himself from Pierre and running west after Bobo.

### The Aftermath

The Muscle Factory had won the battle, but failed to eradicate the Party. They had also lost two core members; Biting Ant and Anaal Saax lay dead on the battlefield. Dolagar had the power to revive one, and only one of them. He turned the decision over to Maglubiyet, praying for guidance. The orc god determined that Anaal would be revived, and the fighter was brought back from the dead. The orcs also consulted their god over which of them ought claim the Harvest Crown that Pierre had taken from Funkie Foodle's corpse. To their surprise, the god decreed that the Giant Ant would be crowned the new Harvest King.