Deborah the Scribe

UP: Lake Superior

    It was brutal, it was bloody, and most importantly, it was just plain cold out there.

    Ironically what was the site of a bright Virtue festival just short weeks before turned dark, dismal, and chilly recently as a white gate appeared at the Magincia Parliament. Teeming with monsters of ice and snow, this attack came directly after a group composed of many members (including several from the High Council) returned from the ice caverns of the Lost Lands.

    A note made its way to our office here in Occlo that a mysterious organizaion labelled the Gelidum is among the parties claiming sole responsibility for these attacks.

“The Gelidum is displeased that the bloodsucking bipeds would attempt to take credit for these attacks, and warns them against continuing down this path.”

    Who, or what is the Gelidum and how do they fit into this picture? While the High Council appears not to be “bloodsucking bipeds”, the location of the invasion is certainly suspect. Was attack engineered by the Gelidum to serve as warning to the curious High Council as well?

    Hopping through the gate, travellers found themselves at the entrance of the ice caverns, the monsters visibly using it as a direct passage to Magincia. Ice serpents, snow elementals, and trolls relentlessly pounded upon the brave warriors and mages that came to defend Magincia.

    After a long battle, some of the creatures slipped back through the passageway, and the gate disappeared, leaving no trace of how the creatures arrived. Battered and bruised, the defenders of Magincia slowly began to pick themselves and their possessions back up from their fallen, chilled corpses.

    Several onlookers after the attack turned to each other and asked, “Did you see that? It vanished in a burst of flame!” An ironic ending to an attack of iced creatures. Snow or flames aside, an eerie hush fell over Magincia that night as many of the weary battlers departed, satisfied that peace would be had once again in the island city.

    But for how long?

From the Town Cryer - The Journal of Ultima Online, Thursday, June 24th 1999