Oran Battlemage had been wandering for hours since his small flying ship had crashed on this seemingly desolate island of mountains and glaciers. Making his way through narrow crags in the glaciers, he trekked onward in hopes of finding help, or of finding a way off this island to continue his trip home.
As he searched, his mind was filled with a mixture of the images of home and family, interrupted with the nightmares of war... for young Oran Battlemage had been on his way from proudly serving in the ranks of a righteous crusade against evil forces, and terrific creatures.
Then ahead, Oran spied a tunnel through the ice, a tunnel that did not seem to be a natural formation. His hopes leapt that perhaps there were residents on this island.
Oran journeyed down the ice tunnel, which was very long. But, it never went too deep into the ice, so it was beautifully illuminated along its length from light that permeated the snow and ice. But eventually, the tunnel came to an end.
Oran now found himself some distance from the barren rock mountains and on a small, ice covered shelf, seemingly at the edge of the island.
A frigid blast of cold air carrying stinging ice particles hit him, and he had to brace himself for a moment or two until the wind ceased. Time was running out for him, he knew -- cold and hunger were taxing his energy; how much longer could he continue?
Oran stepped over to the edge of the ice shelf, and looked out into the void of sky, clouds and stars. It was beautiful, in its own way, he thought to himself, though it might very well be his end should he not find help, shelter or food.
As Oran gazed out into the empty sky, a girl appeared from a narrow defile in the glacier that he had not noticed before. He turned as he heard the crunch of her boots on the ice and snow. He felt immense relief at the sight of another person. "Hello!" he called out, "I have been stranded here on this island by my ship wrecking upon the rocks, can you help me?"
The girl smiled pleasantly, "yes," she replied, "you are in no danger here on this island, for this place is my home. Welcome, castaway, to Estgard, my family's private island. You are fortunate that I was out hunting just now. My name is Angelica, and this is my pet Ice Dragon, Artica. Follow me and I will take you to my home, the Tower of Estgard." Angelica then led Oran to a smaller tunnel in the glacier that he had not seen before because it blended so well into the ice around it.
Angelica led him down this small, and short distance, ice tunnel to a cliff face. In the cliff face was a passageway carved into the mountain. "This passage leads to the main valley of Estgard, where my home is. On this side of the island, there are only cliffs and glaciers, and a maze of crags and narrow defiles that you could get lost in forever if you are not careful," Angelica said.
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