The Frozen North

While Ojero and Ryan were entering the Everentile Academy for Gifted Magi, an event that would change the Northern countries of Voratia was occurring.

In the far North, in the icy land known as Tehirgut, a large giant covered in white pelts with blue skin had just broken through a large wall of ice.

It was just this single giant, who was known as Torhen to his people. He was a great warrior, but was ostracized for his fanatical ideas and his fascination with the ancient legends that the modern Ice Giants thought were nothing more than old lies made to scare children.

He was wielding a large sword that was around 12 feet long, while Torhen himself was 18 feet tall.

He had just slammed the blade into a thick wall of ice, shattering it as it all crumbled to the ground, kicking up a small cloud of snow.

Without any delay, he grabbed a large torch off of the long strips of hide that served as a belt. He brought it to his lips and breathed on it, and it erupted into large blue flames.

He started to walk into the now opened cave that descended deeper and deeper into the snowy earth, his large feet leaving deep imprints into the snow beneath him.

The wind started to blow through the cave, making a whistling noise as it passed by Torhen, but he was so focused on his goal he didn't even notice it.

This was four decades of work coming to a head, his great goal in life finally close to completion.

He brought his left hand to clutch a small pouch on his belt, making sure it was there for the fifth time that minute.

He continued moving down the path, it was growing steeper and steeper while the icy walls seemed to grow thicker and more intimidating.

Occasionally he saw great spikes of ice jut off in random directions.

The wind seemed to strangely grow stronger the further down he went, causing snow to float up into the great white beard that covered Torhen's lower face. His bushy eyebrows were squinted tight together, showing his annoyance at this.

He steeled his resolve and pushed onward, the flames on his torch constantly flickering at every gust of wind.

Soon, the path started to flatten out, and expand wider and wider.

It was only a few minutes of walking later that he arrived at a great opening leading to a large circular room.

However, what was different about this large opening was the massive skeleton in the very center.

It appeared to be a giant creature, and even after death Torhen felt in his heart a sense of reverence for this creature, mixed with pure rage at how this magnificent creature was reduced to this state.

The massive skeleton was encircling a stone altar that was rectangular in shape. It was only a few feet wide, making it look very small compared to the behemoth wrapped around it.

Torhen walked through two massive ribs, his breath coming in shorter and shorter gasps as he realized this was going to happen, everything he had fought and bled for would finally be worth it all.

In the center of the altar was a small circle cut out, and Torhen fumbled as his large hand yanked the small pouch off his belt.

He pulled the string tying it closed, allowing it to fall off. He opened the bag, and slowly and carefully pulled the item out.

It was a small blue and white coin that had an image of a crown with large snowy mountains behind it. On the other side of it was a creature's head that looked very similar to the skull not too far from Torhen right now.

Calming himself, Torhen slowly brought the coin down to the altar, fitting it directly into the circular hole.

The second they connected, a giant beam of blue and white light shot out of the altar, illuminating the entire cave.

The temperature of the cave dropped significantly, but Torhen was more focussed on the rattling that was happening all around him.

The bones started to move and come together, while a blue glow started to emanate from them. Soon this glow turned so bright Torhen had to shut his eyes or risk going blind, but they snapped open when he heard a deep and loud roar echo from all around.

A giant beast with blue scales and large wings was now in place of where the bones were. It had intelligent blue eyes that stared right at Torhen, before it lowered itself onto its stomach, showing respect to him.

Torhen slowly approached and climbed onto the great beast's back, as it stood up tall and roared once more. It shook its wings as if it was stretching them, before opening its maw wide towards the ceiling.

From its mouth emerged a great blue beam that cut through the ice straight through the entire mountain, while also crystallizing the sides of this new tunnel out.

It stretched itself out once more before launching into the sky, its great wingbeats echoing across the land.

During all of this, Torhens face grew more and more joyful, for he had done it.

He had spent his life searching for the Coin of Ice, and had found it three decades ago in a hidden chest buried deep within a crypt. This was a coin said to be the secret to the great empire Tehirgut once was, the nation known as the Great Northern Empire.

With it, he had spent many more years searching for any text about the location of the Altar of the King of Ice, and only managed to find a single sentence claiming it was at "The Heart of Frosty Depths"

It took him decades to figure out what it meant, but he had done it.

Torhen Blundhold of the Yimont tribe had done it.

Torhen Blundhold had finally done what no one thought possible.

He had brought it back, the Jewel of the North.

He had searched the Sea of Terrors, cut through the Fields of Frost, and finally located the Frosty Depths, and with it he claimed his prize.

The King of Ice.

The Ice Dragon Cyphilen.