In which Arn faces old enemies, forces of nature, and finds himself at the steps of Thaugolos’ lair.
Arn Kalapunki heads towards the towers that mark the Lair of Thaugolos. Less than a day out of Bleak Hall, Arn is forced to make camp to recuperate more fully from his battle with Tahir.
Arn fails to find a safe area to make camp, finding only wind-funneling ravines in the sides of the mountains. Daylight falls in the late afternoon, and Arn climbs the icy snow-covered slopes looking for safety in the blowing snow.
Looking back down the slope, Arn Kalapunki makes out a figure walking with a shuffling gait navigating the rough terrain … coming towards him. Arn knocks an arrow and waits against a cliff face while the figure approaches. It is an older man with a gray scraggly beard .. and as the face emerges from the storm, Arn recognizes the face .. a face that should not be here, nor anywhere for that matter: Thorbjorn, a man Arn watched die at the lair of the Husk.
Behind the animated corpse of Thorbjorn, Arn spies …
… what was once a man, with long flowing hair, clean shaven face, skin as hard as steel .. and this thing, this husk of a man sees Arn and says with a deathly voice: “Give me back my spear!”
Hoggavandill, the husk, has been hunting Arn all this time!
Arn Kalapunki spies a precarious pile of rocks, ice, and snow up above, and pulls the hammer of Faraza, the Elven weapon-smith. Arn smashes at the rubble with the hammer attempting to dislodge it … which succeeds, causing a small avalanche of boulders and ice.
Hoggvandill is caught by the avalanche and swept down the hillside .. Hoggvandill soon follows Hoggvandill caught in the cascading ice, but is able to pull himself to safety and wait out the rest of the avalanche. When it subsides, he emerges from the snow, palpable evil radiating from his black eyes in anger.
He leaps towards Arn, who has his bow at the ready … but the surprise of the attack catches Arn off-guard, and he stumbles backwards, losing his bow, and nearly falling off a ledge as he falls.
The Husk Hoggvandill demands his spear again, and thrusts at Arn with his blade, catching Arn in his maimed leg. Hoggvandil takes advantage of the situation and presses his advantage, as Arn struggles to unsheath Ulvetann, but Hoggvandil is too fast and Arn must roll aside.
Arn unsheathes Ulvetann in time to take the blow from Hoggvandil and is able to parry and wound the Husk …the battle, however, has pushed Arn to the edge of a steep cliff. Hoggvandil attempts to maneuver him around to get at the spear, but Arn is able to use his own momentum against him and push Hoggvandil towards the cliff edge.
Vestlidi begins whispering to Arn through the blade, who pushes it into Hoggvandil. The Husk grasps the spear attempting to take it, but Arn says “This is not your spear .. it is mine!” Arn places a boot on the Husk’s chest and pushes him off the spear and down the cliff, defeating Hoggvandil.
“Well great-grandfather,” Arn says to Ulvetann having gathered his gear, “one again you helped me to survive. How many more times will I be able to survive drawing upon your power?” He climbs the slopes looking for a place to camp as night descends.
Arn finally finds a place to make camp and tends to his wounds, light a small fire, and resupply.
As Arn sets out once again, the voice of Vestlidi begins whispering to him again .. but this time it is not madness that Arn hears, but .. a memory? Arn begins to see a memory through the eyes of Vestlidi: he is heading up the mountain to the Lair of Thaugolos, following footsteps in the snow .. he is being led upwards by another figure, a travelling companion.
“What secrets are you trying to tell me, grandfather?” Arn inquires, as he trudges on.
Arn Kalapunki decides to rest for the night and gather his wits after all that has occurred. Unfortunately, the storm continues to grow in strength, hurling the powers of winter against him and blocking his path.
Arn sets up a tent in the shelter of a cliffside and remains for two days, until he realizes that he can not simply wait out the storm but must continue on.
Arn steels himself and presses onwards and upwards until he manages to finally emerge above the storm and its clouds. Rising up from the rock face across an ancient gorge is an ancient tower. He has finally reached the Lair of Thaugolos!
.. but it lay on the other side of a massive gorge! Approaching the edge of the cliff on his side of the gorge, he looks down and he sees what appears to be a cleverly concealed bridge. Indeed, just below is a well concealed Elven escape path …
Arn makes his way down a series of Elven stairs cut into the cliffside down to the bridge.
Vestlidi again shares a memory with Arn Kalapunki through the spear Ulvetann of when he himself reached this self-same Elvish bridge across the gorge. The companion is now fully visible ahead of him on path as they move towards the tower. He moves lithely and gestures to Vestlidi to follow.