Emerald Knights "Why are we here again?" recap

As it has been some time now, and the details of what the hell you were all doing in this frozen hellscape of a vacation destination, I figured it might be good to provide a super brief recap of where and why you are.

Former students of Elaria Feywing, (Who events uncovered was actually Elestaria of the fabled Emerald Knights who had once protected the lands but had disappeared into relative obscurity over time), some of you were attacked by Necromancers and their minions as you attended Elaria's funeral rites. This led to the discovery of a magically sealed vault that held some of Elaria's prized possessions, most importantly her longsword, her Pearl of Power, and her journal.

The journal, filled with Elaria's ramblings and ruminations, led to the knowledge that Elaria had stolen something of grave importance to a cult of Necromancers. Apparently not able to deal a death blow to the organization of undead on her own, she had instead stolen an artifact, sometimes referred to as the 'Eye of Undeath' or 'Heart of the Necromancer' to stymie their goals.  She had, apparently, hidden this evil treasure away and escaped to reinvent herself and become the trainer of young adventurers you knew her as.

Following some of her journal entries of former students she kept track of, some of her current students stayed to watch over her village and grave, while others headed north and began gathering together her former students and deciding to follow the clues in her journal to, hopefully, find the lost evil relic and do away with the Necromancer cult that Elaria had harmed but not destroyed.

And so the group followed the scrawled breadcrumbs, finding and aiding a guide, Jarik, who unknowingly carried one of the relics left behind by the Emerald Knights. Jarik could then lead them to where she had left her gardening gloves with 'Mother'. Defeating the dangers and discovering the hidden Emerald Halls beneath a centuries ago fallen minor castle. Attuning to latent but profound magical items within the halls that allowed you to take on the mantle of the Emerald Knights. Defending the valley, and town, from undead. Protecting each other from the dangers, risks, or responsibilities of your pasts. And leading you always towards the latest clues in Elaria's journal. That, with the gloves regained, the 'Heart From Winter', in Krasnovsk, could be 'safely' acquired. (With some odd reminiscing about Larry and Roger.)

You traveled through the Dwarven 'mines' that turned out to be an ancient and unfinished burial chamber invaded by deadly Ankhegs, and through the tunnels under the deadly frozen mountains to the winter shrouded valley of Kravanost, (Named for the long abandoned fortress that had once perotected the north.)  With only the minor inconvenience of the lair of a Cave Sovereign to navigate through. 

Now in the winter valley, you have learned that it is cursed/protected? by a seemingly eternal deadly blizzard that not only saps the body of energy and any hint of warmth, but also seems to block, and possibly feed upon, magics. Teleportation is risky, or even impossible, and even your telepathic communication seems to be invaded by the force of the Blizzard.

By accidental purpose, you found yourself drawn to the abandoned fortress of Kravanost rather than the 'Cradle of Death/Winter' that is the village of Krasnovsk. You found it surrounded by undead, who seem to refuse to stay dead, and the fortress itself reclaimed and defended, by bloodthirsty Yeti who's leader on the wall promises, with terribly obvious deception, to allow you to come closer without harm so he can 'show you his most powerful magics!)

Caught between a now readied and waiting Yeti force, and a small army of undead that just won't stay down, the party decides to retreat and come up with a plan for what to do next.

Drock's Divine senses told her that not only were their Undead aplenty around the fortress, but the very land seemed to hold an afinity for undeath. Ami feels certain that the Fortress holds some magics within it related to the unending Blizzard and it's control over the valley, but is uncertain of whether it has anything to do with the party's actual goals. While Elaria's journal suggests that the 'Cradle of Winter' is where this 'Heath from Winter', and Larry and Roger, can be found.

So the party decides to scout the village to see if their task lies there, or whether they will need to make a second attempt at the well guarded fortress and it's undead secrets.  I mean, scouting out a small village has got to be easier than taking on a well defended and warned Fortress, right?  Right???

****

Journal discoveries

Jack flips through the journal of Elaria and finds notes and comments that mentioned Kravanost and some odd comments about the 'heart of winter', Larry and Roger, etc.

"Only when you have Mother's Gloves, and have faced the Heart of Winter, is it safe to play in The Sundown Squall Garden." But no... It doesn't say Heart OF Winter, it says Heart FROM Winter?"

Wait. Winter? Didn't she talk about her lack of love of Winter in here", you think as you flip through pages. Ah... "Winter in Kravanost... The cold seems to leach your very life from you. Cold this cold is fit only for arctic creatures and the undead! Learned quickly to steer clear of the dark ice! But it was a worthwhile trek. Said hello to the Twins at their post. Larry was his usual exhausting self, but Roger, sweet Roger, has a heart of gold! I must make sure to come see Roger again when it is all over."

Kravanost.... You recall something about the northern city of Kravanost, lost to the elements. Across the mountains north of the wild tribes. And... Larry and Roger. Larry and Roger... Why does that sound so.... Aha. Elaria used to jokingly use Larry and Roger as 'Left and Right' when someone would get confused about directions. But.... that's got to be a silly coincidence, right?

Ami and Jack recognized the name Kravanost as the 'lost fortress' in the frozen tundra's North of the Mountains. The road north peters out as the kingdom never has managed to bring the Tribes in line to 'join civilization', and the roadway, and the northern fortress, were both abandoned..

*

Now having learned that the original name for the valley was Krasnovsk a' Vapul, "Cradle of Death", Jack also is able to make out in Elaria's Journal the following: "The fort is still defended, though now the guards are quite a bit hairier than before! And the Cradle has gone cold. Crotchety Vuzeth has lost an unhealthy amount of weight. He's but a shadow of the man he once was. No one lives here anymore. If I wanted to never been found, this would sure be one place to go."

Maybe your goal isn't actually the fortress of Kravanost, but the town of Krasnovsk, the Cradle? There is also another entry that seems related. "Ryz seems determined to leave the forest and follow Vapul despite my attempts to dissuade him. May the sling stones keep him and Mati safe!"

[With the Investigation checks of Jack and Ami, you are able to find very little about sling stones. But when cross searching with Vapul and undead, you do come across references of silingfashi shi, or 'Necromancer Stones', said to protect one from some of the risks of undeath?]