The Giant In The Ice
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Isolde and Cormac make their way to the Witch and Seer, carrying with them a crusty skeletal digit and a massive greataxe respectively. Both items originate from within the giant body submerged and (by now only partially) frozen in ice on a remote island in the Icelace. The strange inky strands of hair and purple flesh of the behemoth creature appeared more clearly this time, having apparantly been thawing and 'waking' since the Geeses first visit to the isle. Several shudders and quakes are reported, as well as snaking, if still sluggish movement from the tendrils of inky black hair.
The digit and the axe come from a find some way inside the beast itself, Cormac having hewn a path within to find a throne, upon which sat the skeletal remains of (presumably) a man. Whether the giant swallowed the already dead man up as it grew or somehow originated from it is thus far impossible to tell, but the items gathered are presented to primarily Jonni for study.
Finally, Cormac's unique ability to communicate with the slumbering giant allowed him to glean some insight into its nature, primarily its fears. It seems to shun light of any kind, and indeed Isolde chimes in that any inky tendrils touched by flame instantly withered and fell to dust. But, she adds, there's a whole lot more of it remaining. Possibly the bedrock of the whole island is but a covering shell for the creature within.
