Type: Trading establishment and base for expeditions into the frontier, positioned along a major trading corridor into Aelfir. It is also the location of an eyrie of hippogriff, maintained by the Temple of the Windrider. The temple is supported and protected by potent wards, and serves as a gathering point for several adventuring companies and motley types.
Director: Zapatos, high priest of Shaundakul, who has gained increasing prominence. Zapatos has displayed the incredible energy needed to instill life into this fortress as a temple/waystation of the Windrider. The ex-director, Hendrix Cinderbane, who distinguished himself as an organizer and diplomat, as well as a warrior in the war against the Army of the Black Prophet, handed Blue Snows over to Zapatos and now is lord of Caer Trildane.
Security: Zapatos is a priest of 12th level, and has a number of lesser priests and lay folk who serve the temple. The temple maintains a contingent of mercenary guards, as well as its hippogriff forces - a squad of fifteen air lancers. Moreover, the local inn, the Swollen Toe, is a popular spot among adventurers, and these can be hired readily to deal with problems that arise. Numerous veterans of the recent war use Blue Snows as a base between forays into the Blacklands, and these hardened warriors would not hesitate to defend their home.
Finally, Vigilar and Vigil agents are often visiting, and the forces of Caer Trildane are not far, should Blue Snows be hard pressed.
Measures: A Wardmist surounds the area, which is also well glyphed against evil creatures, and is the site of focus faith magic. Only subtle magics are used to protect the area. Powerful enchantments are avoided except in the sanctums of the inner temple. Walls have been raised, tunnels and storage sites dug, and protections from scrying and teleportations exist. Several huge and potent undead have been linked to the Wardmist, while a helmed horror Serathin fashioned to serve as Hendrix's bodyguard now guards Zapatos.
Secretly, six of Olph of Thurtle's enhanced war spiders are held in the basement of the temple, awaiting orders to come forth and defend. Use of undead on temple grounds has been banned by Zapatos, however. In 1373, he defenses were further augmented with a handful of quickwood trees (spytrees) and a few cooshee which were given by the elves to humans who helped fight in the battle to open a passage to the Silver Isle. The temple also generally keeps a focused Protection From Evil spell to ward off charms and evil influences, and likely has other defenses that the Vigil is unaware of.
Also, Zapatos, as a Lord of the Winds, has constructed on an eyrie for flying mounts in the cliffs. Griffons are too wild for his taste, and so he has secured hippogriffs from another temple with which to begin his own herd, given that they are somewhat more managable and cost less to feed. As of yet, the herd is small, but it is expected to grow in the coming years, perhaps mating with herds from other shrines of the Rider of the Winds that dot the Kingdom of Aelfir. The eyrie is located about a half mile off from the inn, and so far is being kept a secret. The spelljammer docking facility is located near it, against the edge of a cliff which is sheltered from the strong winds that blow through the mountains in winter and spring.
In 1375, the defenses of Blue Snows were further augmented by a half dozen Exalted Battlebriars who help guard and patrol the surroundings. After a period of 1 month learning under the tutelage of the rangers of Blue Snows, the battlebriars are given the choice to either remain, to transfer to Caer Trildane, or to set out on their own. Also in 1375, the Vigil layered the entire area of Blue Snows with the Rend Shadow Weave spell. Although expensive, Blue Snows and its immediate environs are encompassed by a dead magic zone that only affects the Shadow Weave.
Alliances: Though it receives formal acknowledgement by both the King of Aelfir and the nearest provinces of the Southern Empire, it is largely an independent holding, paying formal allegiance to Aelfir.
Secrecy: After the war with the Army of the Blacklands, Blue Snows became rather famous. In some circles, the final battle is even known as the Battle of Blue Snows. Not surprisingly, Blue Snows is no longer much of a secret.
The spelljamming activities that were carried out at Blue Snows had been increasing in scope and intensity of late. Therefore, Zapatos and Hendrix agreed to divide the trade among the two establishments, with Caer Trildane's share increasing as the community increased in size. Blue Snows still maintains a dock near a cliff, where the ships are protected from the winds and shielded by a Screen spell.
Economy: This safehold is still supported primarily by trade, and the Windrider's priests are very adept at turning a profit. A large portion of the trade is sent via spelljammer space, linked to Durpar, and filtered through nonaligned channels (Avid) to the Maerklos trading coster. The trade is brisk and profitable, particularly in "exotic" items. (See below for details.) Trade with the Southern Empire has ceased, but some trade has been established with giantish communities on the borders of the Giant Lands (known as the Jotunlander).
With the nearby presence of Caer Trildane, the need for large military forces has decreased, compensating Blue Snows for the loss of much of its trade. At the same time, it has begun to earn an income by serving the needs of adventurers passing through, and offering healing and other aid to those who have come to fight Blackspawn or seek treasure in the keeps and crypts which were abandoned or destroyed during the coming of Entropy. Its rangers frequently hire out to guide travellers through the perilous Rainbow Hills, and have recently begun blazing secret trails marked by magical runes and littered with hidden caches of food and medicines. From here, Shandakul's priesthood will slowly spread out to link its trails to other temples and refuges of the Windrider. Shandakul's temple has also begun to win respect from local faeries for its efforts to hasten the planting of Persephone's gifts, and Zapatos is well aware of the value of this friendship.
Issues: Blue Snows primary function is still replusing the incursion of the Blackspawn into the Kingdom of Aelfir. However, it has also become a significant temple of the Windrider, as well as a gathering place for adventurers. The military task of cleansing the immediate vicinity of monsters has passed to Caer Trildane. The adventurers at Blue Snows generally mount deeper and riskier ventures into the frontier, and sometimes into the Blacklands themselves.
Adventurers are rewarded for bringing back trophies of their kills, especially such magical components as hearts, teeth, scales, feathers, etc... These are then packaged, cleansed, blessed, and sold out of sphere.
After years of friendly overtures, Zapatos
finally convinced a local faerie lord that he is interested only in a
trading town, not an agricultural and expansionist community (which
the hilly terrain couldn't support anyway). After the war, the faerie
lord has become most eager to accomodate the temple's presence, and
frequently sends visitors and gifts. Zapatos hopes to establish a
friendly trading relationship with the fey, possibly even securing
access to a source of much-needed magical weapons.