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Picking your way through the undulating plains of snow is fraught. Feet slide on patches of ice that cause falls at unexpected moments and mounds of snow piled up by wind block your view. Fortunately, Mount Gislan stands tall and acts as a landmark to navigate. At one point, you climbed a particularly large ridge of snow, and it collapsed under your feet.
There was nothing supporting this overhanging snow wave. Beneath is an empty void. The icy curl cracks under your weight and crumbles apart. Startled, you leap forward and land a few feet downwards as powdery snow billows about. Within the cloud, you can hear the soughing of snow collapsing until it clears to reveal the destroyed false ledge you had been standing on.
You've been warned of cornices when running near gullies and ridges. You were lucky not to be buried under the snow. This is another thing to worry about on Mount Gislan. If the windy plains had cornices, then the mountain has those false ledges too.
It is also taking far more time to navigate the plains than you like. This is the first time you've come this way north. The hour wasted increase your impatience and fears. Falling behind in this deadly race is the last thing you want. You occasionally look behind you while running, dreading seeing Yearning Sin catching up to you, but the Unclean is still nowhere in sight. Then again, the mounds of snow could be hiding the thing.
Things do not improve much when you exit the plains and almost reach the thick forest blanketing the foot of Mount Gislan. The Opel river is in the way and there is no way to know if it is fully frozen over. Tossing a few rocks, the ice holds firm and doesn't make any threatening cracking noises. You debate if you should look for a bridge or some other promising fording place, but the decision is out of your hands.
Above a terrible series of screams break the silence. The carrion bird circling above has multiplied to dozens and seeing them makes you realize something. Each of those birds are rotting corpses held aloft with putrid wings. These dead servants of Yearning Sin dive downwards as though the flames of punishment are behind them.
With your enhanced speed and endurance, the first diving bird misses as you leap forward and land on the frozen ice of the Opel river. Another undead bird misses you by inches and smashes into the frozen river. The force of the crash is enough to cause the bird to explode in a disgusting squished mess and crack the ice beneath your feet.
There is still so many of them! You start running across the frozen river towards the protective canopy of the forest. The diving birds keep attacking, some crashing into the ice with incredible force while others barely pull up and away from their failed strikes. The river starts groaning for the repeated strikes and huge cracks form.
"Tarn preserve your daughter."
