An Unnatural Cold is a piece of fiction for Archbliss: The City of the Sorcerers, one of the supplements for Cities of Sundara, which is available in versions for 5th Edition and Pathfinder.
“Can you feel that?” asked Rengarth of Talhesen, with a shiver.
The pair were in Spirit Tower in Archbliss, standing near the Obelisk, a monument at the crossroads formed by a sorcerer called the Mummy Queen.
“It’s only a bit of cold,” replied Talhesen. “Just grit your teeth and bear it.”
“I’d call it more than a bit of cold,” retorted Rengarth. “It’s cutting right through me. It’s not natural.”
“You’re complaining that something in Archbliss is not natural?” asked Talhesen. “You may be in the wrong city if you’re looking for something natural.”
“You know what I mean, Talhesen. That’s something stronger than mere magical cold. Can’t you sense it?”
“I can,” replied Talhesen. “And I do know what you mean. But it’s important that we study the Obelisk carefully.”
Both were copying the strange symbols and pictograms that covered the faces of the monument. No-one seemed to be really certain as to their meanings, and not much was known about the Mummy Queen either. But there were many theories about both, and the two had one of their own.
Perhaps it was Spirit Tower’s connection to death, and the sheer number of undead and half-dead that could be found in that district of the City of the Sorcerers, more than anywhere outside of Moüd. Rengarth and Talhesen felt the connection to Moüd might be deeper than the mere surface impressions caused by the connection to necromancy.
Whilst the two travelling scholars were in Moüd they had seen more than a few sights of that ancient, and lost for generations, city. Like Archbliss, Moüd has a strong connection to magic, albeit with a different focus, and before the city was lost, the mages within had known some mighty magics. And both were sure there were similarities between some inscriptions they had seen in Moüd and those on the Obelisk.
Perhaps the Mummy Queen was somehow connected to Moüd. A descendant of those that used to live there. Or perhaps it was another academic dead end. Only time would tell.