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The Frozen Palace
During an expedition across the northern ice sheet (LONG AGO), Vander Kruslav was thrown overboard while attempting to break up a violent feud between two crewmates. By the time the others pulled him from the freezing waters, his skin had turned an unnatural pale blue, and glowing icy gemstones had formed within his flesh.
The crew diverted to a nearby island in hopes of saving him, but Vander wouldn’t wake. His heart had stopped—he showed no signs of life. Believing him dead, they planned to bury him the following morning.
That night, however, something unnatural occurred.
Vander’s body began to transform. His hair turned snow-white, his once-normal eyes now glowed an eerie, icy blue. Reanimated and changed, Vander silently moved through the camp, placing his frostbitten hands on his sleeping crewmates. Each one he touched was frozen solid—turned to lifeless stone-like ice, their souls seemingly ripped from their bodies.
Those who awoke tried to stop him, but Vander was too powerful. He possessed incredible strength and an overwhelming command of ice magic. Declaring himself the Ice King, he let the survivors flee as a towering castle of frost and snow rose behind him on the island.
The few who escaped fled to Druecia, where their terrifying story spread. This tragedy unfolded during a time of unrest—magic users were already subjugating those without magical gifts. Vander’s story only deepened the fear and division.
But out of this darkness came a spark of resistance. Vander’s son, Linden Kruslav, a brilliant and inventive young mind, was devastated by his father’s fate. Determined to empower the powerless and balance the scales, Linden would go on to invent the first black powder gun—changing the world forever.