The mountainous terrain on the northern side of the kingdom of Azinth has been frozen in ice for over five years. Passes have been blocked, snow has fallen in the height of summer, and no one venturing into the northern mountains has ever returned. King Ezred thinks that these circumstances were caused by his nation's enemy, the Kingdom of Kanshek, in preparation for war. He has asked the party to investigate a message from an unknown person who claims to know how to end the seemingly eternal winter.