No one had realized at first; winters were a bit longer then usual, summers a bit cooler.  Time went by and things had gotten worse and worse; colder climates meant less rain, poorer crops.  That led to border disputes, to monsters and wild animals acting unusual, venturing further south into settled lands for food and supplies.  The years passed, and finally realization dawned, that the planet was cooling, the world was slowly being encased in ice.  Councils were called, mystics and mages conjured magics both great and subtle to try and combat the problem but it was quickly learned that whatever the source, it was of a power to rival the Gods themselves.<br/><br/>Champions were selected and sent forth; Knights and great Mages to quest the world in search of the source of the magics that were casting the world in ice.  They would travel to all the corners of the world, and down into it's depths.  No Seer or fate reader could even so much as hazard a guess as to where the source was, and so the search was expansive and world encompassing.<br/><br/>He was sent north, to the Snoweo mountains.  Folk lore spoke of a witch, an Ice Queen, that dwelled in a castle made of ice high in the mountains.  Naturally, folk lore and local myth painted her as a terrible and wicked hag, a heart of ice and flesh rending claws.  With blessings and wishes of luck and glory, he set forth.<br/><br/>Sir Kaiyse Blastedlance was not an old man by far, not quite thirty years old.  But he had had a long life anyways; where many of the Knights were naught but Nobleborn arrogant brats, Sir Kaiyse was a Knight Errant, a free knight without King or lands of his own.  He travelled the world, the iconic knight in shinning armour, writting wrongs and slaying beasts no matter how foul or dangerous.<br/><br/>He wore a heavy suit of armour, his warhorse covered in a coat of chain.  Blankets and thick padding protected the horse from the bitter cold of the mountain trails, while his own padding and heavy cloak helped shield him from the brunt of the mountain's cutting winds.  Travel was slow and perilous, with constant threat of avalanche, beasts and wild animals.<br/><br/>The wyvern came as a bit of a surprise; the great ungainly beast set upon them from the mouth of a cave obscurred by snow and ice.  It let out a deafening shreek that sent waves of snow sliding down the mountain side, choking the pass and burrying much of the small valley at his back in snow.<br/><br/>The fight was swift and fierce; his warhorse was slain outright, the wyvern smashing into the well trained beast too quickly for either horse or rider to respond.  It's bladed tail stabbed through the thick coat of chainmail and his horse died on the spot.  Sir Kaiyse barely managed to roll free else be pinned beneath both his fallen mount and the draconic beast.<br/><br/>His blade flashed, the massive creature set upon him with a ferocity powered by it's hunger.  It was a quick battle, and in the end he lay dying and it lay dead.  His sword lodged deep in it's bottom jaw and up into it's tiny brain, it's tail lodged deep in his chest, barely turned by the thick plate armour he wore.<br/><br/>He was left staring up at the cloud choked sky, great flakes of snow drifting down to melt on his face or gather in the seams of his armour.  He had failed; he hadn't found the Ice Queen.  Hadn't found if she were the source of the magics killing the world.  If another were sent, would they come soon enough?  Would they find his body frozen on this trail?  He had never known failure, and it sat bitterly on his heart, less for his stained name and reputation, more for what that failure might mean for the world.