Snow remained on that mountain year round, making it quite treacherous for anyone to traverse. Everywhere you looked, the same shade of white would be staring back. For many, this might be a comforting sight - snow and ice could make anything look pretty. However, this was part of the mountain's trap. The snow covered up potential dangers. Cracks, holes in the ground, fallen trees, you name it. One wrong step could cause an unlucky traveller to go tumbling down the mountain, possibly to their death.

This is exactly what happened to one unlucky hunter, who was midway through ascending the mountain, only to find the ground suddenly crumble beneath him he began to plummet hundreds of feet.

Thankfully, the thick layers of snow broke his fall, though not without consequence. A sharp pain shot through his entire body upon impact, and it was only after several minutes of agony that he was able to get back on his feet. Now a new problem had presented itself, however - he knew not where he was. He had ended up on a part of the mountain he had never seen before.

A few feet away, there was an entrance to a cavern. The icicles that hung from its ceiling and that sprung forth from the ground gave the entrance the appearance of a mouth with large, sharp teeth - ready to swallow up any that would dare enter. And dare the hunter did, as he reasoned it was possible this cave could take him to another part of the mountain that he actually recognised.

The moment he entered, he was hit with a gust of cold air. It seemed to be colder inside this cave than it was outside.

The floor of the cave seemed to be covered in a thick layer of ice, making it difficult to walk without slipping. In fact, the entire cave seemed to be covered in ice. It made the narrow tunnel feel all the more claustrophobic, as though the walls were closing in gradually as more ice formed on top of what was already present. Nonetheless, he continued on.

After a few minutes of walking, the hunter came to a halt. Something odd had caught his attention. Before him was an incredibly realistic sculpture, made from ice, of a fox. How could something so intricately crafted be here in such a desolate, lonely place? Perhaps, underneath the ice was a statue, crafted by a forgotten civilisation from eons ago. Deeper in the cave could be the ruins of their home, now empty, buried under a layer of ice and snow.

Or, maybe, beneath the ice was a sculpture made of wood, and this cave could be in fact the home of a hermit. A retired master craftsman, living out his days in solitude, here on this mountain and inside this cavern. He might only leave to chop trees for wood to use in his art - and for a fire, of course. He couldn't possibly work if his hands were too cold. Mayhaps this fox was his very first carving, and it had stood here all this time, a layer of ice gradually forming around it.

The hunter shook his head, returning to reality. He would find out soon enough.

The further he walked into the cavern, the colder it seemed to get. With every step, the cold seemed to embed itself deeper and deeper into him, rendering his many layers of clothes ultimately useless. But he walked on, and soon, he happened upon another sculpture. Two, in fact.

The cave seemed to open up a little wider and before him were two wolves, growling. Again, they seemed so realistic. So intricately crafted. It was as though these two animals had been frozen in time. If they had been real, what could they have been growling at? Perhaps they were the guard dogs for whomever may have inhabited this cave. Aye, and they were growling at an intruder.

The hunter shook his head, returning to reality once more. They were just sculptures. Not something to fantasize over.

Despite the cave having opened up a little, it seemed to be even more difficult to walk now. The hunter chalked it up to the cold. He was shivering quite badly by now, and could scarcely feel some parts of his body.

One of the strangest things about the cavern, aside from the sculptures, was that it never seemed to darken. The hunter had been walking for some time by now, and it seemed impossible for this light to be coming from outside. It was as though some kind of energy was radiating all throughout the ice that surrounded him, lighting up the cave. That also seemed impossible, however, and he quickly disregarded the idea. Perhaps he'd find the answer at the end of this tunnel.

The hunter had no idea how long he had been walking for, nor did he have any idea how far the end was. And in truth, he was beginning to become fearful of what may lie at the end. He passed more animal sculptures as he walked, all the while continuing to grow colder and slower. Colder, slower, more fearful. This was the cycle he soon found himself trapped in as he edged further and further into the depths.

One final gust of cold air.

And there it was.

The cavern opened up into a massive room that stretched upward for hundreds of metres. Everywhere the hunter looked, there were sculptures of people. There were a few more animals, but mostly people. Each and every one with a horrified look on their face. Many of them were even coming out of the walls, as though they were trying to escape the ice before it consumed them.

The hunter turned to run, but it was too late. The cold consumed him completely, and his terrified face was frozen, forever.

And so, rising from her icy throne, she admired the new sculpture that she'd happened upon. Some kind of hunter, was it? How intricately crafted he was. A wonderful addition to the collection.

***

Thus, the abhorrent Ice Witch had claimed another victim, forever to be locked away within a simple cavern of ice. What a hideous creature, they would have said, had they been able to say anything at all. But nay, the most hideous thing about her wasn't her pale skin, her pointy nose, the fleshy tendrils that were her fingers, not even the saliva that would expel from her mouth and freeze upon exit, becoming an icicle that would hang from her lips forever. It wasn't even something you could notice upon a glance.

No, for you see, what was to be most feared about the Ice Witch was that which lay within. As the only thing colder than ice she spew was the Ice Witch's heart.

~The Ice Witch of Vanity (from The Creature Compendium, Page 31)