"Give that branch here. Yeah, that big one. C'mere. Let's see..."
Sturla squatted over the pit and mumbled something strangely rhythmic over the dry branch held in his hand. He then blew onto it, but his breath contained more than air. Dozens of tiny glowing sparks flew from his mouth to land on the sprig where they smoldered and then set it alight. He then threw the flaming branch into the fire pit where it joined what Dragon had already lit. The firewood sent a satisfying cloud of sparks flying in response.
With the fire now blazing merrily, the bard let himself fall backwards from his squat and stretched his limbs as he lay on the ground.
"We should probably rest, at least for a little bit. We've been pushed hard the last few hours, fighting that fey with his elk and then the ice creatures."
"Oof, right you are, Master Stonebeard. I've been walking with my shoes on backwards for a mile now and have just been too embarrassed to say anything. I'll take that break, my feet at killing me..."
Sturla's shoes were in fact both on their designated foot, but he didn't want Sia to feel alone in needing some rest. Yes, they had all stopped on account of her hypothermia, but the half-elf was clearly very capable; he'd seen that much in the short time he'd known her. The bard didn't want her thinking herself a burden because of this little incident, and so played up his own need and great enjoyment of this comfort pause: Sturla accompanied removing and replacing his shoes with a series of excessive groans and relieved sighs. Playing the fool really did come with a host of benefits and making others feel better by comparison was not the least of them.
Of course, now his shoes were in fact on backwards and at no point did the Northerner notice that his shirt had been similarly reversed for some time now...
"I really should be used to this. I'm from the North ya know."
"Ey, you don't say?" Sturla said with a genuine smile. It was always nice meeting compatriots when travelling.
"I thought I heard some northern twang in yer voice. You're not from the Linnorm Lands, are you?"
After the river crossing, the path has gone up a slow and steady incline, and finding a good stopping point is a little difficult. Off the path a forty to fifty feet, Drogan finds an outcropping that could provide a little cover, but only to about two people, or one Braham. Clearing a patch and finding at least some timber that will burn takes close to thirty minutes. Getting Sia tucked up under the overhang, it will take a bit to get the warmth to seep in and shake away the cold.
"Rest is good. We need to be at our best for whatever else is still out there." With that Thanion heads to entrance of the outcropping to stand watch.
"What is the cause of all of this? Is it after me?"
Aavelixia says to the group "Since we are stopping, we might as well eat something. While looking at Drogan she continues to say Did we end up getting some elk meat?"
Aavelixia looks in her backpack for her cooking pot. "Here it is" As she places it on the ground, near the fire. She says a few words and the cooking pot starts to fill with water. "Anyone thirsty?"
Aavelixia will look for firewood for the fire.
After she is done collecting firewood, she gets closer to the fire and takes off her cold weather outfit. She drapes the cold weather outfit on top of some branches and logs to dry. She keeps watch on the fire, the cold weather outfit, and Suzy.
Sia cringes at letting herself talk about her past. "Let's just keep it to 'I'm from the North'" She smiles weakly. C'mon Sia you know better than to let those details slip. He almost found you before. Can't make that mistake again.
She turns towards Aavelixia, "Some food and drink would be delightful."
"Ey, I'm from the North too!"
Despite the clear signal from Sia that she was uncomfortable with the subject, Sturla's excited grin never wavered. But perhaps he was more perceptive than he let on because he dropped the topic with his dumb reply to instead focus on the food and drink. The bard wasn't one to press people on anything. Or mayhap he was just hungry.
"Hey, Thanion, Aavelixia, something I've been meaning to ask you two... well, Sia too, I suppose..."
For a moment the northerner seemed more serious than most of the party had seen him before. That said, even his most determined of expressions had a childish earnestness about it that was hard to take seriously.
"Can you teach me Elven? Always wanted to learn Elven. Bloody beautiful language. The songs, the stories... it's all just gorgeous. I wanna learn them. And the curses! Oh, cursing in Elven! Must be like wiping your ass with silk! Hey, teach me how to tell someone to go stick a barbed a$~~&+~ up their f#@~ing b$&&$ c@*+ hog. Teach me that!"
There is only just enough room at the overhang for Sia to warm herself, and Aavelixia to keep warm as her cold weather clothing hangs to dry. The rest of you can only stand or sit in the snow out from the protective cover of the rocky outcropping. Though the warmth is comforting, it's just not enough to truly shake off the effects of the hypothermia that seems to be dragging Sia down.
Aavelixia looks at Sturla and says "I have no problem you learning Elven. I suppose we can teach you a few things during the day as we follow the trail"
As soon as Aavelixia's cold weather outfit is dry she will put it on and be ready for travel.
"I would be willing to teach you as well... maybe not that line but enough to get by." He then turns to the rest of the group. "Perhaps we should move on. I don't want to rush getting warm but if the Lady is still alive she could be in much more dire straights."
Sia is grateful that he dropped the subject without pushing into it more. Hopefully he forgets about it completely. She ignores the rest of the conversation and focuses on the warmth.
Drogan tends the fire, glancing occasionally in Sia's direction to see how she is. Nodding, he steps back, leaning against a nearby tree, and pulls his axe out again, wiping the blade down carefully before returning it to his waist.
Aavelixia gets ready to continue to follow the trail. After everyone is done warming up, she puts out the fire with the water from the cooking pot. She finishes packing up and heads out with the rest of the companions.
Glancing over in Sia's direction, and seeing that she hasn't fully recovered yet, Braham says
"Let's wait a bit until it stops snowing. Anyone up for a game of dice in the meanwhile?"
With a broad grin, he fishes a pair of dice out of his pockets.
Drogan glances back at Braham, cracking a rare smile as he clears the dusting of snow off a larger stump and crouches down opposite from Braham.
Braham closes his large hands over the dice, blows on them for luck and starts shaking them vigourously.
Seeing his low roll, his face clouds over for the shortest of whiles, but then he passes the dice over to Drogan with a good-hearted grin. "I guess you can still roll lower..."
Drogan scoops up the dice, cracking another quick smile noting the low numbers.
Nodding, he glances up at Braham, "Aye, I could roll lower..."
"Grrrr, all right you win! But you know what they say about not being lucking in a game!"
The rocky overhang allows Sia to rest in relative comfort long enough to fight off the draining effects of having been exposed to the elements for far too long. The struggle comes from the size of the space. It doesn't allow for more than one other person at any given time. With everyone else bundled up, especially after Aavelixia gets her cold weather gear to dry, Thanion is able to get out of the weather just in case the bite of cold gets to him regardless of his natural defense against it.
A bit of a meal, some fresh water, and a little joviality under the harsh conditions, and before long it is nearing the point of long day. Dousing the fire, donning and readjusting their loads, and the group is ready to get back on the trail. As the trail begins to climb a ridgeline to the south beneath snow-laden trees, no more than about a thirty minute walk from where you took rest, you notice that the prints of boots and horses mar the freshly fallen snow on the trail.
Aavelixia turns to Suzy, "Stay"
She turns to the fresh tracks to try to figure out how many people made these tracks, and in which direction is the person (people) going.
Looking at the prints in the snow "Keep your eyes open, this could be a trap"
Despite both the fresh falling snow, and the blanket of it covering the path, the ground churned up by tracks reads almost like a book to Aavelixia. There are the hoof prints of four horses. They look like they stopped and danced in place for a bit likely from either cold or skittishness, before three sets of boot prints joined them. The three boot prints moved off toward the side of the trail, while the hoof prints continued along the larger path that you follow.
Thanion keeps his eyes on the surrounding wilderness as Aavelixia examines the traps. "Do you think this is the trail of the lady? Could we be close?"
After some careful deliberation Braham finally says "I think we should follow the boot prints. I don't think the lady has hooves..."
He looked rather pleased with his formidable leap of deduction.
Looking very thoughtful indeed, the bard nodded with a gravitas typically not seen outside a theater at the taller man's words.
"See, this is why I like working with you, Braham. That's good thinking."
Whether or not Sturla was being entirely serious was anyone's guess, but he approved of following the footprints. Even assuming that the princess was carried by the riders, it was curious that they would stop to meet with someone out here. Perhaps that someone had something to tell.
Is there anything near by? like a town, an inn?
She turns to everyone and says "There's 3 around here, Keep your eyes open"
She looks at Suzy "Follow"
"I agree with following the boot prints. They could have set up a trap though. Let's be careful." Sia begins following the tracks. She makes sure to be to the side of them though. She watches her surroundings carefully and listens for any noise that is out of place in the woods.
The group agrees to follow the path of the three on foot, veering off the trail left by the captors of Lady Malassene. Even though they are expecting a potential trap or ambush, the group decides against any attempts at stealth, given that time is of the essence and they can't be slowed any further.
Lucky for them, the three on foot are so distracted by their own squabble, that they completely fail to notice the whole group before Sia spots them. At this distance, only she can make out that there are three men sitting just a little ways up on a ridge, huddled around a small campfire to keep warm, bickering about something.
Braham strains to try and make out what they are arguing about...
The bard had retrieved his sling and was playfully swinging the loaded piece of leather back and forth like a pendulum whilst observing the unsuspecting trio.
"Eeny, meeny, miny, moe..." he whisper-sang to himself, a mischievous smile on his lips. One finger traveled between the three men throughout the improvised rhyme.
"Will my rock hit high or low?
Nads or noggin, who can know?
Eeny, meeny, miny... whoa. That one. That one's mine. He's got a bald spot! That's great targeting practice!"
Sturla looked back to the group with a wide grin. He was only being half-serious, which was the Northerner's default state on most matters come to think of it. That said, he'd like to know how to proceed.
"Or we could just talk to them, I suppose. If they're part of the princess-pilferers, they no doubt know sumtin'. But my pa always warned against half measures. I say we beat them up and then talk to them! I mean, I doubt they're gonna be all that cooperative without some persuadin' anyway, you know? All those traps and whatnot we've already encountered... Yer princess-pilferers were clearly expectin' someone to follow them."
Thanion whispers quietly, "Perhaps someone who is a bit more stealthy can eaves drop on what they are arguing about first? Chances are they don't need any persuadin as you say when they are talking to just themselves."
"Oooh, that's good one! Sly! Yeah, we could do that! Or rather, one of us could."
The bard looked from the elf to the rest of the group.
"How's about it? Anyone up for that? I'd go, but I'm not as nimble in the snow as I am on the dance-floor, you see."
Anyone who had seen Sturla cut a rug in road-side taverns could attest that any excellence in dancing on the man's part was entirely accidental. The bard had enthusiasm, but not much else.
"Master Smith always says I'm very strong, but not very quiet...", Braham whispered, a tad too loud...
Drogan frees his axe, gripping it loosely. "Definitely not built for quiet, but I'll be ready to rush in when they notice whoever decides to do the sneaky stuff." His voice a low rumble, but still about as "quiet" as Braham's.
Aavelixia volunteers to go, seeing that nobody else is willing to go "I can go" as she looks at the group. "I have some skill in moving quiet, but i make no promises. Just keep an eye on Suzy?"
She waits a moment before heading out, just in case someone else wants o go instead.
"No worries, we'll watch out for her!" Braham reaches out with a big, ham-fisted hand and tries to pet Suzy...
Thanion nods at Braham, "And we will watch out for you as well"
Sia quickly grabs Aavelixia's hand, "I can move silently, I will go. Stay with Suzy."
Sia decides the best way to move towards the men is through the treeline. They shouldn't be able to see or hear her if she moves silently enough. I will pretend that I am cold and ask them where they are traveling to...
As Sia warns Aavelixia back to allow her to go, the others have cause fro concern as they can hear very subtle signs of the crunch of snow beneath her boots. Lucky for her, the three men are very clearly oblivious to the very notion that anything beyond their own conversation even exists.
"No, no, NO! Kernan, there's no way you get more than me! I was the one that hit the driver." The man furthest from Sia exclaims, to the northernmost of their group.
To which the man just to her left around the tree remarks, "Hit him, pah! You nicked him at best. I was actually up in it where Izoze was fighting. That's what turned the fight."
Kernan, the northernmost laughs, "Yeah, Izoze did it! Did you help her breathe ice all over the captain? What's that, Gareck? I can't hear you." He holds a hand mockingly to his ear to the man's silence.
The first speaker continues his argument with Kernan, "Well, at least Gareck was up in it. All you did was block the road to stop the horses, so why should you get a bigger share?"
"Because, Firgus, " Kernan spits the name with disadin, "If I didn't block the horses, the whole thing wouldn't have been an option."
"It's not like it was your idea." Gareck retorts, "You just did what Rohkar told you to do. You, Hundar, Jeret, and Brillen. So, it's not like you were a big deal."
It's obvious by the nature of the argument, the three men argue about who should get a larger share based on their roles in the attack on the Lady's caravan.
Upon hearing the words of these men, Sia's first instinct was to attack. She glanced towards her companions and realized that she would be on her own until they ran to the snow to help her out. I have to give them time before I attack She motions for them to come forward, hoping they are silent.
Sia holds her spear like a walking stick, takes a deep breath, and steps forward.
"I thought I heard voices! Thank goodness! I got turned around in these woods and I've been so cold. Do you gentlemen mind if I join you? I won't pester you too much. Just need a place to sit down by the fire." Sia attempts to appear like a silly woman lost in the woods.
Aavelixia nods as to say no, but it's too late. Sia is already engaging the group and there is no quick way to get there if it becomes a fight. She squints her eyes and tries to looks for hostile reaction from the group by the fire.
She quickly turns to the rest of the group and says " I suggest we split up, 3 goes towards the right and the rest of us goes towards the left. Hopefully we can flank them. Or we all go together either right or left? I think we should try to get there quietly"
Aavelixia will moves quietly
perception
stealth
Braham nods, and silently points to the right. He then clumsily proceeds to move towards the bandits as silently as possible.
Aavelixia follows Braham. She moves as quietly as possible, and tries to use the trees as cover. Suzy follows her quietly. Aavelixia gets her bow ready just in case Sia needs help.
Sturla approached the three men plus half-elf with all the grace of a bull in a china shop. Upon rising from the snow after stumbling over his third tree root, the bard decided to throw caution to the winds and swung his loaded sling. Subtlety just wasn't in the man's blood.