Bulvi's skin is practically blue as it's covered in hoarfrost from all the ice magic being thrown around. He half staggers to his knee but doesn't his the ground...
...Bulvi gives lets out a hacking wheezing cough as he draws his cold iron warhammer from his back as he legs seem close to giving way before Irona uses the wand on him. "Thanks Ibona. Carianna, lead it to the west away from the injured. We let Ibona heal those down. They don't need to take another hit when it goes down."
Misty breath comes from Bulvi's mouth as he speaks. "You know what, I still hate fighting zombies more but these exploding frozen skeletons are making a strong case." His skin covered in hoarfrost still he helps Quasit and then shortly after Sakitu up smiling with relief at them.
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When healed, Quasit's eyes flick open, and she immediately squints in the morning light.
"What.. when did I...?" She grimaces. "It happened again, didn't it? And this time I never even saw it. Don't ever lose that stick, Ibona. That's the most valuable member of our group. Thanks by the way."
As she gets up and starts brushing snow off herself, she shakes her head in disbelief. "Those things came out of nowhere. Exploding frost skeleton ninjas. What'll they think of next? I swear one second there was nothing, and the next there was a skeleton taking a single step and laying into Bull. Doesn't seem possible. Blasted fey necromancers. They cheat."
She looks back around to make sure everyone else is on their feet, then looks wistfully back the way they came. "Probably too late to bail now, huh? All I can say is that if Pharasma wanted me, she's had plenty of chances to snag me."
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Sakitu slowly comes around. "Was I unconscious? I must have blacked out. I saw a skeleton coming at me and then... Well. That's all."
Sakitu picks herself up off the ground. With a sudden sense of urgency she looks around "Is everyone ok?" she asks with a bit of fear in her voice. Too many recent battles have ended in death.
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Sakitu slowly comes around. "Was I unconscious? I must have blacked out. I saw a skeleton coming at me and then... Well. That's all."
Sakitu picks herself up off the ground. With a sudden sense of urgency she looks around "Is everyone ok?" she asks with a bit of fear in her voice. Too many recent battles have ended in death.
"Exploding Ninja Skeletons. You know, the usual." says Quasit.
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Carianna smiles at Ibona, sensing a possible friend. "Are you doing OK healing our companions? My healing abilities are limited to a few times a day, so I don't want to use up all of them, but I can help if you need me."
"Wands are great for augmenting natural healing abilities. Perfect? No. Worthwhile? yes."
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Carianna smiles at Ibona, sensing a possible friend. "Are you doing OK healing our companions? My healing abilities are limited to a few times a day, so I don't want to use up all of them, but I can help if you need me.""Wands are great for augmenting natural healing abilities. Perfect? No. Worthwhile? yes."
Quasit listens to Ibona and Carianna talk, then approaches them.
"Hey, do you think you could teach me how to use one of those wand thingies? You know, for emergencies? Like we tend to have multiple times a day? Is there some kind of trick to it, or do you just touch somebody and say a magic word, or what?"
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Findurêl eyes the area for any further signs of enemies/danger before approaching the others...
"That was yet another close call...glad to see we didn't lose anyone.
Are we ready to continue on?"
When the others are ready to move on, Fin will take up the rear, try to use available cover to conceal himself, and keep an eye on things...
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The rocks and snow along this part of the ridge are stained a reddish brown, and many tracks, both animal and human, cross the area. Recently, one of Heldren’s more esteemed hunters, a man named Dryden Kepp, returned from a hunting foray in the Border Wood with a story about a giant white weasel roaming the forest. The townsfolk of Heldren scoffed at his tale (Dryden was known to nip from his hip flask on a regular basis), which only spurred Dryden to hunt down the beast so he could make a trophy of it and prove everyone wrong. Dryden managed to catch the creature in one of his bear traps, but the creature broke free and mauled the hunter before he could make his kill. Dryden retreated up the ridge, hoping to escape
the enraged beast, but the beast eventually tracked him down and finished the job, and Dryden’s mutilated corpse now lies half-buried in the snow here
They are Giant Weasel Tracks
"Giant Ice Rats... charming. Bulvi mumbled drawing his sword and shield again.
"I once saw and drunk Osiriani Pathfinder make a gem glow that was only supposed to glow in the hands of the Elven Matriarch of a long dead elven house. If he could convince that gem he was an elderly female elf from a particular house with enough practice I am sure you can convince the wand you're a priestess... or something"
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"Let's go with 'or something'." says Quasit. "I don't want to tick off any gods with unintentional blasphemies. But I can do prayers ok. Maybe when we get back to town I can pick up a wand too and start practicing with it. I think I mentioned I had a friend in the Pathfinder Society named Nevar. He was a wizard. Well, he probably still is, wherever he is. He was always telling me with enough training anyone could do it, it just took dedication and concentration. Two things I happen to lack in abundance. But I like to think he was right. And I'm suddenly getting really motivated to try."
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on the corpse you find a couple possible useful items:
1 pair of Snow Shoes
2 +1 Animal-Bane Arrows
3 days worth of Rations
1 half full hip flask of strong Applejack
and
1 journal detail his efforts in tracking the giant weasel
the body itself has suffered severe frostbite from the cold, and what looks consistent with Weasel Claw and bite marks
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"Uh-oh, hide the half-orcs." says Quasit as she takes the flask. She too gives it a quick sniff, then gives a shrug and takes a quick pull. She then exhales heavily and nods and offers it around. "Not bad. Obviously homemade stuff. I feel warmer already."
"Someone should wear those snow shoes. This guy had the right idea. The snow is only getting deeper, and the going might get difficult before we're done."
"Oh, and by the way, as we make our way forward, we should be on the lookout for a giant white weasel hunting us like chickens in a barnyard. Not to mention some buried bear traps in this general vicinity. We should move along carefully, poking the ground in front of us with a stick or something."
"We could track down this creature... given it's really strange and came out of nowhere recently it might be connected to what is going on. Spotted anything useful yet Ibona?" Bulvi keeps his eyes peeled in case the beast returns.
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as you make your way forward, you seem to see that the trees are getting a bit denser here, A cold wind blows through the forest atop the ridge. heavy snow burdens the boughs of the evergreen trees, but someone has apparently cleared the snow from a large patch of ground to dig in the pine-needle-carpeted soil. as snow seems to fall from some branches
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"Did you guys see that? That branch. It just moved on its own. I'm sure of it." Sakitu looks more carefully at the branches of the trees around the clearing. "We need to be careful." Having been caught off guard too many times lately has made Sakitu jumpy. Without waiting for any more signs of danger she casts a mage armor spell on herself.