Raising his hand directly towards the moon, Rodok seems to grab at something, and when he pulls down his hand a moment later, the blue glow has intensified a bit, and each of the members of the group feel buoyed by some unknown, unfamiliar power.
Moon
Moonlight is the light of revelry and lunacy, lending strange invigoration and vitality to all bathed within it. This aura provides a +1 bonus to Fortitude saves, and increases by +1 for every 5 hedgewitch levels you possess. In addition, the aura provides one temporary hit point, plus an additional temporary hit point for every two hedgewitch levels you possess. These temporary hit points automatically refresh at the start of your turn. These temporary hit points only persist on allies who remain within the area of this aura.
Raising his hand directly towards the moon, Rodok seems to grab at something, and when he pulls down his hand a moment later, the blue glow has intensified a bit, and each of the members of the group feel buoyed by some unknown, unfamiliar power.
"Enjoy the blessing of the Moon, my friends," he says in a strangely calm, slow voice.
Moon
Moonlight is the light of revelry and lunacy, lending strange invigoration and vitality to all bathed within it. This aura provides a +1 bonus to Fortitude saves, and increases by +1 for every 5 hedgewitch levels you possess. In addition, the aura provides one temporary hit point, plus an additional temporary hit point for every two hedgewitch levels you possess. These temporary hit points automatically refresh at the start of your turn. These temporary hit points only persist on allies who remain within the area of this aura.
You put your plan into motion, heading for the house, as you get close, you can see that the large manor is built in a mix of imperial and norden styles. The steep roof has eaves decorated with carvings of fey creatures and the door features an ornate crest with two fiery birds flanking a young woman carrying an amphora. As you approach, two guards come out to meet you.
"Hold and state your business here," one of them commands. Neither is overly suspicious or hostile, considering they have yet to level their polearms at you, but neither are they so trusting that they come any closer than twenty feet of you.
Kresh raises his head from atop kruuh, Giving a cough before speaking with a shiver in his voice. "M-my name is Kaulmark, I am old and in p-poor health, my companions and I are seeking s-shelter from this storm. I-I don't know how much longer I can take the c-cold..." Kresh's head flops back down between Kruuh's horns after finishing his lie. "P-please..."
"Well, I can't say I've had too many 'adventures', as you put it. But I've lived out in the wilds most my life. I train animals by trade. Dogs and birds, mostly. Always had a knack with animals." The shaggy man pauses and rubs Ylva's head, then looks up. "Course, I suppose I could tell you 'bout the time some unfortunate bandits decided to try and rob me. Bit gruesome for mixed company, though, that one."
As your are bombarded with questions during dinner, a man dressed in the livery of the house enters the dining hall and approaches Brutus. After a brief, whispered conversation, he turns his attention back to you.
"Pardon the interruption. A matter came up, but it's being handled now. Please continue," the noble says, urging you to finish whatever you were saying before the guard's arrival.
One of the guards leaves and comes back several minutes later.
"Follow me," he says, leading behind the manor and to a stablehouse some hundred feet away, and small enough to be hidden by the hill that rises steeply behind it to the crest the manor sits atop.
"Lord Arvina has graciously allowed you to stay here for the night. It's warm and comfortable, so there should be no concerns about the cold," the guard escorting you says before showing you where you may find anything you might need and making it clear that the bull is to stay well clear of cows being kept in the back stalls.
After making sure you are settled and comfortable, he leaves you be and returns to his post.
Though she notes the distraction, she doesn't manage to catch any of the whispered exchange.
Although not one to eavesdrop, Arradir's keen ears pick up the whispered conversation almost of their own accord...
You hear the guard tell Lord Arvina that there are some suspicious people outside claiming to be travelers and that one of them is an old dwarf that they claim was the reason for them seeking shelter. The Lord tells the guard to put them up in the stable house for the night and post a guard. He also mentioned dealing with them later after you and Yngvild have retired.
A couple of hours later, with bellies full and the hour growing late, you are lead to a couple of guest rooms on the second floor. Ylva seems especially sleepy and content as you follow the servant. Both rooms are richly furnished and the beds are warm and comfortable.
So some five minutes after they're led to the rooms, Arradir pokes his head back out and slips over to quietly knock on Yngvild's door. "There's something going on here. I heard the man earlier talk about some strangers out in the stable house. I was thinking I'd see who they are. Said they had a greybeard dwarf with them."
Shaking her head she turns to walk back into the room. ”Give me a moment to get dressed and get my armor on.” she mutters, picking up her clothing from the floor and getting dressed, completely unconcerned with the fact that she had been standing naked in front of him.
”A greybeard dwarf eh.. that’s a rarity around here.”
The man scratches his head and glances around again. "There's plenty rare around this place, seems like. Like a couple Norden guests, welcomed with open arms."
"Let's give it a try and see what happens. Any chance you can do the same,
Kresh?"
Ylva's been drugged. She isn't in any danger, but she's effectively exhausted.
As you begin to sneak around, you hear a couple of guards talking quietly around a corner in imperial.
"Poor bastards, Probably don't even realize what's going to happen to them."
"Quiet fool! Do you know what happened to the last person who made a comment like that? At least we're not on the receiving end of it."
In a lull in your conversation, you hear the sound of boots shuffling through snow outside. Many pairs of heavily armored boots.
[ooc]So how high up were any windows in the manor that we could see as we were brought in here. The maximum distance is 140 ft to reach the inside of that window.
When he hears the talking, Arradir holds up a hand and crouches low, sneaking up to the corner in hopes of perhaps getting an eye on the guards. He doesn't speak the Imperial tongue, never found need to learn it, but between everything else, he doesn't trust anything happening at this point. He looks to the woman beside him, silently asking what she thinks with his eyes.
Despite Arradir tripping and bumping the wall, the two guards seem not to notice and continue to chat away. Looking down the hallway, you see that there are only two of them and seem to be more engrossed with their conversation than they really should be.
The guards bust in through the door and the eight of them quickly surround you. Behind them is an imperious man in his middle years girded in fine armor with an expensive fur-trimmed cloak about his shoulders.
"Hmm, yes," he says in imperial-accented nordic, "you do hope you haven't angered me, for things will be so much worse if you have. Now, let us cease this dance and get to the point. Why are you four here?"
As you move down the down the hall, something on Arradir's person clinks loudly.
one of the guards shouts in nordic as they draw their blades. Elsewhere in the house, you begin to hear shouts of alarm.
"Awfully spry for a sick old dwarf," the lord says mockingly before turning to his guards. "Take them."
The guards, armed with spears move and attack before you can react. The ones attacking Rodok and Vaen fail to pierce their armor. Both of the ones attack Kresh stab him and sorely wound the dwarf. Schandra, though, jumps as the first spear scrapes her armor, and turns to give the second spearman an almost perfect shot at her neck. She is badly wounded and blood flows freely from the gash.