Looks fine Tal.
Jory's precise shooting takes down the cat.
Suddenly the Centaur leader burst into the clearing.
Taking in the scene, he realizes that you have successfully brought down the cat.
"Well done...I am impressed that you got to it before my hunters did.
"I would like to take the corpse back to my people so that our shaman can study it. I have with me valuable pelts, are you willing to trade for them? If you are going north, the high areas of the Kortos Mounts can be extremely cold, you may find good use for them."
Nester Rees looks over the pelts.
"That would be a very fair trade, Pathfinders. And we are likely to find the already prepared pelts much more useful on this journey."
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Jory bows to the centaurs, "Thank you noble hunters. Any word on our way ahead? Any hazards we should know about?"
Jory returns to his bedroll. "Wake me up for my watch. Dwarves get even grumpier if they don't get their sleep. And yes, it is possible for us to get grumpier."
Within minutes Jory is back asleep.
"These woods are where my tribe makes its home, so they should be reasonably safe otherwise. I'm unfamiliar with the territories further north."
The Centaur leaves a pile of high quality furs, and runs back off into the forest.
It's only about an hour after the first people went to sleep. Ample time to get a full night sleep for everyone with further watches. Might just be a slightly later than usual morning.
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Karzak finds it quite easy to fall back into an immediate, heavy slumber, his snores rattling leaves off of the trees nearby...or, they at least seemed loud enough to.
He snarls and spits at his own watch, but dons his armor for it in any event. Quite a bit of time into the next scheduled watch, he snores himself back awake, and wakes up the next victim of camp boredom.
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Tal thanks the disgrunted Karzak for taking the second watch. Anxious for at least a few hours sleep he bundles himself in one of the pelts rewarded by the centaur and stares at the stars above. A centaur. Never thought I'd see one of their kind...much less an entire band of them. The night sky slowly fades into darkness as Tal reminisces of the adventures of the past few weeks.
The rest of the night is uneventful, and you wake up well rested. The next day is more slow travel through the forest, but other than catching some food on the run, you don't encounter anything difficult to deal with. By evening you are getting closer to the mountains, and Nester thinks you'll be out of the forest and into the mountain pass sometime the next morning. Anybody want to do anything this 2nd night in the forest?
Another uneventful night. During the next day you pass from the forest to the mountain pass, and your travel speed triples.
As you walk into the mountains, the spring weather gets colder. There is still snow on the ground, and it is already getting colder throughout the morning. The temperature ends up in the 50's throughout most of the day.
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Jake approaches Tal before continuing their journey, and quietly pulls him aside.
As evening approaches, you spot a covered wagon half buried in the snow.
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Thanks for the kind words Jake. I am also disappointed at the lack of opportunity to speak to the Major at length. I fear I didn't give much thought to the political tug-o-war that takes place within the Society. Still if forced to play at their game I suppose it's best to align yourself with the most just cause.
Tal notices Tiann and Karzak walking toward a half buried wagon.
Best get a closer look at that... Tal draws his rapier and moves toward the wagon cautiously.
Inside the wagon are three still-frozen humans dressed for the cold who have obviously succumbed to cold exposure. These explorers must have foolishly attempted to cross the mountain pass during the cold season and paid with their lives.
The wagon contains a wood burning stove and some dry wood as well.
5 people can squeeze into the wagon.
Jory, give me a survival roll?
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Karzak nods at Jory and Tal, his gaze roaming over the deceased. His eyes show a bit of distress, but no where near enough for it to be called sympathy. A shame, that.
Seeing the accomodations, he shrugs. I'm hardy enough; haven't yet seen a cold that'll pierce a dwarf's hide. I'll stay out here for a bit. watchin' in the dark. I'll wake someone for next watch and we'll switch; whoever's on watch sits outside, right?
1) The wagon will provide some protection from the cold
2) The stove will help as well for anyone in the wagon
3) The cold weather outfits on the corpses would help
4) You think you could fashion another cold weather outfit from the furs you traded for.
If it does get cold you can also use your survival skill to help yourself and perhaps others ride it out.
Normally it would be pretty hard to tell given the frozen bodies, but you manage to determine that it was around 2 months ago, which would have been deep winter. You can definitely tell that it was the cold that got them, and they had no other injuries or signs of any altercation.
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I don't have anything suitable for digging one grave...much less three. Particularly with the ground still somewhat frozen. Perhaps we can create a pyre before we leave tomorrow.
I have an outfit suitable for the cold, so I could take a watch as well if needed. Perhaps we should remove the bodies from the wagon and get the stove going before dark?
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"Ok, first we need the shelter of the wagon and the winter survival gear on the corpses. It will help us if it gets cold. We then use our new pelts as blankets. If we are still cold we fire up the wood stove. We also may have to huddle together to conserve body warmth."
After Jory helps recover warm clothes from the bodies, he moves them into the wagon. He takes off his hat in respect as Tiann administers to the deceased.
It is dark quickly around 7pm.
Who is where at 1am and how are they prepared? Sunup will be around 6. At 1am it just drops below 40.
People who have the survival skill can go ahead and roll that at 1am as well.
With those survival rolls, everyone in the party will get a +4 on the coming fortitude checks.
If you are inside the wagon at a check, you will get another +4.
Whoever is on watch after Jake will be considered outside the wagon for the first 3 hours. For the fourth hour they will be inside and the next person will be outside.
It is cold enough for 4 hours (1am, 2am, 3am, 4am) that cold damage is possible.
For each of those hours, make a fort check with these DC's:
1am: 15
2am: 16
3am: 17
4am: 18
Take +4 on each check if you are inside the heated wagon, and another +4 on all because of the group's survival skills. Take another +5 only if you are wearing cold weather gear.
For each check that you fail, you will take 1d6 points of non-lethal cold damage.