Ehren gives Ary a shrug. "I suppose it is unnecessary. There is no telling how large the rest of the mine is. For all we know, it could take hours to survey... work that will be done by others sooner or later. Besides, I think we've found everything of importance."
With that Ehren follows after the others, thankful that his spell was still there to ward off the weather.
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"Hm. I guess it's alright. I can cast it myself, it just takes a bit out of me. I can get two others - when I do it, I'll make sure to tag you and... Isilme, I guess? She doesn't like to sleep." he muses. "I can certainly tag along with you if you want to venture farther into the mine. I'm interested to see something happen with a greater concentration of blood crystal. I wouldn't even mind bleeding a little bit. I think that the others wandered off because they're assuming that there's nothing left in the mine. Which I suppose is what I'm assuming too, as there's probably nothing but some gross stomach acid in some weird nest back there from Snil-Snil... but there's also two beds unaccounted for." He gasps, putting a palm in front of his hand. "I wonder if the crystal'll make my blood float or something. That would be the coolest."
He snaps. "Wait. I can't cast keep watch by myself! Damn. It's gonna be a long night, I guess."
The four arrive at the church of Iomedae as the Chevalier is filling in Isilme on the latest events. Her is back is turned to them, and so Anevia gets a devilish grin and starts to creep up behind her, hoping to surprise her. Just as she is about to pounce, Irabeth finishes her summary. Noticing Isilme looking over her shoulder at Valaria, Ayavah, Anevia, and Ehren, she turns around to greet them, finding Anevia already in her face.
"Oh! Speak of the babau, you're here!" she exclaims in surprise as her wife wraps her up in an embrace and nuzzles her neck. She greets each of the heroes in turn, pausing at Ehren. "Ehren, you did hear me speak of our little problem, did you? Can you help out with that?"
"There was a significant amount of intelligence to be had in a secret room within the mine. It contained much of the cultists' plans for Icerift, as well as troop numbers and such. She likely is going over that and also surveying the mine."
"Before heading back here I brought up the issue of the captured cultists with her briefly, so at least she will have had some time to mull it over by the time she joins us here. I had not expected to wind up with so many cultists, but it is not surprising since it seems their primary purpose was for use as fodder for the rituals to summon abyssal rift drakes."
When Valaria arrives with Anevia and Ayavah in tow, she waves. "Tire of that creature's gruesome den and the scenery of the mine Val?" she asks as they approach.
Val follows the group to the church, and fights down a chuckle as Anevia creeps up on Irabeth. "Ehren and Xan got into a big discussion about the applications of blood stone and I decided that I was going to be more helpful and less bored if I came our here to help you guys deal with the town. Either with securing the town or trying to deal with the prisoners. Though that's more your thing really..."
"The tail end of it, yes," Ehren replies with a nod, familiar with the process of detecting Abyssal spoilage. "I'll see what I can do. We will have to leave anything that is tainted behind, of course. But depending on whether Ary plans on keeping prisoners, we might still be able to find a use for it."
"We should look into the mine. We can't just leave it for the rank and file to do." Ary shakes her head. "We're much better equipped than most everyone to deal with a threat in here... or would be if we hadn't all split up." She frowns again. "I say we check it out, and if there's a ghost or monster, we get out, quickly."
Xanderghul nods. "Of course! Let's go. It we go too deep we should probably turn back after a bit, though. We don't wanna just delve into the Underdark or something on accident. "
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Hinagiku nods in agreement with Ehren’s assessment.
”Ary, I think mr. Ehren is right, when we entered, it was to make sure no reinforcements would come out of here. Though, if you want to explore them further, I will follow you. But... there are not signs at all that anyone went further in.” she then stops, to ponder Ary's last few sentences.
"You are right, we can't endanger our troops needlessly... but, as you said, separated, we are weak... and if we meet some spirit, we might not even get to escape it in time. I think it would be wiser to wait for Sosiel to accompany us in here, once he recovers from today's battle..." she says, remembering their encounter with the hezrous.
Her vulpine mouth changes slightly, a hint of a kind smile appearing on her lips.
"Ary, I don't think there is any pressing matter here that warrants endangering ourselves" except Xanderghul's enthusiasm, her kitsune mind adds mentally.
-----
Irabeth sighs. "Disgusting, the way these demons treat their own. Though, thank you for the update on the Commander's whereabouts. I'm glad that you were able to find some worthwhile intelligence in the mines."
"You have a horse, right?" asks Volencia Eltringham, turning to Valaria. "If you're bored, you're welcome to come along with us. We're gonna traipse around in the snow looking for lost little cultists. Sound like fun?"
Once most people seem to be settling down, Hinagiku returns to the caves, going directly for Brae-Hagen’s former den. Using dancing lights to locate the trap, she opens it. The surprising sight of webbings stops her. Keeping her cool, she calls to the wizard, just softly enough to be heard.
”Mr. Xandergul, are you in danger or is this one of your spells?”
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He looks up. "So, I suppose you're in here to tell me to be less evil, huh?"
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Hinagiku politely makes her way into the pocket of webbing protecting Xanderghul where she finds one of the empty beds and sits on it. She stays silent, for what most would judge and uncomfortable amount of time.
”Would it work?” she finally says, any trace of irony or humour absent from her voice, as if it was an honest question. She looks toward the shabti, hoping to catch his gaze.
”No, I am not here to make you less evil. Maybe I have… unbending principles, but from my experience forcing them on people is senseless and doesn't work. I’m here to ask you something… I hope you can answer honestly to it: why would expose yourself to this…. corruption…?”
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He listens to her earnestly for a few moments, before getting what she's saying. He thinks for a moment, squinting to himself, looking at his knees. "Honestly, it's because it doesn't really matter. Because I want to know more spells, and because I've managed to be about as mad as I am now for millennia. Because I don't know what might happen to me if I ever were to die, but I doubt I would ever get to go to some kind of Heaven. And because I spent too long under the yoke of entities bigger than me." He looks at her. "I spent nine thousand years in that place, and now it threatens to consume all else that's left? No. I'll do anything to keep that from happening. I haven't had a chance to really live yet...I'm taking the opportunities that I have to do what I want. Whatever I want."
"More fun than watching Xan copy spells from another wizard's spell book," Val agrees. "Sure, I'll come along. Hey Ayavah, you want to come, or do you want to stay with Isilme and help out here?"
Ayavah stands a few feet away, pursing her lips at the destruction the cultists wrought on the little chapel. "Ugh, how disrespectful," she murmurs. Valaria jolts her out of her reverie. "Oh! Sorry. Um... I'll stick with you. If... that's okay with you."
"Yeah, most of our enemies take a disturbing amount of pleasure in desecrating other people's shrines," Val agrees. "Just once I'd like to find a place where they just ignored the chapel though. At least the damage can be repaired." She smiles. "You're welcome to come along. Just make sure you dress warm. We might be out for a while and things aren't getting any clearer out there."
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Hinagiku’s traits contract as she is seemingly confused by Xanderghul’s statement. Millenia? Is he that old? That place? The abyss? How?
After a few moments, Hinagiku recomposes herself. There was so much to ask, say, and do. And, as with most people, what needed to be done would take time. So, she would be more alert of Xanderghul’s action in the future, patiently striving to help him avoid evil.
”I don’t think there is any way I could truly understand everything you just said. Or what you endured during your long life… but there is one thing I understand. You feel there is no promise for you in the afterlife. But, why wouldn’t you have access to any kind of heaven or reincarnation? The only thing that dictates whether you will be rewarded once you pass away are your actions. All souls are guided into the afterlife by their actions while they lived…. If it is because you did wrong in the past, it doesn’t matter, you can cleanse yourself from these action. Become better. Everyone can. It might be hard, but everyone still has the choice to improve themselves. Why couldn’t you?”
Ary shakes her head, "I'll stick with you until you finish working. I'll even help you work a bit. Thank you for coming up with a really good use for it... do you know of any alchemists who could make something like that? Pathfinder or Crusader or otherwise?"
Things slowly start to make sense in Hinagiku’s mind.
”So…” she starts, trying to focus her thoughts. Then, receiving the friendly punches, she gives a faint peaceful smile, before continuing. ”So, I will seek a way to remove this curse that forces you to bear someone else’s sin.” she simply concludes.
Hinagiku then pauses for a moment, thinking of a way to answer the wizard’s last comment without demeaning him. While thinking, she get more comfortable, switching to the lotus position, and laying her hands on her knees.
”I’ll answer with one of my master’s maxim: when one states that he is perfect, he is in fact making clear one of his flaws. Everyone has his way, so it might be true for you, but my master was wise, and pondering the truth of his words was always useful to me. And, who will be your martial teacher?” she asks earnestly.
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Xanderghul shrugs. "Yeah, alright. You can help me chip off some of this bloodstone if you like. I'd like a few pounds of it to study later, and we'd need to break it off of the walls with these s#*~ty picks."
"Afterward, I was going to get started on scribing Brae-Hagen's spells into my book and burying that elven woman. You can stick around, and I can narrate if you like, or help with either task... but I think that you have some prisoners to spare and some inspirational speeches to give."
At the mention of an alchemist, Xanderghul laughs. "I mean, I don't really know any alchemists, no. A Pathfinder or two might be interested in such a project, though, and I was planning on establishing a lodge in Drezen once we take it. However, I was also planning to do any engineering myself. I may not know how to now, but I can learn just about anything."
Xanderghul scoffs. "You want to make me accountable for my actions?" He smiles somewhat grimly. "That really sounds like something that a selfish person would refuse. And besides, what are you going to do, forge me a new soul to carry into the afterlife? Steal back the original Xanderghul's soul?"
Xanderghul flexes a palm, looking at it. Then, he gestures towards his spellbooks. "I don't need a teacher. I only need to bend the laws of reality and make it so. And perhaps you're right, I'm not perfect. There is too much that I don't know for me to consider myself perfect. However, your quiet asceticism appeals to me about as much as the knightly righteousness of the Iomedaens appeal to me, or the angry arrogance in rightness that Valaria uses. It's always seemed that there is a 'right' way to be Good, and that deviance from that isn't acceptable."
"No, I just meant help you with the bloodstone. Watching you read and write is... not extremely worth my time? It'd be a good chance to get to know each other, I'm sure, but there's other times for that." Ary says with a shrug.
After providing Xanderghul with a few pounds of crystal - freeing him up to get to work on his studies - Ary heads out. She'd taken as much time as she felt she was able away from being a leader. With a huff, she heads out of the mine. "Stay safe, Xander. If anything tries to drag you into the dark, scream really loud."
While Ary is busy helping Xanderghul excavate enough blood crystal for his studies, Valaria and Ayavah head out with the Banshee Squadron to help patrol the surrounding environs. The Bound Horror whines ceaselessly in Valaria's head - being immune to cold didn't make the little creature immune to the wind, and it was getting tired of getting jostled about in her pack.
While Xanderghul works in the seclusion of his lab, Ehren works with some of the clerics to comb through their new food supplies, sorting the crop that came from the Worldwound from that which is safe to eat. It is slow, tedious work, but vital for the army.
Ary heads out into the storm - at this point it's starting to die down, though the snowfall is still going strong. The little mining town is mostly empty now, save for some soldiers standing guard outside a few of the longhouses. Ary finds the captains holed up in a small chapel of Iomedae. The ancient structure has miraculously weathered the decades well, with only a few holes in the roof, which Aron and his engineers are busy patching up.
Chevalier Irabeth greets the Commander and gives her a quick briefing of the results of the last battle. All in all, the battle went exceedingly well, as the enemy army was not prepared for an assault during the blizzard. She compliments the heroes' strategy for this battle, as it left them with only two casualties despite going in with against a force 4 to 1.
"Most pressingly," she concludes, "We have an abundance of cultists who surrendered during the battle rather than risk dying of hypothermia in the blizzard. About a hundred or so. We need to decide what we want to do with them."
Val keeps her cloak pulled tightly around herself and Ayavah, trying to keep them warm while they ride in the near blizzard. At first she tries to ignore the Horror's whining, but soon she just smirks and starts to mentally sing every Desnan hymn she can remember. She's heard more than enough over the years to have them running through her head for hours.
Ary immediately sets to work helping to clean up and maneuver things, whenever she can, talking while she works. "How many of the cultists remain? We... can't take on that many prisoners, if the majority surrendered, but I also don't feel right executing them. Would it be out of line to pardon them, in exchange for helping to maintain the city and mines? It's... a lot of effort to do anything more indepth than that, I would think."
"I believe we should allow them a choice of leaving Mendev or staying here. Those that remain will be able to live and work here in support of the mines in exchange for clemency. Those that choose to leave will be left alone, but if they are caught working for the demons again, they will be executed. In order to track this, we could brand them with arcane mark. The mark is temporary, lasting only a month or so, and invisible, meaning it is unlikely to affect them detrimentally should they choose to start a new life elsewhere. One month should be sufficient for our campaign to finish, allowing us to spot any who rejoined the enemy to fight against us again. A pardon should wait until after the campaign is over though. Perhaps those still here and in good standing for the next year might be granted a pardon. I suspect an official pardon would need to come from above you, however," she responds to Ary.
"If we divide up the supplies here, we might be able to provide them enough to make it through the next month here at the mines, while still providing our troops with additional supplies for the trip onward."
After making her way back into the storm raging outside, Hinagiku lets her step guide her; she knew the Master of masters would not infuse any more of her prayers with healing, as such she didn’t know exactly what to do. That is, until she remembers the condemned and decides to visit each of them to appraise their well-being. First, she looks for Chaleb Sazomal.
The crusaders have difficulty understanding Hinagiku's accent, and so it takes awhile for them to understand who it is she is looking for. She eventually finds him huddled away in a longhouse with some of the other condemned. A fire is going in the fire place, and they huddle close to it for warmth.
"I am so f$++ing hungry," Chaleb whines to no one in particular. "They gonna make us march and fight and work all day without food? Ugh."
-----
Chevalier Irabeth answers, "Around a hundred, we have them under watch in the longhouses for now, but you are correct, we cannot afford to bring so many prisoners with us."
"You have the authority to pardon them, as Commander, but I don't believe that would be a popular decision. For one, they haven't really done anything to earn a pardon, other than simply ceasing hostilities against us. That doesn't mean that they are in any way regretful of their work and time as cultists. I do agree that it would feel....distasteful, to execute so many, and especially since so many of them are young, or venerable, they would not pose as much of a threat to the surrounding countryside if set free."
She listens to Isilme's proposal. "That seems like a fair idea. What do you think, Commander?"
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Hinagiku gracefully makes her way through the longhouse, and before, anyone takes notice of her, she answers to Chaleb’s question while simultaneously sitting down with the group.
”Sorry, but I am not bringing food with me.” a small and gentle smile appears on her vulpine lips. ”I do think rations will soon be distributed though.” her tail fluttering about, the monk makes herself comfortable, crossing her legs and removing the metal circlet from her forehead.
”I am glad to see none of you were badly injured during the battle…. I did hear that Jezzick was not so lucky a few days ago…” she adds after waiting a moment, her smile becoming fainter.
”My condolences.” she looks at all of them in turn, sympathy in her eyes. ”Did any of you know him before you were stationed at Ahari bridge?” she asks earnestly.
In appearance non-plussed by Xanderghul slightly heated state, Hinagiku answers to him in a soft and gentle voice:
”Everyone has his way. I am not trying to make mine more appealing to you nor that of the Iomadeans. If you want to be loud or boisterous, so be it. Seeing those as flawed way would be obtuse, no?” Hinagiku stops, she was willing to continue, tell him how perfection was something worth striving for, but anything more might appear as a sermon, and she wanted to stay clear from that.
”But… ” she starts, her brow furrowing in recollection. ”I think I recall spirits who policed the flow of souls. Psychopomps my master called them… I think…” she stops for a moment, clearly trying to recall more. The answer was on the tip of her tongue so to speak. She knew she could reach it, that she could learn more about the flow of the universe. Not from her master, but from her mystical connection to ब्रह्मा. And so, slowly, oblivious to Xanderghul, she straightens up, perfects her meditating position and unconciously lets her link to her mother strenghten. A calm flowing force slowly enters her mind, weaving her knowledge using cosmic laws as a guide. To Xanderghul, it seems for a moment that Hinagiku’s eyes start to gleam from underneath her eyelids. A similar glow momentarily emanates from underneath her cloths, exactly where her sternum should be. Then, returned to normal the monk opens her eyes.
”Yes... they direct the flow of souls, if we could contact them, I know we could make sure that your destiny in the afterlife is not that of the one who cursed you.” she then stops, her eyes fluttering for a moment as she only now realizes what happened.
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Xanderghul nods. "Yes, I believe I've met a psychopomp before. Grim creature, like a skeletal vulture. But... perhaps we've come to a misunderstanding. The life that I live now is the afterlife, as far as I know. I've already escaped from the bonds of the man that trapped me in the Abyss. I'm immortal, and free to roam the planes, and free to do what I wish. Is it that you wish for my soul fragment to continue on after my eventual death?"
He snorts. "Is what you wish for me to turn my life towards Good? Aren't I already fighting an army of demons to save the universe?"
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Shabti are the whipping boys of the multiverse. Nobles and powerful spellcasters who find themselves aware of the eternity of horrors awaiting them in the afterlife as payment for the sins they have made as mortals naturally look for a way out. Such nobles can create a magical artifact known as a Sovereign Shabti, binding it to their souls.
When a person who is bound to a Sovereign Shabti dies, at the time when they would normally be subject to Pharasma's judgment (a period of time that can vary to hours to years, depending on Pharasma's sense of urgency regarding the person's soul), a shabti is spontaneously created in a relatively safe place in the plane the person would normally be sent to.
The immortal shabti is then left to carry out the sentence of their twin, a fragment of their soul, identical in appearance to their creator and left with some lingering memories of their "past life". The creator's soul is left to travel the multiverse, but the soul gives up a piece of itself in the process of creating a shabti, and can never be resurrected again.
A shabti is similar to a true outsider - their bodies are not vessels for their souls, their bodies are their souls, and as such can never become undead. But unlike true outsiders, they possess free will similar to mortal beings. When they die, their souls drift into the astral plane as all souls do... but their artificial nature destabilizes them and they eventually dissipate into nothing, their essence returning to the Positive Plane as pure energy. This makes shabti very difficult to resurrect, sometimes impossible, as the caster would need to draw together the pieces of the destabilized soul back into the form of their body.
The existence of shabti is an affront to Pharasma, the goddess of death who exists to judge all souls. As such, her psychopomps are wont to save shabti from their torment and deliver them to the material plane, then seek out their creators to bring them to Pharasma's judgment.
It is rumored that if a shabti were able to find and slay their creator, they would absorb their soul, and in the process, become the "real" being, and possessors of a true immortal soul, with all the advantages and disadvantages such a thing brings. However there are no recorded examples of such a thing happening, as many shabti simply perish in the hostile environments of the planes that they are born in.
Ehren does eventually break away from the tedium of rooting out Abyssal spoilage, but only to check on how the others were doing. He excuses himself, promising the clerics that he would return soon - there was much more work to be done.
"I am apprehensive about leaving that choice in their hands," Ehren admits, regarding Isilme's plan. It was not a point he wanted to stress too strongly. But after the last incident they had with prisoners, he had good reason to worry. "Regardless, those that choose to remain here will need to be guarded. How many soldiers would be left behind?"
"Eh, that's life for ya. Poor guy, though. 'Heard the bloke got in trouble for stealing from the wrong noble's business, one moment you're minding your own s!!#, doin' what you can to get by, then the next you're roughing it out in this hellhole. It is what it is," Chaleb says, dismissively.
Olen frowns. "Jezzick was a good guy. I'll miss the sonovab#~!~."
Chaleb nods. "I'd raise ya a drink to that. To Jezzick. He was a good sonovab$!+@."
"Hear hear. To Jezzick."
"I believe we have less to fear from leaving them unguarded for the winter than guarded. I am not certain that we can spare enough men to safely supervise 100 prisoners. If we leave them no weapons and only supplies, the winter should keep them locked down well enough. With a small number of guards they might be tempted to try to overthrow them to gain access to their weapons and additional supplies," she responds to Ehren.
Hinagiku does not raise her voice to join the others, but she does nod with her head in respect. After a few moment of silence, Hinagiku tries her best to steer the conversation in a new direction.
”So… apart from walking, fighting, preparing your weapons, what do you all do? Anything to pass the time? I heard that people here play card games too, but I haven’t participated in any yet.”
Hinagiku will simply relax with the condemned. If they play, she’ll ask a few questions, trying to get to know each of them a little better.
Though the mystical moment had passed, understanding continued to dawn for Hinagiku. So many things she had been taught made sense now.
”You’re right mr. Xanderghul. This curse, it must make your soul different. I have gone on talking about its corruption, the afterlife, being responsible for one’s action, and only now I think I understand why you would think none of it applies to you… but, and I know this is going to sound silly, we are here fighting to push back legions of oni’s and believing we can do it, why not believe that the curse on your soul can be lifted? Why not believe that one day you will be the true master of yourself?” she finishes, hoping that her last word might resonate with the wizard.
Chevalier Irabeth frowns. "I don't know how I feel about leaving these people completely unguarded. I agree with the suggestion that we at least direct the soldiers at Vilareth check in on them periodically, once they have reclaimed their base."
"Dunno, we're pretty far out from all civilization up here... and with this heavy of snowfall it'll be rough for them to leave the mines until... spring, yeah?" Anevia says, optimistically.
The evening passes by unremarkably, though there is no shortage of work for the heroes to contribute to. Ehren finds a disappointingly low amount of food in the cultists' stores to be usable - though it shouldn't be surprising, given where they have come from. In the end he and the clerics find units of food, just enough to feed their army for three and a half days. In addition, they find units of goods - mining tools that Xanderghul is careful to extract from the mines, and raw goods found in the blacksmith.
Speaking of Xanderghul, he spends the evening in seclusion in the mines, working his way through Warlord Brae-Hagen's intricately coded spellbook and indulging in some... darker arts. He is only interrupted the once when Hinagiku comes to visit him.
Valaria and the Banshee Squadron hunt the cultists out in the snow, but find no survivors... only the corpses of desperate fools, frozen to death alone out in the snow. After the grisly evening, Ayavah makes good on her promise to Valaria, managing to find a storage shed for the pair to ah, worship her Lady in Shadow properly.
Hinagiku spends the evening with the condemned playing dominos. They have a pleasant evening, the group of men and women are a crass but comical lot. Chaleb for his part seemed to be making an effort to be more polite to the paladin of Irori, even admonishing Olen at one point with "Wash yer tongue out, Olen, you dumbass, she's a priest! Show some godsdamned respect."
Külə follows Isilme around Mantarin, though he never follows her into any of the buildings, disliking having to squeeze his large frame through the doors. He's put into a considerably bad mood once Isilme informs him of what they plan to do with the prisoners. "You're mistaking their cowardice for penitence. They'll stab you in the back first opportunity... I'd burn their corrupted food and leave them to starve and freeze to death in the snow."
Ary finds pleasure in helping the engineers patch up the chapel of Iomedae, though she finds Aron strangely sullen and quiet the entire time. He doesn't even perk up when Sosiel arrives to help distribute the food. Picking up on his mood, the cleric of Shelyn attempts to comfort him, but Aron grows short with him and stomps off to retire alone for the night. Sosiel watches Aron leave sadly, then remarks to Ary, "He's been like this ever since Annabelle died... I just... don't know what to do. Normally I can cheer him up, but I can't if he won't open up to me." He grins, suddenly embarrassed. "Ah, sorry for unloading our personal problems on you, Commander. I know you have enough on your plate."
Afterwards Ary finds some sleep, a rarity for the Commander these days, given her affinity to pray to her goddess for the strength to keep watch throughout the night.
15 Lamashan 4713
The next morning arrives and Chevalier Irabeth gathers the heroes to the chapel of Iomedae to try and plan their next move. Outside, the skies are clear and sunny, though there is a thick layer of feet of snow on the ground. Travel through Mantarin is easy as the soldiers have dug out the streets, but the surrounding hills of northern Mendev are blanketed in frosty white.
Irabeth begins the proceedings. "Some of you have mentioned that you wish to march on Icerift. We have enough supplies on hand to feed us for two days, though we can certainly stretch that out if we need, or send out hunting parties for additional food. If we use Ehren's fire elemental form, we can reach Icerift in a matter of hours... though without it would take all day to trudge through the snow. If we wish to return to Silvershore it will be a day of travel with Ehren's assistance, two days without."
"While melting the snow away is a useful trick, it forces us to travel in a straight, narrow line across the countryside," adds Ser Ilivan. "Something to keep in mind."
"We've also left about half of our horses back at Silvershore," says Captain Halse. "....Not that we could charge through the snow, as deep as it is."