... back at Councillor Ionnia Teppen's house...
After looking over the map briefly, Aoife feels a chill spreading across her body. The youth is unsure if this gripping cold is in her own head, caused by the repeated talk of sudden winter and drifts of snow, or if the temperature outside is actually falling. Dropping her small pack to the ground, Aoife digs for a moment and pulls free jacket with a soft, white fur liner. Once the coat is on, she next produces and begins to wind a thick scarf around her neck and head, crisscrossing and interlacing the fabric until only her brilliant green eyes show through a gap in the weave. Lastly, the youth ungracefully pulls on a heavy, white cloak with black spotted fur onlays on the interior surfaces which press against her body, her dexterity struggling against the constricting coat with each motion.
"In the Border Wood, is there... Umm..." calls the young girl's voice through the screen of the wrapped scarf. She surprises herself by asking questions to an unfamiliar adult but deep down she knows the prospect of finding her father is far more a driving factor than being frightened by a stranger. "... Are there any buildings which you could mark on the map? I think might help up find our way inside the woods... Or maybe the winter-touched might have also found these places, and are now hiding there."
"Oh, how silly of me!" says Councillor Teppen, "Of course I can show you where a building is. The High Sentinel Lodge is just here." She marks the lodge in with her quill. "There is a river crossing there also. Though, if the forest is as cold as these winds, I doubt you'll need it. Still, best to be safe rather than walking out onto unknown ice. The Sentinels are a gruff crew, but they should be able to provide you with shelter for the night. I'm not sure how prepared they are for winter, though, so best approach them with some dry wood if you can!
"... and what do you mean 'us'?" the Councillor seems to notice Aoife's age for the first time, "You don't intend to go into the woods also? My dear girl, you may stay at the Silver Stoat and I will look in on you from time to time while the adults do their thing."
Turning to his companions, "My apologies if that scene back there made you feel uncomfortable. I fear I have been the target of the prejudices of many nations against me, and have for as long as I can remember." He glances at Ice Melts. "I am sure that some of you you can relate. Regardless, I will attempt to better control my temper, but [bigger]I will not suffer indignation like that at the hands of others."[/b]
"Good tidings, Vivialla. I am Jorvik. You have much to behold in this store of wonders. Though I fear that your guesses about my current currencies are quite accurate, I would still love to see these wares that you so proudly talk about. We seem to know our way around magic as you say." Jorvik indicates Kuragin and Coramus.
Once the other adventures have purchased their cold weather gear.
"If you please, see the caribou straps here cross, then twist under. These are meant to repel the cold. This seal skin shirt must be tight across the skin to retain what heat your body makes. Best not to layer up in here. Amazingly you want to be warm, not hot. Sweating is your worst enemy." Jorvik moves from person to person, assisting as needed.
Coramus mutters about the indignity of a tradesman not knowing the term 'haggle', but forks over the 8 gold coins as indicated. Hailing from the frozen lands of Irrisen in his youth, he knows all too well the dangers of traveling in extreme cold. Though a bit rusty, a few pointers from Jorvik have him bundled up in no time.
"Not that I am unsympathetic to Farmer Dansby's plight, but I believe the ambush site likely shows more promise than a few missing turnips. Although, we could always check later, you know, just in case there are any salvageable crops left." He looks knowingly at Ice Melts Quietly in Sunlight. They had had bouts with hunger more than once, and food, especially free food, was never turned down.
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"Run from pretty blond woman? Me run from Eeefie, too? Me like Eefie!"
To Councillor Teppen, he says, "Eefie strong like Ice Melts Quietly in Sunlight. We brave, we go find lost nobly woman, burn nasty winter fey with fire. We like fire, winter things not like fire." He nods, like he's settled everything. '
He then goes up to Aoife, and hands her a flask of alchemist's fire. He whispers to her, but not very quietly, "Here, you have some liquid fire, too. Me make it for you. Special! No, me no take from nice lady, me make me self!"
As the adventurers head ever more southward, the cold becomes oppressive. The southerners are glad for Jorvik's tips on wearing the winter outfits properly. They stay snug and warm as they head towards the region of snow. Eventually, the ground underfoot grows cold and frost may be seen decorating the blades of grass near the road. By the time the companions find the site of the ambush, a thin dusting of snow is covering the ground. The the air temperature (at a guess) is at or has just dropped below freezing.
The road ahead is littered with debris and the corpses of slain humans and horses. A carriage stands in the roadway, its team of horses missing or cut free, while another overturned carriage lies sprawled and broken next to the tree line. To the south, more bodies have fallen around what appears to be a statue of ice. A snowy trail leads deeper into the forest.
Aoife takes the flask from the blue-skinned goblin, and she is surprised to see it looks miniaturized while nestled in the palm of her glove. As she examines its surface, tilting it to and fro, a sloshing sound echoes out from within the container while a dull heat seeps through the glove onto the skin of her hand. The youth nods in thanks to Ice Melts quickly in sunlight and proceeds to stuff the item into her backpack. "Thank you..." the words barely pass through her clenched jaw, an indication of Aoife's ever darkening mood.
For the briefest of instants she tries to remind herself to ask the goblin what he has given her and how it works, but for now her mind is on other matters.
Though child is beyond happy to have a new and interesting friend, such as Ice Melts Quickly in Sunlight, she cannot help but feel frustration building and bubbling within her. "No one will stop me..." she says in hushed voice, her eyes staring coldly ahead at Councillor Teppen. "I'm going through the woods to find my..." she pauses, realizing her gauntlet-clad hands are now clenched tightly into fists and she is poised on the brink of springing at the woman.
"...I have to go with Uncle Ishy," Aoife manages to calm herself, no longer on the edge of falling into a rage. "... you won't stop me."
Aoife quickly makes her way from Councillor Teppen's house and heads straight for the blacksmith. With her anger still flaring in direct response to the fear of not being able to help look for her father, the youth produces the gold and pays for her sword without a word. If Isker was looking for a reaction or even basic appreciation from the child upon showcasing the beautiful inscription etched into blade, Aoife does not give him the satisfaction.
In honor of Nadezhda
The child later reads the inscription while heading straight out of the town, a guilty conscience assailing her thoughts for not properly thanking Isker. The blade was undoubtedly beautiful and finely crafted, likewise the inscription was masterfully carved into the steel, making the child feel all the more worse for letting her anger get the better of her and then taking it out on the blacksmith.
Hanging her head low, Aoife waits on the edge of town for the others before departing all the while knowing the blacksmith deserved better than she had treated him.
The youth recoils at the sight of the tattered bodies and carnage sprawled before her. For a moment, Aoife looks up to Ishbaad in an attempt to gather what little courage and strength she had. The oread always calmed her fears and this time was no different... Uncle Ishy did not let her down. Exhaling a long, haggard breath, the young girl let go of the panic and dread rooting her in place, and with great effort steps toward the remains of the battle.
Ahead, the little blue goblin stands near an overturned cart, and Aoife moves to follow in his footsteps, unsure of any other action she should be taking.
Aoife had never seen anything so terrible.
As they approach the site, Coramus hails Ice Melts Quietly in Sunlight, "Careful now. We wouldn't want to disturb these fine fellow's naps. I suspect they were taken aback by that beautiful ice sculpture over there. Who knew such talented hands lay in a land that only briefly has a true winter period? Perhaps you should knock before you enter that carriage, people tend to be frightened of goblins barging in on them. Oh...you're right, they do look quite dead. That changes things, I guess. Still, you should probably knock, for courtesy's sake."
The wizard comes to within a few paces of the overturned cart as his goblin friend starts to rummage through it, knowing Ice Melts Quietly in Sunlight has a keen eye for treasures and baubles. He takes a look at a few of the corpses, trying to determine what has caused their deaths.
Despite his words of cold weather, Kuragin himself doesn't appear to care about the clothing. Still wearing merely the odd linen robes, the Jadwiga doesn't seem bothered by the cooling air. Arriving to the scene of the massacre, Kuragin sneers in disgust. While the life is Irrisen has made him familiar with blood and guts, seeing such slaughter here in the wild is terrifying. Gruesome as the public executions are, they are somehow... controlled. Here, the scattered bodies hold evidence to the dangers in the woods. This could happen to us, too...
Kuragin draws his crossbow- even if his skills with that are next to none. It brings comfort more than safety, really. "I sure hope whoever did this is long gone," he whispers to the others, and carefully moves onwards to examine the statue of ice, fearing the worst. I doubt they practice ice sculpting here in south.
The grim scene evokes a variety of emotions. From disgust at the way the bodies have been hacked at, to elation at the potential for treasures. Coramus notes that most have been killed by blades or some kind or by claws both large and small. Beyond that, he cannot say how they died or who killed them. There was clearly quite the pitched battle here, and matches with Yuln's version of events.
Ice Melts Quietly in Sunlight quickly goes to work on the overturned carriage. He pulls out a variety of clothing, all covered with fine embroidery. They would definitely fetch a pretty penny - or look pretty when worn!
Kuragin inspects the statue. Alas, but it is not a sculpture as Corumas surmised. It is the remains of a human, with a finely decorated breastplate upon himself. Likely, he was the captain of these guardsmen. It appears as though he was beaten severely and then encased in ice while still alive - his open-mouthed scream shows none of the peace of death. He is not a complete man, either, his arm has been carved from his frozen body, as has his left ear, right ear, nose, three fingers from his left arm and several chunks of leg muscles. Each lies decoratively arranged at the base of the gruesome statue, the arm still clutching a magnificent longsword in its frozen grasp.
Shortly after the companions begin to investigate the scene, they hear a banging and a low moaning coming from the still-upright carriage . The door is locked from the outside and the key is still in the lock barrel. The banging and moaning continues. The only response to questions called out by those gathered is that the banging becomes more frantic.
The youth looks around at the nearby companions, and then back to the carriage, craning her neck forward and listening intently for any additional sounds beyond the eerie moaning and thudding. She takes a few cautious steps closer to the carriage, pulling free her newly obtained greatsword and clutches it firmly in both hands.
In honor of Nadezhda
Aoife's eyes again catch a fleeting glimpse of the inscription etched into the blade, and the youth finds the sight of these letters, and the feelings they invoke, to be a comfort. She does not know how to properly use the enormous weapon held tightly in her hands, but she knows, and has decided, if something emerges from the carriage and is a danger to her, she will swing with all the might and strength she can muster to bring it down.
"Do not worry about the safety of the child. Worry about the safety of anyone who might cross her." Ishbaad smiles reassuringly.
"She is my charge, so where I go, she goes, and I will take responsibility for her care. I do appreciate your concern."
Ishbaad grimaces at the scene of carnage in front of him, but hides the outward expression of his thoughts.
"Take heart my new friends," he says, placing his hand on Aoife's shoulder as they take in the scene. "This will not be our fate."
-Posted with Wayfinder
The reckless goblin turns the lock and flings the door open wide. Only Ice Melts Quietly in Sunlight is taken aback when he spies three zombies clawing their way out of the carriage. Two are male and wearing guard's uniforms and the other is a female in a well-made servant's outfit. Clearly, Lady Argentea's captors didn't feel that she needed her hand maiden where she was going. The cold has made these creatures very pale and remarkably well preserved. The open wound across the hand maiden's neck is particularly garish, as the red stains beneath the gash are still a deep crimson and look as though it happened mere moments ago.
"Guaraaaarrgggghhhh," the zombies say in unison as they lurch forwards.
A surprise even to herself, the youth lunges forward at the hideous creatures rising from within the carriage. Aoife is frightened for the safety of Ice Melts Quickly in Sunlight and steps closer to the revolting forms that had once been human. As her grip tightens on the hilt of the enormous sword, the blade pulls back, ready to strike, and she can again feel a flare of anger erupt within herself.
She cannot tell if the explosion of rage brewing in her heart is caused by the latent power of her father's gauntlets surging into her, or if she is feeling the insatiable urge to cut down these creatures simply because she is now powerful enough to do so. At this moment, she does not care either way, her only concern is the safety of Icd Melts Quickly in Sunlight.
"Ice Mel..." she begins to call to the goblin, then interrupts her own sentence.
Aoife swings without form or grace, simply pushing the sharpened edge of the blade with all her might.
"Good job rescuing those people, Ice Melts Quietly in Sunlight. They must have been trapped for days. Look how sluggishly they move, and how they speak incomprehensibly, as though they've lost all notion of their civilized ways." The wizard rubs his chin for a moment, lost in thought.
"On second thought, they look rather hostile, young man. Best to put a quick end to them. They've gone feral."
The wizard draws upon his innate powers, focusing a conjuring glob of acid before sending it shooting out towards the zombie not attacked by Eefie. He then prudently takes a couple of steps back.
Aoife steps forwards just as the first zombie emerges and swipes down with her unwieldy weapon. The poor dead guard's corpse is desecrated even further as its head and shoulder are cloven off the torso. It flops to the ground in three pieces, the head crunching as it hits the snow, the torso toppling to dangle limply from the carriage and its now severed arm still twitching on the ground as it gradually loses its power of animation.
Another zombie appears at the threshold and a glob of acid strikes it in the chest. Frozen, dead flesh bubbles and smolders as a smooth cavity is opened up in the thing's center of mass. Behind it, the hand maiden clamors to get past it to taste the living flesh it can clearly smell on the icy breeze.
"Careful there! " Kuragin yells, but too late. The door is already open, and walking dead are pouring out. To his relief, his travel companions seem to handling themselves in battle. To his surprise, it was the strange young girl leaping first into battle.
The witch now gives a show of his powers - calling the powers of his mysterious patron, Kuragin curses one zombie with the hex of misfortune. And immediately afterwards, a booming sound fills the air. Kuragin starts producing an Unnerving laughter, more likely a cackle - which seems to empower his hex.
Speaking about up next... ;-)
The zombie looks like he was about to trip at the threshold as it gets distracted by the madly cackling Jadwiga. However, he steps that extra inch higher at the last minute and only clips the wood of the carriage. He is followed shortly afterwards by his female companion in death.
The slow, clumsy strikes of the partially frozen undead are easily avoided by the small and nimble pair they attack, however, and they have now opened themselves up to the full force of companions' inevitable assault.
The towering, stony man had paid no real heed to the goblin as he began to search through things at the site, but his attention was peaked at the sounds that had come from the cart. Now that undead were pouring out, Ishbaad restrained himself, knowing he was standing right behind Aoife in case things went poorly.
"Now Aoife, see for yourself what you can do. You are a child because you are young. You are not weak because you are a child... Yes! Excellent! Now step back with your other foot. Left foot in front. Hold your ground!"
Ishbaad reaches for his spear, methodically as he barks encouragement and instructions to the child. He makes a mental note of the blob of acid that flies in front of him, melting the chest cavity of one of the undead.
With Aoife still in front of him, though slightly off to the side, Ishbaad grips the longspear with two hands firmly. Stepping forward with practiced precision, he lunges the heavy tip over Aoife's head, aiming for center of mass on the poor, unfortunate handmaiden's unliving body.
for
Unfortunately the slippery footing from the snow throws off his balance, and his aim is poor.
Moving quickly past his allies, Jorvik bellows a challenge and swings his mighty hammer.
"All will fall before Frostreaver."
"Hmmmm, yes, those weapons work better when you hit them, good sirs. Don't take it easy on them, they are clearly deranged. Don't look at me like that, I just wanted to make sure." Not bothered in the least by odd stares, Coramus summons another acidic projectile, hurling it at his last target.
"Nice job ducking there, ummm...what was your name again?"
Before her eyes the creature that had once been human explodes in a gout of flame as the pungent aroma of searing flesh reaches the child's nostrils. Over her shoulder she watches as Ishbaad's spearpoint lunges for the monstrosity and Aoife realizes through the ever clouding of her brain, caused by pulsuing of unbridled power and rage, that Unle Ishy is showing how and where to strike. The urge to swing and maim the creatures is irresistible but with Aoife's most concentrated effort she attempts to glean the smallest of lessons from the attempted strikes of her friends.
Tightening her grip on the massive sword in hand, Aoife again swings with all her might at the monstrosity. The swing is no more graceful and her lack of form is unmistakable, but the guttural cry the gauntlet-clad child produces is frightening nonetheless.
Ice Melts Quietly in Sunlight throws one of his BOOMS. It crashes into the undead guardsman and sets its head on fire. Splashes of flaming liquid hit the ground. The zombie stands still while its head continues to burn, eventually slumping slightly and emitting its own kind of eerie light upon the already gruesome scene.
The adults, Ishbaad, Coramus and Jorvik cannot manage to overcome their horror at the situation and miss - badly. Aoife steps up, however, and delivers another mighty chop to the animated hand maiden corpse. This time, her body stays intact, but with a wide, bloody gully running along her torso. The spirit of undeath leaves her, and she falls back against the cart.
All is quiet, save for the crackling of the flames on the dead guard's head.
Taking their time to perform a thorough search, the group sifts through the belongings that the guards, Lady Argentea and the bandits have left behind. This is what they find...
In the wrecked carriage:
- Three courtier's outfits worth 90gp
- Accessories and jewelry worth 150gp
In the zombie carriage, the companions find a small jewelry box that the bandits seem to have missed. It contains:
- A pair of earrings worth 25gp
- Pearl-inlaid bracelets, together worth 160gp
- Silver necklaces worth 125gp
- Sapphire pendant worth 150gp
At the ice statue, they find (as before):
- Breastplate worth 400gp
- Masterwork longsword worth 315gp
After assessing the value of what was left behind, the companions easily spot footprints in the snow, leading southwards into the forest . As the snow grows thicker, the trail becomes ever easier to follow. For now, though, everyone looks around at each other, flush with adrenaline from the recent battle.
Jorvik changes his grip at on the shaft of the hammer, looks sideways at the small girl and goblin that have just deftly dispatched the undead.
Why to make an impression fool. You have felded mammoths and fought off the crazy ice devils
"The pretty clothes and baubles interest me none, but who would like the armor and weapon? I fear that the sword is one that I am not keen to use."
"Excellent job, young woman! You fight with a ferocity I haven't seen since my days in...that place...Ice Melts Quietly in Sunlight, where was that?" The wizard sits down for a moment, looking perplexed. After a few moments, he spies the obvious footprints and points.
"Look friends, with the power of the arcane I have managed to find the route our quarry took! Let us proceed with all haste!"
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"You mean when we were impressed to fight bandits outside of Tymon, when we were fleeing the 'priests' of the 'Living God' in Razmiran?" asks Ice Melts Quietly in Sunlight, temporarily dropping the 'good goblin' act. "Those bandits fought hard, but between your spells and my bombs, they didn't last long."
His eyes get big, and his smile then gets wide, as he turns to Aoife. "You see! My BOOM burn up deaders! You real good with sword, too! We do good... better than olders!" He giggles to himself.
Later, to Coramus, he says, sort of quietly, "Power of the arcane, eh, Boss? You think these adventurers are as dumb as most townsfolk?"
"Excellent work everyone." Ishbaad speaks in his slow, methodical voice. He pats Aoife on the shoulder to let her know that comment was primarily directed at her. As he steps forward he throws a wink and a smile at the goblin as well.
"Nice.. ah... Boom."
As they pick through the items at the site, Ishbaad offers to carry the bulk of the heavy gear, the extra weight not really slowing him down.
"Unless someone has need of it, I will make use of the late captain's fine gear."
Iomedae bless this man and his valiant death...
Ishbaad grasps his holy symbol in silence for a few moments.
"Forgive me good captain, but where you are going, you shant be needing this any longer."
While the group finishes gathering things and looking for clues, Ishbaad takes a few minutes to remove his simple four-mirror armor and don the much lighter, fancier breastplate armor. He takes the cold iron longsword out of his scabbard, holding the masterfully crafted sword in one hand, and the cold iron version in the other. With a few seconds to compare, he turns to the group.
"This one will hurt the winter-touched more. This one will strike truer than most. I can only wield one, and only when I am not using my longspear. Who would like to use one of these blades? Iomedae blesses us with her weapon of choice, we would do well not to ignore her blessing."
The companions trudge off into the snow. Unnaturally quickly, the weather grows colder and the sprinkling of snow becomes a blanket. Ishbaad suffers the worst, his joints feeling like stone grinding upon stone as the icy winds penetrate his too-loose clothing.
As the trail enters the full expanse of the Border Wood, the trail passes through a small clearing among the taller trees before continuing uphill and out of sight. A large chest lies half-buried in the snow, apparently dropped or discarded by those who hastily passed this way.
Jorvik notices just as Aoife steps into it. He pulls her back quickly and two spiked logs fly in from the bushes to slam together just in front of the child. Inspecting the chest, the companions find it to be empty.
"Are all the children in the south as strong as this one? Food here must be very nourishing..." Kuragin cannot but wonder Aoife's display. Now he understands why the child was allowed to join their mission. That one might very well be the best warrior of the whole group.
--
"Trap of logs, how strange... I wound have thought the winter-touched would use fey magic, if they would make trap. Well spotted, friend Jorvik!"
Nodding to his companion, "It just seemed ... off. Glad that you are safe young one. I fear we will have to call on your prowess as this forest has not yet yielded all of its secrets. Shall we continue towards High Sentinel Lodge?"
After Aoife's final swing she senses the adrenaline which has been building in her veins is quickly beginning to diminish and within seconds has vanished completely. For the next few moments, the youth feels all strength sapped from her legs and she drops onto the layer of snow in exhaustion, one arm outstretched and supporting her weight, the other clutching her chest as it heaves to and fro, drawing in long, ragged breaths. Her sword lays feet away in a fluffy pile of snow, which she is not paying any attention to, instead her mind races at the thought of what she has just done.
When at least she stands, Aoife is still breathing heavily but is more composed. She gladly accepts the compliments of her friends, thanks each in turn. In the back of her mind she knows her actions were only possible because of her father's gauntlets. She knows she is not special in the slightest.
Looking to the others, Aoife is thankful she is surrounded by such capable men, in addition to Ishbaad, whom she knows would never let anything bad happen to her. But her true surprise is the terrifying yet amazing explosive devices Ice Melt Quickly in Sunlight has produced, which she eyes with a mix of fear and wonder.
Pulled back and off her feet mid-step, Aoife watches as the spiked logs slam into one another. Looking up at the figure who has pulled her back just in time, saving her life, she sees Jorvik looking back.
"Thank you..." she says in a dull voice, as if through a fog in her mind. "... You saved me...?" her words are almost a question.
"You saved me!" she now exclaims and jumps quickly to her feet, then hugs Jorvik's leg. When she pulls back from Jorvik, her large, brilliant green eyes look up to him as she laughs, grinning wildly. As she looks, her eyes refocus on the side of Jorvik's head for a moment, possibly on his ears, but then return to meet his eyes, all the while a smile still spread across her face.
"Yeah!" she shouts, excited to be taken as an actual member of the group. "Let's go to the High Semtinel Lodge, maybe they already saved the Lady.""
After examining the chest and finding it to be empty, Coramus asks some very pertinent questions:
- If this has been discarded or accidentally dropped and is just sitting here, why is it trapped?
- What use is an empty chest?
- If it was carefully placed here, it must be as a marker of some kind.
Putting the clues together, Coramus realizes that something of value must be near or under the chest. The stronger members of the party heft the chest to the side and find a freshly dug hole beneath it. In a large shallow hole in the ground, the companions find what must have become of Lady Argentea's guards' weapons and armor. They find (and note for retrieval on their way back to Heldren):
- Leather armor x 5
- Studded leather armor x 3
- Masterwork chain shirts x 2
- Light wooden shields x 2
- Longswords x 7
- Spears x 2
- Masterwork daggers x 2
- Light crossbows x 3
- Crossbow bolts x 25
The adventurers divvy up some of the more useful items and rebury the rest before moving on. Following the trail left behind by the bandits and winter-touched fey, they travel ever deeper into the wintery woods.
The snow becomes increasingly deep in this part of the forest, where a windswept gully carves a path through a tree-covered 9 ridge. A soft cascade of snow falls from an overhead branch, hissing softly as it strikes the ground.
An enormous wingless dragon with tiny fore-paws erupts from the snow. Powdered ice falls from its body like the snow from the branches earlier. Clearly hungry and in no mood for parley, the beast opens its massive jaws and attacks the first person it sees - Jorvik.
The serpent gets a mighty hold upon the battle skald, the half-elf bleeding as the creature's teeth puncture his skin and refuse to let go. The hapless Jorvik can smell noxious vapors emanating from deep within its belly, threatening to overwhelm him.
"EEEEE-FFFFFAAAA, come save me!"
Ice Melts Quietly in Sunlight recognizes the creature as what must be an arctic variant of a tatzlwyrm. It has poisonous breath, but needs to hold a creature in its jaws to get full use out of it. More than that, and the flighty goblin hasn't been able to hold it in his head.
Jorvik takes quite a bit of the heat from the bomb and falls unconscious. The tatzlwyrm realizes that he has bigger fish to fry as some of its scales melt off and drops the unconscious Jorvik to the snow, where his burns sizzle in the blessed cold.
Meanwhile, the draconic serpent turns its attention on the little goblin who threw the painful flames. With a screech, it opens its jaws once more and swoops down upon Ice Melts Quietly in Sunlight.
Unfortunately, it cannot seem to get a proper hold of the goblin. It does, however, step closer to underbrush to make itself harder to surround, gliding over the snow that everyone else must work hard to make any kind of progress in .
As the flames lick his body, Jorvik seeps into blackness. He feels coldness spread,then nothing.
Ishbaad reels back when the wyrm erupts from the snow. He keeps his emotions calm, despite seeing the wild man take a viscous bite. Realizing he won't have any hope of making it over to the bleeding, and now burning man, he summons divine aid.
He takes a sharp, deep breath, and puts the full volume of his gigantic lungs into a scream of frustration at the snow Dragon.
Oddly enough, to everyone around him, the stone man appears to be screaming... Silently...
-Posted with Wayfinder
Though a small amount of blood trickles out of the creature's ear, but there are no further effects.
Seeing Jorvik attacked and grabbed by the deadly creature causes her heart to skip a beat, the next moment she feels a torrent of rage releases somewhere deep within herself as the kind man who saved her own life now becomes endangered. A wave of panic washes over her as Ice Melts Quickly in Sunlight throws one of his intriguing and devastatingly explosive devices and the youth is horrified to see its flames engulf Jorvik.
Without thinking, Aoife's body moves as a reaction to what is happening before her eyes, channeling the surge of rage. In one fluid motion she steps forward, drawing her blade while sidling up to the monstrosity, and swings with all her might.
Aoife brings her substantial strength to bear upon the tatzlwyrm. With a massive amount of effort, she slices the thing lengthwise. Gases erupt harmlessly from its belly, followed shortly afterwards by its innards. Steam rises from the serpentine corpse as snow begins to fall, speckling the red stain on the ground with tiny dots of white. Entranced by this oddly beautiful sight, Ice Melts Quietly in Sunlight notices something glinting in the snow. It is a small masterwork chain shirt. It appears to be wrapped around a small skeleton of some kind, but that doesn't matter to the snow goblin. Sifting through the remainder of the tatzlwyrm guts, he also finds a masterwork sling, a potion of cure light wounds, an oil of magic stone, a pair of smoked goggles and a pair of small sized snowshoes.
All of these items are sorted out afterwards, however. For now, though, Jorvik continues to bleed out. Snow piles up around his unconscious form.
Coramus looks at Ice Melts Quietly in Sunlight, "Oh, you can see it too? Hmmm...." He strokes his beard thoughtfully, but says nothing else.
"Yes, yes, being older does grant more wisdom, believe it or not! Who would leave an empty chest just sitting there, full of nothing but air, trapped to squish some unsuspecting wretch. Someone hiding valuables, that's who!"
Coramus' expression doesn't change as he wanders along, hearing the strangled gasp of the Northman. He probably had just gotten choked on a swig of water. Then hearing the sound of the goblin's bomb, the old man lazily turns around just in time to see a huge serpent toss aside Jorvik and snap at Ice Melts Quietly in Sunlight.
The old man's legs move quicker than one would believe as he repositions himself, then he again calls an acidic projectile to his side, flinging it at the wyrm.
"Well done Aoife! Again, you show your prowess and strength."
Ishbaad praises the girl for her mighty cut as he trudges through the snow, painfully slow for the urgency of the situation.
"Hold on good el.... oquent warrior."
I wonder why he hides that he is elvish? or at least part elf...
When Ishbaad arrives to the side of the gasping man, he kneels in the snow, grasping his holy symbol and placing a large hand on the mans chest.
"Iomedae, This one is not ready to be called. He has more work yet to do."
A warm glow encompasses his hand, melting into the chest of the strong man that sings.
"Iomedae has blessed me with the ability to staunch bleeding, but not to magically heal. Ice Melts Quietly in Sunlight - is that a healing potion? Let me see, our friend could use it..."
I hope I don't have to yell that full name in an emergency... No, do not give him a nickname. They will start calling you Ishy, and you will sound like a hypocrite when you tell them not to...
"Yes indeed, young woman, a fine job destroying that...whatever it was. I heard they had some serious problems with things like that in the Stolen Lands. Not that Ice Melts Quietly in Sunlight and I were there anytime recently. We're much too honest for such lawless lands."
Once Jorvik is brought back to his feet. "Are you ok there lad? I once heard tell of a mighty knight who took numerous wounds in multiple fights." He nods sagely, clapping the man on the shoulder, before turning back to their trail, ready to follow their quarry.