"Reet," Sondergang declares "we need t' follow t' little booger it cud' be going fer help"
Looking around at the ruin of the two delicate and beautiful creatures Drew mutters.
"I thought they were suppose to be good? Mischievous, sure, but basically good. Why did they attack us?"
"Good?" Wildir snorts. "More like unpredictable as mountain veather. Nobudy told dem about good und bad."
"Let's find out vat is going on." Wildir heads in the direction the remaining sprite fled.
You continue along the path that the sprite fled in; this is unfortunately more difficult than you would've liked, since the sprite is leaving no tracks, but you between the lot of you you manage to pick out what you believe was the most likely path the fae followed deeper into the Border Wood.
You eventually realize you're following an old game trail, winding it's way through the trees and undergrowth. Breaking into a small clearing, you all notice a large stag lift it's head on the opposite side, it's ears swiveling forward to face you. It freezes, hesitating, and for a moment it seems the animal is about to bolt.
But then...it does something unexpected.
"Hail, travelers. What brings you into this part of the Border Wood? We rarely see more than a solitary hunter."
Wildir's eyes grow big as he looks from side to side confused, "Did dat dyr just talk?"
"Oh my!!!"
Sondergang raises an eyebrow..
"Well that's summat tha' don't hear every day" he mutters then raises his voice
"We are seekin' the source of this sudden winter...might ye have any information thee can give us"
The animal seems almost amused by Wildir's befuddlement before turning its attention to Sondergang. "Aye, this strange cold is certainly a puzzle, that is for certain. There are strange rumors among the forest-folk, as well. Are there any tales you have heard regarding the cold's origin? Perhaps they will turn out to be more than mere rumors."
The three of you give sidelong glances to each other, all of you simultaneously noticing that something isn't quite right about this stag. It speaks, yes, and it's mouth moves, yes, but the two aren't lining up. It seems like the voice emerges from the animal's mouth just a moment after it should.
Wildir walks closer to the weird deer, his curiosity getting the better of him, "How are you talking? Ve vere thinking de fey ver causing de vetter. Vat are de rumors you haf heard?"
"Wait a minute. Its not matching up...the stag and what it is saying!! Something smells funny about this whole thing. Talking Stags! It's a trick. Has to be!"
Drew starts looking around for whoever is pretending to make the stag talk.
Sondergang raises his crossbow and aims carefully at the Stag
Yurli's brows furrow in curiosity at the strangeness before him. His knuckles tighten on his staff.
The words barely leave Drew's mouth before the stag leaps forward, bleating loudly as it charges Wildir, now the closest target!
But the elk's charge is off, Wildir twisting out of the way just in time! In the middle of it's charge, you all notice a diminutive shape leaping off the elf, another fae flying into the air out of your attack range!
Sondergang changes his point of aim and shoots at the Fae
...
however the bolt goes well wide.
Yurli whips his staff around in the air, forming the glowing rune in the air with the staff. The glowing bolt flies toward the stag, striking it head-on with a sound like hammer on iron.
:
The rune-bolt smashes into the stag, causing it to bleat with pain, but the attack seems to only anger the animal further; once more, it strikes out at Wildir!
But again, the elk can't seem to get it's head on straight enough to score a hit on the bear shaman.
In the meantime, the atomie makes his own attempt at slowing the group down, weaving a spell and casting it in Wildir's direction...but instead of striking Wildir himself, the energy strikes his spear!
But the spell has no effect...however, the two fighting companions are not yet in the clear; from the trees above you another sprite emerges behind Wildir and Trelck, mid-incantation! When he finishes, a cone of scintillating, clashing colors springs forth from it's hand!
Wildir turns his wrath on the color spewing fey as he steps away from the stag and loads his sling with a cold iron bullet.
sling
damage
Drew pulls back on his shortbow and lets fly an arrow at the atomie
Attack-Melee:
Damage:
Sondergang cranks his crossbow and lets fly at the sprite this time.
The shot from Wildir's sling, hits the fae square in the chest, knocking the wind from it's lungs and causing it to spin in the air a few times. Unfortunately, this very spinning causes Sondergang's bolt to miss the sprite, and it recovers just in time to dodge Trelck's axe and fly upward, out of the range of his weapon!
Wildir guffaws as he wings the sprite and takes another shot.
Wanting to conserve his better spells should they be needed later, Yurli switches tactics, tracing sigils in the air as he had before, though this time the result is a glob of acid fired at the stag.
With Wildir's back now turned to him, the stag's rage turns to Yurli, the only enemy present who has yet harmed him. Ignoring the druid entirely now, the stag charges, tossing it's antlers at the wizard!
The animal's horns pierce through the dwarf's abdomen, dealing horrendous damage and instantly sending Yurli into unconciousness! Momentarily unaware of the attack, Wildir sends another sling bullet to the fae creature he attacked, this one striking it dead in the chest. The sprite gives a ragged gasp of air before his eyes roll back into his head and he falls to the forest floor!
Another arrow flies from the halflings bow at the now wild stag
Attack-Ranged:
Damage:
Sondergang fires another ineffectual bolt
While both Sondergang and Drew's attempts at ranged combat fall short, their bolt and arrow flying wide of the rampaging animal, Trelck's axe bites deep and hard into the animal's shoulder, which gives a sudden loud, sharp bleat of shock and pain before it collapses to the ground, blood welling from the deep gouge in it's flesh, the fresh heat of the corpse melting the snow around it.
The blood flowing from the wound in Yurli's stomach seems to slow of it's own accord, the cold helping stanch the gore-wound.
The atomie, upon seeing the stag fall violently beneath Trelck's axe, flies into an unthinking rage, screaming in an tongue none of you recognize, although the intent of the words is pretty obvious. It charges straight at Trelck, it's rapier pointed perfectly forward, like a tiny, living dart flying through the air!
Flanking the little fairy, Drew slashed at it with his sword.
Attack-Melee:
damage:
Yurli lies in the snow.
Still too incensed to realize the situation it has gotten itself into, getting surrounded by his enemies, the sprite continues to attack Trelck, clearly more worried about avenging the elk than his own safety.
And with a mighty swing of his axe, Trelck bites deep and hard into the fae's legs, cutting it off at the knees! The creature barely manages a gasp of shock and surprise before unconscious takes it and it falls to the snow. It gasps for air as it lay there unaware, but from the amount of blood it's losing, it will pass from this world in seconds.
The sprite cut knocked from the air by Wildir moments ago has already gone ahead of it.
Sondergang moves to Yurli's side and casts a curative spell
Cast CLW
He then offers a hand to the Wizard
"Opp tha' coomes lad, nay use in lying around in't snow is there"
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Trelck sheathes his sword and gestures to the sprite, Should we try to save it from death so it can answer questions? Do we dare risk it?
Pausing a second the dwarf snorts and looks at the wizard on the ground and the druid standing nearby. Hmm we should see to Ironbeard and say...strange...we were attacked and the druid is still standing! The dwarf guffaws as he moves to the wizard to look him over.
The shaggy northerner seems crestfallen, "You mean de talking dyr vas just a faery trick? Kill it. I don't trust de little bastards."
"Thank theur, beeam," Yurli gasps as he hauls himself ingloriously to his feet. "Bloody deer's 'orns are sharp."
He runs his hands over the bloody gashes in his once pristine robes. "Ahl av ta fix dis int' mornin." Picking up his cracked glasses he adds, "Speytin o' which, 'a soon will we be restin? Ah av onny enuff energy ta conjure cantrips."
Drew looks over the bodies of the fey creatures. He searches them for anything of value, as well as anything that might shed some light as to why they are attacking people and if they have anything to do with the weather.
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Trelck can't help but cock an eyebrow at the wizard. Rest already? A few sharp jabs in the ribs and its time for a nap? Trelck snorts as he looks after the halfling looking over the bodies.
Scratching at his neck the dwarf turns back to Yurli with a grin, That said when I'm still sloggin away at bastards with my axe in twenty years you'll probably be able to turn me into a frog or throw a boulder at me from the sky so maybe I shouldn't give you too much guff! The dwarf laughs at his own joke loudly.
Yurli cocks an eyebrow at Trelk not understanding what he finds so funny about being turned into a frog.
While you are conversing, the remaining fae breathes his last, passing from this world to join his companion in the next.
"Nasty little boogers those were" Sondergang comments then looks to Drew "Any clues there?"
The fey creatures here are not like those you would normally find; their skin is a pale, icy blue, their hair a darker shade of the same hue. Drew recalls the conversation had with the Ulfen warrior Yuln back in Heldren; he spoke a great deal of winter-touched fey that had attacked him in his duties as a guard for Lady Argentea, sprites who had sworn fealty to the White Witches of Irrisen...and who would only be here if the Witches had sent them.
Drew relates all he can remember of the conversation to the rest of the party. He also shows them what (if anything) he discovered on the Fey bodies.
Between the two fey, Drew finds a grand total of 35 gold pieces. He also finds a rapier and shortbow, but the weapons are sized for the fey using them.
Yurli's eyes glitter as he eyes the gold uncovered by Drew.