Bulvi switches back to a shield and javelin as he advances. "True enough but hopefully if we keep pressing onwards we'll be done with the place all the sooner."
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[dice=Perception]1d20+1d6+9
"Seriously? Are we lost?"
Ibona shivers in the cold, the crunch of snow beneath her feet starting to get on her nerves.
"I don't think we're lost,"grumbles Quasit over her shoulder to Ibona. "We seem to be running into all the traps and ambushes in the order intended by our hosts. So we must be on the right track."
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"True enough but hopefully if we keep pressing onwards we'll be done with the place all the sooner."
When Bulvi says this, she glances up at him. She puckers her mouth a bit, then stands up a bit straighter and heaves a deep sigh, blows into her hands, then pulls out her own sword again and starts paying more attention.
"Next time we see a snowman, shoot first and ask questions later." she advises the big fighter.
Bulvi drew his blade and stood over the corpse as Ibona examined it ready to strike it down if it should move and attack.
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not wanting to face another incident like before Bulvi and Findurel ready to make quick a death for what faces them as Ibona goes to take a look at the body, Alexia tries to see if there is anything magical, though unfortunately can not find anything as such.
it takes a minute or so of removing the snow from around the body to see that it is a former soldier of Taldor, Dansby. Ibona then moves the body out of the position it is in, to a prone position, and notices that there is a bit of gear with him as well, seeming in fairly decent repair
a composite longbow (+1 Str) with 12 arrows
a dagger
a masterwork handaxe
and a pouch containing 14 gp, 25 sp, and 18 cp.
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Sakitu watches Ibona carefully uncover the body and stays wary for danger. Once the body is completely laid out she relaxes. "Do any of you know him?"
Quasit shakes her head. "No... I don't know any of these people..." she says in a distracted voice. Finding this frozen corpse alone out in the woods seems to make her very quiet and serious. After regarding it for a bit, she moves closer and squats down, and tilts her head sideways, then stares into the dead eyes.
"Tough break, fella,"she says in an almost gentle voice. She pauses, as if waiting for an answer, then stands up again and moves off to stand by a tree, definitely not looking at the corpse any more.
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"No, but if possible we should return his body to town so his family knows what happened to him." Ibona stops to wipe a shed tear away from her face for the fallen soldier. Then, as usual, she breaks out her journal and begins taking notes. "Anyone want any of this gear? It might be useful to some of you."
"He'll have to wait until we've got this woman rescued or have another more pressing reason to pull back to town. Any gear we're not using now from him might still be handy later, best to bring it." At this stage his eyes were back on the trees about them ready to be off once more.
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"He'll have to wait until we've got this woman rescued or have another more pressing reason to pull back to town. Any gear we're not using now from him might still be handy later, best to bring it." At this stage his eyes were back on the trees about them ready to be off once more.
"Yes. And on that note, we should get moving. It isn't warming up anytime soon." Ibona stands up, stows her journal, and once again draws her gladius in preparation for any encounters ahead.
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After climbing at least a hundred feet into the hills, the
snowy trail finally levels off. In a clearing among the trees, a
large wooden lodge overlooks a ravine spanned by a long rope bridge. Smoke rises from the lodge’s two snow-covered chimneys, and large woodpile is stacked against the outer wall. A small outbuilding stands east of the lodge, and a stone well nearly blanketed by snow is barely recognizable to the north. Several tracks lead southwest toward a detached stable.
Bulvi look over the scene without approaching. "Given how many little surprises have been left for us I am inclined to think the majority of the group holds back and leave Findurel scout it out. If there is anyone else that feels confident enough in their reconnaissance abilities to go with him very well. Assuming this is agreeable to people?"
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Bulvi looking like he is scrutinizing the piles of snow around, kinda starts staring at what looks like the start of a possible snowman, or maybe it is just some snow covered rocks, he isn't sure, but he goes to investigate.
However before Bulvi starts to move, Ibona tells him politely to put his foot back down in the spot it was at, and stay still, pointing out a rope, buried mostly in the snow, crossing the entire width of the trail.
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Sakitu's heart leaps in her chest when Ibona points out the rope. "Bulvi, you almost triggered that!" She raises a fur covered hand to her mouth as Quasit crouches forward to work on the trap. "Be careful," she whispers.
After the trap is disable she agrees with Findurel scouting ahead.
She crouches down, low to the snow, trying to conceal herself from those in the building.
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Quasit manages to disable the trip wire, somewhat familiar with it from the log trap from before.
Findurel heads out as quietly as he can on his own to the stables -
Twin doors open into this low stable, where five stalls hold three
horses and a mix of loose straw. A rack of riding gear hangs on
the east wall, and a cast-iron tub sits empty in the corner.
Bulvi shakes his head "I was thinking I saw something odd but never mind. I wonder if we will find the homicidal hermit who set the snowman or will it be something stranger?" He readied a javelin as he watched Findurel examine the stables... just in case.
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After cutting the trip wire, Quasit looks up toward the lodge, waiting for Findurel. She bites her lower lip, and hums quietly to herself, three fingers of her right hand fidgeting and dancing on her pant leg. Suddenly she pipes up.
"What if one of us could get up on the roof and blocked off those chimneys somehow? she says. thinking out loud. "It'd probably bring at least one of 'em outside to check on it."
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After cutting the trip wire, Quasit looks up toward the lodge, waiting for Findurel. She bites her lower lip, and hums quietly to herself, three fingers of her right hand fidgeting and dancing on her pant leg. Suddenly she pipes up.
"What if one of us could get up on the roof and blocked off those chimneys somehow? she says. thinking out loud. "It'd probably bring at least one of 'em outside to check on it."
"That assumes everyone inside is hostile. No, for now lets let Fin do his scouting and go from there. But, be ready just in case things go sideways." Ibona has her hand on the hilt of her weapon, but keeps it sheathed.
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Quasit can't stop fidgeting. She picks at her cuticles, and even chews at them periodically as she hunkers down in the snow, waiting, waiting.
"I don't like this. They must've heard that thunder stone go off. They must know we're out here." she says. "They're probably all in there, sitting by the windows, just waiting for us. Probably have more traps rigged around here too. And if they're leaving zombies behind for curious onlookers, they have at least one cleric powerful enough and evil enough to animate the dead. And don't forget those snow fairies! We haven't even run into them yet. They're probably buzzing around out here, just waiting for their moment to nail us."
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Quasit can't stop fidgeting. She picks at her cuticles, and even chews at them periodically as she hunkers down in the snow, waiting, waiting.
"I don't like this. They must've heard that thunder stone go off. They must know we're out here." she says. "They're probably all in there, sitting by the windows, just waiting for us. Probably have more traps rigged around here too. And if they're leaving zombies behind for curious onlookers, they have at least one cleric powerful enough and evil enough to animate the dead. And don't forget those snow fairies! We haven't even run into them yet. They're probably buzzing around out here, just waiting for their moment to nail us."
"So, lets take our time and approach carefully, ready for them to come out at a moments notice and attack. Especially if sitting here only makes us colder." Ibona intones, shivering in the cold, a slight edge in her voice.
"Waiting for us to rush in again, now I grant they are sneaky but I reckon they wont be half as much trouble if we know we are walking into a fight against them especially if we have time to plan. This could just be some old woodsman's house... though given how things have been going they'd probably come at us with an axe fairies or not... and if that happens well hopefully he wont have much more than a guard dog or two helping him attack us. But traps, only get set off if we step in them."
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A large table and two benches run the length of this hall, and a
twenty-foot-high vaulted ceiling rises into the rafters overhead.
To the west, a roaring fireplace provides a welcome heat and
light while to the south, a flight of stairs ascends to a wooden
balcony overlooking the room. A set of double doors stands in
the wall to the east.
you happen to get on the porch, though you happen to be able to notice that there are 2 people here, not sure if that is all