Marius shakes his head. As you turn to leave the hut, however, you hear a child's voice behind you...
Thora's voice. But instead of the energy and stubbornness of the young girl you heard before, this voice carries only icy malice.
"That's not very nice of you to do."
You turn back to see the doll floating in the air, a toy dagger in its hand... a dagger that gleams with supernatural frost.
Before you can react, the doll lifts its left hand... and the temperature in the hut plummets.
The cold chills all three of you to the bone, and you start shivering convulsively.
Kazmir feels icy pain lance through him. It was not just the cold, that he could bear, it was some sort of magic behind it, an evil will. he heard Bizzk squawk in pain beside shim.
The druid gritted his teeth and mastered himself. Two could play this game. With an effort of will Kazmir casts his own spell, Flaming Sphere.
A large ball of flame fills the tiny hut with heat and light and rockets at the floating doll.
Next to him Bizzk approaches, snapping at the doll.
The doll simply floats up higher, letting the sphere pass under it. It nimbly dodges aside as Bizzk tries to peck it with his beak.
Marius fires an arrow at it.
The arrow hits the doll solidly, but only causes a small nick.
"Go away, you mean birdy!" The doll shrieks, lashing out with its little knife.
The little dagger itself doesn't hurt much, but Bizzk freezes in place, the edges of his wound going blue.
The cold of the room continues to sap your strength.
The cold in the room dissipates at last, leaving the air *only* freezing instead of deathly cold.
Kazmir refuses to be distracted by the cold, the pain and even the attack on Bizzk. There will be time to heal the bird's wounds after. For now he had to kill this..thing.
He sends the sphere back up toward the doll.
'Marius, try the alchemist fire!" Kazmir shouts to the ranger. "I don't think physical attacks are going to do much!"
The doll shrieks in unearthly pain as the flaming sphere bounces up and strikes it solidly.
"You meany! I'll make you stop that!" it shouts at you, darting forward with its dagger.
The doll nicks your shoulder, but you shrug off the cold with only minor injuries.
"I'd do it, but I don't want to burn you!" Marius replies. He draws a flask but waits for you to get out of the way.
Meanwhile, Bizzk seems to be moving again.
Kazmir backs away, shouting at Bizzk, "Move back, Bizzk!"
As he does so he sends the ball of burning fire at the doll. His spell is almost over but the globe of flame is still glowing hot.
"Throw it Marius!" The dwarf says, shuffling out of range.
The ball of flames plows right into the doll, and with and unearthly scream, it bursts into flames and falls to the floor of the hut, unmoving, its little dagger slipping from its grip.
Kazmir approaches the burned and charred doll. 'What do you think Marius? Some sort of warden placed here by our foes? Why a little girl, I wonder." The druid investigates the remains for anything of note.
After that he says, "Burn the hut and move on? We have to find where this cold is coming from."
"That'd be my guess. Does seem like we have to keep on going," Marius agrees.
You don't find anything else of note in the hut, but the gem in the doll's eye is still intact.
The druid looks at the gem. With the doll charred it doesn't seem quite so creep.y Wondering if he will regret it, he pockets the gem, and proceeds to burn the hut down.
'Looks like we'll have to make camp. I'd hate to run into something like this in the dark."
While he looks around Kazmir will cast Detect Magic to make sure there is nothing else around the area to be concerned about.
"We should probably get a little ways away from our signal fire," Marius says sardonically, nodding at the now blazing hut. "Convenient there's still a trail on out of this clearing... guess that troll must use it?"
Kazmir doesn't spot any magic in his surroundings... but he does notice that the gem he pulled from the doll is magic.
"It might be nice to have the baddies come to us for a change, lad." then Kazmir sighs, "Aye, you are right. See anywhere sheltered enough?"
He helps the ranger look for a suitable place to camp.
Kazmir stares at the gem, trying to pick out any aura or spell in particular.
It's a very valuable gem, and it's radiating a fairly strong aura of Necromancy magic. Kazmir doesn't think it's actively dangerous, but he can't tell exactly what it is.
The two of you are able to find a place to camp maybe half a mile away from the still-burning hut.
Kazmir ponders the gem. Perhaps it held the soul of the girl? Perhaps she could still be put at rest if someone of enough skill intervened? Kazmir pocketed the gem, until that time.
Kazmir helps set up camp, and takes a turn at watch while Marius sleeps. He still has a few spells and feels more confident keeping an eye out. Bizzk half rests/half waits with him.
You are not disturbed during the night, though you think you see lights in the distance, and once you're pretty sure you saw a little fey flitting between trees not too far from where you set up camp.
The next day dawns cold and clear, the summer sun shining brilliantly off of the snow around you. Fortunately there are enough trees around to break up the light, or Kazmir would be worried about snow blindness.
Kazmir looks at their ragged little band. "We have got a bit roughed up. Let's have a look at the cuts, scrapes and frostburn." Gently the dwarf explores the cuts and wounds they have all sustained. The druid feels he has done some good, but obviously magic will be needed as well.
Here, Marius. Let me heal you." He pulls out the healing wand and uses it on the bedraggled looking ranger.
After that he turns to Bizzk, feeling the birds feathers and wings for damage. 'here you go, friend."
Lastly he turns to himself and uses the wand.
With everyone feeling better, Kazmir leads the way down the trail. "Let us hope we find our destination today."
You haven't gone far before you hear quiet chanting... and suddenly, a red-and-black eagle appears in the air in front of you, diving towards you!
At the same time, from behind you, a small being formed of swirling air darts out from behind some trees and attacks Marius!
He grunts at the impact, but doesn't seem too badly hurt.
"Marius, get behind me!" he shouts as he turns tot he air elemental. "Hit the eagle!". Hopefully the archer could do some good against it.
Kazmir pulls out a bottle of Alchemist's fire and heaves it at the air elemental. He has a feeling it will be vulnerable to fire, like all of their foes so far.
As he tosses it, he tries to see what exactly this thing is.
As he does so, Bizzk charges the swirling creature. Kazmir tries to call him off but the heron's blood is up.
Kazmir knows just enough about elementals to guess that this is one. Given that it's formed of air, it's probably an air elemental. But without any knowledge of planar beings, he knows nothing more than that.
It doesn't take knowing about them to see that the alchemist's fire seems to harm it... as well as, somehow, Bizzk's beak.
The eagle dives at Kazmir, slashing at him with a talon.
It misses him, but is now hovering in the air right next to him.
More chanting comes from the side of the trail, and a second eagle appears in the air above Marius.
The Ranger, with enemies on all sides, settles for stepping back from the air elemental and firing at the eagle attacking Kazmir.
Unfortunately, his arrow skims just over it, leaving it unharmed.
"We'll have to find the summoner!" Marius notes urgently.
'Right!"
The druid peers into the snowy landscape, looking for the summoner. They couldn't be very far.
Bizzk, unconcerned simply attacks the elemental again.
Kazmir looks around, but doesn't spot anyone else. The elemental ducks under Bizzk's beak easily.
Kazmir curses. Where was the summoner? Would they find them before they were drowned in eagles? It was time to even the odds.
Kazmir took a step back toward Marius and Bizzk, out of the range of the eagle.
Before he starts he manhandles Bizzk in front of him, to prevent the eagles from breaking his concentration. After this, he begins casting Summon Nature's Ally 1, losing the ability to cast CLW. It would take a few seconds, but it might help even things up.
As Kazmir begins chanting, suddenly a little blue-white winged fey appears standing on a tree branch on the opposite side of the trail, a little sling stone already sailing towards the air at the dwarf!
It impacts him solidly in the shoulder, hurting much more than it should. The cold it carries seems to sap his vitality, but Kazmir holds on to his spell.
One eagle dives at Marius, the other at Kazmir
Marius grunts as the eagle on him manages to bite his arm, but the other one completely misses Kazmir. Marius, for his part, draws his blade and slashes at the eagle.
His blade cleaves clean through the eagle, and it vanishes.
The little elemental continues its attack on Marius.
Marius staggers under the blow, and it's clear he's badly injured.
'Get back Marius. You have a bow, get some distance, don't stand toe to toe with him!" The druid shouts, worried. If Marius was seriously hurt....things would go badly for the rest of them too.
Bizzk snaps at the eagle threatening Kazmir.
Kazmir slashes at the eagle with his little danger. He had few options, feeling like his limbs were made of ice...
Bizzk misses the eagle, but Kazmir hits... and then it disappears.
The little atomie slings another stone at Kazmir.
He hits him solidly, but this time he shakes off the cold.
Marius takes one more slash at the elemental.
He hits it solidly, destroying it.
The tide was turning, Kazmir thought, sending the eagle right next to the sling throwing beast.
The eagle, screeching, attacks the creature. Kazmir has little hope it'll do much damage, but it should distract it.
"Marius, hit him hard but stay out of his way." Kazmir says, warning the wounded ranger.
Bizzk, still unblooded this fight charges the sling-atomie.
For his part Kazmir pulls out the wand of CLW and casts it on Marius, who is looking rough.
Kazmir recognizes the creature as an Atomie, though one somehow turned icy.
The eagle's attacks are ineffectual, but Bizzk's beak causes a tiny injury. "Hey!" the atomie protests, attacking the heron in return.
Its icy touch saps the heat from Bizzk, leaving his feathers frosty.
Marius fires an arrow at the little fey.
But his shot goes wide.
Kazmir commands the eagle to attack again, more to keep from spells being cast.
Bizzk, despite being frosty, attacks again.
The cold seems to have effected the bird more deeply though.
Kazmir ponders a spell, but decides to save them.
Instead he slings a stone at it.
It goes wide and it is, as usual, up to Marius to do the dirty work.
One of the eagle's talons slightly scratched the Atomie, but your other attacks are ineffectual.
The Atomie seeks to freeze Bizzk further.
However, the big heron whacks his hand with a wing, sending his attempt wide. Marius, meanwhile, keeps up his barrage.
His arrow causes a small amount of damage.
The eagle moves around the atomie, under Kazmir's command and attacks the now surrounded atomie.
Kazmir, seeing the atomie being far too good at attacking, uses one of his carefully hoarded spells. Spreading his hands he commands the dead plants and vines to comeback to life to fight.
The heron, gracefully avoids the plants and strikes out at the atomie.
The eagle again scratches your foe with a talon, but Bizzk's beak fails to strike it.
The Atomie nimbly dodges the entangling vines. It darts upwards , out of their reach, and slings another stone at you.
Fortunately, your armor deflects the stone.
Marius, cursing at his luck, keeps firing.
Unfortunately, he still has no better luck.
"You know Marius, I really must learn a spell to aid you." Kazmir says half to himself, watching the swirling atomie head upward. Cursing to himself, he casts another spell. A Flaming Sphere emerges from thin air next to the flying creature.
Your flaming sphere strikes the Atomie solidly... but it doesn't seem nearly as badly burned as you would have expected.
Bizzk, seeing the thing still alive, flies after it, snapping his beak.
The Atomie cries out in pain as Bizzk's beak finally lands a solid blow. "Go away, you stupid bird!" he screams at the heron, again trying to freeze him with a touch.
Marius fires off another arrow.
But he fumbles the arrow, dropping it in the snow. He starts swearing under his breath as he reaches for another.
Kazmir curses along with Marius. Being an archer in such weather is not easy. For his part he keeps the burning ball of flame on the creature, even if it doesn't do as much damage as he'd had liked.
Bizzk, now looking much the worse for wear, bites again, still locked in ariel combat.
He misses, snapping at a darting flying creature is not easy.
The atomie nimbly dodges aside. "I won't lose to a stupid bird and a ball of fire!" he shrieks, again trying to freeze Bizzk.
But he fumbles, cursing as the heron flaps about him.
Marius takes yet another shot.
The arrow pierces the little fey deeply, and it's clear he's barely hanging on.
Seeing the weakness, Kazmir keeps the flames on the creature.
Bizzk bites again, emboldened by the weakness of the last blow.
The Atomie shrieks as Kazmir's sphere of flames scorches through its defenses. Bizzk's bite is just adding insult to death as he plummets through the air, falling dead to the snow below.
Marius breathes a sigh of relief. "Never thought something so small could take such a beating," he comments as he bends down to examine his dropped arrow.
'I think it was the size that kept you from hitting it." Kazmir says, patting Marius on the shoulder."I will heal you in a moment He goes to look at the fallen creature, as Bizzk stands guard over the corpse.
The atomie is quite dead, but has a small... well, large for him sack with several items in it, all atomie-sized:
Potion of cure moderate wounds
Scroll of remove curse
3 flasks of liquid ice
2 thunderstones
A sickle and sling
6 platinum pieces
Kazmir gathers up the potion, the liquid ice, the thunderstones and the platinum.
The druid hands three platinum coins to Marius. "Least I can do. Consider it a downpayment."
Carefully he feeds the potion to Bizzk, wishing he had given the heron the potion of resist cold during the fight. he could have saved the heron much pain.
After that, Kazmir takes out the dwindling wand and casts it on Marius.
Then on himself
The Ranger gives Kazmir a grateful nod. "Thanks," he says, not really having the words to say at present.
'I should be thanking you, my friend." the dwarf says seriously, "If it wasn't for you, lad, this crazy bird and I would be long dead, frozen corpses."
With that he heads down the trail, looking for signs of ambush or, hopefully, signs of where the cold was coming from.