Tacey puts her hand crossbow away, muttering about "blighted insect people", nods, and gestures for Ingrid to lead on.
The blue witch was flying so she's hard to follow but fortunately the trail is very clear even if it is some days old.
Not long after you cross the bridge you run into something very weird. Four icy skeletons (somewhat like the ones you fought in the lodge, but these are wearing some kind of old Quadiran garb) burst out of the woods and attack.
The skeletons go on 16 and are about 20 feet ahead of you. Roll for initiative, and if you beat 16, please act.
initiative
Tacey charges in, drawing her swords and lashes at a skeleton.
Stil suffering from the effects of the colors, Eianar is slow to react to the new threat.
Tacey's shortsword glances off the skeleton's rib. Then the massed skeletons mob her and simply rip her to shreds with their frozen claws.
The rest of you are up.
Eyes going wide in shock, Ingrit hurls a flask of alchemist fire at the centremost of the skeletons.
"Tacey, no!" Dom wants to rush in to save her ally, but the alchemist fire from Ingrit reminds him that they had the advantage at range and it would be unwise to repeat Tacey's charge. Instead, Dom draws his morningstar and waits for the skeletons to come to him. When the first one approaches, he strikes.
; .
Should they strike at him, he will attempt to parry and riposte the first attack.
;
Damiano cast Grease trying to catch as most of the Skeletons on the area as possible (Reflex Save DC 15 or fall prone)
Eianar hopes beyond hope that Gozreh will give him sway over these frozen undead, as he calls holding up an icy symbol. "Come ta me, protect me."
"Gah! What in the hell just happened there?"
Erland tosses a flask of alchemist fire as well, targeting the one not burned yet.
touch, for fire, 1 splash to all adjacent targets.
With your combined efforts you manage to destroy the skeletons.
You get 160 xp each. End of combat.
Once the fight is over , Damiano rush to where the body of Tacey lies mangled (and maybe a little burned). After a closer look , it is obvious to him that nothing can be done. He kneels and gently closes the eyes of Tacey.
Standing up again , he looks at Domitian, tears on his face
Her death is not your fault. She was more trained than you to react quickly. This could have happened to either of us . Let us go back to the lodge and bury her with honors. No matter for how long, she was one of us
Ingrit nods sadly, shouldering her bow."At least she died free, on her own terms."
"I fear we will only encounter more such creatures as we investigate this bizarre weather pattern further. It pays to remain on high alert going forward, no telling what we'll find."
Erland helps to wrap the torn body for transport, discreetly moving Tacey's possessions off to the side in case anyone needs something.
The rest of the battle is a hazy blur as Dom and his companions dispatch the skeletons. It all seemed to happen so quickly, just as Tacey's death happened in a flash. He runs up to Tacey, to see her dead.
"Gods damn them!" cries Dom angrily. He kicks hard at the fallen skull of a nearby skeleton, sending it flying. He then begins smashing angrily at its bones with his morningstar, before falling to his knees. "Father wouldn't have let that happen," he whispers, with a guilty conscience. Still a young man, Dom had never seen one of his own allies butchered in combat. Yet Dom had failed Tacey in a day.
Damiano's words awaken Dom from his stupor, and he gets back to his feet. "Tacey was a sneak thief. I have years of training in the best Taldan fighting academies. I was trained to fight Qadiran scum, including this lot here." He points to the skeletons in their old Qadiran garb. " And yet I just froze as she charged into the battle and was slaughtered." Dom would not give up his guilt so easily. "Tacey was a hero, and probably saved our lives once. She deserved better."
Dom helps move Tacey back to the lodge for a proper burial.
"Wees mus 'onor her death by gettin tha blue witch. She may well ave started dis weather, its hers tha mus pay." Eianar says with a cold detachment. The druid scowls at the desecration left by unholy, undead leaving a scar in all their memories, losing a companion. "Life an death bees a good circle, thase tha bring de dead to life through theys magics an incantations, theys stop tha balance and muss be made accountable for deys actions an tha undead tha does they work." His face reddens in anger, his normally white end blue eyes showing the small veins of blood as this feeling rises.
do you speak of life or unlife , Eianar ?
"Dar blue witch, she wa living, flesh an blood, though 'er blood bees like ice. Theys bones, wa undead, theys arr unnatural, nah balanced, nature is perrverted by theys presence." the young druid grumbles. "tis obvious, e'en ta city folks like yous."
After giving Tacey a viking funeral you return to the battle scene fo search for clues. You follow the tracks of the skeletons a short while to a small clearing, where they seem to have clawed their way out of the ground some time earlier. That's about all you can ascertain.
Will you proceed along the trail or do you want to return to the lodge and rest?
"I dinnah wan to be left out in da cold night, if wees can 'elp it. But if wees wanna move on after theys icey ones, then I doos me best ta 'elp Ingrit find a path."
Dom was been eager to press on, but has learned to trust the council of the wild man. "I hate to see those creatures escape so easily, but there's no point in pursuing and getting stranded in the cold. We've had a hard enough day. I'll do what you suggest."
"Aye, patience will likely pay off in the long run. Although we can't spend too much time this weather gets worse. I am almost certain that blue witch will bring allies back to this location, which could very well be to our benefit. At the least, we won't have to hunt them down."
A rest would be nice
"Let's move then, while there's still light." Ingrit says, taking point.
We'd be better off heading back. Another night in a warm bed wouldn't hurt any of us or the Lady for that matter. We can leave at first light to increase our chances of making it to Heldren before nightfall."[/B] Ingrit says decisively. Though the noblewoman remained quite stoic, she could see the occasional shiver.
As the party rests and recovers over the sudden loss of Tacey, Dom keeps a watchful eye out from the lodge to see if any new threats are approaching . . .
"Perhaps a rest is truly in order. We've suffered a real loss, and seen a horrific act right before us. I, for one, would appreciate a bit to process that."
With a shudder you walk past the remains of the frozen skeletons and continue for hours more along the trail. Then you come upon something... interesting. The rocks and snow along this part of the ridge are stained a reddish brown, and many tracks, both animal and human, cross the area.
Domitian looks over the colored snow. "Is this dirt or blood?"
Frowning, Ingrit stoops down, inspecting the discoloration more closely.
A quick search turns up the mutilated corpse of a man. It looks like he's been mauled by some kind of large animal, whose tracks are all over the place.
Aside from his bloody and ripped (but still usable) cold-weather outfit, he also wears a pair of homemade snowshoes, and though his shortbow
is snapped in half, two masterwork arrows remain in his quiver. In addition, Ingrit spots his bloodstained pack lying half-covered by a fresh dusting of snow nearby. It holds 3 days’ worth of trail rations, a half-full hip flask of strong applejack, and his journal.
Apparently his name was Dryden Kepp, and he fancies himself a great hunter. He writes about some bear traps he laid out further ahead, at the head of Somir Valley and of a strange hut with chicken legs that he found nearby which was inhabited by an even stranger doll. He doesn't give any specifics, just that it gave him a strange look. Obviously he didn't stick around.
Knowledge (nature)
"This is the work of a giant weasel. A nasty animal, all teeth and claws and wiry muscle. I hear its fur can bring a fair price in trade, like a mink or stoat. Best we keep a close eye out for those traps, don't want to be stepping in one accidentally."
Eianar looks at the animal tracks, hoping to identify anything out of the ordinary. "See 'ere, look a' all de tracks. Less see if deys anyting special." the druid says as he studies the tracks.
The tracks look like the weasel was caught in one of the bear traps but esaped. It seems to be limping.
You follow the tracks deeper into the woods. A cold wind blows through the forest atop the ridge. Heavy snow burdens the boughs of the evergreen trees, but someone has apparently cleared the snow from a large patch of ground to dig in the pine-needle-carpeted soil. Something seems to be buried in a snowdrift. To Ingrit's trained eye it looks like it could be a small body.
After following Ingrit for a time , Damiano seems to suddenly realize something
Just a question , are we following the tracks of the beast or of the human? I thought the purpose was to find the source of the cold weather. Now following the human might allow us to fin this hut which seems strange to me . Following the weasel is to look for a superfluous fight
"If they weren't going in the same direction I'd be inclined to agree, but there has clearly been much bipedal traffic this way as well." Ingrit says in reply. "It looks as if someone has been buried here." she says moving closer to the spot she indicates to her companions.
"Just make sure it isn't a bear trap," says Dom. He checks out the area.
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"Aye, be careful thar." the druid adds.