Befuddled for a moment by the sprite's magic, Ingrit holds her bow at the ready, unable to call fort the will to fire.
Seeing their allies succumb, the sprites opt for the better part of valor but not before unleashing a last shot of spite at Damiano and Ingrit. You each take 1 point of damage. Then the sprites vanish into the vegetation, leaving you to ponder what to do with the sleeping stag and fairy.
"I'm beginning to get really sick of these little @#$%ers!" Ingrit mutters.
kn (nature)
"Aye, me too. I'd be glad to catch one of them with a flask of fire, just to see them gone! What do we do with the sleeping ones? I figure we could eat the deer, if it comes to it, but talking means it might very well be something else in disguise. The little bugger, maybe we can get some answers out of it?"
I think the stag is a charmed animal or a companion to the fairy.
I would let him be but I am certainly interested to his master.
But before this, I would speak of what happened before the combat. we need a tactic for when we are negotiating with people
Damiano pause a moment for your comments.
Eianar glad the sprites have fled once more, turns his attention to the blue creature, gently rolling it onto its back to see into its face, "Ohh! tis a strange young ting, no' let me tink." He pulls at his white beard, "T'ant no fairy, t'aint no a sprite.. tis one o' theys relatives, tis an Atomie. Dey are able to turn 'emselves invisible and shrink deir foes. Dese little guys ave a lot more self-confidence, tis out of proportion to their small stature and dey often imagine themselves much bigger than dey really are." he smiles and laughs a little.
"I guess dis little one either was trowing is voice, or ad used magic on de stag. Best disable both o dem, soes they dina cause us any more trouble." The druid says as he looks for rope in his backpack to secure both the creatures. "Den wes can asks them some questions. I hopes we can let dem go once we've spoke wit em."
"Unless you consider yourself extremely persuasive and can sway it from the evil of the ice in it's heart, we'd be better off killing it before it woke." Ingrit says pragmatically. "A stag this size could go a long way. We wouldn't have to worry about food while out here, and if we found the lady quickly, the rest could supply the town."
Domitian picks up and his now tiny falcata. "I don't care what we do with the stag, but Ingrit is right. That fairy creature needs to die before he causes more havoc. I mean, look at this! It's a toy sword now. Or perhaps one of those toothpicks they use for hors d'oeuvres. Let a fairy like that live, and it'll slip out and cause more havoc." It's not entirely clear if Dom's truly so worried about the atomie or just upset about his sword. Nevertheless, he trades his tiny falcata for the much larger cold-iron longsword, seemingly eager to finish the atomie. "Say the word, and I will do the deed."
"And Damiano, I'm all for negotiation, but possessed talking stags are not my forte. I suppose you wizards are accustomed to talking to all manner of strange summoned beasts."
"I imagine the blade will return to its proper size sooner or later, Domitian. At least, I hope so. As to the deer, I generally believe we should talk whenever possible. At worst we waste some time before hostilities, at best we gain new allies or information. At least, that's how I feel."
"Yah, if t' stag were enslaved by tha' atomie, then usin its carcass for food an protection make sense, particularly n this ere cold clime. As for tha evil thin, takin is life now, may save doin it later, but shame we can't asks it a few questions first." Eianar says pragmatically shrugging his shoulders. "If none ya strong chaps gonna do it, I'll take the stag's blood." He says, indicating a cut across the stag's neck to kill it quickly.
"Are we agreed? Let it be done, then." Dom takes his cold iron longsword in both hands, and brings it down on the Atomie.
Seeing Dom smash his sword over the tiny farie, Eianar shakes his head, "Dina be so rough wit tha stag, we wanna ave a good few meals off it." With that he hands Domitian his dagger after a showing him the sweep of the dagger across the stag's throat, but without touching the magnificent animal.
While Eianar prepare the stag , Damiano turns to Domitian
I am afraid you are too used to being a townguard In town, most people will allow you to show your suspicions while not reacting But there, I think The Atomie attacked prematurely because of your actions. He was obviously trying to know who or what we were. His questions could have given us some information about what is going on with the weather in the future we need to act in unison A group who shows itself divided before people is not a group people will respect.
He sighs
Ah well, it would probably have finished in a fight anyway. Now, to change the subject , does anyone else think this corruption of fairies is strange ? I would think such thing is powerful. If it was imposed from the outside , this is of a level of magic most wizards or priests would not be able of. Opinions ?
Rolling her eyes, Ingrit draws a hunting knife and walks over to efficiently slaughter and bleed the stag, beginning the process of preparing it.
"Come now, my friend," responds Dom to Damiano. "That stag, or rather the atomie, was clearly fishing for information, and was worthy of my whispered suspicions. Just as I concluded, its voice wasn't its own, but rather this creature's." Dom uses his sword to point at its remains. "But fear not, a noble is judged not only by the sharpness of his sword but also the eloquence of his words! I assure you I am equal to the challenge."
"As for this corruption, it is surely more than a mere abduction for ransom. But whatever it is, we will root it out." Sounding quite confident, Dom seems to have forgotten the humbling experience of being pummeled by zombies.
'Whispering your suspicions was all right. Acting on them by going in circles about the stag while looking thunderous at him was a trifle offensive.
Just think about how you would react if someone did this to you.
Hearing Damiano's words, Eianar barely looks up from his work, as he and Ingrit kneel on red coloured snow, with blood over their hands as their knifes make quick work of the stag. "I tol' they, this taint right. Summat's behind it, but let's find tha lady. Whoever took her was problay in da pay o whoever is behind it all." He ignores the words they speak about how to behave, a resigned look on his face as he sighs.
Once the carcass has been processed, Eianar looks to the sky, hoping to determine the time of day, and how long before nightfall.
"Tis best wees follow da tracks, if we can find some, goin tha right way." he white bread wiggles in a smile. "C'mon Ingrit time for yous do start some real work and guide through this snow."
"These creatures are touched by the cold. That means the Witches of Irrisen are somehow behind it. How, why, and to what end I have no idea, but they are the ones to achieve this kind of magic."
"Those snowshoes look useful, Eianar. Perhaps we should try to fashion something similar with some twigs and rope?"
Ingrit's expert dismembering of the deer gives you the opportunity to supplement your rations with 2 day's fare each. You can also salvage a white deer pelt if you like, which could be sold or worked into something.
The trail is still easy to follow and you proceed along it. A mile or so ahead you come upon something weird. A human-sized snowman stands in the middle of the trail before a frozen stream. A crude wooden sign leans against it and bears the words “Trespassers Turn Back.”
"I sure hope that's not another frozen victim of these creatures," says Dom, thinking to the "ice sculpture" they encountered previously. He looks for danger.
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"I'm sure it's something cruel and horrible. These creatures don't seem to play very nicely with others."
Erland looks as well, casting detect magic in addition.
perception
"Nice friendly welcome" Eianar says a dryness in his speech. "'spect if theys left a snowman, theys be more surprises in store. Best be ready." Eianar says suspiciously, he looks round for a surprise. "I wonders if theys done something to the stream, water can kill in't cold. Best nah fall in."
There doesn't seem to be any creatures about but the snowman radiates magic, two separate auras of moderate illusion and abjuration.
"Tha be strange magics in tha snowman, someting dina look right. Gonna use it fer target practice." Eianar warns his companions.
Can we not simply avoid it and find the trail again further on ?
"If you'd like, Einar. I'll be just over there while you shoot, if you don't mind." Erland moves about 10 yards away from the thing before Einar fires.
Ingrit silently draws her bow, firing an arrow into the snowman.
Dom fully expects those darn sprites to reappear, but otherwise simply waits on the results.
Eianar's sling stone triggers a strange response from the snowman: “Can’t you read? The sign says turn back! Now get lost!” When Ingrit follows up by sending an arrow through the head of the snowman it veritably screams in frustration, the sound being powerful enough to turn the entire snowman into a small pile of light snow. You breathe a collective sigh of relief that you weren't in the area of effect.
The trail continues across the stream, which looks solidly frozen.
"Be Gozreh, what in tha blazes was tha!" shocked at the sudden explosion and sounds from the snowman. He looks to the townsman Domiano waiting for him to explain how that happened. He goes to the waters edge, looking straight into the cold stream of ice, gauging its thickness, gently using his staff to tap the ice to determine is strength. "Best ga ove' tha stream one at a time, wees gonna ave ta be careful."
Spellcraft
The first effect must have been a magic mouth which made it talk, the second was certainly another spell but not one I am familiar with
"These little blue guys have some twisted imaginations. Quite nasty little buggers."
Erland takes up a position in the middle of the group, readying his crossbow.
"Snow up to our knees, frozen rivers, and it's summer. Truly the work of strange magic." Like the others, Dom checks out the river to see if it appears safe.
As Domitian proceeds carefully, he notices a suspiciously dark area before him. As he prods it, his fears are confirmed. The ice is noticeably weaker in a round area before him.
As he abruptly stops, two weird creatures emerge out of the ice (not even leaving a hole in their wake). They have vaguely humanoid features and arms but their lower bodies taper out into a snake-like, slithering tail. They stand about three feet tall and they look like they mean business.
Roll for initiative. Monsters go on 5, so you can probably take your action immediately.
Here is the map. Blue squares are ice and count as difficult terrain.
"To arms!" cries Domitian at the sight of these strange creatures emerging from the ice. Drawing his cold-iron sword, he steps north and attempts to slice at whatever this might be.
;
Though he misses terribly, he stands ready to rebuff any attacks against him.
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Initiative
Knowledge
Damiano readies his action to attack the nearest sprite with his crossbow as soon as he appears
Dropping her pack and quiver, Ingrit props up a handful of arrows, striking a tindertwig as she begins to light her special arrowheads.
Eianar seems shocked by the eruption of the ice into creatures and stands there open mouthed, his frozen beard twitching in horror.
Erland lowers his crossbow and launches a bolt at the closest ice creature.
Initiative
to hit, for piercing damage.
know (natute) if applicable
Erland (and Eianar) can tell that they are not of this world; they are ice elementals.
Domitian's parry is successful but his riposte not so much. Erland's bolt strikes true and wounds the glacial menace, which approaches and takes advantage of Eianar's surprise. He is hit for 3 points of damage but shrugs off its chilling touch. On the bright side, no sprites appear to harass you.
You are all up again. Map updated.
bolt to the IE in contact with Erland then
Grabbing up one of her incendiary arrows, Ingrit sends a shot streaking towards the elemental facing Eianar, immediately reaching for another.
If the enemy by Eianar is still standing, Dom takes a step toward it (to H14) with the hope of finishing it off. If it's already down, he stays right where he is to attack the other one.
;
In the chaos of melee both Damiano and Ingrit miss, while Domitian is about to step into another spot of weakened ice and needs to make a Reflex 15 save or plunge into the cold water.