"Gozreh, bend them to your will" calls Eianar, as an ice blue aura surrounds him, before touching the two ice elementals.
Seeing the one creature go after his team, Erland slaps another bolt into his crossbow and launches it at the same elemental.
to hit, for piercing damage
Slowing her breathing Ingrit fires again at the same creature.
Catching himself as the ice beneath gives way, Dom manages to avoid falling in.
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Unfortunately the elementals are too powerful for Eianar's Cold call to work on them, but Domitian (nimbly sidestepping the cracking ice) and Ingrit finish off one of them. The remaining elemental also goes after Eianar, but fails to connect entirely.
You are up again.
Once more Eianar's beard waggles as he grumbles to Gozreh, not blessing him with power of these creatures, One day Gozreh, you'll gi me tha power. Instead he takes up his staff and swings it through the air, hoping to hit the little live icicle with a loud crack.
In search of more solid ice, Dom steps toward the remaining ice creature and attempts to chip away at it. ;
Damiano, seeing his chances of hitting are poor and anxious to have some bolts left do nothing else tnan a five foot step out of the way
He still scans for other nasty surprises around
Ingrit keeps a wary eye for ay other signs of enemies s the flames in her other arrows snuff out.
Eianar and Domitian strike at the living ice but fail to make an impact. Ingrit and Erland still to go.
Erland closes in and swings broadly with his dagger, hoping to grant Domitian a chance to hit.
aid another to grant Domitian a +2 to hit.
"Kill the things, return them back to snow and water!"
A patch of ice forming on the shaft causes Ingrit's nest arrow to go horrible wild, shot into the snow with a hiss.
The elemental punches Eianar in the kidneys to devastating effect (7 points of damage).
You are all up again.
Eianar lets out a loud groan, as the ice creature beats the druids defenses and his bones crack loudly under the impact. With the sudden onrush of pain, Eianar sets his quarterstaff in a defensive position, looking to beat away any further attacks from the frozen fists.
HPs 3/13
"Einar! Watch this thing's fists, it hits like a horse kick!"
Erland hexes Einar with healing magic, curing him of HP
Damiano seeing the fight is not going well use his hand of the apprentice trick
Dom slashes at the ice elemental once more.
;
;
Ingrit to go, then the elemental.
Taking a deep breath, Ingrit fires a perfect shot through all the mayhem.
The elemental is hit once again, and the arrow sputters as it hits the elemental squarely in what passes for its face. But it still fights on, turning to Domitian with a vicious punch for 4 points of damage and 2 cold damage. He also needs to make a Fort 12 save or be staggered by the numbing cold.
You are all up. Let's see you finish it.
Dom shrugs off the cold damage and is unfrozen, but remains hurt by the physical damage. He immediately returns the favor, attempting to finish it.
;
Dom finishes the icy abomination, which melts back into the ice of the frozen creek.
End of combat. You get 160 xp each.
Eianar nods in appreciation of the swordsman's strokes, "Tis good you have dem moves wit dat sword o yous. Not bad fur a townie." The begrudging gratitude an acknowledgement of Domitian's prowess bubbling under his words.
"Le's see if thar some good food I can find." the druid says, as he sets about using his magic to create some blueberries to help heal the damage.
He searches in the snowy landscape for a bush with berries.
School transmutation; Level druid 1
Casting Time 1 standard action
Components V, S, DF
Range touch
Targets 2d4 fresh berries touched
Duration 1 day/level
Saving Throw none; Spell Resistance yes
Casting goodberry makes 2d4 freshly picked berries magical. You (as well as any other druid of 3rd or higher level) can immediately discern which berries are affected. Each transmuted berry provides nourishment as if it were a normal meal for a Medium creature. The berry also cures 1 point of damage when eaten, subject to a maximum of 8 points of such curing in any 24-hour period.
The frost has only made the berries sweeter.
After this intermezzo, you are free to continue your journey and cross the creek safely in spite of the damage the sneaky elementals have done to the ice.
On the other side you see the legs and feet of a frozen corpse jut out of a pile of snow next to the trees.
"Thank you, Eianar," responds Dom. "Just wait until my sword grows to full size, then I can show off some truly impressive moves." Dom gives Ingrit a wink as he says this.
Dom will take some goodberries if offered, making sure others have their share as well.
He then looks at the corpse suspiciously. "Is that another victim of battle, or a victim of a trap?"
"Whew, that was a close fight. Who is injured, whom I haven't hexed today?"
Erland pokes at the downed elemental a bit before sheathing his knife and crossbow.
"I don't know, let me check before we touch the body, whatever it is."
Casting detect magic, Erland looks at the dude in the snowbank.
There is nothing magical about the dead man.
"I'm still slightly injured, but not that badly." Ingrit says as they move forward.
Erland lays his figertips on the Ulfen, cool wind patching up the injured areas.
healing hex
"I believe this should fix you up."
Eianar hands Domitian 3 purple berries, "Ere Dom, eat em, they does you good.", as Eianar eats some of the berries, the juice momentarily staining his beard purple as a few of the juices from the berries escape his lips.
Eianar looks around the scene, watching for anything that might have dumped this body here. "Ey, remembers them tha was dead in that carriage. Carefuls as wees go." says the druid with trepidation. "Best looks an make sure he really is dead! What with tha chest afore being deadly had wees opened it, tha be more dangers in this wilderness, than is usual. Ay, Dom might even be right, or hes a victim of them sprites, too much is wrong. Aye, caution be best approach." The druid hangs back a bit from the corpse, unwilling to be the victim of some other surprise. He mutters a quick prayer to the gods of the weather, asking to gain some insight into the surroundings as he looks for traps or the presence and signs of others.
Dom takes the berries and is surprised when he feels his wounds mend and his hunger satisfied. "These are quite superb! Thank you, good man," says Dom, with a newfound respect for the wild man.
"Perhaps it's best if we just go around the corpse," says Dom as he is reminded of his last encounter with the dead, or rather undead. "As long as the trail remains easy to track?" He then shakes his head violently, as if to dispel his thoughts. "No, I take that back. We should not just leave a man here, dead with his story untold. That would be dishonorable. Let's investigate."
Dom does just that.
"We do have rope, still. Easy enough to drop a loop over its ankles and yank it out of that snowbank. If it comes alive after, it'll be hobbled and leashed."
Erland forms a slipknot in the rope and offers it to Domitian.
Eianar declares the corpse safe and Dom pulls it out of the snow. Those of you that have lived in Heldren for a time can identify the man as a local farmer, Old Man Dansby. He has been pummeled to death, probably by the elementals.
For a farmer he is very well armed, carrying a composite longbow (+1 Str) with 12 arrows, a dagger and a masterwork handaxe of Taldoran make. He also carries a pouch containing 14 gp, 25 sp and 18 cp.
Dom inspects the items on the man. "Looks like this farmer was expecting trouble. He has quite the set of armaments. Ingrit, do you care for these items?"
"The bow and axe are both better than mine, I'll be happy to put them to use to pay back whatever ended his life. If it was those elementals that it'll come out of more of their ilk." the ranger answers.
Damiano seems stricken at the revelation this is Old Farmer Dansby
I believe I already spoke of him to you . He believed something stole from his fields but I had no notion he would have tried to track the thieves alone . You do not think he tried to do it when we retreated to Helden , do you ?
"My guess is that he's been in this snowbank longer than that. Either way, our retreat cost a few hours, and this man was well ahead of us. I don't think we could have saved him, had we not gotten so beaten up against those undead creatures."
Heal to determine how long dead the farmer is.
Heal to determine how injured the others are.
His frozen condition makes it hard to determine exactly how long he has been dead, but a quick examination tentatively confirms Erland's surmise. He's more or less frozen solid, which would in itself take some time.
The trail begins to climb a ridgeline to the south beneath snow-laden trees. The prints of boots and horses mar the freshly fallen snow on the trail.
"We should bury Dansby when we return," notes Domitian. "But first, we need to bury the scum that did this." Dom's words are laced with grim determination.
As the party approaches the ridgeline, Dom's thoughts turn to ambush. "Do you think archers could set up behind the ridgeline there? If the sprites warned them, then the bandits will be ready."
He looks to the natives of this place, more familiar with wild terrain. "Any options for flanking that position, just in case?" Dom searches for signs and clues. .
Eianar looks to the sky, "Les see ow much daylight tis left?" as he trudges on. "Wees dina want to find ourselns wandering about in tha dark, come night."
As they move towards and up the ridgeline, "More likely, theys hide in the tree line, tis it speed we want or safety? Might be better travel jus in tha treeline." He turns back to the others, looking into their faces. Does he see the same grim determination that was in Dom's eyes.
A gust of wind whips up the freshly lid snow, it bombards Eianar's face stinging his eyes as he tries to survey the landscape.
Perception for signs of hostiles
There are no bandits to be seen from where you stand, but judging from the tracks, they can't be very far away.
"Off we go, I suppose, looking for bandits in the snow. At least it will be easy to follow their tracks."
Erland holds his crossbow at the ready, while Fiske shows his displeasure st the snow by climbing into the hood of Erland coat and curling up.
"Agreed. Be ready for battle."
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OK, Perception checks would be in order then.
perception