"We should definitely find some snow shoes, then. If we don't know how to drive a sled or handle a team of dogs, we might move slower than just walking. We should be able to get snow shoes here, right?"
to Brominate Nadya says
"Thank you, that is all I can ask. if you have a chance to free her please do so, but don't put her at risk. if you cannot get her out safely, bring word to me that she is alive and where she is held. I'll figure something out. I always do...
to Porablum and Hjorleaf:
"Yes, snowshoes are definitely available. we use them quite regularly here. several shops in town should have them, or I can help locate any supplies you need. if none of you are skilled with dog team, they can be tricky. you may be right that traveling on foot would be best. Or you could hire a guide.."
Nadya is clearly hinting that she could be that guide you could hire.
"Supplies. Cold weather clothing. Snowshoes. Maybe some more cold iron weapons if we see any. Don't ask. Anything else you can think of we should look for?"
I am not sure if we as a group have the funds but it will save on items we need to carry or search for. We have used them on long travels where supplies are limited and space for supplies was limited as well. A Campfire Bead, with this we would not have need to carry dry wood or go searching for good wood to burn. Scrolls of purify food and drink come in handy when desperate. When you are on the verge of starvation you are ready to eat anything. These scrolls can make a carcass into a life saving meal.
To keep from carrying to much, I also recommend the sleeves of many garments. When space is tight and you need to drop weight...they can take the place of bulky cold weather clothing.
"Do you think we'd find such magic items in this town? I imagine that the witches would keep a pretty tight rein on things like that."
Easlis grimaced when hearing about eating repurified rotten food.
"Changing our outfit on the spot might give us an edge if we plan on not making a ruckus. It was one of the very first things the half bard noticed. Cold iron weapons should be more dangerous to procure given they are effective against their allies. Maybe in the form of blanches..."
"Even the blanches will attract attention. DO NOT ASK for either. Look."
"Do you think we'd find such magic items in this town? I imagine that the witches would keep a pretty tight rein on things like that."
That very well may be true but I do not think they will see these items as a threat. I could be wrong though.
"Yes, snowshoes are definitely available. we use them quite regularly here. several shops in town should have them, or I can help locate any supplies you need. if none of you are skilled with dog team, they can be tricky. you may be right that traveling on foot would be best. Or you could hire a guide.."
Hjorleaf smiles slightly...
...and would you happen to know any guides that are the right amount of crazy to guide this group?
"I was thinking less as a threat and more as a means of controlling people. If you need a team and dog sled to carry lots of things around, it's something you can't easily abandon or hide. Compare that to a magic backpack you can just toss a lot of stuff in, and it's much easier to transport a lot of goods with less notice."
Nadya nods at Grim's words
"This man understands, you should heed his warnings. people in this land are suspicious and hard by nature. The land itself is harsh and ruled by witches and monsters. my town is full of survivors. we do what must be done to make it through. for some that means keeping our heads down. for others it means spying for the witches. it is hard to know which is which. I would suggest not asking around about weapons designed to hunt fey or fight witches. if you really feel the need to buy some of those items, tell me what you need and i will see what i can do for you.
As for a guide, I am willing to lead you to the Pale Tower. I will not go inside, however. the more directly I help you the more risk I put on my daughter. if i was to walk in to the tower with people who intended to harm the Lady of the tower, my dear Thora would surely be hurt or killed. However, I think you might be her best hope of escape, and will do anything I can to help you if I can do it without being branded a traitor.
"Nadya, on behalf of all of us, we are humbled by both your selfless generosity as well as your hardship. You truly must be an extraordinary person."
"Everyone, I say we use today to acquire what we can and be as prepared as possible before tomorrow morning. For then, I say, we depart. I'm going to take a look around town here in a bit. I figure we ought to stagger leaving times so you don't have a big group of strangers entering town at the same time. Though you don't just want one person hauling everything, either."
"If we're going with the cover that we are all recently released thralls of Hjorleaf or Grimgisli's, then we can leave together just fine. Nadya is the one we'll want to keep separate so that hopefully no one knows she's helping us."
"Fair point, Plum."
"We are in your debt Nadya. We will do whatever is in our power to retrieve your daughter safely. Do not worry about the banned items, the last thing we'd want is to raise suspicion and to be discovered early." I'm going to look for some snowshoes and some better clothing, if anyone wants to join, they are welcome."
With that said the half-elf puts his bow and scimitar in a safe location and only takes the dagger with him when he leaves
Brominate heads out with Easlis. Though he already has snowshoes, he’s eager to get a sense of these northern people.
"If we're going with the cover that we are all recently released thralls of Hjorleaf or Grimgisli's, then we can leave together just fine. Nadya is the one we'll want to keep separate so that hopefully no one knows she's helping us."
[oop]Unless no one else is joining them, it seems so. Though to be fair the hamlet is so small that it will be difficult to lose the rest of the group even if tried.[/oop]
Porablum looks at the bigger people around her, then says, "We should probably go with them. We don't want to get separated or have anyone get into trouble."
Porablum will move to follow them, hoping Hjorleaf and Grimgisli accompany them.
Hjorleaf looks at Porablum and sighs.
It might do those two some good to get in trouble before their delicate sense of worth gets us all killed. Getting knocked down a peg or five might due them some good and maybe, just maybe they can start working with all of us as a group...instead of the high and mighty southerns against the northerners.
Turning to face Nadya.
Do you have a place you recommend for supplies?
Looking at Grimgisli, the large man nods.
You ready...?
"Never ready. When you think you're ready, that's when you get caught with your pants around your ankles. Have to do the things anyway." He shakes his head as he starts walking, letting another word escape his lips in the middle of a sigh. "Shopping."
the group moves out into the village with some direction from Nadya on what they will find.
#2 - Iziamir Polovar - Blacksmith
#3 Verana's Sundries - adventuring gear, cold weather gear
#5 The Shorn Beard - Barber shop
#6 The White Weasel - inn/tavern
#8 Town Square
#11 Village Chapel of Pharasma
you are coming from the direction of #14, Nadya's house.
in the center of the village square as you enter town, you spot a statue that looks awfully familiar. it is a large statue of a beautiful woman. if it does not depict the exact same woman as the one in Heldren, it might at least have been sculpted by the same hand.
"Verana's Sundries seems like a good place to start. They should definitely have some snow shoes."
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The elf moves nonchalantly on the street of the town admiring the large statue.
"I wonder if the witches had held any territory in Taldor before. And what we're seeing are the remains of their golden history."
He nods at Porablum and heads towards Verana's Sundries.
"Yes, you're right. Let's solve the priorities first."
Once inside the shop, he would ask about the cold weather outfits and about the origin of the statue.
Brominate continues on past the sundries, crossing the town square and heading into the blacksmith's establishment.
On his way across, he noticed the statue and its unsettling familiarity. The layout of this town felt much like that of Heldren, where he'd spent a month or so. And this statue looked remarkably similar as well.
He took these thoughts and tucked them away for the time being.
Inside, he speaks with the blacksmith and expresses his interest in finding a mithral shirt.
Hjorleaf shakes his head as yet again Brominate goes wondering off on his own.
He looks down at Parablum as the pass the statue.
Come on, let us get what we need then.
Porablum looks at Easlis quizzically. "I didn't think Irrisen had been around that long. Why would you think there's that possibility?"
Nodding to Hjorleaf, she goes with him to get herself some snow shoes. A tent sounded like a good idea, too - something to keep the snow off their heads while they slept, anyway.
Easlis looking somewhat disappointed, responds "Yes, you're right. Irrisen is old, but not that much. And I haven't heard about it spanning across Varisia and beyond. Yet, I could bet my coin purse I've seen the same statue in the town that you've wished to visit. They have different customs, different governments but the statue was there, in the town square just like here."
He looks around checking who might have heard them and adds: "That was, as you well know before I've got acquainted with these two." The magus stares at the northerners in their group.
Hjorleaf, Easlis and Porablum walk together to Verana's Sundries. on the way, there is some discussion about the interesting statue in the center of town. inside the shop, the group finds a tidy store fully stocked with plenty of winter equipment, including furs, skis, blankets, snowshoes, and outfits.
the proprietor greets you all in Skald and makes herself available for questions. a younger woman, possibly the woman's daughter watches all of you with interest.
the woman answers Easlis' questions about the statue as well as she can
"The statue in the center of town? no one really knows what it is or who put it there. we call her 'the cold woman'. some say it is a likeness of Queen Elvanna, but i think it was placed her well before her reign. perhaps another jadwiga from before her time. some even say it is a statue of an ancient ulfen hero. but who can really say? these days it really just serves as a perch for ravens.
Meanwhile, Brominate wanders off to the blacksmith and examines his handiwork. the man does indeed have several mithral items that seem well-made. there is of course a noticeable lack of any iron equipment in the shop.
as Brominate is looking at things, a woman approaches him and speaks in Skald.
"hello good sir. I couldn't help but notice you are new to town. My husband and I know every face here, since we own the town's only drinking establishment. please, if you have time come visit and parch your road-dry tongues. the first round is on the house."
Choosing to take on a somewhat lighter accent, Brominate replies, also in skald, without missing a beat. "And hello to you as well, ma'am. I might just take you up on that offer, if time permits. Thank you, very much for your kindness." He smiles, bends a leg and bows, then continues looking at the blacksmith's wares.
"You do beautiful work, sir. So many of these items are...mithral, yes? Gorgeous. Truth be told, I'm in the market for some mithral armor, perhaps a blade. What does a mithral shirt run for up in these parts?"
Walking around the Sundries store, Porablum finds a pair of snowshoes that, while technically sized for a child, fit her feet just fine, and looks at the various tents before looking at Hjorleaf and Easlis and asking in Taldane, "Do we want to get a bigger tent that all of us can fit in, rather than all of us get individual tents? If we split the weight, it would be less than each carrying our own."
"That was, as you well know before I've got acquainted with these two." The magus stares at the northerners in their group.
Hjorleaf smiles brightly at the half elf.
Do not like our company...you are a freed thrall. Welcomed to leave and go home to your dresses.The large ulfen lets out a loud laugh at those words...
Still laughing...
...dr..dresses...now that was funny.
He pats Porablum on the shoulder and switching from his normal skald to taldane.
Come little nisse, let us see about a good tent.
Walking around the Sundries store, Porablum finds a pair of snowshoes that, while technically sized for a child, fit her feet just fine, and looks at the various tents before looking at Hjorleaf and Easlis and asking in Taldane, [b]"Do we want to get a bigger tent that all of us can fit in, rather than all of us get individual tents? If we split the weight, it would be less than each carrying our own."
I do not think getting one big tent would be wise. If the weather hits us hard and damages our only tent...well then we have no more tent. If we each have one and one or two get damaged then we can double up until we get to a town to get a new one or get the damaged one repaired. Being in the same tent does have its advantages though.
About Easlis' dresses . . .. "I have never understood his . . . style." Followed by a shaking of the head.
About tents . . .. "The most important advantage is sharing body heat. We should avoid individual tents for that reason. Maybe three medium tents so that we have a spare in case of trouble? Man on watch should be outside the tents so he can see, anyway."
"The most important advantage is sharing body heat. We should avoid individual tents for that reason. Maybe three medium tents so that we have a spare in case of trouble? Man on watch should be outside the tents so he can see, anyway."
Sounds good to me
"That should work, then. As for damaged tents, I can take care of that. I have a way to fix them."
She avoids saying it's one of the gifts Desna gave her, in case the lady running the shop can understand Taldane and reports a follower of Desna is lurking in the town to the witches.
after a bit of discussion, the group decides on what gear they want to find, and set out looking for it. the group at Verana's sundries look through her various tents stacked in a corner and are able to find a few that look to be in good condition. snowshoes and warm clothes are easy to find. she even has some trail rations but warns you that they are quite old. they seem to still be usable though.
Brominate finds a few very nice looking sets of armor that should work for both him and Grim. there are also plenty of weapons to choose from.
the one thing that is harder to find is a wand of cure light wounds. the small chapel of Pharasma does not have any fully charged wands, but after some searching the priest is able to find a partially used wand. (30 charges, for 450gp)
What do you do next?
Brominate thanks the blacksmith, saying he shall return, and heads to find the party at Verana's sundries.
"Well, I've got good news. The blacksmith has some very nice looking mithral armor and weapons. Would anyone else like to be fitted for a mithral shirt? First things first. Who has those gems from that troll? Let's sell those first."
He also makes a point to let everyone know to steer clear of the town's lone tavern.
"Nope. Gems are easy to carry. The larger goods are not. Trade away the things we don't want to have to carry first."
Unsure what to think about the new snowshoes he just acquired, Easlis tries to get solace in the fact that the new clothes were fitting him nicely.
"I really don't understand why the seller kept saying it's the best protection gear she had against the elements. I don't feel one bit warmer. I swear if I hear another word about how I look in a dress the next person would learn of the other practicalities of these weird shaped shoed."
He turns to Brom who has just returned:
"Now that you've mentioned it. I could use a sturdier bow. Ugh... master Grimgisli, I couldn't help but notice your bow looks much more used than this one. You can have mine, that is if you haven't grown any feelings for the weapon."
2 weeks trail rations
snowshoes
20 crossbow bolts
masterwork light shield
Their shopping complete, Porablum says, "We should head back to Nadya's for the night. If Brominate's right about needing to avoid the tavern, we're best off hiding out there for now."
Brominate and Grim head to the blacksmith's where they sell the studded leather armor and the leather armor they'd been wearing, then they throw in the value of the gems and jewelry from the troll's den, making the dent in the coinage much less.
2200 for 2 mithral shirts - 12.5gp for studded leather - 5gp leather armor - 1650gp for gems/jewelry = 532gp 5sp.
After relishing how nicely the new armor fit, Brom walked about town a bit simply trying to listen to what the villagers gossiped about.
Eventually he returned with the gang to Nadya's house.
600gp 1 MW Str+2 Composite Longbow
1gp Arrows, common (20)
10gp Arrows/bolts, incendiary (20)
5gp Snowshoes
8gp Cold weather outfit
Looking towards the tavern Easlis just shrugged and followed the others back towards Nadya's house. "There's no point in raising suspicion just before we take our leave. I would rather prefer a quiet night. Who knows how many we'll have once we start our journey towards the tower."
Purchase Mithral Shirt, 40 more arrows, snowshoes
Net +30.5 GP for the party (given that Brominate included the big expense in his total)
Once the group seems to have settled into and through their purchases, the short Ulfen man tries to herd them out of town, towards Nadya's.
Nadya welcomes the group back, and the smell of a hearty stew greets you at the door. along with a little boy, maybe 6 years old. He is very curious about all of you, but shy. he doesn't say much at all to you, but happily helps you with anything you are willing to let him do.
Please make yourselves comfortable. you'll need your rest if you plan on making it over to the Pale Tower in the morning. I know if may be overly optimistic, but I believe you are my daughter's best hope, and I will do what I can to help you get to the tower if it means having my little girl back!
After purchasing his needed gear, Hjorleaf heads out to Nadya's with the others.
Extra Winter Blanket 5sp
Medium Size Tent 15gp
Compass 30gp
Heatstone x3 60gp
Rations x9 45sp
Snow Shoes 15gp
Total spent 125gp out of my 190 I had left leaves me with 65gp
After thanking Nadya and enjoying the stew, and once Asvidrson and Grim have done the same,
"Grim, Hjorleaf? Can I borrow y'all a second?"
Brom would step outside and maybe even a bit away from the house so as not to be heard. If they follow,
"It's unfair to this woman to keep up this charade. But I don't know how telling her is going to help anybody. There's one practical course of action, but it's so cowardly it makes me feel sick."
"Charade? The witch used an illusion of her daughter. She knows the witch has the girl, so we know nothing." The hunter starts with a slightly confused look, but it moves towards annoyed as his thoughts catch up to the assumptions being made.
Porablum happily helps herself to second helpings of the stew, saying, "This is really delicious, Nadya. Thank you so much for all your help, and your hospitality." She sees Brominate, Hjorleaf, and Grimgisli go off to talk, but doesn't think anything of it. She knew they couldn't quite trust her, yet, but she trusted that if it was important, they would tell her.
"You think her daughter might still be alive, then?"
Brominate's isn't hiding anything at this point. His heart is utterly breaking.
"Listen, my daughter was also kidnapped from me. That's why I've been traveling. To find her. And I don't know how I'd react if... But what we saw back in the border wood... it seemed like an...I don't know... an echo..."
He composes himself.
"You're right. Of course, you're right. No need to rob this woman of her hope until we know the whole truth."
The words fall from his lips, but they are full of defeat and void of hope.