Arwyn smiled with relief.
"Ah! Thank you Giacomo!" She said, impulsively hugging him. And praise Desna! She thought quietly.
"If everyone's ready, shall we get back on the trail?" She asked.
The trail is quiet for the next few hours, but the air feels like its getting colder, the lower you go into the valley. By the end of two hours, Arwyn is shivering. Its still a little before noon. As Arwyn is contemplating stopping to build a fire and warm up a little, she notices some bloodstains. Stooping and looking around she falls slightly behind the others. When they turn around and look for her, Arwyn has discovered a whole section of rocks and snow just off the trail on this part of the ridge that are stained a reddish brown, with many tracks, both animal and human, across the area. She seems to be trying to trace the order of the tracks, but seems puzzled by some of them.
ten minutes later, you manage to at least find where some of the tracks end. It seems whatever beast it was, about the size of a bear , but with odd tracks, you find a mutilated body half buried in the snow. Fishing out the body and looking around, Arwyn recognizes the hip flask. She takes a swig to be sure, and indeed its strong applejack. The face and body are so torn apart its impossible to say who it was once. Her eyes water, and she blinks to stop them from freezing, whispering ... "Dryden Kepp". His pair of homemade snowshoes still tied onto his feet, his favorite shortbow, its gingerbread like engravings crafted by the blue haired gnome carpenter in town, now snapped in half. two arrows are all that remain of his quiver. Nearby Arwn finds his bloodstained pack lying covered by a few days fresh snowfall nearby. its got 3 days of trail rations, and a small journal.
fort saves:
cold
fort saves:
cold
perception checks
Arwyn pulled the shortbow out of the snow and studied how it came to be broken. She then slowly leafed through the Journal.
"'They laughed and said I was drunk...'" She said, and smiled sadly as she passed around the flask of strong applejack.
"'But I know what I saw. A weasel as big as a bear, fur white as fresh fallen snow...' Crap. A giant weasel now?" She stopped and quickly looked around, suddenly paranoid.
"...'I've set bear traps for it at the head of the Somir Valley. I will catch the beast and show them...' AND bear traps too?!." She swore aloud and passed the journal on to the next guy to read.
Carefully wading through the fresh fallen snow, she looked for a branch or sapling she could cut into a staff to probe ahead of her with.
you give him a swift burial for now, under a conifer under some branches and coated with some snow. You should be able to come and get him and bury him properly once the portal is closed.
You're almost down the ridge to the valley, when a cold wind blows through the forest atop the ridge, pushing you down with good riddance into the valley. 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. You look around, but there's no sign of anything around here, the tracks covered up by snow possibly.
fort saves:
fort saves:
perception checks
Gondorks scans the perimeter as he's learned to do during military training in Belzken.
Sniff sniff... I have a bad feeling about this...
"Well, that isn't ominous at all..." Commented Arwyn as they approached the cleared area.
Carefully, almost paranoid in a Total Defense stance (AC21), Arwyn carefully probed/searched the pine needles/area.
you spot nothing moving. its quiet here, but not supernaturally so. just eerily. Arwyn cautiously approaches the needled area.
Arwyn closes her eyes, exhamining the pine needles, and takes a deep breath, not quite turning and whispering : frost firs.
Frost firs have no individual gender and reproduce
asexually, developing both male and female cones that
grow along their inner limbs near their thin torsos. The
male cones produce pollen for the female cones, which close
and gestate for a full year before the seeds are ready to sprout.
To facilitate this process, frost firs often stand together
on high outcroppings or in windswept passes during an
especially reverent period they call Highwind. This allows a
maximized sharing of pollen between multiple members of
a grove, though a single frost fir can create its own offspring.
Indeed, many groves have sprung from a lone frost fir capable
of creating as many as six seed cones in a single reproductive
cycle. Such progenitors often earn the title of Elder Fir
among their own kind, which carries a significant status
when representing the grove in external matters (see below).
Once a frost fir’s fertilized cones fully mature, it clears
an area of sacred ground, removing any residual snow or
ice so it can plant its seedlings. Groves often band together
to share in the responsibility of protecting these offspring,
and aggressively defend such plots from intruders.
Arwyn sees little acorns and pine cones buried in the needles...
[23: Arwyn ], [21: Gondork], [20: TenPenny], [16: Mommy], [9: Caladan], [6:Giacomo], [3: Daddy]
suddenly they charge you screaching something in a language i'm guessing no one knows ( treant )
[23: Arwyn ], [21: Gondork], [20: TenPenny], [16: Mommy],[9: Caladan], [6:Giacomo],[3: Daddy]
y'all are up (arwyn gondork, ten penny)
initiative checks
I'll try and set up a flank for you gondork.
double move in the snow, and an acrobatics check -2 for the snow, to get past the frost fir without an aoo.
{fails}
Both miss, and ten-penny lucks out. standing opposite gondork with her short sword out.
Arwyn took a step north and east, then attacked the red frost fir with her handaxe.
for a possible slashing damage.
the red frost fir swipes at the axe wielding elf. stepping out of flank. his tree trunks almost acting like snowshoes and letting him easily step to the side in the snow.
oof. just missing.
What's this now!? Pineapple swarms? These winter witches sure know their tricks...
You'll make nice lunch! ... Arwyn! Can you cook these?
i move and attack the red one, clawing at it instead of drawing a weapon if arwyn mentioned the slashing is good bit.
The blue fir moves around arwyn and attacks her
[23: Arwyn ], [21: Gondork], [20: TenPenny], [16: Mommy],[9: Caladan], [6:Giacomo (delay)],[3: Daddy]
Dealt a terrific hit, Arwyn maintained her concentration and stepped to attack the Red plant creature.
"Cutting weapons! Use cutting weapons!" She called out.
for a possible slashing damage.
Dealt a terrific hit, Arwyn maintained her concentration and stepped to attack the Red plant creature.
"Cutting weapons! Use cutting weapons!" She called out.
[dice=mw handaxe]1d20+5 for a possible 1d6+2 slashing damage.
too late to help arwyn, 10p takes a flank, setting her up for a viciuos slice of frost-fir as sap sprays everywhere all over her.
At the last moment, Gondork hears the elf shout out, and switches to his battleaxe instead.
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Giacomo watches the fight dispassionately, quietly laughing maniacally to himself
Caladan finishes off the quick work Gondork made of the kindling. Examining the area, they seem to have moved in here recently. Their budding grove of pinecones won't mature properly without tending. The sap and frost firs bodies are very good kindling, and you can spend some time making some good firewood. Its a little after noon, so you break anyway for some lunch and make a quick fire to warm up around.
"Arwyn, I'm sorry I didn't heal you before. I couldn't reach you yet and other people might've gotten hurt as well. I'll heal you right now."
"It's a shame the winter invaded so suddenly, lots of these trees will wither because of the cold. Let's kick those invaders back to wherever they came from!"
Arwyn sighed with relief as Giacomo healed her.
"No, no, it's alright. Staying clear was probably a good idea. Thank you for that! I could have taken one more hit like that." She said, stretching her aching shoulder.
She busied herself around the camp, rounding up the sap heavy wood for kindling and firewood.
Gondorks nods at Giacomo's remark, then scans the horizon as if worried about something.
These witches seem more powerful by the day... are we really up to the task? Oh Sivanah guide me... I am but a poor lost soul trying to do the right thing. By grandpa, what have I gotten myself into?
"crazy, if you ask me. walking trees, a foot of snow in summer. but hey, as long as you ladies think we stand a chance of stopping it, i'm sure the loot will be better next time."
She helps around the camp briefly, the fire is welcome. with some sap and a spark, the kindling goes up nicely.
You're having a few warmed up scraps, when Gondork points over by a tree on the perimeter, and goes: "What's that?" pointing to a snow covered pine tree. He gets up and saunters on over, leans down and parts the branches out of the way, pulling out some small colored crates from under the boughs.
Coming back over by the fire, you can see they're four little wrapped boxes. they've each got nametags on them Arwyn, Gondork, Caladan, and Seshiro.
Gondorks opens the box with his name on it right away.
What's this? A greataxe??
As he swings it about a couple of times, he smiles with eyes softer than you've seen him do at all.
This reminds me... ah, never mind. It seems that the one who brought us these gifts was under the impression Seshiro was still with us... Who would do something like this?
"Hey!" Giacomo pouts, "why don't I get anything, and why did that Seshiro guy get a present? He's not even around here!"
"Have I been naughty?" Giacomo bawls, tears welling up in his eyes.
Arwyn looked at her package with some suspicion.
"Mysterious presents? In the middle of summer and the deepest cold I've ever felt? From who?" She asked with some skepticism.
"Hunh. The letters are seared into the leather tag, like maybe a blacksmith..." She wondered aloud.
Curiosity winning out over caution, she finally opened her long flat box. In a light red cloth wrapped crate , once unboxed, is Dreyden Kepp's masterwork shortbow (+2 strength pull), repaired as new, with the two arrows that were found in his quiver, along with a note.
She whirled around and looked through her pack. Naturally, the broken bow was gone.
With some hesitation, she sat back down and read the note.
"Not a gift, just a kindness. the arrows are magic." She read aloud.
Who would do something like this?
"I don't know, but I hope they stay friendly. This is... a little unnerving." She replied, looking about.
"I don't trust it. You can have mine Giacomo."
"Hoo boy! Thanks, Caladan!" Giacomo positively bounces as he opens the present.
Giacomo jumps backwards as the ghostly image appears. "Look, it's the ghost of that talking stag! But there seems to be a horn in here, not a cool toy or a weapon. I wonder what it does, except look pretty?"
Giacomo starts shifting around. "Should I open Seshiro's gift as well? I know I'm not supposed to, but a little peek wouldn't hurt, right?"
- for the arrows:
detect magic + spellcraft DC 23:+1 animal bane arrows - for the horn:
detect magic + spellcraft DC 18:a wand of cure light wounds with 8 charges remaining. - the cord wrapping the bag:
detect magic + spellcraft DC 23:
"we going to pack up and get a move on? or you wanna lollygag over your summer-winter gifts? " , says Ten-Penny. Giacomo doesn't seem to be the only one excluded from these little gifts.
Gondork is still swinging his new axe about.
Hue hue hue... Hue hue hue...
*facepalm*
Giacomo looks at Seshiro's gift, then back at Ten-Penny. He seems to be in conflict.
"Would you like to have Seshiro's gift, then? I'm sure he wouldn't mind, especially if you don't tell him you opened his gift. Or say it was an accident!"
"free loot? sure!"
She opens up the snakeskin bag and takes out the little crate. shakes it a little, and then opens it up. a short "ow!" is uttered, following by her shaking her hand.
"What the f!~&! the damn thing was trapped! What gives!? Argh. g*+%%*n, feels like its poisoned too!"
you look around for a good ten minutes, and search the area once more. but don't find traces of anyone leaving the crates, or signs of anyone watching y'all.
As you gradually settle back down, pack up the food and put out the fire, collecting some of the kindling and wood to bring with you, you all continue down the slope of the ridge, following the snowcovered trail. As you get to the area noted in Dryden's Journal, Arwyn and Ten-Penny keep a careful eye out for bear traps, its slower going, but no one steps on any.
Bloody animal tracks mark the trail though, you find two traps that weren't triggered. and manage to deduce from the bloody prints that the giant weasel must have tripped one of the bear traps, but from the blood and trail after that, it didn't kill it or slow it down much.
fort saves:
Eventually you come across the weird hut noted in Dreyden's Journal. You step out of the trees into a clearing and find yourselves standing in front of more than a dozen boulder sized chunks of ice. Ahead in the clearing, perched on tree trunks, atop a raised mound of snow-covered earth: a strange hut.
"Oh no, I'm sorry, Ten-Penny! Seshiro must've been a very bad man to get a trapped gift!"