"I'm no expert. But that looks like a bad snowstorm heading our way."
To make matters worse, you realize that there appears to be a snowstorm headed your way, the distant village seems to be the only shelter you could possibly reach in time before the blizzard overtakes you.
"Here, Caladan, you put your mittens on the wrong way around. Now they should isolate better."
after two days marching through the deepening snow from Heldren back into the Border wood, you arrive back at the natural cave and the source of the cold: the winter portal. The geas isn't imposing its will as strongly on you now, you've recovered from its effects on you from your visit to Heldren. With just over a week's food rations remaining, and with dusk just starting to settle, you feel the pull to enter the portal.
Stepping through, you find yourselves in two foot deep snow, and blisteringly icy winds, even colder than in the Border Wood, among a small copse of trees on a hillock somewhere. A blizzard fast on your heels to the east, the lights of some kind of settlement (?) just visible in the dusk to the west. Its hard to gauge the distance, but it seems a few miles away.
the cold here is worse than in the border wood. you start to make your way towards the light, in the hopes of shelter at least. Within the first ten minutes making your way through the snow, wind piercing the cold weather gear you're wearing, and the chill sets in to giacomo and ten-penny, who slow down a bit
fort saves:
Push on! Be stronk!
Gondork will take the lead, tying a rope between his companions to help them avoid getting lost.
Tying yourself together and stumbling through deep snowdrifts, you head on for another twenty minutes which passes smoothly. You hear barking up ahead, though you can't yet see whats ahead because of the near snow-blind conditions ( you can see about thirty feet ahead, barring breaks in the snow ). As you get closer you can hear some other sounds, the barking intensifies, and there's screams and shouts.
The wind shifts suddenly and you can see fifty feet ahead of you, there's a giant Mantis like creature in the snow with something in its grasp , a caravan of five sleds pulled by dogs, all barking at the creature, while four humans try and fend it off with spears.
another person is held in the mandibles of the mantis, as it fends off the poorly aimed spear thrusts at the creature, its plain to see they're outmatched by the creature, and will likely not be able to save their comrade, and might be lucky to just drive it off.
fort saves:
- cloak -
*
*
fort saves:
- cloak -
*
*
Seeing the bloodbath about to take place, you decide its best to leave the puny humans to themselves and not get involved. You callously watch the man being ripped apart and eaten by the mantis, as the creature casually bats away attempts to injure it , by what look like no more than peasants with sticks. As the last of them are killed, the mantis grows bored. it decapitates and defiles all of the dogs, and then walks off into the blizzard.
( the mantis appeared monday at 7:30 am. i can only presume that's seattle time. b/c i posted it sometime at work monday or tuesday. i didn't see any other posts. the one from yesterday at 9:03am is my "kick" post )
And it ate another post...ffs whats going on paizo
Seeing the bloodbath about to take place, you decide its best to leave the puny humans to themselves and not get involved. You callously watch the man being ripped apart and eaten by the mantis, as the creature casually bats away attempts to injure it , by what look like no more than peasants with sticks. As the last of them are killed, the mantis grows bored. it decapitates and defiles all of the dogs, and then walks off into the blizzard.
A woman in a white fur cap and red pigtails fires her bow at the mantis, even in this snow, she connects. ten penny sprints forward over the snow in dryden kepp's homemade snowshoes. caladan rushes forward, sprinting too, seeming to go a bit faster.
[round 1]
[19: Nadya], [17:Ten-Penny], [16: Caladan], [13: Gondork], [11: guards], [6: Giacomo], [4: Arwyn], [4: Mantis]
initiative checks
Clearing her mind and focusing, Arwyn strode forward 15 feet, pulled her shortbow, settled her sight on the monster and let fly.
but the arrow is lost in the swirling blizzard...
Gondork sprints forward, his legs magically enhanced with his ancestor's fury.
Giacomo, now much lighter on his feet, plows through the snow more easily and hopes to get into point-blank range as soon as he can.
"Don't worry people, we'll help you defeat this thing!"
the guards whack at it with their longspears, managing collectively to do another seven damage to the creature.
the mantis swats at the guards, taking a bite out of the one in its grasp, one of the guards goes down in the snow. the one its grasp cries out as it bites him.
Naya misses with her bowshot, and ten penny and caladan close with the mantis.
[round 1]
[19: Nadya], [17:Ten-Penny], [16: Caladan], [13: Gondork], [11: guards], [6: Giacomo], [4: Arwyn], [4: Mantis]
Giacomo rushes further towards the mantis, then casts Stabilize on the fallen warrior.
"Don't worry about the green guy, he's stable! Focus on the big guy!"
Gondork takes a swing, using the flank with one of the guards but is still unable to pierce the creature's strong carapace.
Arwyn advanced 5feet to the 30' mark, then fired twice in quick succession in point blank range.
for a possible piercing damage.
for a possible piercing damage.
the guards back away frightful of being injured further. they drag their injured comrade away and try to stabilize him.
the mantis appears distracted by the snow, and cold, and misses
nadya misses.
ten penny goes for the flank while its grappling the guard
she scores a nasty strike on the mantis, but its still standing afterwords and looks pissed! it drops the guard and trains its beady eyes on Ten-Penny
[round 3]
[19: Nadya], [17:Ten-Penny], [16: Caladan], [13: Gondork], [11: guards], [6: Giacomo], [4: Arwyn], [4: Mantis]
Hey! Big ugly cockroach! Look over here!
Hey! Big ugly cockroach! Look over here!
Arwyn used her move to trudge forward ten feet (to the 25 foot range).
Then fired once in point blank range.
and again her arrow is lost in the blizzard.
Thats all +2 if its a magical beast.
the vermin slashes at you, Gondork, with its long arms as you close with the creature, injuring you slightly, before you bury your axe in its thorax, and it keels over into the snow.
::edit::
the guards try to stabilize their injured fellow.
"Good work, guys! He's almost down!"
the guards will pick up their longspears, one covers the other as they drag the guy away from the combat further.
the mantis, fresh from the deep sting of ten-penny's shortsword, goes wild on her. raking her with his razor sharp forearms, and spinning her around, grabbing her with one of them, bringing her in closer and biting her.
[round 4]
[19: Nadya], [17:Ten-Penny], [16: Caladan], [13: Gondork], [11: guards], [6: Giacomo (delay)], [4: Arwyn], [4: Mantis]
Nadya shoots
the shot pierces the chitin of its skull, releasing ten-penny from the grapple as the vermin topples to the ground.
"Thank you, foreigners, for your assistance. Its dangerous out here. Do you know you are in the territory of the White Witches?"
"Matters are worse though, a bad storm approaches. In gratitude for your assistance, I can offer you shelter, food, and some proper survival gear for the icy north."
"I'm Nadya Petska. These are my guards and dogsleds, we're on a supply run, and are returning to our town Waldsby."
Nadya has a recursive horn longbow (composite), as well as a handaxe and light pick at her sides. she looks competent, and well versed in winter travel. Her cold weather outfit seems efficient and warm even in this storm. The guards appear to be northfolk peasants in chainmail, efficient winter gear, and longspears. Two of them are injured, one bitten badly, the other unconscious and stable.
Nadya cursorily directs her men to bandage and wrap the injured men on top of the supplies of two of the dogsleds.
Giacomo struggles to get in front to talk face-to-face with Nadya.
"Yeah, we're familiar with the White Witches. We... sort of have business with them. Some help would be tremendously appreciated. In return, I could help tend to your wounded."
Gondork intently listens to Nadya, wiping the insect blood off his axe.
Shivanah, veil our intent to this woman that we may not be discovered..
Giacomo, if this storm is real we best save introductions for later. We don't want to get tricked again after all...
Judging by the tone by which he speaks, Gondork obviously has something to say about all this, but keeps his intentions vague.
Arwyn irritatedly put away her bow as she approached with her teammates. She glanced at the longbow Nadya put away with some admiration, then after being healed helped put the dogsled caravan back together.
Ten-Penny stands up from the cold ground, most of her wounds closed due to Giacomo's healing burst.
“Thanks Giacomo, the rest is mere inconvenience, I’ll live.”
She then walks towards the now conscious guard, sheating her blades, and helps him up on his feet.
“But Gondork has a good point, we do not want to be out here when such a storm hits. I suggest we get moving as fast as possible.”
there isn't much time for talking while you follow the dogsleds through the knee deep snow.
* giacomo clarified he gave endure elements to ten penny?
fort saves:
*
*
* giacomo clarified he gave endure elements to ten penny?
fort saves:
*
*
After twenty minutes of trudging through the snow, following the heavily laden dogsleds, the storm becomes too much, and Nadya calls for a halt.
"Its no good. The storm is too severe. We need to camp and set up our tents while we can before the wind is too strong, and my men aren't holding up as well as you. "
Between Nadya and Arwyn you're able to help hastily erect the tents and some igloo like snow/ice lean to's that help block some of the worst of the wind. Nadya's even able to get a fire pit going, helping to warm you all up.
"We'll camp for an hour or two and warm up, until the worst of this storm passes.", Ambling around on the snow covered ground, Nadya's well built snowshoes seem to make her as sure footed on the snow as on dry land
Nadya's curiosity emerges while setting up camp. "Arwyn is it? What brings you this far north? Giacomo mentioned that you have business with the Winter Witches?"
She also chats, and introduces you to her men, though they remain a bit standoffish, though grateful for healing and saving them. She's a mother of three, two boys and a girl. "This supply run is crucial for me. I'm trying to make it back as quickly as possible. The White Witch in charge of this area, Nazhena Vasilliovna is holding my daughter Thora at the Pale Tower. This shipment should secure my daughter's release, I pray. "
She also talks a little about the village you're heading to, Waldsby. Unlike most communities in the winterbound land of Irrisen, the village of Waldsby is not built near one of the nation’s life-giving rivers or lakes. Instead, the peasants of Waldsby eke out their livelihoods from the Hoarwood Forest, under whose eaves the tiny village huddles. Ruled by the White Witch Nazhena Vasilliovna from her Pale Tower of ice, the people of Waldsby form a tight-knit community suspicious of outsiders and fearful of witchcraft, and they have a vested interest in keeping the attention of the White Witches from turning toward their homes and families. "
"Once we reach town and I get the supplies sorted, I suggest you let me take you shopping and get you properly provisioned and dressed so you don't draw attention to yourselves. ", Her gaze lingers on Gondork and Caladan, especially Caladan's most inhuman appearance.
This woman hasn't inquired even once as to why we are here... suspicious.
We are most grateful for your hospitality and skills. What about this insect we fought? I can hardly imagine they are abundant in this area.
This woman hasn't inquired even once as to why we are here... suspicious.
Nadya's curiosity emerges while setting up camp. "Arwyn is it? What brings you this far north? Giacomo mentioned that you have business with the Winter Witches?"
Do I know anything about this Nazhena Vasilliovna? Allegiance, personality?
"I've never seen such a creature here before. Its not a native of Irrisen, that's for sure. We are more prone to creatures like giant weasels the size of bears that steal our livestock. "
"By your clothes, you're obviously foreigners. Where are you all from?"
Gondork looks at arwyn expectantly, as if trying to convey something.
Don't say too much, elf woman. You might get us into trouble..
Her men put some stew on, over the fire, and begin cooking some food as an evening meal in the blistering snow. Nadya adds a tarp to the lean to, which quickly gathers some snow and ice on it as well, but lets the smoke from the fire out and keeps out a bit more of the wind.
::makes secret roll instead for your sense motive::
Nadya takes out a locket from around her neck, plain silver, lightly but lovingly adorned, while she sits between Arwyn and Giacomo as the stew begins to simmer, and cracks open the locket. She shows the small portraits of her children to you, a proud but tired mother. Two twin boys with strawberry blonde hair, probably about eight or nine years old, "That's Orm and that's Mjoli on the right, they take after me", and a golden locked curly haired girl, a few years younger than the boys, held in the arms of a big blonde northman. "That's Thora on the left, and that was my husband, he passed away last season. I've taken over his supply business."
"Do you have any children? , she asks of Arwyn
"What do you do?", she asks to each of you / the group, after talking a little about her supply business.
Giacomo's face falls slightly when he hears Nadya has children, but becomes much more animated again when he hears her husband passed away again.
"I'm a farmhand back in Heldren whne I have some spare time but my main duties are as an apprentice cleric of Erastil. I'd like to help out where I can, and that's how I ended up here.
Say, how is your relationship with your children? I can imagine it's pretty tough being a single mother and having to do these supply runs, far away from home."
Giacomo also tries to gauge Nadya's opinion of the Winter Witches, without overtly trying to reveal his intentions.
"So, the Witch took your child? That's terrible! Does she also force others to work for her in a similar way? I can't imagine people like her very much, then."
Giacomo occasionally tries to steal a glance at the locket, desperately trying not to be too obvious.
Gondork shrugs as he hears Nadya's question, taking another sip of his flagon.
I'm a mercenary of sorts. My grandfather was a general in the armies of Lastwall against the orcs in Belzken, all the way north. After his death the humans once again turned on us due to our orc heritage. So we fled. My father decided that he wanted nothing to do with my grandfather's inclinations and gave me his armor. Turned out his soul is still attached to it, giving me some power over magic, heh.
My father decided to become a priest of Irori and took a vow of peace.. I didn't agree, so I left in turn. I have no urge to fight orcs, nor do I see any good in the ways of a pacifist. There is one thing I'm good at though, and that's unveiling secrets.. I only took jobs that would serve transparancy in the politics of the kingdom. The Lastwall nobility thought I was too effective and it quickly became too dangerous for me to stay there.
Now I'm here, with a nice cloak to keep me warm and better company than ive had in a long time. I can crack some skulls where needed and my magic has been very helpful in staying alive. The only thing missing is a wench to keep me occupied.
He concludes with a wink towards ten-penny.
"I'm a farmhand back in Heldren whne I have some spare time but my main duties are as an apprentice cleric of Erastil. I'd like to help out where I can, and that's how I ended up here.
Say, how is your relationship with your children? I can imagine it's pretty tough being a single mother and having to do these supply runs, far away from home."
"It's difficult since I took over for Hjalnek"
"My neighbor helps out, its the only way I can manage. She looks after them for me when I'm on runs. Hjalnek taught me a lot about the wilds. But a Troll in the Hoarwood took his life two years ago.", she closes the locket and puts it back under her shirt, wiping the edge of her eyes a little.
"Worse, during my last trip my daughter somehow offended Nazhena, while I was away. I was devastated when I heard. But there is nothing that we can do to oppose the Winter Witches. That Witch took my daughter, and is holding her in the Pale Tower. I negotiated to get her back. She told me that If I can bring in more supplies than I ever have previously, I can get Thora back. "
Giacomo also tries to gauge Nadya's opinion of the Winter Witches, without overtly trying to reveal his intentions.
"So, the Witch took your child? That's terrible! Does she also force others to work for her in a similar way? I can't imagine people like her very much, then."
she shrugs. The people of Irrisen have long learned that the only way to survive is not to oppose the Winter Witches.
Giacomo occasionally tries to steal a glance at the locket, desperately trying not to be too obvious.
Also, is it me, or does Nadya look way too young for a mother of three? Shew looks like early twenties to me.
Also, Gondork, how do you have Knowledge Local so high? It isn't a class skill for Occultists. >_>
Ten-Penny’s eyes never seem to leave the pot of stew, even while she answers Nadya’s question.
“Just like Gondork, I’m a mercenary. These guys here paid for my services, and therefore I travel with them. It is not a bad deal though, for at least these guys appreciate my talents. The former group that hired me were actually looking for a nanny… I ended that contract the first chance I got.”
She then gives a quick glance at Gondork and shows a slight smirk.
“And we are not looking for a wench for you, Gondork. You too need to earn your pay, so we can’t have you all distracted. Also, eyes up here.”
Giacomo lets out a yelp of surprise when the memories of the doll come rushing back. He becomes much more silent after that, explaining that he burned this tongue on the food.