Well it seems decided, then.
"Yes, whatever we can do" Delweir adds.
Yuln, through struggled breaths, says, "Aye, Merick see that you do and strike them down in my name, brother of the North!"
Lady Argentea chides Yuln for exciting himself. "Good, my heroes. Please go out and save Heldren from this unnatural winter."
Not wanting to excite Yuln any further, Merick nods to the man, then again to the Lady before heading out.
Vesna packs her new items away. "I'm ready. Let's find this Teb and put an end to this ritual."
Supplies all refreshed, the party heads out back into the cold wilderness. Marek remembers the way and all the previous traps have been set off or disarmed so 6 hours later, you reach the lodge again. You warm up a few minutes inside before proceeding west. A few hundred feet west you see that a bridge made of rope and wooden planks spans a narrow ravine. It’s already covered in ice and snow, and it sways alarmingly in the icy winds blowing through the gorge. The turbulent waters of a fast-moving creek surge through a couple of waterfalls far below.
This 30-foot-long rope bridge spans Timber Creek, which runs through the Red Run Gorge 50 feet below.
Vesna follows Marek, but clearly the girl is at home in the cold. She actually pulls off the hood of her cloak and revels in the cold air. As they walk, she hops along in the snow, faster than anyone should be able to and easily runs and slides on the ice.
As they depart the lodge, she turns to the others. "Oh, does any one know Celestial? I, um...It seems when I get a bit excited, it all that I can speak. Don't ask why, I have no idea."
Reaching the bridge, Vesna peers over the edge. "Well, that doesn't look safe."
"No to both, I'm afraid - neither celestial, nor liking the safety of that bridge. Is anyone particularly well balanced that wants to give it a try?"
Merick, too, is at home in the cold, though not so much as Vesna. The crisp, cold air invigorates him. As they travel, Vesna asks her question. His brow furrows, "I'm not sure I even know what that is...".
Merick's balance is poor, and he is covered in metal plates. He looks to Marek expectantly.
"Well, maybe I should try. That ice doesn't give me as much trouble as the rest of you. Besides, I'm a good deal lighter than Marek too. Just...What do I do when I get to the other side?"
"I think we're more or less just trying to gauge the stability of the bridge. How it acts while you're crossing will give us a better indication of what needs to be done, I think."
"Agreed, just give us a wave if you feel hat it is stable. we'll keep an eye on you from here for now."
After Vesna makes her way along the bridge, Delweir asks the others "What can we do if it collapses under her?"
"Hmmm...Delweir's right. Maybe we could secure you with a tether, just in case it collapses under you. Marek and I could hold it."
"Hmmm...Delweir's right. Maybe we could secure you with a tether, just in case it collapses under you. Marek and I could hold it."
”Good idea!"
"Fine. Just be sure to give me enough rope to work with. If the bridge seems to hold, I'll wave you on. If it doesn't...well, you'll hear me scream." Vesna shivers not from the cold, but from her nervousness as serving as the guinea pig.
Once the rope is around her tight, she gingerly steps out onto the bridge and begins to slowly make her way across.
She is brave, or perhaps foolish Delweir thinks to himself.
Vesna sees a tree on the other side of the gorge where she can tie the rope. She proceeds slowly across the bridge, moving 5' per round, as any faster movement would risk her falling. The howling wind and snow pick up but Vesna is not bothered too much by the cold. The rest of the party finds it difficult to see much and wait for Vesna's deliberate attempt to cross the bridge.
As Vesna reaches the middle, she hears a crackly voice, "Oh my dear, you really shouldn't have come out here! Izoze will make sure you die a quick death!" The voice is followed by a cackle, as Vesna looks up and sees a small blue-skinned female creature with white hair flying near her over the gorge, with thin, leathery wings, small horns, and a mischievous smile.
The creature's appearance momentarily surprises Delweir. For a moment, he considers dropping his crossbow to free his hands for spellcasting. But he levels it at the blue menace and fires it first rather than waste the bolt.
Attack
Damage
Kharia follows Delweir's lead by dropping her longspear on the ground, then drawing and loading her crossbow.
ROUND 1:
Delweir's bolt wounds the imp, but she pulls it out, and you see the wound heal immediately. She snarls at the party and breathes a hail of ice shards at Vesna. She then flies up to Vesna to engage her with her claws next round. The bridge does not look like it can take too many more ice shard blasts.
Kharia curses that her shot is limited by the creature's proximity to Vesna, and steps forward to channel Densa's blessings out to the whole party. "Desna, guide our hearts and our arms!"
Merick's first instinct is to help the isolated woman, and he starts to head that way. He has second thoughts, as he sees the bridge shudder as the icy barrage hits it. He instead stations himself beside the bridge, greataxe at the ready.
Vesna throws herself to the side, avoiding most of the ice shards. Those that do hit her seems to do little to mar the girl's pretty skin. She laughs both in surprise and fear. "मदत! तो दूर व्हा!" She scrambles back towards the others.
"Help! Get it away!"
The fey's healing ability demonstrated the futility of more bolts so Delweir dropped his weapon and let it hang from its sling. Squinting his eyes tightly, he makes rapid gestures with his fingers as he speaks in an unrecognizable language for a few seconds before suddenly stopping. Then he throws his arm at the mephit and a glob of liquid hurls forth at it.
Acid Orb spell
Ranged touch attack