Well I'm as ready as I'm likely to get without a season of adventure already behind me Aurora winks, though you sense her levity disguises some nervousness, however calm she appears on the surface.
Never mind about your spear head Martok, Isker had no cold iron crossbow bolt heads either, you and I will have to throw rocks or harsh language if it comes to it! In all seriousness, we can at least keep them occupied until Exiel makes his way round to us
She sets off after Marek and Exiel down the path.
You begin your trek, heading six miles south of Heldren. With terrain and traveling on foot at the dwarf's slower speed, you traverse 2 miles per hour. On your three hour travel, you notice none of the intervening territory has been affected by the wintry weather over the Border Wood yet, though the air grows noticeably cooler the closer you come to the forest’s edge. You are very glad that you invested some coins into purchasing winter outfits.
The trips is thankfully uneventful, until you reach the spot. The weather is unnaturally cold, hovering above freezing! The road ahead is littered with debris and the corpses of slain humans and horses. A carriage stands in the roadway, its team of horses missing or cut free, while another overturned carriage lies sprawled and broken next to the tree line. To the south, more bodies have fallen around what appears to be a statue of ice. A snowy trail leads deeper into the forest.
At your approach, a figure stands from kneeling over one of the nearest corpses. The figure turns around and you see a beautiful young girl of not more than 20 summers old. She stands around 5’6” with pale skin and pale blonde hair made exotic by her lock of auburn hair hanging over her face to the right. She has her face covered with a scarf and is garbed in winter gear as well. She carries a spear in her hand and does not appear to be wearing armor, though the winter outfit is bulky. The female speaks, "What a terrifying scene, is it not? I am sure you were drawn to it, as I was I. I tried to see if I could help but these poor soldiers on the ground are dead, many of them pierced by tiny needles and shards of ice by what I can see. Do you know what happened here?"
The female speaks, "What a terrifying scene, is it not? I am sure you were drawn to it, as I was I. I tried to see if I could help but these poor soldiers on the ground are dead, many of them pierced by tiny needles and shards of ice by what I can see. Do you know what happened here?"
The dwarf shivers both from the cold and the massacre laid out before his eyes. Kitah gradually burrows deeper into the dwarf's winter coat. With slow footsteps, Martok approaches the girl; his breath showing like white smoke as he speaks, "Aye, not so much drawn as sent. We came here seeking the lady the brigands kidnapped."
Ever weary of the girl and looking around for any survivors, the dwarf continues, "How long have you been here? Did you see anyone leave? Any survivors?"
Martok hushes the squeaking rat and begins to look around for any survivors or any clues as to what happened and more importantly, where the brigands took the girl.
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Hmm...I don't like this. We come all this way hearing of an attack, and then arrive to see a young lass all alone at the scene of a massacre? Also, a young lass being drawn TO the scene of a massacre? That seems rather unusual... We'd best be cautious.
"We actually came because we received word of of an attack, and came to investigate," Exiel calls out as he slowly skirts around the small copse of trees to the East of the savaged caravan, waiting till he is obscured by the trees before sliding Yuln's cold iron sword out of its scabbard, his shield already secure on his left arm. As he comes around the southern end of the copse of trees, he calls out again whilst walking as casually as he can.
"Have you seen anything of note whilst you were here? And what's a young lass like you doing all alone in these woods in these woods in the first place?"
Sense Motive:
Perception:
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Marek feels ill. While he was told what to expect, seeing the corpses with his own eyes is still horrifying. He isused to animal blood and guts, sure. But fellow humans, that's a different thing. He takes a deep breath and looks at the mysterious girl.
"As they said, we were sent here", Marek says bluntly, following up on Martok and Exiel. "But what do you mean you were drawn here?" Who would be drawn to a site of massacre, and stand calmly in the midst of corpses
With an easy move, he drops the bow from his shoulder to his hand. Not yet advancing from his position, he glances around to verify the surroundings are clear of attackers. Concentrate on the job, forget the dead.
"There was a survivor. Told they were attacked by fey creatures, winter-touched. Ever heard of them?" Marek says, returning his attention to the pale girl. Too pale to be local.. Marek studies her suspiciously, trying to figure her out.
The healthy, rosy cheeked complexion Aurora had developed after walking so many miles fades completely as her face blanches, surveying the dead amongst the carnage. She frowns and sets her jaw as she subconsciously draws back the string on her crossbow and loads a bolt.
She stumbles when she sees the girl, for a moment thinking it some trick of the winter ice reflecting herself, then shaking her head and regaining her composure. She shadows Marek, positioning herself 10 feet away to his side so as not to crowd him, but wanting to be close to another member of her group given this is her first taste of real danger. She notes the caution in her companions' actions, and considers herself warned that they aren't safe here.
She calls out Well met, we're pleased to see another stopping by to lend a hand.
her eyes narrow very slightly, I see you're prepared for the weather, how long have you been here in this neck of the woods?
"I haven't seen any signs of a survivor. I only arrived a few minutes ago though." The woman drops a frozen piece of leather back into the mess of bodies. She brushes back her auburn lock of hair, revealing an attractive face, though you can see the hint of scarring along right jawline.
She seems to spot Aurora for the first time and stops. "Oh my. You're beautiful." She suddenly realizes how awkward that was and apologies. "Sorry. I was just caught off guard. "
"As for how I came here, I told you already. I was drawn. It's like I could sense the cold. I was in my way to Heldren, but this drew me in." She looks off to the snows and frowns.
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Drawn...by the cold? I don't like this...
Exiel continues his slow walk towards what appears to be the start of a path south into the woods, cutting off the strange woman's most apparent escape route.
I believe we can all feel the cold... but I perceive that you are referring to a more... mystical attraction. Would you care to tell us a little more about how you ...sense... the cold?
Exiel tightens his grip on Yuln's sword as he completes his sentence, a shiver running down his spine as he realises that if this strange woman was indeed in league with the winter fey, he had just given her the perfect invitation to attack.
As Exiel moves closer, he sees that the ice statute (located at J-K 13-14) is actually the gruesome remains of a Taldan soldier, as evidenced by the breastplate worn emblazoned with Taldan heraldry. The soldier's slain body is mostly encased in ice, although parts of him now lie in blocks of slowly melting ice at his feet. There is a path leading south at M12-13-14.
The decorative chasings on the carriage located at E17-18 also bear the marks of Taldan heraldry, as well as damage from the many arrows fired, presumably in the battle that took place here. A spear has been wedged between the handles of the carriage doors to hold them closed.
Martok and Aurora, with their keen hearing, hear muffled sounds coming from the carriage.
The decorative chasings on the carriage located at E17-18 also bear the marks of Taldan heraldry, as well as damage from the many arrows fired, presumably in the battle that took place here. A spear has been wedged between the handles of the carriage doors to hold them closed.
Martok and Aurora, with their keen hearing, hear muffled sounds coming from the carriage.
Satisfied that the new girl on site was no threat, the dwarf continues to investigate the massacre area. As if his keen ears were not enough, Kitah squirms through the heavy cloak and starts squeaking.
The dwarf looks about and his gaze stops in the Taldan carriage, "There. In the carriage. I think someone is trapped." Nearing the overturned vehicle, he sees the wedged spear and is about to remove it when Kitah starts sqeaking again. The dwarf pauses. Are they trapped or imprisoned?
He stops and calls out to the others, "Over here. Can anyone see inside? Is someone trapped inside?"
You sense that Vesna is telling the truth about arriving recently. Her explanation about being drawn to the cold though is not as straightforward. She's not lying but it may be more complicated. Perhaps she's not sure herself and the confidence is a facade.
Vesna shakes her head at Exiel, taking stock of his features for the first time. "Drawn to it. Like a moth to flame. Surely you understand that?" She purses her lips at the Paladin. "Are you surveying the battlefield, sir or flanking my position? "
She gasps as the others reveal sounds coming from the carriage. "Someone lives? I had assumed if these others were frozen that nothing else could survive. " She hefts her spear and the heavy coat parts to reveal some studded leather armor beneath.
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The pink returns to Aurora's cheeks for a moment, even in this tense situation she blushes, unused to such direct attention.
Something about the words Exiel uses mystical attraction...sense the cold makes the world spin for a moment as she can feel the ice singing in her veins.
She stares at Vesna in wonder, feeling something unseen connecting them Exiel, she's not the only one, I can feel it too, a kinship of some sort... she trails off, powerless to explain. For a moment she recalls Yuln's greeting to her as a 'sister of the north' and realises the pale, blond-haired spear-wielding girl fits the description too.
She breaks her gaze with Vesna only when Marek moves to cover the carriage, whereupon she moves to stay next to him, training her crossbow on the carriage doors as he is doing with his weapon. She does however keep glancing over to see what Vesna is doing.
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Exiel arches an eye-brow at Vesna's observation, and does so again at Aurora's proclamation..
Interesting... Well, in any event, our new 'friend' is certainly no simple wandering peasant-girl.
However, Aurora's words do put him just a little more at ease.
At the very least, she seems to be telling the truth about only arriving recently...
"Well, I certainly am surveying the battlefield. As for whether or not I am also flanking your position...well, that depends entirely on your actions," Exiel replies with a bemused smile.
However, as he notes the reactions of his companions to the sounds coming from within the carriage, all traces of amusement quickly pass from his face as he calls out to them urgently. "Hold! There is something vile about or within that carriage. If you must open the carriage, be ready for an attack as soon as the doors are opened, and prepare accordingly!
"As for whoever or whatever it is that is in the carriage, identify yourself quickly, lest we mistake you for worse than you are and hurt you inadvertently!"
You should identify yourself too, lass, but I'll worry about you...slightly later.
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As he starts to make his way to the carriage, Exiel pauses a moment to observe the chunks of ice/body parts at the frozen soldier's feet.
I can appreciate that he was frozen, but what was it that rent his body asunder? Blade? Claw? Teeth? It might give us an idea of what awaits us in that carriage, or further down the track.
Perception check:
Heal check:
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The hand holding the bow is shaking, and cold sweat is dripping in Marek's back. The hunter is breathing heavily, and trying to ignore the gruesome, frozen bodies that are scattered around. What have I gotten into..? Death everywhere, and gods know what behind those doors.
"Hey! Hey! How about we clear this carriage first!" he shouts angrily at those still looking around the scene. The anger only merely hides the panic in his voice.
You continue to hear constant moans coming from inside the carriage, but no response to Exiel's queries.
Exiel notices that one of the Taldoran Captain's arms, currently frozen on the ground and melting, grips a longsword. As for his body, there are cut wounds visible.
Seeing that the rest of his companions are fully focused on the carriage, the dwarf carefully works to free the spear that is jamming the doors.
Martok removes the spear and quickly moves back, his own weapon ready. A good 20' away, his curiosity gets the better of him and he looks to see who and/or what is inside.
He yells back, "You can come out now. You won't be harmed."
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Exiel considers the longsword on the ground as he walks past.
I suppose a replacement sword will be useful after I return Yuln his sword. It doesn't appear to be made of cold-iron, but it will still fare better than my clubs.
With that, he stabs Yuln's longsword into the ground and stoops down to the pick up the other sword, carefully sliding it from the grip of the frozen arm. He brings the flat of the blade to his face as he turns to the frozen Taldan in salute before sliding it into Yuln's scabbard and retrieving the cold iron longsword.
Thank you, fallen warrior. This sword will not serve you where you have gone, but gods-willing, it will see some use in my hand.
Cut wounds...bandits, then? Or fey wielding bladed weapons? The ice at least would have come from the winter fey... but at least we know some of our foes use conventional weapons. I am far more confident about handling such foes.
Returning his attention to the carriage, he calls out to the others.
Hang on, I'm coming.
Positioning himself at the door, he raises his shield before him and calls out to the carriage once more.
If you can hear and understand us, speak up now.
As he says this he scans the carriage with detect evil once more, concentrating to ascertain the number of evil auras coming from the carriage, and whether they are coming from the carriage itself or from something within.
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Returning his attention to the carriage, Exiel begins to call out to the others, but sees that Martok has already removed the spear.
His brow knitted with worry, Exiel begins to tear across the snow as quickly as he can, sword and shield at the ready to cover Martok if he can get between the dwarf and the carriage in time.
Speak for yourself...I said there was something vile about or within that carriage!
Vesna stays near the carriage door with her spear at the ready. While she looks competent with it, her small frame and the scared look in her eyes hint that she may not be very effective with it. Still, she merely nods at the others indicating she's ready to face whoever or whatever is inside.
Reassured that her companions are moving to guard against a potential threat, and trusting Exiel's proclamation of an unfriendly presence inside the carriage, Aurora focuses wholly on the doors.
Better we at least see what's in there before burning the thing down, there could be another survivor in there held hostage by something horrid after all
Ok, must not panic, must not shiver. Just treat it like you're hunting rabbits, cool your blood Aurora
She exhales slowly and tries to stop tensing up with anticipation.
As Martok removes the spear blocking the door, a strong force from inside the carriage kicks the door open. causing it to bump Martok back 5' (no damage) and send his rat familiar squealing into hiding. As he recovers from the blow, he looks up to see two emaciated figures shamble out of the carriage, one missing his nose, apparently recently removed in battle, the other his jugular ripped out. However, both figures, who clearly have been dead for hours, move forward, inspired by some dark energy, their hands curled into fists, seeking to destroy and maim the living! Their moans, apart from the wintry wind, are the only sounds you hear.
... However, both figures, who clearly have been dead for hours, move forward, inspired by some dark energy, their hands curled into fists, seeking to destroy and maim the living! Their moans, apart from the wintry wind, are the only sounds you hear.
Barely able to keep his footing, the dwarf tries to focus on what is going on. Things hadn't gone as planned; he was supposed to be 30' away from the door. Instead, he is being accosted by undead, their moaning in his ears, their mangled faces near his own.
Then he heard it, a loud 'whoosh' in his ears and the feeling of intense heat in his hand. BURN THEM!
The dwarf struggles to his feet and moves slightly away from the undead. BURN THEM ALL!
Not sure if he was being urged on or commanded, Martok opens his hand wide and virtually punches one of the undead. A large gout of flame jumps from his hand and envelopes part of the monster in front of him.
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As Martok reached his hand to remove the spear, Marek pulled back his bowstring. Ready to fire, come what may. When the door is kicked open, the hunters hand is steady, breathing still.
Concentrate, concentrate...
And as the first form emerges from the carriage, Marek releases the arrow without thinking. The arrow already hits it's mark when Marek takes a closer look at the creatures, and terror overwhelms him.
"AAAAAhh! Cannot be!", he shouts, jumping backwards, away from the walking corpses.
Vesna recoils from the undead corpses. She holds her spear tightly, but instead of striking with it, she, opens her mouth and intones some sort of unearthly language. "פורצ'ן וטובה לנו" It sounds like the most beautiful choir singing, but clearly the woman is as surprised as the rest of you. Still, a sharp, cool wind washes over the group and they feel their spirits buoyed.
Fortune and favor to us.
As the doors burst open revealing the horror kept within, a sheath of ice encases Aurora's heart and mind, her surroundings crystallising in to perfect clarity. She takes a quick doublestep backwards, bringing up her crossbow in a smooth motion as she lets some of the cold flow from her in to the weapon. She pulls the trigger and the bolt surges forward from the bow leaving tiny ice crystals dancing in the air behind it as it speeds towards one of the undead monstrosities.
The zombie to the left goes up in flames at the dwarf's touch, but it shambles forth, until Exiel moves forward and cuts it down with his sword, where the smell of burning flesh permeates the air.
Marek's arrow catches the other zombie in the chest, but due to its thick skin, you notice you caused only a small wound. Aurora's bolt as well does little damage, though frost does gather on the creature's chest. It shambles toward Marek, charging and grabbing the poor ranger before he can react, lifting him the sky with immense strength, and bringing him down hard on the ground and you think you hear the crunching sound of bones. You see the ranger's body goes limp, as he drops his bow, unsconscious and a pool of blood immediately forms under him. The undead seemingly ignores the rest of you and prepares to feast on the ranger!
With Kitah scrambling to get back inside the heavy coat, Martok nods in thanks as the undead is cut down by Exiel.
His brief respite turns sour as he sees Marek overwhelmed by the other zombie. "Quick, somebody drag him away!"
His compassionate train of thought once more is interrupted. BURN THEM
With his hand still in flames and strips of charred, dead flesh clinging to it, the dwarf heeds Lord Fire.
He huffs white mist from his mouth as he runs towards the remaining undead. Once again, his calloused hand is brought forth and the telltale sound of sizzling follows.
"ના! તમે મલિન વસ્તુ ડાઇ!" The girl sputters. She lets out a very annoyed sigh. "ધ હેલ શું થઈ રહ્યું છે? મને શા માટે વાત કરી શકો છો?" Her exasperated disposition turns to anger and she stalks over to the zombie and jabs her spear at it, missing completely.
"No! Die, you filthy thing!"
"What the hell is going on? Why can't I talk?"
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Exiel raises an eyebrow at the strange girl's even stranger outburst.
Well, that's a possibility I hadn't thought of... she might also be out here alone because she's just not harrowing with a full deck...
Exiel watches in helpless horror as the strange creature surges towards Marek and drops him with a single blow! He snarls as the creature prepares to continue its onslaught on the ranger. Dropping his shield, he grips Yuln's sword with both hands and charges!
Oh no you don't!
Charge attack:
Damage:
Exiel's charge beheads the charred zombie, ending the threat to the party!
Concerned that her attack did so little to stop the undead menace, Aurora bites her lip and tries to think of another strategy, but with everyone so close she doesn't want to risk firing in to melee. She sees Exiel's charge and mouths a quick prayer to whichever gods are listening.
Seeing Exiel finish the zombie she breathes a huge sigh of relief and grins at him.
Well done!
she gasps then and moves to Marek's side
Has anyone skill with healing? she asks, concerned
"તમે શું અર્થ છે? તમે મને સમજી શકે છે?" She shakes her head trying to clear it and calms down as the last zombie is killed. She rushes over to the fallen Marek and casts a healing spell. "લાઇવ, બહાદુર છે." A warm glow passes through his body and some of the wounds close.
Vesna takes several breaths, happy to see the Ranger is out of immediate danger. She speaks slowly. "What were those things?"
What do you mean? You can understand me?
Live, brave one.
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Yeah, she's definitely a few acorns short of a pine tree... but if she's healing Marek, she... I suppose we can trust her... somewhat.
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Satisfied that Marek is no longer in immediate danger and lacking any ability to treat the ranger himself, he turns his attention to the other caravan, scanning it for evil.
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If he does not detect anything from the other carriage, he returns his attention to the frozen soldier whose longsword he collected, looking for a scabbard to sheathe it in. He also removes the breastplate from the frozen body if it is still in one piece and serviceable.
Much as I hate to admit it, I have not perfected my defensive techniques yet, and whilst I hate weighing myself down with so much metal... if I am to protect this party, I must make sure I am myself well-armored.
"I'll borrow your armor till we rescue your mistress, then ask her to take it back to your family," he promises the frozen soldier.
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Marek opens his eyes and gasps for air. Still unsure what is happening, he tries to jump up, but immense pain shoots through his body. Moaning loudly he gives up, and falls on his back. As the most immediate pain passes, he lifts his head a bit, and looks around.
"What... What happened?" Marek asks Vesna, whom he sees first.
On seeing Marek regain consciousness, Aurora looks to Vesna
What a wonderful thing you have done, thank you
Vesna gets hit with a dazzling smile of genuine appreciation. Aurora moves to Marek
Don't try to get up yet woodsman, you had a nasty tumble there. Rest until you get your strength back.
Aurora offers him some water.
"What... What happened?" Marek asks Vesna, whom he sees first.
Still wary of the undead, Martok gives the beheaded zombie plenty of room as he nears the ranger. "Wait, you're in no shape to move about so sit!"
That last bit comes out too strong and the dwarf involuntarily recoils from his own speech. "I mean-er, just relax while Lord Fire purges the taint of undeath from your body."
Seeing Marek's worried look, the dwarf quickly adds, "It won't hurt but a bit." With his hand red-hot and his patient too surprised and weak to move away, he caresses the ranger's wounds. The smell of sizzling steak rises as the wound is cauterized.
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Feeling the burn from Martok's touch, Marek screams and struggles. Trashing wildly, his hand tries to grab his axe. He rolls, he kicks, he flails his fists, anything to make it stop. And then, as soon as it begun, it's over. Pain resides, and the only thing reminder of the burn is the lingering smell of roasted meat. To his surprise, Marek feels really good again. He looks at the dwarf mouth wide open. "Uh... Thanks, I suppose...", he manages to say. "But in future I would prefer Vesna's touch", he continues, smiling.
Marek gets up, feeling light-headed of the sudden near-death experience and he as sudden recovery. In any case, he feels grateful for his new companions for all their help. Exhaling loudly he picks up his bow from the ground. Back to work, then
"I'm fine, thanks to Martok and Vesna" he says to the others as he jumps over the no-longer-living dead. "I'll check the carriage", he claims proceeding to search the place where the zombies were waiting.
Vesna recoils a bit from the dwarf as he seems to be radiating heat. She turns to answer Marek's question. "You were nearly zombie food. Next time don't challenge one to a wrestling match."
She stands up and backs away, realizing in all the confusion, she didn't know any of their names. "I suppose introductions are in order. My name is Vesna. I think I should thank you all too. If you hadn't arrived, I might have been attacked by those things alone."
She looks at Exiel. "You, sir, you could understand me just then? The gibberish I was speaking? I could understand you too, but... I don't know what was going on."
With combat ended, Exiel can see the breastplate is intact and the Captain's longsword is of excellent quality and balance (MW longsword).
Aurora's detect magic of the area reveals nothing, though she senses very faint auras of necromantic magic on the two corpses/zombies that attacked you.
Exiel's detect evil also fails to register any auras.
Marek gives the inside of the carriage a look and finds the sides and seats have been ripped, apparently by looters, but finds nothing of interest.
Finally, it seems the bandits and their allies left an obvious trail that leads between a copse of trees and over a snowy plain toward the Border Wood. You all see footprints and horse tracks clearly outlined in the heavy snow, leading South.
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"The carriage is clear", Marek shouts clambering out of the carriage. "Find anything over there?"
Still feeling very light-headed, Marek taps gently Vesna's arm. "Good to meet you, miss. And uh.. thanks for bringing me back to the land of the living."
"Do you know what those creature were? I mean.. they were dead, I'm pretty sure." he asks. Looking at them now, he finds himself surprisingly calm. Maybe we better move before I lose this newfound courage
Quite willing to leave the site behind, the hunter walks over to the tracks leading South. Well, it doesn't take much a huntsman to follow these
I'm very glad to have you all as companions on this rescue, you all conducted yourselves well, especially given the circumstances she indicates the still smoldering twice-dead corpses.
She turns to Vesna
Thank you for your help and introducing yourself! I'm Aurora, sorcerer by calling. It were good you were here, very fortuitous. I wonder if the calling you spoke of is one that I share too... Would you care to travel with us and assist in our rescue of a hostage? Maybe together we can figure out what this strange eldritch pull is.
I've taken a look around and whilst I can't speak for anything mundane, tracks and the like, I can say that those things were created by someone or something with magical power over the dead.
Aurora bites her lip, it hadn't occurred to her she might get in to a sorcerous duel with another magic-user.
Best not voice my concerns here, everyone seems very able and I don't want to be seen as the weak link and have them worry about me
It may pay for us to be a little more cautious as we proceed, I suspect that these were left to foil potential rescuers. she pauses and her face lights up slightly Which is possibly a good indicator that the Lady is of value to them so likely not to be harmed at the minute
Any silver lining is good to look at when you're surrounded by clouds...
I'm ready to press on if everyone else is.
"Uh... Thanks, I suppose...", he manages to say. "But in future I would prefer Vesna's touch", he continues, smiling.
The dwarf sighs, "Aye, I don't blame you. I would also prefer her touch, anything but Lord Fire's caress. Still, fire does purge away the impurities."
After a careful search of the area, the dwarf heads south and joins Marek, "Aye, the trail leads through this path. Let's be careful though. As painful as it is, Lord Fire will not bless me again this day with healing magic."