As Hamilton backs away there's a wind that whips by the party. It's not the same wind. It's different, living.
You see two pair of white eyes which belong to a pair of strange creatures atop the statue. Blustering winds and snow swirl around the white, almost
transparent feylike phantoms. When Hamilton backs away, so too do they.
Thremindyrs are often mistaken for ghosts or some manner of frozen spirits when spotted in the wild. Although they are not incorporeal, these icy elemental beings are pale and wispy, and are easily overlooked in the wintery outdoors where there is little to contrast with their translucent white bodies. If viewed against a dark backdrop, a thremindyr looks like a long-limbed humanoid.
The name “thremindyr” roughly translates from the Giant language as “breath of Thremyr,” and a connection between the giant god and these creatures appears certain. Students of ancient lore and experts on the planes point to legends that describe how parts of the god Thremyr fell away from the deity and sprang to life, creating the frost giant, ice troll, and winter wolf races, and suggest that thremindyrs may have been created in the same way. These legends say that, instead of sloughing off of Thremyr as he staggered into the Steaming Sea, the first thremindyr escaped from Thremyr’s lungs as the ancient being sighed, passing through his lips and onto Golarion.
"I see them too, though what is a mystery to me."
She grudgingly says to Raen, pointing. "Do you see the eyes?"
Vael blinks in surprise. "Did ye...?"
Perception:
Pig gives an odd look to Ham when he stops executing the plan. "What is going on?"He whispers forcefully.
[dice=perception]1d20+20
We talked, Whistle. That's all. Let's move.
nope
Raen gives the azata some slight side-eye, then nods. "I did. Thremyndirs. Creatures of the ice god himself."
Raen knows that thremyndirs are creatures of both disorder and evil. They have no special means of communication, but are typically fluent in both Auran and Giantish.
I think Thremyr and I have an understanding--not an agreement, an understanding. I'm following my instincts on this. If we stay out out of his way, he'll stay out of ours. I move we head to the Urgathoan Shrine and send it and anything else we find there back to Abaddon.
"An agreement with Thremyr? How do ye know? Were it those eyes of the Thremyndirs?" he asks, picking up the proper terminology from Raen.
Is that those things in there? Heh... Nah, I didn't see those in time. They would have gotten the jump on me. No, As I was about to melt some obscenities into the statue there, I had a vision. I think it was Thremyr. I was empathic, not explicit, but I think he was threatening me to leave it alone. I'm not scared of him, but I didn't feel right about trashing the shrine anyway. Just doesn't feel right. Anyway, I... Felt... And thought back at the thing in my head as best I could. Basically told him that I'd back off, and he should either help us or stay out of the way. I think that's where we are. I'm hoping he doesn't want undead ruling his people either. So far... , Ham says, looking back to the statue.
The party backs away from the Shrine of Thremyr on Hamilton's cue. Given the context and readiness, they opt for the Temple to Urgathoa. It requires a lot of discipline as the traffic in front of the Longhouse is thick with giants.
This colossal stone edifice appears to be sculpted from the living rock. Stairs ascend between massive columns, each carved in the form of a frost giant from a previous age, to a portico where three sets of double doors are set in the southern face of the structure. Additional columns flank the east and west sides.
Raen voices her perplexity at the suggestion of Urgathoa's shrine, unclear on a narrative tie to revenge on the frost giants, but she quiets down once she sees the carved stone columns.
She steps towards Whistle Pig. "Little one, what do you hear at the door?"
Do your thing, Whistle.
Whistle Pig approaches the door and discovers that it's trapped! The trap is magical in nature, so undoing is beyond him....
Raen opens a small tunnel in the stone. The party pours into the temple, unsure of what's on the other side. Thankfully the room seems unoccupied.
This simple room contains something utterly out-of-place in the giant village: a large bed with a soft mattress, fluffy pillows, and silk sheets. A small nightstand sits against the opposite wall.
Raen is immediately suspicious. She scans the room for magic.
Doxon covers the "cutting" technique to open up a large hole. The massive drop of stone is completely muted by Doxon's spell.
Once inside, Raen scans the room for magic, and while there is plenty of interest on the table, non of it is magical.
Raen directs her attention to the table specifically.
Raen jumps up to stand on a chair and examine the table:
What immediately stands out is a platinum unholy symbol of Urgathoa, which Raen estimates is worth 50 gold. Next to it is a pouch of ten black onyxes (worth a total of 750 gp) along with several sheets of paper, an inkpen, and a pot of black ink.
The papers are personal correspondence between someone named Dybellos and someone named Dulcilene, who appears to be Dybellos’s sister. The letter is strangely mundane, addressed to a location called Druanwiet Manor. In the letter, Dybellos asks about the weather, the health of the other’s children, and how she misses the autumn in Varno.
"Letters to Ustalav. Curious."
As Raen reads over, he realizes that the message says FAR more than it seems. It's encoded. The illusionist quickly sees through the ruse:
"The Frost Queen prepares. We permit the Storm Tyrant to perform our labors. Timetable uncertain. The pawn’s citadel requires repair. Then the Pallid Princess’s Great Work begins.”
Geography:
Raen shares the hidden message with the less adept. "I would posit that there is no lesser of two evils here. Just two evils."
Ushyle nods. Clearly the Urgathoan has no regard for the leader of the giant army. The question is how can we demonstrate that contempt with the rank-and-file?
"Methinks the Urgathoans believe the Storm Tyrant be a tool. I dinnae ken why, but aye we should pick them against each other."
Vael then gestures to the door, suggesting Whistle Pig check it. "More danger?"
Pig Approaches the door:
If not trapped he checks the door for sounds:
WP tries to pick the lock:
There does seem to be a large creature on the other side shuffling about. The pace doesn't seem like it's concerned about intruders.
Whistle Pig pokes his head into the room, and the inhabitant doesn't seem to notice.
This spacious main chamber occupies most of the building. The floor is white stone inlaid with countless small colored tiles, forming a mosaic of an immense black fly with the symbol of a skull on its back. Unlike the other locales in the village, the walls here are draped in dark red velvet, except for double doors to the east, west, and south. A series of steps along both sides of the north wall leads to a raised platform where a larger-than-life portrait hangs, depicting a beautiful, nude woman who is skeletal from the waist down and brandishes a large scythe, standing against the background of a moonlit, starry night. Standing candelabras adjacent to the lowest steps illuminate the room.
There is but one inhabitant in the room, a terrible looking giantess stalks the room, reading a book. She looks like a frost giant, but she's twisted and different, a monstrosity of ectoplasmic flesh, horns, and a tremendous scythe-like claw....
Desna smiles, as she doesn't seem to notice Whistle Pig.
Based on WP's description...
Doxon has heard of those changes before, and the thought sends a chill down his spine. Within the church of Urgathoa, few more coveted stations exist than that of the “Daughters of the Dead” yet no high priest can bestow the title, and no living worshiper can take the role. Rather, daughters are selected by the god or goddess of death, chosen from the most zealous and accomplished priestesses at the moments of their deaths. Even after their transformations into things of pestilence and dead flesh, daughters remain social beings who typically surround themselves with fanatical cults.
Known weaknesses?
Known attacks to watch out for?
Doxon knows well that they have no known weaknesses, though being undead positive energy harms them. They in turn can channel energy to harm those with a soul. The scythe arm is deadly, and carries virulent disease...
Ham reacts with no surprise.
Hard and fast? On three?
Doxon will relay all this to the group.
This "Daughter of the Dead" is clearly the leader of the Urgathoans. I'd advocate we kill her as a matter of course, but is there a way for her death to stoke the fires of civil strife?
"Perhaps," Raen replies, scanning the letter again. She fetches a stick of charcoal from her haversack...
That's... an interesting one. Hill giants have intelligence way below a typical human. I'd say that it's a Linguistics check on your part to reduce the DC of someone else to find and understand the code.
...sets about making things more obvious to those with dimmer wits.
That done, she tucks away the notes and weaves magical defenses about her, enhancing her vision and appearing in eightfold forms.
Finally, she blends a glamer over the half-elf "Ushyle," then nods to Whistle Pig at the door.
Whistle Pig opens the door itself:
The door is open, and she doesn't seem to notice. She's currently standing and reading...
Knowing that simply walking in would makes all kinds on noise, he says, "Follow me, Tulia."
His eyes turn solid black as he calls upon the spirit magic. Swirling starlight envelops him, and moments later he appears in the room.
Tulia quietly glides in after Vael, crossbow at the ready.