Your clear and cold weather holds as you walk with your new, yet oddly connected companion. Braegan can remember now how Mahb talked about 'spirits' back past her hut in the woods. No one ever dared go back behind her hut to the wood and meadow beyond--Yrja confirms that she was hidden away from Heldren for many years--indeed, her whole life. She must be a bit of an autodidact to have learned some manners, with a mentor? mother? like Mahb, but it's clear her social skills are...odd. And stunted.
In any case, you have more pressing matters--a Lady to rescue, and fey to fight. You follow the path to a small clearing, in which feathered bundles and strange fetishes hang from the lowest branches of the trees. They sway and shift in the wind. All are stuck through with small pins holding pieces of leather bound around them.
Imendri looks sidelong at the new arrival for a second, then turns to Chiquq, saying in mixed common and Hallit, "Hah, more Tonrar-people."
Returning to face the new arrival, standing at his impressive height and seeming to try to stand taller, he inquires in his strangely accented common, "Oy, wat's yor name? I am Imendri. I hope yuu like de cold, haha. Lots to come."
Proceeding forward, Imendri takes point and keeps his eyes open.
She watches the exchange between this... Yrja, and their own devil-man, with her face neutral and observing. There's something strange about it... about watching the emotional impact it seems to have on the two... unusual people.
After a little time observing, Chiquq clears her throat. "I am Chiquq. This is Ila." She gestures a strange, furry beast with tusks and a long nose.
"We are hunting, now-- perhaps we all talk more when we have made a camp, but let us use the most of the light, at this time."
Chiquq spurs Ila forward, following her own advice....
When they reach the clearing, Chiquq frowns at the dangling tokens. "Tcha. What are these?"
She uses her spear's tip to poke at one of the little fetish charms where it sways. "I do not like them."
She scans the clearing for any hostile creatures, or hiding snakes.
At Dezső's words, the tiefling girl dips her head as if ashamed. "I know nothing of people, I didn't even know I had a "kind"... I feel a bit less ugly now."
She seems cowed by Imendri's physical presence and takes a half step back from him before stammering out a reply. "I-ah, I was named Yrja." She shrugs. "Cold I don't mind."
Chiquq's greeting seems to put Yrja more at ease, as her posture relaxes a bit; she studies the other woman in turn, eyes going wide at the sight of the young mammoth. "So beautiful..." she breathes out, although it is not clear if she is referring to the woman or the mammoth.
She follows the others as they move into the clearing, her black eyes darting over the fetishes hanging from the trees, approaching the nearest ones to sniff at them.
Dezső reacts indignantly at Yrja's comments (not directed at her of course), "You mean that old woman didn't tell you that there were others like you?! She has done you a grave disservice. They call us tieflings. Yes, we have an infernal taint in our bloodlines, and some of our kind fall into evil, but we make our own destinies. And, ugly?? What other race comes in such a spectacular array as ours, as varied as the plants that grow from the earth. You are beautiful, and should be proud of what you are. I am not ashamed because I have a devil somewhere in my family tree. I had nothing to do with it. But that taint has made me bright and quick, and I can use it for the cause of good." After that rant, Dezső falls silent, exhausted.
Dezső has recovered from his earlier outburst and returned to his default curious state. "Do either of you know what these are? Some sort of magic? I have never seen or read of anything like it."
To Chiquq's surprise and Yrja's horror, the feathery bundles are ravens, shot through with tiny arrows, done up as some sort of trophy, or offering, or just plain mean corpse-mockery. As Yrja only knew two sentient beings and one was a raven, this strikes home...
Chiquq can tell they are local ravens, at least, and the way they died is pretty obvious.
Braegan doesn't know a religious group that does this.
Yrja shakes her head at Dezső's question, unable to speak. After long moments, the girl tears her gaze away from the dead ravens and looks around for any signs of those who did this.
"It seems the little fey must have shot them with arrows," Chiquq says with a frown. She unties one of the ravens from the leather thong holding it, looking it over. "Be wary for little archers in the trees..."
Braegan shakes his head, unsure what any of this is about. "This is no religious ritual I've ever heard of. I'm going to assume it might be a warning to us." He shrugs, looking at the raven in Chiquq's hand, "One I'm likely to ignore for the most part. I say we touch little, watch our step and carry on."
Dezső nods at the others' comments and inspects the raven Chiquq took down. Otherwise, he scans the area, crossbow in hand, and is ready to move on.
Imendri scowls at the bundles, whether fetish or warning.
"Anyfing det did dis to poor birds is trash. I will watch dem bleed. I wonder, little faerie blood - eet's blue? Purple? We will find out!" Imendri gets cheery at the last sentence, like real curiosity is about to be sated.
Some...things...like incredibly fast dragonflies or swallows zip out of the woods, missing Imendri, Chiquq, and Desző. You all notice one tiny fey hovering in the trees, a miniscule bow in its hands. There were two other arrows shot, but you cannot see those fey.
Round 1 - FIGHT!
Fey 3 (hidden)
Dez
Fey 1 (hidden)
Yrja
Fey 2
Chiquq/Ila
Braegan
Imendri
This time an arrow smacks into Imendri's arm, like a cold, numbing toothpick. His tormentor is revealed--another hovering winter-touched fey.
Dez is up!
Yrja yelps in surprise as tiny arrows start zipping past, looking wildly about for the source.
As the little fey don't seem that dangerous yet, she pulls a shaped leather strap from her belt, scoops a rounded stone from an open pouch hanging on her belt, whips the loaded sling once, twice... and lets fly. She has hunted rabbits and squirrels before a few times, but these are so small and so fast that she's almost sure she will miss. But perhaps the flying stone will scare them away?
Dezső jumps in surprise and looks around for the hidden fey...
... and unleashes a crossbow bolt at the one he spotted before, which he assumes is preparing to fire
... then he uses his move action to reload, and a free action to point out any fey he has spotted.
The two tieflings attack. Yrja does not see the other fey, and her shot goes wide.
Dezső has better luck--his eyes espy the nearest fey hovering somewhat close. His bolt flies true and catches the middle fey, causing it to shriek in pain, but it does not drop.
As the newest fey is spotted, it blazes with light, and chatters angrily in Sylvan. Its form grows hard to see, so bright is its luminosity.
Four more blazing lights appear behind it, weaving and bobbing.
The wounded fey streaks towards the cluster of adventurers, drops of blue blood dripping from its side. It waves its arms and chants.
Dezső's hands fly to cover his face as the vivid cone of clashing colors rushes over him, but he can't resist the force of intense stimulation and collapses into the snow, uninjured but temporarily unconscious.
"Tcha!" Chiquq exclaims as the colored lights take down the devil man. She draws her improvised sling and drops one of the cold iron pellets into it, envisioning as she does so the great snow-cats of the north.
"Ila! Come hurt this little thing! --do not step on the devil-man!"
Ila comes snorting through the snow, crashing towards the little fey.
Ila is confounded by the snow and just manages to reach the fey, but nothing more.
Braegan stands dazed as Dezso falls to the fae onslaught. Without weapons or tools to be of use, he does the best eh knows how ... trundles through the snow to see if he can be in position to be of use in the coming moments.
Imendri drops his pack, draws the Cold Iron blade borrowed from Isker, and closes distance.
As Dezső drops to the ground, Yrja stand momentarily stunned among the flurry of activity around her. Is he dead? I really hope he's not dead. He was the only other creature of her kind that she knew, hells - he was the one who told her she even had a kind. And he'd been nice to her. He can't die. She can't let him die.
Yrja hisses at the fey as she rushes to the other tiefling's side : "Gael i ffwrdd, hedfan plâu!"
Pulling a small piece of leather from one of the pouches at her belt, she makes a few passes with her hands over Dezső's prone form, then touches the center of his chest. "Protekti kaj ŝirmi tiun viron." As she speaks the words, a vaguely shimmering hemisphere covers the unconscious tiefling.
As Dezső drops to the ground, Yrja stand momentarily stunned among the flurry of activity around her. Is he dead? I really hope he's not dead. He was the only other creature of her kind that she knew, hells - he was the one who told her she even had a kind. And he'd been nice to her. He can't die.
But no, that hadn't been a killing spell. The other tiefling was merely unconscious. The thing to do now was remove the threat of the fey before they could do more damage.
Yrja hisses at the fey as she steps forward, the bulk of Ila looming reassuringly to her left: "Gael i ffwrdd, hedfan plâu!"
Then, pointing at the closest fey, she mutters "Iri dormi nun!", hoping to render the creature unconscious just as the other fey had taken Dezső out of the fight.
Round 2 - Electric Boogaloo
Fey 3
Dez
Fey 1
Yrja
Fey 2 -5 HP
Chiquq/Ila
Braegan
Imendri
The third fey buzzes out of the woods angrily, and mumbles something in a high pitched voice.
Dez drools a little.
Imendri searches as he stalks forward, looking for the hidden threats.
EDIT:
The first fey also chitters at Imendri.
Not a very bold one, it scoots back to hide among its summoned(?) companions(?), the combined lights bobbing and weaving high in the trees.
Yrja casts her Slumber Hex
and...
The tiny fey plummets like a rock--well, a rock with wings, and plops into the snow.
Chiquq, Braegan, Imendri, post away!
Chiquq breathes out in relief as the little thing falls asleep. She plows forward in the snow, dropping her bow and reaching to grab the tiny thing before it can do anything else to them.
"Imendri, hit it with your sword! Ila, down!"
Ila snorts and stomps, too spooked by the fey's otherwordly presence to listen to Mamma. Instead it carries on with its last attack-- at the tiny creature now gripped in Chiquq's hands.
"Ila!" Chiquq yelps. "That's my hands you're nearly hitting!"
Braegan snarls as he shakes off the fey’s mental attack and rushes after Imendri, fighting his way through more snow.
Chiquq nabs the tiny fey, which wakes it up. It's struggles are largely evaporated when Ila then gores it through. It screams, scattering tiny droplets of blood.
Braegan stumps through the drifts and raises his shield.
Imendri is up!