When you grasp her hand she reads the scroll quickly and you are suddenly standing in her base camp. An Elf stands nearby. Percy departs quickly and soon returns with a woman warrior.
An unbelievable sight waits at the end of this valley, where the frozen plains meet the Crown of the World. At the head of the valley, a massive waterfall once plunged the seven hundred feet to the valley floor, but the waterfall has frozen solid, leaving a braided ice column of unimaginable proportions extending from the lip of the cliff above to its base of jagged ice boulders and frozen hillocks at the bottom—the legendary Veil of Frozen Tears, the icy necropolis of the defeated rebels of the Witchwar. A fortification of some sort, apparently carved from the ice itself, protrudes from the ice sheet halfway up, with both a turret and wall pierced with arrow slits. Above this, a hollow has been carved out of the ice, forming a great shelf upon which appears to sit some sort of village. A fissure marks the ice flow’s lower reaches and possibly provides entrance. A hundred yards away from the base of the icefall is a camp occupied by a number of large brutes. Percy's camp is hidden in a small, pitiful clump of trees about half mile away from the falls themselves.
Ignoring the urge to illuminate the situation, Rosaline steps up to admire the view. It wasn't often she got the chance to see something so tranquil. But I doubt it will last... After taking in the scene she sighs and turns down to the camp.
"Greetings. I assume you are also here to thwart the demon lord?"
Description: Rosaline's most striking feature are her semi-luminous eyes, surely a product of magic. She is of mixed breed, having inherited length from her elven side and broad shoulders from the human one.
Her indomitable figure is clad in mithral armour and a grey robe, both filled with script in celestial and images depicting light, stars and above all slaying of demons. A heavy headed spear rests in her grasp, tipped with some black metal, almost matching her own length. Seemingly well equipped for war with another shorter spear is holstered at her hip along with several other implements of violence. There is also a kite shield strapped to her back, arranged for easy access. Hopefully her other equipment must fit inside the pouch at her belt or the small satchel at her back.
A breathtaking sight, were it not for the dear impart of the mission.
He breathed out at his first sight of the ice column. Even with his magical boots he could just feel the vestiges of discomfort from the cold, his breath came out as a heavy puff of vapor. It had been a long time since he had been in these environs, A short trip with his sorcerous wife Alyrria,a snow elf from plains far west and defitenitely south of here.
How safe are we here? How many should I be expecting? He moved about already beginning to set up little snow embankments, both for camoflauge and warmth purposes. He was midway through the first windwall so to speak when the exotic little gnome reappeared with a man.
He wondered if the man was to be as colorful as his clothing. He looked like a Varisian, and certainly the elf didnt hold that against him.
Well met friend, I will assume that you are here to help with the ...threat so to speak. I am Assellus Screamingtrees, it is a pleasure to meet you.
He began motioning to the little barrier he had built before he moved a half dozen feet away and began the process again.
His thoughts and work were interupted by the arrival of the warrior woman, a smirk appearing of his fine elven features for a moment before he willed it away to a more normal and stoic one. She looked like a paladin... light he hoped she wasnt a paladin. Not that paladins were well all bad, after all his first wife was a paladin, but some he had met....
That would be a safe assumption lady?... He asked continuing his work on the sheltered embankment. He didnt know how long this process would take, or how long they would be here... but it never hurt to be prepared.
Asselus Screamingtress, at your service." He offered the striking half elf and slight nod and a smile as he continued to work on their camp site.
Charlotte waits a few days, during which she finds the best local map she can, and uses that to teleport to the meeting location as accurately as possible.
Oliveo feels the cold pierce his lungs the moment they arrive, and with a wave of his hand his loose, colorful Varisian clothing transforms into a winter parka...which helps a (very) little.
He is just about to answer the elf’s greetings when the warrior halfelf arrives. Oliveo nods and replies: "Greetings to you both! I am Oliveo Taragoš, devotee to the Eternal Rose and to beauty in all of Her forms, singer of songs, and grand master of the Kith. And yes, here to stop Kotschtchie from regaining his torc...and for that matter to stop the Witch Queens from getting their hands on it either.
“And of course," he smiles a broad, easy smile and bow theatrically "here to make your journey tolerable with song, and to write the Great Ballad that will be needed to describe our adventures...if we manage to survive."
The bard has a warm, relaxed demeanor about him. He wears his hair long and flowing, and keeps his mustache waxed into a handsome handlebar. His eyes have no whites, instead being amber pools with a black pupil (due to the eyes of the dragon that he wears). Around his neck is a fine looking concertina and he’s adorned with a great deal of other finery as well, including a filigreed white gold headband topped with a jeweled circlet. Nuzzling up against his cheek to share what warmth he can is a ring-tailed mongoose.
Strapped to Oliveo's back is a longspear on which is mounted an impressive banner emblazoned with a colorful songbird-and-rose motif in honor of Shelyn. One gets the impression that the spear sees more use as a flagpole than as an actual weapon.
"And you, my dear? What is your name?" There's something about him, that when he looks at you it seems he's paying attention to you and you alone.
_____________
I've heard of you.... well indirectly from my wife Glaycia. She was there for your performances of The starfall sonnets I believe.
The elf said suddenly as the name slowly formed into a memory in his mind. He finished up the second of the mini snow bank encamp ments before starting on a third.
If you are ... unaccustomed to the climes take a seat behind the half shelters I have begun to build. I am unsure how many there are of us, or how long the wait will be, but it will cut the wind for now, and help to hold in the heat. If we are to use this as a base camp I will continue to improve our... circumstances.
He offered the two there...
Oliveo ducks down into the bounty hunter's shelter. "You have my thanks!" He rubs his hands together and then starts a small fire. "And Glaycia? When I was performing in the Starfall Sonnets in Kyonin? Oh of course I remember her. She recited a lovely story for me--her own work. It was a colorful epic of an escapade of yours to capture a Sun Orchid. Did you really get ambushed by Divs? At any rate, it's a pleasure to meet you in person!"
With a small fire burning, he pulls out a pot. "I'm going to warm a spot of spiced wine. Seems like just the thing for a morning like this. Either of you care for a cup?"
"Rosaline. Exalt of Radiance, crusader of Mendev and sword of Nerosyan." She introduces herself, then sets her spear down blunt end first in a patch of snow and adds. "Figuratively anyway; there is always Hope"
She neglected to comment on either of her companions professions, for she knew little of arts and wanted little to know about bounty hunting. But spiced wine, that was something she was familiar with. Perfect to fortify the body on long night watches! Twitching into a small smile she accepted the bards offer.
"Gladly. Just care for the fire and smoke - so the giant's don't notice." The Worldwound was just south of the Crown of the World, but the elevation made the wind bite harder. And there was no point in simply freezing, so Rosaline took another of the prepared shelters. And on the previous topic she added in a neutral tone. "I doubt our gnome patron wants the camp known given the effort taken to seclude it."
Assellus chuckled at the crusaders ...observation.
I'll be working on that little issue next no worries friend. Moving about relatively unseen is a skill I have no worries. How goes the battle in Mendev? I have not been to those cursed lands in quite some time, well not since The Sun Orchid escapade our friend Oliveo here mentioned... I was hired by an old friend the great mage Aluirian Glaiswaerin to protect a vial of the Sun Orchid extract for your queen there in Mendev. and well Oliveo, we werent so much as ambushed by them as we happened to wander right into them during a sandstorm. The story makes it sound more epic than it was really.
He said with a smile. He did recall that story of hers... Her efforts to inflate his name had went to good use, not that he had any doubt in his abilities.. still it was useful to be the dreaded boogieman in the night to any criminal he was hired to apprehend. The third windbreak taken care of he moved to find some appropriate branches to build a bit of a 'roof' to erect over the fire, to help break up the smoke.
"The Exalt of Radiance herself?" Johnne murmurs, glancing down at Rosina. "If she seeks the torc, then I would gladly offer my assistance to her." He shoulders his pack, nodding decisively. "Very well, Percy. Do you have a faster means of getting me there?"
Soon after the warrior Percy pops in with a human male and a shade of a drowned woman. About half hour later the last of your party arrives, a Pathfinder.
Shifting a bit after feelings the effects of teleportation for the first time Toska is a bit uneasy but manages to shrug it off as he waves at the others. "Um, hi. I'm Toska."
At Rosaline's word or caution, Oliveo pulls his flint back from his steel. "Ahh, you're probably right. This is a good time to be cautious. Happily, that isn't our only way of warming the wine!"
With that he waves his hand over the pot, singing "Voila!" and suddenly the wine is warm and spiced.
"Truth be told, I like the taste better when the cinnamon and cloves get to steep over a real fire, but this isn't bad either, eh?"
As he pours her a cup, he says, "I assume you know, the poet Aeronus spent some time up with the crusades and wrote a poem about you when he returned to Taldor. If my memory serves, I think it begins:
"In that broken land where the bitter cold is the least that a man should fear,
Fights a radiant warrior, Rosaline, the Worldwound’s ca-va-lier…
"The writing’s rough in parts, to be honest, but it has some clever bits as well...and it tells a tale that deserves to be told, and that’s the important part."
Just then he sees Percy teleport back with a new set of recruits.
"Ahoy, fellow Righters of Wrongs and Makers of History! This here is Asselus Screamingtrees, the bounty hunter whose daring exploits include the successful capture and recovery of a fabled Sun Orchid.
"And this is Rosaline. Exalt of Radiance, crusader of Mendev and sword of Nerosyan, who has taken time away from the brutal Worldwound to help recover Kostchtchie's Torc before it can fall into nefarious hands.
"And I of course am Oliveo Taragoš, devotee to the Eternal Rose and to beauty in all of Her forms, singer of songs, and grand master of the Kith. Here to aid in this quest and make sure that it is captured in song for the ages.
"Come, warm yourself with a bit of spiced wine and introduce yourselves!"
Toska bows to each of the people Oliveo points and utters a greeting in turn before taking some of the offered wine.
"Toska you say? Don't be shy. Tell us about yourself!"
He nodded to each as Oliveo was so kind as to make the introductions. He was busy working to make this a well hidden sight after all. Given enough time he was sure he could make a set up that whoever was in that camp could walk right through the camp and not have a clue as to their wearabouts,that and he was keeping a slight eye torwards the encampment in the distance as well. He could only smirk for a moment at Oliveo's line of questioning. None of them would have any secrets for long around him it seemed.
If the little one saw fit to invite Toska along, I am sure tere was reason.Speaking of purpose, I want to have made clear a couple of things If you would Percy. We are to go in there, procure the item and abscond with it correct? Where do we bring it out to? Once we bring it out of there, how do we get home? Are there any special precautions we should take with the item? I did not get a chance to speak with my Loremaster before we arrived, I dont like running into things blindly.
He asked while finishing up another little camoflagued wind break.
Percy's staging area sits in a small island of tundra trees in the rolling pain leading up to the Veil. The snow is deep here and she (or someone else, you can't be sure) has already formed a decently hidden area with low walls to protect from the wind, though they are only effective if you happenn to be sitting.
The temperature here is deep into the negatives and anyone without substantial mundane or magical protection (such as Endure Elements) will quickly freeze to death.
Toska appears to be a young man with ruddy skin with sharp features and piercing golden eyes. "Oh, I'm just a dragonslayer, no one special." he replies meekly.
"That poem, yeah ..." Rosaline mutters, not completely at grip with the feeling of being a poetic hero just yet. Shouldn't I - after this time - be that? she contemplated.
Once the last components of the team shows and she is introduced she raises a hand in greeting and nods. "Dragonslayer and no-one special does not rhyme..." She notes and then attempts to answer Asselus's question with the pieces she have. "'Percy' wants to hand it over to Imbrex safekeeping. Better then the demons, I say."
"Would you prefer me to speak all my words in rhyme?"
"Heh. Would be amusing no doubt, but I think you might drive our bard out of business then." Rosa laughs, her stoic expression flashing into a tiny smile for a moment. "I merely meant that dragons seldom dies easily."
"I never said they did." He responds along with a slight smile of his own.
"Then it would probably take someone special to end one!" Rosaline finishes with a nod.
"If you say so m'lady." He finishes with a shrug.
The halfling woman sits and observes, taking notes and sketches in one of the notebooks she keeps in her haversack.
"I would recommend leaving poetry to poets," she adds to the conversation, finding her opening. "Charlotte Adellan, Pathfinder Society. But I've trained with Vashii Fanduil, Kyonin's oldest living epic poet, and were she here, her reply to any of your rhymes would be an insult so finely crafted you'd weep at the beauty of it."
"And every dragonslayer's special to at least one dragon, clear as day," she adds, smiling, as she crosses her legs. "More than can be said about every crusader, or poet, or author. My specialty is shadow magic, which means my unwritten works have their greatest impact on those who understand them the least."
"I'm Johnne," the newcomer says, his voice a strained whisper, barely audible above the wind. "This is Rosina." He winces, as if the words cause him discomfort.
He's dressed in well-made clothing, in the style of Ustalavic nobility, though it's in ill repair.His cravat is immaculate, however, knotted neatly and firmly at his throat, covering his neck to the chin. His cloak seems to shimmer and ripple, throwing disconcerting patterns that appear uncomfortably like eyes. His black hair is streaked with grey, and his blue eyes are lined heavily with time - he carries himself with the air of a man who's tired of the world, but wants to face it with dignity.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
The shade is more talkative, hovering protectively in front of the man, floating a foot above the ground. He doesn't talk much. Her voice seems to come from every direction, her lips moving around the words while not seeming to project them. He keeps to himself mostly. And few choose to remember me. She looks around at each in turn, her eyes sad, her form shifting insubstantially. Are you all going to die here? She's seemingly made of grey smoke, appearing as a Varisian woman in a long dress, though her hair and clothing constantly shift and billow as if underwater.
Oliveo isn't sure what to make of the mixture of meekness with Toska's bold claim of slaying dragons. Doesn't seem a terribly talkative sort at any rate. I guess I'll wait to see what his actions say. Percy's an odd one for sure, but if she thinks he's needed for this quest, I'll trust her.
When Charlotte introduces herself, Oliveo exclaims. "You've actually met Fanduil? And studied with her? You know, I'll be honest. Being invited to Kyonin to perform the Starfall Sonnets was a great honor and a pleasure...but I'd hoped to find Fanduil in attendance so that we could discuss her work, and some of her inspirations. It's interesting to me that while the structure she uses is thoroughly elvish there are elements to her style that seem completely...I'd almost say alien. Is that something you've ever picked up on?
"I've read some of your Chronicles as well by the way, though I didn't realize you were a master of illusion. I suppose if that's your specialty it's best to skirt the subject in broad publications. At any rate, well met! When we have the time, you'll have to tell me more about Fanduil...and if you'd feel comfortable sharing some of your own work I'd love to hear it as well."
Oliveo's eyes widen as the a man and a woman's shade appear together as their final companions. More and more interesting...the way she speaks, and hovers before him...I do believe they're tied together. By love, I'd wager, as well as grief. I wonder if either of them could stay in this world without the other? Very rare, outside of some old stories that most people assume to be fanciful. I've read it takes an incredibly strong spirit on both sides of the equation, for the shade to persist like this. Perhaps out of this adventure I'll be able to write a song about their tragic love? If, as Rosina says, we don't all die...
With a touch of genuine concern for them both clear in his eyes and his smile, Oliveo says, "Johnne. Rosina. Well met to you both as well. And Rosina, I certainly hope we don't die today, lest the Torc fall into the hands of either Elvanna or Kostchtchie. Not to mention that I have a rather full concert schedule planned for the Spring, as well as some rice wines from Minkai that I've heard are extraordinary and have yet to get to taste.
"Speaking of capturing the Torc, I'm certain that Elvanna's and Kostchtchie's forces are moving quickly. We must be even faster if we're to find the Torc first. What do we need to do before we begin?"
"Well then maybe one day I'll meet my special someone." he says to Charlotte still grinning. Turning to the latest members he seems transfixed by the ghostly woman before finally speaking up. "That gnome lied to me! She said there wasn't going to be any pretty women and here I've already met three!"
The gnome is right here, Toska. I had to make sure you weren't coming for the ladies.
Now. I have an offer for you all that some already know about. My Lord doors not expect you to go into this without support. You may ask of me one item worth up to 36,000 each and it will be granted.
"But I like coming for the ladies..." Toska states this bluntly, almost to the point of innocence.
Percy giggles and immediately attempts to maintain her professional demeanor, but isn't entirely successful.
Rosaline introduces herself to the last arrivals with a small nod. Continuing to unload and inspect her small arsenal of weaponry, she snickers at the spirit's 'outburst'.
"*We* will not be the ones doing the dying here, the foul demon and their equally foul giantic pawns has that honour coming for them."
Toska's later exchange with the gnome causes her to glance at him then the short spear in her hands and back, sighing.
Once Percy has heard all your requests she takes a seat on the snow and enters a meditative trance. About a minute later the air shivers in front of each of you and your desired item appears in mid-air. It hovers there, waiting for you to take it.
Percy then gets up and smiles. Forth, and fear no darkness. She admonishes.
The camp is a massive affair, with a dozen giant-sized hide tents and a fenced-in corral made from rough-hewn logs, both encircled by a 10-foot-tall wall of hard-packed snow.
I will be back shortly.
As the others settled in he slipped out of their tiny camp and slid torwrads the giants camp. He was going to see what he could see so to speak, getting close enough to get a good count of what they faced.
giants also keep a string of mounts and pack beasts that includes nine woolly mammoths, 12 woolly rhinoceroses, and a pack of six trained winter wolves.
Asselus completes his recon undetected.
With one last glance back torwards the giant camp he moved quietly back to his group.
He slid over the wall and dropped low pratically out of nowhere.
I counted in the camp over a dozen frost giants, ten or so ogres. They had a whole slew of pack bests, including ten or so wooly mammoths, a dozen or so wooly rhinoceroses, and six winter wolves... I hate those things. They appeared to be led by a deformed frost giant of ...well some sort of evil descent.
He began fingering the hilts of his two swords.
What would you all like to do about them? Normally I am not one for leaving an enemy at my back as I do something dangerous, but time might be of the essence.
Upon receiving her shield Rosaline inspects it carefully, tapping it and even bending it a little. Satisfied by her examination she touches it gently and invokes a bit of divine magic.
Then again the way they were loosely milling about its possible their leader wasnt there at all. Up to you all, it might be possible to perhaps pull some of their forces away and ambush them cutting down their numbers. I can also see about leading some of them away while you all assault the camp and then I can double back and join you.
He offered letting them mull over those options while did some last minute camoflaging of their little camp.
"If you want to lead some of the ogres away, I can help with that," Charlotte offers.
Oliveo tilts his head toward the halfling. "Charlotte, what do you have in mind?
“I tend to be all for avoiding fights...but I do worry about leaving a large troop of giants and ogres at our backs. I'm inclined to see if we can take them out instead, and against ones so vile (and on a mission so dire) I'm happy to indulge in any manor of trickery.
"As an option, I know a performance that might be just what we need here. It's called The Clamor of the Heavens and after hearing it for not even 20 seconds, evil beings tend to be blinded and deafened in shame for as long as I continue. Outsiders with evil woven into their fiber tend to be not just blinded and deafened but stunned useless in their tracks.
"Giants and ogres and winter wolves are all notoriously weak willed. The mammoths and rhinos wouldn't be effected...and that's likely good. They serve evil masters through no fault of their own, and I'd hope we could preserve their lives. In fact, we might even be able to get some of them to serve us, after we defeat their evil masters.
"I'm quite open to other approaches too, but I'd wager this is one way we could defeat them without much trouble...especially if (as I expect) not more than 1 in 10 of them will be able to see or hear while I play my concertina, bringing to bear the righteous Clamor of the Heavens."
After a pause, he adds, ”If we go this route, we could gather outside their pen while I start playing. Some may come barreling toward us, but if we stay back a bit, they will just reach us when I manage to incapacitate the majority of them.
“One last thought. I’d be curious to see how well we can mop up our foes without spending any other resources (or as few as we can manage), since we have no idea when we’ll next be able to stop and rest, nor what is ahead of us once we enter the Veil.”
Picking up her spears again Rosaline rises to her feet and nods. "Anything to make this battle one sided - the giants are nothing more then pawns in the Demon Lord's foul game, unworthy to waste our time!"
"I've got a few options," Charlotte replies. "Invisibility and flight. Wandering Star Motes. Confusion, Geyser, illusions, or some stunning shadows. Could even just fly overhead invisibly yelling taunts until they chase me."
Death comes for everyone eventually. Some sooner than others. Rosina watches Oliveo with emotionless eyes, though a faint smile plays at her spectral lips. When Toska speaks up, she stares at him for a long moment, before asking, faintly, You would find the dead 'pretty'? Her face creases in sad confusion.