After an exhaustive search of the area, no other threats are in evidence. The party then beds down again, and passes a fairly peaceful night. They awake, ready to tackle the climb into the mountains.
Morning of Day 3.
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With the beast slain, Malfeas retrieves as many arrows as he can, grumbling to himself. He then takes the beast and moves it well away from the camp, hoping any scavengers for the carcass leave them alone. ”Scavenging animals should alert the Centaur of what happened, and we completed their task.” begrudgingly he then adds, ”Nice thrust Gunther.”
He then returns to his watch, fusing over his arrows, questioning if they are warped or otherwise damaged, because he cannot fathom why he missed so many shots.
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"Haku, are you and Esmerelda still hurt? You should both heal up before the next day, just in case something else is out there."
"What an odd animal, eh Esmerelda? I guess that was what those centaurs were warning us about. Their longspear did come in handy." Gunther remarks.
"And good shooting Malfeas. I'm sure your arrow that hit was why it dropped after my hit, I could tell it was badly wounded."
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What was that thing? Haku stares at the cat-like creature's corpse, then looks around. Is anyone still hurt?
I am certainly thankful to have warriors such as you all by my side.
Before going back to sleep, Haku gathers everyone who is injured (which may just be him) and offers a drink from the waters of life.
If just Haku:
If Haku and Esme:
Haku stands in a nearby stream at sunrise, chanting to the sky. The man is nearly naked, wearing only a loincloth, his sun-bronzed skin covers a taut muscular frame. He chants for almost an hour, the music evidently a well-practiced cadence.
Once he is finished, he walks back into camp, then begins dressing and packing up for the day.
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Malfeas snorts as Gunther compliments his shooting the following day. ”One of 4 Gunther, is NOT good shooting. I have done better with my eyes closed at 30 paces.” As they near the moutains, and the air begins to get chilly, Malfeas will head out of line of sight and change into his cold weather gear.
Nestor replies "I am still doing well, friend. Thank you for your concern."
After a quick meal, you begin your journey into the mountains. The pass climbs ever steeper, and before long it it time to rest again for the night.
Nearby you spy a covered wagon half buried in the snow.
Investigation of the wagon uncovers three frozen humans who have obviously succumbed to cold exposure. These explorers foolishly attempted to cross the mountain pass during the cold season and paid with their lives. Fortunately the weather is not as cold now, but during the night the temperature still drops below 40 degrees Fahrenheit for 4 hours (1 a.m.
to 5 a.m.).
The wagon looks like it can fit 5 Medium sized creatures inside, and with the sides and cover still intact, it could provide some protection against the icy wind.
You also see a wood-burning stove with enough fuel to last through the night. The three humans are all wearing cold-weather outfits.
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Malfeas looks at the dead, no pity anywhere on his face. "Do any of you need cold weather outfits? There are three that are not in use." Malfeas takes the bodies out of the wagon, checking to see if they have anything in their pockets. He then drags the bodies far away from the wagon, so scavengers won't bother them.
"We should use the stove and the wagon to protect us from the cold." he says matter-of-factly.
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Per usual, Esmeralda will check the cripple's leg to make sure he is still doing well enough.
"Lend me a hand Haku? It will not bode well for us if our friendly neighborhood cripple's lbum leg goes all gangrenous on us at the top of the pass. I wonder if we could use some of the wood from this wagon to fashion a splint or brace or something to help his journey? Mr. Nestereez, do you still have any feeling at all? Bet my dog can't carry you and all our stuff still. I will double or nothing on the dog being a little small to pull the wagon. You look smart though. I bet you can figure us a solution if there is one to be found! Broken people always seem to be brighter than unbroken people."
Esmeralda will wait to commune with nature until after she has determined whether or not berries are to be found this day, and the likelihood of plants on the pass. . .
To Haku, Nester says: "I am feeling well enough, thank you. My leg cannot be improved by any ordinary healing."
You are able to scavenge some berries from the local mountain shrubs before reaching this frosty level.
The weather tomorrow is hard to predict. There should be more plants when you begin your descent later tomorrow.
You lay down to sleep, and before long the chill in the air grows quite noticeable.
You pass a chilly night, but make it through only a bit worse for wear.
Esmerelda takes a moment to speak with Nestor:
You continue on your journey. As the pass winds around a large mountain, you spot a light glinting from a ledge some 50 feet above your current location.
A small statue of a woman complete with a nearby shrine rests on the ledge.
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"Do you mind hanging out here a while? I need to ask Nip to do me a favor really quick like. Might get us up there. Feel free to try other stuff if you like."
Esmeralda looks up at the shrine, and ponders a moment, then turns to her bird and speaks in sylvan,
Esmeralda then waits patiently for her thrush to complete its task.
Nip completes his task and soon enough Esme has a rope attached to the ledge, ready for climbing. Haku is able to tell that the figure is not a god or any particularly religious person at all. Perhaps a closer look, with a different sort of knowledge is needed?
As the group reaches the ledge, they get a better look at the statue. It is carved in the figure of a woman. She appears to be an adventurer of some sort, and if the statue is of any indication, she may be of noble birth. The glinting light seen from the path is the sun’s reflection off a number of coins and gems in the shrine’s offering bowl.
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Esmeralda shrugs at the shrine, and tosses in a silver coin. "Never disrespect the locals. You never know who is watching. . . You guys climb down first. If I get hammered on the way down, I want a cleric waiting for me!"
After the others climb down, Esmeralda gathers up the rope, drops it down, and attempts to make it down free style.
Esmerelda starts down, but looses her grip and slides roughly down the steep side, landing hard on the path below. When Haku puts the coin in the bowl, he feels a sense of warmth overcome him for a moment.
The party proceeds down out of the mountain and camps for the night at the base. The next day, you proceed further north into a dense bog. Thick blobs of fog dance in between large tickets as the foul stench of swamp gas pollutes the air. Several exotic species of vines twist along the vapor-shrouded path, creating an ethereal seeming tangle. At random intervals, a splash of fetid water sounds in the distance, signaling the presence of frogs or other bog creatures. You spend another night camped in the bog.
In the morning you press onward, and the thick rolling fog begins to disperse, allowing you to see where you step. Despite the increased visibility, this area of the swamp is difficult terrain, as the muck and vegetation thicken further.
A large log rests across a dirt path, standing five feet tall. A moldering wood door covers one of the hollow ends of the log, and a makeshift mud chimney emits a thin wisp of blue smoke. From behind the crude house come the sound of someone humming an off-key tune.
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Esmeralda shrugs at the shrine, and tosses in a silver coin.
. . . When Haku puts the coin in the bowl, he feels a sense of warmth overcome him for a moment.
"Ouch! Good thing I made more berries this morning! I am good. Little known fact goblins bounce, gnomes do not."
Esmeralda eats berries as needed to recoup, and then climbs back into her dog's saddle.
"I have no idea who it is, but there is a whole mess of treasure waiting for some bandit. I would guess it is a trap or something. No one leaves that much wealth unattended. There sure is a lot of it though."
Later that night: As Esme is helping set up camp, she pulls each party member aside for brief periods of time. Sometimes to help berry pick, others to help set up her tent or sort gear. As she gets them alone, she tells each one, "Nestoreez isn't actually wounded. He fakes it for sympathy. . . and he is carrying a weapon. Be wary of someone so dedicated to a lie."
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”This deception was expected. People by nature feel more like helping the weak and pathetic. By executing this ruse, there is a better chance he will get a more favorable trade for the Society. For example, you’re a sap, and decide to give a silver piece to the poor. You then see two people, a health robust man, and a weak, frail, pathetic man. Who do you give the coin to? Exactly. Our job isn’t to question the Society’s motives or who they send, our job is to get him there and back safely with the artifact.” explains Malfeas curtly, in perhaps the longest string of words you’ve heard from him.
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Esmeralda bows to her companions wisdom, and decides to keep her mouth shut until she reports in to the venture captains of her success.
"Nestoreez, I have explained your ruse to my companions, and we have agreed that we should let your deception, artifice, feint, gambit, shenanigans, ploy, hoax, and sham continue on. You are the expert we were assigned, but I do hope if worse comes to worse, you allow your cane to come of good use. Hmm. subterfuge and shenanigans are my words for today. Shenanigans is fun to say. That is what I will use for you now. The gimp's shenanigans!"
Esmeralda searches the area around her camp on her watch, looking for berries..
Venturing up to the house, Esme peers at the house, from a safe distance, looking for any sign of life (aside from the frogs and vines).
There are no signs of activity from inside the house, but as you creep closer you can hear more humming from the other side of the log. Malfeas creeps just around the log to see a kobold bent over, tending a patch of thistles. It occasionally speaks to the plants. as if to small children.
Malfeas and Gunther also notice a large crocodile resting mostly submerged in the bog near the north end of the house.
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Gunther silently indicates with hand gestures the location of the large crocodile to the rest of the party.
He listens to the mutterings as he approaches the front of the log house, waiting for a bit to ensure that Malfeas has time to get into place before calling out a greeting (in Draconic if the voice is using Draconic, otherwise in Common).
The kobold jumps up at hearing Gunther's voice speaking Draconic. She replies:
She begins casting a spell as the crocodile moves towards Gunther.
Malfeas, make your attack roll!