I am hoping that there are no more surprises like that around here.
Rorgar looks around the clearing to see which way the attackers left from.
Liam shows his find to the others. "I'll bet the Lady will be looking for these." he says.
"Feels like this wasn't about gold or jewelry. They wanted the lady for something and danmed everything in the way. Well let's hope we can reunite her with her jewelries, I think those matters a lot to a taldan noble." Lady Marianna says as she is removing the breastplate from the statue to get a better look upon it.
"Hmm... Those are very pretty and, no doubt, quite expensive. I agree, we should do our best to return them to this Lady Argentea or what her name may be." Looking back to Marianna, she raises an eyebrow.
"Most odd that. I fear they must be up to something most foul. Once we gain our bearings, should we march on?"
"Yes that would be good, I just thought this armor might be of help to one of us, for whats to come. So I wanted to at least bring it with us for now."
Fjeor nods hearing Brenna and begins heading into the forest looking up and around at times but concentrating on the tracks and drag marks. Leading ahead, but trusting the time taken for tracking and his dwarven stride would allow the rest of the group to catch him quickly when ready.
Agreed lady Marianna, on the armour.
Rorgar assists her with the recovery of the armour on the frozen statue.
This statue looks like it could have been a living person.
He shudders a bit thinking of what may have froze a person solid in a short period of time.
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Provided he doesn't find anymore foes, Hassan will move towards the statue and see the others unbuckling the armor from the thing. At first Hassan opens is his mouth to claim the armor, knowing the metal breastplate is an advantage over his chain shirt. But as he sees the Taldan heraldry emblazoned on the outside, the Qadirian snaps his mouth shut and politely defers to Marianna or Rorgar.
"I couldn't be found wearing the enemies crest, thinks the inquisitor, remembering the words of his shaman. "I am probably already too familiar with those that would invade my land at first provocation."
He blinks away the image, and focuses on the druid searching for tracks in the snow. "Find anything, Fjeor? Did our foes head back that way after the cowardly attack?"
As the others retrieve the armor, Liam says "You know, armor isn't a bad idea. A breastplate isn't quite my style though." With this he says a few words and fiddles with a bit of leather. Nothing is perceptibly different, but he seems satisfied.
in the snow, apparently dropped or discarded by those who hastily passed this way.
Pausing to look over the area Fjeor takes in the welcome sight of tall trees around him. Breathing deeply for the forest scents and frowning at the dampening snow, he then returns to gather the group from the ambush site. "Well, looks like 'tis the right way. I see a chest ahead in the snow. Probably was dragged from the carriages and dropped for weight, but the trail continues beyond there."
Breena, tensing up and hoping it isn't a trap, approaches the druidic dwarf. "Do you believe it to be dangerous, friend Fjeor?"
Vadim slowly wanders over to the pathway, clearly waiting for everyone else as he intends to be far to the back. Peering at the chest in question, he chants a moment and twists a non-existant nob around his right eye as they start to glow with a light blue aura, "I'll see if there's magic at play, if nothing else." He offers, detecting for magic and any auras such magic might transmit. If he finds nothing, he'll wave them off in indication that there's nothing of note.
"I'm ready to head into the woods to look for our missing noble. I can take up the front, but I would need someone with a good sense of detail to help me notice things along side me." Lady Marianna says straping the shield to her left hand before preparing to go in. "I should not be caught without my shield again. Iomedae guide me to the just cause of this rescue."
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" I can take up the front, but I would need someone with a good sense of detail to help me notice things along side me."
Hassan belts his scimitar and takes out his longbow. "I have a sharp eye, and will join you at the front, Lady. The light of the Dawnflower shall be our guide as we look for these accursed witches and their minions."
As Fjeor finds evidence of the raiding party, Hassan scans the area expecting another ambush of some kind.
After changing over to the Breastplate, Rorgar takes a position at the back of the party to keep an eye out for attackers from behind.
I really cannot see what is going on up there?
He asks as the party comes to a halt.
He then prepares his bow for any possible attackers while they figure out what is going on.
Fjeor quirks a look towards his keen eyed party member before whispering gruffly. "You see something Hassan?"
Before waiting for an answer he looks back towards Tuum making sure his companion is still safely following Vadim.
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"Aye," says Hassan pointing into the tree line near the chest. "Do not touch the chest! It seems our wintry friends have taken the time to foil any pursuers."
He shows the others the spiked log suspended in the nearby trees.
"I must assume that if we open the box, the log would fall on us. A nasty surprise that would be!"
"Good catch. That log would easily kill any of us, thing we can desable it by cutting the ropes so we can safely investigate the chest?"
"Probably." Liam says, stepping up beside Marianna. If no one objects, he'll begin firing Acid Fire Splashes at the role until he burns through it. Once all party members are out of the way, of course.
Well, an option would be to hook it with a grapnel, and pull the chest towards us letting it trigger. Then we can see what is in there.
That way we are away from the log, and anything else that might be in that chest.
Rorgar starts to dig in his pack for some rope and a grappling hook.
Seeing the group spreading around tackling the chest Fjeor wanders to the back and his bear. Pausing to scratch behind the ears he rumbles.
"Good Tuum, here is a strip of jerky, please keep looking after Vadim." He then takes the time to circle the outside of the clearing looking for further tracks, making sure that the obvious trail leading out is not a false one.
"Oh yes, please do, Tuum." He agreed with Fjeor, looking at the bear that was set to protect him while the rest continued to deal with traps and tracks. Until there was something he might be able to try to rack his knowledge about, or someone was injured, he would try to stay out of their way. "You're a good guard bear, aren't you? Tip-top condition too. The way he hands out those treats, I'm surprised you're not overweight." Vadim joked, talking to the bear non-condescendingly. No baby-voice intonation, but as though he were talking to another sentient creature.
"Well that could also work, I just thought it quicker to cut the ropes, so that the log couldn't swing. Please go ahead and pull it if you liek that better."
Aye, cutting them would be quicker, but I was thinking of others whom might be coming along this path.
Rorgar continues to pull out the rope and grapnel for the pulling.
"That is also a worthy thought, but I still like to make sure we disable the log, so that it doesn't skrewer some unfortunate traveler making a shortcut through the forest."
I agree, which is why I was thinking of triggering it from back here using a rope. but I see that it is almost burned through by the acid. so a done point now.
He grins as he looks and points at the acid blobs hitting the rope.
Brenna looks up to see the log and sighs. "Dastardly little fiends! Let us hope that the acid does not make the trap work as is! I think everyone should step back, yes?"
as the acid burns threw the last strand of rope, the trees begin to whine at the weight of the log as it comes swinging down directly over the chest
"Well that seems to have worked, should be safer to open the cest now I imagine." Lady Marianna says stepping over to the chest and have a look on it.
It she doesn't see anyhting she opens it to have a look inside.
Always pleased when he gets to play with fire, Liam trots after the others to see what they've found.
Vadim still stays back from the chest. Any interaction with... just about anything he's unsure of, he'd rather let the others handle. He would certainly bring up the potential dangers if he saw them, but doubts he'd be the first one to anyway, from his fuzzy-guarded safety net in the rear.
Brenna, copying Vadim some, hangs back but also draws her sword out. "If anything bursts out of it, I'll take care of it, yes?"
As the log comes to a rest, an the snow settles. You see the chest bares the markings of Lady Argentea's signet. The chest lies half buried into the ground, as you open the chest, you find nothing but snow inside.
Fjeor points along the trail continuing onward out of the glade. "This seems to be the way we must follow, we should proceed before we fall afoul of more mischief." His breath blowing snow back away from his beard he says in his gravelly voice. Pausing a moment before looking downwards for tracks and signs of what is before the group.
The snow becomes increasingly deep in this part of the forest, where a windswept gully carves a path through a tree covered ridge. A soft cascade of snow falls from an over head branch, hissing softly as it strikes the ground.
Well, that seems to be a bust.
Rorgar comments as he starts to walk along at the back of the party.
I guess the attackers continued on.
"I agree, I was hoping there were something useful inside, but I guess we can say some feys are certainly at large here. We should probably bring the chest along, but I guess it's to heavy to carry around so perhaps Agentea doesn't mind we leave it behind for now. Where do we go from here?"
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Hassan sighs when the chest turns out to be basically empty. "Our opponents are clever, I will give them that. We must be prepared for more traps ahead as they intended to foil any pursuit. Be wary!"
He continues to slog in the uncomfortable snow, which is now deeper and harder to move through. Hassan longs for the hot sun on his face which reminds him of his faith for the Dawnflower.
"Don't falter friends, we will find the source of this unnatural winter and put a stop to it. Let's push on." Lady Marianna says taking the lead through the heavy snow hoping to be on the right path.
Nodding, Liam follows the armored lady through the snow.
Fjeor nods up to Marianna as he pushes through the heavy snow at the front also. His heavy frame and short legs pushing through while his eyes remain downwards, looking for any signs of threats or that their quarry may be leaving a false trail.
Vadim follows along in the back. He stumbles over himself a little as he almost trips over a small jutting out from the snowed ground.