Welcome! Dot in and head into discussion whenever you are ready.
|
A rakish half-elf approaches. His skin is bronzed and wind-worn and his clothes are faded, yet meticulously cared for. Surprisingly, he carries no weapons whatsoever. Interestingly enough, he does appear to have a strange greenish armor made of what looks like plants and leaves.
"Well met, fellow travelers! The sky portends a favorable journey!"
Two weeks ago, Osprey showed up at the Grand Lodge in Absalom, his features shadowed by the long cowl of his heavy leather cloak, his unmistakable voice a sullen whisper of both mystery and urgency.
"A grim shadow creeps over Absalom, one that threatens all of us. We know not its source or even its purpose, and need answers to secrets only known to the dead. Your task is one of great importance and urgency. You must retrieve the bones of the ancient mystic Amao from his cairn and bring them to me so our seers can contact his spirit. We need to contact him before these dark forces track his spirit down in the worlds beyond and devour him. Take extra care on this mission, for the Aspis Consortium also dearly desires these bones and their secrets. Amao’s bones rest in a cairn atop a mountain. Go to Cania’s Drop, a small waystation high in the Fog Peaks along the border of Southern Galt. There you will meet with an ex-Pathfinder named Rysam Aklon who will provide you with equipment and directions to Amao’s cairn. You shall hear from me again once you complete your mission, but for now may the gods speed you on your way."
Now, here in the foothills of a wintery southern Galt, bitter winds blister skin and numbness settles in to exposed extremeties. While Absalom isn’t known for its sunshine, at least its foggy shores are more favorable than the bone- brittling cold of the Fog Peaks. Before you lies your destination, a mountain waystation run by exiles and recluses.
|
The hard-skinned oread smiles as he hears the group will be taking on a mountainous expedition. He reassures the mysterious Osprey in a gravely voice, "We shall return with the bones of the mystic, as instructed. The mountains are a second home to me, and I look forward to spending time there."
Now with the witnry wind biting his exposed flesh and snow drifts slowing his progress, Malachite begins to rue his proud words...Even his craggy skin is vulnerable to this cold, and it certainly is uncomfortable.
|
|
As the large Oread speaks about fulfilling the mission, Raimdol nods his head absently in agreement. However, the blood drains from his tanned face with the prospect of the bone-chilling weather they are about to face.
"Of c-c-course" he stammers. "Consider it done." he states in a show of confidence, although the prospect of leaving the sea and facing bitter cold puts a pit of fear in his stomach.
"Perhaps we should go shopping first and get some survival gear." he muses, as much to himself as the others.
After several days out in the cold weather, the fire promised to you by a tall pillar of smoke seems very welcoming. Visible from a large distance on the contrasting snow, you speed up the pace to meet your contact.
A few minutes of brisk walk get you close enough to the assembly of cottages and tents - the waystation of Cania's Drop.
The inhabitants of this place look at you nervously and scared as you pass through to what you assume is your contact. The cabin you move towards has a sleigh just outside, along with a few rows of sleeping dogs, curled up together in the deep snow.
Moving closer, you are approached by a a burly man with a shock of wild curly black hair, with strong, rough features that jut through his scraggly, unshorn beard. With ebon eyes gleaming beneath a low-sloped brow, and a demeanor burning bitter as the highland winds, he introduces himself as Rysam Aklon:
"You must be the Pathfinders I was told to expect. Come on in - we'll talk."
A few of the dogs lift their heads as Rysam opens the squeaky wooden door to let you in, but revert to their previous position soon afterwards. "Take a seat if you find any.", without looking at you Rysam gestures towards the table with a few tree stumps for chairs while he puts some water on the stove.
"I suggest you spend the night here, and head out in the morning.", he mumbles while looking out of the window towards the peak to the north. "It's getting dark, and the weather ain't looking nice either."
After a few short moments of silence, he turns around. "Oh - your supplies!", he points to a few backpacks perched against the wall next to the door. "I was told you'll be climbing the Dragon and get some stuff ready for you, so there you have it. Food, some furs, and a pick. Normally that would do, but I was told you are in a hurry, so I will lend you 3 sleighs and a few dogs, too." He doesn't seem to happy about that last part, however.
"Now - does anyone of you know how to ride such a sleigh?", he looks at you curiously.
|
|
Glad to be out of the bitter cold, Malachite ducks into the shelter offered by Rysam.
Malachite frowns at the thought of riding a sleigh pulled by dogs up the mountainside. "I have no experience with either dogs or sleighs. You don't find such underground, but perhaps my colleagues will be able to handle the beasts and the transportation?"
Rysam is clearly not overly satisfied with the responses, but soldiers on - "I suppose that's a start. If you want to ride your own beast, then you just need two sets. And at least some of you have experience. Good, good...", he trails off for a few seconds.
"Right!", he exclaims as he gets back into the current time and space. "I'll give you a quick rundown of the area.. Come!", he urges you towards the table and rolls out a map.
"Take notes, people! The Dragon is dangerous, and I will only say this once.", he starts pointing out various sections of the journey ahead of you.
"Once you head north of the waystation, you will pass through the Tail. It's flat, but a bit rocky, so I suggest you take it slow. I'm not sure in what kind of hurry you are, but getting there a bit later is a small fee to pay for the safety of my dogs.", he pauses as he looks over you. "Oh! And, erm - your own, of course!", he quickly adds.
"After that, you'll go through the Haunches. This one is fairly steep for such low altitude, and several riders destroyed their sleighs at the end of it. People with experience, too, so I suggest you muster whichever ancestor you have in your family to help you out." Rysam continues to move his finger along the outlined path. "Then there's the Spine. Nothing complicated, but there's a lot of large boulders there, so you'll just have to maneuver a bit."
"Now here comes the fun part. Are you taking notes?", he looks over the table, and continues: "The Heart", Rysam whispers, as his finger stops on the appropriate point on the map. "There's a bridge here made of solid ice. Whetever you do, you step down from the sleigh, unchain the dogs, and WALK over slowly. Not under any circumstances, will you ride past it, understood? You'll end up being frozen in the stream below it."
The finger moves on the map again, stopping at a large mountain range. "The Talons contain two routes - a higher path with a slow incline, and a wider steep path that plunges below it across a series of ice dunes. The higher path is faster, but don't overestimate your abilities. If you go too fast, you might slide off onto the lower - that might hurt or break the sleigh"
"To the Wings! This is a valley between two relatively small hills, but it's pretty narrow. It's a downhill slope, so you might want to make a point of slowing down all the time, or you'll speed up too much and end up crashing."
"The Eye!", Rysam exclaims - "If you have time, stop here. The view is wonderful, and you pretty much see the entire valley from there, assuming it's not too foggy. The snow there is always fresh, so keep an eye out for sighs of avalanches."
"Once you are past that, you will be at the maw. You will need to leave the sleigh where tey are and climb the plateau to reach the grave you are visiting. I hope you brought rope. If not, you shouldn't have much problems with it if you are a rock climber. But mind the jagged spikes - teeth like rock formations that are very deadly if you fall onto them."
Your host finally straightens up. "Well, that's about it. I made a copy of this map for you and put it in one of the backpacks with supplies. Any questions?"
A few dozen people currently inhabit the Waystation. Everyone is minding their own business cleaning pelts and chopping firewood. Some of them occasionally look in your direction, but it doesn't seem like anything out of the ordinary.
"Yes, some means of fighting the cold would be wise. I did put a few fur coats into the gear I was asked to provide. That should help a bit. I also suggest you grab some firewood and tents from the locals, if you need to sleep. And you probably will."
Rysam starts talking again. "Speaking of protection - there are some wild beasts and a few tribes in the area, so make sure you are on your toes. Now - let's see how good you are with sleighs."
He steps outside, expecting you to follow. Outside, you spend a few hours learning the basics on how to operate a sleigh. You stop and return to Rysam's hut before dusk, where you may ask other questions, if you wish.
Rysam thinks for a moment, considering Raman's question. "Once you clear the plane and are in the mountains, you shouldn't have problems finding some sort of overhangs sculpted by the glaciers. Or a cave. Nothing specific comes to mind, however. Pretty much everything else would be covered in snow. So yeah - a big rock is your best bet."
|
"I'm grateful for the dog sleds. I was afraid I'd slow down this expedition, but if I can manage to drive one and not take a dive off a cliff, I feel I will be doing OK."
Odo regards the rest of the people busying themselves about the waystation, looking out for anything suspicious.
"Hey, Rysam, if we need to pick up supplies and gear from the locals, are there any you'd consider particularly trustworthy or, on the other side, one's you'd avoid."
If anybody looks out of the window they see a smiling and freezing halfling lady in robes running all alone in the direction of Rysam's house. She knocks but does not wait and opens the door with a wide grin.
"Oh my fellow pathfinders - I am so sorry to be late! My team just returned from a mission and I was sent by Osprey to join your group.
I have to admit that I would have wished for better weather but at least I was told that Rysam is so kind to provide us with suitable clothes for the journey."
She grins again and continues. "Oh where are my manners ... again starting to talk without even thinking."
Shaking her head in shame she looks at all of you and bows: "Enora is my name and I am a little scarab sage with a taste for magical phenomena! You must be Raman, Malchite, Yarricki and the renowned halfling Odo - be assured I have heard so much about you!"
"The people here are rarely talkative. I mean - what would you expect from such a place?" He looks at the window, observing several hastily constructed cottages, int he middle of nowhere, hidden from the world by fogs and snow.
"People who come here do so because they wish to be left alone. I wouldn't be surprised if half the folks here were criminals of some sort.", he looks at his feet, and thinks for a moment. "What I am saying is, I don't talk to them much. Only when I need something, but that is rare. I mostly fend for myself, even in such a place."
He looks at Raman after his comment - seemingly concerned. "Come on, people! At least two of you need to know how to pet a dog without being bitten..."
Enora suddenly jumps up and says: “oh no! I think there was a mishap in mission assignments!!!” I have to go but be a assured that HQ will send replacement!” She grins and waves goodbye.
"Quite, yes...", Rysam adds, stretching the 's' to fade out the word, as if he got lost in thought mid-sentence. "Anyway - I need to go feed the dogs and make sure they are ready for the trip. Don't burn the place down in the meantime."
He puts on his coat, grabs a bucket of partially frozen meat of various colours, and heads out into the snow.
|
|
Ramidol considers the matter. He could recall facts about the sled dogs, weather patterns and overland travel over snow-covered terrain. Facts from a book, however, don't equate to skill. He will happily defer to those with any semblance of competence in this matter.
"Sleds would be much more preferable. The dogs can aid in sentry duties, the sleds act as pack horses for additional gear as well as suitable transports for any injured parties. Statistically speaking, our odds improve with the use of sleds." the half-elf states matter-of-factly to the group.
|
|
"Oh, I can definitely see the advantage of the sleds. I shall be content to drive one as best I can," Odo says. "But let's also see what other supplies we can get. Cold weather always makes me hungry."
Odo then sets about making the rounds about places closest to the trading post, inquiring about available firewood, tents, and some extra food. As he does so, he's also fishing for how people feel about Rysam under the guise of asking about how reputable he is as an outfitter.
You spend some time discussing local Rysa-related issues and gossip with the shops you visit. While this extends the time you and your colleagues need to purchase your supplies, it bears at least some fruit.
You are told the following:
--------------------------------
Rysam founded Cania's Drop. He was the first man to build a house here, and random passers by decided to stay when they saw the mountains ahead. Or joined in AFTER they attempted and failed to go past the mountains ahead.
--------------------------------
While not official, Rysam is the de-facto leader of the community. Despite the fact that he barely interacts with the others, if someone goes to him with a request for help, he either points them in the right direction or helps out personally.
--------------------------------
One of Rysam's dogs is a powerful wizard - polymorphed to disguise himself.
--------------------------------
Rysam frequently goes to hunt in the mountains to the north and usually comes back with several large pelts to sell.
--------------------------------
He murdered his best friend and wife when he found them sharing a bed, and decided to hide from the authorities here.
|
|
Malachite looks at the little gnome with a frown. "Hate to break you from your pet, but none of us get to the top if you don't drive the sledge. I think it has to be that way. Odo can steer the other one, and then someone has to ride the pet." He looks over his large stony frame, and states the obvious. "That ain't gonna be me."
Malachite will help load the gear onto the sleigh's but he isn't much help being overly garrulous with the populace.
The man puts a neatly packed pile of firewood on the table, and shrugs.
"Bah! Rumors and gossip around town, you know. Half of it probably ain't true."
He reaches for another pile, and puts it next to the first one.
"She's probably does it because she likes it, not because of hiding, the cheeky wench..."
|
Yarricki frowns when Malachite uses the word 'pet' to describe his companion. "I agree, we should put a lighter person on Thunder, she will have it difficult enough to traverse the snow as it is."
Yarricki follows Rysal outside "Can I help with feeding them? They need to get accustomed to me if I am to take them towards the dragon. I would have expected them to run better on an empty stomach though. Will be harnass them after they have eaten?"
Rysam raises an eyebrow, but complies: "Sure. They are trained to pull whoever is on their sleigh, but it couldn't hurt."
After a while spent in the 'barn' next to Rysam's house, Yarricki and Rysam return. The dogs fed and sleeping, they should be ready for the trip. What about you?
|
|
"Team, for those who wish it, I can magically aid in warding off the bitter cold. I know we have the gear, but anything helps." offers the half-elf.
::Cast endure elements on myself and anyone else who wants it.::
Following that, Raimdol approaches Yarricki and quietly speaks with her. "I would be pleased to travel with your companion, if it will allow me to. I am lithe and relatively unencumbered. That is, unless there are other, better choices."
After a good - if a bit cold - night's rest, you wake up to Rysam chopping firewood outside. He offers you a modest meal, and you have time to perform your daily rites. After that is done, you set up to face the snowy peaks in all their glory, but at the same time - all the hazards they have to offer. Raimdol mounts Thunder after a few soothing words from Yarricki towards the animal, and you are on your way. While the axebeak runs, Raimdol's hands and legs flail wildly in the air. Unlike the folks on the sleigh, who seem fairly comfortable.[/ooc]