Kleora made her way back along the shore to the remains of the fight as the gnome burst from the snowdrift. She raised one eyebrow questioningly but made no further comment as she looked to where the fighting was at. She was out of reach of the elemental and decided not to cross the ice. Instead she prepared to strike at it's mind if it came close enough.
"For which I am eternally grateful, sister," the warrior adds without turning his attention away from the elemental. He has faith that Fryja is more than capable of helping the injured while he keeps the outsider's attention.
The gnomes bolt goes wide but Freyr charges and ends the existence of the last elemental. The battle over there is a moment of silence as the new gnome stands on the other side of the frozen stream.
With the treat gone and looking about it is easy to see weak spots in the ice. Freyr is very luck that his charge did not take him over one of these spots. With a small bit of healing Tayanalla is back on her feet but not in great shape.
After a moment you also notice another body, this one fully buried and just a shape. A little digging reveals the body of an old man that those form the area would recognize as Old Man Dansby, a farmer. On his bodu you find a rapier, composit longbow (+1 Str), 12 arrows, a masterwork hand ax and 14gp. Loot sheet updated.
What are you doing now?
XP from last fight.
Freyr, Freyja, Tayanalla, Kleora and Maja
160
XP this fight and snowman.
All
270
+ + + + + + +
Day 2 - 10:35am
30 Degrees
12” Snow - Hampered Movement[u] Stat Tracker [/u]
Global Combat Condition: NONE |Freyr HP: 8/13 - AC: 16/14/12 Status:
Tayanalla HP: 8/8 - AC: 17/13/14 Status:
Kleora HP: 7/7 - AC: 12/10/12 Status:
Frjya HP: 6/7 - AC: 16/14/12 Status:
Maja HP: 9/9 - AC: 17/13/15 Status:
Neji HP: 03/10 - AC: 14/13/14 Status: COLD :)
________________________________Red: HP; 19/19 - AC: 16/10/16
Blue HP 00/19 - AC: 16/10/16
"Wow! Y-Y-You were great there! Like...b-b-boom! Ran right into i-it and g-gaargh! It died super quick!" Neji put her crossbow away, seeing the elemental go down and cheered for Freyr's maneuver. She trudged her way through the snow towards the group with a grin, even though she was freezing cold.
"H-Hey! I'm N-Neji! I didn't think o-other people would be out here like me! I, erm...d-don't exactly know where I am b-but I didn't e-expect all of this snow! S-So, I'm a b-bit ill-equipped...haha.
"Are any of you h-hurt? I can help w-with that! I-I'm a pretty good healer! And, well, I-I don't feel so good myself right now either..."
With this, Neji raises her hands in the air and once the group is in range, she channels positive energy to heal herself as well as any others hurt.
Freyr clicks his tongue at his own carelessness. Making it through a fight through sheer luck was no way to win, especially when he had others to keep safe. "I was fortunate," the warrior says with a shrug as the gnome rather exuberantly introduces herself. He was never good at dealing with this sort. "Freyr, and my sister, Fryja." He gestures to the witch. "I'm sure she and the others can introduce themselves." His eyes narrow suspiciously as the apparent healer raises her hand and his grip on his sword tightens for a moment, but it seems she's good as her word and his remaining wounds close over in the wash of holy energy.
"Thanks...." Taya says to Neji.
"I didn't know walking iciles like that existed, much less that they could scream loud enough to knock you down."
With the fighting over Kleora made her way safely across to the gnome as she channeled and nodded her thanks. "It's been a while since I last saw a gnome," she said, eyeing the small woman in interest, "[b]"It's nice to have another with connections, however distant, to the fey." She gave a smile and said, "I'm Kleora, a follower of the Green Mother."
"Pleased to meet you Neji, and glad we were able to help you and you us in turn."
"Are you from around here? Or did you come from wherever the cold is from?"
"You're a gnome?!" Frjya asked with a bit of shock as she made her way across the ice. She came up to Neji and with a smile of curiosity "Brother look isn't her hair so pretty?" Frjya asked her brother, never looking away from Neji. "Your hair is so pretty! Oh but here, you're freezing aren't you?" She said as she took her cloak off and wrapped Neji up in it. Much to the obvious annoyance of her familiar Snowtear who had been hiding under her cloak.
"Does that feel a bit better? I know the cold gets to most people." Frjya said as she made sure the cold gnome was bundled up. Normally this would be odd since... well wouldn't Frjya need the cloak herself?
"Nice to meet you all, too!" She exclaims, grinning in delight. "You all look pretty cool! Am I okay s-saying that? I think so."
She turns to look at Kleora and Taya, saying, "Oh! The Green Mother? I know a few people who follow her as well! I think we'll get along great, hehe! A-And nope! I-I'm from down south in a smaller gnome v-village! U-Um...I-I was heading North though. I'm not exactly s-sure as to why yet but I've been h-having weird nightmares a-about things and feel the k-key to it is somewhere N-North!"
Getting the cloak and compliment from Fryja, she grins at the lady, wrapping herself up in it. "Phew! Thanks so much! Are you sure you won't be cold though? I mean, I don't wanna take such a nice gift if it's gonna make you suffer any! Also, I think your hair is sooo much prettier!"
She then turns her attention to the group, saying, "But, um, is it too much to ask if I could maybe tag along with you guys? I'm kinda lost at the moment and well, I can help with...whatever you're doing! I can do some magic! And not just the typical gnome stuff, mind you!"
"Oh, why thank you. Though my hair is common among my family." Frjya said with a small blush upon her cheeks. "Don't worry about me, the cold is... and old friend." She said with a shrug. "Where I am from this weather is common."
"We're out here looking for a woman who was taken, we're trying to find her and it's lead us to here so far." Frjya explained.
[u] Map updated. [/u]
The party takes it time to get to know each other before continuing down the trail after the bandits and Lady Argentea. As seems to be your lot in life this involves more walking though snow as the wind blows its unseasonable cold. You walk for several hours talking while you go to get to know the new comer.
The trail begins to climb a ridgeline to the south beneath snow-laden trees. The prints of boots and horses mar the freshly fallen snow on the trail. Clearly the path is progressing. Further ahead, probably another hours walk, you see what the locals would know as The High Sentinel Lodge.
For many years, an organization of Taldan rangers called the High Sentinels has operated out of a fortified lodge at the top of Red Run Gorge in the Border Wood, charged with guarding the forest against Qadiran aggression, lest Taldor’s ancient enemy use the wood to hide another invasion force. Over time, however, the continued lack of hostility with Qadira dulled the sharpness of the Sentinels, and most of the unit’s decorated veterans either retired or moved on to other posts, leaving inexperienced citizens of Heldren and the nearby cities of Demgazi and Zimar to fill the rangers’ ranks. The Sentinels turned their attention to more local matters, hunting down bandits who used the forest to attack trade routes in the southern prefectures of Taldor.
Kleora hears the sound of voices ahead, it sounds like three people quailing quietly. You would judge that the voices are coming from beyond the fallen tree just to the west. It appears to be three men partially hidden behind a fallen tree. You would not have noticed them had then not been bickering among themselves.
What are you doing now?
Day 2 - 3:00pm
30 Degrees
12” Snow - Hampered Movement[u] Stat Tracker [/u]
Global Combat Condition: NONE |Freyr HP: 13/13 - AC: 16/14/12 Status:
Tayanalla HP: 8/8 - AC: 17/13/14 Status:
Kleora HP: 7/7 - AC: 12/10/12 Status:
Frjya HP: 7/7 - AC: 16/14/12 Status:
Maja HP: 9/9 - AC: 17/13/15 Status:
Neji HP: 10/10 - AC: 14/13/14 Status:
________________________________Black
Red
Blue
"Hmmm... the trail leads back to the headquarters of the High Sentinels. From what I heard back in town, the quality of the members has gone down since the border wars with Qadira."
"Seems unlikely that they've gone from hunting bandits to being murderers and kidnappers themselves though."
"If you get cold, don't hesitate to mention it," Freyr murmurs in his sister's mind. "I can manage without a coat if you need it more." With little else to do with the gnome, the warrior sighs as she's added to their slightly eclectic little band. Still, he can't deny that a healer was a boon in their current situation. He takes his position ahead of the column again and leads the way, keeping an eye out for trouble.
As they draw close to the lodge, he raises a hand to call a stop to their walk, not wanting them to get too close out of hand. "Perhaps the bandits attacked them as well," he suggests at Taya's explanation. "If they hunt bandits, they likely have earned the ire of large bands like the one we're tracking."
"The weather must he far colder than this to effect me." Frjya reminded her brother. "How to deal with such bitter cold is something I learned well from our dear family..."
"It could even be a mixture of both. Bad people can make good ones go awry if they aren't strong enough." Frjya said, almost as if she was speaking from experience.
"Makes sense. These people probably aren't going to be our friends."
”Should we talk to them first to check if they really are bandits? Although we could easily ambush them if need be! We could also listen in on what they’re bickering about to get some clues?”
Giving the gnome a pleased smile Kleora nodded and said, "Oh I like this one." When asked if it was always this cold she shook her head and said, "Maybe for them but not me. I'm from near the Verdurun Forest, it's never this cold." She shivered despite her warm clothing at the though.
As they proceeded down the trail and neared the lodge Kleora felt the bitter chill tearing through her as the wind blew. She knew she'd have to do something to help relieve this eventually and began to wonder if she could magically protect herself from the worst of it. It'd be nice to be able to ditch the clothing she had to wear just now in favor of her normal garments. It was something to...her thoughts stopped and she held up a hand as she said as quietly as she could and still be hear through the wind, "I hear people up ahead of us bickering about something." She pointed int eh direction she thought the sounds came from.
"Let's see if we can surprise the ones ahead. If they're not the kidnappers we should be able to defuse the situation, if they are who we're looking for then we'll be at an advantage."
Freyr nods. "A sound plan." He turns his head slightly in the direction that Kleora indicates, straining to hear their voices over the sounds of the snowy forest. "I am somewhat stealthy, but anyone else who is more skilled may wish to go first."
"I'm Maja," the halfling explains with a smile. Absently, she hoped that a warm smile might heat up the nearly-frozen gnome. "It's nice to meet somebody I don't have to look up to!"
Later, when discussing plans, she speaks up again. "I can go," Maja offers. "I can be pretty quiet when I need to be."
"I'm not very good at sneaking." Frjya admitted. "It was just... well nothing I had to worry about before " She explained.
Maja pulls a pair of vials from her belt, carefully mixed concoctions that, on their own, were notable for little but their foul taste. Working quickly, she pours one into another and dropping in a coffee bean for good measure. The bean almost immediately dissolves, bringing the extract to a frothy head.
The halfling downs the potion and the world around her immediately comes into greater focus, snow glare dropping into mild brightness and the distant voices becoming more clear. Maja loads her crossbow and stalks towards the talking men, pausing only to let any of her companions follow.
Taya sees Maja heading for the sound of voices so she draws her rapier and follows.
"Then let's move, carefully." He draws his sword and slips forward through the snow, his footsteps soft and careful over the icy ground. "And do not hesitate to call for help for a moment if they attempt anything hostile," he adds silently to his sister. The last thing he would ever want is for her to get hurt while he wasn't there. Again.
You slip up on the three men who, because they are distracted, do not seem to notice you. Both Maja and Freyr can make out that these men do not look like part of any force meant to guard. They are more then likely bandits waiting. A few snatches of conversation reveal that this is the case as they discuss the stupidity of waiting for pressures here as there boss told them to.
Further it is possible that the bandits have taken over the building that is further on.
"They're most certainly bandits," Freyr silently informs his sister, relying on her to tell the others what they need to know. "And it seems that they're waiting here on orders from their leader. I'll move to take them out if no one has a better suggestion."
"They're bandits." Frjya informed the others around her quietly. "They seem to be waiting for instructions from their leader, and Freyr wants to take them out now if no one else objects?" She asked as she looked around to the others.
Taya nods agreement.
"No objection from me! Let's take 'em out!" Neji exclaims, getting her crossbow out and ready to go.
Kleora moved up carefully as well, moving as quietly as she could through the awkward snow, in hopes that she could get close enough to get a spell off and help even the odds. She stayed towards the back of their small group so she would have beefier people between her and the bandits.
Unfortunately for Kleora she wasn't nearly as stealthy as they others, particularly not when a tree branch, overladen with snow, picked just that moment to drop a load of the nasty white stuff right down on top of her and drew a startled yelp of surprise from her. Kleora froze in shock and knew she had just screwed up.
Crouched behind the fallen log, Maja looks to Taya and Freyr. Careful not to speak, she points her crossbow at the gathered bandits and raises an eyebrow.
Freyr sheaths his sword and draws the new bow, testing the string momentarily to make sure that it's in working order. Then he draws an arrow and notches it on the string. "Let's be quick about this. If they make too much noise, they'll alert anyone inside," he murmurs softly to the others around him. He raises the bow and aims at the most exposed spot he can manage on the bandits. He draws a deep breath and fires.
Maja lets out a breath and fires a shot at the closest bandit.
Those that want to move forward do so, at least until Kleora yelps in suprise at being covered in snow. The bandits stand as an arrow flies by the bandit in black. A second arrow slams into the bandit in blue causing him yelp in pain just as Kleora yelped in surprise.
Bold may act
[u] Round 1 [/u]
Tayanalla, Meji, Kelora, Freyr
Red, Blue, Black
Frjya, Maja
Day 2 - 3:00pm
30 Degrees
12” Snow - Hampered Movement[u] Stat Tracker [/u]
Global Combat Condition: NONE |Freyr HP: 13/13 - AC: 16/14/12 Status:
Tayanalla HP: 8/8 - AC: 17/13/14 Status:
Kleora HP: 7/7 - AC: 12/10/12 Status:
Frjya HP: 7/7 - AC: 16/14/12 Status:
Maja HP: 9/9 - AC: 17/13/15 Status:
Neji HP: 10/10 - AC: 14/13/14 Status:
________________________________Black- HP: 7/7 - AC: 13/11/12
Red - HP: 7/7 - AC: 13/11/12
Blue - HP: 1/7 - AC: 13/11/12
Maja loads another bolt and fires again for the bandit she hit. She curses as the bolt goes wide.
Freyr clicks his tongue in frustration as his arrow merely hits the log instead of managing to strike one of the bandits. He notches another arrow and follows up with a second shot, trying to correct his aim.
"H-Hang on! I'm coming!" Neji yelled out as she tried making her way through the snow with her short legs.
Taya activates her spelldance and gracefully bounds forward to engage a bandit.
Maja's second shot misses but Freyr connects after taking good aim and drops the blue bandit unconscious and bleeding out. The others move closer.
The black bandit yells at his remaining companiond.
"Crap! Boss is going to have our heads if we survive this. Kill them!"
The bandit in black moves over the log and slashes with his short sword at Taynalla. He blade gets caught in the branches and he cannot even complete the swing as he wrests it free.
His arrow flies true despite Freyr having some cover form the log in front of him but it only nicks his shoulder.
Bold may act
[u] Round 1 [/u]
Tayanalla, Meji, Kelora, Freyr
Red, Blue, Black
Frjya, Maja
Day 2 - 3:00pm
30 Degrees
12” Snow - Hampered Movement[u] Stat Tracker [/u]
Global Combat Condition: NONE |Freyr HP: 11/13 - AC: 16/14/12 Status:
Tayanalla HP: 8/8 - AC: 17/13/14 Status:
Kleora HP: 7/7 - AC: 12/10/12 Status:
Frjya HP: 7/7 - AC: 16/14/12 Status:
Maja HP: 9/9 - AC: 17/13/15 Status:
Neji HP: 10/10 - AC: 14/13/14 Status:
________________________________Black- HP: 7/7 - AC: 13/11/12
Red - HP: 7/7 - AC: 13/11/12
It took a lot of effort given the depths of the snow but Kleora knew she needed to get into cover and fast. She moved up near the fallen tree behind Maja and then ducked down on her haunches to get some cover from invoming projectiles.
Taya stabs at the bandit she is engaged with.
Freyr winces momentarily as the arrow tears across his shoulder, managing to draw a few drops of blood. The momentary shock of pain is enough to throw off his aim just a little and his return shot flies a bit too far to the left and hits nothing but wood.
Frjya swiftly ran from the area they had been hiding from earlier to join her brother and allies.
Neji continues her trudge forward towards the group, letting loose a bolt from her crossbow once she gets within range of the lone bandit!
However, she almost drops her crossbow into the snow as the shot fires into a nearby tree. "Haha...whoops!"
Not confident that she can hit the bandit facing Tayanalla without potentially hitting the elf, she turns her crossbow towards the other.
The heroes move and fires crossbows but only Maja can connect with a bolt, drawing a little blood form the bandits cheek despite him having cover. The bandit sneers and his time fires his crossbow at Maja.
The bandit cannot connect. The bandit in black swings again with his short sword at Tayanalla.
His sword sword connects but is not a grievous wound.
The bandit with the sword yells to the other.
"What are you doing shooting the bow you idiot! Send the signal, SEND THE SIGNAL!"
Bold may act
[u] Round 2 [/u]
Tayanalla, Meji, Kelora, Freyr
Red, Blue, Black
Frjya, Maja
Day 2 - 3:00pm
30 Degrees
12” Snow - Hampered Movement[u] Stat Tracker [/u]
Global Combat Condition: NONE |Freyr HP: 13/13 - AC: 16/14/12 Status:
Tayanalla HP: 6/8 - AC: 17/13/14 Status:
Kleora HP: 7/7 - AC: 12/10/12 Status:
Frjya HP: 7/7 - AC: 16/14/12 Status:
Maja HP: 9/9 - AC: 17/13/15 Status:
Neji HP: 10/10 - AC: 14/13/14 Status:
________________________________Black- HP: 7/7 - AC: 13/11/12
Red - HP: 5/7 - AC: 13/11/12
Taya curses as the bandit slices her arm with his shortsword.
She continues to dance with him to keep him busy.
(fighting defensively) -Current AC:20
"I can't allow that," Freyr states plainly. He adjusts his aim and fires again. "Son of a..."