The little sprite spits at Quinn.
"I'll tell you nothing!"
Quinn runs the creature through as he had intended earlier, then withdraws his blade and skewers it a second time.
"You saw him, he spit on me, and bragged of hiding the truth! It's for the cause of good, I assure you!" Quinn protests his innocence, perhaps a bit too strongly as a small part of him feels sad for the creature and his action against it. Still, one extra foe would have turned the last battle against the party and they can't afford to set one loose now that may be their downfall later. The rangers were decent folk back in the day when Hektir wanted to join, they didn't deserve their fate and those that eliminated them deserved to be punished, or so Quinn believed.
"That's fine, Quinn. You don't need to explain yourself," Hektir says while patting Quinn on the back. "It wasn't being honest nor truthful with us. Truth is, we're not sure what is going on yet and it might be best to not take chances."
Hektir leads Quinn away.
"Now, lets get backed up so we can leave at first light on the morrow. We need to get her Majesty back safely."
Hektir will set watch after he packs up and distributes all the useful loot/gear.
Quinn skewers the small fey, which spits out a final curse -- "your blood will be ice" -- before it dies.
Hektir will offer the bearskin cloak to both Her Majesty and the half orc. Should neither wish it, he will leave it in the cabin with a spit of disgust.
Before leaving, Hektir will spend some necessary alonetime to think and meditate upon things.
"Hektir, why don't we offer Rohkar's furs to the ladies?" Tsin removes Rohkar's clothing, and assists in packing away the inventory of items found about.
Quinn welcomes the support from Hektir, "I do feel bad for the little sprite, but I don't want to ever have to say an eulogy for a friend again. You reminded me the other day how tough that can be when you mentioned Angus Hammersmith. What fun we had drinking with that chap, until he tried to disarm that explosive trap on the chest by pouring ale into the lock. Never did understand that technique, I still wonder if he was just drinking on the job and spilled his beer at the wrong time?"
Quinn will prepare three endure elements spells for the trip back to Heldren, one for himself and two for the ladies.
Pemsworth sighs as the little sprite dies. "Such a waste. If it'd only spoke. Pride goeth before a stabbing as my old dad used to say! Still, I think my blood might be ice now. It'll be interesting to test. Fret not, Quinn. You did what had to be done, no guilt on you. Let the little bugger loose and we'd only be killing it later, no doubt! and without the benefit of surprise on whoever the frightful thing was working for. So, let us begin our long trek back to Heldren; sooner started, sooner finished!" Pems seems to have regained some of his earlier happiness, and when you begin tromping through the snow, you notice that he doesn't seem to fall through it, instead walking on it as if he had snowshoes on...
Hektir puts his hands on his hips, face downcast.
"Oh yeah...ol' Angus. Not that I miss that old ratbeard, mind you...but it was some nice things you said about him. He wasn't the brightest dwarf in the team now, was he? And the exploding lock thing...that was just awful. Awful. I really wish he hadn't doused his beard in whiskey before going in...but he never could hold his liquor which is a poor trait for a drunkard."
Hektir grimaces at the memory of friends past, then glances at Pems.
Almost had another one die on me.
Hektir looks up suddenly and gets anxious to move on.
"Let's get outta here. We done what we done come to do!"
During the trip back to Heldren, Quinn does his best to win the favor of Lady Argentea. "You should have seen us, bold in the face of danger, never wavering in our efforts to rescue you, truly the actions of heroes. A beauty like you deserves a champion, is there one amongst us that you find worthy of such favor?" With perfect posture and a flashing smile, Quinn arches a single eyebrow at the noble woman.
"Tsin, you and Quinn take point. I'll take rear. Pems and Mal, why don't you flank our two ladies," Hektir says with a spit.
This party is getting big. Harder to guard when it's this big.
Hektir eyes the hare and bird and shrugs. I ain't even going to try.
"You okay there, Mal? You got your good hat?"
Pemsworth nods and smiles, chatting happily with the noblewoman and the half-orc as they walk along. "...And it's like my old dad used to say 'You can lead a horse to water, but you can't teach him to spring a 9 pin tumbler!' Ha! And that's not even to mention spring-form release mechanisms! A disreputable locksmith will try to sell it as a theft-prevention measure, but that's nonsense! Just makes them prone to jamming even with the key. Now, me, I make my standard locks with a floating hinge mechanism. It confuses most thieves, 'cause they've never seen such things. I figure, if you make them pause, you make them stop. No thief wants to take too much time, least not the smart ones. Of course, for the stupid ones you just add a small needle with a dab of morning glory sap. Makes the prick tingle and causes them no end of worry, ha! Why my old dad used to say..."
Tsin grimaces a little, listening first to Quinn's advances upon Argentea, then taking Hektir's direction to stand close by while Quinn attempts to melt the Lady with his words.
"Fair enough, Hektir. I do feel safer, walking aside the dread Slayer of Vrixx." Tsin smiles at Quinn, and nods for him to continue, should he be able.
"My thanks," the Taldan noblewoman says as Tsin hands her the white fur cloak. As she pulls the hood up, she looks almost like a winter beast.
As you exit the lodge, the cloak seems to wrap itself around Lady Argentea.
You realize she actually looks a bit like a yeti, a vicious snowy mountain predator that typically stands about 10 feet tall.
Ten-Penny Tacey pulls Hektir's bearskin rug cloak around her shoulders over her leather armor, giving the ranger a nod of gratitude. She wears a hand crossbow and short sword on her hip, and a small, full travel pack over her shoulders.
As the trip progresses, slowly through the snow, Lady Agentea's somewhat chilly exterior seems to thaw a bit before Quinn's onslaught of charm. By midway through the first day, he has her laughing at his stories and is willing to let the Caydenite help her over some of the more difficult terrain.
Similarly, Pemsworth seems to get Ten-Penny Tacey to open up. She was apparently a locksmith herself, as she's soon starts arguing about some of the finer points of locksmithing. She laughs at his morning glory sap idea: "That's just cruel to do. After all, the thief is just trying to make a living too."
With the two pairs of conversation, as well as Zeno and Mal's running commentary, the hours slip by surprisingly quickly, though Lady Argentea grows quiter as she gets weary as the day goes on.
After about six hours, a little over halfway back to where you entered the snowy woods, she's ready to stop for the day, complaining of sore feet and legs. Finding a good spot near where you ran into the talking white stag, you begin setting up camp.
"Ahemm, ah, yes, yes, dread slayer of Vrixx, very good." His cheeks redder than they were a moment ago, Quinn turns his attention back to the noble woman, "A minor event that, really had nothing to do with the heroic parts, you see, really just more of a chore. Now, when we were fighting tooth and nail against the undead bones of mythical creatures that emanated the very chill of the grave, that was heroic!" Quinn flicks his hair back, heroically, to emphasize the point.
"Well! As I said, it's not fatal, nor even painful, just tingly! Still, if you're as bad a thief as to fall for it, you should try a different living!"
"I say, milady, that is a heck of a cloak. Almost seems to want to hold you!"
Pems looks carefully at the lady, unsure if his perceptions are true or a result of his near death experience!
Hektir spits as the party stops, looking around as if to verify the choice of stopping point.
"Yeah, this will do. This will do. Let's get settled in a fire started."
Hektir will begin to collect wood, build a safe fire, and get warm(er).
Tsin has sheathed her falchion, and walks with the composite longbow in hand, arrow nocked. She occasionally draws the arrow, more to keep her arms in circulation of core blood.
She listens to Quinn continue. Can't argue with him there. He's good with words, I must give him that. "Quinn speaks well on what we fought through to make it to the cabin. I would appreciate your perspective, Lady Argentea. To what were you subjected in them accosting you? Could you overhear much of their conversations above? Did they force you to watch what happened to your carriage and to your men?"
Tsin shows the Lady the captain's longsword and breastplate, and watches her face intently.
Pems casually heads after Hektir, catching just out of earshot of the camp and the Lady.
"Does the Lady strike you as odd? I mean, like in yeti-like, odd?"
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"My good hat? Have you seen it? Did you do something to it? Hmmm? Hmmm!" Malavarius accentuates his sudden interrogation of Hektir with a quick little jab of his staff to the tracker's gut. "How would you know it was missing if you weren't the responsible culprit? It was such a fine hat. They don't make hats like they used you, don't you know. A good hatter is a hard thing to find these days. A shame, really. Such a noble profession too."
---
Later, as the group is gathered around a fire, Malavarius and Zeno erupt into what seems like an age-old debate with a fervor normally only seen in couples long married.
"Zeno, I swear if you give me one more blasted lecture on the supremacy of illusory magics, I will pluck all your feathers from your noisy little body!"
"Ignorance? Ignorance?! What poppycock are you going on about now? This isn't your 'half-by-a-half-by-a-half' argument again, is it? Utter nonsense!"
"Oh come off it you babbling buzzard! Hektir! Hektir, lad! Have you any experience roasting thrush? If we get hungry tonight I've the perfect suggestion! Ha! Ha ha! Hear that, Zeno? You'll be dinner! Ha- oh, oh no. Wait." Malavarius leans over and grasps Hektir's arm. "He knows now, lad. We can't eat him. He'll be sure to ingest some kind of terrible poison or somesuch before being plucked. Best let him be for now!"
Zeno puffs his chest out indignantly then flits over to land beside Pemsworth's rabbit,
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The rabbit seems to shrug, even though hares lack the musculature to do so...
"I don't know about that, master locksmith," Lady Argentea replies to Pems, but it is very warm. Between it and Master Quinn's magic, I hardly feel the cold at all.
Later, she answers Tsin levelly, showing no apparent reaction that the butcher's apprentice can tell to the sight of her guard's armor and blade.
"We were attacked by the bandits, as well as several of the frozen blue creatures. The latter seemed to be led by a small humanoid. She was about a foot tall, with a sharp pointed nose and leathery bat wings. An evil creature.
"I did also hear them mention the name of what I assume must be their leader -- Teb Knotten -- but who or what that is, I have no idea."
Hektir spits and pulls out some food.
Teb Knotten, huh? Teb. I'll get you next.
"Ain't going to skin your thrush, Mal..."...maybe the hare if we ever need food.
Tsin nods politely to Lady Argentea and her account. Don't press. It's rude. She'll explain herself to her peers soon enough, and we'll be done with this. As for the weather, well...
"You've been through enough. We'll see you safely to Heldren. From there, you should be able to make arrangements for your return to Oppara."
Tsin looks around the campfire, suddenly aware of the diversity of the group. Strange circumstances bring about strange bedfellows. Ah, bed. Something fixed and stable. Should feel quite comfortable, after a fully belly of blood sausage.
She keeps quiet for most of the return.
"Neb Totten, eh? Never heard of the fellow. And a leathery winged little thing with a pointy nose lead those frosty sprites you say? Curious. Most curious indeed. Zeno? Zeno! Oh come off it will you? Here now, stop you skulking and come over here - there's real talk to be done and you may miraculously know something, you... you... oh dash it all I lost it again. Just you wait, Zeno! But in the mean time come over here." As Zeno sullenly arrives, Malavarius' eyes flash brightly in the firelight. "There now! Yes. Excellent! Now, dear lady, would you care to repeat your description of the tiny, bossy creature to this tiny, bossy creature? Ha ha! Take that you... you... bird! Ha!"
Zeno flits over and lands before Argentea and casts Malavarius a sidelong glance as he bows with a flourish, crossing his right wing over his chest. The little thrush listens intently to the description, blinks a few times in thought, then declares with the utmost certainty and finality,
The night passes uneventfully. In the morning, as Quinn goes to cast his protective magics in the morning, Lady Argentea demurs: "This cloak's keeping me warm enough. Save your spells in case we encounter anything between here and the village."
Despite her warning, you emerge from the snowy radius -- which now seems to cover the wagon and Lady Argentea's slain guardsman, clearly expanding beyond where you entered in it -- and travel the last six miles back to the village.
There, word spreads quickly as people see you arrive, many of them coming out to cheer your return and the rescue of the noblewoman.
Ionnia Teppen, who leads the village council, approaches you with a wide smile. "Well done, friends, well done indeed."
Hektir smiles with relief as Hedren once again comes into view.
Dang right, Hektir thinks with a spit.
Hektir shakes hand and smiles as the lady steps back into community safety.
"What else did you expect when you sent the best tracker the town has? Me!!" Hektir does the two thumb point at himself. "Yeah, we found her at the old High Sentinel's cabin. We fought our way in that no one even bothered us on the way out. Haw haw!"
Hektir is clearly relieved to pass over the 'cargo'.
"Remember the name 'Hektir' when you need quality outdoor services...from hunting/trapping to recovery. Hektir comes backtir!"
* * *After the initial meetings..
Hektir rubs his hands greedily while thinking about the assorted loots that the party recovered and can now sell and split.
Maybe now I'll get that wife I always wanted to buy.
Pemsworth beams at the attention. "Well, Councilwoman, I have to say it was all due to these fine folks here. I spent most of the journey in various states of unconsciousness! It seems my face seems to attract the sort of attention that a respectable halfling usually avoids in my line of work! But Quinn and Hektir and Tsin and Malavarius were spectacular! Quite the heroes, though I confess we didn't discern the cause of this strange winter. And it would seem that the good woman's captor's boss is still at large in the woods. I would strongly suggest sending a guard with anyone seeking to travel. It's gotten downright unpleasant out there!"
Tsin smiles half-heartedly at Ionnia's welcome. The smile fades, then renews to one-quarter, when the crowds gather. As a older couple pulls her aside with handshakes of congratulations, Tsin demurs. "Please, feel free to pay your respects at the Butcher of Jalrune. You can find me there. Thank you, you are too kind, really."
Tsin returns to the butcher's shop, immediately if not detained with pomp and circumstance, glad for the even terrain, and current absence of snow. Heldren is indeed a welcoming place, but for how long, I wonder?
With a bit of pomp and circumstance before she can escape, Quinn extolls the killing strike by Tsin. "You should have seen it everyone, Tsin the butcher butchered the foul cleric with a single strike while all of our lives hung in the balance! A true feat of heroics and a master blow, she perfectly cleaved through joint and sinew to separate the man from his evil life! I nominate Tsin for promotion from butcher's apprentice to that of Butcher!" Quinn throws his arms in the air while making hooting and hollarin' sounds, trying to get the crowd excited by the presence of Tsin the fully qualified Butcher.
"We were fortunate to have survived. Quinn proved to be our greatest asset. He brought the power of his god to heal our wounds. Without him, we would have not returned." Tsin claps briskly in Quinn's direction, even going so far as to encourage the elderly couple to go greet him personally.
"Thank you, Hektir, Master Smith," Ionnia says as people swirl around.
Still, you're able to escape the crowds -- Heldren's only got so many people, after all -- relatively quickly as the village's council turns its attention to Lady Argentea and settling her in comfortable quarters until she can find a way back to Oppara.
Ten-Penny looks a bit bemused and baffled to be in the village, but soon makes her way to the Silver Stoat -- the closest thing to an inn in Heldren.
Perkin nods to Tsin as she returns to the butcher's shop: "Made it back, I see. I hope you've had your fill of adventure. There's plenty of work here to do."
Anyone who adjourns to the Silver Stoat for the evening has their drinks paid for, but people soon head ot bed. It's late, and the strange snowy weather continues to weigh on people's minds.
Hektir drinks his fill at the Silver Stoat, mostly drinking alone (as he is most comfortable), but quietly enjoying the occasional toast or wellwisher.
Unlike most nights, he will retire to a rented room rather than a makeshift outdoor camp for the night.
Ive earned it this time. I even had to put up with Quinn.
"Made it back, I see. I hope you've had your fill of adventure. There's plenty of work here to do."
Tsin sighs in acknowledgment. "Back, but barely, master Tarinn. I'm not sure what I should have expected. We dealt with the cold as best we could, but the constancy of the snowfall made it difficult to see, let alone maneuver." Tsin ties the apron on, appreciating the movement in her arms, now that the furs are no longer necessary.
"Lady Argentea's carriage was quite the horror. Men who should have been dead, the captain frozen in ice." Tsin points to the breastplate and sword propped up in the corner. "Honestly, I'm not sure why she was so important that they took her alive."
Smaller blades for smaller work. Head down, Tsin's forearms move in a rhythmic fashion, the meat cuts for the next morning fileting nicely. She avoids any brute work for the rest of the evening.
"We made it up to the High Sentinel Lodge, where it all came to its bloody conclusion." Tsin fails to stifle a chuckle. "The old mage, he walks straight up to the door and introduces himself. We almost lost the locksmith. The trader barely managed to stay on his feet. And I almost killed the healer, encouraged by some awfully dark magic."
She pauses, glancing up for a brief moment to place Perkin in the room. "My falchion... it saw its purpose come to life on this trip." She places the fileting knife down. "I tried to tell myself that it was no different from the beef sides. Of course, that's a lie we tell ourselves. The hollow groan, as the blade and the breathe leave the body. The glaze of the eyes... Does it get easier, Perkin?" She picks up the knife, and finishes what she started.
Quinn soaks in every bit of good cheer, and more than a few drops of liquor. With the light of morning, he slowly rises and seeks out his companions.
Quinn soaks in every bit of good cheer, and more than a few drops of liquor. With the light of morning, he slowly rises and seeks out his companions.
Hektir blinks awake, trying to keep out the morning sun until he can focus on his awakener.
"Dammit Quinn! What time is it? And how did you find my camp?"
After all, I would never sleep on a dang tavern floor when I could sleep under the stars.
"Dammit Quinn! What time is it? And how did you find my camp?"
"Too early and I found your camp the usual way, I went looking for a good pee tree in the morning and then listened for the snoring. Strange that winter was, I swear it's in my head and makes the morning air feel chillier than it should be." Quinn shakes his head as if he could shake away the imagined chill.
Yep. That sounds about right.
Hektir rubs the sand from his eyes.
"Well, what do you want? I'm trying to sleep then I hope to sell the stuff we recovered. Then I might go seeing about buying a wife, nice and proper." Hektir spits to clear out some of his morning mouth.
Pemsworth enjoys the evening in his own, warm, comfortable, heavenly bed. But something feels off when he wakes; something in him has changed. He too goes off to seek out Hektir and Quinn at the inn.
As the group arrives back in Heldren, Malavarius' eyes shine with a mischevious twinkle. As congratulations and greetings are being given, the old wizard sets off a pair of snapdragon fireworks that explode high in the air above Heldren. He softly chuckles as the childrens' eyes light up in wonder, then he proceeds to trundle off back to his eclectic home on the outskirts of the small town, laughing and joking with Zeno the whole way.
----
He awakes the next morning with a spring in his step, as he sits down at his sturdy but cluttered desk and produces the spellbook liberated from Rohkar.
Seeing Hektir and Quinn already deep in discussion, Pems clears his throat. "You know, Hektir, there's really no reason for you to stay here. I have a floor and a fireplace as well and you're welcome to stay there. I daresay my cooking is a bit better as well!" Pemsworth sits down, fiddling with his sling.
"Does it bother you that we didn't find the mastermind behind this whole thing? I mean, that we only found the henchmen? It would seem, I think, that this fact bothers me. So if you were thinking about going back out, that is, to find the person behind this, I would like to accompany you."
"I do say, Pemsworth, that evil cleric hiding so close to our little Heldren has been disturbing me. I does seem we should find that Knotty fellow, do you think maybe his nickname is naughty? Maybe it's Naughty Teb, we certainly don't want anyone like that who consorts with evil clerics lurking about here! Plus, there's the issue of the expanding winter and the bandit said the boss had made a deal, maybe this Teb fellow can tell us about that? I'm with you Pems, for another adventure into the snowy woods! What do you say Hektir, ready for another walkabout, or do you want to spend your days lying around a bar inside a building? I hope Tsin joins us, her blade saved us last time. And it would be nice to have eagle eye Zeno back as well, so we better find the old man and cajole him along, from just beyond the reach of his staff, of course."
Pemsworth lets out a sigh he didn't know he was holding. "Oh good, I thought it was only me! Excellent, excellent! Let's plan on leaving tomorrow at first light. No reason not to get a good night's sleep before we head out and then there's the matter of the things we found. I believe the lady might want her jewelry back, you know. I'll bring it to her and see if it's hers or not! But at any rate, Hektir you're welcome to stay at my place and I was thinking, Ten-Penny, she was a locksmith and it would be rude not to offer her the use of my home while I'm away. After all it's only for a few days and I do have some clients waiting for deliveries... She seemed trustworthy to me, did she to you?"
Seeing Hektir and Quinn already deep in discussion, Pems clears his throat. "You know, Hektir, there's really no reason for you to stay here. I have a floor and a fireplace as well and you're welcome to stay there. I daresay my cooking is a bit better as well!"
Hektir looks up (uhm, I mean down), surprised to see the halfling.
"Oh, stay at your place, huh? Uhm..." Hektir sleight-of-foots some snow over a pile of rabbit bones that made last night's dinner. "Uhm...yeah...maybe. I was sort of thinking of going to buy myself a nice bride though...you know, after we finished selling and splitting our spoils. Sure was nice of Her Majesty to chip in a nice reward...I figure that money could go to get a wife with working teeth." Hektir speculates wildly.
Sleight of Hand to cover brace of rabbit bones
"Sure is nice of you to offer that. Let me consider."
"What do you say Hektir, ready for another walkabout, or do you want to spend your days lying around a bar inside a building?"
No, I want to buy me a nice wife, build me a nice cottage in the woods, and get stormclad.
"Quinn, I suppose I could look into a bit more. Not sure what in Gozreh's name is going on, but also, I got me a life to lead. You know, important things to do..." Hektir begins to bite some of his long toenails off.
Hektir spits a toenail afar.
"I suppose though. And yeah, we could go tomorrow...it'll take all day to sort and sell all this stuff."
"I figure that money could go to get a wife with working teeth."...begins to bite some of his long toenails off.
that must be what he wants the wife with working teeth to help him with, no wonder he travels so often, must be hard to find a woman like that? Time traveling with Hektir has taught Quinn to keep certain speculations to himself, such as this one, so he keeps the musings silent. "Yea, yea, tomorrow would be great!"
Malavarius finishes his research by pouring over two of the three scrolls rescued from the brigands, bringing his total time of study to 8 hours.
The following day, he busies himself with making his own scrolls.
alarm, hold portal x2, identify
Writing Costs
10gp * 7 1st level spells = 70gp
40gp * 1 2nd level spell = 40gp
Scribing Costs
4 1st level scrolls * (25gp/2) = 50gp