The kellid warriors still seem skeptical, but appreciate not being killed - and being fed even - which helps loosen the mood somewhat.
The next morning the sky is ominously dark and grey
A storm is heading down from the north and could intersect the intended route. To get to the next waypoint in time, the party should hurry. ()
After a full day of heavy marching, the party makes it to the site where the map indicates a cave. Sure enough, just before the storm starts, they manage to find it.
Ten feet into this dark granite cave, a large cavern opens up, its ceiling rising as high as thirty feet. Warm, humid air fills the chamber, and colorful fungi cover the floor and walls. Beneath a layer of iridescent algae, the faint images of cave paintings can be seen on all the cavern’s walls. Signs of a rockslide block what may once have been a passage farther into the cave.
The cave, unfortunately, is not empty: three famished dinosaur look at the party as prey as soon as they enter.
The little dinos immediately close in to take a bite out of Zlata, harassing Scarlet as well.
---
Chukka
Scarlet
Henri
Sothy
Mogall
---
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Cold and worn out from the hard days march, Henri let his guard down when they entered the cave. By the time he realized they were not alone, the dinosaurs were already in the party's midst, attacking his friends! The sound of their attacks brought him back to the moment, and he quickly fired an arrow at one of them.
Scarlet strikes at the dino, and lands a superficial blow on one. Henri doesn't manages to aim properly, trembling as he is from the march. Mogall's missiles have no problem with hitting their target, and takes out one of the smaller dinos. Zlata also swings wide, just like Sothy.
---
Chukka
Scarlet
Henri
Sothy
Mogall
---
Dino - Grey
Dino - Yellow
Chukka stabs at the nearest dino, swiftly moving around it, but turning to early for the stab, which misses.
Being surrounded by well-armed adventurers certainly makes the dinosaurs nervous, and both of their attacks miss.
---
Chukka
Scarlet
Henri
Sothy
Mogall
---
Dino - Grey
Dino - Yellow
Sothy rams his dagger through the skeleton hide, straight down its windpipe. The creature's roar is silenced almost immediately. Henri fires an arrow that just glances off a bony part of the creature, just as Zlata swing her scythe. She opens the belly of the other dinosaur, ripping out intestines as the reptile collapses and fall to the ground.
There are no more threat in the cave, though there has been a cave-in at the far end.
The cave-in has blocked the passage well enough that no more large creatures are expected to emerge.
The cavern’s tall walls are covered with cave paintings under a thin layer of faintly glowing algae.
The paintings depict a castle at the base of a mountain. Outside the castle, a large creature with wings and a long neck lies on the ground before a figure lifting a huge red axe over its head to strike. Other humanoid figures cluster around the scene. The mural is then interrupted by a repeated design: two mammoths with a smaller one in tow marching east. This motif is repeated over and over in an orderly line from the top wall of the cave to the bottom.
The next scene shows the wielder of the red axe lying on a raised mound within the castle, his weapon clutched to his chest. Other figures leave the castle carrying large bags on their shoulders.
The drawings continue on the other side of the cave, showing an avalanche cascading down to cover the tower. The last drawing shows more of the humanoid figures standing over the edge overlooking the castle’s previous location, while four drawings of the moon in various states arc above the scene. In this last picture, all of the humanoid figures have a smear of white color around their lower faces.
The creature on the ground in the first painting was originally painted white, but that time has eroded whatever the painter used to show this color. The character brandishing the axe was also painted white, but around the face, suggesting a large white beard.
With the help of the scroll, Henri manages to get some meaning from the pictures: The axe wielding figure in the first scene is different from the other humanoids depicted, as he is shown with a white beard, a feature uncommon among the Kellid peoples. The painting of the three mammoths symbolizes migration, and each painting of three mammoths stands for the passage of a single year (there are thirty symbols in total). The moon in its various stages symbolizes eternity or a period of time that cannot be depicted with the migration symbol, usually meaning hundreds of years.
Amid the fungi are the remnants of a long- decayed party of Kellid warriors.
The collective bodies hold
3 bandages,
2 masterwork throwing axes,
a masterwork bolas,
a potion of barkskin,
2 potions ,
6 pairs of snowshoes,
a wand carved from a smilodon’s tooth,
a bag of unworked gemstones.
|
|
With the help of the scroll, Henri manages to get some meaning from the pictures: The axe wielding figure in the first scene is different from the other humanoids depicted, as he is shown with a white beard, a feature uncommon among the Kellid peoples. The painting of the three mammoths symbolizes migration, and each painting of three mammoths stands for the passage of a single year (there are thirty symbols in total). The moon in its various stages symbolizes eternity or a period of time that cannot be depicted with the migration symbol, usually meaning hundreds of years.
Amid the fungi are the remnants of a long- decayed party of Kellid warriors.
The collective bodies hold
3 bandages,
2 masterwork throwing axes,
a masterwork bolas,
a potion of barkskin,
2 potions ,
6 pairs of snowshoes,
a wand carved from a smilodon’s tooth,
a bag of unworked gemstones.
|
Sothy looked around and quickly nodded, when Henri started to explain those symbols.
- Probably, the axe that killed a dragon is somewhere, where this guy was buried. Tribes often bury great warriors together with their weapon, so their spirit could protect the tribe afterwards.
He paused for a moment, thinking about his own tribe, which he left, when was a kid. Probably, it worth to wrap up this adventure and return back home, checkout what is happening in Mwangi.
By the morning, the storm has settled, and though a fresh layer of snow covers the landscape, the group can still set out again. Their path slopes downward as they approach a series of high, rocky cliffs on the edge of the Tusk Mountains. Near midday, Skagni’s map directs them through a narrow ravine of ice and rock.
The shriek of a snowy owl dances off the high, rough walls of ice and rock inside this gorge, and the long shadows inside make it feel like evening rather than midday. Although the canyon provides a direct path through the rocky terrain of this area, the other side is almost invisible from the entrance. In the snow drenched plains leading to the gorge mouth, primeval aurochs and bison paw at the new snow to unearth scrub grass.
The mouth of the gorge reveals humanoid tracks leading into it.
There's also the snow-covered remains of a sabre-toothed tiger here.
Though strange for such a lean predator, this creature seems to have suffered from severe bludgeoning. Its bones are broken in multiple place, almost as if it was trampled.
The route moves through the snowy gorge. Though it is possible climb out of it to higher grounds, it is not clear whether that route will lead the correct way.
The party climbs up to the top of the gorge, from where a path winds and turns. Though confusing, the party eventually manages to track the gorge from higher ground. Just where the path rounds between two steep embankments, a band of Snowmask Clan tribespeople wait for the group in plain sight.
A dozen Kellid warriors with painted faces stand vigilant in the center of the route. Although they are armed with axes and round, Ulfen-styled shields, their weapons are not drawn. At the head, a tall and powerfully-built figure with piercing eyes steps forward. As he approaches, his hands are held palm up until he is close enough for words. “I am Hiryla,” he says in broken Common, his words flowing with a strange cadence that suggests that he is speaking words that were given to him by another to say. “You come with me... We must talk.”
Mogall has no idea on the first potion, while the second and third are potions of endure elements. The wand is a wand of Longstrider
Hiryla sets off due east, just south of the path laid out on Skagni’s map. He seems eager to converse, but his language skills are limited. Have been watch you. Speak we, is all he manages.
[spoiler=DC 10 PRC}
After about an hours travel, plumes are visible over a low rise[/spoiler]
The party moves up a hill. There's a Kellid camp at the base on the other side. Unlike the fur and hide tents common among the nomadic northerners, this village is composed of small, round houses and low, long buildings built of stone with thatched roofs. The rectangular, round-topped buildings number almost 20 in all, gathered around a central, circular building that is larger and grander than the rest.
nside this grand hall, dozens of Kellid men, women, and children scurry to and fro, passing food and drink around an enormous central hearth. Long, low benches ring the fire, and a handful of elderly Kellids, decked out in ornate white furs sit on the other side of the flames from the building’s entrance. A young woman with one leg, walking with the aid of a crutch, greets Hiryla in Hallit, and then turns to the door and speaks in Common. “Welcome to North,” she says with a broad grin and a handshake. “My name is Teyma.”
We have done battle with a group of men not from here many times in the past few days. We did try to talk to them, but the men not from here did not want. Instead they fight, and we fight them. Now you come here, and you wan to talk. We ask: why do two groups of men not from here come here?
The elders want you to tell story. Tell of your clan. Tell why you come here. If tale is good enough, she says with a broad smile we will tell our story.
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Mogall informs his companions that the potion is endure elements and the wand is Longstrider.
Mogall attempts to help tell the story of how the they discovered that their tribe of pathfinders have been betrayed by a group of their own people who only pretended to be working for the good of all. Instead they they are after the powerful weapon in the keep of the Huskarl King. We have come to stop them.
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Sothy stood aside, looking over the show and making strange sounds, that were supposed to help: sometimes he was showing his signed ring with Glyph of Open Road high (everytime someone mentioned Pathfinder Society), sometimes crossing his throat with backside of his dagger (everytime someone mentioned Shadow Lodge).
He took one of two masterwork throwing axes found in cave and offered that as a gift, showing that two axes are same and carefully pronouncing "Friends"