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Omar shrugs. Someday, I may be able to help, but removing curses is beyond my ability right now. So unless the curse is debilitating, I say lets press on for tonight and then see if we can get everyone patched up in the morning. Who knows, by boldly going forward, we might even find a permanent solution to stop the curse and fix everyone for good!
Valosi nods her agreement, "Yes, of course I will! I can meet you any time after sunrise, once the acolytes and I have had hour morning skirmish. Then I will pray to Gorum to crush this puny curse into oblivion!" She stamps her foot defiantly and wishes you well until tomorrow.
Through much tom-foolery, some additional travel, and a brief conversation with some grumpy Coalbraids, you find the light of day beginning to fade into evening. As the town of Frostbreach grows colder, the people return to their homes and begin to settle in for the night, leaving you with little else in the way of options than to return to the Linnorm's Tale.
As you sit around your board, sharing a meal and a drink, you chat about what you learned from the Coalbraid patriach and his wife, Magorn and Nessa. They shared with you, through gritted teeth, that their family's feud with the Trolltooth family has lasted for generations, ever since their ancestor had witnessed Kolvi, the Jarlsblood Witch, murder King Alvard the Wolf with her evil ice magic. They could easily end the feud, they boasted, by killing off members of the Trolltooth family, but they know that doing so could wound the already ailing town, so the hostilities between them have remained mostly quiet.
When the pair first saw you enter their longhouse, they seemed to sense the presence of the haunt you had just experienced on you. They explain that everyone in town knows someone who's seen a ghost or witnessed a haunting aura of faerie fire. Just a few weeks ago, a boy spotted a phantom woman walking down the street and ran so fast in the other direction that he broke his leg tripping on the causeways.
All of this information seemed to line up with what you had heard and experienced already in your investigation, but you were grateful for the Coalbraids' time nonetheless. With what you have learned, you think you might have enough information to leave the town and continue your investigation by finding the site of the effigy you had heard about before. Perhaps you would even attempt the ritual you had heard about.
The next morning, you wake and make your way immediately back to Gorum's Anvil, where you find Valosi already up and waiting for you. She quickly gathers those who were affected by the haunt's curse and bestows Gorum's blessing on you to remove it.
"I'm sorry," Valosi says grimly, "Gorum favors the strong and battle-hardy. You certainly appear to have some strength yourselves, but perhaps it is of a different kind."
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"Ooo no you don't, Gorum. Get back here and expel that curse!" Sheela taps her foot impatiently.
"Bah! I still feel creepy. I'll return tomorrow to try again, time permitting." Sheela regains her composure. "Thank you for trying, though." She hands Valosi her payment. Er, donation.
Turning to her allies, she puts on a brave face. "I think we need to check out that effigy site. Maybe ending the curse at its source will get rid of this awful feeling."
Generations of logging and subsistence farming have cleared most of the trees within several miles of Frostbreach, but beyond to the east lies an expanse of sparse boreal forest and low hills known locally as the Snow Elk Wilds. It is there that the townsfolk erected Kolvi’s grisly effigy, and it’s also there that she’s believed to have fought and slain King Alvard. Now that you have learned where the site is, you can follow the trappers’ footpaths into this wilderness.
As you travel through the woods you spot several disturbing effigies constructed out of antler and bone, all of which create a sense of foreboding as you venture deeper into the wilds. This sense is only made worse as you travel along and find that, as you step over logs or climb up small slopes, the terrain seems to suddenly change, and you find yourselves tripping and stumbling along. And if all that were not enough, wolves seem to have picked up your scent, and you frequently see them darting among the trees or hear them howling in the distance, though they never step out from the trees to confront you directly.
After traveling in this way for a little over an hour, you finally arrive at the site described to you. A rocky clearing opens between the snow-laden trees, the oldest of which bear weathered slash marks and gashes as if they were scars from a terrible battle long ago. A frozen footpath winds in a circle around a rock outcropping, with a single, snowy tree residing on top. Atop the center outcropping, an elk with a pristine white coat and sharpened, red-tinged antlers grazes on moss.
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Thanks to Sheela's inherent Woodland Stride, she seems to skip and prance through the forest. Unless it was magically altered, in which case Sheela will note this as she begins to stumble.
She comes along the sight of one of those pokey-horse things.
She does wonder what the red tint is from. "Hey Luurg, do you think the red on its... stick things are from berries? Maybe we can pick some afterward."
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Luurg frowns very unhappily after the magic man's spell doesn't seem to make him OR Sheela feel any better. "I still can't eat the gud fruits? Say it ain't so!" Tears roll down his fat cheeks as they leave, off into the wilderness.
"At least we getta do some fun stuff out in deez woodz right? Right?" He seems to ask, almost as if he needs reassurance. He's been much less happy since the haunt took hold, always looking nervously and sadly at the happy abundance of fruits hanging from his belt and neck. He barely even notices the wolves.
Once they finally make it to the clearing Luurg looks up and a small smile crosses his face as he sees the elk. "Woah."
Luurg turns his attention to the trees after Sheela points them out. He chips away at the scarring and starts counting. "Looks like dis stuff happened 200 years ago mebe? Big old fight?" He then plucks a few old arrow heads from some of the wounds. "Look at deez arrows. Dey look like ones we seen at dat Coalbraid longhouse place!" He gives an occasional look at the Elk, happy they don't usually eat fruit.
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Omar smiles at the snowball and banter on the trip.
Finally, we are here. But what is here exactly?
He inspects the trees and any creatures.
DC24
DC24
DC18
DC15
I will take your word for it. I never asked a tree how old it was before.
At the sign of the sight of the elk, Omar decides Heroism would be good...casts extended from rod.
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"You think it's a guardian?" Sheela shrugs. "Why don't we say hi, then. Anyone else know Sylvan? No? Then I'll ask."
Sheela uses her wand of Mage Armor and then emerges from the foliage.
"Hello there!" Sheela waves. "I'm Sheela, and we're trying to investigate a horrible murder that happened here a long time ago. My apologies if we're invading your realm."
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Luurg and Sheela have been cursed by the haunt! Until the curse is removed, an affected creature cannot be the willing target of any spell and must attempt saving throws to resist all spells except those that would remove the curse.
Sheela recoils and drops the wand as the magic jolts out. "Bah! We'll do it live!" She marches forward without the magic armor.
Luurg turns his gaze from the trees near the entrance to the clearing to the creature mounted upon the stone outcropping. Though is used to warmer climes and the creatures that inhabit them, he knows when an elk is an elk and when an elk is...something more.
Following up on this feeling supported by Spackle's observation, Sheela moves further into the clearing and calls out a greeting to the "guardian." The creature lifts its head from its grazing and peers down at Sheela like a lofty ruler looking down on a groveling invader begging for their attention.
A moment of strained silence passes, and suddenly a deep, resounding voice echoes throughout the clearing. "Fools! You dare trespass upon MY territory?! And have deigned even to come to THIS, my most hallowed...er...sanctum?! I shall show you the error of my ways...YOUR ways, and unleash the spirit that brings fear and death to all who draw too close. BEHOLD!"
A sudden flurry of snow and ice swirls up around a small knoll below the outcropping, and a high pitched cackle of laughter rises with it. "EEEEHEHEHEHE! Think hard and speak what thou has come hither for, for thou hast doomed thyself, foolish traverlers, by venturing hither! Now thou art in the realm of...THE JARLSBLOOD WITCH! EEEEEHEHEHEHE!!!"
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Tiffany's glad to finally be out of town, and so she walks with an extra bounce in her step. "Oh, I just love nature, and these snow-covered pines are soOooo pretty!" The grippli stops in admiration of the natural beauty, and runs her finger along one of the older trees.
"You're right, Luurg! There are 200 rings here! This tree's as old as the warts on Bebop's head!" She prods the little toad sitting on the right sleeve of her pink Iceferry Goose jacket.
Tiffany dives behind Sheela. "U-umm... What is that thing?! I'm scared!"
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Luurg stands there dumbfounded and a bit nervous as the voice booms and the winds swirl "A witch? We need ta talk ta a witch right?" He gives the rest of the group a look and elbows Sheela, who usually does more of the talking then he.. especially in delicate situations.
"Psst. Make the witch not so mad! Luurg don't wanna get another curse!" He says to the group.
"Stories?! EHEHEHEHE!!!" The witch suddenly gives a twirl and her face and voice change. "Gosh! It was just a joke!" Before you stands a beautiful woman wearing a light, forest green robe. Her eyes shine with a supernatural light, and she seems very interested in Omar.
"Anyway, if you want to tell my story," she says, "Then you should know my name. I'm Olissara." She turns and indicates the elk on the outcropping, which is beginning to make its way down from its perch to stand beside her. "This fine specimen is Moss-on-South-Trees. These are our lands, though if you're nice to us, we could let you stay, and maybe even let you live!" She smiles strangely, but gives Omar a wink.
She turns to watch Moss-on-South-Trees as they finish making their way down the stony path of the outcropping. The creature moves to stand beside Olissara, and you see that it seems to radiate the same otherworldly energy as her. She mutters something to Moss, apparently asking it questions. Moss looks up at her and shakes its large, antlered head.
"Oh, good point," Olissara says to Moss before turning back to you. "Moss and I would very much like to know: What are you doing in our lands? And why should we let you stay?"
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Sheela laughs as Olissara cracks a joke. "Well done."
"I have so many questions to ask about your fashion sense. I love your gown." Sheela compliments her. "Don't worry about Omar, he can't play much on the job." She winks. "Honestly I wouldn't mind, but you may snap me like a twig."
Turning to the two, she addresses them. "We're trying to discover the origins of a terrible story. And a nefarious curse that went with it. We're looking for an effigy and a place where a ritual was performed." She points. "My friends here say a terrible battle took place here, a few hundred years ago. A woman supposedly used ice magic to kill a king, and she was burned at the stake." Sheela is careful to avoid calling her a witch.
"If you know anything about this, we'll spend less time here. Of course, if you don't mind us entertaining you..."
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Tiffany peeks out from behind Sheela, then notices the pretty fey and her stylish gown. The grippli runs up to her, throwing all caution to the wind. "Oh my gosh, I love it, I love it! Your makeup and hair, and your cute little tail! And your forest gown! Where do I get one? Can I be an honorary fey if it means getting one? Pretty please, miss Olissara?" She gives the fey her biggest froggy eyes.
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Our fortunate pleasure to meet you, Olissara. As well as your friends Moss-on-South-Trees."
He bows politely with the pause.
We did not intend to trespass without your leave.
As the others have stated, we would like to be friends if not allies to resolve this false narrative of a witch.
We have no quarrel with you. I can even include you in my ballad.
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Olissara turns to Luurg, "No, I don't know how to make curses go away, but I could tell you lots of other interesting things, wild-dweller." She indicates Moss-on-South-Trees again and explains, "Like you said, Moss is an elk but isn't an elk. They're an ijiraq. Another creature of the First World, like me." She seems to flick her cloak over her back as she mentions her own fey nature, but carries on as more questions come.
Moss's eyes seem to radiate red hot for an instant as Sheela mentions the story of the woman and the king, and Olissara waves a reassuring hand toward the ijiraq. "Don't worry, Moss. I think they're alright...so far. Best not the mention that man," she says, her voice growing harsh with barely-concealed indignation at the mention of the king. "Tell me, do the people of Frostbreach still honor that deal breaker of a king? Oh, no need to tell me. We still see some of them come out here from time to time. They bow at their little pedestal they set up 'to fight off the spirit of the witch,' or so they say. As if there was ever any witch at all!" Beneath her cloak, her fox-like tail flicks back and forth like an irritated cat's, and she smoothes down her clothes to cover it again.
"If you want to know what really happened as you say, I'll tell you. I was there! Like you said, it was a couple hundred years ago that the king pleaded with the creatures of the wild to help him hunt a linnorm that had appeared here. Moss-on-South-Trees heard his cries, and I helped broker a deal between the two. The agreement was that Moss would provide three things: permission to wander their lands, help in finding the dragon, and fortune in his fight against it. The king in turn promised future concessions that he never honored.
"Later, when the woman Kolvi set out into our forest, she showed proper respect, but the king came along after her and taunted us, his benefactors, by daring to enter Moss's territory again after never fulfilling his promises. Well you showed him, didn't you, Moss? You called down a terrible blizzard, and here, in this clearing, Kolvi repelled the king and his companions--with our help of course--and beheaded the king with her sword." Olissara ends her story with a satisfied smile. "And that's the truth of it."
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Sheela exhales carefully. "Oh no. This is terrible, then. The woman, Kolvi. The townsfolk think she summoned the blizzard against that man. They thought she was a- er, um, witch and executed her for killing their king." Sheela paces back and forth. Not because she needed to think, but she needed the words to sink in.
"I would- we would like to vindicate Kolvi's name, so her spirit can be put to rest, knowing she did the right thing." She is curious. "We need to find her effigy, as well. The townsfolk put it up as a grisly reminder, but it's clear they do not understand the story. The entire story. Would you be able to help us, or at least let us search your protected lands?"
Olissara seems to wince at the thought as Sheela mentions the effigy, "These woods have no witches to scare, and the sight was no way to remember a warrior like her. The effigy used to stand over on that dark spot past the little column the townsfolk put up for their king," she says, indicating a much smaller clearing, at the center of which stands a charred wooden spike driven into the ground. The earth around it is black and barren, as if the snow refuses to fall there. Just a few feet to the east stands a 4-foottall carved stone post that bears symbols carved in skaldic.
"There are abandoned catacombs miles from here that the Ulfen people have forgotten, yet we have used them rarely to hide away that which need not be found or that which my companion would rather eat later. Both she and the king’s corpse lie there. If you wish to see them for yourself,” she trails off and looks to the ijiraq for a moment, “you could do so. I can provide you a token to see through the illusions that hide it. I warn you, though, we have not used it for several human generations, and those hills feel increasingly… troubled.”
When Sheela and Tiffany both broach the subject of the fey coming back to Frostbreach to offer testimony, Olisarra smirks. “You think that the Ulfen people would trust the word of fey? No matter how intriguing I find your cultures, there is a gap in how we understand each other. To the people of Frostbreach, I am merely a capricious forest spirit and Moss-on-South-Trees is a malevolent elk.” She pauses in thought for a moment, though, and finally relents. "Still, I suppose it would be a good opportunity for us to remind people who these forests really belong to. Alright, I'll come along. But I think you should go to the catacombs first. That's where you'll find the best proof to show them what really happened."
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Luurg smiles, happy the others could convince the little woods people to work with them "Great den! Catty combs here we go!" He stops and looks around "Can you tell us where dey at first? Luurg not been here before." He looks at his spear and notices the leaves are covered in frost and quickly flicks them to clean them off. Hope dis place not kill off leafy!
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"We would be honored if you could help us. At least after we return from the catacombs." I was hoping for some of her good luck. Best not to press the issue further. Sheela gives a courteous bow. "Could you direct us there, or at least grant us smooth passage? We'll be ready in a moment."
"I think we're off to visit some catacombs." Sheela turns to her allies. "Tiffany, don't mention her tail. And no one look at her backside. She's kind of sensitive about that. I've been cursed once already, I don't need a second one."
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"" Tiffany blurts out. "OhhhHHhhh... Right... I gotcha. That. Ha-ha! No problem, no problem. If a secret needs to be kept, I'm your girl!" Because of this, she can't help but try to get a peek of the tail almost the whole time they travel to the catacombs.
What's wrong with a tail anyway? I think it's super cute!
Olissara nods, "Yeah yeah, we're great and benevolent, blah blah. You mortals can be really boring sometimes, geez! Anyway, here's something to help with Moss's illusions and stuff." The huldra hands Sheela a small antler token, then goes on to give Luurg directions to the catacombs. Moss-on-South-Trees bucks its head in disgust before meandering off back into the forest. "Don't mind them," Olissara says, "They just think you mortals are disgusting and should stay out of their land and would rather kill you, but they're just like that. It's nothing personal."
As Luurg begins to lead the way out of the clearing, he and Tiffany both notice something lying in the snow near the effigy post. A small ivory talisman lies there. After inspecting it for a while, you identify it as a lesser talisman of life's breath.