"Yeah, and I do envy your casual attitude. Nobody will ever believe me."
As the group begins discussing things, Fang begins moving cautiously towards the epicenter of the unseasonable snow.
It takes you nearly another hour of wading through the heavy snow. The tracks you are following are beginning to be obscured by the snow that continues to fall.
As you head farther and farther down the well, though the looking glass, or wherever you are, you come to an icy river crossing. Just before the frozen river you see a human-sized snowman standing in the middle of the trail before a frozen stream. A crude wooden sign leans against it and bears the words "Trespassers Turn Back."
Saint George on a horse, but it's summer!
Creeped out more and more by what looks more and more like a supernatural phenomenon, William is unusually silent during the walk. Shivering, part from the cold and part from fear, he takes a careful step towards the snowman, fearing another trap.
Naajy looks at Haamid to see how he is reacting to the snowman.
What language is the sign in? If its in English he'll translate the sign for Fang. If its NOT in English he is going to be very confused :-)
As William approaches within about 15 feet of the snowman, the wind stirs its stick arms...and the arms point accusingly toward William. The snowman's stick mouth moves in a mad parody of lips, "Can't you read? The sign says turn back! Now get lost!"
Haamid pays no attention to the snowman until it starts moving and talking. At that, the tiger flinches mightily and falls to his side, pointing all of his clawed feet at the snow man. Then he rights himself, facing the snow sculpture intently.
"I knew that spirit stole our souls! The ice blob is talking!"
Fang speaks in Chinese, but doesn't seem to be speaking to anyone in particular.
Taken aback, William explodes into profanities, scuttling backwards and training his rifle on the snowman. His eyes wide, his mind runs trying to make sense of it all.
"Alright, this one can very well be mechanical. Uhm, I'd say a tripwire connected to a hidden phonograph, and clockworks moving the lips. I saw something similar in Fetishist tribes, idols moving with the wind."
"I think that if your body and mind are going to survive, you had best realize that the world is far stranger, and richer, than you think.
To quote the bard "There are more things in heaven and earth, Dr Johnson, Than are dreamt of in your philosophy. "
Greetings, Man of Snow. Can you understand us and answer questions?"
Digger, for once, has nothing to say.
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Jazz turns to William with a face You are the biggest septic I've ever met! There is a such thing as government coverups, secret lab experiments, monsters and things beyond the physical world. He doesn't shout, but he raises his voice. And if you are so smart there William, why don't you create a talking snowman. I bet you can't cause it is either something that only a genius scientist can make, or this thing is supernatural.
I was just thinking of that quote! How the...
"Sceptic, not septic. A sceptic finds the rational explanation, septic is how wounds get if they are untreated. And yes, I'll gladly build you one if you just give me a good lab and two days' work."
Fang begins addressing the snowman directly.
"Spirit, what do you seek to allow us passage?"
The snowman ceases its animation, returning to a simple but well fashioned snow man. Perhaps William is right. Perhaps it is a simple mechanical device.
"Kick it in the face!"
Without further warning, the snowman vanishes in an explosion, the sign obliterated along with it. None of you are close enough to be injured by the blast, but it does leave your ears ringing. Before you, the stream is frozen over.
"Oh great and kind spirits, protect me from the evils that surround me! Lift me up into the Celestial Bureaucracy, where the Gods dwell."
Fang begins rocking slightly and speaking quite a bit like praying.
"And a blasting charge too. Brings back memories. Watch your step, traps could be worse further along."
"This just gets better and better. Surely if this was some machine we'd see SOME wreckage?
Lets proceed, shall we?"
"That is kind of you to say, but I have not been a good person." The look on his face as he speaks is one of weary acceptance of fate, which is an odd look for one as young as Fang.
"It is very hard for any of us to judge our own merit. Perhaps you judge yourself too harshly.
If not, maybe it is time to become a better person and earn your entry into the Bureaucracy. As long as you are alive it is never too late to change. The fact that you think that you have not been good seems to show to me that you CAN change if you want to"
Fang begins to speak, but he stops himself, clearly struggling with something powerful inside of him. "It matters not. I already know that my place in the hells is assured. But I hope that day is long off yet. Perhaps we should move along before night falls and we are left in the woods without foor or shelter?"
After a few moments of discussion between Naajy and himself, Fang begins to push forward, scanning the surrounding area for something.
"Jesus! The mooks back on the block ain't never gonna believe this one."
"Like you got the feeling that the elk was mechanical and all of this was the result of a government conspiracy?"
I think that this is the first time you mentioned blowing snow. How bad is the visibility?
I don't see any alternative except to cross the river. I wouldn't go first but would follow as 2nd or 3rd, holding onto Haamid as I go
Perception checks are currently at a -6 penalty. Visibility in the forest is 2d8x10 feet. The blowing snow was mostly flavor.
Assuming the rest of the group is following him, Fang will start moving across the stream.
Keeping an eye out for any thin ice, William moves to cross after Fang. He's not too used to cold terrain, but his Scout training isn't rusty.
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"Like you got the feeling that the elk was mechanical and all of this was the result of a government conspiracy?"
My first guess is government conspiracy, though not the US government, but someone who lost a recent war. My second guess is the supernatural and/or cryptzoology. And where we are is beyond me, but if we are not in New York, then somehow we traveled underground and my first guess is that we are inside the Hollow Earth, the problem is when I look up I see open sky not a roof above us, even if it was 500 miles above us, we should be able to see it.
And Jazz though being good at acrobatics will have a hard time because of him wearing the chainmailThis would be easier if we had ice skates.
As Fang moves across the ice, it crackles under his feet. He moves competently across the ice, and it holds his weight for several steps. Suddenly, as he slides a foot forward, it breaks through thin ice. He attempts to correct his stance, but over corrects. The ice gives way beneath him. He disappears for a moment beneath the ice, but finds that it is only about 6 feet deep. He is able to push off the bottom and bob to the surface.
The water is bitterly, shockingly cold.
[spoiler=Survival DC 15 (anyone can make this)]Though the ice is unmarred on the surface, it is strangely thin as Fang breaks through, as though it has been shaved thin from beneath.
As Fang falls through, William hesitates.
There water pushes gently against Fang as it flows by him, but the current is not strong.
"Christ, the Hollow Earth? Is there any crackpot idea you do not believe in? I can mathematically prove you how wrong we are, if- Oh, ****."
As Fang falls through the ice, William lunges forward, extending the rifle towards the man so that he may pull himself out. "Give me a hand with this, instead of dreaming of conspiracies, eh?"
Fang uses the rifle to pull himself out with a nod of thanks to William, then circles the area around the hole he made and keeps trying to move forward.
Fang makes his way carefully around the hole, moving futher upstream and working out a path of safety across the ice. The others follow carefully.
"Jesus, be careful!" Digger shouts when Fang falls. After the rest of them carefully cross, Digger looks at the body. "Old army rifle. Face looks like he works in the sun. Farmer Dansby, I reckon, from what I've heard."
"We need to warm up Fang. I've got an idea"
If Fang is ok with it, Naajy directs Haamid to cuddle up to Fang and warm him.
William motions towards Fang, but as Naajy seems to have it under control, he heads for the corpse. "Poor bastard. Mus've been looking for the source of this freak storm, guess this was his rifle."
"Frostbite's all over him, perhaps he lost his way and froze. Can't learn more without cutting him open, his clothes iced over and I'm losing feeling in my fingertips. The sooner we find out what's happening, the better."
Fang nods at Naajy's Question then spoons with the tiger, rubbing him behind the ears and down the neck as he does so.
Fang nods at Naajy's Question, then removes his clothing and spoons with the tiger, rubbing him behind the ears and down the neck as he does so.
As the Chinaman is warming, his clothes begin to freeze.
The crack of a rifle reaches your ears, muffled by the snow. Looking further up the trail, you see a man in a heavy wool coat sliding the bolt on his rifle, loading another round. Before you can react, two more shots ring out off to your right.
Round 1
"Ya missed, you punks! Now yer in for it!" Digger dives for cover.
Fang stands and sprints towards the man in the wool coat.
"Now, maybe it's just me, but being naked in the snow doesn't sound very-son of a ****!"
William squeals as the bullet bites into his shoulder. Wartime reflexes kicking back in, he crouches next to Digger and returns fire blindly.