Semik nods at Ruso and then brushes Jack on the shoulder with a glowing hand, "I'll tend to the living, if you two can pile the dead outside."
Along the way, he revives Skyne and collects his wand from Irina, "I hope it helped. Now is the time for more mundane skills though. I could use some help tending to everybody's wounds for the night."
As Semik uses some healing magic on the fallen Skyne and on the seriously hurt Jack, the rest of the group is spent from a very difficult day. They wearily pile into the availble beds or roll out bedrolls near the fireplaces. With some tending to by Semik, they all hope to feel better in the morning.
Semik acccepts the offer of Peltra's tools with a nod, and begins tending to the party's wounds. Once everyone is bandaged, he approaches Ruso. "Have you identified all possible entrances yet? We should fortify them as much as possible, then set a watch."
Irina heads back into her quiet room to wait and see if she has contracted the disease from the sick room. On the way she suggests, "We should stabilize our cleric "friend". He might be able to answer questions that the others cannot about this cold weather."
After barring the doors, just in case, Ruso takes his newly acquired gear, unrolls his bedroll, and sacks out for the night.
Neither the vials nor their contents are magical.
The team has seen every room of the lodge, though the upstairs rooms were viewed during combat and not necessarily searched.
Barring the doors will keep you from being bothered during the night. The two doors are the only portals into the lodge besides breaking windows or chopping through the roof, etc.
Jack secures the doors and windows, and then crashes in a bed as soon as it looks safe to do so. Jack will hold the set of keys if Ruso didn't take them.
In the morning, since no one took it, Jack will put on the shaggy fur.
The dawn comes cold despite the fact this is midsummer. The snowstorm continues to rage outside the lodge. Inside, the fires start to burn to embers, and the heroes, who fought most of the day yesterday, rise, stiff and sore. Irina, in her self-imposed isolation, seems none the worse for wear after being exposed to the disease-ravaged raiders. With the earlier ministrations from Semik, everyone is healed just a bit more than on a typical day.
The Lady Argentea is ready to return to civilization. Her bags are packed. "Well, let's get moving. I can't stay in this place all day!" Peltra has agreed to accompany the Zimar-based noblewoman back to her hometown. Skyne also is ready to give up the mission in the Border Wood.
Jack puts on the white furry cloak, which has a monstrous hood that can be flipped up. The visage on the hood seems to put a fright in others as they see it. The cloak itself is exceedingly warm, and Jack feels quite comfortable despite the cold weather.
Irina rises and helps cook a warming breakfast from the lodge's supplies, "I think we should continue on and search for the fey that's causing this. But first lets check upstairs carefully."
Ruso pops up feeling as rested as can be. Sore though he is he helps clean up after breakfast and the assists with the search of the rooms upstairs.
"I concur Irina. I will be blasted before I let some fey spoil my summer. And despite finding the ungrateful brat who helped spur this misadventure I am ready to keep pushing to solve the larger mystery to it all."
"I know you are anxious to travel back to town, but it seems our way is forward. If we don't pursue this fey now, we could lose the trail, and more damage could be done. We have secured this place - you are welcome to stay here in the meantime."
The sick men are minions of the cleric, but are too ill to put up a fight. The disease will eventually kill those who can't recover. Some may make it, some may not. Without the the leader they are unlikely to be troublesome in the future.
Ruso and Irina check out the room upstairs which holds an L-shaped table with many chairs which takes up most of the floor space in the loft. A second smaller table sits near the entrance, and several windows look over the snowy grounds of the lodge. A large map hangs on the wall in the southwest corner, opposite another door in the northeast wall.
The map is a depiction of the Border Wood showing the lodge where you reside. A red X is drawn on the map deep in the Somir Valley, which is more towards the middle of the wood, across the High Ridge from your current location.
Irina notices the X on the map as she examines the room. "I'm betting that's where we need to head next. X marks the spot and all."
She'll also take another stab at the vials.
"Hmmm... That seems awful convenient. If they are confident enough to mark what ever it is on a map then they must think it can't be stolen, stopped, defeated, or whatever else we can come up with." Ruso carefully takes down the map and rolls it up.
Carrying the map back downstairs he unrolls it on the table so that everyone else can see it and know the path that lays before them. "Before we set out on this traipse through the woods, how are we going to survive this unnatural cold? Especially now that we no longer have the same protection that we did yesterday."
The vials are not magical. But Irina does smell them and determine that they contain doses of the poison oil of taggit, which is a natural poison that can make the victim fall unconscious for an hour or two. There are two doses in all.
"Was that cleric the only one to possess warm clothing? We are going to need something if we intend to move forward."
First thing in the morning, Semik heals some of Jack and Wulfgang's remaining wounds. Then, he convinces Skyne to part with his furs.
As the smaller group makes ready to depart, the Lady Argentea is profuse with her thanks. "I will make sure there is a suitable reward waiting for you in Heldren for rescuing me. I wish you well in finding the cause of this unseasonable weather. I fear the winter-touched fey are expanding their power, not decreasing it. Be safe and thank you!"
Jack suggests that another day of rest would be best at this juncture.
The shelter of the lodge, and the need to restore their bodies for the fight ahead encourages the remaining heroes to take another night's rest indoors before setting out for whatever the X indicates in the Somir Valley.
There are enough provisions in the kitchen for another day of bread and thin soup, and food is provided to the sick men in the front room, though it seems one died during the day. The group banks another fire in the big fireplace and settles in, the curious wintry weather still howling along outdoors.
The night passes uneventfully, and the heroes awake fit and refreshed and ready to take on whatever is next.
Using the last of Peltra's healing supplies, Semik makes sure that everyone fully heals over the second night.
"If we are going to reach this marked location we should get a move on. Hopefully the summertime daylight will at least hold out versus this unnatural cold." Ruso gets his pack put together and bundles up to face off against the unnatural cold.
"Let's hurry then. I don't want you all to freeze." She's ready to head out.
After a second night's rest in the cozy lodge, everyone is healed, healthy and hale for the next stage of the journey. Despite the bitter cold, they set out early the next morning, following the map towards the X, which is in the Somir Valley. The quickest route is to follow the High Ridge around in a counterclockwise direction as it descends into the valley below.
Leaving the lodge, the first thing you encounter, just outside the building, is a bridge made of rope and wooden planks which spans a narrow ravine. It's already covered in ice and snow, andit sways alarmingly in the icy winds blowing through the gorge. The turbulent waters fo a fast-moving creek surge through a couple of waterfalls bleow.
The bridge is about 30' long and spans Timber Creek about 50' below. The bridge leads to the High Ridge, which is a spiny backbone of forested cliffs overlooking much of the rest of the Border Wood.
Ruso takes point and makes his way slowly and carefully across the bridge. "Be very careful and you will make it just fine." Ruso says from the far side of the bridge.
Ruso hunches down over the bird like foot prints at the far side of the bridge and examines them while waiting on his fellow adventures.
Already limping more slowly than the rest of the party, Semik is grateful for a forced slow down at the bridge. Once across, he retrieves and reloads his crossbow, then scans the horizon.
Jack takes the bridge slowly, having his bow ready for any signs of trouble while the others cross.
Irina also crosses the bridge slowly. She doesn't notice anything unusual, but does take note that Jack has his bow at the ready.
With everyone safely across the bridge, you can see that, despite the snow fall, there are clear signs of foot traffic along the path that leads along High Ridge to easily follow.
You follow the trail for roughly 20 minutes, into a stand of trees where the forest stands deathly still. Even the wind has grown still, as snow softly falls through the stark branches overhead. Obvious tracks, human in size but oddly misshapen, mar an otherwise unblemished trail through the trees.
Listening careful in the stillness, you hear the scratch and clang of metal on metal ahead on the path, clearly sounding like a group of soldiers in armor, coming from just beyond the trees.
The new snowfall muffles your footsteps as you creep forward to see what is making those sounds. To your horror, you see a troop of armored and armed skeletons walking in skirmish formation through the woods. The skeletons are dressed in Qadirian fashion and carry scimitars at their hips. They glow with an eerie blue light, much like the skeletons inside the lodge. So far, the group of undead has not noticed you.
Ancient Invaders - Surprise Round
20 Blue Skeleton
17 Green Skeleton
16 Orange Skeleton
9 Ruso
9 Irina
7 Red Skeleton
7 Wulfgang
5 Jack
4 Semik
Irina casts Mage Armor on herself. "No minds to control." she mutters to her self and her companions.
Ruso whispers "I can't really do much to a skeleton but I'll help as best as I can." Ruso gestures at his rapier as he speaks and pulls his shortbow, nocks an arrow, and takes aim at the closest skeleton.
Ancient Invaders - Surprise Round - continued
Irina coats herself in a seen of magical warding energy which acts like a coat of mail protecting her from harm in the coming fight.
Ruso sheathes his rapier, and draws out his shortbow. He stands ready to fire, with arrow nocked, waiting for the ready signal.
"Arrows ain't gonna cut it here."
Jack puts away his bow to draw his longsword.
Ancient Invaders - Surprise Round - continued
Jack shoulders his bow, and draw his longsword, knowing that the piercing arrows will do little damage against the fleshles foes.
Eschewing surprise, Wulfgang leaps from the treeline, plowing through the snow as best he can, calling a challenge to the undead soldiers.
Semik recognizes the same skeletons as inside the lodge with the evil cleric.
"Use blunt weapons if you've got them, and try not to stand too close, especially when delivering the final blow!"
Semik shifts the crossbow to his buckler hand, then draws a whip. "Someone else grab my longspear, and together let's try to keep some of these skeletons at a distance."
Non 5-ft. step.
Ancient Invaders - Surprise Round - concluded
Semik draws out his whip knowing his crossbow is less effective against the bony foes.
End of Surprise Round
Ancient Invaders - Round 1
20 Blue Skeleton
17 Green Skeleton
16 Orange Skeleton
9 Ruso
9 Irina (mage armor, 10 rds)
7 Red Skeleton
7 Wulfgang
5 Jack
4 Semik
A trio of the skeletons move forward across the difficult terrain of the snow, advancing but not close enough to make any attacks.