"Are any of you skilled in such things? Perhaps if you directed the rest of us in what to look for, we could help you find it faster."
"I can probably give you the basics. Been surviving for year... never failed to survive yet!"
Jack looks for signs of shelter or otherwise favorable terrain, and directs the others in finding suitable firewood and making natural wind blocks and insulation.
Despite Jack's woodcraft there is no escaping the biting wind and bitter cold especially on the exposed High Ridge. The going is slow and the cold continues to wear on the crew. The heroes brace themselves and buck up against the cold conditions, and make the next milestone without suffering any further exposure.
A couple of hours after sunrise, the sun is lost in the heavy snow clouds that continue to pile inches of the white stuff on the Border Wood. However, something staining the snow ahead gets your attention. The rocks and snow on this part of the trail are stained a reddish-brown, and many tracks, both animal and human, cross the area.
"Looks like someone got hurt. I can't quite tell that animals were involved, but there were humans as well. We should follow these tracks, I think, and see who survived."
Irina studies the tracks, "Those are weasel or ferret tracks. They are really large tracks. It might be as big as a horse."
Near the bloodstain, behind a pile of large rocks, a mutilated corpse lies half-buried in the snow. The corpse wears a serviceable cold weather outfit, a pair of homemade snowshoes, has a quiver full of arrows.
Closer inspection reveals the dead man is none other than the hunter Dryden Kepp, a man you met in the opening scenes of the adventure, when the snow really started falling. He was going on about finding a giant white weasel and how he was going to trap it.
Ruso moves to the found corpse, plucks out a half dozen arrows from the quiver, and unstraps the pair of snowshoes. "These will come in very handy for any of us."
"What'd you find there? Is that a journal?"
Jack flips through it to get a sense of what is in there. He also sniffs the flask, and then takes a swig. Offering it to the others, he says "Here, maybe this will take the edge off..."
Semik takes the flask from Jack and puts it inside his pack. "If it's all the same to you--and even if it's not--we're in enemy territory right now."
Irina pouts a little that she didn't get a swig, but shrugs moving on. "I guess he found the weasel, and that's not good. He was a good hunter. If it was too much for him, we can't take this creature lightly."
"One hunter versus a weasel as big as a horse was never going to end well. We thankfully have numbers on our side but are sure to still have problems with it given how weasels move." Ruso speaks while strapping on the snowshoes. "Lets get moving and keep an eye out for further tracks and landmarks in this snowy hell."
Ruso begins following the weasel tracks looking for traps, any further tracks, or landmarks.
"Anybody ever heard of a giant weasel like this? Or how to fight one best?"
Semik dry fires his crossbow once to check the mechanism, then loads a bolt and hitches the weapon against his elbow for easier carrying.
Jack watches the flask disappear, and is clearly stunned by the move. "Very well, then," he growls in a low tone.
Jack trudges on, slower than Ruso but checking for any missed signs.
Also in the bag you find a well-worn leather journal. The journal has notes in barely legible script, but you do see the drawing of a map of the High Ridge and where it descends to the Somir Valley below. Right at the point where the ridge flattens out, there are several X's marked on the map. As far as you can tell, these X's are where Kepp left several beartraps, intending to catch the giant weasel. According to his notes, that was where the weasel is most often seen.
Additionally, the journal mentions a strange hut ahead with bird feet (?) and a living doll that scared Kepp away.
As Ruso stuffs teh arrows into his quiver, he notices two of them are black-shafted and have strange arcane marks carved into them.
Semik extends an open hand to Ruso, "May I?"
Focusing on the two special arrows for a few seconds, his eyes light up.
Semik detects the magical aura coming from both arrows and determines they are both animal-bane arrows+1. The other 8 in the quiver are merely mundane.
Jack takes the arrows. "Might come in handy when we find that weasel."
Once you have gathered all of Kepp's useful items, you heft your packs and set out once again along the path. The High Ridge slowly starts descending, dropping back out of the highest altitude, but still with some distance to go before you get to the valley floor below.
The forest along the Ridge is still thick and the going is slow, the cold wind still whistling along chilling any exposed body parts. Heavy snow burdens the boughs of the evergreen trees, but ahead someone has cleared the snow from a large patch of ground to dig in the pine-needle carpeted soil.
"Now what do you think that is?" Jack strings his bow, and grabs an arrow. "Could a weasel do that?"
There have been a few sightings along the way of weasel track headed both up the ridge and down it, but this does not look like the work of a weasel, as the scraping of the snow seems even and not just "digging". It seems the most recent weasel tracks are headed down the ridge, along the same path you are following.
"That's strange. Why would someone clear out a place like this?"
She moves closer and casts Detect Magic in the direction of the clearing.
"Stay back and I will check it out." Ruso slips off his backpack and carefully moves forward while keeping a keen eye out for any traps or other nasty surprises.
At Wulfgang's shout Ruso's focus changes to the direction that Wulfgang is pointing.
Irina stands her ground, and waits to see what's in the tree.
Frost Firs - Surprise Round
21 Semik (surprised)
19 Ruso (surprised)
17 Wulfgang
16 Irina (surprised)
16 Red Fir
15 Jack (surprised)
6 Green Fir
Spying the tiniest movement from the tree-like creatures, Wulfgang moves up to support his scout.
Red Fir moves up to attack against Wulfgang.
Green Fir also moves in tandem, working his way around the viking ranger, trying to flank.
End of Surprise Round
Frost Firs - Round 1
21 Semik
19 Ruso
17 Wulfgang
16 Irina
16 Red Fir
15 Jack
6 Green Fir
Ruso puts some of his fancy footwork together slipping past Wulfgang and the unexpectedly mobile trees and drawing his rapier. Placing himself behind the further of the two threats he thrusts his rapier at its trunk.
"Killer trees now?"
Frost Firs - Round 1 - continued
Immediately, Ruso dances through Wulfgang's space, moving his way around Red Fir trying to flank but his acrobatic skill isn't enough to avoid a swipe by one of the limbs fo the tree-thing. However, the limb slam attack is ducked under by the nimble elf, who then stabs at the fir creature. Ruso's rapier is turned aside by the bark-like skin of the frost fir, but his steel does leave a deep gouge in the wood.
Making a powerful axe blow at the same target, Wulfgang's stroke is wise of the mark as the tree thing shifts out of the way.
Semik hustles toward the nearest enemy, leveling his longspear at it.
Standard Movement
Free Draw a weapon
Irina pouts as she recognizes these enemies. "They are plants. And yet another enemy who is immune to most of my spells. They are immune to cold effects, but vulnerable to fire."
Irina pulls out her sling, and fires it at the closest Frost Fir. Again she misses. "I"m really going to have to get better at this."
"Let's try and do this without fire, shall we?"
Frost Firs -Round 1 - continued
Semik draws his spear and moves slowly through the snow getting ready to help out on offense.
Irina knows her charms are useless on these creatures, and as such she loads up a sling bullet, but misses on release.
With a small side step, Red Frost Fir has Wulfgang flanked, it swings one of its heavy lower branches as a slam at the viking. Wulfgang is able to avoid the attack again.
"If fire works, then why not use it?" Ruso shouts.
"Fire can get out of control very quickly! Just... don't..." You can hear the edge of fear in Jack's voice.
Jack trudges through the snow, and fires an arrow at the green fir.
Frost Firs - Round 1 - concluded
Jack plows through more snow, and fires his bow, striking a glancing shot against Green fir but not seeming to do it any harm.
Green attacks in tandem with its partner, against the flanked Wulfgang, but the attack misses once again.
End of Round 1
Frost Firs - Round 2
21 Semik
19 Ruso
17 Wulfgang
16 Irina
16 Red Fir (2hp dmg)
15 Jack
6 Green Fir
Ruso moves to his left, trying to slip past the walking trees, and thrusts his rapier at its trunk once more. "We can do this everyone! Working together we will be victorious!"
Irina gives the sling another chance, and lets a bullet fly at green. This time it might actually connect. She holds her breath as she waits to see.
Semik lunges at the nearest tree creature, but gets the angle a bit wrong.
Standard Attack (green)
Frost Firs - Round 2 - continued
Semik's longspear skewers the tree nearest him, but the hard bark deflects some of the damage.
Ruso works his way behind the tree-creature once again, stabbing it hard with his rapier, and while he makes a precision attack, the rapier also has a hard time fully penetrating the bark-like skin of the frost fir.
Wulfgang loads up his axe for a mighty swing on the nearby tree, but it bends its trunk just out of the way, and the axe only passes through air.
Irina's luck with the sling changes, as her stone actually catches Green, but like the others, the hard hide of the tree thing absorbs most of the damage.
Red Frost Fir steps away from the irritating elf and his rapier, and slams a snow-laden branch at Wulfgang. The branch scratches Wulfgang across the face, but he avoids being mired in sticky pitch.
Frost Firs - Round 2 - concluded
Seeing his arrows will be ineffective against the trees, Jack trundles ahead, dropping his bow and drawing out his two-handed scythe before making a slashing attack on Green which cuts through the bark, sap-like ichor dripping from the wound.
Green whips around, using its sticky sap, it tries to wrench the weapon from Jck's hands. Quickly, Jack takes a strike while the tree-thing is getting close in, gashing it again. Slowly but inexorably, the Green Frost Fir tilts and craches to the ground spent.
End of Round 2