After seeing the Rider wither away Ruso trods back past the igloos and into cave. I'll be damned if I am going to leave anything of value or use behind after plunging headfirst into a witch war. Hopefully I won't come out of this whole affair as a newt. Ruso searches through the cave carrying anything of use or value back to the chest he had previously piled the winter blankets and furs into.
Irina stands there withe bloody items in her hands. She casts Detect Magic on them, and tries to determine exactly what they are.
"I've spent more time covered in blood. I wish it was just ale."
Radzislau stands up, not realizing how close to death he just came. He inclines his head in respect to where the rider had lain, then follows Ruso in to check the hut after making sure he still has his trusty hammer.
The cave is not trapped, and when investigated, seems to be a larder of food storage. There are sides of beef, including the prize cow of the local farmer from Heldren, stolen from nearby farms. There are bushels and bushels of grain. There are all kinds of salted meats, stored at icy temperatures. All in all there are 34 days worth of common meals in the cave.
Additionally, there is a lockbox which is solidly locked. The set of keys found on the body of Teb Knotten fit the lock however, and when opened it is full of booty. An iron coffer holds 4 of the same kind of potion, 4 blue quarts "ice diamonds", a silver diadem, a near flawless diamond, a jeweled necklace, a painting of a city covered in ice and snow, which Irina recognizes as Whitethrone, capital of Irrisen, three sapphire rings, a decorative filigree longsword scabbard, and a small scrimshaw sculpture of dancing sprites surrounding a piping satyr. In addition there is a bevy of loose coin: 2457 gp, 3313 sp, and 1760 cp.
Ruso provides estimates on the value of the objects they found as they sort through it all. Once they have the last of the items sorted and ready for travel he looks at the group. "Time to get on with this. I am guessing we can just walk through that portal to get where we need to be."
"These are potions of feather step. Nice." She looks at the other items but has not idea of what they could be. "Pretty stones."
"I hate to see this food go to waste. Town could use it, and we have all this stuff we could sell." She sighs. "I guess we should continue our hunt."
The keys, activated by the Black Rider's dying act, do not detect as magical in the traditional sense, but they seem to almost tingle with magical energy. Pocketing them in case you ever run across the Dancing Hut, you finish investigating the troll's cave, and identifying his potions that allowed him to walk atop the snow instead of plowing through it. A few other trinkets were recovered as well.
After those things are taken, little remains except to enter the maelstrom as directed by the Black Rider, and as the compulsion bequeathed by his mantle is pulling you. Much as you might like to stay away from the wintry cyclone, you enter the ring of stones and soon step through the portal.
Instantly, you are transported from the frigid Border Wood to a forested hillside where, if anything, it is even colder. Here the wind is not howling at gale force, as on the other side of the portal, but snow still covers the ground, making overland travel difficult.
From your vantage point near the crown of the hill, you can see the faint and distant lights of a village in the distance, probably still miles away. Dark storm clouds fill the sky ominously.
There are no tracks in the immediate area where you enter the portal. But, not far from you, perhaps a 100 yards to the right, a path is cut through the light woods that dot the hillside. There along the path, you can easily see the evidence of a group of people passing down the hill towards the village in the distance. From the looks of the footprints in the snow, they did not pass by very long ago, perhaps less than an hour. The path leads down this hill and in between a cut of pine trees that obscures from your view where the travelers may be at this exact instant.
"I say we follow the previous trail. No sense in getting lost by trying to cut our own way through this winter hellscape." Ruso states while looking over the vast snow covered landscape.
"We need to get you all out of this weather. You won't survive long."
She nods to Ruso in agreement. "Let's follow the path. I might be easier to walk there than through this deep snow."
Radzislau shivers. "Dammit, this cold is brutal. Let us go."
"Radzislau, we have blankets and furs you can wrap yourself in to try to keep warm."
From the hillside the landscape appears to be a long flat snow-covered plain, but in reality it is a series of gently undulating hills and valleys. Moving to the next hillock along the path, the group can see a caravan of travelers ahead. From your vantage point, the caravan consists of 5 dogsleds with a different rider/driver for each. Some of the riders have dismounted and walk alongside their sleds, as the loads of the sleds seem to be quite heavy, and they bog down frequently in the deep snow.
As soon as the sleds disappear over the next rise, you hear shouts of alarm and cries of surprise echo toward you from where that group of travelers was lost to view.
"We should see what is going on, if they need help they may help us in turn with information, or at least some warm food. Lets go!"
Radzislau takes off at a steady run, moving as quickly as he can through the deep snow towards the rise. He will pause before going over it to take a look, just in case what is over there is different from what he thought.
"Well, goat piss!" Ruso scurries across the top of the snow. As he nears the commotion he drops his pack and peers over the hilltop.
Stumbling through the snowdrifts, you work your way down the hill and up the next rise, while the sounds of a group in trouble only intensify. Reaching the crest, you see the 5 mushers have been attacked by what looks like a giant praying mantis. The towering insect is at least 7 ft high and 15 ft long. It walks on its back legs, its front appendages sporting razor-sharp claws. The insect, out of place in this ultra-cold environment, has grabbed one of the travelers who is unconscious in its mandibles. The others try to maneuver their sledges away from the creature and dismount in order to rescue their trapped companion.
"Ruso looks at his companions. We have to move to help now." Ruso takes off across the top of the snow drawing his rapier as he moves. Puffs of snow spray up from the snowshoes as he runs towards the oversized insect.
Hungry Mantis - Round 1
17 Ruso
16 Radizlau
16 Irina
16 Giant Mantis
14 Nadya Petska
6 Cylina
3 Villagers
2 Wulfgang
Ruso takes off dashing across the snow as fast as he can given the treacherous footing and the over-sized snowshoes he wears.
"I have no idea what that creature is." she shrugs but moves closer to the battle anyway.
Radzislau follows and Irina closer, readying himself for yet another combat today.
Hungry Mantis - Round 1
Ruso, Radizlau, and Irina all move as quickly as they can along the snow-packed road towards the imperiled caravan. Irina recognizes the attacker as a giant mantis, but typically a creature like this is not native to frozen Irrisen, and she knows little else about them.
The giant mantis crunches into the hapless caravan member with his bone-breaking mandibles. The man can only scream in pain,and try to wriggle free, but the insect holds him fast, barbed hooks on its upper appendages locking the prey in place as it feeds.
One of the mushers, a woman by the size and shape of her, unslings a composite longbow from her back and takes a single shot at the bug which flies wide of the mark, do to her frozen fingers. She blows on her hands to warm them before the next volley.
Cylina turned from her mushing as the man's screams permeated the air, staring in horror as he was assaulted by the huge insect. As the creature savaged the poor bastard, the young woman was torn by indecision, fear urging her to use the distraction to continue along and flee, while morality and decency urged her to help.
As Nadya unslung her bow and fired it, Cylina's mental paralysis wore off and she nodded firmly once, steeling her resolve as she pulled forth her morning star as she trudged toward the insect. So intent was she on the foe that she didn't notice the quartet approaching from the other direction. Silently she thought a prayer to her goddess, feeling the rose pendant hanging from a chain around her neck resting comfortably against her breast. Her mouth set in a firm line, she approached the beast, getting ready to start swinging and hoping for the best.
"It's immune to most of my magics, and can fly a little."
Hungry Mantis - Round 1 - continued
Cylina has her snowshoes on, and once she disentangles from the sled, she stomps towards the massive insect, intent on freeing her companion who is being shredded by the its mandibles.
The other villagers struggle towards the mantis in the snow, but cannot attack. The grappled fellow tries to free himself, but cannot get loose.
Hungry Mantis - Round 1 - concluded
Wulfgang dashes down the path, eager to get into the fray with the large insect.
End of Round 1
Hungry Mantis - Round 2
17 Ruso
16 Radizlau
16 Irina
16 Giant Mantis
14 Nadya Petska
6 Cylina
3 Villagers
2 Wulfgang
Irina lets a Ray of Frost fly. Maybe this is something that's not immune to the cold."
Ruso continues to move forward and with a dip and dodge finally reaches the mantis. Now to end this threat.
Radzislau charges forward, swinging over Ruso's head at the beast.
Hungry Mantis - Round 2 - continued
Ruso continues to advance, sliding in the snow around the slashing upper appendage of the mantis and ending up adjacent to the great big bug.
Slugging at the insectile foe from a distance, Radzislau's long hammer strikes the target, but with insufficient force to damage the creatures's chitinouos exoskeleton.
The sheer size of the mantis makes it an easier target for Irina's frost ray, and she is faintly pleased to hear the squeal of pain from the bug as the icy beam hits it, meaning it is affected by cold.
Dropping the injured and broken traveler from its mouth, the giant mantis swipes at another of the locals, who just does manage to fight off the claw-like leg.
"Stay back from the damn thing!" shouts the red-headed woman urgently. "We can take it from range." Her actions belie her point as her second shot flies wide of the target.
Cylina started as the beast shrieked its alien, insectile squeal of pain, only then realizing that a quartet had approached from the other direction. She didn't recognize any of them, but it seemed they were intent on destroying or at least driving off the mantis, so that made them allies for now, at least.
As Nadya shouted out to get away from the creature, Cylina's brow furrowed with a fine crease, the woman stubbornly holding her ground. Perhaps the older woman was correct, but that would mean likely abandoning one of their number to the mantis, and Cylina would do no such thing, not even with these strangers who had arrived. Raising her morningstar above her head, she waited until the beast was distracted by another, but her timing was a bit off as she brought it down with a great amount of force.
Hungry Mantis - Round 2 - concluded
The villagers gather around their wounded ally trying to keep him alive and as comfortable as possible.
Cylina closes the gap and makes an attack on the mantis, but her bludgeoning attack misses the insect's hard outer carapace.
Wulfgang continues to close the distance ready to attack next round.
End of round 2
Hungry Mantis - Round 3
17 Ruso
16 Radizlau
16 Irina
16 Giant Mantis (3hp dmg)
14 Nadya Petska
6 Cylina
3 Villagers
2 Wulfgang
Ruso lunges forward with his blade.
Irina lets loose another Ray of Frost at the Mantis. She looks relieved that one of her spells actually works.
Radzislau swings again, his banner arcing through the air...
And smashing into the giant bug.
Hungry Mantis - Round 3 - concluded
At the feet of the great insect, Ruso stabs but his blade is turned aside by the exoskeleton of the mantis.
Radizlau swings his hammer harder, and this time feels the satisfying crunch of the bug give way, damaging it seriously.
From a distance, Irina sends another freezing ray, striking the mantis and causing it some damage.
With both its foreclaws, the manits strikes out at Ruso who is closest at his feet. One claw slashes across Ruso's back, the hooks not catching in his garments, while the other misses swishing through the air dangerously.
Nadya Petska fires at the mantis once again. This time her arrow strikes the mantis directly in the head, penetrating its brain and killing the beast in one fell shot.
End of Combat
As the great insect falls over, with a death rattle, Nadya kneels at the side of her injured companion with great concern. The rest of villagers eye the newcomers warily, weapons still drawn. "State your business, strangers." says one. Pointing at Irina he continues, "That one has the powers of the jadwiga. Are you emissaries of the Pale Tower or the Queen?"
Irina stiffens when the villagers point at her. She looks at her companions, and then decides to speak on their behalf
"I am not an emissary. I was trained as a youngster in those arts, I am not currently associated with the witches. We have just arrived in the area, and are looking for warmer clothing. We also need a place to stay for at least the evening."
Ruso checks his wounds as best he can while listening to Irina. Irina, you failed to rule out the rest of us on both counts. "Listen, what my friend here meant to say is that we are travelers from a distant land. We have no association with either, what did you call it, the Pale Tower or its queen. We wound up here unexpectedly. So if you would be so kind as to lend us some aid we will see if we can't help your friend."
Cylina gasped as the insect tore into the elven man who had come to her comrade's defense, raising her weapon again so as to strike once more at the beast. The opportunity never came, though, as Nadya put an end to the creature with a well-placed arrow.
As the foe fell, the Irriseni woman found herself in close proximity to these strangers, their manner of dress foreign to the never-ending winter that was the plight of her homeland. Tearing her gaze away from them, she drew out a small case from her pack, kneeling over her fallen companion and taking out some bandages and scissors, stanching the bleed from his wounds.
Cylina's face fell as the woman more or less admitted to being jadwiga, but the wounded elven male's words piqued her interest once more. Foreigners in Irrisen? One did not usually end up in the Queen's realm unexpectedly...strange times indeed.
"I will see to my companion's aid. Perhaps I could look at your wounds as well, ummm..." Color rising to her cheeks, Cylina realized she didn't know the man's name. Instead, she bent back to her work, applying pressure to where it was needed.