The woman who is the leader of the expedition gets up from checking on her wounded companion and steps between the rest of her group and the PC's, waving a calming hand at her allies. She speaks a Common tongue, heavily accented with the northern accent many of you recognize.
"We thank you for your assistance. Without your aid, my lucky shot would not have been possible. Such a horror does not exist in Irrisen normally, but with your aid, my friend will live. I am Nadya Petska, and I we are in your debt." She makes a little bow, and her countrymen relax their posture, still not putting the weapons away entirely.
"You are clearly strangers in our country, The Land of Eternal Winter, and perhaps you don't understand that danger that puts you in. Wandering uninvited into the territory of the White Witches, the jadwiga, puts you in great peril. But because of your aid with the monsters, we will grant you all the assistance we can muster. Our village, Waldsby, is what you can see in the distance, but it is farther than it appears. There we can get you shelter, food, and proper attire for the icy north."
The woman, who is dressed in a heavy overcoat with fur lined neck and sleeves and a fur-lined ushanka (cap with ear flaps) over her head points to the horizon where dark clouds gather threateningly. "That storm will be upon us within the hour, and we are still at least a days travel from Waldsby. We must shelter here, as best we might. We will set up tents and camp, you will sit, please, and tell us how and why you have come to our forsaken land? Please, my friends, be our guest through this storm. If it catches you without shelter, I am afraid the wretched jadwiga will be the least of your concerns."
She turns and barks orders to the rest of her crew in Skald, who finally put away their meager weapons and start unpacking items from the sled, intending to put up camp here in the shelter of the small creek. Nadya turns to Cylina last. "Sister, can you aid Horst with is injuries? He will likely survive, but his wounds are quite painful. If you can, please see to him while we set up for the rest."
"Thank you. My name is Irina Miklos. We are not from here. It's quite the story, and requires some time to tell. Is there any way we can help you prepare for the storm?"
Nadya nods, agreeing with Irina that she is not from there. "We will not require your aid in setting up camp, and we have food to share, in fact that is what is loaded on our sleds. I am curious to hear your story, and how you have come to these lands. When we are ready, please tell us what you can."
The group has 4 tents set up in short order, a fire going, and dinner cooking. The storm seems to be holding off for a bit, but snow starts falling in heavy white flakes, that drift down in the still air.
Cylina nodded her assent to Nadya's request. "Of course." Then she continued to assess Horst's injuries to be certain she tended to all of them. Though the bleeding of a wound was bad enough, she made sure to clean all of them as thoroughly as she could to prevent infection from setting in later on. Truthfully, she yearned to call upon her divine power to heal the man's wounds, but she was too cautious to attempt such a thing in the presence of so many eyes.
As her companions set about setting up camp as the storm threatened on the horizons, the young woman kept casting glances at the newcomers, curious as to how they had arrived here. Based on what the elf and the woman mistaken for a winter witch Irina had said so far, it would prove an interesting tale.
Ruso settles in near a fire and begins the tale including introducing the group to these folks since they are kind enough to share their camp.
"Well the story is convoluted at best and sounds down right crazy at its worst. I am therefore going to keep it short and simple. We are from well south of here were it was summertime. Unfortunately for us summer was interrupted by a sudden bout of winter cold and snow that only grew more intense the further into it we got but I am getting a bit ahead of myself."
"You see we are a collection of villagers who initially had a relatively simple task to accomplish. A noblewomen of some sort had stopped over in the village for an hour of so along with her guards and attendants. We of course gawked and fawned over the sudden influx. Now it was less than a day later that one of her guards came back into the village reporting that they had been overrun and the lady kidnapped. To make a long story short we where able to find the lady, who was overall rather snotty about it, and make sure she could return home."
"As for how we wound up here well lets just say that we followed a map that looking back on it we should have just left alone. We found the source of the winter weather in our summertime which lead us here. Now here we are, stuck far from home, and not likely to see home again anytime soon."
As Ruso tells his tale, Radzislau steps up to Cylina and the injured man and motions her aside.
"I have magics that can help him."
He kneels down and casts Cure Light Wounds on the injured man.
After Ruso finished his tale, Radzislau adds his own piece.
"My name is Radzislau. I joined the group after also getting caught up in some unknown magics that were over my head I'm afraid. I am glad that we have found our way back to good company it seems."
I was here as a young woman, but was returned to my homeland long ago. As Russo said it's far to the south. The weather was warm, and the summers long. No snow. It was nice. We stepped through a portal and brought to this land." she reaches out and warms her hands at the fire, "What brings you all so far from your village?"
Cylina listened in fascination as the elven man whom the others called Ruso told their strange tale. As for his commentary, she could only agree that the quartet likely should have stayed home. The Endless Winter was hard even for those who had lived in Irrisen for generations. For southerners, it would be downright deadly.
As the human man gestured for her to give him room with Horst, the redhead's brow furrowed but she stepped a couple of steps away. Her eyes widened as she saw the man call upon magics and her companion's wounds began to knit together. Cylina frantically looked about for a holy symbol or relic of some sort, but could not spot anything on the stranger's person. Leaning closer, she said softly in heavily accented common, "Friend, you would do well to keep such gifts closely held in this land."
As the group gathered around the fire to brace against the storm, the secret priestess heard Irina's question, deferring to Nadya to answer. These people had come through a portal, surely a magical one, yet they spoke of it rather casually. She wondered what purpose they had in Irrisen. She had her hopes, but didn't know nearly enough about the group to get excited.
Nadya nods approvingly as Radzislau heals the wounded Horst. The man stays prone, with still more mending to be done while the others converse.
The story of the missing noblewoman and the winter portal come out in bits and pieces and the northmen listen in rapt wonder as the snow falls heavier, and the wind picks up.
"You would do well to keep out of sight of the Winter Witches, then my friends. For they rule this land with an icy fist, and the weather you describe sounds like their work. I know not you came to Irrisen, but I do not think you will live long here without aid. If you are here for a reason, then tell us and we will aid you as we can." Nadya thinks about that for a moment then answers Irina's question. "We are on a return trip from the Land of the Mammoth Hunters to the east. We have traded our craft goods for food to offer to our liege, Nazhena Vasillovna in hopes she will release my daughter, Thora, whom she holds in her Pale Tower. I am of the hope that the food is enough for her to release my fair one."
The evening meal, a mix of venison and a hearty vegetable stew is served piping hot from the fire, but cooling and congealing quickly in the bitter cold. The storm rages hard for about an hour after dinner, and you are all quite thankful for the tents, and heavy furs and blankets provided by the Irriseni.
After the worst fo the storm, the fire is re-lit and banked and you gather around it to speak a bit more. To your great surprise, a figure appears in the camp, cloaked and with hood drawn. You can see the skin of the stranger is pale blue in color, and she seems to have legs that end in cloven hooves, rather than feet. When she steps into the firelight, she withdraws her hood, revealing a hairless horned head.
She speaks in a soft, melodius voice, "I saw your fire, and thought I would be safer with another group of travelers than caught out in the dark alone. Do you mind if I join you? My name is Mierul Ardelain, a traveling minstrel and it would be my honor if you would have me? And perhaps share something warm to eat? I would repay your kindness with song or stories as you like it." She smiles a handsome smile for such a strange looking creature.
Nadya looks ruffled by the appearance of the exotic stranger. She stammers in answer. "Ours is yours, as has been the way of this land for centuries when strangers meet. Please take seat by the fire, and warm yourself."
Mierul accepts a steaming bowl of stew, but sits a good distance from the fire. "Ah, that is fine!" she says with a contented sigh. "Tell me," she says conversationally, "What brings you lot out in the wilderness on such a thankless night?"
Ruso eats heartily, thankful for the good meal and warmth of the fire. "What do you mean that these Winter Witches sent this weather to our lands? Why?" Ruso listens to answer before asking another question.
"Why does your liege hold your daughter? Is she held against her will or is this part of some custom that I am unfamiliar with? If she is held against her will then I can think of no reason not to aid in freeing her. Giving tribute to someone that is willing to stoop to levels such as that can not be abided though as it only serves to strengthen their resolve to do the same to someone else in the future. I will be damned if will allow such a thing to occur while I know I can stop it. What say you all?"
At the arrival of strange blue creature to the fire Ruso becomes quite weary. He keeps a keen eye on the newcomer searching for signs of its intent.
Ruso nudges Wulfgang and gives a worried furtive glance at the blue creature. "Just to late a start to get moving this morning is what finds us camped here. What has you wandering these parts alone as night falls?"
Cylina listened to the strangers' tale as she continued to patch Horst up, tending his lesser wounds now that the most grievous had been repaired. She nodded in agreement as Nadya spoke of avoiding the notice of the Winter Witches, a shudder coursing through her that had nothing to do with the freezing temperatures around them. When the group leader spoke of her child, the young woman bent back to her task, as that was Nadya's business only.
After the storm had abated somewhat and the fires had been rebuilt back into providing warmth and light, Cylina was startled when the strange creature/woman strolled into the camp. She got to her feet, though she looked to the others to determine whether weapons should be drawn. As the thing spoke and Nadya offered it hospitality, the priestess sat back down. She gave the faintest of nods to the older leader, though, and looked approvingly at the elven stranger as he asked a sharp question of the newcomer.
"Indeed Ruso, a young one trapped, imprisoned, this cannot stand! We will help you my friend, as you have helped us without second thought with food and warmth."
After the strange bard arrives, Radzislau nods along to Ruso's questioning.
"Just heading home from a trading mission." She'll hold herself still and wait to see what the response is.
"We will discuss my daughter Thora and the Pale Tower later," says Nadya with a hush, as the strange forlarren enters the camp.
When Irina says they are simply heading home from a trading mission, Nadya butts in. "Yes, this is my cousin who lives in a nearby village and her friends. They have been assisting us on a mission for our jadwiga mistress." The strange goat-like bard nods her understanding of Nadya's words, but her expression fails to mask her skepticism of that story.
Instead of pressing further, Mierul turns her unusual blue eyes to Ruso, answering his query. "I did not choose to be alone after dark, but weather and fate had other plans. Perhaps it is not enough for an epic story, but I have become separated from my traveling companion. Maybe you have seen him? He is an older man, with a black cloak over black armor. He was riding a black horse when I saw him before the storm. He was headed this way. Did you run into him by chance?"
"No, can't say that I did. He sounds as if he would be hard to miss though given that description."
Radzislau frowns at the creatures words and focuses his gaze on her, searching for malice in her heart.
Irina tries not to stiffen as she describes her companion. "He does sound hard to miss." She doodles nonsense in the snow trying to keep attention from herself.
Cylina caught the masking comment from Nadya, but she remained silent as the group spoke with the forlarren woman, content to continue standing and watching. Occasionally she looked out into the dark, snowy wilderness, making sure that nothing else was using the distraction as cover.
The young woman cocked her head as Mierul described her traveling companion, but just shrugged. The old man sounded eccentric, from the style of clothing and armor, but otherwise didn't seem interesting. Looking about at the new additions to the group, she saw that the quiet man and the elf seemed relaxed, but the other two were perhaps nervous or untrusting. Then again, if their tale from earlier was true, perhaps they had good reason to be.
Mierul sighs. "Too bad. I am worried for him, and for myself. He is old and the cold, well it might be his last winter. But he is the only protection a poor traveling minstrel like me can afford. If you see him, please send me word as best you may."
Changing the subject, Mierul finishes her dinner. "Would you like me to sing for you? Seems the best I could do under the circumstances, and since you have taken me in from the cold."
Radzislau remains silent, not sure what to make of Mierul.
Irina is worried about having the bard sing, but is also worried about being rude. ”A song would be lovely. What do you feel like singing for us this evening?
"Why, I can sing most anything. I will start with a song of my mother's people, the nymphs of the woodlands." She begins singing a lullaby unaccompanied, and the sounds is fresh and clean. Like air blowing through the trees on a spring morning, the words are in a foreign tongue but the beauty and pastoral wonder are easy to understand in any language. When she finishes, Mierul looks to you. "Are there songs form your villages that I might know? What songs do your people sing? I have traveled in Irrisen for many years, and may yet know a favorite."
The young woman settled in as the newest newcomer began to sing for the group, the forlarren's skill quickly evident. Indeed, Cylina rapidly calmed her state of alarm, though she did keep an eye out in the wilderness, as the noise could possibly bring out predators. Unlikely, so soon after the storm, but it was best not to take chances.
As Mierul asked for suggestions, Cylina remained silent, deferring to Nadya in this instance. Perhaps these other strangers to this land would offer a foreign suggestion. The redhead was piqued at the possibility, as the outside world had always appealed to her, especially recently.
"Since having come here there is a tune I have not heard. Perhaps you might know it, the leaping weasel. It is a simple but catchy tune." Ruso gives a smile as he makes the suggestion while all the while he is laughing inside having suggested an old children's song.
Mierul rolls her eyes at Ruso's foolishness, and begins another song, ending with one last lament about the loss of Irrisen from the Linnorm Kings to the witch-master Baba Yaga. After the last song is finished, Nadya indicates the gathering is over. "It is time for bed." she says abruptly. "The bard may sleep in my tent; everyone else rest well, we have a hard trudge tomorrow to finish our journey."
The rest of the night proceeds without incident and the sun rises early in the morning, shining bright and clear across the new-fallen snow.
The Irriseni villagers do not take long to break camp, folding their tents and packing their sleds for the last trek to their home village of Waldsby.
Mierul, strangely quiet in the morning, says her good-byes and heads off in the opposite direction, still searching for her companion who was all dressed in black and apparently lost in the snowstorm.
Soon, you are all set to travel with each of you taking a riding position on the dogsleds. The travel is slower with the added weight, but not impossible. Around 2 hours after you start, a fast-moving dark cloud appears on the horizon.
Irina points to the cloud. "I don't think that's at all normal. It looks like a swarm of birds. A think swarm."
"I don't see it but I'll take your word for it." says Radzislau as he readies his weapon.
"Ummm... I really don't like the look of that flock. This may just be me being overly cautious but I think we should seek cover or concealment of some type as quick as we can."
Cylina's eyes widened in surprise as Nadya announced the impromptu performance over and offered her tent to the newcomer. The young woman pondered this in her own small sleeping area before offering a few prayers to her Goddess before dozing off.
Cylina remained silent as Mierul quietly bid the group farewell, looking for her oddly dressed companion. Secretly, the priestess didn't hold much hope for the forlarren's friend...Irriseni storms were awful, and getting lost in one was likely a death sentence. Still, supplies had to be delivered to the small hamlet that was their destination, so the young woman helped get things prepped and going.
The cleric spent most of the trip studying the additions to the group, her mind conjuring up different possibilities for their sudden arrival in Irrisen. Everything from bait to lure out dissenters against the Witch Queen to conjured heroes sent here to free the people from under the yoke of Winter ran through her head. So she was still lost in daydreams when the others pointed out the large flock on the horizon, her brow furrowing at the strange display. Unsure, she turned to Nadya for guidance, thinking that the elven man's suggestion was prudent.
Nadya looks as you point out the swarm of birds that looks like a dark cloud drawing ever closer. She spits out a few commands in Skald and the mushers stop the sleds. From their packs they unfurl 5 white tarpulins that they begin laying over the sleds, dogs and all trying to blend them in with the snow-covered ground. It's unclear if it is too late to avoid detection.
Nadya hisses between her teeth as she works. "The birds are spies of the Pale Tower. If they see us, it will be known there. Your dress will give you away as outsiders, and our presence with you will mean trouble, likely death for us all. Now hide!"
The tarps offer thin protection, ruffling in the winds, but Nadya and others kneel with the dogs to keep them as still as they can, and motion for silence from your group as well. Soon the calling of the birds, ravens it appears, can be heard as the flock closes in on your position.
Irina knows this is really bad news. She tucks herself under the tarps and holds down and edge of the tarp.
She holds her breath as the birds get closer.
Ruso slips under a corner of the tarp, draws his cloak tight around him, and holds still. For the love of the Gods...
Cylina keeps herself from panicking, instead doing as instructed and hiding under the white tarps and hoping for the best while whispering a short prayer.
Huddling under the white tarps, you can only wait, hope, and pray. It is several anxious moments before you hear a loud sneeze erupt from Wulfgang who is apparently allergic to wet dogs...
The explosive sound attracts the attention of the bird swarm, and soon the tarp that the viking is under is fully assaulted by hundreds, if not thousands, of pecking beaks.
Eyes in the Sky - Round 1
16 Radiszlau
10 Wulfgang
7 Ruso
7 Raven Swarm
5 Irina
3 Cylina
Eyes in the Sky - Round 1 - continued
Betrayed by his immune system, Wulfgang gives up the stealthy approach and stands attacking the birds while wrapped up in the tarp. The white barrier keeps Wulfgang from seeing the swarm of ravens, and he blindly strikes out, still making contact with several dozen swarm members, killing them outright.
Radzislau jumps up out of the tarp and pushes around, not wanting to give the swarm a bunched up target.
Son of a flaming goat! Ruso moves quickly to standing, drawing his rapier as he does so, and allowing the corner of the tarp to slide off of him as he rises. He makes to impale as many ravens as he can.
Eyes in the Sky - Round 1 - continued
Radizlau slips out from under the white tarp and moves away from the others, trying not to bunch up where the swarm can harm multiple party members.
Ruso leaps up and rushes over to stab at the swarming flock that surrounds Wulfgang. He pokes with his rapier, but cannot harm enough of the ravens to matter much.
The swarm settles on Wulfgang. The multitude of birds pecking and raking at him and his companion wiht claws and beaks. No single wound is bad, but the hundreds of birds makes an impact even on the doughty viking warrior.
Cylina heard the commotion of the flock, the screeching of the birds from nearby as they tore at something, presumably one of the group. Quickly tossing aside the tarp and rising to her feet, she stood horrified for a moment as the quiet northman who had recently joined them was being harried and tormented by the hundreds of birds. Regaining her faculties, the priestess drew her morningstar and trudged forward to help, hoping the stalwart man could hang on.