Grimkell frown at what Zisel just said.
"Right, that is ironic and ..." he stops only now registering what Pym said.
"Wait, did you just say you came all the way from the frozen land of the witches? The one stolen from the Linnorm kings?" he says, turning his head around to look at the sprite.
Mirri smiled at Grimkell's surprise and said, "Yes, she did, in fact she's said that before, you just weren't listening well enough. Why do you think she likes Zisel and myself, calls us sisters, because we're all tied to that area in one way or another. If it makes you feel better I come from even farther north than Irrisen."
Pym flies up to Grimkell and stops, hovering midair in front of his face. "Yes, Pretender, of course!"
Grimkell frowns some more, not impress by the little one flying in front of him, but slightly confused at the concept. Traveling so far south had been a challenge for Ogmundr and Grimkell... what could it have been for a small creature such as Pym.
"You impress me little sprite. You traveled hundreds of miles south until you found this little patch of ice. Ever wondered how why you found such a cold place during summer?" Grimkell asks, going around the sprite, and approaching the bound man.
Sheathing his sword, Grimkell starts unbinding their prisoner. The whole time, he gives looks at Pym, curious to see what the sprite will answer. Once done with the rope, though, he turns his attention to the bandit.
"Time to go. Remember what my friends here said. We catch you again, you're dead meat." Grimkell says, mostly fiercely before pointing toward the direction they came from.
Then he turns back toward Yeva. Stern looking.
"So. What about you? Will you accompany this man back out of this wintery place?"
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Hefting a massive club against her shoulder, Yeva turns to Theora. "I have been hurt worse, but yes I am injured. You do not need to slow yourself for me." She shrugs at the other questions. "Irrisen." she says flatly. "I was raised near Tashagrot, I am of the blood of the Ninth Daughter..." She gives a gruff smile. "Well, mostly."
Zisel eyes up the stranger curiously after finishing releasing their captive, dusting the snow off her dress before extending a hand to the stranger.
"Another sister of the north. How peculiar that so many have been drawn here. I am Zisel, also from Irrisen, though I claim no noble lineage."
"Well, let's see to that, mmm?" Seemingly undaunted by the enormous woman, Theora smiles, patting Yeva in the small of her back, muttering a few words under her breath.
"Well, I suppose we can't all be from exotic, far-flung places," she chuckles, smiling as Sootfeather shifts shoulders and begins picking at his feathers. "We'd best continue our search, providing the newcomer doesn't mind?"
The man wastes no time leaving the area, moving in earnest he throws frequent glances back over his shoulder at the group.
Pym seems genuinely confused by Grimkell's statements, "What do you mean? It was not so very far away, I just had to go through the swirling ice and then I was here. This is not so very cold, it is much warmer than home... What is 'Summer'?"
With the bandit set free and a new person added to their ranks, the party continues forward.
After a couple of miles, forging your way through the snow which does nothing but continue to increase as you go, the land raises up into hills. A hundred or so feet into the hills, the snowy trail finally levels off. In a clearing among the trees, a large wood and stone structure overlooks a ravine spanned by a long rope bridge. Smoke rises from the lodge's two snow-covered chimneys, and a large woodpile is stacked against the outer wall. A small outbuilding stands east of the lodge, and a stone well nearly blanketed by snow is barely recognizable to the north. Several tracks, human and horse, lead southwest towards a detached stable.
Apparently the cold was getting to her and Mirri was glad that she had collected the clothes from the dead thug. As they traveled she huddled deep within her clothing so as to stay warm. When they found the cabin that showed obvious signs of habitation she said quietly to the others, "It seems we may have found the bandits. We'd better be cautious and scout this out before we act."
"Agreed. Caution should be our first priority, but we still need to take action sooner rather than later. I don't suppose any of you are more skilled at silence and stealth than myself? Despite having a good footing around her, my ability to do that with any amount of discretion is limited."
On their way up the hill, Grimkell decides to take the lead. The group is now so strange, him being the only man. Everything seems so unreal, there was clearly some kind of force that had brought them together, how could so many people from Irrisen find each other in Taldor? But why would destiny group woman? What heroic deeds could they accomplish together?
Grimkell thoughts are brought to a stop once he lays eyes of the cabin. He slowly moves behind a branch from a pine tree. As the others discuss the approach, he focuses on staring at the place, trying to notice the presence of movement, or of a guard. Once the novelty of the place they discovered wears off, he turns toward Zisel and Mirri.
"Maybe the new comer has some hiding skills? ... Actually, better. Why does Pym not go? She should be quite innocuous!"
"I will go look if the sisters want!"
Mirri gave Pym a delighted smile, "Thank you Sister, your help is appreciated." While they waited on Pym to return Mirri looked around and paid attention to teh area as she tried to spot anything that seemed of use. She looked for anything from weak spots to cover to things lying on the ground that could come in handy.
Grimkell watches Pym makes her way in the sky and around the cabin. Then, his eyes open wide, as if he had forgotten something important and just remembered it. Slightly returning to his stern expression, he turns toward Mirri.
"Swirling ice? Never seen summer... how could she have come all the way here?"
Pym flies off and returns a few minutes later, "Izoze is hiding in the tree over by the bridge. She saw me too, but I don't think she cares. Besides, it is not so odd that I should be here. Izoze will be very angry when she sees I'm with the sisters... Oh, and I saw a trap!"
Mirri notes that it would be possible to make her way behind the outhouse or stables by skirting along hidden in the treeline.
As she examined the ways to approach Mirri replied to Grimkell, "I'm not sure, the swirling ice sounds like maybe some kind of portal? It seems to fit, and I've heard that such things exist. Either way it's probably those damned witches who did it for some reason. As for the rest, I'd never seen summer either until I came here and from further north, though it took me much longer than it seems it took Pym." Mirri finally spotted a way to approach unobserved and said quietly, "That way, we can get closer by moving along just inside of the tree line." It was about then that Pym returned and delivered her news, prompting Mirri to ask the questions as she held a hand out for the sprite to land on, "First, who and what is Izoze and is she a threat to us? Second where was this trap and what kind of trap was it?"
Zisel listens intently to Pym's report, equally as curious as Mirri about who Izoze was. Probably another fey if she had to guess.
She watches the new comer with curiosity, holding her tongue on the questions about her eyes. Zisel, of all people, had no place to comment on such things.
She shakes such thoughts from her head and looks to where Mirri had indicated they could cross unseen. "You think that'll give enough cover?" She wasn't questioning Mirri's judgement so much as voicing her own insecurities about this entire arrangement. "We should move cautiously, keep an eye for any hidden scouts or guards as we go."
Pym lands on Mirri's palm and then sits, her wings dangling over one side and her legs the other. She swings her legs back and forth as she talks, "Izoze is a mephit, she came from home through the swirling ice, too. She's in a tree across the bridge behind the human building. The trap is right over there," she says pointing a short ways up the trail that you have been traveling on until this point. "There is a crossbow that will shoot and it will pull a string, the string is attached to weird metal things on the big human building. There are people inside the big building, too. I don't know how many, I could not get inside," after a pause in which she seems to contemplate how to word what she wants to say next she speaks again, "We should not go in there. The man who plays with death is in there. I don't like him, and he will try to hurt the sisters."
"The man who plays with death?" Zisel repeated questioningly. "Is that some sort of fey being?"
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Pym seems pleased that Yeva knows what she is talking about. Responding to Zisel she says, "No it's the human who raises the dead, makes them into mindless servants. He is dark, he is evil. I don't like him, he will hurt the sisters. Let's go somewhere else."
Grimkell eyes betray a glint of interest as they dart back and forth between the others as they discuss the plan, the mephit, the man who plays with death, and the swirling ice. Three mysteries? He had to know what they were... but they first needed finish planning their attack. With great difficulty, Grimkell reorients his attention solely toward the task at hand, the attack.
"We can talk about the swirling ice later... I don't like the presence of this Izoze, mephits have been known to kill able warriors... not heroes, but still. Pym, do you have any idea why it would be there? Will it want to kill the bandits? Me and the sisters? None?"
Upon hearing Pym's plea for them to stay away, Grimkell looks toward the sprite.
"Is he that dangerous? If so, maybe we could rescue lady Aregentea without figthing any of them. Pym, if you want to protect the sisters, you have to give us more information on how we might be able to save their captive without alerting them."
"She is there probably because she was told to be there. Or maybe she just doesn't like the humans either and doesn't want to be inside with them. I don't know if she'll attack us or not."
The extra layers of warm clothing do wonders for Theora - with the extra warmth and the snowshoes, she's more at ease than ever in the frosty air.
"A portal that leads to Irrisen?" she murmurs, thick eyebrows knitting together. "That must be powerful witchcraft. And I certainly don't like the idea of fighting a necromancer."
"I don't think we have another option but to press forward, unless we plan to abandon the quest after coming so far," Zisel says with a grimace. She doesn't like the idea of a necromancer at all, nor going up against any of Pym's friends. "Hopefully we can negotiate with the Mephit if it's hostile. Or perhaps Pym will have some sway. Either way, lingering here in the cold is going to get us no where. We ought to go, and go now."
Mirri nodded, I agree, let's follow the tree line around and come in behind the stables, we can get closer that way. With any luck we can avoid Izoze, at least for now."
Grimkell does his best to avoid been drawn into another portal conversation when he hears Theora. Focusing on the task, he answers to Mirri and Zisel.
"Right."
Drawing his sword, the ulfen slowly makes his way through the pine trees until he reaches the outhouse. He stops a moment to look around and then continue on his way, bending so as to be as low as possible. Still hiding behind trees, he reaches the stables.
"Should we free the horses to create a commotion? That might give us a good advantage over them." he suggests to the others in a whisper.
Zisel immediately falls in line behind Grimkell, stepping lightly over the snow as quietly as she can. She keeps both eyes peeled for any danger or traps.
Mirri nodded at Yeva and said, "I'll keep that in mind." She then proceeded to follow the rest of the group as they made their way through the trees.
Grimkell manages to sound like a stampede moving through the underbrush, but miraculously it doesn't seem to have drawn the attention of anyone indoors. It quite likely, however, alerted Izoze to your presence.
Having received no answers from the others, save from one creepy remark from Yeva, to which the he frowned, Grimkell turns to the women, his expression focused.
"Alright, I am going to go and check for horses, if there are any, I'll free one or two. We wait for some of the kidnappers to come out, as soon as they do, we ambush them. Sounds good?" he asks, not even waiting for an answer to circle around the building, and entering through the first door. On his way, he tries to be as inconspicuous as possible, looking around to spot any danger that might be lurking around.
Zisel follows Grimkell around the back quietly, stopping where he indicates in order to set up his plan. She's nervous, a fact that isn't well hidden if anyone happens to notice her wringing her skirts. Ambushing wasn't exactly something she was familiar with.
Theora nods to Grimkell before following him, attempting to stay close and silent, away from the windows of the lodge when possible. She presses herself against the wall of the stables, bow and arrow in hand, watching for the bandits to come investigate the distraction. Good idea, releasing the horses, she thinks approvingly. I'll have to let him know later.
With the rest trying to remain silent Mirri followed suit, watching her step and keeping her eyes open.
Twin doors open into this low stable, where five stalls hold three horses and a mix of loose straw. A rack of riding gear hangs on the east wall, and a cast-iron tub sits empty in the corner.
Try as you might, the group has made enough noise that you doubt Izoze remains oblivious to your presence. As of yet, the mephit has not come to bother you, however. You can't be certain that no one inside has heard you, but no one comes outside just yet to investigate.
Grimkell enters the stable, and carefully closes the door to the outside, giving one last look at the cabin. Now inside, he searches for a few metal items (old horseshoes and such) which he binds together using a bridle from the rack of riding gear. Hopefully, the jingling of the metal bits would be loud enough to attract attention from the cabin.
Approaching one of the horses calmly, he pats the animal on the neck before binding the newly made contraption. With a crooked smile, he takes a step back to look the horse from hooves to head.
"Sorry a"
Satisfied, Grimkell opens the door of the stall to lead the horse out, which he guides to the door of the stable. The cold air rushes in, but the ulfen does not care, looking forward to see how their foes will react once the horse runs out.
In one swift motion, Grimkell takes out a javelin and whips the back of the horse, motivating it to run away, the metal jingling around its neck.
The horse rears up kicking it's front legs in the air before it storms forward out of the barn headed straight for the path - and the trap, that the group bypassed. It certainly causes a ruckus, and likely drew the attention of those inside. If no one intervenes to stop the horse, he will trigger the trap, and perhaps take a crossbow bolt in the process.
Zisel perks up when the sound of hooves thumping and crunching through snow suddenly picks up. I hope his plan had a follow up for the success. I don't know that I asked after that aspect of it...
SHe holds her position for now, waiting for Grimkell's go ahead or next instructions. He had his head screwed on the right way if nothing else.
The horse runs right into the trap, triggering the crossbow and taking a bolt to his flank. Pained, and enraged he runs faster as his blood starts to drip from the wound made worse by his movement. When the trap goes off, a string of pots and pans is pulled creating an even louder noise than the horse. An alarm is raised inside the house, you can hear men calling out to each other, calling them to arms. You wait a moment longer but still, the door does not open. It appears that the bandits are waiting for you to come inside.
"Oh, darn." Theora sighs, relaxing her grip on her bow slightly. "All they're doing is waiting for us. It was a good idea, though," she adds, glancing comfortingly at Grimkell.
With a glance at Yeva's club, she adds, "Perhaps breaking a window would draw their attention while some of us head in the door? I'm not fond of the idea of fighting indoors, especially not when they're aware of us, but it seems we've put our foot in it now."