"Huh. Could this be what the Fairy was talking about, when he said that they were claiming the Hut?"
With a shrug, Crummock moves on to the next area.
Perched precariously in the branches of the trees here is a small house, apparently lifted into the air (20 ft up) from its foundations. The branches creak as the house teeters and sways with the wind. The party hears children crying for help within. "My father is hurt, and the Winter Guard just left us all stranded here. Someone please! Help us!"
Mr Whiskers knows that climbing the tree requires a DC 15 climb check, but failing the check by 5 or more shakes the tree and cause the house to come crashing down. A creature can be lowered from the house with ropes in 2 rounds with a DC 10 strength check, but failure means that the house suddenly shifts and no progress is made. Failure by 5 or more means the house falls. Mr Whiskers manages to shore up the foundations so that when lowering ropes, it only requires a DC 8 strength check, with his engineering knowledge.
Those spineless cowards. How could they leave children like this!
Crummock frowns.
"Crivens! That looks dangerous. Hang on, whilst I summon some help. Do not be afraid; it is perfectly friendly!"
Crummock then concentrates, and summons a Small Air Elemental to ferry the children (and their father) down.
"Oooh that was so fun! Can we do it again?" The children (a boy and a girl) squeal delightedly as the small air elemental give them an airy ride down. They look disappointed as the air elemental disappears.
The man (who has a sprained ankle), thanks Crummock and introduces himself as Karend. He gives Crummock a butterfly amulet (amulet of natural armour +1) “I gave it to my late wife years ago to keep her safe,”he explains."You saved her children today. She would want you to have it.”
Crummock smiles warmly.
"Thank ye; I will treasure it."
When he sees that the man is injured, though, he speaks up.
"Hang on a moment - I can't in good conscience let ye limp off into the city - ye would be a tempting target, and I have seen first hand what can happen to children in this place..."
Crummock lays a hand on the man's sprained ankle, and channels healing energy into it, even as a small bruise forms on his own ankle.
"There. That should help."
He then watches carefully to make sure that the family are coping. before moving on to the next unexplored area.
"You're a miracle worker!" The merchant thanks Crummock and hands Crummock a small bottle marked 'Tabasco sauce'. "Here, have some tabasco sauce, I brought it from my homeland and keep it with me all the time for seasoning."
He then walks out of the market place with his children.
A large chunk of stone juts from the ground like a natural stage. Six boulders float in the air and slowly orbit the raised platform.(10 ft above the ground). The rich scent of loamy earth hangs heavy in the air. A humanoid figure with red hair stands atop the platform. His clothes look...rather greasy. In his hand is a horn, and in his other hand is a rapier.
"Turn back, mortals, you cannot pass. We have come to claim this reality, and we’ll take the Crone’s hovel with us. Turn away and live your lives in peace and safety, unburdened by the heavy weight of relevance.” He calls out to the party.
"I be afraid that we cannae acquiesce to yer request, laddie."
"You do not know what you're asking for, mortals. Better that the hovel is taken out of Elvana's hands lest she use it against the world." He answers Crummock.
"Aye, well, we dinnae intend to leave it in her hands..."
"And..? What do YOU intend to do with it? Use it to destroy the world?"
"Nay! We intend to use it to find the Great Crone, so she can sort out the mess that her hurtyn daughter is causin'."
"Destroy the world? Are you insane! Where would we live!" Mr. Whiskers exclaims.
With a sigh, he says "We want to stop the queen from plunging the world into an endless winter."
"Do you think the Great Crone will care? This place, that mortals call Irrissen, used to be filled with vast forests and wondrous beasts a-plenty. Now only death lies within the frozen woods."
"The woods were homes of the princes of the forest, honored knights of the Willow Kings. Yet what did she do? She used her magic to plunge this land into eternal winter. Then she captured all the princes, tore out their steaming hearts before their eyes." His eyes bore into Crummock.
"In the gaping gore of their chest wounds, she packed the month-old rotting hearts of slaughtered stags, and then breathed life anew into the tortured fey with an icy kiss. Their songs were stolen and their love of green and beauty replaced with cold hate and undying love for her. Our brothers, now her loyal minions, ride to hunt US down. Can you imagine what it feels like to see your brothers slain and corrupted before your eyes?"His eyes fill with unshed tears.
"Do you truly think the Great Crone would care? She cares only of her own power,"Then he spits on the ground.
"Aye, well, the enemy o' my enemy is my friend... and the Great Crone is definitely no friend o' her daughter's. Moreover, the Great Crone seems to be content with this one part o' Golarion, but her daughter wants to destroy all o' its forests, coverin' this place in eternal winter... which would mean that there wasnae room for the Seelie anywhere on this world."
”And how would taking the Hut stop the queen from plunging the world into an endless winter?” The humanoid asks, ”It was Baba Yaga who first brought winter into Irrissen, fifteen hundred years ago, by the way mortals measure time.”
”So after you retrieve the hut, you will use it to find the Great Crone.” He states measuringly. ”And you will ask the Great Crone to fix what her daughter has done. And after that…leave the world as it is?”
"We were told only she could defeat the queen." Mr. Whiskers replies, watching the creature's reaction.
I do hope some of what I've heard about the crone is true.
"As for why she might care, it is said she is harsh yet fair. She imposed limits on her daughters, things the current queen is trying to undo. By casting aside the Iron Guard who served her" Mr. Whiskers makes a sweeping guesture with his arms "in favor of the Winter Guard and Mirror Men, the queen is breaking the rules that were laid down." As he says this, he slams one paw into the palm of the other.
Finally, he asks "Don't you think she would want to find out her daughter is misbehaving?"
We were told only she could defeat the queen." Mr. Whiskers replies, watching the creature's reaction.
The fey creature cocks his head curiously, ”And who told you that?”
”Yes Baba Yaga certainly would punish her daughter for disobedience, but would a regime under Baba Yaga be much better then one under Elvana?”He sighs. ”You don’t get it, do you? When one of us fey is done a favour, the scales are unbalanced. And we don’t like unbalanced scales. Think on that for a bit.”
”You’ll need to find my fellow dawn piper in the woods. And eventually we’ll need to bring you to my Queen so you can state your case there. Though she’s going to have our hides for this.” He grumbles.
”I’d probably better stick around, just to prevent unfortunate incidents. But at the end of the day, I will have to testify before the Queen that you’re worthy by skill of arms, so it is in your best interests that I am not forced to intervene.”
"Pardon me for asking, but would we be allowed safe passage for the visit?" Mr. Whiskers looks a little nervous at the idea of visiting with Titania.
Deal with the fey queen in her court? I'm not fond of that idea, but to refuse would be a grave insult I fear!
Then evidently remembering his manners, he quickly adds "I am called Mr. Whiskers. What should we call you, sir?"
"My name is Ravathiel. You will be allowed safe passage to her court."
Nodding, he then turns to his friends. "Well, shall we accept his kind offer?"
Even if he only promised us passage to the court, saying nothing about the return trip.
The party proceeds on, through the northern path in the woods. Two creatures with a stag’s body, a hawk’s wings and talons, and the head of a slavering wolf with a rack of sharp antlers on its brow."Oooooh. Delicious!" They remark as they swoop from the skies to attack.
Mr Whiskers recognizes them as Preytons.Savage creatures of nightmare, perytons combine the features of stags, wolves, and great birds of prey. Though vicious beasts, perytons possess all the intelligence of a human. Perytons hunt any creature weaker than themselves, but prefer humanoid prey, as they particularly relish the taste of such creatures’ still-beating hearts.
They are vulnerable to magic weapons(DR 5/magic) and can shadow mark their prey.
Shadow Mark.
As a free action, a peryton can make a ranged touch attack by flying over a humanoid target—the maximum range of this attack is 300 feet. If the peryton hits, its shadow transforms to match the shadow of the creature struck. Once a peryton has established this link, it gains a +2 morale bonus on attack rolls and damage rolls made against that target, and every time the peryton hits that target with an attack, the creature must make a DC 13 Will save or become frightened for 1 round. This is a mind-affecting fear effect. The save DC is Charisma-based.
Our flying deer are 40 ft in the air at this point of time.
Mr. Whiskers casts Haste on the group and then draws out the wand of Magic Weapon.
One peryton flies over, taking on Hirah's shadow, then divebombs Hirah. Einar smacks it with his lucene hammer as it gets close, but the creature swerves out of the way of Hirah and Einar's artacks at the last minute, sticks Hirah's shoulder with its antlers then retreats upwards into the sky.
The other peryton tries to divebomb Einar, who swings his hammer at it.
Einar hits with his hammer but it seems his hammer isn't as effective as it should be. The peryton flies up into the sky again, after grazing Einar's cheek with its antlers.
Mr. Whiskers taps Einar's hammer with the wand, saying "I'll get your weapon next, Hirah!"
With a shrug, Crummock casts Sound Burst, hoping to knock one (or both!) of the creatures out of the sky.
"Don't bother" Hirah responds, making sure she stands next to Einar.
Both of them do not fall out of the sky from Crummock's sound burst.
Einar brutally bites and claws the pertyon on the left, and it falls out of the sky landing on the ground with a sickening thump.
Einar manages to rake the other Peryton, wounding it, but it doesn't go down.
The remaining Pertyon tries to close in with Einar, and sticks him in his ribs. Einar tries to claw it as it comes close, but misses.
Mr. Whiskers moves to the side so he isn't in the way of anyone.
With a shrug, Crummock waits for Einar and Hirah to eviscerate the remaining creature.
Hirah swings her greatsword at the creature, and cuts it down.
A solitary building sits partially surrounded by trees here. A few patches of cobblestones still cover the ground outside, while a wooden street sign lies facedown in the snow. A solitary winterwolf prowls around the building entrance.
The winterwolf addresses the party, "I'm Lieutenant Bragda, Commander of Division three. Winter Guard Patrol, by my rank, I hereby take command of your patrol and order you to escort me out of the market square, to the nearest Winter Guard Barracks."
Mr. Whiskers looks to Crummock, discretely giving a thumbs down and waits for the charmer to take the lead.
If the rebellion by the Iron Guard is to last, this fellow can not be allowed to leave. Crummock probably realizes this and is much better at fooling people. Let's follow whatever plan he comes up with.
Well, so much for getting the drop on it.
Mr. Whiskers realizes this is not going to go the way he hoped and starts looking to get a clear shot at the Winter Wolf.
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Crummock nods, and heals Einar.
Crummock closes his eyes, and gives a long, suffering sigh.
"You will have to excuse that one - ever since the battle with the Perytons, his head hasn't been quite right."
He then gives a non-commital shrug.
"Sometimes, a fantasise about hitting him in the head again, to see if that fixes things. Look, we can escort you out of here, but after that, you are on your own - we have our own mission, and it cannot be countermanded."
He then pauses for a moment, as if something only just occurred to him.
"What happened to your patrol?"
"Oh. The Perytons." She growls angrily. "We were attacked by them and we retreated into the hut, hoping for reinforcements...it's too late for them now. They're dead." She answers sadly."I couldn't do anything to save them..."She gives a snuffle.
She looks at Einar measuringly, "You know, he really should get discharged for being unfit for duty. He doesn't even recognize what he's supposed to be doing. What if he suddenly decides that you're not part of his patrol and decides to swing that big hammer of his around?"
"I can't really hit HIM on the head, but I could slam him against the house wall, if you think it'd help bring him to his senses?" She offers to Crummock."Otherwise he might be a danger to everyone around him.And he might hitch me to the dogsled if I came along with you."