Katherson also finds no sign of anything concerning... apart from the frozen dead body that is attached to the boots protruding from the snow.
Katherson shrugs at the half-orcs ire.
"Think what you like, I've long ago learned rushing in gets good people killed."
"Maybe you blind, or you'd have seen wasn't me rushing in. I didn't rush anywhere, I waited for the blessing of the spirits from Klo and moved to the front to defend the group like he told me to, no rushing, none at all, I was at the back of the group, not the front. Why you guys always good with the big ideas after the fights, yet silent as falling snow during and before? I'm going back to the back again, see what other things happen, and next time I follow your advice and count to twenty before joining the fight, but that gonna take a while as I have to take off my boots first."
Elghund grumbles and returns to his post at the rear of the party.
Seeing all the interest in the mysterious boots, Elghund returns to the front, grapple and rope in hand, clears his fellows back as he retreats 20' from the body and starts 'fishing' with his grapple, hoping to snag and drag the body 10' closer to him...
Pulling the body from the snowdrift you find that it bears a face Annalisa recognizes as Old Man Dansby, a farmer of Heldren. Though he carries weapons, he bears no armor despite warm clothing and his chest is stove in, by the ice elementals judging by the wound.
Skäne hacks a laugh at Elghund's comment before standing next to the frozen corpse.
"This is what happens to the skynsamligar... Did not even draw his hervápn ... Poor fjǫrlag for any mann..."
The vikingr spits as he waits.
Kló nods his thanks to Elghund as the orc coils back up his grappling rope. He the bends down to begin sifting through the man's equipment. "Annalísa, any reason we shouldn't put this man's stuff to good use? No offense to him, but his loss is our gain."
Katherson shakes his head.
"I meant only to caution you about my limited ability to heal you, infer what you like."
I will have to speak slower for that one. And watch my words lest he take offense.
***
"How many of these farmers came out here? They may end up captives of the fey, or worse. Is it your intention to free them?"
Skäne grunts a black laugh and taps the frozen corpse with his boot;
"Feh. Farmers should tend fénaðr or grow neeps... und leave fólcvíg to those with a taste for it - lest they end up like this fool..."
He spits again.
"Nay. Take what you can. If we survive all this, then perhaps we can return some of it to his kinfolk. We might also take him back with us in the end... give him a proper send off."
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"I carry the bow then, not claiming it, just carry and use until we get the job done, then give back" Elghund suggests.
"Sounds like a good plan, Elghund. The bow would probably do best in your hands."
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There is a strange half shift in the Orcs expression, for a moment one might even think he almost smiled at the praise.
As he listens to the others interplay Skäne nods to himself and spits, before commenting sarcastically;
"Huhh. Pat the hundr and he wags his sporðr..."
Kló begins scouring the grounds on this side of the river for signs of their quarry's passing. "Elghund, let's see if we can pick back up the trail."
Elghund grunts acknowledgement and assists Klo verifying the path they need to follow...
Perception
Survival (to track)
It does not take overlong before you reach an incline that sends the trail winding and rising to the West before doubling back on itself. After climbing at least a hundred feet in height into the hills, the snowy trail finally levels off. In a clearing among the trees, a large wooden lodge overlooks a ravine spanned by a long rope bridge. Smoke rises from the lodge’s two snow-covered chimneys, and 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 lead southwest toward a detached stable.
The thick and deep trail you have been following muddies nearer to the back of the lodge and numerous horse and human tracks cross back and forth through the snow near the back porch of the lodge.
Elghund throws a rock to the front of the party and once he has their attention he points into the treeline and indicates everyone should get off the road and out of sight.
"Hmm. Lots of traps so far, so front door up there be untrustworthy. Small hut faces the house so not a good staging area for us, but trees to the north give good access to the nearby windows with little space between windows and treeline. Maybe that a good spot to go in. Maybe we sneak around and get close, see what in the rooms?" Elghund offers. "Maybe if needed, we make rest in the trees back here and watch the house while we recover up magic and health... stay quiet and see how they live?"
The group makes their way into the trees without any hassle and crowd together among the undergrowth and canopy of snow. While deep in the wood your sight of the lodge is completely blocked, and so is theirs of you.
Skäne hunkers down with the rest of the group clearly in a black mood;
"We sit in the skitting sna... whilst that hus looks warm enough..."
The vikingr spits balefully whilst he waits...
"Ha! I reckon the soon enough we ready to smash into the place the sooner we be warm by their fire eating their food and drinking they ale. But I not one who says go or not go."
The vikingr nods with a grim smile;
"Aye... let them bleed in the kald while we enjoy their hearth! So what says our Dróttin eh?"
Annalisa nods but quietly asks those that are more magically inclined, "Do you see any sort of warding we should know about first?"
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Kló stands – towers, really - quietly next to the thick trunks of the trees. He looks askance at Annalísa about the lodge while he waits for Rikka to test the place for any unseen magical traces.
Katherson will augument his gaze as requested.
"I see nothing, but the ability to detect magical auras is limited by distance and the stones of the house."
Katherson waits for Klo's decision.
Kló stoically considers the lodge for a few minutes, then looks to the sky.
It is currently very late afternoon and darkness will be settling over you quite soon... within the next hour or so. The weather continues to be constant - bitterly cold and constantly snowing.
When no one seems to have any useful information, Kló stands still for another minute considering the lodge. Finally, he lets out a long, low, slow breath, filling the air before him with a thick cloud of mist.
"Yah, I don't like it, either." He looks at Elghund, "But let's try something new. You up for some sneaking? Let's wait for dark, then you take a look around. Stay out of sight. Use those orc eyes of yours to figure out what this is. How many entrances. How many buildings. How many people inside. And pay attention to trails and tracks." He pauses and looks back at the lodge, "We'll be here and ready. If something goes bad, shout… or handle it if you can. But don't kill anything if you don't have to." He pauses, and his eyes take on a dark look, "And if you run across fae, and you think you can take it, try to take it alive… we need information."
"If you come back and things look normal, some of us will go in. Me, Annalísa and Skäne, I think. The rest of you can hide out here and be ready to storm the place should we yell for help."
He lapses into silence to see if there are any objections or criticisms of the plan.
"Not a bad idea, but we can't just sit still and quiet like this until dark. Not in this cold. We'll have to pull back some if we're to wait. I've got no problem leaving people alive, if they're people worth leaving alive. Hell, we can even leave them inside. Tied up and under guard if need be."
Kló scowls, "Standing still and quiet in the cold is exactly what I'm going to do, though I'm going to do it closer to the building's front door... I want to keep an eye on this place. I'm hoping its occupants will be helpful, but Elghund's warning is well-founded." Otherwise, he waits to hear any other objections.
"Think she's saying most of you need fire to survive this cold, Klo. Hard to make this close to the house."
Katherson leans on a tree and pulls a cloth from his pocket, coughing into it before putting it back.
Skäne runs his eye over the edge his blade as he listens to the others plan;
"Feh. Should we haunt the kald like the draugr? Draw any within out, butcher them and varmr our bones by their fires... nei?"
The warrior's gravel voice has more than a tinge of frustration throughout...
Rikka leans on Riimukirjain. "As Klo suggests, knowing all the exits and keeping a watch makes sense. We need to know all the holes from which the rats might escape. If it weren't possible that the woman we seek is held captive there, I'd suggest torching the place and killing all that run out. If we can find out where the hostages are, we could raid and strike. If we want to reverse the trap, I could play 'little girl lost' and struggle up to the front door begging help. When they come to get me... you all sweep in. Unfortunately, that gives them time to arm." She shrugs, clearly not attached to any particular plan.
"I can sneak around the rats den and find all its holes and how many of them inside. I will wait til a bit darker, then they be eating dinner and not paying attention, and their weak eyes wont see me too good in the darkness outside." He seems satisfied with this. "I will count the number of them that I can see, find all the doors and windows, and what tracks they might have... no killin' less I have to" he recites back to Klo and then nods agreement.
"Once we have all that, we can decide whether just attack, or call them out... by fire or by bait."
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The cold is pressing enough that shelter and fire would be needed to weather it over time... especially if sleep is desired. As long as you are awake and moving you can generate enough warmth to keep it at bay.
Elghund waits for the evening to deepen a little more before beginning to stalk off through the trees and darkness to gain further information. He doesn't manage to circumnavigate the lodge though... as he finds that the western edge of the lodge runs close to a long ravine cutting through the ice. A bridge made of rope and wooden planks spans the narrow ravine and it’s already covered in ice and snow. Swaying alarmingly in the icy winds blowing through the gorge. The turbulent waters of a fast-moving creek can be heard below.
There are two main entries into the lodge - double doors on both the Eastern edge of the building, as well as some exposed on the South Western corner of the lodge. Windows abound around the lodge itself, though Elghund finds it difficult to see any detail of what is within from his place of safe oversight.
The outhouse to the East of the lodge stinks... but not of anything living or dead... just of sh1te, and he does not see it visited at any time as he watches. The stable is detached to the South and West, and Elghund can smell three horses stabled within and though there is old stench of men, he does not smell any there now. It is enclosed though, and he does not risk moving to the doors he reckons are on the North of the building to look within.
The smell of cooked food wafts from the North West corner of the lodge, and at this moment in the early evening light can be seen both at ground level and from the first floor. (The first floor sits atop the SE corner of the lodge and is roughly 1/3 the size of the ground floor). Judging from the mixed scents Elghund guesses between six and a dozen men are within... but he does also sense the metallic tang of the fey latent in the air. Strangely, he can also pick up the putrid and sweet scent of vomit and fever sweats in among the rest.
Tracks on the ground are limited to the boots of men and the hooves of horses - crisscrossing the area before the lodge... but to ken the numbers Elghund would need to move closer and exposed in the clear space between the trees and building.
Elghund finishes his sweep along that north coridoor, heading to the windows near the treeline for a sneaky peek.
Perception
Stealth
Then he returns to his fellows to report.
Peering in through the windows Elghund sees a pair of bedrooms that are as yet unoccupied in the early evening. He can hear a clinking of metal on metal coming from the Western side of the lodge - where the smells of food can be heard. While in the open the clinking stops for a span of seconds and Elghund fears he had been seen... but after a few tense moments they begin again.
Elghund safely withdraws to where the rest of the group shuffle from one foot to another and rub hands to keep warm.
A Bedroom - K,3 on Map:
A single rumpled bed occupies this room. Elghund can spy no occupants and there are two doors leading out of the room - one South and one East.
Bedroom and Chest - M,3 on Map:
Three doors open into the room within and a sturdy bed heaped with blankets sits near the window below your view. It definitely looks slept in, but is currently empty. A large maple chest occupies the southwest corner.
The window is thinly iced over and does not appear to have a mechanism that could be worked to open it. All three doors within the room are currently closed.
"So reckon if we hit the back door, their boys would come out the front door and head around to the south to come in and flank us rather than all just push out into the snow and get fouled up on each other. If we tried the lost girl or laid bait out the front, reckon that's how they'd play it. Otherwise we can bust in on them at the back door while a couple come through the window and hit them from the inside... or we can all get in a window and rush them while they eat. Too many exits to watch if we just burn the place, and our woman might get left in there."
"Did you see who is in there? Human, fey, or other?"