"You speak Skald well," Nadya says. "Your accent won't give you away unless someone really looks too closely at you. But it's more your clothes than your voice that are the problem. You have good winter clothes, but that kind of fur isn't found anywhere near here and furs are one of the few things that Irrisen doesn't have to import."
"We won't know until we try" Tiferet says, looking for an appropriately sized object to shove into the whirlwind.
Evelyn walks around the merchants trying to get a read on them, growing up in a caravan it wasn't that uncommon for 'traders' to be a cover for smugglers or raiders.
Eve takes a look around the caravan as the locals quickly get the sleds ready to go. She manages to get a good look inside one of the sleds and sees large piles of furs, and mostly sealed crates. The people all seem to be honest enough, more focused on their work than interested in talking though. A few shot the party suspicious glances and she hears a few whispers in Skald, but nothing more.
Up on the hill with Inire and Tiferet:
"I am not so sure about this... we're messing with magic far beyond my understanding. But we can try. If we survive this and there is no telling what happens should the portal collapse uncontroled I suggest we get the hell out of here, because someone will come look for it. My guess however, given the way we passed ourself, is that we won't be able to fixate anything in a half transported state..."
Even so she helps collecting a sufficient amount of trunks, branches and so forth to stuff the portal with it.
Tiferet listens as Nathara explains her understanding of the Portal's intrinsic nature. She has heard of the fabled Elf Gates, so if anyone had a clue about the powerful magic at work here, it would stand to reason that would be the dusky blademistress.
While the two of them are busy lifting stones and carrying tree trunks (apparently, despite her nimbler figure her sister is easily her match in physical strength – something to do with elven physiology, if she remembers correctly), Tiferet ponders on what she's heard.
"So you mean that we shouldn't think of it as a physical door, with jambs and lintels and all that, but more like a rift in space, making distant points magically coterminous? By its very nature, such a thing should abhor staticity. If somehow plugged, it might simply build up more and more energy until it bursts – with potential catastrophic results."
"You speak Skald well," Nadya says. "Your accent won't give you away unless someone really looks too closely at you. But it's more your clothes than your voice that are the problem. You have good winter clothes, but that kind of fur isn't found anywhere near here and furs are one of the few things that Irrisen doesn't have to import."
Morgraine steps forward finally. She had held back, noticing the odd look the Nadya had given her. The others had left, probably to inspect and do something about the portal. Morgraine didn't hold much hope that they would be able to shut it down. The power and intricacies of the spell was far beyond anything any of them had seen. Still, from what Morgraine had noticed, Nathara and Tiferet between them had at least as much knowledge of spellcraft and the arcane as Morgraine herself. If there was something that could be done, she trusted them to find it, or to at least inquire after it.
So instead she remains behind and steps up beside her 'bodyguard'. She studies Nadya openly a moment before speaking in flawless Skald, "Thank you for your generosity. Was this the first trouble you have had on your trip? I understand things have been...unsettled of late."
Inire nods slowly, she didn't really understand... she just knew the mundane ways of disabling things... and how they inherently interacted with those things magical. If the pair said it couldn't be done from here, then they'd simply need to go to the source. Simply being a debatable choice of words.
"How... common... is the name Nadya in this portion of the world? Or is that something I should ask the owner of the name..?" she asks, trusting the wind to mask the question. "Surely not many that act as guides..."
"I... I suppose it's pretty common" Tiferet replies after some hesitation. The implications of such a question were clear, but Tiferet refuses to fully accept them – to accept they might be about to break bread with the mother of a creature whose soul she personally sent to the afterlife not even a day ago. "It's not really Skald, but it is a diminutive of an old Irriseni word meaning 'hope' – the fact the witch herself is named after its more aristocratic variant, Nazhena, leads me to the believe it shouldn't be... or... well... you know what I mean."
She stutters, then quickly falls silent. Despite the distinct feeling Inire wasn't looking for a dissertation in linguistics, she's at loss for more meaningful words.
Examining the portal, Nathara and Tiferet can't even figure out exactly how exactly something passes through. It seems somewhat similar to a gate spell, but modified with a number of other enchantments, most of which are well beyond their knowledge of magic. Maybe if they had a few days to build a wall all the way around it, they could at least keep anything from passing through, but the portal seems to allow something through from just about any direction.
Nadya chuckles. "Well, we ran into a few wolves two nights ago, but I can handle a handful of local beasts. Those were certainly a bit strange, but Irrisen can be harsh some days. This load is important enough to make the risk anyway."
"Wolves? Did you at least try talking to them first--ow, hey!" Eirikr begins, but is interrupted by Ashen nipping at his leg. He looks down at the wolf and then remembers that most people can't just talk to them the way he can. Still, he crosses his arms and pouts a little before continuing. "Load? What are you carrying that's so important?"
"It's mostly just furs, but I also got my hands on some rare imported foods. Tropical fruits from the far south. They're quite valuable and considered a major delicacy."
"I am not sure" she replies to Tiferet's remark regarding the gate. "Not quite... coterminus... more like entangled? I don't know." It frustrates her, but she has no idea what to do about it.
Nathara catches up quickly and assumes position to guard one of the flanks. The hood drives her insane since her ears cannot move as freely as she is used to - all elves can move their ears slightly to better locate a sound. She listens to the conversations and closes up to her friends every now and then to feel their presence, but primarily focuses on the environment.
"We should... ask about it. When she has a place to be alone, if she needs it. It might not be her, but it's wrong to keep something like that from someone." She turns to head back down the hill, but pauses. "And you did the right thing in freeing her. I don't know if it was for the right reasons, but that wasn't anything approaching alive." with that, she slips back down the hill, moving easily over snow as she returns to the group at the bottom of the hill.
If she could... and especially if Eirikr were willing, she'd try to at least collect the claws and wings of the beast. Once 'cleaned' they'd likely be valuable... either to trade as an exotic commodity, or to simply sell that they were traders from far away.
She was also significantly more interested in eating ugly mantis than cute bunny.
Assuming Inire asks him, Eirikr willingly cleans the mantis's corpse and collects its wings and claws, though only after he explains that it tasted about what you'd expect a giant bug to taste like.
Eirikr strips the giant bugs of usable parts in only about fifteen minutes. Their claws are all very much intact, though they're honestly closer to swords than claws given their size, and their wings are easy to pick off. A few choice pieces of shell and even meat are salvageable as well, leaving the broken exoskeletons as all that remains of the insects. Nadya helps load the pieces into one of the sleds. "So..." she asks. "It may not be my business, but it's not often that such an... odd band of travelers comes to our land. I find myself wondering what you're doing here."
Inire chews on her lips for a moment, as she helps to pass the objects from Eirikr to the sleds, and then finally speaks up, in Skald. Her accent is imperfect, especially when compared to the natives. "The blizzards are moving south. The unnatural winter is spreading."
Nadya's eyes go wide. "What? How is that... I didn't think anyone knew how Baba Yaga caused Irrisen's winter all those centuries ago. How can it be spreading?"
Tiferet nods silently, almost absent-mindedly, in response to Inire's words – her gaze lost in the swirling vortex in front of her, her mind wandering in another vortex altogether.
"There is nothing more we can do here" she whispers pessimistically, the last here added almost as an afterthought. She turns around to see Inire and Nathara already a dozen feet away, down the hill, so she grabs Lily's reins and carefully starts her own unsteady descent down the slippery slope.
*********************************************************************
"Same way six adventurers, a wolf, a fox and two mantises trespassed into Irrisen – only in reverse. There's a Portal just a thousand feet uphill from here or so, syphoning Irrisen's eternal winter into Taldor's sunny vales. We have reason to believe this is just one of many. Queen Elvanna usurped her mother's power and is now using it to shape all of Golarion in Irrisen's image; it's probably snowing all other Avistan right now."
"It's complicated. I'm not really sure... but up on the hill is a gateway to Taldor. A lot of fey and other things came through, but mostly cold. The mantises may have come from Taldor, but I feel like they should he from somewhere more tropical. We came through to help a friend and to close the door if we could. The good news is that if you're willing to travel through unknown woods filled with creatures from this side of the door, you have a solid import route... And the town could likely use help with their winter. But you should make sure they know that we sent you... They're likely to be afraid of anything that comes through."
She had intended to be brief, but any lies would stack upon each other to create a tangled web. She looked briefly to the others to see if she'd said too much.
"Winter clothes are surely about to get in high demand almost everywhere. You could get plenty of southern-grown fruits in exchange for those... at least until people realize there's the distinct possibility this could very well be the last harvest ever."
That is what Nathara fears as well. The portals may give those traders the idea that this was a trade opportunity, which it of course is, but they had to get rid of those portals soon...
She shook her head. Those strangers had been kind to them. There was no need to doubt their integrity. Nathara focused on the environment again and moved on, her bow ready.
"Gods above," Nadya murmurs as she realize that the party is being very serious. "I can't believe... how could the queen do this? Even her mother didn't try something like this." She stands there, looking dazed for a moment. Then she turns and shouts an order to get moving to the caravan. "I... we should keep moving. Come, we can talk on the road. Preferably well away from this place."
The travelers get the sled dogs moving and with a series of barks and howls, the sleds jump forward, their drivers egging the beasts forward from their seats. The rest of the travelers follow on foot, keeping up with the sleds as best they can. Once they leave the woods behind them, Nadya finally speaks again. "If Queen Elvanna is responsible for this, then the rest of the Jadwiga will be on her side. Lady Nazhena will be involved too. And if that portal is on her lands, she'll be the one overseeing its security, maybe even helping make it." She growls. "Damn. Now of all times..."
"This is not your battle" Tiferet replies, sensing the woman's hesitation. "Be assured, we understand full well if you don't want to be associated with intruders or implicated in activities against the Jadwigas..."
She pauses, afraid of the turn the conversation is taking – and then she casts a side-glance at Inire.
"You helped protect my people and you seem like good people. It would hardly do yo leave you all out here in the cold on your own. Besides, it sounds like you can use all the help you can get. Not many people have the courage to stand up to the witches."
"Anything you could tell us about Nazhena though--we don't really know much about winter witches. Well, mostly," says Eirikr, glancing back at Morgraine. He notices the sound of concern in her voice--he figures it must have something to do with the cargo they're hauling. "Of all times? Is something happening soon?"
"Lady Nazhena is the ruler of these lands. She's very careful to keep a tight watch on the local villages, but she's generally a fair ruler as long as we keep our heads down." She turns her head away and says nothing for a moment. "It's a personal matter. You have your own problems to worry about."
Nathara steps by Tiferet's side and keeps her voice low as she speaks. Every now and then her eyes traverse the snowy landscape. "She is right, I believe. I may be a fool, but I believe she's a good woman and we cannot fight this fight alone. Actually, her reaction gives me hope. Only if people are willing to stand up against evil, not by coercion, but the strength of their hearts, we can overcome it."
Inire chews on her lip and nods. She understood for certain, now. "Once we're in town... we'll have something to talk about." she says, quietly, once more breaking her silence.
"Everyone will be hurt by the woman's choice... we can only try to lessen the burden and pain. And it should be anyone's choice to fight, or not." she adds, nodding along with Nathara.
Morgraine remains mostly silent as she walks alongside Eirikr. She shakes her head ruefully from time to time and even rolls her eyes once. Glad to see we aren't spilling -everything- right off the bat to the first person who smiles at us... Still, she had to admit that their ruse and backstories had always been flimsy, and practically worthless given the circumstances and speed with which they had run into their first Irisseni.
Nadya looks curious, but keeps silent as the caravan keeps moving. The sky begins to darken and the constant light snowfall begins to pick up rapidly, an icy wind blowing across the frozen hills. "Damn. The wind is starting to pick up," Nadya mutters. "We'll have a blizzard on our hands at this rate." She looks out at the horizon, seeing the lights of the village just barely glowing over the edge. "We'll never make it in time. There's a small valley nearby that should give us shelter from the storm. We can set up camp and ride it out overnight." She starts shouting orders in Skald, ordering the caravan to change course and seek shelter before things get too bad for them to move.
As the 'storm' picks up, Inire ducks to the side of the road to take some degree of cover, her ease at navigating the snow and her own practiced inobtrusiveness lending to her keeping close, but under cover.
Evelyn follows along trying to get as much information as she can to use in future lies. "What can you tell us about the government and military in this place? Any Important names you can give us will be a huge advantage."
Nathara feels a bit uncomfortable with the situation. This isn't some kind of trick, is it? She looks around to see whether all of her friends are alright and able to deal with the cold. Vosi hasn't show himself since they encountered Nadya's group. She also looks for Lily, who certainly has her own trouble with the snow and the cold.
Silently she prays to the Sarenrae: Beautiful Dawnflower, help me maintain faith in your light, for a fear the winter slowly creeping into my heart. Without much thinking about it the elf-tiefling and a few whispered elven words the elf-tiefling casts Detect Magic to see whether the storm has any local source out of the ordinary - well, whatever may be considered ordinary in Irrisen.
Her steps become lighter as she casts the gloomy thoughts down. I am a dancer, and neither winter nor darkness can from dancing and believing in beauty. That was rather a nod to Shelyn than to Sarenrae, of course. She smirked behind her mask.
"It's... heart-warming to discover the seeds of Ulfen spirit are still alive despite centuries of tyranny" says Tiferet to Inire and Nathara as they march toward the promised shelter. "Dormant, perhaps, slumbering in the cold, hard soil, waiting for a single ray of light to pierce the clouds and thaw the frozen ground. It gives me hope."
Still, the thought of the girl's tragic fate haunts her mind. She wonders if their coming will prove to be the ray of light, or the late frost killing the bud before it blossoms.
Protected from the elements by Rokhar's cloak, Eirikr assists the traders in setting up camp.
Nadya frowns at Eve's question. "Well, Lady Nazhena is the ruler of this region. Her guard captain is an Ulfen woman who is a skilled warrior. She also possesses some magical talent, though it's different from a witch. However, she rarely leaves the Pale Tower. Sergeant Volan Sertane is the one who usually delivers edicts or enforces the laws in Waldsby."
The hunters quickly set their camp up, showing a great deal of practice at getting their shelter up as a storm comes in. "The Ulfen people haven't faired well in Irrisen, but we're not about to forget our pride or our spirit." She smiles and quickly pulls out a set of flint and steel, striking the fire and getting the logs burning bright.
Eirikr watched silently as Nadya lit the fire. There was no doubt in his mind--that they would meet a woman in Irrisen with the same name, the same profession--the same face, almost, not quite as the ghost they had fought in the Border Woods. It was fate, then, that had guided them to her, the first person to speak to them since they crossed over the border. There was no point in waiting--she needed to know.
He wondered what it was like to lose a child. He had lost both of his parents--he imagined--it must be worse, to bury a child. Everyone buries their parents in time, no longer what kind of life they live--it's the natural order of things, for a child to bury his parents. But--for a parent to have to bury a child--there was no order in this.
He thought of something that he had been told when he had traveled with the Varisian caravan, when he had first been told about Ashava the True Spark. He hadn't thought about her in so long--the blood of battle, skill at arms--that was Jezelda's power but--Ashava's power was to lead wayward spirits to their rest. Perhaps it was her doing that they had met Nadya so soon after arriving.
"Nadya, do you have children?" said Eirikr, looking up from the fire, biting his lower lip as he spoke; in his heart, he hoped that she would answer know, or say that she had only sons, or that all of her children where safe at home.
Inire visibly flinched at the question as Eirikr asked it, already well aware of how she would likely react if everything were as she believed it to be... and she were in the woman's shoes.
Since Nathara does not have any idea how to properly care for Lily she asks the caravan members to have her sheltered along with the beasts that pull their carts. She tends her needs and makes sure that everything is alright, not afraid to ask the caravan members for help on occasion.
That done she starts helping to set up their own camp, not quite as quickly as the travellers. When finally the moment has come where her mask is no longer viable (and has probably been seen through, anyway) she seeks the proximity of her comrades and takes the hood and the mask silently off. She does try to make the horns not to obvious, but it is difficult.
Tiferet helps setting up camp to the best of her abilities, eagerly taking the more strenuous tasks upon herself – part due to her imperviousness to the harsh climate, yet mostly because exhausting herself through physical work has always been her preferred method of avoiding having to linger on unpleasant thoughts. Outside of losing herself in the fury of battle, that is.
Yet, such thoughts have other, more subtle yet devastating ways to re-emerge – ways beyond her control. Five little words from Eirikr, overheard over the crackling of the fire, have the power to stop her dead in her tracks, every muscle in her body suddenly clenching.