Gaelin looks thoughtfully to his companions. ”Baba Yaga may be as evil as the stories say, but now someone has brought the grasp of winter to Taldor. Elvanna must be stopped if this is her doing. What follows, we may have to decide later.”
He turns back to the dying man. ”What will we see on the other side of the portal? Is it guarded? Will there be aid to those seeking to thwart Elvanna?”
The man shakes his head
“It shouldn’t be guarded. But there will be minions of Queen Elvanna close by, so go warily. I do not know what allies you will find, but many oppose Elvanna’s coup, even if they cannot openly defy her. “
He gestures the party closer as his voice begins to fade
“You will need to find the keys to the Hut to control it.”
Alikai gently shakes the dying man. "The keys - who has them? Where?" she asks urgently, hoping to get through before he goes completely.
"The portal..? That portal! The portal of icy wind, to help an evil witch defeat another evil witch?"
Sahsara stares blankly into the portal and says to herself, "I was going to have rabbit stew....."
Alikai gently shakes the dying man. "The keys - who has them? Where?" she asks urgently, hoping to get through before he goes completely.
The old man smiles weakly at Alikai
“I do child. They are here”
He produces a meter-long braid of Blue-white hair as thick as a forearm and bound with gold wire. Then he brings out a mask with a long beak-like nose.
“If you put either of these items in the Hut’s cauldron, they will retrace Baba Yaga’s Path. Elvanna drained them of their power, but I can reactive them. The effort will kill me, but I am close to death anyway. My age catches up to me swiftly, and my wounds are dire”
Truly the man looks to have aged another decade since he arrived. He coughs weakly, his mouth flecked with reddish foam. He draws a dagger and begins to chant over the two items
Alikai clasps her hands and touches them to her forehead in salute. "Our thanks, Grandfather."
The old man smiles at Alikai as he finishes his chant.
“Farewell child”
In a swift movement he brings the blade across his neck. The blade opens his neck, but instead of a shower of blood, a molten spurt of golden energy washes over the two strange items. The old man shudders, and falls prone on the snow. His armor becomes transparent and vanishes. A wave of golden force bathes the party. They suddenly feel as if their senses have sharpened.
There is nothing left of the Black Rider but an ancient man in a plain black tunic lying dead on the snow
Gaelin looks grimly upon the scene. ”The quest to stop this unnatural blight may take more lives before this is through. He sacrificed himself nobly, so that others may live.”
He draws back his shoulders and declares, ”This, I believe, is the quest I have been training for. I will see it done.”
Alikai nods agreement at Galen. "It was a good death. He will be celebrated in the Hall of the Valiant." She reaches out and gently closes the old man's eyes, then picks up the two items, rising to hold them out to the others for examination. "It would be good to build a pyre for him, but we should hurry through."
"His death may have been noble but I have heard some not nice things about Irrisen. We would do well to keep in mind that Baba Yaga is only the lesser of two evils."
Sahsara can tell the braided hair is thick and fibrous, with a bluish tint to its silver color. Likely from a frost giant, the wire that wraps it is wound in a northern fashion
"Looks like frost giant hair, don't ask me how I know that."
The party feels an urge to find the hut, an almost yearning. They are eager to be off and complete this task
”It seems unwise to tarry here, as much as I agree that he deserves a proper rite. We stand beside a portal, and we do not know what else may pass through,” Gaelin suggests to Alikai. ”Perhaps one of us can say a few words?”
Alikai shoves the braid into Sahsara's hands and the mask into her own pack, then slings her pack back on and stands before the corpse, bow and nocked arrow in hand.
"Grandfather, we honor your trials and death with our action. Forward!"
And she leaps into the portal, bow at the ready.
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As the energy washes over him, Jeydavu feels his intuition and awareness increase. He bows to the old rider. "Your death brings life to this world." He leads Chonthoth through the portal after Alikai.
Sahsara stows the braid in her pack before taking a moment to collect herself and unceremoniously steps through the portal.
Gaelin bows his head and quietly offers a few words to the fallen rider. He turns and follows Alikai through the portal.
The Party leaps through the swirling portal and find themselves.....
...
...
In snow. In fact, even more snow then they had been in. The forest has changed as well. Here the winter seems more natural. The trees aren’t leafed out and bowed over with snow. Most are pine and fir, gnarled and low.
The temperature here is even worse than the Border wood. The party’s lungs sear from the murderous cold
The Sky is a murderous shade of purple, and though it isn’t snowing, it looks as if it soon will, and badly. In the distance a small village can be seen, and there is a road that is tamped out of the snow a few dozen yards away
"B-b-b-b-brisk," Alikai shivers, "I v-v-v-vote we head for that village."
non lethal
Edit:
Sahsara has endure elements from her cloak of the yeti.
"Yes, just the word village sounds so nice right now."
The party breaks through the snow and heads down the packed-down road. They reach it and begin walking towards the distant village. As they round a curve in the road they see a battle underway. A group of fur-clad humans on dog sleds are attempting to beat off a giant preying mantis ! The insect is enormous, and its green carapace stands out starkly in the wintry scene
Alikai silently runs forward into bow range.
Sahsara pulls her rapier as the wind kicks up around her.
"Stand fast help is on the way!" she shouts.
Sahsara will try to flank the giant mantis.
+ 2 with flank
Gaelin draws his greatsword and rushes heedlessly toward the fray.
The party races down the snowy road to the melee. The humans are trying to ineffectively drive the mantis off. One lies crumpled in front of it
Mantis mauling
Alikai 19
Mantis 11
Sahsara 6
Jeydavu
Ecaterina
Gaelin 3
Alikai’s arrow wedges in between two plates of the mantis’ chitin. Sahsara ghosts up and drives her blade deep into the thing’s thorax
Ecaterina holds out her hand and a ball of hard packed snow begins to form in it. She moves forward and throws the snowball at the Giant Mantis.
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[dice=Initiative]1d20+6
Ecaterina holds out her hand and a ball of hard packed snow begins to form in it. She moves forward and throws the snowball at the Giant Mantis.
[dice=Throw Snowball - Ranged Touch Attack]1d20
Gaelin girls himself at the giant insect.
Jeydavu plods up to the Mantis and takes a large, arcing swing with his quarterstaff. ,
Mantis mauling
Alikai 19 hit
Mantis 11(hit/miss)
Jeydavu 9 miss
Ecaterina 7 miss
Sahsara 6 hit
Gaelin 3 hit
As the group runs up, the mantis lashes out
Its two arms stab out at Gaelin
One of the creature’s arms attempts to encircle Gaelin’s Torso
Gaelin, grabbed by the giant mantis, tries in vain to struggle free.
”Cut it down!” he bellows, seeking aid from his companions.
"By Kalma's keratic knees," Alikai blasphemes, "Kill it!" She draws another shaft and fires at the great beast, keeping well back and ignoring the presence of friends clustered around it. Her arrow neatly threads between them to sink to the feathers in a soft spot of the abdomen.
Sahsara will continue stabbing the mantis.
Alikai And Sahsara’s attack’s find their mark. As Gaelin feels himself being lifted towards the monster’s mandibles, and arrow sprouts in one multifaceted eye. Green ichor splatters him as the creature reels back, casting him back into the snow as it paws at its wounded eye. Sahsara uses its distraction to run it through its thorax, coming in through the softer underbelly. The mantis collapses, it’s twitching stopping almost immediately
the group sees a few northerners similar to Gaelin’s physical type slowly approach, their weapons hastily sheathed. One lies in the snow groaning
Jeydavu turns toward the Northerners approaching. Speaking in Skald, he calls out, "Greetings, My friends! My name is Jeydavu, I come from Hellirrin. From where do you come? Is your village nearby? Your comrade sounds injured. We may be able to help."
While Jeydavu fronts for the party, Alikai skitters to where Gaelin is sprawled, helping him up if need be. "Are you well? I feared that thing would pincer you in twain."
The northerners approach warily. Two of them attend to the fallen man. A burly man in furs speaks
“Thank you for your assistance strangers. We had no idea what that creature was! It came out of nowhere and attacked us”
A lithe, well-muscled woman approaches the party
The woman continues
“My name is Nadya Petska. We are from the nearby village of Waldsby. I would be honored to offer our village’s hospitality in return for your assistance. The storm grows fierce”
The weather does indeed seem to be worsening. The chill from the wind is painful and the snow pelts down in an icy rush
"Thank you for your invitation Nadya. Our comrade was injured in the fight with that creature as well and we should get him out of this storm. I know the wintry weather of Irrisen, but this storm appears worse than normal don't you think? Let us hurry forward" Jeydavu replies.
Jeydavu translate his conversation for those who do not know Skald. He leads Chtonthoth over to Gaelin. "Gaelin, please ride Chtonthoth to the village. You are injured and we can better attend to you in a shelter."
Gaelin moans miserably before hauling himself to his feet with a grateful smile to Alikai. He looks uncharacteristically haggard as he shakes out a sore shoulder. ”Thank you, Jeydavu, but I will be fine. It is not as bad as it looks.” It is not easy discern how much of that statement is bravado, but he does seem to be managing.
”Was anybody seriously injured?” he asks, as if his injuries weren’t serious.
”Well met, Nadya Petska,” he adds politely. ”I believe we would welcome shelter.”
"Malden, come look at Gaelin. He's bleeding." Alikai looks around for the cleric. "Malden? MALDEN? Did anyone see if he came through the portal with us?"
The ranger looks to their potential hostess. "Many thanks for the offer, but I fear one of ours may have strayed. I can't leave him in the cold." She looks back along their track, ready to check footprints.
Nadya nods
“Come. We will find a fire to warm ourselves by”
Nadya’s companions Look to be capable, yet unremarkable, townsfolk heavily bundled in furs. Their conveyances are dogsleds packed with goods. The wounded man is loaded onto one, and the party members are given spaces among the packs. The dogsleds head out in a line over the snow.
In about a half hour they reach the smokes of Waldsby. It is a small village, as unremarkable as its denizens. Nadya gestures
“Welcome. Let’s get you dry and warm”
Malden has been behind, but now the Portal was empty. Just the howling wind being sucked through it.
Ecaterina notices the fuss made over Gaelin's wounds and walks forward, laying her hand over his wounds without asking permission. An icy chill spreads out from where her hand touches and his wounds start to close, icy frost seeming to knit them together.
Wary now that they are back in her home country, Ecaterina says nothing and follows along with the others, silently watching for any signs of the trouble she'd been sent to investigate.
If Nadya has noticed that Ecaterina is a Winter Witch, she has kept it to herself, which Ecaterina notes with interest.