Cara rises up and greets the new day with a yawn and long stretch. It was nice to sleep on a bed again, but she has important things to do today. There's also a sense of buzzing excitement in the air, as if she was on the cusp of a major new phase of her life.
As she gathers her equipment and puts on her armor, she chuckles at Geedra exuberant attempt to wake everyone up. "I'll be out in a moment." She replies when the goblin knocks on her door.
After more than a few moments, Cara emerges from her room and looks for the others, cold-weather gear tied to her backpack to be used once the Summer turns to Winter.
Kronek rolls out of his bedroll as soon as he hears the start of the Qadiran woman's song. He quickly packs his things up with the efficiency of one who has been spending a lot of time on the road. Like Cara, he makes sure his cold weather gear is right at hand, moving it to the top of his pack. He murmurs a prayer the totem spirits of his tribe that he kept it with him after all. "I'm ready. South to winter? Let's see if we can get to the bottom of this."
Asgrid gathers her gear as well, giving a loud harrumph at the thought that she might be needing her winter gear here of all places, in the middle of summer. She spends some time in quiet meditation alone before joining in a few prayers with the worshipers of Sarenrae, and goes to join the group. "Are we all ready? Let's head out of town."
Once they got on the road, Geedra met up with Fox, and introduced him to the others. "This am Fox. Fox am magical. Help Geedra, when Fox feels like it. Fox, dis Kronek and Cara. They am go with us to check out cold. Maybe gold for us!" Geedra didn't introduce the dwarf! as they had traveled together before.
After the introductions, Geedra fell into a march with the others, humming pleasantly as they headed out the woods.
Kronek tilts his head and scowls a bit when Geedra introduces the magical fox. "Magical? What does it do? Does it speak?"
The Ranger is far less suspicious of the magical animal, "Does it like to be pet?" Cara asks Geedra, as she squats down by the fox to examine it, "Boy or girl? Can it understand us? Are we allowed to feed it?"
She smiles and finally speaks directly to it, "Nice to meet to meet you Mr. or Ms. Fox."
Apparently she has an affinity for animals, who knew?
"Not speak...out loud. Helps Geedra learn magic. Fox is girl. Fox understand you. Fox not let me pet it...tried to catch it for dinner and Fox got mad. Still mad sometimes. Might let you pet fox."
"You should give her a name, Fox just sounds so...impersonal." Cara suggests, placing her hand out slowly and non-aggressively to test how tame the fox really is. "If she knows you're not going to try to eat her, she'll probably let you pet her if you wanted. You're not going to try to eat her again, right?" She gives Geedra a stern look.
Asgrid smiles when the group comes across Fox on their way out of town. "Hi Fox!" She contemplates the odd relationship that Geedra and Fox seem to have, and it's a wonder that Geedra hasn't managed to eat Fox yet. When the goblin isn't looking, Asgrid throws Fox a few titbits from her rations.
Thoughts of the familiar suddenly put her on edge, as she feels a familiar prickling at the back of her neck. Asgrid throws a few glances behind her as they walk, trying to look nonchalant but checking that they aren't being followed.
Perception check
"Probably not. Fox too fast. Geedra and Fox have understanding. Fox help Geedra and Geedra learn from Fox. And not eat," the little goblin adds with a toothy grin! as she smiles at Cara.
"Goblin animals not have name. They food. But, Fox not food now. What you think good name for Fox?"
Cara considers the issue of the Fox's name for a few moments, tapping her lips with a finger, "Hmm, I'll have to get to know her better first. I'll let you know when I come up with anything." She says with good-hearted amusement.
She gives Fox a wink and returns to spot in line. "Oh before I forget, maybe we should walk single-file with Kronek in the front, myself second, Geedra third, and Asgrid fourth. Unless you all think we need to worry about being ambushed from behind, then I can go last."
With that statement, she seems to notice Asgrid on edge, "Are you all right?"
Moving south and out of the village, the road takes you through farms that stretch out into the lands beyond Heldren. Most of the farms seem unaffected by the recent chill, but as you continue on you can spot the last of the fields, which according to Xanthippe are Old Man Dansby's. Just as she told you, these crops have succumbed to a layer of glistening rime that has encapsulated them in its wintry grasp. You also notice the ground beneath your feet growing hard, and the intermittent crunching below as your boots disturb the frost. Though the sun still shines down on you, the air and breeze have taken on a sudden cold. In the distance ahead, a few miles away over open grassland, you see a haze of green slashed across the horizon - the Border Wood.
"Human am right. Much colder here. Shouldn't be this way. Strange. Feel like Geedra home. "
Cara shivers from the sudden cold and frowns, "I guess a part of me hoped they were exaggerating!" She chuckles to herself then stops to put on the cold-weather outfit she brought along.
Asgrid casts a few more glances behind her. When she notices Cara watching her and the elf asks if she is alright, she just shrugs. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just thought maybe something was following us, but it was just my imagination. You know, just trying to watch our backs." She is fine with Cara's suggested marching order, and before reaching the Border Wood she takes advantage of the stop to don her winter gear. "You weren't kidding. Sure is getting chilly around here. Had almost forgotten what it feels like."
At the prompting of Asgrid's statement, Cara takes a long look around.
"It is probably best to stay on our guard from this point forward anyway from what you all told me about these creatures we may be facing." Cara says solemnly with a nod.
She begins strolling forward and casually asks Geedra, "Where did you say you were from?"
"Geedra from north. Humans call Land Linnorm Kings. Left bad tribe. Been walking south long time. Met Asgrid during walk."
"That's quite a fortuitous circumstance that both you and Kronek are from the north and here at the same time." Cara notes with interest.
"I have always intended on visiting the north in my travels, but that may change depending on how terrible these winter-touched creatures are." She adds with a laugh.
"Bad goblins in north. Stay away from them goblins. They eat Cara's ears if not careful!"
Overhearing some of Cara and Geedra's conversation, Asgrid chips in from the back. "Cara, where are you from? Kyonin? Or somewhere closer to Heldren, perhaps?"
Goblins don't really eat elf ears, do they?
"I am from Kyonin originally." She replies to Asgrid, her good humor lessening as she becomes a little introspective, "Although I haven't been there in a very long time. Perhaps I'll return someday, but I have very little still invested there."
After speaking she rubs one of her ears and sneaks a glance at Geedra.
"What do you mean? I thought the elven realm would be all happy clappy, good times. You know; endless summer, fairies dancing tra-la-la-la-la, elves frolicking, that kind of thing. At least, that's how it is in the legends. What's not to like?" . Asgrid snorts as she readjusts one of the straps on her pack.
Talking as you walk, you finally close in on the Border Wood. Leaving the fields and farms of Heldren behind you, you are now near the treeline that separates the forest with the rest of the land. The air is even colder here, a harsh wind blowing from behind the trees. You quickly notice that the wind is blowing fine white flakes of snow out into the open as well, and the grass extending from the treeline has been settled by a soft blanket of powder. You also easily spot the site that was obviously the scene of Yuln's battle. Just outside of the woods, a wagon and a carriage lay abandoned and ruined in the freshly fallen snow, themselves starting to take on a swath of white. You can also make out the corpses of both humans and horses strewn about the battlefield. You realize that you'll have to get closer to make out any more details.
"Hmmm, should not be cold here. Strange things happen, Geedra think. Look at bodies...human and horse. Horse scary," Geedra grumbles looking at the corpses. She trudges ahead, staying as far away from the horse corpse as possible.
"The horses are dead Geedra. You have nothing to fear. Maybe we can find where the attackers came from and retreated."
Kronek moves forward, looking for evidence of the attackers.
Cara chuckles at Asgrid's description of Elven life, "Not quite. I'm not sure if I should be honored or insulted that Dwarves would assume such things. There are some things like that, but it's hardly a fairy party everyday."
As they reach the gruesome battle scene, Cara becomes all business as she follows the others forward. "Be wary, whatever caused this could still be lurking around."
She then takes a few moments to observe the scene, look for tracks, and examine the dead.
+ 1 for tracking
Asgrid kneels beside the bodies in the snow. She checks for various things, if there are any other survivors, if it's possible to determine what killed the victims, and make sure none are likely to rise as undead. She's no priest, but says what prayers she can for the dead.
Heal check
You move into the site of the wreckage, scanning and studying the area to try and put together some facts. Geedra, wanting to put some distance between her and the horses, stays closer to northern part of the road where you came upon the scene. Near the overturned wagon crates and boxes have been scattered out into the dusting of snow. Splinters of wood lay all about, and it looks as though the cargo has already been pried open and looted. As the goblin moves about the empty containers, she spots the corpses of two human females amongst them. Dressed similarly in gowns that don't seem quite fit for traveling, these ladies were obviously not warriors, explorers, or adventurers. Perhaps friends or servants to Lady Argentea? Near them sits a single chest that has seemingly not been opened.
As Geedra looks through the closer wreckage, Kronek, Asgrid, and Cara move further into the site, looking for clues and investigating the bodies of the mercenaries. Coming around the overturned wagon, you now see that some sort of ice statue has been left standing west of the road, a few feet from the tree line. Four dead guards and two horse lay between the statue and your position. Cara and Asgrid kneel down to investigate the guards.
Geedra tries her best to pick up the chest.
"Asgrid! Geedra found treasure! Maybe gold. And two dead humans wearing fancy clothes. Goofy humans need wear better travel clothes."
If unable to lift the chest, she will cast Detect Magic and examine the two corpses nearby.
It is not an overly large chest, wooden but plain. You notice there is no lock on it, nor a keyhole - it is very simply a wooden trunk with a hinged lid. It's not very heavy - you could likely get it off the ground but it would be a bit unwieldy. The two women have simply been hacked at with swords - blood stains their clothing and the snow around them. Detecting magic, you do not pick up any unfamiliar auras in the area, but there is some underlying sense of something you can't place...like a faint hum of magical static that very faintly permeates everything about this spot and the forest beyond. Obviously, magic has seeped into everything here.
"Geedea will lumber over to the others carrying the chest. [b]"Lookit! Geedra found chest. Might have gold.". Once she gets it close enough for the others to see, she puts it back on the ground and tries to open the lid.
As Cara carefully examines the area and the unfortunate corpses laying around, she quickly comes to a few conclusions, "Something with tiny arrows killed these men, along with some sort of ice. It seems that the hu--Ulfen man was being completely truthful."
She moves away from the bodies and points to a series of tracks leading southwest, "They took Lady Argentea this way, along with some sort of heavy object."
Sighing, Cara walks over the statue to investigate it, "Do be sure to check the chest for any traps." She reminds Geedra off-handedly.
At Cara's words Asgrid looks up from her examinations. "I agree, something small with arrows brought them down. I'm not sure how we would defend against that. Fire?"
Seeing the chest and Geedra's enthusiasm, Asgrid's face lights up too. "Geedra, great work. Looks like it's too heavy to take with us easily, why don't we bury it here, we can collect it on our way back to Heldren."
After looking about a bit for more clues, it finally occurs to Asgrid to check for any attacks. She stands up, scanning the path and the trees for any sign of ambush. She wished she were more woodwise like Cara, able to read the signs all around.
"Bury chest? Asgrid crazy! Take what's in chest, and leave chest. Unless Asgrid want firewood."
"Well, how much is in that chest? If it's full, do you really want to lug the stuff around all over the forest? If we stash it, we can come back for it later. Though, better to see what it is, first." She gathers a bit closer, rolling her eyes as she does so, comfortable enough with the group now to bicker good-naturedly with Geedra in front of them. As different as they were, the pair had travelled a lot of miles together so far.
Opening the chest, you find that the lid simply lifts on the hinges. Inside, there is neither gold nor silver, but clothing. Several high quality and well-made articles comprise three courtier's outfits. Perhaps to the right buyer they may be worth something.
"Bah! Fancy clothes...maybe Geedra wear them and look all pretty! Geedra be Goblin princess then. Wish for gold. What else group find," she mutters, disappointed with the findings from the crate.
Cara takes a quick step back from the statue as a look of horror flashes across her face, "This isn't a statue. It's a man, frozen solid in ice. There's pieces of him littering the snow."
She pulls herself away from the statue with a grimace, "These creatures are truly monsters."
"What Cara say," Geedra asks as she looks closely at the statue. She walks up to it, and pokes it with a finger, seeing what might happen.
"It is the fey...they are mad." He suddenly freezes and looks over his shoulder to the carriage. Lowering his voice he hisses, "Listen, there is still something there. Perhaps they locked someone into the carriage." Kronek begins walking over to the spear.
Cara moves over to the carriage, taking a cursory glance at the fancy clothing in the chest on her way over. "What do you hear?" She asks Kronek in a whisper as she listens for any noise.
Kronek moves over to the carriage and shouts, "Hey! Is there anyone in there? Do you need help?!"
Standing back, Cara nods her assent to Kronek as he approaches the cart, "Perhaps they are survivors."
"What big human hear? Someone alive? Sneaky hiding," Geedra asks, as she pulls her little knife to defend herself.
"Since this spear is jammed in here, I think its more likely that someone was making life difficult for them. They're lucky to still be alive in this cold." Getting a firm grip on the spear, Kronek pulls it from the handles of the carriage door.
In response to your inquiries there are no voices, but the shuffling within the carriage grows louder and quicker. Whatever lies within is certainly eager to get out. Kronek wraps his mighty hands around the spear and yanks it out from the carriage doors. Upon doing so, the doors swing open to reveal their interior sides covered in claw marks and gouges. Waiting within the carriage are not survivors...but animated corpses! These two men are obviously dead, but the cold and the recent timing of their demise has kept their features in tact. They are slow in the rotting, and their flesh holds a bluish hue. You can tell that they were human, but their faces are now twisted in displays of mindless hunger and agony. They reach out to Kronek with their cold, dead hands...
Initiative!
Zombies: 11
Init.
Geedra moves 10' to the north and uses her Misfortune hex on the closest zombie.
"Agh! They are dead! Trapped within!"
"How terrible..." Cara laments upon seeing the ambulatory corpses.