"Over here, you brutes." Cara calls out to the wolves as she fires two arrows at the closest one. Afterwards, she steps 5 feet to the east.
As the boy and the wolves come into view, Skäne curses under his breath and moves forward toward the gap in the trees ahead, drawing his sword as he goes;
The warrior clatters steel on shield, bellowing a challenge to the nearest wolf;
"Come vetr-valdr we need your pelts to varmr our shoulders in this kald!"
:
Taking a deep breath, Katie bursts into song again. As she does she steps next to Skane, looking to keep herself between the wolves and the others.
Geedra uses her Fortune hex on the large human, remembering how well the last one they travelled with did with her jinxes in tow.
Cara is quickest to act in this battle, swiftly snapping off two arrows at the nearest large wolf as she calls out to get their attention. Both arrows bury deep into the wolf's shaggy hide and it lets out a loud yelp of pain, dropping heavily onto its side.
Skäne moves forward, sliding his sword from its scabbard and bangs it on his shield as he advances, narrowing his focus on the closest enemy. Armed and armored and looking somewhat bestial himself, the Vikingr does his job in cowing one of the wolves. It crouches down in a submissive position, emitting a low growl.
Katie moves abreast with Skäne, suddenly bursting into a song that fills the wills and hearts of her allies with vigor and fervor. She draws her blade as well and stands next to her Ulfen brother.
Geedra surveys the scene and waves her hands around, muttering swiftly and laying a twist of fortune upon Skäne, hoping to revisit the success such a tactic had when Kronek was the target.
Asgrid moves forward as well, drawing her heavy pick as Grugkt lumbers alongside, eyeing the wolves warily yet ferociously. Grugkt appears particularly ready to attack anything that comes in reach.
The wolves advance, kicking up snow as they run at you, jaws thick with saliva. They growl and bark as the surge upon you. The one that Skäne picked out of the pack to unsettle is slower to act, but when its pack charges, it follows.
One wolf lunges at Skäne. The warrior laughs as he effortless knocks the brute's maw away with his shield. The next goes for Grugkt, but the eidolon is ready and lunges out with a hairy fist. The punch slams into the wolf's underbelly as it lunges, knocking it off course enough so that its jaws snap short of the yeti's flesh.
The third remaining wolf breaks off slightly, coming through the brush to attack Katie. Without missing a note of her song, she sidesteps the bite and continues on. The final demoralized wolf slinks in, perhaps trying to regain some of its status by biting at Skäne. The Ulfen fighter pushes that bite away as well.
Wolf vs Skane:
Grugkt AoO:
Wolf vs Grugkt:
Wolf vs Katie:
Wolf vs Skane:
Bolstered by the song and witchcraft of his allies Skäne hacks at the wolf immediately before him;
:
:
:
Geedra cackles to continue the effects on the human, and adds Cara to the benefits of the Fortune Hex.
As Geedra's cackle cuts through the sound of battle Skäne grits his teeth;
Strange little puki...
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With the boost of Geedra's beneficial hex, Cara fires two more arrows, this time at the southern wolf.
Katie stops singing in order to conserve her musical power for later, switching up to her twohanded stance as she goes for broke on the southmost wolf--she's worried that it might decide to use its charge lane on either Cara or Geedra.
Asgrid pauses for a moment to make sure her ice armor has activated. Then she hurtles forward up to Grugkt's side, and tries to slam her pick into the hide of one of the strange wolves. Her stumpy legs sink in the snow, throwing off her swing.
Grugkt continues to pound on the nearest wolf. With a powerful upswing he aims to smash the wolf's jaw, then with a twist he brings his fist down hard on the wolf's skull.
The melee is on. Skäne lashes out with his longsword, hacking into the wolf in front of him. The blade carves through bristled hide and into the meat of the beast, drawing a great surge of blood. The creature is visibly weakened.
Geedra sits in the back, cackling gleefully and almost wickedly at the carnage before her. Cara feels a familiar pull as the goblin works her magic. Cara feels the witchcraft do its work, combined with her own fluid skill with the bow, as she fires off another pair of arrows at the wolf engaged with Katie. The first arrow slams into the wolf's neck, burying deep. It yelps out in pain and staggers on its feet, obviously disoriented. The second arrow puts the wolf out of its misery, finding a new home in its head.
Katie energizes her blade with a bit of her own arcane might and takes it in two hands, preparing to bring it down on the wolf before her. When the two arrows suddenly remove that beast as a threat, however, she switches directions and finishes Skäne's work, decapitating the wolf in front of him.
Asgrid moves through the snow and the frost and ice around her coalesces, wreathing her form in a glimmering suit of glacial armor. Her strike goes wide on the wolf, though, her pick sweeping the air. Grugkt has better luck, uppercutting the wolf he struck before and breaking its jaw. The creature yelps and collapses.
The remaining wolf takes a step back and cows itself low to the ground, tail between its legs. It looks left and right, seeing its fallen pack and all of you still standing. With a light bark, it turns and runs, disappearing into the trees.
Orm clings to the branch of the tree, visibly shaking. He swallows hard, cautiously watching the last wolf run away. "Get me down from here!" he yells after the wolf vanishes from sight.
As the group vanquish the wolf-pack, Skäne eyes the retreating survivor with gritted teeth;
"Let us hope that one does nei have a wagging tunga ..."
The warrior wipes his blade clean upon the carcass of the nearest fallen animal, then wryly nods toward the dangling child;
"Kynligr fruit grows in these lands eh?"
"Young boy, stay with group. Human woman am worried...," Geedra grumbles once the wolves retreated.
Katie quietly cleans her sword and stows it away.
"It should be fine. I've never known a wolf to talk." then, a laugh. "Aye, strange indeed. Let's harvest it and bring it back home to his mom before she worries any longer."
Cara sighs to herself, then approaches the tree to help Orm down. "Come now child, let's bring you back to your mother. You really shouldn't run off like that, you know."
Skäne shifts into the lads path before he heads back;
"Cara Álfrmær speaks true lad. Next time you go a-wandering... take this."
The burly warrior stoops level with Orm, offering him a notched dagger of cold-iron.
"You are of the proud Norðri boy. If you die it should be the blodd of your óvinr on your blade. Remember that..."
Cara moved to the tree and assists Orm in his descent, perhaps momentarily bewildered with herself at being the one to move to aid the human child. Orm doesn't seem to have any further response to being rescued; his head hangs low and he sulks, perhaps thinking himself to be in trouble or something similar. He droops as he starts to walk back, but Skäne intercepts him.
His eyes go wide as he sees the dagger and his gaze slowly travels from the weapon to Skäne. He listens intently as the warrior says his piece, and then shakily takes the offered blade. He holds it gingerly, as one might would a delicate piece of art, unable to pull his gaze from it for a few moments before he slowly moves it into a wielding position.
"For true?" he asks. "I can have this...and help save Mother and Mjoli from the witches? And trolls?" He swallows hard and brings the knife in close. "Th-thank you..."
His spirits seem to brighten and there is a skip in his step when you all make your way back to the camp. The snow begins to fall harder as you walk, and the skies swiftly darken - you realize you are fortunate that Cara was so apt in her tracking, for the coming conditions would have made locating Orm much more difficult.
Nadya is obviously beyond relieved to see Orm returned safely. She breaks into a run as soon as she sees the child, falling to her knees before him and throwing her arms around him, pulling him into a bone-breaking embrace. "Orm, my boy!" she says over and over. After a moment of that, however, she grabs him by the shoulders and pushes him back a step, furrowing her brow beneath locks of red hair. "What were you thinking, child! Wandering that far! Did you want to be eaten or stolen or killed? You should know better! You will stay in my sight at all times until we reach Ellsprin, do you hear me?"
In her flutter of emotions, she seems to not even notice the dagger Orm carries.
The rest of the night goes by rather uneventfully other than the heavier falling of snow. The fire burns on, however, keeping you relatively warm under blankets and near the many dogs who lie around providing heat for one another as well as you. A bit more drink and food is had, with Orm firmly anchored next to Nadya. When time comes for rest, you set up a watch that is thankfully quiet throughout the night.
The next day you break camp and reload the sleds, secure the dogs, and Nadya heads out again. The snow has ceased but the twilit precipitation did leave a few new inches of powdery crust atop the old. A mild wind blows across the tundra, kicking up the fine snow in whirling clouds that dance across the plain.
Half a day into the continued journey, a treeline emerges on the horizon. As the sleds draw near, you can see that this is a true forest, not a sparse smattering of trees as where you fought the wolves, but no great wood like the Hoarwood or the Borderwood either. It appears as though you could circumnavigate the forest, but Nadya opts to cut through it as a way to save time while at the same time give the dogs a bit of a break by allowing for a slower pace. The relief from the wind isn't unwelcome, either.
You are not five minutes into the forest before you spot a cabin. The rough wooden structure sits squat amidst a small clearing and shows no sign of activity save for the smoke rising from the chimney.
Katie considers saying something about the dagger... in her reckoning, the boy's decision to run was what kept him alive. Best to not encourage bloody decisions before he's been properly trained in using a blade.
She settles on keeping an eye on him while she sketches this and that on the sled.
The cabin is a certainly interesting thing to see out here, though.
"Huh... Do you all think it could be trouble? Or a trader, we have a ring to sell, as well as what the gremlins held on to."
Skäne eyes the cabin with a scowl;
"Hard to say from here. Could be fagr or full ..."
:
Without breaking from his searching stare, the warrior adds a surly comment;
"They would likely think the same of us with the puki und jaetti in our company... Know I would."
Cara keeps her own company for the rest of the night after the rescue of Orm, perhaps discomfited by her prejudices and the current reality.
Later, at the cabin...
"That would be a welcome comfort after all this traveling, but I doubt the residents will be friendly. Perhaps some of us should take a closer look." Cara suggests after taking a long look at the surroundings.
If there are no objections to taking a closer look, the elf first sends her owl Aran out to scout the perimeter, then tries to sneak up closer to the cabin herself with bow in hand.
Asgrid is immensely relieved when Orm is recovered and the wolves killed or driven off. She hopes the young boy realizes how close he came to becoming a snack.
The experience, and the following journey across the plain, leaves Asgrid likewise quiet. She spied Cara's concern for the boy and the care with which the elf helped Orm down from the tree. It seemed to create a conflict in the archer's heart. Asgrid ached to reach out to her, to ease that conflict.
She also kept an eye on Grugkt. She was still cominig to terms with her powers, and after a long period of running from her eidolon, she was glad now for his presence. However, as they slid along on their sleds she could sense him tuning in to something unseen. Every once in a while he would cock his head, as if he was listening to a voice not even she could sense. She had a inkling that it was somehow linked to her healing powers - and where had they come from? It was all a mystery.
When the party spies the cabin, Asgrid crouches down as Cara scouts ahead. However, assuming all is well she rehearses some words to allay fears.
Geedra lets Cara go investigate while she stays back at safety. "Good luck...Cara have fun," Geedra encourages her teammate. While laying back to support an attack from the rear, of course.
Hunkering down, Skäne watches the elf-maid approach the cabin.
As he does so the warrior instinctively reaches for one of his throwing axes, readying the weapon should the occupants prove vigilant and violent...
You don't notice anything peculiar as you regard the cabin, nor do you spot any beings in the exterior. Cara sends her snowy owl Aran to scout out from above. The bird glides silently through the branches, making a few circles above the cabin before returning and perching on the cargo load just behind Cara. The owl runs his beak through a few feathers and cocks his head - apparently he saw nothing of note or worry.
Cara herself then silently makes her way from the sled to the cabin, taking care not to make any noise on the forest litter. A few short steps lead from the beaten dirt path up to a large porch. Lightly the graceful elf ascends the stairs, testing her weight to make sure the boards do not creak. Gaining the porch, she sees a large pile of firewood stacked at one end, and a pair of old weathered chairs at the other. The wooden door is closed, but a long window is set to the left. Cautiously approaching the window, the elf peers into the Cabin.
Cara sees a sitting room of sorts beyond the window - a fairly large room with a wooden floor and an old red rug thrown across most of it. A low table sits in the center of the room on which sits a few tall candles, a book, and a few other small objects. A few chairs sit around the room, and one wall is set with a large fireplace that is the source of the smoke coming from the chimney. A figure, draped in a heavy green cloak, its back to window, tends the fire. It throws a small stick into the hearth and then hugs itself, rubbing hands on arms to generate some warmth. Cara can see that the fire is low and the figure has just used the last piece of wood. As the being turns, Cara ducks down below the window to avoid being seen, and then slowly raises her eyes back over the ledge to see once more a moment later as she hears footsteps.
It appears to be a very striking human woman with fiery red-orange hair wearing a long green dress and a reddish-brown shawl beneath the heavy cloak. She seems to be heading for the front door.
Noting the woman in the cabin approaching the front door, Cara gives her companions a quick hand signal to hide themselves, then proceeds to find nearby cover to mask her own presence.
Seeing the hand signal Katie does her best to find a good hiding spot.
She does not do a great job.
Asgrid spies Cara's hand signal and tries to crouch down and make herself small as possible. At the last moment she spots Grugkt, sidling curiously up towards the cabin. She calls after him with a hoarse whisper, at the last chucking a snowball at his back. The eidolon shoots back an aggrieved glance but sprawls himself flat beside a snowbank.
Geedra ducks behind the closest snow bank as well, wondering what Cara had encountered.
Stealth
Skäne shifts uncomfortably in his crouch, attempting to make himself less noticeable;
:
Not used to folding himself smaller, the warrior experiences cramp from an old knee wound, causing him to lose his balance with a curse...
On Cara's cue, everyone scrambles to hide themselves away from whatever resides within the cabin, with some members of the party finding much better places to mask presence than others. A few moments later, the door to the cabin opens and the warm air from within collides with the cold outside, coalescing in a gentle, ephemeral steam. The wafting air from within carries the scent of smoke and cinders and even a little spice - perhaps mead or cider is brewing inside?
A woman appears in the doorway, clothed in a long green dress that sweeps the planks of the porch as she steps upon it. A reddish-brown leather vestment is worn over the dress, and over that a heavy deeper green cloak. Even from your respective distances you can tell that this human woman is quite fetching - a tangled mane of red-orange hair cascades from beneath the hood of her cloak and down to her bosom, and her subtle and exotic facial features give her a definite allure. She walks over to the pile of wood at the closer end of the porch and starts gathering a few pieces of kindling, just as Skäne and Katie make a bit too much noise in the brush. The woman quickly stands and turns her gaze out to the woods, squinting to make anything out.
Her face perks up as she spots the Ulfen through the foliage.
"Hello! Hello there!" she calls, her voice warm and rich. "Please! don't be alarmed - might you be able to assist me? My husband is in danger!" She folds her hands in front of her, and the look of worry and fear on her face is noticeable.
She's been spotted!! Katie immediately undergoes a threat assessment, namely 'does she seem to be trying to kill me right now.'
The answer being no, she looks towards Skane, then back towards the woman in question. Making a small squeak, she attempts to hide behind the tree she's chosen a little more. Fighting gremlins or yeti is one thing. Social interaction, and with a stranger? That's another.
"U-um... you're not... secretly an evil witch. Right?" She's quiet, maybe quiet enough that if someone else were to talk that she'd get lost in the mix.
Skäne catches Katie's look, then curses under his breath.
The vikingr rises slowly, shield and throwing axe still gripped as he eyes the fair maid;
:
"Your husbondi? What threatens him?"
Geedra watches quietly from her hiding spot, not trusting the human woman at first glance.
Cara remains hidden for the moment, as she assesses the strange woman's words for any lies.
At the woman's voice Asgrid pops her head up. She's just about to speak when Grugkt also starts to rouse himself from the snow. Asgrid lunges and pushes her back down, leaning an elbow on his back. "Sshh! This woman sounds scared enough, no need to frighten her further." She tries to smile winningly at the woman.
In your wariness, you don't believe the woman to be untruthful - her eyes and expression certainly both show a person anxious and fearful. She regards the two Ulfen shakily. "A witch?! Of course not. My husband Finngarth was taken by a vile moss troll! It lairs in a cave not too far from here...I always warned my love not to stray too close in his woodcutting or hunting, but he must have. Now the troll has him! Please help him...I will give you anything I have. Food, lodging, trinkets...I even have a magical treasure I would give you!" She turns towards the door, picking up a few sticks from the pile for the fireplace.
"Please come in, and I can show you where the troll's cave is." She starts heading inside but calls out in addition, "You are welcome too, little goblin, no need to hide!"
Geedra shook her head as she stood up and dusted herself off. "Woman too smart for her good. How see Geedra so easy? And what am magical treasurer? That sounds interesting..."
Still not completely on board with the woman despite detecting no deceit in her words, Cara remains in her hiding spot while the others head inside.
Katie takes a step, then another as she shifts her eyes from left to right.
Looking at the ground, she walks quickly into the house.
Skäne shares a look with Katie, then moves forward toward the cottage entrance.
As he passes inside he mutters to himself;
"A troll..? Huh. A góðr foe. A góðr bani for any one of us..."
Warily, everyone except for Cara follows the woman into the cabin. The doorway leads you into a sitting room of sorts, a cozy area that is obviously quite lived in. An old dark red rug is thrown across the wooden floor, frayed at the edges and well worn from use. You notice bits of leaves, wood chips, and sawdust along the edges of the floor where it meets with the wall. A low table sits in the center of the room, upon which is set a few tall candles, a book, a wooden mug, a heel of bread, a small knife, a few walnut shells, and a wood-carved figure of a fox. Three wooden chairs sit around the room with red pillows on the seats, and a wooden bench sits underneath the window that gazes out onto the porch. On the wall opposite the door is a set of shelves holding various knickknacks - a vase of flowers, a few more wooden carvings, what look to be whittling tools, and a few other odds and ends. The wall ends next to the shelf, where a large opening allows you to see beyond the sitting room into what looks like a small kitchen area and a hallway.
The woman walks over to the fireplace in the left wall and kneels down, offering the kindling she took from the woodpile to the flames. A small cauldron hands in the fire, giving off the scent of spice. She warms her hands for a moment and begins to speak.
"My name is Sylgja," she says. "My husband is Finngarth, a woodsman. I love him dearly. A few days ago my Finngarth went out to cut wood and was gone far longer than usual, so I went out to look for him. I was worried that he may have strayed too close to the troll's lair...I was afraid, but I had to find him. As I drew nearer to the troll's lair I heard it moving around, and saw it from a distance through the trees. All covered in moss and hideous - it was wearing Finngarth's cloak! I hope and pray that my husband yet lives, but I cannot save him myself, though it pains me to say it." She stands and turns to you, and you can notice the tears starting to well in her eyes. "Please help him, travelers. I would be forever in your debt. I know this is a dangerous thing I ask of you, and so I would give you anything in return. Food and lodging, any valuables I may have. Please, consider my plea. I can give you some cider if you need a moment..."
Sylgja heads into the kitchen and returns a moment later with more wooden mugs. She sets them down on the table and uses a ladle to fill them with the bubbling liquid in the cauldron; a mug for each of you and one for herself. She takes her own mug in both hands and sips, staring at you all intensely over the cup as she drinks.
Geedra wasn't sure about this situation. She casts Detect Magic and examines the room. At the strange gestures, she replies, "Goblin drinking prayer. Am very good!". She pauses before drinking to see if anything stands out.
Skäne sits and sips, casting a baleful look at Geedra as she gestures and incants.
He nods to himself as he drains the cup, then looks toward Katie;
"I cannot tala for all of us, for we are nyr lagsmaðr on this road... but Rosten and myself will hunt and kill this troll, and save your husbondi if we can."
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Katie waits for a second after Skane sips to drink herself, staring at the cup.
She nods, agreeing. "Trolls are... they're not anything too scary. And if there's magical stuff in it for us, I can't really say no. We need all the help we can get."
As the others move dutifully into the cabin, Cara sneaks up to the front door and attempts to listen in on the conversation.