The blue circles represent the lights that have appeared in the trees around you. Geedra is up first.
Initiative:
Geedra: 22
Winter Fey: 12
Cara: 6
Kronek: 6
Asgrid: 6
Fey initiative:
Geedra Will:
Geedra delays her action, wanting the fey and the group to close ranks before she starts using her witchery. "Little fey am try to kill us! Go get them feys!"
"More servants of the witches aren't they Geedra? Think they'll come closer or do we need to bring them down?"
Once more, tiny needle-like arrows zip forth from the trees from the bows of the glowing fey, three in all. The cold fey seem to be keen on slowing your advance through the trees, and continue to aim for those in the front of the group. One arrows strikes true on Kronek, finding a spot above his armor and thick clothing. The small arrow pierces his neck, but it does not sink deep. The cold emanates from it throughout the bloodrager's body, however, threatening to throw him off balance. Two other arrows comes from the trees - one goes just wide of Cara's lithe form, and the other glances harmlessly off of her armor.
You two notice the source of the third arrow - there is a third fey in the same tree as the other two you have seen shoot. They must have been trying to remain hidden while sniping at you, but you've spotted this third one now. This one has not brought itself to glowing like the other two in the tree have. Further, you are both quite confident that there are no more hiding in that tree.
Now that the shock of the ambush has settled, you notice something odd about the motes of light around you. Certainly the two globes of light in the tree ahead are the archers - you saw them bring up their glow, but the ones flanking the group seem off. The light doesn't seem consistent, and sometimes a leaf or a twig flickers through them. It hits you suddenly - these globes are an illusion! The fey seem to be making you think that there are more of them than there actually are.
Map unchanged, over to Cara.
Pym Bow:
Confirmation:
Shor Bow:
Vosi Bow:
Vosi Stealth:
Kronek Perception:
Kronek Will:
Cara Perception:
Cara: Will:
Asgrid Perception:
Asgrid Will:
Geedra Perception:
"Charge to the evil fey. Evil fey plan on using arros all day at group!"
Geedra dared to wait no more, as the arrow assault kept threatening the group. She used her magic to try to slow the onslaught.
Cast Ear Piercing Scream
"There's a third one hiding in the tree!" Cara informs the group before attempting to hit that one with an arrow.
Asgrid looks around wild-eyed at the drifting motes of light amongst the trees. Then she notices that the group isn't so outnumbered as they fey would like them to believe. Spying the third fey perched up in the tree, she shouts a command while she simultaneously conjures divine magic. Asgrid, and perhaps some of her companions, are surprised that instead of Common speech her command comes out as "Zapre! Frli nema magii!" She then starts to take up her crossbow and arm it.
translation: "Stop! Cast no spells!"
Current HP 9/9 (0 nonlethal)
Spells Cast
1st (4/day) - cure light wounds, forbid action
0 - none
Cara calls out the presence of the third fey and takes aim at the stealthy creature with her bow. Lining up a shot with swift precision, she looses and the arrow streaks through the snow-limned branches of the trees and tears past the diminutive creature. A shrill cry of sudden pain fills the air. Geedra lets out a scream of her own, though no sound comes from her mouth. One of the fey ahead, however, drops its bow to clutch the sides of its head. Asgrid calls out in a strange language, not one she has spoken in before, and draws her crossbow. The third fey looks up from its wound it has just received from Cara's arrow and blinks at the dwarf.
Over to Kronek. Map unchanged.
Fort Save:
Vosi Will:
Kronek pushes forward through the snow, but unable to reach the fey, elects to drop a small stone into his sling and snaps it toward the same one struck by Cara.
Asgrid stares at the fey that she tried to ensorcell - did it work? She turns to Geedra, busily casting her own spells, shouting, "Napravi marija grabota?"
"Asgrid do funny talk again. Geedra no follow that talk. Getting better, but not yet."
Kronek trudges forward in the snow and whips a sling bullet at the non-glowing fey that Cara hit with an arrow. The bullet collides with a branch of the tree, however, sending a shower of snow to the ground. Two of the fey react - the one on the right stands with a look of shock on its face as a result of Geedra's spell. The non-glowing sprite taking the projectiles flies a bit higher up into the tree branches, partially obscuring its form. It fires an arrow in retaliation at Cara, and hits her in the leg. The third fey abandons its spot on the tree and flies gracefully forward, landing on the tree by the three women. Getting a closer look at the creature now, you see that it is female, with strange white markings and sigils decorating her pale blue flesh. She grins wickedly at you from a branch and gestures with her hands. Suddenly, a swath of scintillating colors explodes from her tiny palms and washes over Cara, Geedra, and Asgrid. However, when the light clears, all three are standing firm with no ill effect. The fey looks both surprised and hesitant now that its spell has failed. Asgrid's crossbow goes off at the non-glowing fey she was aiming at and strikes it true despite its hiding in the branches.
Over to Kronek, Geedra, and Cara!
Initiative:
Winter Fey: 12
Geedra: 6 (Delayed)
Cara: 6
Kronek: 6
Asgrid: 6
Vosi Bow:
Cara Will:
Asgrid Will:
Geera Will:
Percentile:
"Aren't you a bunch of annoying little pests!" Cara insults the ice faeries as she steps 5' away and shoots another arrow at the one she hit before, ignoring the slight pain in her leg.
Geedra uses her Misfortune hex on the creature threatening she and the other two.
DC 14 Will save to resist effects.
They sure are Cara! Let's see if we can knock them back to earth!" Kronek grabs another stone and sends it whistling toward the closest fey.
While Cara and Kronek quip, Asgrid grimly (and silently) fits another bolt to her crossbow. She takes aim at the closest winter fairy and lets fly. She can tell though that the shot isn't good, and methodically starts to reach for another quarrel.
Cara, Asgrid, and Kronek all make ranged attacks against the fey archers yet again, but only Cara's arrow strikes true. Still, despite the hit, the fey doesn't seem to be too bothered by the bite of the arrow. Kronek and Asgrid fire sling stone and crossbow bolt respectively, but both projectiles fly wide of their intended target.
Geedra, however, gestures towards the closest fey and a dark presence seems to bring its weight on the tiny lady. She nervously looks upwards, as if waiting for some terrible fate to befall her...
The fey return their attacks; the closest fey unslings her bow to fire again, forgoing the use of spells. She takes aim and fires at Cara again, but at the last second her bow jerks as if pushed by some unseen force, causing the arrow to go wide. The fey shudders and looks behind her.
The dazed fey in the further tree comes to, but realizes she has dropped her bow into the snow below. She descends from the branch onto the ground and retrieves it.
The final fey in the branches beyond simply fires another arrow at Kronek, the closest target. That shot bounces harmlessly off of the kellid man's armor.
Back to the party! (Will update map soon; only change is that Cara is 5 ft. to the right. (these fey are Diminutive size and cannot threaten)).
Initiative:
Winter Fey: 12
Geedra: 6 (Delayed)
Cara: 6
Kronek: 6
Asgrid: 6
Pym Will:
Pym Bow:
Pym Misfortune:
Vosi Bow:
Now concentrating solo on eliminating the tiny threats, Cara fires another arrow at the closest diminutive fey.
Geedra continues his Misfortune hex, this time on the furthest fey from the group. "Haha, little fey not like this none at all. Bad luck on fey!"
Asgrid cranks back her crossbow and loads another bolt. She tries to line up her a shot at the closest fey, but they make such small targets. The bolt goes sailing off into the trees, and Asgrid starts swearing profusely in Aklo.
Current HP 9/9 (0 nonlethal)
Spells Cast
1st (4/day) - cure light wounds, forbid action
0 - none
Bolts used: 3
Kronek continues trudging toward the fey, but still unable to reach them, loads his sling with another stone and fires at his closest foe.
Cara's arrow strikes the closest fey. She shrieks out, but the sound is barely audible over the wind, though a fine scarlet mist momentarily colors the air around her. Meanwhile, Geedra imposes her curse of misfortune on the farthest archer, and now it seems shaken by an unseen presence. Asgrid fires off another bolt that flies wide of its target.
Will:
Seeing the fey trying to grab its bow, Kronek drops his sling, draws the sword and attempts to slash at the tiny creature.
Kronek moves to take advantage of the grounded fey, charging forward through the snowbanks while whipping up his red-eyed rage and wrenching Yuln's cold-iron blade from its sheathe. Snow kicks up around the kellid's legs as he pushes on, reaching the fey quickly and aiming a downward chop at the tiny blue faerie. Surprised, the fey nevertheless leaps just out of the way; the blade collides with the snow. Still, the winter-touched sprite looks up at Kronek in shock, and then looks to the blade in horror. She makes quick glances to her companions and shouts something out in a shrill voice.
The fey then attempts to cautiously intone a spell, gesturing towards Kronek. Nothing happens, though, and the fey looks anxious. Unwilling to stand so close to the bloodrager, she attempts to fly away, back to the branch.
The fey closest to the rest of the party seems to focus her glowing ewyes on Cara, singling her out. She gestures again, switching back to a spell. Cara feels a sudden rush of cold to her head.
The final fey takes aim at Kronek and fires, striking the bloodrager true despite his misfortune.
Over to the party.
Map (The fey adjacent to Kronek is in the same square, but up vertical ten feet again, pending the results of the AoO).
Initiative:
Winter Fey: 12
Geedra: 6 (Delayed)
Cara: 6
Kronek: 6
Asgrid: 6
Concentration:
Vosi Bow:
Vosi Misfortune:
Cara shakes off the fey's spell as if it was nothing, then relates what she heard in Sylvan, "They're frightened of the Kronek's blade, perhaps cold iron is the quickest way to dispatch them."
To test this theory, Cara drops her bow and pulls out her sling. She flings a cold iron bullet at the fey she's been firing at.
Geedra continues her hexing, this time using her jinx on the last unaffected fey. "Keep hit the evil fey! Maybe they get scared and run away!"
As the fey attempts to cast and fly away, Kronek slices the sword through the air again, sure that he has the knack of the creature's movement now. But just as he attacks, he feels one of the tiny arrows sink into his flesh and the frozen tip seems to freeze his very blood.
As the grounded fey fails to cast her spell and moves to take flight again, Kronek swings his blade forward once more. The cold iron sings as it shivers through the cold air and straight into the sprite. The blade slips through the fey's flesh cleanly and effortlessly, hissing through skin, bone, and blood as if they were water. As the fey is neatly bisected, her end is accompanied by a sound almost akin to ice cracking. She doesn't even have time to acknowledge her fate before falling harmlessly into the snow in two pieces. Even as this happens, Cara switches weapons to a sling and launches a bullet of cold iron right into the closest fey, who screams in agony as the iron ball strikes her soundly in the torso. As that fey shrieks, another tiny arrow pokes into the bloodrager, biting him with otherworldly cold. The frigidity numbs his body some, but the two remaining fey, seeing the death of their ally and feeling the pain of cold iron, look to one another with horror set into their features. Without another thought, they both take off and fly away, disappearing into the trees. The hanging globes of the light in the branches around you likewise speed off in different directions.
"Haha, evil fey run away now! Little arrows no good against big humans big sword! Group go on now?"
The surviving fey fleeing, Asgrid catches her breath and begins to calm down as the heat of battle subsides. As she does so, her speech becomes more and more understandable. "Patoa beshni .. minogi .. zabovna .. Geedra, remind me to get some more practice with this blasted crossbow. It was useless, I couldn't get the hang of it."
The dwarf checks everyone for wounds, providing healing where it is needed. Then, she indicates that she is ready to move on.
"They are only minor wounds, we should save your healing for something more serious." Cara gently refuses Asgrid's offer of healing, then begins to dig through the snow, "Everyone did well, this is certainly shaping up to be an interesting experience. Hopefully I can find the cold iron bullet I used, I don't know how many we will need before this is over."
"Geedra fine, Asgrid. Little evil fey leave Geedra alone. Scared, probably! Look around tree. Evil fey might have magic. Or gold. Not need gold now," Geedra grins as she moves forward to look at the body of the one fey who fell.
"Those little arrows still packed a punch, didn't they? I think I'm all right for now. Let's take a quick look and then move on. They might come back once they get their courage back." Kronek digs into the snow with Geedra to see if there is anything to be found.
"Yeah, those arrows really did a number. Are there any of them still kicking around?" Asgrid looks around in the snow to see if she can recover any of the arrows from the winter fey, and if they still have any magical properties.
Asgrid is also concerned about the wounds those arrows inflicted on Kronek. "How bad are those wounds? I still have enough strength I could summon another healing spell, but that would be most of my spell power for the day." The dwarf checks to see if she can heal the wounds naturally, trying to warm the flesh around the puncture wounds.
Current HP 9/9 (0 nonlethal)
Spells Cast
1st (4/day) - cure light wounds, forbid action
0 - none
Bolts used: 3
Fortunately, the numbing wounds left by the arrows subside in a matter of seconds. Aside from the initial shock of their frigidity, they seem to have no lasting effects.
The diminutive size of the fey leaves it with little gear that would be of use to you. It has its bow, but it only a few inches in length, making it more of a novelty than anything else. The creature also has the tiniest of swords, not much more than a splinter of steel, and a quiver of its remaining arrows.
The arrows themselves are not magical, nor is the bow. The cold-inducing effects of the attacks were likely innate abilities of the fey, gained after accepting a sliver of ice into their hearts to become winter-touched servants of the white witches.
Geedra took the tiny weapons, more as a keepsake than for any substantive purpose. "Souvenir of evil fey. If find good fey, maybe they pay us for it? Ready to go on....still cold."
"Yes, let's keeping moving," Cara says in agreement with Geedra, as she searches the snow for more tracks to follow.
"A shame those arrows aren't magical. I was wondering whether we could use them to engineer some protection in case we come across any other fey here in the forest. We'll need to watch out." Asgrid picks up her pack and slings her crossbow, ready to move on.
"Yes, maybe we can find a better shelter by tonight. Or better still the bandits who attacked the wagons." Kronek helps Cara to find the tracks again through the snowy wood.
The tracks pick up again after the clearing, somewhat obscured by the previous snowfall, but you are able to find them easily. The path serpentines through the woods away from the fetish-filled clearing, and it is not long at all before the sky above begins to darken once more, grimly threatening the forest with coming snowstorms. The day grows colder with every passing minute, and the winds gust from the west, blowing the fallen powder into animate mists.
Eventually, the path bisects a game trail. A narrow path, the game trail winds its way through the trees and undergrowth here. Cara is able to spot hoofprints that mark the underlying snow, heading to and from both directions. The prints all seem to be of consistent size and depth, leading the ranger to believe it is all from thee same creature. The game trail itself doesn't look as easy to travel as the path the bandits took - the underbrush is a bit thicker, and even a passing glance reveals roots that just dangerously up from the ground.
Fort. Save (not sure if Geedra needs to roll it)
Warm enough in her furs, the elven ranger squats down to take a closer look at the tracks. "These are recent," She softly reveals to the others, "Whatever left these here is probably still nearby." Rising up, Cara takes a long, careful look around.
"Hoofprints? Probably not a horse in this weather. Deer? Or something more sinister?"
At Cara's words, Asgrid peers at the forest, looking for any signs of movement. The hackles rise on her neck. She wonders what might be out there, and gets the nagging sense of being followed again. The dwarf also joins in the speculation about the tracks. She's not hunter, but it doesn't stop her putting in her two coppers. "What kind of hoofprints? Like a donkey or a mule? Or like a boar, or something even bigger? Does it look like it has four legs, or two?"
"Hopefully not stupid evil horse. Horse bad! Even fox is better than mean horse!"
I cannot tell, I'm afraid." Cara answers her companions' questions about the nature of the hoofed beast with a sad shake of her head, she then looks to Geedra with good humor, "If you're going to be residing near humans, you may want to make your peace with horses."
You are unable to pinpoint exactly what sort of creature the hoofprints belong too, but you are sure enough that they are not equine nor porcine - they likely belong to a deer or some similar beast. As you are talking about just what could have left the tracks, the answer strides right out of the trees to your right. A large, pure white elk strides majestically from the brush, stepping gracefully through the snow. A film of frost clings to the shaggy fur around its shoulders, and small snowflakes and ice crystals fall from it when the animal walks. It stops about thirty feet away from you and tilts its head to the left. It does not seem to be spooked by your presence, nor does it seem aggressive. After a few moments, you hear, of all things, a voice come from the stag, though its mouth does not move.
"Welcome, outsiders...might I ask what business you have in the wood? It is dangerous here of late...snow has come too soon."