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Seytiko casts a defensive spell while Rogzul curses successfully the little raptor.
The dinosaur, finding Angus' thigh particularly delicious, bites once again successfully! Angus finds himself weakening, maybe because of the cuteness of the little raptor poisoning his body.
for
Seytiko, Rimble, Rogzul [1 NL], Theadric+Seeker, Vires [1 NL], Angus [30/30, 2 NL and another fort save, 2 str damage]+Fang
C [5]
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And Rimble's mighty missile kills the creature!
Now with some free time, the party is able to investigate the beautiful cavern and its painted murals.
There seems to be another end to the cave, but it collapsed at some point.
The rockfall has covered the entire end of the tunnel. No other creatures may fit through the cave-in.
The paintings depict a castle at the base of a mountain. Outside the castle, a large creature with wings and a long neck lies on the ground before a figure lifting a huge red axe over its head to strike. Other humanoid figures cluster around the scene. The mural is then interrupted by a repeated design: two mammoths with a smaller one in tow marching east. This motif is repeated over and over in an orderly line from the top wall of the cave to the bottom. There are 30 copies of this design.
You note that the creature on the ground was originally painted white, but that time has eroded whatever the painter used to show this color. The character brandishing the axe was also painted white, but around the face, suggesting a large white beard.
You decipher the meaning of some of the painting’s images. The axe-wielding figure in the is different from the other humanoids depicted, as he is shown with a white beard, a feature uncommon among the Kellid peoples. The painting of the three mammoths symbolizes migration, and each painting of three mammoths stands for the passage of a single year. The moon in its various stages symbolizes eternity or a period of time that cannot be depicted with the migration symbol, usually meaning hundreds of years.
The next scene shows the wielder of the red axe lying on a raised mound within the castle, his weapon clutched to his chest. Other figures leave the castle carrying large bags on their shoulders.
The drawings continue on the other side of the cave, showing an avalanche cascading down to cover the tower. The last drawing shows more of the humanoid figures standing over the edge overlooking the castle’s previous location, while four drawings of the moon in various states arc above the scene. In this last picture, all of the humanoid gures have a smear of white color around their lower faces.
Buried among the fungi, you find the skeletal remains of several humanoids. Perhaps they were snowed in and died of starvation. Among the gear you find:
3 bandages of rapid recovery, 2 masterwork throwing axes, a masterwork bolas, a potion of barkskin, 2 potions of endure elements, 6 pairs of snowshoes and a fully charged wand of longstrider.
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"Well, judging for the history told us by Skagni, I supose that this man with a greataxe is Ranulf the Huscarl King and the large creature with wings may be the 'giant' that he mentioned, despite it doesn't look like any giant I've ever seen."
Rimble analyzes the figures painted with more attention.
"Yes, it is Ranulf. Look: the creature on the ground was originally painted white as well as the character brandishing the axe was also painted white, but around the face, suggesting a large white beard, indicating that it is an ulfen and the first is a creature from the cold north - our giant.".
The sorcerer is still inspecting the paintings.
"The last scenes seems to be more difficult to understand. But in my opinion, the the shard that we are looking for is from this weapon", Rimble points to the red greataxe painted on the wall.
"The Huscarl's King castle seems to become covered by an avalanche. With him inside it and other ulfens are still watching for his king after his death".
"Exciting, no?", the gnome grins to his friends.
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Rimble pretends it is not with him, when Theadric calls him as 'goblin'.
He just turns to the halfling when he heard that have equipments between the bodies, then he checks them.
"Well, those snowshoes will be very useful to us..."
"The rockfall has blocked this passage we can not pass through."
"And what you supposed us to do?" - the gnome looks at him, intrigued.
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Angus' toughness resists the poison very well and builds a more than decent campfire in the cave. By the morning, the storm is gone and rays of sunlight peek through the cavern entrance. The map's route continues through an icy gorge, about half a mile long.
You can see what look like humanoids moving around some of the mammoths and aurochs, about 200 feet away.
You see some humanoid tracks at the mouth of the gorge that quickly turn around.
You witness the remains, partly eaten by scavengers, of a large saber-toothed tiger.
Despite being a top predator in this region, it appears to have suffered extreme bludgeoning damage as if trampled to death. The fractures are numerous, suggesting multiple creatures were involved in the trampling.
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"Shhhh!" Theadric says with a hand to his lips.
"Are you people blind? Don't you see the humanoids moving around some of the mammoths and aurochs? It's only about 200 feet from here!"
When someone mentions the dead sabre tooth, Theadric looks down at it from his flying perch.
"I've worked with a lot of animals in my stunt show," he says. "This is strange, because despite being a top predator in this region, it appears to have suffered extreme bludgeoning damage as if trampled to death. The fractures are numerous, suggesting multiple creatures were involved in the trampling. Odd."
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"Shhhh!" Theadric says with a hand to his lips.
"Are you people blind? Don't you see the humanoids moving around some of the mammoths and aurochs? It's only about 200 feet from here!"
"Yes, yes, my goblin friend", Rimble orients Theadric, "look there. And this is what remains, partly eaten by scavengers, of a large saber-toothed tiger".
"All we have to do is... be sneaky", the gnome looks to the others.
Then, he flies as high as he can with Antoniollus, to see if he can catch a sight of something up there.
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The party takes its time to walk on top of the gorge, careful to keep their balance. They hear multiple hooves run by below.
As you pass the gorge, a dozen Kellid warriors with painted faces stand vigilant in the center of the route.
Although they are armed with axes and round, Ulfen-styled shields, their weapons are not drawn. At the head of the group, a tall and powerfully-built figure with piercing eyes steps forward. As he approaches, his hands are held palm up until he is close enough for words. “I am Hiryla,” he says in broken Common, his words flowing with a strange cadence that suggests that he is speaking words that were given to him by another to say. “You come with me... We must talk.”
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Vires chuckles at the exchange "the tinny ones are always good for a laugh...wait did they take some of my coin...no. no its all there not all the small are thieves, but all thieves are small remember that vires..."
Vires shakes his head as if realizing something "ah yes let's go then...after you " he motions to the shorter ones
-Posted with Wayfinder
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As the party tries to speak to Hiryla, it's as if they would do the same to a wall (of ice, naturally). "Come!" he says, almost yelling and already loosing patience.
Hiryla heads east for about an hour. You soon come upon the Kellid camp. This village is composed of small, round houses and low, long buildings built of stone with thatched roofs. The rectangular, round-topped buildings number almost 20 in all, gathered around a central, circular building that is larger and grander than the rest.
Inside this grand hall, dozens of Kellid men, women, and children scurry to and fro, passing food and drink around an enormous central hearth. Long, low benches ring the fire, and a handful of elderly Kellids, decked out in ornate white furs sit on the other side of the flames from the building’s entrance. A young woman with one leg, walking with the aid of a crutch, greets Hiryla in Hallit, and then turns to the door and speaks to you in perfect Common. “Welcome to the North,” she says with a broad grin and a handshake. “My name is Teyma.”
"You are the second group to come up here in the last few days." She starts. "Initially, we tried to speak to the first group, but they attacked us immediately. We fought them back, but they still move inward." Hiryla nods to her, not fully understanding what she said but still interested in the conversation.
"The elders want to hear your story. Tell us of your clan, and what brings you here. If the tale is good enough,” she adds with a smile, “we will tell you ours.”
The warrior you met alongside the wolverine recognizes you. He herds some of the townsfolk into the hut to listen to your speech.
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Theadric looks sidelong at Rimble. "First of all, that's my joke, so stop stealing it! But second, everyone knows only gnomes have heads big enough to pass for goblins! It looses its effect on a halfling, believe me."
"Ok, goblin joker, I'll stop...when you do as well", Rimble grins to the halfling.
"The elders want to hear your story. Tell us of your clan, and what brings you here. If the tale is good enough, we will tell you ours.”
"Well, we were sent here to find an ancestral shard", he stops for a while before continues, "Jedrek's Shard. The group that attacked you are looking for this item too, but for evil purposes and we must stop them and save the shard".
Rimble has never been so sincere in his entire life. "So, tell us your story now. I'm curious about it", he lights his pipe and hears the woman with attention.
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ROgzul steps forward and speaks more now than the party has heard him speak this entire venture. Maybe even more than he has spoken in his entire life.
His simple vocabulary lacks depth, but provides a sense of sincerity and purpose to the tale as he struggles to match the story tellers of his tribe. He speaks of each discovery and battle with a swelling pride. When he's done he stares at the Kellids hoping for good news.
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One person must make a Perform(Oratory) or Charisma check. Everyone else may assist.
The crowd cheers, excited by Rogzul's words. Teyma notes, "It was far from mediocre. You've certainly impressed the tribe."
One of the elders, her face painted white like those of Hiryla and the other warriors, stands from the bench. With no other cue the room falls silent as she speaks. Her words have a strength and resonance belied by her withered frame.
"This is the story that the elders told me when I was a child. Once, a great warrior came to our lands from the South, though his blood and his beard were of the West, in the land where the first dragons hunt and kill. He built a stone keep atop a mountain and came to us in peace with gifts of furs and offered to hunt with our elders. He proved himself a friend to all."
"His axe, sheathed in fire, protected us from the white wolves and yetis. The furs he offered us kept us warm and the meat he hunted kept us fed. For years the king and our elders prospered, and we learned of crafts, weapons, and ways different from those that came before."
"But we learned of the dragons hidden underneath the keep. When they hatched, they hindered the king and his keep for two years. He fought them off, but their mother arrived and her anger knew no equal. In the season of the longest nights, still the sun set and rose again before the battle was decided. The King struck the wyrm down, even though his armor and his beard were white with the ice of her breath."
"Alas, the great king had grown old, and he knew his time was up. When the hour of his dying came, the great and generous Huscarl King gave all within his castle to those that had served and befriended his house, save for his mighty axe. Upon his wishes, the elders brought the mountain down atop of him and his castle. We have held vigil over everything there, so no others may tamper with it. We remember his lessons, his ways that bled into the ways of the elders to become our ways. And we remember his beard, first white with frost, then with age, as it symbolizes what he protected us from and what he stood watch against."
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"A-ha! I got it when I saw the paintings!"
"This explains a lot...", Rimble gives a shot at his pipe before proceeding, "...we have a common interest: protect the shard of the Huscarl King's axe. And we count on your cooperation so that we can take it to a safer place to be stored, far away from those slags Aspis".