Are you just stalling because you're clearing bad rolls? ;-)
Hjort AC 14, Runa 13, Lazar 19. Hjort's looking at about 50% , Lazar about 1/3, Runa untouched so far.
Ner did a crouching slide across the smooth ground towards Hjort's back and tried to slice the taught tendon above his left heel ...
... but he slid a little too far and could barely keep his feet - Ner used his sword as a kind of crutch instead.
Fighting against his own rush to finish the long incantation, Matheus drew from his Deck, knowing without looking which card his fingers settled on.
"Seventh card of Wisdom, the Eclipse... loss of purpose, doubt... Many doubts in my life, but not of my purpose, and not of this moment. And fourth card of Strength, the Forge. Strength through diversity, one's power complementing that of another. This is a fine match for you, my furred little friends," the druid murmured, his voice ignored by anyone as it was swallowed by the sphere of enchanted silence. But the call was heard, nevertheless.
Two wolves leapt into reality, one to challenge both of the enemy casters. Dark of fur like a moonless night, strangely shifty in their movements, each and every step leaving a soot-black footprint on the snow.
The summoned beasts charged at the two enemies, their sudden appearance startling enough that both sets of teeth found a fleshy part of leg to tear into, Matheus peered through the doorway, gesturing with one hand at the woman who must be the one called Runa. Heeding his call, the electric charge his earlier spell had built in the cloud above sought violent release, and for a fleeting moment the alley was filled with bright, blinding light and the roar of thunder.
Will Save:
Oksana begins to cast another spell, but her limbs freeze in position and she no longer has control of her body...not statue-like standing in the yard.
Petronia was feeling light headed from blood loss but very ably ignored her injuries to land a few more punches on Hjort.
Petronia realized that her first punch went wide but quickly recovered and sent a second devastating blow to Hjort's temple.
Ner's attempt to hamstring Hjort failed, but it distracted him enough to allow Petronia an extra swing. She caught him with a fierce uppercut to the chin, snapping his head back and nearly knocking him out. Clearly brain-addled and woozy, the barbarian's rage continued to fuel his desire to kill. Again, he used his chop&slice combo attack, this time to deadly consequences. The axe found her carotid artery, and the dagger found her spleen - a moment later and the brawler was lying in a heap on the icy ground, her blood mixing with Gyuri's.
In a devastating few seconds, Runa found herself scorched, prone, and being used a chew toy. As she scrambled to her feet, the wolf lunged again, hoping for another chomp, but caught only a mouthful of her long coat. Calling upon her god for help, she attempted to frighten the wolf away. The summoned animal, however, was made of sterner stuff, and refused to panic and run.
Meanwhile, Lazar managed to shake off the frost clinging to him, and responded with fire. Hurling a sphere of fire at the wolf, he then stepped back out of range. The wolf was quick on its feet, and danced aside, its fur unsinged.
Nope
Save
Hit
Hit
Miss
Pass
pass
Ner hissed and spun around Hjort again using the ice as a kind of glide as he pirouetted close to the wild northerner. He stopped when he was resting over the collapsed Petronia. With his halfling shortsword out he looked like a tiny guard dog bearing it's little teeth.
He was maybe a little too anxious to help Petronia and his gut moved him right where Hjort wanted him ... but he had been beaten up by larger men and was equally as quick returning the blow with his little blade ...
... As he slid the blade neatly between thee man's powerful abdominal muscles and out again.
Bah! Fitbit annoy Harrison. (By which I mean forgot about barkskin. Posting from phone sucks). Update your headers, people!
Petronia is still down, but just at 0, not -11, so no penalty on the con roll
Hjort swung at the halfling as he skated around him, and Ner took the back of his axe in the face. He kept his head, but gained a broken nose, a cracked tooth, and a mouth full of blood for his efforts. The magical silence couldn't stifle the ringing in his ears.
However, Ner stayed upright, defending his friend, and his small bladed ended Hjort's life. Soon the halfling was the only one standing in a pile of three bodies.
Runa, about to call down negative energy on everybody, was instead blasted by a second bolt of lightning. Only Oksana could hear her scream, but they all saw her crumple, steaming, to the icy ground. A moment later the magical silence vanished, and Oksana was able to move again.
Lazar, seeing himself alone, disengaged himself carefully from the wolf and hurried towards the barred door behind him. Knocking the bar to the ground, he pushed through the door and out into the street.
nope
Fail
Succeed
Being accustom to icy ground and free of the paralysis that held her, Oksana chases after the fleeing wizard.
"Not so quick sir, you forgot your parting gift!"
With that, she utters the words to a spell. At first, nothing seems to happen, then suddenly a spear of ice magically springs from the ground to slash at the retreating magic-user and knock him off balance.
Damage: piercing
Damage: cold
Reflex save for half: DC-19
Rime Spell and CBM to avoid being tripped (DC-12)
Upon casting this spell, one or more giant spears of ice lance up out of the ground. Each stalagmite-like icicle affects a 5-foot square and tapers to a height of 10 feet. You may cause a number of ice spears equal to one spear for every four caster levels you possess to burst from the ground. A creature that occupies a square from which a spear extends (or that is within 10 feet of the ground below) takes 2d6 points of piercing damage and 2d6 points of cold damage per square—creatures that take up more than one square can be hit by multiple spears if the caster is high enough level. The explosive growth can also trip foes. When the spears erupt from the ground, they make a combat maneuver check against any targets that take damage from the spears, with a total bonus equal to your caster level plus your Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma modifier, whichever is highest. Each additional ice spear beyond the first that strikes a single foe grants a +10 bonus to this CMB check. If the check succeeds, the ice spears knock the foe prone. A successful Reflex save halves the damage and prevents the trip attempt.
If you cast this spell upon an area covered with ice or snow, such as atop a glacier, frozen lake, or snow-covered field, the spears strike with additional force. Saves against the effect suffer a –2 penalty and the spell gains a +4 bonus on its combat maneuver check to trip foes. Ice spears created by this spell remain after they do their damage. They melt as normal depending on the surrounding environment. They no longer damage foes in their square, but can provide cover. An ice spear has hardness 5 and 30 hit points
Ner reached into his haversack and found one of three oily potions he had squirrelled away right on top. He stuck his index finger in the corner of Petronia's mouth and tried to force feed her the contents of the vial, covering her mouth when he was done ... surely a little must have gone down the wrong way.
The flow of blood from Petronia stops as Ner forces a healing potion down her throat. Soon after, the brawler groans and sits up. She looks around and sees the fallen bodies of Hjort's crew, Hjort included. She gives Ner's shoulder a gentle punch, "Thanks for having my back."
Seeing Ner pouring a potion down Pertonia's throat and his summoned wolves running after their fleeing prey, Matheus turned his attention to their downed enemies - after all, they still had questions that needed answers, and either Hjort or Runa might be able to provide them... beginning with the true fate of one Herr Skagni they had come here to find.
Kneeling next to Hjort's bleeding body, the druid began bandaging the man's wounds as quickly as he could, knowing his patient was well past caring if haste made his touch painful.
Oksana's attack and the wolves make quick work of Lazar. In a few more seconds he's being savaged on the streets. The people of Trollheim, not unused to animal attacks, fight the wolves off, but it's too late to save the evoker.
Matheus is able to bind Runa and Hjort's wounds enough to keep them from expiring on the spot. Soon the two conspirators are bound and gagged.
Petronia is faring little better, though Ner's potion gets her up and moving around again.
Petronia approaches Hjort, hand raised. "Shall I wake him up? Or would you rather Runa? Runa would probably be more reasonable. She did want us alive after all - and she's not blinded by anger. If she starts saying anything magic-like, I can smack her and interrupt her concentration."
Ner as smiles as Petronia stands and, very much herself, gets to the work of interrogation.
Petronia approaches Hjort, hand raised. "Shall I wake him up? Or would you rather Runa? Runa would probably be more reasonable. She did want us alive after all - and she's not blinded by anger. If she starts saying anything magic-like, I can smack her and interrupt her concentration."
He nods unmindfully to everything Petronia says while he looks through all of their new little things.
Ner pokes through the bodies. He finds a potion in Gyuri's robes, marked with a symbol of an owl. The only other thing the monk is carrying is a handful of shuriken secreted about his person.
Hjort is carrying a familiar-looking healing potion, and other than that it's just his gear. Studded leather armour and a masterwork handaxe and dagger. As the halfling rooted through the man's clothes, he noticed that the coat seemed even heavier than it should be. Tearing the parka apart, the halfling found several concealed purses, totalling 2,500gp.
Runa's eyes snapped open with Petronia's first slap. Twisting to look around, she saw Hjort tied up and unconscious, and Gyuri dead and cold. When she realized that all four of her enemies were alive, she seemed to slump a little.
Okay, I sense that we're feeling pretty much done, so I'll give you the wrap up.
Runa admits that she used Hjort's hatred of the Pathfinders to try and tarnish their reputation in the Lands of the Linnorm Kings. The plot was hatched by a Shadow Lodge agent in Irrisen, named Caggrigar, and his man, Vermund. Skagni is alive, and prisoner in the Shadow Lodge in Irrisen.
Thanks everybody for playing with me! Perhaps we'll pick up part two one day. I'll shut this campaign down in a few days, once everybody has had a chance to read the summary.
WOOOOOOO!
Thanks Angie!
Thank ye for an entertaining story - holler if you are going to run part 2 some day ;^)
And Ner, check your private messages.
You wrapped that up nicely in a neat little bow just in time for Christmas :)
You know where to find me when Part II is a go.
Thanks for bringing me into the game...It was fun! Thanks Angie and if you need an extra again, just let me know!!
Trying to get this out of the archive....
SHADES OF ICE - pART 1: WRITTEN IN BLOOD
RECAP
The Pathfinders were called together in Absalom, to deliver a chest to historian Rognvald Skagni, who was researching in Trollheim. After a long sea/river voyage, they arrived to find that Skagni's house was burned down, and the historian was missing.
After asking around for clues, it seemed that Hjort Frostaxe was responsible. He was a member of the Blood Ram tribe, from a small village that was raided several weeks ago. He was the only survivor, and found wayfinders on the dead foe. Convinced that Pathfinders were responsible, he set out to destroy them.
Runa White, a Chelish woman, met Hjort and used him and his rage to her own ends. She was part of the Shadow Lodge in Irrisen (the Shadow Lodge is a group of disillusioned Pathfinders who long to find items of great power and eventually rule), and was secretly responsible for the attack on the village. Runa fed Hjort more lies about the Pathfinders, and this led to the attack on Skagni.
While looking for the truth, your team was attacked several times. You managed to fight off Hjort's goons, and bested Hjort and Runa in the final battle. Both were left alive for questioning, and Runa admitted that Skagni had been taken alive to Whitethrone.
We didn't decide whether or not you killed the prisoners after questioning, or turned them in to the authorities.
The next step will be the dangerous overland trek into Irrisen, to the city of Whitethrone, there to rescue Skagni and finally divest yourself of the 100lb chest you've been hauling around.
Questions?
The fire in the common room is warm, and you've just eaten your fill of hearty stew and warm, dense bread. The ale keeps coming, on the house for the heroes of the day. Bellies full, bodies healed, the four companions lean back and discuss their next steps.
Thus begins Shades of Ice, Part 2: Exiles of Winter.
Ner fidgeted in the chair too tall to allow his feat to touch the floor and switched between kneeling, crouching and sitting - his eyes occasionally at table level. He ate a bit of salted meat and stuffed a little in his money pouch. Then he got off his chair for another cup of beer. Sat down. Got up. Tried to slip Matheus backpack off the chair without disturbing his meal ...
... and carried it up to the room whether he had been noticed or not. He was wearing his little grin. Always be helping means always be needed
He returned to finish a bowl of fish soup mmmm, salty ... not too much. Salt makes ya' dry and thirsty ... bad for cold weather then pinched the salt duster from the table ...
After the soup was gone he got up close to the fire, warmed his black bottomed feet, then came back to claim another traveling bag ... Petronia would want this in her room ... I'm helping
After returning it to the room he crept quietly back into the room. The team were all talking. He knew he shouldn't interrupt ...
... but then suddenly popped from under the table while they were in the middle of it and nearly yelled, "WHERE IS WHITE..." stopping halfway through with a warning glare from Petronia.
Oksana stands off to one side of the group...almost where she started this little adventure by being hit by a chair. She stands with her arms crossed and watches the antics of the odd little halfling. Just for a moment, the diminutive trickster makes her smile with his actions, but she quickly erases it from her face. There was nothing worth her mirth anymore...
Back in the privacy of their room, Matheus had finished dressing the wounds of those hurt in the pitched battle before tending to his own bodily needs - the fat druid had ordered a feast fit for a hungry raiding party and had already consumed enough bread and honey, slices of meat and hard cheese and bowls of stew to make up for most of a halfling's body-weight, washing the food down with mead, and was still peckish enough to gaze longingly at the bowl of baked apples and cream he had ordered for desert.
"WHERE IS WHITE..." stopping halfway through with a warning glare from Petronia.
The sudden sound startled the portly druid, sending his spoon flying. Once he got his suddenly racing heart back under control, he smiled down at the halfling and offered him a portion of his dessert. "East. Quite some ways, if we need to get all the way to Whitestone - that's on the far side, if memory serves. By the biggest lake in the country. Not a particularly hospitable place, not like the Linnorm lands - I'm hardly current on the affairs, but I do know Irrisen and the locals have a bit of bad blood between them, what with the Winter Wars of old."
"Come to think of it, you mentioned the place in passing," the druid turned his attention to Oksana, displaying once again his uncanny ability to carry on a normal conversation while never stopping eating. "And, with you being an actual local, perhaps you could enlighten us?"
When Ner disappeared with Matheus' backpack, Petronia hid a smile and continued to discuss their next move with the others. She looked at Oksana expectantly when the druid asked his question, "Yeah, enlighten us about Irrisen. I've never been but if it's as dangerous a place as they say then I should be able to have some fun."
Petronia had gotten so good at watching Ner appropriate various items that the halfling had to get very creative and very stealthy in order to take her pack without her noticing. It had become a game between the two and tonight he had won. He waited until some unwitting patron tried to proposition the tattooed woman - she did look quite different from the local fare - and when he got punched for his efforts, the halfling snatched her pack - to take it to safety, of course.
Settling back into her seat with another ale, she asked, "So when do we leave? The sooner we off-load that trunk, the better. Oh, and rescue Skagni of course."
Oksana seems to gather her thought and then, taking a step further into the room she speaks. Her voice seems to bring out the cold of the land she speaks of, and all feel a bit of a chill as she speaks.
"Irrisen is a harsh, cold land covered in the snow and ice of a winter that has lasted centuries. The snow never melts and as harsh and unforgiving as the land is, it is nothing compared to those who rule it. The land is governed by the White Witches of Irrisen, descendants of the great witch Baba Yaga. All the White Witches are obedient to our queen, who is a daughter of Baba Yaga, although the current queen Anastasia is Baba Yaga's granddaughter and not be a winter witch herself."
This last statement seems to upset the young woman, but she gets her emotions under control and continues.
"Irrisen is divided into six provinces: Bleakmarch, Feyfrost, Hoarwood, Thronehold, The Verge, and Wintercrux. Feyfrost is ruled by one of Grandmother's fey allies, and The Verge is traditionally ruled by the Queen's second son. Each other province is ruled by one of the daughters of the queen. What else would you like to know?"
The word had been echoing in his head and Ner just had to finish it, "...stone", but in a whisper and mostly to himself. Then he showed his appreciation for the apples and cream with his eagerness rather than a polite 'thank you' to Matheus.
"...What else would you like to know?"
Ner, eyes curious, talked with a spoon in his mouth, "Wus a Baba Baba?", unable to make the latter Y sound. He looked around at everyone at the table like he felt everyone knew but him.
A lean-looking woman stood by the table turned and dropped the hood of her fur-lined cloak. She glanced around the group and leaned in, almond-eyes gazing unflinchingly at Ner
"That's not a name you want to bandy around too loudly in these parts..."
She pulled out a spare seat and slid in, her hand flashing a Wayfinder just long enough for it to be recognised before it disappeared back to wherever it had come from.
"I'm here to help, society said things were afoot, travel needed to colder climes..."
Her hand shot out and grabbed the elbow of a serving girl
"Mead... please..." she flashed a friendly smile before turning back to the party.
"All of Oksana's words are true, but you can also add 'incredibly hostile to outsiders' and 'occasional child kidnappers' to your growing list of facts about the place, alongside 'if you thought it was cold here then you're in for a rude shock'... "
As her ordered tankard was delivered, she took a long swig, then glanced around blankly for a moment.
"Ah yes, sorry, name's Koyuki..."
Petronia's whole body tensed and her hands reflexively balled into fists as a stranger leaned in and spoke. Just as she was ready to spring to her feet to send her chair flying backwards, a Wayfinder sign was displayed briefly.
Her body relaxed slightly but the fists remained as she gave the stranger an opportunity to explain herself. The brawler wasn't enthused about the promise of colder weather but she was encouraged about encountering hostility. Hostility meant fights and that's where she thrived.
She watched the newcomer in stoney silence as she finally relaxed her hands, if only so she could take a swig of her drink.
Oksana also looks at the newcomer with wariness. The showing of the Pathfinder symbol does nothing to ease her tension. She turns to the halfling, and in a clam voice answers him.
"The name is Baba Yaga, and she is family, so I suggest you take care of your tone when speaking her name. Irrisen is..or was my home. And she..Koyuki is right, it is cold...very cold!"
"The name is Baba Yaga, and she is family, so I suggest you take care of your tone when speaking her name. Irrisen is..or was my home. And she..Koyuki is right, it is cold...very cold!"
Ner's mouth flattened from his permanent grin and his eyes went still. Ba-ba-ya-ga ... ba-ba-ya-ga ... he repeated to himself in a forced serious tone, but in his head. A little bashful @Petronia, "are we going to whitestone?" and @Koyuki "...are you coming with us to whitestone?" ba-ba-ya-ga ... He nodded his head as he thought out the syllables, though he didn't know he was doing it.
Two new people, that would mean a lot of bags to repack in the night! Ner's grin returned. He knew he was up to the task.
"I'm here to help, society said things were afoot, travel needed to colder climes..."
"That's mighty observative of our Captains, considering we have yet to send an update, and any message would take weeks to arrive," Matheus chuckled, but took the presence of a Wayfinder as a decent reassurance. The things were, after all, hard to come by outside the Society.
"Ah yes, sorry, name's Koyuki..."
"Matheus Winterglade, in your service," the druid answered, draining his flagon with a belch of pure bliss. "And if things are truly so bad behind the border, I suggest we take the opportunity to enjoy the wonders of civilization while we still can. Maid! Another round of drinks for me and my friends!"
Koyuki remained smiling even as the tough-looking Petronia gave her the once over, though tension melted from her shoulders when the warrior seemed to relax enough to pick up her drink.
She raised an eyebrow at Oksana.
"Family? Now that I didn't know... so there's no conflict of interest here for you? Sneaking back to your homeland? Is the Society or your blood more important?"
She held up her hands placatingly
"I don't mean to pry or put you under pressure, just I like truth being out where everyone can see it no matter how ugly, and better to ask the question now rather than get an answer when it's all turned to custard and we're in the thick of it..."
She flicked her eyes to Ner and nodded
"Yes that's right, if that's where the trail leads, that's where we'll go."
She laughed at Matheus's comment
"The Captains are no more perceptive than usual! I was in the area and asked to assist originally but had other business to attend to. The rest I've picked up from watching you these last few hours.
She grimaces
"Again, not meaning to spy, had to make sure you weren't Shadow Lodge... their grubby mitts are all over this..."
"Right. Well, another able hand will certainly be welcome, more so with us heading into so inhospitable terrain," Matheus said, accepting another tankard from the waitress with a beauteous smile. "But for tonight, let us eat, drink and be merry! Might not have another such an opportunity for a good long while."
Ner stood bolt upright. Without moving his head his eyes shifted from friend to ally. Then he yawned with a huge stretch of his arms and backed away from the table. He started back to the room.
"Right. Well, another able hand will certainly be welcome, more so with us heading into so inhospitable terrain," Matheus said, accepting another tankard from the waitress with a beauteous smile. "But for tonight, let us eat, drink and be merry! Might not have another such an opportunity for a good long while."
Petronia ordered two more drinks, "Don't have to tell me twice. Can't say I'll do the merry part but I'll definitely take care of the eating and drinking."
The brawler had spent enough time with Ner to know that he was up to something when he suddenly stood up and gave a yawn she could recognize as his fake yawn. But she was unwilling to cut her night short. Especially since she assumed that he was just going upstairs to go through everyone's things.
The next day went quickly. Oksana and Koyuki found that there bags had been rifled though in the night, and their belongings redistributed. However, they found nothing was missing.
The morning the caravan was to leave dawned overcast and relatively mild. Gear packed and ready, they met up with the caravan just outside the east gate, along the river.
It was unlike any caravan the southerners had ever seen. No wheeled carriages or carts, no muskoxen to pull them. What awaits the pathfinders is a caravan of dogsleds. Or, based on the scale of both sled and beast, wolfsleighs.
The air was full with the sounds and smells of canines. Barking, growling, yipping, wrestling with each other; grey, and white and black and every combination thereof. The animals were as big as winter wolves, and only slightly tamer. Each wore a colourful harness, but weren't currently tied to anything. The merchants and hunters gave the beasts wide berth as they loaded up their sleds.
Each of the six sleds was at 4-5 meters long, two meters wide, had three runners. No two were alike - this one had a flat platform that had bales of grain strapped to it. That one had sledge-like sides and two rows of seats; clearly the passenger sled. Another was a strange mixture of boards and rods crisscrossing in a three-dimensional web that housed dozens of soft, wrapped bundles.
The people were mostly Ulfen - gender hidden under the layers and only evidenced by the bushy beards favoured by the men. A few dwarves loaded one sled with what looked like casks, provisions, and a veritable arsenal of weapons and armour.
A shortish Ulfen man with a thick, hide-bound ledger spotted them, and limped over. As he approached it became clear that he had but one leg; the other had been replaced by the thighbone of some creature the size of which they could only imagine. Likewise, he had but one eye, and cruel red scars across his face attested to his battle with some clawed beast. Ugly though he was, he flashed them a twisted smile and greeted them.
"God morgon, resenärer! Jag är Keld, husvagnsmästare." Seeing the blank looks on Petronia and Ner's faces, he switched to common. "I am Keld, master of this caravan. You must be the new merchants Rafarta told me to expect." He eyed their heavy chest, clearly curious about the contents but too professional to ask. "I'll put you on the second sled, with Signe and her bairn. You can help her load up. We want to be moving within the hour."
Signe proved to be a stout Ulfen woman with a babe swaddled inside her clothes. She was loading various crates, boxes, chests and other items, heaving them easily despite her attached offspring. Her blond hair was braided and tied back, hood off in the mild morning. She paused as they approached, eyeing the motley company with clear suspicion.
... In the moonlight, the halfling could imagine a the shadow of a three-dimensional doorknob, even though it was clearly a flat painting. There was no sign of anybody around.
Ner stood there for a moment and marvelled at this new door. He briefly wondered how he might remove it from the wall and take it with him.
Ner sniffed at the painting, took out a thin needle from his little meddler's tools and poked at the wall nearest the paintings edge. He squinted, and searched for anything mechanical/signs of use/wizards marks. Then Ner waved his hand over the knob half expecting to feel it raised and against his palm. He watched carefully as the moonlight shadow of his hand passed over the knob. Could the shadow of his hand interact with the painting of the knob? This was Ner logic!
Having been thoroughly done with trudging through snow and having cold feet, Petronia had gone shopping for new boots with her reward money. She had admired Kazmir's boots before they had parted company and so she was on a mission to find herself a pair, especially with them traveling into Irrisen which promised to be snowier and colder than they'd already experienced.
The morning that the caravan departed, Petronia was pleased with her purchase. She had had her doubts about whether the boots were the genuine article and she had made it perfectly clear to the merchant what would happen to him should he be lying to her. As she easily walked over the snow with a pleasant warmth enveloping her body, she was somewhat disappointed that she wouldn't get to punch the merchant.
The skinwalker was both impressed by the use of wolves as well as dismayed. She wasn't able to relax at all until she could see that the wolves were treated as team members rather than as pack animals. She respected the magnificent animals and their inherent natures but she didn't give the wide berth to the animals that some of the other merchants and hunters. She was fairly certain that the beasts would be able to sense the beast that lurked within her and would recognize the kinship.
Petronia nodded at Keld with his introduction. Her eyes narrowed slightly at his interest in the chest but seeing his professionalism win out over his curiosity, she made no other move.
She helped carry the trunk over to where Signe's sled awaited. Seeing the suspicion on her face, Petronia left it to Matheus to use words. For her, she moved over to one of the heavier crates and hefted it, "Where would you like me to put this? I assume you have a method for packing your sled."
Oksana looks over at the new addition to their group as she asks about her loyalty.
"I am loyal to myself..I am NOT a Pathfinder, nor a follower of their ways."
Waking and finding her things having been gone through, Oksana seems to have no reaction, as nothing was taken.
"God morgon, resenärer! Jag är Keld, husvagnsmästare." Seeing the blank looks on Petronia and Ner's faces, he switched to common. "I am Keld, master of this caravan. You must be the new merchants Rafarta told me to expect." He eyed their heavy chest, clearly curious about the contents but too professional to ask. "I'll put you on the second sled, with Signe and her bairn. You can help her load up. We want to be moving within the hour."
"God morgon, husvagnsmästare!" Matheus answered with his usual good cheer, walking over to clasp hands with the Ulfen. "Aye, we be them, and thank ye for finding a spot for us and our merchandise... and supplies, or course!" Matheus gestured at the impressive collection of kegs, sacks and crates he had purchased. "Fear not, we shall share - no reason not to eat well and warm our blood with a touch of ale when we camp for the night!"
"Matheus Winterglade, at your service and the service of your caravan. A shaman of nature I am, and will use my arts to speed our travel with blessings of wind and weather if you allow it."