Your party makes your way to a path that is going up the hillside You follow it to get to the hut.
A small hut stands here on four legs, each one a single tree trunk whose gnarled roots resemble the toes of a giant chicken. The hut is constructed of heavy logs with a patchwork roof of shaved bark shingles. Inside the hut's open doorway, a small figure sits on a carved wooden chair, staring across the clearing at the trail on the other side.
You find yourselves, Mordred, Kishai, Cnut, Garrasay, and Satu, just outside of the hut, looking in.
Kishai approaches carefully. I wonder if this figure has anything to do with the spirit we've been seeing
Garrasay grips his flail and inches closer. He peers warily at the small figure sitting at the hut's doorway, expecting more sprites. Grrrrggr. Careful Kishai, there have been no friendly fey since the winter fell across the forest. RrrrRrRrrr.
Mordred stays close to Garrasay, preferring others to talk for now. His axe rests safely in his hands.
Kishai steps just inside the doorway of the hut to get a closer look at the doll, ready to rip it apart if she needs to but hoping that isn't necessary, as it's quite well made.
Kisai moves into the hut carefully, but finds nothing of note within. The doll, if eerie in design, seems to be just a doll. And, the hut a hut.
Garrasay shifts uncomfortably "rrrrRrRr. We should move on, this place feels like a trap. The doll is out of place in the wilds and I have my doubts that whoever put it here was benevolent. Especially considering the ghost of the girl down below. GrGggggrrRr"
”I agree. Let’s keep moving.”
Kishai backs out of the hut, her gaze lingering on the doll. I know we need to find the source of this weather, but the mystery of these images and this doll intrigues me. I might need to return here someday.
This is creepy somehow. I can feel the shivers running down my spine. The ghost of a girl telling weird stories, then we meet a similar looking crone in a hut on legs. Hopefully this is not some witchcraft and only a bad joke. Let's move on, the faster the better.
Mordred pushes aside Kishai gently as he also moves into the hut. Ignoring the complaints of his companions; Mordred takes a look around the hut, "nonsense Satu, We are looking for what is causing this weather, and this place reeks of Witchcraft. We should be looking around to see what can be found." however Mordred isn't stupid, he keeps a wary eye on the doll. ready to attack if necessary.
Mordred finds much the same as Kishai had - a hut empty of furnishings except for the chair in which the doll sits.
While looking about the interior, a rust colored puddle forms up underneath Mordred's boot, then begins to crawl up his boot.
"by the gods!"
Mordred curses, and the creeping puddle...which does not seem wet but only a discoloration of the dusty snow-covered floor ceases to spread. It remains, an odd discoloration of the floor.
"by the gods!"
"Mordred, are you okay? What happened? Did you find something?"
Kishai stops retreating just outside the doorway and peers back in towards the Shabti man.
Cnut looks around, confused. ”I could swear someone just tried to grab my belt pouch! Be on your guard!”
The shaggy gnoll growls as he looks about and retreats to the hut's door "RrRrrrrgggg. More fey tricks. Its time to leave before their antics escalate. ggrRrGgg"
He leaves the hut and waits outside for the rest of the group.
Mordred moves slowly away from the opening of the hut stepping backward carefully. Obviously there is a presence of some sort already inhabiting the hut, " We beg of your forgiveness , spirt." looking to the others, "Ok I'm with you, if you want to leave.
Kishai begins to follow Garrasay, with a longing glance back at the hut. "This place fascinates me, and I would love to investigate it fully, but I agree we have to keep moving."
You turn away from the apparently harmless doll, and move to the southwest, where the trail seems to continue. Here, it continues through a narrow pass, descending south and east into an icy valley. An unusual pattern of lines is scratched into the fresh snow covering the trail at the edge of the clearing.
The faster we leave this hut the better, i don't like it.
Satu follows her party, then stops at the unusual pattern.
What's this now?
Satu moves forward and leans over to look at the pattern of lines in the snow. Upon closer inspection, it is actually a warning in Taldane that states "Turn back before the winter devours you."
"Interesting. Hopefully this is just intimidation and not a literal threat. I'm not in the mood to be eaten." Kishai moves around the writing so as not to disturb it and continues along the path.
"Rrrrgrgr. Remember the warning sign at the snowman by the river. We should be careful of a trap and ambush. rRRrrrgg"
Garrasay isn't able to find much else about this odd saying with a quick examination.
The winter...does that mean the cold or Irrisen or something else? Maybe we shoud, bring some heat there. I wonder who wrote this though. You say you encountered another warning like this before?
"An Ice Elemental. I think." Mordred scratches his head trying to remember. "I agree about being cautious, there have been many unusual beasts running about it seems."
@Satu- Mordred shrugs off Satu's question, "It matters not, none of us are planning on turning back without end to this unusual weather too many people are depending on us."
As Kishai and Mordred pass the warning and Satu bends to inspect it, a sudden shock of cold more potent than any they'd experienced yet bursts out of the area with penetrating force. It glazes the skin in a sheen of ice, affecting Kishai, Mordred, and Satu alike. The blast carries with it a stinging, controlled burst of icy wind.
The small explosion of cold air seeps into Mordred's cold weather outfit and almost blasts him off his feet. Looking up morde sees little pieces of snow falling to the ground afterwards. "damn that was cold" shivering as he straitens up from the blast. "I'm also getting pretty sick of these traps."
Kishai shivers and blacks out for a second as the intense wind hits her. "Agreed. Do you mind if we rest for a minute, that hit me pretty hard"
After healed and recovered as much as you can, you continue forth through the pass. A cold wind blows through the valley, bringing a spray of sleet and broken ice. The sky ahead rolls with thick, gray clouds and the sun is only a dim glow somewhere in the mist.
The trail winds about to head south, and you follow it into the blinding gusts.
Satu grunts as the blast of cold hits her.
Whatever was that? A small salute from deep winter? Or something to stress the warning? Could have done without it. I could use a rest or something refreshing and warming soon.
Thanks to his Ulfen blood and heavy coat, Cnut easily shrugs off the unseasonable weather.
"errRrRR. They do like their traps, but who put this one here? The bandits were responsible for the earlier ones. Eerrggggg.
Despite the cold air pounding on morde he continues to make his path through the snow, unfortunately the snow and wind prevents him from seeing anything. Knowing snow blindness can happen in these types of environments Mordred wraps some cloth around his eyes to both keep the harsh light out and prevent at least some of the snow from getting into his eyes. We got to push on, And hopefully in a couple of hours we can find a safe place to rest. ", before continuing down the path.
Mordred pushes on into the blinding snow, forcing through the unforgiving terrain almost by force of will.
Alas, the swirling snow is so thick that it conceals the form of a large white animal until the thing is nearly upon you! It looks frighteningly familiar...you've seen this creature before.
The weasel rushes forward in a frenzy, blood trailing it from a wound on its leg. It runs in to bite at Mordred with sharp gnashing teeth.
The creature slams into Mordred, completely surprising him with a vicious bite. When it lands the bite, the weasel clamps on and forces a wide open wound that continues to bleed.
"Aggghhhhh" Mordred gives out a yell as the great beast attacks him, Summoning up all his will power not to attack the beast, he notices that the creature is already wounded. and maybe attacking out of some unknown issue. holding out a bloody hand to the others Morde tries to remain clam and tries to talk the creature down from continuing this attack. "don't attack it." Hoping calming moves will radiate to the creature.
Mordred tries to calm the beast but everyone can see it’s enraged.
Cnut moves to the side, getting the clearest angle he can, then fires a day of fire at the creature.
Garrasay snarls as he plows through the snow to get to the beast, drawing his flail as he goes. Gripping the weapon in two hands he swings it in a wide downward arc intending to put a quick end to the wounded animal.
Cnut quickly responds and fires at the creature, but his shot flies wide of its mark as he makes the adjustment to miss Mordred. Mordred attempts a plea to the beast in an effort to save them both, but it falls on deaf, and hungry ears. It seems the weasel is ravenous, which makes sense in this forbidding wasteland of snow.
Garrasay moves forward and swings. The blow normally would miss, but with the weasel attached to Mordred, it cannot dodge the blow, and the flail slams into it. The weasel is forced to release its grip on Mordred, though the Green Knight's wounds continue to gush blood.
Now faced with a new threat, the weasel turns towards Garrasay and attacks in a frenzy. The creature's powerful bite clamps on to Garrasay and the creature latches on, its weight bearing down on the gnoll. As it is attached, it slashes with its claws, hitting with one. The wounds flow with blood
Mordred
Garrasay
Weasel
Satu
Kishai
Pulling away for the beast Mordred is bleeding for a ghastly wound in his leg that appears to have hit a artery as blood flows freely down his leg, Stepping forward morde spits blood on the ground before swinging his axe down on the creature.
Unfortunately due to his weakened state the blade just swings wide narrowly missing.
Kishai steps in behind the creature and takes a left handed swipe at it.
Cnut fires another ray of flame at the weasel, careful to miss his comrades.
Ah that looks mightily like sometime wounded his hindleg! It's wild!
Satu sports her spear suddenly with a fierce look in her eyes, stepping forward to meet the challenge.
Moving next to Garrasay.
Sorry I think I messed up the map by looking at it from phone.