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Oh, the witch thinks she's old? That's cute. Oria affords herself a slight smirk, the first thing resembling a smile that she's worn this whole trip.
"And I consort with powers that were old when the gods first touched this world." she says, waving a hand dismissively. "Age comparisons aside, we're here to look into Kolvi. You mentioned a Kolvi the Brave?"
She steps forward. [b]"I get the feeling your take on the matter is a bit different from what we've heard. Care to trade spooky campfire stories?"[b]
The witch looks at Oria and replies."So do I, child, so do I. What do you want to know of Kolvi?"
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I mean, everything really. Well, I guess not everything. Mainly just the truth. There is a really nasty story going around about how she murdered a king and other such nastiness. We have reason to believe that, at a minimum, that isn't the whole story, and very possibly is mostly a lie. Do you know what really happened all those years ago?
The jarlsblood witch spits out and draws upon her quite considerable charisma to unleash words that just simply convey her disgust.
"You dare to speak of this vile traitor, this lowliest of life forms. A deal is a deal, and those that break their vows and deals are the lowest of all life forms!"
Taking a deep breath she calms herself.
"He came to me and asked for my aid to hunt a linnorm, to proof his worth as a king. The right of passage of my lands, my aid to find it and some good fortune. In return he offered to do us some favors. And when we asked him to stand up to this bargain he refused. This son of a weasel and a jackal refused. Refused to repay the favor. And laughed in our face.
HA.
And then he dared to enter my territory again. To murder the woman Kolvi. This did not end well for him!"
The witch points with her hand toward the effigy.
replying to Ridley she speaks:“You think that the Ulfen people would trust the word of fey? No matter how intriguing I find your cultures, there is a gap in how we understand each other. To the people of Frostbreach, I am merely a capricious forest spirit and Moss-on-SouthTrees is a malevolent elk.”
She looks at Vayon and continues."These woods have no witches to scare, and the sight was no way to remember a warrior like her. There are abandoned catacombs miles from here that the Ulfen people have forgotten, yet we have used them rarely to hide away that which need not be found or that which my companion would rather eat later.
Both she and the king’s corpse lie there. If you wish to see them for yourself,” she trails off and looks to the ijiraq for a moment, “you could do so. I can provide you a token to see through the illusions that hide it. I warn you, though, we have not used it for several human generations, and those hills feel increasingly… troubled.”
The elf looks at Ridley and replies."You will owe me a favor. And moss on southtrees is a friend of mine!"
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Oria narrows her eyes. "On the grounds that your favor doesn't put us directly at odds with the citizens of the town we just came from."
But then, she shaman thinks better of herself. "At least not until our mission is done. Then?" She pauses, her voice wavering, but a grim determination restores her resolve in short time. "Who cares what happens to them, really?"
To the tomb?
The trek from the Snow Elk Wilds to the catacombs takes several hours at a steady pace and is uneventful. As you approach an inconspicuous hill, the fey antler token begins to glow with faint red light. The closer you bring the token to the hill, the brighter it glows. Once within about 50 feet, the token melts the illusion veiling the hill, revealing a long, rocky outcropping with several smaller stone mounds inscribed with weathered petroglyphs.
Worked stones partly seal a cave along the outcropping’s southern side, creating a formal entrance into the caverns beyond. All along the rock face jut pieces of bone or fossilized remains of some immense fanged creature, as though it were clinging to the cave.
This are linnorm bones
At the entrance, the faint scent of decay mixes with the fresh air outside. Frozen grime covers much of this area. Two sets of rough-hewn stairs lead downward to the northeast and northwest, and the large central column bears a large inscription written in weathered Skald script.
This is a funerary poem that extols the deeds of those buried within, asks that their deeds be multiplied tenfold in the afterlife, and invites future generations to hear their ancestors’ tales directly
You can hear the faint sound of a fight below
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As we approach the entrance of the tomb, Ridley will drink extracts of Heroism, Heightened Awareness, Darkvision, False Life, and Barkskin, and hsi cognatogen.
These are Linnorm bones adorning this tomb...and the poem tells of their deeds, and invites future generations to enter and hear their ancestor' tales directly. Seems promising...
And it sounds like there is some sort of battle going on below - maybe some sort of haunt replaying the deeds of those entombed within?
Ridley will lead the way in, searching for traps as he goes. Do you want me to roll a perception, or let you do it if necessary?
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"I can confirm the writing, but I don't hear anything myself. HoweverI do believe you and will take a brief moment to prepare." says the Ulfen male as he reaches into his belt pouch, draws forth a burning rock that doesn't seem to hurt him. He then whispers..."Bright Light, Bright Light."...and releases the rock to circle around his head.
Glorne then stretches his arms out to his side, and slowly brings them to a stop at shoulder length in front of him. As he does, the cool, pale mist that constantly surrounds him flares in intensity, and a shield of pure ice forms and starts to float around him.
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"Do you hear that? There is a battle under way."
The monk takes a moment to take out a wand and activate it's defensive magic. He then focuses himself, calling on years of training to toughen his skin. Lastly, he allows the aura of the mouse depart, opening himself to the essence of the bat to join with him.
Do you go down left or right the cave?
See map!
As you move down to the left you find a lot of alcoves with bones and skeletons.
Suddenly two of the skeletons move. Warned by Bo and Glorne you are not surprised.
Roll for ini.
Ridley
Undead
Rest of the pathfinders.
Map is updated
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Ridley will toss a grease bomb at the north skeleton.
The squares the skeleton is in are now greased - they are considered difficult terrain, and it needs a DC10 acrobatics check to move through them. Failure means it cannot move and has to make a DC22 Reflex save or fall prone at the end of its turn. Failure by 5 or more means it falls automatically.
The undead is now destroyed.
The other charges ridley and attack.
With the undead destroyed you can now go right or straight.
You find the remains of two dead ulfen. each has scratched an epiphany one in stone, one in the horn he is carrying.
“Alvard knew the woods well. It’s where he hunted his linnorm, he said. We laid our ambush, but fey attacked. They shouted he betrayed them. Could see in his face he knew and was afraid. A screaming elk, ice for eyes. Kolvi. She was best with an axe, took away the king’s head. Can’t find our way back. Armor belongs in the family and dying”
And “This horn was from a linnorm Alvard killed. He was a good warrior but fearful—always talked of the linnorm coming back. Jumped every time I blew the horn. Did he fear Kolvi being a king? Or did he fear the linnorm being back? He never was right after the hunt.”
Among the remains you find two items of value.
You return to the other cavern and go straight ahead. There you find the headless body carrying a huge axe.
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Going to assume the undead doesn't have a +13 to input and post my action. I'll move to within 30 feet, and toss a grease bomb.
Area around him is greased - difficult terrain and needs a dc10 acrobatics to move. If he fails, he cannot move and has to make a dc22 reflex save or fall at the end of his turn. If he fails by 5 or more, he automatically falls.
He doesn´t seem to have a problem with the grease.
Vayon
THE KING
Rest
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"Hmm... their final words. Etched into a rock and a horn." Oria muses at the idea. In the end, she knows where she'll eventually end up. She reflects on her own aspirations and accomplishments, becoming acutely aware of the fact that the best thing she might ever accomplish is to die in a pose that would confuse future archeologists.
Botting
Vayon casts Scorching ray at the king.
The bolt hits the king squarely in the chest.
Roaring the king moves into melee range.
With a huge swing the massive axe tries to hit first Ridley, then Vayon.
Ridley, please make a fortitude DC16
The other pathfinders?