Grehunde's Gorget's Gauntlet - GM Wayfinder - Outpost III (Inactive)

Game Master Eric Collins - France

The people rush around, going to the bodies, pouring healing elixirs into you--
--Signe using the ones that were lying in the snow near her cart, and that you left behind.

Thus, Stabby, Elsha and Granitt are soon back up-- though quite woozy, and feeling wounded.

Alas, Hopper is not able to be revived.

You are quite amazed - as is Signe - to see that all three other teammates of Without Trace or Fail - Ostog Oakfeller, the father ; Hjeldr, the son and brother of Signe ; and Gruen Storval the "werewolf" - are actually alive and revived!
(since they were at Dying 1 when you arrived, I imagine that with all the time that went by they would be dead, and gave the info' of them not breathing so you would maybe try to fall back - and then thought to roll their Recovery checks! And, of course, they all stabilized immediatley!)

Gruen calls upon his clerical powers of Healing, and all are soon back to full.

These people, who were in the sled in the beginning, with you, and upset and not kind-- are not thanking you with tears in their eyes.
"You gave your lives to save us! You are not foreigners, you are brothers!"

The skinny teen Race Official looks at Hoppers body, and mumbles: "See... you DID like killing after all!"

And the portly Race Official calls out: "The race! The race! It must be finished! We'll clean the snow up later!"

The whole group rushes off towards the finish line, just over the snowy hill.

The Without Trace or Fail team runs alongside the Gorget Gang, all seven of you carrying the limp body of Hopper-- followed by all the Officials and Ulfen onlookers.

Two tall, wooden linnorm statues mark the finish line to the harrowing Balgirdtrek.

As you coss the line, the gathered crowd of spectators and participants cheers and applauds.

You are met with blankets, soup, and medical supplies almost as soon as you are within the village of Frostgarten, where spectators are gathered to celebrate the competition and those who completed it-- mourning Hopper, lauding your exploits, and clapping for the Gorget Gang.

The race officials say that: "You completed the race honorably and did not attempt to cheat any trials or harm your fellow competitors--"

Signe interrupts, and says she feels ashamed for her team having tried to sabotage you, and having paid off Race Officials to be zealous with your inspections and such.

"--so you are invited to return again next year."
The portly official hears Signe, and says: "Oh, one last formality, the winning team is tasked with helping to prepare the feast and medical supplies for the remaining racers."
Before he runs away as fast as he stubby legs can carry him...

Once the last of the teams cross the finish line, and all come to clap you on the bank, for your courage, the festivities begin.

A massive feast is prepared, and the winning team is given a place of honor at the banquet table, the body of Hopper put on Balgird's shield, on top of spears furnished by each of the teams that participated, and all honor him through the night!

You leant that Without Trace or Fail, the team, is forbidden from participating in the celebration and banned from any future competition in the Balgirdtrek for having not having played fair.
They are the ones that apologized to you for their actions, and turned themselves into the race officials.

Thus, you spend a night of merriment, despite Hopper's demise-- and the local Clerics of Gorum are willing to help revive the young Goblin's body.
But the portly Race Official reappears, and shows where it states, in the race's rulebook, that this is not free--

Thus endeth the adventure, as Venture-Captain Bjersig Torrsen congratulates you--

--and Lirall promises the Hopper's full name will be added to the Wall of Names.

The Wall of Names is a long, curving wall of black glass on a tree-shaded hill in the Grand Lodge's grounds.
It serves as a memorial for all Pathfinders who have died in service to the Society since the wall's creation in 4330 AR, and its surface is etched with the name and date of death for each Pathfinder.
For some prominent Pathfinders, a brief inscription describes their greatest deeds.

The victory seems a defeat for Granitt, his head bowed he enters into the celebrations with little appetite for frivolity. He grumbles to himself, "We ... I failed him, he may have been a goblin, but he was my friend. More than that he was my brother in battle." a tear weals in his eye. He cuts off the final inch of his fine red beard and lays it Under Hopper's hand which is across his chest. "Torag, put in a good word for him, when he reaches the boneyard. He may not have had the body of a dwarf, but he had our spirit."

He then drinks to forget as the celebrations go on through the night. Waking several days later into a dark and painful consciousness, he is on a ship bound for Absalom.

It as though Hopper's fingers move every so slightly to hold on tight to the red beard...

When Elsha blinks awake again, he feels as though his body has been place in a sack and smashed against the ice. He takes note of all the aches and strains still present in his body. A vaguely familiar face pulls away at that moment.

Must be one of the other teams... they found us...

He barely lifts his upper body on his elbows and looks around to see healers attending to his teammates.

Mere minutes later he's trudging back through the snow with his team and those who aided them, realizing that not all made it. Elsha doesn't speak to anyone for hours as he processes it. At first it's replaying their choices on the ice and which could have made a difference.

He is unable to eat at the feast and waits until many others have honored the body of Hopper before working up the courage to approach him and say a few private words...

One less curious soul in this world... far too soon... I shall dedicate my next invention to your memory.

Absalom Daily

--The Hopper Infusion nabs First Prize--

Famed inventor Elsha Ustosh won the Golden Beaker at the 975th Absalom Alchemist Inventor's Convention.
His sturdy infusion is a powerful extract of honey that one can tosses to the side in order to distract bears long enough for one to flee the scene!