Ret-con to a post made a little while ago.
Jaym'row is about to try to shoot the bear when she gets an idea, a way to use her newly developed ability with magic. She moves behind the rock and concentrates. A moment later, the sound of a female bear is heard from among the trees the bear just left behind.
Jaym'row's magic successfully creates the illusion of another bear's growl coming from the trees. Old Whitefang turns his head toward the sound, and his grip on Kork weakens.
"Kork!" Okoteck screeches as the bear mauls his goblin companion.
He rapidly considers his options as he notes Whitefang's momentary distraction. Thanks to Syper's impetuous charge, Okoteck hasn't even drawn his sword yet... but he's scarcely unarmed even so. He starts weaving a quick spell, then suddenly lunges with his beak, flames erupting from it just before he strikes.
"Scatter and go for the cliffs! Don't stay in its reach!" he shouts, while he himself withdraws across the ice, avoiding the spot earlier identified as thin... and placing that area between himself and the bear. Certainly a polar bear can swim, but he's gambling that the ice giving way beneath a paw would throw off any attempts at an attack for just the moment he would need...
"Roger!" Jade raises her shield◆ and yells, "Get moving everyone!" Four currents of air streak out from her kinetic aura and propel herself, Kork, Syper, and Jaym'row away from the bear and towards the rocks.
Okoteck's blade slices into the bear's side, accompanied by an explosion of flame. The bear growls and shakes its head in pain, trying to wave away the discomfort.
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Okoteck's beak drills into the bear's side, accompanied by an explosion of flame. The bear growls and shakes its head in pain, trying to wave away the discomfort.
Jaym'row moves with the wind at her back.
When the bear releases its grip, Kork uses the moment to get some distance between himself and the fluffy white death machine. Bleeding heavily, he leaves a trail of crimson behind him as he limps away towards the rock platform.
◆ Stride 1/2 speed
Syper keeps himself interposed between Kork and the bear as they head up the platform.
Further clambering up the ice block, he calls down, "Hey! Over here!"
Syper clambers up the rocks, jumps onto the plateau, levels his bow, and lets fly with an arrow, striking the bear in a vein and releasing a spurt of blood that paints a dark red path through his fur.
With his eyes flashing determination and still leaving a bloody trail behind him, Kork grunts as he climbs the nearby rock.
With a loud yelp, he tosses his starknife at the bear underneath, missing his mark entirely as the weapon itself clanks against the ice at the bear's feet. Kork curses under this breath in goblin.
18 hp.
The bear, bleeding heavily but powered by rage, storms toward Okoteck and attempts to bite him. His weight cracks the frozen surface of the sea, spoiling his aim. He rears back for another blow, but the shifting ice defeats him once more.
Jaym'row scampers up the nearby rock and then turns and shoots an arrow at the bear.
(Range 60 ft)
if target is off-guard.
9 hp.
Jaym'row clambers up the rock and lets fly an arrow from her bow, striking the bear in his vulnerable flank. Her missile, imbued with mystic antipathy to beasts, tugs itself deeper into the bear's side upon impact.
Okoteck is silently grateful that his gamble with the thin ice paid off as he easily evades the bear's flailing attempts to attack. For his own part, he draws his blade in an arc while screeching out a mystic command. His form blurs into shadow, moving to the bear's flank and resolidifying.
As he fully reappears, Okoteck slashes and then leaps back, nimbly hopping along the rocks southward as he opens up the distance again. "Finish him off!" he cries to the rest of the group, seeing the bear's flagging strength.
The magus' blade nearly misses, but an unlucky stumble by the bear leads Okoteck's strike to gouge a deep wound in the creature's side.
Jade tries to scamper up the rock◆.
But she can't seem to get up. She tries once more◆.
Finally up the rock, she's out of time to blanket the area in snow, but has enough left in her to send another barrage of hailstones◆ at the bear.
Harried by the bear's sudden onslaught, Jade slips while attempting her climb, requiring a second attempt to make her ascent. Her blast of elemental ice is rushed, and misses the bear entirely, sailing out over the frozen sea.
With a dagger in hand, Kork adjusts his grip to hold the dagger by the blade, and throws it at the bear.
The dagger ends up impaling the rowboat. Kork sighs, tapping his belt for other weapons. Nothing. And suddenly, he looks at the bear again, and realises the starknife is in his hand. "Oh! Catch!"
He lobs it at the ursine over a curve.
(Range 60 ft)
if target is off-guard.
The goblin's weapon hurtles downward, embedding itself in the bear's skull. At long last, the creature's injuries catch up to it, and the light leaves its eyes.
Seeing the bear dead, Syper scrambles back down the ice and rushes for the cage. He quickly looks over the naiad, and checks the cage for locks or a door.
As you approach the cage, the naiad within struggles against her bonds. There appears to be a padlock holding the door of the cage in place.
"Don't worry, I'll get you out of there," Syper speaks, soothingly.
He looks the padlock over and the bound figure within. Who would do such a thing?
Looking at her bonds, he adds, "All right, that's enough, let her go." He clucks, shakes his head, and looks to see if he's got anything to pick the lock.
The naiad coughs as her gag falls away. ”Thank you, brave mortals. I am Naïssala,” she says breathlessly, standing with difficulty and taking great care not to touch the bars of the iron cage. ”While I was unable to see it from this vantage, I heard the ruffians who captured me get what they deserved yesterday at the hands of this beast.”
She stares anxiously at the metal that surrounds her. ”They must have a key back at their camp,” she says, clearly unnerved by the presence of the iron. ”This iron was cold-forged. It dampens my powers and my connection to water. Please, free me as soon as you are able!”
With the bear dead, Kork slumps onto the snow. He lays on his back, doing shallow breaths. "Kork need five minutes." he whispers to anyone nearby as he sits up with a grunt, pulls out his medical tools, and takes off his shirt, revealing a nasty bite wound on his abdomen, and several older scars on his back and shoulder areas.
He pulls out a wooden bowl and some rubbing alcohol. Hissing, he pours the alcohol into his wounds first, then he cleans his hands with the thing. He then scrapes the wooden bowl with his nails and sprinkles the powder onto the bite marks.
With the cleanup done, he takes a needle to stitch his wounds, but his hands shake in pain. He lets out a frustrated sigh and pulls a potion from his belt. He down the thing, and stores the glass container in his coat.
Some of the wounds close, and Kork puts his clothes back on and slides down to the bear to retreat his weapon. "Hope Kork taste as bad as bear hurt." he tells to the bear as he pulls Spikes out of the bear's head with a sloshing sound.
"Need proof of kill? Pelt warm, anyway. Could use." he looks at whoever is nearest.
Jaym'row jumps down the rocks and walks up to the cage, pulling a small device with several differently shaped extensions that can be selected.
She says to the Naiad, "We'll set you free in a jiffy."
She looks at the lock, pulls a particular shaped wire out and inserts it into the key hole, jiggling it this way and that.
Jade walks over to Kork with a healing hand.
"The crone said she needs the bear's heart for her ritual. Anyone good at surgery? I suppose it can't be too hard if the patient's already dead."
The padlock pops open, and the naiad gingerly steps out. She glances at Jaym'row and smiles in thanks. The cold doesn't seem to bother her in the slightest, and she points toward the northeast. "Their camp is that way."
Okoteck's feathers had been puffed out in agitation from the dangerous combat, but they smooth down a bit as the bear dies and Jade starts healing Kork. He briefly checks on Hyggiandi before looking over at Syper... at which point his feathers puff out a bit again.
"Syper, the next time you get the impulse to charge into a likely dangerous situation, I demand you give us at least thirty seconds to plan," he screeches. He points at Kork and adds, "That was far too close to being fatal."
The tengu sighs and turns to Naïssala. "That said, we were able to rescue you and slay the bear without casualties, so I cannot say it turned out badly in the end. Greetings to you, Naïssala. I am Okoteck."
He gives her a slight bow. "Did you gather anything about this group of ruffians? It is concerning that they set out to capture you."
Once she's given her answer, Okoteck at last approaches the bear's corpse. "I know a few things about field-dressing an animal. If none of the rest of you have more skill, I will begin."
”I was taken three days ago. Three men came upon my spring and commanded me to come with them. When they refused, one of them withdrew a scroll and read from it, and the next thing I knew I was bound and tied within this cage, its cold iron rendering me unable to wield my powers.”
She stretches languorously, then perks up suddenly.
"Now that I'm beyond the iron's reach, I can sense my bonded spring not even a hundred yards from here!"
Okoteck manages to retrieve the heart undamaged and place it in the jar, smearing it with ointment to preserve it.
The pelt requires a bit more work to remove, but eventually comes off without a hitch. It will go for about 10gp.
Okoteck takes prime cuts of bear meat and begins to smoke them over a small fire of green wood as the party sets out for the camp.
Taking care to avoid thin ice, you stride across the brief gap between the islet and the larger island and begin your examination of the site.
You find inside the tent a heavy crossbow and a quiver with 20 bolts, 2 lesser glue bombs, and a skinning knife with an elaborate engraving of a wolf on the pommel, worth about 2gp, along with a few empty leather satchels and enough curing salts to preserve the bear meat, which would be worth about 5 silver once treated.
Two broken spears and a smashed crossbow, along with a scattering of bones, tells the story of the kidnappers. Counting the right femurs gives a total of three assailants, matching the nymph's story.
Frustratingly, the only clue to the attacker's identity seems to be the engraving on the pommel, which appears to be heraldic, though you don't recognize it.
Kork sighs with relief when Jade does her thing. "Thanks. Kork's fingers shake of cold. Sit near fire a while, and Kork try stitches again?" he asks the group while they deal with the cage and the naiad. He doesn't pay her much mind. For now, at least.
Syper lowers his head. "That was rash of me, and far too dangerous given the situation. I won't act like that again."
With a sigh, he returns to the naiad. "Naïssala, my name is Syper. The whole situation seems so bizarre. They're equipped to hunt bear, but also equipped and had more success in hunting you? Also, there's how they had a whole iron cage at the ready, far better for holding fey than holding a bear."
He examines the skinning knife more closely. "Something doesn't add up about the entire situation. Given their failure, maybe they were only trying to look like they were hunting bear."
He examines the salt in more detail. "Curing salts are fine, but maybe they are meant for salt circles. Something to bind something from the Other World."
”I was taken three days ago. Three men came upon my spring and commanded me to come with them. When they refused, one of them withdrew a scroll and read from it, and the next thing I knew I was bound and tied within this cage, its cold iron rendering me unable to wield my powers.”
She stretches languorously, then perks up suddenly.
"Now that I'm beyond the iron's reach, I can sense my bonded spring not even a hundred yards from here!"
"You must be hungry and thirsty. We have food if you need it."
He examines the skinning knife more closely. "Something doesn't add up about the entire situation. Given their failure, maybe they were only trying to look like they were hunting bear."
He examines the salt in more detail. "Curing salts are fine, but maybe they are meant for salt circles. Something to bind something from the Other World."
"Or maybe they were poor hunters and let the bear get the drop on them while they were focused on capturing poor Naïssala here."
As Syper examines the area for magic, he senses something eldritch emanating from the camp. A half-hour of dedicated searching finds a scroll tube buried at the bottom of a torn bedroll. Syper can't make heads or tails of it, but Okoteck, after ten minutes of careful study, deciphers its contents.
It is a scroll of sleep, and the creator used arcane magic to craft it.
"You must be hungry and thirsty. We have food if you need it."
The naiad smiles in thanks and takes the proffered victuals with gratitude.
"What are your names, that I may tell the other sylvan denizens that you are each a friend to the fey?"
"I'm Jade Morrow," Jade takes a seat next to the fire and introduces herself to Naïssala, digging herself into her own rations. "Kineticist of wind and water. We came to hunt that bear. We need his heart so a crone can perform a ritual to help us in our quest. We heard it was the pet of a grimstalker. You wouldn't know what happened to the master, would you? The crone said it had moved on, but we'd like to be sure."
She glances over at Okotek as he smokes the bear meat. "Hey, if you're done with the bear over there, I'd like a couple of its claws to make talismans with. I'll bet Kork can find a use for some of them too."
Without saying a word, Kork slowly shuffles towards the fire and extends his palms towards the warmth. He stays there for a while with a pensive look on his face, observing the scene with the naiad unfolding. After his last encounter with fey, he seems guarded. He doesn't speak. He simply eyes the creature.
Okoteck doesn't exactly enjoy the mess of dissecting the bear, especially since the only water for cleaning up nearby is freezing cold. Perhaps a bit from his waterskin, at least for his hands... regardless, he's glad to see his casual study of anatomy led to at least basic proficiency in dissection.
"It is worrisome indeed that these hunters came prepared to capture you..." he says to Naïssala. "As for myself, I am Okoteck, as I said, and this is Hyggiandi." He nods at his familiar, wondering if the fey will recognize the signs of his contract with Countess Ysene.
"The engraving on the dagger may reveal the origins of the hunters..." he continues. "It seems unlikely to be a ruse... likely those back in Oxbane Keep will recognize the device. But what purpose could they have had? Could they have hoped to do something to the waters here by coercing you? Or perhaps worse, they thought to wring power from you in other ways..."
He falls silent in thought as he continues working until Jade asks him for the claws. "Certainly, I have no use for them. Though I would be curious about these talismans..."
At the mention of the grimstalker, the fey maiden's smile dies. "Athanas." The name falls from her lips with a faint air of... regret?
"Yes, he has moved on. He dislikes staying in any one place for long, as hunters and herdsmen learn to avoid him rather quickly."
She finishes the food and stands up. "He won't be back this way for long and long."
As Okoteck introduces himself and his familiar and proffers his observations, she nods. "Whoever they were, they would not be the first to attempt to meddle in fey affairs or hijack our spiritual connection to nature for perverse ends. Though the mortal races have not tried such foolishness in these parts for some time... at least, as you reckon it."
Naiads protect streams, ponds, springs, and other natural bodies of fresh water. While most naiads lead solitary lives close to their chosen ward, sometimes these nymphs congregate in coven-like groups where river tributaries meet, performing great magic and blessing the waters of the land. Because naiads’ bonds to their bodies of water permit more flexibility than a dryad's bond to her tree, they are the nymphs most likely to interact with humanoids and even visit their settlements on occasion.
In addition to their control over water, they have a limited ability to supernaturally charm other creatures for a brief duration.
She is unusually guarded during this conversation, though trying to hide it. When she says Athanas the grimstalker will not be back for some time, the reason for her reserve clarifies, as you immediately discern she is lying in the hopes that you will stay. She herself doesn't seem personally hostile, but rather afraid of something.
Jaym'row introduces herself and listens to the naiad's answers pensively. She has not had much contact with fey and now she has had two up-close encounters. "We understand there may be spirits of evil creatures imprisoned underground in these parts. Perhaps this ... Athanas wanted to meddle with the prison using fey magic."
"I doubt that, though I cannot rule it out," she replies. "Grimstalkers are beings of the First World, though particularly cruel and violent ones. From what little I know, the being of which you speak is a dark god, or shard of a god, from beyond the Dark World. No child of the Other Place would aid it unless somehow supernaturally compelled or corrupted, and Athanas seems far too strong for that."
Hmm... Kork muses over something while still stealing some warmth from the fire. He looks at the naiad, but remains seated. "Waterlady can call this one Plugg."
He gives her a concerned look. Partially a suspecting one but it has a merciful, tender quality to it.
"Waterlady -sure- Bearlord not come back? Maybe something else?” he looks her in the eyes expectantly.The word 'sure' in his question seems really piercing. "Ko-" he stops himself by pretending to cough. "Ahem... PLUGG miss part of story, maybe?"
The naiad glances at Kork, then around at the rest of the party, obviously troubled by something. After a long moment, she sighs. "Nothing is certain in this world. Perhaps you should go now. There is a chance the death of his pet might garner his attention and kindle his ire."
"Ah. Yes, it would be best for us to depart now, then," Okoteck says.
He looks over his work, judging what can be taken with them and what will have to be left behind.