|
You arrive off of the boat in the village of Aaminiut. The chill, crisp air catches your breath as you stomp off the boat inot the snow. In Aaminiut’s central square, the leaders of the settlement’s two cultures, the Ulfen merchant Bjorn the Blade and the Erutaki elder Seshu, converse quietly as Bjorn hammers the final nail attaching a scrolled piece of hide to the village’s notice board. Villagers and traders gather around the board to read the scroll, murmuring in concerned interest.
|
Qigiq's furred boots crunch in the snow as he heads towards the notice board. The Eratuki man is dressed appropriately for the weather, which adds considerably to his apparent bulk, although the many layers do not seem to impede his movements. He pauses in his walk as an unexpected ball of snow strikes him in the chest. The seal hunter and guide brushes the snow off of the painted wooden face that hangs at the center of his chest. With a perplexed expression, he continues to read the recently nailed scroll.
|
|
You discover the scroll is a bounty posting depicting a draconic head in profile with the following notice in Common, Ulfen, and the local written dialect of Erutaki.
Hunters needed!
Over the past weeks, a creature some of us have come to know as the “Whitefang Wyrm” has been spotted lurking near our settlement, stealing fish from our nets and baskets and leaving nothing but wreckage in its wake. We believe the creature’s lair is somewhere on or across the ice floes of Whitefang Bay. As this creature poses a threat to the survival of all of Aaminiut’s residents, we have prepared a sack of ivory and oosik carvings from the Erutaki and silver bracelets and armbands from the Ulfen, payable to whoever ends the creature’s attacks on our food supply. Proof of the creature’s defeat must be presented to claim this bounty.
-Elder Seshu and Bjorn the Blade
|
"Kobolds are masters of ambush, which requires knowing your environment. No bandit prowls an unfamiliar road."
After reading the scroll, he adds:
"Maybe we should try to talk to the locals about this creature before we go off getting lost."
Pulling is cloak tight and drawing a makeshift scarf over his face to hide his features, Tiptip goes around gathering information.
|
Stepping off the boat a bit gingerly is an extremely tall but gaunt-looking elven man swathed in black robes with the hood pulled up, clearly affected by the cold. Your first hint that he might not be entirely elven are his eyes - elves are known for having solid colored pupils with no iris. His, however, are pale and white, with a tiny pinprick of darkness at their center.
A young bat hangs on the arm of his robe, huddling close to him for any residual body-warmth she can receive.
When he speaks, his Ustalavic accent is almost cliche as he muses to himself...and his bat. Looking closely, you might see that his incisors are noticeably longer than his other teeth.
"I had been starting to wonder if I got on the right boat. So many days of cold sailing endlessly north. But I suppose part of being one with nature is to try and see beauty in all of it...even if it chills my blood more than usual." For those who haven't spoken to him much on the boat ride here, he smiles in greeting. "Rafe Marcus Renfield, the third, at your service. This is my little friend Lenore. She can be our eyes in the air. I speak her language well enough to tell you what she discovers while in flight."
"Also...if injuries do come in the course of this trek, I would ask that you avoid standard healing magicks with me. I...have an unusual, shall we say, skin condition that makes such things harmful rather than their intended effect."
After he joins the others at the sign; "Though I would be loathe to kill an animal simply seeking food, one that takes from the structures of people is more likely to be something else. I agree with Tiptip - when walking lands you are unattuned to...asking advice is never a bad idea."
"Squeak!"
A cold, but happy sound coming from the bat on Renfield's arm.
|
|
"Weather permitting, I should be able to guide you across the bay to hunt for this wyrm," Qigiq says.
He steps away from the board and approaches Seshu and Bjorn to ask, "Are there any who have seen the wyrm with their own eyes that we might speak with? It would help in the hunt to better know what the wyrm might be."
|
|
Seshu and Bjorn are found to still be nearby to speak with. They seem very friendly. "Welcome to Aaminiut!" Bjorn clasps arms with Qigiq."[/b] He listens intently to the questions concerning the bounty.
"Several have seen it, myself included, though nearly all of the details are in the bounty. It had a fin running down it's spine." Bjorn explains drawing a fin in the snow. Seshu then begins to explain what she knows. "It couldn't have been much larger than the harbor seals swimming nearby."
Bjorn brightens up at the prospect. "Look, if you are looking to go out after it then I have a sled and dog team capable of taking you close to the area. I can go as low as 5 silver."
Mordack and Tiptip listen to the discription. This leads the pair to believe that it’s likely not a true dragon, but rather a drake or tatzlwyrm— these smaller cousins to dragons lack some of their more powerful cousins’ most terrifying abilities.
Rafe and Bariel seem to know a bit more. They latch onto Bjorn’s mention of the wyrm having a fin running down its spine and believes the creature to be a silver dragon, a potential ally who’s likely more scared of the people of Aaminiut than they are of it.
|
|
"We share the cost of the dog team?" he asks the others.
Listening to the others' interpretations of the drawing and description, he frowns. "I have a hard time believing it is a dragon," the Eratuki says. "A kobold should know what is a dragon and what is not, I think, but I will be ready for the unexpected."
|
|
Rafe generously picks up the tab on the sled. Handing the small bits of coin over Bjorn goes to get the sled and team of dogs. "Just keep in mind, someone beats you to the wyrm, I still expect to be paid."
Loading the sled quickly and set of in the directions giving to you from Bjorn. Your dog teams race across the frozen ice of Whitefang Bay, you make good time, but your speed makes you more likely to lose the Whitefang Wyrm’s trail.
|
|
Rafe finds that this is trail seems to be a false trail, leading away from the areas. With Lenore scouting ahead the elf finds the correct trail quickly getting you back on course and away from the thinner ice shelf.
The correct trail leads to an icy cavern. The northern sun is still high in the sky and rays of light reflect throughout the cavern, making it brightly lit.
|
|
The creature's eyes glow with a hungered fury as Tiptip, a kobold, begins to speak to it.
The serpent leaps forward for it's meal.
Mordack
Bariel
Tiptip
Rafe
-------------------------------
Ssalarn
-------------------------------
Qigiq
|
|
Mordack's spell has no effect on the drake as it seems to be immune to sleep. Ssalarn's hunger for kobolds drives it onto stay awake and alert. Rafe beefs up Lenore's attacks as he shields his own body from harm.
Mordack
Bariel Needs to move on map as well as strike roll
Tiptip
Rafe
-------------------------------
Ssalarn
-------------------------------
Qigiq
|
|
Tiptip takes out his bow and fires a pair of arrows at the beast.
◈ Strike - Shortbow (deadly d10, reload 0)
Range: 60ft
Critical:
◈ Strike - Shortbow (deadly d10, reload 0)
Range: 60ft
Critical:
It seems that the kobold can barely hold onto his bow with all the cold air numbing his hands, never mind shooting straight.
|
|
Bariel moves in to protect his companions as Tiptip draws his bow and fires off a couple of arrows at the serpent. The arrows skip across the frozen floor of the cavern as this only angers Ssalarn further.
Ssalarn claws and scratches past Qigiq to get to its meal. Its jaws snap at the scaly foe.
Tiptip collapses into a bloody heap as Ssalarn takes a massive chunk out of his chest. With a taste of kobold once more Ssalarn turns to Qigiq and belches a small frozen blast of raw meat into his face.
Mordack
Bariel Needs to move on map as well as strike roll
Tiptip (0/16; Dying 2; Unconscious; Prone)
Rafe
-------------------------------
Ssalarn
-------------------------------
Qigiq