Izolda waits for Sylgja to return to her cabin for safety before she speaks again.
"So, you two are okay with finding this man right? What do you know about trolls, anything?"
"We somehow seem to have become do-gooders, Izzy. I suppose it's what we should do? Besides, a warm room and roof over our heads tonight does sound particularly lovely." He smirks and says "Not that I don't enjoy Natties snoring in the cold mind you, it helps me sleep."
He takes look around as they sneak towards the entrance.
When she asks what doe she know, he scoffs. "Iz! You're the smart one! I know they are big! Does that help?"
As you enter the cave, you can hear a strange growl, and a humanoid shambles forth. He resembles a feral human man, but a thick sheet of filthy green fungus grows in twisting patterns across his shoulders and back.
Izolda recognizes it as mindslaver mold! Mindslaver mold seeks humanoid hosts, parasitizing them even as it manipulates them into serving as its bodyguards and protectors. Attacks against it may end up harming its host, but it can be pulled free with enough strength. Mindslaver mold is immune to cold and resists acid. It can shoot spores that drain its victims' willpower.
"Ha - I knew that! I'll be honest Mal, the warm room tonight was one of the major factors in my decision to offer help. I'm not one to go running off to help for no reason whatsoever if we are in dire straits ourselves."
--------
Izolda, at a loss of what to do to a parasitic moss, puts her hand on Natalya's shoulder and casts. As she does so, Natalya grows suddenly to match it in size.
Natalya marches straight up to the man and attempts to rip him and the mould apart!
Malkiel moves to assist Natlaya, and with a mighty tug, the mold comes free! The man it was attached to screams and pain and falls to his knees. "Wait! Please, I mean you no harm! That thing was controlling me!"
The mold slithers a few feet away as Natalya swells in size, giving it a bigger target as it tries to dominate her!
"Eeew! Eeew!" Natalya says and then suddenly shuts up.
"What's going on?" Malkiel asks confused. "You mean it's not controlling you anymore?" he asks, looking at the man with his blades out.
As Natalya grows, Malkiel looks back and smirks "Damn Nattie, you're HUGE!"
"He looks back at the mold and says I guess it's time you die then! Let's get it Nat! Come around the other side!" He steps ups and slashes at it twice, hoping Natalya will flank with him.
"Naty, whats wrong?" Izolda shouts, confused as to why she has just stopped still.
"It told me to stop and I can't move!" Natalya replies, panic seeping into her voice as she struggles futilely.
The mold smolders but doesn’t catch ablaze. Malkiel slices it once, but it pulls away as it clambers onto Natalya, sinking its tendrils into her flesh!
Natalya, feeling the revolting sensation of the thing trying to climb on her, grasps the creature and hurls it away from her with convulsive strength!
Izolda continues to direct her burning gaze at the thing.
"Natalya, get away from it!"
Malkiel steps up to the mold-thing and attempts to slice and dice it.
The mold resists the burning gaze, but Malkiel stabs it again. As it rears up to fire spores, Natalya takes advantage of the opening to smash it to smithereens!
The man it had previously infested breathes heavily as he kneels on the floor. "Good riddance! Thank you for helping me. My name is Finngarth."
"Finngarth, are you okay?"
Izolda rushes over to the man on the ground, assuming Natalya is fine as she is still standing.
"Your wife sent us to come and find you, she has been worried sick! Do you think you can sit up straight? It might help your breathing."
Finngarth nods. "Yeah, I'm... I'm okay. Mostly angry that I've been a plant's puppet for the last day or so!"
Malkiel grabs a hold of the man and helps him to his feet, helping him walk if needed. "I'm glad you are okay, I was really worried for a bit there that we would have found a pile of bones instead. Let's get you home to your wife."
Both Sylgja and Finngarth are overjoyed and grateful to be reunited. They gladly offer their cabin as a safe place to rest. Sylgja presents you with the promised magic item--an ushanka of the northlands.
"That is a nice hat!" Natalya says approvingly. "You should wear it Izzy, make sure all those brains of yours don't get cold!"
Izzy settles happily into the most comfortable, warm armchair near the fireplace and wolfs down the hot meal that evening.
She gives a withering look to Natalya at the suggestion.
"Thanks Naty, I'm sure I'd look wonderful. But don't you think Mal here needs it more than me." Izolda suggests, trying to say no in the politest way possible as not to offend her hosts.
Malkiel takes the hat on, not seeing what the problem is. "How do I look?" he asks, spinning around and modeling off his new ear-flap clothing.
Natalya gives him a big thumbs up. "Cosy." She says with a grin. "Keeps your pretty hair nice and dry Mal!"
"And his ears nice and warm" Izzy adds with a smug look on her face.
After resting in the hut, you continue your journey. A few uneventful days pass before you reach the village of Ellsprin. Here, Nadya meets with a friend of hers, a woman named Maret Truskin, who has two young children of her own. Maret agrees to watch Nadya's boys, Orm and Mjali, until her obligation to you is fulfilled.
Nadya hugs her sons closely, tears welling in her eyes. "Now, you be good boys for Auntie Maret, okay? You listen to her and don't cause trouble! Mama will be back soon. I love you so much!"
The boys return the hug, then they rush over to hug each of you as well. "Bye bye! Take care of Mama for us, okay? Make sure she doesn't cause trouble!" Mjali says.
Izolda hangs back during the goodbye, leaving time for Nadya to say goodbye to her children. When they come rushing over, she smiles with delight.
"You'll all be safe here, don't you worry. Mama will be back soon and will bring back your sister too."
Putting on a mock-stern voice, she adds, "Well, Mama sure is a trouble maker isn't she, but I'm sure Naty here can keep her in line, don't you all worry!"
Izolda waits for everyone to finish their goodbyes and then takes Nadya's arm in her own. "Let's head off together shall we, we will do this and you'll see them all again in no time"
Natalya, who is carrying the wolfpelt amongst other things, gives both the boys a big hug before they leave. "We'll keep her safe!" She promises.
"So, Whitethrone?" She asks, once they've got some distance going. "What's it like?"
"Big. Crowded. Dangerous," Nadya says. "The white witches and their servants abound. We must be very careful while we are there, which is why we need Uncle Ringeirr's help! We should be there in another two days or so, barring further delays."
Walking along the trail, Izolda sticks close to her friends, Aurora hopping behind Natalya closely, hoping for attention or some scraps of food.
"That sounds like a curious place. How many white witches are there exactly? I thought there must have only been a handful based on the stories we've been told but I guess that we've only heard of the notorious ones. Sounds like a lot of powerful, charming women around though eh Mal? You might be in with some luck! Sounds like if there is that many women around, surely you'll have a slight chance." Izolda teases, sticking out her tongue.
Natalya scoops Aurora up the moment she notices her fluffy shadow and showers the bunny in attention.
"Hello you beautiful little fluff-ball you! Aunty Naty loves you very much! Yes I do! Aren't you so lovely? You want to walk with Aunty Naty? Course you do!"
The barbarian sets off with a spring in her step, cradling the bunny and laughing heartily as her best friend gives her other best friend a good put down!
"Hey, Mal? You see that snow drift? Maybe you should jump into it and try to fix that BURN!"
"Ringeirr's help? How can he help us? Tell us about your uncle."
Mal isn't put off by the jokes at his expense and he laughs along with them. Once the laughing is complete, he says "Seriously though, you know I could have any woman I wanted, right? I have to be very selective because it's not easy to have this much charm. You two don't know how lucky you are just to be standing this close to me!"
And just for the heck of it, he dashes and does a belly flop into the aforementioned snowdrift.
Natalya laughs and plucks him out bodily when Mal finds the snow drift is much deeper than he thought and he can't actually get out again.
Malkiel struggled in the snow before the muscular hand reached in and pulled him out. Getting dropped to the ground in the snow, he stands up and shakes himself like a wet dog. "I had everything under control..." she lies unconvincingly.
You continue on your way. Early on the last day of travel, a small river cuts across the path, heading south toward the cliffs that overlook Glacier Lake. A stone bridge crosses the river, seemingly constructed with horse, wagon, and caravan traffic in mind. The bridge is well maintained, and the snow has been cleared from its span. Four-foot-high stone railings run along both sides of the bridge, topped at either end by iron spikes upon which clean and meticulously polished skulls have been carefully impaled and turned as if to observe the traffic. A white-painted signpost greets travelers approaching from the east.
The sign on the bridge, written in Common, Hallit, and Skald, advises foreign merchants headed to Whitethrone that they require licenses to do business in the city and that they may be stopped for inspection without cause. Those seeking licenses should apply at the city gates.
Three green skinned giants with webbed hands and feet block the western side of the bridge. They demand in broken Common, “Papers, please.”
Natalya looks at Nadya. These seem like odd people to be guarding a bridge...
Walking casually towards the bridge, chatting to Mal as they go, Izolda picks up the signs.
Her face drops and her brain starts racing through all the possibilities. "Mal, we don't have any papers do we?"
Hoping for the best, Izolda speaks out in skald, a safe distance behind Nadya and Natalya.
"We are distant friends and relatives of Nadya here, we are not planning on doing business. As you can see, we have no wares to sell."
Natalya smiles and does her best to look non-threatening...
"Since we are no merchants, we should be able to pass through on family matters? Yes?" Malkiel states rather than asks.
The giants glower down at you. ”No papers? You pay bridge tax!” One points to Izolda’s familiar. ”We eat little bunny. Then you pass!”
Natalya can see the other giants shifting and looking about nervously. She gets the sense that these are not official tax collectors and are probably extorting travelers illegally.
"You touch that bunny and I will kill you." Natalya says flatly, stepping between the troll and the rabbit. "You want to die for a scam? If I don't kill you then the Jad-wig-ah's will!"
The giants wince at Natalya’s threats. They step back. ”Okay, okay! You pass! You pass! No tell Jadwigas!”
Natalya marches past, watching the trolls closely for any sign of mischief, especially towards Aurora!
Once you have crossed the troll bridge, you soon enter a forest of leaf less birch trees, and after half a day of travel, the city of Whitethrone comes into sight. Nadya turns aside at this point, guiding you toward the shantytowns east of the city called the Fishcamps, where her late husband’s uncle Ringeirr lives.
The city of Whitethrone is built high atop cliffs overlooking Glacier Lake. The cliffs make fishing in the city impractical, so Whitethrone’s fishing industry is carried out in small shantytowns a few miles east of the city. Life is hard and desperate in these small communities.
Arctic gulls fill the overcast sky with their cries over this small shantytown. Ramshackle huts are erected on the cold ground, hard packed and barren from generations of foot traffic. Dories and other small fishing boats are moored to dilapidated piers nearby or pulled ashore on the gray pebbled beach of Glacier Lake. The pervasive smell of fish is everywhere, sometimes fresh, but often with the underlying stench of centuries of decay.
Small groups of fisherfolk congregate on the piers or around shacks, engaged in whispered conversations, but with watchful eyes on what transpires around them. An occasional child can also be seen, toiling to repair nets or performing some other chore.
”We should ask where we can find Ringeirr,” Nadya suggests.
Natalya looks expectantly to the member of the group with the biggest mouth.
"We stick out like a sore thumb here." Izolda says unhelpfully, pulling up her hood to hide under. "Go on Mal, you do what you do best, we'll follow"
Initially, the villagers feign no knowledge of the man or outright refuse to speak to him about you. Malkiel's silver tongue gets them to eventually open up and admit knowing of Ringeirr, who was recently “arrested” for “disturbing the peace” by the Fishcamp Guards, a group of thugs who extort money from the village for their so-called “protection.” Ringeirr is currently being held in the largest wooden shack in the village, which the leader of the Fishcamp Guards has dubbed his “guardhouse.”
The windows of this large, ugly, unpainted building are boarded shut. Its construction is rough and haphazard, as if it were once a smaller shack that had many additions tacked on later. The word “guardhouse,” along with a crude symbol of a shield crossed by a hook, is painted on the building’s only door. The simple wooden front door has no lock but is barred from the inside.
"Arrested?" Malkiel asks his traveling companions, "Surely this cannot be a coincidence, can it?"
When he finally gets the location of where Ringeirr is being held, he suggests they find a way to get him free. Investigating the location, he frowns when he can't pick a lock to get them inside. Sneaking back to his team he suggests [smaller]"We need to get them to open it up from the inside first."[s/maller]
"I can open it..." Natalya offers. "Or a back door?"
Izolda sneaks up on the shack, checking no one can see her before setting off.
"Pssst... Ringeirr, can you hear me?" she asks quietly at the edge of the door. "Nadya and friends are here to help you."