Atsuko is pressed close up against the rock, rather surprised to have avoided being run down by any of the bison so far. From what she can see with all the bison in the way there isn't a better place for her to be than where she is, so she stays put.
As she continues to sing her song, Atsuko also works a bit of magic. Considering how much her last arrow mattered, she's going to have to do better, or at least more.
"I'm fine! Just a bruise!" shouts Torra to relieve the samurai's alarm. Although they had good reason to be concerned, with the bison now trying to trample and gore everyone. Refocusing their efforts on the injured bison, the dwarf manages a solid volley of rock shards shattered by the one that had just trampled Torra.
In what feels like a desperate gamble to stay alive, Ritti tumbles across the battlefield, away from the goring horns of the bison that just tried to finish her off and right beneath the nose of the one that still has Torra’s blood on its hooves. She rises from her roll and slashes at the hamstring of the flanked beast, trying to cripple it.
Sanity Score: 39 / 40 | Threshold: 3 | Edge: 20
Stunning Fist (4):
Ki Pool (4): x
Shozoku (1): x
Inspired (1):
Shuriken (30):
Shuriken Earthfire (2):
Scabbard (1): x
Pot Mage Armor (9):
Pot Blur (2):
Pot Cat’s Grace (2):
Pot Invisibility (1):
Serene Ring (1):
Thunderstone (1): x
Cat Boots (1): (if worn)
Effects:
Scabbard—Butterfly Sword is +2 for 2 of 5 rnds
Mage Armor – AC +4 – 1 HR
Yuto strikes viciously at the bison closest to him, Suishen burning hotter as it slices through the icy armor that surrounds the undead creature. Even as the blade sizzles through its dead flesh, the steam begins to refreeze, and his second series of strikes are deflected off of the freshly frozen ice.
Atsuko resumes her performance, enchanting herself with speed and skill in time with the song.
Torra, meanwhile, takes a few steps away and unleashes a powerful burst of stone at the same enemy as Yuto, shattering its skull and dropping it to the ground, dead permanently this time.
Ritti easily dances out of the way of the bison, circling around and striking at the creature, shattering through its frigid carapace and tearing its flesh with her blade.
Shalelu slips past Atsuko, darting up and hopping onto a rock before whirling and firing at the bison that is approaching Yuto. Even as it thrums through the air, the arrow clearly isn't going to land - it strikes the wrong angle of the beast's hide, and only knocks a chunk of ice from it.
Said bison ignores the arrow, instead rumbling towards Yuto, its horns ready to strike and rip the samurai. Fortunately, he is easily able to knock the heat-hungry horns away, slicing a gash through its snout in response.
The other bison thunders towards Torra, ripping away at them with its horns. The dwarf isn't quite quick enough to avoid it, and takes the powerful blow in her shoulder. Instantly, heat leeches from her shoulder, leaving her whole arm numbly pained.
The final bison leans forwards and kicks back at Ritti, its heavy hoof a blur towards her, but she dexterously slips out of the way, just in time for it to whirl and swing its head at her with its frost-rimmed horn. Once again, she swiftly avoids the attack, leaving her ready to punish it for its eagerness.
Atsuko stands fast and shoots twice at the bison passing her by.
With a bison on either side, it's a matter of picking your poison. She will get gored, or trampled, or both either way, so she has to trust in her own resilience and see things through. There's no running from it, not when her friends are still in the fight, and not when these creatures still threaten the caravan.
Yuto surveys the battlefield, breathing steadily as his katana, Suishen, radiates heat and energy from the prior strike. His eyes narrow on the black-skinned bison rumbling towards him "Stay your course, beast" Yuto mutters, taking a defensive stance and slicing forward with precision.
Then, he steps back to give Ritti an opening with the other bison.
Yuto’s stepping over to flank the beast is almost a god-send. Good man!
Ritti adjusts her stance and attacks the bison with renewed vigor, slashing at its face with her sword. ”Die again already!”
Sanity Score: 39 / 40 | Threshold: 3 | Edge: 20
Stunning Fist (4):
Ki Pool (4): x
Shozoku (1): x
Inspired (1):
Shuriken (30):
Shuriken Earthfire (2):
Scabbard (1): x
Pot Mage Armor (9):
Pot Blur (2):
Pot Cat’s Grace (2):
Pot Invisibility (1):
Serene Ring (1):
Thunderstone (1): x
Cat Boots (1): (if worn)
Effects:
Scabbard—Butterfly Sword is +2 for 2 of 5 rnds
Mage Armor – AC +4 – 1 HR
Atsuko fires her bow rapidly at the bison, and although the first arrow skids off the creature's armor, the second shatters a chunk off, thrusting into its side. The bison doesn't seem to notice the attack, more focused on Ritti.
Yuto brings Suishen down on the bison, his blade burning through the ice once more and leaving a hideous gash in the monster's spine. Even as he does so, he feels the sword's power whirl around him, shielding him from the cold once more . With renewed confidence, he attacks again, but this time the undead shifts slightly and its armor catches the sword long enough for it to move out of the way. With that, he pulls back to help Ritti with her foe.
Torra unleashes a powerful blast of earth, though this does give her closer foe the chance to attack her. Fortunately, she's able to avoid the horns easily and blasts the bison with all her might. The ice shatters to pieces beneath the force of her attack, and bones splinter as the beast staggers.
Ritti takes advantage of the undead creature's off-balance state, slicing elegantly through its bone, armor, and dead flesh to chop off its head. The animal falls, its body released from the foul animating energies that kept it moving.
Shalelu levels another two shots at the damaged bison. The first arrow shatters a chunk of the beast's skull, but the second simply strikes a knee, hangs in the armor for a moment, and then falls to the ground, where it's promptly crushed underhoof.
The undamaged bison thunders forwards, intent on crushing Torra beneath its hooves. Although she can't get out of its way fast enough to avoid the pounding hooves, it doesn't land more than a few stomps before it is past her, leaving her once again mildly bruised.
This does, however, give Yuto (still in the air and out of the reach of its hooves) the chance to strike down at the bison. Suishen melts through its cold carapace and tears out a chunk of its flank, but it comes to a halt beneath him, still functional.
The final bison takes a few heavy steps south and attacks Torra with a heavy headbutt followed by a tear with its horns. The headbutt lands with a terrific crunch, stealing much of her heat as it does so, but she is able to step out of the way just in time to avoid the goring horns.
Ritti tumbles low across the snow, trying to drive her blade into the underbelly of the bison… hoping it is far less armored than it’s rime and hair-covered back.
Sanity Score: 39 / 40 | Threshold: 3 | Edge: 20
Stunning Fist (4):
Ki Pool (4): x
Shozoku (1): x
Inspired (1):
Shuriken (30):
Shuriken Earthfire (2):
Scabbard (1): x
Pot Mage Armor (9):
Pot Blur (2):
Pot Cat’s Grace (2):
Pot Invisibility (1):
Serene Ring (1):
Thunderstone (1): x
Cat Boots (1): (if worn)
Effects:
Scabbard—Butterfly Sword is +2 for 3 of 5 rnds
Mage Armor – AC +4 – 1 HR
Atsuko slides sideways to clear Torra from her line of sight and takes a couple of quick shots at the last passing bison . She continues to sing her "beasties" song.
Swinging back and forth, Yuto tries to protect the team while Suishen gives him a strong advantage against the bisons. The young man waits to see if Ritti and Atsuko's attacks are enough to terminate the black one.
He then challenges yellow or black, whatever bison remains "You leave Torra San be and fight with me!" declaring the dwarf as his challenge's ward.
Thoroughly bruised now, Torra staggers a step back and strikes at the leftmost frigid beast.
Atsuko unleashes a rapid volley of arrows at the undead bison, both of which crack through its armor and slam hard into its flanks. The shattering of the ice harmonizes nicely with the bard's song.
Torra unleashes a blast of powerful earth at the critically damaged bison, shattering its skull completely and knocking its legs askew as it tumbles back several feet, inanimate once more.
Working together, Ritti and Yuto slash the last bison to pieces, searing and cutting it away.
"Well... that was unpleasant" Shalelu admits, stowing her last arrow and hopping down from her position on her rock. "Do any of you have any ideas what those were?"
"N-no idea..." Yuto sheathes Suishen and descends to the ground offering his hand for Torra to stand up "A-are you all ok? T-that was a d-dangerous charge... p-perhaps we should bury the bodies t-to ensure th-they do not animate a-again"
His other hand instinctively goes to the wakizashi he recovered from his own father's skeleton.
"Well... that was unpleasant" Shalelu admits
Ritti packs one of her camouflage scarves against the wound in her gut with a grimace. "Better us than the caravan. Those beasts could've killed our animals and a fair number of our people without tryin'... and they would've tried hard."
Sanity Score: 39 / 40 | Threshold: 3 | Edge: 20
Stunning Fist (4):
Ki Pool (4): x
Shozoku (1): x
Inspired (1):
Shuriken (30):
Shuriken Earthfire (2):
Scabbard (1): x
Pot Mage Armor (9):
Pot Blur (2):
Pot Cat’s Grace (2):
Pot Invisibility (1):
Serene Ring (1):
Thunderstone (1): x
Cat Boots (1): (if worn)
Effects:
Scabbard—Butterfly Sword is +2 for 3 of 5 rnds
Mage Armor – AC +4 – 1 HR
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Torra looks at the frozen, snow-covered ground. "They are very big. Burying them will take a long time, and we have no digging tools. Perhaps we can burn the carcasses instead..." But the dwarf looks doubtful; the frosty hide of the undead bison would likely make that difficult.
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Shalelu looks around at the dead. "Without knowing how they were animated, I think we either should cut them to pieces, burn them, or bury them." She grimaces. "Probably the first one. We don't have a lot of time to spare, and I'm not sure how soft the earth will be for burial. Burning them on a pyre would take... a lot of fuel that we could use ourselves."
Atsuko can only shake her head negatively, her mouth clenched into a near frowning line at the question of what exactly animated the bison.
"The ground is too frozen for digging, and even if we had the extra fuel to spare I don't think we want a plume of smoke going up to be seen by everything in the area. I guess we cut them up."
She stows away her bow and draws her longsword. She starts hacking on the beasts, starting with the legs just in case one of them decides to get back up.
Ritti has some practical (or professional) knowledge of anatomy and joints... and a sharp blade. She gets to work dismembering the carcasses.
"I-if digging is not an option, then p-perhaps we can pile stones over them... it w-would keep them pinned and... m-may serve as a burial of sorts..." he says as he begins gathering more rocks and stacking them over the nearest corpse.
Pausing, he glances toward the others "I will also h-help with... d-dismembering them if needed. T-this is no task for one person" his eyes flicker toward Atsuko and Ritti with a faint nod of respect before his hand instinctively brushes against Suishen's hilt for reassurance.
Taking a deep breath, Yuto draws his wakizashi and steps forward to assist, carefully cutting through the sinews and joints of the undead bison alongside the others "L-let's ensure they c-cannot rise again..."
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Working together, the five are able to cut the bison into pieces small enough that if they are somehow reanimated, they won't be a threat to anyone. For good measure, they build up a pile of stones atop the biggest pieces.
That finished, they return to the caravan (picking up Andochtuir along the way), where Sandru, Ameiko (and her sisters), Ulf, and Koya all await.
"You look the worse for wear." Koya observes gently, and unleashes a burst of healing light on the group, before repeating the process thrice more.
"Welcome back." Ameiko says with a slightly worried smile. "What exactly were they?"
"Not just zombies." Shalelu grunts.
Ritti is more grateful for the healing that can be expressed appropriately in the common tongue. ”Mulțumesc, Mătușă. Esti un cadou.”
Ameiko says with a slightly worried smile. "What exactly were they?"
”Dunno. Sort of frozen, vicious, zom-bison. I punched one and my hand almost came back a block of ice.”
More people filter in - Spivey, Zaiobe, Riftun, and more - as the heroes explain what they encountered, and much discussion is exchanged about what it could be before Spivey speaks up. "You know," the azata muses aloud, "that sounds a lot like frostfallen undead." The azata folds her arms. "They're mindless undead, who - as Ritti's no doubt realized - have a constant air of frigid cold around them. They usually come about from creatures dying of deprivation in places like this - cold and barren. But it's very rare to see more than one at a time rise 'naturally.' As though there's anything natural about them."
"Oh! I remember hearing about those." Riftun says, brightening. "The winter witches of Irrisen use them sometimes... but that's not likely this far north... Kelda told me once that using fire on them is a good idea. They also..." He hesitates, thinking. "They are resistant to slicing and stabbing, and are often armored by the water in the air that they freeze."
"So why are they here?" Ameiko asks. "They were a whole herd, right?" She looks at the heroes for confirmation.
Yuto bows his head slightly, taking in the healing light from Koya with visible relief "Arigatou, Koya Sama" he murmurs, straightening to listen as the others begin discussing the nature of their foes.
When Ameiko poses her question, he steps forward hesitantly "I-it was d-definitely an entire herd... d-dead, yet moving with purpose. T-their attacks w-where mindless but their charge b-brutal..."
The mention of the witches makes Yuto to shiver "T-that is t-troubling... If the s-stories of Irrisen's witches are true, perhaps t-this is not coincidence. Their... manipulation of the cold is well-known. Could their reach extend here?"
"Could be a lone wolf... A witch or necromancer carving out their own spot, not working with anyone." Ritti considers the ramifications. "If so, we either turn back now or keep going fast, watchful, and sticking together like tanglefoot."
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"They were dangerous, but we handled them, especially thanks to Yuto and Suishen. I say we continue on this road. If it's a lone actor, they must be quite powerful to raise so many, but they are one and we are more. If it's the winter witches, that is more troubling but at least we know what danger we face. I would rather face ice zombies than invisible assassins."
That is a very long speech for the usually taciturn Torra, but the dwarf's preference is clear.
Sandru nods slowly at the pair's recommendations. "I see." He glances at Ulf, who shrugs.
"This is new to me, boss. I've never seen this kind of undead show up before. Seems likely it's the work of a single necromancer, but..." He glances back the way from which they've come. "We encountered some undead before, didn't we? Back in the Giant-Downs."
"Yes." Amaya speaks up for the first time. "That was almost a month ago. It's possible that there is only one person raising undead, but if so, then we are following in their wake."
"That seems... unlikely. Maybe they're setting up their own kingdom of the dead." Ameiko suggests grimly. "We should do what we can to take down the undead when we find them."
"But only that." Sandru insists. "We're not going out of our way to look for trouble, am I clear?"
Ameiko looks at him, considers the rest of the caravan, then nods. "We should warn anyone we come across, though."
"Aye. That's the right thing to do, this far north." Ulf says. "We give what we can to each other, otherwise we won't receive when we need it."
The idea of a necromancer nearby seems to particularly Yuto who looks for the already familiar touch of Suishen for reassurance "I-if th-there is a necromancer nearby, w-we will need our sacred people to be w-well rested and ready to c-combat those abominations. W-we might do good use of some vials of sacred w-water..."
"S-sandru, brother, w-we need to press on h-here. F-find that necromancer or b-be out of this area b-before the n-no death finds us..." he states shivering though the katana protects him from all the freezing cold of the north.
"Scouting ahead is gonna be a bit more dangerous. Might need to send folks out in pairs. Just somethin' to consider."
The caravan master nods at Yuto's suggestion. "Spivey and Koya, are you prepared to handle any more undead?" Sandru asks, looking at the pair.
"I can fight." Spivey agrees. "And I can scout ahead - not a lot is going to see me if I'm careful. If I get caught, I can bring forth Lady Desna's healing light, and that should keep them distracted enough to allow me to fly away."
Koya grunts. "I'm not eager to attempt to go out ahead of the caravan and fight." The old woman says. "But if anything comes knocking here, I'll be ready." She pauses, and then lays a gentle hand on Yuto's shoulder, murmuring something to him.
"Not just pairs." Lone-Pillar says bluntly. "Groups of four, if we can." He glances at Spivey and then at Andochtuir. "Unless you want to spend more time flying ahead."
"There probably aren't as many flying threats out here as there are ground-based ones." Ulf adds. "The worst you've to fear is probably a blizzard... but the things that do fly are gonna be pretty damn threatening."
"Scouting groups work. I'm in." She looks to Spivey, giving voice to her concern, "Flying sounds fun and I'm of a mind to try it someday. An' it might keep you away from a lot of undead... but I'd worry about the fella who created these monsters. Might sound paranoid, but I believe in expecting the worst. If I was a necromancer, I'd have measures to take care of flying folk and godly folk. So... I'm saying... have a care about that." It was as close as Ritti could get to saying I'm worried about you.
Atsuko also tends to believe there must be some maker with intelligence behind the undead animals. If it was the "natural" spread of the plague, one frostfallen to the next, a herd would seen unlikely. The first bison to fall victim would keep the attacker occupied while the rest of the bison fled.
If the creator is a necromancer or witch, also quite possible, then it could well be they would still have needs not so different from all the members of the caravan. They would need, shelter, food, warmth, and so forth.
"If there is a necromancer or witch behind all this, and they have some plan brewing, doesn't it seem unlikely they'd be living rough in the forest or tundra? Are there any known places nearby like small settlements or the cabins we came across earlier in the journey?"
"I'm not suggesting we should go hunting for them, but if there are places they could live safely or comfortably, maybe we clear of the area around them and maintain an extra watchful eye in their direction?"
"Hm. I heard that some necromancers are not alive... lynxes? Lychees? Something like that."
The idea of scouting groups seems to appeal to the dwarf, and they sidle closer to Lone-Pillar as they nod their approval.
"Of course. I can also ask Lady Desna, given time, about this mystery enemy." Spivey suggests. "It's something we'll need to consider, at any rate."
Ulf scratches his chin at Atsuko's question. "There're smaller cabins and the like scattered around - more in the lake country we're heading away from than the Gaarjuk Hills, but there're some around here, I think. There's even a settlement deeper into the Hills..." The guide thinks hard. "At the side of a lake... I forget its name, but..." He pulls out the map that the heroes found on the body of the guide several days prior. "It's here." He indicates a lake in the hills proper.
"But other than that," Ulf shrugs, "I don't know. I don't usually come out this direction, and a lot of folks out here are nomadic or seminomadic."
Sandru frowns at Atsuko's suggestion, but sighs and nods. "We should certainly keep an eye out for such things."
"A lich? Gods, I hope not." Ameiko grimaces. "We don't need some crazed wizard summoning up an undead horde as we cross the most hostile part of the world to humanoid habitation."
Lone-Pillar nods slightly at Torra in turn, apparently willing to work alongside them.
"I..." Yuto's voice cracks slightly before he clears his throat, his eyes darting to the side "I have not... been feeling it myself... not since..." he pauses, his breathing shallow as he gathers the courage to continue "Since the marsh. My f-father... he was—" Yuto's voice lowers to a whisper "He was an evil skeleton"
He glances up at Sandru, his eyes reflecting a storm of emotions: fear, guilt, and shame "I... sometimes w-wonder if that's m-my fate too..." he stammers, the words tumbling out reluctantly before his voice trails off into an uncomfortable silence.
---
Yuto offers a shaky laugh as Torra's comment finally registers "L-lynxes? Lychees?" his lips twitch into a faint smile "That's a g-good one"
Yuto takes a steadying breath, straightening his posture as he tightens his grip on Suishen "We should p-prepare to move forward. If w-we linger too long, the n-no death might f-find us before we're r-ready"
Koya smiles gently at the young samurai.
"Yes, bearer." Helgarval says simply. "I shall attempt to ensure your destruction should you raise as such."
The old woman glares at Yuto's helmet-angel.
Yuto looks up at the helmet "I... I... don't know how do I feel about that, b-but th-thanks I... guess..."
The Tian then turns to Koya and nods slightly "T-thanks. Y-yeah, i-it seems like having faith is the o-only thing I can do. H-having f-faith on my friends... a-and the gods..." Yuto looks for something to grasp but finds nothing "C-could I have m-my own sy-symbol? P-perhaps it could protect me, s-somehow..."
Atsuko looks at the map along with Ulf.
"Well, I guess it couldn't hurt to go as far around that place as we can. We weren't planning to stop there anyway right?"
Since larger scouting parties will probably require more people, Atsuko volunteers to go out although she hasn't regularly done so before.
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Koya nods to Yuto. "I'll see what I can do to find you one. I think Haungalon does some whittling, so I'll ask him if he can't make a holy symbol for you."
Ulf nods at Atsuko, then pauses, looking at Sandru. "You're the boss."
"No, we aren't going to stop here." He says firmly. "Let's get moving." And with that, the caravan heads out. For the next several days, they journey through the Gaarjuk Hills and into the more densely forested parts of the region.
In that time, Yuto receives a wooden holy symbol of Desna from the gnome driver that Koya had mentioned.
In the late morning, the sun's light is partly blocked by the canopy of evergreens that the caravan finds itself journeying beneath. This only exacerbates the frigid air and terrible winds, slowing progress considerably - which only gets worse when there's a terrible crack and Ragnhildr bellows a curse in Ulfen.
As they arrive at her wagon, they find that the axle has snapped after a particularly nasty jerk over a stray root. "This'll take awhile to repair." Livia, the wainwright, confesses. "Unless anyone has any magic to help it along, it could take a day of hard work."
After the undead bison incident, Ritti tries to be more stealthy on patrols and is extremely watchful (some might say 'jumpy') at all times.
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Ritti looks at the canted over wagon. She doesn’t have the skill to fix the damage but she can certainly help move the heavy bits and possibly even support the wagon as repairs are being done.
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For the present day at least, Atsuko won't be going anywhere. She joins Livia fixing the wagon. A broken axle is really bad news, not an incidental repair. Under the best of circumstances, an axle would break right outside the combined wainwright and blacksmith shops located in a lightly forested area. Next best would be on the road in a comfortable and safe wooded location to camp for a few days while the wainwright and blacksmith who happen to among the travelers effect repairs. Both of the above situations allow for the felling of a tree with approximately the same girth as the axle, and the production of an entirely new replacement.
This situation for Atsuko and Livia is among the worst possible. The caravan is in a decidedly unsafe location, and while there are probably trees suitable for an axle replacement, there isn't enough time to make one. Instead the two wainwrights will have to fix the break. This can only be done by straightening the broken axle, refitting the two parts along the break as perfectly as possible, and fixing the break by attaching iron braces, or an iron sleeve, across the break to bind it tight. Afterward, it will be constant prayer that the repair holds until one of the better sets of circumstances mentioned above can be found further along the road, and a permanent fix can be done.
It will easily take a full day. First, the wagon must be lifted slightly to bring the wheels on the broken axle up off the ground enough to remove them. Stones, logs, or whatever can be found will be piled up on each side under the wagon's body to keep it up for the duration.
Next, the iron brackets that attach the axle to the wagon will need to be unbolted on each side so both assemblages can be removed. Then, the freed axle can be moved out to be worked on. The break will be cleaned up, and the sides refitted. If Atsuko was lucky in her previous wagon scavenging, she found an iron sleeve. It would make the stronger repair since it can be fitted fully around the break and bolted in place. If not, iron bars will be bolted across the break, and the whole area will be wrapped tightly with rope, which is glued in place.
Finally, reassembly is the reverse of disassembly. Axle up and bolted back onto the wagon, wheels back on, and the materials holding up the wagon removed to bring the wheels back to ground.
Given the weather and need for quickness, Atsuko's day is really going to suck.
Yuto steps forward, gripping the holy symbol tightly in his hand. He takes a moment to admire the intricate details, tracing the carvings with his fingers. A faint smile crosses his lips before he slips it into his belt for safekeeping.
With a determined nod, he moves to help with the repairs, hauling materials and carefully lifting parts of the wagon to give the others space to work.
As Atsuko works, Yuto stands watch, his hand resting on the hilt of Suishen, scanning the forest for any signs of danger.
"If this takes too long" he eventually says "we should think about salvaging what we can and loading it onto the other wagons. Staying here might not be safe"
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Thanks to the combined efforts of the heroes and the rest of the caravan, it takes only four hours to repair the broken cart, and they are on the road again shortly thereafter. The days grow chillier as they progress, and the caravaners grow increasingly discontent as the sun hides its face more and more frequently.
In the evening of the 9th of Kuthona, Sandru calls in the group to discuss matters. Included are the five heroes, the three Kaijitsu sisters, Lone-Pillar, Koya, Shalelu, Ulf, and Spivey. "While I didn't want to hold this meeting, I've got to bring it up some time." The caravan master begins. "We haven't had the best of luck with scavenging the last few days. I need to know whether we've got enough food to make it to the lakeside village that Ulf was telling us about several days ago."
Ulf pulls out the magical map that he's been carrying for awhile. "If I had to guess, we're five days out."
"We do have enough to get there, then." Ameiko says. "I was speaking with Losk earlier about it, and he thinks he can stretch us out for another couple weeks."
"How likely is it we'll be able to resupply there, Ulf?"
"Well, it's no Unaimo, that's for sure. Usually, they can trade with anyone passing through, but now, when winter's coming?" He shakes his head. "I'm not sure."
"T-those a-are no good news..." Yuto listens worried as the conversation develops "No-not sure if the v-village is a good option r-right now... th-there is that necromancer around... i-if we leave, w-we leave the caravan open to a-attack. A-and y-you cannot advance much if you hope f-for us to catch up again..."
He shivers noticeably afraid "A-and we should prepare for the po-possibility that supplies there will be scarce. If the villagers a-are struggling with the season, they might not have much to offer us... o-or might not be willing to do so..."
Sandru rubs his mustache thoughtfully at Yuto's words, but it is Helgarval who responds. "If they are in danger, we ought to investigate." It says. "We may be able to help them."
Suishen thrums at his side. "The angel is correct, bearer. If we are able to help those in need without risking the greater duties we serve, we should do so." Ameiko looks amused at their input, but doesn't speak up immediately.
"I understand your concern, Yuto, and I think we should absolutely scout it out first, but between investigating whether or not the village has been hit by this necromancer, and possibly being able to gather food there, it's important that we don't avoid it." Koya says gently.
"Whether or not they're willing to help us, we ought to at least look in on them, I think." Sandru says slowly. "But if they turn hostile, we absolutely retreat - I don't want any casualties there - on either side."
Torra hadn't been able to help out with the broken axle, but this is perhaps an area where the dwarf can be useful. "Even if they don't have supplies to spare, the village will give us a safe spot from where to forage and hunt. We can stop there for a few days and let everyone rest - people and animals."