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Edogawa sincerely hopes you waited until he was out if range first
As not sure if the Scouting Lore or Nature should be secret or not. Has a +8 and +5 respectively. If can only use one deffo the Scouting;)
Edogawa will March up the mountain with the rope, and if he made it, then try and find a place to tie it off.
Once done, will try to find a safe ish place to rest in case another avalanche, so he doesn't go back down. Then uses a quick tincture elixir to heal before signaling the others to start the climb. Preferably one at a time.
Edogawa climbs up the hill and keeps his footing on the way to the top. Using Tavin's rope, he secures it to a rocky outcropping and lowers it down to the base.
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Flunk brushes the snow off his coat. "I regret one too many late nights in the office has me ill-equipped for such terrain," he grumbles. "Though... there is always fire!"
Flunk starts wildly tossing flame at the ground and walks around the area to see if there are any other alternative ways to deal with the cliff.
Flunk keeps his distance and starts chucking flame, loosening more of the snow and causing a second avalanche. On the plus side, there's less loosened snow.
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Edogawa sincerely hopes you waited until he was out if range first.
Guide sees Edogawa reach the summit and lower a rope and sighs deeply. "This is definitely not my forte. All of you should climb first, so that if there is a near-fatal fall, then I can heal you from down here." she states, hoping that does not come to pass.
Guide will choose to climb last.
Gavin manages to climb up without a problem. The Guide to the Beyond takes her time and waits for Tavin and Flunk to make it up.
Edogawa surveys his allies as they climb up the rope. The wind chafes against his ears, and he focuses on his own breathing to keep steady. He can hear his breath around him, to the left side, panting, smells like pears.
He looks to his left and sees a large and fluffy dog at his side. A thick leather collar and a small barrel hangs around his neck. The dog sniffs Edogawa a few times before running up to Gavin.
The dog is quite friendly to Tavin and accepts many pettings from the team. Eventually the dog turns and runs off towards another forest, stopping and looking back occasionally to make sure you’re following.
After a half hour you enter a grove of trees, ripe with pears. The dog runs up to an elderly half-orc man, sitting on a log in front of a campfire and accepts many pettings. ”Well, well, Wilbur. Hmm? New guests?”
He stands up and looks at you, keeping his distance. ”Ah, there have been more people crossing by recently. Must be you. Those ravens... ” He puts a hand to his chin and thinks. ”Where are my manners? Call me Bark.”
"Greetings," Flunk quickly steps in to offer a handshake and his card. "We're looking to carve out a way through the mountains to Molthune. Perhaps you might give us tips on safe travel through the forest?"
”Hmmm.... there are a lot of orc tribes further from here.” Bark kneels down and adds some salted meat to a plate, which Wilbert chows down on. ”They like my Peach schnapps. They think I’m crazy for staying this far north. They leave me alone, I leave them alone.”
He hands you mugs of water. ”But now they’re encroaching on my territory. Wilbur almost got snapped in a bear trap last week. And they aren’t listening to me anymore.” He scowls. "I told them to stop encroaching down the mountain, they're bound to agitate the wildlife. A few days ago I see ravens flying through the sky, angry at everything and everyone."
He looks at Flunk. "If you travel any further than here, you're entering orc territory. All this way for a trade route?"
Bark pulls out a bottle of his. ”Peach schnapps. I brew this in my spare time.” He pets Wilbert and begins heading towards his log cabin. ”You should stay in my cabin for the night. Plenty of schnapps for you to try. It will give me some time to think about how to get through the orcs without causing a war.”
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Guide will look at the bottle and take in the smell of the schnapps. "Oh, that smells just like peaches!" she exclaims in glee. "What is schnapps, though?" she asks as she pours some in a glass and looks at its glossy sheen.
"Also, thank you for letting us use your cabin! It will sure be nicer than staying out in the elements." she says with a smile. "Why would you stay out here with the orcs? How do you get more of this schnapps? I'm no botanist, but I'm pretty sure peaches don't grow on snow-covered mountains..." she asks with a bit of playful questioning.
Leaning in closer to Bark, she whispers. "Is there a secret out here? Secret snow peaches?"
"If you treat the land well, it will treat you well. I like peaches, so the cold doesn't affect the nearby peach trees that much." He adds some salted meat to a plate, which Wilbur chows down on.
"My brother, Bite and I. We were the runts of some of the orcs up north. We never fit in, so he went to the city while I found my peace. All I need is Wilbur." He pets the dog, who is too busy enjoying salted protein to care.
”I know where one of the smaller orc tribes is. Bearclaw Tribe. You earn their trust, they’ll open a route for you. They are much more reasonable than the other tribes and won't kill you on sight.” He pours another mug of peach schnapps. "Chief Grakcha loves to drink; if you can hold your own or you can offer her some rare gin she'll be willing to talk. Otherwise you can try to sweet talk your way past her."
"If that fails, well. The tribe is small. Killing her and her guards may be enough to drive the remainder off." He exhales and pushes out his bad thoughts. "Personally, I hope it doesn't come to that. That's why I live alone."
He motions towards the assortments of cots, animal furs and blankets near the fire. ”Bedtime?”
"Sweet talk, eh?" Flunk nods. "Arguing my points is kind of my thing, so let's see if a few honeyed words can get this Chief Grakcha to help us out."
Lighting up a small personal campfire of his own, Flunk throws out a bedroll and gets to sleep.
Gavin hops on Wilbur and enjoys a ride around the cabin. More like he holds on to Wilbur's wild ride.
The sun rises with you no worse than the wear. Except for Wilbur's cold nose, the night is quite warm. "Here, have some schnapps. Chief Grakcha loves this stuff. But if you have something rarer that will calm her right down."
Tavin recalls the bottle of rare Ulgir Gin that was in the care package. Very strong stuff.
The next morning, you exit Bark’s cabin and head back into the frigid cold of the snow line. You quickly make your way to the treeline, and get a relative sense of warmth.
As you travel downhill, you notice a cliff about 25 feet high that rises above the trees. It would give a good view of the area, if you could climb up there.
Tavin climbs up through the blessings of his deity. At the top of the cliff, he sees 3 mountain goats, grazing. They haven't noticed him yet.
He thinks he can secure the rope without trouble, but too much noise will alert the goats to his presence. Maybe the other teammates are good at talking or sneaking around.
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Shivering while Edogawa climbs to the top, Guide looks to the halfling and comments. "Sure is cold out here... Maybe I'll stay in town on the next mission. Or perhaps a beach."
Seeing another rope, Guide sighs. "Imot bless me to actually be able to climb this rope..." she utters as her hands glow with grey light.
"First on my list of things to do upon return is a crash course in wilderness survival. And perhaps a bit of indoor rock climbing," Flunk sighs, attempting again to make his way up the cliff.
Tavin realizes he has intruded in the goat's space. With enough stealth or simply appealing to the goats he could calm them down. He quietly lowers a rope and Guide to the Beyond manages her way to the top. It's a miracle.
Edogawa climbs to the top and quietly approaches one of the goats. It happily munches away on the grass, unaware of his presence.
Before the Guide to the Beyond can lecture the goats on the aspects of the afterlife, Edogawa puts up a hand. Thinking quickly, he grabs some grass and offers it to the startled animals.
They smell his hand. They don't trust him until he drops the grass on the floor. They munch on the food and leave him alone, returning to where they grazed.
Now with the goats taken care of, you have an opportunity to look at your surroundings. Maybe you can find something to help secure the trade route. Here are a few methods:
• Learn how to handle the goats, turning a hazard into a resource. This is a DC 16 Nature check.
• Chart the view with a DC 13 Cartography or Scribing Lore check, or a DC 15 Crafting check.
• Recognize valuable terrain resources such as climbing spots and streams with a DC 16 Nature or a DC 13 Mountain or Scouting Lore check.
• Identify grazing areas and places medicinal plants and mosses might grow. This is a DC 16 Nature check or a DC 13 Herbalism Lore check.
• Spot a potential meltwater hazard that’s obvious when seen from the high vantage point. This is either a DC 16 Perception or Nature check, or a DC 13 Mountain or Scouting Lore check.
• Identify the cliff overhang as a good resting spot for travelers. This is a DC 16 Survival or a DC 16 Perception check.
• If you identify the cliff as a good resting spot, you can clear an area at the base of the cliff so it provides better shelter by succeeding at a DC 13 Craft check or DC 16 Athletics check.
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I am putting the checks I would like to make in order, in case I can't do all of them.
• Identify grazing areas and places medicinal plants and mosses might grow. This is a DC 16 Nature check or a DC 13 Herbalism Lore check.
• Learn how to handle the goats, turning a hazard into a resource. This is a DC 16 Nature check.
• Recognize valuable terrain resources such as climbing spots and streams with a DC 16 Nature or a DC 13 Mountain or Scouting Lore check.
• Spot a potential meltwater hazard that’s obvious when seen from the high vantage point. This is either a DC 16 Perception or Nature check, or a DC 13 Mountain or Scouting Lore check.
• Identify the cliff overhang as a good resting spot for travelers. This is a DC 16 Survival or a DC 16 Perception check.
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Looking to spot any potential dangers for the oncoming individuals, Guide takes to the plateau in an attempt to commit to memory the area.
"Hey guys! It looks like there are some flooding issues over there! Maybe some melting water is washing away the foliage and would wreak havoc on any trails or cravans!" she offers, trying to be helpful.
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If allowed to take another turn at looking for areas of concern, Guide will try to find a good resting spot for travelers.
"Hey! This spot over here looks good for resting!" she yells back to the group as she surveys the icy mountaintop. "We should mark that down!"
Flunk joins Guide, and takes a look around for any potential hazards.
"Hmm, good call," the goblin agrees about the hazard, pointing out several areas where water has already started trickling.
Then he has a look at the cliff face.
"That spot? Nah, that'll never work." He insists.
Tavin gets to work by studying the nearby plants. He quickly identifies several that can be used in medicinal concoctions. The goats seem to understand this as well, and he's able to discern how they search for nutrients. They are calm enough he's able to pick up a few pointers on finding food and climbing routes up and down the cliff.
The Guide to the Beyond takes a look over the cliff. From up here she can see where melting water would become a terrible climbing hazard. She also spots a good resting spot where the melted water could be collected. She makes sure to cross reference her results with Tavin and Flunk.
• Chart the view with a DC 13 Cartography or Scribing Lore check, or a DC 15 Crafting check.
• If you identify the cliff as a good resting spot, you can clear an area at the base of the cliff so it provides better shelter by succeeding at a DC 13 Craft check or DC 16 Athletics check.
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Edogawa finds that goats are rather similar to commonfolk. Give them someplace safe to sleep, and food to eat, and they leave you alone.
Edogawa then takes advantage to his extremely practiced perception and charts the area thoroughly.
He thinks hard over what he has drawn, and for a moment almost has it... Then scowls, brushes the idea off as unimportant, and moves on.
Edogawa looks over many plants of the area, but soon realizes that the properties he himself would look for are harmful to most humanoids and gives up on the concept
He squints at the hazard that Guide and Flunk describe... But can't seem to make it out in the bright daylight. "If you all say so..."
He has no clue where travelers should rest, but trusts Flunk and Guide on this.
With aid of where to build a resting spot, Edogawa sets to the task efficiently.
Edogawa figures out the remaining tasks.
With the spot cleared, you decide to take a rest. The next morning you bid the goats goodbye and head down into a valley. It isn't too long until you receive a welcoming party.
”Oh ho, what’s this?” A lupine creature with blinding white fur leaps from the ledge. It’s the largest wolf you’ve ever seen. Oh, and he talks. ”Odvar, at your service!” He howls as a few normal sized wolves howl in unison with him.
”I couldn’t help but notice you were out here, alone.” He thinks. ”Normally such thin-furred creatures like yourself stay away from places this cold. No problem for me of course.” He grins, revealing his line of razor sharp teeth. ”So tell me, what are you doing out here?”
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Feeling invigorated today, Guide is able to keep up with the group. "This air is certainly refreshing!" she offers proudly as she stomps through snow.
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Seeing the creature appear, her eyes fixate on the beast. "Evil creatures like yourself, warg, roam the planet for a reason, however you would be wise to find easier prey." she states icily. "Imot and Anubis have sent me to guard these people from harm and handling you should be quite easy. Move along to some unsuspecting mountain goats."