Map of Heldren
Map of Visitors on the Trail
Linge and Kessir are woken by the conversation between the bandit and Kriemhild. They both hear the offer of ”treason” and a ranking position if Kriemhild took her mercenary skills to another buyer.
If the conversation didn’t wake the group up, Kriemhild’s act of rage by choking the man out would wake you. You see the bound man struggling to kick his bound legs and arms but to no avail. Unless stopped, it doesn’t take too long before the man stops kicking.
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F%#!, I got way too pissed here.
She thinks as she hopefully fights down her urge to kill.
And hopefully does not commit an anathema against Gorrum, but Gorrum may be lenient on account of the bandit inciting treason, which he also hates.
That guy is a twat, tried to talk me into murdering you for a clearly not serious offer of "joining as a general". Which does however show that we are dealing with amateurs. Does Frozen throne ring a bell to anyone Irriseni maybe? Also, they are lead by a male, so perhaps some pretty low tier raiding group? If its Irrisen I still have not the foggiest idea as to how they got here. She says to the party.
Mia wakes with a start as Kriemhild's voice rises. She watches the scene play out and wonders what's going on until her friend explains it. A flat, cold look that no one has ever seen from her falls on her features as she listens to what happened.
"I'll find out tomorrow," she says before turning over and settling back down in her bedroll. "Stick a needle in his eye if starts insulting you like that again."
Krokod wakes hard in timne to hear...
That guy is a t&*%, tried to talk me into murdering you for a clearly not serious offer of "joining as a general". Which does however show that we are dealing with amateurs. Does Frozen throne ring a bell to anyone Irriseni maybe? Also, they are lead by a male, so perhaps some pretty low tier raiding group? If its Irrisen I still have not the foggiest idea as to how they got here. She says to the party.
and
"I'll find out tomorrow," she says before turning over and settling back down in her bedroll. "Stick a needle in his eye if starts insulting you like that again."
I don't remember every woman in the village being this scary.
Wearily he says, "The Frozen throne is I think where the chosen queen of Irrisien rules from.. but it's been a long time." He rubs at his eyes, "Gods above I was just a child when I left. I don't how they got here either. But if the cold is coming from somewhere, then maybe that same magic is carrying some of these raiders. IF that's the case, we have an invasion over...hundreds and hundreds of miles."
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Linge jumps out of her bedroll as the man's voice becomes strange gurgles.
"Stop that!" she cries out. "You're going to kill him and there's no point!"
She looks ready to jump on Kriemhild to push her away (or, at least, try to, given that she's too much of a lightweight to stand a chance), but thankfully the half-orc releases her hold before anything embarrassing happens.
"Are you insane?" the druid hisses, forcing her voice to be lower. "You can't choke people like that!"
She checks the man's vitals, and, a bit reassured to find out that he's still breathing, goes back to her bedroll, still fuming.
She doesn't sleep much afterwards. She finally doses off When Kessir and Krokod take their watch, but her night is fitful, and her sleep light enough to wake her up at the slightest noise.
Linge sits up with huge bags under her eyes and one bad case of morning hair. Her face is wan, and her features are gaunt. She looks like she hasn't slept much at all. Yet her mind is still sharp enough to jump on the opportunity to learn more about Krokod's past when he brings it up."How did you leave?" she chimes in.
Its actually the safest way to render someone unconcious? Punching, particularly if I am punching, can do far more lasting damage. You see, I dont really choke of the air, its the blood flow to the brain that gets interrupted for about 6 seconds. Doesnt really work on outsiders and other things that dont need to breathe though.
Kriemhild shrugs
Kessir’s eyes shot over to Mia as she mentioned needles and eyes. “That’s not creepy at all,” he mumbled. Not taking his eyes from the slumbering Mia, Kessir crawled out of his bedroll and grabbed his equipment.
“Just,” Kessir said as he tightened the straps on his armor, “get some rest Krie. You too, Linge.” Kessir pulled the last layer of furs over the armor.
“But what would be the end goal for a magical winter and capturing a Taldane Noblewoman?” Kessir said to Krokod. “Why send human raiders if they have winter-touched fey at their disposal?”
Map of Heldren
Map of Visitors on the Trail
The evening pushes on, in silence. Everyone is starting to see bits of each other that they might not normally have. Is it because this is who they normally are behind closed doors, is it because they are spending more time together than normal, or is it because the pressure of the weather and the threats continue to rise…
Morning comes and no one feels as if they got a good night sleep. As everyone awakes the woman taken captive is still bound but unconscious. The man that is bound wakes as everyone begins moving about.
Coughing and trying to rub his neck unsuccessfully, he spots Kriemhild; “You coward!” he spits in her direction; “You are worthless at your trade. Couldn’t even kill a bound captive.” he begins laughing; “We both might be mercenaries, but we are nothing alike. I know I am a dead man out here. You’re just walking in denial.” Unless gagged, the man continues to goad Kriemhild for as long as the group keeps him captive.
The morning is bright. Even though the snowfall is blocking out the sun, it is reflecting off of everything that is falling. You all know the sun and heat this time of year would melt form of ice and snow, yet it is bitter cold like the Land of the Linnorm Kings.
The High Sentinel Lodge is not too far from here. Just an hours walk in this weather if no more guest appear.
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I dont think I need to kill you. You regard yourself as dead, probably a long time ago. Even before we effortlessly dispatched you. You were a man once, then something broke you. So you tried to break others, better to hurt others then to be hurt? And with each time you struck at the weak, you died yet a little more inside, until nothing was left but a bandit, raider, cheat and liar. You provoke me because you wish for death, do you not? To be honest with you, its a main reason why I deny death to you.
She shrugs again
Gorrum teaches that broken blades can be reforged, sometimes, and be used against the one who broke them. I dont see the strength in you for that.
She gags him.
So a younger Kriemhild, still pretty buff but younger asks the mercenaries assembled around a campfire
When we capture enemies, what do we do with them?
Depends, are they mortals? What are their motivations to fight us? Ransoms and exchanges are profitable, killing them typically isnt. Eating them gets you ghoulified so dont. Oh, and dont torture, if your torture, you have to kill later. The entire point of taking prisoners is not needing to kill them, someone who is your enemy today, maybe your ally in the next battle. He will have plenty of reasons to dislike you, you hurt him, perhaps killed his friends, damaged his pride. Dont add torture to that, and treat prisoners like you want to be treated by them if you are captured. An old mercenary, a longtime veteran of the worldwound wars, replies
But what if they have secrets? And we need them! Kriemhild asks
If you wish to look at a map, do you first claw at it to improve its legibility? If you wish to have someone talk, do you rip is tounge out to make him more talkative? Torture damages the one you torture, particularly over prolonged times. And what will he say? Anything to stop it. Anything he wants you to hear. Now, far better to politely open the mind and read it. If someone was taken captive, someone wants to live, and something else too. Offer him this something else, if you can afford it, and make a trade. The old mercenary answers, the words not quite being his own
That sounds, almost too nice? Kriemhild inquires
These words were spoken by the least nice person I have ever exchanged words with, after I asked her why I was not being tortured, which I was very much expecting to be. I negotiated my release, she wanted certain secrets, not even of my own troop, and in exchange freed me. The mercenary speaks
If she freed you she must have been nice! Kriemhild answers
She sure looked nice, but always remember that Succubi are personifications of Chaos and Evil. the merc says
You were captured by a Succubus? Did you... Kriemhild is both surprised and also blushes
If you think I could afford, or have on me, the Litheria blossoms to make that survivable? No. You recognice I am alive right? Also, I was her prisoner so even if I had some blossoms she would have taken them from me. I lucked out she was Nocticulan, not Baphometan or Deskarite, and then lucked out that she had more hunger for secrets then for souls. Look, you probably cant just suggestion someone into giving you all of his secrets, but she didnt need to do that with me either. I spilled the beans voluntarily, and she was frankly polite, if scarily attentive. I cross referenced some of her markings later, Blades of Midnight Coven, they are like, to the Midnight isles what the black talons are to Andoran. Dunno if she pegged me for later recruitment or something, thankfully never saw her again, other then in dreams. And demons, with very few exceptions, cant dream or enter dreams.
The merc speaks
Mia listens to the man for a moment, her anger rising and a voice in her head, like her own, but different, whispers to her.
"He's too noisy. He's too boorish. He'd look much better with a bloody nose."
The cold, flat expression Mia wore last night returns as she drags the man out and away from the camp. Once they are about a hundred yards from camp she sets him against the trunk of a tree.
"Bleed! He needs to bleed," the voice urges, almost pleads. She. feels a feeling of warning come from whatever presence had tried to comfort her yesterday after the encounter from the ice fairies.
"Now," she says as she walks around to the front of the man, "I know you don't know Kriemhild, but I do. Trust me, killing you would be easy for her. If she didn't then she doesn't consider you a threat. She's no coward. Me on the other hand..." Her voice trails off as she reaches for Fraendi, but she hesitates for a moment before grabbing the hilt of her other sword and slices open the man's cheek.
"Well, I can be very petty."
“But what would be the end goal for a magical winter and capturing a Taldane Noblewoman?” Kessir said to Krokod. “Why send human raiders if they have winter-touched fey at their disposal?”
"The world would have to pay tribute or it would starve, for one," Krokod answers, "But as for the capturing of the noble woman? I don't know. Maybe she has there's something about her bloodline? I swear to you, Kessir, if I knew the whys, I'd tell you. I ran to what I thought was safety so I'd never have to deal with winter witches or their like again."
Mia's strike earns her another glare from Linge, and while she cannot spend a precious healing spell on the man's superficial wound, she still takes some time to clean off the blood and limit the risks of infection. At no point has she replied to the bandit's threats so far.
Everyone notices she's keeping her distance from the party as they head to the Lodge instead of walking by someone's side as she usually did.
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Map of Heldren
Map of Visitors on the Trail
As Kriemhild responds to the mercenary each dig of broken, weak, bandit, raider, cheat, liar, you see the man sink into the ground. If his bindings could get tighter they would.
As Mia pushes the man to a secluded spot his eyes go wide when she reveals her blade. “No, stop. No!” and the man screams as she cuts into the meaty flesh of his cheek. Falling to the ground the man groans in agony.; “Your half-orc tries to set yourself up as if you’re better than we are. But you’re just like us. Willing to do anything to get by.”
Linge moves catches up as she hears the cry of the man, catching the last bit of what he said But you’re just like us. Willing to do anything to get by. The man pulls away, but he can’t pull that far. Linge is able to tend to his wound, but he needs more help than what she was able to provide in this situation.
The girl is still unconscious and the man is resistant, but if shown a blade he will press on if the group wants to take them both.
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"She is," Mia says. "They are. Me? Well, how much better can someone called Curseborn be than you," she asks before Linge pushes her aside. Mia blinks and looks at her sword, seeming to just now realize what she was doing. She stays close by, not trusting the man as far as she could throw Horn, but she squirms inside and wants desperately to get away from Linge's judging eyes.
Mia says nothing about the cut on the man's cheek nor the way Linge acts around her when they return to camp. She packs up her gear and heads down the trail as much to see what is ahead as to get away from everybody.
She doesn't see much in the snow and ice covered woods, but she has a feeling that the fey they ran into yesterday are still around. She looks around to see if any of the others are around. Why the fey had not killed them and the way she is acting is disturbing her more than she'll ever admit to the others, and the less of herself they saw, the better. She asks her questions in the tongue of the mad and dark beings that lurk in the shadows of Golarion and the first world.
"మీరు అక్కడ ఉన్నారా, మంచు మరియు చలి యొక్క యక్షిణులు? మీరు నా ప్రశ్నలకు సమాధానం ఇస్తారా?? మీరు ఏ ధర అడుగుతారు?"
"Are you there, fairies of ice and cold? Will you answer my questions? What price will you ask?"
Her questions are quiet, but the words echo in the shadows and hollows of the woods around her.
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Linge glares at Mia before the girl can walk away. "This has to stop," she hisses. "Stay away from him."
She cleans the wound as best as she can with the little equipment she has, and does her best not to make it hurt. The cut is pretty deep, she realises, and would probably need stitches. She closes it to the best of her ability. "I'm low on healing spells," she informs the man evenly. "And we've still got quite a bit to go. It will have to do."
Back at camp, she helps with figuring out a solution for the bandits. If they really came all this way on foot, they'll be harder to carry along. "Perhaps if we can make a makeshift sledge for the mule to drag?" she suggests.
Krokod looks troubled at this talk, "Linge is right. Trust me, a frozen heart is no defense against the cold. It's a victory for it, and a loss of...everything."
Map of Heldren
Map of High Sentinel Lodge
Back at camp, as everyone is packing up what is needed, and able to hit the road early enough as long as everyone is okay with rations this morning.
Mia waits in quiet, listening to the echo of the shadows, the wind through the trees, and the falling clumps of snow from weighted tree limbs. She thinks she is beginning to hear something when her attention is cut back towards where the party is gathered.
You hear moaning from the woman lying on the ground. She is awake, stable, but still critically wounded and could easily be knocked unconscious and continue dying again. The man with a mouth has quickly shut up after his encounter with Mia and has become willing to follow directions.
Those who have traveled these woods know that it would take roughly an hour to arrive at the High Sentinel Lodge in this weather . With the extra tent and poles left from these visitors on the trail Linge’s idea of making a makeshift sledge would be possible. You could easily tie to tent poles into the mule’s saddlebags.
The party continues their journey and make their way unhindered besides the climb of the hills of these woods. After climbing what feels like a hundred feet into the hills, the snowy trail finally levels off, in a clearing among the trees, a large wooden lodge overlooks a ravine spanned by a long rope bridge. Smoke rises from the lodge’s two snow-covered chimneys, and large woodpile is stacked against the outer wall. A small outbuilding stands east of the lodge, and a stone well nearly blanketed by snow is barely recognizable to the north. Several tracks lead southwest toward a detached stable.
Mia stays away from the group for the rest of the trip to the lodge. It is clear that she wouldn't be getting any answers, at least for now, so she tries her best to avoid talking about what happened, and what better way to avoid talking than to not be around others?
Without saying anything, Mia heads off to see what is about. Perhaps if she has news about what's going on, she can put off the questions she doesn't want to answer a little while longer. She tries to be quiet, but she is no woodsman, and it'd take a minor miracle for someone to not notice her moving about.
Linge attends to the woman's wounds, making her as comfortable as she can.
When the group comes into view of the lodge, the druid visibly hesitates. "The rest of the bandits are probably in there," she says in a low voice. As much as she hates to kill, she can't think of a single way to avoid a fight. If only they could reach the stables and count the horses to figure out how many men are inside...
"Perhaps if we simply go around it?" she suggests.
“Yeah, it’s probably the single most comfortable place to hunker down in this whole forest,” Kessir agreed. “But I don’t think going around is an option.” He turned to eye the man sporting the wound from Mia. His gaze lingered on the man’s cheek.
“What in the hell is going on with that girl? Has she lost her damn mind?” He asked himself.
“You,” Kessir addressed the bandit. “If we were to investigate inside the lodge, what’re the chances we find Argentea? And what’re the chances she’s alive?” He made sure to enunciate each word, doing his best to drop any sort of Heldren accent.
Without saying anything, Mia heads off to see what is about. Perhaps if she has news about what's going on, she can put off the questions she doesn't want to answer a little while longer. She tries to be quiet, but she is no woodsman, and it'd take a minor miracle for someone to not notice her moving about.
The sound of crunching snow pulled Kessir’s attention back toward the lodge just in time to see Mia tromping through the snow.
“What the hell?!” He muttered.
Kessir nocked an arrow and waited to see if anyone had noticed Mia through one of the windows.
Kriemhild looks at her heavy equipment, chuckles as says alright, this is scout one, attempt to recon-neuter, but I am concerned my tendency to shout orcish warcries may betray me.
She does a very maginally better job at being "a sneaky git" then Mia.
Linge happily lets her more fight-savvy companions scout ahead, and keeps watch for any sign of life.
Map of Heldren
Map of High Sentinel Lodge
The man stairs blankly as Kessir ask him about Argentea; “She was alive when I last saw her.” he winces with pain as he speak and a puts a hand to his cheek. “She’s a noble, her family will pay. You saw what happened to the rest of her traveling team…”
At that Mia takes off towards the small hut to the east of the lodge, her foot snags a line that was buried in the snow. It goes unnoticed by Mia and the rest of the party until the line goes taunt and springs a trap. A bolt flies from a perch on the porch striking Mia critically. Her forward momentum gets her to a sheltered position besides the small shelter.
As the bolt flies from the crossbow on the perch it falls to the ground which reveals a string of attached pots and pans that fall with a clang.
From where everyone is, you do not see any reaction to the makeshift trap and alarm.
Kriemhild grabs Mias body and drags her to Linge.
Krokod's eyes widen as Mia is hit and he begins to curse under his breath
Mia grunts as she feels something punch her in the chest. She looks down at the bolt quivering between her ribs and stares at it.
How did... that... The thoughts fade as she feels lightheaded, dizzy. She wonders why there's no pain. Is she dying? Is she already dead? She watches the world spin around her as her legs give out and she falls back into Kriemhild's arms. Fear begins to gnaw through the shock as she realizes she's short of breath. What if she survives and is crippled? How will she even make it back to Heldren?
Gods, I really am cursed, she thinks as Kriemhild drags her to Linge. Half-mad, curse-born child of no one and nothing.
As she passes out, she thinks she hears laughter coming from the woods and from within her own head.
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And just like that, another one of those damned traps found Mia.
Kessir shifted his aim to the sound of the pots and pans clanging to the ground.
“An alarm?” He thought and turned his aim back to the doors. No doubt anyone inside had heard that. His eyes darted back and forth from the doors to Kriemhild and Mia as Krie dragged Mia’s limp body back to them.
“C’mon…c’mon,” Kessir growled. “You can’t be…”
Kessir took a few steps forward as the duo rejoined them. “Someone tell me she’s still breathing!”
"She's still breathing," Linge reassures Kessir after a brief check of Mia's pulse and breathing.
She pulls out the bolt, and quickly seals up the wound with magic. But this time, her power doesn't seem to be enough to completely heal up Mia. "Shucks," she curses softly in Skald.
"I assume there's no way they don't know we're here now... What do we do?"
Mia coughs as Linge's magic closes up the wound. She props herself up as she spits blood from her lung onto the snow.
She'd messed up. She'd messed up badly.
"What do we do?" It's a good question. Mia's judgement obviously couldn't be trusted, if it ever could have. She is the one that got them into this mess, after all.
"Curseborn child! What good are you," Galvinius' words, that damned curse he always had ready for when she made a mistake or something went wrong whether it was her fault or not, echo in her mind.
"Shoulda left me and hid," she mutters as she climbs to her feet. "Woulda made it easy for them to think I was it and I got caught in their trap."
Eh, Scars build character! And I dont leave friends behind. Thats like... Look She pauses
You dont leave your buddies on the battlefield, not unless they give a signal for "I do a heroic sacrifice, skedaddle the f~*+ away".
Linge, can you make Horn noisily run around while we all take cover? If they think its a bear, we may still have surprise!
She has a quick idea, one that wont help if the enemy actually investigates the trails in the snow, but if they do that, they leave their fortified position!
Eh, Scars build character! And I dont leave friends behind. Thats like... Look She pauses
You dont leave your buddies on the battlefield, not unless they give a signal for "I do a heroic sacrifice, skedaddle the f~#& away".
Linge, can you make Horn noisily run around while we all take cover? If they think its a bear, we may still have surprise!
She has a quick idea, one that wont help if the enemy actually investigates the trails in the snow, but if they do that, they leave their fortified position!
"At this rate, we're all going to have a LOT of Character" Krokod says, "Sorry, besides keeping us warm I'm not sure I'm very useful right now. Tell me what to do and I'll try."
Mia sighs and finds a place to hide. No use in arguing with Kriemhild. She'd only lose and have two reasons to feel frustrated.
"Linge, can you make Horn noisily run around while we all take cover? If they think its a bear, we may still have surprise!"
"Not if there's more traps around!" Linge answers indignantly. "And I rather think we've lost the element of surprise already."
Her gaze is drawn to the stables. "Freeing the horses would be a better distraction... If we can reach them."
Map of Heldren
Map of High Sentinel Lodge
As Mia passes out, Kriemhild moves forward and drags her back to Linge and to where the rest of the party is standing. Kessir draws an arrow and readies it to fly at what might come from the doors. Linge uses her druidic powers to pour positive energy into the woman .
As the rest of the party is focused on Mia and what is next, Kessir with his arrow ready notices the double doors open and a man dressed in similar clothing and armor as their captives comes out with a short bow in hand. He is squinting his eyes, clearly the brightness of snow has Dazed him for a moment. The man clutches his side and lets out a curse as he shuffles backwards into the closed door.
That is when the man the party has kept captive and Kessir was talking too lets out a warning; “Five of them! North trail!”
Initiative: Round 1
All of you
Them
Still in cover, Kriemhild shouts in a
No guys run! The 5 on the north are a distraction! 15 more and 2 demons from the other side! Run!
Kriemhild instinctivly tries for something that is perhaps bluff or perhaps intimidate?
She then moves forward and throws her last javelin into the eney
It goes wide as she grabs her Bardiche with both arms again.
While Kriemhild tries to confuse the enemies in the house, Mia's ire is turned to a closer target. Her sword, the one she'd cut the man's cheek with is out in her hand as her eyes become flat and cold.
"If you want to scream so badly," she hisses before trying to drive the point into his belly.
"Damn it. I could set fire to the building but at this rate we'll need it for haven." Using Kriemhild as cover and hoping she understands, he hurls a ray of flame at the only target he can see.
Hair writhes, the snow about him melts slightly as he does so.
Map of Heldren
Map of High Sentinel Lodge
Kriemhild’s javelin misses wide and clatters on the porch.
Mia approaches the tied up bandit with her sword gripped tight. The man cannot move quickly but he lets out a howl and Mia drives her blade through his midsection. He falls to the ground as blood begins to collect in the snow around him.
Krokod let’s a ray of fire flies towards the man on the porch who has an arrow protruding from his side. It strikes the man and as he crumples to the ground you see that his coat is singed.
The door stands open.
Initiative: Round 1
All of you
Them
Linge reacts too late to stop Mia's blade. She rushes to the bandit's side, and tries to stop the bleeding with an improvised tourniquet.
Anyone who speaks Skald can hear her swear -probably for the first time since you've known her.
“Dammit, Mia!” Kessir cursed and nocked another arrow. “I’m happy you’re okay but we could’ve still used him.”
Kessir sighed and took a few steps forward to get a better angle. “Tha marks three of yours we’ve taken out!” He called out. “Give up now and we can be done with this.”
"He was a snake and he bit us," Mia says quietly. "Or do you think that his calling out where we are and how many of us there are to his buddies was for our own benefit."
Map of Heldren
Map of High Sentinel Lodge
Blood still covering her blade, Linge move to care for the man who is bleeding out. She is able to get him stabilized, but like the woman on the sledge it wouldn’t take much for him to die.
Kessir moves and cannot see much into the Lodge. It is clearly darker inside than our here, lines up with the man’s response of being dazed by the brightness out here. He does see a form come to the door and lets loose an arrow. It strikes true but they are still standing. They look at the fallen man against the closed door and he pulls the open door shut.
The snow continues to fall, there is no movement from the other windows. Those inside clearly knows you are outside now.
Initiative: Round 2
All of you
Them
"Pull back or push forward," Mia asks Kriemhild and Kessir.
Quick, I remember a trick, does anyone of your magiky type have the ability to make remote sounds? Ghost sound? Or so? We make the sound of a ruckus here, and then smash through a window or other entry on the other side!
"We'd still have to sneak over to the window or door," Mia points out.