"An elk," Linge says, pointing at the fresher trail. "Probably not dangerous."
She frowns. "It reminds me... There was talk of a white stag back in Heldren... One who could speak." She shakes her head. "Of course, children make up all kinds of stories, but... Considering all we've been through..."
"Can't discount anything" He nods at Linge
"We should keep going," Mia says quietly. If there is a talking elk about, she doubts it's friendly.
Map of Heldren
Map of Icy Crossing
A few make note of the rumors that was spreading through the Silver Stout about the Talking Stag. Mia suggest the party to keep going.
Pressing on through the snow, the party continues to follow the sentinel trail. After marching on for another hour you come to the first stream crossing that the locals would know as Wishbone Creek. You can see that with this winter freeze that the water is not moving, it has frozen.
25-foot ahead in the middle of the trail before the frozen stream stands a human-sized snowman. It is holding a crude wooden sign that reads “Trespassers Turn Back.”
Random
traveling
Pretty sure that Elks can kick major rear ends, espeically if somehow enchanted.
At the snowman
This be our turf, so they be trespassers roight? Also, whats a treespasser? None of us be trees so we good to go! Offensive dislyxic is also gud vs Devils!
She pauses
Maybe check snowmen for magiks and traps?
"Fine. I'll get close enough to detect magic, but if I die horribly I want you to know I bitterly resent it. I was young and good looking and death should happen to ugly old people" He quips, takes a breath, and steps within 15 feet of the snow man, and once more casts detect magic, trusting his friends to have his back
Mia chuckles at Kreimhild's joke. Her boisterous friend always seems to know how to make people feel better.
"But we are passing the trees, so wouldn't that make us treespassers," she asks.
Turning her attention to the river, she frowns in worry.
"Maybe I should go first," she says, not particularly liking the idea. "I'm the smallest, so if it starts to crack under me, it'll crack under anyone."
"Wait," Linge stops Krokod before he sets foot on the ice. "Maybe we should tie a rope around your waist first... The ice might be too thin to support your weight. Horn, sit!" That last order is directed at the bear cub, who's sniffing the edge of the frozen lake.
He obediently sits on his bum, though you can tell he's not exactly brimming with excitement to walk on this new, weird ground that doesn't smell of anything.
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"Maybe we should tie a rope around your waist first," Linge suggests when Mia offers to try and cross the lake. "The ice might be too thin to support your weight. Horn, sit!"That last order is directed at the bear cub, who's sniffing the edge of the frozen lake.
He obediently sits on his bum, though you can tell he's not exactly brimming with excitement to walk on this new, weird ground that doesn't smell of anything.
Mia nods at Linge's suggestion.
"And I could tie it off on the other side to help everyone get across."
Map of Heldren
Map of Icy Crossing
As Mia and Linge discuss safety measures on crossing the frozen over waters, Krokod moves forward to within 15-feet of the snowman.
Before he has an opportunity to do what Kriemhild suggest with checking for magiks or traps, the snowman snaps to life. “Hey! Can’t your read? The sign says turn back! Now get lost!”
Krokod cast Detect Magic, and you detect illusion magic. You let the Detect Magic spell linger as you begin to study this illusion magic and you discover that it is part of the glamer magics, and that this is the spell called Magic Mouth. A spell you know that is beyond any of your capabilities.
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If you Say "Hey! Can't you read? The sign says turn back! Now get lost!" then your father be hamster and your mother be smelly like Elderberries! You also be admitting that you can not maek slay of hedgehog with your naked rear end! Kriemhild bursts out hoping to get an admidetly childish laugh.
Mia snickers at Kriemhild's comments despite the butterflies in her stomach as she ties the rope around her waist. The half-orc woman always has a way of cheering Mia up whenever she is feeling down. Unfortunately, the humor of the moment fades quickly for her, and it isn't hard to tell she's nervous. She doublechecks the knot and makes sure she has Fraendi and her dagger on her. Her sword and her bow lie atop her pack, and her satchel sits next to it. She doesn't want to push her luck any more than she needs to, and she hopes that even with the chain shirt she'll be light enough to avoid falling through any thin ice she may run into.
"I'll tie it off on the other side," Mia tells everyone, her voice quiet, "If you can find a place over here to do the same, we should have a line that we can hold onto as we walk across. That should make it a little easier, right?"
She looks up to Kessir and Linge, the most experienced woodsmen in the group. It hardly matters if they agree with her or not. She'd still have to make it across the frozen stream.
There's nothing for it, she decides and steps out on the ice. She begins making her way across as quickly as she can manage. The sooner she's off of it, the less likely any cruel fey will try to trap her under it.
When the snowman suddenly calls out to the party, both Linge and Horn startle. The cub growls, and hurriedly recoils from the snowman, while the druid strains to regain her composure, worriedly surveying her surroundings in case any fey shows up. "And what might happen to us, if we try?" she inquires warily.
Before Mia sets off on the ice, Linge takes her time finding a secure place to tie one end of the rope to.
"It's an illusion, mixed with a magic mouth spell? Neat!" Krokod blurts "This is beyond my power and then some."
Kessir trekked along with the group, dismayed at their decision to forgo the investigation into the elk tracks. “Could’ve been a sign from the Elk Father himself,” he thought. Then again, with what they had seen so far, the group was probably correct in thinking it was something else.
” I don’t exactly like the idea of you going out there on the ice,” Kessir grumbled as he helped tie the rope on. “You already walked into the swinging trap yesterday. You don’t need to prove anything.”
"It's an illusion, mixed with a magic mouth spell? Neat!" Krokod blurts "This is beyond my power and then some."
“Two spells on a snowman?” Kessir mused as Mia crept closer to the sheet of ice. “Seems like a waste of magic on a snowman.”
” I don’t exactly like the idea of you going out there on the ice,” Kessir grumbled as he helped tie the rope on. “You already walked into the swinging trap yesterday. You don’t need to prove anything.”
"We have to cross it. I'm the smallest, so it makes sense that I go first," Mia says as she pulls up her scarf to hide any blush in her cheeks the cold isn't able to. "Proving something doesn't come into it."
Ill be holding that rope as extra security on the other side, if we have several or we could maek a rope triangle bridge!
Kriemhild, apparently not getting the snowman to admit its weak to hedgehogs, proposes a surprisingly practical plan.
"Do we even have three ropes? I didn't bring one," Mia asks as she picks her way down the stream bank to the ice.
Map of Heldren
Map of Icy Crossing
Mia ties a rope around her waist and hands the end to Linge to tie off somewhere on this side.
Linge surveys her surroundings and finds a good tree to tie the rope off on.
After the rope is tied off around Mia's waist and the bush by the bank, Mia starts making her way across, trying to listen for any cracking of the ice that may dump her into the freezing water.
"Take your time," Kessir said. "No need to rush this."
Krokod closes nearer the shore, "Do one of you need the ability to endure cold in case you fall in? I mean, I can't get us all." He has moved past the snowman, and hopes it doesn't come to life and eat him
Map of Heldren
Map of Icy Crossing
Looking at the solid sheet of ice that extends across this frozen stream, you notice that snow-covered rocks line its banks. Mia knows that this will be a slippery excursion across the waters, but she has safety netting of the rope being tied off to the tree on the bank.
As everyone moves around the snowman to the bank, someone must have touched the snow man as it speaks again. “Can’t you read? The sign says turn back! Now ” as its voice gets louder a wave of sonic energy burst from the snowman sending snow, hat, twigs, and a carrot flying.
The wave cuts through Krokod, Linge, and Horn . The wave causes Krokod to crumple to the ground unconscious. Those standing can hear the sonic burst echo through the trees in the forest. You’d expect to hear birds as they’d tweeting as they’d fly away, but the only sound you hear is the sound of the ice in front of you cracking and a burst of water flows up as two icy creatures that appear from the waste up humanoid, but below its body is snake-like. break through the ice and appear to just glide smoothly on the ice.
This is a small ice elemental. It is vulnerable to fire and can easily move through ice and snow.
Initiative: Round 1
Linge
Krokod
Mia
X
Kessir
Kriemhild
Mia flinches at the noise. Her ears ring, but it seems like she's faring better than Krokod, who now lies collapsed in the snow. She draws Fraendi and moves to put herself between the downed cook and whatever icy monster has just cracked through the ice.
"Any idea what these things are," she asks the others as she gets the uneasy feeling that this is going to be a very hard fight.
The wave causes Krokod to crumple to the ground.... I thought it was just an illusi... but the wound is too much And everything goes ...white?
And blood spills on the ice
Linge cries out in surprise at the sudden magical attack- her shout echoed by Horn's roar of pain.
When the druid comes to her senses, she can immediately see two things; that Krokod is lying on the snow, unconscious and bleeding, and that Horn appears to be shaking his head in pain, looking completely disorientated.
Because the last thing anyone currently wants would be a combat-trained bear cub in a spin, Linge makes her way to Horn and rests a hand on his fur, focusing hard to get the words of her spell right. It's fortunate she's used to saying it often.
Lifting up her head, she quickly assesses the situation. Mia is standing precariously on a sheet of ice, and the creatures appear to be moving fast. If they defy them on the surface of the lake, they will be at a disadvantage.
"Horn, stay! "
Horn huffs, staring at the snake-like creatures, and looks ready to start a fight -but doesn't move yet.
Map of Heldren
Map of Icy Crossing
Mia continues to take on the mantle of the guardian and puts herself as a barrier between the creatures and her friends.
Laying on the ground, the concussion wave continues to cause Krokod to bleed internally which is spilling out from the man’s ears and mouth.
Linge Moves to settle down Horn to prevent the bear from going mad. A white energy moves from her hand, lovingly soothing Horn, to the bear causing it to regain focus and is ready to attack the ice creatures if they come close.
One of the icy creatures begins to slide towards Krokod & Linge. You notice that as it does, its snakelike lower half of its body flows easily in and out of the ice and snow. Not worrying about the downed foe, It attacks out at Linge with its icy fist. The attack misses as the druid dodges the blow.
With Mia moving into the ice creatures attack range, it swings out and its fist slams into the side of the warrior. She can feel the chill penetrate through her clothing beginning to make her go numb, but she is able to overcome it.
Initiative: Round 1
Linge
Krokod
Mia
X
Kessir
Kriemhild
“Krokod!” Kessir shouted as the fiery man crumpled. Kessir brought an arrow up and loosed it at the nearest creature.
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OI F!+@ER FACE ME!
Kriemhild hollers as she steps northwards to guard Krokod, getting into her bloodrage and unleashing a terrifying strike with her Bardiche at the northern foe!
Map of Heldren
Map of Icy Crossing
Kessir’s arrow flies wide and skitters across the ice.
Seeing his friend down, Kriemhild goes into a rage and uses her Bardiche to slice through the ice creature sending chunks of ice flying as it crumples to the ground as a pile of ice.
Initiative: Round 2
Linge
Krokod
Mia
X
Kessir
Kriemhild
Linge narrowly dodges the creature's strike with a panicked cry, her heart pounding wildly in her ears. Before Horn can rush to her rescue Kriemhild charges the monster heads on, and cuts it into pieces.
Finally, the path to Krokod is cleared, and the druid lets herself fall next to him on her knees, calling back her power to infuse life into him.
With some of the danger gone, and Mia still being in difficulty, she shouts at Horn in Skald to attack.
"Krie! Help me box this one in," Mia says before trying to move to set up the flank and waiting for Kriemhild to get on the other side of the thing.
Map of Heldren
Map of Icy Crossing
Krokod’s eyes snap open and he gasps for air. The heavy snow falling from the heavens is the first thing that catches his attention, followed by the face of a familiar woman looking down at him.
Horn carefully moves forward and snaps out towards the icy creature, but his paws slip and his bite snaps only air and falling snow.
Mia goes to move but the icy creature is too quick for her own good. It slams out hitting Mia in an open flank. This time the chill reaches her core, crippling her muscles.
Mia knows that she can only move or let loose an attack. Though the icy creature got a good shot, she pivoted her left foot and was able to drive Frændi in deeply in turn. Palm sized chunks of ice fall free from the icy creature, but it still stands.
Initiative: Round 2
Linge
Krokod
Mia
X
Kessir
Kriemhild
Krokod's eyes snap open, "Krigne, NO!" Only he realizes that was the dream, this is real! A horrible horrible reality but still real.
He's alive, and awake again, but that maybe a very temporary state. But Linge is in trouble... because she came to HIS rescue?
"Withdraw, Linge, if you can do so safely!"
Heat rises from him once more, his hair shifting colors and steam in the frost as fire leaps from him at the target above him!
BLOOD FOR BLOOD
Kriemhild moves to strike
Map of Heldren
Map of Icy Crossing
The icy creature’s cold eyes look as if they are hungry to snuff out the warmth from Mia’s. It begins to raise itself higher on its snake-like tail to make itself bigger when a firebolt blast past Mia and strikes the icy creature. The fire melts through its core as its body crumples. The chunks of ice scatter across the surface of the ice echoing as it bounces away from the party.
The echoes fade, and a new sound rises. The sound of cracking and splintering ice around the areas that the creatures burst out of the water from.
"Off the ice, NOW!"
Mia's feels like her chest is on fire as she shouts for everyone to get off the ice and staggers over to the bank the others were still on.
Seeing that Mia looks like she may topple any moment Kriemhild grabs her with her left arm and moves off the ice
Linge, get horn off the ice!
As everyone clears off the ice, you look from the bank and believe that the cracking is happening directly around the breakthroughs. You believe that if you made a wide birth that you could safely make your way across this frozen river.
"" Linge shouts in Skald.
She rushes to the edge of the frozen water and grabs Horn by the neck of his armor as soon as he gets within arm's reach, pulling him to safety.
When it's clear that everyone is safe from the breaking ice, the druid exhales deeply, and takes in the river once again, studying where the ice has broken.
"We'll have to take the long way around," Linge massages her temples, grimacing. The sound wave has left her with an excruciating headache. "But I think most of the ice is thick enough to hold. I'll heal you, Mia," she adds, taking out the scroll she had written in the morning.
Krokod stays on the shore...
"Sorry everyone, I never saw that coming." he is shaken. He's not been hurt so badly that he nearly died since... since his childhood.
He observes the patterns... Linge is right! the cracking is happening directly around the breakthroughs. I think that if we made a wide berth we might make our way safely across the frozen river... "
Mia breathes easier when Linge's magic mends her cracked ribs.
"Th-th-th-thank y-y-you," she says through chattering teeth. The chill of whatever that thing had done to her doesn't seem ready to leave. "Sh-sh-should I-I c-c-c-c-cross f-f-f-first?"
"Only if you know what path to follow," Linge replies, in a tone that suggests she's not quite sure that Mia would manage on her own.
Taking out her last blank scroll, she crouches down to prepare another Cure Light Wounds spell ahead of time. Her eyes meet Krokod's questioningly. One of them is going to have to go first.
Krokod can't stand to see Mia shivering like this, and moves to her, "Here we go... it should help" As he gifts her with protection from the elements again.
When Linge looks at him with the unspoken question, The sorcerer winces. He nearly died just now and she thinks one of them needs to take point?
Great. I nearly die, and I go into a full coward mode. like young men everywhere, he's more afraid of shame than harm, so he takes the lead unless someone stops him "I saw the path here"
Mia breathes a little easier as Krokod's magic helps warm her back up.
"Th-thanks," she mutters quietly, but when she sees him starting to cross, she rushes over and grabs his shoulder.
"I-I should go first," she says after snatching her hand away. She looks down and checks the knot that's tying the rope around her waist before carefully making her way across the ice.
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Kessir trudged through the snow and snatched his arrow from the embankment next to Krokod. He paused for a moment and watched as pieces of one of the ice creatures slid and fell into the hole the creature had come from with a “plunk.”
“I’ll go first,” Kessir said dejectedly. He pointed to Krokod, “You nearly died just now and you,” Kessir looked to Mia, meeting her eyes for the first time since his outburst, “are shivering already. What’s going to happen if you fall through? Let me do this. Please.”
"B-but I'm the least likely to fall through," Mia says. "And I'm feeling better after Krokod helped warm me up."