Map of Heldren
Map of Visitors on the Trail
Kriemhild launches her Pilum and as it strikes the man he lets out a cry that quickly fades. It looks as if he is slumped over something, but it is just the steel of the pilum that skewered the man holding him up off the ground.
The woman’s eyes followed the pilum and watched it strike her companion. Turning back, Kriemhild sees the woman’s hand become Shaken, but she doesn’t give way. Someone or something is causing her not to yield.
Initiative: Round2
All of You
Visitors on the Trail
“Get away from her!” Kessir shouted.
His bow made a quiet "thwang" and a third arrow flew toward the remaining bandit.
Map of Heldren
Map of Visitors on the Trail
Kessir’s shout gains the woman’s attention and she smiles at first thinking his arrow missed again. Then the sudden realization that she had a deep pain in her side causes the smile to fade. Gripping the arrow the woman collapse to the ground and slowly the snow around her pools in blood.
Mia staggers back from the woman until her back hits the trunk of the tree. Her breathing is shallow as she holds one hand over the wound and tries not to panic.
"T-too close. Th-that was too close."
The fight quickly turns into a bloodbath, and Linge covers her mouth with her hand, eyes wide with horror. A couple of seconds pass, during which she's absolutely speechless -then she runs to the side of the bandits that were struck down, doing her best to stop the bleeding.
"Why would you even do that?" she cries out, mostly at Kriemhild. She's pretty much there's no way that pilum is coming off without tearing apart some of the poor man's vital organs. "He had his back turned on you!"
"Surprise," Mia answers for Kriemhild.
"If he'd gotten away, he'd warned the others. They could ambush us, leave, or something else. We'd lose surprise," she says before wincing as her belly wound sends a searing wall of pain flicking through her nerves.
"'Sides, do you think a bunch of bastards that use necromancy would have any qualms about doing the same to us, Linge."
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“Mia’s right,” Kessir said to Linge. “They’ve already murdered multiple people. We need every advantage we can get and having one of them run off to warn his friends would only make things that much harder.”
Kessir picked up the dress and added, “Or, maybe they would decide that their captive isn’t worth the hassle anymore.”
Kessir set the dress back down on the table trudged through the snow to where he thought he saw the arrow enter the snow.
And pulled the arrow from the snow. “Maybe things really are turning around,“ he muttered. “We should check them for anything that we can use.”
The flames in his hands dim, it all happened so quickly, Krokod was still remembering Mia getting torn into "Yeah, too damned close. Mia, we need to get you healing as soon as we can."
He casts detect magic about. There are magic potions of healing, he's seen them. Maybe one of these guys has one!
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Linge glares at Mia and Kessir. "Because that would fix things?" she gestures wildly at the limp body impaled on the pilum. As always when she gets emotional, her Skald accent thickens and she stumbles over her words. "I get defending. I don't get killing like a dog. Come here, Mia," she reaches for her magical scroll after tending to the bandits.
"Hurts t'move," Mia says as she leans against the tree. "And ye're not listening to us. What would have happened if we let him go warn his friends about us," she asks.
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"Was skewering him with a pilum really the only option?" Linge says vehemently, not really framing it as a question.
Despite her anger, the druid obligingly stands up and goes to Mia to heal her. Her magic is still as efficient as before.
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I am wearing armor he is not, so he is faster. And you cant really throw a Pilum non lethally, or at least I cant. Kriemhild shrugs
The others said it better then me, these people ambushed a caravan, used necromancy, ice magic, and are likely in league with whatever causes this weather. Do you have an idea how many people will starve if things are not... unf+@&ed?
Kriemhild seems unperturbed by having killed.
As Kriemhild inspects her Pila, she notices it has broken inside of the Kabob.
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"Agree with it or not, it's done" Krokod says with a sigh not liking the tension and feeling like dirt for his poor reaction time, "Maybe in the future we'll find another way if need to. Maybe we won't. I know you're mad, Linge, but.. most of us have never been in a situation like this before. "
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“If we were really concerned about their well-being, you should’ve just let her bleed out in the snow. Now we either get to drag her unconscious body along or leave her to slowly freeze to death,” Kessir said. He had already set the first man’s shield to the side and begun piling whatever equipment the bandits possessed on top of it.
“Also, unless it was infected with some kind of disease, I’d never kill a dog. They’re sweet, loving, and extremely useful as pets,” Kessir said with a grunt as he rolled Mr. Kebob onto his back. His movements were mechanical, as if he was just going through the motions and not registering the human body. “All things I can guarantee these three were not.”
Mia still looks pale after the healing knits her back together, mostly.
She tries to look Linge in the eyes, but can't bring herself to.
"You have a good heart, but not everyone is so kind," she tells the druid before limping back to the trail and looking down it towards their destination. She keeps an eye out while Kessir gathers up the bandits' gear and looks for anything useful.
"Now we either get to drag her unconscious body along or leave her to slowly freeze to death."
"Also, unless it was infected with some kind of disease, I’d never kill a dog. They’re sweet, loving, and extremely useful as pets. All things I can guarantee these three were not."
Linge goes very pale. "Is this your god that teaches you this kind of cruelty?" She shakes her head.
"I doubt they came all the way here on foot," she says coldly. "There might be no need for dragging."
"You have a good heart, but not everyone is so kind."
The druid avoids Mia's gaze, and simply shakes her head once more, wordlessly. Noticing that she's upset, Horn starts nuzzling Linge's hand until she pets his head.
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Linge goes very pale. "Is this your god that teaches you this kind of cruelty?" She shakes her head.
“My god teaches me to defend my community!” Kessir exclaimed. He could feel the heat rising in his face but that same embarrassment from before found him and he deflated.
“Erastil teaches," Kessir started again, softer this time, "that I’m supposed to protect the people of Heldren. The people who live and work and love die so that we all can have a decent life. And sometimes that means hunting rabbits. Or helping Old Man Dansby around his farm because his hands shake or they’re too stiff to hold his tools like they used to. And sometimes, it means picking up a weapon and…”
Kessir trailed off as he looked at the body of the bandit. The man’s eyes were open, the lids frozen in place with tears. He stared up at the wintry sky, unseeing. The last wisps of steam still rose from the open wound in his chest.
“It means we sometimes have to do what no one should ever have to do to keep others safe,” Kessir said quietly. “Whatever we do, he was heading west so, it seems like that’s where we’re heading next.”
Krokod looks at Kessir with a kind of respect and mutters "I should have listened more at service." then more clearly he says "We need to find a warm place or at least shelter to rest up and restore. Don't you guys think?"
"What about the others they wanted to run off to?" Linge chimes in, still visibly upset.
"How much longer do you think you can keep us on our feet," Mia asks Linge.
"No spells. No potions. No scrolls. Nothing I can do," the druid drives the point home with a shrug that pretty much means you're on your own.
"Well, Kessir, do we push on or do we rest and recover?"
Map of Heldren
Map of Visitors on the Trail
The woman is injured and unconscious but is quickly bleeding out. She doesn’t have much time if action isn’t taken quickly.
The man who was knocked in the head by the flat end of Kriemhild’s Bardiche is just enjoy a long winter’s nap. Nothing appears to be critically long lasting, but will have a major headache when he comes to.
With everyone discussing their various views of what should or shouldn’t have happened while the fleeing man was fleeing Kessir discovers his arrow, while Kriemhild sees that her Pilum is no longer good.
Linge approaches Mia and heals her.
With Mia’s questions hanging in the air do we push on or do we rest and recover? there are also decisions to be made about the bodies and their camp site.
The tent itself is a good quality large tent. Within it are three bedrolls, and three heavy winter blankets. Beside the fire is an iron skillet and hammered steel kettle. On each of the three fallen people you find that they are wearing Padded Armor , a short sword & buckler, and a shotbow w/20 arrow quiver. You find a pouch on the man with the mouth and within it you find. 24 GP and 15 SP. You also find some of the belongings from Lady Argentea’s caravan. You find a few formal dresses, along with various pieces of jewelry to go along with the outfits.
It is getting later in the afternoon, roughly 4pm by the time everything is checked.
We should be using the lighter armors as sleeping pyjamas, I got one fight left in me before resting, but I dont think its the same for you folks.
Kriemhild shrugs as she walks around the downed bandits and closes the eyes of those who are dead.
Kessir nodded at Kriemild’s suggestion and slipped a handful of the arrows from the quiver and handed the rest to Mia.
“As much as I would like for us to push on, there’s no telling what else we might run into between here and the lodge,” Kessir said. “We should probably go ahead and hunker down while we’ve still got some light. I think it’s a coin toss whether or not we use this campsite or find a place of our own. On one hand, any of the evil fey that come across us might assume we’re with them and leave us alone. On the other, some of their friends may come to check in on them. Whatever we decide, we should maybe bury that guy under the snow and get the other two tied up before they wake.”
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Linge helps with tying up the hands and feet of the surviving bandits and carry them inside their tents, after double-checking that they're still breathing.
She sets out with Horn to gather some extra food for the prisoners. She's not a hunter like Kessir, but knows how to find root vegetables in the wild.
Kessir watched Linge and Horn head off to find supplies before heading off in a similar direction. "Be careful out here," he called to the druid. "We should try to be back here before sundown."
Krokod has gone rather quiet, assisting as he could, thinking over the choices, "I guess here is as safe, or dangerous, as anywhere else. SInce it is a coin toss. We'll want to post a guard, at all times, of course, right?" He looks to the more tactically savvy
Map of Heldren
Map of Visitors on the Trail
Linge and Bear sets off into the snow to find any food to help offset the rations they brought with them. Even though she has traveled these woods many times before the snow is causing some disorientation. The snowfall has packed tight on top of the ground and has caused getting do the forest floor near impossible. She moves off a bit between attempts, hoping to find a place where the ground isn’t covered with a frozen cap. No luck. Linge eventually makes her way back to the campsite empty handed.
Kessir has a bit more of luck. He comes across a patch of bushes that have berries, though they are frozen solid they are still blackberries. Pushing through the snow and digging into the bush the thorns have no effect on you due to your thicker cold-weather outfit. Within the bush you see a dead squirrel within. From the way it is standing within, you get the sense that it didn’t die from the elements overtime. It was instantaneously as if the cold wasn’t there one second and the next it was subzero. Between the squirrel and berries you believe that you could scavenge enough for two people to eat, once its thawed.
Mia helps set up the camp for their use while trying to keep an eye out for any dangers. Her clashes with Kessir and Linge have exhausted her emotionally, and she wonders if coming wasn't a mistake. It's not hard for anyone else to see the young bowyer is troubled.
You ok Mia? The unflappable mass of muscles named Kriemhild approaches
Your holding up pretty well, given that you got hit pretty hard, then had some emotional damage, then got hit some more, all of that in un...
unusual operational önviroment? You know what my secret to being like I am is?
Kriemhild leans in and whispers
F*!!ing nobody has any idea what they are doing. Not the s!++nuggets responsible for this whole mess of icy b@@@~!$#, not their henchmen, not the gods, and also not us. Heck, my god Gorrum frequently wakes up without knowing which demons arse he will end up kicking this day, my goddess Callistria wakes up not knowing whom she will f%+~, and if she do so in a fun way for that whom or not, and well, Desna is Desna.
Its ok to feel out of your depth, clueless, or scared. Its normal! But never forget that whatever we are facing is even more out of their epth, clueless and scared then we are!
Krokod works to keep everyone warm, using his spark and Prestidigitation to get a fire going and if need be, he'll thaw food.
"Hell of a day, huh?"
You ok Mia? The unflappable mass of muscles named Kriemhild approaches.
Mia shrugs. She isn't so certain that she's ever been okay.
"I'm still breathing," she says quietly.
Your holding up pretty well, given that you got hit pretty hard, then had some emotional damage, then got hit some more, all of that in un...
unusual operational önviroment? You know what my secret to being like I am is?
Kriemhild leans in and whispersF+%*ing nobody has any idea what they are doing. Not the s%##nuggets responsible for this whole mess of icy b*~#$**$, not their henchmen, not the gods, and also not us. Heck, my god Gorrum frequently wakes up without knowing which demons arse he will end up kicking this day, my goddess Callistria wakes up not knowing whom she will f+*&, and if she do so in a fun way for that whom or not, and well, Desna is Desna.
Its ok to feel out of your depth, clueless, or scared. Its normal! But never forget that whatever we are facing is even more out of their depth, clueless and scared then we are!
Despite her dark mood, Mia laughs.
"Only because I don't think you know how to be scared," Mia whispers back. "And if they knew Xanthippe's Dragon was coming for them, their pants would be constantly soaked."
Hearing Krokod moving behind her, she turns around to see what he is doing.
Krokod works to keep everyone warm, using his spark and Prestidigitation to get a fire going and if need be, he'll thaw food.
"Hell of a day, huh?"
"Not the worst day I've had," Mia says before she can stop herself. Her good cheer vanishes as she clamps her mouth shut lest her treacherous tongue invites more questions than she fears will be coming.
Krokod is FULL of questions, but then, who is he to pressure when he had held his own secrets tight?
"I've had a worse day myself, now that I think about it. I suppose it's all relative. Glad none of us died though."
It was Mia's turn to have her head fill questions. She keeps her mouth shut until she thinks she has her tongue under control.
"I'm glad we've all made it, too," she says. "I still wonder why those ice fairies didn't kills us, though."
Linge comes back to the camp in the middle of the party's conversation, obviously empty-handed, covered in snow, and more than a little irritated. "We've all seen better days," she sighs. "I couldn't find anything."
She takes some time to remove Horn's armour. As soon as it comes off, the cub shakes the snow off his white fur, and heads straight for the nearest tent to lie down somewhere dry.
“Krokod,” Kessir said as he approached the camp. “How quickly do you think you could thaw a flash-frozen rabbit?”
Kessir dumped the bundle of blackberries onto one of the bucklers and set the frozen rabbit in the snow beside the group. “It looks like it froze in the blink of an eye and should be good still. With the berries (which are also frozen) I think we can get about two whole servings.”
"Pretty quickly if I can close off the worst of the wind or cold."
Map of Heldren
Map of Visitors on the Trail
Krokod looks at the current campsite and realizes that the three who called this their camp did a great job setting it up in a way to stop most of the wind cutting through. Snowbanks to their back, built up snow around the tent to act as walls to help keep their own warmth in. With his own Prestidigitation Krokod knows he could funnel in heat from the fire into the tent, or tents if the party sets up their own.
The man and woman who Linge tied up are placed safely within the tents, Linge tending to the woman’s wounds prevents her from bleeding out in the snow.
As Kriemhild & Krokod console Mia, a saying enters her head; Fear not death, for the hour of your doom is set, and no one can escape it. Unsure why, but it comes across with a heavy Ulfen accent.
Linge doesn’t come back completely empty handed, she is able to bring back some more firewood with her. Which will be needed to thaw the rabbit Kessir provides. As the rabbit hits the ground with a hard thunk the realization that wildlife in these woods have been gravely impacted begins to set in. Along with the reminder that the same will happen to them if they fall.
As Krokod begins to thaw the rabbit besides the fire, the aroma of cooked meat gives everyone flashes of Heldren. Maybe your home with a family member, loved one or friend cooking meal. Maybe of a table at the Silver Stout as Kale brings out a bowl of Menander’s hearty stew.
Regardless of what it is, home becomes the forefront of your mind. If its homesickness and a desire to head for the safety of home or a shot of courage for the pride you have in defending your community is up to you.
The evening roles along with no disturbances. Partly through the night watch, Kriemhild hears rustling from the tent where Linge left the bodies.
20:00 - 24:00: Linge/Horn & Mia
24:00 - 04:00: Kriemhild
04:00 - 08:00: Krokod & Kessir
Kriemhild looks in the tent
Kriemhild sees the man struggling to stand and attempting to leave all while bound and not disturbing those sleeping around him. The man freezes wide eyed as the half-orc opens the flaps
The man, still bound, is trying to stir his unconscious companion. Her wounds have her deep in sleep. As Kriemhil opens the flaps the man freezes wide eyes with fear.
Bad idea Kriemhild says matter of factly
I get trying to escape, its what I would do in your situation, I even mark it as in your favor that you are trying to rouse your ally, but well... She looks at the bandit neutrally
We may as well have a chat right? Beats getting choked out by a half orc who weighs twice as much as you do, and most of that being muscle?
I am a mercenary, the difference between me and a bandit like you is that I am better armed, that I am getting paid, and that I can show my f!+%ing face. Now, have you considered what all of that cold will do to like everyone and everything if it spreads? Lack of caravans, food, and loot because everyone is starving? Now, if you shout that will... limit my option to non verbal and painful. Your options, include non painfull. After all, deserters can be welcomed, within reason.
Belly full, Kessir continued to sleep through the night until his turn for watch.
Mia sleeps fitfully, wondering what the voice in her head was about, and worrying that she'll soon be hearing it more.
Cocooned in her blanket, Linge tosses and turns, unaware of the scene enfolding between Kriemhild and the rogues. She occasionally lets out a sigh when Horn's snoring becomes particularly loud.
Map of Heldren
Map of Visitors on the Trail
Realizing that he has nowhere to go and the half-orc has all of the advantage, the man sits down and stops what he was doing. He smiles and shakes his head. “You’re a mercenary too? Then you better get to switching sides. This snow isn’t going anywhere and is only going to get worse. And you’re right, there will be a lack of food… why do you think that the frozen throne’s power keeps growing. Hunger will make man do anything for their loved ones… think of yours.”
Looking around; “You could make a lot more money if you untie me and we finish off your friends here. He will reward you. Maybe make you a general with your combat experience…” He smiles as he looks around the tent.
Krokod funnels heat into the tent, a kindness
and yes , likely sleeps near or in there for more room for the others.
ZZZZZZZZZZZ
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Frozen throne? Isnt that a term for Irrisen? Not the worst employer for mercenaries, but pretty shifty reputation and highly racist?
She thinks
General? B*$@%&~*. Squad leader maybe, he is grasping for straws, but I think I can work him.
She inwardly chuckles at the offer
Think a bit more clearly, what long term use does that frozen throne have for you if it wins? And what happens to you if it loses?
She lets the question hover in the air
Frozen throne? Irrisen I think? They are like, the 4rth most powerful nation this side of the spine of the world? After the Worldwound, Cheliax and the Caliphate? Empty f@%%ing night if cold is all that that frozen throne got the demons will eat them alive. She pauses
I mean, all the ice fae against all the demons sounds like a funny thing to hypothesize about, my money is on the horned freaks though. Unmatched mobility, and from what I get Demons are tougher matchups for Fae then the other way round. One of the Kellid tribes of Sarkoris called in favors with the unseelie Fae against the Demon invasion, and the Fae showed up only to get basically rekt. The only ones who made a dent were the wild hunt. There are some Raghdan holdouts in the lakes lost to the sun, but the take home message from Fae vs Demon fisticuffs is that Fae cant fight Demons in the open.
She looks at her claws
And why the f~!+ would that frozen throne of yours mess with Taldor? Its way too far off from Irrisen to be administered, and while the Taldanes dont have the supernatural allies the Chelish have, arent supernatural themselfs like the worldwound, or have both all the money and all the fire magic like the Quadirans, they arent to be trifled with either. Your logistics are going to be a complete s*#%fest, and that will probably be it. Taldor didnt survive for as long as it did by being nice, fair and pleseant. Wouldnt surprise me if the lions blades do the sane thing and order some hits on whoever is sitting on that frozen throne of yours, I doubt that her invasion is all hat popular internally, as Irrisen rarely invades things, and change always has a conservative backlash She shrugs
Lets see if I can goad him into revealing more of their capabilities, incluing how the f+~# they got here and how they supply themselfs.
She thinks, ably weaving a tale of "your boss cant possibly succeed because A,B,C and also Demons are scarier then he/she/they/it are" .
Map of Heldren
Map of Visitors on the Trail
The man laughs to himself “Taldor… You aren’t thinking big enough. But I’m not saying squat until you let me loose and we get rid of this dead weight.” The man goes silent and lays down.
Does Kriemhild do anything? If not, the night watch transfers to Krokod & Kessir for the third and final watch. Which goes by uneventful. Do you do anything in the final watch?
The night passes by and everyone’s spells and abilities restore. Mia, Krokod & Horn all heal 1 HP for the nights rest.
Linge's decision to stay close to the prisoners in case their health plummets proves to have been a good one, as she's suddenly woken up in the middle of the night by Kriemhild and one bandit discussing... Treason!
Her heart pounds in her ears as she listens to Kriemhild's bargain, but she doesn't stir. She's known the mercenary for a couple of years; surely she wouldn't betray them all like that...
Besides, Horn's hearing is way better than hers -and even in the dark, she can tell he'd jump to action if she called for him. She waits for the half-orc's reaction.
You misjudge your options bandit Kriemhild replies
You had the option to stop being our prisoner, and start being our asset, changing sides when captured is common among mercs, and incentives could have been made. She pauses
I stand for the Lord in Iron. If I kill, I do so in glorious battle, fangs bared, claws sharp, weapons ready, face to face and shieldwall to shield wall. Your offer of betrying my allies? Kriemhilds voice intensifies, getting more louder, although its cold fury not shrieking.
As her claws grow.
You have shown weakness, repeatedly, first by your capture, then by your weak, feeble and insulting offer. You who only by the mercy of my friends lives in the first place, friends you would have me slaughter.
Perhaps your associate will choose wiser. Enjoy your night.
She chokes him out, viewing this as more effective and less damagin then punching him out.
*!§*%§* *%*&*&*$ Some creative swearing in Orc follows.
If the discussion between Kriemheld and the bandit had not woken Kessir, then the half-orc’s booming voice in the tent definitely would have.
“Cayden’s balls!” Kessir said as he sat up. “What’re you doing?”
He shook Krokod. “Hey, it’s our watch. Krie is exhausted and needs a break.”