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Thank you all for your patience. Chronicles can be found here!

I've been trying to take care of a million things this week before I head out. I haven't forgotten chronicles, but it's difficult to find a few moments.

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Well done! Chronicles will be out this week. You have obtained all positive boons and no negative boons on your Chronicle sheets! Please make sure your information is present on the Discussion forum.

Untir begins to address the woman, stepping forward honestly describing the situation with Lenora's help. The woman scowls, the frown growing at the mention of Sarenrae, "Likely story, and likely all lies. Guard, Shatter, I want you to shackle them all - if they resist, kill them. We will let the queen sort all of this out."

The guard begins to step forward, manacles in hand when Uliyara moves through the party to stand beside Untir. "Please cousin, none of this is necessary; they speak the truth. I have spent a week with these people and they, even the Ulfen in his way, are honorable. They defended me from a group of Ulfen raiders, and prevented my return to the village of Whiterook. I would have surely been killed there had they known who I was. They entered Dalun peacefully, negotiated passage here with my mother, and have set up trade routes to make our city stronger. And finally, they protected me from Baroness Urgalaena's winter wolf sent to kidnap me. They represent everything mother is looking for in allies, and I think we should give the Pathfinder Society a chance. One old journal and knowledge is all they desired in payment."

The guard stops and looks over his shoulder. Kiryena's features soften. "Stand down. Baroness Nadya wanted to make sure." She turns to the Pathfinders, "Your motives were not entirely clear. You are lucky that you befriended Uliyara and she was here to vouch for you."

The party returns to Kalsgard via Dalun leaving Uliyara behind at her home. She thanks you profusely for helping her find her calling as the next leader of the small village and promises you that you have a "Warm friend in a Cold Land".

Arriving aboard the Grinning Pixie Venture-Captain Benarry appears disappointed though when you inform her you did not recover a piece of the Sky Key as expected. When handed the journal though her eyes perk up and her face breaks int a wide smirk. She laughs heartily, "To think, Naldak's piece of the Sky Key has been in the Hao Jin tapestry all along! Well, easy enough. I’ll just have to have a chat with the Master of Spells about sending a group of agents in to pick it up. The tapestry is vast, and we never would have known where to look it weren’t for you. To top that off, studying the section of Naldak’s Point that Hao Jin’s magic narrowly missed ripping out of Golarion could teach us more about the tapestry itself. Well done, Pathfinders!"

Satisfied their mission is complete, the party collects Uliyara and begins to leave. As they pass the corner into the main exit corridor, they are met with a booming female voice, "Outsiders ransacking our lands, not a surprise at all. Why are you here, and what are you doing? Answer, or prepare to defend yourselves."

Beyond, a striking and tall female dressed in similar garb as Uliyara stands dominating the entrance. She is flanked by a guard wearing Irisani dress, a small ice bear, and a small elemental that appear to be made of ice. They stand, weapons drawn and ready, but not taking action.

Map not set up yet with baddies, assume outside the entrance of the cave.

Yes, they are all frozen and empty of anything other than ruined furniture.

First Lenora's bolt lands true, followed by a solid clubbing with the torch. The creature falls to the ground without even acting.

Examining his pack, the group finds a personal diary, written almost entirely in Dwarven.

Only one passage in common stands out, "The cold winds howled fiercely last night. I fear that the cataclysm may truly be as great as the strange sorcerer Hao Gin warned. She has been knocking at our doors every morning, and today, I made the decision for the clan—better to take the risk of letting her whisk us all away into her mysterious realm than the certainty of freezing to death. Unfortunately, Bardak didn’t agree. My son is far too stubborn for his own good. He ran off, and I couldn’t find him anywhere. Now it’s too late; Hao Gin spirited away the rest of the clan, and I’m stuck out here in the last few rooms that she left behind. Even worse, a giant block of ice froze over the only way out of here. I could swear I heard cackling laughter from the other side of the ice, before it grew thick enough to seal off all sound from the outside world. I can only pray to Torag that Bardak changed his stubborn mind and accompanied his kin."

The remaining tunnels hold frozen rooms, and little else.

Sorry all, I've had a lot going on the last few days. Post as soon as i can.

-Posted with Wayfinder

Did a little map adjusting based on stated actions in the order they came and available movement speeds out of combat.

Untir taps Skødir , followed by Rose with his wand.

Skødir at 9 rounds, Rose at 10

Just as he finishes his second tap, and begins putting the wand into his pocket, the huge tree begins to lumber into the room.

Skødir at 8 rounds, Rose at 9

Skødir, seeing his opening, follows the tree, which also prompts Rose to make a bee-line for the desk. Unfortunately her stubby legs prevent a lot of movement. Untir recovers his wand and Lenora follows, drawing her crossbow as she goes.

As Skødir approaches, the creature seems to shudder, and shards of ice fly through the room as it breaks free, lunging at the Ulfen.

You guys couldn't have asked for much better.

Untir, Skodir, Amhranai, Crann, and Lenora may go.

Nobody is taking action except to prepare. What do you wish to do?

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As noted in the flavor text, moderate. ;-)

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Untir determines with certainty that there is one moderate undead aura located inside the block of ice.

Lenora, this being likely her first adventure, let alone encounter with a dead dwarf in a block of ice in the middle of Irrisen (a country filled with evil ice witches) and a strange melon-balled room, has little knowledge of what may or may not be going on.

Untir sees no magic auras in the room.

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Lenora focuses harder. She begins to sense only one faint aura in the room. Focusing a moment longer, it appears to be coming from within the block of ice.

Lying on the table is a dwarven waraxe. You also see that the dwarf seems to have a rucksack of some sort.

Rose moves up to the door and hears nothing but the quiet of the world around her. Untir too looks to see if the door is trapped, seeing nothing. Even Lenora's detection from evil sees nothing.

The door creaks open with the snapping sound of breaking ice. Inside there appears to be an intact apartment with the frozen corpse of a dwarf slumped against the wall in a perfectly preserved block of ice. He wears a hexagonal hematite beard clasp with a single dwarven rune inscribed on the face. Lenora does sense some aura of evil from within the room.

The north door swings open. Beyond, desks sit empty, a few scraps of meaningless paper littering the drawers. A weapon rack in the southeastern corner of the room, which likely used to house a significant cache of weapons lies empty. Only the tattered remains of an old cot and manacles remain in the room.

There is nothing of value.

Untir finds no traps in the hallway's end.

Ice covers the floor, creating difficult terrain throughout the hallways as the party begins their journey into the dark.

With Haltani bringing up the rear with the donkey the group ventures forward. At the intersection with the statues, Lenora and Untir quickly notice a hidden switch. Pulling the handle behind one of the statues, a stone door slides open to the north revealing a collapsed guardroom. Though generally empty, an ivory-handled heavy crossbow and a masterwork steel shield (neither radiating magic) are found atop the rubble.

Continuing to the south, the room opens into a vast chamber. Thousands of icicles cover the ceiling of this spherical room. The outside edge forms a perfect circular curve, cutting into stone without mark of chisel or tool, impossibly smooth. Only places where ice flows over stone, or where the structures have collapsed, mar its perfect precision. The remains of workshops and living spaces, still furnished, peak through the holes in the spherical void. At the southern and western edges of the cavern, large portions of the stone and ice have collapsed, cutting into the immense void with piles of rubble.

Three doors can be seen to the east.

Haltani nods in thanks, "You should not worry about town, we have bigger things to deal with. Like your ruins here."

Unless you wanted to wait for days picking at the ice, melting the wall required all the clay.

While I very much have been enjoying the pace, I should mention I have a deadline to have this whole thing wrapped up by September 23rd.

I suppose it's not a true deadline, but unless you want nothing to happen for 3 weeks while I'm out of the country, having it packed up is a good thing. :-)

I'll try to keep us moving.

Image to the side of the map on slide #4.

Haltani takes off her winter hat. As she does so her visage changes from the rougher Valkari to a beautiful blonde woman. Her thick winter furs also begin to change into a more opulent finery. She looks to the ground, as if embarrassed. "I am terribly sorry for the ruse," she admits. "Please forgive me."

Looking to everybody she straightens and introduces herself, "I am Uliyara, daughter to Baroness Nadya, the White Witch of Dalun and heir to her throne. Not a very good heir I might add. At least that's what my mother would like to regularly remind me. I knew my aunt Urgalaena was wicked, but I did not know she had identified my assumed persona. For that, and the fact it put you in danger, I am deeply sorry."

She gives a slight smile before continuing. "This is not her first attempt at kidnapping me and using me as political leverage. My mother sent me to Whiterook to open trade with the Ulfens. We know that people do not trust the Jadwiga but I had negotiated a meeting with their leader. All was going well, but my aunt sent raiders to instigate a border skirmish at the gate the moment we approached. Assuming the worst the Ulfen defended themselves and both my guards, and the city watch were slaughtered. I barely escaped with my life."

Giving a pause, she continues, "I truly did not mean to put you in danger. I merely wished to prove to my mother that I can be entrusted with what is my legacy. She knows we need to make peace with our neighbors and open trade for both our people to flourish. When that mission failed, I thought perhaps I could find more luck in Kalsgard. When I heard Bennary needed a skilled guide for this trek, I saw it as an opportunity for both of us. I would be able to return home with what my mother wanted, and I could also help you find what you came here for. Again, I did not mean to catch you up in something larger."

She pauses a minute before looking down the tunnel, clearly hoping for forgiveness. "But we are here for a reason are we not? And it appears the tunnel is open?"

Feeling the biting blade, the wolf howls in pain. He turns to withdraw from combat entirely, fleeing as fast as his wolf-legs will take him. As he flees, the party can hear him howling and the sound echos across the icy chasms.

Yup, combat over!

In the meantime the blackfire clay continued to do its job, opening a yawning portal into the side of the cliff face. Beyond lies an intricate gilded stonework entrance with a complex marble mosaic which paves the floor. Arrow slits flank both the north and south sides of the hall, but the north side has collapsed and is choked with rubble. On the eastern end of the hall lies two ten-foot marble statues of armored dwarves flanking a fresco depcting an opulent throne room. The faces of the statues of have been broken off.

Skodir may go.

No problems with the map. Rose, Amhranai, Crann, and Lenora may go.

As Skødir moves forward the wolf eyes him suspiciously. He raises his head in a howl before moving slightly to the right. He appears to be waiting for something. Readied Action.

Untir and Rose may go.

Untir has been moved back to his starting spot but with the 5-foot step that started this.

The wolf growls as Untir moves, "If you will not give me Uliyara, then my pack will tear you limb from limb. The time for discussion is over."

Skødir, always the pessimist, appears to be the only one that was ready for this inevitability.

Skødir may go.

The wolf growls and points his nose at Haltani, "That is who I seek. Don't pretend you don't know. Enough of your honeyed words, hand her over. "

Haltani shifts uncomfortably.

Lenora is sure she made an impassioned plea, yet the wolf really doesn't seem to care.

Untir ninjaed me. The moment he begins the move the wolf attacks. I'll deal with it later.

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Crann only has 9 damage, not 14.

Amhranai begins molding a block of clay as the wall melts behind her. While hovering over Crann, a small hole begins to appear to the tunnel beyond.

A ghostly white wolf appears from nowhere among the northern drifts; only a small divot betrays that he has been buried there in ambush. Teeth bared he snarls at the group, "My name is Rigroy, envoy to Baroness Urgalaena. You will hand over Uliyara to me now, or you will feel her, and my, wrath." He is splitting his look between Skødir and Haltani as he speaks.

Please keep your tag lines up to date with current HP, thanks!

Skødir begins hacking away at the wall and makes two small niches after about thirty minutes of continued picking. He estimates that the wall itself could take days of arduous work to make it through. During this time the chill continues to pierce the three that did not bring along protection from the elements.

Amhranai Damage = 5 non-lethal
Crann Damage = 9 non-lethal
Donkey Damage = 5 non-lethal

After quickly admiring his handiwork, Skødir shoves one block into "righty" and the other into "lefty" and lights them on fire. The warmth quickly heats up the immediate area, providing the frostbitten a moment of respite. It only takes a few moments though for Skødir to realize that the two blocks are much too slow to melt away the wall with any real capability and that entire cache of clay is likely required to have the wall melted by nighfall.

I'll try to get in an early one tomorrow, so hopefully that's enough time to deal a little with Amhranai and Crann.

This might help decide what to do next.

This pliant black clay is always pleasantly warm to the touch. Working blackfire clay in your hands for a full round causes the clay to grow much warmer, granting you a +4 alchemical bonus on saving throws made to resist cold weather. You can combine five blocks of clay over the course of a minute to produce a source of warmth equivalent to a small campfire, allowing you to heat a campsite and cook food.

Blackfire clay only produces heat, never light, smoke, or odor. The clay emits warmth for 1 hour before hardening into an unusable lump. A newly created brick of blackfire clay is composed of 10 blocks.

I have returned, still alive!

Haltani starts the party on the trek through the frozen wasteland. Cold turns to colder and wind turns to windier. Amhranai seems to know a thing or two of the frozen deserts and with Haltani's assistance leads a fairly straight line in what she believes is the direction of Naldak's point.

After an hour of travel Crann's leaves begin to whither and die, leaving a trail of dead foliage behind him. The Donkey also begins to struggle, wheezing in the cold air. Amhranai, now cursing herself for only buying inexpensive furs begins to shiver more uncontrollably during the second hour; fortunately her struggle seems to invigorate the plant creature and the donkey who continue to charge through with only mild frostbite. After three hours of walking, while the tree and donkey both have seemed to stabilize their core temperatures, Amhranai's fingers are beginning to turn blue.

Amhranai Damage = 5 non-lethal
Crann Damage = 5 non-lethal
Donkey Damage = 1 non-lethal
This damage cannot be healed until you find warmth again.

As the vast plains give way to rugged hills, the ground becomes hard and icy. An enormous rocky mound protrudes from the ground, covered in ice and snow. On the northeast side of the mound, thick walls of ice cascade down the side of the hill like a miniature glacier. Two shapeless stone monoliths stand near the base of the mound.

See Slide #4 - feel free to move yourself around.

The mouth of the cave seems to lie beyond a collapsed archway. Several feet of ice have frozen over what appears to have once been a splendid foyer; looking closely reveals chiseled stonework beyond the frozen wall, and a tunnel leading into the rocky mound.

G'day everybody.

With Skødir's trip to Gen Con, and my trip to the Eclipse, let's call it a break through next Tuesday.

I'll see you all then! Have a great weekend.

The Baroness sits quietly and listens to Untir's explanation, "Well we are making progress. Half a truth is better than no truth, but yet is still only half of what I would have expected outsiders to provide when making a request of me. Since it's not trade, I believe the point of this discussion is clear." The emphasis on the word makes it very clear that she knows exactly what you are looking for. She continues, "Yet Haltani has seen fit to trust you, and so for now, I shall too. You have my permission to enter Irrisen no further than five miles from Dalun. That should be just sufficient for you to find what you're looking for."

Without waiting for a response she turns and waves you off. The guards shift, and wait expectantly for you to leave.

After a thirty minutes the group makes their way back to your rendezvous with Haltani. She waits expectantly, "Did we obtain permission?"

She waits for any responses - feel free to make them.

She looks out of the north gate to the dead plains of Irrisen, "I hope you know what you're looking for. It's going to get colder than a White Dragon's teat out there. Barring any major problems finding the place, we should be able to get there and back again before it is too late. Is everybody ready?" She pulls in her thick furs and cold weather gear around her face and shoulders, waiting.

The woman stands to her full six-foot height and smiles coyly, "Trade you say? And where inland do you wish to trade?" She emphasizes the last word as if she is in on an untold joke. She looks at Lenora, "This one here simply wants to travel further inland after trading here." She follows up with Rose and Untir, "And you two want to trade inland, where this not anything for miles and miles except my sister's city of Saarbotten. Perhaps you wish to amend this story?"

Do be clear about the above - this is for NEXT weekend. Ya'll can post today. :-)

Preemptive head's up. I will be out of town Friday through Tuesday this next week. I may post Tuesday night, but due to me being "camping" in a "real tent" I do not expect much in the way of my ability to post a damn thing.

As words are thrown about to the guards, they stoically stand without even the slightest interest in changing their demeanor. It is as if words bounce off some silent armor. It's not until Rose speaks Haltani that the woman in the center of the "garden" raises her head slightly. She raises her hand slightly and makes a very brief motion with her hand.

Both guards stand down and move out of the way, "It appears the Lady would speak with you," one grumbles.

Walking towards the center among the icy statues, she looks up, a beautiful woman of the north. She does not at all uncomfortable in the freezing temperatures, and although what she wears is modest and opulent, it should not provide her any warmth. "And why would Haltani send you to me?" she queries.

As Rose tries to pass through the gate into the garden, an enormous ice troll guard steps into her way, blocking progress. She almost runs into him and has to take a quick step back to avoid a collision. With halberd in hand, it glowers at the Halfling, "Foreigners would DARE enter the gardens of the Baroness Nadya uninvited? Lay down all weapons immediately, stand back, and provide your invitation immediately." He glares at Rose, waiting for her reaction.

The Yeti grumbles as Skødir is drug off by his colleagues, but he sticks in one last barb, "You run like child!"

The party begins heading to the larger "palace" in the middle of town. A palace in a very modest sense, it is the largest and most opulent building in all of Dalun, but it is still not much larger than a manor house in Absalom. While looking for the main entrance, the party wanders past a large garden whose "foliage" is intricately sculpted out of ice. A solitary woman, dressed in finery is sitting on a bench in the center, her garb identifying her as a Jadwiga, a Winter Witch. A group of guards stands near an open gate, eyeing all with what is clearly open suspicion.

After finishing his hand, the older gentleman looks up from the table as the dealer starts tossing out the next round of cards. He frowns a little at the interruption but immediately perks up at the sound of money, "Trade certificate you say? I could be persuaded to do some trading with your employers." Looking at the other players he nods, "Gentlemen, please give me a moment."

He stands from the table and moves the party to a quieter corner where Untir, Rose, and Lenora begin negotiating a deal. Untir quickly discovers that the merchant's focus is on ice diamonds and he is the primary distributor of that trade good out of Dalun. He listens intently for awhile and eventually agrees to a semi-regular shipment of Irrisen ice diamonds and ice-diamond jewelry downriver, with the current certificate as a down payment. He even provides the party a sample with the commentary, "If you're asked about the adequacy of my goods, I assume somebody will want a sample, please take this as part of our first trade."

After their business is complete, he smiles, "A real pleasure doing business with you. I guess all coming from the south aren't the barbarians we keep hearing about. Filthy animals they all are. You asked about heading further north. For outsiders like you, that may be your deaths. For the sake of our deal I'd personally suggest you head back home first." He provides a slight smile and bow before returning to his card game.

Haltani walks up after the conversation is over, "You should go speak with Barness Nadya now. You'll likely find her in or near the palace in the center of town. I have other business to attend to in Dallun, but just let her know that Haltani sends her regards. You should be treated well." She turns to leave but stops a moment, "I heard a loud argument a few moments ago coming from the street and the locals were talking of an Ulfen causing trouble in the square, has anybody seen Skødir?"

Skødir struggles to find anything on his own and rather than finding any drinking supplies, starts an argument with a lone Yeti seemingly carrying a caribou to market. The two can be heard arguing for blocks as Skødir insists he the Yeti should be able to help, and the Yeti contesting in broken common that, "You mother sleep ugly human."

The rest of the party wander the streets with Haltani leading the way. After roughly an ten minutes of asking around, Haltani speaking to a half-crazy old crone, and a towering Ice Troll, the group finds themselves in front of the Golden Furs, a local gambling den. Inside, Haltani points across the way to an elderly man playing a game of cards with a rather wealthy looking group of humans. She says quietly, "That is Alexi Kartov, he is likely your best bet at finding somebody to take the letter of credit. You will need to work out the deal with him though, and he is a shrewd negotiator."

Go ahead and roleplay it out, I will eventually need a Diplomacy or Profession(Merchant) check. Coordinate among yourselves on what you wish to use.

Haltani lets out a mild chuckle at Amhranai and Lenora's conversation, "I'm afraid a Witch Tree likely would rather flay you alive than become your companion. They're rather large, carnivorous, and have been known to lure in victims against their will."

Haltani listens to Rose and Untir, clearly thinking about something. "I have some other business to attend to in Dalun. It might be easier for me to help introduce you to some of the merchants in town before I go off and take care of my errands. After we discuss business, I can point to Baroness Nadya, the ruler of this town. She can grant the permission you wish. Perhaps we could talk to Mr. Kartov? He is a respected jeweler and may be able to assist you Untir."

Untir and Skødir begin a conversation with the guards, culminating with the discovery and display of the letter of trade. The guard stoically grunts and while opening his arm to the yawning entrance to the city he simply says, "You are in Irrisen now, but everything seems in order; you are authorized to enter. Watch your step."

Once standing in the streets, the alien nature of Irrisen becomes clear. Ice trolls wander with orcs and humans. Haltani nods, "We are here, welcome to Dalun. We are here to trade no? What goods do you think the Pathfinders are looking for? I can point you in the direction of furs, jewelry, ore, or even a vendor that sells rare witch-tree seeds."

Haltani whispers to Lenora in a very hushed tone, "Those are Baba Yaga's huts. I would keep our distance if at all possible." She too keeps an eye on the horizon once she notices them.

Untir stares at the wolf awhile, and the wolf him as the boat gently flows down the river. The wolf moves in and out of drifts and hearty plants, disappearing for a time, but always coming back. This continues for several hours until Haltani finally announces, "We are here."

Stone cliffs mark the border of Irrisen on the northern bank. Chill winds send flurries of snow over the edge, landing in the river and on the grassy bank of the southern shore where male trees fight they icy doom of Irrisen's endless winter. A long narrow cart path winds its way up the side of the cliff from the docks to Dalun's iron gates.

Haltani begins to lead the group and their mule up the steep hill, "If needed, I can help us gain entry, but as this is your mission, it's likely best if you prove that you can do the talking." She smiles and moves towards the back of the party.

Upon approach to the gate the group notices two lanky human guards standing beside the gates as well as two smaller bone white bears that accompany them. "Halt, state your business with Dalun."

Map Updated as well - Slide 3

The net is removed with little fanfare or difficulty, though it takes about 10 minutes to fully entangle the boat. After fully looting the body, Skødir is very much surprised (as he should be) that neither of the brutes carried a mug or stein.

Haltani responds to Rose, "I wouldn't wonder too hard. You wouldn't have been alive for long once they discovered our trade destination is inside Irrisen. My suspicion would be alive for interrogation before they cut our throats."

The boat free, the crew continues their journey. Over the next day the temperature begins to drop dramatically, falling well below freezing. The scrubby lands are replaced with drifts of snow and the slow moving water near the shore appears frozen. In the distance, all aboard can see log cabins marching across the snowy fields, walking on knobby wooden legs. The next day, shortly after dawn all spot a winter wolf on the north bank, clearly following the boat.

If there's anything you want to do back at the battle site, just let me know, otherwise pushing.

(Tonight if I can get back on I'll move us along)

It's pretty simple really.

Con check, meaning roll a d20 and add your con modifier.

DC for the check is 10+HP in the negative. So at - 11 the DC would be 21.

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As Skødir digs through the unconscious bodies he notes that although they are severely wounded they aren't dying. Leaving them out in the cold though is a death sentence. Undeterred, he begins creating a pile of the valuables.

Haltani nods at Skødir "They would have done nothing but delay us, and likely hold us for ransom anyway..." You barely hear her finish her sentence, "...at best." She then points down the river, "We still have a ways to sail; removing this net would be a good start."

As a group figure out your course of action.

Rose - you may want to check out the stat block in your character.

Str 11, Dex 17, Con 13, Int 10, Wis 10, Cha 17

You said in your combat post your con was only 11.