"That is very nice Helga" Stefnir comments, then he heads deeper into the hold where the other debris is, opening boxes and crates as he goes, and looking for anything else that might be of value.
Perception
"Luhs guht goin' veefuh we wuh uht uh wuhlcuhmm. Thuh'll nuhd huhlf wuhth th' shuhp."
Ari pulls the longbox up onto the deck and picks it up. He carries it to where his brother Kurn is standing and asks him to cast detect magic on the box.
"I think we should leave" says Kurn to the others.
Helga looks at the strange creature.
"I will sing of your steadfast guardianship, that it may be known to all," she says, "by what name should I call thee?"
Saorise
Spoiler:You feel a sense of well-being, like the flow of rushing blood and adrenalin, go coursing through your body. Like being touched by love or some greater emotion. Then it is gone.
Saorise stops and her back straightens. For a moment a smile spread across her face, but just as quickly is gone again. She shakes herslf and turns to Jorgen. "Did you just feel that?"] she asks him.
She turns and has a quick look around her to see if she can spot anything out of the ordinary.Perception Check: [dice]1d20 + 6[/dce]
Anya nods slowly but keeps her eyes on the creature. With one foot she pushes the sack behind her for someone else to pick up.
'You'll burn in hell before you trick me into taking my eyes off you, you abyss spawned ice demon! she snarls furiously to herself.
Perception Check:
Saorise looks at Jorgen, who is eyeing her suspiciously. "It was like... everything was right all of a suden and then it was gone. It is the strangest feeling I've ever had. I wonder; could the staff be involved somehow?"
"Like it was right and then not? I didn't feel anything. Maybe Ice magic?"
Jorgen looks puzzled but his gaze is still focused on the creature.
"Like it was right and then not? I didn't feel anything. Maybe Ice magic?"
Saorise thinks for a moment before she answers. "Ice Magic is a possibility. Maybe my connection to the cold is bring out a strange reaction from this place."
She looks at the staff again with a far off gleam in her eye. Or maybe..." She takes a few steps back towards the ice encased staff, her arm held out before her as if to stroke it.
Jorgen's hand shoots out to rest on Saorise's shoulder, gentle yet strong.
"You will be thee death of me woman! Let it go." he whispers sharply.
Having said his bit, Kurn turns around and walks back to the ship.
Ari places the longbox on the ground and examines the lock to see if he is skillful enough to get inside.
Disable Device
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The locking mechanism is typically Qin and Ari has no trouble with the tumblers. In fact he trained on such a model, perhaps even by the self same locksmith family, although this is slightly aged.
The gold lock clicks audibly and at some point Ari wonders if there may be nothing of value inside. After all no trap when off. Well not yet anyway.
The top lid of the box lifts slightly and can be opened with a simple push along its length.
---
Meanwhile not far away, Jorgen hand stops Saorise briefly, enough for everyone to see the Icebeast's interest is firmly now on the noble Krieglander girl.
Ari will examine the partly open box to see if he can detect a trap.
Disable Device
If no trap is found he will go ahead and open the box, to see if anything is inside.
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Ari will examine the partly open box to see if he can detect a trap.
Disable Device1d20+7
If no trap is found he will go ahead and open the box, to see if anything is inside.
Ari finds no traps at all, and the lid slides off easily, revealing a blue velvet lined depression. Set into this, is an axe. The axe is long and fine and far too large for any normal man to wield. More like something for a giant. The head is made of some silvery material, and is marked in sworls and arrows. The shaft inside is of a dark wood, pitted and flaking a little.
Ragnar admires the beautiful axe for a moment before heading back out to the Albatross to lend what aid he can.
Ari will examine the inside of the box and the lid to see if there is anything hidden.
Perception
Once Kurn returns to the Albatross, he will help Taggrik prepare the ship etc.
A flash of anger clouds Saorise's face as Jorgen holds her back, but after glancing at the Ice Gargoyle and noting it looking back, the anger fades and she sighs once more.
"I need to find a way to get that feeling back Jorgen," she says as she turns to her protector. "If only I could find it again I know that everything will be better."
Stefnir sensing that they don't want to overstay their welcome begins to move towards the opening...Heading back towards the ship.
"Leave it," Helga warns Saorise. "You are acting as one glamoured. We should depart this place and free our ship."
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One by one everyone can leave the ice shrine. Anya bringing the sack.
The goods crates brought out have a mixture of useless rotted items and gifts and also several ingots of iron and steel. Quality stamped with a dwarven mark, a stylised double V.
The axe and its ornate box come too.
Ari (close examination of the box will take time)
Taggrik and Befroi are levering the Albatross off the ice shelf using part of the mast. Slowly the vessel is inching out to sea.
Kurn climbs back on board the ship and approaches Taggrik. "The others won't be far behind me, may I ask about the condition of the ship?"
Ari places the lid back on the longbox, picks it up and heads back to the ship.
"You'll find it again, without some accursed relic." Jorgen says quietly as he guides the distraught sorceress back to the ship.
"You'll find it again, without some accursed relic." Jorgen says quietly as he guides the distraught sorceress back to the ship.
She allows herself to be led back to the ship, her only words to Jorgen are simply "I hope you are right."
"Fare well, loyal guardian," Helga wishes the creature as she leaves last of all. She returns to the ship and scrambles aboard with the others, wondering at what song she can compose for this strange encounter on this lonely ice berg.
When Ari reaches the ship he will wrap the longbox in a spare piece of canvas or a blanket, tie it to keep the worst of the weather off it and stow it beneath his seat along with his backpack. He will then help out to try and get the ship back to sea.
Helga will make note of where he puts the box SHE found just in case he gets any strange ideas about ownership. ;)
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There are no seats, however there is a narrow hold with access at the rear trapdoor and also a kind of lean-to affair that Drago is sheltering under.
Taggrik shrugs at Kurn, "the mast is badly damaged but we can row out of the storm if these weaklings can just shift the vessel off the ice. Like a bunch of girls they are!" the last is aimed at the men on the lever, not Helga or Anya.
"Having less people onboard would be good too!"
"You find a decent mast in that Krakis shrine, no, well I thought not. The Stormlord expects us to look after ourselves in this weather. Couldn't put in a good word could you, Kurn?"
The men on the lever do appear to be slowly levering the vessel into the water. But the snow storm hasn't cleared at all and everything is covered in a thin layer of ice.
Helga will cast a cure light wounds on herself and goes to assist the sailors working to prise the ship free. Is it sticking to the ice or just heavy?
Cure Light Wounds:
Perception:
"Come on everyone, let's get this ship in the sea where she belongs!" Helga calls.
Ragnar assists with extracting the ship from the iceberg.
Strength check, if needed:
Ari sees those trying to free the ship struggling, so goes to lend a hand.
Strength Check
Kurn moves to the stern of the ship and looks out across the sea. "Krakis, I ask you to calm the sea to allow your servant and his friends safe passage. Please send me a sign of your favour so that we can be inspired by your power"
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Even with Ari's prodigious strength, the ship is struggling to inch through the storm and ice water back to sea.
Then the words of Kurn are perhaps answered. "I said leave!" as the ice gargoyle steps down the slope and adds its considerable strength and weight to the Albatross. Taggrik claps his hand on the back of the nearest young sailor as the ship slides into freedom. Most of the other Krieg are just staring through the snow flurries at the strange monster.
But it turns away without another word and clambers up claw over claw onto the plateau to watch everyone go.
Kurn looks out to see again and whispers "thank you Lord Krakis". He then takes the tiller until Taggrik decides to relieve him.
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Taggrik climbs up and does take the tiller. The sight of the ice beast seems to have hardened his heart. He grows a few inches in height and starts barking out orders.
"Kurn, everyone grab an oar. We have no sail and this snowstorm is not getting any better. You all must row like we have no tomorrow. Or we could just drift into the next growler and that would finish us!"
"Drago is down and we lost one other with the boom splitting his skull, so everyone must row. You girls too! A few blisters will be the less of our hopes if we cannot row out of this weather."
"Stefnir, I want to know which way is north. We are going to row east until people drop. Then we will take another bearing, rest a while and then row some more. Let's see who is the strongest and how is too weak to survive. No griping just row!"
The night is slowly falling behind the storm and the snow flurries hastening the cold. Tonight could be one of the coldest nights some have seen, unless the Albatross can escape the storm.
Grabs hold of an oar next to Anya.
"Row, row, row your boat, gently out to sea ..."
Kurn takes an oar nearest to the tiller in case there are any problems and awaits the call of the stroke.
Ragnar takes an oar as directed, creasing his brow as he thinks on what that ice monster said about the Jotens expanding south.
Assuming he's talking to the other females aboard Anya ignores Taggrik's comments and put her back into her rowing, grinning at the chance to display her superiority over most of the men aboard.
Ari takes his seat, grabs an oar and prepares himself to row, waiting for the call.