Lootz
- 8 unholy symbols depicting a frozen clawed hand
- bone weapons, including:
12 battleaxes
15 javelins
3 longspears
an atlatl
4 handaxes
- steel and other weapons, probably confiscated from travelers:
a frost-forged steel longsword
a mwk chain shirt
a mwk handaxe
a +1 longspear
The wikkawaks all wore hide armor, which means 12 suits of Medium hide armor and one suit of Large hide armor.
The wikkawak leader carried a few notable items:
- a Large mwk greataxe
- a belt of mighty constitution +2
- a satchel full of potions (divine favor +2, cure moderate wounds, enlarge person, bless, remove disease)
Hidden in their lair is a small hoard of silver and gold, probably also taken from travelers. With the time taken to count it, it comes out to 561 silver pieces and 315 gold pieces.
With an hour or two of work, Shalelu and Calder manage to pile up all of the wikkawak bodies... but what are they going to use for kindling?
"What are we gonna do with Tallak's stuff?" asks Sandru. "What's the uh... normal Ulfen procedure?"
"And... isn't this unholy symbol the same as the one that the shaman had?" asks Aiko as she warily looks at one of the frozen clawed hands.
"It is!" Vashta agrees, coming out of her grief. "That doesn't bode well for his intentions. Perhaps we bring these back, at least start seeding the idea that there's a problem, then later we can get the shaman to reveal himself.
"We still have the dragon to deal with, let's not forget," she says unhappily. "This all was supposed to just be to get access to these caves."
She thinks a few moments.
"We won't follow through, but maybe we use Tallak's gear and the wikkawaks' as a supposed bribe for the dragon to help lure it in?" she says hesitantly.
Use whatever you have, right, Mother? she thinks, reflecting on the lessons of her childhood. Especially when you're in a position of weakness.
Vashta, realizing everyone is still in shock at the unexpected death, takes charge.
"This isn't the place to honor him," she says. "Not to be callous, but we need to use everything we have if we want to survive. In this case, that means his funeral. Let's bring Tallak and these other things back and let the villagers see that we've lost our own trying to help them. Let them see we killed these enemies of theirs. Maybe burning these holy symbols there will even draw out the shaman so we can figure out just what is going on!"
Clara nods. "OK, let's do it then.
"Hey, maybe we can convince the Shaman to cast some spell while we're there somehow? If we could, he'd surely have to use his Holy Symbol, right? And if he does, we'll get to confirm that the one Aiko found really was evidence that he serves dark gods.
"Otherwise, I suppose that he can just argue that he captured one of these symbols from one of these wikkawaks himself. Heck, that's even possible, I suppose."
"That's a good idea, darling," Vashta exclaims. "Perhaps we can ask him to add a blessing to Tallak's funeral? I could try to ... encourage him. Either way, as you say, it would be good to know."
The group gathers up their big pile of loot (Sandru buckling on his new magic belt) and treks back through the wintry cold to Iqaliat. When they reach the village, they're met by a small group of Erutaki, who help tend to Tallak's corpse, as well as by Ameiko. "Hey!" she says, waving to the group. "What happened? Oh no..." she covers her mouth with a hand for a moment, gazing at Tallak. "He was a brave man..." she murmurs... "But we have a pressing concern. Kelda and I have been doing some scouting of the village, and we think we found where the shaman has gone. We asked where he usually goes, and there are some wind totems farther up the mountain where he and his acolytes pray. Well, there's a cave bored into the ice up there, and the shaman's tracks lead inside."
Vashta fills in Ameiko on what happened, explaining how the big warrior threw himself into the battle to protect Sandru and the rest of them. They were just too slow to be able to protect him in return.
She takes in the news of the shaman with interest, pointing out the shared holy symbols when she gets a moment of privacy.
"Maybe we should see what he's up to?" she asks the others. "Perhaps if we can solve that problem, we can avoid having to fight a dragon."
Having expended all of her channels, Koya does her best to heal Calder now, just in case the group decides to head out for another adventure.
Aiko offers Ameiko a consoling hug and says, "We'll do what we can for Tallak. He's been through too much for us not to try."
She squares tiny frame and says to the team, "Whatever you want to try - I'm in."
"Good. This might be a good time to see how quiet we can be," Vashta agrees, nodding for Ameiko to lead the way once Calder takes the potion.
Clara perks up again. "Quiet! Perfect, then follow me!
"Oh, uh, let me brew a few more fizzy drinks first though."
After about an hour getting ready (during which time Ameiko positively twitches with impatience) the group puts themselves together and heads out in the direction of the cave that Ameiko found. It's not a long walk - the wint alters that she was talking about are technically part of the village, although they're higher on the cliff. Hidden below one, underneath a sheet of snow, is a cave entrance. "Ladies and gentlemen..." says Ameiko, opening up the wooden door which lies behind it, "...a secret cave."
Just beyond is an ice tunnel that runs upward and to the west, about 15' wide. It extends both around a corner and beyond the reach of darkvision.
Aiko says, "He already has things hidden in his tower... so having another hiding place is a pretty good indication that this is more than just a 'private holy site.'"
Clara hands a fizzy drink of Invisibility to Calder and then starts to tip toe in, a bit ahead of those who can't see in the dark.
"Aiko is probably right, which means we should be careful," Vashta says.
Once everyone else is ready, she disappears from sight as the group advances.
Clara heads into the cave.. and right in the entrance, the floor falls open, revealing a pit trap ending in jagged stone spikes at the bottom!
Clara tries to dive out of the way, but she slips and falls into the trap! She thuds against one wall on the way down, and several spears stab into her at the bottom.
At the end of her fall, Clara is left mangled and pierced at the bottom of a 50ft. rock column, though she is conscious. Not only that, a 10ft. wide hole has opened up between the rest of the group and egress into the tunnel.
"Damn it," mumbles Aiko. She is instantly going through her gear for a rope and grapple. She hooks the grappling hook to one side of the pit and expertly shimmies down.
At the bottom of the pit she grabs Clara, hauls the gnome onto her back, and leaps back onto the rope and easily climbs it.
"Whoa nelly. At least I fell quietly, right? Heeheeheehee."
Clara grunts a bit in pain as Aiko rescues her, but thanks her once they're out. "Thanks a bunch, Aiko. You deserve a fizzy drink for that!
"I guess I better patch myself up a bit before we go further, eh? 'Fizzician, heal thyself!'"
She taps herself several times with the party's healing wand.
"OK, that's a bit better...but I think I'm going to take it a bit slower now."
Clara reassumes the lead, but slower and searching more carefully as she goes.
Ameiko laughs, obviously already excited. "Glad you're alright, Clara!" she shouts. Then she takes off at a run, attempting to vault over the pit.
She clears the pit easily, tucking into a roll on the other side and hopping up beside Clara and Aiko. "C'mon!" she shouts, beckoning the two on the far side of the pit.
"Showoff!" says Aiko with a chuckle as she coils the rope back up around her arm before putting it and the hook back in her pack.
"We need a board or something to get the rest of you across."
"Calder, you have a rope and some iron spikes, don't you? It won't be too quiet, but we've already made a ruckus here, and you should be able to hammer one in on that side, tie off to it, and throw us the other end of the rope, right?"
Calder shrugs, once again amused by how bad the supposedly stealthy were at being just that. Taking a pair of iron spikes from his haversack he hammers one in hard and set on his side. Securing the rope and throwing it across the the rest of the party with the other spike.
Vashta winces as Ameiko screams.
Did she not understand it would be easier to be quiet? Sometimes you want to make a show of yourself, but it should always be for a reason...
As Calder works, she murmurs.
"I could get us across with magic, though it would take my strongest spells and mean we couldn't return that way," she says, watching the big man work.
"Save your magic, I think we will need it." Calder murmurs back, "Besides I doubt they are unaware of our presence now." He adds dryly.
Vashta nods, waiting to see what Calder sets up.
Before he crosses, she hands him a feather.
"In case it doesn't work," she says. "This talisman from my people should let you float safely down to the bottom."
"You can hang on my back if you prefer?" Calder offers to Vashta. Preparing to clamber along the rope.
Vashta clings to the rope and tries to shimmy across. Though she could hardly be described as strong, she manages to make it across with only a couple of near-falls.
Calder, on the other hand, disappoints. His hands slip halfway across. Thankfully, Vashta's talisman allows him to fall safely without impaling himself on the many spikes down at the bottom. However, he is now at the bottom of a 50ft. pit. Someone will need to lower a rope so he can climb up. Then you guys can continue.
Vashta takes a shaky breath as she barely makes it across, then pulls off her pack to pull out a silk rope to lower to Calder.
"Someone hold this," she says. "I'm going to watch for the shaman, since we've made enough noise now that the dragon probably knows we're here."
She turns to look ahead, deeper into the cave.
HP: 54/55
AC 17 (moderate fortification), touch 12, flat-footed 15, CMD 17
Fort +4, Ref +7, Will +5/+8 (+1 vs. charm/compulsion)
Tricks: 2/6 (Vashta, mesmeric mirror; Aiko, false flanker)
Touch treatment 0/6
Spells: 1st 0/5; 2nd 1/4; 3rd 0/2
Effects: Blessing of fervor, bless (+1), prayer (-1), blinded 2/2
Calder takes the rope thrown to him and climbs out of the pit with a nod to Vashta in thanks for the loan of her token.
With the whole group on the right side of the pit, they can continue onward. Unfortunately, just around the bend, the ice tunnel ends in a dead-end!
"That can't be right," Vashta murmurs, looking around.
Vashta doesn't detect any thinking minds, but after a minute of searching she manages to find a crack, inside of which is the handle to a secret door!
When she hears about the secret door, Clara starts to reach for it and then pulls back saying, "Oh, uh, maybe we should look for traps first this time, eh?"
"Good idea."
Aiko scrutinizes the door suspiciously, like an unexpected dessert.
Aiko and Clara are unable to find any traps on the secret door in the secret cave behind the secret door.
"My paranoia has not paid off."
Vashta smiles at Hattori.
"This time, but then again, considering what we suspect about this shaman, it's not really paranoia if he is indeed out to get us, is it, dear?"
Once it's cleared, Vashta follows the others through.
As the secret door begins to open, Vashta's detection spell starts to pick up on thinking minds. As she concentrates, she can discern... five.
"I think there are five minds there," Vashta whispers. "Perhaps we should go in not as if we're looking for a fight. We're assuming the worst, but there could be an explanation..."