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All of you are quite convinced this is the dreaded witch after all. Wolfgar spots something strange though, it seems like the Ice Maiden has some sort of fox tail hidden under her robes...
"No, no, I'm the Jarlsblood witch, I assuree you! Now tell me what you want or begone from my... burial place... yes... burial place! Answer or BEGONE!"
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Finding the apparition more than a little suspicious Torean questions its nature. The Ice Maiden seems outraged for a second... then gives him a girlish laugh:"Ah well, it was good till it lasted... cheer up! You are way too serious! Seriously... what is that you want?" she says. Instead of an Ulfen Ice Maiden clad in frost and heavy armor you now see a beautiful woman sporting a coy smile, and as Wolfgar pointed out she also possesses a foxlike tail and a wood-lined hollow inside her back.
Hesitantly Enora asks ”Is it true that you used ice magic and Irriseni witchcraft to kill the linnorm king? Or were you falsely accused?“
She waits a moment.
”We are here because we were asked by one of your descendants who serves as a member of Taldor's Ulfen Guard and has contacted the Society, who we work for, to help to exonerate you!“
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Enora knows this creature as a Huldra.
The fox-tailed woman scoffs at Torean's direct questiosn:"My name is Olisarra and no, as you guessed, my no-nonsense "friend" I'm not your "witch" after all and neither I descend from her, I'm afraid. Yet I take exception at the implications of your words. I do not "prey" on anyone. I just like to have some fun, from time to time."
The beautiful yet weird woman's mood then darkens as she hears Enora's questions, the elk you previously spotted reappears and its eyes glow red at the mention of the dead king:"If by you you mean "me" as in Olisarra, then no. If you mean "the Jarlsblood Witch, Kolvi", then again, no. She was incapable of casting magic after all. Let me enlighten you on something though... The so called "King Alvard the Wolf" got what he deserved. Do the people of Frostbreach still honor that deal breakerof a king, really?"
She then considers the information provided by Enora and the Comte both about their mission:"Ooooh... interesting story! Tell me more!"
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Torean looks at her warily. He's not one for games, but it was often the only way to deal with fey. "Just some fun, eh? Ok, ok. It sounds like you know the truth of the legends. Were you there when it happened? We're interested in learning the true story. Care to honor us with your tale? Who was King Alvard the Wolf?"
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"I was here and saw the whole thing of course. And I actually LOVE a good tale! So where to start... yes, the oathbreaker king! King Alvard the Wolf was the ruler of the humans of the village you come from. He once pleaded with the creatures of the wild to help him hunt a linnorm that had appeared here. Moss-on-South-Trees... that's my elk friend here, heard his cries, and I helped broker a deal between the two to grant the king permission to wander our lands, help in finding the dragon, and fortune in his fight against it. The king in turn promised future concessions that he never honored. When the warrior Kolvi set out into the forest, she showed proper respect to us. The king taunted us though... we were his past benefactors yet he dared betray us and then entered our territory once more, this time following Kolvi. Naturally we weren't happy about this. Moss-on-South-Trees called down a terrible blizzard. In the middle of all that swirling snow Kolvi was found by the king, yet repelled him and his companions, beheading the oathbreaker with her sword!"
Enora looks at the being with some surprise.
"You are a Huldra, from the front, you appear to be a human woman, yet you have a foxlike tail, and you have no solid back — merely a hole. We can trust you, right?"
Enora thinks for a moment.
"Do you know why the king was following Kolvi? And why they ended up fighting?"
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"If I were you would know by now, believe me..." the huldra answers Wolfgar before doing the same with the Comte and Enora, sounding indignant as she does:"Sure you can trust me... I'm not a human after all! As for the reason why Kolvi and the oathbreaker king fought... I believe Kolvi was trying to complete her own quest to become a Linnorm... Queen, right? Anyway she was searching for a Linnorm and Alvard wasn't too thrilled about that. He no doubt thought she was going to usurp his own position so, like the greedy and petty man he was he tried to get rid of her before she could do that to him. I don't know if Kolvi really wanted to [b]"If I were you would know byt now, believe me..."
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"In typical grisly human fashion the villagers made some sort of effigy out of Kolvi's remains and planted them not far from here... Naturally we removed it and put it along the body of the oathbreaker. As for proof, I think you'll have to trust me on my word... or not, it matters little to me after all"
”Can any of you speak with dead? We need something to be able to prove that she was battling the king in honorable combat I would assume!“
Enora laughs our loud.
"Oh no! I mean the spell 'Speak with dead'!"
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Oh! In this case no. I'm familiar with necromancy but as I was a lazy student, and that my mother was talking to me in my dreams, spells are coming naturally to me but unfortunately not this one!
The Count stays silent for a few seconds before adding but surrely the cleric in town could prepare such spell and call for the spirit of the dead to answer such question but it will be difficult to do it for the king as - if I remember well - he has lost his head!
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Olisarra seems delighted by your decision yet she warns:“As I mentioned, we removed the so called effigy. These woods have no witches to scare, and the sight was no way to remember a warrior like Kolvi. There are abandoned catacombs miles from here that the Ulfen people have forgotten, yet we have used them rarely to hide away that which need not be found or that which my companion would rather eat later. Both she and the king’s corpse lie there. If you wish to see them for yourself,” she trails off and looks to the strange elk for a moment, “you could do so. I can provide you a token to see through the illusions that hide it. I warn you, though, we have not used it for several human generations, and those hills feel increasingly… troubled.”
”Thanks, we accept your aid and are going to investigate!“ Enora also agrees.
”Let us go then after we learn what dangers lie ahead!“
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The huldra listen's to Torean's questions but seems a bit puzzled as well:“I'll admit some hauntings the humans coming here experience are merely my companion’s magic. However, there are unnatural things that linger here that I don’t understand. It is a curse that has lingered here ever since the traitorous king’s betrayal. If you wish to dispel the myth of the Jarlsblood Witch, you must also teach the people of Frostbreach that the fey do not deal with double-crossing humans. As for entering the catacombs, as I said we give you our permission. Go and see for yourselves what the trouble is... and some of you please come back and tell me the story afterwards... I love good stories, did I mention it already?” so saying Olisarra gives Torean something she calls an "antler token", which resembles a broken off piece of elk horn but as the dwarf takes it he feels it pull southward.
As you depart Olisarra runs after you and adds:"I was almost forgetting. Kolvi had these on herself when she fought the king. She lost them during the battle and obviously never came back for them. We have little use for such trinkets but you might have an use for them..." so saying she gives you a couple of strange looking necklaces...
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Torean looks at the magical talismans. "Well, I can take the stronger one. Goodness, this will bring you back to life even. The other one can be used by someone else who might need the bolstering from fear." He takes the talisman of life's breath.
"But if Kolvi had this, how in the world did the King kill her?"
”These are very strong magical items. Let us go then as we will not find out more here. I have nothing to aid against specifically undead unfortunately!“ Enora says.
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Olisarra looks at Torean in disbelief:"Didn't you listen to the story? Kolvi wasn't killed by the King. She killed the king herself in single combat. And then she went back to her village and the people there accused her of having uised ice magic to do the deed and fell on her ripping her apart, turning her remains into a bloody effigy as a warning to the non-existent Ice Witches they were so afraid of..." she sighs "Such a tragic tale, really... yet revealing about human behaviour and mentality"
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The trek from the Snow Elk Wilds to the catacombs takes you several hours at a steady pace to be completed but thankfully it is uneventful. As you approach an inconspicuous hill, the fey antler token begins to glow with faint red light. The closer you bring the token to the hill, the brighter it glows. Once within about 50 feet, the token melts the illusion veiling the hill, revealing a long, rocky outcropping with several smaller stone mounds inscribed with weathered petroglyphs.
Worked stones partly seal a cave along the outcropping’s southern side, creating a formal entrance into the caverns beyond. All along the rock face jut pieces of bone or fossilized remains of some immense fanged creature, as though it were clinging to the cave.
At the entrance, the faint scent of decay mixes with the fresh air outside. Frozen grime covers much of this area. Two sets of rough-hewn stairs lead downward to the northeast and northwest, and the large central column bears a large inscription written in weathered Skald script.
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Torean huffs. "Right, the villagers killed her. Odd don't you think, that she could kill a battle-hardened king, but gets killed by a mob even while wearing this. But maybe I'm just used to a more valiant death for dwarves."
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As they approach, Torean casts two spells, preparing him for whatever lies beyond. Then he looks at the others. "Well, which way should we go?"
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Once in front of the entrance, the Count uses a wand on himself
despite my heritage, I don't read Skald, that's a shame.
One of you know how to translate what's written here?
He then turns to his comrades, drawing another wand. This wand is able to heal me. Don't use anything else, except devil's blood.
After a heavy breath, he adds It scent like home!
I'm hungry...
He searches in his backpack and start eating some cookies.
Enora stops to show you something.
"Look! These are the bones of a linnorm! Treacherous primeval dragons of the northern regions of the world, Linnorms are not true dragons, but they nonetheless possess incredible strength and deadly powers that often rival authentic dragon brutality. Their massive frames make crushing smaller enemies a simple task, and of those who have felt the sting of a linnorm’s venomous bite, few have survived the devastating poison long enough to tell the tale. A linnorm’s body is serpentine and lacks wings, yet these dragons fly through the air with supernatural ease, accomplishing the feat as easily as a fish through water. Beyond the physical might, venom, and devastating breath weapons typical of all linnorms, the beasts all share a potent final defense—the death curse. This powerful plaguing of the mind manifests itself in myriad forms, but always serves as a horrid vengeance against any who might manage to slay a linnorm. Understood?!" she asks.
Enora tries to move and stay in the middle of the group. She knows that she has poor perception and would rather like to be protected.
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Wolfgar tranlates the funerary poem for the party.
Enora..Yes...Surely a worthy opponent indeed for these lands are known for kings that kill such creatures to gain the throne."
He listens.
He looks at the Count.
"Sweets Count when we could face battle!" He points to the doorway. "I hear a struggle now!"
Enora immediately starts to erect her defenses when she hears that Wolfgar is hearing a sruggle.
Enora uses her wand of mage armor on herself. She also starts casting false life on herself.
"Does anybody here want to be enlarged? I could cast a spell on you!" Enora offers.