The Northlands Saga - Spears in the Ice IC

[Farmerbink]

"Gah!" A cry of pain joins the rest of her unlikely companion's shouts as Elissa takes a claw across the shoulders. She turns with a snarl more feral than human, and brings her curved blade around with sudden ferocity. She takes a step back towards the flame, warily eyeing the tiny faerie.

Spoiler: Elissa actions

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Elissa
F N Half Elf Feral Hunter, Level 2, Init 5, HP 7/16, Speed 30
AC 17, Touch 13, Flat-footed 14, CMD 15, Fort 4, Ref 6, Will 3, CMB +2, Base Attack Bonus 1
Elven Curved blade (MW) +5 (1d10+1, 18-20, x2)
Elven Branched Spear +4 (1d8+1, x3) (+2 attack to AoOs, Brace, Reach)
Composite Longbow (+1 str) +4 (1d8+1, x3)
Leather Lamellar (MW), Klar (leather) (+4 Armor, +3 Dex)
Abilities Str 12 14, Dex 16, Con 12, Int 10, Wis 16, Cha 7
Condition Dirty Fighter: +1 damage when flanking
Animal Focus: Bull, +2 str
1st level spells: 3/3


attack the mephit at Y/17.
5-foot step to W/17.

(1d20+5)[9] curve blade attack
(1d10+3)[5] damage

(1d20+5)[20] crit confirmation (if needed, 23+ x2)
(1d10+3)[5] crit bonus damage

[Starbin]

Heltinne Thrainsdottir, Speaker of Spirits

With many of the mephits departing, albeit with a foreboding threat, Heltinne turned her gaze to the remaining two foes. Before she attacked, however, she saw two of her companions bleeding out while several others fought. Muttering under her breath, she dropped down to one knee to help the mighty Freya, then would move swiftly over to Dark Dreams Wanderer.

---

OOC - Let's see if I can screw this up ... Heal vs DC15 - (1d20+7)[10] ... then move to DDW (avoiding AOs if possible)

Why would I roll an 8 or higher now? Good thing I'm the resident healer ...

Spoiler: Status

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AC 15 (19) HP 1/9 Init +1 Move 30
F +1 R +1 W +3
Weapon: MW longspear (+3, 1d8+3), Morningstar (+2, 1d8+2/3)
Spells (Unl) ghost sound, mage hand, guidance, create water, detect magic, spark / (0/3) cure light wounds, bless, obscuring mist
SLA (alter self): 1/1, Ice armor: 1hr
Key skills: Perception +6; Sense Motive +5; Diplomacy +7; Heal +7; Spellcraft +4; KS Religion +4; KS Geography +5; KS History +4
Effect: bless (+1 att/save vs far; 2 rounds); Ice armor (+4 AC, 1hr); ER 5 vs cold, acid, electricity

[Ghostfoot]

The battle continues, a last desperate struggle to fight off the remaining sprites that have not retreated into the night...Elissa and Bjorn struggle to land blows while Heltinne and Signy quickly check on the fallen, confirming that they still breathe.

The two remaining seem oblivious to the situation and that their flock has flown. They continue to flap about one scratching at Elissa for 2 damage while the other finally wears down Bjorn and sees an opening, tearing at him for 7 damage.

Spoiler: rolls & info

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mephit vs Elissa
claw (1d20+5)[7] damage (1d3+1)[3]
claw (1d20+5)[23] damage (1d3+1)[2]

mephit vs Bjorn
claw (1d20+5)[15] damage (1d3+1)[4]
claw (1d20+5)[25] damage (1d3+1)[3]
Crit? (1d20+5)[19] damage (1d3+1)[4]
looks like Bjorn is finally down

this one really is going down to the wire

Spoiler: Map

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=> Heltinne & Elissa

[Farmerbink]

Elissa continues her measured withdrawal, eyes narrowed as she takes a deep scratch across one cheek. "Cover me and I can rouse the giant!" she calls, eying one one other humanoid still functional. "Captive, get to the fire! Use a stone to cut yourself loose!"

Spoiler: Elissa actions

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Elissa
F N Half Elf Feral Hunter, Level 2, Init 5, HP 5/16, Speed 30
AC 17, Touch 13, Flat-footed 14, CMD 15, Fort 4, Ref 6, Will 3, CMB +2, Base Attack Bonus 1
Elven Curved blade (MW) +5 (1d10+1, 18-20, x2)
Elven Branched Spear +4 (1d8+1, x3) (+2 attack to AoOs, Brace, Reach)
Composite Longbow (+1 str) +4 (1d8+1, x3)
Leather Lamellar (MW), Klar (leather) (+4 Armor, +3 Dex)
Abilities Str 12 14, Dex 16, Con 12, Int 10, Wis 16, Cha 7
Condition Dirty Fighter: +1 damage when flanking
Animal Focus: Bull, +2 str
1st level spells: 3/3


attack the same mephit. edit: ooh, a hit! A good one!

5-foot step to V/18. - if that hit drops the mephit, instead move adjacent to Freyja.

(1d20+5)[23] curve blade attack
(1d10+3)[12] damage

(1d20+5)[8] crit confirmation (if needed, 23+ x2) (ever the optimist.)
(1d10+3)[5] crit bonus damage

[Starbin]

Heltinne Thrainsdottir, Speaker of Spirits

Her companions seemed safe from bleeding out, so Heltinne turned back to the fray. She tried to attack from a position of superiority, lashing out with her rapidly cooling spear too.

---

OOC - Try to flank and attack the one that looks the most hurt.
Attack - (1d20+4)[7] (add +2 if flanking; Damage - (1d8+3)[6]

Edit -

Spoiler: Status

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AC 15 (19) HP 1/9 Init +1 Move 30
F +1 R +1 W +3
Weapon: MW longspear (+3, 1d8+3), Morningstar (+2, 1d8+2/3)
Spells (Unl) ghost sound, mage hand, guidance, create water, detect magic, spark / (0/3) cure light wounds, bless, obscuring mist
SLA (alter self): 1/1, Ice armor: 1hr
Key skills: Perception +6; Sense Motive +5; Diplomacy +7; Heal +7; Spellcraft +4; KS Religion +4; KS Geography +5; KS History +4
Effect: bless (+1 att/save vs far; 1 rounds); Ice armor (+4 AC, 1hr); ER 5 vs cold, acid, electricity

[Ghostfoot]

The half-Nûk woman Elissa swings her blade in apparent desparation, a cunning ploy as the mephit is lured forward reaching out to rake her with its talons when she strikes again for 7 damage. The thing is taken by surprise and crumples shattering into icy chunks in the frosted mud.

The sole remaining demon shrieks and hisses at Heltinne but the two are at an impasse. Sensing that the fight has finally turned the thing flaps its wings and rises, darting away into the night shrieking inanely "He comes! Soon, he comes!"

You're left to catch your breath and count your survivors. The only sounds now in the cold moors are the whimpering of your captive, Cnut, and the gradually subsiding lowing of the cattle as they start to settle down. Signy grimaces, pale with her injuries and spits blood towards the craven captive. "Get up fool. Make yourself useful lest we leave you out here. Keep that fire going or they'll be back."

As she limps across to tend to the fallen she spares a glance for Elissa "Your timing is very welcome stranger, it is well that the Norns wove our wyrds together. If your path hadn't crossed ours out here I fear the Moors would have claimed all our bones in a muddy grave."

[farothel]

Bjorn came around to Signy's face as she was slapping bandages on him.
"Thanks," he said, as he tried to get back up and collected all his stuff.
"Anybody know what the hell does were," he asked.

[Farmerbink]

Elissa nods to Signy, grimacing as she gingerly surveys her own injuries. "Hel comes for all, eventually," she mutters. As she speaks, the ripping muscles of her shoulders visibly subside. In the aftermath, she remains notably muscle-bound, but nonetheless, the difference is stark. A heartbeat later, her eyes seem to widen a bit more than they should be able to, and the skin around her ears stretches and darkens. She peers into the darkness, her ears focused like a dogs.

"Whatever they are, they flee. Their fallen leave no bones." She pokes through the scattered chunks arrayed chaotically around the fringes of the firelight. "Nothing of this world," she concludes.

She returns her gaze to the darkness, wrapping her arms around her body as if to ward off the chill. She breathes deeply a few times, and the bloody claw marks running down her spine seem to suddenly age several weeks.

Finally, she turns back to the fire. "The Gods have seen fit to grant me some... power over injuries." She approaches Bjorn and the full-blooded Nuk, arms open to convey peaceful intentions. "May I?"

Spoiler: OOC

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So she's going to cast CLW on herself, first: (1d8+2)[7] Edit: now 12/16.
She's got up to two more uses, preferring the most injured:
(1d8+2)[3] HP gained to Bjorn Edit: oi.
(1d8+2)[3] HP gained to DDW Edit: really?!

[farothel]

Bjorn nodded his assent and felt the magic flow through him. He still had injuries, but at least he would be able to finish his mission. Rest would do the rest.
"Thank you," he said to Elissa, "My name is Bjorn Ulgardson, Huscarl in the service of Jarl Olaf Henrikson of Halfstead. And to whom have I the honour of speaking?"

[Starbin]

Heltinne Thrainsdottir, Speaker of Spirits

With a sight, and silent prayer of thanks to Freyja and Skathi, Heltinne joined the others. She offered a handshake to the newcomer, introducing herself. ”Greetings, warrior. I am Heltinne Thrainsdottir, Spirit-talker, and you have my thanks and life debt as well. What brings you out here?”

As the group recovers, she ensured the camp was brought back from the chaotic mess it was, checking on the cattle and their prisoner. Of course, they still had a mission to accomplish ...

---

OOC - Clean up and all that. Oh, and Heltinne still needs to sleep to get her spells back. She was running low already when this fight started.

Spoiler: Status

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AC 15 (19) HP 7/15 Init +1 Move 30
F +1 R +1 W +4
Weapon: MW longspear (+4, 1d8+3), Morningstar (+3, 1d8+2/3)
Spells (Unl) ghost sound, mage hand, guidance, create water, detect magic, spark, stabilize / (1/4) cure light wounds, bless, obscuring mist, endure elements
SLA (alter self): 1/1, Ice armor: 1hr
Key skills: Perception +7; Sense Motive +5; Diplomacy +7; Heal +8; Spellcraft +4; KS Planes +6; KS Geography +5; KS Religion/Arcana/Local +4; KS History +4; Linguistics +4
Effect: bless (+1 att/save vs far; 1 rounds); Ice armor (+4 AC, 1hr); ER 5 vs cold, acid, electricity

[Farmerbink]

In the relative peace of post combat, it's easier to get an impression of the newcomer. Perhaps it's for the best that the introduction was made in a life-or-death situation, as the calmer truth of the matter is not appealing. Clad thickly in leathers and furs, the flickering fire and pervasive shadow of night leave the newcomer looking more like a misshapen animal than a woman. As she returns to her dropped bow and sheathes it, her steps demonstrate a feral grace.

She eyes Bjorn unreadably; though she wasn't going to ignore his suffering, she seems to be debating how much to share with him. She starts suddenly as Heltinne addresses her as well, dividing her suspicious gaze two ways at her approach. She backs away from the offered hand, openly appraising the other woman with a severe expression. After a few tense moments, she eschews the traditional greeting, instead nodding shallowly from several feet away.

"I am called Elissa, by those who speak the human tongue," she offers, with some apparent effort. The absence of a Jarl's claim is conspicuous in her moniker. After another few moments of silent deliberation she adds, "I hunt a plague upon the local livestock- Olaf the Unclean, he is called. I intend to cure him." Her intense tone and lilting delivery leave no doubt that "cure" is used figuratively.

[farothel]

"Then I can inform you that your search is at an end," Bjorn said, "we were searching for him too and found him. That man there..."
He pointed at the bound bandit.
"... is the only one left of his gang. The rest, including Olaf, are dead and these cattle we were defending were their last prize. We're bringing them back to their rightful owners when we were attacked by those ice demons. I would like to thank you for helping us and invite you to share our fire and our food."

He turned to the rest of the group.
"Any of us have any skill at animal health," he asked, "those cows were also attacked by the ice demons and might need some mending as well."

[Farmerbink]

Elissa turns back to Bjorn, and offers the wounded warrior an uncomfortably direct gaze. She seems to appraise him anew in light of his proclamation, and frowns appreciatively. "You seem earnest."

Nodding to herself, she seems to once more withdraw to internal deliberation. "Than I will join with you, for a time. It seems the fates have brought me to you, though time will have to tell if it was Tyr or Loki's hand in it. I... have some familiarity with most animals," she offers, though she leaves as much unsaid as otherwise.

That issue apparently settled (to her), she continues an obviously habit-deep ritual of renewal. She takes several moments to begin hunting for her fired arrows, recovering all of them, and sorting them by usability and repair. If uninterrupted, she then begins to clean her blade with an oiled cloth, and only once she's sure of the condition of her arms, she begins to approach the cattle.

Spoiler: OOC

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If the cattle need to be calmed before she can approach, Elissa will attempt it with wild empathy: (1d20-1)[3]

If not, or the roll above suffices, she will do her best to ascertain their needs and tend to it with handle animal: (1d20+3)[21]

If for some reason survival is more apt (finding wanderers or protecting against wild predators, for example): (1d20+8)[23] (+1 more for tracking)

[Starbin]

Heltinne Thrainsdottir, Speaker of Spirits

Dropping her hand, Heltinne nods back, and watching the woman for a bit. When it turns out that 1) they were both hunting the same person, and 2) she would join them, the silver-haired oracle smiled. ”We would be happy to have your blade with us. Perhaps the Jarl will ask you to join his people as well. But first, we rest ...”

---

OOC - still need to rest, right?

Spoiler: Status

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AC 15 (19) HP 7/15 Init +1 Move 30
F +1 R +1 W +4
Weapon: MW longspear (+4, 1d8+3), Morningstar (+3, 1d8+2/3)
Spells (Unl) ghost sound, mage hand, guidance, create water, detect magic, spark, stabilize / (1/4) cure light wounds, bless, obscuring mist, endure elements
SLA (alter self): 1/1, Ice armor: 1hr
Key skills: Perception +7; Sense Motive +5; Diplomacy +7; Heal +8; Spellcraft +4; KS Planes +6; KS Geography +5; KS Religion/Arcana/Local +4; KS History +4; Linguistics +4
Effect: bless (+1 att/save vs far; 1 rounds); Ice armor (+4 AC, 1hr); ER 5 vs cold, acid, electricity

[

[farothel]

"Indeed, rest would be a good idea," Bjorn said, while he went to his bag and started digging, finding and drinking a potion.

Spoiler: OOC rolls

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I have a potion of cure light on my sheet, so I'll be using that now: (1d8+1)[6]
EDIT: just doubled my HP.
If there are still cure spells, now might be a good moment.

[PeacefulOak]

Mørkedrømevandrer

The strange surge of vitality lifts the Nuk's head and brings light and fire to his eyes. Knuckles tighten on the leather-wrapped hilt of his ancient bronze Andovian blade, and he rises to his feet, turning to watch the last of the strange ice-beasts leave. Immediately after, he turns to the cattle and without speaking begins to attend to them. Their distress is not so different from that of the elk of his people, and his mind wanders back to those times when he roamed the ice-flecked fields of the North with his people.

The newcomer receives a nod acknowledging their presence and care towards the cattle.

Spoiler: OoC

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(1d20)[1] Wild Empathy
(1d20+2)[7] Handle Animal

((this is not my strong suit!))

[Ghostfoot]

Introductions are made now that the grueling battle is over and you find yourselves companions, for a time at least, wyrds woven together out here on the cursed Moors. Elissa & Mørkedrømevandrer check on the cattle finding them in a sorry state. While all have survived they have certainly taken some cruel punishment from the wicked sprites with many scratches upon them. Some take a bit of coaxing up from the mud where they had collapsed as the cold overcame them.

Signy meanwhile limps over and tends to the fallen giantess, doing what she can to bandage Freyja's many wounds and, with much help, making sure that Freyja's comatose form is carried to lay gently near the campfire.

Spoiler: info

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Cattle are all at ~50% hp mainly from cold damage, a bit of claw damage too.

Signy
Heal (Treat Deadly Wounds) DC20 on Freyja (1d20+5)[16]: Fail

Freyja will probably be back on positive hit points after a rest and a level up, I guess.

Everyone gains 2hp from the night's sleep.

Exhausted & battered you settle in for an anxious rest and a long night. In the darkness beyond the light of your campfire your imagination runs wild, senses threatening to play tricks in your vulnerable state. A light scattering of snow starts to fall. Not enough to cause concern, but yet another challenge to endure. Thankfully the heat of your campfire is enough to keep the snow settling in the area around you.

More unsettling is the sight as you awaken and dawn's light starts to cut through the grey fog that blankets the Moors. A lone, long dead tree juts from the bog not too far away. As the grey light filters through you see that small forms have settled on it overnight without your knowing. A flock of ravens, very clearly dead and rotting, perch on the bare branches of the tree with black tufted feathers jutting. Their dead eyes stare at you. An ill omen indeed. Signy spits and makes a warding sign as you all take note of the undead birds, thankful that they at least are making no move to attack. "Let's not tempt the Norns any further. We should make haste out of this cursed place"

[farothel]

"I totally concur," Bjorn said. He looked a bit better after yesterday's ordeal.
"I think we're limited to the speed of the cows though," he added.

[Farmerbink]

Spoiler: OOC

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Sorry for being an idiot. I think I thought DDW was the dropped ally and Freyja was the hunter. Not sure why I had that so backwards, but I clearly "targeted" my cures in error. If it's not worth readjusting, that's fine, I just wanted to mention it.

@farothel: make sure you counted the pitiful CLW on Bjorn ::thumbsup::

@Ghostfoot: my understanding is that driving cattle would be a take-10-able task, and would be a DC certainly no higher than 10, barring substantial penalties. Let me know if I need to roll.

Elissa rises early, and watches the unsettling murder for several minutes before deciding to put it from her mind. She says nothing, but after assessing the group, decides she's best suited for the task and begins rousing the cattle to lead them in the direction they were headed the night before. Periodically, she growls or yips quietly, and it becomes apparent that her methods are more like a sheepdog than a shepherd. Still, the task gets accomplished suitably. Her eyes continually survey the moors, and she keeps her bow in hand.

[Starbin]

Heltinne Thrainsdottir, Speaker of Spirits

Upon rising the next morning, Heltinne gives thanks to the gods for another day, which brings another chance to earn glory. Seeing the injuries mount up, Heltinne focuses on her companions, trying to heal some of their wounds before the journey continues. ”Be still and let me help."

Once they departed with the herd, the oracle watched the birds closely, eyes narrowing. Reaching down to grab some dirt, she rubbed it in her hands, threw it up in the air and blew the dust, all the while peering intently at the pattern.

---

OOC - Well, this sucks. I would have considered a life oracle if I realized how healing strapped we'd be. Guess I'll use up some of my spells to get folks back up. First take ten on Heal (18) to stabilize Freyja (should be able to try again w/a new level). Second, here are some heals. Let's use them to get Freyja up again, then we can parse them out to the most wounded afterwards. Going to leave one 1st level spell for any encounters (I can always heal later in the day). Remember everyone is up 2hps from the night before.
CLW1 - (1d8+2)[7]
CLW2 - (1d8+2)[7]
CLW3 - (1d8+2)[7]
**Can't remember if I have Fey Foundling ... if so, add +2 to the rolls.
When we see the crows, unnamed skill check to determine what this might mean (1d20)[10] Religion? Arcana? Local? History?

Spoiler: Status

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AC 15 (19) HP 9/15 Init +1 Move 30
F +1 R +1 W +4
Weapon: MW longspear (+4, 1d8+3), Morningstar (+3, 1d8+2/3)
Spells (Unl) ghost sound, mage hand, guidance, create water, detect magic, spark, stabilize / (1/4) cure light wounds, bless, obscuring mist, endure elements
SLA (alter self): 1/1, Ice armor: 1hr
Key skills: Perception +7; Sense Motive +5; Diplomacy +7; Heal +8; Spellcraft +4; KS Planes +6; KS Geography +5; KS Religion/Arcana/Local +4; KS History +4; Linguistics +4
Effect: ER 5 vs cold, acid, electricity

[DrK]

Freyja

The sounds of the wings beating carrying aloft fade, the shine of the valkyrie's blade and armour flicker to turn into crackling flames and golden hair soon looks more like tangled beard... So close, she had valhalla within reach and now she felt pain course through her body, her back freezing, her side baking by the fire. Drawing a painful breath she winced, clutching bruised ribs and chill burns before sitting up.

"My thanks Heltinne THrainsdottir. I am recovered enough to rise." SHe coughs up blood before raising her ponderous height leaning on the spear and looks about. "Vile fey, spawn of the Jotnar. My thanks for your bravery and Wodan's blessing that guided your blades" She limps along happily, chatting to the others to find out how they defeated the foe. Pausing to greet the newcomer with dignity. "Greetings Elissa, I am Freyja, sword warrior maiden of Woden. Gods praise your bravery.""

[Farmerbink]

Elissa nods, acknowledging the compliment, but offering only uneasy silence in return as she readies herself to tend the cattle.

[farothel]

Bjorn keeps looking around, checking for ambushes, as they move on. He's a good rider, but he's not all the good with cows (except in eating them) so he will keep on the look-out, shield and axe ready, leaving the cow herding to others.

[Ghostfoot]

Your wounds are tended and bandaged as best as possible under the circumstances. Everyone nurses nasty scrapes and bruised bodies after the grueling nighttime skirmish. Those of you with horses mount up and you get ready to go, driving the cattle with you and your captive stumbling along. Heltinne takes one last look at the sinister crows, recalling that Wotan the All-Father, wisest of the Æsir, has two pet ravens, Hugin and Munin that scour the world for secrets to bring back to their master. Freyja considers the same, but understands such dark mockeries of life are unlikely to be the result of Wotan's will, mad and unknowable as he might be. More likely Hel, Goddess of Death and Lady of Pestilence. It's impossible to truly understand the ways of the gods, and whether this is truly some evil sign from the daughter of Loptr or simply an ill coincidence is yet to be discovered.

You push on, making good progress through the cold moors. The fog doesn't ever really lift, and while sometimes it becomes sparser revealing larger sections of peaty bog, it often comes in to cling close. After several hours of travel west the day has been thankfully uneventful, although eerie nevertheless.

Looking at the area immediately ahead, as you have to do in order to avoid periodically stumbling into a deep bog, is an area of ordinary-looking brackish brown mud maybe 10ft across. It's really not much different from any other shallow muddy puddle out here, but Elissa gets a tingling feeling, a definite sense that the boggy puddle is not resting quite right somehow. The scrub and grasses, such that there are any, don't grow near the odd pool.

Spoiler: some skill checks

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Freyja religion (1d20+4)[15] re: undead ravens

Perception DC20
DDW (1d20+8)[19]
Freyja (1d20+4)[6]
Heltinne (1d20+7)[14]
Bjorn (1d20+2)[13]
Elissa (1d20+10)[23]
Signy (1d20)[14]

[Farmerbink]

Elissa stops short of the pool, eying it warily. Bow held ready, she passes around the small cluster of cattle to get a little closer, still focused ahead. "Let's skirt this area," she declares. "Back up a few yards, and we can give it safe distance." She proceeds to guide the cattle thus, trying to keep them at least 60 feet or more from the unsettling pool.

[farothel]

"Seen anything special," Bjorn asked as he gave the area a closer look, but without coming closer. He hadn't seen anything, but he wasn't as in touch with nature as others were and he would gladly yield to their expertise.

[Farmerbink]

"Yes." Elissa responds. She gestures toward the water vaguely. "Well, not exactly. That pool up there- there's nothing growing near it. Makes me think we aught keep clear, too."

[Starbin]

Heltinne Thrainsdottir, Speaker of Spirits

Heltinne peered at the bog ahead, listening to Elissa’s warning. She thought back to the ravens and wondered if it was an omen about the day. ”Choosing to ignore sound advice is like trying to catch an axe blade with your mouth ... one shouldn’t expect it to turn out well. Let’s give it a wide berth and continue our journey.

Isn’t that witch’s moss there? If so, we should bear right, yes? "

---

OOC - Perception - (1d20+7)[19], and Geography - (1d20+5)[13] to aid someone else navigate

Spoiler: Status

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AC 15 (19) HP 9/15 Init +1 Move 30
F +1 R +1 W +4
Weapon: MW longspear (+4, 1d8+3), Morningstar (+3, 1d8+2/3)
Spells (Unl) ghost sound, mage hand, guidance, create water, detect magic, spark, stabilize / (1/4) cure light wounds, bless, obscuring mist, endure elements
SLA (alter self): 1/1, Ice armor: 1hr
Key skills: Perception +7; Sense Motive +5; Diplomacy +7; Heal +8; Spellcraft +4; KS Planes +6; KS Geography +5; KS Religion/Arcana/Local +4; KS History +4; Linguistics +4
Effect: ER 5 vs cold, acid, electricity

[farothel]

"No idea, but I think we should try to make haste," Bjorn said, "insofar it's possible with a bunch of cattle."

[Ghostfoot]

You skirt the treacherous-looking bog with no difficulty, thankful for Elissa's keen eye. No doubt some sort of Hel-cursed bog wretch or bottomless vortex straight to the Ginnungagap lies within, but you are all safer for not knowing.

You continue on, making good progress despite the shepherding of the many cattle. As the sun, barely discernible through the fog, begins to lower you note that the ground is starting to become firmer and the expanses of muddy ground draining into more distinct rivulets and streams. If the Norns favour you, maybe you're nearly at the end of these cursed moors!

Pausing to search the nearby area for somewhere to make camp for the evening, Dark Dreams Wanderer spies another strange creature of the moors. A tiny (18 inch) dull blue dragonlike lizard hops and flaps across the ground on long thin wings. In its fanged mouth, weighing it down and hampering it's flight, it carries prey from its hunt - a large limp hare. Where it hops across the stream it leaves patches of frosty sludge as the water freezes.

Spoiler: Perception checks

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DDW (1d20+8)[23]
Freyja (1d20+4)[11]
Heltinne (1d20+7)[15]
Bjorn (1d20+2)[14]
Elissa (1d20+10)[15]
Signy (1d20)[13]

Spoiler: Knowledge check - Heltinne

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Heltinne (1d20+4)[16]
Signy (1d20+6)[14]

Heltinne & Signy recognise this creature as a frost drakeling, tiny offshoots from dragons or drakes of basic intellect that live in burrows in cold regions and hunt small game. Like their larger counterparts they have a dangerous icy breath weapon that they are not afraid to use.