A Gathering Storm

[Saintheart]

Noon, Day 5

Complication Pool 4 of 6

Ramiro staggered back, touching a hand to the belt at his waist, and the bleeding from his wound eased a little. Gromrir snarled his fury and leapt at the Frost Folken that had attacked Ramiro. For a second the Folken seemed to shift on its feet …
And then Verglas’s shot caught it in the shoulder , and it gave a screech of rage.
That was enough for Gromrir. He caught the creature at its throat, and with a single, seemingly effortless motion, tore the Folken’s aesophagus out. The creature shuddered and fell.
Njal’s tigerskull club unexpectedly found some purchase, and the dwarf was able to finally haul himself to the top of the escarpment. It wasn’t quick enough to stop the second Folken, which seemed to sense the death of its comrade, took both hands on its sword, and lunged with the ancient, archaic-looking longsword it wielded.
It caught Gromrir through the spine. The animal yelped in pain, blood spraying. The Folken had struck it an awful blow.
Roland had finally reached a point of balance. The big man strode forward, wordlessly chambered a strike, and hit the Folken across the face hard with an arcing strike of his maul that half-caved the creature’s face in … but still it stood!

Spoiler: Tactical Map

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Spoiler: Tactical Notes

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FF1 is down and dead. FF2 has been seriously lucky as well: critical hit and concealment passed, which hits Gromrir for 17 hitpoints of damage. That puts the loyal doge at 5/22 by my count. Roland hit it for 12 hitpoints – it’s staggered it seems but not dead yet. Njal is on top of the escarpment now, though, and so able to move.

Initiative Count:
Frost Folk: 20
Roland: 5
Ramiro: 5
Verglas: 4
Njal: -4
Gromrir: -4

Roland’s taken his action, so it’s Ramiro’s turn now.

[Novabomb]

Ramiro Sanda Bolts once more putting distance between himself and the others, then raises his hand, and there is a flare of light.

Spoiler: OOC

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Move action 30ft away.
Standard Action Blistering Flourish. (Fort Save DC14 or be dazzled for a min)
Since this is a desert wind strike, it also does 1d6 fire damage from his movement.

Hitting Gromir cannot be avoided with the amount of movement he has since it is a 30 ft burst.
I am not sure if Roland can be avoided or not.
The dazzle effect is unlikely to work on someone already blind, but the fire should be helpful.

Damage (1d6)[2] fire

[Toliudar]

Verglas

While it seemed petty to exult in the death of another person, Verglas was certainly not unhappy to see the savage frostfolk fall, it's blood staining the snow.

She pulled out one of her crossbow bolts and kissed it. If only she believed in gods. Praying would be a comfort at this moment.

As a flash of light brightened the day, Verglas glanced up to see Ramiro blazing across the rocks, melting snow in his wake. That boy had hidden gifts, he did.

Sliding the hopefully-lucky bolt into place, Verglas did her best to pick a moment when the remaining frostfolk's chest was in view, and let fly.

Spoiler: OOC

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Move action: reload
Standard action: shoot at Frostfolk 2. Might be -4 for firing into melee, sadly.
Attack: (1d20+4)[23]
Damage: (1d6)[2]

[DrK]

Njal "Stormcaller" Njal lets out a wordless howl as Gromrir is savaged by the frost folk, blood staining his companion's white fur. he waves a hand, "Back lad.... back" he bellows as Gromrir leaps backwards scurrying across the snow. Njal himself barges into the frostfolk, a flurry of wild swings with the club seeking to bury the fangs of the club into the frostfolk's chest

Spoiler: OOC

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Njal attack (1d20+6)[17] dam (1d8+3)[11]
Gromnir Withdraw and move 20ft south


Njal "Stormcaller"
M NG Dwarf (Glacier Dwarf) Druid, Level 3, Init 1, HP 26/26, Speed
AC 18, Touch 11, Flat-footed 17, Fort 6, Ref 2, Will 6, Base Attack Bonus 2
+2 trip MW Tigerskull Club +6 (1d8+3, x4)
Quaterstaff +5 (1d6+3, x2)
Darts / Sling (10 / 20 ) +3 (1d4+3 / 1d4+3 , x2)
Dragonhide (White) Breastplate , Heavy Wooden Shield (+5 Armor, +2 Shield, +1 Dex)
Abilities Str 16, Dex 12, Con 16, Int 10, Wis 16, Cha 6
Condition
Dwarven Racial bonuses

Endure Elements



Stormrir
30 / 30 hp (4HD) Init +1 Speed 50 ft Fort +7, Ref +5, Will +2
AC 17 (-1 size, +1 Dex, +4 natural +3 AC), touch 10, flat-footed 16
BAB/Grapple +3/+11
Attack: 2 hooves +6 melee (1d6+4) and bite +1 melee (1d4+2)
Special Qualities: Low-light vision, scent
Abilities: Str 18, Dex 13, Con 17, Int 2, Wis 13, Cha 6
Skills/feats: Listen +5, Spot +4 / Endurance, Run
Equipment: Military saddle, Saddle bags, Std'Leather Barding

Gromnir (Wintery Huskie) - Level 3 companion
3 / 29 hp (4HD) Init +3 Speed 40 ft Fort +7, Ref +7, Will +2
AC 21 (+3 Dex, +6 natural +2 armour), touch 12, flat-footed 18
BAB/Grapple +3/+6
Full Attack: Bite +6 melee (1d8+4 + Trip (+3))
Special Qualities: Low-light vision, scent
Abilities: Str 16, Dex 16, Con 16, Int 2, Wis 12, Cha 6
Skills: Jump +9, Listen +6, Spot +6, Swim +4, Survival +2/6*
Feats: Alertness, Track, Improved Natural attack (bite) / Link, Share spells, Evasion
Equipment: Leather barding

[Saintheart]

Noon, Day 5

Complication Pool 4 of 6

Ramiro's talents managed to spare anyone but the Folken being dazzled, and what he had thought would be a tiny flare of fire burst into a not-insignificant flame across the creature's form. It must have been that the creatures had some sort of vulnerability to the Firekeeper's flame.

Verglas's bolt whistled true. Truer than she had thought possible. She'd aimed for the chest and instead a foot of steel smashed into the creature's eye, putting out the bright blue of that orb with a wordless screech from the beast.

And then Njal hit the Folken. His club came up in a single, deadly arc, and the fangs of the skull atop it dived into the Folken's head with an awful, final crunch. The creature collapsed and fell.

They had survived.

Gromrir's whine was the next, terrible sound. The loyal husky was bleeding onto the snow, red on white. His ears were flattened, and his pupils wide with the pain. But he padded slowly across to Ramiro, swaying on his feet, and licked the young monk's wounded hand.

Spoiler: OOC

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And that's 600 XP each for this encounter. That was also a critical threat from Verglas which turned out to be a confirmed critical!

[Novabomb]

Ramiro Sanda
Good Dog.

He pets the dog, and its wounds begin to seal.

Spoiler: OOC

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Healing Belt on Gromnir for (2d8)[7]

He then does the same for himself using the last charge.
(2d8)[5]

[Toliudar]

Verglas

Verglas gets to her feet and looks up at the horse.

"Sit! no that isn't right Stay!"

She trudges through the snow over to the mound where her companions seemed to be, miraculously, all alive. She looks over the injured and begins to look for any of her crossbow bolts that might be salvageable.

"While I don't normally notice the physical minutiae of combat and suchlike I have to admit that you are all quite remarkable And I don't just mean the bipedals among us Gromnir It's Gromnir right? was quite astonishing in his defense of his master I begin to see the appeal of pet ownership It might be worth all of the feeding and grooming for such extraordinary loyalty and courage So who's hurt?"

Spoiler: OOC

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Verglas gives the first person to speak up a hit from her healing belt, curing (2d8)[11] damage.

[DrK]

Njal "Stormcaller" Njal kicks the corpse a savage kick before running to the dog. "Aye laddie, ye be all right. Just a scratch eh." He nods a thanks to Ramiro as the kindly man starts to heal the savage blow before Njal rests his own hands on the wound and draws a narrow willow wand and taps it. The blood slowing as the flesh knits back together. He looks about "We should search 'em, see if they have 'owt handy. And if there are more of the buggers. "

Spoiler: OOC

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Njal cure light (1d8+3)[8] and Wand (1d8+1)[8]

Njal "Stormcaller"
M NG Dwarf (Glacier Dwarf) Druid, Level 3, Init 1, HP 26/26, Speed
AC 18, Touch 11, Flat-footed 17, Fort 6, Ref 2, Will 6, Base Attack Bonus 2
+2 trip MW Tigerskull Club +6 (1d8+3, x4)
Quaterstaff +5 (1d6+3, x2)
Darts / Sling (10 / 20 ) +3 (1d4+3 / 1d4+3 , x2)
Dragonhide (White) Breastplate , Heavy Wooden Shield (+5 Armor, +2 Shield, +1 Dex)
Abilities Str 16, Dex 12, Con 16, Int 10, Wis 16, Cha 6
Condition
Dwarven Racial bonuses

Endure Elements



Stormrir
30 / 30 hp (4HD) Init +1 Speed 50 ft Fort +7, Ref +5, Will +2
AC 17 (-1 size, +1 Dex, +4 natural +3 AC), touch 10, flat-footed 16
BAB/Grapple +3/+11
Attack: 2 hooves +6 melee (1d6+4) and bite +1 melee (1d4+2)
Special Qualities: Low-light vision, scent
Abilities: Str 18, Dex 13, Con 17, Int 2, Wis 13, Cha 6
Skills/feats: Listen +5, Spot +4 / Endurance, Run
Equipment: Military saddle, Saddle bags, Std'Leather Barding

Gromnir (Wintery Huskie) - Level 3 companion
10 / 29 hp (4HD) Init +3 Speed 40 ft Fort +7, Ref +7, Will +2
AC 21 (+3 Dex, +6 natural +2 armour), touch 12, flat-footed 18
BAB/Grapple +3/+6
Full Attack: Bite +6 melee (1d8+4 + Trip (+3))
Special Qualities: Low-light vision, scent
Abilities: Str 16, Dex 16, Con 16, Int 2, Wis 12, Cha 6
Skills: Jump +9, Listen +6, Spot +6, Swim +4, Survival +2/6*
Feats: Alertness, Track, Improved Natural attack (bite) / Link, Share spells, Evasion
Equipment: Leather barding

[Toliudar]

Verglas

Clambering laboriously up the snowy slope, Verglas attempts to avoid the larger patches of blood and other assorted bodily fluids in order to get to Rodrigo.

"That slash looks nasty who knew that they'd be that quick on their feet even blinded Hold still for a moment."

Verglas pokes hesitantly at Rodrigo's belly, once, and he immediately starts to feel better.

"I was intrigued to see how you did that running in fire thing back there Is it a gift from the fire bringer like Roland's abilities or soemthing else entirely Perhaps we could explore ways to harness that same energy in a less destructive and more helping us not die of hypothermia kind of way. There are a lot of Rargh Smash warriors up here in the north and if we could teach them to do what you did but more slowly in a controlled manner, we might actually be able to create a great many more livable spaces don't you think?"

Spoiler: OOC

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One charge of the healing belt to Rodrigo: (2d8)[14]

[Novabomb]

Ramiro Sanda
Thanks. Uh... It is a an ancient martial art, passed down through my family. It does not really work that way. The power comes from within, the controlled manner of use is me remaining alive.

[Toliudar]

Verglas

The little gnome nodded.

"Fascinating So you say that you can continue to manifest that fire whenever you need to just by being you And yet somehow yesterday while you were succumbing to hypothermia you didn't think to ignite yourself for a while to say warm up a bit My goodness You have a great deal more self restraint than I believe that I would have had under the same circumstances Not really setting the world on fire just to watch it burn but rather setting something much more finite on fire just so that I didn't freeze Still the next time that we're able to afford ourselves a bit of a fire in the evening I'll know how to get it started Thank you Rodrigo this has been most enlightening."

[Saintheart]

Noon, Day 5

Complication Pool 4 of 6

While the others had been talking, Roland had set about the task of perusing what was to be found on the corpses of the Frost Folk.

They hadn't been carrying much in the way of supplies. He had a look over their longswords first, only with one look to wrinkle his nose in disgust. "I wouldn't trust either of those blades to last more than a good blow or two," he said, holding up one of them. The weapon had been nocked several times over, and had brownish streaks on them signifying the march of rust. "I don't quite understand how they managed to last through that fight at all." He tossed the blade he was holding back to the nearest rock ... where, upon impact, it shattered four inches below its tip, shards of metal scattering on the snow. Lowering his hand from how he'd instinctively raised it with the noise, the crusader sighed. "It must be some sort of power they have. Perhaps the blades are more in union with their owners than I thought."

The two great crossbows they'd wielded seemed to have undergone the same fate. Looking at them now Roland couldn't understand how they might have fired at all. The winch and loading mechanisms seemed to be rusting before his eyes, and the wood of the bow and stock almost seemed to have warped. They were, to his eye, pretty well useless items. And then there was the fact that the things seemed improbably massive, too large surely for someone like Verglas or even himself to use. More mysteries of these strange, savage folk. Even stranger was that the crossbow bolts they had seemed to have survived and looked very ordinary; at a quick estimation there were perhaps a good thirty bolts to be found on the bodies.

But he did find something out of the ordinary on one of the bodies. Though one of the Folken's bodies had been badly burned, one item lay at its hip which did not seem to have been consumed by the flames. A black, lacquered scabbard lay, its line straight as an arrow. There was, it seemed, a blade sheathed in it. The grip was light, delicate; a red ... string of some kind dangled from the end, with three gleaming emeralds in the pommel.

Roland picked it up from the snow, and drew it. The balance, he could tell, was fine, even if it was far too short a sword for him to wield well. Longer than a dagger, shorter than a hand-and-a-half sword or other typical longsword. And this was no hedge forge's work. In fact Roland could not remember seeing its like.

Spoiler: The sword

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Wait. Roland glanced over at Ramiro, thinking for a moment. The crusader had seen something like this. Long, long ago. Some drawing, from some remote school on the rocks of the Archipelago. There were men there who, so the stories, went, fought mostly unarmed.

So he shuffled through the snow to Ramiro, passing the blade to the young, fire-haired monk. "This was on one of their bodies. I don't know the make, and it doesn't look dwarven." He offered a half-grin. "I know you prefer your hands, but maybe you'll get more use of it than I could." The big man turned back to his inspection of the bodies.

Spoiler: Ramiro

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He knew what it was.
Oh, yes.
The moment his hand closed around the hilt of the weapon, Ramiro Sanda, trained in the art of Flame and Shadow, knew what the blade was.

Most of the adepts amongst his school had trained unarmed, but there were a significant proportion of them who had demanded those who learned the art also learned the use of weapons. Ramiro was familiar with several, and trained in some: dagger, sai, siangham, and the Steel Dragon, the Spiked Chain. And one more: one of the oldest weapons the traditions of his school had handed down, the weapon the oldest masters called the Jian, or the Shi'hun, or the Straightsword, but which nonetheless was a short sword he was familiar with.

And even then, there were Shi'hun, and then there were Shi'hun. Ramiro could strike with any blade of this length in the world with the same blurring speed he could strike with his hands, but this was something else again. For there were some of the most precious swords of his order, the ones that had been forged with exquisite care and artistry by the precious few in the order who took the making of weapons as their art. Those men had not only made weapons of great artistry, but had made them so they would complement an adept who used the maneuvers of those schools. And this was one such weapon.

Roland noted the fine-looking chain mail that the Folken seemed to be wearing before clambering back down the rock wall. He was keenly interested in the blue gems that the Folken seemed to have planted in this great skeleton's eye sockets. Even now they seemed to glitter and gleam. He glanced back up towards the others. "What about these?"

Spoiler: OOC

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What Ramiro has been handed is a short sword for game purposes, but it's a very special one: it is a +1 Shadow Hand martial discipline short sword. As you'd probably know, this means that the weapon will always grant Ramiro at least a +2 to attack rolls and a +1 to damage, but when he's in a Shadow Hand stance or uses a Shadow Hand maneuver, the weapon grants Ramiro a +5 to attack rolls with it and a +1 to damage. And yes, it is a short sword and therefore counts as a weapon to which Shadow Blade applies.

[Novabomb]

Ramiro Sanda
How can this be here! This is a sign from the Firekeeper, our quest is sanctified.

He spends some time to put the sheathe in position. Curiously that position is along his spine, under the winter clothes (Though not his shirt) minimizing its visibility.

[Toliudar]

Verglas

Verglas thinks but is too intelligent to say out loud, It's amazing how, whenever something good happens to us, it's because the Fire Keeper is blessing us or somesuch. When Roland got sick or that frostfolk smashed into Ramiro's side, no one cried out that the Fire Keeper had switched sides.

Picking up a cheerful tune from her childhood to counteract her grumpy thoughts - for they were alive and relatively unharmed, and two vicious killers were dead at their feet - Verglas went to look more closely at the blue gems.

"I'll take a look."

Verglas weaves her simple spell to pick up any magics laid into the skull or gems, and examines both gemstones and their setting.

Spoiler: OOC

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Verglas casts Detect Magic. She'll sweep the area for any unidentified dweomers, then focus in to get a more detailed understanding of the gems (and anything else new that her spell reveals.

Spellcraft: (1d20+12)[21]
Appraise on the gems: (1d20+4)[8]

[Saintheart]

Noon, Day 5

Complication Pool 4 of 6

Verglas's dweomer didn't reveal any song or smell of the arcane in the area as such, beyond those radiances coming from her companions.
And the gems.

On one hand, after a few moments studying them, she was disappointed. They weren't actually gems at all.

On the other hand, her heart was beating faster than it had since they'd first reached the great elven portal.

Spoiler: Verglas

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Because these were not gems, but crystals. Crystals that had been stabilised such that they wouldn't break down or decay. Stabilised magically. This art was possible and somewhat rare on the Mountain, but it was far more common in what she'd read of the elves. Because crystals could be used as an amplifier for arcane strength, or as a transformation device for energy. That, indeed, was what these two crystals had been created to do. The arcs of energy coursing inside them, around them, were clear. Why exactly the Folken had placed such things into the eyesockets of a dragon skeleton* wasn't clear.
Perhaps - perhaps - they had interrupted some transformation.
Some ritual that the Frost Folk knew.

Either way, that ritual was gone and unrecoverable now. But the crystals did remain, and certainly were recoverable. And they would certainly be of service to she and her companions. Contrary to first appearances, they transformed the energy of movement, violent movement, into raw, unfiltered, energy: the energy of fire, unleashing it on contact. And these crystals were certainly elven work, since unlike the cruder artifices of the Mountain, these ones could transform energy without being in the presence of a field of magic; they could transform it when placed on virtually any weapon.

Spoiler: OOC

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Verglas has found two Lesser Crystals of Fiery Assault, which normally impart +1d6 of [fire] damage to any weapon they're attached to. These ones are different to the standard appearance in that they are not red or flickering with flame, but look rather more like the Electricity versions of those crystals. They're also different in that they're of much superior elven make and therefore more versatile than normal. Normally Lesser Crystals can only attach to weapons that carry at least a +1 enchantment. These ones will attach to any weapon of masterwork quality, which includes Verglas's crossbow and Njal's tigerskull club, hint hint.

* Verglas had the talent of being able to asterisk her own thoughts. One such occurred to her now: the existence of this skeleton was (a)** all but confirmation of the mythical, implausible legend that dragons had existed at some point and might still exist and (b) that Master Althausen's scoffing at the idea proved he was in fact an idiot.

** She could also double-asterisk, and make parenthetical lists too.

[DrK]

Njal "Stormcaller" Seeing the blade and crystals Njal nods in approval and looks at the short blade. "Aye, nice work, be nicer if it were dwarven but it no be too shabby." A small grin he watches Ramiro's excitement with a sense of satisfaction, he had been worrying about his companions since he had had got sick but the joy and wonder on his face was a good sign. Looking about he nods t the halfling, "Oh ho me little wizarding friend. What be the shiny stones, they don't be looking like normal ones Before searching around the local area wich a happier Gromnir at his side, though now he keeps the dog close, a hand running through the thick white fur at regular intervals. "Aye, lets be having you, find where you did be coming from..." he muttters to himself under his breath.

Spoiler: OOC

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Survival to look for tracks (1d20+10)[27] (Njal) (1d20+6)[15] (Gromrir)


Njal "Stormcaller"
M NG Dwarf (Glacier Dwarf) Druid, Level 3, Init 1, HP 26/26, Speed
AC 18, Touch 11, Flat-footed 17, Fort 6, Ref 2, Will 6, Base Attack Bonus 2
+2 trip MW Tigerskull Club +6 (1d8+3, x4)
Quaterstaff +5 (1d6+3, x2)
Darts / Sling (10 / 20 ) +3 (1d4+3 / 1d4+3 , x2)
Dragonhide (White) Breastplate , Heavy Wooden Shield (+5 Armor, +2 Shield, +1 Dex)
Abilities Str 16, Dex 12, Con 16, Int 10, Wis 16, Cha 6
Condition
Dwarven Racial bonuses

Endure Elements



Stormrir
30 / 30 hp (4HD) Init +1 Speed 50 ft Fort +7, Ref +5, Will +2
AC 17 (-1 size, +1 Dex, +4 natural +3 AC), touch 10, flat-footed 16
BAB/Grapple +3/+11
Attack: 2 hooves +6 melee (1d6+4) and bite +1 melee (1d4+2)
Special Qualities: Low-light vision, scent
Abilities: Str 18, Dex 13, Con 17, Int 2, Wis 13, Cha 6
Skills/feats: Listen +5, Spot +4 / Endurance, Run
Equipment: Military saddle, Saddle bags, Std'Leather Barding

Gromnir (Wintery Huskie) - Level 3 companion
10 / 29 hp (4HD) Init +3 Speed 40 ft Fort +7, Ref +7, Will +2
AC 21 (+3 Dex, +6 natural +2 armour), touch 12, flat-footed 18
BAB/Grapple +3/+6
Full Attack: Bite +6 melee (1d8+4 + Trip (+3))
Special Qualities: Low-light vision, scent
Abilities: Str 16, Dex 16, Con 16, Int 2, Wis 12, Cha 6
Skills: Jump +9, Listen +6, Spot +6, Swim +4, Survival +2/6*
Feats: Alertness, Track, Improved Natural attack (bite) / Link, Share spells, Evasion
Equipment: Leather barding

[Saintheart]

Noon, Day 5

Complication Pool 4 of 6

Spoiler: Njal

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It was pretty clear from the tracks that these two Folken had come here from the northwest, though how far exactly wasn't clear at all. In any event, that direction was well and truly in a different direction to that which the adventurers intended on; if Njal's sense of direction hadn't failed him in the interim, Northmill Dam - hopefully the location where Lyssa Hardwalker had arranged to meet Iohn Darkstone - was off to the north by northeast.

Gromrir moistened the right side of Njal's face with precisely twelve practiced slurps of his tongue.

[Toliudar]

Verglas

Verglas stares at the pair of 'eyes' first with curiosity, then excitement and eventually reverence. Carefully, she plucks each from the primitive housing in what was undoubtedly the skull of a dragon - suck it, Professor Althausen! - and holds them up to the diffuse light of an overcast sky. She affects a note of sadness.

"Well I've got good news and bad news for you The good news is that these are beautifully crafted crystals designed to unlock the kinetic energy from a weapon and augment it pyrokinetically All of which is to say, if you stick this on your sword or club they catch fire and burn the thing that you hit with it.

"But the bad news is that these are not in fact some gift of the firebringer but a result of ancient and careful elven engineering And I know how you all feel about elven technology and since we don't have torches and pitchforks handy with which to call for their immediate destruction I can hold onto them until they can be safely thrown into a fiery pit or something That is unless one of you would consider debasing your fine and noble weapons by attaching such an enduring and demonic artifact."

She shrugs, and carefully *snikts* one of the crystals onto her crossbow.

Spoiler: Saintheart

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Thank you for making me laugh more at asterisks digressions than I have since Terry Pratchett died. Bravo.

[Novabomb]

Ramiro Sanda
Elven technology isn't demonic, just incredibly dangerous. My forebearers probably stole baubles like these all the time in the ancient days. (He smiles at the thought)

(Looks to the other two who cannot light stuff on fire with their weapons)
Maybe when we have a few years, I can show you how to do that without the shiny rock. (Initiates Burning Blade Manuver to demonstrate)

[DrK]

Njal "Stormcaller" "Ahh, not the face you furry goat." he mutters as he play wrestles the husky. Before rising, "Good news bad news folks. Blue eyed B***** came from the north west, we be heading the other way to the Dam, but keep wary eye out, there may be more of them cursed scum." As Verglas describes the crystal he offers a hand, "Flaming crystals you say eh? Cracking." He looks at it, weighing it in his hands. "Don't seem too evil to me. May i?" he asks if he see's if the crystal fits in one of the empty eye sockets of the tigerskull topping the club. As the crystal clicks in he nods, "Aye, I like that it looks good now eh?" As Ramiro swirls around, his blade igniting Njal grins. "Keep the flames hot me friend. If we meet more these blue skinned devils we be needing those flames!" Heading down the small cliff face he slips down and hops up onto Stormrir, wheeling it around he nods towards the North East. "Lets go find the lass now. Now more than ever he?" he adds, sharing a slightly darker look with Verglas as he remembers the warning the shade had given by the elven portal.

Spoiler: OOC

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Njal "Stormcaller"
M NG Dwarf (Glacier Dwarf) Druid, Level 3, Init 1, HP 26/26, Speed
AC 18, Touch 11, Flat-footed 17, Fort 6, Ref 2, Will 6, Base Attack Bonus 2
+2 trip MW Tigerskull Club +6 (1d8+3, x4)
Quaterstaff +5 (1d6+3, x2)
Darts / Sling (10 / 20 ) +3 (1d4+3 / 1d4+3 , x2)
Dragonhide (White) Breastplate , Heavy Wooden Shield (+5 Armor, +2 Shield, +1 Dex)
Abilities Str 16, Dex 12, Con 16, Int 10, Wis 16, Cha 6
Condition
Dwarven Racial bonuses

Endure Elements



Stormrir
30 / 30 hp (4HD) Init +1 Speed 50 ft Fort +7, Ref +5, Will +2
AC 17 (-1 size, +1 Dex, +4 natural +3 AC), touch 10, flat-footed 16
BAB/Grapple +3/+11
Attack: 2 hooves +6 melee (1d6+4) and bite +1 melee (1d4+2)
Special Qualities: Low-light vision, scent
Abilities: Str 18, Dex 13, Con 17, Int 2, Wis 13, Cha 6
Skills/feats: Listen +5, Spot +4 / Endurance, Run
Equipment: Military saddle, Saddle bags, Std'Leather Barding

Gromnir (Wintery Huskie) - Level 3 companion
27 / 29 hp (4HD) Init +3 Speed 40 ft Fort +7, Ref +7, Will +2
AC 21 (+3 Dex, +6 natural +2 armour), touch 12, flat-footed 18
BAB/Grapple +3/+6
Full Attack: Bite +6 melee (1d8+4 + Trip (+3))
Special Qualities: Low-light vision, scent
Abilities: Str 16, Dex 16, Con 16, Int 2, Wis 12, Cha 6
Skills: Jump +9, Listen +6, Spot +6, Swim +4, Survival +2/6*
Feats: Alertness, Track, Improved Natural attack (bite) / Link, Share spells, Evasion
Equipment: Leather barding

[Toliudar]

Verglas

Verglas finishes gathering what she could of her fallen bolts, reminding herself of yet another craft she needed to learn when all of this was behind her. With a little help from Roland, she remounts the horse.

"Indeed."

[Saintheart]

Nightfall, Day 5

Complication Pool 6 of 6

Nothing else assailed them as they moved on through the rest of the day. They were lucky enough to find a series of long rock canyons tending northeast, and Njal led them on through, out of the wind (which also proved useful since it masked their movements.) He kept an eye on the snowfalls above them for signs of avalanche, but it seemed the Five Gods had decided to cut the group a break for once, and they continued on without seeing another of the Folken. That said, they were clearly active in the area. Several times, Njal halted them to examine scrapes and footfalls in the snow, and they'd wait for several minutes before moving on. For his part, Njal was more worried about the way the tracks had moved. They didn't keep to the canyons, they seemed to come down one rock face, over the floor of the canyon, and then straight up the other side with hardly an indication of breaking pace at all. Even as they travelled, even though their progress was unimpeded, Njal could not shake the feeling that they were walking in the lines of a great palmed hand ... a hand that was closing around them.

But nightfall came, and a convenient break in one of the canyons presented itself: there was a space wide and tall enough to set up the tent, and it looked sheltered enough to keep off the howl of the wind.

If Njal had steered them right, they'd be at Northmill Dam mid-morning tomorrow.

Spoiler: OOC

Show

Right: Navigation check is made in secret.
Foraging rolls are required or use up a trail ration. The forage roll is either a WIS or Survival roll.

[Saintheart]

Daybreak, Day 6

Complication Pool: 1 of 6

Njal had thought they'd been relatively lucky. Not only had the spot they'd chosen been protected from the wind, but they'd managed to locate a small spring which hadn't been iced over, running out of the rock. Even so, there had been precious little in the way of forage. With their rations dwindling, Njal had managed to scrape together a miserable salad of knotweed, marjoram, and conifer needles. Gromrir had sniffed for rabbit but hadn't found a damn thing, the poor husky looking sadly at the dwarf in that way that dogs do. Ramiro and Roland had apparently found a small spread of chicory and eaten the coffeeweed in a few mouthfuls. Verglas, though, hadn't found anything.

And it turned out the spring was a distinctly mixed blessing as well.

Spoiler: OOC

Show

Fortitude Rolls:

Ramiro: (1d20+3)[5]
Njal: (1d20+6)[21]
Verglas: (1d20+2)[22]
Roland: (1d20+5)[19]

Because when Njal climbed to the top of the rock promontory above their rest from the night before, he found the spring was actually a tiny stream that came from further up. And a dead deer's corpse was lying right in the water.

Ramiro and Rolnad were already experiencing the implications of that. Both of the humans were pale and Roland had already thrown up right after getting up in the morning. They were both clearly sick. However, it appeared that dwarven and gnomish guts were a lot tougher, or at least could take a bit of spoiled meat in one's water; they had felt a bit queasy that morning, but neither of them appeared to be sick at all.

Spoiler: OOC

Show

Ramiro and Roland both have moderate food poisoning from the spoiled water source. They're both sickened for the day, i.e. -2 penalty on all attack rolls, weapon damage rolls, saving throws, skill checks, and ability checks. Heal checks to fix the problem are going to take time to try and rustle up a medicinal solution - herbs are few and far between out here, and even if you can find them it's going to take a fair bit of vomiting by the two humans to get them going again - so it would raise the Complication Pool by 1 to fix them, representing the passing of time.

[Novabomb]

Ramiro Sanda
We have to be close, if we let a little food poisoning stop us, the lady might find a bad end before we catch up.

[DrK]

Njal "Stormcaller" Njal fusses around Ramiro and Roland "Unlucky eh, your's guts no as strong as me and Verglas's iron guts eh. Growing up in the mountains with the run off o'the world above that'll toughen you up." He grins at the Verglas and then offers to help the other two up onto the horses, "Try and be careful today eh. Water and no much food or you'll leak on the horse." He then mounts up as well and looks to Ramiro nodding to the others, "Aye laddie, as you say. Best move onto the dam. We can take it easy if you lads be feeling usnteady"

Spoiler: OOC

Show

Njal has no heal skill

Njal "Stormcaller"
M NG Dwarf (Glacier Dwarf) Druid, Level 3, Init 1, HP 26/26, Speed
AC 18, Touch 11, Flat-footed 17, Fort 6, Ref 2, Will 6, Base Attack Bonus 2
+2 trip MW Tigerskull Club +6 (1d8+3, x4)
Quaterstaff +5 (1d6+3, x2)
Darts / Sling (10 / 20 ) +3 (1d4+3 / 1d4+3 , x2)
Dragonhide (White) Breastplate , Heavy Wooden Shield (+5 Armor, +2 Shield, +1 Dex)
Abilities Str 16, Dex 12, Con 16, Int 10, Wis 16, Cha 6
Condition
Dwarven Racial bonuses

Endure Elements



Stormrir
30 / 30 hp (4HD) Init +1 Speed 50 ft Fort +7, Ref +5, Will +2
AC 17 (-1 size, +1 Dex, +4 natural +3 AC), touch 10, flat-footed 16
BAB/Grapple +3/+11
Attack: 2 hooves +6 melee (1d6+4) and bite +1 melee (1d4+2)
Special Qualities: Low-light vision, scent
Abilities: Str 18, Dex 13, Con 17, Int 2, Wis 13, Cha 6
Skills/feats: Listen +5, Spot +4 / Endurance, Run
Equipment: Military saddle, Saddle bags, Std'Leather Barding

Gromnir (Wintery Huskie) - Level 3 companion
27 / 29 hp (4HD) Init +3 Speed 40 ft Fort +7, Ref +7, Will +2
AC 21 (+3 Dex, +6 natural +2 armour), touch 12, flat-footed 18
BAB/Grapple +3/+6
Full Attack: Bite +6 melee (1d8+4 + Trip (+3))
Special Qualities: Low-light vision, scent
Abilities: Str 16, Dex 16, Con 16, Int 2, Wis 12, Cha 6
Skills: Jump +9, Listen +6, Spot +6, Swim +4, Survival +2/6*
Feats: Alertness, Track, Improved Natural attack (bite) / Link, Share spells, Evasion
Equipment: Leather barding

[Toliudar]

Verglas

Remembering well how awful their encounter with the rats had made her, Verglas is not inclined to do overmuch to draw attention to the difficulties Roland and Rodrigo had with the tainted water. Nor was she overmuch given to hearty speeches, so could think of nothing encouraging to say. It had always been distinctly possible that they would all die, and several events had made that seem even more likely. Pointing that out to others seemed ill-advised at this time.

Verglas rides on.

[Saintheart]

Midmorning, Day 6

Complication Pool: 3 of 6

The cold had fallen back to at least an acceptable level such that although their potions froze once more, it wasn't anywhere near the bone-chilling freeze of earlier days. Clouds moved over the sky, sending the day grey.

The sharp rock and miniature canyons finally gave way. They turned a corner in the rock canyon they'd been following and the hills fell away to a wide, shallow dell stretching nearly due east to west from one horizon to the other. At the centre of the dell lay the Blade River, a mostly-iced-over snake of dark grey water almost completely choked with ice. The river was a good hundred feet across, and even after centuries under ice and cold, the fact it still had patches of moving water visible through it played testament to the river's sheer weight and force.

It also explained why there had been a dam across it. Njal had brought them dead-centre to the structure. The remains of that dam lay before them; where once there had been a dam thirty feet high straddling the whole river now lay only a couple of stubs of stone jutting out into the stream, the worked stone heavy with ice frozen over and over. The river waters still poured through the centre of the wall, where it had broken. On the side of the river closest to them was the principal reason the dam had been built: a massive tower-like structure which had a great wooden wheel at the water's edge, now frozen and half-broken. The dam, it seemed, had powered a grain mill at one time, long ago. Now it simply stood, a grey sentinel over the river, its stonework riddled and lashed with frost and snow. The entrance to the mill at least was apparent: rickety wooden stairs led up to a doorway in the rounded side of the tower ... a doorway which had no door in it and in which no light seemed to be burning.

"Firekeeper preserve us," murmured Roland, pointing, his stomach rolling despite the illness raging through it. The mill tower had a white stretch of open ground before it. In the midst of that ground, initially all but invisible for its white fur, lay a corpse a good ten feet long.

It was the remains of a sabercat.

The beast still had its riding saddle on. Its quality was visible even at this distance. Hardwalker Hall made good and solid leather.

The cat's blood and entrails had been splashed across the snow.

Of its owner, Lyssa Hardwalker, there was no sign - at least from this distance.

The wind sang softly and sadly in their ears.

[Toliudar]

Verglas

The gnome leans to the left to get a better view of the cat's remains.

"Well at least now we don't need to worry about how to keep her sabrecat from eating our horses Njal do you think you'll be able to tell by the remains and your woodcraft what kind of tracks might lead up to and away from the beast, as well of course of predicting an impossible amount of time to finish."

[DrK]

Njal "Stormcaller" Njal draws the tigrskull club and trots forward towards the corpse nodding to Verglas, "Aye wee lassie. Lets be having a look eh?" Pausing he looks carefuly around before dropping down into the snow beside the remains of the slain cat and looking at the wounds and walking in a slow spiral outwards looking for tracks. "Verglas, eh, you want to be checking the bags eg?" he suggest nodding to the saddle bags and then asking Roland/Ramiro politely "Ye lads fancy looking at the ruins? Best be sure the wee lass ain't holed up in there"

Spoiler: OOC

Show

Know (Nature) for the animal that ate the cat (1d20+4)[20]
Survival for Tracks (1d20+10)[18]

Njal "Stormcaller"
M NG Dwarf (Glacier Dwarf) Druid, Level 3, Init 1, HP 26/26, Speed
AC 18, Touch 11, Flat-footed 17, Fort 6, Ref 2, Will 6, Base Attack Bonus 2
+2 trip MW Tigerskull Club +6 (1d8+3, x4)
Quaterstaff +5 (1d6+3, x2)
Darts / Sling (10 / 20 ) +3 (1d4+3 / 1d4+3 , x2)
Dragonhide (White) Breastplate , Heavy Wooden Shield (+5 Armor, +2 Shield, +1 Dex)
Abilities Str 16, Dex 12, Con 16, Int 10, Wis 16, Cha 6
Condition
Dwarven Racial bonuses

Endure Elements



Stormrir
30 / 30 hp (4HD) Init +1 Speed 50 ft Fort +7, Ref +5, Will +2
AC 17 (-1 size, +1 Dex, +4 natural +3 AC), touch 10, flat-footed 16
BAB/Grapple +3/+11
Attack: 2 hooves +6 melee (1d6+4) and bite +1 melee (1d4+2)
Special Qualities: Low-light vision, scent
Abilities: Str 18, Dex 13, Con 17, Int 2, Wis 13, Cha 6
Skills/feats: Listen +5, Spot +4 / Endurance, Run
Equipment: Military saddle, Saddle bags, Std'Leather Barding

Gromnir (Wintery Huskie) - Level 3 companion
27 / 29 hp (4HD) Init +3 Speed 40 ft Fort +7, Ref +7, Will +2
AC 21 (+3 Dex, +6 natural +2 armour), touch 12, flat-footed 18
BAB/Grapple +3/+6
Full Attack: Bite +6 melee (1d8+4 + Trip (+3))
Special Qualities: Low-light vision, scent
Abilities: Str 16, Dex 16, Con 16, Int 2, Wis 12, Cha 6
Skills: Jump +9, Listen +6, Spot +6, Swim +4, Survival +2/6*
Feats: Alertness, Track, Improved Natural attack (bite) / Link, Share spells, Evasion
Equipment: Leather barding

[Saintheart]

Midmorning, Day 6

Complication Pool: 3 of 6

Spoiler: Njal

Show

From the look of it, there had been no attempt by anyone to disguise the tracks that were here. It was the tracks themselves that were an enigma.

Which added to the puzzle of what had killed the sabercat. Whatever it was had actually been smaller than the cat, but possessed of extraordinary strength and speed. It had torn the sabercat apart with what looked to be claws, but no animal Njal had ever seen or heard about could summon the sheer power that this creature did standing up.

Leaving that strange set of circumstances to one side, Njal looked again to the tracks, trying to piece together what had happened. Some of it was straightforward. The sabercat had arrived. Someone had alighted. Someone had been coming from the mill's tower. They met. Then one person ran ... ran towards the mill. The sabercat had intervened. There was some sort of fight, but there the puzzle began, because whatever had killed the sabercat had appeared as if out of nowhere. The struggle between the killer and the sabercat hadn't been long, but it had been enough to obscure whatever happened next. The sabercat killer's tracks were here, but they seemed ... random. Chaotic. As though it were staggering around, though Njal couldn't see any sign the creature was wounded. But the chaos of its tracks - so far as he could tell - led toward the tower.

Roland had quietly walked across to the sabercat's corpse, cutting the saddle from the body with an efficient slice or two of the straps. He opened up the two saddlebags attached to it, made a mental inventory.

Two days' worth of rations, a waterskin, what looked to be a disassembled portable hut, and a winter bedroll. Aside from the amount of rations, this was consistent with what they'd been told Lyssa Hardwalker had left the Hall with.

The crusader stood up, dropping the saddlebags to the ground. There was a candle of hope in his heart as he turned in the direction of the mill. "I think this has to be Lyssa's cat," he said. "It all seems to fit. But she's not here, so ... maybe ...?" He looked at Njal.