A Gathering Storm

[Toliudar]

Verglas

Verglas approached the girl with a strange...reverence?

"Hold still a moment I believe that I can ease the effects of the cold."

With great effort, Verglas held off peppering the girl with a dozen questions, but simply lay a hand on the blanket and chanted her spell of weatherproofing.

Spoiler: OOC

Show

Woo hoo!

Verglas casts Endure Elements on Lyssa, then backs off.

[Novabomb]

Ramiro Sanda kneels down and lends her his Replenishing Skin.
Easy now, take some water.
(He also brings the gear from above, and puts it down nearby)

[Saintheart]

Morning, Day 6

Complication Dice 4 of 6

Lyssa cringed away from Verglas's touch, but blinked when the spell rippled over her. She drank greedily from the waterskin Ramiro offered. Her gaze flicked between each of them, wary, as she took her first deep breath. "Where are you from? How did you come here?"

[DrK]

Njal "Stormcaller" Njal freezes and watches the girl cautiously. “Ware Verglas, ye remember what she be, what powers she have.” As Verglas offers her some protection from the cold Njal reaches into her bag and throws young Lyssa some meat and a water skin “Aye lass, eat, drink, be easy, ye be safe.” Then, more cautiously as he spies the mass of blood and gore on his club “Whst happened to the young lad, what made him be such a monster.”

Spoiler: OOC

Show

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
Bull strength


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
29 / 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]

Morning, Day 6

Complication Dice 4 of 6

Roland shot a warning look at Njal, but the girl was already cringing back again at the dwarf's question. "Who are you?" she repeated, her voice higher than before.

[Toliudar]

Verglas

In a time of greater leisure, Verglas would enjoy the irony of Njal cautioning Verglas to be careful, with information that she had provided him several days ago, and then throwing meat and painful questions at the frightened girl. Sadly, this is not that time.

As she had with the guardian spirit, Verglas does her best to slow her speech patterns to a level commensurate with 'scared human'. She crouches by Lyssa's side.

"Your father sent us to make sure you were safe. These are Ramiro, Roland and Njal. I am Verglas. Do you feel all right now? Is there anything else that you need?"

[Novabomb]

Ramiro Sanda acknowledges the introduction, but holds off on speaking further.

[DrK]

Njal "Stormcaller" Njal with all the social grace one expects from a dwarf that talks to wolves in the mountains doesn’t pick up on the warning signals from Verglas. As the gnome explains who they are he nods and tugs st his beard “Aye lass. We be here to take ye home, just be calm now.”

Spoiler: OOC

Show

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
Bull strength


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
29 / 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]

Morning, Day 6

Complication Dice 4 of 6

"I ... " The girl looked from one face to another, but settled eventually on Verglas's face. She nodded. " ... I'm okay. I'm hungry. I ... I think it's been two days since I ate." She suddenly put her fingers to her mouth, eyes squeezing shut, tears leaking out on both sides. She rocked, back and forth, and began sobbing.

[Novabomb]

Ramiro Sanda takes out some rations and puts it down next to her.
This may help until we cook something up. I will go collect some wood.

[Toliudar]

Verglas

Verglas was normally about as cuddly as a burr, but she had been thinking about what this girl had gone through. Leaving her family, potentially never to see them again. Travelling alone across a frozen wasteland that the four of them had barely survived working as a team. Then finally getting to the reunion with the one on whom she had pinned all her hopes, only to have that person transform into some kind beast. Possibly because of something she herself had done.

Lyssa had had a rough week.

Leaning in, Verglas reached as far around the girl as she could, and held her, firm and steady, murmuring quiet nonsense. Only when she feels Lyssa to be ready does Verglas release the hug, and guide her towards the food that Njal and Ramiro had graciously shared.

[Saintheart]

Morning, Day 6

Complication Dice 4 of 6

The crying stopped, as it always does, eventually.

When it did, Lyssa ate the rations they'd given to her. She simply sat there for a few moments after that, staring into space. Then took a deep breath, closing her eyes for a second. When she opened them again, they were a little sharper, a little more focused. "You said you came from my father?"
Roland glanced at the others, then turned to her. "We did. We crossed the Valley, trailed you here."
"You're not wearing Hardwalker sigils."
"We're not sworn to your father's Hall," said Roland.
She blinked. "You're domobezh?" She immediately bit her lip, looking down. "I'm sorry."

Spoiler: Verglas, Njal, Ramiro

Show

The term was familiar to all of them. The domovoi, the little grey men of the hearths, had their own language, and over the years some of their words had been incorporated into Common. As domovoi, roughly translated, meant 'Keeper of the Hearth', so domobezh meant 'Cold Hearth' ... or a fireplace gone out. When referring to an individual, it had also come to mean houseless. Or, clanless. Which, really, all carried the same phrase as 'adventurer'. It was the sort of word that wasn't unexpected from someone of the noble caste, but still had a touch of something to it. Like "tunnel-man" for a dwarf. The sort of word normally reserved for fireplaces in polite and rich company.

Roland smiled, faintly. "Your father had all his clansmen and sworn swords out searching the known roads. When he finally suspected you'd come this way, we were all he had left available to come out this way. He didn't think you'd try the Valley. Not until Endrow O'Mists, his mage, searched your room and--" he stopped when he saw her shiver. "What is it?"
"I don't like him," she said.
Roland frowned. "Who? Endrow?"
She didn't answer.

[Toliudar]

Verglas

Verglas settled into a comfortable cross-legged position next to Lyssa. She took note of Lyssa's reaction to Endrow, and made a mental note never to speak of her as a 'mage' around Lyssa. No use making a complicated problem even harder.

"Lyssa as Njal has pointed out we have been sent to bring you home But it's also important that we understand what you want."

She glanced at her companions. Better to address this now, while she's drained and spent, than when she might be full of piss and vinegar later. She forced herself to slow down again.

"In following you here, we came upon a cave that you visited. We understand that the guardian of that cave let you pass, for reasons that are truly extraordinary. It seems likely that you have a kind of connection to a form of magic that is very old and very powerful. I have a feeling that you know what I'm talking about. We would like to help you in any way we can. Is there anything you would like to talk about?"

[DrK]

Njal "Stormcaller" Njal steps back allowing Verglas to take the lead and busies himself in the fireplace of the chamber breaking furniture down before striking a fire to start warming the place up Whilst not speaking he is listening intently

Spoiler: OOC

Show

Take 10 on survival to get a fire started

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
Bull strength


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
29 / 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]

Morning, Day 6

Complication Dice 4 of 6

Lyssa raised her knees to her chest, ducking her head behind them as Verglas started talking about the cave and the magic. For a few moments it seemed like she might not speak again. But then her head came up, and there were tears again. "I want to go home," she said, softly.

A few moments of silence.

"I didn't do anything to him," she said, suddenly. "I - I got here, and he came out to meet me. And - and - and - we hugged, and then he kissed me. That - that was when he started screaming. Screaming. Daylight, my - my sabercat, it started snarling, and I got backwards, and he turned into this ... this ..."

And she lowered her head to her knees again, shuddering.

Spoiler: Verglas

Show

And that was a relief.

Well, insofar as you could consider anything dealing with a living geyser of magical power a relief. Which it sort of was. It wasn't actually that she was relieving herself, no, quite the opposite, but anyway it was making it clear* -- on all the study she'd made of the mystic arts so far (both licit and otherwise) -- that it wasn't Lyssa who had done this to the boy outside. No, that sequence of events was entirely consistent with something else, something rather not cricket**** at all. The transformation upon the kiss was an uncommon form of a powerful curse which could be laid on the recipient. The odd part was that, historically, the curse had shown up associated with stories of rejected lovers, or at least required some powerful emotion to transmit it. But in either case, the curse was real: a potent spell that stuck to the victim's soul like a tongue to cold steel, and couldn't be reversed without first killing the sentient being who'd placed the curse in the first place. After that, removing the curse was relatively straightforward: a practitioner of the arcane arts couldn't achieve it, but a priest of any of the Five Gods could.



* Because of the law of conservation of energy, when Verglas's speech slowed down, her thought train** often hit full throttle to compensate.

** Sometimes she didn't understand her own metaphors, mainly because they hadn't been invented yet***

*** But they might have been invented, and that was the important part for the same section of her brain.

**** 'Cricket' being a term for a small, rare insect that lived on the Archipelagos and tended to go dree, dree, dree in the presence of unfair play.

[Toliudar]

Verglas

As if in unconscious mirror to Lyssa, Verglas drew her knees up to her mouth and rested her chin there for a moment, thinking. So, if the source wasn't the girl herself, then maybe...this Endrow? Someone at the boy's hall, playing politics or a personal vendetta of some kind. Someone else who had studied the forbidden magic of the elves. Regardless, this was a conundrum to be teased out at a time of rest, not while they were burning what passed for daylight.

It was interesting that, although Verglas had asked Lyssa about the cave and her experiences there, she had leapt immediately to thoughts of the boy's transformation, although Verglas hadn't mentioned him at all. So either Lyssa wasn't aware of her own power, still, or else was deliberately avoiding any conversation of it. Both reasonable, Verglas supposed.

Her voice was soft and as slow as she could manage.

"It will be a major challenge to get you home safely before the killing storms arrive. We should go, now. But...I'm afraid that when we came in, looking for you, the young man attacked us, and we had to kill him to make him stop. In death, he has transformed back to his true form. Would you like to see him before we go?"

Spoiler: OOC

Show

Three nested and hilarious footnotes? That's Terry Pratchett level digression. Respect.

Verglas is definitely going to go invent trains now. Specifically, she will invent Snowpiercer!

[Saintheart]

Morning, Day 6

Complication Dice 4 of 6

Lyssa looked at Verglas for long moments, eyes searching the gnome's face. Verglas simply could not tell what she was thinking. Then, just as abruptly, she nodded, her head jerking.

Roland got to his haunches, murmuring in Verglas's ear: "Give me a few moments to -- tidy up." The crusader stood up and shuffled out of the room and toward the stairs, flexing his hands.

The fire was burning brightly, albeit a makeshift one from a set of tumbledown stones on the northern arc of the room's wall, by the time Roland came back. Lyssa was holding Verglas's little hand tightly as the five survivors headed up the stairs to the level of the tower's entrance.

Roland had found a relatively clean sheet and covered the body except the boy's shoulders and face, which now lay cold and composed like marble statuary. The crusader had also tried to set a few of the overturned bits of furniture and other items straight. It was no great funeral parlour, but at least neither did it resemble a battleground.

Lyssa was still clutching Verglas's hand as she knelt down, slowly, next to Iohn Darkstone's body. There were no tears, Ramiro was surprised to see; still, it might simply have been shock or outright grief. Such occasions were not unknown even at his monastery, where the challenges were still dangerous and forbidding for the unready.

Roland crouched down near Lyssa and Verglas. "Lady Hardwalker ... we'll give you a few moments," he said, softly as he could, glancing at Verglas. Lyssa nodded slowly.

The group of four drew up about as far from the staring girl as they could without leaving the tower. Roland looked at Verglas and the others. "We've a fireplace enough to keep for the rest of the day," he said quietly. "I heard you say that we need to go, but I thought it'd be best to decide whether or not to go or stay the night. She's had an awful shock to the system, and this will be another. We're also going to need to work out how we move and where. I suppose we could try and find the passageway again ... much as that place makes me uneasy ... but that's straight back through Frost Folk lands, and we've been pretty lucky so far. Should we try for Lastbreath Pass instead? There's woods over that way - might be easier going than trying for the elven ruin again." He glanced over his shoulder at Lyssa before turning back to the group again. "She has a shelter we could bring I suppose, and her gear's Hardwalker-make and half-decent stuff for snowwalking, but we don't have much food ... and if we travel fast, there'll be no time to forage. This isn't going to be easy."

[Toliudar]

Verglas

Verglas stayed silent through the process of leaving the mill, and of reclaiming Lyssa's gear from the gutted cat. She did what she could with simple touch, with holding Lyssa's hand.

Afterward, Verglas considered Roland's words.

"We have a shelter of sorts now, and a host of reasons to use all the daylight we have. I vote to go now. Also, bad as the frostfolk were, we know them, and know where they are. The pass, and the rest of the dangers along that route, are not known. I vote for retracing our path to Hardwalker Hall."

[Novabomb]

Ramiro Sanda
Of course she wants to see the caves again.

I agree that we should not tarry here.
I do not agree that we should be looking for the tempermental magical cavern.
We have no guarantee it will not be wreathed in illusion, or worse even in the same location.
I do not think we will have the time to use the pass if we fail to locate the cavern.
Also, I think we are more likely to find something edible along the forest edge.

[DrK]

Njal "Stormcaller" Whilst the lass looks at the body of her fallen lover Njal talks wit the others. "We should move fast. If we be caught out the Gravewind will flay and freeze us. I would agree with Ramiro. IThe pass be the most direct way and the edge of the woods give us a route to march. The Spear was treacherous and we get turned around again." Patting his side and looking at the still fresh scar on Gromnir, "The frost folk are savage, if we meet more we may be done for..." Gl;ancing at the massive Stormrir he nods, "If the wee lass wants she ride with me, I don't stink too bad and Stormrir won't notice a waif like her."

Spoiler: OOC

Show

Take 10 on survival to get a fire started

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
29 / 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

Knowing the others' feelings about the elven stronghold, Verglas does not press her point further, but simply helps Roland add Lyssa's camping equipment to the back of his horse, and then mounts up.

[Novabomb]

Ramiro Sanda
Time to get back to civilization.

[Saintheart]

Middday, Day 6

Complication Dice 5 of 6

They set out for Lastbreath Pass at a quick pace. The air had grown cold enough that they had to don cold weather gear, though for a miracle it didn't seem to get any more icy or windy. Even more luck was that it was an overcast day, sparing both the adventurers' eyes and those of Lyssa, who sat quietly on the back of the offered horse, saying nothing, staring into the space right before her. Verglas turned and was sure she saw the girl wipe at her face now and then, but Lyssa didn't speak to her and didn't meet her gaze.

It only took an hour to leave the sluggish, ice-choked Blade River behind and move up and back into the hills again. Dying blues and greys replaced the open air as Njal tried once more to find a path through the maze of canyons that kept them off visible hillsides. It wasn't easy. Unlike the route to Northmill Dam, finding a path southeast in the rough direction of the Pass was Unbroken-Shackles hard. At least once or twice he had to reverse their course and take another pathway.

They toiled on, though, and by around midday the dwarf sighed with relief as the hills finally began to give some of their toughness and bend to his skill. Rocky canyons began to give way to more rolling hills of snow. The first signs of scrubby vegetation began to show: the last stand of lichen on a rock; the sharp white flowers of Artus's Bane here and there; a lone, dying pine on a hilltop.

That was when the snow-covered ground about thirty feet ahead of Njal erupted, and the creature exploded into the air.

It didn't attack, even though Gromrir was barking madly and snarling. The great, white expanse of the creature's membranes opened to the sky, and the beast gave a few quick wingbeats, snow falling from it like a storm. It glided the rest of the way and came to a half-skidding stop a good seventy feet out. Somewhere behind him, Lyssa screamed.

Spoiler: OOC

Show

Two eyeless heads swung around to lock their vision in Njal and the adventurers' direction. A part of the dwarf calculated the creature was about seventy feet out. It didn't move or charge. One of the creature's eyeless heads moved, exposing teeth, and a guttural ... words?

The creature suddenly became blurred - as though it wasn't fully in one place. Njal was momentarily confused by the change.

Spoiler: Njal

Show

He had no idea what in the name of Shattered Chains this thing was.

Verglas wasn't.

Spoiler: Verglas

Show

She recognised that the creature had used an innate ability similar to spellcasting, an incantation aped by some mages and known simply as Blur.

But that was mainly because she recognised the creature.

Snowcloaks, as they were known, once had been in near-plague proportions in Gullcry. They favoured the snowy, hill-covered hinterlands of that distant place. And the reason they favoured such regions was principally because ice gnomes generally made their homes in such regions.

Why exactly snowcloaks hunted gnomes in particular was never that clear. It might have merely been for the fact they were easy prey: small, not mobile, living in hills, not easily able to run or fight. Humans had longbows and dwarves had axes and a generally foul taste in the mouth. Gnomes were neither blessed nor cursed with either. Whatever the reason, her people had been some of their favoured prey. Whole gnomish communities had disappeared 'under the ghost storm'. And it had taken centuries of gnomish time, hunting, patience, and blood, and tears, to finally drive off enough of the creatures to make it relatively safe for an ice gnome to walk the Gull'i hills.

She knew of them from her youth and from her studies. Fliers; poisonous. More dangerous were their magic abilities: they could flit between places in the blink of an eye, within limits; could hurl packets of arcane power at people; could obscure their presence, and make it difficult to hit them, as this one was. It was said they could communicate in the Common argot ... though that education had probably come from inherited memory of gnomes screaming as it attacked.

And she also knew this one wasn't yet attacking. It seemed to be ... cautious. It hadn't used its near-perfect concealment in the snow to jump Njal even though he and Gromnir had nearly walked right onto it. Maybe it wasn't well, or maybe it was conserving energy. Or maybe it had already eaten. Or maybe it was just sizing them up before attacking.

Point being - there was still time to do something.

Spoiler: OOC

Show

What do you do?

[Toliudar]

Verglas

They had stared down wolves, and Verglas had been nervous. Chatted with a hungry sabrecat, and Verglas had been tense. Nearly died back in the millhouse, and Verglas had been wary.

Now, though, Verglas was visibly terrified.

"F*ck that's a motherf*ck snowcloak f*ck f*ck Poisonous and very powerful magics f*ck f*ck f*ck Thought all of those f*ckers had f*cking died right the f*ck out Um They can teleport and hurl magical energy and sh*t sh*t sh*t um use concealing magic like this f*cker just f*cking did. I don't know why it's not eating us right f*cking now don't know why we're not already f*cking dead It can understand us maybe try negotiating f*ck I don't know."

Several times in the past week, Verglas has stepped forward to speak on behalf of the group, to try to smooth over a tense situation. This is clearly not going to be the case this time.

[DrK]

Njal "Stormcaller" Njal jumped, barely holding onto the saddle as the weird two headed beast burst out the snow, shimmering in the dim light. He looked at Verglas, "Snowcloak, aye, soon enough be a damned snowrug.." he grumbles as we watches it. Pulling out the tigerskull club he mutters under his breath, strength pouring into him as he readies for a fight, the wolf by his feet swelling and growing with the mountain's strength.

Spoiler: OOC

Show

Draw tigerskull club
Cast bull strength

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
29 / 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

[Novabomb]

Ramiro Sanda does not draw his weapon, secure in his hands if need be, and takes two steps forward putting him ahead of Nijal.

What do you want?

[Saintheart]

Midday, Day 6

Complication Dice 5 of 6

"Food," said one of the heads. The noise was almost a snarl. It tipped ice down Verglas's spine. The snowcloak slid back carefully as Ramiro stepped beyond Njal, maintaining the distance between them. "Not have to die here," it said.

The other head uttered more liquid words, the syllables forgotten the moment the party members heard them. And suddenly, with no wind, a cloud of snow whipped up between the snowcloak and Ramiro's positions, making it even harder to pinpoint the creature.

Spoiler: Verglas

Show

Again, part of the creature's innate abilities; again, arcanists had duplicated the effect and named it obscuring snow.

Roland shifted back next to the girl's mount. "Lyssa." His voice was soft enough only to carry to Verglas's ears. "Get off the horse. If he spooks and goes runaway you won't be able to stop him. Don't leave my side - no matter what happens. If this thing is a hunter it'll try to pick us off one at a time. Don't make its job any easier."

The girl gave an anguished-sounding sob, sliding off the saddle.

[Toliudar]

Verglas

Processing Roland's words, Verglas virtually tumbles off of the horse as well, then turns to Roland and speaks with urgency.

"Give it the horse All it wants is a meal."

[Saintheart]

Midday, Day 6

Complication Dice 5 of 6

"Do that and it's going to be even harder to keep up this pace," Roland grated, trying to keep his eye on where the snowcloak's form was barely-visible. "You really want to risk that?"

[Toliudar]

Verglas

A rapidfire torrent of panicked verbiage pours out of Verglas.

"You're right I'd much rather have my innards fried by unshaped magical energies, then have needle-like fangs inject poison into my guts before it crushes my entire body into a bolus that it can swallow whole Hey there's a strategy Convince the Snowcloak to eat all of us and then fly safely to HardF*ck Castle YES I WANT YOU TO GIVE IT THE HORSE."