Reign of Winter: The Snows of Summer [IC]

[lostsole31]

Spoiler: The Voice >>> Amanau, Drina, Griss

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<"Oh, now, I take some responsibility for that. I was behind you for a laugh, but you never noticed .... and they never laughed.>"

She does not take Amanu's hand, even recoiling some at the prospect of physical contact. <"You must mean the rumors of strange weather in the Border Wood. They call me Darkhelm, the Peaceful Void, those who do speak of me. Personally, I think that is a bit on the nose. But as I don't have a nose, the social offense is forgiven. Well, what would you of me?">

[jss1701]

Spoiler: Griss

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Griss can't help laughing at that. "You don't resemble any being I've ever met before, but you certainly have a well developed sense of humor. It's too bad circumstances require action right now. I think I'd enjoy chatting with you over a drink, assuming you do drink?"

[Ostoril]

Spoiler: Amanu

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Amanu pulls his hand back. "Apologise." He rests the butt of his musket on the ground and leans on it slightly. "The villagers suggested you might have some knowledge about what is causing such strange events. The delicate balance of nature is threatened. The village, your bees, and possibly more are in danger. I beseech you for any wisdom you might provide in my quest to restore order." Amanu bows.

[lostsole31]

Spoiler: Darkhelm >>> Amanu, Griss, and Drina

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<"I do not drink alcohol. I do derive sustenance, though, even if I don't do so the way you would.>"

There is an unnerving silence, or rather - stillness - as Amanu speaks and she does not fidget or move or any of the normal things people do unconsciously when listening.

<"I don't derive wisdom out of the ether. Show me this peril, that I may decide for myself.">

[Ostoril]

Spoiler: Amanu

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Amanu pauses to ponder the creature and consider if he has heard of such a thing before. "Then, would you consider joining us to investigate? We have not witnessed it ourselves, though there are some in the village who claim to have witnessed it. Some of our fellows went to question them. The villagers spoke little of you, I thought it best to see if you knew anything before venturing into possible danger."

[Toptomcat]

Spoiler: Minh >>>Yuln, Isolde, and Tenzei

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Minh

Minh gently takes the blade from the fallen warrior, his other hand gently taking the man's wrist and guiding it back to the bed as he falls back into unconsciousness. He unsheathes it, testing its balance and observing its workmanship: judging both to be good, he gives the sleeping man a shallow bow, speaking softly so as not to wake the patient.

"I will defend my comrades staunchly, bear pain and endure fear without complaint. I will see this sword bloodied with those who wounded you and killed your comrades. And given half a chance, I will rescue your charge and see them returned to your side."

There is a smile on his lips. He seems touched as he turns away, speaking just as quietly but more casually to Isolde and Tenzei as we leave.

"Can't promise I'll do it in a way the poor fellow'd be proud of, though. Whether he'd like it or not, I will lie, sneak, scheme and cheat to see the thing done and keep the lot of you safe..."

A glance at Isolde.

"...whether or not you approve of me."

He stops at the doorframe as a thought strikes him

"Miss...Tesssarea, I believe? Men in his condition, with a wound to the head- sometimes they remember more than it seems at first. Things come back to them gradually, unpredictably. If he mentions anything about the enemy that might be useful- numbers, magics, capabilities- we would be grateful if you'd let us know."

With a nod to the apothecary, he turns back to Tenzei and Isolde.

"Say we find them. A few of these...tiny winterthings. Is the plan to take prisoners and ask questions, or simply to kill? Beings like us have...leaders and hierarchies and plans and reasons for what they do. There are stories in my homeland of some such creatures...others were beings of insane malice, or unfathomable alienness, or animal hunger. I don't have a great idea of whether 'fey' means bakemono or youkai or akuma or yurei or if it's something that doesn't match any of those things. The gods and monsters here are not what they are in my homeland...and in any case, I was never much of an expert on them, either! Do either of you know what manner of thing we've signed up to fight?"

[lostsole31]

Bee Yard

Without any facial expressions it is tough to tell what is going through Darkhelm's mind, but she simply walks past Amanu and down the footpath to town ... Amanu, Drina, and Griss having to catch up as she heads to Town Hall, knowing who likely would have sent the three of you.

---

Willowbark Apothecary

Minh, you are holding a type of arming sword with a unique cultural flourish, especially at the pommel. Something about the metal is different than any steel you've wielded before. it is a grayer, and a little less reflective than any weapons grade steel you've seen before. That said, while the steel might look somewhat less refined, there is a superb balance in this sword, it is a thing of functional beauty, and there is unfamiliar runic writing on the blade and crossguard.

Though Minh asked a group of questions of the others, these are questions which everyone will want to weigh in on (or iisten to ... or ignore), so they hold off on them and return to Town Hall.

---

Town Hall (Everyone together)

Before we get to Minh's battery of questions, there is a strange .... creature .... with Amanu, Drina, and Griss. This creature is humanoid in shape, and even in general form, but that is where that ends. For this humanoid appears to be unfinished. It ... she, if they identify with their particular shape and the timbre of their voice ... is quite tall at 6' 3" and of lean but sturdy musculature, or at least the shape of it, it is hard to tell. Her skin ... of which more shows than any of your are comfortable ... is pitch black, and yet semi-reflective of light. Not like a mirror, but definitely not a "matte" black.

She has no face. She has only a head that is perfectly smooth that has no eyes, brow, noise, mouth, ears, hair ... or anything else which gives function to the externals of a face. However, there are several markings where one would have a left eye ... if they had a left eye. These markings area a faintly orange-bordered magent above where the eye would be, and an orange or burnt ochre below where the eye would be.

The only covering clothing she wears is a bikini bottom, but that bottom must include an internal cinching strap to hug solidly, for on both sides of these bottoms are pouches.

She wears a necklace that is tight to her throat from which hangs a bit of honeycomb.

Councilor Teppen looks away from this creature. Old Mother looks on in mix of respect and dread. Elder Safaren, however, introduces "her" to Isolde, Minh, and Tenzei. "This is Darkhelm, the Peaceful Void ... our beekeeper. It seems she is willing to walk with you to the Border Wood to determine for herself what danger is there."

[Toptomcat]

Minh
The sight waiting for him visibly intrigues the nagaji.

A beekeeping nudist. There's a masochism joke in there somewhere, but that's probably not the best idea for a first impression.

Deciding to go with formality over badly-timed wit, he steps boldly forward and introduces himself.

"I am Minh Rong Ngo. It is good to meet you, Darkhelm.

I've roamed from the Dragon Empires to Casmaron to the Inner Sea, and I have never met a Peaceful Void before. Are your people reclusive?"

[lostsole31]

There seems to be a visible nod of the head. Actually, she has to exaggerate the movement a little bit, since the lack of "features" on her face might make a slight nod imperceptible.

[Toptomcat]

Minh
His self-control slipping for a moment, Minh makes a momentary, nervous glance at Amanu, Drina, and Griss, hoping for one of them to give a bit of context for this awkward interaction with this bizarre, silent newcomer they've presumably been introduced to already.

"...a woman of few words, I see."

At least I'll look normal in comparison, I suppose?

He breathes in to steady himself and soldiers on, hoping a change in topic will make for an easier conversation.

"We've met with Yuln, and have more information than we started with- if perhaps less than we'd hoped. His party met with bandits first, repulsed them, then fell to an attack by 'cold fey'- beings no more than a foot tall, fast, dangerous in close. Specifics on number, organization, tactics, capabilities, and degree of cooperation with the mortal bandits are thin, partly due to the chaos of the encounter and partly due to Yuln's poor condition. He also called them...winterthings? Wintertouched, that's it. He thought he'd managed to kill one, but wasn't certain."

He makes a sweeping, somewhat puzzled gesture.

"I don't really know how we should go about dealing with such things. Is the plan to take prisoners and ask questions, or simply to kill? Beings like us have...leaders and hierarchies and plans and reasons for what they do. There are stories in my homeland of some such creatures...others were beings of insane malice, or unfathomable alienness, or animal hunger. I don't have a great idea of whether 'fey' means bakemono or youkai or akuma or yurei or shikigami or if it's something that doesn't match any of those things. The gods and monsters here are not what they are in my homeland...and in any case, I was never much of an expert on them, either! Does this story of Yuln's ring a bell with any of you?"

[Denomar]

Tenzei lurks in the background staring openly at a species that he has definitely no experience with.

He shifts from one foot to the next, briefly tensing each muscle in succession, preparing himself to be back on the road again.

[Ostoril]

Amanu looks at Minh. "We know only that these 'Wintertouched'" He pauses a moment thinking if he has ever heard of such creatures and continues "Are upsetting the natural balance and have attacked others, rather harshly. If we can capture them, wonderful, but we should not underestimate them. I shall aim to bring them down and hopefully their bodies can tell us what we need."

[jss1701]

Griss voices his view as well, "I have no desire to take lives unnecessarily, though taking prisoners may not be practical. We should consider what we are to do with prisoners, should we have any."

[lostsole31]

Everyone in the room hears a woman's voice in both ears, as if the same woman was on each side of your heads, speaking to you, but managing to cut through aural distractions.

<"I am less interested in the troublemakers so much as I am curious about the trouble .... brought on by this strange, rumored 'winter'.">

[Toptomcat]

Minh
Minh starts, blinks, turns abruptly toward the strange woman to sharply ask why she didn't do that before, thinks better of it, and takes a moment to recompose himself.

"I-that is...Yes. Yes, I agree it's a bigger problem in the long view. I don't really want to capture and question the winterthings as a goal, I was thinking of it more as a way to investigate where the wintery weather came from. I wouldn't know how to begin investigating a...patch?...of magical winter itself.

Besides just 'head for the middle', I suppose?"

[lostsole31]

Again, there is that nod which on a normal head would be easy to notice, but on hers it is more difficult. It is easier to track this time, though, as she seems to nod several times.

[doko239]

Isolde silently regards the stranger, trying to determine what exactly it might really be, and what might be motivating it.

Minh
"I-that is...Yes. Yes, I agree it's a bigger problem in the long view. I don't really want to capture and question the winterthings as a goal, I was thinking of it more as a way to investigate where the wintery weather came from. I wouldn't know how to begin investigating a...patch?...of magical winter itself.

Besides just 'head for the middle', I suppose?"

At this Isolde shakes her head.

"Moving straight towards the center of this effect without knowing anything about it would be foolish bordering on suicidal. We MUST have more information. Yuln proved to be less than helpful, but there may be something to learn at the site of the attack. That should be our first goal."

Spoiler: OOC

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Attempt a check to figure out what in the hell this thing is probably also a Sense Motive check to see if I think I can trust it, but without a face that's probably a lost cause

[Denomar]

"All of these opinions sound sensible to me. For what it is worth, the danger to the people of being carried off against their will outweighs the morality of these wintertouched to their lives. Especially if they are using what breaths they have to ruin those with no say in the fight." Tenzei ponders. "I foresee a great disruption in the fur trading and livestock trades in coming times. Demand for warmer clothing and foods that can survive colder weather will do much to affect these prices, as my former masters would say."

[lostsole31]

Tenzei senses the dark creature regard him this whole time. When he is done speaking, there is a much more visible, emphatic, single nod of the head. She walks to the front of the Temple, and then out the door ... the door has been left open.

[Ostoril]

Seeing the creature begin to leave, Amanu follows.

[Toptomcat]

Minh
"I suppose that's a good economic analysis, but I'm not sure-"

Minh stops in midsentence as he sees the strange woman begin to leave and strides across the room to stick his head out the door.

"Miss Darkhelm? Where are you going? I hope I haven't made you feel unwelcome."

There's sincere, honest concern in his voice: the newcomer has been confusing but hardly rude or unpleasant, and he of all people knows how aggravating it can be to be judged on first appearances.

[Kvard51]

Drina covers her mouth to suppress her laugh and falls in behind The Peaceful Void.

[doko239]

With a raised eyebrow at the abrupt departure, Isolde follows.

[jss1701]

Griss follows as well.

[lostsole31]

With Amanu, Drina, Griss, and Isolde following and walking cutting across the town square .... the assumption is that Tenzei and Minh follow.

[lostsole31]

The attack on Lady Argentea's caravan took place approximately 6 miles south of Heldren. None of the intervening territory has been affected by the wintry weather over the Border Wood yet, though the air grows noticeably cooler as the PCs come to the forest's edge.

Near the forest, the temperature grows noticeably colder. The road ahead is littered with debris and the corpses of slain humans and horses. A carriage stands in the roadway, its team of horses missing or cut free, while another overturned carriage lies sprawled and broken next to the tree line. To the south, more bodies have fallen around what appears to be a statue of ice. A snowy trail leads deeper into the forest.

The temperature here has dropped considerably, hovering just above freezing.

The party stands, looking at this site of death.

What do you do?

[jss1701]

Griss will shift into Spirit Sensing Stance, in an attempt to keep anything unseen from sneaking up on them. He will then make a thorough assessment, of the area, noting aloud anything of importance, so everyone is on the same footing.

[lostsole31]

Griss gets into a low, hypervigilant crouch, like a cat(man) about to pounce on an unseen something.

What is the party going to investigate first?

[Ostoril]

Amanu shivers both from the cold and from the frightful scene. He first moves to look for any creatures lying in wait, making sure to avoid the ice statue on his initial investigation, noting aloud it's presence being particularly unusual.

Spoiler: OOC

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Amanu's first priority is looking for immediate threats, such as creatures lurking in ambush, or perhaps just 'chilling' inside one of the carriages.
Second would be to investigate the statue, viewing it as a potential threat (keep distance from it.) and trying to see if he can recognize what it is.

[lostsole31]

Amanu closes on the statue, but still at a standoff of ten feet. Just from a glance, this appears to be a gruesome "statue" of a Taldan man's frozen body encased in ice. He appears to have accoutrements that make it seem like he was of higher importance or status than the other guards. Unfortunately, the captain's body is no longer intact, as pieces of him were carved away .... those pieces now laying on the ground at his feet and slowly melting blocks of fleshy ice that are melting at the unfortunate man's feet.

He still wears his breastplate emblazoned with heraldry, and one of the chunks of ice on the ground contains the captain's arm, still grasping a very high-quality longsword.

Drina and Darkhelm would get a little closer, and with a combination of speech (Drina) and telepathy (Darkhelm) the two determine that the heraldry on the captain's chest is definitely Taldan, indicating a guard in the service of the Malassene noble family.

What now?