[Adventure] Path of Cold (DM: Velmont, Judge: Ozymandias79)

Path of Cold is Part 2 of the Path Trilogy

Party Members:
Incarnation Warforged Warlock 10 (Stonegod)
Dane Thoradin Dwarf Fighter 8 (Nebten)
Sigarr Goliath Barbarian 10 (renau1g)
Hadrak Dwarf Cleric 10 (Mal Malenkirk)
Raiyek Meliam Elf Paladin 8 (Lord Sessadore)
George Stoneburner Dwarf Wizard 9 (johnmeier1)

1. Please include a link to your character sheet in you first post of the thread. Keep your character sheet up-to-date as I use them a lot.

2. In combat I will track your hitpoints and status effects, AP, Healing Surge and power used. But please assure you everything is correct, I'm far from being perfect.

3. If you are using a wishlist, and it gets updated, please let me know. If you are not using a wishlist, no worries. In L4W, not all treasure will be from wishlists, but I do use them.

4. I will roll initiative for all. You do not need to wait for you're turn in initiative to post your actions. Enemies will usually go on one initiative.

Effects happen in the order you post. Any effects lasting for an entire round, that should effect you, do, but only once per round the effect exists, despite you're posting order.

If you tie for initiative with the enemy, you will go first.

5. I will not post full stats for enemies. All status effects will be posted. Auras will be posted once they first take noticeable affect. HP will be posted once bloody. Defenses will be revealed individually once hit. Some familiar monsters are modified.

6. If an sblock is labeled for someone other than you, I ask you not to read it.

7. If you do not post for 2 days, and we are in a skill challenge or combat encounter, I will allow myself to post for you. I will generally use At-Will Powers unless obvious survival choice are needed to be done.

8. If you have an image you'd like to use for your token, please send me the file julien(dot)deslieres(at)gmail(dot)com.

9. If Invisible Castle is down and you don't like ENWorld dice roller, you may use Dice Room or post your actions and I will make the rolls.

10. Golden Rule 1: Have fun.

11. Golden Rule 2: Spread your fun to others. Good roleplay will be rewarded by XP.

Another beautiful day is ending on the forest. The sounds of small river resonate between the trees. The voice of the birds are slowly fading away as they go asleep. Small rodents and nocturnal predator are slowly waking as the forest grow darker. The natural life follow his course.

Sigarr exits Daunton, ignoring any calls for spare change and the stares he receives as such an exotic humanoid. The barbarian pulls out a small notebook, well worn and flips to where he made an entry after his meeting with Elinear. Finding the passage, Sigarr then reads where he was to make camp to wait for the eladrin.

The barbarian marches towards the spot and goes about the work to make camp, laying out his bedroll, setting up a fire pit, and then the giant went to the surrounding area to hunt some game. After a few hours he returned with a fair-sized buck, a few handfuls of edible berries and mushrooms, and some root vegetables. Sigarr begins roasting the meat, his mouth watering at the thought of venison, this one likely far leaner and tastier than the large reindeer that inhabited his homeland. The smell of cooking drifts through the air...

After the great festin Sigarr have eaten, he feels the slumber gaining on him. He tries to stay alert but time pass and he can't stop himself to fall asleep.

A small sounds awake Sigarr. The faint noise wouldn't have awake the normal man, but Sigarr had lived in more dangerous land. The darkness is deep, the fire is not anymore burning, only burning red ashes give a small glow that doesn't allow his sight to distinguish the color of his own hands, even less the shape of the creature or person who is roaming near him. His instinct are alerting him of a presence, maybe more, but he doesn't feel any immediate danger.

He puts his hand on his strange weapon, preferring to be cautious, but as he does so, he hears a deep and cold voice warning him. "I wouldn't do that if I was you. You could regret it."

Suddenly, a flash lights up all the surrounding, blinding Sigarr for a moment. As his eyes start to recover and show him an Eladrin smiling at him. On a warmer tone, he adds "You could hurt a friend."

"Ah! Be careful, I could've skewered you like a wild boar. It has been a long time friend, what have you been up to these longs months Elinear?" Sigarr asks, sitting up from his prone position, resting on his large arms.

"I've continued my studies under my master. I've never told exactly what I have been doing, because in the Jade Kingdom, there was ears that could hear things they shouldn't. Now we are in the domain of my master, I'll be able to give you more detail. And you will like it."

The Eladrin, dressed in relative finery though well worn, approach Sigarr and shakes hands with him. "It's a small walk from here, gather your things, I'll show you."

The Barbarian do as his old friend asks. He gather his things and follow him. After almost half an hour of walk in the forest, Sigarr talking about his studies since they have last seen each other, Sigarr guess they have reach their destination.

It is small clearing that opens up into a surprisingly large one. They find themselves in a circle of very tightly woven trees. There's an aura about the place that Sigarr can't quite place your finger on. There's only one other clear break in the wall of trees off to one side, where a separate, smaller circle holds a natural spring.

Five individuals fill the area. Closest to the entrance sits a goblin, wearing animal hides. He props one arms on top of a waraxe and looks at you with an untrusting eye. Next to him sits a young half-elf girl, also wearing hides but they have been fashioned a bit more to look like normal clothes. She seems about teenaged in years. She is tending to a small fire.

In another area, two men seems to practice fencing. The first human is wearing leather, the other wearing quality, but well worn clothing with a dagger in his belt. They are both wielding long swords. A third person, a dragonborn, seems to look at their practice. He has a leathery dark brown skin, and is also wearing scale mail. A bastard sword is longsword is sheathed at his side and a heavy shield rests nearby. The three seems to stop their activity and stare a moment at Sigarr.

"Two of our companions are still patrolling. It is one of them who found you and report it to me." tells Elinear. "Let me show you."

As he lead Sigarr in a corner of the clearing, the others seems to return to their activities. Sigarr and Elinear stop near a tree and he asks "What do you see?"

[SBLOCK=Nature or Arcane 14]You notice runes of nature etched into the ground and trees. There are others of a different kind as well.

[SBLOCK=Nature 19]The runes appear to be those of protection as well as designed to hold something back. [/SBLOCK]

[sblock=History 10]About 50 years ago Arga the black enacted a great ritual to seal off all portals from Arcadia or the Feywild to Daunton, bringing great peace to the island.

[sblock=History 16]For many generations, some say as long as humans were on Daunton, it's great woods were known as being connected to Arcadia. The people of Daunton were not only under constant threat from its strange and powerful creatures.

Even more troublesome however, is that the Savage Land was also connected to Arcadia. The savage goblinoids there had long ago learned how to navigate the Feypaths, using it to raid the Dauntonian settlements.

[sblock=History 21]The Great Seal is easily what Arga the Black is most well known for in Daunton and is often sighted as the reason her statue was erected. It is unknown exactly how she enacted the ritual but documents recall that before she was succesful she had disappeared from Daunton for weeks.

Her seals were said to be permanent at the time.

[sblock=History 26]Arga never actually said she had enacted a permanent solution, only that the people of Daunton were safe for now. It is believed she had some kind of plan for the Seals to stay in place and many believe that involved her famous pupil Mauros Esthanapiros.

Some shifter clans tell tales of a time before other on Daunton, before the planes every began to merge.[/sblock][/sblock][/sblock][/sblock]

[sblock=Arcana 10]About 50 years ago Arga the black enacted a great ritual to seal off all portals from Arcadia or the Feywild to Daunton, bringing great peace to the island.

[sblock=Arcana 16]Arcadia is one of the closest planes to our own. It is not uncommon for rifts to appear, or bleeding as it often referred to, not just in Daunton but in all the isles.

Daunton seems particularity susceptible to it however, to the point that some Arcanists have concluded their must be some additional influence causing the issue.

Arcadia, of course, is also the home to the original Eladrins and some believe the gnomes as well.

[sblock=Arcana 19] This runes are connected to the Feywild in some way, but are unclear, as if in a new style you have not studied. Likely they are the seals created by Arga fifty years ago.

[sblock=Arcana 21]The Great Ritual of Sealing was of Arga's own creation and a copy of it never resurfaced after her death, to the shock and embarrassment of Dauntonian Librarians.

Many believe Mauros must have inherited it but most of his possessions were lost with him. It is said he had several hidden retreats and laboratories, the most famed one somewhere in Arcadia itself.

[sblock=Arcana 26] Some believe that Arga did not create the Ritual of Sealing at all, only helped to complete it. That might explain why a copy was never found, and why it may be failing now.[/sblock][/sblock][/sblock][/sblock][/sblock][/SBLOCK]

[SBLOCK=OOC][MENTION=54810]renau1g[/MENTION]: I know you are in work overload / vacation until mid-july, if I remember well. If you pass by, just let me know when you think you'll be active again in this thread.[/SBLOCK]

[SBLOCK=OOC]Sigarr actions is happening during the night. The group arrive early in the morning.

[MENTION=54810]renau1g[/MENTION] is in vacation for another week, so I don't know when he will post here.[/SBLOCK]

-=-=-=-=-= Warden's Grove, the next morning =-=-=-=-=-

The group finally arrive at the Warden's Grove in the morning of a cold day. As they enter the groove, the Warden's followers seems to be relief to see their master to be back.

Some seems to be waiting for the answers brought by the group, but none want to rush them in their come back. After a moment, they find out that the Eladrin, is missing.

"Where is Elinear?" asks the Warden.

"He is sleeping in a more quiet place." tells the shifter. "He has been speaking all night with a friend, a Goliath. He seemed interested by the sigils. You will be interested by him, I think ..." After an hesitation, he adds "... and what have you found?"

[sblock=OOC][MENTION=13739]Velmont[/MENTION]: do you mind if we spend gold on the way through Daunton? I think there's a couple things I'd like to buy, and I know at least Incarnation wanted to do the same.[/sblock]
"We did come across a riddle tucked into one of Estergrin's books. 'The elf draws, the dwarf speaks, the genasi gives, and the dragonborn keeps' ... I must admit I'm at a loss as to what it means, though I can't help but feel it's significant. I did wonder if, perhaps, it was some kind of reference to you," Raiyek nods to the Warden, "and your companions," he finishes as he nods to the rest of the clearing's inhabitants in general. "Then again, we don't know when the riddle was written, perhaps it predates this group."