[Eberron] Beneath the Ice!

[Mark Causey]

"Vy is the sky empty? Vere are the moons?" Rigel asks aloud. This fact alone causes her some panic, they have followed her on all of her journeys. She doesn't realize in the shock how silly a question it seems. She seems mentally younger than her appearance would assume. She grips her arms about her, cold at the idea, not at the weather.

{OOC}Resistance to Cold 5 and Boots of the Winterlands gird Rigel against the frigid weather.{/OOC}

 

[Krug]

Mong wraps herself up in her furs, and uses her training to see what else she can do to protect herself. Survival Skill check

 

[nonamazing]

Mong has no trouble whatsoever preparing herself and Rast for the cold weather. First, she hunts down a pair of snow rabbits. Then, while Barandurr cooks up some ale-soaked rabbit stew, Mong uses the rabbits' tough sinews in order to sew her winter furs tight together, sealing her almost completely from the cutting winds. She takes the time to sew a special inner lining for her cold-sensitive snake companion. Because the general level of brightness is quite low, she doesn't bother with the snow goggles, although she does rub a small bit of melt power on the soles of her boots, to give her some extra traction. Finally, she notices Balthazar and Jenkins also struggling with their winter gear, and curtly gives them a few pointers on how to prepare themselves correctly.

Poor old Jenkins keeps watch while the party eats and rests. Barandurr's cooking is surprisingly enjoyable (he's able to tenderize the gamy rabbit meat), although the high alcohol content is enough to make you all quite drowsy. After eating, you all settle down for some well-deserved rest.​

At this point, I judge all of the characters to have adequate defense against the current level of cold. Rigel and Floe are the best protected, and the others are just behind, all having a fairly equal level of protection.

 

[Mark Causey]

Nervous, that night, Rigel tries as quietly as she can to take a short walk away from the camp (but with the fire still in line of sight) and practice her weapon movements and maneuvers.

If unnoticed or unaccosted, she returns to camp, physically exhausted, and settles again for her rest.

 

[Sorrow The Man Bear]

Norderil will spend the before bed hours with Floe and Balthazaar, attempting to find out if there is any common means of communication they can work out. If still stonewalled, he will cover ofver the material and notes he has with him and has made on the region, and prepare for the long cold night ahead.

 

[Krug]

Mong is jittery at the camp. The cold environment was making her edgy, and this was certainly colder than she had known. She is curious about Floe and speaks with her about her people and history. "Such a creature of beauty and power you are," she says to him.

 

[Mark Causey]

If this conversation takes place before or after her exercises, Rigel will act as a translator to the best of her ability.

 

[nonamazing]

Floe becomes the center of attention after dinner. Norderil's insightful questioning gives him a crude working knowledge of the Uldra language. With Balthazar and Rigel's assistance, Norderil manages teach the rest of the group the simple form of communication. It won't work well for any sort of complicated topics, but you should be able to relay simple ideas (such as yes or no, simple directions, warnings, etc.).

Rigel is easily able to sneak away from the others afterwards. She finds herself enjoying the quick cold winds of the snowstorm. The clouds make things dark enough for her to feel really comfortable, as though it were the dead of night. She sees nothing unusual during her exercise routine, although as she heads back to camp, she has a curious feeling as though something out in the darkness is slyly watching her.

After the storm passes (about twelve hours from when you stopped), Mong secures the dogs into their harnesses as the rest of you stow away the tents and your gear. The sky is once again featureless and grey. Floe gets your bearings, and you begin heading east once again.

A few hours later, Floe calls a halt, claiming to have spotted something moving up ahead. The rest of you don't see anything unusual, although Barandurr and Jenkins both claim to have caught a glimpse of some sort of large white-furred animal near a rocky outcropping about 200 feet away. The rocks are one of two massive natural structures, about 40 feet apart that flank your path--it looks like whatever Floe and the others saw has hidden behind the leftmost structure. Huge snow drifts obliterate your path to either side, leaving the opening between the rocks the only possible way forward.​

 

[Mark Causey]

"Floe! Vat is it? Vat is going on?"

Rigel shivers, and not from the cold. She readies her weapons, her paranoia taking over.

"Have you brought us here to kill us, invaders in your land?"

Rigel stiffens, trying to determine her true foe.

 

[Krug]

Mong takes out her bow and prepares an arrow. She hisses as she peers into the outcropping. "A perfect spot for an ambush," she says.

She moves forward, ahead of the group, but not between the outcropping itself, to check out if she can spot the phantom figure.