Frozen Whispers (adventure)

Hardin pulls his heavy armor on and grins at Eolan.

"Aye, the walkin'll put starch back in your legs. We wouldn't want you gettin' lazy, would we?"

Hardin's okay with his spell list for now.

As you move further north, you note that the weather has warmed some. The snow on the ground has begun to melt quite a bit, and movement is no longer as slow as it was yesterday. However, the ground is slippery in some places, and the sky is overcast.

You travel in your usual fashion, with Slyfen walking about 30 feet ahead of the rest of the party, and with Eolan on foot. The forest around you is eerily quiet. A couple of times, you hear the mournful cry of a crow in the distance. The only other sounds you hear are those of your own making. After traveling for a couple of hours, you come to a curve in the road.

Rounding the curve, Slyfen is met with a disturbing sight. About 20 feet ahead, the stark green-and-white of the wintry forest is broken by a splash of color in the landscape toward the left. A man’s body sits upright but slumped against a tree. Around him, the snow is stained a brilliant red.



OOC Notes:

Movement is no longer at double cost.

However, running, charging or making a 5’ step have a 25% chance of requiring a DC 10 Balance check. For running and charging, failure by 5 or more means you fall at a random point along your line of movement, and failure by 4 or less means you can’t run or charge. For a 5’ step, failure by 5 or more means you don’t move, and threatening opponents get an attack of opportunity; failure by 4 or less means you move 5 feet, but threatening opponents get an attack of opportunity.

Slyfen brings out the spyglass to get a better look from a distance. If the man seems to be alive, Slyfen will alert the party. If he seems dead, look for details or things that seem odd.

Slyfen examines the scene through his spyglass for a few moments. The man is not moving or breathing at all. His eyes stare emptily off into space, and he appears obviously dead. He is dressed in the traditional garb of the local hunters. Although no bow or other hunting equipment can be seen near the body, Slyfen can see the bone handle of a finely crafted dagger sticking out of the top of one of his boots.

A tremendous amount of blood has run down the man’s left arm, and pooled around him in the snow. A large, gory wound can be seen on his left shoulder; it had been bandaged, but the bandages now hang loosely around his arm. Slyfen also notices blood on both sides of the man’s face and on his right hand and cuff.

Slyfen describes the scene to his companions as he views it. Putting away the spyglass, Slyfen waves them forward and approaches the body carefully, in order to get a close up look and search it for clues or items.

Belisha sends Narkus up in the air to check for nearby enemies. She shakes her head when she hears about the carnage.

Eolan whispers a warning to Orlan and mounts his loyal warhouse. In a hoarse whisper, [no pun intended ] he warns everyone, "This smells like a trap, remember that foul fey? This could be the work of his fellows."

Drawing his bastard sword, Eolan spurs Orlan forward. The knight is covering Slyfen's back in case of ambush.

Hardin draws his trusty warhammer and takes Eolan's flank, watching his back.

Belisha’s empathic link with Narkus allows her to feel that the familiar was just as alarmed as she was at the sight of the carnage. However, he quickly calms down.

After Slyfen explains that the man indeed appears dead, Belisha sends Narkus up into the sky to check for dangers. With a great flapping of wings, Narkus lifts off and flies about 40 feet into the air. He circles carefully a few times, his large eyes looking for anything unusual. During the flight, Belisha feels that his emotional state doesn’t change much. When he flies back to her, his foremost feelings are relief and a sense of security.

Slyfen, Eolan and Hardin then approach the body. Keeping an eye out, they don’t see any danger.

Slyfen briefly examines the body. The dagger in the man’s boot appears to be of masterwork quality. Slyfen notices that the blood on the sides of the man’s face has seeped from both ears. Examining further, he sees that each eardrum has been punctured by a sharp object. He then begins to search the man’s garments and comes across a small cache of papers…

Behind you a small, hungry lion pads out from behind a tree, preparing to attack the party. Luckily, you see it before it can pounce…



OOC Notes:

The “X” on the map represents the body leaning up against a tree.

Hide and Spot checks
Timberway lion Hide check result 19 + 8 = 27
Even without the distance modifier added to the Spot DC, nobody even came close

Slyfen Search check result 16 + 10 = 26

The Timberway lion is a Medium animal, smaller than a typical African lion and more like a leopard in physique and agility.

Initiative
Slyfen 9 + 7 = 16
Timberway lion 8 + 4 = 12 (higher mod)
Rufus 9 + 3 = 12
Belisha 9 + 2 = 11
Hardin 11 – 1 = 10
Eolan 4 + 5 = 9

Need Round 1 actions from Slyfen. Then I’ll post the results along with the lion’s actions. Then we’ll work all the way back through the initiative order.