Frozen Whispers (adventure)

After some discussion of how to proceed, the members of the party spread out along the edge of the clearing, doing their best to retain some cover and not to draw too much attention. Belisha sends Narkus up.

You do not see any particular threats outside the lodge building. All of the shutters are closed, and the door, though hanging slightly open, only allows you a view of a small part of an interior wall.

Narkus flies high above for a minute or two, and Belisha gets no unusual sense of fear or surprise from him.



OOC: Even though the shudders appear open on the map, they are closed.

"The shutters might be a bit of a risk," says Belisha. "Nasty archers might be there," she says to the others, softly. She feeds Narkus a peanut for her good work.

Hardin sighs deeply.

"Seems as the best choice might be to move inwards next, but it mislikes me to do so. This place seems unquiet to me."

"Yes, let us proceed with caution. Expect the thief to attempt an ambush or have traps set up."

Slyfen will sneak up to the shutter on the east side and investigate it.

Agreeing with both Slyfen and Hardin, the knight dismounts and quietly instructs his steed to remain here; "Eat and rest, Orlan, but be wary--if you see anything, give us a whinney," quietly instructs the knight. Patting his horse on the head, Eolan feeds him a handful of oats.

Looking to his companions, Eolan nods and whispers, "I am ready, let us see what mayhem the foul fey, the undead or our little thief have done." Waiting for Slyfen's report on the shutters, Eolan takes a defensive position outside the door. He steadies himself, holds his breath and listens.

Slyfen, Hardin, and Galieo move up to the lodge building, while Belisha and Rufus stay back in the cover of the trees.

Looking through the gaps in the shutters, Slyfen can make out a large part of the interior of the building. Numerous tables and chairs have been battered apart, and the lumber salvaged from them has been nailed over all of the tightly shuttered windows. A pile of rubble near the barely open door indicates that it too was once similarly barricaded, but the boards were subsequently torn out. Several low beds against the far wall are in complete disarray. The beds, some ruined tables, and even the walls bear scorch marks and quite a few bloodstains. Two composite longbows, a bloodsoaked hatchet, and nearly two dozen arrows lie scattered about the room.

Listening carefully, you here a couple of thumps, then some scratching, like the sound of claws on wood.



OOC: We’re moving to round by round.

Eolan motions for silence and looks at his companions; as he looks at them, he slowly scans the surrounding forest. "Something went terribly wrong here, the defenders were clearly overpowered by something or someone," thinks the warrior, "We had best watch our backs"[ .

Without words, the knight indicates that he is ready to enter the lodge to investigate further, pending any objections from his companions. He waits by the door holding a defensive posture.

OOC:

Eolan is ready move first, looking for cover from Hardin and Slyfen. If the others want to scout the other windows, Eolan will wait until they are ready.

Hardin follows Eolan.

ooc: Does it look like Slyfen can open the shutters from the outside possibly? If so, he will try to do that (disable device maybe) and have his bow ready. If not, he will join the others at the front door and search for traps.

Belisha follows behind the others to go in, keeping quiet.