(IC) Quickleaf's Rime of the Frostmaiden

[Steve Gorak]

Aric comes from the wild and is ready for the wild. He doesn't need any special preparation to head out. As the others scramble, he performs again a druidic ritual to be able to speak with the dogs.

 

[Quickleaf]

GM POST

GM: Mood Music:

Kelvin's Cairn (Mountain Climb quest)

After a brief consultation, Keegan Velryn and your sled driver Eve Breengren work out the logistics, which Eve walks you through... Keegan will follow you back with one sled to Bryn Shander; the sled dog "Boy" will ride in the sled with him to rest; he wants to conserve Boy's strength to help in tracking Garret. Once in Bryn Shander, Eve's son will stay there with one of her sleds – she thinks Kelvin's Cairn is too dangerous for the 12-year-old, and besides she has other people booking one of the sleds at noon. Eve wasn't prepared for a longer trip, so during this brief stopover, she'll gather food and water for herself, her hireling, and the dogs. Keegan pays for the additional costs of Eve's sleds from Bryn Shander to the Cairn and back.

Eve sketches out a very rough layout of Ten-Towns and the distances between them, marking the proposed route you'll take – from Targos back to Bryn Shander, then to the crossroads cutting north to Caer-Dineval and Caer-Konig without stopovers, and from there you'll leave any trails behind, crossing 5 miles of tundra to approach Kelvin's Cairn via Icewind Pass. It will be a 12 hour trip there, meaning you'll get to Kelvin's Cairn during darkest night, hours before the midnight aurora lights the sky. (see attached)

With some tents, extra rope, pitons, and fire brandy gathered, you bundle up and set forth. Packed snow hisses under the sled runners. The panting of the dogs, hissing winds, and any conversation you can keep are the only sounds as you venture across Ten-Towns...

Leaving Bryn Shander once more, its lights flicker behind you as the sleds pick up speed. Traveling in single-file, Eve's sled is at the fore with the white dog "Comet" leading the pack, her hireling mans the middle sled, and Keegan's sled brings up the rear...

The Crossroads of Caer-Bannog: After a few hours you come to old stone ruins of what was once a village, with iced over posted signs warning travelers of a 'Fearsome Beaste' and 'Tread Not From the Path.' Eve and Keegan explain this was once the village Caer-Bannog but it was destroyed over a century ago during in-fighting between the Ten-Towns. One other sled passes you going in the opposite direction, but no greeting is offered, only eyes watching from beneath heavy furred cloaks. Your sleds cut north at the crossroads...

Lac Dinneshere & the Two Caers: A brief glimmer of sunlight trying to break through the clouds scatters along the iced over shores of the windswept Lac Dinneshere to your east – one of the three lakes which are the lifeblood of Ten-Towns. However, the light is fleeting, soon replaced by chill winds blowing across the lake biting your cheeks and cutting through your bundled clothing. Above the first village, Caer-Dineval, the castle overlooks the meager village. Eyes watch you from fishing boats and behind windows. Slowing enough only to pass through town safely, soon the sleds pick up speed again, following the rocky shoreline as even the twilight of midday fades. The sled lanterns are lit. By nightfall (or whatever passes for it in this Everlasting Rime), you enter Caer-Konig with its ruined castle and unfinished palisade. Inviting lights flicker in the taverns and inns of the village, but you press onward, cutting to the northwest across tundra, the sleds slowing without packed trails until...

The 1,000-foot-tall Cairn, before only a vague image in the distance scarcely visible in the snows, now looms overhead in the darkness. A baleful cry echoes on the winds, though whether it is human or monstrous, the winds refuse to tell. At last, your sleds come to a stop at the base of Kelvin's Cairn.

Up the slope – inaccessible by the sleds – you can barely make out in the darkness what might be two tents pitched beneath an ice outcropping that acts as a natural windbreak.

 

[Quickleaf]

GM: You may wish to use the OOC Thread to plan your approach. If you're at a loss, here are some questions to consider: Are you ascending now or waiting a few hours for the light of the midnight aurora (it's roughly 9:00pm now)? Are you taking the dog Boy with you? Do you have a particular "marching order" now or does it not matter? Who is in the lead & who is holding light? Are you using a climber's kit or rope to tie to each other? Are you changing what you're holding in your hands or have equipped? These are some "exploration roles" that I use behind the screen when adjudicating your intent. If you're more comfortable having a codified rule option for communicating your intent, you can use these. As I said, they are not meant to constrain your imagination or be exhaustive: No role (i.e. watching for danger) – apply your Passive Perception to avoid being ambushed; taking on any of the special roles below means you're not able to use Passive Perception (i.e. automatically surprised by ambushing mosnters unless you have Natural Explorer: Mountain, the Alertness feat, etc). Dog Tender - keep close to Boy, make Animal Handling check (or auto-success with speak with animals) to figure out what he's indicating and keep him from rushing off into harm's way Lookout - make an active Perception check to alert some of the party to potential threats, implying the PC is scouting ahead a bit from the party so is maybe 100-200 feet ahead/apart Navigator - watching for landslides/avalanches, potential caves, avoiding especially strenuous climbing sections, etc. using Nature or Survival (in overland travel – not this scenario – navigator would also be avoiding getting lost) Tracker - focusing on Garret/sled tracks as well as keeping eye for monster tracks, Survival check Spellcasting - if you're casting a ritual repeatedly or concentrating on a spell Investigator - constructing a narrative of what happened to Garret, based on observations (no check, just what GM narrates), what other PCs learn, and potentially Investigation or Insight checks, this one wouldn't be rolled immediately but after a bit of exploration and other player's actions

 

[Kobold Stew]

"Eve, thank you for getting us this far. Will you stay here and shelter with your teams? There is no saying what dangers await above, but we want you, and our return, kept safe."

Corse looks at the others, and offers to scout ahead. She snaps her wrist and a flame appears in her fist. "We are assuming they are still alove, but the very real possibility of yeti is something we need to watch out for." Then she begins with part of her usual speech when she leads teams. "Most of us don't know each other well, and trust is crucial. Lean into your strengths, and say when you feel you are not comfortable with what you are being asked to do. Others can help, but only if you ask."

Corse does not see herself as a risk-taker

OOC: Corse is offering to be Lookout and go ahead (Perc +7). That would put her in front with her light. She is willing to be Navigator, tracker, or Investigator (+4). She does not see a need to bring the dog if Eve will look after it, but won't press the point if others want Boy along. Possibly she could hammer in some pitons to make the climb easier for others?

 

[Neurotic]

"I'm going scouting with you. You'll attract attention with the light. If I'm a bit aside and forward, I can try and disable the ambushers or let you know rhere is an ambush so we can all prepare. "

Long speech from the taciturn gnome. He raises he shawl over the face and cocks his crossbow.

 

[happylace]

Alma slides a walking stick out of the sled and grips it at one end. She pulls off a glove with her teeth and draws her bare hand along its length. In its wake a slick film smears across the wood. A red, bioluminescent glow begins to build until the entire staff is casting a light that baths the snow. As it does, the smell of sulfur wafts briefly before being dissipated by the storm's winds.

She stabs the staff into the snow and pulls her glove back on. ''I can keep a light if Corse needs to bring hers ahead. Once we arrive at the base camp, I can attempt to magically detect sentient creatures. However, my ability to do so is limited. And my magic is currently unstable. So I will warn you all that it could attract attention if there are unintentional side effects.''

She looks to Aric. ''You communicate most effectively with the dog. I believe you would be the most logical choice to put in charge of it.''

 

[Steve Gorak]

Aric had been ritual casting in the sled, to be able to continue understanding Boy. As he repeatedly invoked the ritual, it donned on him that there should be a better way of doing this, and he would be thinking about this more in the future.

He nods to Alma."I agree that I'll be the bridge to Boy, but know he's in charge of himself. He's the one that volunteered to come, so he's part of our team."

 

[Necropolitan]

Zeth cringes on the sled and keeps his eyes peeled for any possible dangers. He's not going to be lost in this frozen wilderness again if he can help it. At the very least his Patron's provided a fire spell he wouldn't otherwise have that he can use as much as he wants, which should be useful against whatever monsters might appear. Or just blast them with eldritch power, whichever worked better.

"I'll keep a watch. I've got ranged spells that should be able to hit melee threats before they get close."

 

[Quickleaf]

GM POST

Eve nods to Corse as her son and Keegan work to set up shelter. Even with Kelvin's Cairn blocking the brunt of the northeasterly winds, the evening cold blanketing the Dale can freeze extremities quick. As long as the sled lanterns burn, they will provide you with a sure way to find the sleds on your descent...regardless of what you find on the Cairn.

With the taciturn Lumrolur "Vor" taking the lead, crossbow in hand, you double check the knots on the 100 feet of rope looping through harnesses and belts, tying you to each other. Crampons are secured over your boots. Boy whines, looking up at Aric as you set forth, Corse's conjured flame and Alma's magical light to guide you. After a half-hour, you reach an old base camp.

Two tents are pitched beneath an icy outcropping that acts as a natural windbreak. Strange echoes intermittently come from further up the mountain, hard to discern whether it is gusts of wind, the sound of yelping dogs, mournful human cries, or something inhuman entirely. A partially cracked crate seems to have tumbled down the mountainside, partially sunken in the snow between the tents.

No one is in the tents, though there are two bedrolls and blankets in each. The bedrolls are cold. Boy's sniffing and whine confirms to Arik that he recognizes Garret's scent on one of the bedrolls.

Snows and winds have obliterated all but the deepest tracks since nearly 3 days have passed. Conventional tracking will prove extremely difficult, especially with the nighttime conditions.

Graphic of Party Marching Order, Lights, Exploration Tasks

GM: Everyone – except Jack who can fly – will need to make a DC 10 Athletics check representing the overall climb. This is a group check, so 4+ of you need to succeed; if the group fails, then any individual PC who failed the check suffers 1 exhaustion level by the time you reach the top of your climb. If you want Advantage on this roll you can have it, thanks to @Kobold Stew hammering pitons – but if you use the pitons to assist your climb, then you individually lose the "arresting any fall" benefit of the pitons. It's an either/or. You each can choose when you roll. @Neurotic Make a Perception check (believe this is with Disadvantage for darkvision turning darkness > dim light) for Lumrolur to scout what lies above the icy outcropping - results are cumulative... DC 8 gets a sense of the terrain. DC 10 spots any creatures moving within 120 feet. DC 12 notices one detail of your choice about any creatures you've spotted (i.e. ask one question and i'll answet it). DC 14 allows you to share your Perception result (for purposes of avoiding ambush) with one PC of your choice in the Vanguard. DC 18 allows you to share your Perception result (for purposes of avoiding ambush) with one more PC of your choice in the Vanguard or Midguard OR to ask one more question about any creatures you've spotted. @VLAD the Destroyer Make an Investigation check to construct a narrative about what happened to Garret and the party he was leading. Include some context about what you're investigating, how you're building off other PCs' info, what your investigating looks like, etc. @domminniti If you decide to Track I highly recommend boosting your Survival check anyways you can cause it will be very difficult (*) – though keep in mind since Boy is with you, there's a good chance he can track by scent, though relying on the dog would mean not picking up OTHER tracks like monsters, etc. If you decide to Navigate that's a Nature or Survival check, and nowhere near as hard. Or you can just watch for danger. Up to you. (*) Tracking Survival DC = 8 + 3 (three days) +8 (recent snows) +2 (dim light/night) -1 (Large sled or creature) -3 (ten creatures, i.e. four people and six dogs) = DC 17 for tracking Garret's party and recent Large creature activity House Rule reminder: Better Inspiration Every PC has Inspiration at the start of a new level (i.e. everyone has Inspiration, and will regain their inspiration at 4th level). You can spend Inspiration to… • Reroll a failed attack, check, or save. • Establish a NPC contact in a scene. • Flashback to a planning scene which explains a slight change in inventory or spells prepared. • Interrupt initiative, if you haven’t taken turn yet. • Turn your hit into a “called shot” (propose what it does, GM can accept or refuse and it’s a critical hit).

 

[VLAD the Destroyer]

Logrim very rarely traveled outside of Ten-Towns. His small frame was not made to climb the snow covered trail. He tires quickly slipping and falling several times. He is panting by the time they arrive at the old base camp. He sits for several minutes trying to catch his breath. After awhile he stands and begins to look around the camp trying to piece together what might have happened at the site.

OOC: Athletics test: 1d20+1 2 Athletics test (advantage): 1d20+1 3 That doesn't bode well for me. Investigation Check: 1d20+3 9.