(IC) Quickleaf's Rime of the Frostmaiden

[VLAD the Destroyer]

Logrim follows the others into the mouth of the cave. At teh mention of possibly needing to fight he fiddles with his wrench. He stays with the others and prepares to enter the cave. He speaks in a low voice.

"Which way should we go?"

 

[Quickleaf]

Lumrolur stops suddenly at the voice in his head. He relaxes as he realizes what is happening.
"Thank you. For now, there is a chasm with an ice bridge on the left, I'm checking it out, on the right is stone bridge, natural, I think sturdier of the two."
"I hope you fall in!" harsher voice comes at the end overlapping with his normal voice
"Careful not to fall in."

You can feel the slight crackling of the ice bridge beneath your crampons, but it appears sturdy enough to hold your weight and even the weight of one of your armored larger companions. Wisps of frost are visible in the eighty-foot chasm below. At the other side, you see some small sized footprints that seem to go in both directions.

A natural set of stone steps leads to a small cavern with a 10-foot-tall ice ledge to the northeast. The ceiling here slopes upward, starting low in the cavern you're in, then leading upward into whatever cavern lies above the ledge.

The sounds – what might have seemed bestial from further away – are clearer here. There is indeed a high-pitched growling sound, but it is accompanied by inarticulate whimpers from a humanoid who periodically tries to emulate the growling sounds (but does a terrible job at it).

 

[happylace]

Alma's brows furrow. She looks confused for a moment. Makes a mental note to look out for that second voice in their next exchange.

''I'm in contact with Lumrolur,'' she reports to the others, staying right on their heels. ''He's scouting deeper in. He says there's a stone bridge to the right and an ice bridge to the left. He's currently investigating the ice bridge, but says the stone might be sturdier. I'm also unclear on whether or not he wants us to plummet to our almost certain doom.''

 

[Neurotic]

Alma gets the report from Lumrolur
"There is a prisoner of some kind, humanoid trying to speak in yeti. On the left side, cracking ice. I'll go just a little bit further on, try to see them."
overlaid with
See them eating the prisoner!"
pause...
"Ice seems sturdy enough."

 

[Kobold Stew]

Corse sugggests that some start heading in. "If there is at least one alive inside, we need to get them" She will lead, down the stone steps, and others can follow if they wish.

 

[happylace]

Another pause. An intrusive thought? Or something else? Don't go too far without us. It'll make it difficult to reach you if you're in danger. Do you--excuse me, are you saying that you can see a prisoner being eaten?

''He says there's someone on the left side, possibly trying to communicate with the yeti. And someone might be dead. If they are eating, we should assume they will be hostile if we are spotted.''

 

[Neurotic]

Do you--excuse me, are you saying that you can see a prisoner being eaten?

"What?! No, they are still talking. Trying to talk."
"For now."
"Consider that maybe the yeti child is lonely and the parents tried to find it a company and not breakfast."
"I'll just take a peek, you can reach me in ten seconds, I'm going slow and careful, I'm not deep inside."

Lumrolur refocuses on his movements, he didn't like crunching of the crampons on the ice, he should be more careful. He tries it internally too, with focused thought at himself.
"Vor! Shut up! You don't own me!"

 

[Aethmud]

Jack flutters up to Corse. "I agree, Corse. Time to work our magic, don't you think? And speaking of magic," he says, with a wide grin, "how's about I sprinkle some fairy dust on our yeti friend? It might make them more agreeable, and certainly it could help to make a tense mood more festive."

As they start making their way, Jack looks thoughtfully at the cave. His wings flicker, faintly shedding flurries of frosty stardust in his wake. "I do wonder, though," he muses with a whisper as they start to enter, "exactly how many humanoids does it take to sell fresh ice to a yeti? Surely, it can't be as hard as selling firewood to a dragon. Or, for that matter, selling seashells by the seashore to a showy swordfish!" He hushes into a low chuckle, a soft whisper of mirth against the frosty quiet of the cavern entrance.

Conscious of their need for stealth, Jack falls into a gentle hush as he follows closely behind Corse and the others, and the luminescent glow of Jack's fairy wings starts to dim, transforming to a subtle shimmer. As the vibrant colors of his wings begin to blend with the frosty hue of the caver, a chill yet colder than the ambient frost of the cavern still seems to envelop him.

 

[happylace]

I see. We are entering the cave now. Remain in contact.

Alma looks to the others. ''Correction, no one is being eaten yet, to my knowledge. Lumrolur is investigating, but suggested the parent yetis might be keeping someone as a pet. I'm unsure if this is a social dynamic they possess.''

Her brows furrow towards Jack. ''Swordfish have no comprehension of economics. And no use for seashells. This wouldn't be advantageous to them in a mating display. And these yetis are surrounded by ice. Surely they wouldn't need any.'' She holds her chin, thoughtful. ''Depending on the type of dragon, and its circumstances, it could require firewood. But these factors would also effect whether or not it simply took the firewood from you by force.''

 

[VLAD the Destroyer]

Logrim nods at Corse's statement. If someone was alive they needed to help them. Not being that stealthy the gnome stays to the back and tries not to make to much noise. He chuckles to himself at Jack's joke and the completely serious response Alma gave in reply.