(IC) Quickleaf's Rime of the Frostmaiden

[Necropolitan]

"You know," he starts with a casual flick of an icicle shard between his fingers, "if we let Mama and Junior Yeti scamper off now, we'll just end up trekking back here next week. Only it'll be after they've had a buffet of villagers and, trust me, we won't be coming back just to share any leftovers."

He arches an eyebrow at the thought of bringing the yeti child into their ranks. "I'm telling you, a yeti tyke could be tamed, maybe even learn a parlor trick or two. Imagine that furry bundle fetching our ale, eh? As for Mama Yeti, convincing her to cool her temper and join us might be a stretch—though, admittedly, not the strangest thing I've ever attempted."

Zeth nods as he lets out a long breath. Then he coughs as he inhales the cold air. He quickly gets it under control, but once again curses the frozen wasteland. As it is his only hope of coming out ahead of this is to both recover his lost treasure and see what personal profit he can find.

Sure he'd have to share with the rest of these...Zeth is unsure of what to call the group he's part of. "Allies" seems like too strong a word, but at the very least he trusted most of them not to stab him in the back. Anyway he'd have to share some of the treasure with the rest of the group, but it'd still be less of a split than it would have been with a full ship's crew and he'd be able to claim sole credit for recovering it with his organization. The loss of the ship was another matter, but blame could be shifted to the now-deceased crew and if Zeth could find a way to open up trade here he'd probably be moving up in the world.

Zeth just hoped his promotion wouldn't require him to stay here. Once this was over he planned to vacation somewhere sunny and warm.

But back to the business at hand.

"Yes, no sense leaving them here as a future hazard. But even if we could capture the young one would it be trainable? Plus if any of you know anything about butchering we can make some gold selling their parts. There's never a reason to leave money on the table."

OOC: Commerce roll to see value of yeti parts: 1D20+6 = [16]+6 = 22

 

[happylace]

Alma looks after Russet. But the rest of the group is moving deeper into the cave. The logic is sound. She doesn't know how intelligent yetis are, but everyone seems confident they're capable of revenge. So best to nip the problem in the bud. As she hurries to follow, her copies right on her heels, a much less practical argument springs up.

"If they have the sentience necessary to seek vengeance, surely the offspring would not forget it was us who killed its parents. Additionally, your comparison to a dog implies it only possesses the intellect of an animal. I'm confused as to which is accurate. And I am not especially familiar with the local culture, but do not most people find the indenture of sentient beings to be unethical?"

 

[Quickleaf]

GM POST

Corse whispers that she's holding back, as the halfling Perilou who you recently rescued is mortally terrified of going back into the caves she just escaped and bringing her in might cause a commotion. Thus, Corse holds back with Perilou.

Crossing the icy chasm, you creep through a sidewinding tunnel strewn with bones of a recent kill – so recent some still have flesh clinging to them. Among the bones are torn bits of hide armor, a greataxe, and the skulls of three mountain goats. Crude niches in the walls hold the frozen heads of decapitated humanoids...two dwarfs...a human......and a blood-stained niche with the head of the goliath Mokingo Growling bear, one of the three adventurers who you are looking for.

At the end of the tunnel is a slippery ice covered slope that drops about 10 feet down into the main lair of the yetis. You can hear the mother yeti making an agitated chuf-chuffing sound. There is also a sound of debris being thrown about. You catch glimpses of her feet shuffling around, but due to the limitations of elevation and ceiling height you don't have a clear line of sight to the yetis from your position.

GM: @Necropolitan Yeti claws and teeth might be sold for about 1 gp each, though buyers who'd be most interested include Reghed barbarians who might not deal in gold at all (i.e. barter). However, yeti fur is prized universally by those living in Icewind Dale for its extraordinary ability to keep its wearer warm. A full grown yeti pelt can fetch up to 150 gold pieces on the open market, though that would be a pelt in perfect condition (hard to manage!); a heavily damaged pelt such as the horned male yeti you slew would probably go for half that (75 gp).

 

[Necropolitan]

GM: @Necropolitan Yeti claws and teeth might be sold for about 1 gp each, though buyers who'd be most interested include Reghed barbarians who might not deal in gold at all (i.e. barter). However, yeti fur is prized universally by those living in Icewind Dale for its extraordinary ability to keep its wearer warm. A full grown yeti pelt can fetch up to 150 gold pieces on the open market, though that would be a pelt in perfect condition (hard to manage!); a heavily damaged pelt such as the horned male yeti you slew would probably go for half that (75 gp).

Zeth feels his gorge rise as he catches sight of the corpses, but manages to force it back down. Vomiting could prove a fatal distraction with the mother and child yetis still active. At the very least they could ensure nobody else met this fate at the claws of these monsters.

And just as importantly there was a profit to be made.

Managing to keep his voice neutral, Zeth spoke to the others.

"If any of you know how to skin a beast, yeti hide's worth a a fair bit of gold, although personally I'd prefer to have the fur made into a coat, it'd be useful in this frozen part of the world. The teeth and claws are gold too, not sure about the horns but I'd prefer to mount them as a trophy anyway so no loss if there's no buyers on the market for them. For now let's finish of these monsters."

 

[Aethmud]

"If they have the sentience necessary to seek vengeance, surely the offspring would not forget it was us who killed its parents. Additionally, your comparison to a dog implies it only possesses the intellect of an animal. I'm confused as to which is accurate. And I am not especially familiar with the local culture, but do not most people find the indenture of sentient beings to be unethical?"

Jack grins toward Alma, the corners of his eyes crinkling with mirth.

"Oh, Alma, you're thinking like a philosopher when you should be thinking like a fey. It's not about what the creature can do, it's about what we can teach it. As for revenge, well, if we can teach a raven to deliver messages instead of pecking out the eyes of farmers, I'd say we have a shot at teaching Junior Yeti some manners. And as for the ethics of it all, in the Feywild, we don't bind creatures against their will. We bind them with promises of adventure, the allure of mystery, and a never-ending supply of snacks! You'd be surprised how many beings value a good trail mix over freedom."

Then Jack frowns a bit and strokes his chin, "Hmm, I wonder what sort of snacks a baby yeti would want anyway."

"If any of you know how to skin a beast, yeti hide's worth a a fair bit of gold, although personally I'd prefer to have the fur made into a coat, it'd be useful in this frozen part of the world. The teeth and claws are gold too, not sure about the horns but I'd prefer to mount them as a trophy anyway so no loss if there's no buyers on the market for them. For now let's finish of these monsters."

Jack nods as he listens to Zeth, "That's the spirit! The yeti's treasure was right there, staring us in the face this whole while. You know, Zeth, in a way, these yetis are like walking, growling treasure chests. Who needs gold coins when you've got yeti coats just strolling around?"

He then flashes a mischievous grin, his hand reaching for his vial of fey dust. "But let's try and get our treasure without any scratches on it, shall we? Time for another round of Jack's patented Yeti Lullabies." He grimaces as he readies a spell, "Fortune favors the bold! Or in our case, the bold enough to take a snooze in a yeti's lair!"

Spoiler: Spell

Jack casts Sleep as a 1st level spell, and puts 22 HPs of creatures to sleep, enough for both the yeti mother and the yeti child.

Jack moves further into the yeti lair to get a good view of the two yetis. With a flourish of his hands and a mischievous glint in his eye, he pulls out a small, intricately decorated vial, filled with shimmering, enchanted fey dust. Whispering an incantation in the melodic language of the Feywild, Jack gently blows on the vial, releasing a swirl of sparkling dust into the air. The particles of dust catch the light, twinkling like distant stars as they drift towards the yeti mother and child.

As the fey dust settles over the two yetis, their movements begin to slow. The mother's fierce, protective stance softens, her eyes growing heavy. Beside her, the child, mirroring its mother, starts to blink slowly, struggling to keep its eyes open. Within moments, both yetis succumb to the spell's gentle pull, collapsing into a deep, peaceful slumber. The mother curls protectively around her child, their breaths syncing in a rhythm of serene sleep.

Jack watches with a satisfied nod, a whisper of a smile on his lips. "Sweet dreams, furry snow folk," he murmurs, his work done, the danger averted. The cave, once filled with tension and a threat of violence, now echoes with the soft, steady breathing of the sleeping yetis.

 

[VLAD the Destroyer]

Logrim pales at the grim trophies displayed in the alcoves. He hurries to catch up with his two companions. He nods when Zeth says to finish off the Yetis. He grips his wrench tight and prepares for the fight when Jack begins to cast a spell. Once it is complete and Jack states that the creatures are now slumbering Logrim nods and moves into the adjoining cavern. He looks to the others and then speaks softly.

"What's the plan now. Just kill them in their sleep?"

Logrim looks to the sleeping creatures nervously. He was fine having to fight them but it seemed wrong to just kill them like this. Though he new more than ever that it was the right thing to do after seeing the grizzly trophies on display.

 

[Neurotic]

"How is that any different than killing them in the fight? What if we trapped them there and pelted them with arrows without risk for us?"

Lumrolur slides down the wall with parting explanation.
"If you create an ambush and kill something before it can harm you, is it the same as this?"
Approaching the sleeping mother, his eyes flicker toward the group. He regrets letting Vorr our against the father and keeps tight control on his feelings. Regret is good. This needs to be quick and painless. Distant. Merciful.

He stands, unsure, loading the bolt in his crossbow. Should he spare the child? Hide the killing? But the spell will wear off. And the enemy left behind...and it is questionable if the child wouldn't just die without support of the adults. Prolonging misery is not something he would do. But he doesn't know.

With leaden arms, he puts the bolt right next to the closed eye and pulls the trigger. The bolt disappears into the brain, the body spasms, shakes and lays still. At the same time, dark shadows rise around the child in a fine mesh of darkness, pulling its life in the wake of mothers soul.

One bolt. Two deaths. One grieving gnome.

Spoiler: Internal monologue

"GOOD WORK! YOU'LL BE A KILLER YET!"
"You had to do it. You're better equipped for that than the soft people of the surface, you're sparing them too."

His internal voices echo inside as Lumrolur sighs and slowly returns to the group.
"Do what you will with the corpses, they don't care anymore. I cannot watch it."

Spoiler: Actions

Move + Bonus: Dash next to yeti
Action: coup de grace: 14 damage to mother yeti, wails from the grave vs child 5 damage
neurotic: 2D20H1 + 5#lumrolurvsmotheryeti → 24(high 1 of 19; 15 = 19 + 5)#Lumrolur vs mother yeti
neurotic: 2D4 + 3 + 2D6#lumrolurcritdamage → 14( (4 +3) + 3 + (3 +1) )#Lumrolur crit damage
neurotic: 2D6#lumrolurdamagevschild → 5(4 +1)#Lumrolur damage vs child

 

[Quickleaf]

GM POST

With the silence of the cavern now an icy tomb for the yetis, you survey the grim carnage. Jack's wintery somnolence and Lumrolur's bolt have made short work of the white-furred terrors still remaining. The question of whether this was the right thing to do... who will answer here on Kelvin's Cairn save the biting winds assailing the peak? Perhaps you will have your answers later around a campfire or back at the Trip and Shuffle tavern in Targos.

Besides the yetis themselves, searching among the debris from several waylaid sled teams, you find the following salvageable items:

• A small extremely battered locked treasure chest made of strange dark purple wood marked with chain-like rune on the lid (see attached image).
• A mess kit.
• An explorer's pack with a few holes gnawed into it - it includes a backpack, a bedroll, a mess kit, a tinderbox, 10 torches, a waterskin, and 50 feet of hempen rope. However, any rations have been pulled out and devoured.
• Blood-splattered heavy clothing that could be assembled to make 2 cold-weather outfits.
• A cracked snowglobe with a miniature model of Bryn Shander that appears to be in nighttime conditions with light snows.
• A frozen reddish potion held in a wicker carrying sling with a shoulder strap.
• Assorted pieces of damaged sleds, like bent runners, that might be hauled down with effort, magic, or a dogsled.

With Corse and the rescued halfling Perilou Fishfinger returning to the cave, the halfling stares wide-eyed at the bodies. Corse has bundled her in the bear skin taken from the yeti's horde, and the halfling stammers, "I've little magic left in me, but if any of you brave travelers need healing, I've a bit left in my fingers... Are- are you going to search for Astrix too? The tiefling?" She motions her head toward the mouth of the cavern and further up the cairn where you'd spotted boot prints.

GM: @Necropolitan You'd guess that the two parent yetis have 8 hand-claw nails each, and 30 teeth each (each of these you'd estimate to be 1 gp, though interested buyers may be more likely among Reghed barbarians who usually barter. To skin the pelts, however, will take 1 hour and someone with knowledge of the proper tools, or training in Nature or Medicine or similar skill. The DC is 13. If properly skinned, the father's fur is heavily damaged, the mother's is moderately damaged, and the tyke's is intact.

 

[happylace]

Jack grins toward Alma, the corners of his eyes crinkling with mirth.

"Oh, Alma, you're thinking like a philosopher when you should be thinking like a fey. It's not about what the creature can do, it's about what we can teach it. As for revenge, well, if we can teach a raven to deliver messages instead of pecking out the eyes of farmers, I'd say we have a shot at teaching Junior Yeti some manners. And as for the ethics of it all, in the Feywild, we don't bind creatures against their will. We bind them with promises of adventure, the allure of mystery, and a never-ending supply of snacks! You'd be surprised how many beings value a good trail mix over freedom."

Then Jack frowns a bit and strokes his chin, "Hmm, I wonder what sort of snacks a baby yeti would want anyway."

Alma's eyes are drawn to the flayed flesh and mounted heads scattered throughout the cavern as they run past. It seems answer enough to Jack's musings.

But whatever ethical dilemma they might have faced quickly becomes a mute point as Lumrolur dispatches the slumbering creatures before the rest of them can act. Alma trots to a stop a few feet away, panting clouds of steam. She doesn't look especially bothered, and casts a curious glance towards Lumrolur when he almost seems... sad?

Then why did he do that? There are just some cultural customs she doesn't quite grasp.

"Well. I suppose that settles it," she flicks a hand towards the copies behind her. All at once, they melt into puddles of red goo and slither across the icy stone, back under her cloak. She looks back at Perilou as the others likely deal with the carcasses. She has no particular interest in them. "You don't see your third here? Are you sure? There are many pieces around, you should check thoroughly before we waste the effort."

 

[Neurotic]

Lumrolur takes solace in looking at the rune and trying to guess it's purpose and unlock the chest.