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The Thorns of Winter -(updated 8/1/2023)
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<blockquote data-quote="Nthal" data-source="post: 8541412" data-attributes="member: 6971069"><p><h2 style="text-align: center">The Road Re-Travelled - 2/8/2022</h2><p></p><p>I was miserable, and in good company. I knew that my equestrian skills could have used some work, and I knew that I was going to be very sore at the end of the ride. When I first rode to Denning, Wy had taken great glee in pointing out how bad I was. He laughed at me when we camped as my legs just refused to function after a hard day’s travel. He was kind enough to help me limp into my tent, and to lift me onto my horse the next day.</p><p></p><p>If it was only that, I could have lived with it. But as we left the warm humid confines of Denning and headed south, the weather changed dramatically. I thought when coming north, that the warm weather would have spread farther south, and that perhaps torrential rains awaited us, or that the road was going to be a mire of wet mud. But it wasn’t.</p><p></p><p>The icy conditions that I remembered in Cattbron had seemingly moved northward, but it wasn’t a gradual change. You could see a line of white stretching east and west as a low barrier of snow several hands high spread as far as our eyes could see.</p><p></p><p>“What in Dolurrh?” Sage asked. “Cattbron was icy when I left it, but the snow wasn’t this thick this far north.”</p><p></p><p>“This isn’t natural,” Rosa commented from her pony, reaching a hand past the snowline. “It is freezing right above the snow, and sweltering on our side.” She shook her head in disbelief, “That doesn’t happen. It’s supposed to be gradual.”</p><p></p><p>“It’s the eldritch machine’s doing,” Sage said. “I think what we are seeing is that the warmth of the south has been pulled by the machine and concentrated here. It is likely to be worse as we travel farther south.”</p><p></p><p>“We’ll need to take care with the horses,” Rosa commented. “They might be magebred, but the snow and ice can cause them harm.</p><p></p><p>Adrissa looked upwards at the thick cloud cover, trying to find the sun, “We will need to keep an eye out for shelter for the night. We can’t just camp in the open.”</p><p></p><p>Our options were limited, so we started to push our mounts into the thickening snow. Fortunately, while the snow was deep it was also solidly packed, allowing us to travel through a light layer of powder on the top. But as we travelled, and the light grew dim, the wind began to pick up. I had some winter garments, but none of the layers that I wore seemed to help, as the biting wind cut through me to the bone. I pulled on strands to try to warm my armor and I, but all I succeeded with was covering my breastplate in a layer of rime, which grew thicker the longer we travelled. I wrapped my cloak tightly around me, trying to secure any warmth I could.</p><p></p><p>But it was in vain. Darkness fell around us, and snow fell from the clouds somewhere above us. The wind picked up and, turning the conditions into a blizzard, obscuring my vision, even in the darkness. The horses nickered and whined as we plodded slowly forward as their manes became covered in ice. I shivered in the cold air, and I could no longer feel any warmth from the mount I sat astride. I pulled my cloak tighter and pulled part of it over my cheeks and mouth, as I exhaled trying to warm up my hood in a desperate attempt to find relief. I was certain that no one else felt any better, as all conversations stopped as we conserved our strength for the ordeal we found ourselves in.</p><p></p><p>Adrissa had taken the lead, and we all kept our mounts nose to tail so we didn’t lose each other in the flurries around us. Gossamer had been trying to fly above us and provide guidance, but the wind and ice that formed on his soft feathers were too much for him, and he begged to be dismissed into his pocket space. I couldn’t blame him, and for once wished that someone could banish me in a realm of darkness. It had to be warmer there than where I was. My teeth chattered and I squinted ahead, as ice formed on my lashes and the hair that hung limply at the sides of my face. The wind now howled around us, as it whipped through the valley we had made for, hoping to find shelter somewhere. The howling increased and echoed all around, when suddenly The Blade shouted:</p><p></p><p>“That’s not the wind!”</p><p></p><p>I shook my hair and brushed away the ice from my face and eyes. My lashes were now caked with frost, and I pulled my rod into my hand and gripped it tightly. I feared I would drop it into the snow and ice, as I could feel nothing with my fingers but the dimmest sensation of a cold icy ache. While nothing was dark for me, my vision was no better than anyone else’s as the white snow swirled around us. But as I peered into flurries around us, I could see dark shapes in motion, moving swiftly and circling. They grew and the howls now softened as the beasts approached, becoming low snarls and growls.</p><p></p><p>They moved swiftly, as we heard the hunters suddenly pick up their pace, bounding through the snow and ice. I was focused on a shadow ahead of me growing closer and I grit my teeth against the cold and pulled a strand together, when suddenly I felt the jaws close on my right thigh, piercing leather and ripping into my flesh. I screamed in pain, as the lupine form, pulled me from my saddle and threw me down into the snow, as my horse whinnied in terror. Landing on my back I focused and threw a dark strand at the shape that towered over me and let a miasma of darkness envelop it. The wolf howled in pain and my blood grew cold as I heard it speak to me:</p><p></p><p>“Prey has some teeth…it won’t save you!”</p><p></p><p>I heard around me, the sound of several people dismounting. Then I heard the twang of bowstrings, followed by the sound of arrow shafts sinking into meat and fur. Angry growls and yelps now surrounded us. Somewhere in the cacophony I heard the growl of a bear, and the horses squealing in terror. The bear roared and I hear loud thumps and tearing of flesh, as a wolf whimpered in pain. It was followed by a crack of wood on bone over and over again, as Doxx was making an impact somewhere around me.</p><p></p><p>I staggered to my feet, and I saw green flames in the white cutting air at first, and then the sound of steel sinking into meat and cracking bone. Even with the wind blowing all around I could smell the strong scent of singed flesh and fur. The grey wolf in front of me, lips were curled into a vicious snarl, as I could see blood dripping from its teeth.</p><p></p><p>My blood.</p><p></p><p>My legs felt weak, as I struggled to stay upright, and I stared at my foe who stood a head taller than I. I could feel blood pouring down my leg and into the top of my boot, its steaming warmth rapidly fading. I was panting through clenched teeth as I started to pull a dark strand, ready to loop it around the wolf. Suddenly I heard a whoosh and saw a bead of light streak by me. I held the strand back, not yet ready to release it as flames detonated around me, burning away the snow in the air into steaming vapor. But while the snow melted away, I could feel no warmth at all, even as I saw the wolf’s fur ignite and it hissed in pain.</p><p></p><p>“Prey brings fire to fight cold. Not enough,” and I saw it exhale a cone of ice and frost at me. Any warmth within me was gone as I felt my skin and limbs grow numb. A wave of exhaustion swept over me, and I nearly fell to my knees. My brows furrowed in hate when I suddenly heard to my left the sounds of another wolf charging at me. I quickly split the strand into two and cast a loop on my new attacker, and the second around the wolf acting as bait. I pulled the strands tight and pulled at the warmth of their souls, as if they would bring warmth to my frozen self. The wolf on my flank, tumbled and fell, snapping arrows that had lodged in its rib cage. The body cringed in pain for a moment, before collapsing on the snow. The first wolf growled at me and then lunged at me, its mouth opening wide seeking my flesh.</p><p></p><p>Belatedly I realized then my shield was still slung on my horse, as I instinctively raised my left arm to block the wolf. Instead of defending myself, I found my vambrace in the jaws of the wolf and felt its cold breath over my skin as its teeth sank into me. It suddenly shook its head and I found myself off balance, being tossed around like a doll. It threw me onto the icy tundra, and I slid on my stomach farther from my comrades, as the green flame started to fade into the white snowfall. It wasted no time and pounced on me as I curled up and covered my head with my arms, desperate to protect myself.</p><p></p><p>It snapped and tried to find a soft bit of skin, but it chewed on the metal of my vambraces, its teeth scraping by ineffectually. I glanced over to my left as I fought, trying not to be a meal. Then I saw a wave of green flame cutting into another shadowy figure that howled in pain. As it did so I pulled on a white strand and flung it next to its wielder, Sage. It landed and I then pulled on it sharply with my mind.</p><p></p><p>The wolf was about to bite again, and as it came for my throat, it snapped at empty air, as I pulled my body through the strand. The wolf had a look of confusion for a brief moment, when the sound of a thunderstrike went off, and the wolf collapsed as its forelegs snapped into two. I staggered to my feet as Sage twisted and turned ready to strike, when he realized I wasn’t a foe. He quickly knelt and raised his shield and pulled me behind it while shouting “GROUND!” I ducked and I saw another bead of fire streak past us, and I heard the wolves howl in pain as another detonation of fire roared around us, providing no warmth.</p><p></p><p>After the conflagration died down, I heard a couple more twangs from bows, a growl with a sickening crunch followed by the sound of a skull cracking open. Then all I could hear was the creaking of the warforged next to me and the wind whipping around us.</p><p></p><p>“I can barely see!” I heard Doxx yell. “Did we get them all?”</p><p></p><p>“I don’t see any moving around,” I heard Adrissa say.</p><p></p><p>“Same,” said The Blade. “I don’t even hear anything running.”</p><p></p><p>I stood up straight and looked around. While the wind had slowed, and the flurries were less dense it was still hard to see. But nevertheless, I could see no shadowy wolves stalking us. “I don’t see anything,”</p><p></p><p>“GROWF!” I heard Rosa say as a bear. She moved forward into the snow and sniffed the ground. She then turned and with an awkward motion, appeared to wave at us, as she loped into the blizzard.</p><p></p><p>“What is she doing?” Bookshelf asked, as the warforged worked to retrieve our horses and calm them.</p><p></p><p>The Blade stood there and watched, “I think she wants us to follow. Perhaps there are more.”</p><p></p><p>“I’m already torn up a bit,” Doxx exclaimed. “And wet and cold. I don’t want to find more.”</p><p></p><p>Rosa came back from the Blizzard and waved at us again with more urgency and waited.</p><p></p><p>“Let’s follow her,” I said. “She must have something going on in her bonebox.”</p><p></p><p>“Her what?” Doxx yelled at me.</p><p></p><p>“Her bonebo…head. Skull!” I yelled back.</p><p></p><p>“Let’s move,” Sage said as he took a firm grip of the reins of his horse, and moved through the snow towards Rosa. We each did the same, and followed the bear through the wind and ice, and approached a hillside. We circled around it until we were at the leeward side of it, and there was an exposed side of rock. In the middle of the rock face, it was a large hole, rimed with ice and leading down. The Blade, Adrissa and I moved to the entrance, and peered within. To my eyes it was a triangular cavern, which narrowed to a point deep inside. The floor looked to be strewn with loose gravel in the middle, but on the edges were clusters of leaves and needles, easily large enough for one of the giant wolves to lay in.</p><p></p><p>“Rosa must have followed their scent to find it,” The Blade said triumphantly, when he stopped and sniffed the air. “Or…that’s pungent. Even I could follow that smell with my nose.”</p><p></p><p>I stepped inside to get a better look, and quickly saw the source of the smell. Several carcasses lay off to the side of the chamber. I moved closer to them, and my heart sank at what I saw.</p><p></p><p>“It looks like two of Loramica’s men. They…didn’t make it.”</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Nthal, post: 8541412, member: 6971069"] [HEADING=1][CENTER]The Road Re-Travelled - 2/8/2022[/CENTER][/HEADING] I was miserable, and in good company. I knew that my equestrian skills could have used some work, and I knew that I was going to be very sore at the end of the ride. When I first rode to Denning, Wy had taken great glee in pointing out how bad I was. He laughed at me when we camped as my legs just refused to function after a hard day’s travel. He was kind enough to help me limp into my tent, and to lift me onto my horse the next day. If it was only that, I could have lived with it. But as we left the warm humid confines of Denning and headed south, the weather changed dramatically. I thought when coming north, that the warm weather would have spread farther south, and that perhaps torrential rains awaited us, or that the road was going to be a mire of wet mud. But it wasn’t. The icy conditions that I remembered in Cattbron had seemingly moved northward, but it wasn’t a gradual change. You could see a line of white stretching east and west as a low barrier of snow several hands high spread as far as our eyes could see. “What in Dolurrh?” Sage asked. “Cattbron was icy when I left it, but the snow wasn’t this thick this far north.” “This isn’t natural,” Rosa commented from her pony, reaching a hand past the snowline. “It is freezing right above the snow, and sweltering on our side.” She shook her head in disbelief, “That doesn’t happen. It’s supposed to be gradual.” “It’s the eldritch machine’s doing,” Sage said. “I think what we are seeing is that the warmth of the south has been pulled by the machine and concentrated here. It is likely to be worse as we travel farther south.” “We’ll need to take care with the horses,” Rosa commented. “They might be magebred, but the snow and ice can cause them harm. Adrissa looked upwards at the thick cloud cover, trying to find the sun, “We will need to keep an eye out for shelter for the night. We can’t just camp in the open.” Our options were limited, so we started to push our mounts into the thickening snow. Fortunately, while the snow was deep it was also solidly packed, allowing us to travel through a light layer of powder on the top. But as we travelled, and the light grew dim, the wind began to pick up. I had some winter garments, but none of the layers that I wore seemed to help, as the biting wind cut through me to the bone. I pulled on strands to try to warm my armor and I, but all I succeeded with was covering my breastplate in a layer of rime, which grew thicker the longer we travelled. I wrapped my cloak tightly around me, trying to secure any warmth I could. But it was in vain. Darkness fell around us, and snow fell from the clouds somewhere above us. The wind picked up and, turning the conditions into a blizzard, obscuring my vision, even in the darkness. The horses nickered and whined as we plodded slowly forward as their manes became covered in ice. I shivered in the cold air, and I could no longer feel any warmth from the mount I sat astride. I pulled my cloak tighter and pulled part of it over my cheeks and mouth, as I exhaled trying to warm up my hood in a desperate attempt to find relief. I was certain that no one else felt any better, as all conversations stopped as we conserved our strength for the ordeal we found ourselves in. Adrissa had taken the lead, and we all kept our mounts nose to tail so we didn’t lose each other in the flurries around us. Gossamer had been trying to fly above us and provide guidance, but the wind and ice that formed on his soft feathers were too much for him, and he begged to be dismissed into his pocket space. I couldn’t blame him, and for once wished that someone could banish me in a realm of darkness. It had to be warmer there than where I was. My teeth chattered and I squinted ahead, as ice formed on my lashes and the hair that hung limply at the sides of my face. The wind now howled around us, as it whipped through the valley we had made for, hoping to find shelter somewhere. The howling increased and echoed all around, when suddenly The Blade shouted: “That’s not the wind!” I shook my hair and brushed away the ice from my face and eyes. My lashes were now caked with frost, and I pulled my rod into my hand and gripped it tightly. I feared I would drop it into the snow and ice, as I could feel nothing with my fingers but the dimmest sensation of a cold icy ache. While nothing was dark for me, my vision was no better than anyone else’s as the white snow swirled around us. But as I peered into flurries around us, I could see dark shapes in motion, moving swiftly and circling. They grew and the howls now softened as the beasts approached, becoming low snarls and growls. They moved swiftly, as we heard the hunters suddenly pick up their pace, bounding through the snow and ice. I was focused on a shadow ahead of me growing closer and I grit my teeth against the cold and pulled a strand together, when suddenly I felt the jaws close on my right thigh, piercing leather and ripping into my flesh. I screamed in pain, as the lupine form, pulled me from my saddle and threw me down into the snow, as my horse whinnied in terror. Landing on my back I focused and threw a dark strand at the shape that towered over me and let a miasma of darkness envelop it. The wolf howled in pain and my blood grew cold as I heard it speak to me: “Prey has some teeth…it won’t save you!” I heard around me, the sound of several people dismounting. Then I heard the twang of bowstrings, followed by the sound of arrow shafts sinking into meat and fur. Angry growls and yelps now surrounded us. Somewhere in the cacophony I heard the growl of a bear, and the horses squealing in terror. The bear roared and I hear loud thumps and tearing of flesh, as a wolf whimpered in pain. It was followed by a crack of wood on bone over and over again, as Doxx was making an impact somewhere around me. I staggered to my feet, and I saw green flames in the white cutting air at first, and then the sound of steel sinking into meat and cracking bone. Even with the wind blowing all around I could smell the strong scent of singed flesh and fur. The grey wolf in front of me, lips were curled into a vicious snarl, as I could see blood dripping from its teeth. My blood. My legs felt weak, as I struggled to stay upright, and I stared at my foe who stood a head taller than I. I could feel blood pouring down my leg and into the top of my boot, its steaming warmth rapidly fading. I was panting through clenched teeth as I started to pull a dark strand, ready to loop it around the wolf. Suddenly I heard a whoosh and saw a bead of light streak by me. I held the strand back, not yet ready to release it as flames detonated around me, burning away the snow in the air into steaming vapor. But while the snow melted away, I could feel no warmth at all, even as I saw the wolf’s fur ignite and it hissed in pain. “Prey brings fire to fight cold. Not enough,” and I saw it exhale a cone of ice and frost at me. Any warmth within me was gone as I felt my skin and limbs grow numb. A wave of exhaustion swept over me, and I nearly fell to my knees. My brows furrowed in hate when I suddenly heard to my left the sounds of another wolf charging at me. I quickly split the strand into two and cast a loop on my new attacker, and the second around the wolf acting as bait. I pulled the strands tight and pulled at the warmth of their souls, as if they would bring warmth to my frozen self. The wolf on my flank, tumbled and fell, snapping arrows that had lodged in its rib cage. The body cringed in pain for a moment, before collapsing on the snow. The first wolf growled at me and then lunged at me, its mouth opening wide seeking my flesh. Belatedly I realized then my shield was still slung on my horse, as I instinctively raised my left arm to block the wolf. Instead of defending myself, I found my vambrace in the jaws of the wolf and felt its cold breath over my skin as its teeth sank into me. It suddenly shook its head and I found myself off balance, being tossed around like a doll. It threw me onto the icy tundra, and I slid on my stomach farther from my comrades, as the green flame started to fade into the white snowfall. It wasted no time and pounced on me as I curled up and covered my head with my arms, desperate to protect myself. It snapped and tried to find a soft bit of skin, but it chewed on the metal of my vambraces, its teeth scraping by ineffectually. I glanced over to my left as I fought, trying not to be a meal. Then I saw a wave of green flame cutting into another shadowy figure that howled in pain. As it did so I pulled on a white strand and flung it next to its wielder, Sage. It landed and I then pulled on it sharply with my mind. The wolf was about to bite again, and as it came for my throat, it snapped at empty air, as I pulled my body through the strand. The wolf had a look of confusion for a brief moment, when the sound of a thunderstrike went off, and the wolf collapsed as its forelegs snapped into two. I staggered to my feet as Sage twisted and turned ready to strike, when he realized I wasn’t a foe. He quickly knelt and raised his shield and pulled me behind it while shouting “GROUND!” I ducked and I saw another bead of fire streak past us, and I heard the wolves howl in pain as another detonation of fire roared around us, providing no warmth. After the conflagration died down, I heard a couple more twangs from bows, a growl with a sickening crunch followed by the sound of a skull cracking open. Then all I could hear was the creaking of the warforged next to me and the wind whipping around us. “I can barely see!” I heard Doxx yell. “Did we get them all?” “I don’t see any moving around,” I heard Adrissa say. “Same,” said The Blade. “I don’t even hear anything running.” I stood up straight and looked around. While the wind had slowed, and the flurries were less dense it was still hard to see. But nevertheless, I could see no shadowy wolves stalking us. “I don’t see anything,” “GROWF!” I heard Rosa say as a bear. She moved forward into the snow and sniffed the ground. She then turned and with an awkward motion, appeared to wave at us, as she loped into the blizzard. “What is she doing?” Bookshelf asked, as the warforged worked to retrieve our horses and calm them. The Blade stood there and watched, “I think she wants us to follow. Perhaps there are more.” “I’m already torn up a bit,” Doxx exclaimed. “And wet and cold. I don’t want to find more.” Rosa came back from the Blizzard and waved at us again with more urgency and waited. “Let’s follow her,” I said. “She must have something going on in her bonebox.” “Her what?” Doxx yelled at me. “Her bonebo…head. Skull!” I yelled back. “Let’s move,” Sage said as he took a firm grip of the reins of his horse, and moved through the snow towards Rosa. We each did the same, and followed the bear through the wind and ice, and approached a hillside. We circled around it until we were at the leeward side of it, and there was an exposed side of rock. In the middle of the rock face, it was a large hole, rimed with ice and leading down. The Blade, Adrissa and I moved to the entrance, and peered within. To my eyes it was a triangular cavern, which narrowed to a point deep inside. The floor looked to be strewn with loose gravel in the middle, but on the edges were clusters of leaves and needles, easily large enough for one of the giant wolves to lay in. “Rosa must have followed their scent to find it,” The Blade said triumphantly, when he stopped and sniffed the air. “Or…that’s pungent. Even I could follow that smell with my nose.” I stepped inside to get a better look, and quickly saw the source of the smell. Several carcasses lay off to the side of the chamber. I moved closer to them, and my heart sank at what I saw. “It looks like two of Loramica’s men. They…didn’t make it.” [/QUOTE]
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