Dragon of Icespire Peak - Campaign 2

KD walks next to Fae, staring into the flames. She's quiet. "We've got you, Fae," she says, with a very slight hip bump. Not looking away from the flames.

She turns back to Onu, eventually, and says, "Looks like we're headed to the shrine after we go back to town to collect from the Townmaster." She asks how his weapon has been faring and if anything need tweaking.

She's happy to head back to town after saying a warm goodbye to the miners and showing them some plans for some items she's got plans to make. "You know, if you get bored with some scrap."

"I find the desecration of a shrine...troubling.  We should remedy that.  Perhaps we can gain some insight into a cure for my condition while we are there"

Fae feels warmth in her cheeks at KD’s hip bump, causing her to glance down at her feet. She nods softly. “Thank you Miss Dorian.” The dimple in her cheek show, giving away a hint of a smile. After a few moments, the wizard steps away. “I should fetch Nova.” She heads back towards the mine, pausing to speak with the head miner before heading in.

The miners would all join you outside as the fires continued to burn. It would take some time for them to burn out. The head miner arranges his men for watches as per Fae’s direction. A dwarf with spectacles looks up at KD. “Aye miss.” He adjusts them higher up his nose. “Gnomes be best at tinkerin’. But if ye needs a jeweller, maybeh Gemman ken help yeh out.” 

A groggy Nova emerges, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. She walks lazily, leaning on Fae as she does, finishing a big yawn. Nova is about to smack her lips when she notices the fires. “Awe, you’re all having a big bon fire without me?” She pouts, until she takes a big sniff of the air. “Right…” The young woman’s severely sensitive nose scrunches, and she gags. She then buries her face into Fae’s robes. “Coulda warned me…” She muffles. A soft chuckle could actually be heard coming from Fae.

”It is troubling, Sir Hamish.” Fae agrees with the man. “And that shrine can provide some insight indeed.” She’d say with certainty. “As long as it remains in tact…” The wizard inhales a breath and brings a hand up to pet Nova’s hair. After a pause, she continues “Unless it’s dire and necessary for you to return to Phandalin immediately, I believe it to be wise to continue the journey from here.” Violet hues specifically look to Hamish. “You do not have the leisure of time.” Her gaze then turns to the sky, out at the moon. It was nearly full.

Hamish looks at the moon "AWWWOOooo..." His attempt at levity peters out almost instantly and he instantly regrets it, feeling self conscious.  "OK, we all heard her.  By the looks of the moon, this may be my last shot before fully turning.  I am confident that this group would be able to put me down when that happens but I cannot bear the thought of hurting an innocent.  I would appreciate it if you would help me clear the shrine but I understand if the risk is too great." 

Onu chuckles as Hammy howls at the moon 'I think you'd make a great werewolf...errr rat!  C'mon let's get going and see if we can find someone or something to help you'

"Well, in that case, we should get going then, right?" KD says, glancing briefly at Onu. "It's odd for me to say, but the gold will be there when we get back, and given what we have to do, it won't help us much. Should we leave now, or get some rest and then leave first thing?" She gives a small smile to Hal, who is practicing his climbing on the rock face.

She's happy to do either.

"It's already getting pretty late.  Traveling at night isn't always wise.  We have a safe place here, why don't we rest and then leave at first light?"

Nova's ears perk the moment Hamish starts howling. Big mismatched eyes turn his way and she bobs. "Are we starting a howler!?" Without waiting for a response, the woman tilts her head back and lets out her own set of wild howls towards the moon. "AWWWOOooo..." 

Not moments later she's answered by responding cries from the woods. Real direwolves, one after another join in on the call, howling into the night sky.

Nova beams and her hips begin to wiggle. She inhales a deep breath, going to let out another loud piercing howl of her own when Fae would put a hunk of bread in her mouth. The young woman would blink, then bite into it, settling for chewing it and having the snack instead. It wasn't without looking to Fae with very sad puppy eyes. She had just slept. Nova wanted to run and play.

The miners did have a watch arranged if the group wanted to long rest before heading out. Basic cots are available within the mine for you to sleep on.

(KD is happy to rest for the night, if that's what the group wants!)

With the adventurer’s falling quiet through out the evening, it is assumed they were staying the rest of the night. Fae inhales a deep breath, resigning to retire for the night. It didn’t go without Nova’s own protests. The woman was restless, however, she’d eventually come to settle and sleep. 

The fires burned through the night, and the miners took watch. All was eerily silent after the howler Hamish started. The night went on, entirely uneventful, well compared to the last few nights they endured. This was peaceful in comparison. 

Come morning as the sun came up, clouds clear from the sky. Today appeared to be a much better day, free from rain. When you all wake up, you notice the shift change in dwarfs. The ones you went to bed with were not the same you woke up with. That was nothing of concern, as all individuals were accounted for, just simply out on their watch. However, it was Fae and Nova who appeared to be missing from their bunk. The pair could be found outside the mine. Fae sits by a modest fire with her studies, having had already prepared tea while Nova pops out of a nearby bush and scurries over to her, presenting some fresh picked berries.

While waiting for the others, Fae completes her morning notes then begins to enjoy some fresh berries and tea for breakfast with Nova.

KD sleeps well after touching base more with Onu. They talk and plan like old times, or at least she tries to. It feels a bit different now. She's impressed with how much his skills have grown since they joined this crew. She mentions her family and asks him, sardonically, if Onu thinks they'd be proud of her, or if they would gloat.

Hal keeps an eye on the party overnight, not NOT trusting the miners but also trusting himself.

In the morning, she checks on Hamish, ensuring he has what he needs to be comfortable. She assures him that she will do whatever she can to help cure him, or help those who can.

She settles in next to Fae and Nova, and prepares to move along. She tries not to snoop on Fae's studies, and rather obviously tries to look through a few of her papers, specifically ideas she has to strengthen Hal a bit. She doesn't hide them from Fae or Nova (or anyone else).

Onu settles in for the night, comfortable and confident in the miners - and in Hal - to keep him safe as he drifts into a well-deserved sleep.

His dreams are filled with images of darkness and shadow, of biting teeth and sprouting hair... but the specifics elude him as the dawn breaks and he rouses from his slumber.

Taking time in the morning light to repair his suit jacket and trousers as best as possible with his travel kit.  Sighing and shaking his head at the uneven stitches and how they break the fall of the trousers.

Stepping outside, he setttles down next to Fae and Nova with a cup of tea of his own drinking deeply and soaking a bit of hard biscuit.  

KD’s check on Hamish would prove there was no true change in the man since last night, except perhaps that he may be groggy and a bit sluggish this morning. He would appear to be one of the last ones to eventually rise and join the group.

Lost in her work for a few moments, those sitting next to Fae could see the pages in which she’s focused on. She hides beneath her hood, eyes shadowed. While there were notes, both neat and scribbled, on the left page in various languages, the right page which she was working on contained no words. She was sketching. One could make out a large being with a smaller one sitting by warm firelight, their shadows cast against a cave wall. Horns stunted and flightless wings. Cloaked darkness with book in hand.

Meanwhile Nova flops and rolls around on the ground in exaggerated boredom. She stretches out at she does, laying herself along KD’s feet and Fae’s legs. Reaching the rest of the way with her arms, she gently tugs at Onu’s sleeve. He’s met with big puppy like mis matched eyes looking up at him. “Pssst.” She starts, breaking the silence. “Can’t miss KD mend your pretty pants?” Her head tilts. The young woman had heard his sighing and couldn’t help notice his disappointment in the tatter of his attire. Nova would smile.

At this, Fae would break from her concentration and close her journal a bit hastily. “Good morning.” She’d say softly to both KD and Onu who had joined her. After a moment of adjusting the wizard would take a sip of tea then pull down her hood. “I hope you both rested well.” Tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, she’d offer a soft dimpled smile with remnants of pink in her cheeks.

Coming to notice KD’s notes next to her, Fae’s eyes go distant a moment then return to meet KDs. “While I may not have direct experience in your field of knowledge, I have been inspired, influenced and involved in projects by a skilled artificer. Perhaps I may not be much help with new innovative ideas in your expertise, however, I may be able to identify some of his work and research that could assist you.”

Hamish did not rest well.  He tossed and turned for a long time unable to stop his mind from racing with thoughts of his curse.  When he finally woke up in the morning, he slowly wandered out to find his new friends by the fire.  Rubbing the back of his head, "Good Morning everyone.  I hope you all slept better than I did.  I feel like there is something going on inside me.   I mean, I know there is but I think I can feel it.  I don't know if it's real or if I'm just getting myself worked up.  I feel like something is crawling under my skin and knees and elbows ache.  I know you all said that you would help me.  I'm scared.  Not of death but of the pain of my coming transformation and the fear that I will hurt someone innocent.  I just want this over one way or the other.  I regret not setting out last night because I feel like I'm on borrowed time.  Can we please leave soon to see if we can learn anything from the shrine?"  

Hamish lowered his head and worked a small rock with his foot.  He didn't know why but he felt almost ashamed being so direct with these people who had been nothing but welcoming to him.

Violet eyes look up from where she sits. Fae gives Hamish her attention while he shares his thoughts and feeling with the group. She nods her head respectfully, understanding his regret to have not continued on last night. She had her own personal sense of urgency, thus understanding his. However, the wizard at least knew the solution to his source of anxiety.

"The burden of your cure falls on the shoulders of you, or I." Fae says this with certainty. After spending time with Hamish, KD and Onu, she's had a glimpse of their capabilities and had already ran assessments. While Nova and KD had potential, it was the cleric and the wizard who ultimately had the ability to access this arcana soonest, but only through time and experience gained could they. "While I respect your resolve to sacrifice yourself at the cost of not harming any innocents, I don't believe any of us would find that necessary." She adds. "However I do not wish to dismiss your concerns. Therefore with your consent, there are preparations that can be done so that one can restrain and subdue you, without the need to end your life." In full confidence the wizard would gesture with her spell book. "Should this be acceptable, I would require about 10-15 minutes to prepare." Fae would state. "Please take that time and consume some breakfast to maintain your strength for our journey ahead." She'd gesture to the tea and pile of berries Nova picked. "Then we can be on our way in a timely fashion."

KD absentmindedly reaches out to Onu's pantsleeve without looking, and casts mending to at least repair the worst of the tears. She crooks an eyebrow, and winks at Nova in thanks for the inspiration. 

When Fae speaks up, she replies, "oh these old things? They're just some scribbles. But feel free to look at them if you like. And I'm always eager to learn! I'd love some advice or inspiration. I have some ideas on how to make Hal a bit stronger. He might get a bit bigger, though I'm tempted to keep him this small. He's just so cute aren't you buddy..."

Her delight drops a bit when Hamish arrives. She really wanted to help fix him. Listening to Fae, her eyes narrow. "I'm going to take that as a challenge. I bet I can help you rid him of this curse. And if, as you say, we need to get to the shrine to have a chance, well, then let's get a move on as soon as possible!"

She prepares to go, and Hal ensures nothing is left behind. KD begins looking at the horizon to absolutely confirm True North, consulting the map to ensure they will not get lost, and thus she does her best to guarantee the party will take the fastest route to get there. 

Onu looks up and smiles as KD reaches out and helps repair one of the tears in his trousers, the blood and viscera disappearing as the artificer's clever magic does its work.

'Thank you my friend, I hate to burden you with such small details, especially since I rely on you so much already.'  

As the group gathers themselves to leave, the fastidious monk gathers up his meager supplies, settles his gleaming blade firmly in it's walking stick sheath and prepares to lead the party forward towards adventure.

Reviewing the map KD would be able to confirm a clear route around the hills to the Triboar Trail where you would follow it for many hours. As per her calculations the group would be able to reach Conyberry within 8 hours, leaving approximately one more hour to reach the Shrine from there. Armed with this information, everyone prepares for the long haul of marching all day. 

The group sets out after tidying up and saying their farewells to the miners and their proprietor. 

The sun rays light up the rolling plains as you travel north. Around midday, you break for lunch under a lonely tree. There, Hal finds a small rock that looks like a grinning face, but otherwise he reports nothing out of the ordinary.

Continuing the journey, miles along the Triboar Trail, the group is nearing the end of the anticipated 8 hour trek, finally coming up upon the abandoned village of Conyberry. Aware that it was sacked by barbarians years ago, it’s still a sobering sight to see it now lying in ruins. A dirt road extends south of the town, and the one that will lead to the Shrine.

Hal would hear rustling from the bushes just beyond the fork in the dirt road.