Pizazz's Beyond Annihilation

Badger is quick to grab the bag of gold off the table and shove it into a pocket before walking out the door.  The rest of the group follows him out into the cold darkness.  Stars twinkle overhead.  A stiff breeze blows from East to West and snow drifts across the street with gusts. Badger stands like a statue outside, in his puffed up jacket, waiting for someone else to lead the way.  

Kari in particular feels the bite of the cold air seeping into gaps in her gear, remembering what its like without her spirit protecting her.

Kurik shrugs and takes the lead, feeling pretty comfortable moving through the town at this point.  The foursome walk through the city. You pass a several folks, all wrapped up in winter gear, same as you, though you get the feeling that they keep a bit more distance and eye you a bit more than usual...likely related to the murders. 

Eventually you turn down the street of the shrine and up to the door. It's unlocked and a sign says welcome, as you'd expect, so the group trudges inside, closing the door to keep the cold out as quick as you can.  Immediately folk begin stamping snow off their feet and unwrapping their gear as they begin to overheat in the warmth of the building.  Mishann, the older human priest who runs the shrine comes around the corner. "Ahhh, welcome welcome, back to the Shrine. Good to see you've managed to return from your trek out into the cold dark and make it back looking mostly unscathed."  She smiles a business like smile. Knowingly she leans up the stairway and shouts, "COPPER!  YOU'RE FRIENDS ARE BACK!"    From upstairs, Copper's voice can be heard, "Friends?! What the devil is that woman on about now..."  which is followed by the sounds of feet treading down a hallway.  Copper emerges at the corner of the stairs with a frown, but then realizes who it is and his eyes light up...and then quickly fade to a guarded look.  "Oh..well...hello.  Did you find the cabin?"

Kurik cuts straight to the point.  "Grim news so take a seat.  We found the cabin and your friend has died from his device and became a ghost.  Badger her finished the device and conversed, in a way, with the spirit whom wanted the device used there at the cabin.  It worked... the area around the cabin is warmer.  Mind you it's still cold, no summer paradise but sight better than. This frigid temp."

Copper takes a seat on the stairs and listens to the news.  He nods several times, staring at his feet and thinking.  With a sigh he looks up, "Well...the damned fool...I warned him more than once. Its a shame his device didn't do more...but he had a heroic heart for trying. Interesting about the shift in weather. I'm half-inclined to go check it out. But only half.  Thank you for traveling to check on my friend, and thank you for returning with the news, this is most generous. I'm afraid I've naught to offer you in reward except any assistance I can lend you in Bryn Shander." 

Badger pipes up, "Uh...yeah, we heard tell about a prison in the north somewhere. How do you get there?"

Copper nods, "Revel's End. Yes indeed. I'm happy to tell you all about it. I'm aware of it out of interest from some of my studies of the local region."  He adopts a sort of 'lecturer's monotone voice' at this point and starts talking.  

As he does so, Mishann rolls her eyes and walks away, "I'll bring some tea for you all, his blathering could take a while." 

With an icy glare at her back, he turns back to the group, "Revel’s End is a panopticon, a prison configured in such a way that the activities of the prisoners can be closely monitored from a central location. It's situated on the coast of the Sea of Moving Ice and is a single-story structure topped with battlements. Rising from the core of the panopticon is a tower that holds the prison’s administrative offices and guard barracks. Both the prison and the tower are carved out of a tall, blade-shaped rock that rises above the sea cliffs. This rock, called the Windbreak, shields the tower against the winds that come down from the Reghed Glacier.  You can get to Revel’s End by land or sea. A pier allows prisoners to be taken from ships up an elevator to the prison.  They actually also have a mechanism for airship, a mooring dock at the top of the tower that allows prisoners to be delivered by air.  The prison is controlled by the Lords’ Alliance, a loose confederation of settlements whose current members include the cities of Baldur’s Gate, Mirabar, Neverwinter, Silverymoon, Waterdeep, and Yartar; the towns of Amphail, Daggerford, and Longsaddle; and the dwarven stronghold of Mithral Hall. To be imprisoned in Revel’s End, one must have committed a serious crime against one or more members of the alliance and been sentenced to a lengthy period of incarceration. Generally offender must have political connections that make incarceration in another facility less dependable. Captured spies, for example, are often brought here to cool their heels. Literally. Each member of the Lords’ Alliance assigns one representative to Revel’s End, and together they form a parole committee called the Absolution Council. Rarely are all ten council members present in Revel’s End since the place offers little in the way of comfort and amenities. If the council needs a tie-breaking vote to determine whether to commute a prisoner’s sentence, the prison warden—a neutral arbiter with no ties to any Lords’ Alliance member—casts the deciding vote." 

Mishann shows up with a tray of small wooden cups filled with steaming liquid. Badger eagerly grabs one and sits breathing in the warm mist. 

Copper, "Of course they could never find a truly neutral warden, so generally the warden has favor with at least one of the members. Anyway, that's what I know about it. I'm happy to give further details if you like."  He stands up and treads down the stairs and heads into the main shrine room.  On the back wall, a large map of the north is displayed.  He points to spot on the southern edge of the sea, "There, it's right there."  (you guys mark this on your map).   It turns out it is essentially straight north, 20 miles, from the cabin you just left.

"Well this sounds like a pleasant place to visit, I am sure we won;t have any issues going there." Mal says, then she turns back to Copper, "By chance do you know of any local frost giant outposts in the area, or where there have been recent sightings of Frost Giants?"

Copper rubs his chin, "Well....the north is the right sort of place to find Frost giants in general. Sitings are all that unusual. I've heard that there is a frost giant stronghold somewhere out in the sea of ice. Also, in some research I did, there's apparently someplace known as "Jarlmoot". The best I could do was deduce that it was west of Bryn Shander out in the wastes somewhere. I have asked fishers, trappers and traders that move about the region. Someone said something about seeing some old stones shaped like giant chairs on the top of a hill about twenty miles west of here. It's supposed to be some holy site? But, I didn't go out to confirm the details. Sometimes these wilderness people have strange ideas, but this one seemed to match up. I think the man's name was 'hairy'..and I tell you, he was. But his type are rarely in town."

 That sounds like a good place to avoid then. And we probably shouldn't travel by sea either. Now this prison, how do we get in? Do we need some kind of approval or letter of entry or something? I imagine with security that tight that they don't let just anyone in that walks up to the gates.

Copper shrugs, "You'd be surprised. The north is an inhospitable place, which, ironically makes any settlement a bit more hospitable. Essentially, if you show up, they're unlikely to turn you away. I'm sure their place is big enough and secure enough to house a couple travellers seeking shelter for the evening."

Badger looks around at the group with a gruff furrow of his brows.  "Well. Nothin else to ask this fellow? Great. I think we should get on our way then."  He addresses the gnome, "Thanks for your assistance there."  He begins wrapping himself up, "We're off then to the stables then and headin north, right?" 

"I have nothing else that needs to get done in this town, let's get a move on." Mal says as she makes for the door to leave, "Let's go round up our mounts and start the trek out there."

The group wraps themselves up in their winter gear as usual, and soon they're off, trudging through the snowy streets to the barn and the Axebeaks to the south of town. Mal is in her own thoughts as they walk but Kurik and Kari seem to be having some discourse about next steps. 

As the group arrives and begins the processing of hooking up the sled, saddling the animals, and getting ready to depart, you work partially within the barn and are able to pull off some gear and talk somewhat normally for a short time. 

Badger raises his voice so Mal can hear, "Kari and Kurik are arguing about wether we should stay on goal and go north to try and find the wizards and destroy the ring, or go to Good Mead, where the boss of this murderer Kurik killed can apparently be found. Of course Kurik also mentioned wanting to go find a dragon to fight, so I'm not sure he's in his right mind! At this point, I don't care! As long as we decide and get out of this indecision I'm fine going any which way!" 

As you're all standing around having a discussion, and saddling up the Axebeaks, and getting the sled ready, a figure wrapped in winter gear approaches. As he steps into the relative shelter of the barn, he pulls his scarf down and yanks off his gloves. "Are you headed north?"

As Mal is about to answer Badger, she turns quickly around, hand moving to her crossbow at the question from the stranger, "Who are you and what do you want with us?"

  Her attention pulled away from her debate with Kurik, Kari notices Mal's hand on her weapon and holds out her own arms, palms down, in a placate gesture. Now hold on, let's nobody be hasty. She stares at Kuric for a good moment, then leans on her glaive in a relaxed way looking at the newcomer, and nods encouragingly for him to answer Mal.

As the figure emerges from the dark outside, you see the visage of a dark-haired human man dissolve into that of a tiefling, with fiery dark orange skin, piercing gold eyes, and a friendly smile. 

"I'm a fellow traveller, looking to head northwards, and would appreciate some company out there, rather than fighting through this never ending winter by myself again - if you would have me? You can call me Mordekai."

The half Orc female, bundled up in regular clothes and leaning on her glaive speaks up again. We are a bit undecided at the moment. You know, private business and such. If you're looking for a group to travel with I think there are merchants that go back and forth, probably the safe route. We are more on a mission. Once we decide which one to do. But not safe, adventurer type stuff, for sure. She takes a moment to give the newcomer a better once over, sizing up Mordekai's gear and general bearing. What sort of business brings you so far North?

((If needed, Insight 6 into their character, if they could be a spy.))

"Interesting.  It seems we are not so different.  I am not so much simply looking for a group to travel with.  Merchants would not offer me the same kind of assistance or protection that I believe you might, if you are indeed the adventure-y types.  And I don't think my own business would exactly allow me to stick to the well-trodden merchant routes."

He thinks for a moment, before seeming to come to a conclusion.  "Look, we could all stand around being cagey with each other for a while, but let me be open with you.  I have a personal stake in finding out the source of this perpetual winter.  That's probably not uncommon, to be honest.  But even if I am unable to bring it to an end - which is almost certainly out of the question by myself - then just finding out more information about what kind of magic is causing such a...disturbance...may still enable me to help a friend."

"I am not worried about danger, I have dealt with plenty in the past - and I have also learned the merits of safety in numbers.  And in truth I do not even know my own destination.  I have discovered that the many adventures that lie in wait are often interlinked.  I arrived very recently in town, and Scramsax at the Northlook suggested that there was another group of folk on an adventure of their own.  So the thought occurred to me that perhaps accompanying you on your mission might even help me with my own, and vice versa?"

Kurik eyed the man up and down.  He was at a loss on if this man was being truthful or not.  But Worm might know.  With slight tingle in his head, Worm shifted ever so slightly as it casted it's spell.  

Worm casting: Detect Thoughts

Mordekai's general surface thoughts seem to be a confusion about whatever magical disturbance is going on in this region, a frustration about his own lack of knowledge and understanding about it, and concern about what might happen to his friend if he can't get to the bottom of it.  Is all this "Ice Maiden" business connected or not?  What can Mordekai even do about it if it is?  And what leads does he have left if it isn't?

He nods at Morekai.  "Seems on the level about it all," Kurik said.  "Seems the end goals align but trust comes slowly. But we will give a chance to earn it.

Mal glances at Kurik sideways but then shakes her head in approval, "Works for me, we could use another in our group only to make up for the lack of support from the halfling over there." As she points over in the general direction of Badger, a grin on her face, though her piercing blue eyes never waver from Morekai.