Rime of the Frostmaiden - Adventure

Ophelia spends half the night in a troubled trance and the rest of it either taking a turn at watch or thinking about the hidden thieves and looters in town.  Might it be the cult of Auril?  The deep gnome in Targos had seemed like an outsider, so perhaps these miscreants were too.

As the party sets off, Ophelia again brings up the back of the marching order, holding the tail end of the rope if appropriate.  As she watches the party's rear, she also keeps an eye out for any unusual and recent tracks in the snow outside town that may have been left by the mysterious criminals.  (She is guessing that any tracks left by Garret and the group he was leading would have been long since covered over by falling snow, but she looks for those too.)

Ophelia's Perception to watch the party's rear and look for tracks in the snow outside Caer Konig:  12

Once well out of town, a faint lavender glow outlines Ophelia once more as she casts Mage Armor and then Blade Ward periodically.

Once the rescue expedition is on the move again, Ellora would take her usual place by the rope, lighting the lantern when needed and letting Oculus do some forward scouting as per usual.

(Oculus perception: 19 Ellora perception: 16 )

Dvu nods to Marva, saying "That sounds like a good idea.  Marva, I think a climber's kit is a good idea - I will purchase one for us to use, just in case.  It pays to be prepared, even at these prices."  Dvu spends 29 gold to purchase a climber's kit for the party to use.  Dvu watches the drunken dragonborn at the bar, thinking to himself "There's more to that, for sure.  Perhaps on the way back..."  He heads off to the room, casting goodberry right before going to sleep and putting them in his pouch, ready for their ascent tomorrow.  He dreams of large, Goliath women, and none who are shuttling fish back and forth.  He dreams of a fun game of "tug of war" with the woman of his dreams...

The next morning the Goliath is stretching and has a smile on his face in the common room.  "Much better.  I'm ready to tackle the Cairn and pull the ears off a yeti, if need be.  Everyone ready?"

As they head out, Dvu leaves the spotting and perception to others, focusing on their path and his ability to pick the proper trail for them.  He thinks back to any advice Glen gave about the approach, which direction they should come at it, which path to take.  He does his best to lead his crew and keep them away from danger.  

Survival (with guidance) : 13

Month: Hammer, 2, Day: X, Time: 1100

Between Dvu's navigating and everyone keeping their eyes' wide open for potential threats, the group successfully make it to the base of Kelvin's Cairn and locates Garret's base camp. You find two tents pitched in the snow near an icy outcropping that acts as a natural windbreaker. Between the tents is an overturned sled. Still harnessed to the sled are five howling dogs. You do not see any people but do see four mountain goats about 50' up the trail ascending the mountain. 

As the group trekked through the dim morning, the silver dragonborn exclaimed at least three times about the beauty of the day. “Doesn’t that sharp wind just make you feel alive? The silhouettes of those dead trees against the sky is remarkable! This landscape has a clean, empty beauty that the clutter of our towns and cities can’t match, don’t you think?”

When they arrive at the campsite, Marva entreats Dvu, “Oh, no! Those poor dogs! Can you help them? I have some jerky if they’re hungry. I wonder how long they’ve been left here…” 

She turns to Ellora and says, “You seem quite clever to me. Could I help you search the tents to see if we can learn what they were doing here and how long they’ve been gone?” (She’ll cast Guidance on Ellora for an Investigation check and give her the Help action.)

Drift frowns to see the poor dogs and throws a couple of rations, torn into fifths, towards them. He might not have the gift that some do when it comes to animals, but perhaps it might help the others begin to untangle the huskies. 

As he does so, he sends his flying wonder out over the snow. With its blindsight, ranging the nearest hundred feet, can it find any bodies or clues beneath the snow that are not visible to the eye?

The young white-haired woman gives the silver dragonborn a puzzled look. "Thanks, I guess, and sure, you help me search the tents." Ellora says with a shrug and starts to do just that.

(Investigation of the camp site: 19 + Guidance: 4 )

Dvu walks over to the sled and the dogs, kneeling down and offering them a ration from his pack, he tries to gain their trust with food, petting their heads and under their chins.  While he’s doing so, he ritually begins to cast speak with animals, saying “It’s alright.  We are here now.  Bring food to you.  Help each other.  What happened here?  Where are the people?  Did anything attack you?”  He asks each question followed by a nibble of food.  

As her companions divide and conquer to investigate the tents, scan the surrounding area, and speak with the poor sled dogs, Ophelia smiles contentedly at their synergy.  She remembers a time when she had felt comfortable as part of a group, a loving family, yet something terrible had happened.  Her memory remains occluded and hazy, and as her mind circles the elusive thought, her lavender eyes un-focus and turn slightly upward.

Upward towards the mountain goats above on the slope.

Mid-mountain high, Her threat abides
Concealed in dim lit day
As predators do Auril's beasts
Await their snowy prey

Some part of Ophelia's mind is vaguely aware that where there are prey animals such as these goats, there are predators who hunt them.  Perhaps the crag cats that Donna at Frozenfar Expeditions had mentioned.  She squints up at the mountain path in search of such lurking creatures, but sees only snow.

Ophelia's Perception:  9

Month: Hammer, 2, Day: X, Time: 1115

While Marva enjoys the weather and climate, the rest of the group stoically advances. The dogs, sled, and tents cause everyone to pause then spring into action.

Dvu and Drift deal with the dogs with kind words and rations. In response to Dvu's questions, they convey they have been here too long and are too hungry and too cold to stick around. They do say their former people headed up the mountain from this spot. They take a bite of the rations and hurry towards Caer Konig. Drift sends his Wonder, which spots the goats but nothing else of interest. 

Ellora and Marva find the tents empty and useless from being ripped. You find two small crates under the sled. The sled has a broken runner and has a few bite marks where the desperate dogs chewed on it but otherwise is in good condition. One crate is empty, and it appears that the dogs broke into it and ate the provisions that were contained within; the other is not in the dogs’ reach and contains enough rations to feed four people for three days (OOC - Feel free to add 24 rations to the group's equipment).

Ophelia keeps watch, correctly observing that predators can lurk where there are prey. She may consider whether the group is the predator since she does not spot any crag cats or other beasts to take that title.

After seeing the base camp is secure and as good a place as any to start your trek up the mountain, you head up the mountain. You pass the goats, they look at you and you at them, then they bound off without fear of slipping in a manner you envy. There is a bit of a path, but everyone needs to take their hand off the rope at times to ascend through particularly challenging areas. Still, you make steady progress. 

Everyone please roll Survival and Initiative. 

Ellora would show the others what she and Marva had found, helping herself to 4 days of rations.
Before heading up the mountain, Ellora would cast Mage armour and ritually cast Unseen servant.
She would also send Oculus up ahead to warn them of any lurking dangers.

(Oculus perception: 9 Ellora suvival: 18 Ellora initiative: 16 )

Marva watches the dogs run off toward Caer Konig and says, “I see the risk in bringing dogs along. Poor things! Hopefully, we’ll find the party and they can be reunited. I had been thinking they could be useful if we had injured folks to get back to town, but I guess that sled isn’t much good.” She heads up the trail behind Dvu, casting Guidance on him as needed for Survival.

(Survival: 11; Initiative: 4)

Drift puffs on his hand and rubs them together, fighting the chill, his mind more on the rope than on his surroundings.

(initiative: 6; Survival 8)

(Ophelia absently places four more rations into her pack.)

Ophelia's Survival:  12

Ophelia's Initiative:  11

Dvu survival : 16

Initiative : 3

Month: Hammer, 2, Day: X, Time: 1300

You are going slow but steady up the mountain and have seen no signs of people or beast. However, you hear a loud CRACK from higher up the mountain as the ground starts to shake. AVALANCHE! 

Only Ophelia reacts to the noise before the mounds of snow and rocks move half way to you. How far does everyone choose to move during their turn? (Action and Bonus Action?)

As Marva hears the ominous rumbling, she uses her full movement and dash action to go in whatever direction seems best. If/when she gets hit by the force of the avalanche, she curls up and tries to protect her head.

Ellora would instinctively try to follow and stay close to Dvu, trusting him to guide her through this.

Drift clicks his fingers and his flying wonder flies to him, he quickly ties a rope to its frame and sends it straight upward into the sky with its rope trailing below it. 

He uses his own movement to run towards the nearest cairn or monolith or gully that looks like it might provide some leeway from the coming avalanche. 

Ophelia, bringing up the rear of the party, cries out as she hears of the crack from far above which, even to her inexpert mind, seems as if it must indicate tonnage of snow giving in to gravity above.  As often, her words are not as direct and prosaic as the urgent circumstance might dictate.

"Killing snows, they come,
The Frostmaiden's fist, falling
Like thunder from high."

As she herself begins to run as fast as her snowshoes will take her, in whichever direction seems the shortest to avoid the cross section of path that seems to be threatened by the avalanche, a different, incongruous thought crosses her mind as to who or what might have caused it.

Those bloody goats!

Ophelia dashes 70' (35' move speed) in whichever direction seems shortest to avoid the avalanche, which might be backwards since she is in the rear.