Rime of the Frostmaiden - Adventure

After one long rest, Dvu is rested and recovered from his exhaustion, and ready to begin the hunt.  He comes down to the common room at the inn, looking to see if Trovus is around, waiting for the others to arrive.  He checks his pack, making sure of his things and readies himself for tracking and a late night, seeing if any coffee can be put on for their upcoming trek.

Zuleikha smiles as her new companions slowly begin to emerge from their rooms, but the warm expression quickly resolves into one of concern.

"Ah, well, this will not do! I see some of our company still bear the weariness of the rough voyage down Kelvin's Cairn. Our task is not so pressing that it cannot wait until morning, no? Go and rest, and we will see you on the morrow." The paladin insists, shooing the more tired members of the company back up the stairs.

Fully replenished after her own slumber, Zuleikha fishes out a pack of playing cards and offers to play Elemental Empires with anyone who happens to be in the mood for light entertainment. 

“Your gallantry and concern are appreciated, Dame Zulheikha. But I don’t think my mind will let me fully rest until we solve this mystery. Now, if we learn nothing in an hour or two, you may send me to bed and tuck me in.” The lanky dragonborn stifles a yawn and waits to see if the mage will join them. “Are we meeting Trovus here at the Northern Light or at the Hook, Line, and Sinker? Or just investigating on our own?”

Ophelia's lavender eyes still look a touch bleary and her slender frame slightly slumped, though not as severely as eight hours ago.

It is unclear (doubtful?) whether the she-elf is fully lucid, but that is nothing new, with or without the exhaustion.  Her gaze tilted slightly upward and lips parted, she wordlessly tags along with whatever group ventures out unless forcefully prevented from doing so.

(Ophelia rolled a 7 - 2 for 1 level Exhaustion = 5 on Perception just now, so I am guessing she failed to notice anything out the window of the Northern Light during her four hour post-trance vigil.)

There is a relieved sigh from Ellora as the calishite warrior tells her to go back to her room, and she doesn't argue about it, just giving Zuleikha a tired but grateful smile before turning to head back to her room to fully recover from the arduous rescue expedition she just came back from.

Month: Hammer, 3, Day: I, Time: 2200

The group reassembles in the small common room of the Inn with the intent of leaving to catch whatever is making the tracks. The long restful time in the Inn energize everyone, although you have concerns about once again risking new exhaustion rather in the cold, dark Icewind Dale night and some of you remain tired.

(OOC - As of now, Marva, Ophelia, Ellora, and Drift have 1 level of Exhaustion which means a -2 on all d20 rolls. The exhaustion they are suffering was gained due to trouble descending Kelvin's Cairn, not due to Exhaustion that everyone had due to walking around at night. Exhaustion is removed by a long rest, which is eight hours of downtime. Overnight Exhaustion is due to the cold, wind, snow/ice, and poor sleep quality (yes, even the elf). Everyone does a CONS save (DC 12 during a normal night or DC 14 if a blizzard happens at night). You can reduce the DC by 1 for each a fire and a shelter.)

Ophelia reports that she had not seen anything suspicious from her window. Ellora returns to her room for more rest while the five of you start the search. The first target to be found is Trovus, who you locate stumbling out of the Hook, Line, and Sinker. Good of ye to help, he says unsteadily. Lessgo look for tracks, and he starts wandering through Caer-Konig. There appears to be no rhyme or reason for the route he takes. Your search for the second target - the tracks and whatever makes them - takes some time.

Those on the search, please roll:

CONS save
Nature
Perception
Survival

Marva hangs tough for an hour or two, but struggles to stay focused. If they don't discover anything in two hours, she goes back to the Northern Light and her warm bed.

CONS save: 15-2=13
Nature: natural 1+2-2= 1
Perception: natural 1+3-2=2
Survival: 10-2=8

The paladin looks reluctant to leave Ellora behind at the inn - a touch of confusion growing on her face at all the miscommunication. "Were we not all setting out together?" In the end, she hurries back upstairs to inform the bed-bound mage of the change in plans, giving Ellora the opportunity to join the nocturnal expedition if she so wishes. 

Later that evening, Zuleikha stomps through the snow behind Torvus, but eyes him sceptically given the arbitrary, rambling path he takes. She leans over to Dvu and Drift, who seem skilled in the art of pathfinding. "This man charts his course like a fly bouncing off windows. Is there any sense to what he is doing?" Zuleikha whispers quietly, while trying to pick out tracks with her own eyes. 

CON save: 16
Nature: 0
Perception: 15
Survival: 4

"Noo, go away, I need to sleep..." Is the first response from the white-haired woman, but only moments later she appears in her door. "Is it morning already? Can't get used to not seeing the sun." She almost whimpers as she follows the calishite warrior downstairs.

Lucky Con save: 13
Nature: 7
Perception with help from Oculus: 14
Survival: 12

After the frigid winds of the mountain that the party had just braved, Ophelia barely seems to notice the chill, half-lucid as she is.  In fact, her up-tilted lavender eyes seem to take in quite a bit as she wanders the town, following the haphazard course set by its Speaker.

Whenever she notices anything she thinks worthy of note during their meanderings, she tugs on Dvu's arm, makes a small noise to attract the others' attention, and wordlessly points out whatever it is that she noticed.  Unfortunately, a tracker, she is not...

Ophelia's CON Save:  22 - 2 = 20 (dirty)
Ophelia's Nature:  14 - 2 = 12
Ophelia's Perception:  18 - 2 = 16
Ophelia's Survival:  5 - 2 = 3

Drift comes along, expecting his flying wonder to be of most aid, but the wind blows fiercely and the dark is deeper than the blackest of souls and he hesitates to release it, keeping it close on his belt. 

Con save: 5
Nature: 9
Perception: 11
Survival: 7

Dvu goes out looking briefly the night before, but cannot find much and so he waits for his friends to be more fully rested.  He nods to Trovus and looks at him with a leery eye as the others point out their concerns as well.  When they head out, he does his best to track the footprints and find something that the drunken Dragonborn has not..

Con save : 19

Nature : 2

Perception : 20

Survival : 20 

Month: Hammer, 3, Day: II, Time: 0000

It has been two hours and it is now midnight. The only tracks you have seen are the ones you have made as you meander around the town. Garret has chosen to accompany you on this and shares Zuleikha's perspective, if not more scathing in his criticism. However, he has no solid ideas about how better to catch in the act a thief that appears to take random things.

Trovus seems to have an endless supply of bottles in his bag and you occasionally here them tinkle when they bump into each other when he falls. It is always unclear whether his falls are due to drink or ice and he never clarifies or offers a drink. However, he also does not stop in his apparent search for the thieves and mumbles about protecting his citizens. He does decide to alter the strategy. "The tracks have been seen by the Northern Lights - that is where we will stake out and surprise our thief! he declares with confidence. So around to the back of the Inn you go to wait in the cold for something, anything, to justify this activity.

It is here you see two sets of tracks, one heading into town and another heading out of town. Trovus is as surprised as the rest of you to see them. Both tracks are relatively fresh, you estimate about one hour old. They are humanoid size, or at least something that wears humanoid sized boots. You would guess that whatever made the tracks saw yourselves patrolling the town and decided to return to its stronghold rather then spend time in town. 

Garret says he will come with you to help you track the being should you decide to continue but will likely not be much of a help in a fight. Trovus says he will stay in town in case the thief return to Caer-Konig but encourages you with a belch to rid the town of the threat. I can promise you will be the toast of the Hook, Line, and Sinker when you succeed

"I would prefer to seize the initiative while we have it. If the tracks are only an hour old, we stand a good chance of catching up to this scurrilous thief and spanking some sense into them." Zuleikha says, eyes following the footprints that wind their way out of town. "Perhaps a meeting between the thief and a confederate? An employer or fence?"

She turns back to the group, her henna-tattooed fingers tapping her lips as she considers the fatigued expressions some of her companions bear. Sloped shoulders, heavy eyes, deep breaths - are they in any fit state to continue? Something softens in the eyes of the pasha's daughter as she turns to each of her new comrades. 

"But if you would rather we return in the morning, I would not press you beyond what you can bear."

"Apart from something stealing things and leaving these tracks we have absolutely no idea what is waiting for us out there in the cold and darkness. I admit I have no clear idea what kind of thief this is but it is something that lives out there somewhere, probably something much more dangerous than these cute thefts would imply. I doubt the fences in Calimshan made their deals out in the blistering desert. Well this is no different. And if there was a person living out there the town would know about it. I would venture to guess this is come kind of winter fey creature causing mischief but I won't believe this is a local stealing things and carrying it out on the tundra." Ellora says, still seeming quite tired and grumpy over the whole ordeal of being out in the cold in the middle of the night. "What I'm saying is that if we do go on now we might well find ourselves in a situation far worse than these thefts might suggest."

Marva was really dragging as they followed the other dragonborn, especially as she had little to no confidence in his methods. But when they run across actual tracks, she seems to get a second wind. “That we chanced on these tracks is a miracle. I’m not one to throw away good luck. I agree with Dame Zuleikha that we should follow these tracks before they disappear. Let’s at least see if they go out into the open ice or if they lead to some kind of thieves’ den.”

Ophelia turns and nods gamely, willing to pursue the fresh trail despite her tiredness.  Her gaze drifts to Oculus and Scheherazade.

Clearly wondering if one of the familiars might be able to range out a bit, following the path to check whether the tracks perhaps just lead to some spot a few minutes out of town or truly far out into the snowy wilderness.  Perhaps even back in the direction of Kelvin's Cairn.

With the others seeming intent on following through, Ellora sighs deeply and calls upon her Snowy owl familiar to scout ahead a bit, hopefully finding wherever the elusive thief had taken shelter for the night.

Oculus Perception with 120 feet darkvision: 23

Dvu seems excited as well, nodding to Trovus and feeling a little relieved when he says that he will stay near the town and stand guard.  “We can handle this.. let’s see where this leads, the fact that we found them.. we shouldn’t waste the opportunity.  I’d like to track these footsteps and see where they lead us.”  He looks to the others trying to assess their willingness to continue, then begins to follow them, hunching down closer to the ground periodically, making sure that they are staying on track.  He holds a ball of flame in his hand to light and guide the way.  

Month: Hammer, 3, Day: II, Time: 0200

The group is able to follow the footprints away from Caer-Konig towards Kelvin’s Cairn despite the swirling snow. The temperature is well below freezing, there is light snow falling and constant winds that occasionally gust to very uncomfortable levels. Occasionally the track is obscured but Dvu with Garret’s assistance always re-finds it. Oculus and Scheherazade regularly report back that they see nothing but he usual bad weather ahead. After two hours (about 1/2 mile or 2/3 km), the footprints end and a new track to follow appears. This is one has a larger set of humanoid footprints with lines on either side. Where the smaller prints went, you don’t know. Looking back, you can see only your own tracks.