Rime of the Frostmaiden - Adventure

Zuleikha pulls the cords on her robes fast, shivering at the more biting gales that buffet the party making their way in the direction of Kelvin's Cairn once more. She kneels beside the tracks as they change shape, frowning in confusion as her gloved hand hovers over the impressions in the snow and dirt.

"The mystery deepens. One set of prints fade as if swallowed by the earth, and another set born in their place." She looks up at the company, unnerved by the strange transformation, here deep in the night, in the shadow of the great mountain. "Some glamour laid over flesh? A skinwalker who changes its shape? Lycanthrope or vampire?"

She rises to her feet, ensures the oil in her lantern will not gutter out any time soon, and looks ready to continue their pursuit. 

Drift trails at the far end, hand on his flying wonder ready to have it fly out of it is useful — still, he is aware of its limitations, and the thing is no familiar, able to think and report back to a master — when it comes to tracking a creature, he must rely on Dvu and has little to offer. 

However, he thinks back to the trek around the town with Torvus. He is almost certain the man is what he appears; a person who enjoys a drink perhaps a little too much. However…

(With his tool proficiencies or with a skill, would Drift be able to tell anything about the bottles Torvus carried, or smell any alcohol or other substance in Torvus’ belch as he sent the band on its way?)

DM:  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.

Zuleikha:  "The mystery deepens. One set of prints fade as if swallowed by the earth, and another set born in their place." She looks up at the company, unnerved by the strange transformation, here deep in the night, in the shadow of the great mountain. "Some glamour laid over flesh? A skinwalker who changes its shape? Lycanthrope or vampire?"

Ophelia calls out musingly in her dreamy, quavering sing-song voice, responding to the Calishite Warrior's puzzlement.

"Perhaps some glamour as you've said,
Or smaller shoes stepped on a sled,
By larger feet then pulled and led."

Zuleikha blinks in surprise, her lantern swinging low to make out the parallel lines cutting through the snow. The desert princess grins sheepishly at first before breaking into unabashed laughter. She touches the middle of her forehead with three fingers and then gestures courteously in salute to Ophelia.

"Keen eyes where mine have failed to see,
A sled! A sled! How blind this night makes me.
A seer twice over - bounty from the fates, your company."

The turbaned woman shakes her head with a final chuckle and then directs Sheherazade to scout further ahead, seemingly harbouring none of the suspicions that Drift has over Torvus' conduct.

Sheherazade's perception: 11

Dvu gives a deep chuckle as well at Ophelia’s verse and Zuleikha’s reply.  “Never knew tracking could be so… lyrical.  Hah!”  He turns to Ophelia and says “Yeah, someone could be pulling someone else.  Perhaps a sneaky halfling or gnome.  Let’s keep going, see where this ends up.”  Dvu stays on the trail.  

The young white-haired woman takes a closer look at the new set of tracks to see if she can more closely determine what they really are.

Some exhausted rolls but assisted by Oculus who returns to her shoulder for now.
Survival: 21
Perception: 13
Investigation: 18

As the group discusses the change in the tracks, Marva suddenly puts together something that has been percolating toward the surface of her weary mind. “Dwarves! Battlehammer! You know, the foaming mug!” 

When her companions inevitably look at her in confusion, she slows down: “Those dwarves who were arguing at the Northlook in Bryn Shander. Dvu! I think you told me. They were Battlehammer dwarves, the group that lives on or near Kelvin’s Cairn. We found that dead dwarf with the blue boots up there. Could he have been from that group? Could they be stealing supplies? They could eat goat and use a lantern. Not sure about the pearls. And I don’t know why they would steal supplies instead of trading as usual.”

Month: Hammer, 3, Day: II, Time: 0400

Dvu and Garret both look impressed at Ellora when all three of you identify the new footprints as belonging to an ogre. You surmise the ogre is now pulling a sled with the mysterious being who created the original footsteps. After another 1/2 mile and two hours, you are all quite cold but find your destination. You see a blocky stronghold bereft of warmth or charm jutting out of a hillside in a rough crescent shape. Only part of its construction is visible; the rest is buried in the stone.

A large double door of stone serves as the main entrance. The terrain leading to it is a gently upward-sloping plain covered with fresh snow. A stream used to flow out of a barred culvert northeast of the main entrance, but the waterway has frozen. Two other barred openings can be seen along the stronghold’s northern wall. Anyone positioned behind these openings would have an unobstructed view of the hillside. Closer to you, separated from the rest of the stronghold, is a snow-covered stone bunker/outpost perforated by arrow slits. 

The welcoming committee greets you by shooting a crossbow at Dvu but missing. You are 30’ from the bunker/outpost from where the attack occurred and 90’ from the main doors. Your initiative! 

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

Zuleikha perks up, eager to try this dwarvish beer that Marva seems to be abruptly offering. A flicker of disappointment crosses the turbaned woman's face when it becomes clear libations are not on the menu. "This must have occurred before I joined the group? But if this Clan Battlehammer reside near the mountain, it sounds plausible that there is a connection."

* * *

Month: Hammer, 3, Day: II, Time: 0400

The paladin's hands instinctively find her curved swords, and yet the impulse dies as she considers enemies' fortification with only the sliver of an embrasure to target. "Do we retreat? Or gamble on that culvert and breach them through the drainage?" 

Initiative: 13

“Okay, maybe not dwarves! Let’s make a plan when we're out of range of crossbow bolts!” calls out Marva. She uses her action and movement to retreat.

Dvu's hand reaches to his longbow, but he thinks better of it.  "Agreed.  No targets!  They are behind those arrow slits and we have been spotted.  Let's get out of sight and plot our next step.  Move!"  Dvu zig zags in a serpentine manner and dashes 70 feet, finding somewhere out of sight of the keep, waiting for his companions to catch up with him and discuss the next move.  

The young white-haired woman quickly follows suit, making sure to get back into full cover from the bunker as swiftly as possible.

"I believe we are something like four hours away from Caer-Konig. While I would prefer to go back and return here when not exhausted I realize we won't be back here for a long while." She says with a resigned sigh as the group safely settles in to plan. "As far as I can see we are outside a fortress of some kind and they are aware of us being here. They have at least one thief and one ogre in there. If there's any consolaton I kind of doubt there are many ogres necessarily. The ogre pulling the thief on a sled suggests the ogre being a servant of some kind, not sure how it was convinced to stay out on the tundra waiting for the thief's return though, something strange about that." She says, biting her own lower lip in frustration over the conundrum. "If we can find a dead angle from where we can approach the bunker I can use white fire to set the inside ablaze and give them our thanks for their warm welcome." She says somewhat dispassionately. 

Drift dashes to join Ellora, still panting with effort, every movement heavier, every exertion more enervating. 

He nods along. “Got this,” he says, tapping the oil canisters on his backpack, and his stowed flying wonder. “Should I send it on in ahead of your white flame?”

You are currently thinking deep thoughts about next steps, with options ranging from returning to Caer-Konig to attacking the outpost and sneaking in through the culvert at the frozen creek. You are exhausted (or at least tired) from your previous night's descent and are facing another round of exhaustion (or only tiredness) due to tonight's activities. Someone or something has shot a crossbow at you, so your presence is known although you are currently safely out of sight. 

Dashing back with the others (35' move speed, so 70'), Ophelia takes a moment to catch her breath once the group reaches cover, belatedly gesturing and mumbling in Elvish to surround herself with a faint lavender sheen (Mage Armor then concentrating on Blade Ward as before).

She looks ready to turn tail back to Cair Konig for now to rest.  But the sudden excitement and danger seem to have momentarily jarred her back to lucidity.

"When the time comes and we do return," the she-elf pants, "I believe if we are able to approach close enough, Ellora and I, between us, can summon small arcane illusions at least two of the arrow slits, providing us with virtual cover from perhaps one angle of approach.  The illusion might even appear to be an empty snow-field without us in it."  (Ophelia is referring to using Minor Illusion - range 30')

She shuffles her feet.  "We could even try such a tactic now, so that whoever is in the outpost is not there to warn their comrades in the larger fort, if the latter have not noticed us yet."  Ophelia shivers and does not necessarily seem as if she wants to try it now, looking to the others to choose.

The lanky dragonborn takes a moment to catch her breath from their hasty retreat. She looks at each of her companions and says, “I feel that we are at a big disadvantage, not knowing what is really going on here. All we know is that there is a thief of some type and a sled-pulling ogre. Before jumping in with spells blazing, I would love to know who is in this stronghold.”

She thinks for a moment and adds, “Is there any way we could take a peek at who is in the outpost or the stronghold without getting fired at? I don’t have any skills myself that would help. I might be able to charm someone, although they’ve already declared themselves our enemy, so the chances of success are low.  I hesitate to put your owl in danger, Mage Ellora, but could he spy for us? Maybe Ophellia’s suggestion of an illusion of a clear, snowy field would protect him while he looks through those arrow slits. I completely understand if you don’t want to risk him in this way. Oh! I could help him a bit with sneakiness!” (Guidance on Oculus for Stealth if Ellora agrees to let him scout.)

(OOC: DM, am I understanding correctly that there are two barred entrances on either side of the large doors of the main stronghold? And it seems likely that there are lookouts within watching the entrance.)

(Ooc - You know there is at least one person in the outpost. Your perception is that the stronghold is set up in a good defensive position against direct assault. You can see arrow slits on two sides of the bunker but cannot see the other two sides - the sides near the right wall and the wall with the double door. There is one unbarred opening - about 3’ tall - where the frozen creek runs out of the mountain walls near the double door. You may Stealth - or not - and Investigate or Perception the u-shaped area you are in.)

Dvu listens and then decides to weigh in as well.  "I know, ole Trovus, he can take this place down singlehanded."  He snickers with a snort, letting everyone know he's not serious about that.  "But yeah, perhaps we should report what we have found.  Any safe scouting that could be done would be helpful.  Then, when we are all rested and ready, I think we should head back here to find out what is going on.  I think we should approach at night, with no lights, just holding onto our rope so that we stay together.  Maybe if we could get a few white sheets, or something that we could put snow on top of, we could approach slowly, hopefully they won't see us with the white camoflage, and we can make our way to that culvert and then enter the place to find out what is what and who's doing all of the stealing and why.  That is my advice.  Dvu has spoken."  He nods and then looks from face to face for alternate plans.  

Ophelia is ready to retire to her room once more, the cold seeming to chill her slender figure all the way through.  She lets her companions do any proper explaining to the inebriated Speaker of what they had all found (but not yet truly explored) if they choose, murmuring only:

Aye, thieves we tracked, yet thieves unknown,
Though ogre-borne, no sled we found,
From castle built on frigid ground,
As arrows flew from slits in stone,
Fled we, by snow chilled to the bone.