BE7s Frozen Sick (IC)

“Hulil, where does she live?  Have you got the sickness too?  Looks like it, how are we gonna save ya?  Got any ideas about this thing?  Is it really from that dagger?  Or something else?”  Torvil stands with his legs apart, shoulder width, and subconsciously he ripples his biceps and pectoral muscles.  

With a shallow, ragged, but somehow steadying breath, Tulgi gives a resigned sigh.

Passive Insight 12:

 Heard ye o' da Uttolot family o' Shadycreek Run?  She asks the party.  Offering little room to confirm or deny she draws a deep, rattling breath and proceeds to spill the proverbial beans.  Hulil an me 'r here fer dem Uttolot's.  Eyes 'r fer bein' peeled fer relics o' old from Eiselcross.  Pelc wasn't fer havin' dem long. She actually manages a sadistic little smirk, a pleasant memory of the robbery perhaps, although her success may have killed her.  I fancied da blade, so's I kept it.  Hulil ne'r seen'd it or know'd it was wit da loot, but Hulil's sick too.  Her 'n some boys wit da Uttz gang 'r fer hidin' out at Croaker Cave; ain't far, an hour 'r so due north.  She pauses to sneeze into her sleeve then continues, I ain't gots much time.  Keeps me fancy blade, but member ol' Tulgi if'n ye finds a cure.  She manages a ghastly smile, perhaps intended to look sincere?  It was difficult to tell, yellowing teeth peeking out of a blue streaked face wasn't exactly a window into the soul.  

Kitsune processes the mention of the Uttolot family.  This isn't just a local accident...it's a crime syndicate.

"The Uttolot syndicate" Kitsune murmurs, her tone shifting to one of grave concern.  "This is no longer a localized incident...it's an intentional distribution of poisonous artifacts across the entire region...perhaps beyond!"

She looks at the dagger on the table, then back to Tulgi, her decision made instantly based on the risk-to-reward ratio.  "You may keep your prize, Madam Tulgi.  It is a highly contaminated source, and without proper containment equipment, it is safer here than in our packs.  If a cure is found, it will be because we reached your sister in time."

She turns to the party...her gaze urgent.  "Croaker Cave, north.  We have an hour's trek and a limited window before the Hulil and the Uttz gang becomes a collection of statues.  I suggest we move with haste."

Like a wraith, Vayne seems to drift quietly towards the table.  He leans in a bit, giving the blade his full focus.  He wracks his brain, digging for any bit of lore he may have come across in his studies as a youth.  

He moves his hand as close as he dares, brows furrowed in concentration. With a soft shake of his head he says. I can sense or recall nothing specific.  Although, I would expect it to radiate cold if it possessed cold based magic.  I feel no difference in the air very near it.  Having no more to say about the dagger, he returns to his lookout post.

***arcana: 9***

Akira motions toward a chair closest to the fire:

”Madam Tulgi, please have a seat near your fire. You have been a great help to us on our journey thus far and the information you have given to us is invaluable.” She places her right hand across her chest and yet again bows to Tulgi in hopes that she sees it as a sign of respect and of gratitude. “We shall not forget your aide in our quest.”

Turning to her fellow adventurous she says “I agree with Kitsune, time is of the essence if we are to reach Croaker Cave. We take in our last bits of this warm and journey out as soon as possible.”

Vayne nods to Akira and Kitsune.  You notice that his eyes linger on the dagger, but Kitsune's warning keeps it to a hungry gaze.  

When the party is ready to depart, he follows quietly.  

As the group prepares to exit, Kitsune pauses at the threshold.  She pulls a charcoal stick from her gear, quickly scrawling a series of stark, geometric symbols on the exterior of the door.

"A rudimentary quarantine marker" she explains to the others, her breath hitching slightly in the cold air.  "It should discourage any opportunistic scavengers or well-meaning neighbors from entering this biohazard zone while we are afield."

She adjusts her filter, her eyes turning toward the northern horizon where the snow begins to blur into the gray sky.  "Croaker Cave is our primary laboratory now.  Let us see if Hulil's junk provides more answers than Tulgi's blade."

Torvil walks over to the fireplace and picks up a fireplace tool, wrapping the handle with a piece of fur from his pack, he manipulates the tongs to pick up the dagger and place it in an open sack, being ever so careful, like he is handling a turd.  He seals up the top of it and puts the tongs back in their spot by the fireplace.  He nods and gives a mock salute to Tulgi.  He says "We'll find some answers, be sure o that.  I just hope that we can find them in time.  You sit by yon fire and keep warm, drink fluids, eat, hold up your health.  If we can find an answer, we'll be back to help.  Thank ye for telling us what ye know."  He watches Kitsune put a mark on the door and he watches her with interest, then walks outside with the rest of them, ready to move on to Croaker Cave.  

Torvil, using great caution, secures the dagger in a sack before departing with the party.  Tulgi sipped tea from a heavy mug, gazing into the fire.  She manages a nod to Torvil, but seems to be fighting to stay awake.  The exertion took its toll on the sick dwarf.  She could be heard snoring through the door as Kitsune finished her warning mark.

***OoC: did Torvil take the dagger?***

Small cottages huddle close together against the cold, their roofs capped thick with snow that rounds every hard angle into something gentler. Frost feathers the windowpanes, though warm amber light glows from within, hinting at crackling hearths and simmering fish stew. Thin spirals of smoke rise from stone chimneys, drifting sideways in the sharp, salt-bitten air.
The sea lies just ahead—steel gray and restless. Fishing boats bob at their moorings, hulls edged in ice, ropes stiff and pale with frost. Nets hang from wooden racks like ghostly curtains, dusted white and stiff as boards. A rowboat overturned on the shore wears a smooth, untouched layer of snow, save for the delicate tracks of seabirds hopping around it.

As you pass the last few shops before veering northwest, Akira's keen eyes notice something.  ***passive perception 15***

 A dark cabin that is nestled between majestic pines has a sign over its door which reads, “Pelc’s Curiosities,” with the image of a curving dragon used to make the letter P. The shop appears to be closed.

Fortunately, trekking through the deep snow on their hike here is remarkably efficient as Kitsune follows in Torvil’s wake, the large dwarf serving as a veritable snow plow through the deepening white...

Kitsune’s gaze lingers on the sack Torvil carries, her internal risk assessment spiking.  "A bold choice, Torvil" she says, her voice muffled by her filter.  "Ensure that seal remains airtight.  We cannot afford to become the next data points in this outbreak."

As they pass the darkened storefront, her eyes fix on the dragon-shaped 'P' (OOC: I was about to type dragon pee...) of Pelc’s Curiosities.  "The site of the initial transfer" she notes, pausing.  "The robbery suggests the syndicate was reclaiming their investment...or perhaps a third party has entered the equation.  While the cave is our priority, this shop is the origin of the local spread."

She looks from the quiet shop toward the northern path.  "Every hour we delay, the trail at Croaker Cave grows colder.  Literally.  Your suggested path forward, my friends?"

While trekking on to Croaker Cave, Akira notices that “Pelc’s Curiosities’ door is cracked open slightly. She informs her fellow adventurers of what she observed and states back to Kitsune,

”I know time is of the essence, but if we have a few moments to spare, I’d like to try and peek inside a window and walk around the shop’s perimeter. I have a feeling this door should not be cracked open like this.”

She walks around the shop’s perimeter until she finds a window to peer into so observe what may be on the inside. She thinks to herself ‘someone maybe in danger’ and just wants to double check. She touches her hands to her face to ensure that the mask Kitsune made is still over her nose and mouth and peers into the window. She also checks to make sure her hood is up and only raises her head just enough for her eyes to see inside and that is all.

Investigation roll: 8

You near the front of the building and can hear the shifting of weight on old, squeaky floorboards along with hushed whispering voices.

***stealth roll if you are trying to be quiet plz***

As Akira approaches the building she hears whispers from inside the building. Before taking a leap of faith and knocking on the door she tries to quietly approach to listen to the voices and possibly hear how many are inside the building.

stealth: 15

Akira:  

***stealth 15 - success /  investigation 8: the voices are muffled by a mostly closed door and they are whispering.  You are sure that there are at least three, but that's all you can tell.***

Akira listens in on the conversation through the small crack in the door. She can’t make out any words but notices there are at least three people inside the shop having conversation. She sneaks away from the shop to share this information with the party.

”Kitsune, you raise a good point that the trail is getting colder and colder by the second, but I heard voices inside the shop. Three to be specific, and they may be able to give us more information on what is ahead. If the conversation lands in our favor we may be able to get the head up on who raided the shop in the first place and prepare for what they may have in store for us.”

”What say my fellow adventurers? We could even keep the dagger hidden until it was truly necessary to expose.”

Passive perception: 12

Kitsune tilts her head toward the muffled clatter, her eyes narrowing.  "Scavengers or syndicate agents" she whispers.  "If they are still searching, they are either late to the retrieval or looking for something the initial robbery missed."

She looks at Akira, her posture tense.  "I agree with the intervention.  These individuals are either witnesses to the distribution or active carriers.  Either way, they are the most current data points we have."

She gestures toward the door, her voice a quiet whisper.  "We move in.  If they are hostile, we neutralize.  If they are witnesses, we extract the data.  But under no circumstances does Torvil's sack leave his side...we don't need a double dose of the contagion."

"Torvil, please lead the way!"

Kitsune's stealth: 16 (to sneak up to the shop)

Kitsune's perception: 9 (to keep her eyes & ears pealed for whatever might be going on inside)

Kitsune creeps through the powdery snow with out a whisper. ( stealth 16 - success)  She joins Akira near the door, but hears nothing beyond whispers and debris being quietly moved or sorted through. 

Vayne holds back near the trail, waiting to see what the stealthy duo learns.  You do hear him chanting softly, preparing his arcane defenses, just in case...

*OoC:  Vayne casts mage armor.***