Dragon of Icespire Peak ***CLOSED***

Connak runs to the edge of the river to the northwest, but finds that Ando and the raft bearing Pell and Corwin to safety is already out of sight. Across the river, the boar stares at him intently, hooving the ground while steam blows out of both nostrils. He hears a mixture of aggressive squeals and grunts issuing forth from the animal, as one that is protecting their territory and/or offspring might give to unwanted intruders.

The northern sky flickers briefly followed by ominous, rolling thunder a few seconds later...

Connak returns to the others and to the old man, "So did your camp have a way of travelling besides walking?  A wagon?  A boat?"

"Ah about that, I've always been a little bit tall and spindly for my age. Must be the genes you know. I'll have you and those old fogies in Lantan know that my size does not make me any less of a gnome. Isn't that right Whisker?" Tink would respond in a huff.

"Riiiiiiiight..." says the old man to Tink, unconvinced that she was indeed a gnome.

"When we needed to send someone back to town, we usually just hitched a ride with the resupply delivery. A two-horse wagon escorted by 4-6 men usually comes through from Phandalin once every other tenday - though we have not seen one in quite a while. Sometimes we take delivery from Falcon's though that is a one-way trip as the river flows west to Neverwinter, so travelling back upstream would have to be done on foot through the Neverwinter Wood...a perilous journey for commonfolk, even in greater numbers."

Connak looks back across the bank to where the boar was previously standing. It has once again vanished, but the keen wood elf catches a glimpse of an altogether different creature slinking back into the bushes from the place where the boar previously stood.

WHAT CONNAK SEES:

Connak keeps his eyes peeled across the river while trying to get the attention of his group, "Ugh folks, those animals across the river we've been seeing?  They're not animals."

Connak speaks the old man, "How long has this logging camp been in this location?"

Vaxis listens intently to Tink, nodding his head in fake understanding. Clearly, what he is talking about is going waaaay over his head.

"If this lad put half the enthusiasm he puts into his devices to work studying the scriptures of Bahamut, he would have made a fine priest of the order.", he thinks to himself.

At Connak's words, Vaxis looks alarmed.

"What animals? Where? And what do you mean the animals aren't animals?"

(Pereption, with disadvantage IF IT APPLIES Due to Vaxis being absorbed in other things. Perception: 10)

Connak points across the river, "There have been animals at the shoreline across the river for a while now, just watching.  I happened to see one retreat back into the woods, and it wasn't an animal at all.  Just take my word for it, OK?  So big bugs attack a logging camp, while animals-not-animals watch.  Doesn't seem like a coincidence to me."

" I see..." Tabesha'l quips, and with an imperceptible flick of her wrist, she sends Arvi in his invisible form to scout the area where Connak spotted the spying creatures.

" Do not take unecessary risks, do not show thyself, and in the names of all Gods above and all Devils below, do not start with thy jesting and teasing with yonder things ! Simply report to me what thou shallt see. Understood ? Now, go forth." she briskly orders the quasit, using their mind link.

ARVI SPEAKS TO TABESHA'L THROUGH THEIR TELEPATHIC BOND:

The quasit flits about the noble wizard mockingly before fading into nothingness to carry out its master's orders.

The color drains from the old man's face as the demon disappears, but after the horrors he had seen and endured this day, emotionally traumatic experiences had reached the point of diminishing returns and so he just shook his head in disbelief. "We won't reach any civilized areas from here before dark. That plateau over yonder," he said pointing to the high ground west of the camp, "...it's solid granite. Those things can't burrow up from below to coat us in acid and drag us back to hell. We...we should quickly salvage what supplies we can from the cabins and tents and make camp there tonight. I don't care where we go, just please take me with you...don't leave me to be consumed! Please, please!!" The man's brief lucidity is quickly overcome once again as he grasps roughly at the collar of Connak's garment.

Connak annoyingly tells the old man to go grab whatever supplies are important enough for him to carry himself and keeps a very keen eye around the surroundings for any other creatures that are out and about.

Perception: 12

Vaxis draws his mace and readies his shield, his head vane unfurling.

"What do you think, Master Connak? Master Tink? Shall Minsys and I move to intercept these heathens?"

He noticeably leaves Tabesha'l's name out.

Connak replies, "Sure, be at the ready and watchful, but I think our priority should be to leave this place, hopefully peacefully.  Maybe this is claimed territory and we are trespassing."

Connak sees no other creatures lurking about and after a brief reconnoiter, Arvi returns to Tabesha'l and reports the same.

Vaxis nods.

"Then, let us be off then. Connak, after you good man."

Minsys' interest is peaked by animal that is not an animal.  "What is this thing across the river?  Animal but not an animal... like something in furs?  Like me?"

Connak answers Minsys, "At a quick glance, it looked somewhat like you friend Minsys.  But at the same time, it didn't.  Let us move to that granite plateau and set up for what might be an eventful night."

The old man quickly rummages through the cabin and returns with an assortment of saws and leather harnesses for climbing trees. "Here, we may need these," he says before dropping them at Connak's feet. He then begins to sort through the remains of the collapsed cabin at the center of the camp. "What's this?" he says after a few minutes as he pulls forth a totem that had been buried in the debris of the ruined structure: thirteen tiny, androgynous stick figures dipped in pig’s blood, inscribed with tiny lightning bolt symbols, and tied together in a bundle with hair. "Hmm, that's...strange..." he says with a puzzled look on his face, "...I've certainly never seen anything like this in camp before."

Vaxis frowns as the totems are produced.

"That....is troubling. I am having worry these are ill omens. Certainly heathonous, at the very least."

(Religion check to identify what the totems are and their use by whoever is using them: 7 )

" Hum, ah yes, this is quaint..." Tabesha'l says, peaking behind the dragonborn's massive shoulder as she also uses her own background to ascertain the nature of the blood puppets. " I would not mind spending a little time to examine these things: such as they are, they bode nothing good. That much is clear..."

** Arcana check 13 to see if she can learn anything, if this is some sort of calling beacon or a curse etc... She will then cast Detect Magic as a Ritual, whenever she gets enough time to do so. **

After some examination, Vaxis is able to determine that the totem’s purpose is to bring ill fortune to all who reside near it. He surmises that this item is what is drawing the ankhegs to the camp and that destroying the totem would likely cause any ankhegs that haven’t attacked yet to lose interest in the camp and burrow away.

Tabesha'l does not recall any useful information concerning the totem from her arcane studies, however when she performs the detect magic ritual, the totem pulses with the soft glow of conjuration magic.