It took about a week to traverse the snowy wasteland to the Sea of Moving Ice. Passing by what was left of each Ten Town left most of you with a feeling of loss and regret. Vellynne Harpell led you all to the Sea and where a large pier was found. She sat down on the pier for a little bit and summoned Angajuk, who happened to be an enormous sperm whale. He emerged from the freezing water and ice and opened his mouth, where, a large boat was waiting to be boarded inside it's maw.
"Come. Once aboard, Angajuk will travel the sea and take us to the Island of Solstice - Auril's home. Be warned, Auril's home is hard to find, for obvious reasons, and the journey should take about three days time, in which we will be safe in here. How exciting! Finally, a chance to end this eternal winter!"
Sobek nods 'We can only do so much to help here at the camp. We need to try and fix the wider problem...' (cross post - deleted)
Sobek steps close to the whale, quite in awe of its immensity, and invokes his ability to Speak with Animals. 'Greetings Elder Brother. I thank you for your gift of safe travel...' he nods solemnly towards the whale before boarding the boat.
Percival follows Vetis onto the boat. "Be honest now," he says to the cleric, voicing suspicions that he's held for a while now. "Are you going to betray us?"
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Xenophon: Topaz Dragonborn Fighter (ixi's Dragon of Icespire Peak)
Kai follows behind the others, but when Percy asks his question, the sorcerer can't help but eavesdrop.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Aeydof the Dragons || Wood Elf / Way of the Ascendant Dragon Monk Demetrios Zalaoras || Protector Aasimar / Paladin of Torm Hawke || Kalashtar / Circle of the Moon Druid Morticia || Half-Aasimar Rogue Yvan || Goliath / Path of the Wild Soul Barbarian | Paladin of Helm /ᐠ。ꞈ。ᐟ\
Vetis turns and fixes Percy with a remote, icy gaze. "I don't know." Her voice is distant and soft. "Auril seems to have plans for all of you. Perhaps she will never tell me to do so."
Sobek steps up, holding his hands up to try and defuse the situation. 'Your sharp tongue serves us poorly here, Percy. Hard decisions aren't made easier by accusation. The spirits have gifted me wisdom, and it is this. We are the mirrors through which the Gods see themselves. Sometimes this is easy, but at other times we must strive to make sure they truly *see* what they must.' he runs his hands through his hair, thinking how to phrase what he needs to say.
'The path Vetis's mistress is on will not end well for her. Oh, we may succeed or fail, but the balance will right itself - whether after a year, or a thousand, and she will be diminished by this path if she continues to walk it unabated. We need to help strengthen and support Vetis in helping her mistress realise this, not weaken her with doubt, anger and mistrust...'
"I'm not too interested in whether this decision is easy or not. The fact of the matter is that our current objective is directly in opposition with that of Auril's and there's a non-zero chance that we're going to come into conflict with Auril. If you want to believe that the power of friendship is going to keep her on our side when that happens, then by all means do so, but I am not so certain."
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Xenophon: Topaz Dragonborn Fighter (ixi's Dragon of Icespire Peak)
Over the next day the whale takes you all within sights of spectacular underwater attractions, including shipwrecks, storm giant castles, and cyclopean ruins from the bygone empire of giants known as Ostoria. When the whale opens it's mouth, a magical barrier allows you all to see the attractions without drowning.
Vetis's face suddenly breaks into a smile. She laughs quietly, the sound wry and maybe even a little...warm. The tiefling turns to face Percy, eyes glittering with icy light. "You both see it so simply. On her side or on yours. Destruction or creation. Friendship or enmity. Lines in the snow. But snow melts, and then the lines are not so clear." She sweeps her gaze across the party, breath forming an icy plume in the air. "Percy, you believe that it is my choice. That if it she calls, I decide whether or not to answer. Sobek, you think that I can influence her, change her path, guide her to a better one. Once more, you see it simply. As if we are...friends. I her confidant and she mine. She is a goddess. And one who I owe my life to. When she gives an order, I cannot merely disobey it, not without...consequences." Her hands trail across the icy hand imprinted on her cheek. "But I do not see it so simply as her or you. You ask if I am going to betray you. My answer is this. I do not wish to betray you. I do not plan to betray you. And yet if Auril decides you are more trouble than you are worth, if she feels you have outlived the value she has decided you have, she will ask me to. She will order me to. And then..." Vetis's hand trails across the railing of the boat, leaving frosty patterns of flames in its wake. "I do not know what I will do. I owe her all." She meets Percy's gaze, the strange, momentary mirth gone from her gaze, leaving it remote, direct, and calm. "So what will you do now?"
Shrek simply shudders at the thought of traveling “onboard” the whale, having grown up being told tall tales about some great whale known as Moby Dick. The queasy feeling rapidly subsided, however, when the whale gave them tours of magical underwater sites that were beyond imagination. Shrek remains rather quiet the remainder of the trip, electing to spend most of the free time up on deck, watching the underwater world go by.
"At the moment, nothing, but surely you must understand that you're doing a terrible job of building trust."
I don't know if she truly is a simple instrument of Auril or just a liar, but either way she's a coward, hiding behind her goddess as a means to deflect responsibility.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Xenophon: Topaz Dragonborn Fighter (ixi's Dragon of Icespire Peak)
The elf approaches Vetis cautiously, smiling warmly at the tiefling priestess, "I understand. That feeling that you owe someone or something is a powerful emotion, especially if they are powerful beings." Kaz turns to Percy, "I also understand your trepidation, being as we have time and again proven to be actively fighting against what we perceive to be Auril's wishes. I don't pretend to believe that our journey will not be fraught with difficult choices, but we haven't been faced with that choice yet. Let us continue to do what we can, and if the day comes when our paths diverge, we can only make the best choices we can, yes?" The druid will smile in turn at both Percy and Vetis.
Kaz is in awe at the wonders they see from the whale's mouth throughout the journey
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Corinne Hemlock: Dhampir courtesan and dusk huntress Kraig Bronzeaxe: Dwarven archaeologist and guerilla archer
Sobek raises his eyebrow at Percy's blunt - as usual - statements, remembering Percy's earlier failures at the Duergar fortress before partially redeeming himself with the duel, but says nothing - anything he says now will just cause further fragmentation in his pack.
Instead he leaves the group in search of seclusion, where he attempts to meditate, seeking contact with his spirit guide - in search of inspiration, and some way to bring cohesion to this fragmented group. Perhaps it is the depths of the ocean, perhaps he is simply unable to quiet his mind sufficiently, but for now at least, he cannot hear the call of the wolf.
Vetis tilts her head. "Would you prefer I lie?" She continues to hold Percy's gaze. "I know what you likely think of me. I am sure there are plenty of judgements running through your head right now. I don't care. My debts are my own, and you know little of me, and clearly do not care to know more." She turns away, pulling her hood up. "If you don't kill me, I expect one day the Frostmaiden will. I have accepted my fate. Now I do what I can to make the most of what I have until it finds me. That's why I'm here. Not to make friends. Not to beg for trust you do not intend to give. To live a life that is somewhat my own before I am returned to ice."
The sperm whale rises after another day of travel. He opens his mouth. The fog through which you’ve been traveling thins enough for you to see fifty-foot-high cliffs of solid ice ahead. Jutting out of the water off the coast are the bare, weather-beaten masts of sunken ships. Ahead, you can make out what appears to be a partially shattered dock carved out of ice. As you get closer, it becomes obvious that the dock was made for giants.
"Finally." Vellynne says, getting out of the whale's mouth and thanking her old friend. "Come. From this point on we must be very careful. The elements alone may very well kill us."
The ruined ice dock and the shipwrecks in the vicinity are the only features of the island immediately visible - per the map above. Fog prevents you all from seeing the island’s other features at a distance.
AREA I1 - THE RUINED DOCK
"Frost giants fashioned this dock out of ice and built it to endure, yet sections of it have broken away and fallen into the sea. Because the dock was scaled for frost giant longships, so we must climb to reach the top of it. Those of you without magic or climbing gear can do so with a successful DC 15 Strength (Athletics) check. Once we are at the top, I know the way."
NOTE:As you all step out of the whale's mouth and on to the pier, the temperature of the air and overall seems to drop to an unholy level. And I mean, it's really ******* cold here. Colder than anything you've ever felt - it hurts, it stings, it's hard to breathe. You feel you are constantly on the verge of frostbite. Clearly, this is Auril's domain in every regard. You feel like you are on another planet, furthest from it's home star. The only beauty to this place is the magnificent aurora above you.
Each day OF REAL TIME you spend on the Island, your HP are TEMPORARILY reduced by a certain amount. Starting tomorrow, and each day afterwards, your HP reduce by 4 as you slowly freeze to death.
Shrek, born in the freezing cold mountains, feels at home here. When the whale boat docks, he quickly dons his climbing gear, and scales the ice dock rapidly to the top. He’ll then make a natural snow anchor and wrap the free end of his road around it, tossing the other end down to the others waiting below.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Last to know and first to be blamed...
As a free action, can I regret my life choices?
To post a comment, please login or register a new account.
"Yes, let's get going."
Xenophon: Topaz Dragonborn Fighter (ixi's Dragon of Icespire Peak)
More
AURIL'S ABODE
It took about a week to traverse the snowy wasteland to the Sea of Moving Ice. Passing by what was left of each Ten Town left most of you with a feeling of loss and regret. Vellynne Harpell led you all to the Sea and where a large pier was found. She sat down on the pier for a little bit and summoned Angajuk, who happened to be an enormous sperm whale. He emerged from the freezing water and ice and opened his mouth, where, a large boat was waiting to be boarded inside it's maw.
"Come. Once aboard, Angajuk will travel the sea and take us to the Island of Solstice - Auril's home. Be warned, Auril's home is hard to find, for obvious reasons, and the journey should take about three days time, in which we will be safe in here. How exciting! Finally, a chance to end this eternal winter!"
Sobek nods 'We can only do so much to help here at the camp. We need to try and fix the wider problem...'(cross post - deleted)Sobek steps close to the whale, quite in awe of its immensity, and invokes his ability to Speak with Animals. 'Greetings Elder Brother. I thank you for your gift of safe travel...' he nods solemnly towards the whale before boarding the boat.
Vetis merely pulls up her hood and boards the ship, eyes unreadable.
Stella Diamant, Human Rogue 17 (Swashbuckler), The Exploits of Misfit Company
Kat, Medtech, Cyberpunk: Red
Shi, Changeling Bard 4 (College of Spirits), Tyrant's Grasp
Dani, Human Artificer 9 (Armorer), Skulls and Starships
DM, Project Point (Teams Scimitar and Longsword)
Everything Else!
Percival follows Vetis onto the boat. "Be honest now," he says to the cleric, voicing suspicions that he's held for a while now. "Are you going to betray us?"
Xenophon: Topaz Dragonborn Fighter (ixi's Dragon of Icespire Peak)
More
Kai follows behind the others, but when Percy asks his question, the sorcerer can't help but eavesdrop.
Aeyd of the Dragons || Wood Elf / Way of the Ascendant Dragon Monk
Demetrios Zalaoras || Protector Aasimar / Paladin of Torm
Hawke || Kalashtar / Circle of the Moon Druid
Morticia || Half-Aasimar Rogue
Yvan || Goliath / Path of the Wild Soul Barbarian | Paladin of Helm
/ᐠ。ꞈ。ᐟ\
<deleted due to *another* bloody cross post...>
Kaz will follow into Angajuk's mouth smiling, then speaks to the Whale, "Thank you."
At Percy's mention of betrayal, Kaz's attention is diverted.
Corinne Hemlock: Dhampir courtesan and dusk huntress
Kraig Bronzeaxe: Dwarven archaeologist and guerilla archer
Vetis turns and fixes Percy with a remote, icy gaze. "I don't know." Her voice is distant and soft. "Auril seems to have plans for all of you. Perhaps she will never tell me to do so."
Stella Diamant, Human Rogue 17 (Swashbuckler), The Exploits of Misfit Company
Kat, Medtech, Cyberpunk: Red
Shi, Changeling Bard 4 (College of Spirits), Tyrant's Grasp
Dani, Human Artificer 9 (Armorer), Skulls and Starships
DM, Project Point (Teams Scimitar and Longsword)
Everything Else!
Sobek steps up, holding his hands up to try and defuse the situation. 'Your sharp tongue serves us poorly here, Percy. Hard decisions aren't made easier by accusation. The spirits have gifted me wisdom, and it is this. We are the mirrors through which the Gods see themselves. Sometimes this is easy, but at other times we must strive to make sure they truly *see* what they must.' he runs his hands through his hair, thinking how to phrase what he needs to say.
'The path Vetis's mistress is on will not end well for her. Oh, we may succeed or fail, but the balance will right itself - whether after a year, or a thousand, and she will be diminished by this path if she continues to walk it unabated. We need to help strengthen and support Vetis in helping her mistress realise this, not weaken her with doubt, anger and mistrust...'
"I'm not too interested in whether this decision is easy or not. The fact of the matter is that our current objective is directly in opposition with that of Auril's and there's a non-zero chance that we're going to come into conflict with Auril. If you want to believe that the power of friendship is going to keep her on our side when that happens, then by all means do so, but I am not so certain."
Xenophon: Topaz Dragonborn Fighter (ixi's Dragon of Icespire Peak)
More
Over the next day the whale takes you all within sights of spectacular underwater attractions, including shipwrecks, storm giant castles, and cyclopean ruins from the bygone empire of giants known as Ostoria. When the whale opens it's mouth, a magical barrier allows you all to see the attractions without drowning.
Wait a second, what are you doing?
Vetis's face suddenly breaks into a smile. She laughs quietly, the sound wry and maybe even a little...warm. The tiefling turns to face Percy, eyes glittering with icy light. "You both see it so simply. On her side or on yours. Destruction or creation. Friendship or enmity. Lines in the snow. But snow melts, and then the lines are not so clear." She sweeps her gaze across the party, breath forming an icy plume in the air. "Percy, you believe that it is my choice. That if it she calls, I decide whether or not to answer. Sobek, you think that I can influence her, change her path, guide her to a better one. Once more, you see it simply. As if we are...friends. I her confidant and she mine. She is a goddess. And one who I owe my life to. When she gives an order, I cannot merely disobey it, not without...consequences." Her hands trail across the icy hand imprinted on her cheek. "But I do not see it so simply as her or you. You ask if I am going to betray you. My answer is this. I do not wish to betray you. I do not plan to betray you. And yet if Auril decides you are more trouble than you are worth, if she feels you have outlived the value she has decided you have, she will ask me to. She will order me to. And then..." Vetis's hand trails across the railing of the boat, leaving frosty patterns of flames in its wake. "I do not know what I will do. I owe her all." She meets Percy's gaze, the strange, momentary mirth gone from her gaze, leaving it remote, direct, and calm. "So what will you do now?"
Stella Diamant, Human Rogue 17 (Swashbuckler), The Exploits of Misfit Company
Kat, Medtech, Cyberpunk: Red
Shi, Changeling Bard 4 (College of Spirits), Tyrant's Grasp
Dani, Human Artificer 9 (Armorer), Skulls and Starships
DM, Project Point (Teams Scimitar and Longsword)
Everything Else!
Shrek simply shudders at the thought of traveling “onboard” the whale, having grown up being told tall tales about some great whale known as Moby Dick. The queasy feeling rapidly subsided, however, when the whale gave them tours of magical underwater sites that were beyond imagination. Shrek remains rather quiet the remainder of the trip, electing to spend most of the free time up on deck, watching the underwater world go by.
Last to know and first to be blamed...
As a free action, can I regret my life choices?
"At the moment, nothing, but surely you must understand that you're doing a terrible job of building trust."
I don't know if she truly is a simple instrument of Auril or just a liar, but either way she's a coward, hiding behind her goddess as a means to deflect responsibility.
Xenophon: Topaz Dragonborn Fighter (ixi's Dragon of Icespire Peak)
More
The elf approaches Vetis cautiously, smiling warmly at the tiefling priestess, "I understand. That feeling that you owe someone or something is a powerful emotion, especially if they are powerful beings." Kaz turns to Percy, "I also understand your trepidation, being as we have time and again proven to be actively fighting against what we perceive to be Auril's wishes. I don't pretend to believe that our journey will not be fraught with difficult choices, but we haven't been faced with that choice yet. Let us continue to do what we can, and if the day comes when our paths diverge, we can only make the best choices we can, yes?" The druid will smile in turn at both Percy and Vetis.
Kaz is in awe at the wonders they see from the whale's mouth throughout the journey
Corinne Hemlock: Dhampir courtesan and dusk huntress
Kraig Bronzeaxe: Dwarven archaeologist and guerilla archer
Sobek raises his eyebrow at Percy's blunt - as usual - statements, remembering Percy's earlier failures at the Duergar fortress before partially redeeming himself with the duel, but says nothing - anything he says now will just cause further fragmentation in his pack.
Instead he leaves the group in search of seclusion, where he attempts to meditate, seeking contact with his spirit guide - in search of inspiration, and some way to bring cohesion to this fragmented group. Perhaps it is the depths of the ocean, perhaps he is simply unable to quiet his mind sufficiently, but for now at least, he cannot hear the call of the wolf.
Vetis tilts her head. "Would you prefer I lie?" She continues to hold Percy's gaze. "I know what you likely think of me. I am sure there are plenty of judgements running through your head right now. I don't care. My debts are my own, and you know little of me, and clearly do not care to know more." She turns away, pulling her hood up. "If you don't kill me, I expect one day the Frostmaiden will. I have accepted my fate. Now I do what I can to make the most of what I have until it finds me. That's why I'm here. Not to make friends. Not to beg for trust you do not intend to give. To live a life that is somewhat my own before I am returned to ice."
My, I had no idea you were so perceptive.
I don't really want to talk to you right now.
Stella Diamant, Human Rogue 17 (Swashbuckler), The Exploits of Misfit Company
Kat, Medtech, Cyberpunk: Red
Shi, Changeling Bard 4 (College of Spirits), Tyrant's Grasp
Dani, Human Artificer 9 (Armorer), Skulls and Starships
DM, Project Point (Teams Scimitar and Longsword)
Everything Else!
The sperm whale rises after another day of travel. He opens his mouth. The fog through which you’ve been traveling thins enough for you to see fifty-foot-high cliffs of solid ice ahead. Jutting out of the water off the coast are the bare, weather-beaten masts of sunken ships. Ahead, you can make out what appears to be a partially shattered dock carved out of ice. As you get closer, it becomes obvious that the dock was made for giants.
"Finally." Vellynne says, getting out of the whale's mouth and thanking her old friend. "Come. From this point on we must be very careful. The elements alone may very well kill us."
The ruined ice dock and the shipwrecks in the vicinity are the only features of the island immediately visible - per the map above. Fog prevents you all from seeing the island’s other features at a distance.
AREA I1 - THE RUINED DOCK
"Frost giants fashioned this dock out of ice and built it to endure, yet sections of it have broken away and fallen into the sea. Because the dock was scaled for frost giant longships, so we must climb to reach the top of it. Those of you without magic or climbing gear can do so with a successful DC 15 Strength (Athletics) check. Once we are at the top, I know the way."
NOTE: As you all step out of the whale's mouth and on to the pier, the temperature of the air and overall seems to drop to an unholy level. And I mean, it's really ******* cold here. Colder than anything you've ever felt - it hurts, it stings, it's hard to breathe. You feel you are constantly on the verge of frostbite. Clearly, this is Auril's domain in every regard. You feel like you are on another planet, furthest from it's home star. The only beauty to this place is the magnificent aurora above you.
Each day OF REAL TIME you spend on the Island, your HP are TEMPORARILY reduced by a certain amount. Starting tomorrow, and each day afterwards, your HP reduce by 4 as you slowly freeze to death.
Shrek, born in the freezing cold mountains, feels at home here. When the whale boat docks, he quickly dons his climbing gear, and scales the ice dock rapidly to the top. He’ll then make a natural snow anchor and wrap the free end of his road around it, tossing the other end down to the others waiting below.
Last to know and first to be blamed...
As a free action, can I regret my life choices?