If or when you return to town, a hundred gold pieces are waiting for you, plus people awaiting a good story.

(OOC: Rak would insist on picking up our payment for clearing out the mine.)

Phineas nods. "Back to town first then. Grab our coin, a warm drink and maybe a wee bit more information about goings on." He would lead the group back to town. 

Returning to Termalaine is most welcome, the smell of clam chowder once again filling the air. Masthew is elated to see you four, and happy to pay you for a job well done.

"So!" he says, handing over the money. "Any details as to what happened? I'm assuming it's safe to resume mining?" he asks.

Rak will pack up what is left over from his rat burgers from the night before and follow behind Phin.

Rak would reply to the man. "It's all cleared out. Killed some kobolds and some giant rats and a huge brain with a beak and giant tenticles... Honestly we should probably ask for a bit of extra coin." The gith would say as he leans against a nearby table. 

Kilmus would have stood his watch, grateful for the cool quiet of the mine at night and then trudged with the rest of the party back into town.

He'd smile and nod as Rak talked of their exploits and carefully not reveal that most of the Kobolds were still alive, but we would add to the conversation:

'Seems as if the cold must have driven those fiends into the mines looking for somewhere to stay warm.  This ever winter is hurting everyone, it is.'

(Mobile)

Mica’s sight immediately fades as his arm reaches to the crystal. After a moment of panic, his senses blur, and they shift into the sensation of floating as his conscience fades into nothingness. As soon as he regains a semblance of conscience, he sputters awake, and he fearfully looks around. Whatever his surroundings were, they were a muted shade of dull grey. Mica attempts to look down, and only sees more of the same. His body was gone. The feeling of being submerged was ever present - combined with his surroundings, he attempts to flail around and rid himself of whatever bind he was in. After moments of struggle, exhaustion catches up to him, and he stops out of fatigue, terrified out of his mind. He then hears something - a voice. A series of mist pools from the surroundings, forming a makeshift image before his eyes. He again sees the cave, and sees Phineas talking to him, but not through his own eyes - it was as if he was watching from somewhere deep in his own brain. More surprisingly, and perhaps more strangely, he sees himself reply and reach for the bucket system to cross the cave.  

Mica realizes this was what the Fiend meant by the other conscience growing inside him. A fragment of his conscience had split and developed individually from his own mind when the Fiend has reached out to him. The interference with the gem had allowed the Fiendish part of him to assume control of his body - they had just now swapped places. With this realisation, Mica attempts to run forward and dispel the mists, desperately trying to do the first thing that jumps to mind, but they just dispel and form somewhere else - all the while watching his own body move of its own accord. 

In the cave, Mica pockets the skull, but shows the crystal for a moment. He casually suggests they might be able to sell it later. To Rak and Kilmus, he calmly deflects any questions asked about the crystal - he doesn’t seem to want to give it up. He gives Rak an extremely pointed glance as he agrees with the party about camping there for the night. He customarily lights and heats up the surrounding vicinity as the party makes themselves back to Termalaine, and communicates that the mine has been cleared, coolly accepting the coins. He seems disinterested with Phin’s comment about the moose, but will nod along with any plans being made. The moose was no longer his primary goal in the Tentowns. 

I know it's going to be a slow weekend for some of you, but you either have the choice of doing the moose quest at Lonelywood, or, I can push the campaign further. You decide.

I am fine with either

SUNBLIGHT

Kobolds in a mine, the Chwinga, Sephek, the Verbeegs, the Winter Wolves. Icewind Dale was building a very nice reputation for you all. As the evening drew on, the town speaker of Termalaine, Oarus Masthew, approached you one final time. "You all certainly were able to take care of those kobolds, and my workers are greatful to be able to return to their duties. However, we have a more serious problem that we can no longer ignore. Come into my office, I want to show you something."

He leads you into his office, closes the door, and continues.

“Invisible enemies walk among us. We have seen their boot prints in the snow, and now we know what they are: duergar. These malevolent dwarves of the Underdark have infiltrated Ten-Towns in search of a rare crystal known as chardalyn. With it, they’re building a mighty construct that will lay waste to Ten-Towns if nothing is done to stop it. Our militia captured one of the duergar and forced it to divulge the location of their mountain stronghold. Therein you will find a duergar warlord named Xardorok Sunblight. He aims to conquer Icewind Dale and destroy us all."

"We fear that an attack on Ten-Towns is eminent, and i'm afraid I have nothing more to offer than friendship, and hospitality. For the good of Ten-Towns, will you penetrate the duergar fortress, slay this evil warlord, and destroy his terrible weapon?”

Listening to Oarus' tale unfold, Phineas is captivated. Long had he read tales of heroes of the realm battling to save towns and cities from untold dangers. Little did he know then that unfortunate circumstances would lead him from his home into the vast, icy wilderness. Now, to hear that he is being as asked to be a part of something as grand as any novel he'd ravenously read growing up. The halfling couldn't hold in his enthusiasm.

"My bow and sword are yours, noble Speaker," Phineas blurts, his accent and colloquial tone again abandoned for a more polished, educated demeanor. He turns to the others. "We cannot let the dark dwarves inflict even more terror on these poor people already caught tight in the frozen grip of a mad goddess."

"So with the gray dwarves removed, would we become the new owners of the mountain stronghold? And everything in it?" Rak would ask with interest. "I wont do it out of the goodness of heart but If you cannot provide proper compensation, maybe the dwarves can. I'll do it."

Kilmus listened as the Speaker told of predators who roamed free.  Of the threats that walked in the darkness, striking at the innocent.  His mother's voice rang out clear as day,  'Break the wheel, my child.  End the cycle.  Protect the innocent.  Bring them peace'. A decisive nod and the paladin speaks up 'This is an evil that must be met, a danger that must be faced.  I too will go to see about this dark dwarven warlord.'

Mica watches Masthew speak - he didn't want to go inside some fortress, even if it could be profitable. It sounded dangerous - still, he is powerless to stop his other conscience from nodding and agreeing to head to the Duergar fortress. 

Masthew frowns a bit when Rak mentions about compensation, but says nothing. You are given the location of the Fortress and set off the next day. Of course, meals and a bed were comped for your services so far in Ten-Towns.

The trip on foot took nearly a week. Stopping by towns to rest, and refuel, the journey in the cold chilled your bones. The sky never changed. It was always dusk, no sun in the sky, and colorful magical aurora above you. 

SUNBLIGHT FORTRESS

Beyond the snowy foothills, low-lying clouds obscure the icy peaks of the gargantuan mountains that form the Spine of the World. Eventually, you get above the clouds and behold a sheer mountain wall rising more than a hundred feet before you. Carved high on the wall are rows of arrow slits with lights burning behind them and clanking sounds issuing from them. A narrow staircase hewn from the rock leads up along one side of the wall.

The steps leading up to it are barely 5 feet wide and climb 150 feet to a frost-covered shelf that adjoins the main entrance.

Phineas reaches into his pack, producing ashes from a burned leaf of mistletoe and a sprig of spruce. He mutters a few low words, sprinkling the ashes over his allies. A veil of shadows and silence radiates from him, encompassing the party. He says, “This should hopefully help us move unnoticed.”

Phineas casts pass without trace

He motions to move forward and begins to do do. 

Stealth: 34

Phineas vanishes from this reality and beyond.

'Mica' is mildly annoyed as Phineas's veil covers them, meaning he has to stop fiddling with the fire he's been swirling around his hands. He knows Phineas is adept at hiding, but he's confused as Phineas entirely vanishes from view. Mica motions that he's content to move along, attempting to be similarly stealthy. 

31

Kilmus looks skeptical - unsure how ashes from a branch will help cover up the noise of his heavy armor, but he waits patiently as the halfling completes his ritual.  And then watches in amazement as the ranger simply fades from view, blending into the snow and shadow as if he were a spirit.

A deep breath and the paladin attempts to follow suit : 27