(Mobile)

Mica sighs, readjusting the Varbeeg head under his one arm, and follows the rest of the party into the cavern, but not before taking the one serviceable dagger still sunken in the massive corpse. He turns back to the Chwinga, and asks it to stay here, before thinking that it probably doesn’t understand Common anyways, and dances a little jig that ultimately seeks to tell the fey to stay put. 

The Chwinga nods in the affirmative, but he pantomimes that if you're inside the cave, he's going to wait here, outside.

Waiting to see which entrance you all enter.

Kilmus sighs, and dutifully follows the party, staying towards the back to cover their rear

Sorry if the map is humongous. 

A bonfire in the middle of this cave keeps it lit and relatively warm. The scent of roasting meat fills the air as a hunk of meat on a spit drips juices into the fire. Goats and sheep are held in a spacious animal pen enclosed by a crude wooden fence. Other features of the cave include a wooden cart with a broken wheel, two old crates, and two barrels.

"We should bring the animals back with us. I bet they are worth some coin." Rak would say as he moves towards the roasting meat. "Anyone hungry?" He would ask as he considers taking a bite. the gith would then make his way towards the crates and barrels... looking them over to see if they contain anything of value.

One crate is packed with straw, which looks like it could feed the goats and sheep. The other contains ten large torches, made out of wood and pitch. The barrels are half-filled with salt and pepper. No mead here.

Seeing no mead, Phineas will move to try the other entrances. "It has to be here somewhere," he mutters. "Though strong as an ox, this fella didn't seem to be too bright."

Phineas tries a different cave entrance -- the furthest west, first....trying not to fall in the frozen creek.

(Mobile, again)

Mica’s incredibly tempted by the tantalizing food in the cavern, but his years scavenging the wilderness left him too cautious to give in to temptation. He sticks to the shadows, wary that there could be more enemies nearby.

V6 - To the north along the frozen stream, the tunnel splits, with one way continuing north and the other veering east. The stream follows the dark northward tunnel. Light from a distant fire is visible in the eastern tunnel - the campfire you saw in V3.

Phineas will call to the others, “There’s another tunnel here. I’m going to take a peek if ya wanna follow. Just watch ya step. It’s icy.”

V7 - The frozen stream ends at a seven-foot-deep frozen pool at the back of a dark cave. Trapped beneath the pool’s ice is a stone statue of a smiling young man, naked except for a well-placed oak leaf, with his face turned toward the sky. 

There is a massive polar bear sound asleep in the cave mouth.

If you wish to sneak around the cave, it's going to take a DC14 Stealth check to not wake it.

Mica peeks his head around the corner after the Halfling, and after a moment’s hesitation, follows him.

Mica pantomimes some stabbing motions and some blasting motions, asking if they should get the jump on the bear while it was asleep. Mica would absolutely prefer to leave the bear alive, but he certainly would not want it attacking them while they themselves were unaware.

Phineas grimaces, shaking his head slowly. Killing a giant that had terrorized others is one thing but he’s hesitant to slay an animal in its own home. He holds up his hand to stay any attacks and ushers Mica back to where they can talk quietly. “We need a plan,” he whispers. “I don’t want to kill this beast unless we have to do so.”

Last post before I turn in for the night.

Mica nods his head, agreeing with Phineas’s assessment. He waves his hands, quietly walking back to the rest of the party in V3. “We should get out of here,” he quietly says. They weren’t welcome here, and Kilmus was almost dead. “Those tracks’ll get covered in snow,” he repeats, remembering a time when he was learning how to hunt on a winter day in a forest near Waterdeep. “Come back later,” he reassures. Besides, they had a Chwinga and a Varbeeg head to cash in on.

"We at least should try to find the mead before an animal tears into it" Rak would reply to Mica. 

'I agree, no need to poke the bear, but we should at least see if the mead is somewhere else in these caves before heading back'

Phineas points toward the middle cave entrance. "One left to try," he says, moving forward quietly into the mouth's cave to see if he can find anything.

Phineas Takes A Peek: 14

V8 - This eight-foot-high, five-foot-wide passage has a dozen burial niches carved into its walls.

V9 - A natural tunnel bisects a ring-shaped excavation in this area, which was once an additional burial chamber. Niches cut in the north end of the outer ring hold nothing of interest.

If the mead the Verbeeg stole is here, it must be somewhere else in the cave system.

"Maybe he hid it in these burial niches..." Rak would suggest as he begins to look quickly search for anything useful or valuble.
investigation! 18

Rak: Each burial niche in this tunnel is 2 feet wide, 2 feet tall, and 5 feet deep. There are bones here. It looks like animals have savaged the bones, leaving nothing but a couple of skulls and carved stone knives behind.