We start this adventure with six peculiar fellows sitting on a cart pulled by three elks, they left Luskan, the city of sails several days ago and the road seems to repeat itself over and over with the only exception of the Spine of the world growing bigger with every step took by the beasts of burden. The Man driving the cart didn't say much after explaining that he needed to reach Goodmead unharmed (him and some crates that were already settled in the cart) and was willing to pay 100 gp for that task.
Crossing the spinewas very easy, the group never encountered bandits or beasts so the only inconvenience was to set up camp every day to keep the elks well rested. After the spine, things started to change, the day seemed to fade quickly and the sun was nowhere to be found, dense clouds and chilling winds started hit the travelers..."Here take this - Said the driver as he handed heavy fur coats and cloaks over layers of wool clothing, as well as fur-lined hats, hoods, goggles, also fur-lined leather boots and gloves. These are old but should keep you warm". He wouldn't see much else until reaching the gates of Bryn Shander, the first settlement of Icewind Dale ten-towns, though settlement sells a bit short the city with big walls that you were about to enter, you heard rumors of the ten-towns could barely be considered a town but maybe those were just rumors.
The driver took a while talking with the guard of the city but he managed to cross the walls and the cart was headed towards Goodmead again after an hour "People grew suspicious after the towns were hit by the never ending winter, hopefully we will find a warmer welcome with my folks".
Another boring two or six hours separated the travelers from their destiny, it was hard to know because the landscape and the lack of sun was of no help to tell time apart. But right now, before reaching the flimsy gates of Goodmeadis a great time to present the group of adventurers riding the cart:
Please go ahead and describe what the rest of us can see!
When he is not standing and moving around a bit to keep circulation going in his body, Dwalt will sit, leaning against the side of the cart whitling on a piece of wood. He is average size for a dwarf dressed in his own furs of elk, wolf, and a few other unnamed beasts. He is quick to smile at his companions and offers a dried piece of meat to anyone who will take it. "Got ta keep food in yer body ta keep tha fire in yer belly going." he says as he offers. Laying next to him is his pack, a crossbow, and battleaxe, all laying close at hand but on the floor of the cart as to not weigh him down or skid everywhere as the cart jolts here and there. His beard and hair are brown but frost-covered from the winter.
Now sitting bundled up in a grey heavy fur coat, a grey fur hat coupled with snow goggles not much else can be seen of the half-elf that presented herself as Sarya when you left Luskan other than part of her red hair. She had been quite talkative when you started your journey north towards Icewind dale, but as the weather grew colder so did her interest for amicable conversations. She has mentioned very little of herself and has been staying close to the goliath beside her in the cart that seems to be her travel company. Before disappearing under all the furs you could see a good looking half-elven redhead with emerald eyes wearing a worn black cloak. She also wore a blood red linen shirt and black linen pants. On her left hand sparkled a ring inset with a small ruby that she kept touching with her other hand, now covered with grey fur gloves. "It will be nice with a hot meal, a warm bath and a soft bed when we reach Goodmead, I do hope they have a good Inn." She says with a tired smile to no one in particular.
Sitting in the most comfortable part of the cart sits a well dressed Gnome, seeming to have spared no expense for the somewhat gawdy clothing he uses to keep the cold off of himself. As he huddles into himself for warmth a shock of once well kept red hair sticks out. He talks a bit with the others but mostly seems to he occupied with what appears to be a spell book or a note that looks to have been read a thousand times over.
"An inn would be welcome. Maybe they have information I need..."
Sarya politely accepts some dried meat from Dwalt, chewing it slowly as she listens to the well dressed Gnome. "So what kind of information are you seeking in a place like this good Sir." She asks curiously.
Dwalt nods. "I am not sure. Chasin' rumors mostly." he replies. "I'm a hunter by trade an' folks have talked about strangeness round about so, I decided I'd just go take a look." Dwal pauses for a moment. "I thought folks look fer information in taverns or musty ole' libraries?"
Before donning the very necessary furs, Brother Thaddeus was seen to be a young human in with close cropped flame red hair and piercing green eyes. His armor, shield and woefully inadequate cloak were well decorated in themes of the sun, light and flames. He's spent his time rather closed mouthed, talking only of being beset by a string of bad luck. He carries an ornate bullseye lantern with stained glass panels on the side which he lights for a few minutes every couple of hours.
Thaddeus finally grows less taciturn as the journey winds up. "I'm here chasing a dream, and it's become very clear to me that the dream did not mean what I thought it meant."
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Coriana - Company of the Grey Chain Wagner - Dragon Heist: Bards. DM - The Old Keep
Ghathi looks relieved when the driver brings out the various fur-lined garments for the travelers. It wasn't so much for himself but for the half-elf he was traveling with. Looking over at Sarya now he was pleased with the coat, hat, and goggles that nearly covered her completely. He had taken an extra fur-lined cloak himself, to cover the heavy woolen clothes he already wore. It had taken a bit to shift through everything to find something adequate. At well over 7 and a half feet tall, not many of the items had any chance to fit.
For most of the trip he had tried to keep himself as small as possible, well aware of his bulky frame. Knees pulled up against his chest, he made room for the others as most of the time he hovered near to Sarya. Ghathi's head was bald and his eyes a dark brown. The skin of the goliath was a pale white, with maybe the slightest hint of blue. Most of the time he had a slight smile on his face, as he did now, despite the harsh cold conditions. Dressed as he was in chainmail, and carrying shield and warhammer, he made for an imposing figure. But during the trip his more soft-spoken demeanor had become apparent.
"Well, I hope for your sake Sarya we can find that good inn you hope for. We shall have to see what is available. Goodmead is not nearly the size of Bryn Shander from what I recall. But I can't imagine there not being an inn of course." Ghathi politely refuses Dwalt's offering of dried meat, returning to watching the never changing snowy landscape.
"No."Dwalt responds. "Never seen a thing like it but its startin' ta affect everythin'."
The driver turns to Sarya right after Dwalt's answer "well ma'am Dwalt here is not much of a believer but pretty much everyone else 'round here blame Auril, the Frostmaiden - he doesn't care to elaborate on who that is...- but you shouldn't worry, the people of Goodmead keep a good relationship with her, we've paid our share and we can swear that we get a whole extra hour of sunlight." - says the driver smiling and the quickly realizing that whatever made him happy about that sentence was not even that great of a payoff.
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"Thanks Ghathi, you're a kind soul for being my guide and protector in these harsh lands." Sarya says with a warm smile, glancing over at the goliath beside her, laying a friendly glove on his pulled up knee.
"So, I'm curious, tell us about your dream Brother Thaddeus, did it in any way relate to this neverending winter?" Sarya asks curiosly.
(Religion to recognize Auril the Frostmaiden: 3 )
"What do you mean paid your share?" Sarya asks the driver with a frown.
"Just looking for some one I have to deal with. Last I heard they were in one of the towns. I am hoping that someone knows their exact location." Darby responds, tucking the note and spellbound back into his pack. He slowly stands to his feet, moving to look out of the wagon.
Dwalt scoffs. "I seen alot of folk do alot of things ta appease the Goddess of Winter. An' I have seen little in her will being swayed." he says. Dwalt stands and puts his hands on his hips, his attention turned towards the driver. "An fer yer infermation I give her a portion of tha bounty I kill, like all those that hunt tha wild." Dwalt turns and sits back down, a little insulted that someone would think he doesn't give proper honor to the Queen of Winter.
Dwalt picks up his piece of wood, taking the shape of a bear and looks it over. He closes his eyes for a second and winces at some long lost memory then puts the figurine away and settles in for the rest of the ride, listening to those around him.
"Thanks Ghathi, you're a kind soul for being my guide and protector in these harsh lands." Sarya says with a warm smile, glancing over at the goliath beside her, laying a friendly glove on his pulled up knee.
"So, I'm curious, tell us about your dream Brother Thaddeus, did it in any way relate to this neverending winter?" Sarya asks curiosly.
(Religion to recognize Auril the Frostmaiden: 10 )
"What do you mean paid your share?" Sarya asks the driver with a frown.
"Well...we offer our warmth to Auril" - Says the driver as he shrugs -
The cart continues its way and you finally reach your destination:
You finally stop at the Mead Hall, the biggest building ((with a T shape)) near the dock and the driver asks some help to move the crates inside the hall. After doing that he drops a bag with 100 gp in Dwalt's hand and get some help from people that emerged from the building.
Dwalt has a small hut in this town where you can rest for the night which has been going on after you crossed the spine, the locals know that if you rest after a couple of hours you should catch some dim light after a well rested sleep.
Goodmead holds several huts and hauses that claim to be a tavern but none of this even hang a sign outside or name their place, but there's one place covered by trees where most fisherman tend to gather before going to bed.
Coming forward "daylight" is only dim light and it only lasts 4 hours, the rest of the day is just night time illuminated only by the moon.
"Offer your warmth..." Ghathi repeats. "Aha. That must be why the town always looked so dark." He turns to Sarya. "I'm afraid there will be no hot baths here." Arriving at the Mead Hall, Ghathi hops out of the cart and gladly helps the driver with the crates and anything else he needs carrying.
Sarya nods at Darby, still curious about his mission but holding off with more questions, for now.
"The goddess of winter?" Sarya says turning to Dwalt. "So you believe she, Auril, is the one responsible for the neverending winter then?" She says, going quiet for a while. "Well I'm not much of a believer myself, but if something affected me so profoundly as this neverending winter I too might starts sacrficing stuff I guess."She then says with a shrug to no one in particular.
Sarya sees the gloomy and not so welcoming look of Goodmead in the distance. "No hot baths?" She says to Ghathi. "And now I'm really upset with this Auril."She adds, crossing her arms, sulking under all the winter clothes and goggles.
As Ghathi gets off to help with carrying Sarya hesitates at first but then she reluctantly joins him, sending him a weak smile as they help out with carrying the crates. "So no hot bath, umm, what about sleeping accomodations then?" She says to the goliath, like hoping he would have a suggestion for that.
As Dwalt is given the bag of gold, she quickly moves over to him, standing there expectantly.
"I'm sure we'll arrange some sleeping accommodations. But I presume there won't even be a fire," Ghathi says to Sarya, just before she runs off towards Dwalt. He watches her with a grin and slight shake of his head. He turns towards Dwalt, calling over to him. "You have a place here in town? Is it big enough to accommodate all of us?"
Darby scuftles off the cart as soon as the work of unloading it begins, clearly used to be the one to have such things done not doing them himself. As gold is handed over to Dwalt he to makes his way over, a twinkle of greed in his eye for the briefest of seconds. "I believe each of us is owed around 16 gold and 5 silver give or take a bit."
Dwalt, a bit puzzled by the bag, retains it for the party till he can distribute it out.
"Its small but once the fire is going it warms up." he says. "I ain't much of a house keeper but yer welcome ta stay there, I ain't sure tha half giant will fit though." Dwalt nods towards Ghathi. Dwalt thinks for a moment then moves towards his hut. "Lets atleast go there so we can divvy up this payment, away from prying eyes."
Dwalt will lead the party to his hut. If there is a place , out of the wind and sight that he can divvy up the gold, he will do so. If not he will wait till they get to his hut. Once that is done Dwalt will set about getting a fire started in the pit and let the party settle in if they desire to and/or can.
"Welcome to my house. It ain't a long house but it will do fer now."the dwarf says inviting everyone in. he tells the group.
During this time Dwalt will respond to Sarya. "I ain't sure its Auril but forces outside our control are appeased in one way or another. Only way ta get answers would ta trek up to tha Spines and see, I'd wager."
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Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden
We start this adventure with six peculiar fellows sitting on a cart pulled by three elks, they left Luskan, the city of sails several days ago and the road seems to repeat itself over and over with the only exception of the Spine of the world growing bigger with every step took by the beasts of burden. The Man driving the cart didn't say much after explaining that he needed to reach Goodmead unharmed (him and some crates that were already settled in the cart) and was willing to pay 100 gp for that task.
Crossing the spine was very easy, the group never encountered bandits or beasts so the only inconvenience was to set up camp every day to keep the elks well rested. After the spine, things started to change, the day seemed to fade quickly and the sun was nowhere to be found, dense clouds and chilling winds started hit the travelers..."Here take this - Said the driver as he handed heavy fur coats and cloaks over layers of wool clothing, as well as fur-lined hats, hoods, goggles, also fur-lined leather boots and gloves. These are old but should keep you warm". He wouldn't see much else until reaching the gates of Bryn Shander, the first settlement of Icewind Dale ten-towns, though settlement sells a bit short the city with big walls that you were about to enter, you heard rumors of the ten-towns could barely be considered a town but maybe those were just rumors.
The driver took a while talking with the guard of the city but he managed to cross the walls and the cart was headed towards Goodmead again after an hour "People grew suspicious after the towns were hit by the never ending winter, hopefully we will find a warmer welcome with my folks".
Another boring two or six hours separated the travelers from their destiny, it was hard to know because the landscape and the lack of sun was of no help to tell time apart. But right now, before reaching the flimsy gates of Goodmead is a great time to present the group of adventurers riding the cart:
Please go ahead and describe what the rest of us can see!
When he is not standing and moving around a bit to keep circulation going in his body, Dwalt will sit, leaning against the side of the cart whitling on a piece of wood. He is average size for a dwarf dressed in his own furs of elk, wolf, and a few other unnamed beasts. He is quick to smile at his companions and offers a dried piece of meat to anyone who will take it.
"Got ta keep food in yer body ta keep tha fire in yer belly going." he says as he offers.
Laying next to him is his pack, a crossbow, and battleaxe, all laying close at hand but on the floor of the cart as to not weigh him down or skid everywhere as the cart jolts here and there.
His beard and hair are brown but frost-covered from the winter.
Now sitting bundled up in a grey heavy fur coat, a grey fur hat coupled with snow goggles not much else can be seen of the half-elf that presented herself as Sarya when you left Luskan other than part of her red hair. She had been quite talkative when you started your journey north towards Icewind dale, but as the weather grew colder so did her interest for amicable conversations. She has mentioned very little of herself and has been staying close to the goliath beside her in the cart that seems to be her travel company. Before disappearing under all the furs you could see a good looking half-elven redhead with emerald eyes wearing a worn black cloak. She also wore a blood red linen shirt and black linen pants. On her left hand sparkled a ring inset with a small ruby that she kept touching with her other hand, now covered with grey fur gloves. "It will be nice with a hot meal, a warm bath and a soft bed when we reach Goodmead, I do hope they have a good Inn." She says with a tired smile to no one in particular.
Sitting in the most comfortable part of the cart sits a well dressed Gnome, seeming to have spared no expense for the somewhat gawdy clothing he uses to keep the cold off of himself. As he huddles into himself for warmth a shock of once well kept red hair sticks out. He talks a bit with the others but mostly seems to he occupied with what appears to be a spell book or a note that looks to have been read a thousand times over.
"An inn would be welcome. Maybe they have information I need..."
Sarya politely accepts some dried meat from Dwalt, chewing it slowly as she listens to the well dressed Gnome. "So what kind of information are you seeking in a place like this good Sir." She asks curiously.
Dwalt nods. "I am not sure. Chasin' rumors mostly." he replies. "I'm a hunter by trade an' folks have talked about strangeness round about so, I decided I'd just go take a look."
Dwal pauses for a moment.
"I thought folks look fer information in taverns or musty ole' libraries?"
Before donning the very necessary furs, Brother Thaddeus was seen to be a young human in with close cropped flame red hair and piercing green eyes. His armor, shield and woefully inadequate cloak were well decorated in themes of the sun, light and flames. He's spent his time rather closed mouthed, talking only of being beset by a string of bad luck. He carries an ornate bullseye lantern with stained glass panels on the side which he lights for a few minutes every couple of hours.
Thaddeus finally grows less taciturn as the journey winds up. "I'm here chasing a dream, and it's become very clear to me that the dream did not mean what I thought it meant."
Coriana - Company of the Grey Chain
Wagner - Dragon Heist: Bards.
DM - The Old Keep
"So Dwalt, do you know what's the deal with this neverending winter or what's it called?" Sarya asks the dwarven hunter.
"No." Dwalt responds. "Never seen a thing like it but its startin' ta affect everythin'."
Ghathi looks relieved when the driver brings out the various fur-lined garments for the travelers. It wasn't so much for himself but for the half-elf he was traveling with. Looking over at Sarya now he was pleased with the coat, hat, and goggles that nearly covered her completely. He had taken an extra fur-lined cloak himself, to cover the heavy woolen clothes he already wore. It had taken a bit to shift through everything to find something adequate. At well over 7 and a half feet tall, not many of the items had any chance to fit.
For most of the trip he had tried to keep himself as small as possible, well aware of his bulky frame. Knees pulled up against his chest, he made room for the others as most of the time he hovered near to Sarya. Ghathi's head was bald and his eyes a dark brown. The skin of the goliath was a pale white, with maybe the slightest hint of blue. Most of the time he had a slight smile on his face, as he did now, despite the harsh cold conditions. Dressed as he was in chainmail, and carrying shield and warhammer, he made for an imposing figure. But during the trip his more soft-spoken demeanor had become apparent.
"Well, I hope for your sake Sarya we can find that good inn you hope for. We shall have to see what is available. Goodmead is not nearly the size of Bryn Shander from what I recall. But I can't imagine there not being an inn of course." Ghathi politely refuses Dwalt's offering of dried meat, returning to watching the never changing snowy landscape.
Rabbit Sebrica, Sorcerer || Skarai, Monk || Lokilia Vaelphin, Druid || Liivi Orav, Barbarian || Vanizi, Warlock || Britari / Halila Talgeta / Jesa Gumovi || Neital Rhessil, Wizard
Iromae Quinaea, Cleric || Roxana Raincrest, Rogue || Meira Dheran, Rogue || Qirynna Thadri, Wizard || Crisaryn Melkial, Sorcerer
The driver turns to Sarya right after Dwalt's answer "well ma'am Dwalt here is not much of a believer but pretty much everyone else 'round here blame Auril, the Frostmaiden - he doesn't care to elaborate on who that is...- but you shouldn't worry, the people of Goodmead keep a good relationship with her, we've paid our share and we can swear that we get a whole extra hour of sunlight." - says the driver smiling and the quickly realizing that whatever made him happy about that sentence was not even that great of a payoff.
"Thanks Ghathi, you're a kind soul for being my guide and protector in these harsh lands." Sarya says with a warm smile, glancing over at the goliath beside her, laying a friendly glove on his pulled up knee.
"So, I'm curious, tell us about your dream Brother Thaddeus, did it in any way relate to this neverending winter?" Sarya asks curiosly.
(Religion to recognize Auril the Frostmaiden: 3 )
"What do you mean paid your share?" Sarya asks the driver with a frown.
"Just looking for some one I have to deal with. Last I heard they were in one of the towns. I am hoping that someone knows their exact location." Darby responds, tucking the note and spellbound back into his pack. He slowly stands to his feet, moving to look out of the wagon.
Dwalt scoffs. "I seen alot of folk do alot of things ta appease the Goddess of Winter. An' I have seen little in her will being swayed." he says.
Dwalt stands and puts his hands on his hips, his attention turned towards the driver.
"An fer yer infermation I give her a portion of tha bounty I kill, like all those that hunt tha wild."
Dwalt turns and sits back down, a little insulted that someone would think he doesn't give proper honor to the Queen of Winter.
Dwalt picks up his piece of wood, taking the shape of a bear and looks it over. He closes his eyes for a second and winces at some long lost memory then puts the figurine away and settles in for the rest of the ride, listening to those around him.
"Well...we offer our warmth to Auril" - Says the driver as he shrugs -
The cart continues its way and you finally reach your destination:
You finally stop at the Mead Hall, the biggest building ((with a T shape)) near the dock and the driver asks some help to move the crates inside the hall. After doing that he drops a bag with 100 gp in Dwalt's hand and get some help from people that emerged from the building.
Dwalt has a small hut in this town where you can rest for the night which has been going on after you crossed the spine, the locals know that if you rest after a couple of hours you should catch some dim light after a well rested sleep.
Goodmead holds several huts and hauses that claim to be a tavern but none of this even hang a sign outside or name their place, but there's one place covered by trees where most fisherman tend to gather before going to bed.
Coming forward "daylight" is only dim light and it only lasts 4 hours, the rest of the day is just night time illuminated only by the moon.
"Offer your warmth..." Ghathi repeats. "Aha. That must be why the town always looked so dark." He turns to Sarya. "I'm afraid there will be no hot baths here." Arriving at the Mead Hall, Ghathi hops out of the cart and gladly helps the driver with the crates and anything else he needs carrying.
Rabbit Sebrica, Sorcerer || Skarai, Monk || Lokilia Vaelphin, Druid || Liivi Orav, Barbarian || Vanizi, Warlock || Britari / Halila Talgeta / Jesa Gumovi || Neital Rhessil, Wizard
Iromae Quinaea, Cleric || Roxana Raincrest, Rogue || Meira Dheran, Rogue || Qirynna Thadri, Wizard || Crisaryn Melkial, Sorcerer
Sarya nods at Darby, still curious about his mission but holding off with more questions, for now.
"The goddess of winter?" Sarya says turning to Dwalt. "So you believe she, Auril, is the one responsible for the neverending winter then?" She says, going quiet for a while. "Well I'm not much of a believer myself, but if something affected me so profoundly as this neverending winter I too might starts sacrficing stuff I guess." She then says with a shrug to no one in particular.
Sarya sees the gloomy and not so welcoming look of Goodmead in the distance. "No hot baths?" She says to Ghathi. "And now I'm really upset with this Auril." She adds, crossing her arms, sulking under all the winter clothes and goggles.
As Ghathi gets off to help with carrying Sarya hesitates at first but then she reluctantly joins him, sending him a weak smile as they help out with carrying the crates.
"So no hot bath, umm, what about sleeping accomodations then?" She says to the goliath, like hoping he would have a suggestion for that.
As Dwalt is given the bag of gold, she quickly moves over to him, standing there expectantly.
"I'm sure we'll arrange some sleeping accommodations. But I presume there won't even be a fire," Ghathi says to Sarya, just before she runs off towards Dwalt. He watches her with a grin and slight shake of his head. He turns towards Dwalt, calling over to him. "You have a place here in town? Is it big enough to accommodate all of us?"
Rabbit Sebrica, Sorcerer || Skarai, Monk || Lokilia Vaelphin, Druid || Liivi Orav, Barbarian || Vanizi, Warlock || Britari / Halila Talgeta / Jesa Gumovi || Neital Rhessil, Wizard
Iromae Quinaea, Cleric || Roxana Raincrest, Rogue || Meira Dheran, Rogue || Qirynna Thadri, Wizard || Crisaryn Melkial, Sorcerer
Darby scuftles off the cart as soon as the work of unloading it begins, clearly used to be the one to have such things done not doing them himself. As gold is handed over to Dwalt he to makes his way over, a twinkle of greed in his eye for the briefest of seconds. "I believe each of us is owed around 16 gold and 5 silver give or take a bit."
Dwalt, a bit puzzled by the bag, retains it for the party till he can distribute it out.
"Its small but once the fire is going it warms up." he says. "I ain't much of a house keeper but yer welcome ta stay there, I ain't sure tha half giant will fit though." Dwalt nods towards Ghathi.
Dwalt thinks for a moment then moves towards his hut.
"Lets atleast go there so we can divvy up this payment, away from prying eyes."
Dwalt will lead the party to his hut. If there is a place , out of the wind and sight that he can divvy up the gold, he will do so. If not he will wait till they get to his hut. Once that is done Dwalt will set about getting a fire started in the pit and let the party settle in if they desire to and/or can.
"Welcome to my house. It ain't a long house but it will do fer now." the dwarf says inviting everyone in. he tells the group.
During this time Dwalt will respond to Sarya.
"I ain't sure its Auril but forces outside our control are appeased in one way or another. Only way ta get answers would ta trek up to tha Spines and see, I'd wager."