Holiday Wraith IC

[Siric]

Prologue "Well, let's see.... this will be the twelfth group to leave in my life time alone. The previous eleven failed to accomplish anything. Waste of bloody time, if you ask me,"- Town Elder

The five of you set out rather quickly and rapidly. The necessary preparations have already been made weeks in advance. With the supplies bought, the research done, and everyone's personal life had either been taken care of or dealt with, it was time for you to take to the road.

It was decided that leaving very early on the morning after the Great Feast was the best option, as not everyone understands or agrees with your actions. This, you feel, would be the best, if you wish to avoid... mostly everybody.

As the main city of the Kingdom of Aclia fades from your view under the current darkness, your mind is forced to wander to the path that lies ahead. Others before you have failed to make it. Looking back, this was a group of twenty people willing to march forth into the cold and dark north. Now there is five. How long will your comrades last before they quit? How long will you?

Based on books, maps, and lore, the road before you splits up to two different towns. North east is of Aclia is Kot. Trade caravans used to consistently travel back and forth between the two cities. However, as time went buy, the traffic trickled down, and traders happened to just simply... not return. All contact with Kot dissipated. On the one hand, it was located near to a large portion of land used by Barbarian tribes, and it's possible that Kot fell to these Barbarians. However, the notes gathered point out that Kot seemed to have "disappeared" about a year before the Drow started attacking. Perhaps Kot is linked to the Army of the North. It's even possible that Kot was a victim to a swift victory from the raiders. It's a weak connection, but it's one of the stronger ones you have.

The other road leads directly north to Skabrian. Due to Skabrian being much further north then Kot and that their are dangerous mountains between Skabrian and Aclia, you don't know much about the town. In fact, most people in your kingdom aren't even aware about the town's existence, including most Elders. The only information you have on it are recorded stories that traders from Kot have provided. These stories tell tales about how Skabrian was built atop ancient ruins and it was truly a scholar's haven. If this town is standing today, it's possible that it contains knowledge on where to find your enemies, or even how to stop them.

It's a difficult choice to make, but it has to be made soon as you become ever closer to the split in the road. There is only so many days left. Use them wisely.

[Frog Dragon]

We're travelling to the edge of the World...
Wonders many this trips Worth...
We see the forests turn to Ice...
Most don't see this as Wise
Go on we must Still...
For there's no one else that Will...
The halfling continues his song. He plays his guitar in tune as heis dog pushes forward.

[xPANCAKEx]

Aust Naiodel

drawing his cart up along side the haflings riding dog, the elf turns to ask

"halfling - do you know much about what lies along the path through the mountain"

[Lukmar]

Alexis Decruise - Half-Elf Cleric

Alexis listens to the halfling's song, feeling a note of melancholy in the words and the tune.

He urges his donkey forward to also hear the Halfling's reply

[Vairice]

Casper watched the morning sun struggle to lift itself higher in the sky, breaking the darkness above them with warm hues of purples and pinks that could have easily been formed from a painter's wooden palette.

Silently debating to himself whether or not this trip would make a difference, he directed his attention towards the small bundle of chaos that wriggled restlessly in a pocket of his backpack. Finally, the little ermine escaped the small enclosure, leaping gracefully onto the horse to bury its claws in the horn of the saddle, regaining stability.

Its small body bristled as the breeze filtered through its snow white fur, and the creature built up its courage enough to scamper across the length of the horse's neck and pose heroically upon the very top of the pack animal's head.

The witch shook his head at his companion's antics, twining his fingers gently within the thick fibers of the horse's untamed mane. Consciously, he looks up, interested in his other companions' thoughts on the journey.

[Frog Dragon]

Fedge pauses his song and looks upwards at the elf
"I hear bits and pieces about most everything" Fedge says "Gimme a moment to think"

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Bardic Knowledge (1d20+4)[10]

[bue52]

The half-elf moved without making a sound, he knew the seriousness of the mission, and liked how his acquaintances have been interacting so far, thanking the bard in his mind for uplifting the spirit of everyone. He then asks, " I think we should vote on where we should go first, Kot or Skabrian?"

[Frog Dragon]

"I hear that the path to Scabrian is dangerous though the tale twists and may not be true" "Although many good things are told about Skabrian, but I'd say we go to Kot first to prepare for Skabrian" "" You can never be too sure."

[xPANCAKEx]

Aust Naiodel

Avoid kot - if the drow have over-run it, why should we notify them that their doom approaches. Best we see what information we can garner at Skabrian first and use it to our advantage.

[Lukmar]

Alexis Decruise - Half-Elf Cleric

Aust Naiodel
...why should we notify them that their doom approaches....

Upon hearing the Ranger's comment, a wry smile touches Alexis's lips. "Ha! More likely that it is us heading towards our dooms than the other way round..." he thinks to himself.

"Do we have enough supplies to reach Skabrian? If not we may have to stop at Kot or forage along the road."

[xPANCAKEx]

Aust Naiodel

"i'll hunt something down to eat if we run low on supplies. i'll put my mind to it to try and work out how far we would have to go..."

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how far is it to Skabrian (days travel)

knowledge (geography) (1d20+3)[23]

(a nat20 on my first roll - praise snuggles! CFTCG! YFTYT!)

[Vairice]

Picking up on the half-elf's remark on the possible shortage of supplies, the ermine looked back to his master fretfully, who rolled his eyes in response.

"We're out here, marching in the cold to save our asses from certain death, and all you can think about is not having enough breadcrumbs to get fat off of. Honestly, it's like I brought a guinea pig along with me." Casper snorted towards his companion, as the weasel turned back to slump against the matted mane of the pack horse, huffing out a sigh.

Tuning his attention towards more important radicals, the witch listened to the others talk amongst themselves, deciding for himself that he would much rather take the route that would lead them to more of an advantage against the evil army which they soon would face, which, from the books and tales, would probably be the town of Skabrian.

"I agree, Skabrian would probably place us to a higher advantage then Kot."

[Lukmar]

Alexis Decruise - Half-Elf Cleric

"Skabrian is more likely to have valuable information, so we would probably end up having to travel there in any case... We might as well make it our first stop."

[xPANCAKEx]

Aust Naiodel

"it will take us 8 days to get to either Kot or the mountains. How long through the mountains i don't know"

[Siric]

As the day continues on, the adventurers find themselves more talkative, as this could be a long trip if it's done in silence. The bard, Fedge, does well in his job, keeping his comrades spirits high as they trek onwards. The ride continues on its fairly merry way.

However, near the end of the day, a brief moment of silence occurs as the horses and their passengers pass a sign, directing any travelers that "KOT is this way ===>." Perhaps going to Skabrian was the more logical choice... but that doesn't make the choice any easier.

Chapter 1: The weary path
"Skabrian? Wonderful place. Totally worth the trip... I mean, as long as you aren't going through the mountains."

After passing through a small forest after a day's travels, the mountain range is in view, and better yet, appears to be close. However night has fallen quite sometime ago, and perhaps it's better to rest.

[Lukmar]

Alexis Decruise - Half-Elf Cleric

As the group travels North, Alexis listens to the chatter between his companions, glad that the journey is not being done in silence. Eventually, the mountains begin to loom over the horizon as the party travels through a small forest.

Night has already fallen, and wary of traveling in the dark along unknown routes, Alexis asks Aust:

“Should we make camp? The night is cold and I believe we have come far enough for today.”

[xPANCAKEx]

Aust

"oh yes... i suppose you're right. I guess i could pitch my tent. Come to think of it - a few of you might be able to fit in too"

said the elf, turning away to rummage through the carts cargo

"just keep youselves off my bed roll"

[Vairice]

Slowly, Casper dismounted from his horse. Having taken a small nap along the journey, his eager ermine wound itself around his neck, scouting out the other characters with bright eyes.

"I can take the first lookout shift if no one else wants to bother with it," Casper announced to his companions.

[xPANCAKEx]

Aust

as i seem to be providing the shelter i'd rather avoid standing out in the cold, if its all the same to you

said the elf as he unhitched the cart, and tied his horse up to a nearby pine tree, throwing its winter blanket on. Adbsent mindedly he strokes the horse's snout waiting for the rest of the groups input

[Frog Dragon]

Fedge jumps off his dog, takes the saddlebags and starts rummaging for his bedroll. He almost disapperas into the bag, but finally finds it then he starts looking for a place to lay it.

[Lukmar]

Alexis Decruise - Half-Elf Cleric

Alexis dismounts from his donkey, taking care to feed it and make sure it is well covered before joining the others.

"I will take the last watch, as I need to be up by dawn in any case." he says to Casper

[xPANCAKEx]

Aust

after the groups lengthy discussion over who should take which watch, with the elf begrudgingly taking the 4th watch, he goes to his bed in the tent and wraps himself up in his blankets

"don't disturb me until my watch"

[Lukmar]

Alexis Decruise - Half-Elf Cleric

Alexis follows after Aust into his tent, taking care to set up so as to keep off the ranger's bedroll.

[Frog Dragon]

Fedge follows and sets down his bedroll, then going back to feed the dog and finding it a warmer place. He then sets to rest.

[Vairice]

Picking up only the necessary information from the discussion, Casper found his way to one of the trees nearby, hoisting himself into the branches. His ermine's tiny paws reached out for the rough bark of the trunk, digging and scratching its nails along its length.

Watching his companions purposefully begin to set up camp and relax, the witch found his mind wandering again as thoughts fleeted from his purpose for revenge, and to the avenging for the towns that were about to lose everything once more if their group failed to stop it.

A soft, wet nose poked at Casper's cheek as the ermine hung off his shoulder once more, emitting gentle squeaking noises. Absentmindedly, the teenager stroked the weasel's furry head with his fingers, concentrating on the earth below his perch.

[Siric]

Casper-

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As Casper watches his fellow companions sleep, he can't seem to help but let his mind wander, a dangerous activity for someone who is suppose to be on watch. However, it would be hard for anyone not to hear the large amount amount of ruckus coming from both the east and the west of you.

You're able to distinctly hear humanoids, two to the left of you and probably more than that to the right. While you are able to hear them move around and talk, you are unable to identify the language. As you look up to try and spot the creatures, you're unable to even see any outlines. Your other set of eyes, the weasel perched on your shoulder, is looking right at them. Following his gaze, you can see the figures on the left, confirming that there is two of them there. Beyond that, you can't detect much else about them. You are unable to determine their distance away from you, their size, or their intentions.

[Vairice]

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With care, Casper slid back towards the trunk of the birch, letting his familiar gracefully leap up from branch to branch to higher altitudes. Known to jump to pessimistic standards when it came to strangers, the witch narrowed his gaze upon the intruders as he took his time climbing down from the tree stealthily, planning to get into closer range before he acted.

In his mind, he plotted out his next movements, intending to first stun the approaching beings that his weasel had discovered. Feeling as though he was in range, Casper gently blew on his fingertips, the air strengthening around him to create the shrill war cry of an angry leopard, hungry and circling for its next meal.

[Siric]

Casper

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Casper's spell has caused the outlines to change into different things. One outline, afraid of being eaten by a mountain lion appears to have run north and dissipated into the night. The other outline has turned into a rather upset orc, running towards Casper. He strikes, but misjudged your location and missed.

Horace, Fedge

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While the others might have slept through it, Horace and Fedge certainly heard the shriek of a angry, hungry, and nearby leopard, and both of them awoke before there seemed to be a fight in the campground.

While they do get to act in the surprise round, they are also forced to make a will save. DC 13 or become shaken.

Aust, Alexis

Aust and Alexis awaken to the sound of combat, and are caught unaware. They do not get to act in the surprise round and are caught flatfooted.

Anyone not in a tent notices that Casper is currently unarmed, and is currently in a fight with a sword wielding orc. They also notice, coming from the other direction, three more orcs. One has a sword, but the other two have javelins and look slightly afraid.

[Lukmar]

Alexis Decruise - Half-Elf Cleric

The house was burning. Alexis stood a short distance away, the flames casting dancing shadows on his pale face. His stare was not at the fire, but on a dark shape that lay sprawled at the entrance. His dread increasing with each step, Alexis finally stands over the figure, the heat from the conflagration now almost unbearable. With shaky hands he turns the man’s face over and stares at it in horror, a scream of anguish escaping his lips.

“NOOOO!” shouts Alexis as he wakes with a start, his face drenched in sweat. Taking a few moments to recover his bearings, he hears the sounds of fighting outside the tent. Stumbling in the dim light and the commotion inside the tent, he grabs his quarterstaff and tries to get out.

[Frog Dragon]

Home in the village.... The nicest thing he saw in months. Seeing it calmed his mind, but it was broken. He heard the cry of a giant lion, terrified he realized it did not come from the dream, but outside Fedge woke up terrified by the soun in his half asleep state. (1d20+6)[20] He shakes the feeling away, realizing his friends may be in danger. A feeling reinforced by the sound of the mad swings of a sword. Fedge stumbles up and picks up his crossbow half-rolling half-running out of the tent.