[Game Thread] Chapter One - Weathered

[97mg]

Cilsie - Late Autumn

Weather: Blizzard

Day: Seven

Introduction This far north, the weather is rarely a topic of conversation. If folks complained about the cold every time some snow blew in, or the pathways got slippery, then many a voice would be lost very quickly! It's just a fact of life out here. There will always be some howling wind, descending sleet or deep crusty ice to deal with. Most of the seasons are much the same too, yet years don't exactly just blend into each other. Oh no! The mid-summer month is an insomniac's worst nightmare where day and night bleed into one. Indeed the sun might not show its face very often, but that doesn't stop the landscape from being cast in perpetual, and at times blinding reflected light. Mid-winter, some would say, is even worse, with a month's entirety spent in darkness. A night that feels as though it will never end. Suffice to say, the folks who call this place home and reside in the world's most northern little-known village... Cilsie, aren't phased by what mother nature dishes out for them on a daily basis. For whatever reason, the locals tend towards being friendly and accommodating. It takes a certain warmth of heart or spirit to survive out here, even if often mixed with equal measures of stubbornness and denial. Are they happy? Strangely, yes, most of them are quite content. Life here might be a challenge, but for many it is quite enough. There are a great many things to appreciate. No overlords to make iron-fisted decisions. No taxation. Not a whole lot of crime. It is a tranquil existence for those with the right mindset, and those who don't mind physical work or finding other ways to make contributions to the community as a whole. Furthermore, the isolation of the white-swept wilderness is at times exceptionally beautiful. If you look hard enough, there is wonder and mystery everywhere. From the uniqueness of a single snowflake's crystals, to the gleaming mirror-like shine of icicles hanging off a pine. So, one might ask, what kind of story might eventuate in a locale such as this? Well, we're soon to find out! Perhaps the weather is finally becoming a concern, as many of the villagers have begun counting days, days that weren't like those that preceded them. Today, they have named "the seventh". Why? Well, seven days ago one almighty blizzard rose up and tore its way from the northern peaks, southwards across the land like a great endless wave. Not the first time, of course. Such things happened sometimes, they came and went... except this one refused to depart! For the past week the snowfall and wind has been relentless, not to mention the temperature drop to even lower than its usual most uncomfortable self. The howling gales endlessly slam against the village's timber structures, bashing at the panels like an invisible army of angered undead. The snow and ice particles now airborne, fly with such ferocity that they not only sting, but could almost cut. The mere task of moving between buildings feels as though it drains the very last of one's strength. Where once, a layer of furs was commonplace, now most only dare step outside with two! You're probably thinking that everyone should just stay within their humble abodes and wait it out, but what if this blizzard refuses to let up? What if things become truly dire? For Cilsie's residents to survive, there are quite a number of tasks that simply must be done. Things that were once a daily routine, are now at threat! Without timber and the felling of nearby pines, there is no timber. With no timber, there is no fuel. And what of food? Yes, the river is loaded with fish, but is that an icy crust beginning to form on the water's surface? How will one hunt for meat, or forage for a limited variety of edibles, when a humble mile's walk from the village walls, feels like a one-way trip to an oblivion iced in white? It has come time to make some hard decisions in Cilsie, and this is a select number of resident's weight to bare. The community may be led by their elder Darnel Whiteborn Male human, Neutral Good Personality: Sincere, Slow Talker, Laid Back Darnel is 90 years old and has lived all his life here. He knows the land around the village like no one else, and although he won't travel anywhere anymore, he can be a source of information. The rest of the village has him in high regard and will listen to his advice for matters of survival and scouting.Darnel Whiteborn, but he is too wise and kind to ever believe that he wields ultimate power. No. There is no place for such arrogance here. The village itself selects a council of those who might work with him as equals, a collection of folk with wide-ranging experiences and quite some variety in personal strength. Ingrid the calm and collected elven healer. Ragi the strong-minded delegate of bordering elven lands. The list does not end there though. Everyone in Cilsie may be vital and of deep worth, but among the locals and rare visitors, there are those souls who have proven commitment and diligence. Others too, who bring interests and ways of thinking invested in study and private investigations of "self". All who sit with Darnel are appreciated in their own right, be it though their pure physical endurance, or kindness to others, or sharp minds. So who then, are these other council members? They are Lili, cherished for her art of voice and ability to soothe hearts with a gentle song. Wyl the "doer", who has touched the lives of many with his passion for work and giving personality. Kirra the barmaid, the friendly face that knows most everyone, and has seen her people fed and sheltered through thick and thin. Aeona, a recent arrival who brings with her knowledge from the afar, and a strange aptitude for seeing and knowing things as impressed upon her by the heavens. And finally Rana, the ever generous hunter and tender of hounds, animals so loved and utterly essential in a place such as this. At dawn on the seventh day, the council gathered at the Hunter's Refuge as called upon by Darnel. Almost the entire population has gathered in and around the long timber structure. During the past couple days the people already voiced concerns, of course, as this blizzard was surely no longer a normal phenomenon. Upon arrival the council push through the small crowd and head to the table. Warm stew with whale fat and tankards of mead are already there, waiting...

OOC Welcome! Once the characters are ready, I'll invite you to make your entrance folks, then we'll get this quick meeting underway Yes, I took the liberty of popping you all on the council. Being a level 3 out here is a BIG deal. You're more skilled than just about everyone, even if you don't show it. You have clout in all your personal and particular ways. Being late Autumn, means... "Winter is coming" lol. That means that Aeona might get lots of star-gazing time in the coming weeks if the clouds part, who knows, maybe even an aurora? Guess it depends on if this damned blizzard ever decides to move on hehe.

[Tyrtaeus]

Aeona Brightcap | School of Divination Wizard | Gnome

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AC: 12 | HP: 11 | Speed: 25ft | Spell-casting: +5 / DC13
Passive Perception: 14 | Insight: 12 | Investigation: 13

• Score: -1
• Athletics: -1

Str: 8 |

• Score: -1
• Acrobatics: -1
• Stealth: -1
• Sleight of Hand: -1

Dex: 8 |

• Score: -1

Con: 8 |

• Score: +3
• Arcana: +5
• History: +5
• Investigation: +3
• Nature: +3
• Religion: +3

Int: 8 |

• Score: +2
• Animal Handling: +2
• Insight: +2
• Medicine: +4
• Perception: +4
• Survival: +2

Wis: 8 |

• Score: +2
• Deception: +2
• Intimidation: +2
• Performance: +2
• Persuasion: +2

Cha: 8
Languages: Common, Gnomish, Elivsh, Draconic

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.Feats |

Racial features

Class Features

Gnome Cunning: You have advantage on all Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma saving throws against magic. Darkvision: Accustomed to life underground, you have superior vision in dark and dim conditions. You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can't discern color in darkness, only shades of gray. Natural Illusionist: You know the minor illusion cantrip. Intelligence is your spellcasting ability for it. Speak with Small Beasts: Through sounds and gestures, you can communicate simple ideas with Small or smaller beasts. Forest gnomes love animals and often keep squirrels, badgers, rabbits, moles, woodpeckers, and other creatures as beloved pets.

Ritual Casting: You can cast a wizard spell as a ritual if that spell has the ritual tag and you have the spell in your spellbook. You don’t need to have the spell prepared. Arcane Recovery: You have learned to regain some of your magical energy by studying your spellbook. Once per day when you finish a short rest, you can choose expended spell slots to recover. The spell slots can have a combined level that is equal to or less than half your wizard level (rounded up), and none of the slots can be 6th level or higher. For example, if you’re a 4th-level wizard, you can recover up to two levels worth of spell slots. You can recover either a 2nd-level spell slot or two 1st-level spell slots. Divination Savant: Beginning when you select this school at 2nd level, the gold and time you must spend to copy a divination spell into your spellbook is halved. Portent: Starting at 2nd level when you choose this school, glimpses of the future begin to press in on your awareness. When you finish a long rest, roll two d20s and record the numbers rolled. You can replace any attack roll, saving throw, or ability check made by you or a creature that you can see with one of these foretelling rolls. You must choose to do so before the roll, and you can replace a roll in this way only once per turn. Each foretelling roll can be used only once. When you finish a long rest, you lose any unused foretelling rolls.

Features |

• Quarterstaff: One-handed
  Type: Bludgeoning
  Range: 5ft
  Damage: 1d6-1
  

  ---

• Quarterstaff: Two-handed
  Type: Bludgeoning
  Range: 5ft
  Damage: 1d8-1

Actions |

Cantrips	Level 1	Level 2
Create Bonfire Mending Minor Illusion Prestidigitation	Absorb Elements Comprehend Languages Detect Magic Feather Fall Identify Shield Silvery Barbs Sleep Unseen Servant	Augury -
Level 3	Level 4	Level 5
-	-	-

Spells | . Equipment | . Reactions

Aeona has not been in Cilsie long, but it did not take long for the locals questions to evolve from simple ones about her, to more abstract ones about magic and the nature of the world around them. All of which she was prepared for and had answers for of course. There was little point in reading all those books and philosophizing on all those metaphysical questions if she could not at least show them off a little. It was was the reason she had excitedly leapt at the chance to join the council when the offer had been proposed. She had been worried that she had not displayed quite enough of her enthusiasm when she had only manifested glittering lights and trumpets using Minor Illusions, but no one had seemed to take her willingness to join any less enthusiastically because of her lackluster show. It had made her promise herself that next time she would give them a more exuberant showing to truly display her gratitude towards the townsfolk who had accepted her as part of their community so wholly, and who had gone out of their ways to make her feel at home and acclimatize her to well... The climate.

This assistance explained the reason there was a heap of furs currently trying to blindly find its way between the legs of many of the regular sized folk who had gathered for the folkmoot. The little Gnome had at first been offered child sized furs and skins to keep warm, which had been embarrassing, and insisted she pay extra for full adult sized ones instead. After all, in Human society, she was already middle-aged, even if the Gnomes would not see her as anything more than what the Humans would call a teenager. The tanner had been hesitant, but Aeona was nothing if not insistent, and had pushed and pushed until he had finally agreed, and she now looked like something akin to a pile of hair the farm hands would sweep up after shearing all of the bulls. In fact, if it were not for her little pointed hat sticking out of the hole in the top, people would have assumed some sort of strange animal had wandered inside of the Hunter's Refuge. They had at first. Thankfully, people had gotten used to the enigmatic Gnome enough to know not to try and shoo her away anymore.

"'Scuse me!"

"Down here!"

"Ouch! That's my foot!"

"Sorry!"

"Coming through!"

"Your shoe is untied, I'll get it"

"I don't have laces"

"Is someone gonna eat this?"

"Ick, that was gross!"

"Aeona this way!"

"Oof!"

After finally struggling through the crowd, the little heap of furs collapses on the floor in front of the crowd with a 'Flumf' as some of the audience, used to their newest oddity chuckle, before one of the women in the group is kind enough to dig her hands into the pile and help the Wizard up to her feet. Thanking her, Aeona managed to drag her train of oversized furs to the table, where she climbs upon one of the sturdy chairs and lets the pelt collapse around the legs of the chair, finally being pulled down enough to reveal the young Gnome to the group. No longer swaddled in the brush, her bright green eyes are able to survey the room and all the inhabitants, as well as the bowl of stew in front of her, and the human sized tankard of ale which she eyes devilishly as her small hands wrap themselves around the handle. The Human stuff was strong. Her da had always said Gnomish brew was elegant, Dwarven brew was a deathwish, and Humans met somewhere around the middle. Now that she had tried the stuff, she finally understood what he meant. It tasted like sweet bread and honey, which warmed her up, but more than a couple of sips... Well, luckily she was light weight enough for any of the townsfolk to pick her up and drop her back off at home. Her favourite part were the burps.

Pulling the tankard with all her might, the metal base scrapes across the wooden table top, with some of the frothy liquid inside spilling over onto her hands as she did so. It had taken some time to master this, but she could stand on the chair and lean the stein stein over to sip from it carefully. The carefully was the important part. She had worn more than one of them since she had arrived here, and though she liked the smell in theory, wearing it was a different story. Before standing and acting on this desire, she forces herself to think of the reason they are gathered, and the importance of the meeting. If she started now, then she would not be much good to anyone sooner rather than later, and that would not do. Wrinkling her nose in frustration at having to wait, she scoots back down into her seat, pulling at the folds of the pelt to try and gather them around her a bit more. Even with the roaring fire and the warmth of the furs, there was not much she had found that could drive away the chill the air in Cilsie left in her bones. It was truly a marvel these people had managed to be such stalwart foes of nature and survive up here as long as they had. Marvelous. And very inspiring. Meeting them here had given her renewed hope that she would find out what lived at the edge of the world.

Aeona looks over to Darnel, Ingrid and Ragi, all of whom had arrived before her. She stands once more on her seat and does her best to straighten her back, and then her little witch hat, which promptly tilts back over into its gnarled fashion the moment her hands leave the fabric. As she does a deep bow forward, the hat flops in the other direction, covering her eyes and face as she stands back up, forcing her to flip it back in an inelegant fashion. In an awkwardly put on high pitched pompous voice, she greets them.

"Good evening fellow council members, I hope the day has found you well"

The facade is quickly dropped as she recalls her own adventure today.

"My day was GREAT!"

[Vaynol]

Lili And with the morn came the storm as it had for the last seven days and seven nights. But this was no ordinary storm. This was the sort of blizzard that seemingly brought with it the fury of the gods themselves. A biting wind that possessed with it the ability to cleave through flesh and bone to expose the very soul itself. The young bard known only as Lili stood, gazing out of the window out to the snowy, arctic wasteland that lay beyond with eyes of sparkling sapphire. They were the sort of eyes that held within them a world of infinite possibilities and mystery. Yet, for Lili, as she reached up to slowly brush aside strands of blonde hair that obscured her vision, there was one mystery she had never been able to uncover. With a sad smile and a shiver, imagining the bitter cold more than actually feeling it, she reached out with her right hand to smooth over the covers underneath which she had lain the night before. You see, the real mystery for Lili, just Lili, was the missing name she had always been unable to find, the name that had always lain so tantalisingly close, yet forever beyond her grasping fingers. Her breath exhaled in a small smile and a tiny wisp of mist that faded upwards to disappear into the ether itself. Walking round to the small pack besides her bed she sat, undoing the flaps. Reaching in, her brought out her travelling gear. Simple but practical brown breeches and a shirt spun from black silk. There were, after all, some concessions to finery that a young minstrel simply would not do without. Earning food had never been a problem here in Cilsie. Baldur had always been happy to provide her with free food and drink in the Hunters Refuge in exchange for a song and a performance for the locals and whoever happened to come through Cilsie. An arrangement that had suited Lili well. She did not sing and play simply for the coin, there was a genuine pleasure in the performance and being able to soothe the hearts of those who would listen to her. Quickly dressing, Lili laced up her brown leather boots before she drew on her long gloves before tossing her fur coat over her shoulders. With a deep breath, she fastened the straps of her lute to her shoulders. Then, she opened the door to the small timber dwelling which she slept in before stepping out into the frozen wonderland of snow and ice, amidst a blizzard that did not look like it was going to let them go. *** The Hunter’s Refuge was busy this morn. It was jam packed with the Cilisiean residents, who had piled in no doubt to discuss the topic of the unusual storm that had gripped Cilsie within its icy grasp. The first thing that Lili felt as she opened the wooden door and stepped in, closing it behind her to seal out that horrible biting chill was warmth as it massaged its way slowly through her body with a very pleasant tingle. The Refuge was simply furnished, but with a decided homeliness that appealed to the young bard. The hearth in the middle was lit, and Lili closed her eyes and sighed in contentment as the heat from it washed over her. Despite how many people were in there, they stepped aside to let the young woman through, and she traversed the floor of the Refuge with surprising ease. Lili knew why. They were hoping for a song, and far be it for the minstrel to deny them. Catching the gnome Aeona out of the corner of her eye, noting that the gnome was about to launch into a story to regale them with the exploits of her day, Lili shot her a small smile and a wink. Aeona has not been in Cilsie long, but Lili had truly come to treasure the gnome’s presence. After all, who else would indulge Lili her many many questions about the arcane? Naturally moving to stand near the hearth, Lili shrugged her lute off her back. Placing the strap over her shoulder, she noted the attention she was receiving from the locals who were eager for a performance on this bitterly, bitterly cold day. Starting to strum the strings, Lili suddenly had a thought and stopped mid-tuning. She placed the lute gently down on the wooden floor. Then, she looked at the crowd that had gathered, and smiled. They didn’t need a performance. They needed a song. Lili closed her eyes, and she began to sing, and her voice, pure and strong, pierced through the chatter of the room. ”I'm standing in the bitter wind, feeling the chill seep in, But I won't let it win, I'll keep pushing through, Every step forward feels like a thousand miles, But I'll keep chasing the frost, I'll keep chasing your smile, I'm fighting against the freezing cold, but I won't let it break my hold, I'll keep moving, keep believing, keep striving for that warm feeling, I won't let winter's icy grip control my soul, The snow falls softly around me, covering the ground in white, But I won't let it drown me, I'll keep shining bright, Every breath I take feels like fire in my lungs, But I'll keep chasing the frost, until the cold is outdone, I'm fighting against the freezing cold, but I won't let it break my hold, I'll keep moving, keep believing, keep striving for that warm feeling, I won't let winter's icy grip control my soul, I know the storms will rage, the winds will howl, But I'll keep fighting, I'll keep standing tall, I won't let the freeze of winter bring me down, I'll keep chasing the frost, I'll keep turning it around, I'm fighting against the freezing cold, but I won't let it break my hold, I'll keep moving, keep believing, keep striving for that warm feeling, I won't let winter's icy grip control my soul, I'll keep chasing the frost, I'll keep pushing through, I'll keep chasing your love, I'll keep chasing the truth, I won't let the cold defeat me, I'll keep standing strong, I'll keep chasing the frost, until the warmth comes along.” And as she finished, Lili smiled, opening her eyes. She bowed gracefully to the locals of Cilsie who had gathered, and she moved over to join the other council members.

[Noquarter19]

Wyllis "Wyl" Underwood "Winter is not a season... it is an industry." ~Sinclair Lewis, "Main Street" A gloved hand grips the thick hempen rope and gives it a quick shake. The hemp fibers have gone stiff with cold, and as the rope dances up and down like a plucked string, the last few icicles come loose and fall to the ground, shattering like frozen stalactites. The gloved hand lets go. It is the final rope left to check, and now he can go back inside and warm up by the fire - for a little while, at least. The man’s name is Wyllis Underwood, and for the last eleven years he has lived in Cilsie, a frozen village as far removed from his old life as it was possible to find. This morning he has been going around the village checking on the system of hempen ropes that stretch out like webbing between each building in Cilsie. The upkeep is vital, as the ropes serve as lifelines for citizens traveling from one building to the next. When the sky is clear and the sun is out, the danger is minimal. It is rare that such ideal conditions exist, and never has this been more true than over the last seven days. It has been a full week of unrelenting snow, driving winds, and growing apprehension within the community. Life in such an inhospitable northern clime is challenging enough on a good day, but the ceaseless blizzard has turned the daily routines of gathering wood, hunting for game, and even using the latrine into deadly hazards. With the wind driving snow into your face, visibility drops down to about as far as your outstretched arms. If not careful, a person could walk past a building five feet away from their face and never see it, and from there it's just a hop, skip, and a jump toward hypothermia. Those lucky enough to survive and share the tale of their brush with mortality often spoke of the quiet, sleepy warmth that began to inexplicably sweep over them as they made the slow slide toward freezing to death. For them, the price for their lives was often a set of toes, or the tips of their fingers, or even the tops of their ears. Others were not so lucky, poor souls found the next day mere yards from their front doors. Now, with the network of ropes in place, people can get to a shelter by feel. Wyl - as he typically goes by - doesn't mind the work. It's a simple enough job, making sure that the ropes are still up, still fastened securely to where they've been mounted to each building's exterior - but simple does not mean it is not vital. If spending a half hour out in the driving snow can keep the other members of his community - his adopted family, more or less - if it can keep them safe, then he would do it gladly. Wyl does not mind hard work. Up here, all the work is hard, and many of the people who call Cilsie home have been here for their entire lives. Mobility is often an issue for these folk. Their bones might have gone soft, but they are no less hearty than they once were. Still, lugging a half a cord of wood into the shed is hard when the back is bent and the fingers are throbbing with arthritis. The breath doesn't come back as quickly as it once did, and those things that were so easily done now take far too much of a toll. Some are stubborn, refusing to accept assistance, while others are more realistic. In either case, Wyl does not force them to accept his help. He offers. The cold has kept him busier than normal. Everyone is running short on wood, on food, and on patience. Wyl doesn’t mind helping with the first two. As for the last of these… ”Why not take in a song?” he usually recommends. Cilsie is blessed to have a handful of talented musicians. Entertainment is worth its weight in gold out here, and music does much to warm the heart against the cold. Like right now, he thinks, working his way back toward the center of town, toward the Hunter’s Refuge, Cilsie’s watering hole and cultural mecca. His gloved hand slides along from rope to rope, his fingers serving as his eyes as he travels, snowblind, through the village. Along the way, he glides past the monument to Alsard, the deity he adopted shortly after his arrival over a decade before. Please, he prays in his head, please, enough. How long must this storm rage on? His prayers are normally more thought out, more conversation than plea, but the flesh of his face is burning from the cold, the coarse hairs of his beard stiff and matted with snow. He hopes his brief plea will not fall on deaf ears. At last, after several bitterly cold minutes, Wyl arrives at the side of the Hunter’s Lodge. The smells of cooking venison and dark beer grab hold of his nose like a fish hook. From outside the door, he can hear music, and suddenly the cold doesn’t seem so potent. Lili, he thinks, and a smile splits his face. Her voice was like the tinkling of a bell, and suddenly he couldn’t get inside fast enough. There was already a crowd inside the Refuge, with many of the patrons lumped together in a dense throng to better take advantage of their shared body heat. Wyl pushed the door open only a crack, before the wind nearly ripped it out of his hand. Wind and snow hurtled into the entryway of the lodge, and a handful of cries of ”Shut the damned door!” erupted, though not so loud as to disrupt Lili’s song. Wyl put his shoulder into the door and forced it closed, then removed his fur hat and scarf. Already he could feel the heat seeping into his tall frame. At six foot two and a half inches, he was nearly a head taller than a great many of the patrons, so it was easy for him to survey the room and pick out where the lovely blonde girl was putting on her show. He gave her a friendly wave from across the room but stayed silent, not wanting to interrupt her lovely song any further than his entrance already had. Instead, he meandered over to the bar and propped his elbows on the counter. ”What’s a man got to do to get a bowl of stew and a beer around here?” he grunts out in mock seriousness. Someone elbowed him in the side and pointed toward a trestle table where food and drink had already been put out for people. ”Oh,” he said sheepishly, and gives the helpful citizen a thumbs up. ”Thanks, Darnel. Uh, the guide ropes are good and taut, just got done checking them. We starting the meeting soon? Looks like we’ve got most everyone here, although…” he says, looking around the room, ”I don’t see Rana yet, is she checking on her dogs?” The clinking of mugs and a harried ”Excuse me” alerted him to Kirra’s presence, and he quickly flipped up the hinged countertop so she could get through with her load of dirty dishes. He gave the ever-busy barmaid a quick salute, then turned back to Darnel. ”How about Aeona? Please don’t tell me she’s still outside somewhere, I just got-“ But the older man gestured toward what had appeared at first glance to be a heap of furs at the edge of a table. Wyl snorted in amusement. ”I thought that’s just where people were tossing their coats,” he said with a chuckle. ”Thanks, Darnel. I’ll be over by the fire, just holler when you’re ready to start.” The druid then drifts over toward the table of comestibles, his thin stomach rumbling in anticipation. The stew is hot and thick, rich with carrots and potatoes and chunks of venison, all swimming in a deliciously seasoned brown gravy. Wyl spoons a few helpings into a ceramic bowl, then fills a mug with dark beer before carefully making his way through the crowd and over toward the fire. Along the way he passes by Aeona, who continues to adjust her comically oversized furs. He gives the little gnome a friendly smile but doesn’t interrupt what sounds like a captivating summary of her day so far. There was never a dull moment with Aeona around. Lili was just finishing her song, the last few notes fading away to the sound of tumultuous applause. Wyl finds a spot along the wall by the stone fireplace to lean against and drink his beer and his stew. He had foregone a spoon and was simply tilting the bowl into his awaiting mouth. Beads of gravy dripped into his beard, and he smacked his lips in ecstasy as the warm meat, vegetables, and spices danced across his palate. The warmth of the fire was heating his bones nicely, and now his belly was warming up as well. He’d have to take off his furs soon before he started sweating into them. Wet furs were almost as dangerous to be wearing out in the cold as wearing nothing at all, a mistake he had learned early on in his time in the north. Wyl caught Lili’s eye as she finished receiving her accolades and gave her a warm smile, his auburn beard - auburn only; he categorically denied the presence of any gray hairs – still speckled with drops of gravy. ”Beautiful as always,” he told her warmly. He let her decide whether he was talking about the music, or about her. ”Wish I’d caught the first few verses. Maybe you can sing it again for me some time. Did you get anything to eat yet?”   Actions Action: rp. Reaction: Bonus: Move: Object Interaction: Effects: Concentration: Spell Slots: 1 1 1 Refresh on short or long rest, two uses, one hour total per dayWild Shape: W W Inspiration: None Stat Block Name: Wyllis “Wyl” Underwood Armor Class: 14 | Hit Points: 22/22 | Speed: 30ft | Initiative: +3 | Pass. Percep.: 15 Melee Attack: Finesse, LightScimitar | +5, 1d6+3 | Ranged Attack: Ammunition, Loading, Two-Handed. Range: 80/320Light Crossbow | +5, 1d8+3 Abilities: Str 10 (+0) | Dex 16 (+3) | Con 12 (+1) | Int 12 (+1) | Wis 16 (+3) | Cha 8 (+0) Saves: Str +0 | Dex +3 | Proficient (from Resilient feat)Con +3 | ProficientInt +3 | ProficientWis +5 | Cha -1 Languages Spoken: Common, Elvish, Druidic, Gnomish, Sylvan Proficient Tools & Instruments: Herbalism Kit, flute Prof. Skills: Athletics +2 | Medicine +5 | Nature +3 | Percep. +5 | Survival +5| Skills Skill Mod Skill Mod Acrobatics +3 Medicine +5 Animal Handling +3 Nature +3 Arcana +1 Perception +5 Athletics +2 Performance -1 Deception -1 Persuasion -1 History +1 Religion +1 Insight +3 Sleight of Hand +3 Intimidation -1 Stealth +3 Investigation +1 Survival +5 All Skills WIS +3, Save DC 13Cantrips and Currently Prepared Spells: Guidance: Divination Cantrip. Casting Time: 1 action. Range: Touch Target: One willing creature. Components: V S. Duration: Up to 1 minute You touch one willing creature. Once before the spell ends, the target can roll a d4 and add the number rolled to one ability check of its choice. It can roll the die before or after making the ability check. The spell then ends.Guidance | Thorn Whip: Transmutation cantrip. Casting Time: 1 action. Range: 30 feet. Components: V, S, M (the stem of a plant with thorns). Duration: Instantaneous You create a long, vine-like whip covered in thorns that lashes out at your command toward a creature in range. Make a melee spell attack against the target. If the attack hits, the creature takes 1d6 piercing damage, and if the creature is Large or smaller, you pull the creature up to 10 feet closer to you. At Higher Levels: This spell’s damage increases by 1d6 when you reach 5th level (2d6), 11th level (3d6), and 17th level (4d6).Thorn Whip Cure Wounds: 1st-level evocation. Casting Time: 1 action. Range: Touch Components: V, S. Duration: Instantaneous A creature you touch regains a number of hit points equal to 1d8 + your spellcasting ability modifier. This spell has no effect on undead or constructs. At Higher Levels: When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 2nd level or higher, the healing increases by 1d8 for each slot level above 1st.Cure Wounds | Detect Magic: 1st-level divination (ritual). Casting Time: 1 action Range: Self. Components: V, S. Duration: Concentration, up to 10 minutes For the duration, you sense the presence of magic within 30 feet of you. If you sense magic in this way, you can use your action to see a faint aura around any visible creature or object in the area that bears magic, and you learn its school of magic, if any. The spell can penetrate most barriers, but is blocked by 1 foot of stone, 1 inch of common metal, a thin sheet of lead, or 3 feet of wood or dirt.Detect Magic | Entangle: 1st-level conjuration. Casting Time: 1 action Range: 90 feet. Components: V, S. Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute Grasping weeds and vines sprout from the ground in a 20-foot square starting from a point within range. For the duration, these plants turn the ground in the area into difficult terrain. A creature in the area when you cast the spell must succeed on a Strength saving throw or be restrained by the entangling plants until the spell ends. A creature restrained by the plants can use its action to make a Strength check against your spell save DC. On a success, it frees itself. When the spell ends, the conjured plants wilt away.Entangle | Healing Word: 1st-level evocation. Casting Time: 1 bonus action Range: 60 feet. Components: V. Duration: Instantaneous A creature of your choice that you can see within range regains hit points equal to 1d4 + your spellcasting ability modifier. This spell has no effect on undead or constructs. At Higher Levels. When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 2nd level or higher, the healing increases by 1d4 for each slot level above 1st.Healing Word | Ice Knife: 1st-level conjuration. Casting Time: 1 action Range: 60 feet. Components: S, M (a drop of water or piece of ice). Duration: Instantaneous You create a shard of ice and fling it at one creature within range. Make a ranged spell attack against the target. On a hit, the target takes 1d10 piercing damage. Hit or miss, the shard then explodes. The target and each creature within 5 feet of the point where the ice exploded must succeed on a Dexterity saving throw or take 2d6 cold damage. At Higher Levels: When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 2nd level or higher, the cold damage increases by 1d6 for each slot level above 1st.Ice Knife Features and Abilities: Druidic: You know Druidic, the secret language of druids. You can speak the language and use it to leave hidden messages. You and others who know this language automatically spot such a message. Others spot the message's presence with a successful DC 15 Wisdom (Perception) check but can't decipher it without magic.Druidic | Favored Enemy: Beginning at 1st level, you have significant experience studying, tracking, hunting, and even talking to a certain type of enemy. Choose a type of favored enemy: aberrations, beasts, celestials, constructs, dragons, elementals, fey, fiends, giants, monstrosities, oozes, plants, or undead. Alternatively, you can select two races of humanoid (such as gnolls and orcs) as favored enemies. You have advantage on Wisdom (Survival) checks to track your favored enemies, as well as on Intelligence checks to recall information about them. When you gain this feature, you also learn one language of your choice that is spoken by your favored enemies, if they speak one at all. You choose one additional favored enemy, as well as an associated language, at 6th and 14th level. As you gain levels, your choices should reflect the types of monsters you have encountered on your adventures.Favored Enemy: Beasts | Natural Explorer: You are particularly familiar with one type of natural environment and are adept at traveling and surviving in such regions. Choose one type of favored terrain: arctic, coast, desert, forest, grassland, mountain, swamp, or the Underdark. When you make an Intelligence or Wisdom check related to your favored terrain, your proficiency bonus is doubled if you are using a skill that you’re proficient in. While traveling for an hour or more in your favored terrain, you gain the following benefits: Difficult terrain doesn’t slow your group’s travel.Your group can’t become lost except by magical means.Even when you are engaged in another activity while traveling (such as foraging, navigating, or tracking), you remain alert to danger.If you are traveling alone, you can move stealthily at a normal pace.When you forage, you find twice as much food as you normally would.While tracking other creatures, you also learn their exact number, their sizes, and how long ago they passed through the area. You choose additional favored terrain types at 6th and 10th level.Natural Explorer: Arctic Speech of the Woods: At 2nd level, you gain the ability to converse with beasts and many fey. You learn to speak, read, and write Sylvan. In addition, beasts can understand your speech, and you gain the ability to decipher their noises and motions. Most beasts lack the intelligence to convey or understand sophisticated concepts, but a friendly beast could relay what it has seen or heard in the recent past. This ability doesn’t grant you any special friendship with beasts, though you can combine this ability with gifts to curry favor with them as you would with any nonplayer character.Speech of the Woods | Spellcasting: Drawing on the divine essence of nature itself, you can cast spells to shape that essence to your will. Cantrips: At 1st level, you know two cantrips of your choice from the*druid spell list. You learn additional druid cantrips of your choice at higher levels, as shown in the Cantrips Known column of the Druid table. Preparing and Casting Spells: The Druid table shows how many spell slots you have to cast your druid spells of 1st level and higher. To cast one of these druid spells, you must expend a slot of the spell's level or higher. You regain all expended spell slots when you finish a long rest. You prepare the list of druid spells that are available for you to cast, choosing from the druid spell list. When you do so, choose a number of druid spells equal to your Wisdom modifier + your Druid level (minimum of one spell). The spells must be of a level for which you have spell slots. For example, if you are a 3rd-level druid, you have four 1st-level and two 2nd-level spell slots. With a Wisdom of 16, your list of prepared spells can include six spells of 1st or 2nd level, in any combination. If you prepare the 1st-level spell*Cure Wounds, you can cast it using a 1st-level or 2nd-level slot. Casting the spell doesn't remove it from your list of prepared spells. You can also change your list of prepared spells when you finish a long rest. Preparing a new list of druid spells requires time spent in prayer and meditation: at least 1 minute per spell level for each spell on your list. Spellcasting Ability: Wisdom is your spellcasting ability for your druid spells, since your magic draws upon your devotion and attunement to nature. You use your Wisdom whenever a spell refers to your spellcasting ability. In addition, you use your Wisdom modifier when setting the saving throw DC for a druid spell you cast*and when making an attack roll with one. Spell save DC= 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Wisdom modifier Spell attack modifier= your proficiency bonus + your Wisdom modifier Ritual Casting: You can cast a druid spell as a ritual if that spell has the ritual tag and you have the spell prepared. Spellcasting Focus: You can use a druidic focus as a spellcasting focus for your druid spells.Spellcasting | Spirit Totem: Starting at 2nd level, you gain the ability to call forth nature spirits and use them to influence the world around you. As a bonus action, you can magically summon an incorporeal spirit to a point you can see within 60 feet of you. The spirit creates an aura in a 30-foot radius around that point. It counts as neither a creature nor an object, though it has the spectral appearance of the creature it represents. As a bonus action, you can move the spirit up to 60 feet to a point you can see. The spirit persists for 1 minute. Once you use this feature, you can’t use it again until you finish a short or long rest.The effect of the spirit’s aura depends on the type of spirit you summon from the options below. Bear Spirit. The bear spirit grants you and your allies its might and endurance. Each creature of your choice in the aura when the spirit appears gains temporary hit points equal to 5 + your druid level. In addition, you and your allies gain advantage on Strength checks and Strength saving throws while in the aura. Hawk Spirit. The hawk spirit is a consummate hunter, aiding you and your allies with its keen sight. When a creature makes an attack roll against a target in the spirit’s aura, you can use your reaction to grant advantage to that attack roll. In addition, you and your allies have advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks while in the aura. Unicorn Spirit. The unicorn spirit lends its protection to those nearby. You and your allies gain advantage on all ability checks made to detect creatures in the spirit’s aura. In addition, if you cast a spell using a spell slot that restores hit points to any creature inside or outside the aura, each creature of your choice in the aura also regains hit points equal to your druid level.Spirit Totem | Wild Shape: Starting at 2nd level, you can use your action to magically assume the shape of a beast that you have seen before. You can use this feature twice. You regain expended uses when you finish a short or long rest. Your druid level determines the beasts you can transform into, as shown in the Beast Shapes table. At 2nd level, for example, you can transform into any beast that has a challenge rating of 1/4 or lower that doesn't have a flying or swimming speed. You can stay in a beast shape for a number of hours equal to half your druid level (rounded down). You then revert to your normal form unless you expend another use of this feature. You can revert to your normal form earlier by using a bonus action on your turn. You automatically revert if you fall unconscious, drop to 0 hit points, or die. While you are transformed, the following rules apply: Your game statistics are replaced by the statistics of the beast, but you retain your alignment, personality, and Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma scores. You also retain all of your skill and saving throw proficiencies, in addition to gaining those of the creature. If the creature has the same proficiency as you and the bonus in its stat block is higher than yours, use the creature's bonus instead of yours. If the creature has any legendary or lair actions, you can't use them.When you transform, you assume the beast's hit points and Hit Dice. When you revert to your normal form, you return to the number of hit points you had before you transformed. However, if you revert as a result of dropping to 0 hit points, any excess damage carries over to your normal form, For example, if you take 10 damage in animal form and have only 1 hit point left, you revert and take 9 damage. As long as the excess damage doesn't reduce your normal form to 0 hit points, you aren't knocked unconscious.You can't cast spells, and your ability to speak or take any action that requires hands is limited to the capabilities of your beast form. Transforming doesn't break your concentration on a spell you've already cast, however, or prevent you from taking actions that are part of a spell, such as*Call Lightning, that you've already cast.You retain the benefit of any features from your class, race, or other source and can use them if the new form is physically capable of doing so. However, you can't use any of your special senses, such as darkvision, unless your new form also has that sense.You choose whether your equipment falls to the ground in your space, merges into your new form, or is worn by it. Worn equipment functions as normal, but the DM decides whether it is practical for the new form to wear a piece of equipment, based on the creature's shape and size. Your equipment doesn't change size or shape to match the new form, and any equipment that the new form can't wear must either fall to the ground or merge with it. Equipment that merges with the form has no effect until you leave the form.Wild Shape   CR 0: Badger | Cat | Deer | Fox | Goat | Hare | Pig | Rat | Sheep | Spider | Weasel CR 1/8: Diseased Giant Rat | Giant Rat | Giant Weasel | Mastiff | Mule | Pony CR 1/4: Boar | Cow | Draft Horse | Elk | Giant Badger Giant Centipede | Giant Wolf Spider | Ox | Riding Horse | Wolf   A bear tooth necklaceAnimal Trophy Backpack Bedroll Bolt Case Coin Pouch Crossbow bolts x20 a dreamcatcher made of small animal bones and wild grasses, worn around the neckDruidic Focus Flute Hempen Rope, 50ft Herbalism Kit Hunting Trap Mess Kit Rations x10 Shovel Staff Tinderbox Torches x10 Traveler’s Clothes x2 Waterskin

[Vaynol]

Lili People had often asked Lili why she was still here in Cilsie. Surely a classically trained bard like herself would be better suited to playing in front of larger audiences in the bigger cities, or at the very least somewhere that was not the frozen wasteland of Cilsie. “Not yet,” Lili said in response to Wyl as she flashed him with a small grin as she reached out, dexterously grabbing one of the available bowls of stew whilst gliding through the gathered crowd without spilling a drop as she went to sit opposite him. Lili scanned the room, taking in the people around her, noting the expressions on their faces. When she had come in, she had seen predominantly worry and concern, no doubt due to the effects of the blizzard and the fact that it had seemingly ensnared the little village under its grip of deathly cold. The quiet murmurs she had heard were all around what were they going to do if this strange weather persisted? How would they be able to forge out a life…..continue living even if the storm continued to barrage them the way it had. What would happen when the reserves of food began to run low? How would the hunters hunt when the conditions around them would drive off the game they needed to sustain their hard existence? The song had changed the mood somewhat. Whereas the atmosphere had been low before she had began, the tone had changed with the song, one whose lyrics she had chosen very deliberately. Now she saw more of a hardened resolve in the people around her, and the conversation had turned to what they were going to do to safeguard themselves against the intrusions of the weather. That was part of the reason why she was still here. Lili felt that here, in this place, she could make a real difference with her music. That she could inspire and provide hope where before there was none. It was only part of the reason though. Absentmindedly, she spooned up a mouthful of warm stew, closing her eyes as she allowed the delightful taste to circulate. “You need to do something about that beard Wyl,” Lili chuckled softly, making a delicate sound with a musical, almost exotic lilt. “Every time I see you, that beard gets longer and more scruffy, to say nothing of the grey hairs starting to set in there,” her smile was playful as she continued, “And the gravy is so unbecoming. You should let me style it Wyl. You’d look great if you were to just let me braid it. The young women would practically be falling over your feet.” With a small laugh and a shake of her head, Lili idly twirled her spoon in the thick stew. The other part of why she was still here was that unshakeable feeling that there was something here in Cilsie, something that would show her the way to that missing portion of her past that she so desperately sought. And regardless of the amount of times she had dragged Wyl off on fruitless treks around the environs searching for something she could not quite put her hand on, she was not daunted. It was out there, she believed….truly believed, and one day she was going to find it. “Have you seen Rana at all recently?” Lili asked, scanning her eyes around the crowd to see if she was there. Out of everyone in the village, Rana was something of a mystery to Lili. An intriguing mystery wrapped up in a package of contradictions in fact. Lili had always wanted to get to know her better but the other woman had always radiated the sort of presence that indicated that she preferred her own company. And yet there was a solidity and strength to her aura that left Lili on no doubt as to her resourcefulness and ability to hold firm in the face of adversity. With a small sigh, Lili took another spoonfuls of stew before her eyes flickered back to Wyl. “I’m concerned,” she said in a voice low enough for only the two of them to hear. ”If this weather continues I don’t know how long we can hold out for. I hope someone here has an idea of how we handle this, because I’m running out of them.”

[Snicker]

Rana https://www.deviantart.com/len-yan Rana Dulik | Character sheet | Character page | AC: 13 | HP: 30 / 30 | Hit dice: 3 / 3d10 | Insight: 12 Investigation: 10 Perception: 14Passive senses | Parry Precision Attack Trip Attack Superiority dice: 4 / 4d8 Maneuvers | Rustic Hospitality Defense combat style Sharpshooter Second wind: 1 / 1 Action surge: 1 / 1 Features | None Passed death saves: 0 / 3 Failed death saves: 0 / 3Conditions | Common DwarvishLanguages The axe head bites the wood, but bounces away, the handle vibrating in Rana's hands. Lifting the axe, she aims for the scar and brings the axe down again. This time, the blade buries itself in the wood, and the log hugs the axe as she lifts it again. She brings the axe down a final time and the log splits, both sides tumbling into the snow. Rana takes a half-step back and exhales, letting the axe hang limply from her arms. "That'll do," Rana sighs. She's already late, and anyway, that's about as much as weight as she can get back to Cilsie. She pulls the kicksled closer and stows the axe before gathering up the wood. We ought to get everyone out here with the big sleds and bring in a real haul, she thinks. She'll bring it up at the meeting, assuming the rest of the council hasn't gotten fed up and started without her. She hadn't expected this to take so long. With the wood stacked, she pulls two more things off the kicksled: a dog wool blanket and a bullwhip, wrapping the first around her shoulders. Just the one layer of furs was enough while chopping wood, but standing on the back of the sled, wind whipping past, she'd need the extra protection. Or want it, anyway. "Thornton!" she calls, then cracks the whip. Thornton's smarter than her other dogs - too smart for his own good, or at least everyone else's good, and she has to keep him stimulated or he's likely to get bored and make trouble. She'd let him out of the harness to explore and piss on everything, with the additional benefit of keeping lookout for whatever wants to make a snack out of her. Once he comes bounding out of the trees, she gives him a quick, but vigorous petting before strapping him into the harness and taking her place on the kicksled. She throws the whip again, cracking it above and in front of the dog. "Yaw!" Even with Thornton pulling, Rana has to kick hard to keep the sled going at a good clip. She'd put too much weight on, not accounting for the extra drag of the wider, fresh-powder skis. With this much snowfall, even the snow on the road is basically untouched, with the only tracks being the ones she'd made coming out. They can't be much more than an hour old and are already nearly filled in. At least Rana can still see her way; at times in the last seven days, the blizzard had been thick enough to necessitate the use of guide ropes to move within Cilsie and prevent travel outside of the village entirely. The snow's so thick that Rana doesn't even feel the difference sledding over the bridge. With another crack of the whip, she directs Thornton to the village center, in front of the Hunter's Refuge. The village had set up a communal storage of firewood for families that are running low and can't brave the blizzard to cut their own. Rana transfers her cut wood from the sled to the pile, then steps back and regards it with a frown. All that work and weight and cold doesn't look like a lot, all of a sudden, but it'll buy the people that need it another day. Turning, she looks over her shoulder at the shrine to Alsard. "Give us a break, why don't you?" she mutters under her breath. She takes Thornton and the sled home - a lot faster without the weight of the wood - and walks back to the Hunter's Refuge on foot. In Cilsie, nowhere is far from anywhere else, and the work and cold hasn't tired her out yet. She opens the front door just far enough to slip through the crack and shuts it quickly behind her, making sure it's tightly closed before she brushes the loose snow off her and strips out of her cold weather gear. She acknowledges any greeting from the other villagers, but avoids getting tied down in any conversations, moving through the crowd to the table at the rear of the hall. Everyone's got work to get back to and she's already wasted enough of their time by being late. She falls heavily into a chair beside Aeona and immediately pulls the bowl of stew closer, shoveling two spoonfuls into her mouth before cooling it with a swig of mead. She feels the warmth of the first in her belly and the second in her chest and sighs in relief. Leaning over to Aeona, she whispers, "Did I miss anything?"

[Cheshire]

Kirra was late. The barmaid was running through the snowstorm with a cloth covering her face. She hated being late, and of all days....the day the council was being called. Of course they would call it on her day off....oh well it had to be done I guess, the locals were getting worried about this unrelenting storm and it was up to this small group to figure out what to do about it. 'As long as there was enough food and mead to go around, I am not worried. Rana and Wyl were still supplying The Hunter’s Refuge with food then we can survive anything....What if that is why the council is being called? Were they running out of food?"

When the monk finally made it to the tavern, the townsfolk had started to form outside. "Great standing room only.." Without saying a word, the barmaid slipped through the crowd. Guiding those who were not paying attention with a simple hand on the back as she moved past them. Stepping through the doorway, Kirra looked around at all the people that had gathered. The first thing she did was what she always did, see who needed to be tended too. After removing the cover over he face and her outer clothing, she began to walk toward the bar.

Thankfully because the tavern was in a very small very isolated town, Kirra did not need to wear the same "uniform" as the barmaids from the larger cities. She still wore a dress, but unlike the other cities, her dress did not expose her...assets like the other dresses. This was mostly Kirra's idea as she can be somewhat....persuasive when she wants to be.

Kirra moved though the crowd almost as if she were dancing. The monk dipped, weaved, and twirled her way to the bar to see if there was any drink or food that needed to be taken anywhere. Since it was he day off, one of the other barmaids had already taken care of it. All she needed to do was go take a seat at the table with the others.

Sadly by the time she had arrived, Lilli had already finished her song. So Kirra went straight to the table and grabbed a chair pulling out and quickly sitting down. "I am sorry i am late, have we started yet?" Looking around at those who had made it so far, she gave them each a warm smile and a nod. "It is good to see you all."

 

Stat Block Kirra | CLASS=Monk | Level 3 HP: 20/20| AC: 14 | Speed: 50ft Stats: Str (8), Dex (14), Con (15), Int (8), Wis (15), Cha (10) Languages: Common Currently wielding: Weapons: Fists, Darts

[97mg]

Decisions Decisions Shortly it was hoped, the members of the village council would be present in-full. To call them a diverse range of folks would have been quite an understatement! It had always been Darnel's wish for the things to be so. A varied group of local souls of many mindsets, professions, interests and ways of thinking. Yes, it could sometimes lead to stalemates or some heated moments, but the underlying foundations in passion, and a desire to care for their people, always won through. Usually, such meetings were actually pleasantly uneventful. Rarely were other villagers in attendance too, given that they really should be out going about the daily business of fulfilling their roles, or simply enjoying their lives in Cilsie's lands. The blizzard had changed all that though. Instead of one or two folks having a light lunch on the sidelines, today just about everyone was packed into the place! The timber structure around them had been built for housing the unlikely arrival of guests, and serving nourishment, but there was more wisdom to this old building than one might at first assume. It was by far the largest of Cilsie's structures, a long east-west stretching lodge that near took up half the village's width from boundary to boundary. It was the first place to go after a day out fishing on the white-capped waves of the river, or a place to pop in to enjoy a song, yet there was far more to it than that. It literally was a refuge. A place that could near house the entire village's population if worst came to worst. Many years ago, during Cilsie's first settlement, someone must have either been paranoid, or presumed that on some future day it might become the site of a "last stand". Well, thankfully today wasn't that day! Darnel, Ragi and Ingirid had greeted each of their fellow council members upon their arrival as they trickled in. Quietly they'd watched as Lili melted some of the tension in the air with a song. Darnel heartily clapped and cheered as the last note was exhaled from the fine woman's lips. Ingirid smiled in deep appreciation too. Ragi? Well he nodded his head once, which was quite a lot if you knew the man well. The elf was kind of painful sometimes, seemingly unable to portray emotions, or simply choosing not to show too much of his inner thinking to the outside world. Aeona's arrival hadn't been quite so fanciful. For the local folk, she'd really taken a lot of getting used to. Slowly though, people had changed, becoming more inclined to keep an eye on where they were treading should they hear her pleasant yet insistent and foreign-toned voice. The short bundle of furs managed to navigate to the table without suffering too many stepped-on toes, or bumping all that often into the parts of people... she'd rather not have close encounters with. The gnome was then warmly greeted by Darnel and Ingirid of course, as it was hard not to have a soft spot for the village's newest personality! As far as Ragi was concerned though, all Aeona received was a gentle grunt. Perhaps he just wasn't interested in her day? Or was he kind of an ass, with a jury still out on this latest stranger? Wyl's entrance wasn't quite so fashionable, but Darnel sent the man a knowing wink before smiling at the news of the rope. "We're just waiting on Rana and Kirra, so by all means warm up man! You surely deserve some time with that hearth, and..." his words cut out. This wasn't the place and time. Nope. Not an appropriate moment for that observation. Actually, Ingirid looked like she was holding back a chuckle, and all the while Ragi appeared to be becoming more and more impatient. Was that flat stern face about to move? Might he perhaps be about to get emotional? Nope. Even the words that followed were cold. Some folks said the climate here had changed the man. Others in the rumor mill thought he'd been much like this since he'd arrived. "Should we just start?" Ah ha! Just in time! The remaining pair blew in from the cold. Rana would realize that she hadn't really missed much at all compared to the essential nature of collecting timber, and Kirra was of course forgiven. This was her day off after all! Honestly, everyone knew that working in the Hunter's Refuge wasn't all smiles and lazing about. There were always supplies to cart, cooking to be done, maintenance jobs and all the rest. Time alone, to do her own thing, for Kirra, was something of a rarity. Now assembled, Darnel then stood and cast his eyes out over the multitude of onlookers. Today they had a substantial audience! "Friends!" Despite his age, ol' Darnel still knew a thing or two about voice projection when he needed to. His deep tone cut through the sounds of mumbling, the scrapes of utensils on plates, and the thick wall of chatter. "I beg that you quieten down now please. The council meeting is in progress!" As he sat back down, miraculously the lodge became near silent, except for the groan and whistle of the winds outside, and the occasional sound of some snow sliding off the building's rooftop. He turned then to meet the eyes each of Lili, Aeona, Wyl, Rana and Kirra. "So, it would appear that something must be done. Never before have we seen a blizzard as unforgiving as this one, and it is beginning to wear on many folk's minds. For now, we have food and surely enough supplies to see us through it. I dare say our enemy isn't so much resources, but our very own minds. Together, we need to find a way to help our people cope. Offer them something to look forward to, or to contribute to. Personally, I have suggested that each night of the blizzard we should allow everyone to eat and drink for free, here at the refuge. I will not have any say that they want for food, be they able to work in these conditions, or not. My friends here, however, have some other ideas." Ingirid spoke then, her voice soft and her tone smooth. "Indeed. Our people need a focus and outlet. Rather than meals and entertainment however, I believe the time has come to build a small temple. Somewhere central to our village, where people might give thanks. Let them work together and support each other on this task, working to pool their skills together for a greater good. This would result in something more permanent that they might remember, than a nightly feast. Something to withstand the tests of time, and be a point of remembrance about how our people never lose hope, and always survive." Although the village healer's idea wasn't going to be the most comfortable to achieve, the very fact that it had been suggested by her, meant that the task would likely be done in a very safe and organized manner. Throughout these two suggestions though, Ragi's head was gently shaking left to right, his lips mouthing the words, "no, no, no". "And I, as devil's advocate, as usual, have chosen to plainly say that these things will be of no consequence. Resources are precious, even if we think they are plentiful. I say we should do neither." Did someone say "stalemate" earlier? Well, it looked like this was one right here! All eyes were on the other council members now, and not just the eyes of their fellow councilors! The whole village was watching none other than Lili, Aeona, Wyl, Rana and Kirra...

OOC There are boons and banes to most decisions in this story. This one is now yours to make What would you like to do? Also, you are always welcome to make one ability check per non-combat post if you want to hunt your mind for historical information, insight about others, or something else.

[Cheshire]

Kirra took a sip of the drink in front of her as she thought about what she felt would be the best move. "I have another idea." The barmaid smiled as she took another sip of the mead. "I can tell you while working here that there are some among us that can not handle their drink, or know when to stop." She chuckled a little before continuing. "Here is my proposition. One free drink, and one free meal a night." Kirra paused before continuing. "However, I do feel that a temple will bring comfort to many, and perhaps some may find a path to the Gods. I would have no issue giving those who help build the temple free drinks as well. Perhaps we will get it built faster then." The monk looked around at each of the council members getting a read of their faces.

Dice Insight:

D20+4

(8)+4

Total = 12

(12)

"I do wonder which of the Gods we would build a temple too? Or would it just be a generic temple of worship?" Although she had not found a god that has spoken to her yet, she has always been curious about them and would be open to the idea of following one. Could this blizzard been brought here by one of the gods to gather more worshipers?

 

Stat Block Kirra | CLASS=Monk | Level 3 HP: 20/20| AC: 14 | Speed: 50ft Stats: Str (8), Dex (14), Con (15), Int (8), Wis (15), Cha (10) Languages: Common Currently wielding: Weapons: Fists, Darts

[Noquarter19]

Wyllis "Wyl" Underwood Was it the rising heat coming from the hearth? Maybe it was it the stew, or the beer he had just gulped down? Or was it Lili’s lighthearted teasing about his beard? Perhaps it was a little bit of all of these. Whatever the cause, the parts of Wyl's face not covered with beard were flushed red. He grinned goofily but found his tongue seemed to be struggling to form words. "I, uh, need it. The beard, not the gravy. For the cold." He wiped at his mouth with his sleeve, and succeeded in doing nothing but smearing it further. A cold sweat pricked at his brow, and he instinctively wiped it away, before realizing a second too late that he'd used the same gravy-smeared sleeve. He almost excused himself to go find a wash basin, but thankfully Lili’s eyes seemed to have turned toward the crowd “Have you seen Rana at all recently? she asked him, though her eyes were now on the front door instead. "Umm," he said, quickly wiping his face with the other sleeve while she was distracted, until everything was clean-ish. "I haven't, though with this weather, seeing anything is tricky. I'd imagine she's checking on her dogs, since who knows how long this meeting will go. I’m sure she’s fine, she just likes to keep busy, that one. She’s got a good heart to her.” His face was as clean as it was going to get without an actual wet washcloth, and when Lili turned back to him, her expression was more serious. ”I’m concerned. If this weather continues, I don’t know how long we can hold out for. I hope someone here has an idea of how we handle this, because I’m running out of them.” Wyl straightened up, the gentle bubble of their lighthearted conversation popped by the harsh pinprick of reality. ”Yeah,” he said lamely for want of an answer. ”Nature is… nature,” he said, shrugging his shoulders. ”I’ll admit, I’ve not seen the snows this heavy in all my time here, though I’ve only been here a few years longer than you. Not that it’s a competition or anything,” he said hastily. ”But you’re right, things are getting tight around here. I’m sure we’ll figure something out though, but I don’t imagine whatever is decided will make everyone happy.” It was around that time that Kirra and Rana arrived, the final members of their merry band. Darnel, whose old eyes had kept a sharp watch on the door, waited for the two stragglers to find their seats before bringing the meeting to order. ”Friends! I beg that you quieten down now, please. The council meeting is in progress!” All idle conversation dropped off, and when Darnel was satisfied with the silence, he launched into the meat of the issue – the solution to which, in his opinion, was meat. Free meat, of course, supplied to everyone in the evening. Wyl’s face twitched Aye, but who’s going to oversee gathering it and rationing it? Do those who put in the hard work of collecting it get a bigger share? He kept these thoughts to himself, waiting for the other two proposals. Ingirid the elven healer spoke next, and her voice was as low and soothing as gentle music. ”Indeed. Our people need a focus and outlet. Rather than meals and entertainment however, I believe the time has come to build a small temple. Somewhere central to our village, where people might give thanks.” She elaborated further about the merits of such a construction project, the pride it would bring in seeing the project completed, and the blessings that worship would instill into their souls. Wyl had no doubt that such a temple would be a boon – had he not felt his own heart filled with warmth with just the short prayer he had made that evening? – but was this the right time to begin a construction project? The final voice, the voice of cold rationality, was that of the elf Ragi, who had spent the time shaking his head in disagreement. When it was his turn to speak after Ingirid, he seemed all too eager to give voice to his opinion. ”And I, as devil’s advocate, as usual, have chosen to plainly say that these things will be of no consequence. Resources are precious, even if we think they are plentiful. I say we should do neither.” Wyl’s frown deepened – though it was not because he disagreed with the normally antagonistic elf, but because he didn’t. The thought that the two of them might see eye to eye on anything felt surreal. He stood there, pondering just what to make of the three proposals but finding it difficult to put his thoughts into words. He was a man of action, but normally it was action on someone else’s behalf – ”Wyl, can I get a hand fixing my roof?” “Wyl, I’m a little short on wood this week, would you have the time to cut a few logs?” “Wyl, if you see any rabbits about, I’ve had a craving for rabbit stew.” Things like that, things that had already been decided. Doing was easy; deciding, much less so. Fortunately, Kirra bought him some time by speaking up first. ”I have another idea,” she began, before proceeding to agree with the merits of both free food and a temple, leaving Wyl more confused than before. Wait, which one were you picking? he thought, puzzled. Hopefully you weren’t actually proposing both? It wasn’t that he minded doing the work, not at all – but he was only one worker, and there were seventy mouths to feed in the community of Cilsie. He would do his best, of course, to provide whatever help was needed, but there were only so many hours in the day, and only so much of him to go around – and he had to sleep and eat some time, after all, did he not? Wyl cleared his throat. It was always hard for him to speak his mind because he worried about offending people who disagreed with what he had to say. There were some exceptions, most notably arising when he felt that others were squandering natural resources, but for the most part the people of the community knew that being wasteful was antithetical to survival, so it rarely came up. ”I…” he began. The cold sweat had re-emerged upon his brow, and his eyes were darting from councilmember to councilmember, wondering if his words would earn their enmity in the next few moments. ”I… I agree with Ragi, ” he said, his voice seeming to lose steam by the end. A few in the back asked him to speak up. ”I AGREE WITH RAGI!” he bellowed, louder than intended. He cleared his throat, embarrassed with the way his voice had boomed out in the silence. ”I agree with him, but not for the reason he had to say. Sorry, Ragi, but you are wrong. Having food to eat and a place to worship are of consequence, on that we cannot agree. But on the matter of resources being precious, you are painfully correct. The communal woodbins… we are hard pressed to keep them full. The intense cold has meant staying warm has been harder than ever, so of course we’re using more than normal. Thanks to Rana and her dogs and many others, we’re able to stay afloat, but we’re having to range further and further out to find wood that’s not thin new growth. And felling trees in the best of conditions still presents hazards. In the storm like this, with the wind blowing so hard and visibility so poor, it is downright treacherous. One strong gust can push a falling tree right back into your path. Do not mistake my reticence for reluctance to help,” he said, putting his hands up to ward off any angry looks. ”You all are my family, Cilsie, and I am happy to lend a hand wherever it is needed. There is hardly a one of you who I have not offered aid to in the past. But I was asked for my opinion, and so I am giving it. A temple is a wonderful thing… but building it in the middle of a historically treacherous snowstorm feels like the height of hubris to me, especially when we already have a wonderful place here that could suit our needs, at least temporarily – or permanently, if Bardur was amenable to it.” He gestured around him at the Hunter’s Refuge where they all now stood. ”Why can we not simply use the lodge here as a temple to Alsard? After all, it is perfectly situated in the middle of our community. It is warm, and there is food and space - and who knows? Perhaps, given a change in the weather, we could use the resources we would have put toward a new temple to instead build an addition to the ‘Refuge,’ which would serve a practical purpose and reward the good Bardur for his hospitality. As for free food in the evenings,” he said, and sighed. ”The problem is much the same, albeit the reasons why are different. The lack of wood for building and fires is attributable to the danger of gathering it, and the lack of sufficient food is one of scarcity. We are not the only ones who have been forced to hunker down. I am a skilled tracker, but it is hard to pick up a trail when the wind has blown snow over it in mere seconds. And while I consider myself both patient and hearty, staking out a game trail for hours on end in such weather is truly hazardous.” He sighed. ”I realize it sounds like I am complaining, or making excuses, but I assure you that is not my intent. I am simply trying to express the reality of the situation as I see it. I have no problems doing what I am asked, but if I am to be working to put food on the tables of others, it would be nice to know that those who cannot hunt are doing what they can to provide for the community in other ways.” He felt like he was losing the thread of what he wanted to say. The looks he was getting were making him nervous, and his tongue felt like it was made of wool. Suddenly the room felt too hot, and he wanted desperately to be outside doing something, anything. ”We should start with prayer,” he said quietly. ”I Trying to figure out if this is a natural storm or perhaps something sent by the gods: Dice * Nature: 1d20+3 (5)+3 Total = 8 Dice * Religion: 1d20+1 (12)+1 Total = 13 don’t know if this is a natural storm or something sent by the gods, but I know that I just offered a small prayer before I came in here to this very meeting, and even speaking a few words to Alsard filled me with a sudden warmth. You want to stop the storm, or at least drive out the cold within, send up a prayer at the altar. Alright, that’s all I have to say, and if you don’t mind, I need a bit more mead, because that was not fun.” The big bearded man excused himself through the crowd and made his way over to the refreshment table, quickly filled up a mug, downed it, and then filled it again.   Actions Action: Rolls. Reaction: Bonus: Move: Object Interaction: Effects: Concentration: Spell Slots: 1 1 1 Refresh on short or long rest, two uses, one hour total per dayWild Shape: W W Inspiration: None Stat Block Name: Wyllis “Wyl” Underwood Armor Class: 14 | Hit Points: 22/22 | Speed: 30ft | Initiative: +3 | Pass. Percep.: 15 Melee Attack: Finesse, LightScimitar | +5, 1d6+3 | Ranged Attack: Ammunition, Loading, Two-Handed. Range: 80/320Light Crossbow | +5, 1d8+3 Abilities: Str 10 (+0) | Dex 16 (+3) | Con 12 (+1) | Int 12 (+1) | Wis 16 (+3) | Cha 8 (+0) Saves: Str +0 | Dex +3 | Proficient (from Resilient feat)Con +3 | ProficientInt +3 | ProficientWis +5 | Cha -1[/table] Languages Spoken: Common, Elvish, Druidic, Gnomish, Sylvan Proficient Tools & Instruments: Herbalism Kit, flute Prof. Skills: Athletics +2 | Medicine +5 | Nature +3 | Percep. +5 | Survival +5| Skills Skill Mod Skill Mod Acrobatics +3 Medicine +5 Animal Handling +3 Nature +3 Arcana +1 Perception +5 Athletics +2 Performance -1 Deception -1 Persuasion -1 History +1 Religion +1 Insight +3 Sleight of Hand +3 Intimidation -1 Stealth +3 Investigation +1 Survival +5 All Skills WIS +3, Save DC 13Cantrips and Currently Prepared Spells: Guidance: Divination Cantrip. Casting Time: 1 action. Range: Touch Target: One willing creature. Components: V S. Duration: Up to 1 minute You touch one willing creature. Once before the spell ends, the target can roll a d4 and add the number rolled to one ability check of its choice. It can roll the die before or after making the ability check. The spell then ends.Guidance | Thorn Whip: Transmutation cantrip. Casting Time: 1 action. Range: 30 feet. Components: V, S, M (the stem of a plant with thorns). Duration: Instantaneous You create a long, vine-like whip covered in thorns that lashes out at your command toward a creature in range. Make a melee spell attack against the target. If the attack hits, the creature takes 1d6 piercing damage, and if the creature is Large or smaller, you pull the creature up to 10 feet closer to you. At Higher Levels: This spell’s damage increases by 1d6 when you reach 5th level (2d6), 11th level (3d6), and 17th level (4d6).Thorn Whip Cure Wounds: 1st-level evocation. Casting Time: 1 action. Range: Touch Components: V, S. Duration: Instantaneous A creature you touch regains a number of hit points equal to 1d8 + your spellcasting ability modifier. This spell has no effect on undead or constructs. At Higher Levels: When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 2nd level or higher, the healing increases by 1d8 for each slot level above 1st.Cure Wounds | Detect Magic: 1st-level divination (ritual). Casting Time: 1 action Range: Self. Components: V, S. Duration: Concentration, up to 10 minutes For the duration, you sense the presence of magic within 30 feet of you. If you sense magic in this way, you can use your action to see a faint aura around any visible creature or object in the area that bears magic, and you learn its school of magic, if any. The spell can penetrate most barriers, but is blocked by 1 foot of stone, 1 inch of common metal, a thin sheet of lead, or 3 feet of wood or dirt.Detect Magic | Entangle: 1st-level conjuration. Casting Time: 1 action Range: 90 feet. Components: V, S. Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute Grasping weeds and vines sprout from the ground in a 20-foot square starting from a point within range. For the duration, these plants turn the ground in the area into difficult terrain. A creature in the area when you cast the spell must succeed on a Strength saving throw or be restrained by the entangling plants until the spell ends. A creature restrained by the plants can use its action to make a Strength check against your spell save DC. On a success, it frees itself. When the spell ends, the conjured plants wilt away.Entangle | Healing Word: 1st-level evocation. Casting Time: 1 bonus action Range: 60 feet. Components: V. Duration: Instantaneous A creature of your choice that you can see within range regains hit points equal to 1d4 + your spellcasting ability modifier. This spell has no effect on undead or constructs. At Higher Levels. When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 2nd level or higher, the healing increases by 1d4 for each slot level above 1st.Healing Word | Ice Knife: 1st-level conjuration. Casting Time: 1 action Range: 60 feet. Components: S, M (a drop of water or piece of ice). Duration: Instantaneous You create a shard of ice and fling it at one creature within range. Make a ranged spell attack against the target. On a hit, the target takes 1d10 piercing damage. Hit or miss, the shard then explodes. The target and each creature within 5 feet of the point where the ice exploded must succeed on a Dexterity saving throw or take 2d6 cold damage. At Higher Levels: When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 2nd level or higher, the cold damage increases by 1d6 for each slot level above 1st.Ice Knife Features and Abilities: Druidic: You know Druidic, the secret language of druids. You can speak the language and use it to leave hidden messages. You and others who know this language automatically spot such a message. Others spot the message's presence with a successful DC 15 Wisdom (Perception) check but can't decipher it without magic.Druidic | Favored Enemy: Beginning at 1st level, you have significant experience studying, tracking, hunting, and even talking to a certain type of enemy. Choose a type of favored enemy: aberrations, beasts, celestials, constructs, dragons, elementals, fey, fiends, giants, monstrosities, oozes, plants, or undead. Alternatively, you can select two races of humanoid (such as gnolls and orcs) as favored enemies. You have advantage on Wisdom (Survival) checks to track your favored enemies, as well as on Intelligence checks to recall information about them. When you gain this feature, you also learn one language of your choice that is spoken by your favored enemies, if they speak one at all. You choose one additional favored enemy, as well as an associated language, at 6th and 14th level. As you gain levels, your choices should reflect the types of monsters you have encountered on your adventures.Favored Enemy: Beasts | Natural Explorer: You are particularly familiar with one type of natural environment and are adept at traveling and surviving in such regions. Choose one type of favored terrain: arctic, coast, desert, forest, grassland, mountain, swamp, or the Underdark. When you make an Intelligence or Wisdom check related to your favored terrain, your proficiency bonus is doubled if you are using a skill that you’re proficient in. While traveling for an hour or more in your favored terrain, you gain the following benefits: Difficult terrain doesn’t slow your group’s travel.Your group can’t become lost except by magical means.Even when you are engaged in another activity while traveling (such as foraging, navigating, or tracking), you remain alert to danger.If you are traveling alone, you can move stealthily at a normal pace.When you forage, you find twice as much food as you normally would.While tracking other creatures, you also learn their exact number, their sizes, and how long ago they passed through the area. You choose additional favored terrain types at 6th and 10th level.Natural Explorer: Arctic Speech of the Woods: At 2nd level, you gain the ability to converse with beasts and many fey. You learn to speak, read, and write Sylvan. In addition, beasts can understand your speech, and you gain the ability to decipher their noises and motions. Most beasts lack the intelligence to convey or understand sophisticated concepts, but a friendly beast could relay what it has seen or heard in the recent past. This ability doesn’t grant you any special friendship with beasts, though you can combine this ability with gifts to curry favor with them as you would with any nonplayer character.Speech of the Woods | Spellcasting: Drawing on the divine essence of nature itself, you can cast spells to shape that essence to your will. Cantrips: At 1st level, you know two cantrips of your choice from the*druid spell list. You learn additional druid cantrips of your choice at higher levels, as shown in the Cantrips Known column of the Druid table. Preparing and Casting Spells: The Druid table shows how many spell slots you have to cast your druid spells of 1st level and higher. To cast one of these druid spells, you must expend a slot of the spell's level or higher. You regain all expended spell slots when you finish a long rest. You prepare the list of druid spells that are available for you to cast, choosing from the druid spell list. When you do so, choose a number of druid spells equal to your Wisdom modifier + your Druid level (minimum of one spell). The spells must be of a level for which you have spell slots. For example, if you are a 3rd-level druid, you have four 1st-level and two 2nd-level spell slots. With a Wisdom of 16, your list of prepared spells can include six spells of 1st or 2nd level, in any combination. If you prepare the 1st-level spell*Cure Wounds, you can cast it using a 1st-level or 2nd-level slot. Casting the spell doesn't remove it from your list of prepared spells. You can also change your list of prepared spells when you finish a long rest. Preparing a new list of druid spells requires time spent in prayer and meditation: at least 1 minute per spell level for each spell on your list. Spellcasting Ability: Wisdom is your spellcasting ability for your druid spells, since your magic draws upon your devotion and attunement to nature. You use your Wisdom whenever a spell refers to your spellcasting ability. In addition, you use your Wisdom modifier when setting the saving throw DC for a druid spell you cast*and when making an attack roll with one. Spell save DC= 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Wisdom modifier Spell attack modifier= your proficiency bonus + your Wisdom modifier Ritual Casting: You can cast a druid spell as a ritual if that spell has the ritual tag and you have the spell prepared. Spellcasting Focus: You can use a druidic focus as a spellcasting focus for your druid spells.Spellcasting | Spirit Totem: Starting at 2nd level, you gain the ability to call forth nature spirits and use them to influence the world around you. As a bonus action, you can magically summon an incorporeal spirit to a point you can see within 60 feet of you. The spirit creates an aura in a 30-foot radius around that point. It counts as neither a creature nor an object, though it has the spectral appearance of the creature it represents. As a bonus action, you can move the spirit up to 60 feet to a point you can see. The spirit persists for 1 minute. Once you use this feature, you can’t use it again until you finish a short or long rest.The effect of the spirit’s aura depends on the type of spirit you summon from the options below. Bear Spirit. The bear spirit grants you and your allies its might and endurance. Each creature of your choice in the aura when the spirit appears gains temporary hit points equal to 5 + your druid level. In addition, you and your allies gain advantage on Strength checks and Strength saving throws while in the aura. Hawk Spirit. The hawk spirit is a consummate hunter, aiding you and your allies with its keen sight. When a creature makes an attack roll against a target in the spirit’s aura, you can use your reaction to grant advantage to that attack roll. In addition, you and your allies have advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks while in the aura. Unicorn Spirit. The unicorn spirit lends its protection to those nearby. You and your allies gain advantage on all ability checks made to detect creatures in the spirit’s aura. In addition, if you cast a spell using a spell slot that restores hit points to any creature inside or outside the aura, each creature of your choice in the aura also regains hit points equal to your druid level.Spirit Totem | Wild Shape: Starting at 2nd level, you can use your action to magically assume the shape of a beast that you have seen before. You can use this feature twice. You regain expended uses when you finish a short or long rest. Your druid level determines the beasts you can transform into, as shown in the Beast Shapes table. At 2nd level, for example, you can transform into any beast that has a challenge rating of 1/4 or lower that doesn't have a flying or swimming speed. You can stay in a beast shape for a number of hours equal to half your druid level (rounded down). You then revert to your normal form unless you expend another use of this feature. You can revert to your normal form earlier by using a bonus action on your turn. You automatically revert if you fall unconscious, drop to 0 hit points, or die. While you are transformed, the following rules apply: Your game statistics are replaced by the statistics of the beast, but you retain your alignment, personality, and Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma scores. You also retain all of your skill and saving throw proficiencies, in addition to gaining those of the creature. If the creature has the same proficiency as you and the bonus in its stat block is higher than yours, use the creature's bonus instead of yours. If the creature has any legendary or lair actions, you can't use them.When you transform, you assume the beast's hit points and Hit Dice. When you revert to your normal form, you return to the number of hit points you had before you transformed. However, if you revert as a result of dropping to 0 hit points, any excess damage carries over to your normal form, For example, if you take 10 damage in animal form and have only 1 hit point left, you revert and take 9 damage. As long as the excess damage doesn't reduce your normal form to 0 hit points, you aren't knocked unconscious.You can't cast spells, and your ability to speak or take any action that requires hands is limited to the capabilities of your beast form. Transforming doesn't break your concentration on a spell you've already cast, however, or prevent you from taking actions that are part of a spell, such as*Call Lightning, that you've already cast.You retain the benefit of any features from your class, race, or other source and can use them if the new form is physically capable of doing so. However, you can't use any of your special senses, such as darkvision, unless your new form also has that sense.You choose whether your equipment falls to the ground in your space, merges into your new form, or is worn by it. Worn equipment functions as normal, but the DM decides whether it is practical for the new form to wear a piece of equipment, based on the creature's shape and size. Your equipment doesn't change size or shape to match the new form, and any equipment that the new form can't wear must either fall to the ground or merge with it. Equipment that merges with the form has no effect until you leave the form.Wild Shape   CR 0: Badger | Cat | Deer | Fox | Goat | Hare | Pig | Rat | Sheep | Spider | Weasel CR 1/8: Diseased Giant Rat | Giant Rat | Giant Weasel | Mastiff | Mule | Pony CR 1/4: Boar | Cow | Draft Horse | Elk | Giant Badger Giant Centipede | Giant Wolf Spider | Ox | Riding Horse | Wolf   A bear tooth necklaceAnimal Trophy Backpack Bedroll Bolt Case Coin Pouch Crossbow bolts x20 a dreamcatcher made of small animal bones and wild grasses, worn around the neckDruidic Focus Flute Hempen Rope, 50ft Herbalism Kit Hunting Trap Mess Kit Rations x10 Shovel Staff Tinderbox Torches x10 Traveler’s Clothes x2 Waterskin

[Vaynol]

Lili The door opened as Kirra and Rana joined them. Lili’s eyes flickered over to both of them as she inclined her head in greeting as the ghost of a smile flitted over her pretty features. Wyl seemed a little awkward over the discussion of his beard, and Lili briefly considered the idea of teasing him further. She thought about referring to the fact that a beard was, in fact, not a necessity in this cold weather. In fact she had managed to survive the years of her life without one. In the end though she kept that somewhat unhelpful observation to herself and spared a little mercy to the beleaguered woodsman by not pressing it further. Reaching down to her pack, she withdrew her lute. Giving it a small strum, Lili played her fingers along the strings, playing a small tune as the debate went on around her. As she played, she listened and took in the various opinions and points of view as they were spoken. Finally, as Wyl finished speaking, Lili finished the small tune, placing her lute down gently. “Food, warmth and comfort,” she said in a soft tone of voice, inclining her head to Darnel. “In the middle of a blizzard, they are the most important things. I think having that space her every night where people can come and know that they have all of those things will surely keep the spirits lifted.” Then she turned to Wyl. ”However, I do acknowledge the strain this will put on Wyl and Rana here to provide,” her eyes flickered from Wyl to Rana, lingering on her for the briefest of seconds before they moved back to Darnel. “These are unusual circumstances though. So I propose that the more capable amongst us go out with Wyl and Rana, if they are willing and able, to help them in their efforts to gather food. Who knows, by moving further afield maybe an opportunity will present itself to learn more about this strange storm?” Fixing Darnel with her gaze of glittering sapphire, she smiled as she added, “That’s not to say everyone else should be idle. In times like this the community needs to come together and put things to one side. Maybe we could devise a rota for those who do not go on these hunter gathering treks, so everyone can contribute a useful task to the village in this time to keep things going until the storm dies down. These are just my thoughts though, feel free to do with them as you will.” With a small shrug, Lili finished off the bowl of stew, savouring every last delightful drop.

[Snicker]

Rana https://www.deviantart.com/len-yan Rana Dulik | Character sheet | Character page | AC: 13 | HP: 30 / 30 | Hit dice: 3 / 3d10 | Insight: 12 Investigation: 10 Perception: 14Passive senses | Parry Precision Attack Trip Attack Superiority dice: 4 / 4d8 Maneuvers | Rustic Hospitality Defense combat style Sharpshooter Second wind: 1 / 1 Action surge: 1 / 1 Features | None Passed death saves: 0 / 3 Failed death saves: 0 / 3Conditions | Common DwarvishLanguages Rana was silent at first, simply eating her stew and sipping her mead as the others talked. To a stranger, it may have looked like she was blowing off the discussion, but most people acquainted with her knew she was listening to each argument and mulling over her position. Rana was not prone to rash decisions; unfortunately, this meant she was also not prone to quick decisions. About halfway through her bowl, she pushed it back an inch or two, straightened up in her chair, and burped quietly into her hand before waiting for an opportunity to speak. "You make a lot of good points." She leaned forward and crossed her forearms on the table. "All of you. I won't stand to see anyone go hungry either, Darnel, and we gotta find something for people to focus on. It ain't gonna do anyone good to sit and brood on this. But Ingrid's right, it can't just be something to look forward to. I always said, nothing warms you up like work - that goes for your mind as much as your body. It's better to be working for something than waiting for it. But this ain't the time to be eating our stores or building temples. Like Ragi said, we can't afford to waste resources now. We've got all of winter ahead of us - we should be building our reserves, not dipping into them, especially if the season's going to be more of this. "I agree with Kirra - we've got to ration our food. I agree with Wyl - things are rough out there. And I agree with Lili - we've got to work together. "I just came from back from cutting some firewood for the pile. I got about as much I could on my lonesome, and that ain't enough. I got to thinking - we've got to get a whole group out there, where we can watch each other's backs and tackle some real big jobs. That's how we get enough for everyone that can't get their own. And on those days when it gets real bad and you can't see more than ten feet in front of your face, that's just plain everyone. "I hear people saying I'm helpful, Wyl's helpful, so and so is so helpful, like it's something special, but it ain't. When one of us needs help, we give it - all of us. I've seen it. The only difference is some of us go looking for it, or are better at noticing it then others, but we all got that in us, one way or the other. So here's my idea." Rana tapped the tabletop for emphasis. "We get organized. We put someone in charge of keeping track of who needs what, and we put everyone at work to meet those needs. We specialize - instead of every house cutting its own wood, hunting its own food, mending its own clothes, all that, we get everyone doing what they do best. We work in groups if that gets us more than we would on our own. We put all the kids under one roof for the daylight hours and free up their folks to get work done. Everyone's working for everyone else, trusting that everyone else is working for them. This way, we take home more and we waste less. No one goes hungry. No one goes cold." She leaned back in her chair, her eyes scanning over the crowd. "Life in Cilsie's always been bigger than any one of us. It's always been together that we survived. Now we're just gonna do it better than we ever did."

[Tyrtaeus]

Aeona Brightcap | School of Divination Wizard | Gnome

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AC: 12 | HP: 11 | Speed: 25ft | Spell-casting: +5 / DC13
Passive Perception: 14 | Insight: 12 | Investigation: 13

• Score: -1
• Athletics: -1

Str: 8 |

• Score: -1
• Acrobatics: -1
• Stealth: -1
• Sleight of Hand: -1

Dex: 8 |

• Score: -1

Con: 8 |

• Score: +3
• Arcana: +5
• History: +5
• Investigation: +3
• Nature: +3
• Religion: +3

Int: 8 |

• Score: +2
• Animal Handling: +2
• Insight: +2
• Medicine: +4
• Perception: +4
• Survival: +2

Wis: 8 |

• Score: +2
• Deception: +2
• Intimidation: +2
• Performance: +2
• Persuasion: +2

Cha: 8
Languages: Common, Gnomish, Elivsh, Draconic

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.Feats |

Racial features

Class Features

Gnome Cunning: You have advantage on all Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma saving throws against magic. Darkvision: Accustomed to life underground, you have superior vision in dark and dim conditions. You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can't discern color in darkness, only shades of gray. Natural Illusionist: You know the minor illusion cantrip. Intelligence is your spellcasting ability for it. Speak with Small Beasts: Through sounds and gestures, you can communicate simple ideas with Small or smaller beasts. Forest gnomes love animals and often keep squirrels, badgers, rabbits, moles, woodpeckers, and other creatures as beloved pets.

Ritual Casting: You can cast a wizard spell as a ritual if that spell has the ritual tag and you have the spell in your spellbook. You don’t need to have the spell prepared. Arcane Recovery: You have learned to regain some of your magical energy by studying your spellbook. Once per day when you finish a short rest, you can choose expended spell slots to recover. The spell slots can have a combined level that is equal to or less than half your wizard level (rounded up), and none of the slots can be 6th level or higher. For example, if you’re a 4th-level wizard, you can recover up to two levels worth of spell slots. You can recover either a 2nd-level spell slot or two 1st-level spell slots. Divination Savant: Beginning when you select this school at 2nd level, the gold and time you must spend to copy a divination spell into your spellbook is halved. Portent: Starting at 2nd level when you choose this school, glimpses of the future begin to press in on your awareness. When you finish a long rest, roll two d20s and record the numbers rolled. You can replace any attack roll, saving throw, or ability check made by you or a creature that you can see with one of these foretelling rolls. You must choose to do so before the roll, and you can replace a roll in this way only once per turn. Each foretelling roll can be used only once. When you finish a long rest, you lose any unused foretelling rolls.

Features |

• Quarterstaff: One-handed
  Type: Bludgeoning
  Range: 5ft
  Damage: 1d6-1
  

  ---

• Quarterstaff: Two-handed
  Type: Bludgeoning
  Range: 5ft
  Damage: 1d8-1

Actions |

Cantrips	Level 1	Level 2
Create Bonfire Mending Minor Illusion Prestidigitation	Absorb Elements Comprehend Languages Detect Magic Feather Fall Identify Shield Silvery Barbs Sleep Unseen Servant	Augury -
Level 3	Level 4	Level 5
-	-	-

Spells | . Equipment | . Reactions

Though she was about to launch into a tirade about her day, she immediately becomes sidetracked as Lili begins her song, missing the displeasure on the face of Ragi, whom she had always simply assumed was a quiet friend in comparison to the rest of the village. When Rana sits next to her, she loses interest in the song, and sees that the barmaid is glistening from the snowstorm outside. Realizing she too was quite hungry, she grabs the overly large spoon and uses both hands to dip it into the stew, stirring it as though it was a cauldron before answering.

"Nah, I don't think so, I just got here though"

When Kirra makes it to the table sitting on the other side of her where Rana had taken her seat, Aeona suddenly feels quite aware of her size in between the two athletic women. Instead of grumbling as she normally would, she sits back within her furs holding her human sized spoon and grumpily takes small Gnomish bites from the thick delicious stew. Thankfully, Darnel begins the meeting as the rest join, and her attention is taken once again.

Aeona watches Darnel as he speaks, even as old as he is, the fire he carries still burns passionately, though maybe not as bright as it would have in his youth. The sparkle in his eye when he had spoken with Aeona in the past gave her the impression he would have made quite the Gnome. His humor and capacity for compassion had immediately warmed her to him, and it had been one of the reasons she had taken the position on the council and stuck around as long as she had. Obviously other than the largest reason being the fact she was quite stuck here until she learned a bit more about living and surviving this far north. The storm that had been brewing this entire week made things even more complicated, as even the miniscule amount she had learned over the course of her visit here would be dashed against the devastating weather that had descended upon the town. Ingrid speaks next, and though the little Witch recognizes the (annoyingly) tall Elf as a fellow spellcaster, she feels (with some superiority) that the divine magic and suggestions offered by her are not the solution to the problem.

Oddly enough, she finds herself agreeing with her best friend Ragi. Darnel, while compassionate and looking out for his kin, would have them risk running out of supplies during the most trying time, when it was already difficult enough for them to get out there. Ingrid and her suggestion, in her opinion at least, would expose them to the weather in greater amounts and use their already limited time on building instead of gathering more resources, exhausting everyone further. Aeona may take her cues from the stars, but they were neutral arbiters of fate, not swayed frivolously like some Gods could be. What if they spent all of their energy building this temple and the gods were not appeased. The building would simply be the newest monument of a ghost town. Again she takes another bite of stew from her spoon, chewing on the wood in frustration trying to gather her thoughts. The others gather their thoughts, and in a rather uncharacteristic move, the little Wizard listens before speaking.

Thankfully, everyone seems to be on the same page, and her input hardly needs adding, but that has never stopped her before. Her skills are not suited to assisting too much with the harvesting of wood or hunting of food, nor is she particularly gifted in healing or soothsaying. The only thing she really has to offer is entertainment, education and astrology, none of which are particularly useful to the people of Cilsie, but at least are offerable. Using her Prestidigitation, she pulls a small set of spectacles from thin air and seats them on her nose, pulling the furs up around her as she begins to speak.

"I think rationing food and coordinating duties is a great idea, and I'm really good at scheduling and logistics! We only have so many resources and so much man power, the balance is delicate, so offering free food and warmth to all at any time could be dangerous, especially since we don't know how long the storm will last. Work assignments, rations and scheduled leisure time would keep spirits and reserves up"

She was standing on the seat now, her hands pressed against the coarse wood of the table as she tried to project her voice enough for all to hear.

"I think a shrine is a good idea, we could use this time to design plans for a temple, but building in the face of nature would be risky. If anything, we could use some entertainment!"

Brandishing her hand outward, she speaks a silly rhyme in Gnomish and from her fingertips, cartwheeling stars sail through the air in front of the face of Ragi before stopping to dance around his head like a mobile crown.

"I'm sure Lili and I, along with any others who would volunteer their time, could provide lessons and shows during scheduled downtime to make sure we don't all lose our minds!"

Whether or not anyone in the room knew that it would be her losing her mind first thanks to cabin fever was irrelevant, keeping peoples minds occupied was important, and she doubted most of the residents of Cilsie would appreciate her getting in the way trying to help outdoors while they were doing real business. Aeona would absolutely get out there to help where she could though.

[97mg]

Compromises? It wasn't often that a council meeting in Cilsie could be considered a spectator sport. Today was different though! Indeed, it must have felt quite unsettling to be having a discussion such as this, so publicly accessible. The good news was that Cilsie's residents were a mostly respectful bunch, and they knew better than to vocalize disagreements or offer personal opinions during a meeting as such. Those who'd arrived early or just happened to be at the Hunter's Refuge at this time of day, well they had secured seating! Most, were perched on the edge of said seats, the furniture's legs and backs making the occasional creeeaak as weighty behinds were shifted. The rest of the folks had taken up any and all available standing room. As the council member's presented their thoughts, Cilsie's folks displayed reactions in ways other than yelling, heckling or thumping chests. Yes, through their faces. Smiles here and there. Furrowed brows. Pursed lips. One eye squinted shut. The full plethora of facial communication was out on display! The most positive reactions came in response to ideas such as free evening meals, or drinks or entertainment of course. Other reactions of agreement came too, as those opposed to frivolous endeavours such as temple building during a blizzard, or wasting precious resources, saw sense in those less supportive of scheduled fun-times. These people weren't a majority, but that didn't mean that they wouldn't have their way. This decision wasn't a village vote. It was a council decision! Darnel, Ragi and Ingirid had listened quietly, giving the council members their full and undivided attention. A few key moments occurred as opinions were shared. In response to Kirra's question about worship, Ingirid had wisely said, "perhaps the temple can be universal, and made acceptable by people of all faiths." One couldn't propose to know all the possible religions or beliefs held in Cilsie, as this was a private matter. Truth be told though, Alsard had been largely accepted already at a community level. If folks had other deities, then why not allow them some inclusion too? Ragi's eyes had opened wide, and his mouth hung agape in surprise at Wyl's supportive words. That wasn't something you see every day! Darnel and Ingirid nodded an acceptance to his more realistic view of things too, almost as though they'd expected the proposals to cause some disagreement. Wyl spoke truth. The kind that not everyone wanted to hear, but probably should hear. Darnel had soon smiled to Lili, shortly after she'd followed on from Wyl's words. Fine music was about balance, and the bard's ideas were as balanced as her songs. Something to give the villagers a daily event to look forwards to, in exchange for well-planned work. Rana took the idea even further, proposing a systematic approach, whereby timber and food was collected at a wholistic level, and shared equally. This actually had Ragi nodding in accordance, Darnel scratching his chin in deeper contemplation, and Ingirid saying that there was "wisdom in it." Then all eyes were on the gnome. Aeona, by speaking last of all, was able to see the birth and brewing of the compromise that seemed to be forming here. Two plans of equal merit yet with wildly different purposes. Evening entertainment to keep the folks here motivated, and structured work to ensure that resources weren't made scare at the expense of singing, dancing, art lessons, and whatever else might eventuate. When she dove in and offered to assist with the formidable task of scheduling such things, Darnel patted her on the shoulder. "You are kind to offer such a thing, this help with making lists and keeping things running smoothly." The idea of spending some time designing a temple whilst waiting for the weather to improve also seemed to tame Ingirid's desire. "You are right. We should not rush." Darnel looked to each of the council members with a proud grin on his face then. "Members of the council, are we in agreeance on this bargain? That in the evening we will plan events to reward our people for their hard work and constitution? That in the day times, we will assemble teams in an orderly fashion to collect food and wood for the community to share? If so, I will soon ask that you raise your hand. First though, whilst you ponder on this, I have one other matter to speak of." His voice dropped in volume a little before continuing, as though not needing the entire room to hear. "Most people have begun wagging chins and talking amongst themselves, word on the street you could call it, is that this blizzard may well be more than we expect. Something... unnatural. There is fear that this is some kind of foul play, that perhaps we have angered the gods, or even something worse. For me, I'm not convinced of such hearsay or yet to be proven cause. However, I do accept that we would be foolish to discount the possibility. We need information. I've never seen weather like this last more than three days before. I want us to scout our surrounds for abnormalities. I know a place in the mountains where even in a storm such as this, we would be able to see what might be brewing in the distance. Would you be willing to go there, to check this on the morrow?" It was a big ask, but for Darnel to request it meant that there must be some truth to it. He's lived here for 90 years after all. As the council considered this task, Darnel returned to his earlier promise of a vote. "Back to the first topic then, the time to raise or lower hands has come..."

OOC Great work everyone! Love your style I've taken some liberties and tried to condense everyone's thoughts to a plan that is hopefully acceptable to everyone. If you don't like it, feel free to respond IC! You can delay the vote and speak further if you need to, nobody will mind. If however you're happy with the resolution, put that hand in the air! Regarding the scouting mission, feel free to press for more information if you think it is necessary. Darnel will give you good, accurate directions of course. The idea would be to set off tomorrow, which would leave you an opportunity to buy/trade for supplies or do things around the village that you think might be beneficial beforehand. You could of course reject the "mission", there are boons and banes to every choice hehe.

[Vaynol]

Lili A delighted smile crossed Lilli's features. "Aeona, Darnel, I would be more than happy to contribute to the evening's entertainment. You don't even need to ask," lifting her lute, Lili strummed a few of the strings into a small, tuneful ditty before putting it down again. Music was Lili's passion. Always had been, always would be. And as much as she believed she was destined for greatness in the music world, she had always dreamed of singing and performing at the courts of King's and Queen's across the world while they showered her with all the gold that they possessed. That was the dream anyway, yet as much as she clung onto that dream each and every day, the girl known only as Lili was still here, still in Cilsie. It was now though, in the face of such adversity from the storm and the coming together of community that the realisation was beginning to dawn to the kind-hearted bard that the search for her true name and identity was only part of the reason for her remaining in Cilsie. Rana had put it better than anyone in all honesty. Life in Cilsie's always been bigger than any one of us. And as much as Lili had convinced herself that she had the talent to be singing at the largest court of the land, there was an affectation and sense of feeling for the village and the people here that had always kept her grounded, and always kept her here. Of course, as Darnel made his request for the group to travel out on a potentially dangerous trek to the mountain to try and scout out if there was any sort of clue as to the origins of this blizzard, Lili was the first to answer. "Again Darnel, for the second time, you don't even need to ask," she said with a small, kind smile and a glance. "I will gladly go out with the others." With a small chuckle she added, "Besides, you need someone with common sense to keep Wyl and Rana in check to make sure they don't go ranging out too far," shooting them both with a small wink as inwardly her excitement grew. This was just the excuse she needed. A trek out to the mountains, to see if they could determine something unnatural with the strange weather they had been having recently. But perhaps this was the opportunity she was looking for. A chance to go further afield with people she trusted implicitly, a chance to see if there was any trace of her own unknown origins. After all, where there was a will, there was a way, and despite the fact that common sense told her that after all this time the trail had likely gone cold, Lili refused to believe that. She refused to believe that she would never know who she truly was.