[Game Thread] IV. The Ruins of Archeebald Mountain

[mountainbound]

Rip considers the steel gray sky for a moment, picking a chunk of ice from his sparse beard, before answering Karla. "He'll nurse his wounds at the mountain lake -- it's about a two hour walk from here. The spirit of the water is powerful, and will aid him. After that, he will come for us." The old ranger looks at the donkey, dead in the snow and still tethered to the sledge. "It won't do to linger long."

He unties one of the ropes securing the tarps and yells over the wind, "Olaf won't spare you if he finds you, so you had best take what you're after." The rest of the group moves toward the sled, leaving Silas and the uncanny wolf alone.

Beneath the tarps, the sledge is loaded with crates and supplies of every variety. Karla picks up a crowbar and soon is cracking the lids off of the secured boxes, with Dan hovering nearby. The wizard had spotted a few bottles wrapped in fur almost as soon as the tarp was removed, and miraculously conjured a corkscrew from one of his pockets in a matter of seconds. Without regard for the contents, he takes a long slug. "Ahhhh," he says, wiping liquid from his wind-burned face. "Brandy. This puts the blood back in me. And puts me in the mood for picking through some loot."

At Dan's words, Rip turns, looking at the wizard with a sarcastic grin. "Enjoy it now while you can, young man." From among the supplies he picks up an ornate looking dagger with a 18" blade, and tosses it at the wizard. "This once belonged to Tasha. You should learn to use it. Quick."

Somewhat sobered, Dan straps on the dagger and pulls it from its sheath. "Tasha... right," he repeats, considering the dull blade. Overhead the clouds thicken. Afternoon is passing, and another storm seems to be coming on.

DM's Note You have hiked for about 8 hours today -- 8 hours from Jessup. You're about midway up the thickly forested Archeebald mountain. It's roughly 3:30pm. Contents of the Sledge All items are in good working order and basically match their descriptions in the PF SRD. If you want further narrative description, let me know. Please follow encumbrance rules when choosing items to carry. I.e., you can take a shovel, but you'll need to carry it on your shoulders or like a walking stick.   Crowbar Shovel x2 Miner's pick x2 Wood saw Flint and Steel Rope ladder, 20' Rope, 50' x2 Heavy pulley Bellows Winter blanket x6 2 Person Tent, x2 Animal musk jelly Extra boots (Olaf-sized) Winter cloak Oversized spear x3 Long spear x6 Winterwalkers x2 Shortsword in decorated sheath 50 arrows in a rolled blanket Medium Wooden Shield, masterwork Masterwork dagger Leather bracers Hunting knives x3 Thick leather belt Dried meat Bag of barley x6 Various bottles of wine and spirits, x10 Crate of kits: Climber's Kit x2 Healer's Kit Mapmaking Kit Crate of bones, animal and otherwise Crate of dried herbs, including tobacco, "moss" and other hallucinogenic blends Crate of oils, potions, and other liquids Crate with Silver Cornucopia Krimchee: Bonding with this particular wolf is optional. You can still choose a different type of Hunter's Bond for 4th lev -- or go with another type of animal. Let me know.

[HenryLockwood]

"So how long do we have? He'll bloody track us in this snow, and we can't hide all winter. We've got to get away, or go and finish him.

"Fahd, Silas, Dan - you brought the horn. What does it do, and why does Olaf care about it so much?"

Karla is, for now, ignoring the sled other than as a place to sit down and hold her wounds closed for the moment.

[LupusRegalis]

"The Horn, ..." Fahd starts, but stops with a quick cautious look at Rip before approaching Karla more closely. He kneels down close and says "Here, let me see your wounds and I'll explain some."

Fahd talks while he looks over his companion's wounds, but is careful with his words as well as his hands. There are ears he does not trust, among them. "It's Ichvaali, of course. More than that, I think it held high importance to them. What matters to us though is this; when used wrongly, terrible things happen. Jessup, the attack there, that happened because a man of evil intent, Randy, blew the horn and called the crawlers. He was that collaborator with the Dwellers we told you about. So, seeing what Randy accomplished, I cannot allow Olaf the same opportunity, knowing what kind of man he is, now. Where Randy was just a foolish pawn...Olaf has Power."

As he is talking, he is carefully examining Karla's wounds and cleaning them so he can get a better look. When he finishes, he quietly mouths to her "There is more. Later." before transitioning into a calm chant. With half lidded eyes he calls upon his gift, asking the help of those willing friendly spirits to help him and his allies by healing their physical wounds. The ritual takes but a minute, and Karla can most certainly feel the results. After he finishes with her, he approaches Silas and the wild white wolf to offer them the same comforts.

[HenryLockwood]

Karla shivers as the healing energy washes over her. It's a strange feeling - like being bathed in warm light, but a light that penetrates through the whole body and makes things happen. She starts, sitting bolt upright for a moment, as the damaged muscles in her side twist and knit together; where she had been holding her insides in, she is now applying pressure to a mass of bruising around a faint scar. It still hurts; it's still enough to slow her down; but it's nothing like a lethal wound now.

"Olaf has his power, yes. But who does he serve? I think Olaf serves only Olaf.

"You don't, I think. You don't seem to serve anyone or anything. Who are you?"

Karla's question is far more direct than she normally manages, and she immediately springs to her feet and begins rummaging among the items on the sled. Don't let them see you care... if they see, they'll use the fact. Never let them see.

[LupusRegalis]

Fahd sits back on his haunches at Karla's question. It takes him by surprise, and he can't help but really think about the answer. He opens his mouth to reply, but closes it with a click when he realizes he's not quite sure. The moment is gone, Karla stands and begins idly searching the gear on the sled, but Fahd continues to think on her question. She had a point. You don't serve yourself, not like Olaf does. You oppose the Dwellers. The Guardians called you Suncaller...but do you serve the Ichvaali? You don't know anything about them really. Except they oppose the Dwellers, too. Does that make us allies then? Do I serve the Spirits, how would I do that? Not all are good or benevolent, some are angry and cruel. Who are you Fahd? What are you? What choices will you make?!

[Krimchee]

"You..." Silas whispered as the wolf limped up to him, Silas was stunned. A wave of emotions washed through him and for a moment he was well and truly speechless; he didn't even curse. He knew that the wolf had acted for him. The wolf had saved him. Twice now. As the beast collapsed, it's white-fur torn and mottled with blood yet still somehow regal, something inside Silas wrenched loose. Why? Why would you do this for me, wolf? He knelt down next to the animal, his own pains forgotten. Gingerly, Silas ran his fingers through the wolf's fur, stroking its ears. The action was intimate, tender, and Silas felt as if he'd done it a thousand times before, though he knew that was impossible. A half-sob escaped Silas' lips when the realization struck him that the animal might have very well made the ultimate sacrifice for him. "Why?" he whispered. "Why?"

Silas looked to Fahd, pleading. "Please Fahd, can you heal the animal? Twice now this wolf saved me, saved us. Please Fahd...."

[mountainbound]

Something passes between Silas and the wolf as it lay dying in the snow. The young ranger is unable to do anything outwardly, but opens to the animal in an inward way. Soon Fahd comes to tend to the beast at Silas's call.

Near the sledge, Karla, Dan and Rip pick over the assemblage of items. Gulping down another swallow of brandy (a vintage all the way from OR), Dan raises the question perennial to all adventurers: "What now? I mean, it'll take another day to get back to Jessup -- and night's coming in a couple of hours. If we have to spend the night out here with Olaf around, you can bet I'm getting one big fecking fire going. And I'll be taking another of these," he raises the brandy bottle, "to bed with me."

Karla tersely covers the options of the group: attack Olaf at the lake, wait here, or run into the wilderness. Rip clears his throat. "There's one more option. At the top of this mountain is a group of buildings, a ruins now, built by They Who Came Before. It was where Olaf was heading -- it's a place a significant spiritual power. It's said there's a network of tunnels below the ruins... but Olaf is suspicious of the Ichvaal. If we could get there before he finds us, we might stand a chance of escape."

Rip picks up one of the hunting daggers and tests the blade. "With the donkey dead, we no longer have to circle the mountain, but could climb a more direct path. We might even make it before sundown."

The wind whips about the sledge, accumulating an ever-growing drift around the slain pack animal. In the distance, a deep and mournful bellow reverberates through the trees. Rip looks about, "The giant sloth... she must have discovered her mate is truly dead." He peers at Karla, ignoring Dan completely. "Another reason not to linger long."

[LupusRegalis]

Fahd sighs, weary and not looking forward to the prospect of having to travel yet farther. Yet, what choice did he, or anyone else, have at the moment. One direction or another, they had to pick up and move on or risk the threat posed by Olaf. Though sooner or later, that will happen regardless. "I would sooner chose the possible protection of the Ichvaali, if for no other reason than because the Dwellers are less likely to bother us there then out in the open. If Olaf is reluctant to approach as well, so much the better."

He leaves Silas and his new companion, and again approaches the sled. Going through the crates, he sets aside the Healer's Kit, promising to look through it later. He also sets aside two of the long spears, next to the kit, before looking through the crate of herbs and potions for anything useful. As he rummages, he asks Rip "Any idea what Olaf had the crate of bones for? These herbs, and the oils and potions, you help him with these at all? Know what they are?"

[Krimchee]

"Thank you Fahd." After Fahd's attentions, Silas began to feel more himself. Or perhaps, it was just that he could no longer feel Death's cold, stank breath on the back of his neck anymore. Now that he and the wolf were out of immediate threat from keeling over from their current wounds, Silas turned his attention to what the others were saying, and how he could keep from keeling over before the day was out.

"I say we head for the ruins. If Olaf won't enter, that's all the better for us. Then, petting the wolf once again he mumbled, "And maybe we can find out more about this fecking horn and what the blazes Isaiah has got us into."

[HenryLockwood]

"And if the Ichvaali have anything left to do with it, then there might be fewer bloody crawlers up there."

Karla drags herself to her feet, ready to move on. It's a shame to abandon the sled, but quite frankly she'd prefer to be elsewhere.

"Never mind my uncle, it's what the blazes is wrong with this entire bloody continent. Crawlers, vanished ancients, artifacts that try to kill you all the time. Ugh."

[mountainbound]

The elder ranger tightens his cloak about him as the wind whips up, carrying Fahd's voice up the mountain as he asks about the crate of bones. Rip says: "Olaf carries that crate around with him when he thinks he's in for a fight and needs to intimidate a spirit. There are probably fifty or sixty different animal bones in there. It's his special collection -- and another reason he won't be glad to have been blocked from getting to the sledge. They're precious to him, former kills, and he won't want you pawing through them."

Rip's obviously not interested in the bones, but his eyes linger long moments when Karla eases the top from the crate of glass jars and bottles. There is something measured in his voice when he finally responds. "No, I don't know what many of them do, except for those two." He points a gloved hand at a couple of bottles whose corks appear to have been burned, or been blacked by some corrosive effect. "Haven't you ever heard of the fire-breathing bear? Back in the North, Olaf liked to use those to bully spirits and men alike, and many thought he had conquered Fire itself. Best take all of the bottles -- even if we don't know now, we might meet someone who can tell us their properties." He reaches into the crate and slips several of the bottles into his cloak, glancing at Fahd as if daring the spritchaser to stop him.

The wolf at his side, Silas approaches the group and spies the equipment arrayed haphazardly across the sledge and the snow around it. At the young ranger's mention of the horn, Rip merely unrolls the rolled blanket housing the arrows, and begins filling his quiver. "You all had best stop talking about the horn, and take it so we can get the hell out of here. The shortcut to the top entails a... fun climb. The cliff face is tricky on a summer afternoon, sheer in places and totally unprotected. During a snowstorm at night -- which it will be if we don't get moving soon -- and with Olaf about to get healed, well... let's just say we'll have lots of opportunities to die in the next couple of hours."

"Fun climb?" Dan considers the bottle in his hand, obviously remembering his drunken slip into darkness in the Ichvaali tunnels beneath Archeebald. The thought of plummeting down was worse to the young wizard than that of a supernatural lunatic bear, though not by much. "Feckety hell."

DM's Note Rip takes 2 potions, leaving 2 unknown potions, and 2 potions he identified as "fire-breathing". He grabs about 20 arrows, stuffing his quiver to over-flowing. Also takes a bottle of whiskey, a bag of barley, some dried meat, a hunting knife, and a pinch of "moss" which he deposits into a pocket on his belt. Dan is eyeing the winter cloak and climber's kit, and has already been tossed the masterwork dagger by Rip. He'll also take some rations, and is willing to carry one of the tents. A few bottles of wine and spirits may also find their way into his pack if there's any possible way to fit them. Now is the time to divvy up the remaining goods. Once everyone has taken what they want, we'll move on. Many of the items are of very good to exquisite craftsmanship. One might even suspect that a few of them are possessed of special properties -- but in the fast blowing snow and lacking a true arcane authority, it's tough to say for sure.   Crowbar Shovel x2 Miner's pick x2 Wood saw Flint and Steel Rope ladder, 20' Rope, 50' x2 Heavy pulley Bellows Winter blanket x6 (Dan takes 1) 2 Person Tent, x2 (Dan will grab 1) Animal musk jelly Extra boots (Olaf-sized) Winter cloak (Dan will claim if no one else wants it) Oversized spear x3 Long spear x6 (Fahd takes two) Winterwalkers x2 Shortsword in decorated sheath (Karla claims) 50 arrows in a rolled blanket (Rip claims 18, Silas claims 18) Medium Wooden Shield, masterwork (Fahd's) Masterwork dagger (Now Dan's) Leather bracers (Now Silas's) Hunting knives x3 (Rip takes 1, Silas takes 1, Fahd takes 1) Thick leather belt (Fahd picks up) Dried meat Bag of barley x6 (Rip and Dan take 3 between them) Various bottles of wine and spirits, x10 Crate of kits: Climber's Kit x2 (Dan takes one) Healer's Kit (Fahd claims) Mapmaking Kit Crate of bones, animal and otherwise Crate of dried herbs, including tobacco, "moss" and other hallucinogenic blends Crate of oils, potions, and other liquids (Silas claims one Firebreathing, and one unidentified; one fire breathing, and one unidentified left) Crate with Silver Cornucopia (Silas stows the ornate horn in his pack)

[Krimchee]

Taking Rip's lead, Silas also fills his quiver. Eying the potions, Silas randomly picked two of them, wondering silently what they did. After stashing them in his pack, he absently scratched the wolf behind her ears. Noticing "the moss", Silas checked to see what was left. It was good stuff to have around. He just had to keep Dan from smoking it when he wasn't looking. Silas took what he could of the moss, filling a small pouch that he found on the wagon with the spongy, fragrant stuff. Silas also took the leather bracers, since they seemed a good fit for him, and his original gear was starting to be as beat up as he was.

Seeing the weapons, Silas began to rummage through them. If there was a good blade or two to be had, he'd take them. A good blade was invaluable to have around, especially since I seem to have to fight for flaming, fecking survival every time I turn around. Silas found the hunting knives and took one. He'd take the other too if it went unclaimed. Thinking about looking for a new blade made him think about his rapier, and what Fahd had said about it when they'd first met. He made a mental note to ask the shaman about it soon. He eyed the decorated sword. It'd fetch a pretty penny if nothing else. "You interested in the sword Karla?"

And last, Silas prepared to take the Silver Cornucopia. That was, after all, why they'd come out on this crazy fecking journey.

[HenryLockwood]

"Let me see."

Karla takes the sword, turning it over in her hands. It's not what she's used to, but the balance is good: and a spare blade is always worth having.

"Thanks."

Karla belts the sword at her left hip, and grabs a handful of the dried meat. It might be a mundane consideration, but she's enough of an outsider that she'll never pass up food.

[LupusRegalis]

Fahd hesitates, really wanting to do something about the crate and its horrible contents. He can only imagine what Olaf is using them for, none of it good, he was sure. Shaking his head though, he scrambles to get together a few more supplies before they leave. Rummaging through the sled he grabs the wooden shield, holding it up to glance at it before slipping it over his shoulder. He takes some of the dried meat, a bag of barley and as much of the dried herbs as he can fit in his ritual pouch. Not knowing why, he also grabbed the thick leather belt and strapped it on underneath his cloak. "I'm Ready."

ooc Taking; Wooden shield, dried meat, bag of barley, dried herbs, leather belt

[mountainbound]

The sword in its embroidered scabbard is hefted by Silas, but the ranger was more comfortable with bow, and the pretty blade quickly finds its way onto Karla's hip. Silas has his eyes on another prize. As Dan considers how he can fit a fourth bottle of brandy into his pack, Silas gingerly lifts an object from one of the remaining crates. Packing straw is carried off in the wind as the ranger looks upon a silver horn.

Fabulously intracate in its etching, the cornucopia's central spiral seems to lure the mind into its dizzying detail. To look upon the thing too long would be dangerous, that much was certain. Not dangerous in the way a crawler was, but dangerous in the way a fire, the clouds, or the sound of a waterfall was, when Silas had smoked too much moss. Dangerously interesting. With Rip grumbling about haste, and night coming on, getting lost staring at an Ichvaali relic just wouldn't do.

Now slightly better provisioned, and better armed at the very least, the group sets out at a jog behind Rip. Snow quickly gathers around the open crate of bones, the arrayed equipment left behind -- perhaps for Olaf to find, or some other group of wanderers to discover years hence.

As the group finds its pace, trekking fast through a mounting pine forest, Fahd begins to relax enough to realize that there were spirits about. His eye is drawn again to the white specter flitting between the pines twenty paces to the left. The wolf keeps pace easily, and the sight of the animal makes the spirit chaser wonder about the fate of the lynx that came to him in the battle. The wolf spirit was much different from the Lynx spirit. The Lynx was itself an embodiment of all Lynxes. Rather than the embodiment of the form of Wolf, it felt to Fahd disconnected, it was an individual. Strange thing for an animal.

Karla is first to see the cliff through the branches of the trees ahead. Darkness was gathering under the pines even though the sun was still drenching the west in red.

"Well, it took longer than I had hoped, but here we are. Best get rid of your walkers," Rip says, as the trees abruptly end, and a rock face presents itself. "The forest winds around the mountain on three sides, but here the rock goes straight to the top. It's the fastest way to the ruins." He stows his snowshoes and begins beating his hands together. "Warm up your fingers now, you'll need them to have sensation when we start to climb." With that, he catches a hold in the rock and wedges himself in a crack that runs vertically up, up up the side of the mountain.

Dan took one look up the rock face his utter disbelief was written all over. Just as he was about to say something however, a savage roar drifts over the pines. This time it wasn't the sloth. "It's Olaf, he has been healed!" Rip calls, from his perch about 15' feet up the crack in the stone. "He'll have our scent soon. There's no time to delay!"

As Dan unstraps his winterwalkers, you notice his hands are shaking. "I hate heights." Silas and Fahd knew well the reason why.

DM's Note Everyone: Make a Climb check, DC 15. If you fail by 4 or less, you add 20 min to the climb, and will quickly be climbing in darkness. If you fail by 5 or more, you fall. I will assign the damage roll in this event.