IDROTF C1E8: Andover, Andover again Report

General Summary

After reuniting, the party determined that they would make their way back up the mountain. With Garret Velryn leading them they quickly return to the site of the avalanche and safely make their way across.   Unfortunately, on the other side of this site, the climb got substantially harder. Despite having a guide, there were no easy paths to follow and the party exhausted themselves in their attempts to ascend sometimes vertical climbs, sometimes inverted climbs. It was clear, after a time, that they were taking larger and larger risks continuing to hurl themselves at the obstacles despite their collective, growing exhaustion. Garret Velryn recommended a nearby den that had, until the party's recent slaying of the crag cats that made it their home, become vacant. The party rested there for nearly three days, nursing their wounds and their wounded pride.   On that third day, they set out again. Andove Littlefoot was inspiring in his optimism and the stories of past and future glories that he aimed at his companions. Bolstered thus, the party succeeded at the climb.   Eventually, they arrived just outside the cave where Garret Velryn and his expedition had been ambushed by the yeti. They entered cautiously, and found that the cave encompassed a deep chasm within. The path directly in front of them was solid ice, but none of them wanted to test just HOW solid it was so they instead turned to their right and followed a tunnel further into the cave. It opened up a short distance in to a larger section of cave whose walls had many hollowed out niches in them. The niches themselves housed a macabre set of trophies, numerous humanoid heads preserved in the frigid air. The ground of this room was also strewn in frozen blood and bits of...Goliath; sadly these were the remains of Mokingo Akannathi, a member of Garret Velryn's expedition.   Moving more cautiously still, the party advanced. They came to a sharp bend in the tunnel and peaking around it came upon a strange sight! There was a yeti, watching her youngling at play with a ball...but the ball was yelping and yelling and very, very scared. Upon closer inspection, Garret Velryn was able to confirm that this was in fact Perilou Fishfinger, the Halfling cleric of his expedition.   The party, determined to save the hapless Halfling, took advantage of the fact that the yeti were still unaware of their presence and launched a surprise attack. Focusing first on the adult creature, the younger one quickly ran behind its mother and climbed upon her back for protection. Freed of her torment, but badly injured and disoriented, Perilou Fishfinger needed Garret Velryn's aid to escape to safety while the rest of the party battled the yeti.   The creature was outmatched and quickly fell. The party then turned the focus of their battle lust on the youngling and killed it as well.   Andove Littlefoot healed some of Perilou Fishfinger's wounds and the party determined to exit the cave before the male yeti that had originally attacked the expedition returned. They were a little too late, however, as they exited to see it climbing the last of the slope that led to the cave; a dead mountain goat tucked under its arm. The creature entered a rage at the sight of the party exiting it's home; rightly guessing that they had already murdered its family! Boy was invaluable in the short-lived fight as he managed several times to get his jaws clamped onto the yeti leg and knock it off balance, bringing it tumbling to the ground where the others could easily get their licks in.   After putting yet another yeti down, the party proceeded further up the mountain in the direction that Garret Velryn had seen that final member of his expedition run during the original ambush. Eventually, they came to the edge of a vast and deep crevasse, with nowhere to go but down. A collapsed tent lay half-buried in the snow near the precipice. Jutting out of a nearby snowbank was a pair of blue leather boots. Next to this grim display, a figure in cold weather clothing sat in the snow, her knees pulled in tight to her chest. Horns protruded from underneath the figure's fur-lined hood. This was Astrix, the Tiefling wizard that had accompanied Garret Velryn's expedition. Hoping to offer her aid, the party moved towards her, but quickly realized she had frozen to death sitting there in the snow. Garret Velryn was distraught, having lost 3/4 of his clients. The others began to investigate the site, Saryeras moving over to investigate the dead wizard more closely and Zinlis Arosath moving to yank on the boots protruding from the snow. The boots came with a headless Dwarf, while the dead wizard had a potion and a spellbook hidden upon her person. Saryeras claimed the spellbook, excited to study it and add its spells to his own!   There was a great deal of discussion after this about what to do. Perilou Fishfinger was eager to return to the Ten-Towns and relative safety. Saryeras recalled the history of Kelvin’s Cairn and the fact that Akar Kessel had been defeated here and his magical crystal Crenshinibon shattered into a million pieces that slowly sank into the snow and ice, fusing its remains and its demonic magic with the very same. "chardalyn" Saryeras told the others was the name of the black, crystalline ice that resulted from this joining. Saryeras was eager to continue up the mountain to its summit and see what might remain of Akar Kessel and his legacy.   The party decided to camp in the crevasse and attempt the summit the next day before returning to the Ten-Towns...

Missions/Quests Completed

Completed Mountain Climb (though a reward still awaits them back in Targos.

Character(s) interacted with

Garret Velryn, Perilou Fishfinger

Notes

The party discussed the history of Kelvin’s Cairn, including the exploits of Akar Kessel and his wight form.