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Band through the Woods

by Steel Claw

Bright and early the morning after we left Freja's tomb, we convened to ready up for our trek -- a six-day journey -- to Karkasa's Pass. Theo excitedly rubbed his hands together, and upon finding a clearing, cast the fabricate spell. Trees seemed to fell on their own, the wood reconstituting into a solid-looking sledge for Francis to haul. Our bear agreed, and we set out more prepared than before.

On the journey, Theo tried to talk with Steel about magic, albeit in the tabaxi language. Having never been instructed in magic when he was younger, it was hard for the two to converse.

Hot & Cold

The night of the first day, we were hit by a storm riding the easterly winds. The sky grew dark, and darker, before lightening almost all at once into whiteness -- a blizzard. Thankfully, before the snow robbed us of all vision, Murg spied a cave 'round the next bend. Hastily, we took refuge in the cave, only realizing once inside that there was heat and smell (food?) within. Murg's face twisted into a grimace: "The cave is toxic." Yrna clarified: the sulfuric smell was "perhaps" from a hotspring.

Steel led the way inside after securing the sledge. Eager to get inside, Steel made his way to the edge and dipped a foot in -- only to touch something slimy that moved. Bubbling announced three lizardfolk in the pool, who moved to the far side of the spring and watched us warily. It took Izol and Theo speaking draconic for the lizardmen to speak to us, as Murg and Steel looked on in shock. Izol learned that this was their "last place" (where they chose to live the last moments of their lives). Two more showed up, further spooking Murg and Steel.

With directions from the lizardfolk, Izol left Embryeon with the food he had begun to prepare, and dove into the hot spring. Shocked, we all looked on as he resurfaced, speaking with the head lizardfolk. Soon, another lizardfolk (this one blue) joined the group at the water. It then produced a wand, and with a swish half in the water, cast a spell (waterbreathing) on the group. It took Murg cannonballing into the water for the rest of us to follow.

The water underneath was warm and pleasant, if not slightly acidic, A hole at the bottom of this pool led down an underwater path, which we followed one-by-one until it opened up. A gigantic cave, nearly completely underwater, with a tall boulder -- powder-white and full of holes -- inhabited by many, many lizardfolk. We followed the leader lizardfolk, who brought us into the spire to show us his clutch of eggs (his children) before convening in the surface. Translated through Izol, he explained that this was the remnants of his tribe (scale-rot), and here they decided to live out the rest of their lives. Yet in their final moments, some of his tribe healed from their affliction, and bore eggs.

After some time, Izol finished his ad hoc prepared feast, and the lizardfolk celebrated.

As a token of thanks, they gave us what last treasures they had -- largely jewelry."They're like little dragons," Steel enthused.

The night came to a close with good company and discussion of the party's every-growing hoard of arcane artifacts.

Out of the woods

The next day brought us a little out of the woods, to a more plains-like area. As Steel breathed a sigh, he made out a tinkling noise amidst the snowfall. The sound became bells, followed by the crunching of snow. The Redtail recognized the pounding paws of mush-dogs (sleddogs), and none-too-soon the sled with rider and dogs whizzed by. As they did, one of the crates fell off of the sled to land safely into the snow. One the side, printed: GNOME HOSPITAL -- full of health potions. As the dwarf and sled returned, Steel gave back the crates and made sure they were tied down. To Murg, the dwarf introduced himself as Malgan from Wander Hall, a courier for the hall (this round, from the Mistress at the base of Karkasa's Pass to the Hall).

A few days later, as the sun began to set, we spied the remnants of a giants' village. Taken by an avalanche and snow, the entire area was broken and covered in white. Murg spotted a mostly-intact house, which we all moved to and setup camp. After double-checking with Yrna that the area was secure, Murg and Steel (with the help of Murg's tools and Steel's heated forge) cleaned out most of the house to reveal an intact cellar (with a basement). After dinner, as a group we opened the cellar bulwark and crept below. Other than the normal things one might find -- albeit giant-sized -- we noticed a large sack on one corner covered with far too much dust. With Steel acting as belay, Murg forded into the cellar to retrieve the sack, returning to the group at the base of the stairs to open it. Inside was a note, explaining that the potions were for non-giants (Medium-sized creatures), with a dozen or so glass containers:

4 potions of healing

4 potions of poison resistance

4 potions of vitality (removes exhaustion and cures disease/poison; regain max HD hp)

Giant rocks

About midday, as we traveled the border to Karkasa's Pass, we came across several giant-sized cairns (a large stack of rocks flying yellow and red flags). We lunched between them, with Izol and Steel placing rocks at the top and bottom of the cairns respectively. From his vantage point up high, Izol was able to see the iron spire of Chillmoon Tower and something huge landing atop Hatewind Peak. As Izol landed, he placed a hand on Steel's chest and forehead before casting prophetic visions, communicating what he saw to the tabaxi. Also according to Izol, the cairn were both nonmagical.

As we reached the edge of the pass, the snapping of trees and underbrush rumbled before us. One by one, fully-sized mammoths sauntered out of the woods and turned northeast. The herd was thirty mammoths in all, and though Steel nervously steered the group aside of the mammoths -- "A stampede!" -- but otherwise the party was safe to watch the mammoths lumber onwards.

The next day, the last before we would enter the pass, we circled a frozen lake. Nestled amidst the trees, the center of the lake was wholly ice, save for a giant-sized aberrant and clawed hand reaching out to grasp the sky. Even from far away Izol could tell it radiated necromantic energy.

Later, just as we took lunch walking, an icy cold wind picked up and whipped at us in transit. It seemed the entire world became colder than all the hells, slowing all of us to a trudge and forcing us to take many a break for hot drink from Izol to warm up. Thankfully, we eventually rounded several boulders where the wind wound and grew chilly. Warmer now, we continued as we saw the break in the pass up ahead. But not a few feet before that, in the midst of the path, lay a bear almost giant-sized, dead on the ground and cut open. Cautiously, Theo sent Icarus to investigate -- only for a human hand to reach out of the bear-corpse and shoo the owl away. Murg and Steel approached cautiously, to watch as a brute of a man (six foot tall, warmly clad in furs and hefting a six-foot axe). Called Argbarr, it took only a few words to learn he did not know where he was from, or where he was off to. With words from Murg, Argbarr enthusiastically... joined the crew.

With Argbarr now in the group, we broke through to the Karkasa's Pass. Pines covered the valley floor, with stone and rock towering on each side to lead up to mountains. Yet nestled before us, not two hundred feet away, smoke puffed out of a chimney in the woods -- and a hut beneath it. Reindeer were corraled nearby, and as we approached a fell wind whispered through the trees. Something... unsettling is here.

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Band through the Woods

Hot & Cold

Out of the woods

Giant rocks

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