CM: C11E3 - The Cloud Peaks Report

General Summary

Shopping. Who knew that a trek into the mountains could involve so much shopping in such a small town. But it did! The Planeswalkers collected up cold-weather clothing, climbing gear, ropes, rations, and some advice from the general store and it's owner. They had hoped to find a guide as well, but were informed that there was no thriving tourist business in and around the Cloud Peaks and so the locals were only familiar with areas around the iron mine, and maybe the trek to the platinum mine in Vermeillon now that it had reopened. So, west through the foothills they headed on their own. It was late on their second day of travel out of Nashkel that they arrived at the foot of the particular peak that was marked on Zikran's map. They began their ascent relatively easily, finding that there was a meandering switchback trail that led ever upwards. By their second day in the mountains, however, the going got much harder. They had to pull out the warmer clothes they had purchased, as well as their snowshoes and, occassionaly, crampons. The temperature plummeted quickly and the air was thinner now that they were a few thousand feet up. They had to rest much more frequently, travel much more slowly, and even then were on the brink of exhaustion well before a full day's travel could be completed. Around midmorning on their second day, they had stopped to rest when they caught the sound of rocks tumbling. Bardak thought he heard flapping wings as well. Warning the others, they all looked up to see seven winged kobolds floating down towards them, carrying rocks. While the rest of the party scrambled to spread out, Jayce bravely drew their fire...and took multiple rocks to the head. By the third or fourth he had had enough and he quickly cast his spiritual guardians, which eviscerated the weak and unsuspecting kobolds. After the brief battle with the kobolds, the next couple of hours passed uneventfully as they climbed ever higher. Around noon, they found they could go no farther without resting, but they also did not want to travel at night. The group decided to wait out the rest of the daylight hours in the protection and relative warmth of a tiny hut spell, and to then cast a second around twilight and sleep through the night. As dusk was nearing its end, however, Bardak noted that one of the snowdrifts outside the hut, on the other side of the small rock ledge they had found to rest on, seemed oddly sized and showed signs of shifting. Nervous about possibly being exposed between the time the first tiny hut expired and when they could get a second one up, they decided to have Toby De Term'nd cast the second as quickly as possible once the first fell. As the magical barrier shimmered and dropped away, Toby began his incantation. The rest of the party nervously shifted their weight as they watched the snow drift. Lyra decided, just in case, to cast faerie fire at the drift and they all immediately saw the outline of a huge humanoid with ram-like, curling horns on its head. The abominable yeti then burst out from beneath the snow drift and strode towards them, opening its mouth in a roar that turned to a freezing cone of breath that hit Bardak and Lyra. Interposing himself between the yeti and Toby, who was oblivious while concentrating on his spellcasting, Jayce called forth his guardian of faith to harass the monstrosity. Meanwhile, Bardak and Lyra spread out further to try to avoid further breath attacks. Bardak pummeled the yeti with magic missiles initially, then launched a fireball which seemed to send the yeti into a fearful rage. It charged at Jayce and swung its claws at him, striking a powerful blow on the first attack, and swinging wildly as Lyra used her cosmic omen to effect the outcome of its attack. Frustrated, the yeti then turned its frozen gaze upon Jayce, who then felt an unnatural cold seep into his body from his eyes on inward; he was gravely hurt. Luckily, Jayce and Lyra were able to keep themselves alive while the three party members protected Toby and overwhelmed the yeti. In less than thirty seconds the battle was over, the yeti dead in the snow. Thirty seconds later the tiny hut materialized, Jayce and Lyra were caked in blood but healed, and Toby looked about to see the aftermath of a mortal battle that had raged around him and seen its final end all in the span of the sixty seconds it took him to cast his spell. "What the...?"

Campaign

Candlekeep Mysteries

Protagonists