Winter Craft, Day 2 (Ayas)

Day 2, Afternoon:

Aside from the constant pleading of Brindol’s children clamoring to ride your Pegasus, things have been relatively quiet for you. There’s a plow-pulling competition tomorrow that looks interesting, and plenty of people have suggested you enter the boxing and arm wrestling tournaments, but you remain unsure.

As your companions accept and participate in the festivities, you hang back with much on your mind. Perhaps the heavy reading of the Chronicles has taken its toll on your heart? I mean, it’s not every day one learns their home hasn’t existed for nearly six hundred years…

Winter Craft, Day 2 (Dandelion)

Day 2, Afternoon:

You’ve taken to the celebration like a fish to water. Who cares the overriding theme is to thank Pelor? You’re as happy as a pig in shit. Not even the pummeling you took at the hands of the warlock could dampen your enthusiasm!

Winter Craft, Day 2 (Wotan)

Day 2, Afternoon

You’re spending time with your fiancée and merchant friend, Graffor, as well as Graffor’s wife, Emrold. Unlike your companions, you’re not staying at the keep. Graffor has a house not far from The Iron Circle, and Lorelei has a room with a king-sized bed…

Winter Craft, Day 2 (Terik)

Day 2, Afternoon

If there’s one thing this festival has done, it’s proven to you that half-orcs have no place in a human world. You may be a member of Fate’s Hammer, and you can see the people’s respect for that, but while your companions enjoy lavish attention, all you seem to get is begrudging thanks. Perhaps the war with the Red Hand just isn’t far enough removed…

Winter Craft, Day 2 (Kai)

Day 2, Afternoon

You could get used to this, the children clamoring for stories of your exploits, the envy shining in young mens' eyes when they look upon you, the free drinks, the free food, and the unspoken, and occasionally spoken, offers from scores of women.

Troll Trouble

The sheriff of Yellow Water, Gisborne, has been working with a pair of trolls to make some money and secure "food" for the town. He has been capturing Kobolds and delivering them to the trolls. Even though we have no great love for the kobolds, they have given us aid and shelter. And they also believe that Wotan is their god Wutas. So it only seems right to get rid of the trolls that hold their kin as prisoners. Not to mention the only good troll is a dead troll.

Escape from White Plume Mountain...

With Grisgol defeated, Elatus won, and a pair of unidentifiable yet unmistakably hostile pursuers en route, the companions lifted Nine’s lifeless body, intent on escape.

Shutting and barring both sets of double doors behind them, they worked their way to the top of the inverted ziggurat as quickly and efficiently as they could, which wasn’t exactly easy, considering Nine's four hundred pound load.

On a side note, in a brilliant stroke of genius uncharacteristic to the half-orc, Terik reset the lever causing the uppermost tier to once again fill with water. “That’ll slow those red bastards down!” he shouted as he hightailed it to the last escape ladder. Meanwhile, standing atop the transparent iron covering of the ziggurat, Wotan made a quick calculation as to their head start. “Hour and a half,” he mumbled to himself. 

“Not enough…”

Grisgol, The Mummy King...

As the last of the air elementals dissipated, and an eerie silence descended, though Dandelion was quick to dispel it.
“Alright! What’s next?” he shouted with exuberance. Ayas shot him a look as if he’d gone made.
“You notice the door is barred on our side?” Terik asked emphasizing the “our”.
“I’ll open it,” Nine volunteered, taking a step forward.
 

A resounding “No!” erupted from the group , except for Dandelion. Nine stared back blankly, clearly mystified by the reaction. “It’s okay Nine,” Kai soothed him. “We’ll open it soon enough. Just want to think this through is all.”
 

“Oh come on,” Dandelion started again. “Tis better to kiss the lass than be troubled by ‘er.”
“What does that mean?” asked Terik, irritated. Nonplused, Dandelion slapped him on the back. “Look my savage friend. The only thing certain here is we can’t quit now. I mean, what kind of story would that make, huh?” “Nope. Just won’t do.”
Kai interjected at this point, “It’s a trap.” 

The Inverted Ziggurat...

After parting with Valanus and his dragonborn soldiers, the members of Fate’s Hammer made their way further into the mountain, confident their quest for Elatus would soon be complete.

And they were right.  Mostly…

Meeting Valanus...

Having survived the harpy's charms, spiked pits, and infuriating slipperiness of her lair, the companions steeled their minds, determined to find the elusive sword, Elatus.

They hadn't traveled far before Kai raised a clenched fist, signaling a halt. "What is it?" Terik asked, alert and ready for action. "Shh!" Kai reprimanded. "Hear that?" he asked in a coarse whisper.  "Sounds like water," he answered himself.

At this point Wotan interjected, "It’s a river."

“A river?” Dandelion asked quizzically.

“The sphinx's riddle,” Wotan answered, as if that would clear it up.

It didn’t...

The Frictionless Room...

Rested, the companions journeyed forth. Leaving the putrid stench of rotting ghouls behind, they ascended a short flight of steps and cautiously made their way along the hall, wondering what manner of terror the mountain would unleash upon them next.

They wouldn't have to wonder long...

The Hall of Wretched Heat

We spent a fitful night in that apartment. It was comfortable, but some us had been exposed to things that lingered much longer than a battle wound. The dirty water that Kai and I had been swimming around in contained more than just enemies, as we found that it was becoming harder to see. “Blinding Sickness” said Kai. “It’s often spread by tainted water. If we can’t shake this, we could go blind.” Terik was also not feeling well, but his illness seemed different – and much more dangerous. When he was exposed to the spores from the slain hag, he must have inhaled some of them. Kai looked him over, and his prognosis wasn’t good. “Mummy Rot, I would say. It doesn’t always come from mummies. If we don’t get you some help, you will have a harder time breathing, getting progressively worse if not treated. It could kill you.” Fate seems to have turned against us, but there was little we could do about it now. We were still miles below the surface and a long way from home. All we could do was press on and finish what we came here for.