Week 4: Traitors and butt-lickers

Jan 22, Monday; Icy & cloudy

• The snowfall has finally eased off, but as we broke camp in the morning, we discovered a slight problem - chasing after the riders yesterday has led us into a sea of identical snowy hills and our tracks were already covered with fresh snow. In short, we were lost.
• Grumbling and griping, we picked a direction towards the tallest hill nearby, but our troubles didn't last long. From the hill, the road from Odawara to the temple of C'ro could be seen and we were back at it before noon. (#2.10, #2.9)
• While a bit of time has been lost with this detour, the rest of our journey was quick with the improved weather and we arrived at the temple in mid-afternoon. (#3.10, #2.11, #3.12)
• We resupplied with rations to start our venture into proper wilderness fully stocked and attended the mass at dusk. Some of the priests even recognised us by name already, which I guess is only fair given our frequent visits.

Jan 23, Tuesday; Sleet

• We set of towards the southern edge of the mountains, intending to circumvent them and get to the dark temple of Shadow-that-Hungers from a more favourable terrain.
• As we were driving over the plains to the foothills (#3.13), we noticed a strange pseudo-tower rising from the ground, worked on by a swarm of way too large insects. Four of the creatures went to take a look at us, so we kept our distance and left.

4x Ant, Giant: HD 3, AC 9, AT bite, ML +5, SP acid (2 dmg)

• Unfortunately, the journey to circumvent the mountains turned out to be longer than expected. We eventually climbed some hills overlooking a seaside swamp (#4.13), but we will have to see tomorrow if there is a path between the mountains and the swamp.
• At least we managed to forage some apples still on the trees since autumn, so the rations are not so dry today.

new hexes traversed = 20 xp

Jan 24, Wednesday; Light drizzle

• We continued to push around the southern tip of the mountains through the forested foothills (#5.13), until the forest parted around an enormous, sleeping squamous body.

Dragon of Cinders
HD 10, AC 10, AT bite (+1, 4 dmg) or breath, ML +3

• We backed away, very slowly and very quietly.
• We kept driving deep into the night to get as many miles between us and the creature as possible. (#6.14)
• We had to stop when Saoirse slipped on the wet snow and slid into a forest pond.
• We set up camp, but the snow and sleet-damped forest wood was a not great for kindling a campfire. We had to use some of our torches and oil to ignite it and let Saoirse to dry off.

new hexes traversed = 20 XP

Jan 25, Thursday; Cold rain

• The weather is getting worse. And to think we were dismayed by the endless snowfall - now we have snow and rain mixing into a freezing slop. Getting through the underbrush-choked hills with two carts was a similarly pleasant experience. (#6.15)
• By late afternoon, we found a strange clearing, or rather a large crater cut into the hill. In the middle of the ash and cinder filled hollow, an artifact looking like a mirror made of crystal and petrified wood stood.
• While most of us were wary, Saoirse insisted on inspecting it closer. She persuaded Fenja and Menja to accompany her into the crater. There, she started tapping and prodding the mirror with her staff.
• A flood of tiny, rainbow-coloured insects poured from the crystal.

3x Insect Swarm
HD 3, AC 7, AT tiny bites, ML +4, SP only harmed by fire and area attacks

• Fenja, Menja and Saoirse quickly backed away and thankfully, the insects looked uninterested in pursuit. They gathered around the mirror in a squirming, oddly beautiful cloud.
• Soon, we had to set up camp and once again, we spend an overly long time gathering enough wood to dry ourselves at least a bit.
• This weather is pretty bad for foraging, too. We are burning through our rations and might need to spend some time hunting if we cannot resupply somewhere.

new hexes traversed = 10 XP
feature found = 50 XP

Jan 26, Friday; Cold winds, shooting star

• Today's travel went well until just after midday, when we drove our carts into a valley that turned out to be a dead end (#7.16) - the slopes so steep we could've hardly climbed out, let alone get the carts up there. And as things go, everything only went downhill when we turned around and found out that a trio of nightmarish creatures has settled down on our path.

3x Nightmare Spawn
HD 8, AC 8, AT giant weapon (2 dmg), ML +1

• They have already noted our presence by the time we managed to stop the carts and we needed to get through them anyway. Grim, we prepared for a fight that might well be our last. There are more of us than last week, but we only fought and fell one of these things and barely avoided death. How many of us will be done for by this nightfall, should we even win this fight?
• But then Cori told us to wait and hold back. She wants to talk to them first.
• We were all rather taken aback, but before some sense could've been talked into her, she called out to them in a soul-chilling language I've never heard before and do not wish to hear again. But the horrors responded in the same tongue and engaged in a lively chat with Cori, to our bewildered fascination.

Reaction: Bored. Wants to chat.

 

"They will let us though," Cori said, smiling slightly.

Nissa, Brenna and Maera started talking one over another:

"How did you-"

"What was that?!"

"They could've killed you!"

But all fell silent when Saoirse spat on the ground and then said something in broken Tradertalk, eyeing Cori with open disgust.

"What the fourteen hells is her problem?" Maera challenged, but already Saoirse's three companions were questioning her.

"She says that the language you used, Cori, was Logro," Brenna translated, hesitant. She was the only one of the Rogues who spoke Tradertalk.

Chani turned to cast a dark look at Cori.

"Yes," she said, her Amazon heavily accented, "the speech of Chaos-monsters and their butt-lickers."

"Shut your fucking mouth, foreigner!" Brenna hissed.

Fenja and Menja stepped forward, hands on the hilts of their weapons. The tone was obvious even if they didn't understand the words.

"Yes, it was," Cori said, voice small.

"Cori!"

"But I am no cultist. I-"

Saoirse said something and the shipwrecked four chuckled, while Brenna's face turned flushed and angry. She started to say something back, but Maera grabbed her shoulder and stepped between the two groups.

"Have you all forgotten that we are standing some fifty paces away from three creatures that could crush us like overripe cantaloupes if they so wished? Cori says they will let us through, so lets not give them a reason to change their minds. Get the carts moving, now!"

• After that heart-wrenching brush with sudden death, we drove further until several hours after sundown, when we all finally agreed that the gigantic horrors are unlikely to follow us. (#6.17)
• We set camp and started a fire, mood tense and dark. We sat around the fire and Cori talked about her family, who indeed were worshippers of Chaos. But then conflicts with other cultists escalated until her whole family was murdered and Cori - still a small girl back then - escaped both the murderers and the cult only because everyone thought she was among the dead when they set fire to their house.
• She fled to Odawara and left her past behind, hopefully never to be troubled by it again.
• A fight nearly broke out when we tried to comfort her and the shipwrecked four kept throwing accusations in their funny foreign accents, but Maera negotiated a truce.
• Nobody slept well.

new hexes traversed = 20 XP

Jan 27, Saturday; Icy & cloudy

• Our foraging attempts are going poorly, so our stockpiles of rations are taking a severe beating. After yesterday's exhausting events, we've decided to stay put for a day and hunt. It will also do us some good to split the party for a bit.
• From our retainers, only Gwen and Bronwyn deigned to join us on the hunt, but that still meant ten people out in the forest, so we formed three hunting parties: Maera, Nissa and Gwen; Cori, Brenna and Bronwyn; and lastly the shipwrecked girls. The latter four have resisted any mention of being split, with Saoirse casting dark glances at Cori.
• The hunting didn't go well.
• Of the three groups, the shipwrecked four have returned the latest, having come across some outriders from Eklo.

4x Amazon: HD 1, AC 7, AT spear or bow, ML +1
4x Lizard: HD 4, AC 8, AT bite
Reaction: Offers a challenge of drinking skills.

• Fenja and Menja were talked into drinking with the Amazons and while they kept the pace for a while, they were woefully outmatched by the Amazons' leader. At least they didn't embarrass themselves, unlike one of the Amazons who passed out and threw up.
• They have also decided to take advantage of the Amazons' presence and invited them into the camp. When we all returned with our meagre quarry - just several rabbits - Chani has presented their new plan to the gathered group - take Cori as a prisoner and return with her to the temple of C'ro, where it can be determined whether she collaborated with the forces of Chaos and what her punishment shall be. The Amazons, while technically bandits in the eyes of Odawaran authorities, were still followers of Law and thus an added muscle on the Shipwrecked side.
• The Rogues have rallied in defence of Cori and some terse words were exchanged. In the end, after a lot of shouting and a lot of arguing, the party was split completely and permanently.
• The Shipwrecked took one cart and went along with the Amazons back westwards, while the Rogues took the second cart and stubbornly vowed to push further east. Glynn and Aerea the heavy footwomen have decided to join the Shipwrecked, but mostly to get back to civilisation. This camping in the cold and meeting dragons and Chaos-spawn is not for them after all. Deryn the cart driver along with Gwen and Bronwyn have, however, decided to stick with the Rogues, Gwen even staunchly arguing in Cori's favour - as she said, Cori did save all of their lives.
• We kept a single camp, but both sides put multiple people on guard duty. Nissa even tried to sleep in her armour.

Jan 28, Sunday; Icy & cloudy, meteor shower

• We continued east to get some miles between us and the traitorous foreigners. By later afternoon, we've finally found a pass through the mountains, turning north. (#6.18, #5.18)
• We set camp in a clearing surrounded by windfallen trees, offering us a bounty of firewood. Unfortunately, sitting by the evening fire, we were also dining on some of our last rations and rather dour for this predicament.
• Tomorrow, our footwomen along with Maera and Nissa will go on another hunt to procure some food, while Cori and Brenna will take the mounts to explore ahead and see if there is not some place to resupply properly.

new hexes traversed = 20 XP
feature found = 50 XP