Kritr gets enameled alaricite gauntlets from Clearlake Climbing Harness.

Asher checked dexterity + legerdemain at difficulty 15, rolling 42 higher.

It is early evening, and a chill wind blows through the lowlands as the group makes their way into Gal Ternith. A few torches are lit, but a think vaporous mist hangs over the land. The silhouette of a couple of guards, poorly equipped stand at the entrance to the town. As the group approaches, they notice that one guard eats from a bowl of stew, while the other smokes a long stemmed pipe.

"Eh?" says the large fellow devouring the soup, still chewing. "Who goes there?" His companion sets down her pipe, and takes up her spear, pulling a horn from her belt in preparation to sound the alarm.

"Lady Clara Crovane." Clara answers simply, white eyes scanning the two men, looking for what weapons they have on them, what they are wearing, and similar. Less of not trusting them and more of a natural thing that she does. "We are here ta see Frida."

Kritr has tirelessly trekked the distance. His only pauses were to listen to the wind, or when he spotted some animal in the distance. He has spent the time thinking upon his role, both in the current endeavor and the longterm future. For now, he seems comfortable being a smallish bear behind Clara, letting her lead.

Mikani is riding next to Clara being that she and Clara have been working on learning (Clara) and teaching (Mikani) Marin'alfar. Mikani has her hood pulled up over her head though she does have her mask down for her face to be seen even in the obscured light. She smiles warmly at the guard and lets Clara make the introductions, though she does keep her eyes alert for signs of ill will.


For his part, Asher is trying to look like a tough, standing behind Clara. Kritr does a much better job, but Asher has the more lithe aspect down. Perhaps he would be a mountain lion, if Kritr is a bear? Either way. He's prepared to get some bloody work done, if need be. Hopefully not.


Oili is happy to stand in the back once more. The resident tough guys are close at hand if necessary and the ladies Crovane are vanguarding as bastions of authority. This suits the older shaman out of Aviaron just fine. On the way she stops to pick up flowers and grasses along the road before placing them in a pouch for safe keeping.

Oili checked perception + survival at difficulty 30, rolling 28 higher.

"Lady Clara Crovane?" says the big fellow with a thick red beard. He is dressed in heavy furs that have been poorly made, and shoddily tied to his body. Pushed through his belt is a large club. He glances at his companion, a bit unsure of how to proceed.

"M'lady," replies the second guard, dressed in far better crafted furs and leather armor. She bows her head to Clara. "I's Colleen and this be Angus. Werner said you might be comin'. Welcome. It's a cold night, an' we ain't got much to offer, but Frida's home ain't far, and we can help 'ee find it."


Pepper stays silent for now. Taking her part and posistion in the group. She keeps her gaze alert, silencer at her side, but stays silent and listens as the others talk.

Clara watches them both with her white eyes for a moment. "Aye, Lady Clara Crovane." She repeats to Angus. "A pleasure ta meet ya Colleen an' Agnus. Helpin' us find Frida's home would be more than enough help fer the moment." She looks around at everyone else and then back to the guards. "Please, lead the way."

Mikani nods as she readies and follows to Frida's house.

Kritr remains silent, letting Clara take point. Nothing strikes him as odd about the village so far, so he falls into place behind her on the way to Frida's house.


Right behind Clara, Asher passes into the village while giving Colleen a wink. He may be working, but that doesn't mean he can't flirt with random strangers!

Asher checked charm + seduction at difficulty 15, rolling 1 lower.


Once night fell, Oili was careful to stay with the group. Now is no different as she falls into line with the group entering the town. Passing by Colleen and Angus, she smiles at them.

Noticing Colleen bow, Angus also turns to bow to Clara and the group awkwardly, spilling a bit of the soup on his fingers, and quickly sucking them so as to let nothing go to waste. Colleen sighs. She slips her horn into her belt, and smiles slightly to Asher before saying to Clara. "Aye, m'lady. Please follow me."

The group is led through a ring of homes that appear more newly built. Candles and hearths show some light inside the dwellings, and some members of various families can be seen through the glassy windows favored in Crovane lands.

Many of the newer dwellings, however, seem to be in disrepair. They have sagging roofs, and broken doors. Mold and moss cover their porches and grow on their lintels. Angus and Colleen lead the group to the inner circle of homes, which seem older, though the door that they stride up to seems well kept.

Colleen knocks three times loudly, and says, "Mistress Frida! Lady Crovane and her group've come." A few moments latter and a bent, aged woman appears and opens the door. Her hair is grey, and her teeth are few, but there is a warmth in her dark eyes, and a sincere smile on her face. "Gods and spirits, ye came!" she says, and waves the group inside. "Come in, come in!" She slowly opens the door and steps aside so that all may enter the large open house's great central room, where a fire burns in the northern hearth, and beside it, a young girl lies wrapped in furs. Sweat cover her face, as well as large, red and painful looking boils.

Kritr makes sure to shake any clinging snow or ice from his furs before stepping inside. He remains the stoic, heeding Clara's lead. He is the strong silent type. Fortuniately, he's not actually trying to intimidate anyone. Yet.


Surely there was something about following the leader. A nursery rhyme or song or something that children could sing when they are silly with play. But well everyone here was an adult, and they were focusing on serious business. So of course Pepper kept her lips sealed, though there was a hint of a smile on her lips, both in greeting and in reflection of a momentary thought. She nods to the Colleen and Angus. As they were lead along, the playful demeanor change, and her serious face return when the door was knocked on.

Clara smiles at Angus as he spills some of his soup and cleans it up with his mouth. She doesn't seem bothered by it at all. Just amused. She moves through the town, eyes taking in the buildings that are in disrepair. "What happened?" She inquires before reaching Frida's house. She dismounts her horse and enters into the old woman's home. "Thank ya, Mistress Frida." She comes in and looks over the girl immediately, keeping her hands to herself while she tries to investigate the illness a little closer. "What more can ya tell me about this condition?" She asks Frida.

Clara checked intellect + medicine at difficulty 30, rolling 9 higher.


Asher didn't expect to get any real response from the woman that he winked at. And he didn't get much. So, that was expected. What wasn't expected, was the newer dwellings having been... Destroyed, basically. Asher takes a small detour, holding out a finger to the group as if to say he'll be one minute. Heading over to one of the porches, he attempts to examine the mold and moss, but from a small distance. Maybe he can determine what these plants are, that grow so quickly.

"It's been gettin' worse, m'lady," replies Colleen to Clara as they pass by the abandoned homes. "Was once lots a folk commin' from Stormwall, but after the wasting disease and the bog," she shakes her head.

Angus eyes Kritr when he steps inside Frida's home, probably trying to judge who's the stronger; however, he contents himself with lifting his bowl to his lips and swallowing down the last of his soup. "Got any more food, Mistriss Frida?" asks Angus. As he's standing outside, Frida doesn't hear him. She comes to kneel beside the girl as Clara looks her over. "Me poor granddaughter," says Frida, brushing her gnarled fingers over the young girls forehead, careful to avoid the boils. The girl breathes shallowly; her eyes are closed. "It started five days ago, an' 'as only gotten worse. It's the same disease that killed her parents... that killed me son..." Frida's voice cracks, and her lips quivers as she gazes down at her granddaughter.

Kritr lets Clara deal with the people as he instead examines the house. He looks at the plants, the ashes in the fireplace, the wood stacked next to it. It is possible this is not a plague but a toxin brought in by plants. If he finds any plants he doesn't recognize he'll note them. Mold and spores can cause sickness too, not just plague. "Just the two houses with sickness? No one else?"


Oili eyes the buildings they pass. She's content to walk along behind everyone else. When Asher runs off to look at one, she eyes him as he does so. When they reach the curve in the street, she stops here. Reaching into the folds of the cloak around her shoulders, she pulls out a wolf talen and starts to twirl it between her fingers.

Kritr checked perception + survival at difficulty 35, rolling 1 lower.

Oili checked mana + occult at difficulty 30, rolling 25 higher.

Clara looks over the girl with a professional eye but likewise with empathy. "I'm sorry yer not feelin' well." She tells the girl before looking to Frida. "I was told the sickness has hit two families here. Yers an' another." She looks around at her peers. "Anyone good with findin' specific herbs? I need this specific plant to treat her an' help with the pain." She describes the plants to them. Then she's looking back to Frida. "There anythin' the two families have in common?"

Frida's dark eyes rest on Clara. "Have in common? Ain't got a common ancestor so far as I know, m'lady, if that's what you mean. They don't work in the same fields neither. It's just..." Whatever's on her mind, she seems reluctant to share.

Mikani checked charm + empathy at difficulty 30, rolling 17 lower.

Clara checked charm + empathy at difficulty 30, rolling 8 lower.

Pepper checked charm + empathy at difficulty 30, rolling 5 lower.

Asher checked perception + survival at difficulty 35, rolling 7 lower.

Kritr is certain he can find what Clara is looking for. "I will find it." He says out loud. He steps out of the room so that there isn't an intimidating presence keeping them from confiding. He looks down the street to make eye contact with Oili. He points to the forest. "Special herb." He says simply, expecting she will understand what he means.

Oili checked intellect + survival at difficulty 15, rolling 19 higher.

Kritr checked perception + survival at difficulty 15, rolling 21 higher.

Mikani looks at Frida, "Is there a historical connection? Like something the families did? Or a feud?" Mikani the ever romantic book reader knows that curses start with star crossed families.

Pepper checked perception + survival at difficulty 20, rolling 15 higher.

Clara considers the woman before her for a moment. "I'm not gonna judge ya." She kneels down next to the kid and keeps talking to Frida. "Did the families happen ta enter inta an agreement with the Spirits at some point? I've heard stories of strange things happenin' when a geas is entered into with the Spirits."


"Hmm." Asher does his look over things, and though he feels that something is... Off... He doesn't know what. Nothing seems too odd here. Aside from new houses having moss and mold. Oh well. He's then off to to house where the others are, strolling in. "Sorry about that. Wanted to check something."


Kritr comes upon Oili grabbing at her neck and rubbing it uncomfortably as if she had been choked up until that point. Turning towards the cabin, she nods at him. "Already have it." She finds her way to Frida's house and steps inside. A nod is given to Clara. "I'll make the herb ready." She stalks over towards the fireplace and pulls the herb out of the pouch, stretching it thin and holding it over the heat until it starts to taper. A small stone mortar and rock like pestle is pulled out of the pouch and placed on the floor. Grinding it into a dust capable of being used in medicine, she hands the stone bowl over to Clara when done. "That won't fix it." A small comment, made as an aside to Clara.

Frida's eyes buldge at Mikani when she speaks. Her hand shakes, but a murmur from her granddaughter refocuses her attention. "Can't say I know nothin' of the spirits, m'lady. Ain't a shaman - and I thank the spirits for that much. Our last shaman wars corrupted..." the last sentence is barely breathed from the aged woman's mouth.

Clara checked intellect + medicine at difficulty 30, rolling 10 higher.

"Aye, it won' fix it." Clara agrees. "But it will take away some of her pain an' at least that much we can do fer now. Her organs are shuttin' down. Probably in part because of the fever bein' so high. The herb will help reduce the fever an' hopefully stabalize the girl fer the moment. She looks to Frida. "Yer gonna have ta be forthcomin' with us if ya want us ta help ya. I need ta know everythin'." Once she has the herb she pulls from her bag a mortar and pestle and starts muddling and griding the herbs. She pours in some sort of oil and mixes it in. It takes her a little while to get the herbs together into a sticky paste that she begins applying to the girl's body.

Kritr nods to Oili. "Not enough." Is his terse explanation the purpose of that herb is going to require large amounts. He gestures for Pepper to follow him and leads the way back out of the village. He spotted some promising copses of trees not too far off, and with a wary eye on the surrounds, he explains to Pepper where the most likely place to find the herb is. Finding such things in winter is harder than usual. A downed rotting log provides the heat necessary to let the herb grow, but it is not a fungus they are looking for.

Mikani figures that means her guess is either spot on or way off but doesn't want to make Frida more uncomfortable. So she stands listening for any other clues that might help to come up with an answer.


Pepper watches Clara as she does what Clara does. She keeps an observant eye on both the those that have the ailment. She gives a friendly smile. She looks to Clara, "I would be happy to help how I can," She smiles at Kritr. "An extra pair of eyes and hands won't hurt now," She smiles. She then heads out of the hut and places her hands on her hips as she lets her gaze wander around the area. Seeing Oili come back with a herb she smiles, and while it seems what is needed has likely been found, Pepper doesn't mind making herself potentially usefull for now. She starts combing the local fungi, mosses, and herbs for anything that might be further useful. Pepper was always one that preferred to be over prepared than under. And Kritr seemed to feel more would be needed. She follows him towards where the herb would be and listens to his explainations. She searches as well, not afraid to get her hands dirty. If anyone was ~really~ listening they would hear her speaking out loud. "It has blue spots, perfect," and a small pocket book appeared from under her cloak as she read it. "Spongy, green, smells like..." and a sputtering of disgusted coughing after she tested some for the flavor described in the text. "That one is not ready yet."


Finding that people are trying to save a little girl, Asher mumbles something about alchemy and him not being useful in that regard. However, he does take a look around the home. Is there anything - anything at all - that seems out of place? The supernatural can occur in the weirdest situations.

Kritr lets Pepper do the bulk of the searching. It's near dark and they are in the hinterlands. He listens and watches for anything that might take advantage of that situation. He occasionally points out a promising place for Pepper to look. Before long, he is carrying a satchel full of whatever Pepper handed him, and heading back with her to the village.

The girl stirs and whimpers a little as Clara applies the paste. Frida winces, and nearly moves to stop the white-eyed shaman of Crovane, but Aisling seems to relax, and Frida nods to Clara. "Fare enow' m'lady," she says in a low voice. She struggles to get to her feet, and slowly moves over to a drawer on the east wall of the house. She opens it, and removes a bottle of whiskey, removing the cork with her good teeth which remain. She takes a long drink, and offers the bottle to Clara. Her dark eyes move from Oili, to Mikani, to Asher and Clara. "There's a curse on some that live 'ere, but it's affected us all by now. Our old shaman was caught practicing blood magic. She was cursed, and cast out fur betrayin' us all. Then she cursed us in return: especially the families she found responsible."

Clara checked composure at difficulty 15, rolling 5 higher.

Clara takes a deeeeep breath and then claims the whiskey for a polite swig. "Thanks." She says before handing it back. She looks to the woman's face. "Do ya know where this woman practiced her blood magic? An' are there any areas sacred to the Spirits around here where we might be able ta speak with them?"

"Like I said, I ain't a shaman, so I don't know nothin' about the spirits, save to stay away from the bog," says Frida, not making eye contact with Clara. "It's an evil place, and that's where Magira is. I's sure of it."

Kritr checked perception at difficulty 10, rolling 6 higher.

Pepper checked perception at difficulty 10, rolling 4 higher.

Pepper checked perception + occult at difficulty 30, rolling 40 higher.


Oili packs up her tools as Clara explains the purpose of the herb. She nods, "Yeah, but it won't fix it." As if offering some form of explanation, Oili uses a hand to indicate the area around them. Packed, she stands as the old woman reveals more of the towns past. It's another corrupted shaman, because of course it is, and Oili shudders quietly near the fireplace. "Magira, if that's what we're calling her, is already here woman." Wiping her face, she looks over at Frida. "How was she cursed? You said she was cursed, so you threw her out."

Kritr checked mana + occult at difficulty 20, rolling 22 higher.

Mikani checked composure at difficulty 15, rolling 7 lower.

Mikani checked composure + performance at difficulty 15, rolling 7 higher.


Asher has no idea what's going on in here, to be honest. Magira is here? What does that even mean? Whatever it -does- mean, he's got a ready hand on the hilt of his dagger. As if cold steel would do much against the supernatural. Well, it might, in fact. Who knows?

Mikani wraps her arms around her and turns from the group so they can't see the tears slip from her eyes. Her ears are still open as she listens but she doesn't want them to see her crying. She is quickly able to pull pull her mask over her face.


Pepper searching for the herbs, blinks and looks up from her spot. Something has caught her attention and she blinks. What herbs she has in her hands she sets them aside, to be collected as they were needed. She has no hesistation, at least in what action she needs to do next. She walks carefully, almost in attempts to not startle something. "Kritr, take care, stick close if possible," She walks back to where she had seen Clara last in the hut. Staying outside, keeping her eyes on the area that had her attention. She kept blinking, as if trying to see something. "Lady Clara, we need someone that can see out here, Something isn't right."

Kritr lets Pepper precede him through the village. He lingers by the entrance back to the wilds. When he finally returns to Frida's house, it is full dark, and his gaze is equally dark, light brown eyes sparks against beneath a lowered brow. He enters the building just in time to hear the tale end of Frida's explanation about blood magic. "Spirits are restless." He informs the gathering. "Something stalks the village. Not spirit. Not human either. Salt on the boundaries. Garlic on the lintel." He says, having looked over the contents of the house already, he moves to take these things from Frida's stores. "We will have to seek it out. Protection will last only a very short time." If at all.

"Aye, but I am a Shaman an' what ya do know might help us figure out how ta save the girl. I don' want ta skip any thin' I can think of so I'm askin' a lot of questions." Clara nods her head in understanding to the woman. "Perhaps if we find this Magira we will learn more." She looks to Oili. "Aye, I know it won' fix it. But the girl feels better now an' won' be dyin' as fast or painfully. It will buy us some time ta try an' save her life. An' given that I see an' hear ghosts I think it is wise that we don' let her become one." She repeats before washing her hands. She's been so focused on questioning the woman and tending the girl that she hasn't much paid mind to the supernatural aspects that might be directly around them. For a moment she listens to what Oili asks and waits for the answer but then Pepper comes in and she nods her head. "Show me." She looks to Pepper and Kritr, pausing for one second to see what the woman has to say to Oili.

Mikani volunteers to go out because well she doesn't want to cry inside around Frida.

A pained look comes over Frida's face, and she takes another long drink from the whiskey bottle when Clara hands it back to her. When Oili asks how Magira was cursed, Frida moves over and leans her bent body against the hearth. "It was because of the bog. In the early days of the settlement, things were going well. Then... many began to disappear - children, mostly, but then adults too. We found some of their bodies in the bog. Their faces looked... scared."

Frida takes another long drink of whiskey. "Magira was our shaman. She turned her back on the Old Ways and performed blood magic to seal whatever was at the bog." She spits into the fire, and turns to look at her granddaughter. Clara's paste seems to have eased the girl's suffering tremendously. "We cast her out after that. But she was changed the moment she used the magic..."

Kritr gestures for Pepper and Clara to go ahead of him, that he will catch up.

Mikani takes a glass paned iron lantern from Black Leather Holster Hip Bag with Crimson Accents.

Mikani takes a glass paned iron lantern from Black Leather Holster Hip Bag with Crimson Accents.


"Sounds a bit like she turned to the Abyss for more strength. And then..." Asher frowns a bit. "Blood magic just means you're using blood - life - to make what you're doing stronger. Dame Katriane used blood magic to destroy the physical form of an Archfiend, centuries ago. The blood she used was her own." He clicks his tongue a bit. "But turning to the Abyss? Corrupts you. Lots of power... Lots of evil." He frowns a bit, and looks to Frida. "None of this was your fault. Casting her out was the right thing to do."


Oili nods at Frida. "It sounds like we'll have to deal with this creature and the bog." It seems like she has more to say about the shaman, but she stops short. "I have a feeling one of us should watch this house." She finds a stool around the room and sits it down near the door. "Go on. I'll deal with it if it comes back here." She might also just not want to get out in the cold night.

"But now me granddaughter is suffering for it," replies Frida to Asher. Her lip quivers. "Ain't there anything you can do against this black magic?" she says hoarsely. "Why have the gods and spirits forsaken us, eh? For bringing Magira? 'S not fair. 'T ain't fair!" Her body seems exhausted, and she slumps into a nearby chair, and takes another long pull from the whiskey bottle.

Kritr breaks the garlic into cloves, puts those above the lintel, and carries a handful of salt to line the gate. He looks at Oili. "May still be bad magic here, carrying the curse. The hunter could not come past the gate." To Frida, Kritr commands: "Do as Oili says. Search for anything that may belong to Magira." At least that gives Oili and Friday something to do other than fret. His precautions may be hopeless at actually protecting the village, but guards and the sick may take hope at seeing something done. Shamanism, two parts showmanship, one part understanding. One that is done, he takes a torch the village can spare and sets out after the other shamans.

Kritr checked command + propaganda at difficulty 15, rolling 122 higher. Kritr rolled a critical!


Pepper waits until Clara is ready, and smiles with Mikani's assistance with her lantern. "Where we we picking the herbs... Mist... I am sure it was a spirit of some sort. But it seemed... off. No more that off... it didn't seem like what I know... it seemed wrong." She listend to Frida and the others talk she starts to delv into her thoughts. She looks to Clara, "it showed over here." She points the direction she came from. Towards that set of trees that they had found just outside the village.


"Bad things happen. To everyone. Were it not true, we would not know good from bad. Nothing would be brighter than anything else; life would have no meaning." Asher frowns softly, hands on his hips, looking to the sick girl. "My cousin is Aureth, Legate of the Lost. He knows Death. Personally, I'm told. This? It's not natural. Which is why we're here. Someone does evil, so good folks arrive. One favored of Death," he notes about Clara, "leading the pack. The big man is a great warrior in his own right. Pepper there, bookish, incredibly intelligent. And the other woman there, she's quite the survivalist. And I know the underbelly of society. If any group can help you, it's us. We're here." A glance to Frida. "She'll wake up and be okay. After a time. I'm certain of it." With that, he's pushing out the door, to see if he can't help wrangle people into helping... But apparently, this is Kritr's thing to do. So instead, he'll be moving to the rest of the group to see what's going on there.

Angus watches as Kritr moves about with cloves and garlic. "That for Magira?" he asks, with his large, meaty hands resting on his hips. Colleen says, "if there's aught I can do t' help..."

Inside the house, Frida slowly rises from her seat at Kritr's command. "There's nothing in this house that would've been Magira's. Her cottage rested closest to the bog, but it was burnt some years ago by the Aegletons. Only one of 'em alive now though." Nevertheless, she begins to search through shelves and old wooden trunks she hadn't opened in many a year, making sure that there's nothing remaining from Magira's time, while Kritr takes up a torch and moves to the follow the other shamen.

Mikani holds the lantern as they walk together. She holds it high enough for the group to see the ground before them. Her eyes look for something. "You are right this doesn't feel good. Smells off too." She murmurs.

With her diamondplate axe in one hand and a lantern in the other, Clara follows Pepper. When she gets to where Pepper leads them she attempts to search through the area to see if she can find what Pepper is talking about.

Clara checked mana + occult at difficulty 30, rolling 27 higher.

Asher checked wits + empathy at difficulty 25, rolling 2 lower.

Kritr checked perception + survival at difficulty 40, rolling 34 higher.

Clara checked perception + survival at difficulty 40, rolling 19 lower.

Asher checked perception + survival at difficulty 40, rolling 4 lower.

Pepper checked perception + survival at difficulty 40, rolling 19 lower.

Clara checked stamina + survival at difficulty 30, rolling 6 lower.

Mikani checked perception + survival at difficulty 40, rolling 9 higher.

Pepper checked stamina + survival at difficulty 30, rolling 19 lower.

Mikani checked stamina + survival at difficulty 30, rolling 3 lower.

Asher checked stamina + survival at difficulty 30, rolling 4 higher.

Kritr checked stamina + survival at difficulty 30, rolling 18 higher.


Teeth chittering, Pepper leads the group forward. Bundling herself in her cloak to keep as warm as she can and trying to disrupt the frost that was well to close to home for her. She notes the tree stump and the pile of herbs she left behind. "H..Hh... Here." She stutters, looking to the group. She grabs her stack of herbs and puts them away for Clara. She points to where she saw the mist originally. "The m..m..moo...n...light it was c..clearly... here."

Kritr is following after Pepper, Clara and Asher. He's not in a hurry to catch up, just keeping their lantern in sight and trudging tirelessly after them. He shifts his furs over his shoulders, well prepared for cold weather but perhaps not enjoying the clammy damp. His attention shifts to the wind and just as it dies he notices a branch still moving, but without a breeze to bend it. He picks up his stride, from a trudge to a stomp, then a charge. He is loosening his axe from his beltloops even as something solidifies out of the mist before him. "ICEDROPPINGS! CLARA!" His bass voice booms he hurls the axe at the pursuer and, without trusting to his success continues charging forward into a flying tackle.

Kritr checked dexterity at difficulty 40, rolling 12 lower.

Kritr checked dexterity + brawl at difficulty 40, rolling 1 lower.

Mikani shivers as she presses her free hand under her armpit to keep it warm as she holds the lantern up. She looks around where Pepper points and when Kritr calls out she readies her axe to throw.

Mikani wields Rhapsody's Requiem Diamond Plate Ingi Axes.

Mikani checked dexterity + small wpn at difficulty 40, rolling 6 lower.

"This isn't going to work." Clara offers to the others. "Half of us are goin' ta freeze ta death in this weather." Then something strange is happening, Krit is yelling and everything is suddenly very combaty. Instead of trying to hit whatever is attacking, Clara simply attempts to defend and dodge whatever is incoming.

Mikani growls as her axe is loosed at the persuer but is wide on the mark. Good thing she has a second one that she pulls into her hand and readies for a closer attack.


It's cold; thankfully his leather armor has fur inside. It keeps him earm enough. He doesn't like this, but still... And then, there's Kritr, yelling. It doesn't stress Asher at all, but the sound of the axe being thrown? That gets Asher to straighten up and look over, trying to find the target that Kritr saw. He steps out of the lantern light so that he can try to see it better, while pulling his dagger from its sheathe at his belt.

A figure races from out of the mists coming from the northwest. If not for Kritr's warning, he'd have been upon the group in an instant. The warrior bellows, and launches his axe, and then dives after the approaching attacker. The axe flies past the figure, and, though Kritr can not get a firm hold of them, he is close enough to grab hold of their cloak, pulling them to the ground with a thud. A flash of steel glints in the lantern light, revealing a half-rusted dagger.

Asher checked dexterity + small wpn at difficulty 20, rolling 29 higher.

Rysen GM Roll checked dex(4) + small wpn(3) at difficulty 30, rolling 3 higher.

Kritr checked dexterity + brawl at difficulty 30, rolling 1 higher.

Clara checked dexterity + medium wpn at difficulty 20, rolling 33 higher.

Mikani checked dexterity + small wpn at difficulty 20, rolling 18 higher.


It takes little for Pepper to act, She raises Silencer, and though it is dark takes careful aim. She takes a deep breath, and tries to still her trembling limbs from the cold. Her arrow knocked and ready to fly should any new threat become apparent. She would let the men, handle theirs for now. Her attention was on alert should anything else come towards them.

Kritr is larger, swathed in furs, and for a moment, he buries the smaller man under a mountain of flesh. The struggle of limbs is hidden beneath the bouncing furs for a moment until Kritr allows the smaller man an inch and he attempts to take a mile. Sinews and muscle strain as Kritr attempts to subdue the man.


Kritr seems to have most of the things under control - but tetanus is a bitch, so if the smaller man is able to even scratch Kritr, it could be pretty bad. So the dagger that Asher has drawn? It's flung at the rusted blade held by the person on the ground, making them ricochet off each other, but more importantly disarming them. Then he's rushing in, to try and help with holding the person down. No rope, after all.

Mikani takes a calming breath before she throws her second axe into the fray. With her axes and her daggers she is a fairly skilled marksman and this felt good after the biff with the other axe. This one dug it's way into the man on the ground deep. Though he would probably live from the wound. At least it might stop him from attacking Kritr or pulling away from Asher.

When Clara doesn't have to dodge anything she only needs a second to react before she is changing tactics and switching to the offensive. "Krit!" The knife in the thing's hand is gone, Mika attacked with her own axe, and as Clara comes down to take off it's head she thinks better of it and instead twists her axe so that the flat of the axe cracks the guy in the head, knocking him out in a single, well placed blow. It's a good hit but with how little skin is showing beneath Krit and Asher it was also a risky shot, no doubt possibly scaring the absolute crap out of one or both of them. "Everyone okay!?" The white eyed Shaman looks down at them all and starts trying to figure out who's blood is whos. Where had her lantern gone? She must have dropped it somewhere and not even realized it.

The cloak falls away from the figure's face in the struggle with Kritr, revealing pale skin and lank blonde hair. The man emits a piercing shriek of pain when Mikani's axe bites his flesh. "Why are you here!?" He screams in Kritr's face, saliva frothing from his mouth. "WE ARE THE DISEASE!!" Clara's axe smashes his head, and he slumps forward on top of Kritr, unconscious.

There is an ominous swirl of mist, but all else is silent.

Kritr is uninjured. He tests the reactions of the captured man, hand dropping with a comatose thump on the ground. "Well. This one was waiting for us. I think there will be more." He does actually have rope on hand. How else do you rig a deadfall, or a snare. In this case, leather straps will do to bind the man's hand behind his back. "Will he live?" He asks Clara as he checks to see where his snare strips are stashed in his satchel.


Asher is similarly uninjured, and he's off to go searching the immediate area for his dagger. And Clara's axe, if he can find it. "I don't like it. Either rabid, or... Possessed by Petrichor's opposite's minion." He shudders some. "There will certainly be more. Form up as much as we can... Expect an ambush."

Mikani shakes her head and laughs under her breath as she goes to retrieve her axes and cleans them off before putting them back in their sheathes. Her dark eyes look into the fog. Kritr was right, there will be more. There was always more.

Mikani is overheard praising Kritr.

Mikani is overheard praising Clara.

Mikani is overheard praising Pepper.

"Perhaps we go back tonight." Kritr suggests. "Better to face the darkness when the sun is up."


"The dagger... I think that's important!" Pepper says, the words leaving her mouth before she really has the chance to think about them

Clara has her axe! She used it to thump a man. "Aye, he'll live... but we won't if we don' get out of this cold." She looks happy everyone is okay if nothing else as she finds her lantern and helps look for missing items.

Mikani looks over at Asher, "Hey you wanna grab the dagger for Pepper to look at. I'm sure she will want to get her hands on it." Mika says. Of course she would love to see it too but Pepper did call dibs.