(IC) Quickleaf's Rime of the Frostmaiden

[VLAD the Destroyer]

Logrim looks up with a start at Zeth speaking. He had been so ingrossed in his work that he'd not seen the man sit. He smiles at his interest.

"Oh it's going to be a bear like one of the great white ones that roam the Sea of Moving Ice. I'm hoping to make it growl."

He continues to work as he talks.

"I'm Logrim and that's Ludo"

Logrim hitches a thumb at the construct that has been staring intently at Zeth since he sat down.

"Ignore him he's just protective. What's your name."

 

[Neurotic]

The gnome moves towards a table that suddenly clears of patrons and takes a seat. The construct looms over him. The gnome seems to finally sense the stares and turns to the beast.

”Ludo lay down. Your making everyone nervous.”

The construct makes a very cat like turn around then settles onto the floor next to the gnomes chair. The gnome smiles at Ludo and pats its head. He then looks around for the barkeep. Spotting him he waves him over.

”Sir, an ale when you have a moment.”

Lumrolur calls out in gnomish

Spoiler: Gnomish language

"Boy, come join this band of misfits. Don't scare off good patrons of the bar. And settle the dog somewhere aside."

He chuckles.
"I have had an extremely bad week."
His chuckles continue, then turn into weak laughter as he leans back in his chair.
"Worse things at sea, worse things at sea."

Lumrolur noticed the wizard when he came in, but didn't pay much attention to him, just another down-on-his-luck traveler, even if he has some magical ability. But again, so did the rogue. But the comment of bad luck? That got his attention...but he kept it to a hissing fit, maybe...just maybe...heard by those at the table.
"Bad week. Baad weeek! What do you know about it, you spoiled surface human? What could be so bad when you're still whole and unwounded just the environmental trouble for your 'bad week'? You think you have it bad...how about..."
The voice, even that whispering one changes, slows down, deepens
"<torture him, show him what's a bad week>"
then returns to 'normal' "...you lose your whole life, disfigured, sent to this weird place where general flora and fauna don't try to kill you."
and again the deeper one
"<show him what a hook horror does to people>"
The tirade seemed to want to go on, but one sip of the ale resulted in random splashing over the mouth and into the nose, causing a coughing fit. Maybe the anger apparent in the lines caused him to pull the mug too hard toward his face. But the gnome seems to gather himself and falls again into a sullen silence, the eye above the black scar looking red, bloody from the inside, almost glowing with intensity. The redness recedes after a minute of glaring around.

 

[domminniti]

Russet Ghostfur
Russet gives Scramsax the international gesture for "another beer for the gnome next to me, pronto"
This little guy is highly sprung! He aint event said thanks for his ale, but some fellah comes in for a grumble and a drink and he's jumping down his throat like that! Either he needs another drink to calm down a bit... or rile him up and I get some more entertainment for the night.

The table of mercenaries are starting to get on his nerves. Their jokes and boisterous demeanour would usually be welcome in his current state of intoxication, but coming from mercenaries makes every noise and laugh grate on him. Their patron's smirk and air of superiority brings back memories he'd rather forget. Dispute himself he tries to overhear what they are talking about, as if to give him more reason to justify his growing annoyance.

He goes for another swig, but finds his cup empty, and signals for another.

 

[Quickleaf]

GM: @domminniti To eavesdrop on the Mintarn mercenaries, it's a bit tricky with all the noise, DC 12 Perception check. If you fail by 5+ (i.e. ≤7) then the mercenaries and/or their patron notice you eyeing them. Looks like the built-in forum roller was lost when the site had a big crash and moved to Xenforo. There's a good web-based roller for PbP that you can copy-paste from: CoyoteCode Dice Roller v. 2.0

 

[domminniti]

Perception check to listen in on the mercs

_: 1D20+1 = [18]+1 = 19

 

[Quickleaf]

GM POST

The mercenaries speak with heavy accents, but it's clear they're joking about a lady mage whom their patron seems familiar with (though he remains silent on the matter). This lady – whom they call the "one-eyed witch" set forth into the tundra with a dog sled and packbearers a tenday ago. They're crudely implying that her nights must get quite cold, and only those sled dogs to keep her warm. But one of them suggests she likes to dally with zombies, so she can just raise her packbearers as undead.

When their patron glances at them irritatedly, the men chuckle quietly but drop the topic. Moments later, they switch to the Illuskan language (Nordic) and begin carrying on in even more boisterous voices, only this time you can't catch anything they're discussing.

 

[Quickleaf]

GM POST

As the barkeep Scramsax keeps up with drink and food orders, he indicates to each of you that the white-haired battle-scarred dwarven matron would like a word with you, “Offering to buy you a drink too, just to hear her out. It’s about the murders.” Already an albino half-elf has joined the battle-scarred dwarf.

Once you gather around the long table, the dwarven matron gives you each a nod as she lights her pipe – silently acknowledging the tests you survived to reach Icewind Dale, a sign of respect between adventurers. “Hlin Trollbane,” she begins in a husky voice. “Before the murders, the only question on everyone’s mind was ‘when will summer return?’ Now the question is ‘who will be the killer’s next victim?’”

Gesturing to the half-elf, Hlin introduces her, “I already brought on Alma Ostergaard, a researcher who knows the skies. You’ll see why in a moment…”

Leaning over a map of Ten-Towns with a candle flickering nearby and a piece of sienna charcoal resting atop it, Hlin lays out the facts as she knows them. “Four cold-blooded murders have been committed in the last month. A halfling trapper in Easthaven, a human shipbuilder in Targos, a dwarf glassblower in Termalaine. And three days ago a human priest here in Bryn Shander. Each found with a dagger of ice through their heart, surrounded by frost patterns like constellations in the night sky.” She motions her pipe toward Alma Ostergaard to illustrate why her specialty may be helpful.

Hlin Trollbane pauses to suck on her pipe, ribbons of smoke reaching into the high ceiling. “The first three victims came from the only three towns that sacrifice folk to the Frostmaiden. This lottery is what passes for civilized behavior in Icewind Dale. Maybe the victims found a way to keep their names out of the drawings and were killed for it? The priest though – that occured here in Bryn Shander where there’s no such lottery… at least not yet.” She casts a scowl towards the pale-skinned woman and ebony-skinned man with badges of office engaged in a whispered debate.

“Only thread connecting the four deaths for certain is Torg’s – a merchant caravan that travels the Ten-Towns run by Torrga Icevein. The caravan was in Termalaine when the glassblower was killed, in Targos when the human shipbuilder was killed, in Easthaven when the halfling trapper was killed, and in Bryn Shander the night the human priest was killed.”

She allows a moment to let the facts sink in, pointing out the locations on the map. Ribbons of smoke curl from her mouth as she looks around the table.

“Though town Speakers are dragging their feet – no one wants to admit that the lottery could be rigged – several concerned citizens of means have put together a purse of 200 gold pieces to bring the killer to justice.” With a heavy sigh, Hlin opens one of her craggy hands in helplessness, “I’ve got my own bounties to track, and bad blood with Torrga Icevein besides. Solving a murder is beyond my scope, but mayhap adventurers like yourselves could lend a hand?”

 

[domminniti]

Russet Ghostfur

Russet listened keenly to the dwarf... at he tried to. Murders were simple. Find the baddie, bring em in. A bit of penance and some properly earned money is his pocket.

As Hiln marked the towns on the map, Russet marvelled at the perfection of the circles she created so nonchalantly out of chalk. Dwarves were wonderful creatures, so gruff and hardy, yet capable of great beauty, precision and elegance in their handiwork. His mind wandered to the works of dwarven craftmanship he had seen on his travels, the perfect geometry so different from the art found in his native land. He didn't deserve such happy memories, not after what he did to his friends. Wait, what did she say about the murders? Something about a lottery?

Russet thinks a moment, and interjects. Speaking extra slowly to avoid slurring his speech too much.

Wait a minute, you tell us there is only one bit of a clue, and that points straight to this Torgaa what you have bad blood with. I should know a set up when I see one! You get a bunch of rubes [glance to Mak, and Logrim] and scary looking sellswords [glances at Zeth and Lumrohlur] and get us to "settle" an unpaid bounty or whatever! Nice circles, by the way.

What else do you know about these "victims"? Trapper, Glassblower, Shipbuilder and Preist. Other bad payers were they /s?

 

[Quickleaf]

GM POST

Surveying the long-eared hero, a slow smile spreads across Hlin's usually terse lips. From the way she supports herself with one hand on the table, it's easy to guess she's presenting a tougher front than her age actually allows. "Nothing escapes those big ears, does it? It's true, I've no love for Torrga Icevein. Her brother who started the caravan with his namesake was a friend. Hearty and hale. I've always suspected Torrga had a hand in his sudden turn of ill health. And its true, I put down a half-elven follower of Talos with a bounty on his head in Luskan, but Torrga whisked him away before I could confirm whether he was dead or alive. But..." She pauses for emphasis, narrowing her brows. "As much as I suspect Torrga has a hand in all sorts of foul misdeeds, I can't prove she or someone in her crew is guilty. Not yet, at least."

Tapping out her pipe, Hlin Trollbane nods as if expecting your question. "I don't know much about the halfling trapper in Easthaven or the human shipbuilder in Targos. Heard about them secondhand. But the other two..."

"The dwarven glassblower in Termalaine was Muirdohr Evenhand. He was a decent drinking companion, though he had a taste for the halfling stuff I couldn't fathom. On a few occasions he complained to me when Termalaine began sacrificing to the Frostmaiden. Muirdohr made glasspieces that locals called "newsbearers" – back when we still had ample sunlight, they were used to reflect light in a series of signaling codes for long-distance messaging..."

"The human priest here in Bryn Shander was Dellvon Ludwig. He came up from Neverwinter to tend the House of the Triad – a temple to Torm, Tyr, and Ilmater built by my forefather’s hands. He had a long dispute with a priestess of Auril – Jelenneth Arnuanna – who gained sway among the congregation. In the last 3 days, the Auril worshippers took over the temple. Sheriff Markham is keeping a close eye on the situation, I’m sure.” She tips her pipe in the direction of the bald ebony-skinned man on the far side of the taproom.

The barkeep Scramsax arrives to set out a round of drinks for everyone – on Hlin Trollbane's tab – and the dwarven bounty hunter falls silent until the barkeep is gone.

 

[Neurotic]

From the dwarf woman's side comes again a breathy voice. How the little creep came there is a mystery.
"Do patterns coincide with some celestial events? The timing or the placement is wrong otherwise. I doubt the caravan doubled back three times, they went their rounds and got the kills...assuming they did..." Lumrolur seems to have trouble assuming the innocence of anyone, but fights through "...when they could or when it was advantageous for whatever reason because of the ritual requirements."

The voice normalizes somewhat and the gnome breathes a sigh of relief.
"So...to recap...I get 200 gold pieces for proving Torrga is involved...or bringing in the real murderer. Are there other suspects?"