mood music

Stepping out of the portal the ground under your feet gives a little and cracks like ice. Looking around, you find yourselves high on a mountain where the wind is gusting and snow falls all around you. Nearby are ruins of small buildings, who purpose is lost to time and the elements, though tattered banners of Kalazanbaar and Korim still fly a top one of the ruined buildings.

Directly head some twenty or thirty feet of you the ground gives way to an abrupt ravine, a drop hundreds of feet to distant icy peaks below. The other side of the ravine is a good hundred feet away. You can see the once grand entrance to Jzadirune. It had caved in, a rubble-strewn wreck some of which has obviously been cleared.



Once there was a mighty feat of impossible engineering across this ravine, a bridge built in sections on titanic chains, but one of the chains gave way a long time ago taking the bridge with it. Only one giant chain remains as a way across, slick with ice and snow.

Dozens, maybe even hundreds, of old skeletons lie dead on the ground around the entrance way, the site of some great battle. The bodies and ground are peppered as though with a great swarm of arrows. A path on the other side of the ravine splits off to the right, one path headed north, up beyond the entrance way, and the other to the east, to the ruins of a once towering observatory.

MAP
This message was last edited by the GM at 18:32, Mon 03 Oct 2016.

As he get out of the portal, Marik feels a cold breeze and shivers, something he wasn't expecting. The Gedonnwer'fen being mainly Underdark dwellers, he was expecting the portal to open on a cave system or inside the settlement, not on a mountaintop.

Far away an eagle cry. Marik readjust his scarf and looks around to see if Filimena and Raszire are still with him. Both appears to have made their way successfully across the portal.

He looks at the great chain giving access to the ruined settlement. It was large enough to contain them all and serve as a bridge. He had passed on much narrower roads with Rani. The snow and ice, however, worries him greatly. Could the Gedonnwer'fen really use this as a bridge to get around? Even Rani, with her claws, would have trouble on a metal road this curvy and full of gaping holes.

[Private to group Elf: "Let's try to find tracks. Maybe there is another entry"]

He turns to the others.

"Wait here. I wouldn't be surprised if they were fond of traps."

With a gentle signal from Marik knees, Rani begins to walk around, while the elf search for tracks and traps.

OOC: Marik is looking for recent (a week or less) humanoid footprints in the snow, and for traps. So Survival (with advantage using Favored Enemy) and investigation, correct?
This message was last edited by the player at 21:23, Mon 03 Oct 2016.

OOC: Perception for spotting tracks or traps, survival to identify tracks and investigate/thieves tool to disarm traps found

OOC: Marik rolled 19 for Perception for spotting tracks and 12 for Perception for spotting traps.

This message was last edited by the player at 01:08, Tue 04 Oct 2016.

Raszire had never experienced snow or cold, he had heard the tales and read about such places but this was a grand delight. He slowly picked up a handful of snow and watched as it slowly melted in his hand "I had always wondered what such a place would feel like."

Filimena tries not to let on how disoriented she is at suddenly having been whisked away onto a frigid mountaintop. Well, she thinks, shivering. So much for being underground.

"We should certainly look out for traps," Filimena tells Marik and Raszire. "I was -- uh -- informed this place would be full of them." She walks over to the bridge, watching her step along the way, and inspects it for any sign it might be rigged to give way.

OOC: Natural 20 checking for traps (23:05, Today: Filimena the Gentle rolled 23 using 1d20+3.  Perception for traps.)

Also, does Filimena recognise the banners of the Kalazanbaar and the Korim? Keeping in mind she passed a history check earlier and knows who they are. I'll roll a history check anyway, just in case:

23:06, Today: Filimena the Gentle rolled 9 using 1d20+2.  History check for banners.

Not great :p

The wind ebbs and swells, causing small snow tornadoes to swirl past before dying off after a few moment. Marik does find a set of prints, very faint due to the snow fall, but he's able to estimate them as being four days old which fits with the stories from orphanage. The prints head towards the massive chain.

Filimina recognizes both banners as both are well known within the world. These are the Dwarf  kingdoms who's civil war which combined with the fight with the drow and duergar brought down the kingdom of Kalazanbaar.

OOC: As part of his inspection, Marik will try to identify the tracks to gain information (The number of creature that passed, the kind of creature, the presence of children tracks or not). Marik roll 16 on his survival check

OOC: What is the large brown area to our right? A road? A large plaza?

Hearing Raszire, Marik glance at the dragonborn. A smile crosses his lips at the adorable sight of the great warrior discovering snow and cold weather for the first time. He fully understands Raszire. Rani and him have always been fond of the winter season themselves. He loves the landscapes created by the snow and the ice dangling from the old oaks and the pines. Tracking also becomes child's play in the snow. Even the haunted woods feel safer as numerous beasts retreat to their lairs in the face of the cold weather. For as long as he can remember, winter has been a moment of silent beauty and peace of mind.

"You should see the winter season in Tal'Onarafel." says Marik to the Dragonborn. "The Winter Solstice auroras are a sight to behold, especially with a glass of ice wine in hand."

Following this, he then goes to join Filimena, who is making her way toward the bridge.
This message was last edited by the player at 00:01, Thu 06 Oct 2016.

The area to the right appears to have been some sort of cobblestone road which has has been cleared to allow for easier movement in the area. Marik notes that there are four sets of small humanoid foot prints, several human-sized foot prints and smaller hoof prints. Between the human-sized and hoof prints Marik determines that there are some half-dozen creatures have moved through this area in the past week.

Filimena senses Marik following, and pauses to wait for him. "Incredible," She says to him, once he's close enough to hear. "I'm not sure how we're going to get across, though. I assume we have to at some point."

"Given the tracks, they passed this way by foot...even the children" reply Marik, still with a smirk on his lips. "Rani and I will lead the way. If you feel like you will slip or can't make it, signal me. Rani is strong enough to carry us both to the other side should the need arise."

Assuming Raszire is following, Marik then pets the big cat and signal her with his knees

[Private to group Elf: "Follows these tracks"]
This message was last edited by the player at 15:34, Fri 07 Oct 2016.

The mountain panther makes a low growl, which Marik interpret as excitement to be on the chase, and follow the trail up to the bridge. She will then start crossing the chain at a low pace under Marik command if that is where the tracks lead.

Filimena gestures in the direction of the big cat. "Lead away," she says. "I am no stranger to snow and ice."
This message was last edited by the player at 16:29, Fri 07 Oct 2016.

Snow and wind grab at you with cold fingers as you near the edge. Rani steps onto the lone remaining chain and slowly pads out, looking back a few times to check with Marik as though going themail way she believes right but not wanting leave the elf behind.

OOC : to cross you'll have to go at half speed or make an athletics check vs DC15 for each 30 ft you go in a round.