Urle decide to stay back and away from the traveling group.
The less contact Helana group has with the others at the moment the better.
As Davor decided to speak Urle could not see any point in taking himself.

He set himself and his horse for rest and sleep.

Helene's head bobs at the suggestion that the lords of the lands should be looking after their people... but doesn't add to the conversation, Davor is doing well enough and they'd already received some information - knowing that the village their helped previously, had not been attacked further.

Zenna remained hidden in the woods as the others went to sleep. "Not tonight," she whispered to her wolf when the beast yawned. "Tonight we watch."

O'er the Nightfang Mountains - Day One



Teana's lightning runs down the cord that ties her to the leader, and lights him up, burning him and and leaving him smoking as he keels over silently.  The spearmen and remaining archers are clearly intimidated, but seem at a loss at what else to do but carry out their orders.  The archers Teana cannot see, but she does not hear them moving, so likely they are waiting for her to show herself.  The spearmen, however, are running and climbing the edges of the path, trying to get around her cover.  One chucks his spear with more enthusiasm than accuracy, and ends up lodging it in a crevasse six feet to Teana's right.  The second tosses his with splendid accuracy, gouging Teana's leg! 

--

The Travelers' Rest - Day One



Lul nods at Davor's words and gets up to talk to his fellow pilgrims softly.  One of them, Nin, seems to be taking watch, strolling the perimeter with a staff in his hand.  Urle, Helena, and Jerec settle in for the night as Davor (and the hidden Zenna and her lupine companion) also take watch.

At first it is Davor that notices two of the pilgrims who should be sleeping are instead talking quietly together.  For a moment it looked like they might have been about to do something in the realm of romance, but instead she sees them slowly bringing out small items from underneath their blankets and burying them in the earth between them.

Zenna hears something from further in the woods, a soft, sussurating, slithering sound circling the camp...

Teana groaned in pain from the spear - the first serious hit she'd taken this fight. "Bunch of fanatics," she said with a grimace. Ordinary men would have routed by now, but these mongrelfolk were apparently dedicated to their cause or more afraid of their master than her. Then she pushed such thoughts away and her eyes fixed on the enemy who'd managed to land a hit on her despite the windstorm's fury. Remaining covered from the archers, she drew more power from the Plane of Air, lightning crackling through her windstorm, and another bolt of lightning scorched the air between her and her helpless target.

Gather Power, Empower, zap.
10:23, Today: Teana Florin rolled 29 using 6d6+9.  Here comes the boom.
10:23, Today: Teana Florin rolled 28 using 1d20+9.  Lightning says hi to spearman.

29 damage and another pair of smoking boots.
This message was last edited by the player at 18:31, Fri 03 Apr 2020.

During their time with the elves, Davor had taken the rare opportunity to sleep without his armor on. Now, back in the wilderness, he does not allow himself that luxury as he takes up the semblance of a watch. Knowing that Zenna and her companion are out in the woods, Davor focuses his attention more on the pilgrims than on any potentially outside threat. He tries not to be too obvious about watching them, but does take note of the two who bury something between themselves and resolves to investigate in the morning if the opportunity presents itself. Unlike the one called Nin, he does not patrol, but simply sits hunched by the smoldering campfire as the night wears on until it is time to wake Urle for his shift.

Zenna frowned at the suspicious behavior of the "pilgrims", but she would have to trust the others to deal with that. The slithering in the woods was her chief concern. She nocked her bow and crept toward the sound, eyes and ears alert for any hint as to what or where it was.

Zenna Kern rolled 15 using 1d20+12.  Perception.

With no other option but to stay with the others, Helena settles and eventually falls asleep though it's a nervous and disturbed sleep.

O'er the Nightfang Mountains - Day One



Teana's electric fury results in another thoroughly dead mongrelman, and that, finally, frightens the rest into saving their own skins rather than trying to pursue her.  The remaining spearman and archers take to their heels and flee away from her, no longer willing to risk her wrath!

--

The Travelers' Rest - Day One

Davor and Helena sleep uneasily but a few hours pass uneventfully until he wakes Urle for his watch, letting him know what has passed.  Urle sees no more motion from the sleeping pilgrims, though two more are woken to replace those taking watch, giving the camp three sets of eyes.  As Urle watches and listens, he begins to hear a faint sussurating sound in the surrounding undergrowth, further out towards where Zenna was supposed to be lurking.  The night seems much more cold than it had been before.



Zenna stares out into the darkness, and in the faint gleam of firelight her patience is rewarded by seeing something large and scaly pass by at a distance of a dozen yards.  The creature seems to have a long body, rather serpentine, and at least two feet thick!  Zenna can feel the temperature begin to plummet, and sees the fur of frost start to creep over the leaves at her feet.

Teana shot a crackle of lightning over the spearman's head as he ran. "Surrender! Drop your weapon and on your knees!" she ordered him. "Now! I don't have time for games!" Her hair whipped behind her and her voice boomed like the thunder of an angry goddess. The Windstorm made it clear: she would render the mongrel to ash in a second if he didn't comply. Fortunately, she only needed one of them to interrogate, so she let the archers run as they pleased so long as it was away from her.

23:07, Today: Teana Florin rolled 35 using 1d20+15.  Intimidate.

Well, that was a roll.

Davor sleeps soundly after waking Urle for the next watch; oblivious to the strange noises.

Helena continues her fitful sleep...

The mongrels react to Teana's shout as if it were a mandate from an angry goddess, their weapons clattering and their armor creaking as they fall to their ill-assorted collection of knees.  One of the archers even prostrates himself on the ground, whimpering.  All seem thoroughly awed and terrified.

--

Though Davor and Helena sleep, the cold begins to creep into the camp, growing frost beginning to outline everything, bringing a deep, freezing chill.  Enough that pain begins to nip at their noses and toes, startling them awake as Urle shakes them.  As they open their eyes, they realize the fire has turned blue as corpse-flame, and their breath can be seen in the frosty air.

Zenna hesitated, torn between attacking the beast or waking her companions. She settled on launching a full volley of arrows at the thing while shouting, "Something moves in the woods!" and encouraging the wolf to howl along with her.

Zenna Kern rolled 16 using 1d20+12.  Attack.
Zenna Kern rolled 28 using 1d20+12.  Attack (Many Shot).
Zenna Kern rolled 10 using 1d20+7.  Attack.
Zenna Kern rolled 5 using 1d8+4.  Damage.
This message was last edited by the player at 15:08, Thu 23 Apr 2020.

Davor awakens to Urle's shaking and is on his feet seconds after Zenna shouts her warning. The cloak that the half-orc had been using to disguise himself falls open as his massive ethereal sword appears in his hand. Davor traces his fingers along the blade of the weapon, speaks a word of power, and suddenly it is covered in blazing fire.

"Guard the girl." He says in a low voice to Urle and then charges off into the woods towards whatever it is that Zenna is shooting.

Davor's AC is 18/11/17 until he gets a chance to cast magic vestment.
Davor Spiritwalker rolled 19 using 1d20+3.  Initiative.
Davor summons his Ancestral Weapon and uses his standard action to cast sun metal on it. Then he uses his move action to get as close as possible to the thing that Zenna is shooting.

Shaken awake by Urle, Helena is still drowsy, only to have the howl and shout from the forest force her to sip up sharply, startled, and grabs Urle's hand.  "What... what's happened, Urle?"  Is she dreaming?  So cold, her breath steaming.  Confusion still holds sway.

Teana looked implacably at the spearman, taking a deep breath before she continued speaking. "You," she said. "Where were you and your patrol going and what were your orders?" she asked. She was confident that she didn't need further threats, so she could get on with questioning the mongrel.

Urle puts his arms round Helena.  Adding extra layer of clothing from his cloak.
Offering warmth from his strong body.
Sorry he says as he does so.
Theirs seems to be some creature summoning cold in this area.
Can you make a fire or use magic to protect yourself from the cold.
This message was last edited by the player at 19:34, Mon 27 Apr 2020.

She blinks, confused, but with Urle giving her direction and offering her support and a little warmth, she seems to pull herself together enough to get up and step over to the fire where she starts stoking what remains of the evening's fire, shakily adding tinder and smaller twigs (set aside for use at breakfast) to try and get it to catch.  She really is making a hash of it though despite all that, the twigs catch and a flame sprouts... for how long though is anyone's guess.

Traveler's Rest



Zenna's arrow strikes true, scoring between the scales and releasing a glowing blue blood that freezes the leaves around it.  The hissing increases, furious, as her lupine companion alerts everyone that danger is close at hand!



Davor tears off into the woods, glowing weapon appears nearby as he soon finds Zenna and her wolf shooting at what seems to be an enormous serpent with glowing blue blood!



Helena's touch on Urla makes him feel the cold less every moment as she looks around for what in the world was causing all the racket.

The pilgrims begin to stir, voicing confusion and fear as the frost bites at them.



Urle no longer feels the dangerous cold, but it seems everyone else still shivers with its touch.  A loud hiss, as if from a huge snake, echoes from the woods where Davor had fled to.



Helena manages to rekindle the fire for now, and the pilgrims begin to stand, the guards holding their staves and looking around uncertainly.

"What passes?" Lul asks urgently.

--

The Mountain Trail



The spearman grovels as he answers, clearly very cowed by Teana's display of power.  "To find the Heir and her protectors, to bring them to our Master so that he could speak with them!"

Teana paused. "Your master could have invited us for a drink, you know. Now people are dead, on both sides, and it never had to happen that way." She shook her head in disgust. "And your master needs to rebuild his spy network from the ground up," she added mysteriously.

She looked at the mongrel. "Take a message to your master. Tell him that if he really wants to talk, and is willing to negotiate in good faith, he needs to stop attacking us. The attack at Pearl Fort, the chimera, they were not acceptable and now there's blood on his hands. If he wants to parley, then he needs to send us an invitation that's not trying to kill us, and arrange neutral ground on which to negotiate." She raised a finger. "Personally, I'd like to see your people brought into a new Empire as honored citizens, but that doesn't mean I've forgiven your master for all the death he's responsible for." She waved a hand and spoke to all the mongrelfolk, amplifying her voice. "Give me your parole. Swear that you four will never bear arms against me, my companions or Her Majesty again, and you may collect your dead for final rites and leave unharmed."

She looked over the spearman and the archers...well, the archers as best she could. It would be a good test of whether the mongrelfolk's master could be trusted to deal honorably.

With a mighty battle roar, Davor charges towards the snake creature. The scent of its blood fills the orcs nostrils and his focus shrinks to the space around his opponent. He parts the underbrush with his body, heedless of branches and foliage in his path as he swings his massive flaming sword for the thing's neck at the end of his charge.

Move Action: Close with the creature.
Standard Action: Attack hits AC 28 for 12 magical slashing damage + 2 fire damage.

Davor Spiritwalker rolled 28,12,2 using 1d20+11,2d6+5,1d4.  Attack w/ damage.
This message was last edited by the GM at 01:48, Wed 06 May 2020.

The Mountain Trail



"I swear Gor will go to my master and give him your message.  No arms will we bear against you or the protectors.  The Heir is never to be harmed," the mongrelfolk says, face pressed into the dust, gripping at the earth as if it is keeping him from floating away.

--

Traveler's Rest



Davor's spirit sword slices deep, the fire sizzling in the freezing flesh of the serpent-creature, and an ear-splitting hiss fills the clearing.

Zenna fires off several more arrows, puncturing the creature's flesh and causing more light to illuminate the clearing as more blood flows.

The enormous head of the creature darts in from the side, mouth open and the fangs spray freezing fog over the clearing, obscuring everyone's view in the glowing mist.  But more than that, the fog has an acrid scent that means only one thing, poison!



In the clearing, the glowing fog illuminates the forest, and the loud hissing makes it certain, there is something huge out there in the woods and Davor had just run after it!

Urle places himself before Helena, and Jerec reaches over to murmur a spell near Helena.  Invisible armor lightly closes in around her.  "This will help protect you if something hostile comes out of the woods," he says to her.

The pilgrims are edging closer to the fire, trying to get a little of the warmth back that has been stolen from them, their few weapons at the ready.

As the fog sprays over the area and surrounds Davor, the shaman feels his muscles trying to seize up in the sudden cold. The sweat of exertion on his skin freezes into tiny ice crystals. Already breathing heavily, Davor can't help but inhale the poisonous breath as he brings his greet sword over his head for a heavy overhanded attack.

Standard Action: Attack hits AC 21 for 9 magical slashing damage + 2 fire damage.

Davor Spiritwalker rolled 21,9,2 using 1d20+11,2d6+5,1d4.  Attack w/ damage.

Helena almost flinches from Jerec's touch though as the spell enfolds her she gives the mage a hesitant smile.   "What is out there?"