Mallory had braced herself for the terrible sight of poor Wifni frozen into a macabre statue where she nested when they all rose to the surface at long last. That the Axe Beak was nowhere to be seen was honestly a relief. Her escape left them without a valuable mount to aid in carrying them back to what passed for civilization, but it was at least a tiny bit of balm for the young noble's spirit that yet another hadn't died. Whether Wifni would thrive out in the wilds, somehow find her way back to Ten-Towns, or simply be a Crag Cat's lunch within the hour was up to fate and out of Mallory's hands though.
Of course, that wasn't to say there was no carnage to behold topside. The frozen-over Nautiloid was quite the staggering thing to see. Perhaps the ice could be chiseled and melted way with sufficient time but, all things considered, she was content to let the blizzard bury it forever. Such vessels were a nightmare and she was loathe to even consider going inside, no matter what extra-dimensional wonders it might've contained.
The Kobold corpses were a bit of a surprise and the young noble curiously leaned around Farwalker's side to spy them.
"Poor darlings..." she sighed pityingly. Her time in the family business actually made Mallory rather fond of Kobolds as they were frequent trade partners for a particular client. A wave of her staff shifted the snow about with a magical surge to uncover the remains a bit, curious as to their nature.
Brak:
"We'll be headed to Karkolohk!" he cried out. "If any of you wish to follow us, you can! You ain't Goblinoid, but Chief Yarb-Gnock will understand!"
Mallory looked up from her examination to cast a querying gaze among her companions.
"Based on the map from before, we're all heading west a ways, regardless. Best we at least stick together for safety until our paths diverge. Karkolohk is tempting, but further off west than our destination." Part of her figured the Bugbears could handle themselves since they'd gotten to the Spire in the first place just fine, but... well, after all that had happened, she wasn't entirely confident they'd make it back home without aid.
"Which settlement of Ten-Towns is nearest Karkolohk anyway?"
Mallory casts "Mold Terrain" to uncover and examine the Kobold corpses. Rhydd found tracks that might've been Kobolds' prior; does this seem to be them? Do they look like they stumbled across the Spire as well or is there any indication they might've been Illithid slaves? Are they carrying anything worth noting or taking?
This message was last edited by the player at 21:01, Tue 27 June 2023.