Torbjaer Mountains - campsite near Rog Hodun
51 Winter 217 - Evening
Vanja
Vanja helps herself to a cup of pine tea and sits down, facing the fire. Usually she would sit with her back to it, to preserve her night vision, but that has been less of an issue these past few days. Finding herself suddenly able to see in the dark tunnels around the buried city nearly as well as daylight, when she had been stumbling blindly through the cave system not five days before. She’d thought at first it had been Sav’s magic, or some bioluminescent lichens, or the deadly glow of the liquid frost, reflecting off the ice. She realizes now, though, that her new vision isn’t limited to the caves. That it seems a permanent thing. Another unexpected blessing from the River.
She looks across the fire at her companions - the greater part of the group had stayed at camp, while Roux and Astarael had gone with her into the ruins. They’d been forced to fight the frost beasts again - the golems, jellies and the deadly wisps with their blasts of ice - and they’d returned to camp cold and injured but alive. And one person, stronger, now.
Vanja glances over at the Digsman, Samsel. The halfling looks well enough, herself, if still a little wary and pink-cheeked from the cold. Vanja catches her eye and gestures to the twin pots of soup and tea, suspended over the fire - indicating that Samsel is welcome to eat and drink.
Vanja takes a long drink of her own tea. The sharp, bitter taste is bracing. The warmth of it comforting. She nods to Roux and Astarael before speaking.
“So,” she starts, “you all will have met Samsel, by now. She’s one of Harvey’s Digsmen.” Vanja grins, “She fought alongside us, earlier, and she’s fast. Dangerous with her hammer, too.” Vanja hesitates, but then continues. Best to admit the rest, too, at this rate. “She knows some of our names, and she’s seen the three of us,” she gestures at Roux and Astarael, “Kitsune, Leda and me - use magic. I don’t think she’s looking to turn us in, though, once we convinced her that we don’t make a habit of…what was it, eating children? Whatever ‘witches’ are supposed to do.”
Vanja smiles over at Samsel, “I’m happy to share what you told us, Samsel, but please tell me if I’ve got anything wrong.”
“First, this is a larger operation than we thought. Samsel says there were over a hundred Digsmen here, at first, but they’ve lost many people to the same things that have nearly killed us - the jellies, golems, and wisps.
“The Digsmen have been looking for things like this.” Vanja taps her frost-forged shield with a fingernail, “things made in the frost forge. But it goes beyond that. Harvey had the idea that they could restart the frost forge, and figure out how to use it to make new weapons, using these ancient skills. He was arguing with another of the Digsmen, Piron. Harvey managed it - restarting the forge - but something went wrong. Samsel told us that Piron was likely killed, but she believes Harvey escaped.
“That’s what’s happened to the ruins - why much of it is flooded with the liquid frost now - and I think it’s why there are so many of the deadly frost creatures, too. They seem to be linked to the liquid frost. Spawned in it, maybe, or powered by it. In any case, it was reactivating the forge that caused the earthquake six days past, and released this sudden flood of frost.
“So, if we decide to help, we need to shut down this forge.
“Between us and the forge, though, is a huge obstacle. One of the pillars that go from the city floor all the way to the ceiling, hundreds of feet, has fallen across the city.
“Samsel has told us that Harvey is likely on the other side - the side with the forge. If we’re going to help, we have to get past this pillar.
“Option one is to go around it. This would mean days, maybe even a Grasp, going through these city streets, and facing the frost creatures at every turn.”
Vanja hesitates, and looks at Bax - not three days past he’d nearly died, taken in by the largest of the jellies. The cube - huge and deadly. Nearly invisible.
She’d been injured in these battles, herself, sometimes badly, and she’d seen some of the others hurt as well. Always, though, they’d rallied. Healed themselves and kept fighting. It wasn’t until Vanja had seen Bax with the arrow through his chest, his body unconscious and cold, at the very edge of crossing the River that she’d realized they could really, actually die.
And she’d been unable to help. On her knees, herself. Vomiting up ice cold jelly. She’d burned through so much riverlight fighting that she had barely anything left. If Bax had crossed the River, then, Vanja wasn’t sure she could have pulled him back.
Vanja takes a deep, unsteady breath, and lets it out in a cloud of steam. She takes another swig of her tea. Already, it’s only lukewarm. She continues.
“Option two is to go through the pillar. There’s a break in it, pretty wide. It would mean we could get to the frost forge a lot more quickly,” Vanja nods to Samsel at this, “When we were talking, earlier, Samsel seemed to prefer this option to the long way around. There’s an added complication here, too, though - an enormous crystal golem. Bigger by far than the ones we’ve seen before. If we choose this route, we’ll have to either get past this thing, or destroy it.”
Vanja shifts in her seat, growing uncomfortable taking the lead in the discussion. “I’m no strategist, but I think the less time we spend in the ruins, the better. I also think we can’t in good conscience abandon these people to be killed by the frost creatures, when we know of a way to stop it. I’m in favor of the second option - going through the pillar. These crystal golems are tough, but we’ve fought a lot of the smaller ones by now. We know what they’re weak to, and I’d rather face one huge beast than a dozen more of those wisps. It will also save time - we still have so much to do in Jorung, and every day we spend here instead of in Northgate is time that the Inquisition can spend planning ways to hunt and kill witches.
“So for me, it’s option two. What do you think, everyone?
Astarael
Astarael is sitting around the fire with her friends. Vanja is currently addressing the group, laying out the situation at hand, but Astarael is watching the newcomer they brought back from their latest foray into the ruins of Rog Hodun.
True to her nature, Vanja is already very trusting of this stranger. She seems so confident that Samsel won’t turn them into the Inquisition at the first chance she’d get. The halfling still seemed at unease, though, more so since she had been introduced to a whole group of “witches.” Astarael isn’t so sure of her loyalty. Many of the people present, Astarael included, have a price on their head. It makes more sense to turn them in, given the chance, rather than risk being associated with them, should word of such a thing get back to the Swans and Inquisition. All the better to try to solidify an allyship before such a chance occurs.
As Vanja continues to talk, Astarael goes over to one of the packs from the goats, and pulls out a bowl and spoon. She bypasses the disgusting pine tea, and fills the bowl with the soup, bringing it to Samsel.
Speaking in halfling, in a low voice, so as to not disrupt Vanja, she says to her, “Despite what other names you might hear in this group, please do continue to call me Leda. I know we might seem like an intimidating bunch at first, but I promise that you have no reason to be afraid. You’re safer here than anywhere else. We do really want to help with this situation, but it would be helpful to know more. Have you seen this large crystal beast with your own eyes? It’s relative size? Can you tell us anything of the powers it might possess?”
Digsmen Samsel
The brown-haired halfling seemed to be lost in a tangle of her own thinking given shape by Vanja’s words and only seemed to notice the soup was being offered to her once Astarael began to speak. There was a blink from the girl as she accepted the bowl with large mitten-hands and then a quirk to chapped lips at the Morathi’s accent, which she seemed to find either pleasing or amusing, but brightened in either case.
“Leda — got it. You must have been the one they were talking about — in the city. I didn’t realize it at first, but it makes sense with the hair and the…” Samsel began in halfling, before she hesitated in an uncertain moment about how to describe what she had seen, glancing back and forth before blurting out in a whisper, “…soup!”
She watched the steam rise from the bowl while she listened to Astarael’s following questions, before she began to nod with some urgency before she was even finishing with the questions. “You bet I saw it!”
There was a moment of hesitation that followed while she chewed the corner of her lip. “Well, I saw it from a distance anyway! Well, I mean it was starting to come from around the corner and I ducked to find a place to hide right away. I might not have really seen all that much of it, but I could tell that it was really big! It’s arm was bigger than… that tree over there!” she said.
Ethan
Ethan’s face appears relaxed and attentive.
“Well, hold on. Before we decide, let’s back up for a second.
“Samsel, tell us a little more about yourself and the dig site. How long have you been a Digsmen? Digsman…? Is it singular when there’s only one?
“Never mind - doesn’t matter.
“How did Harvey find this place? When did he find it? Were there monsters in the city before he restarted the forge, or did they suddenly appear when he restarted it? Why did Piton argue against his efforts, and how did he die?
“Basically, I’m asking you to start from the beginning. Walk us through your story, tells us what you know. Any detail might prove invaluable to helping people.”
Digsmen Samsel
Samsel paused with a mitten-hand outstretched, pointing at the tree, and looked at Ethan with a blink. She glanced between Astarael and Ethan, before letting her arm drop with a thump onto her bundled lap and huffed a curl of fogged breath into the air.
She seemed to point her thumb at herself, but it wasn’t quite clear with the mitten covering her hand. “I’m what you might call an adventurer. I left home to see the wide open world and all the cool stuff it’s got and maybe find my fortune along the way. I fell in with Harvey a few years ago — impressed him by showing him a genuine relic I found — that’s how I became one of the Digsmen!”
Samsel furrowed her brow and slurped at her soup to stall while she thought, before continuing. “Harvey’s the boss. He knows more about treasure hunting than anyone. It’s real complicated too, because I guess all the stuff under the ground is supposed to belong to the nobility, but it’s all really hard to find? I don’t know how all that works really. I just know you have to get the stuff real fast or the Painted Swans will show up and claim the dig site for Isendel and all that.”
She seemed to suddenly perk up.
“Harvey has all kinds of connections. Like this place — some travelers or someone stumbled onto this place, or at least part of it, and Harvey paid them gold for the information. He does that kind of thing all the time. Sometimes it just turns out to be some old dusty boring stuff, but sometimes there’s something interesting! This is the first time I’ve ever seen anything like this place! It’s huge!”
Samsel made an excited sound that wasn’t quite words, before continuing. “We thought it was just the top part at first, but then we broke through and there it was — a whole city no one had seen in forever!”
She almost dropped her bowl of soup, but fumbled to keep hold of it and then took another drink of it, before she continued.
“Harvey knew right away this was some dwarf city from a long time ago that was really important, because he had seen something about it on some other pot or vase or something like that. We spent about a week exploring around before we made it to the forge — that’s the big place on the North side — it’s called the Frost Forge.
Harvey said it was like the best forge ever and the dwarves used that blue stuff to make all kind of awesome stuff people can’t make anymore — they built their whole city around it!”
Her face started to grow dim.
“That’s when Harvey and Piron started arguing. You see Harvey wanted to restart the forge and Piron was supposed to help him figure out how to do it, because no one knows more about dwarf stuff than Piron — but Piron got really upset and said something was wrong with the forge and that the dwarves had done something bad I think?
“I don’t know — I only heard some of their arguments.”
Samsel frowned and slurped the soup.
“I wasn’t there when it happened, but Harvey must have tried to restart the forge even though Piron thought it was a bad idea. All those big parts started moving and a few of us that had been working on an excavation went running to the forge once all the noise started.
“Harvey and some of the others were running away and everything started going crazy! We wanted to go back in there and get Piron out, but it was too late. All that blue stuff started pouring out of the forge and there was this terrible sound like the parts were broken — everything was shaking and the whole place was falling apart!
“Then those things started showing up, crawling right up out of the reservoirs of the frost. It all happened so fast. We got separated and a few of us tried to make it back to Harvey and the others, but…”
Samsel sank.
“…they got us. I was the only one who got away. I tried to make my way to find Harvey and the others alone, but that thing is in the way.”
Samsel looked up from the bowl toward each of them, glancing around between them with a sudden urgency. “You’re going to help me find Harvey… aren’t you?”
Astarael
Astarael did her best to hide her concern, as Samsel confirmed that she knew not just Astarael’s real name, but her identity as well. But her eyes had gone wide at the Samsel’s suggestion that the arm of the creature they might face could be as large as a tree, and nodded in response. As the group continues to talk, and Samsel relays more of her story, Astarael contemplates the greater situation at hand.
She smiles at Samsel in a way she hopes is reassuring, and addresses her first.
“I don’t think we can in good conscience leave any remaining survivors to their fate in there. Not if there is a chance we can help. However, this is an extremely dangerous situation, and we don’t have the numbers of say, the Painted Swans, to take control of the situation by force alone. What we can do will most likely rely on the use of some magic. Magic, and being great at thinking under pressure,” she looks at Ethan, “are the greatest strength of those you see before you. So, Samsel, I hope that you will get to know us, and in time, find the use of magic to be not always a bad thing, as you’ve been led to believe.”
Astarael looks to her friends, now.
“Let’s consider what we know of the scenario. The re-starting of the Frost Forge seems to have generated these creatures. I think it’s safe to assume that no matter how many we eliminate, more will continue to appear, so long as it’s running. Getting to this forge, and shutting it down needs to be a priority. If we can find Harvey, his knowledge of it will be of great use. Hopefully he is not deceased, and can be convinced of the importance of this task. Sav, I think that if there’s anyone of us who can figure out how to do it, you’re our best shot. We should work on ways to get you into that location as fast as possible. Vanja, you, and anyone else who can read Dwarven may be key to helping with that as well. Perhaps it’s time to consider using flight to get a group to the forge quickly.
“Meanwhile, the best way through, besides flying, is going to be through that break in the column. It’s not something we can easily scale, due to the size of the column. Going around could potentially avoid the large crystalline creature, but I would say that the longer we take, the less likely there will be any remaining survivors. So, I vote we go through.
“Anyone not flying off to the Frost Forge will remain on the ground to look for survivors. We can try to sneak past any frost creatures, and hopefully the giant one Samsel says is in the area of the break in the column, but it’s not a tactic we seem to be successful at very often. This thing is going to be big. Samsel has indicated that just an arm of this creature could be larger than even a tree. Hopefully, it will have similar vulnerabilities to other crystalline creatures we’ve encountered. And likely will not be alone. If we encounter it, and I’m sure we will, a whole bevy of other smaller frost creatures will likely join in a fight, adding to the danger.
“With any luck, perhaps once the Forge is shut down or destroyed, any remaining frost creatures will be gone as well. But if not, it’s going to be quite an undertaking to search for survivors and prevent this thing from potentially going to the Forge itself, to prevent any further meddling with it.
“It’s not an easy task, but the alternative is to abandon the people below, and leave this mess to the Painted Swans, whom I’m sure will show up eventually. This will inevitably result in an even greater loss of life.
“So, I’m in, Samsel. What do the rest of you think?”
Bax
Bax had remained in camp to recover after nearly dying in the ruined city just a few days prior. After staying behind and watching over the camp he could feel himself getting antsy. The feeling of not being by everyone’s side in the ruins with all those horrible creatures itched at his brain. As he listened to Vanja, Astarael, and the halfling visitor, Samsel, he stretched on pondered how to add to the conversation.
“Well I’m all for attacking the giant crystal guy. Sounds like it could be a fun fight!” he exclaimed, cracking his knuckles. “But the priority is all the Digsman in the city. I can’t sit back and just hope they’ll all survive. I know there are people down that could use help, so I think we should help them.”
Ethan
“There’s the other side to consider - where the Digsmen enter. Entering from the other side by-passes the giant monster and only adds a day. After that, it’s about equidistant to the Forge.
“Plus, it looks like the Digsmen are already exploring the city - I’d be willing to bet they’re sending men to try to meet up with Harvey at the Forge.
“How about we split up? I can take Samsel the day’s journey to the Digsmen camp where she can vouch for me. Then, I can help some of the Digsmen navigate the city safely and try to rendezvous with you all at the Forge itself.
“How’s that sound to you, Samsel?”
Vanja
Vanja tilts her head in Ethan’s direction and interjects, “Wait, this isn’t the sort of decision you and Samsel get to make on behalf of all of us. I think splitting up is not a good plan at all.”
Astarael
Astarael looks perplexed herself.
“I agree with Vanja about that. At least, not splitting up until we’re closer to the Forge. Your plan still leaves the rest of us to go through the city, find our way through the gap in the column, and fight the monster, while you two go off to gather whatever Digsmen you can convince to go to the forge with you? And what kind of reception will they give us, when they learn we’re using magic to fight?”
Vanja
Vanja smiles at Astarael, “Exactly. What Leda said. As it is, it took us some time to convince Samsel to trust us, after she saw us use magic.”
She looks at Samsel, now, “And Samsel, we need you to help us in the city itself.
“You’re the only one who’s seen this massive creature, and you’re the only one who’s gotten anywhere close to the break in the column and the ruins beyond. The rest of us, no matter if we walk through the gap, or try to sneak past the monster, or even fly in - we’ve barely explored more than a few blocks. If we’re going to head to the Forge and try to stop it, and hopefully find Harvey on the way, we could really use your help to find the quickest and safest way to do that.
“We’ll no doubt have to take a relatively small party into the ruins, as usual - that way if anything does happen to us, the rest can continue the larger fight. But having even one more person fighting against those creatures can make a huge difference.”
Vanja grins back at Ethan, now, “And you should have seen her out there, Frost - that little rock hammer was crushing those jellies, and at one point, after an attack, Samsel even ran through the legs of one of the crystal golems and to safety on the other side. We need her with us, in the city.”
Vanja glances back at Samsel, to try to gauge the halfling’s reaction, and, to her surprise, sees Astarael next to Samsel, nodding along to her points.
Ethan
“Nope, I don’t get to decide. That’s why I asked her.” He nods towards Samsel.
“You wanted a choose-your-own-adventure lifestyle, so I’m giving you a choice. I’ve seen the things that are down there. They’re heinous. I wouldn’t blame anyone who decides to walk a different path.
“If you decide to help lead the way to the Forge, past (or through) the giant monster, you can.
“If you decide that’s not the adventure you want, I’ll bring you back to your people. If none of them like what I’m selling, none of them have to follow me; I’ll make my own way through the city towards the Forge.”
He looks to Astarael and Vanja, shrugging.
“I think it’s fair to give her options.”
Digsmen Samsel
Samsel glanced back and forth between each of them with growing haste until she finally stood from the log she had been sitting on, dropping a few inches to the ground to land on her feet. “Hold on!” she said with a wide gesture that sent a bit of soup splashing out of her bowl and onto one of the goats.
The halfling furrowed her brow. “You’re talking about going back to the forge, but I told you that place is falling apart and there are monsters coming out of it! Harvey and me and everyone ran away from the forge and some people didn’t make it!
“I don’t understand why you’re talking about going back there!”
Samsel huffed and them seemed to compose herself, pressing a bitten to her forehead. “I know Harvey and the others are alive — they have to be! I came all the way here to the camp, because I thought you’d help me find them! I can’t leave them there to die all alone! I have to save them!”
Samsel slumped. “I…. I don’t know if I can get passed that big one, but I have to try. I know Harvey would reward you if you helped. He has all kinds of stuff!”
Astarael
Astarael does her best to hide her surprise at Samsel’s outburst.
“Of course, Samsel. Looking for the survivors and helping them is a priority. But there’s a good chance we’re going to need to use magic to get by the creatures in our way. So, if Harvey and the others see that, and realize who I am, and what my friends here can do…”
She pauses, and let’s out a deep sigh.
“…will they let us part ways with them, when this is over?”
Digsmen Samsel
Samsel hesitated at the question, glancing back and forth between each of them, as if only remembering in that moment that they were all… witches.
“I… I don’t know, but if you had just all saved their lives from those monsters they would have to believe that you’re good people… wouldn’t they?”
Astarael
Astarael nods.
“Yeah, Samsel. I really hope so.”
Vanja
Vanja stands up, stretches, takes a few steps, and stretches further. 8 feet. 10 feet. As tall as one of the crystal golems now. Stifling a yawn with a hand as large as a shield. Vanja has gone into the ruins three times in the past seven days, now, and each time made the trek back to camp with fresh injuries. Blood freezing into her clothes. She’d healed herself with time and magic - green riverlight knitting together fractured bones in her shield hand and seeking out the deep internal damage from each hit she’d failed to dodge.
It hasn’t caught up to her, yet, the exhaustion, but she can feel it at the edge of her mind. The threat that if she doesn’t choose to rest soon, sleep will catch her anyway.
Vanja nods to Astarael and Samsel, and smiles over at Bax. Then, she looks into the darkness beyond the camp, at the tree Samsel had indicated to be the size of the monster’s arm, and flexes her own massive hand.
“Alright,” says Vanja, “Let’s do it, then. Once we’ve rested. It doesn’t seem so big.”
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