Interlude 7: Rolling in cash

[Stirling]

Quinn

"Some winter fur coats sound good. How large is the pack?"

Quinn will ready some gear to go hunting.

[barkman]

Randolpho will bring the venturer back to muntburg with the group, and let them get a feel for the town and what it needs. Randolpho will get himself, Zim and the venturer some winter gear if needed, before heading out to the stone cabin.

"We'all have to clear the wolves, then lay in a stock of animals for meat and fodder for the winter"

[drpete]

Note: There's no more winter gear available for immediate purchase. If you want something, you'll need to special order it.

U Tar thinks the pack has about a dozen wolves. They have approached the house along the path from above.

[Stirling]

the winter coats Quinn refers too are wolfpelts

[drpete]

the winter coats Quinn refers too are wolfpelts

But Randolpho said he wanted to buy winter gear. He'll need to special order some. You guys bought a bunch a while back... about a dozen of everything. Is that all accounted for?

Once this question is figured out, do you want to go after the wolves, head up to the dungeon, or...? The wolves will "keep" if you're getting itchy for some dungeon crawling. It's just that this house is out beyond the patrols, and it is menaced by stuff. An in game day isn't going to drastically alter things.

[barkman]

Yeah, I assumed you were talking about my winter gear.
Randolpho is interested in hitting the dungeon, specifically filling some of the jugs he brought. He hopes to be able to ship some hugs back with the venturer to Adamas. He will start wearing the brooch that we recovered on the last trip.

He is willing to hunt the wolves as well though.

[drpete]

The group heads out up the mountain, hoping to find the wolves. You head up, past the bloodsoaked tower where Nilus the Ape Man lives. Though his tower has a pile of skulls and bodyparts outside it, he does not seem to be there at the moment.

You continue up until you reach a switchback where you had encountered the wolves once a few weeks ago. The eagle-eyed Quinn spots some wolves prowling down below you, about a mile away. To go after them, you'll need to go off the trail and descend into a mountain valley you haven't visited before.

[Stirling]

Quinn

"In the snow the wolves will leave tracks so following shouldn't be a problem. While ape-man is out, we could check through his stuff, he might have a pile of goodies and guts inside?"

[Zorroroaster]

Torgyr raises an eyebrow. "We have a tenuous enough peace with Nilus without making it worse by rifling through his things. If we are going after the wolves, let's do that."

[kalstone]

Solaine says, "I agree. Let's take care of the wolves."

[Stirling]

Quinn

Before we start descending into hidden valleys. Let me examine the path for the chance we might set of avalanches.

Can Quinn use his explorer knowledge to assess the snow dangers.

Is it worth roping together?

[monayuris]

Liam asks... How dangerous and aggressive are these wolves? If this is their hunting ground and we return weakened after our delve, would they consider us possible prey. We should take care of them or scare them off now?

Also, Liam is quite interested in this distilled magic substance. Is there any to examine here? He assumes there is a goal to extract some, he would like to check it out as well.

[barkman]

Randolpho shows Liam the vial of the distilled magic.
"If we are able to bring this to my mentor in Adamas, he will start to research the items of a magical nature we have recovered in the mount"

[drpete]

Liam is (broadly) familiar with the idea of this magical material, called Azoth. Spells, broadly, are manipulations of an "ether" that surrounds us. If this is really Azoth, it is a concentrated form of this ether. The space between the stars is filled with this magical material, and there are stories, from the days of the Thulian Empire, of ships that could sail between world's on the ethereal sea. The other thing he knows about this material is that magical energy is associated with Chaos, and prolonged exposure can cause... metamorphosis, or corruption of the form of the user.

The party heads down into the valley. It is somewhat steep, but not dangerously so at this spot. A roping together doesn't seem necessary, but you secure a rope to assist you in getting back up the slope.

As you approach the wolves, they take notice of you. They begin to pace, shifting position and circling. They don't seem extremely aggressive, but you can see 10 of them, and they are spreading out, possibly to flank or surround you, as you approach.

Actions?

[kalstone]

Solaine draws her composite bow and will fire when everyone is ready.

[Zorroroaster]

Torgyr unhooks a flask of military oil, and prepares to pour it on the ground off to one side of the group.

"Don't let them flank us. If we have to, we can use fire to keep them from getting around us. Someone else have a flask for the other side? If not, here!" Torgyr is ready to pass a second flask of oil to whoever is on the other side of the party.

drpete, how wooded is our immediate surroundings? How snowy? It occurs to me that Torgyr wouldn't risk setting the forest on fire if the undergrowth is dry or dense - but this was his first reaction on seeing the wolves spreading out.

[barkman]

Randolpho readied his crossbow and keeps fracker of the flankers, getting Zim and the Venturer ready as well.

[drpete]

The environment is cold, but you are below the snow. The vegetation is "scrubby" with a few stubby trees and patches of yellowish grass and bushes, which is why you were able to see the wolves from a distance. There's a stream coming down from the mountain here, and there's a pretty good vantage point on the land below from a rocky outcropping near where the wolves were hanging out.

[Stirling]

Quinn

Well this is their turf and they can outrun us. I say we take out Alpha beast and hunt down the rest.

When within range he will launch a javelin at one.

[monayuris]

I'll take the flask... I'll need a torch to light it from a distance, I have only a lantern.

Liam will take the flask of military oil from Torgyr and pour it to cover the other flank, to the best of his judgement. As soon as he accomplishes this, he will pull back and pull out a dart.