Snows of Summer session #9 and #10

 Snows of Summer, Session 9:  Vision restored, Yeti, patrols, return to Waldsby-Nadya kidnapped!  On to the Pale tower... Hatch to help!

• You traveled to Hoarwood in search of a cure for the blindness and were successful (one person healed as you reached town so you waited another day for the other to heal….seems to take several days to heal from bird-scratch blindness).
• You were ambushed at night by a Yeti that made good work of you but finally was taken out.
• You were approached on the road by a patrol that said you needed to surrender your weapons and be escorted back to the Pale Tower to be interrogated by Radosek…. but you just decided to kill them instead.
•  You arrived back at Waldsby only to find that another patrol had taken Nadya to the Tower. 
• Hatch, the small Fey (Domovoi) that takes care of Nadya’s household was coaxed into helping the party with info about the tower, and after he was convinced of her kidnapping said he would come to help in her rescue.  He also knows some of the passwords for the teleports between floors, but not all of them.
•  The Pale tower is several stories tall and looks out upon a frozen tundra with visibility for several miles in all directions.  The structure is solid ice, extremely slippery and no exit/entrance except for the main gate that not only has some sort of magical wall of ice that blocks the entrance but a portcullis on the other side of that as well.  There is also an Aerie about 3 stories up from which (play on words) the eyes of the tower, the ravens, reside.

Yoska's journal entry session #9:

Waldsby:

Black. Everything so black. And cold. Damn ravens ! I am supposed to protect Zaaz, I always did. Now she has to lead me by the hand so I don't trip. She is leading us all in this foreign land, as she can speak the language. I must learn it from her, from our host Nadia or anyone else who can teach me. My cousin is dear to my heart but she will cause us trouble, no doubt. That's her nature.

Hoarwood:

I can see again ! We could find a healer in Hoarwood who could cure Sadobras and myself. Praise the old man, I can see again ! The sweet, sweet morning light dancing on the snow. I can practice again. I am so close to master the water dance. The new scimitar from Hoarwood is getting lighter in my hands. The merchant was right, it is money well spent.

On the road between Hoarwood and Waldsby

A group of guards showed up on the road. Sadobras and Dalomar quickly went hiding into the trees, leaving Zaaz, Noname and I to fend for ourselves. Those fools don't know Zaaz, she is unpredictable! The guards are talking too fast with my cousin, I can only get a few words, but I can tell they work for the local witch. The one at the Pale Tower. Suddenly it went very fast. Zaaz whispers with her magic the guards want our weapons, Sadobras rushes out from the trees and fells the leader, my companions attack the rest of them, Zaaz starts floating up in the air. They cannot approach her ! I cut the first one near me, a jolt of electricity dancing along my arm and the shortsword. It's over soon and we are left scrambling with what happened. Noname does not understand why we attacked the guards first, neither do I. But what is done is done. Bodies are buried under the snow. We find a magic mirror on the leader, a witch's device of some sort. Zaaz confirms they were working for the local witch, they wanted us to follow them to the Pale Tower for questioning.

We thought we avoided a terrible fate, until the horror of the following night, huddled by the campfire. A sharp pain wakes me up. Blood on chest. A tall furry creature, like a giant ape, looming over me. The foul smell of its breath. The intense cold coming from it. And those deep red eyes. All I can do is stand on my feet, fear griping my insides, paralyzed. The creature is so close to Zaaz, she tries to conjure up her magic but fails. She has to get away ! Sadobras, Dalomar, and Noname's companion, Repent, try to push the creature back. It is ferocious ! One by one, Dalomar and Repent fall. Zaaz is surely next! That is enough to summon my courage back. Training kicks back in, I clear my mind. Two quick strikes, electricity dancing along my blade, I find a weak spot, close to its heart. The creature drops, unmoving. It was a yeti, someone says. I hope it is my last.

Back to Hoarwood again to fence what we got from the guards and lick our wounds. Then travel back to Waldsby, everybody weary of another encounter with guards, or Desna forbids, the witch's ravens. But this time I will be ready.

Waldsby:

Nadia is gone ! Snatched by the witch's guard and carried to the Pale Tower. Nothing good can come out of that. Not after we told Nadia that the witch probably killed her daughter. Leave it to Zaaz to bewitch the little shy fey servant Nadia keeps around her house. As fate would have it, the fey creature is a former servant from the Pale Tower. He knows a thing or two about it, and finally agrees to come with us as a guide. He seems faithful to Nadia and wants her out of the witch's grasp. So do we.

Snows of Summer, Session 10:  The Pale Tower:  Voice in the road, kleptomaniac bird.   Arrived!  Scale the ice wall into the kitchen in the dead of night....mmmm, cookies!  Hi Nadya!  Hi Mierul- taste my steel!  Follow that Ulfen warrior-woman, oh wait, that's a nasty plant over there.  Why do I feel like I'm about to be in the middle of a fey sandwitch?

•  You traveled a short way towards the tower but were interrupted by the voice of an invisible being.  After a bit of talking it attacked Zaaz and stole Grrr’s cage (with him in it) along with the keys to Baba Yaga’s hut.  It turned out to be an arcane loving Witchcrow and it almost got away with the goods, but you stopped it and found it’s nest and goodies as well.
•  After approaching the tower in the dead of night you all scaled the walls and entered through the kitchen.
•  Noname and Sadobras each tried some cookies…there was one magical one on the tray and it was eaten by one of the two.
•  Dalomar almost scouted the entire 2nd floor before you found Nadya in a room asleep.  She was grateful but surprised to see you all.   She said she had everything under control and had convinced Radosek that you were all just merchant associates of hers from Hoarwood, but you all being here now in the middle of the night uninvited was going to be hard to explain!
•  Dalomar went to the next room and blindly attacked the being that was in the bed, severely damaging but not killing what turned out to be the strange bard that had stayed the night during the storm when traveling towards Waldsby several days ago.  She temporarily talked Dalomar out of attacking but then used her flame bald once her little atomie friends appeared out of nowhere to help her.
•  One atomie escaped through the portal to warn the others below
•  A fierce female Ulfen warrior heard all the commotion and Mierul’s scream from the bedroom and joined the fray, though just temporarily before retreating to the other portal that transports (supposedly according to Hatch) to the level above with the aerie.
•  In the conservatory a strange plant-like creature was found chained to the wall in the corner.

Zaaz Journal entry session #10:

We go into the unknown once again.   All beings long to test their power, but few knowingly go against one more powerful than themselves.   We have gained in our skills and many strange things have happened, but now we meet the first of our real foes.   How strong must she be to command this tower?   How powerful to command the magic mirrors we have found?   Yet, how can we not move against her.   There is a power in desperation, perhaps it will be enough….

In Walensberg we did speak with Hatch about getting into the tower.   Much he told us about it and its environs.  A difficult approach it will certainly be we knew.   Setting forth we moved upon the road towards our goal when we were interrupted by a strange voice.   A Witchcrow it was and it stole my bag with Grrr and the keys to Baba Yaga’s Hut.   Attracted to items of power it was and a first fight it was.   Grrr was almost killed as it dropped him from a great height.   Lucky for us, Noname was more than up to the task of beating this craven crow and with the help of summoned eagles he put a stop to it.   Later we found it’s nest and a few goodies it had left for us.

Onward we journeyed through the bleak winter snows to the tower.   After much debate and discussion we decided to approach it late at night.   Up to it and up on it we went, climbing to a window and entering through the kitchen.   In we went.   Noname and Sadobras had obviously never heard that taking snacks from evil witches is not a good idea as they immediately started eating the cookies they found there.   One of which turned out to be magic in nature. 

Dalomar scouted most of the 2^nd floor and soon we found Nadya asleep in her room.   Strangely trusting of the witch she assured us that it was all a misunderstanding and that the witch certainly hadn’t killed her child.  She also assured us that she had convinced Radosek that we were merely merchant associates of hers.   While we discussed things, Dalomar continued his scouting and found the strange bard we had encountered before.   By found I mean he attacked her in her bed.   No, not that kind of attack, we are on the side of good you voices!   The evil bard talked him out of his attack for a few moments, but then attacked when some of her Atomie friends showed up to assist.   In the ensuing battle the bard was killed, but one of the Atomies escaped through the portal to warn the others.   A Fierce female Ulfan Warrior also joined the fray before retreating to one of the other portals. 

Finishing a bit of exploration on the 2^nd floor we also discovered some strange plan creature chained to the wall in one corner.  

Now, up or down?   Where do we go and how will we get there.   We know not all of the keys to moving through all of the portals.   Our presence is now known and certainly the enemy will group to attack.   How can we win this day against such odds?   There must be a way….