Reign of Winter

We continue on our merry way through the snow, and over night we are visited by small creatures that picked over our stuff and despoiled our food. Fortunately, our cleric knows how to Purify Food and Water [and made his save to be able to cast such].

However, the food situation does bring to bare that we didn't quite plan our supplies properly, and are close to running out, so we set out for a nearby village that we were planning on missing. Close to there, we find a hut, and on approaching it, we are quickly caught up in the woes of a woman who claims her husband has been taken by a moss troll. [Here I think my player knowledge came far to quickly to the fore, and I, and others admittedly, were immediately suspicious of this. Surely a simple moss troll encounter would be too easy? Perhaps there was more going on here than met the eye, but I, and others, were on our guard for something not to obvious to be happening.]

We go to the moss troll cave, and looking around I find tracks, although smaller than what they should be. Inside, we do indeed see a troll like being, covered in moss and spores, but smaller. And carrying the husband's axe. However, although we call out to it, it just straight up attacks us. As we fight back, some strange happens, with the skin rippling, but it takes a while before we realise that this is a second skin of moss troll (at least, something that looked a lot like one) over another person. However, that doesn't stop Mage from frying it, and it is only because we have a handy cleric that the husband isn't barbecue. The couple (and she turns out to be a Fey creature!) are grateful, and fortunately have a remove curse scroll to deal with the Ring of Regeneration I am wearing that is actually a Ring of Life Bleed. Thanks for giving that to me, party! They also give us food so we can get back on track.

Onwards, Nadya's son wonders off, and we go searching. The other party find him first, surrounded by wolves, but see them off just before we arrive. Continuing, we get to the Stone we were interested in, and while there is power here, there's nothing we can do about it. We find small buried bones, which I surmise are a form of sacrifice to the queen believed trapped. [Again, player knowledge possibly coming a little too quickly.] Finally, we are on the way to the capital...

[Which, with Christmas and New Year, might take us a while to get to...]

[END]