Session 4: Shelter from the Storm

You wake up before the sun rise to prepare for your long trip north. Agna double checks all the supplies to ensure everyone is ready to face the cold, Izuhn confirms his merchandise is loaded to the caravan and Adaia takes the opportunity to refill her spell components and alchemicals.

---

You all recognize the grey eyed dwarf with mahogany hair tied into long deadlocks behind her back as Helda Silverstream. Wearing her hooded silver-stitched blue cloak fastened with a silver clasp in the shape of a dwarven war axe, she greet you all before jumping to her wagon.

Beorn Seelstrike, a lean older dwarf showing streaks of grey in his neatly twin braided beard is taking charge of the final preparations. The leader of the enterprise wears simple, sensible, confortable travel gear, including a brown bear-skin cloak and a broad-brimmed hat to shade his deeply tanned face.

You also notice Aldo Fetcher, a balding, middle-aged human walking with a slight stoop to one of the wagons. As one of the merchants, you can't help but notice how he is obviously unused to the rigors of the road.

Two human women are talking together. One, Nass Lantomir is holding a small white arctic weasel in her arms. The other, Ezahne Darmor carries a great tome under her arm.

Besides a number of guards taking position, you spot another human, Godric Orchard, who seems to be dressed in higher quality clothes, though not the nobility level quality.

---

As the first ray of light makes its way through the clouded skies, the caravan is ready. With it you see Griggle Duskloch calling you as he runs towards you, half sleep deprived.

Griggle moves slightly away from Agna the orc warns him that they are not taking him anywhere, naturally drifting towards Izuhn for no other reason that that the dwarf was moving his way. "Ah my good dwarven friend! Deliverer of the letter!" Griggle starts greeting, looking behind his back a few times as he does so. "I heard you are going to the Ten-Towns" he looks around at the caravan ready to leave and then quickly side glances at Agna.

"I worked all night testing that recipe your elven friend helped with and this is revolutionary! I bet that old Fallstaff Shorthelm in Hundlestone will love to try a sample of it. Got himself quite the reputation as a master adamantine craftsdwarf. " He quickly open a bag to reveal another fleshly smelted bar. "Twice as easy to work If I had to guess. I bet you with this we could secure a trade deal with those Hundelstone's blacksmiths".

He looks over his shoulder and then nervously at Izuhn. Standing from a bit behind, Adaia can see three humans waiting a bit further behind. That seems to be what the duergar keeps checking.

"Oh no need to be back. Just give this one to the master smith and the folk in Hundelstone will be ruining this way as fast as they can I assure you. This elemental infused metal is the future!" He looks back once more. "Eheh and talking about the future it seems I have places to be" he laughs nervously and quickly rushes away disappearing into the alleys of the town.

The caravan master approaches Agna, noticing the strange encounter with the duergar. "Everything alright? Ye people ready to get on the road? If we walk fast we can get some good rest in Hundelstone tonight" He looks at the grey sky for a moment. "Damned winter sure is early this year! Not sure I want to take any chances with it... What yer thoughts on it?"

Noticing the unwelcoming clouds in the horizon, everyone is keen to start the travel and make it to the next town for one last comfortable sleep before the mountain trail. As you set out, you look back and see under the morning light the reconstruction works slowly starting. Interestingly, you also notice a number of humans miners concentrated around Griggle's place, but you can't tell what exactly they are doing there.

The travel is uneventful so most of you relax and take the opportunity to pass the time by talking to someone else. Izuhn decides to join the other dwarves and try to learn more about the people traveling north.

Adaia doesn't care much for the mundane practicalities, preferring to leave that for those less academically gifted. She is naturally attracted to the two women discussing something and carrying books and tries to join them for the ride. Her first impressions were right. Both are arcanists of some sort, though both look more like apprentices than full spellcasters, despite what they say.

While everyone slowly gets distracted, Agna stays focused, her eyes constantly checking the clouds. As morning gives way to a gray, overcast afternoon, the orc can tell those clouds covering the sky promise snow... and likely a storm. Beorne agrees with Agna's assessment and tries to hurry the caravan to make it to Hundelstone. Snowflakes begin to fall within the hour, and grow thicker and thicker in the next few hours of travel until it becomes difficult to see even thirty feet ahead through the torrent of snowfall. Quickly the Ten Trail becomes almost completely invisible beneath the snowfall.