Chapter 3: Advent of the Avalanche Lords

Hyde sets about removing his new chain hauberk as the warmth of the inn greets him, too long had he shivered beneath the cold metal armor.

"We're grateful to ya Mother Urla, what's the price of room and board in your kindly manor?"

"Ahhh, thank you kindly, Mother Urla."

While waiting to hear her response to Hyde's question, Tim took a moment to reflect on the past few months. The quest to seek Al-Hazred, who had visited Tim in his dreams, ended in disappointment. His companions on that trip had different visions, but they all ended up in the same place. The red-headed berserker woman, in a fit of volatile violence, banished Al-Hazred with a swing of her sword. Her lack of patience with wizards deprived Tim of consulting with the wizard. After a period of stressful dealings, the two had found a modicum of common ground. Once they escaped that strange realm, he had mixed feeling about her departure. It was probably for the best. Her hot-headed temper was bound to get them all in trouble at some point.

He was sorry to see the quiet Rook depart. He'd hardly had a chance to get the know the man.

That left the sellsword and the blue priestess. While he was certain that the woman would always act in her interest first, he felt sympathy for her when he learned that she tried to commit suicide in an effort to appease her goddess. Gods can be so fickle. Who needs 'em. The stalwart sellsword saved her life, confirming to Tim that he was more than a mercenary.

Tim continued to accompany them on their journeys. He felt that his path and theirs were intertwined for a bit longer. How much longer he didn't know. But now that path landed them here in this wintry place. Perhaps they would hear a legend about some wizard's tower here in the mountains whereupon they could pay a visit and Tim could acquire a few pages from the owner's grimoire to further his education into the mystic arts. While frostbite was the more likely outcome, Tim could still hope for the best.

Somewhere along the road, the party had met a ne'er-do-well going by the moniker Evadare. It was quickly discovered why he went by that name...

There were two perks to having this dashing and exceedingly handsome man in the group. The first was that he always seemed to have whatever you might need! And if he didn't have it, he knew where to find it!!! How convenient!

And second, the cardio was amazing. He would frequently burst into the roadside waystation and tell you that it was time to run to the next station, no questions asked and no excuses accepted!

The frigid North, he figured, must be full of precious gems. After all, the way it glistened throughout the day and night, it must be so rich that the wealth was pouring from the skies. And so he was determined to find the source of this wealth and claim it as his own.

The fire was welcome. The smell under Hyde's armor was not.

In the downtime after her last ordeal, Honey took seven days of reflection in silence. She found that she had lost sight of her own voice and nearly made the ultimate sacrifice. She resolved to be more boundaried in her pursuit of her devotion. Ambition and vanity had to be set aside as they do nothing to glorify her goddess. Her new prayer is to be an arbiter of balance and leave the making a name for the Lady in Blue to the fates. She also gave herself a makeover. To cover the scar on her neck, she procured a few pieces of blue silk floral prints to wear as a scarf. She used her abilities as trade to acquire a stunning, but sensible dress in the deepest blue as her standard look. She also decided to sacrifice her long locks of hair for the cause of suppressing her vanity. The short hair made her masculine features stand out, but it worked to be taken seriously as a practitioner.

Arriving last at the common house in Krinnleton, she filled the doorframe and made quite an entrance. At 5’10", she was quite a spectacle among these short stature northern elves. She nodded in acknowledgment of Mother Urla’s welcome and proceeded to reunite with Hyde and the others.
"This hearth gives my body warmth, but beginning a new adventure gives me real fire in my bosom! Let us see what challenges this land brings! Shall we start out by first light?"

Along the road, the group was joined by an arcanist who introduced himself as Hakan, no further names or titles. He too was on the road North, in search of the secretive elves of Krinnelton. Although human, he claimed to be of elven blood, which the King of Elfland used to awaken the power of magic in him, he said. Clearly there was more to be discussed there, especially between him and fellow wizard Tim, but the cold of the road did not allow for such pleasantries until they'd reached shelter. Indeed, both sides agreed the journey ahead was dangerous and sticking together was the best option for everyone.

Now in the Common House with the warmth of the fire washing over him, the sorcerer seems to get a little more comfortable. His stooping frame opens up a bit as he stands up straight, the layers upon layers of clothing that were keeping him warm pull back. For all his scrawny frame, he'd handled the roughness of the travel quite well, without complaining or much discomfort.

"We have earned ourselves the right to a hearty meal and some proper drinks. Let's fill up and discuss our plans now that we have reached our destination."

Seeing the construct is made entirely of wood, the cleric fancies a test of the Wood Wyrding spell that she has been studying. It has worked on inanimate objects without exception. Should it work with this? Time to experiment and see the undoing power of her lady in action.She attempts to disassemble the toy attacker and spread the parts across the room.
"By the undoing power of the Lady of Balance, be UNDONE!!"

Evadare leaps into action, ever daring! The anachronistic clock was ticking, and that was when he shined!

Tim took a moment to admire the magical dome keeping out the elements. There has to be a wizard responsible for its creation.

The sudden explosion shook him out of his reverie. The sight of the tiny wooden fiend hinted at further magic. Before he could react, the blue woman used her own magic to break the thing into pieces. The hidden gears now revealed hinted at a shrewd mind skilled in the ways of animatronics. And the finishing touch was the explosive device. What construction! Fortunately, one of the group's new members, a burglar by trade, was on to it swifter than a fox and neutralized it before it could render further harm.

It would seem that the group had found its new mission.

"Mayhaps we keep this mechanism," suggests Evadare, a sly grin across his perpetually grinning face. "It was Mary a trifle to disarm, should be no trouble to re-arm. And I can think of a thousand uses for such a bomb!"

"Perhaps we should split up so that we can disarm these things before they explode."

"Nothing good comes from splitting the party but in this case it seems we must! Too many enemies and these good folk are in trouble, Tim and Hakan go with Honey, Evadare come with me, unless you lot got another idea..."

"Magic and muscle, sounds just fine. I like our chances. To the Church of Father Frost!"

"Sounds like a plan, hoss. You're already my favorite, won't be too upset if only we make it out of this alive," quips the burglar.

"Before you run off, Evadare, take the blessings of the Lady in Blue!" Honey places her deity-infused hand on Evadare’s back.

"No time to discuss tactics, we shall do as Hyde suggested" Hakan agrees, backing up the mercenary's instinctive display of leadership. "Just keep your distance from each other, if a bomb goes off it doesn't have to claim the entire team's lives"

"We'll take the showroom and the workshop. You lot take the other three." Evadare darts off without even looking at Hyde.