The Hills

The adventurers leave Easthaven this morning with waves from many of the townsfolk, either from their homes or from their fishing boats.

As everyone in Ten Towns knows, Icewind Dale is a dangerous place to travel. As the winds blow and the cold rages, travelers must always be alert for whatever they might encounter on the road.

As the party explores the hills along the east of Lac Dinneshere, the struggle against the cold wind is a constant battle. The wind never completely stops, though it occasionally dies down to a frigid breeze. At other times, it builds up to a ferocious roar - or is that the howling of yetis, hidden somewhere in the flurries of snow and ice? In Icewind Dale it is always hard to tell. In any case, it will take some time to search.

The party travels for a few hours. The terrain of Icewind Dale, combined with the encroaching winter weather - which is arriving even earlier than normal this year - makes it very difficult for Zenithral to discern much about their current path. However, he can be reasonably sure that there are no large creatures, such as yetis, close to the party.

Alalla, on the other hand, was raised in the Dale and is also familiar with the way that caravans move between the towns. Her instincts tell her that ahead between two craggy hills there might be a place that would offer some shelter to a caravan in bad shape.

Bel the familiar confirms this after a quick flyby. It claims to see some sort of wooden construct between those two hills, but is too grumpy about being half-frozen to offer much more detail.

Upon drawing closer to this scene, the party discovers that yes, there are remains of a caravan wagon here. The wood of the carriage is splintered, one wheel broken off and half covered in snow nearby, and there are bodies of several humans scattered about. From their wounds, they appear to have died from wrought weapons and arrows. Apparently a place for shelter from the weather also makes a decent location for an ambush.

While the group surveys the wreckage, Father Tulfgyr notices a figure up on one of the hills, watching. The person quickly ducks away from sight.

As Ug leans respectfully over the bodies, his pet rock Nancy falls from his pack and tumbles into the snow. Tragically, Ug does not notice.

The caravaners' wounds are wide and deep, as though inflicted by some sort of axe. The attackers were overly violent and savage, judging from the frozen mess. As Alalla helps Maverick move one body, she realizes that the aftermath of this battle is hauntingly familiar. At certain stressful times in her life she had felt a nearly overwhelming rage that made her want to inflict this same level of carnage. Her suspicions are confirmed when she notices a black arrow sprouting from a man's back, and recognizes the fletchings. This was the work of orcs.

As Father Tulfgyr scans the hilltop where the figure disappeared, three tall figures stand up, empty hands raised above their heads. Their leathery faces, blonde hair, and wrapped furs mark them as barbarian tribesmen, though from which tribe remains to be seen. Zenithral and Alalla know well that most tribes in Icewind Dale refuse contact with the people of Ten Towns, and many are outright hostile.

"Then we share this hunt!" Ug says grasping his great axe from his back, flexing massive muscles. "Show us where ugly orcs hide and Ug and friends help end this plague."