3. Foul weather

Foul weather


  • *Telli smiles as she watches some of the more dire dispositions turn in the light of her plan. More somber though she whispers a prayer of thanksgiving to Chauntea as she waddles off to the Grapevine Inn for a bitter-sweet rest knowing tomorrows certain to bring a toll on her stout shoulders and countenance.

    Telli sits down at one of the inns tables ordering a earthy meal filled with vegetables and pork. Smacking sounds trickle through the establishment until nothing is left where the stout dwarf sat but an empty plate with peas shoved to a corner of the plate and a large stack of coins to thank the waiter in question.

    Snoring fills the halls outside Telli's room as she attempts to get the best nights rest she can. Despite her efforts she can't help but toss and turn well into the evening until she finally passes out dreaming of chasing pigs within some farmers stalls.*


  • The farmers seem to be greatly cheered by this, murmur their agreement, and go to work with the air of gloom and worry noticeably less.


  • ((Sorry for the delay, thanks for those being patient in this part of the storyline…))

    Telli arrives in Norwick in the farming fields one afternoon. Two Legionnaire soldiers flank her sides dragging wheelbarrows of items behind them. As the bitter cold fights to slink down the back of her neck she stands there in her four foot by four foot stature and motions farmers, workers, laypeople and anyone generally worried by Norwicks recent weather shift over for warm words.

    “Sorries Telli ain’ts been arounds da lass few weeks… many a yuhs come ta depend on Telli… Chauntea more… and Telli wanna be honests wid yuhs… fer da first times eva….”

    The cold wind sends Telli’s pigtails flapping into her face as she pauses to brush the stalks of hair from her dirty features.

    “…fer once Telli’s not juss jumpedededs inta sometings… Telli’s usedededs ta seeings danger and jumpings inta its… not dis times… I tooks yuhs worries folks ta Chauntea herself…and… she’s as worried as yuhs guys is…

    Dis cold snaps… a results a dat Hungry One… dat farkings big polars bear of a demon fark… buh all he knows is cold and destructions… he nots stronga dens us… not stronga dens Norwicks… especially whens we all works togeders…

    Here’s whats we gotta do’s…. Telli’s gonna be busy as hecks… and yuhs all farmers… Telli know yuhs hard workers too… buh we need ta works smarters… nots neccesarriles harders…

    First ting first Telli gonna come by each one a yers farms and bless ems… gonna askedededs Chauntea fer blessings a ”Hallow” fer each farmers land…

    @410bc4298b:

    Hallow
    Evocation [Good]
    Level: Clr 5, Drd 5
    Components: V, S, M, DF
    Casting Time: 24 hours
    Range: Touch
    Area: 40-ft. radius emanating from the touched point
    Duration: Instantaneous
    Saving Throw: See text
    Spell Resistance: See text

    Hallow makes a particular site, building, or structure a holy site. This has four major effects.

    First, the site or structure is guarded by a magic circle against evil effect.

    Second, all Charisma checks made to turn undead gain a +4 sacred bonus, and Charisma checks to command undead take a -4 penalty. Spell resistance does not apply to this effect. (This provision does not apply to the druid version of the spell.)

    Third, any dead body interred in a hallowed site cannot be turned into an undead creature.

    Finally, you may choose to fix a single spell effect to the hallowed site. The spell effect lasts for one year and functions throughout the entire site, regardless of the normal duration and area or effect. You may designate whether the effect applies to all creatures, creatures who share your faith or alignment, or creatures who adhere to another faith or alignment. At the end of the year, the chosen effect lapses, but it can be renewed or replaced simply by casting hallow again.

    Spell effects that may be tied to a hallowed site include aid, bane, bless, cause fear, darkness, daylight, death ward, deeper darkness, detect evil, detect magic, dimensional anchor, discern lies, dispel magic, endure elements, freedom of movement, invisibility purge, protection from energy, remove fear, resist energy@410bc4298b:

    Resist Energy
    Abjuration
    Level: Clr 2, Drd 2, Fire 3, Pal 2, Rgr 1, Sor/Wiz 2
    Components: V, S, DF
    Casting Time: 1 standard action
    Range: Touch
    Target: Creature touched
    Duration: 10 min./level
    Saving Throw: Fortitude negates (harmless)
    Spell Resistance: Yes (harmless)

    This abjuration grants a creature limited protection from damage of whichever one of five energy types you select: acid, cold, electricity, fire, or sonic. The subject gains energy resistance 10 against the energy type chosen, meaning that each time the creature is subjected to such damage (whether from a natural or magical source), that damage is reduced by 10 points before being applied to the creature’s hit points. The value of the energy resistance granted increases to 20 points at 7th level and to a maximum of 30 points at 11th level. The spell protects the recipient’s equipment as well.

    Resist energy absorbs only damage. The subject could still suffer unfortunate side effects.

    Note: Resist energy overlaps (and does not stack with) protection from energy. If a character is warded by protection from energy and resist energy, the protection spell absorbs damage until its power is exhausted.

    , silence, tongues, and zone of truth. Saving throws and spell resistance might apply to these spells’ effects. (See the individual spell descriptions for details.)

    An area can receive only one hallow spell (and its associated spell effect) at a time. Hallow counters but does not dispel unhallow.
    Material Component

    Herbs, oils, and incense worth at least 1,000 gp, plus 1,000 gp per level of the spell to be included in the hallowed area.

    ..gonna askedededs fer specials blessings against da cold and ta keeps yer dead livestocks and critters froms comings backs froms da deads. Yer crops’ll be stronger dens a dwarven monk in da mountains. Telli promise yuhs dis.

    Seconds… Dose Hallow blessings takedededs a while ta do so…while yuhs folks waiting fer Telli ta finish… yuh makedededs yerselfs busy okee… yuh need ta checks wid me friends here….”

    Telli motions to the flanking legionaires and their wheelbarrows full of equipment and tools.

    “…Telli brought some a Telli’s own supplies…. Somes gloves and boots she madedededs… and somes scythes and hammas da Legion gadereded froms buggerbears over da last year or so… if any a yuh farmers or workers are lacking ANYTING… yuh come up and see one a me friends and dey’ll see ta it yuh gots fresh new equipment. We need da strongest tings we gots ta combats dis cold AND we need ta works smarter and fasts… nots juss hard.

    Third… afta yuhs lot is sets wid yuhs new equipments and yuhs not lacking anytings… starts wid yer own farms and pull anytings ripe enough or almost ripe enough ta be pulledededs… a few more winter snaps likes we been gettings dese last few days and dey’ll be good as dead… lets gader whats we can NOW rader den lata… and if yuhs farm is cleared… move on and helpedededs yuhs neighbor eh?

    Fourth…dis where we gonna need ta gets organizedededs and work togeders… once Telli finishes a field blessings its… I want a bunch a yuhs ta work da ground and we need ta starts plantings somes semi-hardy and hardy plants fer da next few months. I want yuh ta plants semi-hardy ones likedededs beets, cauliflower, spinach, and Chinese cabbage in da dead center a da crop field… and da hardy’uns likedededs turnips, cabbage, kale, mustard greens, broccoli, kohlrabi, green onions, and radishes. go tad a outer sections a da fields. Dats incase somes a Telli’s blessings don’t quite reach da edges of da fields… we wanna makedededs sures da most pertectedededs ones is da weaker’uns.

    Buh Remembers… We don’t starts plantings any a dese semi-hardy and hardy plants until afta Telli gits dems blessings from Chauntea onta da field. Lets not waste da earth moders blessings and efforts eh?

    Fifth… Once Telli gottedededs da Hallow blessings finishedededs… Telli’s gonna needededs a break, buh afta a day or so… Telli’ll starts makings da rounds and blessings da fields ta grow fasta so we can try ta gits as much veggies stored fer dis winta as possibles…

    @410bc4298b:

    Plant Growth
    Transmutation
    Level: Drd 3, Plant 3, Rgr 3
    Components: V, S, DF
    Casting Time: 1 standard action
    Range: See text
    Target or Area: See text
    Duration: Instantaneous
    Saving Throw: None
    Spell Resistance: No

    Plant growth has different effects depending on the version chosen.
    Overgrowth

    This effect causes normal vegetation (grasses, briars, bushes, creepers, thistles, trees, vines) within long range (400 feet + 40 feet per caster level) to become thick and overgrown. The plants entwine to form a thicket or jungle that creatures must hack or force a way through. Speed drops to 5 feet, or 10 feet for Large or larger creatures. The area must have brush and trees in it for this spell to take effect.

    At your option, the area can be a 100-foot-radius circle, a 150-foot-radius semicircle, or a 200-foot-radius quarter circle.

    You may designate places within the area that are not affected.
    Enrichment

    This effect targets plants within a range of one-half mile, raising their potential productivity over the course of the next year to one-third above normal.

    Plant growth counters diminish plants.

    This spell has no effect on plant creatures.

    Telli sighs audibly out her nostrils before resting her scythe into the dirt as fresh carvings of grain adorn her staff handle.

    “Dis not gonna be easy folks… buh Chauntea herself gave Telli peace in her heart abouts dis plans… and if we all work togeder… no plan a destructions will reach anymore a dese crops afore nature intendededs…

    Every’un gets whats equipment yuh needs nows…and wull starts bright and early tomorrow. Any questions?”

    Telli leans on the scythe looking out among those gathered to make sure the plan hatched out is clear and concise. A certain air of leadership sparkling in her dopey lopsided eyes only reached by the guiding and direction of Chauntea herself..


  • _The weather gets still worse, and now strange attacks begin… undead animals attacking travelers in the wood and on the roads, and dead, frozen guards being hurled into town only to rise as zombies.

    The local farmers are getting noticeably anxious._

  • H

    _After staying in the office of the Chancellor for some hours, Meye has seen to come out escorted by dwarven guard.

    The dwarf escorts Meye to the north gate of the town.

    With faint, comfortable or even a bit arrogant, smile on her face she lays icy gaze of her cold blue eyes to those who look at her on her way to the north gate._


  • Danika has become an even rarer sight in town since the snows began. She's seen only on the paths between the south gate, the infirmary, the barracks, and back south again. When she returns to town a few days later, she is always weary-eyed from exhaustion and often injured.

    Whenever she hears word of the woman speaking for the Frostmaiden, Danika absently clutches her necklace of ice-like glass shards.

  • H

    _Another dwarf watches the armored dwarf and the female walk away. Reacting to some sign that was meant only for him, the dwarf puts down his ale and gets up slowly.

    Nodding to the guards and the commoners he passes, he follows them, keeping a safe distance from the two._

  • H

    Dwarf finds Meye talking to local people. Meye turns gaze of her sapphire eyes to the dwarf. Then a faint smile flashes in her face as she talks to dwarf

    I see that even the wall of the greateste leaders cannot keep out the cold whispers that northern nights carry. Chancellor has heard the whispers, has he not?

    She turns to people she was talking to and gives them slow nod

    Thy have heard the warnings of the Icedawn I bringeth thee. I suggest thee to fall in thy prayers, before thy be praying them by coldened bodies of thy own children.

    she turns to dwarf again

    Now we may go.

    Those nearby can hear Meye talking to dwarf all the way to the office with soft tone of voice. It seems like discussion considers about how cold such a fine armor can get in freezing blizzard and how ice cold armor can burn it's way through flesh severing limbs like a warm knife cuts the butter.


  • *a dwarf in a gold cloak and full armor asks Meye to accompany him to the Chancellor's office immediately. He makes it pretty clear that the only acceptable answer is "yes". *


  • _Perhaps as a macabre joke, a squad of tainted goblinoids sets up a catapult south of Norwick and for some time bombards the town with the frozen corpses of Norwick cattle killed in the blizzards. The cows, after landing with the sickening thud of dead meat, proceeded to rise as zombies and attack the citizenry.

    Finally a group of adventurers sallied out the gates and destroyed the cow-hurling trebucket._

  • H

    _The young woman apparently is called Meye Spark.

    Meye seems to keep spreading word of the Frostmaiden very actively. However, she does not make very loud noise out of herself, and does not bring out any physical threats. More likely she seem to look for common folk to discuss with, mostly humans that seem by their looks to have bloodline in the Narfell for long time.

    Often she is heard asking people questions of if they remember when they ended serving One whose doorstep they live in. When did they trade the One who rules northern lands to ones brought here by those whose bloodline lies elsewhere._


  • Dwin hears the loony bird speak, and nods to two of his guards to keep an eye on her, and to offer her a night in the "Norwick Hotel" if she acts up.

    This weather's bringin all the kooks out…

  • H

    _With a riverboat from Peltarch arrives a young woman, dressed in icy white and blue. Her frosty white hair falls long under her shoulders and her eyes sparkle like two blue sapphires. See carries a symbol of snowflake in her silvery necklace.

    She goes around Norwick, seemingly pleasant of any marks of cold she finds. With soft words she keeps telling warnings to the commoners_

    Beholde thee citizens of this town of the Norwick! Beholde, as the Icedawn has made her presence clear!

    Thee be livinge in the borders of the greate ices and still many of thee has come strangers with thy land and pay not respects to the Frostmaiden!

    Beholde thee! Be woken up! The Icedawn is coming and will turne the lands into ice. Be afraide those who sees the marks of Her ands not turn towards Her grace and beg for Her mercy!

    Her mark will come soon. See it in land, see it in river that soon will be covered into blessed ice. Witness it, and falleth thee on thy knees in front of Her almighty!


  • ((gone till Friday… We leave tomorrow morning. I'll use this as a placeholder unless folks start replying like crazy.... in which I'll just have this removed.))


  • Some days afterwards, Norwick Herald D'Cameron addresses the crowd:

    @778c908e6b:

    By order of Lord Dolvak, all farmers and ranchers are to consult with Priestess Telli of Chauntea about ways to mitigate the effects of bad weather on Norwick's ever-bountiful harvest. Lord Dolvak is sure that the Lady of Grain shall not forsake her faithful in their potential time of need, and as a token of his confidence shall be making a special donative to Her causes.

    Bad weather is to be expected as far north as we are, and certainly this is nothing compared to those life-draining fogs we got in the old town, so let us all 'buck up' and 'soldier on' to bring in yet another record crop, even in the face of uncooperative nature.