[There's one problem here. Your full rations and water are frozen solid, the scrap wood around is wet and frozen, and all the ground is covered in several inches of snow. Cold dry rations will be the only practical choice at this time]

After a few attempts Cat gives the others an apologetic look and hands out the cold rations with embarrassment
Sorry about that Nya!

Indeed so it seems! Cat can you give the tracks a look  if maybe there are signs of anybody else?

Cat sniffs and investigates the tracks

Cat manages to start the fire and warm the food and water.
The sweet scent of roast noble fills the air. Alice claps her hands in anticipation.
Been a while since we had such a delicacy! Who needs Toblen's overpriced inn?!

Cat smiles broadly but gestures Alice to be quiet before Summer asks too much about the secret ingredient

After dinner Cat carefully enters the tent licking her paws clean so no dirt get inside and goes to sleep
I will take the 3rd shift after Ashley Nya!

Before going to sleep Yulya takes a look at the bandits brooches and cloaks. She casts GUIDANCE on herself and tries to investigate the magic signature

Cat's keen senses picks up familiar and unfamiliar scents and tracks. There's a fresh set of cart or carriage tracks headed north with a team of horses pulling, there's the singular draft horse tracks headed east with the trader's converted carriage. She finds that Summer's steps seem to come from nowhere and end as they interact the trader's cart. Additionally there's a few marks in the gravel, like large scoops from something but they offer no scent or otherwise remarkable features.

Yulya can' wrap her head around this. Cat could she have come with the cart heading north or are the tracks too fresh for that?

Summer's ears perk up as she hears about a delicacy, she sniffs the air and she approaches the stew, "This isn't rabbit or vegetable." She raises her eyebrows and smiles. "Oh I think I know what this is."

Ashley follows her out and knows what it is of course. "Alright, I'll bite, what do you think it is?"

"Lutine! I can't believe it and I want some. I have some coin..." She begins to reach under her sweater.

"What?"

She sniffs again, "or, or, is it Longle. I'm catching hints of both but no, I just haven't had it in so long, either way, please?" She pulls out a handful of gold coins.

"What?" Ashley reiterates. "What is Lutine and Longle?"

Summer looks at her with a tilted head, "Don't you even know what you're eating?"

Ashly crosses her arms, "Of course I know what it is and I'm not touching it and neither should you, whatever you think it is, it's not that."

Summer giggles, "Excuse me? You can't fake that smell, it's irrefutable, and I've never had it in a stew." She looks back to Alice and Cat with excitement.
"Alright miss smarty-pants, I warned ya?" Ashly happily takes her rabbit stew.

Yulya pretends not to hear anything and does not want to hear anything. Ignorance is bliss

[INVESTIGATION 1d20-1+1d4=12] Yulya investigates the brooches but her skills at investigation are very poor and it shows. She only just feels the slight signature.

Yulya buries her head in her hands because of her incompetence. How shameful for a cleric! Disappointed by her lack of skills Yulya goes to sleep leaving the brooches for Freya.

Quote from: Aleshe on February 02, 2025, 09:48:25 PM

Summer's ears perk up as she hears about a delicacy, she sniffs the air and she approaches the stew, "This isn't rabbit or vegetable." She raises her eyebrows and smiles. "Oh I think I know what this is."

Ashley follows her out and knows what it is of course. "Alright, I'll bite, what do you think it is?"

"Lutine! I can't believe it and I want some. I have some coin..." She begins to reach under her sweater.

"What?"

She sniffs again, "or, or, is it Longle. I'm catching hints of both but no, I just haven't had it in so long, either way, please?" She pulls out a handful of gold coins.

"What?" Ashley reiterates. "What is Lutine and Longle?"

Summer looks at her with a tilted head, "Don't you even know what you're eating?"

Ashly crosses her arms, "Of course I know what it is and I'm not touching it and neither should you, whatever you think it is, it's not that."

Summer giggles, "Excuse me? You can't fake that smell, it's irrefutable, and I've never had it in a stew." She looks back to Alice and Cat with excitement.

Alice lets out a laugh
Aaah, we have a true gourmet here!
I think it's called Elbon here, something you can't buy for money! You gotta slay it yourself! We were lucky to stumble into one a few days ago. But psst, another secret! We don't have too much of it!

Alice pushes the gold coins back at Summer
Don't stick that much gold into other's faces! You'll run into the wrong people one day!
Tell ya what! Alice is in a good mood so let's eat half of our meal, then we will switch! So you can have half of my precious ration. How's that?

Cat's ears slowly fold back during this weird and troublesome conversation. She's torn between laughing and crying.
N-nya Alice Nya?

Cat lets out a sigh as it's already too late to stop Alice. She just hopes this won't cause more noble trouble
Nyaaah!
Don't tell others about this meal, Summer Nya it's a secret recipe Nya!

Summer looks at the footprints on the road again, "oh, I remember now! My carriage was taken! We were headed to Neverwinter to hire heroes for my quest."
"My driver noticed someone on the road ahead and we stopped at the crossroad. I hid here behind the rock as he continued and after way too long, my driver and cart were both gone. I waited here because I thought they'd come back but then when the other cart came I took it because the driver said four heroes cleared the road. Bandits aside we almost made it to Phandalin where they said the heroes were but there you were! Even if we go to Neverwinter, I still want you helping me rather than someone I don't know."

Alice has severe trouble making sense of this story and facepalms
Whaaat?
Why did you get off the cart to begin with? And your driver continued without you? What sort of strategy is this? What were you thinking?

"We heard rumors of a snow dragon having infested the sight of an artifact "

Alice's rant is suddenly interrupted as she flinches, making a pained face while thinking to herself
Damneeeed, how many people know about my ship? How can this be? I tried so hard to land in a remote region! We must get there and defrost the ship as soon as possible so it can hide underground! The last thing I need is some idiots strolling around there, or even taking parts with them. Those morons have no idea what they are dealing with! No idea!! They will destroy their entire world! In the best case scenario. No witnesses, no problems!
In the worst case - uhh, that would be really bad! I must fix this - and fast!

I thought the dragon was bad enough but it at least serves a purpose. But those damn pesky humans! That drow elf also knew about it! What's next? Dwarves going there to mine the metal? Fools, they will all die!
Alice momentarily feels dizzy by the grim outlook and turns away mumbling to herself

... So you can have half of my precious ration. How's that?

Summer happily takes the bargain of sharing food with Alice, "Oh thank you!"
She smiles thankfully as a final gesture before eating, and though standing, and not in a formal setting, she eats with style and grace. "Hm, it tastes different in stew, my chefs would have a fit to treat such rare delicacy like this, but..." she looks to Cat "you pulled it off, it's delicious!"
Ashley winces in disgust, "I'm eating in the tent."
Alice's mood is restored, at least temporarily!
She watches Summer eat while giggling to herself, barely able to keep herself from bursting into laughter
I'm glad you like it!

Alice takes the first shift, watching out for possible trouble so they don't catch them by surprise. After about an hour, with the whistle still on her, she senses something off, when she takes it out, there's very faint light is emanating from it. On the top, where it looked like a solid silver and white, the shape of a ship embossed in gold seems to be shining through a thin enamel coating.

Damn, the whistle!
Totally forgot about it! We should have investigated this! But I'm not exactly an expert when it comes to weird silver whistles, or anything regarding this world, and magic in particular!
Alice decides to show the whistle to Ashley

After Alice's shift she wakes Ashley. Snuggled next to Summer, she carefully gets up with her three cats, Helga and the B's, and warns Alice away from Summer. Whispering harshly she says, "No cleaning anyone without permission!"

I would never! The joke is that we will be perfectly clean while the noble will become increasingly filthy
[Summer has not reacted to my demonstration of cleaning skills!]

But hey, we have more important things to talk about!
Look at that whistle from the bandits! I forgot about it with all the fuss but it looks like there's some magic at work here! That ship definitely wasn't there before! I hope nobody will be able to track us with this or the brooches! I'm literally magic-deaf but I trust you might find out something about that whistle!
Alice hands Ashley the whistle

Ashley steps outside in the cold and sits near the dying fire... and casts True Sight. Nearly through her watch, having cast it again, completely bored, she notes four humanoids coming with stealth in the distance, careful to stay just off the road. She thinks of waking everyone but perhaps they'll walk on by without a fuss. [Stealth Roll Failed] She notes with her true sight that they're definately aware of the tent and headed right for them. She ducks back in and sounds the alarm in a frantic whisper, "Everyone up, we have four possible bad guys headed our way."
[01:16 Saturday, Spring 15th, frost, 0C]

Alice immediately creeps  out of the tent with her belongings using stealth and slips away into the darkness. A pancake-flat blob with a pile of clothes and a backpack on top hides in the wilderness a bit  further away from the tent, observing the situation.
I swear, if those guys are the same bandits again I will cook them alive! Hell, I'll cook them alive just for disturbing my sleep!

Why did you get off the cart to begin with? And your driver continued without you? What sort of strategy is this? What were you thinking?

So you were traveling just with you driver? And he left you behind so you just boarded another cart?

Summer gives a shrug with a sly smile that says she must be a real handful at home.

Oh and as you are an apprentice, who is your master if I may ask?

"Thalivar of Leilon is within my lineage, as is Gallio Elibro, and as such I am trained in two schools of magic, as Ashley predicted, one is Aberrant the other we'll leave for a surprise." She smiles like the cat that ate the canary. "I know several cantrips."

Earlier
Alice cleans a spot on Summer's coat, she's very proud of her ability.

Summer glances down at the clean spot and looks back at Alice with a air of smugness, then snaps her fingers. She's instantly clean from head to toe. "I can do tricks too." She giggles.


"I'm more interested in your shapeshifting, like if you could shapeshift into anything fun. I'd love to be able to do that, I'd be a mouse so I could scurry about the castle and listen in on everyone's private conversations or even plant a few suggestions."

Optional Response

At the First shift change, Midnight

Alice shows Ashley the whistle and mentions something that triggers a thought with Ashley.

Look at that whistle from the bandits! I forgot about it with all the fuss but it looks like there's some magic at work here! That ship definitely wasn't there before! I hope nobody will be able to track us with this or the brooches!

Ashley grumpily looks at the whistle then her eyes grow wide when Alice mentions 'tracking', "Crap! Crap crap crap! Of course it can, what's this for, even symbolically it makes perfect sense. The guy blew it for help, and why wouldn't it also be able to be tracked so they could be helped!" she whispers loudly and collects all the cloaks and brooches and whistle, ties them to Helga and has Helga go off and hide in the tall weeds a hundred feet South East of Camp. "I didn't even think of that, but just in case it won't draw them to our tent."

Current time: 01:17 Saturday, Spring 15th

Ashley uses her True sight to get a good look at the humanoids, they seem to have the same style as the other bandits but their equipment is different though it does look like they have cloaks with brooches.

I swear, if those guys are the same bandits again I will cook them alive! Hell, I'll cook them alive just for disturbing my sleep!

Ashley glances at Alice and gives her the signal as to their whereabouts, they're stealthed then directs the B's to sneak toward and flank them as they approach.

Oh no! And I have not rested yet! Ashley please look after Summer but keep ready in case we need a negotiator! Cat let us go!

[You had enough rest to gain your MP back at least. Waiting now for Cat's moves.]

Cat casts a smoke cover around the tent with her ring

Ashley with her true sight and blindsight can still see just fine in the cloud and track them so she whispers their locations. With the cloudy night making is especially dark, any visual of the tent is gone though there wasn't much chance of seeing it anyway without something like Truesight. However, they have zero chance of finding it now without blindsight or truesight.

Blind other than Ashley's summons and her sight, the rest of you only know a general direction and whatever Ashley can tell you. Alice has a slightly better perception due to her connection with Ashley but you are all effectively blind in this darkness.



Ashley sees through her summons' Darkvision, that these are in fact bandits, but not the same ones as before, they look tougher, and they are in fact approaching Helga.

Summer sticks to Ashley, seemingly excited by the events and in good spirits. She takes out the dagger and points toward the enemies, "I want to see them too," she whispers and she casts something, a small spell, likely a cantrip though you're unsure what it was, there was no verbal component.


[Grid is 10ft]