Session 5, VP2

With a slight chill in the air coming off the coast, our heroes continued their trek southwards. By the time they found themselves at the foot of the peaks of Hrungnir's Lay, the sun had nearly set. Hesitant to continue marching through the night, the party instead set camp, and rested until morning.

After an uninterrupted night of sleep, the party began to follow the curve of the mountain peaks above them. In a short amount of time, they heard raised voices coming from ahead. Reinhold asked Kuze to scout ahead while invisible, to get some idea of what lay ahead. A few moments later, Kuze returned. He indicated that he was unsure if the situation was dangerous, and he seemed to be a bit confused.

Deciding to continue towards the sound, the group soon learned why Kuze had been so confused; set up at a small folding table was a young woman in a lab coat, intently studying a microscope. Surrounding her were four men who were clearly bandits. Despite the increasingly angry threats the bandits levied at the woman, she seemed not to notice them in the slightest.

Our heroes couldn't help but laugh at the absurdity of the scene. Unfortunately, this drew the bandits attention, and they decided to move onto the newcomers. The leader of the bandits, Stigandr, demanded that the party hand over their valuables. Scoffing, Reinhold refused, and insulted the bandits.

The enraged bandits charged into battle. Reinhold and Shadow entered a skirmish with Stigandr & his hammer-wielding follower, Herleif. Grigor, a man dual-wielding knives, launched himself towards Sage & Olli to little effect. A bandit wielding a bow held towards the back, and managed to hit Lauren non-lethally with an arrow. In response, Olli attacked the man, forcing him to drop his bow.

Reinhold caught ahold of Herleif's hammer, and used it to knock the man down flat. Meanwhile, Shadow & Stigandr were dueling at an incredible pace. Although wounded, Sage managed to partially disarm Grigor, causing him to drop a knife. Sylvie reached out with her mind, and somehow caused the knife to levitate. With a flick of her wrist, the knife skewered the bowman through his hand. The bowman helped in pain, before running off into the wild.

Working together, the group managed to make short work of the remaining two bandits. The party spent a moment healing Sage & Lauren, before binding the bandits together with rope. Amazingly, the scientist still seemed not to have noticed anything that had happened.

Lauren, curious to see what she could be so wrapped up in, approached the table, and introduced themselves. The woman held up a finger, shushing Lauren for a moment. After taking a few notes, she turned around from her research, seeming to notice the party & the bandits for the first time.

She introduced herself as Fragna Droyma, a Researcher & Scientist, who hoped to become a Dream Doctor. While conducting introductions, she also released her Pokemon, Crispin. When she asked who the party was, and what they were doing here, the group attempted to explain the scenario they had walked in on.

Fragna clearly didn't quite believe that she could have missed such a commotion. Changing topics, Lauren inquired about what she had been studying. Fragna excitedly explained that she had happened across a species of moss she hadn't recognized.

As Fragna continued to ramble on about her studies, Reinhold & Sylvie shared a look. Lauren politely listened to Fragna, until she suddenly cut herself short. Having spotted Lauren's camera, she became even more excited than before.

It seemed that it might aid Fragna in getting accepted as an apprentice Dream Doctor if she was able to properly document her research. Awkwardly, she asked Lauren if they would be willing to assist as such in the future. When Lauren agreed, Fragna gifted our heroes with some Potions, gave Lauren her Pokedex contact, and turned back to her research.

Thankful that the awkwardness had ended, the group turned their attention back to the three bandits they had rounded up.

Once the bandits were awake, Lauren asked about something they had noticed during the battle: the bandits were slightly scuffed and bruised, and, although they wore belts for Pokeballs, all of their belts were empty.

Herleif proved to be the most responsive of the group, and explained that they themselves had recently been robbed. When he ran dry of details, he indicated the group's leader, Stigandr knew more. Unlike Herleif, Stigandr was very disagreeable.

Through an interrogation that felt like pulling teeth, our heroes were able to find out that, supposedly, the bandits had their belongings stolen by what Stigandr described as a frost giant. Not knowing of any Pokemon that fit the description, the party was skeptical of his claims.

Once more reaching out with her burgeoning psychic powers, Sylvie found herself getting brief flashes of Stigandr's memories. Although it wasn't a clear image, she was able to discern that Stigandr appeared to be telling the truth.

Curious about what the thieving creature could be, our heroes suggested the bandits lead to them to the camp where they had been attacked. Grigor & Herleif were eager to go along, as they missed their stolen Pokemon. Stigandr spat at the group's feet, insisting that Pokemon had no feelings, and were simply tools.

Changing tact, the group began openly insulting Stigandr and his claims, angering him to the point that he agreed to their offer.

After a brief deliberation, the party decided to loose the would-be bandits of their bonds. With Stigandr leading the way, our heroes set out to the south-east, further afield from the mountains.

A few hours later, Stigandr called the group to a hurried stop. When Reinhold inquired why he had them stop, Stigandr insisted that there were "incredibly dangerous" Pokemon up ahead.

Sylvie's Pokedex was able to determine that there were 6 Pokemon a short way ahead, but couldn't get a read on what kinds from this distance. Stigandr & Reinhold began arguing back and forth, ending with Stigandr standing up and shouting a retort. Immediately, the wild Pokemon began running towards the party, drawn by the noise.

Keeping the bandits safely behind them and their Pokemon, our heroes engaged the attack head-on. Although the battle was slightly difficult, the group's teamwork was helping them quickly dispatch their attackers. Just as they thought the battle was sealed, Stigandr, Herleif, & Grigor cried out from behind them.

A particularly large and angry-looking Elekid had circled around to the back of the party for an ambush, and had Paralyzed the bandits with ease.

With a last burst of effort, the party managed to subdue the Elekid, saving the bandits.

Grigor & Herleif thanked the group, and looked shamefaced. Stigandr scoffed, and refused to acknowledge their help.

Embarrassed & enraged, Stigandr pushed to the front once more, and continued to lead the group through the fields.

In the late afternoon, the party began to hear the sound of a running river from up ahead. Stigandr once more stopped, and pointed out their camp a short while from the riverbed.

Our heroes took stock of the scene. All around the campsite was evidence of some form of attack: ruined tents, ripped open bags, and a mess of footprints covered the ground.

At the far end of the clearing, the group came across a large pool of ice, that led off into the tall grass. Sylvie woke Thistle, and asked him to try to track the scent on the ice. Thistle took off like a bolt into the grass. Pursuing him, Sylvie found him standing at a spot where the ice came to a dead stop, with his head cocked towards the sky.

From what she could gather, it seemed that whatever odd scent there was on the ice came to a complete & abrupt stop at this point.

Petting Thistle for his good work, Sylvie returned to the group to report on her findings.

Ideas were lobbied around the group as to how to proceed. Eventually, Sylvie suggested that the group could camp out in this exact spot, to see if the frost giant returned.

Herleif & Grigor were clearly on edge, but agreed to stick around with the party. Stigandr simply lurked sullenly at the edge of the clearing.

Splitting up into shifts throughout the night, the trainers made camp as best they could.

Lauren & Herleif took the first shift. To pass away the night, Lauren talked about their history and love for photography. Although slow to open up, Herleif revealed that he hailed from Forgerun, and had been swept up in Stigandr's promises of riches.

When the time came to wake Reinhold & Stigandr, Herleif thanked Lauren for showing them kindness and mercy.

On their watch, Stigandr & Reinhold sat with their backs to each other, staring into the night in silence.

Finally, the last pair, Sylvie & Grigor, took their turn on watch.

As Grigor whiled away the time telling uninteresting stories, Sylvie let her mind drift. It was this that allowed her newfound powers to alert her to an unknown presence nearby.

Not wanting to frighten the group unduly, Sylvie told Grigor that she needed to go to the bathroom, and suggested that he wake up some of the others so he wouldn't be on watch alone.

Nervous, Sylvie walked into the dark tall grass surrounding their camp. She once more released Thistle, explaining that she could tell the creature who had left the ice was nearby. Eager to discover what he had been tracking, Thistle took off through the brush.

Grigor woke Herleif, and explained what Sylvie had said to him. Herleif quickly woke up Lauren in fear.

Sylvie used her psychic powers to trail Thistle, moving stealthily through the tall grass. Suddenly, she came across Thistle standing stock-still from head to tail, absolutely terrified.

Standing only a few feet away from Sylvie was a strange and shadowy figure. The lack of light made it difficult to measure, but it appeared to be at least 13 feet tall, with a humanoid shape. Its skin was either coated in or comprised of a light blue ice that reflected the starlight in endless prisms. So far, it hadn't appeared to notice Sylvie's approach.

Meanwhile, Lauren was beginning to get anxious. How long had Sylvie been gone now? Was something bad happening to her? Wanting to be ready for anything, they told Grigor to wake Reinhold, and explain the current situation.

Having come so close to the creature, Sylvie didn't want to leave without finding out at least some small detail about it. Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath, and reached out with her mind.

The reaction was immediate: Sylvie's body was wracked by painful spasms, as she felt like she had been plunged into an icy sea. As her eyes snapped back open in pain, Sylvie saw the creature turn its head in her direction. Two glowing lights burst into existence from inside the ice, locked directly onto her.

Still reeling from the pain, Sylvie froze in place. After a few tense minutes, the creature turned its head back in the direction of the camp. Not willing to take more of a risk, Sylvie began slowly backing her way towards the campsite, with Thistle clutching tightly onto her pant leg.

Lauren had decided that Sylvie had been gone for too long, and began to cry out her name. Almost as soon as the first cry split the night, Sylvie hobbled her way into the campsite. Seeing that she was weak on her feet, Lauren ran over to help support Sylvie.

Sylvie's skin was deathly cold, and both her & Thistle were shivering uncontrollably. Lauren quickly cocooned Sylvie in a blanket and forced her to sit by the fire. When she had recovered enough to speak, Sylvie explained a bit about what had happened. When words failed her, she somehow sent the image of the figure directly into Lauren's mind.

Realizing that, unfortunately, their plan had worked, the group all rushed to stand close to the fire. A thick silence fell on all of the wildlife surrounding the campsite, the only sound the wind gently making the tall grass sway.

Something felt off, but our heroes couldn't put their finger on what it may be. Suddenly, and without turning her eyes away from the silent fields, Sylvie asked where Stigandr was. Reinhold & Lauren turned around, finding nothing but a patch of ice where Stigandr had been standing but moments before.

The group huddled close together, keeping their backs to the fire. Stagnant silence filled the air surrounding them, and seconds seemed to stretch into hours.

Herleif & Grigor eventually fell back asleep, despite their fear, but our heroes kept watch, waiting for dawn. When, hours later, the sun finally began its ascent, the breaking of the tension was palpable to everyone.

Fatigued, but safe, the party began to explore the area where Sylvie had encountered the frost giant.

Exactly where Sylvie had seen it standing was a massive pool of ice, somehow not melting. Leading away from it were crystalline footprints circling the camp.

As the group had guessed, the footprints led to the area where they had last seen Stigandr. From there, a long streak of ice wound its way towards the river.

Steeling themselves, our heroes continued to follow the trail. They parted the grass to find themselves standing on the riverbed, but they were not alone.

What was left of Stigandr lay in a broken heap, half in the eddying waters of the river. A look of intense pain was etched into his face, and his body was punctured with several large holes, some of which were still occupied by jagged, blood-tinted icicles.

In juxtaposition with this horrendous display, two clean Pokeballs lay in the sand by Stigandr's body.

Lauren gently picked up the Pokeballs, and handed them to Herleif & Grigor. Sure enough, the Pokeballs contained the Pokemon that had been stolen from them.

The ex-bandits shielded their Pokemon from seeing Stigandr's corpse, and recalled them to their Pokeballs. With Sirocco's help, they managed to dig out a grave near the river.

When it came time to move the body, Grigor & Herleif both quailed. Not willing to leave the body sitting in the open, Lauren calmed themselves, and picked up Stigandr's corpse.

Once he had been laid to rest, the group filled in the grave, and built a small cairn of stones & flowers to mark it. Herleif & Grigor sat down, drained and hollowed from their "adventures". As the tall grass & reeds swayed softly in the wind, the ex-bandits stood. With what looked to be genuine remorse and guilt, they once more thanked the party for aiding them, and promised that they would forswear banditry from that day forwards.

The two men trudged northeast, following the edge of the river. Shaken and rattled by what they had recently been through, our heroes tried their best to push the dark cobwebs from their minds. Setting their shoulders, they picked up their packs, and began to follow the Himinglaeva river southwest towards Ever Dam.