The Large Dumbo

D&D 5e Rime of the Frostmaiden.

I'm ready for us to move on. Aside from getting the mistletoe, there's really not a whole lot else I'd like to do in Good Mead.

D&D 5e Rime of the Frostmaiden.

Kythor

"Take care," Kythor called out to everyone as they left. Once he was alone, he looked at the lantern. What a curious little device they'd been given. No doubt it'd be a powerful aid to them in their search. Slinging off his backpack, he opened it and deposited the lantern and oil inside. He didn't have much to do in terms of preparation, as he'd already packed up everything that was left of his old campsite. Among everything that'd been taken, whatever had raided it apparently didn't deem it necessary to pilfer most of his "essentials" - non-perishable rations, his tinderbox, as well as a bedroll among other things. In spite of that, there were a few things he still needed to recover, including a tent. He knew he wouldn't be able to find most of what he needed here, but it couldn't hurt to try to recover some of the more easily-replaceable things.

Standing up, Kythor slung his pack back on before taking the nearly-empty mug of mead and finishing it off. He dropped the empty mug into the bowl and approached the bar, setting the bowl down onto the bar. Waving the barkeep over, he leaned on the bar. "I've got a couple of questions," Kythor said. "First, how much does it cost to stay here for the night? Second, I can't help but notice Good Mead doesn't have much in the way 'a stores and the like. Is there anyone around town who'd be willing to spare a sprig of mistletoe? Strange question, I know," Kythor added, crossing his arms, "but if there's somebody who'd be willing to part with any, I'd like to get ahold of some."

D&D 5e Rime of the Frostmaiden.

<Snipped quote by The Large Dumbo>

<Snipped quote by Lurking Krog>

There ya go, i asked earlier a few pages.

@HEAVY METAL

Gotcha, it's been a hot minute since we talked about that so I forgot. Thanks for reminding me!

D&D 5e Rime of the Frostmaiden.

@Lurking Krog Does Good Mead have a general store of any sort that we could use to stock up on supplies? I'm not seeing anything on the provided map to suggest it does, but I assume there's one that just isn't marked on this version of the map.

D&D 5e Rime of the Frostmaiden.

Kythor

Kythor blinked. He'd gotten lost in nostalgia while the others had talked. Fortunately, his period of reminiscence was not too disruptive; he'd still heard everything that had happened. As he sat up, he decided to address everybody at once.

"First of all, as Kendra and the human have said, I can assure you chwinga are real - my father's seen them, and I myself have caught a few glimpses of 'em. Trust me when I say that our tribe and I don't have much interest in making up myths to spook the locals off." With that, Kythor paused to take another swig of his mead and pick up the bowl of soup to slurp up what was left. Following that with another swig of mead, he set it down and clasped his hands together to continue. "Second of all, this lantern will be helpful in our search. You see, you're not gonna find any chwinga searching in the towns. They're shy little things and don't take to civilized areas much." Can't say I blame 'em, Kythor added to himself.

"Thirdly, I hate to break it to you Jitter, but no matter where you go you're gonna end up freezing something off. Places like these are nice, but if you want to get anything of value done you're going to have to learn to live in the cold. As for killing the giant, you'll have to do that on your own - I'd much rather take this job, get paid, and maybe learn a thing or two 'bout the creatures that live here. If you wish to die a lonesome death out in the colds where the wolves'll pick you apart before anybody comes across your body..." The tiefling shrugged. "Well, I can't say I didn't warn you. As for how we capture one of these things, I figure we can think up somethin'. As for how we can capture it, I believe we may simply have to either convince it to come with us, or lure it into a false sense of security before we pounce on it. Should be much easier than a verbeeg, at any rate." He stood up and nodded to the half-elf woman. "I can't speak for sure of the rest of my company, but I'll gladly try to see if I can't scrounge a chwinga up."

He then turned to look at the other two still within the mead hall. "What say you two? Interested in doin' a little bit of good old-fashioned hunting?"

D&D 5e Rime of the Frostmaiden.

Kythor

The tiefling quietly sipped from his mead as he listened to the two. It seemed that the half-elf Kendra had been sent northward by her mentor, while Jitter had come up this way to fish. Judging by the sudden change of disposition on the halfling's part, Kythor presumed there was more to it than just a leisurely pastime. He didn't plan on prying for the time being, however; he asked the two why they had come up here, and they had answered just that. No need for the small details. "Interesting," Kythor remarked with a nod. "So, you've come here to prove something to your mentor, and you've come here for a bit of fishin'. Why am I here?" The tiefling interrupted himself with a grim chuckle. "Well, I didn't exactly make the choice to come here. I was born here - I belong to the Greyspear Tribe. We've lived off the land for many years now. I know these lands like the back of my hand, but that's just about all I know. Not that I imagine there's much that I would want to learn down in the warmer lands," Kythor added, a twinge of bitterness to his voice. "My elders spoke of softer lands and softer people, indulging themselves in luxuries while they shooed the poor and undesirables away. I suppose I can't be too mad at them, however. I bet if we'd been welcomed within their walls we'd be just like them..."

He trailed off as the half-elf approached and stayed silent as he listened to both her request and Jitter's declaration. He raised an eyebrow as he looked up at the half-elf, mulling over the request she'd made. Memories of the past came flooding back to him as he leaned back and reminisced about his father's teachings. Chwingas were unusual little creatures that Kythor had never really interacted with, beyond catching a glimpse of one on occasion. Much of his knowledge came from his father, whose words echoed in his mind. His father had told him that they were timid little creatures with doll-like appearances. He said that they had a keen interest in humanoids, as he recalled many times he was able to catch a glimpse of one before it ducked out of view. For those they favored, they left boons, either in the form of assistance or in physical gifts.

Once both parties had stopped talking, he cleared his throat and rejoined the conversation at hand. "No, Jitter," Kythor said, shaking his head - the humor went right over his head. "A chwinga is a small forest spirit. They're shy little sprites, not quite the easiest to catch. More importantly, however, I imagine capturing one would be a much less daunting task than trying to hunt a verbeeg." He turned his head to look up to the half-elf researcher. "You said you'd be interested in havin' one for weather research?" He asked. "Might I ask as to what you plan on doing with it if we were to deliver one to you?" Kythor wasn't too keen on handing one over to this woman if she wanted it for malicious purposes. At the same time, 25 gold was a lot to say no to for Kythor. If it turned out she had evil intent, someone else could play hero. For now, he just needed to survive.

D&D 5e Rime of the Frostmaiden.

Went ahead and made a Nature check:

Intelligence(Nature) Check:(1d20+2=15)

Got a 15 - looks like Kythor was actually paying attention the day they were talking about chwingas.

D&D 5e Rime of the Frostmaiden.

A chwinga... Would my character know what that is off the top of his head, or is that a nature check?

D&D 5e Rime of the Frostmaiden.

That's embarassing... Here I was waiting for you to post. I guess I must've thought we were on a new round of posting, haha. Sorry about that!

D&D 5e Rime of the Frostmaiden.

Kythor

Kythor had dug into his stew while the halfling both explained the plan he had and corrected the tiefling. A sly smirk crossed his face for but the briefest of seconds, quickly disappearing as he spooned up another spoonful of stew. "I imagine it may be a bit trickier than that," Kythor said, "but the best way I figure we could take down this verbeeg would be to trap it." Quietly, he mused to himself how one of the more expedient ways to deal with the verbeeg could be to poison the mead. Of course, the town would have little interest in having poisoned mead returned to them, so he gave that idea very little actual thought beyond the concept.

Setting aside his spoon, Kythor sized up the halfling. Jitter had said he was proficient in use with the bow, and shortsword. Perhaps he hadn't come here as unprepared as Kythor had initially thought. Still, they were a far cry from taking on a verbeeg of all things. "Knowing how to use a weapon is quite different from mastering it. Besides, I imagine that the training earned in the city is quite different from that in the wilds. Out here, mastering your weapon of choice is how one survives. Even I cannot claim to truly have mastered the bow, although I have used it for most'a my life," Kythor explained. "Using a trap's a good idea, for sure, but I figure we're gonna need a bit more than that to bring it down..."

"By the by... I don't mean to pry, but I've gotta ask. What brings both of you out this way?" Kythor asked, leaning back and taking a swig of his mead. "I know you're here for research of some sort," he said, pointing to the half-elf sitting across from him. "But I don't know anything about either of you beyond that. This is some distance away from the luxuries and pleasantries of the southern lands, I hear. Warm sun, bustling taverns, hunting for sport instead of for survival..." The tiefling gave a gruff chuckle and shook his head. "I figure it probably won't matter if we don't intend on all working together, but I would appreciate if the two of you humored my curiosity. I've always been interested in hearin' why people would choose to come up here."