Subject: Part 3: More mountain air 754 views

[Shiv]

Two more days pass and you are now a week into your travels. It seems like Bnor and Bael were on the right track as yesterday the group emerged from the trollwoods only a day away from Yrms crossing, and the nearby village of Torm, both visible in the crisp mountain air. The weather, which had held stable for several days, deteriorated yesterday evening though and now heavy flakes of snow are silently gliding towards the earth around you like extinguished will-o'-wisps. Having walked through most of the day, Torm hidden from view by the heavy snowfall, the party crests a ridge and finds itself looking down on the small hamlet. Smoke is rising from the chimneys of the maybe three dozen houses, some large enough to hold more than one family, creating an inviting vista before you. From your lofty position you can identify several of the more common buildings such as an inn, general store, a small shrine of Eldasvagga -though if it is manned is unknown-, and even a house marked with the dwarven runes of the hunters guild.

The heavy snows do remind you of the urgency of your mission, though a warm bed is very inviting after a week of travel. The temple at Yrms crossing can't be seen in the current weather but you know you could reach it in a few hours (i.e. by nightfall) should you set out immediately. The choice of resting and restocking or pushing on is up to you....

[Weasel]

Bnor stands with the others overlooking the modest village below. He looks across the faces of his party to get an insight of their thoughts. Though welcoming, Bnor knows these heavy snows and what they are capable of.

"I know whut yer all thinkin'. An' trust me... I'm thinkin' it too. But if we push on, I think we can make the temple by nightfall."

"Er damn close." he adds partially under his breath.

"Warm meal'd be welcome... an' a bed even more so. But this snow can catch up on ya, and make tomorrow a helluva lot harder on us."

Bnor turns to give the party his full attention.

"I suggest continuing on to the temple."

[Racer Xonclar]

Itrav's black eyes, appearing even darker constrasted against his pale skin and the white flakes falling around him, scanned the hamlet below. "I can handle the cold and snow, but these others may not without rest and meal." His eyes track a particular snowflake as it falls. "These snows will not stop or delay for a warm bed... and pose a chance to stop us entirely."

Digging into one of his pouches, his pipe is pulled out and lit with a tenderstick. A couple of grey puffs intermingle with the white snow before his eyes look down to the speaking Bnor. "Agreed," he said plainly as always, "The snows are already beginning to show themselves more than we wished"

[Black_Hawk]

Rashid shivers and shrugs his pack into a better position on his back.
"I would rather not be snowed into a town for the foreseeable future. "

He puts his hands back into his sleeves and stares off into the distance towards their goal. "Warmth would be nice, but I vote we carry onward. Should we get where we must go there will be warm beds and food for us then."

[Weasel]

"I trust you elves feel the same?" he asks turning his attention to the Sylvans.

Bnor nods after the elves answer, "And you Glorgar?"

"Then it's unanimous." he says with a grin. "I think we'll be thankful for in the long run. Alright then, let's be off."

Bnor leads them around the hamlet, and back on the path towards the Yrm's crossing.

SPOILER: Click to show

Or through town... whatever works for you....

[Shiv]

The elves have a brief discussion in Sylvan before Bael nods. Aia and I can manage without the beds. We have no problem", she states in her less than stellar common. The pair simply readjust their pack and continue on as if giving up nothing for a more expeditious travel.

Glorgar, still as jovial as usual, mutters jestingly under his breath and makes a token complain about wanting to sleep in a proper bed with a hot meal, but all the same acquiesces to the more experienced travelers.

The party pushes onward through the snowfall, circumventing the village and heading further notrth towards the temple of Yrm......

[Shiv]

It is mid evening, and the sun has set. The snowfall has lightened somewhat, but in its wake the wind has picked up, lashing your faces with tiny flakes of frost. You are all rather hungry, cold and miserable (except for the elves, whose spells keep them warm) and you look forward to arriving behind the sheltering walls of the temple. You are traveling along a cleared trail through the forest, far too wide to be made unintentinally, and judging by its direction it should take you straight to your destination. The foothills around the mountains are sparsely forested, and the trees give litte protection against the biting wind. The trail that you walk has become progerssively steeper, and now it is thouroughly tiring to walk, the trek is becoming more and more like a difficult pilgrimage, or a mountaineering expredition, than an easy walk.

"Strange....", Glorgar mutters, "...shouldn't we be seeing the lights of the temple by now?"

His words prove more prophetic than expected as suddenly 300 feet away, the temple of Yrm becomes visible through the gloom and snowfall, materializing in the dark like the great white serpent himself.

The temple is build from white stone, masking it against the snow, and is surrounded by a rectangular wall, ten feet high. A large domed structure dominates the centre of the grounds, while two large wings sit against the surrounding wall on either side of the central building. The wings are connected to the dome through roofed walkwas that run along the ground. All the windows you see are small and slitted, allowing just enough light during the day to work, but keeping as much heat as possible inside the building. There is no garden to speak of, not in winter anyway, as the grounds are covered in snow. Here and there small stone ornaments and benches can be seen, though -from what you can see- there are no trails criss-crossing the area. There is no light streaming out of the windows, nor is there any sign of movement. For all you know the holy site is abandoned.

The temple can be entered by a large stone gate at it's front, and sits squarely in you path, on the far side another stone gate opens into the crevace that is Yrms crossing. Entering the pass would force you to either go through the temple, or do some very steep climbing to get around it.

[Racer Xonclar]

The chattering of teeth clearly tells the dark elf's comfort as they walk, though keen muscle control allows him to fight off the shivers somewhat. Eyes squinted shut against the wind, leaving black slits looking out from a face reddened with cold (likely the most color Itrav's had)

"Maybe I should follow Rashid to his homeland when this is finished. A land of sun and warmth actually sounds pleasing..."

As the temple comes into view, Itrav tilts his head back, digging his chin out of the collar of his coat. "It is not a warm bed, but it is shelter from the wind."

[Weasel]

"Perhaps it will provide both." Bnor responds.

Making his way to the stone gate, Bnor looks for some way to summon whomever is inside.

SPOILER: Click to show

I didn't know if the gate was open or not... sorry for my lack of quality post.

[Shiv]

The party moves along the path towards the temple....

"Strange....no lights", Lan'Nuiatnal states in his broken common, eying the cluster of buildings ahead with mistrust. He stays near his female companion, both of them tense, ready for battle, Nu has his bow out, and Bael is fingering the sickle hanging at her waist. In the far distance you hear the faint how of a wolf, followed by the braying of orcs. The mountains are far from safe and the atmosphere is slighlty oppressive as you approach the temple.

You arrive at the the gate. It is six feet high and twelve feet wide, a large rectangular slab carved with the likeness of Yrm at its center. Quite a bit of work has gone into the effigy, the door having been made from a much thicker slab chipped away so as to make the snake god stand out of the door itself, his head -supposedly- hanging above any arriving dwarves in judgment. Up close you can see that the eyes of the snake are mutely glowing red, the starlight above reflected in two rubies inset into the eye sockets. There is no obvious mechanism for opening, though a cursory glance by Bnor indicates that the door can probably be slid to the side somehow.

[Racer Xonclar]

With a spin of hair, Itrav's head snapped to the sound of the orcs, his body instantly starting to tense up further than even the forest elves. "We need to either get this gate open or move. Being trapped against a wall by orcs would be...undesirable," he says quickly. To aid in figuring out the gate, he steps to one side and pushes against it with the flat of his hand, testing to see if the gate rotates on it's center.

[Weasel]

The cold obviously numbing Bnor's common sense, the dwarf thinks nothing of precaution until he hears the orcs distinct sound.

"Aye." is the only reply given to Itrav's words, and Bnor quickly goes to work looking for some latch that could grant entry.

He looks the statue up and down, wishing he had time to actually admire the work instead of frantically feeling it up looking for it's secret.

"Pass your judgement and grant me entry, wise one." he says and then pauses looking the statue in the face. "Let Yrm's eyes shine your way!" he adds with a smile.

He reaches up to feel the snakes eyes.

[Shiv]

Dwarf and Elf go about searching the door. Checking the effigy and the surroundings.

The serpent seems to be nothing but ornamentation, revealing no hidden switches that would open the door. You both manage to deduce though that the door is built upong a ball bearing mechanism, and using the snake as a grip, sliding the door to the side should be no problem at all.

Itrav also casualy notes that the rubies could probably be pried from the eyes gives enough time.

[Weasel]

"Damn it!" He exclaims as he fails to push the eyes.

"Perhaps it's simpler..."

After getting the gate open and everyone rushing through, they close the gate behind them and start looking for a way to secure it... hopefully better than it had been.

[Shiv]

With a slight grating the door slides open and the party hurries through, closing the door on the other side using handy grips that have been carved into the stone for just such a purpose.

You find yourself in the courtyard of the temple, a large rectangular shape roughly 80 feet across and 100 feet in width. On the far sides to your left and right the wings of the temple building can be seen, squat stone buildings with flat roofs and slitted windows, while ahead of you the main temple looms, a large square structure with a domed roof. Besides the heavy oaken double door leading into the temple, small roofed walkways connect doors on either side of the main building with the wings. A the statue of a coiled serpent stands at the very top of the dome, eyes fixed on any who enter the temple grounds.

The courtyard itself is covered in snow, any potential tracks besides your own having been erased by the weather. Several benches of worked iron and stone stand near small circular spots that serve as gardens during the brief summers, and to your left a dwarf-size gazebo stands solemnly next to a small rock-garden that contains a covered well. The air is still here, serene, and even though there is not a soul in sight you are left with a sense of standing on sanctified, hallowed ground.

Bnor:

SPOILER: Click to show

The stone doors slide into the wall itself, and you don’t' see any immediate way of blocking them. The best you can manage on a five second notice is to close the door and brace with a spear or similar (though you see nothing appropriate right now) inside the grip that you used to close the door in the first place. You do however notice five holes, roughly two inches across, in the wall at the edge of the door. Though their purpose is not immediately clear.