WhIle the other magi agree the final preparations for winter, Thomas decides to head off with Finn to see if they can win the vis from the Faerie Queen South of Conniston Water. It should take 2-3 days to get to the domain of the faerie queen, according to the records, but you do not know the area. A few of the rangers have been there, so you should probably bring one of them as well as the Pomeranians, who may want to see the way for later.
Agree to the cast? Thom, Finn, Telsa, Sasso, unnamed ranger.
The hike is tiring, and the mud is deep. The weather is not on your side. When you make camp the first day, the ranger comments that you have only made one third of the way, and you realise that next time, you want to go earlier in the year, before the worst of the Autumn. Even though you found a rainfree day to start your journey, the ground, and now your boots, bear marks of the heavy rains over the last two weeks.
The second day is similar, and the third days you wake to a thin layer of snow on the ground. It melts quickly, but it keeps sleething, and the sleeth sticks to your clothes to make sure you are soaked when you finally pass Coniston Water at dusk. You can see the characteristic bend in the river, forming a rocky beach where you are supposed to ask the queens rock troll servants for an audience.
There was no description or explanation about how to find the rock trolls, but only the most dedicated would worry about that now. The rest of you just want to find a camp site and make a fire before it is impossible to see in the darkness.
Salso and Tessa try to find a decent camp site, that will shelter the group from the rain and keep them relatively dry. (Per+Survival rolls of 10 and 11).
When the party arrives near the rocky beach of the Coniston Water, Thom approaches to give it a look. [Second Sight: 2, no botch]. Frustrated by the weather and tired, Thom then uses his ring [Piercing the Faerie Veil] to see if he can spot a regio that may help him see the rock troll servants.
Finn obviously struggles with the travel and is constantly corrected by the Ranger. He is clearly much happier once camp is made each night and entertains the group with stories to keep the morale up.
The Pomerians find modest shelter in the woods maybe 100 paces from the rocky beach, and starts making the camp and the fire. The ranger helps without words. Come to think of it, he has kept himself to himself and never spoken more than half a sentence at a time. His guiding has been by hand signs mostly.
Finn and Thom takes a stroll. The rocks on the beach are round, worn down by ice and water for thousands of years. Some are big, one or two feet in diameter, maybe even 2'6. You do not see any obvious faeries or regione, but Finn notices something. Is that eyes, on that stone? he thinks. It is not easy to make out in the dark though.
Thom stands to Finn's side, having previously bedecked himself with the Doublet and Ennobled presence spells. He has offered the Doublet spell to Finn as well, if the bard wants it.
The big round stone waggles a little, slowly at first, and then more rapidly until it suddenly rolls over, and up on top of a slightly larger stone and grows arms and hands. He speaks with awe,
He seeks the queen. The queen of the night. No good. Better hide. The night queen would eat the tall fellow by breakfast.
The little troll looks like a two-ball snowman, but a lot heavier. As far as you can tell, his body is stone, and not just a visiual illusion. He is a little short of four feet tall.
Who are you, tall one? It is a fair hat you wear. Nothing like the other tall ones. And your companion, fair face, who is he, if I may ask?
Thom, in the meantime, can roll an awareness + perception 12+.
Thom is utterly fascinated by the stone troll and the reference to the night queen and largely oblivious to anything else. [Roll: 1 Awareness + Per, No botch]
“We come to present a new story to your noble queen, so I see no reason for her to eat us for breakfast or any other meal. Will you grant us entry?” Asks Finn
My queen, dear stranger, has withdrawn for the night. If her you seek, you had better return when the night withdraws and the Sun comes forth.
He pauses a little, before he adds.
You did not answer my question. Who are you?
Before you can answer, you heer a contrabasso scream, and then the clang of steel on stone. When you turn you see a little rock troll clenching its hands, sobbing.
You can only see that much in the darkness. Whatever fell down on the rocks cannot be made out. However, when startled, it is only a 6+ awareness for Thom to touch his belt and notice the missing knife.
Sasso and Telsa too may hear the alien scream on an awareness roll of 6+.
Thom doesn't notice the knife missing [Roll 4, +1 Alertness specialty] but he does hear the scream and turns to look at the little rock troll clenching its hands.
Without hesitation the Merinita walks over toward it, "You poor thing, what happened? Did you hurt yourself?"
Thom stoops down to look and sure enough, there's the knife.
"Why you little mischievous fellow..." chuckles Thom, putting the knife back at his belt. He turns to the adult rock troll.
"Since when do Queen's guard bring their children out into the dangerous night? And is it the practice of the Queen's guard to pick-pocket guests who have come to honor a deal with Her majesty?"