Session 16 - The Dragon's Son Falls to the Abominable

Key Points:

• April 10th (Wednesday), 346 AU.
• In the early morning, the group reunites after a (peaceful) night of sleep in the Grand Hotel at Quiet Mountain.
• Once gathered, Klein asks the group to make a pledge to protect her to the utmost of their ability and to not interfere with her work.
• Klein clarifies that she suspects that her research is being used by Genesis at the mana reactor.
• Some make the vows, others keep quiet, while some refuse entirely.
• Klein expresses that her research shouldn't be used for ill purposes (the reason she left Genesis in the first place), and will do what she has to do in order to see that her work isn't being used to harm others.

• The group purchased some cold weather outfits as well as chains for the trucks tires.
• While meeting up to leave, the group saw Lenny and other children in the town playing football. They were picking on one blonde kid in particular.
• The townspeople are no more friendly today than they were yesterday.
• While the omnipresent fog is around, at least the foghorn hasn't sounded out.

• The treacherous mountain road up to the Mana Reactor started up as a straight shot, but soon turned into a twisting, winding mess.
• The weather is very cold, and endurance checks were necessary to resist the effects of the cold weather.
• Through perception checks, the group soon realized that something capable of howling was hunting them.
• Klein briefly revealed that in the days of the Brother, winter wolves that breathed frost roamed these mountains, but winter wolves are thought to be extinct. There are supposedly regular wolves that roam Quiet Mountain.

• The group learns that not wolves, but yetis are ambushing them...
• A patch of slick ice up ahead made it too dangerous to drive forward.
• That and the rock slide that the howling yetis triggered.
• With the perceptions of Trajan, Del, and Kembu, Roan was able to stop in time before hitting the ice and being in the path of the rock slide.

• Some general information on yetis was revealed...
• Yetis are ape-like natural beasts that roam the cold mountain regions. They are thought to be extinct, but it seems there is at least a small population living on Quiet Mountain. They enjoy hunting, typically preferring easy prey and picking off one target to carry away.
• The group faced two yetis specializing in howling, three specializing in hunting, and a larger one (the pack leader) that had a hint of primal power (a barbarian).

• The first round of combat broke out...
• The two howlers decided to throw boulders at the truck in an attempt to crush the people within. Roan threw it in reverse, and was able to back away in time to avoid the boulders.
• Kembu, who had jumped out of the truck, was not so lucky and he was hit by debris.
• Trajan had been the first to lead the charge, jumping out of the truck and introducing the yetis to the fear of the dragon. The yetis, totally unaware of what a dragon was, weren't scared.
• The abominable snowman attacked Trajan and wounded him severely early on.
• Roan leaned across Klein's lap in the truck, and fired at the abominable snowman.
• One of the yetis landed on the truck bed and picked up Managirl, clawing her in the process.
• She didn't like that very much, so she burnt him with her mana powers.
• In the mean time, one hunter went to engage Kembu while the other went after Trajan. Both the yetis were effective in their attacks, Kembu being bloodied and Trajan near death.
• Kembu severely wounded the hunter attacking him (bloodying it).
• Managirl spread the love around (while still being grabbed), bombarding many of the yetis with her special fire.
• Del summoned up her trio of animals (Graal, Kiki, and Jergo) then healed Trajan with her primal magic.
• Klein ensured that she would be a suitable combatant, firing at the yeti that Kembu wounded, and killing it. (She had wanted to capture one alive, but ultimately, that wouldn't be possible).

• Round two began...
• Trajan attempted to recover from the beating he had taken, engaging the yeti hunter that attacked him, and wrestling with it. He got some impressive hits on it, all things considered.
• The howlers gave up throwing rocks. One tried to close in on Kembu, while the other attacked the truck, and unleashed a thunderous howl that wounded many. Just being around them was also painful thanks to their constant screeching.
• As a note, throughout the combat, the following wounds were sustained. (Trajan - nick artery. Klein - concussion. Managirl - Gut wound.)
• The abominable snowman knocked Trajan unconscious, then slung him over his shoulder.
• Roan tried to help out Trajan, firing on the yeti hunter (killing it) and the snowman attacking the hobo.
• The sniper then slammed the truck in reverse in order to avoid the shrieks of the howler that attacked them.
• The hunter holding onto Managirl attempted to get the rest of the nearby enemies away from it so that he could eat the little girl in peace. The thundering roar blasted Kiki and Jergo away, then sent Roan flying out of the truck and landing in the snow (dying). The windows of the truck were destroyed.
• Kembu went for the howler the truck had left behind, bloodying it with one of his powerful strikes. He then followed it up, killing the howler with another strike.
• Managirl fired off some more magic, but in her panic, she couldn't quite aim the shots like she wanted to.
• Del summoned her toad spirit, which used its tongue to latch onto the yeti attacking Managirl, and drag it away from her (thus freeing her from the creature's grasp).
• Del then rushed to the aid of the fallen, healing Roan.
• Klein got of the truck, and started firing on the remaining howler.
• The group heard the abominable snowman call out to its mate, who was dangerously nearby.

• Round three, and more danger...
• Trajan failed his death saving throw (the first of three).
• The last howler advanced on Klein, Roan, and Del--attacking them with its thundering howl.
• The snowman decided to bring its meal (Trajan) to its mate, so it proceeded to climb up the mountainside.
• Graal, who had been harassing the snowman, got a good swipe in on it.
• Roan takes a breather to heal himself up...
• Kembu leaped incredibly through the air and force fed one of the healing pills to Trajan.
• Managirl finished off the hunter that had been attacking her earlier.
• Del tried to using the grasping tides to slow down the fleeing snowman, but her water had no effect.
• Klein continued firing on the remaining howler with her rail handgun.
• The mate draws closer...

• Round four, and tragedy strikes...
• Trajan desperately fights against the grasp of the abominable snowman (the last yeti standing, not counting the mate and the last howler). The snowman proves to be too strong for him, and he can't free himself. With his last action, the vanguard decides to take one last drink...
• The last howler yowls at Del, Roan, and Klein--wounding Del and pushing her back.
• The snowman's thunderous roar makes Graal vanish, and Trajan fall unconscious.
• With an action point, the snowman knocks Kembu off the cliff face, and tumbling to the road where he fell dying.
• The snowman clambered up the mountain side with Trajan, vanishing into the snow storm.
• Roan, Del, and the Toad's combined efforts resulted in the last remaining howler being killed.
• Managirl in her desperation tried to use the ring she stole from Nerva to fool the snowman, but the snowman's scent told it was a mere illusion, and it wandered off to find its mate.

• The aftermath...
• On the winds, the group heard the howling cries of victory from the snowman and its mate, then they heard the final death scream of Trajan, along with bones crunching soon after... the dragon's son falls to the abominable.
• Del rushed to the side of Kembu to help stabilize him before he died.
• Managirl had a breakdown, crying to herself over her failure to save Trajan. Del later attempted to console her to little effect.
• Roan did what he did best, and cleaned up the mess left behind to get the group ready to leave.
• The group mourned the loss of Trajan in their own different ways... they used the downtime to recover, and it was ultimately decided that they had to push on with the mission in order to make sure Trajan's death wasn't in vain.

Party Death:

• Trajan Zalmoxis was dragged off and eaten by a pair of yetis.

Level Up:

• The party advanced to level four.

Current Objectives:

• Discover the secrets of Quiet Mountain.
• Complete the Middleman's Second Job: Allow Dr. Klein to research the Quiet Mountain mana reactor and its effects on fauna and wildlife.
• Complete the Middleman's Third Job: ???
• Receive the Middleman's Answers.