Discovery of the Frozen Nilik

Summary

The Discovery of the Frozen Nilik occurred on the evening of the second day of the party's escort mission in Session 4 of the campaign. While scouting ahead, Cat discovered a mysterious frozen hollow—a nilik—located 100-150 feet off the road between grassy hills. Despite the mild pumpkin season weather, the entire hollow was flash frozen, with brittle vegetation, massive ice crystals, and frost covering every surface. Cat successfully investigated the phenomenon using her Bag of Books to Spellslay, determining that the freeze pattern was directional rather than explosive, suggesting someone had fired this freezing effect at a target. The discovery diverted the party from their escort mission as Monster picked up a scent trail leading away from the road into the wilderness.

Details

During the party's second day of travel, Cat scouted ahead of the group and made an unusual discovery. She called back to the others: "Hey, guys. Guys, check this out. Guys. Guys."

When the party arrived, they found a hollow where everything was "absolutely frozen" despite the temperate weather. The scene was striking: bushes were "brittle, like glass," with "frost on everything" and "huge ice crystals, like, climbing up into the air as if they were formed Rapidly." The rapid formation of the ice and the steam rising from the frozen surfaces indicated a flash freeze event, not gradual cooling. Among the frozen vegetation, the party observed a frozen bird.

Cat took out her Bag of Books to investigate the phenomenon through spellslaying. Rolling a 10, she gained insight into advanced chemical and alchemical theory. Her investigation revealed critical information: "there is a point in this sort of blast radius that suggests it's not a Blast radius at all, but was actually directed from a spot at the Nilik." The freeze pattern showed directionality, indicating that someone had fired or directed this freezing effect at a target rather than causing an explosion. The scene appeared to be "a leftover residue from some sort of fight or experiment or something."

With the magical investigation complete, Cat ordered Monster to track by scent using the Do Their Thing move. Monster's nose wiggled as the familiar sniffed around the frozen hollow. Successfully picking up a trail, Monster "stands at the top of the hill and starts trotting away from the road, like into the wilderness," leading the party on a new investigation path.

Participants

Cat — Scouted ahead and discovered the frozen hollow; performed the Spellslay investigation to determine the nature of the freeze; commanded Monster to track
Monster — Cat's familiar who successfully tracked a scent trail away from the scene
Vasso — Present with the party during the investigation
Safia — Present with the party during the investigation
Sucks — Present with the party during the investigation

Consequences

The party diverted from their escort mission to follow Monster's trail into the wilderness
Cat gained knowledge of advanced chemical/alchemical theory through her successful Spellslay
The directional nature of the freeze suggested an ongoing threat or person of interest in the area
A new investigation thread was opened, leading the party away from the road
The frozen hollow—The Frozen Nilik—became a named location and potential clue for future developments