Session 038

## Folkvangr

**Age of the Wolf, Year 5, Autumn, Aerlun Toil 2, day 8**

*The party thinks back on the varied conversations that engaged in on their way to Swan Lake. Snapped back to the present, they make landfall on swan isle and take an unexpected trip to Alfheim, where they face some of the honored dead of the goddess Freya. Nygaar is asked to prove if he is worthy to be the king of men and accepts the challenge.*

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## Player Characters Involved

* Nygäär the Dark the Fey Blooded Rogue/Fighter/Dualist played by Dana
* Esbjörn Sigvardson the Giant Blooded Barbarian/Cleric/Surtr's Chosen played by Greg
* Brydd Hjarta the Jörmung Human Sorcerer/Marshal/Sand Shaper/Incantator played by Jason
* Heiða the Seer the Dökkálfar Blooded Dread Necromancer played by Justin
* Vindr Skreevarson the Bastard Blooded Human Scout/Ranger played by Donnie

## The Blood Oath of Binding

As the party made their way towards swan isle, all were strangely quiet, contemplating the events that had led them there and their collective discussions over the past few days. Many things were decided, as the heroes came to terms with some things among themselves:

* Heida recognized the potential rift between Esbjorn and Nygaar which might occur, due to Esbjorn's worship of Surtr. She spoke to Esbjorn and told him that the spirits thought assurances from Nygaar, were he to ascend to the throne of Seron, should be obtained for clan Surtshellir. She warned him that there would come a time where he would be swayed to join the Umbrians by someone he trusts. He must resist this. Esbjorn inferred this was his brother.
* Heida spoke to Nygaar and urged him to accept the patronage of Odin. Without Odin, Heida claimed, Nygaar would not be successful. Nygaar, not particularly religious, seemed reluctant.
* Esbjorn and Nygaar spoke directly, through the machinations of the volva, and came to a tentative agreement that Surtshellir would be honored were Nygaar to ascend the throne. Esbjorn wanted Surtshellir and Grimmlyor to be held as equals in such an eventuality, but this was not necessarily assured by Nygaar. The two did agree, however, that if Nygaar won the crown that clan Surtshellir would hold a place of high honor in the land.
* Finally, the party, consisting of Esbjorn, Brydd, Nygaar, Vindr, and Heida, took part in a sacred blood oath, binding themselves to each other. They spilled their blood into a sacred bowl, which the volva splashed upon their faces, and they then drank the remaining blood in a communal ceremony. The blood oath pained them upon drinking, a reminder that these oaths had power. From now until the foreigners were driven from their lands or Nygaar died trying, they would be as one blood, one clan - and they vowed to treat, honor, and protect each other as they would their own clansmen. Asleif, Aada, and Johan bore witness to this sacred bond, as did the gods themselves (Heida specifically invoked Odin and Surtr as having blessed this union after Esbjorn had gotten angry at Heida for only mentioning Odin).
* Following the binding, Brydd revealed all, explaining his son was being raised by another man as his own, and that his paramour and the mother of his son was a married woman. He also told the party about his pact with the weapon Byrmoor

The party had, in a few short days, made peace with their seemingly divergent goals. They now stood together before gods and men and trusted in their magic and their sword arms. Following the blood oath, Heida forgave Vindr for his earlier mishap during the battle with the gorgons and handed over the magical bow that she knew he could put to the best use. The present reared its ugly head as the boat Esbjorn pushed made landfall on swan isle. They made camp upon the shore of the island around midday, the swan calls echoing hauntingly around them. Vindr informed the others that he would stand guard over the women, and the rest of the party made ready to seek out Swanhilde and fulfill their bargain with the dwarves.

## Folkvangr

With Nygaar leading the way, and Heida, Esbjorn, and Brydd close behind, the party headed inland to explore the small island. Almost immediately, a goddess intervened in their explorations:

*As you begin to walk inland, a flock of swans swoops past you, mere feet above your heads. Suddenly, blinding light envelopes you, and a massive surge of swirling air swathes you in its embrace as if Midgard itself has thrust you off into the trackless void. After a moment, your sight returns, and you find yourself standing in a golden field, near the remains of what was once a massive statue. A gargantuan shining hall towers above you in the distance, aloof on its cliffside vantage point, and the trackless wilderness of an old-growth forest filled with massive trees surrounds the field you stand upon. Creatures of light, nameless thousands of them, stand sentinel on the forest edge, turned towards you, and standing preternaturally still. You know with a terrible certainty that you are standing in Folkvangr, the adobe of the goddess Freya in Alfheim. The gigantic hall that dominates the magnificent landscape, with golden pillars and a roof of glittering silver, can only be Sessrumnir, the many seated hall that holds the honored weapon-dead that Freya has claimed for herself. You see the dancing path of the Bifrost bridge in the sky, the glowing path to Asgard looming large and magnificent in its passage near Alfheim. As you stare about in wonder, the faces of the legions surrounding the battlefield come into sharper focus; renowned warriors in their thousands, garbed in both modern and ancient armaments, surround you. A mix of light elves, men, jotun kin, and even dwarves stare at you impassively. A curtain of rippling colors assumes a large humanoid form before you. Its kaleidoscope body lures your gaze with mesmeric patterns.*

The large creature of light, a Liosalfar (ancient fey) that called itself Olrun, greeted the party and demanded that they prove themselves if they wished to find Swanhilde. With little fanfare, four of the honored weapon-dead of Freya closed with the heroes, and the battle was joined. Heida recognized their foes as creatures similar to Odin's Einherji and called out a warning. The battle raged, with Brydd and Heida avoiding the creatures while Esbjorn and Nygaar set to their bloody work. Heida summoned a powerful undead zombie wyvern, and set it after Olrun. Unfortunately (or perhaps fortunately as the liosalfar was not taking part in the battle) the undead abomination's attacks passed through the incorporeal fey being. After a mighty battle, in which the surrounding hordes of the dead cheered and banged their axes upon their shields with every bloody blow, Freya's weapon-dead lay slain upon the field. They disappeared, to reappear (unbeknownst to the heroes) once more with their fellows on the edge of the battlefield. Olrun approached the party once more and congratulated them on a job well done. It seemed they had pleased Olrun's mistress Freya with their performance, and Olrun turned to each party member in turn to offer them the goddess's blessings.

## Freya's Gifts

With the battle over, Olrun first turned to Esbjorn, the one who has been bound by Huldrekall. Wanting to know the manner of the mortal who was fated to lay with Gersemi, Olrun asked Esbjorn plainly if he planned on fulfilling his oath and sleeping with the demi-goddess. Esbjorn first refused to answer, but finally said grudgingly that he might. Olrun demanded that he prove his strength, and a large tree was knocked down. It seemed Freya wanted to see what kind of strength this mortal who was to sleep with Gersemi possessed.  Esbjorn lifted it over his head easily, even as the tree inexplicably began to grow heavier once he had lifted it. With a snarl, Esbjorn tossed the massive oak tree across the battlefield, and the dead warriors once more roared their approval. Satisfied with this feat of strength, Olrun informed Esbjorn that the verdant prince was twisted and evil and was not one of Freya's or Freyr's servants. Olrun went on to say that Gersemi was tricked by Huldrekall and was currently enslaved by him. If Esbjorn were to lay with her, the weave predicted that the daughter of that union would one day be the mother of kings. The liosalfar advised Esbjorn to work with Gersemi to slay Huldrekall and to keep Gullinbursti's harness for himself. It seemed the harness summoned a giant golden boar that can be used as a mount and runs like the wind. Esbjorn nodded and thought deeply about how to proceed, clearly proud to have shown these inferior fey weaklings what a true champion of Surtr could do.

Next Orlun turned to Heida and nodded its strange illuminated head knowingly at her. Olrun asked her to accept the title of Veleda, explaining that the title was an ancient one now no longer in use:

*A Veleda is a volva of a warband who is destined to foretell the outcome of a suggested plan of action by means of divination and to influence that outcome by means of more active magic and serves a special cup of liquor that is a powerful symbol of both temporal and spiritual power*.

Heida responded without hesitation, saying that she had always been a servant of the gods and goddesses and accepted with honor the title "Veleda". She was given the Skin of Modi (courage) which bestows all who drink it with both speed and valor in combat. As soon as the Harii necromancer took the Skin of Modi in her hands, she saw in her mind's eye the steps in the sacred ceremony, performed once a month among her warband, and how it would confer power to all those who partook in it. Next Olrun turned to Brydd.

Olrun looked closely at Brydd, and the sorcerer in his odd manner leaned in for a closer look at the liosalfar himself. The liosalfar recognized him as one of the "snake-blooded" and informed him her mistress wished to grant him a power that would help him become more like his forebear. Suddenly serpent scales appeared on the arms and torso of Brydd, and he recognized that he could now breathe underwater like his grandfather Jormungandr. Olrun then offered Brydd a choice; he could act in accordance with his forebear Loki’s plans, and seek out and destroy the priests of the temple of Thor. If he chose that path, Loki would reward him, and he would gain much arcane power and become a sorcerer of great renown and terrible power. Orlun advised Brydd that if he craved this power, he should let his son be taken, and asked Brydd if that was his wish. Brydd thought for a moment but knew he could never allow his son to fall into the hands of the Umbrian invaders. He told Olrun no, and the being of light nodded sagely. The liosalfar handed Brydd a scroll that contained instructions to adorn his son with a complicated runic pattern. Olrun advised Brydd to trace this pattern on his son and then allow him to be taken. In this way, he could thwart both the Umbrians and Loki's plans. Finally, Olrun turned to Nygaar.

## The Duel

Speaking in seemingly mocking tones, Olrun asked if this was the king of Seron or just another mortal pretender. Nygaar responded confidently and stood ready before the liosalfar. Olrun said that any would-be king must prove his worth in single-combat, and challenged the Grimmlyor warrior to fight. Nygaar agreed although he had seen the blows of Heida's minion pass through Olrun and asked if he could harm the creature. Assured by Orlun that Nygaar's weapons could do harm, and willing to die for the goddess, the liosalfar stood ready for combat. As the rest of the party retreated to a respectful distance, and the dead on the edge of the battlefield sounded their warcries in anticipation, Nygaar and the liosalfar closed for single combat.

*The dead legions begin chanting rhythmically, banging their axes upon their shields with wild abandon. Suddenly an unnatural ring of fire appears around the combatants, ringing them in the ancient circle of honor and blood. The golden sky seems to brighten almost imperceptibly as the two warriors make ready to leap into combat. The would-be mortal king and the ancient light elf circle one another warily, watched intently by men and gods alike. Unnoticed by the combatants, the clouds above them take the form of an impossibly lovely elvish face, of massive size and fearsome aspect, peering down at the battle intently. The Grimmlyor warrior Nygaar, moving with nearly supernatural speed, moves in to strike first, the liosalfar Olrun waiting inscrutable and shimmering.*

 The duel was fiercely fought, with Nygaar striking first and damaging Olrun substantially. Unfortunately, as soon became clear to those witnessing it, the liosalfar was difficult to strike, as many of Nygaar's blows failed to contact the ancient fey creatures incorporeal hide. Flouting custom, Olrun used magic to stupify and stun Nygaar repeatedly, much to the chagrin and disappointment of the watching hordes of Freya's honored dead. Eventually, the liosalfar's magic and deadly strikes proved too much for Nygaar, and he fell in defeat. Immediatley after, his corpse rose and made ready to join the dead on the sidelines. It seemed Freya was playing a dangerous game, trying to claim one of Odin's chosen for herself. At this point, the party moved in to stop Nygaar, who was dead on his feet and incoherent. Esbjorn held tightly to his companion, while the party questioned the motives of Olrun and his mistress Freya. Any meaningful answers not forthcoming, the party asked to take Nygaar away. After a moment in which Olrun seemed to commune with the goddess, Nygaar once more fell lifeless before them. Once again the party was engulfed in a massive swirl of air and light, and found themselves back at the camp, in Midgard once more, the lifeless body of Nygaar laid before them.

The party argued about what to do; Heida was of the opinion that Nygaar had failed to follow her advice and pledge himself to Odin, and this was the inevitable result. She voted to allow Nygaar to languish in Hel, where the Veleda suspected he was heading once released from Freya's clutches. Ultimately cooler heads prevailed, and Esbjorn made ready to use the scroll they had recovered from the Hel witches to restore Nygaar to life. Although it was divine magic beyond his powers to normally perform, the gods smiled upon him and he was able to use the scroll successfully. Asleif cried out in delight and rushed to engulf him in her arms. Nygaar arose weary and confused, realizing that some of his power had been consumed in the completion of the raise dead spell. Fortunately, all was not lost, as he felt the cool touch of some force upon his head. Where Nygaar tattooed his exploits, a new rune appeared, that of the goddess called the Fehu rune, and he was infused with a supernatural speed. It seemed the gods had taken notice of the party, but at least for now, they were being treated as their playthings. The blood oath in doubt, the party made ready to rest on the lakeshore.

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