Session 036

## The Wolf & the Maimed God

**Age of the Wolf, Year 5, Autumn, Aerlun Toil 2, day 1**

*The party reaches Ringsted, a small farming community that seems far removed from the Wulfling clan proper. They are warned again about Woelvren Lockjaw, and feast among new friends while making one new enemy.*

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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

## Ringsted

After resting overnight, the party awoke and set out, soon reaching Ringsted:

*As you make your way around a sharp bend in the river, a small farming village is laid out before you. The huts look somewhat the worse for wear, but there is one structure of note. On a small plateau north of the river stands an impressive wooden structure, surrounded by the remains of once-mighty walls and adorned with what look to be skulls and skins. You see a standard flapping in the breeze, symbolizing the god Tyr. You slowly make your way upriver, passing below an ancient stone bridge. A large flock of ducks scatters at your approach. You see docks along the shore, and the bustle of quiet village life hums around you. Vali and Bali chatter excitedly, pointing out the landmarks of their modest home. The golden fields of this farming community wave lazily in the autumn breeze. As you make ready to disembark, a young woman with golden hair eyes you impassively. This lovely young blonde woman leans easily upon what looks to be a finely crafted longbow. By her dress and demeanor it seems obvious she is born of noble blood. The twins wave excitedly at her, and you spot the hint of a grin break up the formerly grim expression on her flawless face.*

 As Esbjorn pushed the boat upstream, Vali and Bali excitedly pointed out the major landmarks, such as they were in the small farming village. Reaching a dock and disembarking, the heroes were immediately approached by the young woman, who they soon learned was known as Aada Goldenbow, the daughter of the high priest of Tyr. Vali and Bali told her the tale of the gorgons, and Aada seemed to relax a bit, thanking the party for their aid in protecting two of her people. She invited the party to come and meet her father, the high priest of Tyr known as Tiwaz Flat-Nose, and pay homage to the god. After some initial reluctance, the party agreed; Esbjorn was taken in by Aada's cautious and conciliatory nature and allowed himself to be persuaded. With Aada in the lead, the party was taken to the temple with little fanfare.

## Tyr's High Priest

The party was greeted warmly by a large and powerful man, who introduced himself as Tiwaz Flat Nose. The party marveled in amazement at his missing left arm: it seemed the priest had willingly severed it to honor his god. Tiwaz demanded that the party pay homage to Tyr ("as is custom") and after revealing that he was giant blooded Esbjorn softened up and even donated to the church, clearly taken with this man who was part fire giant himself. The others paid their respects, marveling at the large collection of wolf skulls and skins that adorned the temple proper while Esbjorn and Tiwaz chatted outside. After a time Esbjorn slipped off, pursuing other matters, leaving the rest of the party to worship the "false" god.

While Heida comforted the still confused and distraught Geatling princess Asleif, and Brydd and Vindr made friends with Aada Goldenbow with varying levels of success, Nygaar and Tiwaz retired to do some serious drinking. Nygaar soon learned that Tiwaz thought very little of the clan chieftain Woelvren Lockjaw, even going so far as to reveal that he believed he was in a Fenrir cult. If such a story were true it would be scandalous, as Fenrir is an evil entity that is an enemy to the gods. Nygaar, meanwhile, talked of his childhood under Wulfling bondage and revealed his plans to unite Seron under one kingdom. He gave Tiwaz a signet ring, and the giant blooded priest accepted it and said he would help if it came to that.

## A Randy Old Volva

While the others spent time at the temple getting to know Aada and Tiwaz, Esbjorn decided he would seek out the local volva and acquire some potions if possible. Knowing where to go because of the talkative twins who gave the party the rundown of every local place of note, he quickly made his way over the stone bridge to an old shack. The door was open, and smoke and strange gases were roiling along upon the ground. Peeking his head in, he was met with an unpleasant sight; an ugly old woman doing something complicated and magical but beyond his understanding. Eventually losing patience, Esbjorn interrupted her. The old woman turned on him, rudely demanding to know what he wanted. Yet as she drew closer, she seemed to change her tune. Esbjorn asked if she had or could produce potions of benign transposition, and was horrified when she said that her price was his manly seed. Backing away quickly, Ebjorn made ready to leave. But the randy old goat had another trick up her sleeve. Begging for Esbjorn to wait, she quickly downed a potion and transformed into a statuesque and svelte young giant blooded maiden. While this was clearly a magical effect, Esbjorn was confused and decided to give the woman what she wanted. After all, what harm could it cause? Warning her to raise any potential offspring as good Surtr worshippers, Esbjorn did the deed, in truth rather enjoying himself. He finished up and stopped in briefly at the blacksmith's to order some materials while simultaneously denigrating the blacksmith's handiwork. Vindr was also there but was unable to find a new bow that was any improvement on his own. Meanwhile, the other party members had moved on to further explore the town.

## A Feast Interrupted

While Heida sought out an inn with Asleif to get her calmed down and settled, the rest of the party eventually made their way to the local brewery. Nygaar and Brydd arrived first, and Nygaar recognized a famous skald named Gunnlaug Snaketongue drinking heavily by himself. They immediately struck up a conversation, and Gunnlaug impressed them with his skill and artistry as a storyteller. Before long, they were discussing Nygaar's Uncle Volund and the horrifying practice of feeding maidens to the Taiga Linnorm. Gunnlaug, trained at the Skald Academy, even claimed to have seen this sacrifice carried out once and advised Nygaar to seek out Sibbe the Beguiler if he truly wished to see his uncle dead. Gunnlaug also asked if the party would be interested in retrieving a magical drum from the King’s Graveyard (a series of ancient burial mounds known as the *Kongr Haugr*) for him, and Nygaar considered it. After a time, the rest of the party arrived at the brewery (although Vindr almost succumbed to Ullvieg's trickery as well while searching for flowers for his lost love), and the feast began in earnest. Aada, Tiwaz, Ullveig, Riek Fjarlssen (a noble farmer and the father of Bali and Vali), and even a goat named Johan were in attendance. During the revelries, the party shared and learned some interesting tidbits of information:

* Aada is to travel to Surtshellir lands and propose a possible alliance of marriage to Logee the Obsidian, a high ranking member of the clan
* Aada's older brother (known as Dag Black-Blood) was killed by the Surtshellir clan years ago. Esbjorn remembers the talk of this killing and that the Surtshellirs still honor him as a worthy foe
* Tiwaz asked the party if Aada could travel along with them at least as far as Viborg
* Tiwaz warned the party again of the Fenrir cult and told them that giant blood-colored wolves have been rampaging in the lands around Viborg
* After Asleif foolishly revealed herself, Tiwaz warned the party that Woelvren Lockjaw will attempt to possess her as a bargaining chip. He also advised them that there is currently a party of Umbrian emissaries in Viborg
* Johan the goat talks and revealed himself as a former human who was betrayed by Odin. According to Johan, Odin wanted a half-elf maiden named Alfina to himself and turned her lover Johan into a goat. Johan asked the party for help and said he can break the curse by killing a raven kin of noble blood

While all seemed fine, Heida and the unpleasant old volva Ullvieg soon got into an argument. Incredibly, Ullveig violated the terms of guest right and cast a spell upon Heida, attempting to turn her into a feebleminded idiot. Heida's inborn elf blood worked to her advantage, however, and the spell had no effect. Heida struck back but missed her strike. As Tiwaz roared in outrage, the feast degenerated into a mad scramble. Ullvieg next blasted a bolt of searing electrical energy directly out of her mouth, engulfing and burning both Heida and Esbjorn and tearing a hole in the side of the brewery building. Luckily, the hag was quickly surrounded and Nygaar and Vindr worked to knock her to the ground, where she screamed in outrage but obeyed her chieftains instructions to stay down and surrender.

Filled with horror and shame at this turn of events, the proud high priest of Tyr got down on his knees before his guests, begging their pardon. Embarrassed, the heroes urged the honorable Tiwaz to his feet. Tiwaz asked Heida what he would have of him, and Heida demanded Ullveig's ear. At Tiwaz's assent, Heida took it, and the crone screamed in pain and outrage and scampered away, crawling across the floor and fleeing out the door into the night. The festivities began anew but were clearly subdued following this confrontation. As the party enjoyed this respite from the rough journey they had undertaken, they discussed what to do with Asleif, if they would help Johan and Gunnlaug, and if they would allow Aada to accompany them. It seemed that once again the party was taking on hangers-on and additional tasks that they could ill afford to bear. The Mid-Winter Solstice was fast approaching, and they still had much to do.

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