Session 015

## Surtr's Will is Done

**Age of the Wolf, Year 5, Spring, Laelun Toil 2, days 6-7**

*The party butchers the boars and heads back into Visby with their bounty. Esbjorn is asked to make a choice, and he chooses wisely. Visby's fate is sealed. The forest creatures communicate their disappointment with blood.*

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## Player Characters Involved

* Nygäär the Dark the Fey Blooded Rogue/Fighter played by Dana
* Heiða the Seer the Dökkálfar Blooded Dread Necromancer played by Justin
* Esbjörn Sigvardson the Giant Blooded Barbarian/Cleric played by Greg
* Brydd Hjarta the Jörmung Human Sorcerer/Marshal played by Jason

## A Ceremony Befouled

Following the battle with the dire boars, the party made ready to head back into Visby. Esbjorn once again heard the voice of his god and bathed the tusks in his own blood in accordance with the vision he received. Curious, Siggi asked him what he was doing. Heida used her guile to befuddle the girl once more, claiming this was all part of the god's plan. Esbjorn informed the party in the jotun tongue that he may have to sacrifice one of the boys to Surtr, as neither of their young followers were able to understand this language. Nygaar took umbrage with anyone harming his charge Arlow, but the two warriors spoke to each other with respect and an understanding they might be forced to come to blows in the near future. Nygaar reasoned it was more likely that the boy Surtr required was Kurg, not Arlow. Esbjorn thought deeply following this conversation. The wagon loaded, the party returned to town. The sprites were absent on this return journey, but the heroes easily made their way back.

Once in town, the party brought the tusks nearby the sacred circle of obelisks and discussed what they intended to do. While at first Esbjorn wished to rest and contemplate their next steps, he felt a sense of urgency that he could not explain. He tossed a large portion of the butchered boar meat into the fire and asked Surtr to show him a sign. Meanwhile, Heida judged it was a good time to talk to the spirits. She entered a trance and asked them the best way for the party to dispose of the cursed arm rings of Raen. The spirits informed her there were two ways - seek foreign aid or ask the hermit Ornolf for help. She informed the party of this after Esbjorn's return, and they agreed they would speak to Ornolf.

Esbjorn returned to the party with a look of grim determination on his face. He addressed the crowd of villagers, explaining that what he did he did for their own good. They didn't seem impressed by his speech. Esbjorn then looked at both Arlow and Kurg, then spoke to Kurg directing him to carry the blood-drenched tusks into the circle. Kurg rushed to obey, and as the boy placed the last tusk upon the ground, the earth began to shake! The villagers began to tremble in fear, and soon afterward the holy obelisks burst into magical flames and then erupted, spraying stone in every direction and killing or incapacitating many of the onlookers. Esbjorn laughed menacingly while Heida saw to the wounded, secretly sending souls to Hel when the opportunity presented itself. The boy Kurg was snatched by a giant hand that burst forth from the ground and dragged no one knew where. As chaos erupted all around them, a large portal glowing with red light appeared upon the formerly sacred site. Surtr had made Esbjorn choose which boy he wanted, and it appeared he had chosen correctly.

## Into Muspelheim

Esbjorn walked boldly into the portal, with the rest of the party not far behind. What they found filled them with awe. A giant creature made of flame, easily one hundred feet tall, stood before them. They were in the black caves of Muspelheim, standing before one of Surtr's chosen servants. The party showed their respect by kneeling before this monstrosity. Waves of heat washed over them, and in a booming voice, the elemental began to speak.

The giant fire elemental congratulated the party on making the correct choice and fulfilling the will of Surtr. With a wave of his hand, strength and vigor rushed into every party member, filling them with a sense of wonder and dread. They all knew for certain that they were now stronger than they had been before. The fearsome creature went on to say that if they wished to return they must slay an ice worm near Odin's Heart. If they fulfilled this task, they would be allowed to return through the portal and be rewarded further. As Brydd scraped some volcanic rocks into his pack, the party made ready to leave the fearsome presence before them. With wonder, the heroes saw that Esbjorn's beard had turned bright red and his skin became a bit darker and grayer in hue. Clearly this decision had brought the giant-blooded cleric closer to his god. Moving quickly the party returned to Manheim.

## The Fey Wood Strikes Back

Once the party returned through the portal, it winked out of existence. The town of Visby was engulfed in flames, and a moat of lava 10 feet wide surrounded the village. Nygaar used this as a teachable moment, talking sternly to Arlow about the true gods and asking him if he had ever seen the false god wield such power. The boy seemed convinced by this lecture and looked around in awe at the spectacle around them.

Esbjorn approached the former main gate of the town, and the lava receded allowing the party to leave the cursed place, only to flow back into place once the party had passed. As they were leaving, the girl Siggi could be seen weeping and screaming in horror, attempting to tend to a clearly dead villager. The few slaves that had survived were sickened and filled with fear, running in panic and trying to flee but being thwarted by the lava barrier. Heiða went out of her way and with a touch killed one of the slaves, ripping their soul from their body and tossing his corpse into the lava. Looking bored she returned to the group.

The party realized that this was no longer a place that unbelievers could tread. The party's work was done, and they set out through the forest traveling north.

The fey wood was once more aglow with an eerie blue light as they traveled north heading towards Ornolf's cave in the mountains near Odin's Heart. While the party saw the tell-tale glow of the sprites in the distance, none approached them. As they journeyed into the night, they met with little resistance for the first couple of hours. Thinking they had escaped unscathed, they were ill-prepared to face what lay before them. Under the blood-red moon of Laelun, as midnight passed, they were faced with a new challenge.

 A green-skinned, green-haired figure with the appearance of a gnarled old man with dark brown skin like tree bark stood before them. Its hair and beard looked like Spanish moss with brambles and leaves knotted through it. Drawing on his knowledge of nature, Esbjorn recognized this creature as a woodwose, the wicked male counterparts of the dryad. The creature grimaced at the party, clearly enraged that they had thwarted Freyr's will. With little preamble it attacked.

The party rushed to meet this foe, but they were in for a surprise. The creature started out by weaving magic to control the very forest itself, attempting to entangle them and render them unable to move. This worked with varying degrees of success - the party attempted to move out of the entangling vines and undergrowth, and after a time most succeeded. Unfortunately, Esbjorn became hopelessly entangled, and even his prodigious strength did not allow him to break free.

Meanwhile, Vungar and Nygaar fought through the foliage and entered melee with the woodwose, as the wicked little fey attempted to call down an insect swarm upon the party. Luckily, this spell took some time to execute, and the party was able to break the spell before the bugs descended upon them. The woodwose then switched tactics, covering the entire battlefield in a wall of thorns that tore and rent at the party. The party continued to take damage as they moved but were finally able to overcome the fey creature and cut him to pieces. The wolf Vungar and the fey-blooded warrior Nygaar claimed the glory in this particular battle. The rage of the forest extinguished, the party looked to one another, battered and torn from their ordeal. It seems they had chosen a side in the eternal war between the fey and the giants of Muspelheim and had made enemies of the fey creatures that still called Seron home. With heavy hearts, they looked to their wounds and turned northwards towards the mountains, eager to leave the woodlands behind.

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