Session 061

# The Outskirts of the Half-Elven's Realm

**Age of the Wolf, Year 5, Autumn, Laelun Toil 1, Day 3-5**

*The party uncovers an eldritch secret at the bottom of a well in the shadow lands, and claims a dark reward. Camping near the edge of the Boar's Wood, Esbjorn channels dark seidr to heal them of their vile wounds. Asking the spirits for guidance, the party traverses the dark realms once more and crosses the magical forest, entering a small fishing village near the Barri Lakes. They learn of an extinct clan, and are guided to who they believe to be the half elven's daughter, Thilda.*

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## Player Characters Involved

* Nygäär the Dark the Fey Blooded Rogue/Fighter/Dualist played by Dana
* Esbjörn Sigvardson the Fire Giant Blooded Barbarian/Cleric/Surtr's Chosen played by Greg
* Heiða the Mother Fucking Veleda the Dökkálfar Blooded Dread Necromancer played by Justin
* Valindr Ymirsdottir the Frost Giant Blooded Human Scout/Ranger/Cleric played by Donnie
* Jor the Emberwrought the Giant Blooded Human Transmuter/Beguiler/Human Paragon/Ultimate Magus played by Jason

## A Dark Tome

The battle over, the party reeled collectively from their unhealable wounds. Surveying the black and infected gashes they had received from the claws of the shadow demons, Esbjorn knew that there was a way to heal them, but it would require pain and was not to be attempted while in the shadow realm. Wondering how to proceed, some of the more observant heroes glanced about, and noticed a dull yellow-white glow emanating from an ancient nearby well. Peering inside, the party recognized a strange variation of the darkness spell, manifested as shadowy and impenetrable mist, infused with seidr. After some experimentation, the heroes decided to risk a descent, and Heida gamely yet cautiously descended into the depths. Passing harmlessly through the black fog, Heida eventually reached the bottom of the well, and found a dark object at the bone dry bottom:

*Deep within the well, concealed in shadow, you find an ancient tome with a six fingered symbol etched upon its cover. The black hand pulses on the cover of the book, which seems partially made of shadow itself, swirling with black mist, aglow with a dull yellow white light, and semi-incorporeal. The book seems to pulse with a foreboding darkness as you get nearer to it.*

Heida wondered whether such an object should simply be left where it lay, but in the end decided that such an item, clearly infused with some kind of dark power, would be better off in her hands. She grasped the book, and as soon as she lifted it from the stone, a dark seidr spell was unleashed, as a withering wave of necromantic energy rushed up the well and engulfed both her and her companions. The spell sucked the moisture from their bodies, leaving them dehydrated and desiccated, bringing some of the heroes to the brink of death. Severely weakened, Heida struggled to fly up and out of the well, and showed the party the dark reward for her efforts. Some of the more knowledgeable amongst them recognized the symbol of Iggwilv the Dream Witch, an infamous dark seidr practitioner and servant of Loki from untold eons ago. Unsure what to do with such an object, Heida tucked it into her bag of holding, a worry for another day.

Healing what wounds they could, the party agreed to risk the continuation of their journey in the shadow realm, and ventured south towards the Boar's Wood. Traveling at a fraction of their normal speed, they encountered no other dark monsters, and stepped back into the prime material plane in open fields far to the south. A vast sea of massive oak, pine, and ash trees stood before them as far as their eyes could see. Deciding to camp, they were forced to wait patiently for a number of hours until Esbjorn could invoke the power of the god rune once more and regain some of his divine power, so that he might attempt to rid them of their accursed wounds.

## Camped Upon the Border

The party settled into camp, making sure not to cross the border of the wood line. Jor attempted to use some of the new foreign seidr he had learned, casting an end of rope high into the air and creating an extradimensional space of refuge at the top of the rope, which seemed to hover strangely as if attached at the top to nothing. Unfortunately, in his excitement to try a new spell, Jor forgot about their equine and canine companions, and the party mocked him good naturedly, most choosing to risk staying outside with the animals. Droog was the exception, immediately entering the safety of the space outside the nine worlds to get some (completely unnecessary) rest and relaxation.

Meanwhile, with their imminent entry into fey lands, Valindr took the opportunity to mock Esbjorn, asking him if he was filled with fear at the prospect of facing yet more of the fey folk. Invoking their encounter with the Verdant Prince, and reminding everyone about the reason that they had to risk the strange realm before them in the first place, Valindr chuckled at Esbjorn's umbrage, as the giant blooded warrior bellowed his outrage and ensured the scout that he feared nothing, let alone the weak and duplicitous fey. Valindr, who had by far the keenest hearing of any of them, heard feminine elvish giggling coming from within the forest at these boasts by Esbjorn, and quietly called her discovery to the attention of Esbjorn. The party scanned the woods in vain looking for the source of the laughter, and stirred uneasily at the prospect they were almost certainly being watched. After an uncomfortable wait, night finally fell, and Esbjorn called on his dark divine powers to create a blackened circle of desecration nearby their camp.

Calling the heroes to enter the unholy circle one by one, Esbjorn used harmful magic to painfully draw forth the vile wounds from each of them, leaving their wounds intact but no longer magically unhealable. Heida saw what he was doing and gave him assistance at once, using her necromantic powers to draw the vileness from the remainder of the party. Valindr's steed Glaer took much convincing to enter the circle at all, but was finally persuaded to allow Heida's dark touch to fall on his broad yet heavily wounded shoulders. Finally able to heal, the party settled down to sleep, Jor setting a spell of alarm to protect them in the event they were disturbed. Jor also offered to cast a Ruegian spell that created an invisible brand upon the recipient to keep a magical eye on Esbjorn, but he refused, distrustful of the foreigners and their ways. Droog was chosen instead, and dutifully allowed Jor to place the mark upon his tiny clawed hand. Their preparations complete, the heroes set a guard as always, and the night passed uneventfully.

Breathing a sigh of relief, the heroes looked to their seer for guidance, and Heida dutifully entered her trance to see where the spirits might lead them. She heard the faint whispers of the spirit realm, which advised that they seek guidance near the Barri Lakes south of the woods in order to find Alvar the Half-Elven's daughter. The party pondered the correct path forward, and despite the warnings they had received in the past, entered the realm of shadow once more and raced south directly across the woods, heading towards a small village Jor had heard tell of called Alfheim. The gods smiled upon the heroes, and they reached the far side of the woods without incident.

## Alfheim and the Way Forward

The party walked towards one of the lakes, and soon found what they sought:

*As you approach the Western Barri Lake, you see a small yet bustling community laid out before you. Surrounded by walls that seem made of living bushes and trees, you see the smoke of many campfires in the small village. Upon the surface of the calm lake, sleek fishing boats ride the wind and you hear the distant shouts of contented and beleaguered fishermen alike. A passage between the foliage, which is surely the entrance gate, yawns before you, open and with no guards. Small children, slender and clearly of fey extraction, eye you curiously. An old man stands near the entrance gate, a large pack upon his back. He smells faintly of honey, and he wears a strange netted outfit. Those of you knowledgeable in the ways of woodcraft and husbandry recognize he is adorned in a bee suit. Strangely, you don’t see any beehives about, and his sturdy boots and walking stick seem to suggest he is making ready to venture into the forest. He looks at you expectantly as you approach.*

The strange old man was curious yet cautious, and introduced himself as Vanvalor Hunang. He greeted them and soon deferred to a stern and clearly fey blooded younger man, who approached the party with suspicion. Asking them their reason for entering the village of Alfheim, the party soon learned that they spoke to the chieftain of the small community, a man by the name of Elborin, also known as the Bloodknot. Nygaar strode forward, activating his magical torc and listening closely for any indication that the man might try to deceive them. Esbjorn, as was his wont, vaguely threatened the villager, and Elborin immediately raised his hackles in suspicion and hostility. Luckily, the party eventually revealed the reason they were in these lands, mentioning the evil machinations of the Verdant Prince Huldrekall. At the mention of the evil fey, and noting that the party regarded him as their enemy, the Bloodknot's countenance softened somewhat, and he agreed to consult with the local volva to see what the spirits of his dead fey ancestors might advise. As the party waited, they separated briefly and wandered about the modest fishing village.

The party soon learned that these people were the descendants of a long dead elvish people, known as the Cadarn Clan. Nygaar met a priestess of Frey, a lovely young woman surrounded by no less than eleven of her own offspring. Introducing herself as Reda Vardridotr, she asked Nygaar with some embarrassment if one of his giant blooded companions might lay with her, as her god commanded her to be fruitful and multiply. Nygaar grinned, yet held his tongue, not mentioning to his companions what the young mother had offered. Meanwhile, Heida and Jor patiently awaited the return of the Bloodknot, who had gone into a small hut with a beautiful middle aged woman they both clearly marked as a seidr practitioner. Esbjorn and Valindr found a blacksmith, and after some bartering Valindr acquired a fishing knife cunningly designed by one of the locals. Strangely during this encounter, Valindr noted that Esbjorn muttered in dwarven often, even taking on some odd dwarvish expressions and mannerisms she had never heard before. She wondered just where he had picked up such mutterings, and why he seemed unaware of uttering them. In any case, it soon became clear there was little excitement to be had in the small village, and the heroes reconvened near the center of town.

After a short time, the strikingly beautiful woman they had spotted previously reappeared, and strode up to Heida. She introduced herself as Laga Snundridotr, and claimed she sensed a darkness in Heida but that she recognized her newfound allegiance to Odin. Laga revealed that white seidr held sway in these lands, and that anyone practicing necromantic magic would be swiftly put down by Alvar. That being said, her ancestors had spoken, revealing to her that she should lead the party to the Half-Elven's daughter, who the party learned was named Thilda. Laga advised them that they should follow the river east, and that they would soon find their quarry. Elborin breathed a sigh of relief, and led the party on their way out of town. Seeing no reason to linger, the heroes agreed to set out at once, and walked along the lakeside until they reached the river. Walking east, they walked until night fell, and camped once more. They noticed nothing amiss throughout the night, and in the morning they continued their trek, soon coming across a sight that looked promising:

*As you venture along the river, you find a small collection of huts at the edge of the forest.  In the midst of this modest collection of dwellings, a small fire pit burns, and two men stand about it talking loudly. One man, who has the look of the Adogit clan, spots you and raises a hand in greeting, and the other man standing nearby abruptly stops speaking. You see a man and a woman fishing nearby, and the smell of smoked fish wafts your way. Sitting by herself, a lone woman appears to be deep within a trance state, sitting quietly with her eyes rolled back into her head. She wears a strange skull headdress on her head with wide horns that extend out to either side. All the people here seem well equipped, wearing swords and axes on their belts. A number of shields and spears lay neatly stacked nearby one of the huts.*

The party glanced at one another, and made ready to approach the semi-permanent encampment. It seemed their destiny had not led them amiss, and that this camp must surely hold the woman they sought.

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