Session 002

## The Price of Belief

**Age of the Wolf, Year 5, Spring, Laelun Toil 1, days 3-6**

*The party comes into contact with some of the victims of the One God and his followers in their quest to dominate the isle of Seron. It seems the price for maintaining your beliefs in the old ways is a high one, especially in Geat territory.*

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## Player Characters Involved

* Gryfhild Völundson the Fey Blooded Cloistered Cleric played by Justin
* Esbjörn Sigvardson the Giant Blooded Barbarian played by Greg
* Brydd Hjarta the Jörmung Human Sorcerer played by Jason

## The Journey Down the Varde River

Floating west down the Varde River, the party found the land unnaturally quiet. After many miles down the swift-flowing river, the party decided to camp for the night. Roughly halfway to their overall destination (Raendale in the Geatling Fjord), the four old warriors Dagfinn, Berger, Gudbrand, and Frolee dragged the ship upon the rocky shore of the river. Once settled, the party built a fire and settled in for a long cold night. As usual, the wily old merchant Rigg immediately fell asleep. The party decided to split the watch between the three of them. The old wolf Vungar seemed to take a liking to Esbjörn and followed him around during his watch (which turned out to be uneventful). Gryfhild was next on watch and marched dutifully around the campsite protecting his sleeping companions. Brydd slept on the ship, while the others huddled around the fire nearby. As Gryf slowly walked around camp, he detected a noise near the slumbering old warriors.  Moving in for a closer look, he discovered there was a giant (man-sized) dire weasel in camp! After awakening his companions, he immediately sprang into action. As it turned out, there were three of the creatures sneaking around camp. Two around the campgrounds, and one who tore into the ships meager rations. Eventually, the creatures were slain, without the help of the useless old fools accompanying the party (Rigg never even woke up). The creatures were skinned and the meat smoked. Further investigation uncovered additional tracks, including another weasel which was quite a bit larger than those the party encountered. Fortunately, the rest of the night passed uneventfully, and the party continued down the river towards their destination.

The next day dawned clear and cold, but the snow and fog gradually made visibility low. The party had seen what looked like a fire glowing in the distance the night before, and now they were certain of it – something was burning up ahead. Rigg informed the party that there was a small, unnamed village up ahead along the banks of the Varde River. As the party continued their journey downriver, they saw an overturned sled being dragged along the riverbank by two dogs. The party contemplated catching the sled, and Esbjörn noticed that Vungar was paying close attention to their conversation and almost seemed as if he understood what was being said. They decided against trying to catch the dogs, as they were eager to see what might await them at the village. Rigg told the party that there was a holy site coming up along the river bank – an old oak tree sacred to Odin on the outskirts of the village. As they approached the tree, they decided to stop the ship and take a closer look.

The party found an old gnarled oak tree with nine naked bodies hanging by their feet from its limbs. At the base of this sacred place, the party found a group of women and children praying to the All-Father. Gryf approached the survivors and asked what happened to them. It seems the Geatling Chieftain, Orri Karrson, had converted to the worship of the One God. As their village was under Geatling protection, a group of foreign soldiers on horseback had come to force all who lived there to forswear the old gods and worship as their chieftain did. When the villagers refused, they were slaughtered by the invaders. The only people to survive were the following:

* Ana- the blacksmith's wife and leader of the women and children left alive (age early 30’s)
* Kirg- Ana’s son, a fierce boy with black hair (age 8 years)
* Murin – a fisherman’s wife (age early 40’s)
* Morrow – a farmer’s wife (age late 30’s) - deceased
* Sana – Morrow’s daughter, a plain-looking blonde-haired girl (age 12 years)

When the party asked the survivors what their plans were, Ana said that they planned on fleeing Geat lands, in the hopes of joining the Wulfling Clan. The party discussed what should be done, speaking in Giant in order to discuss their options without the survivors eavesdropping on them. Esbjörn thought it may be best to simply kill them. Gryfhild and Brydd were unsure whether to let them go or take them as slaves and bring them somewhere safe. Rigg thought they should take them and sell them when they reached Raendale. As they were in a place sacred to the All-Father, Gryf decided to consult Odin and see if he could gain his guidance. He glimpsed a ghostly figure hanging bound upon the oak tree, and two large ravens flying overhead. He heard a deep voice in his head which told him it was his decision to make – taking them as slaves was a perfectly acceptable option. Given his vision, Gryf decided it was best to take them as slaves and bring them along. They would determine what best to do with them later. The boy Kirg would be trained in the ways of the warrior. The girl Sana offered herself to Gryf, hoping he would take possession of her so she could bear him sons thereby gaining his protection. Sana’s mother, Morrow, killed herself at the foot of the sacred oak, offering her life-blood to Odin in the hopes it would protect her daughter while simultaneously reuniting her with her fallen family members. Ana and Murin accepted their fate reluctantly. Once that was decided, the party continued down the river to survey the destruction of the village.

What they found was not unexpected - the small number of huts and small longhouses had for the most part been burned to the ground. The only surviving boat was a small fishing skiff, in such poor repair that it was not deemed salvageable. The freshly planted crops had been destroyed. The bodies of the slain were strewn about the wreckage. Esbjörn and Brydd searched the ruined village for anything missed by the attackers. They ended up finding a small amount of silver and some overlooked weapons and armor. The only trace of the attackers was the deep hoof prints left by their horses - they had carried their fallen away with them. The one find of note was uncovered by the boy Kirg – a suit of steel chain mail (his dead father’s life savings and masterwork). The party took possession of the gear and hunkered down for the night in an old barn. The boy Kirg was adopted by Esbjörn, who felt it best to indoctrinate the lad in the true path – the worship of Surtr. Tired after a long day, the party allowed the four old warriors they had been traveling with to take a guard shift. The old men had been drinking steadily all day and continued their revelry late into the night.

During the wee hours of the early morning, Gryf was awakened by a shrill scream. Leaving the barn, he found Dagfinn standing just outside the door looking guiltily at his feet. Rounding the corner of the barn, Gryf was horrified to find the other three old warriors raping one of the slave women (Murin). Roaring a battle cry, Gryf threw a spear, striking Berger (the main perpetrator) a glancing blow. While Frolee withdrew sheepishly, Berger and Gudbrand drew their weapons and approached their erstwhile lord, deciding it was time to meet Odin in Valhalla. Gryf was surprised and warned them this was not the way to die with honor. His warning fell on deaf ears and he was struck by a slash of Berger’s sword. The commotion aroused the rest of the party, and Esbjörn and Brydd came outside to investigate. Esbjörn immediately interceded in the conflict, grabbing Gudbrand in a tight grip and nearly squeezing the life out of the old man. Ultimately Gryf slew Berger, but took a number of serious wounds in the process. Disgusted with the old warriors, Gryf withdrew, comforting the violated woman as best he could.

At dawn, the party was faced with a dilemma. What to do with these drunken fools? Finally, Esbjörn came to a decision. Drawing his massive greatsword, he split Gudbrand in half, ominously warning the remaining old warriors of the price of drunken foolishness and disobedience. The women were horrified, while the boy Kirg smiled warmly at the carnage. It was a bloody spectacle to begin their day, and all in the party (with the exception of Esbjörn, Kirg, and perhaps Brydd) were deeply troubled as they continued down the river. Eventually, as the party began to move in a more southward direction, the temperature steadily decreased. Rigg warned Gryf that the river would get more treacherous as time went on, due to the large chunks of ice now visible just below the surface. In a morose mood, Gryf determined that they would continue by ship, at least for the time being. Eventually, near the end of the day, it became clear that they would be hard-pressed to continue without the ship taking major damage. Only then did Gryf decide that they would beach the vessel and proceed on foot. The party overturned the ship, with Esbjörn shocking the party by lifting the great mast over his head on his own. They made camp, none looking forward to the final trek ahead of them. They were roughly 20 miles as the crow flies from Raendale by Rigg’s calculations. They had lost two fighting men and gained a number of worthless mouths to feed in the last few days. The lands had begun to change from mostly plains to hills and valleys as they approached the coast - it would be a difficult march for the women and children. But the march would prove to be the least of their worries…

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