Session 057

# Alliances Solidified

**Age of the Wolf, Year 5, Autumn, Maelun Toil 1, Day 9-10**

*The party seals their alliance with the dwarves, and Nygaar takes command of Durin's army. The heroes return to the Freehold to seek out Crom the Crippler's brother Botli the Nidingr to gain intel concerning their imminent journey to Trondheim in Frisian lands. Heida and Esbjorn come to an understanding.*

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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 Sorcerer/Dracolexi/Incantator played by Jason

## A Bargain Sealed

The party greeted the dwarven king Grammar, his son the crown prince Durin, and the priest of Volund Asrik Bronze Fist. Nygaar presented the king with one of the captured blades of the demon Abraxia, and demanded that the king fulfill his oath. Grammar was highly pleased, and immediately put his son Durin and his two hundred dwarven warriors under Nygaar's command. The prince roared in triumph, at last free to leave the confines of the Firehand Clan's keep and wage war. Nygaar ordered him to journey at once to Raendale, and work with Stig Witch-Breaker to defend the town from both the fire giants lurking in Geat lands and the Umbrians headquartered in Aarhus. Durin was told that the command of the army was his, while the garrison was under Stig's control. The prince inclined his head and went to muster his forces, rushing out in a surge of excitement from the throne room.

The party continued to converse with the king for some time, learning that Grammar himself was born in Nidarvellir, the dwarven world, and that this plane was now controlled by the dark dwarves. It seemed the king's hatred of the elves was well-founded, as the light dwarves fighting a two front war in years past against the light elves of Alfheim and the duergar had allowed the dark dwarves to seize control of the dwarven world. Grammar warned Nygaar not to trust the elves, even though he knew well that they were fighting the frost giants to the north. According to the king's dwarven scouts, It seemed Diamondshard and his troops were being harried on all sides, fighting both the frost giants and the Umbrians. Esbjorn thanked the king for his blade Kappi Högg Brandr, the flaming vorpal sword that was by rights now his to keep. Nygaar collected the dragon tooth dagger named Dragonclaw he had commissioned from the dwarves, and learned his crown would be complete in a toils time.

As the heroes made ready to depart, Nygaar asked Durin that seven dwarves be sent with them, to walk the shadowlands and act as an advance guard to be left at Raendale. While the prince was hesitant, he eventually submitted and ordered seven of his troops to accompany the party. The heroes then set out west towards the Freehold, to seek out Crom the Crippler's brother Botli the Nidingr to gain intel concerning their imminent journey to Trondheim in Frisian lands, while the dwarven army headed south on their long march to Raendale. The party decided not to tempt fate by walking the shadow realm, and marched the twenty five miles along Kettel's Road on foot. Strangely, the other party members noticed that Esbjorn conversed skillfully in dwarven with their seven companions, quickly making friends with an older smith named Grangrig Darkhammer and a brewmaster by the name of Karmar Drunkeyes. They exchanged tales, regaling the dwarves with the story of the battle with Abraxia in Storm Hammer Keep and the skirmish with the large band of fire giants near the Fey Woods. In return, Gangrig offered up all the knowledge he had of the famous and cursed smith known as Ivaldi, his kinslaying ways and his punishment by the god Volund. After Esbjorn spoke at length in dwarven with Karmar concerning brewing techniques, the dwarves seemed to visibly brighten, recognizing the party as worthy allies. The new allies continued to chat amicably as the hours passed quickly upon the well maintained road.

As night fell on their journey, the party spotted three white dragons swooping high above them overhead, and recognized Cryocrax and two of what were surely his kin and/or mates. The dragons didn't deign to attack the party, turning north and back towards their lair. The heroes breathed a sigh of relief as the familiar walls of the Freehold came into sight, and they were admitted into the town quickly by the Harii horselord and commander of the freehold garrison Egil Gislason.

## A Homecoming

The party quickly parted ways once safely in the confines of the Freehold. After stationing the seven dwarves in the barracks, Nygaar set out to seek his ward Arlow, and quickly found him in his hut surrounded by a number of fawning teenage women, including one wench that showed signs of an early pregnancy. Nursing a nagging injury from his fight with the demons in Storm Hammer Keep, Nygaar bedded down for the night, his every need catered to by his young charge's female companions. Meanwhile, Heida and Jor retired to the inn, and generously paid the old matron Inga Frothidottir for a hot bath and lodgings. Esbjorn and Valindr, however, decided that the night was still young, and went to the forge to seek out the dwarven smith Hermon Forgebreaker.

Hermon called out a greeting upon seeing his friend Esbjorn, and the two quickly began to speak on many things of note Esbjorn had encountered on his journeys. Valindr showed some interest in the dwarf's wares, and listened with interest to the conversation between the master smith and her companion Esbjorn. Esbjorn began by asking Hermod what he knew of the Inferno forge, which was located under the frost giant's fortress known as the Rime Citadel. Long in disuse, its fires burned out, the forge was said to be equal to the very best forges upon Nidarvellir, and would in the right hands be useful in the forging of relics and perhaps even artifacts. Heida had received a vision concerning this forge, and Esbjorn shared with Hermod that the party believed that the frost giant's guardian known as the Frost Wyrm had a fiery heart that had the capacity to reignite the Inferno Forge once more. Hermod claimed it could work, if the proper rites to Volund (Weyland the Smith) were performed in the reignition. The old dwarf dug through a battered chest, and produced five ancient rune sticks that outlined what such a ceremony might entail. It seemed Hermon was descended from master smiths of years gone by, who had once had the skill to manage the high level of smithing technology and magic that the running of such a forge entailed. Esbjorn reverently took the rune sticks, and asked that Hermon help them reignite the forge if the party was able to wrestle it from the frost giants' control.

Hermon next showed Esbjorn a blade he had been tasked to make for the boy Arlow, a long sword made of the rare and powerful material known as mithral. The two talked smithing for hours, and Esbjorn revealed the quicksilver he had stowed away in a chest that he had acquired from Loki's Labyrinth. After inspecting the material, Hermon said that the frost giant smiths can forge living cold, of which the quicksilver can be infused. Esbjorn shook his head in disapproval, and gazed over at a patiently listening Valindr. Esbjorn offered up the chest and its treasure to Valindr, claiming he had no use for a metal that could only be put to use by frost giants. Valindr took the chest, wondering if she might be able to use it either by learning to forge it herself (given her frost giant blood) or have another make a weapon of note for her. Hermon nodded his approval, and looking Valindr over, handed her a quarrel of ten arrows he felt she might put to use. Finally, Esbjorn brought up the subject of the infamous dwarven smith Ivaldi, wondering what Hermon might know about his night time ghost forge companion.

Hermon relayed the tale of Ivaldi, how he had slain his famous smith sons and been cursed as a kinslayer. Esbjorn in return told the tale of a forging by one of Ivaldi's sons, and the technique for crafting the goddess Sif's golden hair. Eyeing Esbjorn knowingly, Hermon warned him that any who long spent time with Ivaldi risked madness and a descent into unrepentant evil. The curse of Volund kept Ivaldi alive, but gave him no hope of redemption. Only a fool would long tarry in the forge with such a reviled dwarf, despite his remarkable skills. Esbjorn feigned ignorance, and the two along with Valindr spent the remainder of the night alternately drinking fine dwarven ale and forging a number of blades and pieces of armor. Some time near dawn, the three finally fell asleep, Esbjorn and Valindr laid out on the floors of the forge, the smithing fires making for a cozy if somewhat uncomfortable respite.

## Heida and Esbjorn Come to an Understanding

Shortly after dawn, Heida and Jor awoke refreshed at the inn. While Jor went to Kettel's hall to eat a feast that had been prepared for the party by Inga, Heida went in search of Esbjorn. Finding him at the forges, she paused, wondering if she should awaken him and Valindr or let them sleep. The decision was soon made for her, as Esbjorn grumbled and opened his eyes, slowly rising to his feet. As Heida greeted him, Esbjorn began to act strangely, sniffing the air and glancing askance at Heida, mumbling in dwarven about the "stink of elves." Heida had sought Esbjorn out concerning some work she wanted done on her shield, a magnificent piece of armor made in dark dwarf fashion. After a time, Esbjorn shook off his suspicions; it seemed the sleep had done him good after many long nights awake in the ghost forge. Heida sensed Esbjorn was at a crossroads, and this was confirmed when he invited her outside Hermon's abode to speak privately. Meanwhile, Valindr had feigned sleep, and as Heida and Esbjorn retired outside she arose and put her ear to one of the shuttered windows of the forgeworks, to hear more about what her two companions had to discuss.

Heida and Esbjorn talked of the gods, Surtr and Odin and Frey in particular, and what Esbjorn should do now that he no longer served his one time patron and lord. Heida revealed that she was in fact a servant of Odin, and had even journeyed to the world tree itself and in the presence of the Norns had changed the fate of the party and herself by manipulating the carvings upon the tapestry of fate at the base of Yggdrasil. Valindr's eyes widened as she heard of Heida's exploits, and learned that she had once been in thrall to Hel but had escaped this fate through her courage and cunning. Heida expressed guilt that she had sent many a worthy warrior destined for Valhalla to Hel instead, yet Esbjorn dismissed this as something she had no choice in, given that the gods were cruel and fickle and mortals often seemed to be nothing more than their playthings. While Heida largely agreed, she maintained that she had always served the gods, and had never betrayed Esbjorn and never would. She told of her new bonds of fealty to Odin, and how surely Odin would support an attempt by Esbjorn to usurp his enemy Surtr. The two looked at each other with reaffirmed respect, and swore a personal blood oath among themselves. Going back in to wake up Valindr, Heida found her awake and donning her gear. The three heroes then walked together to Kettel's Hall, intent on breaking their fast with Jor and planning the next phase of their journey, to start by seeking out Botli.

## The Nidingr

The heroes greeted Kettel warmly in his hall, and wondered if Nygaar would arise soon to feast with them. Noting the presence of one drunken and passed out warrior, who some remembered as the one they sought called Botli the Nidingr, the party spoke briefly to Kettel before settling down to eat. Esbjorn gifted Kettel with a handful of rings with the Surtshellir sigil upon them, claiming that any who wore them would be healed if they gathered nearby at the sacred ash tree in the town's center while Esbjorn was in residence. Kettel thanked Esbjorn, but raised his white eyebrows in surprise at Esbjorn's somewhat dubious claims of his own divinity. Jor interceded, telling Kettel that many changes were afoot in Seron, and asked him about the Ruegian wizard Arch Magus Halldor. While Kettel had not seen the magus in many toils, he had recently seen the one known as Yric the Sly, a servant of Halldor's. Kettel revealed that Yric had departed not long ago to go to Trondheim, and Jor nodded and thanked Kettel for the information.

Meanwhile, Heida and Valindr had settled down to eat and talk amongst themselves. It seemed all the talk of Esbjorn and Heida regarding their evolving loyalties had made Valindr ponder once more which god she herself should serve, Hermod or Ymir. While Hermod was the god of her youth and had granted her powers, her experience in contemplating the Ginnungagap had left an indelible mark upon her, and she was at a loss on who she should serve. Heida vowed to ask the spirits for guidance, but made no promises, saying that since entering Loki's Labyrinth the spirits had seemed fickle and prone to trickery. While they were speaking, the drunken warrior at the adjoining table raised his head, and peered at the two females blearily, demanding that they bring him some ale. Eventually, Botli recognized that they were not serving wenches, and passed out again. Esbjorn and Jor rejoined their companions, and waited for Botli to awaken from his stupor. They didn't have to wait long, as the outlaw soon fell off the bench, and rose staggeringly to his feet.

Heida approached him, and revealed that she knew that his deepest desire was to get his revenge upon his brother Crom the Crippler, the jarl of the Frisian clan. Botli squinted at her in distrust, and asked what it was she and the party wanted from him. While Jor cajoled, Esbjorn threatened, Heida impelled, and Valindr observed, Bolti eventually told his tale of woe. It seemed that Crom had once been married to a beauty known as Astrid, a woman that Botli had been in love with from the days of his youth. Being the older brother, Crom had claimed the girl as his wife, out of nothing more than cruelty and spite. Crom did not love Astrid, but soon impregnated her and took pains to mistreat her in his brother's presence. An Umbrian slave woman named Melkorka, a mistress of Crom's who had designs on Astrid's place, began to whisper venomous words in Botli's ear, claiming that Crom could be easily overthrown. The slave presented Botli with a magical blade, which she claimed could ensure that Botli could take his "rightful" place as the jarl of the clan. Unbeknownst to Botli, Melkorka had placed a curse upon the blade, known as "Ankle-Biter." The curse promised that any who wielded the sword would slay the one they hold most dear. In a drunken and jealous rage shortly thereafter, Botli killed Astrid and the unborn son inside her, and was unceremoniously outlawed by his brother Crom and banished from Frisian lands. Botli fled to the Freehold, as Kettel had known him as a boy and was willing to take him in and offer him protection. The slave Melkorka was soon elevated to become Crom's wife, an honor she continued to hold to this day.

The party listened carefully, and began to understand Botli's misgiving in response to anyone offering to help him fulfill his revenge against his brother. Heida asked to see the cursed blade, and took it from Botli's hands after it was produced. Esbjorn meanwhile raged at the cowardly outlaw, and attempted to grasp him in his powerful hands. Luckily Botli's warrior instincts had yet to completely desert him, and he was able to withdraw out of Esbjorn's long reach. The party had made little progress in gaining an ally against the Frisian jarl Crom, and wondered where their leader Nygaar was. If anyone could recruit Botli to their cause, it was surely the would-be king of Seron. They stood in Kettel's hall facing Botli, somewhat at a loss on how to proceed.

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