Session 035

## The Desolate Plains

**Age of the Wolf, Year 5, Autumn, Aerlun Toil 1, days 8-10**

*The party battles the fearsome gorgons and Esbjorn and Nygaar are petrified. Brydd, Vindr, and Heida seek out the origin of the creatures and find an ancient temple and the means to restore their comrades. Journeying towards the village of Ringsted, the heroes encounter a fearsome giant but exercise restraint.*

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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

## Gorgon Battle

The heroes cast last-minute spells and turned to face the fearsome pair of gorgons who had burst from the fields. While the peasant boys and the princess Asleif escaped across the river, Nygaar moved towards the shore and waited for the beasts to come to him, as he planned on leaping into the water if the magical beasts blew the noxious green gas from their nostrils of which Brydd had warned them. Esbjorn grimaced menacingly and made his way towards the beasts, who charged across the plains towards the heroes. Both Heida and Brydd readied their spells, with Heida casting spectral hand in order to stay well away from the beasts and their horns.

Meanwhile, Vindr appeared on the battlefield out of nowhere - it seemed the scout had been monitoring an Umbrian spy that had been following the party for some time after they left Raendale. Eventually, the spy had noticed Vindr and turned invisible. Unable to locate where the middle-aged, nondescript human spy had gone, Vindr made haste to catch up with the party. It was only through sheer luck that he had caught up with them in time to face this new threat. He moved into position, readying his magical bow in anticipation.

The gorgons charged across the battlefield, ready to trample the party into the turf. While Vindr fired arrows at the beasts, Nygaar and Esbjorn waited, while the sheep that covered the battlefield ran in panic, bleating pitifully. Brydd summoned a dustform bison to meet the threat, and the lumbering beast turned and attacked the closest foe. Meanwhile, Heida tried twice and finally succeeded in hitting one of the creatures with a Rigor Mortis spell; with little fanfare one of the metal bulls slumped heavily to the ground as though it were dead! Sensing victory, the party closed in on the remaining beast, but it was able to cover the battlefield in noxious green gas. Instantly all those before it, including Esbjorn, were turned to stone. Nygaar sprung into the river, barely escaping Esbjorn's fate. The bison Brydd had summoned was formed of earth, and was unaffected by the gas. The battle continued, with the remaining beast able to charge and trample Nygaar, who had made his way back to shore and attempted to close and slay the terrible beast. Nygaar bravely chose not to roll away and instead allowed the beast to run him over in order to take an opportunity to slash it viciously with his sword and axe.

While Heida continued to attempt to disable the remaining beast to no avail, Brydd used evocation spells to damage it while Vindr peppered it with arrows, and Nygaar and the bison stood before it engaged in melee combat. Unfortunately, the beast was once more able to unleash its poison gas, and this time Nygaar was unable to escape its effects. With Nygaar and Esbjorn both petrified, things had gotten desperate. Brydd used all of his considerable power to unleash a much-improved version of his signature spell, an ice version of combust, and the beast blew apart in icy chunks. One thing the keen eyes of Vindr observed that the others did not was that charred human remains seemed to come from the inside of the beast, and when it exploded these remains too flew out onto the trampled plain. Yet the battle was not over. The party rushed to the incapacitated gorgon, with Heida shouting clear warnings to deliver a coup de grace and to refrain from attacking it haphazardly. It seemed the beast could be broken out of its stupor, and any who attacked it must make their strike count. Vindr, unaccustomed to the weird and terrible ways of a Harii volva, fired an arrow into the beast anyway. It was only the whim of fate that prevented the beast from lurching to its feet from this single arrow strike, and Heida screamed in rage and dove for cover. Luckily Vindr was given another opportunity, and struck true, putting a magical arrow through the eye and deep into the brain of the prone beast. The battle was over, but the remaining members of the party now faced the difficult aftermath.

## Ymir's Forgotten Temple

Unsure how to proceed, Heida consulted the spirits. Brydd, meanwhile, began to calculate the means to hide the statues of their companions, while Vindr thoughtfully examined the tracks of the beasts and the charred human remains that had been inside of them. Brydd speculated these remains had something to do with the very ancient practices of burning humans within metal bulls as offerings. When the offerings screamed as they were cooked alive, it gave the illusion that the metal bulls were bellowing. In any case, Heida soon received an answer from the spirits, and Vindr and Brydd turned towards her expectantly when she came out of her trance.

Heida proclaimed that they must follow the gorgons back to their origin in order to find the means to restore Esbjorn and Nygaar. While the spirits had also advised that they could push forward on their journey and find assistance, Heida chose what she judged would be the less costly of the two options. Summoning additional creatures and expending a good deal of their remaining magical energy, Brydd and Heida were able to summon creatures and enhance their strength in order to push the colossal figure of a stone Esbjorn into the river. With both petrified heroes safely hidden, and giving orders to the two farm boys Vali and Bali to keep watch, the party followed Vindr, who had easily picked up the gorgons' trail. Striking north across the plains, the heroes found a sinkhole some two hours north of the river. Heida ordered Imra, her ghostly familiar, to investigate. After a few moments in which Heida seemed to hesitate, the ghost delved down into the dark recesses of the newly uncovered pit. After a short time Imra returned, and Heida advised Brydd and Vindr that there was nothing to fear below. The three of them then proceeded to drop down into the hole.

The ancient nature of the place seemed obvious to the heroes, as the stone floor was covered in dust that was undisturbed beyond the trampling of the gorgons. It soon became clear that an elk had fallen into the hole, which had opened up and uncovered this ancient place. The gorgons (it seemed to the party) had been set as guardians and had only animated with the invasion of this accidental interloper. Two strange pedestals were found, where the gorgons had presumably stood for millennia, with scorch marks of ancient fires made in some forgotten ceremony clearly evident. Vindr quickly began looking for traps, but neither spellcaster detected any magic in the immediate area. They eventually pushed on and came upon a chamber with a huge rough-cut statue of Ymir. Brydd racked his brain, and remembered an ancient origin legend of the world:

*From Ymir’s flesh the earth was created,*

*And from his blood the sea,*

*Mountains from bone,*

*Trees from hair,*

*And from his skull the sky.*

*And from his eyebrows the blithe gods made*

*Midgard, home of the sons of men*

*And from his brains*

*They sculpted the grim clouds.*

Uninterested in this statue, Heida moved on, and she and Brydd soon found an ancient blood-stained altar and a carved alcove in an adjoining cave. They examined the area, the gentle sounds of an underground river nearby. Heida found a scroll of some ancient and evil magic and a salve that they could use to restore Esbjorn and Nygaar upon the ancient altar. In the alcove, carved with a likeness of the original man Buri, Heida found a large bastard sword and picked it up to examine it. Strangely, this sword immediately shrunk to fit her hand after she pulled it from its ancient scabbard, and a wave of nausea came over her briefly. Fearing the worst, she dropped the sword and moved away from it, warning Brydd it might be cursed.

Unfortunately, the sword was not to be left behind, as it reached out to Brydd and spoke to him mentally. Not exercising his usual caution, Brydd felt compelled to pick the sword up, which immediately changed shape into a spear. Heida watched in horror as blood began to slowly trickle from Brydd's remaining eye, ears, and mouth. Brydd staggered briefly, then turned to Heida and communicated that this was a powerful relic that he could use to destroy their enemies. The sorcerer's health was immediately and irrevocably affected by this event, as Heida could clearly see Brydd's once healthy form seem to waste away noticeably before her eyes. The sword was sentient and introduced itself as Byrmoor the Nine Lives Stealer. It was ancient and evil, and it had now imposed its will upon the Harii sorcerer. Heida shook her head reluctantly, knowing that Brydd had fallen under the sway of the evil weapon.

Meanwhile, Vindr had decided to take a closer look at the ancient statue of Ymir. Eventually, he touched it, and what seemed like an eternity passed in the blink of an eye. Vindr was shown a vision of the world's creation, and the story of Ymir unfolded before his mind's eye. Returning back to the present, Vindr was infused with tremendous power, and his muscles swelled noticeably. Perhaps the ancient god, recognizing some trace of Jotun blood in the varied ancestry of the scout, had rewarded him. The ways of such an ancient being were unknowable. Vindr counted his blessings and hurried to find his colleagues. Frowning at the wasted and bloody face of Brydd, he looked to Heida. She communicated they were ready to depart, and the three heroes returned to their petrified friends, the princess Asleif following meekly behind.

The party hurried back to the river, and after a time they were able to restore both Esbjorn and Nygaar using the salve they had found in the ancient temple. Surprised at both Brydd and Vindr's appearance, Esbjorn and Nygaar were momentarily confused and out of sorts, but quickly surmised they had been incapacitated for only a few short hours. The party, restored to its full power, turned to the young shepherd boys, asking after a good place to pass the night. Vali and Bali agreed to bring them to their cottage and furthermore vowed to lead them into their village of Ringsted as heroes. The party bedded down for the night, hoping to get some well-needed rest after a long and challenging day.

## Jack-in-Irons

The party rested wearily, setting up a nightly watch as was their practice. During Esbjorn's shift, the earth began to shake, and booming footfalls sounded, as if some massive thing was moving not far away. Nygaar and Vindr went out to investigate, while Heida and Brydd were left to sleep. Unfortunately, Brydd was awakened by his companion Byrmoor, who bellowed inside his head to prepare for battle. The peasant boys Vali and Bali warned the party that it was Jack-in-Irons, a fearsome giant who was not to be trifled with. They urged the heroes to flee. Meanwhile, Nygaar was able to spot the creature, who appeared to be at least thirty feet tall, lumbering over the plains. Vindr and Nygaar returned, and the party waited tensely for the giant to make their way towards them. Fortunately, Vindr heard the beast say something about dinner, and all heard the terrible fall of a colossal blow. Shortly thereafter, the night sky was lit up by what must surely have been a massive bonfire. It seemed the creature had not smelled them and found a meal to satiate its hunger. Eventually, the distant sound of his heavy steps could be heard walking away. In the morning Nygaar went to investigate and found the remains of a number of dire lions, skinned by hand as if they were a brace of rabbits and devoured. Thankful they had not had to face such a creature, the party followed the river east towards the village of Ringsted. Traveling for two days, the boys Bali and Vali began to get noticeably excited and said that their village was just around the next bend in the river. The evening sun danced upon the Torne River as the party made ready to officially enter Wulfling lands, as Ringsted was the first outpost in clearly claimed clan territory.

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