Session 033

## The Death of the Young Falcon

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

*Esbjorn agrees to the blood oath with the Verdant Prince. Helva is found, and the party is reunited with Vindr. They return to Raendale and discover the war has progressed without them. The Young Falcon is laid to rest.*

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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

## The Blood Oath

Trapped within the thorns of Huldrekall, Esbjorn pondered what decision to make. On the one hand, these fey creatures were the foes of his god. On the other hand, they had both he and his companions at a disadvantage. As the massive eighty-foot treant loomed before him, Esbjorn battled internally with himself. While he asked Huldrekall to repeat the terms of the blood oath, some unlikely friends were creeping through the forest.

Vindr had not seen the party in many weeks. He had been hired by Kettel to do some intelligence and scouting of the ancient white dragon Cryocrax, and seek a safe path to his lair in the event this foe of mankind needed to be dealt with. Vindr found a safe path to the dragon's lair, the key of which involved avoiding the dragonleaf grove. He found the ancient beast's lair surrounded by a perpetual blizzard, with a cold so biting it caused magical damage to all who approached. After this scouting expedition, Helva the Shrew invited him to act as a scout for a journey south, to the former town of Visby. Once there, the former green law speaker met with the green druids to attempt to determine why there was what boiled down to a small territory of Muspelheim where a human village once stood. With the druids unable to use their magic to change it, Helva and Vindr eventually turned north to go back to the Freehold. As they traveled along the Varde river, they encountered the party and the fey locked in a life-or-death struggle.

Helva filled Vindr in on who Huldrekall was, and the dangers of thwarting him. Helva and Vin also noticed something strange; an unearthly light in the form of a humanoid, with the vague outline of a woman. Vindr felt he must get into position for possible confrontation, however, and put the angelic figure out of his mind. As Esbjorn negotiated, Vindr crept through the forest and into position to be prepared in the event of battle. He recognized Esbjorn and Nygaar tangled up in the wall of thorns, although Brydd and Heida were out of sight. Helva, meanwhile, summoned a globe of impenetrable force to surround herself and stayed back and out of the potential fray. As Vindr listened, ready to spring into action, Esbjorn came to a decision.

Esbjorn reluctantly agreed to the terms of the blood oath. He swore to venture to the Boar's Wood and retrieve Gullinbursti’s harness within one hundred days. In exchange, he would be allowed to lay for one night with Gersemi, the daughter of the goddess Freya. Using his lawful nature, Esbjorn knew that he could fulfill the words of the blood oath but still potentially thwart Huldrekall's plans. The evil fey creature asked the jotun blooded warrior to raise his right hand, and Esbjorn felt the burning of a wound in his palm. The oath was written in blood upon the Norn's tapestry, and Esbjorn was obliged to honor it or face the consequences. Huldrekall stepped into the very tree he stood upon and disappeared, leaving the party trapped within the wall of thorns. After a few moments, they heard Huldrekall laughing somewhere to the south of him, and after Esbjorn called him an oathbreaker the wall suddenly vanished.

Once the wall (which Nygaar had tried and failed to break free of while Esbjorn negotiated) disappeared, the party looked about in dread. They determined the best thing to do was to leave the fey wood immediately. Vindr hid, and none were able to see him even when they approached within ten feet. Two trees transformed into grinning woodwoses, evil male dryads who leered smugly at the party. Heida even pushed one, telling him to be gone. Both Nygaar and Heida noticed an odd necklace around one of the woodwose's necks, adorned with eight berries. Brydd encountered one who it seemed had stood within five feet of him within tree form. Eventually, these creatures left, with the party realizing that these fey creatures could use the trees to travel and even become trees themselves. As the giant treant reverted to a normal tree, Helva appeared, greeting the party warmly.

## Helva the Shrew is Restored to her Former Beauty

The party, especially Heida, was pleased to see the former law speaker and wizard, who had provided them with many of their magical items during their time spent in the Freehold. Helva informed them she had been summoned by her former order to assess what had happened in Visby, and that the former village remained a place of fire and ruin. She intimated that the party might be behind it, and Esbjorn boldly proclaimed that the townsfolk were weak and the party was in fact responsible for what had happened. Helva called to Vindr, and he crept out of the forest much to the surprise of all. He was greeted warmly and recounted his solo adventures briefly to all present. Helva then turned to Heida, who said she had what Helva was seeking.

Heida began by explaining that the townsfolk of Visby lacked the courage to protect themselves and that none, not even the priest of Freyr Karsid, were willing to do what it took to protect their village. Helva conceded that Karsid was weak, and when informed that the villagers were now slaves of the dark dwarves she nodded reluctantly. But she was anxious to see what Heida had brought her and reacted with delight when Heida told her she had visited the Norns. The rest of the party listened dumbfounded as Heida told of her journey to the base of the world tree, and when she produced a vial of liquid from the well Urðarbrunnr there was amazement all around. Helva quickly drank the potion, and the old and doddering woman before them was instantly transformed into an extraordinary and incredible beauty the likes of which the party had rarely seen. Amazed, Helva reacted with delight to her youthful form returned. With little fanfare, she whispered into Vindr's ear, and within a few moments, they crept away into the forest. As the rest of the party discussed moving on from the cursed woods, Helva the Comely welcomed Vindr into the ranks of manhood. Soon afterward the party traveled across the river and further south, leaving the fey woods behind, at least for the time being.

## The Return to Raendale

The next morning after breaking camp, Helva bid the party farewell and turned northwards toward the Freehold. She assured the party she would research a way to recover the territory of the former village of Visby. Little did she know that Esbjorn wanted nothing of the kind, and had even told the fire giants of the village location. Vindr gave her a bag of coin, and she privately assured him she would broker his freedom. She encouraged the young scout to venture on with the party and win treasure and glory. Perhaps she had seen something in her visions - it seemed likely as she had lain with him and urged the party that he was a good and powerful warrior. The party accepted Vindr back into the fold, and they set out towards Raendale. On the journey, Vindr informed them he was a slave no longer, and they outfitted him with extra gear accordingly, Esbjorn going so far as to purposely destroy Vindr's great club during a sparring match since he viewed it as a weapon not fit for a true warrior. Vindr took up a place near Nygaar out in the front of the order of march, another set of keen eyes to scout out the party's path. They soon reached the Fjord of Tears, and saw that the war had indeed progressed:

*As you come upon the now familiar fjord and the village of Raendale that is tucked within it, you see the signs of battle everywhere. There are hastily constructed wooden walls around the village, and they look to be battered and scorched from recent bombardments. To the north along the coast, huge flocks of carrion birds dive and swoop, and you can smell the familiar odor of corpses even from this distance. You are standing upon a hillside you once camped upon many weeks earlier, and the steep cliffs that hug the river look alive with the many small waterfalls cascading down them. The right fork in the muddy road before you will take you into the village, where a powerful but damaged gate lies askew. The burned husks of a number of ruined ships float half sunken in the mouth of the river.  You see a strange flag flying from the battlements; not the six-pointed star of the hated Umbrians, but something else. As the large and tattered banner billows in the wind, you can clearly make out a stylized falcon symbol, different than the traditional Geat heraldic emblem.*

 They contemplated whether to enter Raendale or to press on to the southeast into Wulfling lands. After an intense discussion, in which they considered leaving Vindr or perhaps Esbjorn outside, they decided a night to rest and recover in town, along with the information they would gain, were worth the risk. They entered the town, the broken gates guarded by a familiar group of Geat berserkers loyal to Elof. They were recognized and escorted to a longhouse where Stig the Witch-Breaker greeted them warmly.

## The Battle of Raendale

Stig was happy to see them; their actions in saving his family were not forgotten by the powerful giant touched warrior. He had much to discuss with them, and they learned a great deal about what had transpired during their time away. Batu, the Adogit scout, was also present, and he painfully rose from a seat to greet them as well, his wounds from the recent battle clearly evident. After the pleasantries, Stig gave the party the following information:

* The Adogits, led by Batu and Ulfrik Demonaxe, arrived with 100 men and joined up with Stig and the Young Falcon Elof who had 100 men (including 25 berserker troops)
* A pitched battle was fought to the north, as the Raendale troops attempted to fight off the Umbrians using the terrain and guerilla tactics against them. The Umbrians suffered heavy losses, but they had the numerical advantage (500 troops)
* The native troops did not have magic, and the Umbrians did. They used a number of low-level spells (like grease, fog cloud, entangle, and the like) that sent the native troops into an organized retreat, where they fell back behind the walls and fought off a number of attacks
* The Umbrians were led by a wizard named Osmaer the Eunuch (an Umbrian) and the Seron reserves were caught in a bank of fog that was made up of vapors that were yellowish-green and poisonous that killed a large group of men
* The Umbrians eventually withdrew, returning to Aarhus, after burning all of the ships in the docks at Raendale
* Ulfrik (Brydd’s Uncle) was taken prisoner by the Umbrians. He just inexplicably fell down and was dragged from the battlefield by his enemies
* Orri Karsson, the jarl of the Geat clan, is dead. He was said to have “died in his sleep” but Stig was told the Umbrian wizard Faegun the Magus killed him
* Elof was slashed with a poisoned blade across the chin by an Umbrian named Ronilda the Serpent (a guardian of the Umbrian wizards guild) when the boy tried to reach Osmaer
* Asleif Orrisdottir (aka Asleif Umbria) fled from Aarhus to escape her new husband Archibald Umbria (the king of Umbria's club-footed son). The girl is 6 weeks pregnant

The party asked to see both Elof and Asleif and were first taken to the sickbed of the Young Falcon. Esbjorn attempted some clerical magic to reverse the effects of Elof's sickness to no avail. It was clear the boy was near death's door, and the party contemplated what to do. Brydd offered Stig a chance to save the boy, using arcane magic (namely turning him to stone). He was unsure and told the party to consult with the boy's sister. Eventually, they asked to speak to Asleif and were led there immediately.

## New Life, New Death

The party met Asleif, who admitted she had been a fool in falling in with the Umbrians and marrying the king's son. She was clearly afraid and told them all they wanted to know about the Umbrians in Aarhus. The party told them they must return to Stig with her decision regarding her brother. She wanted him saved but wasn't informed of the details of what saving him meant to Brydd. Nygaar looked around, thought for a moment, and then asked Esbjorn where Droog was. Knowing the unpredictable nature of the quasit, the party rushed back to the bedside of the diseased young lord. Nygaar made it a point to stay, continuing to press the girl for information regarding the foreign enemies.

When the rest of the party came back to Elof, Stig and his household were in an uproar, the massive warrior calling for a sword to be placed in the boy's hands. As they approached, the heroes saw that the boy was foaming at the mouth, but some quick action by his healers seemed to stabilize him. Esbjorn recognized that reaction and frowned darkly, calling out for Droog. Not finding him inside, Esbjorn went out into town and called again. Within moments, Esbjorn felt the familiar clawed feet of the quasit perch upon his shoulder. A quick moment of questioning made it clear Droog had decided to end the boy's life, but Esbjorn secretly accepted this and didn't punish his chaotic servant. Meanwhile, a heated discussion was being had inside the sick room.

Brydd began to prepare to use the dark elf spider to turn the boy to stone, as Asleif wanted him saved. Heida, meanwhile, argued vehemently against such an undertaking, saying the boy should go to Valhalla and that she could perform the rites. At first, Stig was willing to accommodate Asleif's wishes, but once he found out saving Elof's life would involve arcane magic and turning him to stone he became unsure. Unwilling to openly bad-mouth Brydd, as he still appreciated his family being saved, he instead sided with Heida and determined that Asleif made the decision out of grief and didn't know what it entailed. Vindr agreed that the boy should die and be put out of his misery. Brydd, clearly frustrated at the lack of understanding of those around him, eventually submitted and stepped out of the way to allow Heida to perform the death rites. Brydd made it a point to studiously watch Heida, for signs she planned to send the boy's soul to Hel. Seeing nothing that would indicate that, he calmly watched. Nygaar eventually returned, and joined in a funeral dirge sung by Vindr:

*Onto the keel you climb,*
*Cold is the ocean brine.*

*Keeping courage though,*

*Locked in a deadly throe.*

*Baldhead, show no fear,*

*showers fall on you here.*

*With maidens you had a way,*

*All must die one day.*
Heida acted quickly, performing the rites as she had been taught as a girl. She plunged a blade into the boy's heart, ending his misery. All wondered why the gods would make such a fine and fierce lad, seemingly destined to lead men, and then snuff out his life so prematurely. It seemed the tangled carvings on the world tree often told inexplicable tales beyond the understanding of mere mortals. It was the boy's fate, pure and simple. He died well, falling in battle against foreign invaders, even if the means weren't as clean as one would wish. The boy was prepared for his internment and the party next discussed what to do with Asleif. It was decided they would bring the princess along, in an attempt to keep her from the clutches of Phaegun the Magus and the Umbrian nobility. The party slept in town and awoke the next morning ready to depart Geat lands, at least for a time. The land of the war-like Wulfling clan awaited them, in their quest to find the swan maiden of Viborg lake and seek out Brydd's son Dreki, "a boy conceived in deception, a member of a barbaric clan of cannibals and murderers, who will act as a vessel for the power of Loki and pave the way for his return from Hel." The next phase of their adventures was set to begin.

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