Session 037

## The Spawn of Fenrir

**Age of the Wolf, Year 5, Autumn, Aerlun Toil 2, day 2-7**

*The party leaves Ringsted with Aada and Johan in tow. Their journey is interrupted by a fearsome beast. They reach Viborg Lake and Swan Isle and make ready to seek out the swan maiden Swanhilde.*

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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

## Farewell to Ringsted

Following Ullveig's outburst, and Heida's retribution, the party settled down to drink and discuss their plans. They decided they would certainly escort Aada at least as far as Viborg, and Johan the goat spoke up and informed them where the girl goes he goes. Accepting this, they next discussed the best way to proceed on their quest. Their obligations were many:

* Seek out Brydd's son (in order to deny the Umbrian wizard known as Phaegun the Magus the boy which he planned to use in some nefarious ceremony set to take place on the winter solstice concerning Loki) by checking the autumn camp of the Harii in the Ironwood Forest
* Retrieve the war drums at the ancient graveyard of kings the *Kongr Haugr* for the skald Gunnlaug Snaketongue (since he had overheard who the geatling princess Asleif was and the burden she carried)
* Seek out Swanhilde (a fey creature known as a swan maiden), the former lover of the god Volund, in order to seal their pact with the dwarves of the Firehand Clan
* Make their way to the *Boar's Forest* in order to fulfill Esbjörn's bargain with the Verdant Prince
* Return to Nygaar's homeland before the winter solstice in order to halt the annual sacrifice to the Taiga Linnorm
* Return to *Raendale* in time to counter the large number of Umbrian troops set to arrive in Aarhus by the start of winter
* Find a place to safely hide the Geatling princess Asleif, who was pregnant with the Umbrian prince Archibald Umbria's seed
* Defeat the Frost Giants near *Odin's Heart*, who were allied with the foreign invaders

Ultimately, the heroes decided that their first course of action should be to go to Swan Isle, for no other reason than that it was the closest objective and was on their way. As they made their way to the inn, Esbjörn asked to speak to Heida privately.

## The Player's Earn Their Roleplaying XP

The giant blooded champion of Surtr seemed troubled; he asked Heida plainly where he and his clan might fit in were Nygaar to unite the clans and expel the foreign invaders. He implored her to consult the spirits, and Heida said that she would do so. Unbeknownst to Esbjörn, as they were speaking a pair of large ravens flew overhead. Heida knew well what this omen portended, but was careful not to voice her concerns aloud to Esbjörn. She promised to speak to the spirits to find out what the carvings upon the world tree foretold, and this seemed to calm Esbjörn a bit. Heida would later chose to tell Esbjörn that his clan would surely be elevated if Nygaar were to assume control of Seron (although the spirits had been more ambiguous, Nygaar hadn't been when Heida asked him point blank while sparing after her vision). Satisfied, the two heroes retired for the evening.

The party paid to stay at the local inn and woke up ready to face the day. While Vindr got to know Aada on his morning walk (in which she demonstrated her exceptional skill with a bow), Nygaar went outside to train. Heida surprised him by asking to participate and revealed a magnificent shield and sword that the rest of the party had never seen before. While Heida wasn't particularly skilled, the amount of skill she did have surprised Nygaar. It seemed the wily volva had spent her time away in adventures that the rest of the party was just beginning to understand. Meanwhile, Esbjörn and Brydd were discussing other matters.

Brydd's concern over what to do with his intelligent weapon Byrmoor had only grown over the past few days, as he recognized the will of this entity was very powerful. Esbjörn and Brydd discussed the weapon, and Brydd voiced his concerns. Esbjörn offered to sunder the weapon, at which point Brydd was unable to stop Byrmoor from striking out at Surtr's Champion. Sensing this was out of Brydd's control, Esbjörn did not attempt to return the blow and was surprised when Byrmoor actually spoke aloud. The sentient weapon attempted to ally with Esbjörn, revealing that the purpose of his very creation was to slay the followers of Odin. After trading some veiled threats, Esbjörn and Byrmoor came to an understanding, while Brydd listened carefully and considered his options. After Esbjörn took his leave, Brydd and Byrmoor came to an understanding of their own; Brydd agreed to help Byrmoor fulfill his purpose, promising the weapon that there would be ample opportunities to slay followers of the All-Father. In exchange, Byrmoor revealed one of his powers, a mighty power indeed which Brydd was secretly pleased to hear.

The training and negotiations with a psychopathic sentient weapon complete, the party gathered up their followers, who now included Asleif, Aada, and Johan. Brydd sandformed a ship and they made their way east upon the Torne River, their next destination Viborg Lake. The first day of travel was uneventful, but near midday of the second day, they came upon a strange scene.

## The Spawn of Fenrir

With Esbjörn walking upon the deep and swift-moving waters of the river pushing their vessel upstream, the party encountered a strange and terrifying spectacle:

*As you survey the signs of an obviously recent gravesite, you see the mound begin to shift and move. Suddenly five undead skeletons begin to rise up out of the earth, armed with short swords. The odor of rotting corpses wafts into your faces; even from this distance, you recognize the all too familiar stench of the recently deceased. You notice with horror that the flesh seems to have been gnawed from their bones as if the jaws of carnivorous beasts have gorged upon them. You see what appears to be strange carvings whittled into the bones themselves. As you watch the skeletons burst free of the cold earth, their bones alight with unnatural flames. Ghostly incorporeal howling fills the air around you, and you feel, inexplicably, as if you are being hunted. Beyond the mound, back behind the hillside to the south, you hear the movements of something large and ominous. You feel a wave of fear and nausea that threatens to overwhelm you as a massive beast, its shoulders standing perhaps forty feet high, bounds into view upon the hillside, the turf flying haphazardly at its approach. The creature is in the shape of a black-skinned wolf, but of a size that makes your old friend Vungar look like nothing more than a one-day-old pup.*

The wolf, which Brydd recognized as a creature descended from the bloodline of the fearsome wolf Fenrir himself, charged down into their midst, stepping into the twenty-foot deep river with little trouble. Aada, Asleif, and Esbjörn felt fear enter their hearts at the beasts approach, and were shaken with an unnatural fear. While the party scrambled to react, the beast tore into the goat Johan, tearing the unfortunate creature limb from limb, with goat pieces flying in every direction. While the spellcasters made ready to act, Esbjörn hauled the boat to the far shore, where everyone hurriedly disembarked. Heida summoned an undead Ogre to deal with the skeletons, who shambled slowly in the party's direction but were left on the opposite bank unable to attack the heroes. Brydd attempted to cast a number of spells, but the resistance of the creature proved to be a problem for both he and Heida. Meanwhile, the wolf came within range of Esbjörn, who stood gamely in front of the rest of the party and made ready to fight it. The wolf overcame Esbjörn's defenses with little trouble, and it soon became clear this creature was more powerful than anything they had yet faced. Aada and Vindr fired arrows at the wolf, to little effect beyond irritating the creature. Finally, Brydd pulled an old maneuver from his bag of tricks and covered the wolf in a blanket of solid fog that hindered its movement while concealing its location. Only Nygaar could sense the beast's exact location, but the river flummoxed him and he was unable to attack.

Meanwhile, the wolf continued to lash out at Esbjörn, knocking him from his feet and nearly slaying him. Only the wolfsbane potions given to the heroes by Aada prevented Esbjörn from meeting a grisly end, and he retreated in order to heal himself as best he could. Eventually, the wolf emerged from the far side of the fog, and as he was peppered with arrows Brydd and Heida continued to weave spells in order to slay him. Brydd had asked Esbjörn to push the boat to the far side, and he did one better; with Brydd in the ship, Esbjörn easily hefted the heavy craft in his massive grip and used his magic to propel himself, the ship, and Brydd aloft, eventually landing upon the far shore. As another undead ogre of Heida's summoning stood before the beast and was immediately destroyed by the wolf, Brydd struck it with a number of evocation spells, including his tried and true combust spell (using the ice iteration). Nearly slain, the beast finally broke free of the fog. While Esbjörn closed to finish him, Nygaar leaped into the river in an attempt to join the fray. Ultimately the beast was destroyed, as Esbjörn's magical shield struck the decisive blow when the spawn of Fenrir once more bit into the giant blooded warrior. The wolf vanished in a puff of smoke, and Esbjörn, near death, was inexplicably filled with strength at its disappearance.

## The Party Reaches the Lake

The heroes took stock of this nearly fatal encounter, amazed at the ferocity of the beast they had just dispatched. Esbjörn had nearly succumbed, and they all wondered if they would encounter more of Fenrir's foul spawn in the future. Amazingly, the goat Johan reappeared, seemingly whole and undamaged. Eventually they traveled on, and over the course of a few more days they reached Viborg Lake:

*As you make your way across Viborg lake, the sun glitters blindingly upon the clear cold waters. The wind has turned biting; as you well know, the waning months of warmth and plenty will soon be nothing more than a distant longing for spring. The fortress of Viborg itself stands resolute and stark to the north. The ancient and mighty walls of granite, inlaid with glistening silver runes, fill you with pride. The mighty fortress is a testament to the skill and vigor of the men of Seron, regardless of one’s clan. For some Viborg is a place of wealth and plenty, but of course, for her enemies and captives, she is a city that fills one’s heart with dread. Even from this distance, the city hums with activity, a stark contrast to the relative peace out upon the waters. Large flocks of black and white swans descend gracefully onto the surface of the lake, the gentle waves seemingly below their contempt. Their melodic calls bounce and echo upon the waters as you make your way towards the island before you.*

The party made landfall on the small island near the center of the lake and made ready to begin their search for Swanhilde. Intimately familiar with the fey from previous adventures, all wondered what they would find. All they knew for certain was that they must fulfill this obligation to the dwarves if they hoped to ensure their tentative alliance with the stout folk.

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