Session 034

## Farewell My Old Fiend

**Age of the Wolf, Year 5, Autumn, Aerlun Toil 1, days 6-8**

*The party witnesses the Young Falcon being laid to rest. With the girl Asleif in tow, they venture up the River Torne towards Wulfling territory. A massive and dangerous monster is encountered in the deep waters of the river, and Esbjorn's follower Droog falls victim to the beast. Further along the river, they encounter local boys running in fear from strange and fearsome creatures, who burst forth from the wheat fields along the river.*

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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

## A Princeling Journeys to Valhalla

The party awoke eager to depart, ready to head into Wulfling lands. Before leaving, they paid their respects to Elof Orrison, the last male heir of the Geat clan:

*The autumn winds blow clean and cold across the turbulent waters of the Geatling Fjord. The people of Raendale stand solemnly upon the former site of Raen’s Arm Rings, looking down upon the village. The body of the young falcon has been draped in finely woven funeral garb, and his lifeless body looks small and forlorn laid out upon the funeral pyre. A large group of falcons arc above the gathered mourners in lazy circles, screeching out their goodbyes to their human master, lightning dancing upon their outstretched wings. With the ancient burial mounds of his forebears in the background, the women of Raendale take up a mournful chant punctuated by short songs outlining the boy’s journey to Valhalla. Tributes of gold, silver, gems, fine cloth, and weapons are piled up around the corpse. Two lovely slave girls, in a state of drunken ecstasy, invite any and all men to visit them in makeshift tents nearby. As is the custom, these girls will follow their lord and master into the afterlife. The berserkers who served Elof Orrison in life grin maniacally - it is clear that they are ecstatic the boy will soon stand at Odin’s side. Stig’s face is covered in grave paint and splashed with the blood of animal sacrifices; he waits patiently for the ceremony to commence so he can send the slave girls on their journey and light the funeral pyre. Stig seems uncomfortable in this unfamiliar role and looks to Heida for possible assistance. Asleif stands mournfully to the side, weeping the tears of a girl who is lost and forlorn.*

Clearly seeing Stig's uncertainty, Heida stepped forward to perform the last rites in accordance with the venerable laws of the land, impressing the party with the intricacies of her skills. Brydd watched the proceedings respectfully, but quietly because his proposal to save the boy had stirred up fear, while Nygaar honored the slave girls by granting them his seed before their journey with their master. Esbjorn placed two platinum pieces upon the eyes of the corpse, an old Surtshellir custom which the others noted thoughtfully. Out of earshot of the crowd, he spoke a quiet prayer to Surtr, honoring the boy and praising his bravery. After the slave girls were slain and the pyre was lit, the townsfolk made their departure, shuffling back to town to rebuild a village ravaged by war. The party bid their farewells to Stig, who implored them not to miss the next battle, which he expected would take place in the early winter given Asleif's warning that some five hundred Umbrian troops were expected to arrive in Aarhus around that time. Heida comforted Asleif, and the party made ready to depart.

## Dangerous Waters

Using his skills as a sorcerer of the wastes, Brydd shaped a ship for the party to use. Esbjorn lumbered behind the craft upon the water's surface, pushing it across the Geatling Fjord and towards the Torne River with relative ease. His keen eyes always scanning the terrain, Nygaar spotted a large dark shape under the surface of the water near the mouth of the river but was unable to identify it. Esbjorn ordered his demon servant Droog to perform reconnaissance, but the petulant creature did so only half-heartedly with the not-so-gentle persuasion of his master. Finding nothing, the party made camp.

Camping upon the shore, the first night passed uneventfully. Asleif, young and pregnant, sought comfort sleeping near Nygaar. The girl was clearly afraid and spoke little as they traveled. She seemed to trust Heida and shyly lusted after Nygaar, although she seemed to shy away from the aloof Brydd and the terrifying Esbjorn. What they would do with the girl was a question the party had yet to seriously discuss (although Heida spoke to the spirits across the veil concerning the young princess but had not shared the topic of her divination nor the response).

Heading up the river, the party marveled at the depth of the waters, which ran clear and cold. The current running fast, this was certainly a different kind of river than the Varde River to the north, with steep banks and dark and perilous depths. As they made their way forward they eventually saw a large shape in the waters once more, and Brydd recognized the beast as a fearsome Dragon Turtle! A beast such as this one was capable of blowing a cloud of superheated steam from its mouth, and Brydd called out a warning. As the creature approached, the party prepared themselves.

## A (Sometimes) Loyal Follower is Slain

The massive beast had a rough, deep green shell much the same color as the deep water. Silver highlights lined its shell, resembling light dancing on open water. The turtle’s legs, tail, and head were a lighter green, flecked with golden highlights. The beast measured some twenty feet from snout to tail. It rushed towards the surface of the water, and the heroes had only a moment to react. Nygaar bounded onto the shore, aware that his blade would mean little if he ended up in the swift-flowing waters. The girl Asleif, watching Nygaar closely, followed after him, cowering near a cliff face upon the river bank. Esbjorn stood behind the ship, frowning furiously but unable to reach the front of the boat in time to meet the beast before it attacked. Unable to react quickly enough, Brydd, Heida, and Droog watched with horror as the turtle reared its massive head above the surface, and a scalding blast of steam enveloped the ship, blowing it apart. Droog, that foolish and petulant but ultimately loyal servant of Esbjorn who had been born in the fiery depths of Svartalfheim, was instantly annihilated. His bird-like and steam-whitened bones floated downstream like so much detritus. As the ship was blown apart, Heida and Brydd were plunged into the cold waters. Esbjorn bellowed in fury but was unharmed, standing upon the waters with his boots of water walking.

Realizing he must escape the waters, Brydd assumed his permeable form and floated incorporeally towards the shore. Heida too was out of her element, and she had much the same idea, quickly imbibing her potion of gaseous form and fleeing to the bank further upriver. What followed was a difficult and frustrating battle, as the creature repeatedly retreated to the depths only to rise and use its breath weapon to great effect. Nygaar paced upon the shore, eager to engage with the creature but unable to do so. To complicate matters, Brydd cast a Wind Wall spell, seeking to discourage the creature from approaching. The spell succeeded in sending cold river water swirling in every direction, but the creature was not greatly hindered by it. Meanwhile, Heida was on the far shore and prepared herself by casting Spectral Hand to perform a touch attack upon the beast if given the opportunity.

Nygaar stood upon the shore, and he and Esbjorn waited patiently for the creature to surface so they could slay it. The wily beast did eventually rise near the river bank, and Esbjorn was able to charge and attack it, mustering all of his furies into his strike. Nygaar stood out of reach and unable to help, as the creature knew enough to take advantage of its massive size and stay out of range of the dualist's sword and axe. Retreating to the depths at the sting of Esbjorn's blade and a Desiccate spell from Brydd, it once again used its breath weapon, bathing Esbjorn in scalding steam. The party then lost sight of the beast and they were hopeful for a moment that perhaps the creature had moved on. It wasn't to be; the dragon turtle suddenly surged forth and surfaced further east along the riverbank, where the already-injured Heida stood alone!

Thinking quickly, Brydd used a tried and trusted spell that had turned the tide of battle before. His Benign Transposition spell changed things considerably; where only a split-second before the dragon turtle saw an easy meal in a badly wounded and drenched Heida, it now had a massive and angry giant-blooded berserker in Esbjorn to contend with. The extent of his rage was beyond terrifying even to his companions. Esbjorn screamed obscenities into the creature's face and proceeded to hack it into bloody chunks using his vorpal blade. Suddenly the battle was over, and all stood in awe of the power and fury of the Champion of Surtr.

## The Aftermath of Watery Battle

The party caught their collective breath, peering down at the mutilated chunks of what had formerly been a fearsome river beast. Eventually, the wall of wind winked out of existence, and the party set about healing themselves as best they could. The tiny skeleton of Droog had washed onto the riverbank, and Esbjorn stooped to pick it up, clearly unhappy and struggling to control his fiery emotions. One instance of particular note was that the party learned Heida could no longer heal herself, and in fact, could now be healed as they could be. It seemed Hel was displeased with the volva, as Heida explained that her abstention from the battle with the Hel Priestesses far to the north had not gone unnoticed by the goddess. The party accepted this explanation, and Nygaar using his healing belt to assuage the burns Heida had suffered from the dragon turtle's breath weapon. Brydd labored under his own wounds to forge another ship for them and did so, but the fatigue was written clearly upon his face. They loaded up and pushed forward, Esbjorn brooding menacingly as he pushed the ship upriver, the vessel missing one tiny passenger. Heida had turned a concerned eye towards Asleif as they drifted away. The pregnant woman's quick response had allowed her to barely escaped the blast of steam that had ended the life of Droog... would she be so lucky next time?

## Fields of Wheat

The party camped once more without issue and continued to head east. The lands they were in now were a sort of borderland, not clearly claimed by either the Geat or the Wulfling clan. As they continued, the land flattened and plains stretched out to the north and south of the river. After mid-day, they noticed the lands had been cultivated with various crops, a sure sign of small settlements close by. The golden wheat was ripening, and would soon be ready for harvest under the pleasant Autumn sun. Breaking up this idyllic scene, the party soon came across a strange occurrence:

*As you travel along the Torne River, the gentle breeze of this autumn day blowing gently upon your face, you see a strange sight. A number of magnificently rendered sheep statues adorn the landscape. A few are broken, but the few that are undamaged look to be the work of a master stone carver. In the distance, you see what looks like two young boys, running pell-mell in your direction. Behind them, you hear the bleating of sheep and see a large field of wheat, ripening in the sunshine of this fertile land along the river. The boys begin calling out to you and look to be in a state of mindless panic. In the golden fields behind them, you see a disruption of some kind, as if large creatures are trampling the crops. The flash of metal shines in your shaded eyes, as you peer towards this bedlam. You hear the snort of large beasts and the pound of heavy hooves.*

Two beasts, which resembled metallic bulls of massive size, suddenly burst from the field rows. Brydd recognized them as Gorgons and called out a warning to the party. The heroes disembarked the ship and stood ready to face this new challenge. Glancing warily at the sheep "statues," they made ready for what might come. Only the gods knew whether they would all end up as statuary themselves...

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