Session 058

# Into the Serpent's Nest

**Age of the Wolf, Year 5, Autumn, Maelun Toil 1, day 10 - Toil 2, day 1**

*Nygaar charms Botli, and the party gathers some intelligence concerning the Frisian clan. The heroes stop at Raendale to speak with their ally Stig Witch-Breaker, then proceed to Trondheim. They find a tangled web of intrigue, and are presented with a proposition by the jarl Crom the Crippler.*

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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

## The Outlaw is Charmed

The party looked at the outlaw Botli warily, unsure how to make him see sense. Fortunately, Nygaar arrived, and with little fanfare quickly turned the discussion around, charming Botli and leading him to a table to sit and talk and ply him with mead. Heida followed along, and the two soon learned that the Frisian clan's head torturer Gunnar the Peaceful owed Botli a blood debt, and that this might be used to aid the party in deposing Crom. Botli warned the heroes that his brother was cruel and crafty, and to be especially wary of Crom's wife Melkorka. Nygaar offered Botli the opportunity to reclaim the Frisian clan, yet the drunken outlaw appeared incredulous and seemed not particularly interested in the offer. While Jor studied a parchment, Esbjorn settled in to eat, and Valindr made blood offerings to the gods to show her the path forward, Nygaar and Heida continued to elicit information from the drunken outcast.

It seemed Melkorka had manipulated matters to get the cursed blade into Botli's hands, and Gunnar was implicated in this treason which resulted in the death of Crom's first wife, Astrid. Strangely, it soon became clear to the party that the blade Botli called "Leg-Biter" was not cursed at all, but Heida took it off his hands nonetheless. Botli said farewell to the party by once again warning them not to go at all, but saying that if they must approach Gunnar to use a soft feminine touch as the inquisitor was susceptible to female flattery and bribery. Botli eyed Heida knowingly. As the only only other female in the group was Valindr, it seemed clear Heida would have to have dealings with the Frisian torturer. The heroes then bade their friends at the Freehold farewell, and gathered up the dwarves in the barracks. They walked into the shadowlands once more, and soon found themselves on the outskirts of Raendale.

## A Brief Return to Raendale

Returning from the shadows, the party found themselves nearby the ruins where they had once claimed Raen's Arm Rings. This coincidence brought back memories for some, and they contemplated all they had seen and done since that battle long ago. Nostalgia aside, the party had work to do, and headed down into Raendale. It seemed Stig Witch-Breaker had been busy in their absence, and the village was now heavily fortified with stone walls. The guards recognized some of the party, and promptly let them through the gate, running to announce their arrival to Stig. Meeting them warmly in the village square, Stig greeted each hero in turn, and bellowed that they would be promptly feasted.

After an exchange of pleasantries, Nygaar got down to business, introducing the dwarf Grangrig Darkhammer and informing Stig of Prince Durin's imminent arrival. Stig nodded in affirmation, and seemed pleased that the dwarven troops would soon come to aid him in his fight with the Umbrians. Stig had also heard rumors of fire giants both to the north (from what had once been Visby) and from the south. Nygaar and the party told him of the Fire Gate, and warned him that the giants had come from Muspelheim and were a major threat. When Stig admitted his ignorance as to the Fire Gate's existence, the party offered to show him the ancient temple of Aegir.

Descending below what had once been a temple to the One God, but had quickly been converted into a place to worship Thor, the party made their way into the recesses of the earth. The path had been sealed off by Stig as a place of evil, but the party explained that it had not always been so. They saw once more the implements of torture that Gunhild the Hag and Payne had used on Brydd, and soon found the ancient temple of Aegir. Stig looked with wonder at the mosaic map adorned upon the temple wall, and the party pointed out the five key locations that the map portrayed:

* Hlesey (an island)
* Raen's fortress (the site of the ruins where the heroes claimed Raen's Arm Rings)
* The Fire Gate
* The Well of Fate
* The Boar’s Wood

Heida then spoke the ancient words inscribed above the mosaic map, the names of Raen's nine daughters (Bloody-Hair, Billow, Comber, Wave, Riser, Transparent on Top, Breaker, Cool-Wave, and Ripple), and showed Stig and those who had not seen it the portal to the underwater sphere. The party ventured through the portal, and gazed in awe at the bottom of the sea all around them. After a time, the massive heads of Raen's daughters appeared once more, and Heida tried to communicate with them briefly. But Raen's cruel daughters, waves incarnate, simply encouraged the volva to come visit them upon the waves. The party returned to the ancient temple, and Stig implored Heida to teach him the words to open the portal in case he ever needed to hide the women and children of Raendale. Once he had memorized them, Stig destroyed the inscription on the wall.

Returning to town, the party stocked up on supplies, and bid Stig and the dwarves farewell, promising to return to get a report concerning both the Umbrians and the fire giants. With little time to lose, Heida asked the spirits where they should camp on their way to Trondheim, as even walking in the shadowlands the journey would be a long one. The spirits warned her that they should steer well clear of the Boar's Wood, as those lands were perilous. Heida reported this to the party, and they decided to camp nearby the Fjord of Tears. They encountered nothing in the journey in the shadow plane, and soon found a suitable camp well south of the Boar's Wood. Heida made use of the Orb of Storms she had acquired, and the wind died down immediately; the temperature also increased noticeably. The other heroes noted this and were pleased at the volva's cleverness. They bedded down and the night passed uneventfully.

## Welcome to Trondheim

Rising early, they entered the shadowlands once more and soon arrived on the outskirts of Trondheim, the Frisian capital. Standing in a copse of trees near a fallow field, the party marveled at the size of the fortification. Based on a short debate they had engaged in before their arrival, it was decided that Heida would seek out Arn Odinsight on her own. Jor made Heida invisible, and she took flight, searching for the temples in the city. She noted the city as she flew overhead:

*Trondheim’s construction emphasizes function over form. The city wall is layered, consisting of two layers of stone with earth packed in the space between. They stand forty feet in height and fifteen feet thick. The buildings in this military city consist mostly of stone, and the few wooden structures are far away from important edifices or tactically significant routes. The roofs of major buildings (and even most homes) are built flat to serve as archery platforms or even, in the case of larger structures, bases for heavy projectile weapons. Most such roofs are crenulated to some degree, providing some cover to citizen-soldiers firing on invaders. Buildings have narrow windows—the better for shooting through without making oneself vulnerable—and heavy doors built to withstand battering. Various buildings contain hidden stockpiles of weapons. Free men know where to go to arm themselves against attack, but invaders will have a devil of a time locating these caches. In certain districts, corner buildings and houses hold large piles of debris on roofs or in alleys, or structures feature extra outer walls that can be easily collapsed. This rubble is ready to be pushed out or toppled over at a moment’s notice, forming barriers against attackers moving through the streets.  The only current entry to the city is through the western gate, called Thor’s Gate by the locals.*

Quickly spotting the temple district, known to the locals as the Storm Stairs, she flew down near the entrance to Odin's Temple which was built to be a facsimile on a tiny scale to fabled Valhalla. After briefly entering the temple, Heida approached a small group of people speaking outside, recognizing some familiar faces. The Ruegian beauty Leofee and the magus Halldor were speaking to a young and fearsome warrior arrayed in finery, with bright red hair and a braided beard, the symbol of Thor adorning his breastplate. The other was a man of middling years, with dark hair and wearing plain dark gear, and peering unseeingly from empty eye sockets. Unnervingly, this man nevertheless immediately turned in Heida's direction at her approach. The man identified himself as Arn Odinsight, and introduced the priest of Thor as Hammer Lachlansson. Halldor dispelled Heida's invisibility, and Arn told her that he had been expecting Nygaar and his warband for some time. Heida asked how the party should approach the town, and Arn advised that they enter boldly through the front gate. Heida nodded, and with the help of Halldor, once more became invisible and returned outside the city to tell the party what had transpired. They quickly made their way to Thor's Gate:

*As you approach the massive walls of Trondheim, the gate of Thor stands before you, partially ajar and admitting a thin trickle of foot traffic in both directions after each individual entering is questioned. Upon the massive stone doors the symbols of the Frisian clan, along with those of the gods Odin, Thor, and Tyr, are outlined in silver. By far the most magnificent rendering you see here are two massive golden lightning bolts, interspersed with blue and white jewels the size of a man's fist, that mark each door. Upon the ramparts and glaring at you through the partially opened gates are wild-eyed and fearsome warriors, who peer at your armaments and countenance warily. Standing slightly behind and a full head and shoulders above two guardsmen is a gray haired, clearly giant blooded warrior. A massive ax rests easily upon one broad shoulder, gripped in a scarred and battered nightmare only vaguely resembling a man’s hand. The hand looks to be held together by glowing runes and piecemeal blackened sinew, and the white flash of bone is evident in a number of the fingers. Those familiar with the tales of Frisian raiders easily recognize the man as Hrolf Mjoksilglandi. Legend calls him the Gore-Hand, and the tales speak of a fearsome raider who thrust his hand into a dragon's mouth and tore out its tongue by the stem, an act reminiscent of the god Tyr himself in it’s courage. The towering warrior, nearly the size of Esbjorn, grunts at you to stop where you are.*

## Crom's Hall

After identifying themselves, and bantering briefly with the Gore Hand, the party was escorted directly to Crom's Hall:

*As you enter the wide hall doors, a richly dressed and portly man with thick black hair and prominent eyebrows momentarily bars your way,  and introduces himself as Kolbruun. The skald turns, and in a booming voice announces your arrival, cutting through the din of the feasting men packing the benches. He introduces you by name, and all those in the packed hall turn towards you. Sitting at the high seat is a fierce young warrior with long dirty blond hair and bright blue eyes, adorned in a fine black fox skin cloak. This man, who can only be the Frisian jarl known as Crom the Crippler, bellows a greeting and bids his warriors welcome the heroes of Seron. The men on the benches bang upon their shields, pound upon the tables, and stomp their feet in a raucous cacophony. As you look to the high table, you recognize a number of familiar faces. One off putting detail that spoils the scene somewhat are the scurrying and furtive slaves who rush to refill drinks and supply food. A number of them are missing ears, hands, and noses.*

Somewhat taken aback by this enthusiastic greeting, the party surveyed the massive feasting hall. Everyone in the party spotted someone they had business with, and Valindr was the first to move forward. With her keen eyesight and attention to detail, she had spotted her one-time fiancé, the blacksmith's daughter Asta Hemingdottir. Claiming she knew Vindr, Valindr soon learned that the blacksmith Heming Hornfingers had died with massive debts to Crom, and that his daughter Asta had been forced to become the jarl's handmaiden. Fresh bruises on her throat and face showed how she had been treated, and Valindr silently took these details in with rage and disgust. After speaking with the girl briefly, without revealing who she actually was, Valindr turned her attention back to her companions, who had all approached the high table.

Esbjorn went directly to speak to his brother Wulf, who was sitting with Jor' son Dreki at the far end of the high table. Wulf was adorned in finery that showed his allegiance to Surtr, and Esbjorn asked if this was some ruse. Wulf and Esbjorn spoke quietly but wholeheartedly, and Wulf explained things to Esbjorn he hadn't known:

* Esbjorn’s father Sigvard Fireforge had foreseen the rise of Loki’s minions
* He had sent Esbjorn to the front (Geat lands), but failed to reveal the truth, as he knew Esbjorn’s hubris and loudmouth might endanger the clan’s plans
* Ulrick Elderstalson, the clan jarl, only knew that Esbjorn had the potential to be a great hero, and that if he survived his battles with the Umbrians, it would allow the clan to gain knowledge and for Esbjorn and clan Surtshellir to grow in power
* Sigvard Fireforge sent his other son, Wulf, as a spy within the Umbrian establishment. He knew well the burden he asked Wulf to bear. He would be seen as a traitor to his people, yet with his own brother and clan renouncing him the foreigners were convinced of Wulf’s sincerity
* Wulf revealed that Sigvard and the jarl Ulrick Elderstalson are seeking an alliance with the Frisians

Wulf also told Esbjorn that their father foresaw great challenges to Esbjorn’s faith. He confided that their father once told him an emissary from Surtr himself, a fire elemental that rose from the flames of the forges that burned deep within the mountain, had demanded that his unborn child (Esbjorn) be given to the flames. Sigvard had thought long and hard, wondering what to do. Soon after, Esbjorn’s pregnant mother Hilda was eaten, but the cave bear spared the babe. Sigvard then saw that his lord Surtr did not want the boy dead, that the god accepted that the fate of the boy must play out, and named him the “Bear of God”.  In exchange, Esbjorn revealed that Surtr was not the god they thought he was, and that the god planned on betraying their clan. Wulf was shaken by this news, and asked for a token of proof, which Esbjorn promised to provide in a more private setting. Wulf nodded, telling Esbjorn they had much more to discuss.

Meanwhile, Jor approached the boy Dreki, and told him they should speak privately some time. The boy seemed wary, and told Jor no. Thinking quickly, Jor mentioned the name of the boy's mother Iona, and Dreki immediately seemed to take more of an interest in Jor and what he had to say. The seed planted, Jor sat back, saying no more to the boy in present company. One thing that Jor noted was a strange magical marking on Dreki's forearm, which he recognized as some kind of tracking seidr. Clearly Fang had wanted to keep close tabs on the boy. Meanwhile, Nygaar and Heida had begun an earnest and tense discussion with the Frisian jarl.

Nygaar stepped boldly up to Crom, and introduced himself as the king of Seron. His confidence was somewhat diminished, however, when both he and Heida realized that Freya's Torc seemed unable to allow Nygaar to discern whether Crom was lying or not. Nygaar and Heida both recalled Botli's words, when he spoke of some "dark protection" that the jarl seemed to be under. Barbed and poisoned words were sallied back and forth between Crom and the heroes, as the jarl cajoled, mocked, and flattered both Heida and Nygaar in turn. Crom's wife Melkorka, sitting nearby with her babe Axel in her arms, tittered at times as the heroes and her husband negotiated. It soon became clear that Crom had no intention of swearing fealty to a so-called king who controlled no clans, and made Nygaar an offer instead.

Crom informed Nygaar that he wanted to recover the Twin Landings from the Umbrians, and planned to invade the Umbrian capital of Unterfirth in his own good time. Crom informed the party that he was in the midst of negotiations with clan Surtshellir and was planning to go to war with the Wulfling clan, who had allied with the Umbrians. Crom suggested that Nygaar could win an alliance with the Frisian clan by taking the twin forts and opening up a trade route with the Mixin clan. In exchange for this he offered up half his forces for the war (500 troops) led by the head priest of Thor known as Hammer Lachlansson. As far as the boy Dreki was concerned, Crom intimated that the boy would be safe in his hands, and would act as bait to lure the Umbrians to attack Trondheim. Clearly unhappy with Crom's attitude, Nygaar and Heida exchanged glances, and wondered how to proceed. It seemed this would not be as easy as they had envisioned, and they sought to find the right words to change the direction of the parley.

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