Session 045

# Into the Maelstrom

**Age of the Wolf, Year 5, Autumn, Aerlun Toil 3, Days 7-8**

*Jor returns, the remnants of his kinfolk safe in Angrboda's Grove. The party ventures out onto the glacier, and soon tracks down their quarry. A meeting is held with an unexpected local power, and the heroes follow Fang Li into the Hoarfrost Labyrinth.*

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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
* Heiða the Mother Fucking Veleda the Dökkálfar Blooded Dread Necromancer played by Justin
* Vindr Skreevarson the Bastard Blooded Human Scout/Ranger/Cleric played by Donnie
* Jor the Emberwrought the Giant Blooded Human Sorcerer/Dracolexi/Incantator played by Jason

## Jor Returns

Moving quickly across the terrain, Jor had led the Harii survivors of the wicker man ceremony to Angrboda's Grove, seeking out the demi-goddess at that place of power for refuge. Jor and Angrboda forged a bargain; she would make his people live again, albeit in a new way, and Jor accepted this with stoicism. Angrboda and Jor held a parley, and she revealed to him that the Trickster held no special love for him despite his lineage. Consequently, Jor forged a new path, and many of his former seidr pursuits were dropped by the wayside in exchange for a new form of power, embracing the words of the draconic to drive the hated foreigners from his beloved lands. This second re-forging of his character complete, Angrboda peered into the volcanic pools and pinpointed Jor' companions. Venturing in the shadow realm of the dark elves, she and Jor walked in darkness, speeding across the landscape. Jor was struck by the power inherent in such movement, and noted the magics used. No doubt when his power increased he would use this trick himself. The miles were eaten away at breakneck speed, and the small camp of his companions soon came into view, the snows swirling as his comrades huddled around a fire on the edge of the great glacier. Angrboda bid Jor farewell, and returned to the shadows. With the aid of Imra, Heida saw the dark movements of their travels, and the appearance of Jor from out of the dark realm. She greeted him, and he explained where he had been and that he was now more focused than ever in their quest to rid the lands of the invaders. Settling down to sleep, the party passed the night uneventfully, the heavy snow swirling around the magical black fire of their enchanted fire pit. Unsurprised by his sudden return, the party was soon ready to depart, after filling him in on their battle with Payne and that they were now pursuing the foreign witch Fang Li. Vindr reminded the heroes with impatience that every moment that passed made the track harder to follow, given the nature of the glacial terrain and the heavy snow that continued to fall. Accordingly, the heroes set off south, out onto the ice and towards their destiny.

## A Fruitful Pursuit

Vindr struggled to follow the trail, and was nearly thwarted as the heavy snow covered any trace of their enemies. Unfamiliar with woods lore, Esbjorn boomed with irritation, clearly thinking the reading of the white book should be easy even given the weather. Seeing Vindr struggle, Esbjorn eventually used his clerical magic to aid Vindr in his skills, and after an hour the Mixin scout was able to find the trail once more. As the snow lightened somewhat, the party continued south. After a time, the more keen eyed party members spotted a strange explosion of fire out upon the desolate landscape. After a few moments, again a large burst of flame erupted in the distance, and those with arcane knowledge recognized it as a fireball spell. Deducing that this was surely Fang Li, the party contemplated whether she was perhaps engaged in battle, and moved quickly to scout out what had happened. Heida took to the sky, trying to get a birds eye view of what was going on. She soon saw a large group of horsemen in formation, not engaged in battle but mounted for combat. With this cavalry was a small group of people on foot, sitting around a small fire. Vindr, who had recently acquired the eagle eye ring from Nygaar, was able to spot this same group from the ground, but it was unclear if the boy Drekki or Fang Li were among them.

In an attempt to learn more, and after furious debate, Jor used his magic to create a phantom steed, a quasi-real horse-like creature, with a black head and body, gray mane and tail, and smoke-colored, insubstantial hooves that made no sound. Since Nygaar wore Freya's Torc, it fell to him to ride in upon this steed and check the bloodlines of the people around the fire, after Jor had dug deep into the well of his seidr powers to make both he and the steed invisible. Riding like the wind, unseen and totally silent, Nygaar raced in to learn more. He saw Umbrian troops, arrayed in battle formation, and the group around the fire were clearly Harii children along with one woman. Strangely, the woman was no one he recognized, and after a few moments of scanning bloodlines he learned that none of the children bore the blood of the Trickster. Nygaar also saw the results of the fireballs, as a trench had been melted into the glacier, and a hideous cave mouth was clearly in view. Naturally curious, Nygaar stealthily approached the cavern, and was shocked when a booming and gravely voice bade him to enter. The Umbrian soldiers and the small group on foot were alerted, and Nygaar watched their reactions. After a few moments, he beat a hasty retreat and reported what he had seen to his companions.

After more debate, and many tactics and strategies on how to approach were discussed, the party eventually reasoned that they should approach openly, in the hopes that this bold move would discourage the Umbrians from attacking. After all, the knowledge of their exploits had become well known, and they were both wanted and feared by the Umbrian invaders. With two massive undead wolves at their beck and call, and moving confidently towards their enemies, the party closed in, ready to strike down the invaders if they were foolish enough to oppose them.

## The Hoarfrost Labyrinth

After a short time their enemies came into view, and their boldness seemed to pay off:

*The wind whips across the glacial terrain as you venture over it, the footing treacherous and slick. In the distance, you see the result of the arcane bursts of flame you saw before, as you see a manufactured trench within the glacier itself. Perhaps twenty feet deep, and some forty feet wide, someone has used arcane flames to melt the glacier itself. Surrounding the concave area you see a host of mounted troops, arrayed in battle formation upon their horses, their red cloaks dancing upon the gusts of wind. In the foreground, you see a group of children surrounding a single figure, huddled around a large campfire on the lip of the melted trench. A pack of dogs staked to the earth near a large sled snarl and bark at your approach. The noble looking woman is a stranger to you, but she clearly looks to be of local stock. Her features look Adogit in your estimation, and she stands and peers at you calmly. With a gesture and a few quiet words she quiets the children and dogs. She is young and beautiful, yet stern, her black hair tied back and adorned with a slim headband made up of precious materials. A rose colored prism floats slowly around her head. Her regal bearing is reinforced by her magnificent clothing; this is clearly a woman of note among her people. She is armed with a longsword, and you see her battle gear stacked neatly by the fire, to include a shining bronze breastplate that catches your eye. She raises her hand and gestures for you to approach. It is clear she stands apart from the Umbrian troops nearby, who seem tense at your arrival but make no move to attack.*

The heroes nominated Nygaar to take the lead in the parley, and along with Heida he approached the Adogit woman at her gesture to them. Nygaar told her he was the king of Seron, and demanded that she state her business. She introduced herself as Nirgwe Snow-Maiden, and confirmed that she was in fact a member of the Adogit clan who was there at the behest of her jarl. When asked why she was waiting for them specifically, she produced a strange black stone covered in golden runes from her pouch. At her quick movement, Esbjorn drew his massive blade, but she glanced towards him without concern. Placing the stone upon the ground, Nirgwe stepped back as a ghostly and smoke-like form rose up from the stone. As the sounds of the world outside a small circle suddenly fell silent, a bent and ancient old man grinned at them strangely.

He soon introduced himself as Jungo Wartooth, and his sharpened teeth and seemingly blind eyes gave them pause. Many of the heroes had heard tell of this famed Adogit sorcerer, who it was said had lived hundreds of years and filled even his own people with dread. Cackling in seeming madness, Jungo told them that Fang wished to journey to Hel itself. Heida's recent divination soon began to make sense, as Jungo told them of the Hoarfrost Labyrinth, a magical dungeon created by Loki. It seemed Fang sought the Rime Topaz, which was held in the care of the Ice Linnorm known as Isorm deep in the heart of the labyrinth. Fang and Jungo had made a deal; if she was able to obtain the gem and bring it to Jungo, he could awaken it's power so that it could once more be used to follow an alternate path that led to the Helvgr (The Road to Hel) through what was known as the Hoarfrost Gate. In exchange, Fang had promised Jungo an army of magical constructs. Grinning obscenely, Jungo informed the heroes that he planned on obtaining this construct army and would then kill Fang for her impertinence in thinking one as powerful as he would collude with foreign scum like her. He asked that the party see that she survived if they could, and promised to reward them if he got his army. Esbjorn's eyes widened in religious fervor, and he attempted to make a bargain with Jungo, asking that the sorcerer return the relic of his people that it was believed Jungo possessed. Jungo admitted he had the armor, but made no promises, as he stated he was unsure that Esbjorn was the fated warrior for whom the armor had been held in trust. Offended, Esbjorn boldly proclaimed he was that warrior, and had been marked by Surtr for eternal glory and renown. Laughing at such hubris, Jungo said that perhaps this was so. He then dissipated in a cloud of smoke, and Nirgwe picked up the rock once more.

Her task complete, Nirgwe bid the party farewell, after being beseeched by Jor to take the Harii boys back to their remaining families in Angrboda's Grove. Esbjorn noticed her holy symbol of Thor, and the two traded mild insults as she made ready to leave. She then said she would ask the boys themselves if they wished to be adopted by the Adogit clan or return to their people, and she quickly loaded up her sled with the children and departed. The party now turned to the Hoarfrost Labyrinth cave mouth, and made ready to enter. Vindr consulted briefly with Glaer, and it was agreed that the stallion would not enter. Leaving their animal companions behind, the party moved towards the cavern:

*As you approach the entrance, you see a large grisly skull carved from granite and covered in esoteric runes that symbolize death, pain, and danger. As if this harrowing and forgotten place has been expecting you, a blast of frigid air hits your face from the caves gaping maw. The thought that the cave itself has some kind of primitive sentience fills you with foreboding.*

Once again, a booming voice echoed from within, and the cave bid them enter. Leaving the undead wolves at the mouth of the cavern to guard their flank, the heroes stepped inside. Suddenly, a great stone door boomed closed, locking them within. They peered about warily at the hewn ice walls of the labyrinth. Below the floors, wall and ceiling, and under a thick layer of ice, they could see that the dungeon was constructed out of stone and some kind of metal, and flickering blue energy danced under the ice, giving off a dim light. Seeing nothing but empty passageways, they contemplated how best to proceed. No doubt the horrors of this place would soon come into focus, and their only avenue of escape was sealed off. In short, they must live or die, traversing a creation of the Trickster himself.

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