Session 064

# The Nymph and the Forlarren

**Age of the Wolf, Year 5, Autumn, Laelun Toil 1, Days 6-9**

*The party continues to wander in the forest, eventually reaching a haven of sorts. A gateway to Vanaheim is found, and a bargain is struck with one of Seron's most beautiful creatures. The heroes approach the heart of the darkness, and are advised that they seek out the half troll as an potential ally in their quest to destroy the spider and her minions.*

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## Player Characters Involved

* King Nygäär the Fey Blooded Rogue/Fighter/Crusader played by Dana
* Esbjörn Fireforge 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 Transmuter/Beguiler/Human Paragon/Ultimate Magus played by Jason

## Battle's Aftermath

Following the defeat of the evil fey maidens and their servants, the party licked their collective wounds, and kept vigilant against further attacks. Esbjorn sent Droog to try to track one of the escaped creatures, while Valindr kept a close eye on the surrounding terrain. Meanwhile, Heida offered the party protection from fey mind enchantments in the future, sharing with her companions that her undead servant Imra could protect them from attacks on their psyche by entering their bodies. Most of the party was noncommittal following this offer, with Nygaar flatly refusing the invasion of his person by some evil ghost. As Imra briefly showed herself, the keen eyes of Valindr spotted strange movement in the surrounding forest, as if the trees themselves disapproved of the undead in their realm. Sharing what she saw, Valindr turned to Heida, who confirmed that she had been warned about bringing the undead into the woods or invoking her powers to raise any of the creatures they might slay.

Meanwhile, Droog returned, reporting no sign of the rusalka he sought but communicating that he had seen some troubling movement in the boughs of the trees. When pressed by Esbjorn, the quasit was unable to explain what he had seen, beyond saying it was as if invisible creatures moved about in the treetops. Heida expressed her concern at Imra's presence, and spoke frankly that she might have to send Imra away or attempt to leave the forest herself. Jor thought long and hard, briefly consulting his esoteric tomes, and determined that if Imra were to hide in Heida's bag of holding, in a pocket dimension outside of Seron, that surely that would be enough to avoid the wrath of the forest and it's inhabitants. Imra calmly acquiesced, and immediately retreated into the bag slung around Heida's slender shoulders.

Valindr nodded her approval at the removal of the evil spirit, and went about searching the battlefield to make sure they hadn't missed any further spoils. Her search bore fruit, as she found a bag of ancient coins hidden in a clever compartment in a nearby tree stump. They were silver coins with gold outer rims, with the sacred ash on one side and the familiar face of Diamondshard the elf lord on the other. Esbjorn snorted his derision at Diamondshard and his hubris, but accepted his share nonetheless. The heroes then assessed their remaining healing, and noting the rather late hour, decided to camp for the night. Nygaar sought a likely spot a short distance away, and the party began to settle down for the night, the eerie quiet of the forest strangely unsettling to them all.

While Jor cast his rope trick once more, accompanied by the gentle ribbing of his companions because of his slight misuse of the foreign magic the last time he had cast it, Heida set about using her orb to make the chilly temperature more comfortable and drape the area in a dense fog to conceal their location. After some discussion, in which Droog offered to hide in Heida's bag but then reconsidered when he remembered who he would share the space with, and with Glaer feeling decidedly uncomfortable at the thought of entering the hidden space of Jor's seidr wrought camp, the party finally set guards and got ready to rest. Nygaar and Valindr remained outside for a time, discussing just how long they might wander in this seemingly cursed fey forest. Valindr communicated her doubt that it would be anytime soon, but Nygaar soon placated her by invoking the gods and their collective fate. Esbjorn, meanwhile, descended into the spirit forge once more, risking his health and sanity anew to continue to better equip himself and his companions. After an uneventful night, Jor cast a spell of bonding on Esbjorn, allowing the giant blooded warrior to track down Jor unerringly were they to be separated. The party continued their march, walking through the trackless and ancient forest for many long hours.

## The Gate to Vanaheim

As dusk fell, the party made a strange discovery:

*Weaving your way through a stand of thick trees, you find yourselves in a small depression, surrounded by two levels of bare cliff face. To the west, a radiant pool of crystal clear water shines in the sunlight, and you realize this is a sort of meadow that has given you a momentary respite from the heavy canopy that has up until now been constantly hanging high above you and blocking out the sky.  Floating in the air above this pool is a hauntingly beautiful fey maiden, draped in a sheer greenish dress somewhat unsuccessfully covering her naked flesh, her lush blonde hair falling in intoxicating ringlets and dancing in the breeze. You hear the buzz of her insect like wings as she peers curiously at you, cautiously moving towards you across the water. Her lovely head is adorned in a crown of white eirflowers. Nearby you see an ancient wooden shrine in a copse of trees, a number of graven faces adorning the top.*

The heroes slowly approached the radiant maiden, and learned that she was the guardian of the pool and that within it's depths lay an ancient secret if they dared to peer into the water. Esbjorn sent his servant Droog to scout the surrounding area and remain safe until the possible threat was dealt with. Briefly speaking amongst themselves, the party decided to gaze into the waters, seemingly bewitched by the enchanting beauty of their host. Only Jor stood back, waiting to see what might befall his friends. As his companions stood mesmerized, Jor asked probing questions of the nymph, who he learned was called Imjana. It seemed she was the guardian of this grove, and she asked Jor to take her daughter away from the forest. An evil being called a vilderaven, whose name was Valarian, had raped the nymph and their union had borne cursed fruit. In exchange, Imjana pointed to the shrine nearby, and said that she would reveal its power in exchange for her daughter's safety. Jor nodded, and said he would consult his companions, then stepped forward to peer into the pool.

In what seemed like only a brief moment, but turned out to be nearly an hour, the heroes gazed into the pool, which revealed itself to be a passage to various lands of the world of Vanaheim, the ancient home of the Vanir gods:

* Ydalir, the “Yew Dales,” home of the god Ullr. A fierce and wild land with giant yew trees, dotted with giant frozen lakes and snow swept hilltops.
* A strangely silent land of brushwood and tall grass. Mute packs of giant fearsome wolves are seen running at breakneck speeds through the lands, pursued by dogs and men on horseback. These are the lands of god Vidar, destined to kill Fenrir.
* Noatun, “The Place of Ships,” a magnificent hall located on a beach, home of the god Njord. Rough and furious seas are seen on the horizon, hinting at a vast and mythic ocean.

Following their trance, the heroes looked at one another in awe, and discussed this portal to another world amongst themselves. Heida inquired with Imjana about how one might return if they entered the watery gateway, and learned the voyage was strictly one way. Meanwhile, Valindr used her wood lore and knowledge of natural seidr to speak to a massive oak tree, and learned that there was an evil spider corrupting the forest and that she must be stopped. Quickly climbing to the top of the tree, she saw how the canopy of the forest shifted almost imperceptibly, and their seeming inability to judge direction in the woods now made more sense. Imjana confirmed that the woodlands shifted, and that the spider was gnawing upon the roots of the world tree itself and had to be stopped. Invoking again the hated name of her daughter's father Valarian, she told the heroes that the vilderaven was the spider's servant and was incredibly dangerous. She then spoke of her beautiful and cursed daughter, and how she must be kept from the clutches of her father at all costs.

The party then got into a heated discussion about whether they should travel to Vanaheim and seek out the help of the servants of the god Vidar in their feud with the Wulfling clan, whose jarl was the head of a Fenrir cult and in whose lands giant and wicked wolves ran riot. Esbjorn stated that they must stay in the wood for now, and seek the harness they had come for. Nygaar agreed, stating that he had a plan to destroy the Wulfling clan and needed no help from Vidar or his servants. Jor broached the subject of an agreement with Imjana, while Valindr once again crept away, intrigued by the nearby shrine that honored the god Frey. Impetuously, the frost giant blooded scout searched the shrine, caressing its carvings. She immediately paid for her haste, being stricken with permanent damage to her speed and quickness. Rushing over, the party sought to heal her of her injuries, to no avail.

Jor was highly frustrated, and revealed that to touch the shrine was to enter into an agreement with the nymph. He then told his fellows that any with fey blood would be empowered by touching the shrine, and asked if they agreed to the bargain. Immediately, both Nygaar and Heida did so, and felt their nimbleness and fey dexterity increase at once. The nymph approached, and stated plainly that the bargain was sealed, and that the party was now obligated to take her daughter Cirrha with them when they left the wood. Leaving a nearby cave, the party noticed a strange creature, beautiful but with a sinister aspect, slowly approach. With this creature was Droog, sitting upon the female creature's narrow shoulder and cackling with glee. It seemed Droog had made a friend, and Imjana's daughter Cirrha introduced herself. Cirrha was a creature known as a Forlarren, a fey blooded creature that had the mark of the demonic upon her, cursed to contain elements of both her good nymph mother and her evil vilderaven father. As the party watched this strange creature approach, Valindr turned towards the shrine in fury.

Pulling out her wicked looking silver axe, Valindr made ready to chop down the shrine and make an enemy of Alvar the Half-Elven and all that dwelt within his realm. The party voiced their outrage, and called on her not to act hastily. Luckily, the nymph recognized the danger, and acted quickly. Drawing upon her own reserves of inner strength, and harming herself in the process, Imjana blunted the damage Valindr had taken, assuring her it would heal with time. The nymph was clearly desperate to see her daughter escape with the party, and made this sacrifice willingly in order to maintain the bargain she and Jor had struck. Somewhat repentant, Valindr approached the nymph, and claimed that she had never meant to actually harm the shrine. Imjana wrung a blood oath from the giant blooded archer, making her swear to return for Cirrha if the party successfully banished the evil from the forest. The party then made ready to camp. In his weary state, and operating on very little sleep, Esbjorn began to wash up in the sacred pool that was also a portal between worlds. With an incredible force of will, he narrowly avoided being transported to Vanaheim, and the rest of the party shook their heads in disbelief. Clearly their most fearsome warrior was suffering from overwhelming fatigue, and it had begun to show itself in his actions.

Returning to the safety of the cave in the glade, the party camped, with Esbjorn weaving a spell of elation to raise everyone's spirits. In the morning, Jor was the first to emerge, and saw a curious sight. The girl Cirrha was crouched nearby weeping, looming over the bloody corpse of a small rabbit she had killed. When asked to explain further, the girl revealed the extent to which she was conflicted, and begged Jor to help her change her inner nature. The wizard looked at her knowingly, and said it was indeed possible. Feeling some relief, the girl flew off, alighting in the boughs of the surrounding trees. With nothing left to accomplish in the grove, the party traveled onward, again walking for many hours with no end in sight. They made camp, discouraged at their lack of progress, and Heida attempted to contact the spirits. They remained silent, and the veleda feared that they might not hear her in this place. In the morning, Heida entered a trance once more, and asked the spirits for guidance. The weave saw fit to allow the spirits to answer her, and it was revealed that they would reach their destination that very day, and to look to a half troll as their ally. With newfound vigor, the party set off, and by midday they came into a yet more dark and sinister area, the trees withered and dying, the sun muted, the very wind seeming to howl obscenities at them. They clutched their weapons fiercely, wondering if it was time to face the dark evil of this place after their long and seemingly futile march.

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