Session 053

# Return to Storm Hammer Keep

**Age of the Wolf, Year 5, Autumn, Aerlun Toil 3, Day 10 - Maelun Toil 1, Days 2-4**

*The party, their alliance with the dwarves reaffirmed, gather and trade with the Fire Hand clan for the necessary supplies to cast out of the demon of Storm Hammer Keep for good. They run into a foul horde of foes, and spot an ominous watcher. They return to Storm Hammer Keep and seek out the spirit of the mine in preparation to face the demon.*

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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

## Back in the Mountains Once Again

The party spent the next day recuperating and trading for supplies with their dwarven allies. The following morning, they made ready to trek out to Storm Hammer Keep once more. Grammar, Durin and Asrik bade them goodbye. The priest Asrik gave the party a large silver key which he said would unlock the cage of the demon and allow them to close the gate to Svartalfheim. Prince Durin handed Esbjorn a hempen sack, and bade him be careful with what it contained. Esbjorn nodded, claiming he would. Well equipped and with renewed vigor, the heroes set out to finish this first quest in their attempt to forge an alliance against the foreign invaders. Standing at the threshold of the gates of the keep, they got into an in-depth discussion concerning their overall plans.

Heida spoke to the spirits, as they were all particularly concerned with the news that the fire giants and the Harii were at each others throats. The spirits informed her that her father, Grim the Deathless, had combined the might of the Western Harii (all three bands) and was leading them against Esbjorn's distant kin. All agreed that the fire giants and the Harii should be fighting the Umbrians and the frost giants, and they decided as a group to break up the in-fighting as soon as they were able. In the meantime, however, the quest for the dwarves needed to be completed. They set off on foot, as Jor was reluctant to shadow walk in the dangerous mountain terrain. The heroes pushed themselves to attempt to reach the keep in two days. The first day passed uneventfully, and Heida continued to ply the spirits for answers regarding the Harii and the demon they would face.

Jor and Heida both knew something of demons, and learning from the dwarves that they faced a Marilith, they were both concerned. None more so than Droog, who knew well what it meant to fight such a creature. Racking their collective brains, led by Heida, they remembered that the creature was immune or resistant to most weapons and magic (with the exception of weapons infused with cold iron or white seidr), and that it could summon other demons to do it's bidding. It would prove to be a dangerous foe indeed, and Heida wondered how they could possibly survive. The spirits advised her to seek out the guardian spirit of the mine, Muldrunn. That settled, the party woke early and pressed forward once more, only to encounter an impediment along their path.

## Flathead Swarm

Hiking through a treacherous mountain path, and perhaps half a day from Storm Hammer Keep, the heroes were momentarily stopped in their tracks:

*As the wind and snow whip into your face as you laboriously trudge upon the mountain pass, you begin to hear the sounds of low murmuring, gibbering, slobbering, and the beat of many feet rumbling the ground and echoing off the mountainsides. As you round a narrow corner onto a broader plateau, you see a huge group of flatheads shuffling slowly in your direction. The stench of the creatures reaches your nose even here; they look starving and are covered in filth. When you come into view, the creatures begin to hoot and snarl menacingly, and they scream maniacally as they run towards you.*

The creatures were beyond counting, and there was nowhere to go but forward or retreat back the way they had come. Girding their loins, the heroes moved forward to wipe out the foul creatures. Jor stepped forward, using his shadow magic to create a huge school of transparent and ravenous piranhas made of force that swam rapidly through the air among the horde, rending and tearing the flesh of dozens of the creatures. Heida charged forward through the air, inspiring her fellows with a triumphant war cry. Once she closed in, she allowed Imra free reign, and many of the flatheads cowered in fear at the ghostly visage that came forth from Heida's own face.

Meanwhile, as Nygaar and Esbjorn waited for the hoard to fall upon them, Valindr surveyed the terrain, firing arrows sporadically into the midst of the mass of enemies. Her keen vision revealed a disturbing sight:

*You notice perhaps a quarter of a mile away, sitting upon a high mountain crag, is an enormous white dragon. It eyes you warily, watching the flatheads swarm. Flashes of blue energy seem to course over the surface of its body, and it stretches its wings which appear to be somewhat frayed along the edges. Its head is distinguished with a high crest atop it’s skull.*

Valindr called out the location of the dragon, who all deduced could be none other than the Lord of the White himself, the fabled dragon Cryocrax. The party had little time to contemplate the beast, however, as the multitude was now upon them. Nygaar, who had waited patiently for them to surround him, flew into action, chopping and slicing the beasts with such ferocity that it seemed his weapons had taken on a life of their own. Blood, limbs, sinew, and entrails sprayed out in every direction as he slayed one after another in rapid succession. Esbjorn too was finally in the fray, and was shocked when one of the stone clubs of the sub-humans struck home. Growling in righteous fury, Esbjorn crushed the creatures skull, and picking him up by his mangled neck, he proceeded to beat all the other beasts around him to death with the body of their brethren. Heida decided to descend into the midst of the creatures remaining around her, falling gracefully from on high to enter melee and lay those around her to their rest. The battle continued for a short time, but even such a large horde was no match for heroes of such experience and renown. Valindr watched warily as the dragon on the mountaintop stretched its wings and took flight, flying away from the battlefield.

## Back to the Keep

Unsure why the dragon was watching, the party debated what that might entail as they marched wearily to the keep. As dusk approached, the keep finally came into view:

*You approach the steep path leading to Storm Hammer Keep once again. Upon the high ground near the entrance, you see a number of tents and a small group of heavily armored dwarves. They spot you, and sound a horn in greeting. As you get close, you see that some surface repairs have been started on the courtyard buildings, and a young dwarf removes his helm and approaches you. He sports a bright red beard, and his face is flushed with drink. You notice that the strange tree that once stood in the courtyard has been cut down, and the holes in the roof of the various buildings have been skillfully repaired.*

The young dwarf introduced himself as Captain Belgron Stonebreath, and said he had orders to guard the surface of the keep from anything attempting to come in or out. Reporting that none had passed, the dwarf went on to offer the party food and drink, and showed them the alcohol still he and his men had constructed in their boredom at such tedious guard duty. The party gratefully accepted a rest, and sat down to drink the strong dwarven spirits they were offered. Belgron informed them he had been on this duty for a number of toils, and that he was not to enter the keep until the party had cleared it for good. Resting overnight, the heroes wasted no time descending into the mines once more. They found everything as they had left it, the moldering corpses of their slain enemies slowly rotting in the gloom of the dark and silent keep. Moving deeper into the bowels of the earth, they sought out the dwarven spirit Muldruun, and were surprised when the spirit ascended up the mine shaft to greet them. With any luck, the party would gain some insights or aid from the spirit, as it was by no means a sure thing that they even could slay the dangerous marilith trapped in the cage not far from where they stood.

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