Session 059

# Winding Paths to Power

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

*Negotiations end with Crom, and the party agrees to take the Twin Landings. Esbjorn reveals the truth about Surtr to his brother Wulf. Valindr chooses her destiny, swearing a blood oath to serve Hermod. Nygaar and the head priest of Odin known as Arn Odinsight hatch a scheme to convert non-believers and unite Seron. Heida seduces Cram's inquisitor Gunnar, immersing herself in the political intrigue of the Frisian clan. Jor tells his son Dreki who he is, and forges a new path to power with Arch Magus Halldor as a member of the Ruegian mages guild.*

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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 Crippler Intransigent

The negotiations continued, yet Crom was unyielding, demanding that Nygaar take the party immediately to do his bidding and reclaim the Twin Landings from the foreigners. For the first time, however, the party seemed able to make Crom slightly ill at ease. Heida spoke of prophecy, and her reputation preceded her; her soothsaying concerning the future king of Seron seemed to affect Crom differently than previous lines of communication and inquiry. Cunningly, while speaking of Nygaar, Heida attempted to convince Crom of his own ascendance as the future king of Seron and the lands beyond. Crom quickly recovered, however, and went on to give a number of backhand compliments to Jor. The Crippler also attempted to recruit Heida to serve him, and made sexual innuendos in Valindr's direction. Yet when he spoke ill of clan Surtshellir, and called them and Esbjorn fools for worshipping a fire god, Esbjorn couldn't hold his tongue. The warrior, known by some as Fireforge, sprung to his feet, and stood up for the integrity of his clan. Esbjorn's hair caught fire as his rage flashed, and the party watched with fascination as Crom's wife Melkorka seemed to get sexually aroused at Esbjorn's display. Amused, Crom immediately apologized for any offense he might have made, and Esbjorn sat back down, much to the relief of his brother Wulf who was in the midst of tense clan negotiations with Crom as a representative of the Surtshellir clan.

Meanwhile, when not being openly hit on by Crom, Valindr spoke to his erstwhile love interest Asta, and revealed that she was actually the Vindr of old. Valindr then went on to speak to Winny, the young Ruegian acolyte of Baldur, and was told to seek out the girl's sister Leofee in the temple district, as Leofee had had a vision concerning Valindr's destiny. Valindr also spoke with Yric the Sly, and learned about a hero of the Mixin clan called the Sea Serpent who had returned from foreign lands to lead the Mixin fleet against the Umbrians. Yric advised that the party seek out this sea captain, and work with him to fight the invaders. After a time, Crom and his wife took their leave, taking the boy Dreki with them. Before retiring, Crom toasted the heroes once more, calling on Odin to protect them. The boy Raven-Eye made the sign of Odin at this toast, and the party learned that he was the apprentice to Arn Odinsight and a priest in training in worship to Odin. Nygaar asked that the boy lead them to Arn, and Raven-Eye eagerly agreed.

Esbjorn spoke further with his brother, saying they had much more to discuss. Wulf watched Dreki leave with Crom, and spoke fondly of the boy, vowing to protect him. At this, Jor took notice, and nodded to Esbjorn to tell Wulf about Dreki and who he was. Esbjorn nodded in turn, and continued to speak to Wulf concerning clan Surtshellir. He learned that the Wulfling noblewoman Aada Goldenbow was fertile, as her marriage to the leader of the Magmamen Logee the Obsidian had already resulted in the girl becoming with child. Esbjorn also implored Wulf to send word of the agreement Esbjorn had made with the dwarven king concerning open trade, and secretly revealed his servant Droog to his surprised brother. Esbjorn and Wulf made ready to retire to Wulf's chambers in Crom's complex, while the rest of the party agreed it was time to depart and seek out Gunnar the Peaceful and Arn Odinsight.

In a display of power, Heida stood and opened her dark wings in a flourish, much to the interest and awe of the men in the hall. Jor briefly whispered in Yric's ear, murmuring that they should speak soon. While Esbjorn stayed behind, the rest of the heroes made their exit, speaking briefly with the garrison commander known as the Gorehand. Heida asked him who he was, and the massive warrior modestly inferred that he was no one special, chuckling good-naturedly at Heida's allusion to the god Tyr. Turning down the Gorehand's offer of an escort, the party made their way to the temple district known as the Stormstairs, with Woelvren Lockjaw's noble captive son Raven-Eye leading them. Esbjorn stayed behind, and he and Wulf retired to more private environs to speak in confidence.

## Valindr's Destiny Revealed

The party wove their way through the crowded streets of Trondheim and reached the Storm Stairs. The three temples before them, built in imitation of Valhalla, Bilskirnir and the Advokathall (the homes of the gods Odin, Thor, and Tyr respectively), stood glittering in their magnificence. Clearly the Frisians had wealth beyond anything the heroes had thus far imagined. Valindr made her way to Thor's Temple, in search of the young Ruegian priestess Leofee. The remainder of the party sought out Arn Odinsight in the temple of the king of the gods.

Valindr found Leofee and the head priest of Thor Hammer Lachlansson talking quietly in the main chambers before a graven image of the thunder god. Hammer demanded to know who Valindr was, but Leofee quickly intervened and asked him to give she and Valindr some privacy. Strangely, given that he was the head priest in his own temple, Hammer demurred; it seemed clear the beautiful young priestess had a profound effect on the young red headed priest of Thor. Leofee cocked her lovely head knowingly, and greeted Valindr by her former name, smiling warmly at her.

Leofee revealed that she had in fact had a vision; Hermod demanded an act of loyalty from Valindr in order to prove her loyalty to the god. Leofee outlined what Valindr must do; seek out the witch queen Crua in Mixin lands and recover the Sacred Chalice, which was rumored to contain a portion of the god Baldur's blood, spilled from the wound that killed him. Baldur and Hermod were brothers after all, and Hermod was famed as the only god to dare set foot in Hel in an attempt to bring his murdered brother back from the clutches of the dark goddess. The chalice must then be given to Leofee and the Priesthood of Baldur (Baldag) and in exchange twenty clerics of Baldur would join Nygaar’s levies. Alternatively, Leofee revealed that Valindr could choose to serve Ymir. She foresaw a powerful relic, a helm that blasted out a scream reminiscent of the yawning chasm of the void, in the possession of the frost giants that could be put to use were she to follow that path. Valindr told the priestess she had to take a night's time to ponder her choice, and took her leave. Leofee nodded grimly, hoping that Valindr would choose the path of light and work towards the ends of her own god.

## Nygaar Odin-Marked

Meanwhile, Nygaar, Heida and Jor sought out Arn Odinsight at the temple of Odin, following behind the boy Raven-Eye. Arn and Arch Magus Halldor were in the temple, and Heida nodded to the two powerful figures she had spoken to during her earlier visit to the temple. Arn greeted Nygaar as an old friend, and told him he had long awaited this moment. Arn traced the mark of Odin upon Nygaar's brow, and Nygaar drew a small black stone that marked him as a devotee of Odin from his pouch. The stone, given to him by the Raven-Kin princess Quilla, was accepted with reverence by Arn, and the priest intimated that the Raven folk must be brought into the fold in their battle against the foreigners. Nygaar and Arn began to speak of how to unite the clans, and bring more devotees to the true gods into the fold.

Ultimately, Arn revealed that he had foreseen that Nygaar must rebuild the Temple of the Broken Axe, the ancient seat of power in Seron devoted to Odin. Arn's scribes produced the plans to rebuild the temple, which would cost some one hundred and twenty eight thousand gold pieces to restore by their estimations. Arn went on to speculate on actually retrieving Odin's Axe itself, which was part of the ruins and required a scroll of ancient seidr to acquire. The party, familiar with the acquisition of Raen's Arm Rings, nodded knowingly. Arn went on to tell the tale of the dragon Fafnir, and an ancient king known as Sigurd:

*I believe the rune stick infused with the seidr to recover the axe can be found in the hoard of the dragon Fafnir. Fafnir was the son of the famous Dwarf king Hreidmar, and was responsible for killing his own father in order to acquire a massive hoard of treasure that was originally stolen by the dwarves from the Aesir. However, after he had taken the valuables out of sheer greed, becoming a kin-slayer in the process, he was cursed by the Loki-Touched gold that was intermingled among the loot. This transformed him into a mighty mythical dragon with armored scales that couldn’t be penetrated by ordinary weapons. The beast's lair is rumored to be in Nidavellir; in an ancient fortress known as the Hreidmar Holdfast. This once mighty stronghold of the dwarves was lost to the dragon long ago. The only mortal that might have known a way to defeat the dragon was Sigurd, an ancient king of the now extinct Volsung Clan. His crypt is rumored to be located in the Kongr Haugr, the ancient graveyard of kings in Wulfling lands.*

Jor nodded knowingly, adding that the king Sigurd was rumored to have been punished with undeath because he tricked the Valkyrie Brynhild into laying down her sword to marry him, even knowing she could bear no sons and could never resume her position. According to legend, Odin was outraged that his finest shield maiden had been seduced by a mortal man. The All Father cursed Sigurd to wait nine hundred and ninety nine years for the arrival of a newly formed Valkyrie to redeem him and set him free. Arn was taken aback, surprised at the knowledge of the strange giant blooded sorcerer. Halldor was not, however, and Jor took a moment to speak to the Ruegian leader of the Cunning Folk, the wizards guild the party had come into contact with before.

The Arch Magus made Jor an offer; he would allow him to join their guild, and learn the ways of a wizard. In exchange, Jor and the party had to commit to partake in a raid of the Umbrian capital of Unterfirth the following summer solstice. Jor immediately agreed, as he had begun to sense the limits of his power and that foreign magic might be necessary in order to defeat the Umbrians and drive them from Seron once and for all. Vowing to inform Nygaar and the others, and secure in the knowledge that Halldor was willing to train him immediately, Jor returned to the discussion that Nygaar and Heida were having with Arn. Arn was inquiring about the Harii, and their devotion to Odin, in regards to that outcast clan joining the fight. Heida assured him that once the Freehold was in her father Grim's hands, the Harii would be theirs and would join the war wholeheartedly. Their business complete, Nygaar implored Arn to use the token gold pieces Arn had offered to help rebuild the temple to pay the free man's bounty of 200 silver pieces for any slaves willing to convert. Arn vowed it would be so, and gathering up Valindr, the party sought out the inn where the boy Raven-Eye claimed Gunnar the Peaceful spent a large portion of his time.

## Esbjorn & Wulf Forge a New Path for Clan Surtshellir

While the rest of the party was in the temple district, Esbjorn and his brother Wulf had retired to the plush accommodations Crom had provided for the Surtshellir representative. Finally able to talk freely, Esbjorn grasped the god rune in his hand, and held it out to his brother, imploring him to see the truth. With a mighty grip the two brothers clasped arms, and Esbjorn's health was sapped as he and his brother once more saw the horrific story of Kurg aka Viggo Logison unfold in their mind's eye. Breathing heavily, Wulf looked at his brother in awe, and knelt before him, proclaiming his eternal loyalty to the would be usurper of Surtr.

Esbjorn helped Wulf to his feet, and revealed who the boy Dreki was and why the party had come to Trondheim. The blood of the fire giants, written plain upon the face of the reborn Jor the Emberwrought, displayed the truth of this tale, and why Esbjorn felt it was in the interest of clan Surtshellir to aid Jor in his quest to regain his long lost son. Wulf revealed that the Surtshellir clan would soon march upon the Wulflings with fifty picked men, with another fifty supplied by their bosom allies the Jute clan. He also told Esbjorn of scout sightings of a stone giant witch, who had set up a stronghold nearby Voluspa in the Forn Aldrnari Mountains. According to fire javelin scouts, it seemed that some kind of strange earth seidr had been performed there, and that a number of stone giants sprung from the stone as if a temporary portal to Jotunheim had been opened. Esbjorn grinned, and said that he knew Menja and her servant Steinvordur well. They could be potential allies in their fight, as long as they were not attacked unjustly.

Esbjorn gave Wulf a number of the rings he had forged, and instructed Wulf to deliver them to clan Surtshellir, along with the news of the alliance with the dwarves. In addition, he revealed that the goat Johan, a companion of the noble woman Aada, was to be helped in his mission to regain his human form. Esbjorn vowed to return to the clan soon, to reveal the truth and if needs be take the clan for himself by force. Speaking of the politics of power, Wulf suggested that clan Surtshellir should not serve Nygaar, at least not in the long term, if Esbjorn were truly destined to ascend to godhood. Esbjorn didn't disagree, but told his brother that for now clan Surtshellir would be given a place of honor in Nygaar's future united kingdom. The brothers embraced, and Esbjorn left to meet up with the party at the inn as they had planned.

## The Iron Arse Inn

The party made their way to the inn, passing through the Weaver's Fair market on their way:

*You enter a bustling market, alive with the sounds of commerce. Whores flash their wares among the dilapidated tenement houses surrounding the plaza, as the sounds of the hammers of armor and weapon smiths echo ringingly around you. All manner of wares, from useless trinkets to the magical and exotic are sold here, and the faces and garb of foreigners intermingle with the more familiar visages of the locals. You see one shop that is clearly offering dark seidr services, along with a large smithy, a brothel, and a catch-all general store. In the distance to the southwest you hear the stamping and whinnying of horses, and see a large building standing three stories high that can only be the Iron Arse Inn.*

Approaching the massive inn, as Esbjorn arrived from a different direction, the party surveyed the rickety wooden stairs leading to rooms on the second and third floors. Proceeding to the open front door, they came upon an old man with a missing leg sitting outside on a wooden chair. He introduced himself as Gilling Iron Arse, and good naturedly held back a massive and foul tempered old hound he called Biter. Welcoming them to his establishment, Gilling bade the party enter, and Nygaar immediately proceeded to the bar to order lodgings, food and ale. Magnanimously, Nygaar ordered the girl Tofa and the barkeep Spjut to provide free drinks to all the people present in the bustling common room. An old man at the bar, bent and stooped and leaning on a wooden staff, watched the party with interest. He called out a greeting to Heida, and she soon found out that she had located the Frisian inquisitor known as Gunnar the Peaceful.

Wasting little time, Heida accepted the old lechers offer of a drink, and got down to business, inquiring about the outlaw Botli. Gunnar at first feigned little interest, and said he could hardly be expected to think about such old happenings while his massive debts weighed so heavily upon him. Heida was surprised to find that the price to speak with the old man was steep, and ended up parting with some valuable gems in order to get Gunnar to speak. Gunnar eventually revealed that Melkorka needed to disappear, and asked Heida to speak to Roskva the Black (a practioner of dark seidr to be found in the market) about poisoning her. In exchange, Gunnar promised to do all he could to help depose Crom, but with his role in Botli's murderous act hanging over his head he said he could do little as long as Melkorka was still alive. Gunnar did reveal one further fact; it seemed Melkorka was the noble daughter of a high priest of the One God and that she was vastly powerful in the ways of the foreign seidr. Gunnar also attempted to proposition Heida, but the veleda had the good grace to demur without causing the old man any offense.

Meanwhile, Nygaar had done his best to win over the warriors and peasants in attendance at the bar, buying them drinks and regaling them with tales of the party's exploits. After a time, the party sought privacy, and Jor revealed the deal he had struck with the Arch Magus, and the commitment the party must make in return. Jor communicated that he needed time to study, some two toils, and he would then be ready to resume their quest. Nygaar saw the value in this plan, and said that he must retake his own clan as well in order to bolster the raiding party attacking Unterfirth. Heida consulted the spirits, and they also agreed that this seemed to be the correct path for the heroes. Eventually, the party agreed to allow Jor the time he needed, and all retired to get some much needed rest.

The next day, bright and early, Valindr returned to speak to Leofee in Thor's temple. Valindr had made a decision; she would once more serve Hermod and vowed to acquire the Sacred Chalice for the Baldur priesthood. Leofee smiled beatifically, and performed a blood oath to secure Valindr's pledge. Carving the symbols of Hermod and Baldur upon Valindr's large open palm, she bade the frost giant blooded ranger spill her blood into the sacred flames in the temple. This done, Leofee kissed Valindr upon the cheek, gave her a magical tome as a gift, and sent her upon her way. Valindr made her way back to the inn quickly, finally released from inner turmoil. She noticed that the yawning terror of the sound of the screaming void, which had been such a constant companion within her head that she had ceased to realize she heard it, had faded away to nothing. Breathing a sigh of relief, and secure in the knowledge that she could see a clear path before her once more, she arrived back at the inn, to see her companions standing outside near the Frisian stables.

As Esbjorn had planned, the Surtshellir warrior Wulf had brought the boy Dreki to speak briefly with Jor. Speaking hesitantly, Jor revealed to the boy that he was in fact his father, employing the added strategy to transform himself into his previous form temporarily using his seidr. Dreki recognized the Brydd of old, of course, but was reluctant to believe that his mother would lie to him about his parentage. Esbjorn, who had been drinking heavily and forging all night, interrupted and proclaimed in a boisterous voice that the boy should accept this news and have done with it. Wincing visibly, Jor once more probingly and cautiously tried to make the boy understand, and Dreki eventually told him he would only believe such news from his mother and no one else. Troublingly, Dreki told Jor that he missed Fang Li, and that he heard the voice of Phaegun the Magus in his dreams imploring him to come to him. The boy went on to reveal that his mother, Iona, and Eydis, Jor' sister, were taken by the Wulfling clan while his “father” Viggo the Ravenous had been killed. Dreki expressed his fear that Iona and Eydis were now the property and bed warmers of Woelvren Lockjaw, as any beautiful Harii women captured were kept by the Wulfling clan as slaves rather than being sold to the white druids. Jor glowered with suppressed rage at this news, and bid the boy farewell for now. It seemed the party had another quest to undertake, the rescue of Jor' paramour and of his sister.

Jor departed shortly thereafter, and began his training with the Arch Magus. The rest of the party made good use of the two toils this training took, garnering supplies, forging new items, and recuperating from their many long and wearisome adventures. After twenty days, Jor returned to them, weary but infused with new and foreign powers little seen in the lands of Seron. The next phase of their adventures were set to begin.

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