Session 005

## The Party Claims Their Prize

**Age of the Wolf, Year 5, Spring, Laelun Toil 1, day 10 - Toil 2, day 1**

*The party is abandoned by their erstwhile leader. A mysterious Volva joins them. Finally reaching the fishing village of Raendale, they make plans to seize the tribute offered to the Geat turncoats by the Umbrian invaders. They claim the ancient prize which brought them to this forsaken land.*

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## Player Characters Involved

* Nygäär the Dark the Fey Blooded Rogue/Fighter played by Dana
* Heiða the Seer the Dökkálfar Blooded Dread Necromancer played by Justin
* Esbjörn Sigvardson the Giant Blooded Barbarian/Cleric played by Greg
* Brydd Hjarta the Jörmung Human Sorcerer played by Jason

## Gryfhild Takes His Leave

Looking deep within, and questioning the actions of both himself and his companions, Gryf decided he could no longer continue the quest, at least not with his current companions. With very little explanation, he announced to the party that he would not continue on to the town of Raendale. Puzzled, but used to his brooding ways, the party reluctantly accepted his decision. Dagfinn, Frolee, and the party's guide, the merchant with gold teeth known as Rigg, decided they would follow Gryf as he struck out into the wilderness. Before leaving, Rigg whispered into the ear of his old lupine companion, the wolf Vungar. Informing the remaining party that the wolf could guide them, he departed with Gryf and the old warriors. Now the only ones who continued the mission were Esbjörn and his apprentice Kurg, Nygäär and his low-life contact Olof Bloodeye, and Brydd and his Umbrian wizard slave Lucius the Blue. They began the difficult hike through the last few miles of terrain to the coast.

## A Mysterious New Ally

The party could smell the ocean breeze as they marched steadily towards the Geatling Fjord. Nearly to their goal, they spotted a mysterious figure up ahead: a tall thin woman wearing black body paint and with the look of a Volva staring at them intently. Strangely, it seems this woman had been waiting for them. She knew the details of their quest and requested that she join them. Brydd immediately and somewhat uncharacteristically accepted her into the party after only a moment's observation. Soon after, knowing the strange ways of such dark arts practitioners, and sensing that she was not an enemy, the rest of the party accepted this new addition to their ranks. Perhaps the gods had sent this one, who called herself Heiða, to take the place of Gryf. And it didn't take much contemplation for the party to realize that a seer who practiced the dark arts would be a powerful ally against their heathen enemies.

## Scouting Parties

Finally, the party reached its destination:

*As you make your way through the steep terrain, you see below you that the river opens up into a large fjord controlled by the Geat Clan and their northern masters. The steep cliffs are covered in snow, and you see the frozen falls of small creeks and streams upon the faces of the rock. Up ahead, you see the ruins of Raen’s arm ring. It looks to you like the site of an ancient fortress on the coast that now lies in ruin. Surrounding the walls of the ruined fortress are ancient barrow mounds upon the cliffs overlooking the sea- the resting place of honored dead long forgotten. The fortress itself is no longer visible at all - only the ruins of two stone walls remain. Strangely, the walls seem to overlap in four places, as if they were built in an unconventional pattern. The walls are carved with ancient runes you can't read, and there are images of sea creatures and snakes adorning the surface. North along the coast from the ruins, there is a small fishing village (Raendale), and a number of longships are being built near the shore at the mouth of the river. In addition, you see a large gang of workers beginning to erect a stone wall around the town, along with the construction of a wide stone road that is leading away along the coast to the north. Magnificent falcons are diving from the frozen cliffs after prey. You see a small man climbing a cliff near where the birds are, but it’s hard to tell what he is doing. The smell of the sea is strong here, and the waves crash menacingly into shore. Ahead of you is a dirt road. Slightly ahead the road splits; the main road continues right into the village to the north while an overgrown path leads left towards the ruins to the south.*

At this point, the party decided to split up and gather information in preparation for their next move. The volva Heiða decided to consult with the spirits - the boy Kurg joined her and was given mystic mushrooms for his trouble. Brydd and Esbjörn were anxious to survey the ruins of Raen's Arm Ring. Nygäär and Olof decided to enter the village and attempt to gather news concerning the ship they were expecting.

Because Brydd left the slave Lucius behind, the volva Heiða only feigned taking the drugs necessary to commune with the spirits. Secretly amused watching the boy Kurg take his first trip behind the veil, she surreptitiously kept an eye on the wizard Lucius, who studied quietly from his book of incantations. The wolf Vungar had also stayed in camp and kept guard over both the seer and the boy.

Meanwhile, Brydd and Esbjörn made their way into the ruins. Identifying the blocks which made up the old walls, and carefully surveying the terrain in preparation for the upcoming ceremony he was tasked to perform, Brydd was lost in thought. Esbjörn, meanwhile, spotted a small man approaching the two of them overland. As the man came closer, Brydd and Esbjörn realized he was actually a boy of 15, and looked to be the same one who they spotted climbing on the cliffs of the fjord among the diving falcons earlier in the day. The boy hailed them - with him was a magnificent falcon which he allowed to swoop above and around them as they made their introductions. Strangely, the gyrfalcon seemed to double in size once airborne. Making friendly conversation, Brydd and Esbjörn learned that they were speaking to Elof Orrison, the son of the Geat chieftain Orri Karsson. Elof seemed a fierce lad and boldly proclaimed that he was going to kill his weakling father and take the clan for himself. He also talked about his sister Asleif, and the shame of her promise to become the whore of a northern invader in exchange for treasure. Esbjörn seemed taken by the lad and reacted favorably to his attitudes. Eventually, the boy headed into town, wishing the two well. Before he went, he presented them with a token of his esteem - a special falcon egg which he proclaimed would hatch on its own. Brydd accepted this gift, and the two of them returned to camp.

As these things were happening, Nygäär and Olof headed into town. What they saw was troubling - the Umbrians had begun construction of a temple, a new wall around town, a road leading north, and a boom (river chain) outpost further inland up the river which would allow them to control traffic into and out of the village. As they walked through town, they estimated that approximately 30 northern troops were garrisoned there, a mix of knights in half plate, archers, and common foot soldiers. Olof suggested they make their way to the shipyard, where five new longboats were being constructed, in order to meet a contact of his. Nygäär agreed, and they were able to find the shipbuilder Aki Siggusson with little trouble. Aki worshipped Aegir, and it was clear from his attitude that he loathed these foreigners in his town. A short conversation revealed that the Umbrian ship holding the treasure would be there any day, and Aki even offered to help the party attack the Umbrians if they requested it of him. He claimed to have 10 loyal men he could trust who would fight as well if need be. The conversation was cut short, however, by the arrival of an athletic young noblewoman who approached on horseback. Not deigning to dismount, and wearing leather armor with the symbol of the One God etched in gold thread and a number of jeweled gold and silver arm rings and a thick golden necklace, the girl asked Nygäär his business in "her" town. This was Asleif Orrisdottir, the promised bride of the Umbrian nobleman rumored to be arriving soon to take over the Geat lands in all but name. Nygäär was courteous to the young woman, and she eventually lost interest and began an inspection of the shipyard. Nygäär and Olof returned to camp to relay the information they had gathered to the rest of the party.

## The Party Claims Their Prize

Discussing everything they had learned, the party decided they would cause a distraction by attacking the boom outpost on the river, in an attempt to draw out the Umbrian troops and destroy them. Thinking it best to wait until dark however, the party decided to withdraw and make camp. While these discussions were ongoing, Brydd noticed Lucius acting suspiciously. Lucius held rose petals in his hand and was on the verge of casting a spell! Spellcraft told the magic users in the party that Lucius had been preparing to put the party to sleep with an incantation. Disappointed that his slave would not behave, Brydd swiped his sack of possessions from his hand, paused to look him in the eye, and then swiftly and viciously speared him through the throat. Strangely, the volva Heiða approached the dying mage and placed her hands upon him. Lucius died almost immediately with this touch and actually seemed to shrivel up, giving the appearance that he had been dead for weeks instead of seconds. The witch then decided to cut the wizard's heart out - this met with no comment from the party. The party then stripped the wizard and withdrew into the hills to make camp, planning to attack the river outpost before dawn.

Waking up two hours before dawn, the party made their preparations. One thing that struck Esbjörn as strange was something he noticed about Brydd as he rolled out of his bedroll - a number of poisonous snakes slithered away as if they had been sharing their slumber with the sorcerer, while Brydd remained unharmed. Heiða had been visited by the spirits in her dreams and asked Brydd and Esbjörn to go to the ruins once more before they did anything else. Meanwhile, Nygäär and the boy Kurg went to safely scout out the outpost - Olof had been sent into town and instructed to mount an insurrection if possible once Nygäär gave the signal. Heiða, Brydd, and Esbjörn (along with the wolf Vungar) crept through the dark to the ruins. The goddess had called to them to claim their prize.

At the ruins, Brydd began the ceremony which would allow the party to claim the item of power promised to them by the Red Priest at the start of their quest. Tracing the secret god rune of the goddess Raen in his own blood, Brydd then began the incantation. After a few moments, the walls of the ruins shook themselves free of the ground, and rose 20 feet into the air, spinning menacingly. A cold rain began to fall, and Brydd slowly began to rise from the ground himself. He was immediately engulfed in a mystical sphere of seawater. As Esbjörn, Heiða, and Vungar watched, the spinning walls suddenly vanished. The sphere of water fell to the ground, and in the center of the ruins, a large pool of seawater appeared, moving as if it was a section of the ocean somehow transported to land. Brydd fell into the icy cold water, while an enormous 15-foot long fanged serpent rose from the murky depths. The party could see two glittering rings upon the serpent's massive fangs. It seemed they would have to fight for their prize!

Esbjörn immediately moved in to engage with the massive serpent, while Brydd scrambled desperately to escape the icy water. Heiða cast a spell upon the creature, weakening it substantially. As Esbjörn and the wolf Vungar battled the serpent, the witch and the sorcerer continued using their magic to aid however they could. Heiða used her dark powers to summon a Draugr from a nearby barrow mound to join the fight, while Brydd wove a magical barrier of protection around Esbjörn. While savage, the beast seemed out of sorts, perhaps because of the strange situation it found itself in - it narrowly missed a number of key opportunities to kill members of the party. Esbjörn hacked at the beast savagely, while the wolf Vungar danced around and ripped chunks from its flesh with his teeth. The wolf was bitten and suffered a terrible injury, but still, he fought on. Finally, Esbjörn landed the killing blow, cutting the beast in half, and the snake and the water vanished as suddenly as they had appeared. Upon the ground where the sacred god rune of Raen had been drawn lay two interlocked arm rings, shaped like serpents and made of silver encrusted in blue and green gemstones. Out of the destroyed barrow mound the Draugr returned to, Heiða noticed some silver and gems that had spilled out into the snow. She pocketed the treasure, to the displeasure of Esbjörn.

Still an hour before dawn, but with lightning striking in the background, the party watched as the outline of a massive female head rose from the waves, formed of seawater. The party heard the whisper of a woman within their minds, outlying the power of the sacred object. While all present felt lust in their heart for the arm rings, Brydd was the one who picked them up and received a racking shock of cold. The party had completed the first part of their quest. Raen's Arm Rings were theirs, and they were powerful indeed. Surely with this object in their possession, they could drive the invaders from their lands. The companions returned to camp and conferred with Nygäär about the plan for the upcoming attack. It was now about a half-hour before dawn. War would soon be upon them...

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