Session 054

# My Armor is Coming Next Week

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

*The party communes with Maldruun, and the ancient dwarven spirit makes the ultimate sacrifice. Falling back to regroup before facing the Marilith, the party shadow walks to Ringsted for supplies, Heimdall's Temple to seek out old allies, and reaches the Freehold just before the witching hour.*

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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 Mine Guardian's Sacrifice

Once again in the bowels of Storm Hammer Keep, the party was surprised to see the ancient dwarven spirit Maldruun rise up the mine shaft and greet them. After informing the ancient dwarven spirit of their intentions to slay the marilith, the party was warned that the demon possessed powerful teleportation magic. Unsure how to proceed, the party eventually asked Maldruun for assistance, in keeping with an earlier vision by Heida. The spirit sighed knowingly, and offered to sacrifice himself to infuse his spirit into a weapon of the parties choice. All that he asked was that the party not fail and leave the keep unprotected. As it turned out, the heroes chose Valindr, whose elvish bow was enveloped with a sinuous green light. She would have only one shot to prevent the demon from fleeing, and the party debated how to make that one shot count.

After a time, Heida, Nygaar, and Valindr stood ready to face the demon. The party spoke for a brief time with the creature, who attempted to seduce them with her charms and convince them to free her. That gambit unsuccessful, eventually the marilith, who the party learned was named Abraxia, dropped all pretense and challenged them to let her out so she could slay them all. While some of the heroes were eager to fight, it was eventually decided that Esbjorn must needs have his armor to face the monster. Embarrassed at the suggestion that he feared the beast, he eventually returned to the surface, but not without suffering the insults of the demon in the process. Esbjorn smoldered, his body filled with rage at this slight to his honor. No doubt when battle was joined Surtr's champion would revel in the destruction of the foul fiend that mocked him. After a short time, the remainder of the party returned to the surface as well, and learned that they had three days to wait until Esbjorn's armor was complete. Contemplating what to do, it was eventually decided that they should return to Ringsted, to gather up some of the supplies they had commissioned the last time they were there.

## Return to Ringsted

Walking in the realm of shadow, the heroes made their way to the farming village of Ringsted on the edge of Wulfling lands. Jor, despite being slightly inebriated on mead that he had imbibed as a way to gird his loins in the aborted battle with the marilith, none the less led them on the true path and they arrived on the rivers edge running through the village. Nygaar and Esbjorn sought out the blacksmith to gather some of their commissioned gear, and found a boy named Fin awaiting them. He was the blacksmith's son, and stood bravely before the heroes and refused to hand over anything. Eyeing the boy with a small measure of admiration at his bravery, the heroes went to the temple of Tyr to seek out his father. They eventually found the blacksmith and gathered up their supplies, greeting the leader of the village Tiwaz Flat Nose warmly in the process. Tiwaz thanked the party again for safely delivering his daughter Aada to her new husband in Surtshellir lands, and told them a tale of men in wolf form known as Hamrammr that were ravaging the countryside. Tiwaz intimated that Woelvren Lockjaw, the jarl of the Wulfling clan, might have something to do with it.

Meanwhile, Heida sought out the local volva Ullveig the Azure, in an attempt to purchase some potions. Ullveig, whose had been cruelly disfigured by Heida, hissed at her menacingly and refused to sell anything to her. One thing of note was the strange incongruity of the old crone claiming she was pregnant, referring to her pregnant body as her precious. Horrified, Heida eventually relayed the information to the party, and Esbjorn paused in concern at the monstrosity he may well have had a hand in creating. It certainly seemed as if Ullveig was with child, although the pregnancy had progressed far faster than one would expect. Eventually, their business complete, the party set off into the shadow lands once more, intent on seeking out their old friend Vungar at the Sky Cliffs.

## The Sky Cliffs

Venturing into the mountains, a now quite drunk Jor managed to bring them out of the realm of shadow upon the sea shore, once again exercising his mastery of this strange new form of travel. Heida took flight, seeking out a safe path into the mountains, as the rest of the party stood shin deep in the roiling sea with a sheer cliff face to their west. Heida found a roundabout path to the temple, and after a few hours the party came upon the seat of Heimdall's power on Midgard:

*As you stand upon a high ridge in the mountains, you see the temple known as the Sky Cliffs high above you on a lonely precipice. Herds of hardy mountain sheep graze on the meager forage nearby. Fog swirls and drifts upon the mountainside as you peer up at the impressive temple. The temple of Heimdall is carved from the very granite of the mountainside and from here you can’t see how one is able to enter the temple at all. Sheer cliff faces surround it on all four sides. The skulls of giants are hung from heavy steel chains from the battlements as grisly decorations. From the top of the square temple keep extends a magnificent sculpture at least one hundred feet high and twenty feet wide, built to resemble a portion of the Bifrost bridge. The bridge extends towards the sky, and the magnificent glitter of gemstones that cover the sides represent the colors of a rainbow. There is a parapet on the top of this facsimile bridge where you can see a large horn upon a pedestal and two heavily armored watchmen standing vigil.*

Making their way forward, the guardians of the temple sounded horns at the parties approach. Heida once again took flight, and announced their arrival to the shock of those manning the bastion. A platform mechanism was lowered, and the party clambered upon it and were raised up into the sky to enter the temple. The guards pointed the way forward, and they entered the great hall of Heimdall's temple. Looking for their friend Vungar, or their erstwhile ally Gryph, they instead found one familiar face and the two of those previously unknown to them. The old man Rigg, him of the golden teeth, greeted them and introduced them to a lean man with golden hair named Haakon Haraldsson. It was soon revealed that Haakon was the high priest of Heimdall, and he in turn introduced them to his volva, a strange albino woman named Göndul the Augurer. Heida had a flash of recognition at this name, and recognized one she had known in her youth when training to be a healer and a seer. Unfortunately for the party, it seemed their allies were not on the premises, as they had ventured off with a group of elves from Alfheim to engage in gorilla warfare with the frost giants in the mountains to the west. The heroes nodded knowingly, secure in the knowledge that Yarboris Diamondshard had kept his vow.

Speaking with Haakon, Rigg, and Göndul, the party soon learned that the priests of Heimdall had decided to join the fight against the Umbrian invaders and their allies the frost giants. In addition, they once more heard mention of a strange witch named Crua, who was commanding a fleet of ships crewed by undead hordes and based out of Mixin lands. Gondul looked meaningfully at Heida, and pronounced that only one who knew the ways of the dark seidr could stop this new threat to Seron. The Augurer also gave Nygaar some advice, telling him the way to his throne was to convert the heathens among them. The party feasted for a short time with the servants of Asgard's guardian, and then took their leave. Walking once more in the realm of shadow, and luckily escaping any encounters there, they eventually reached the safe haven of the Freehold. Just before midnight, with the green moon of Maelun waxing high above them, they made ready to greet their old friends.

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