Session 043

## The Aesir Crusader

**Age of the Wolf, Year 5, Autumn, Aerlun Toil 3, Days 5-6**

*The party pulls the survivors from the wicker man, and meets some familiar faces. Jor and the Harii survivors head east, while the party heads north. They encounter the aftermath of a ferocious battle, and find a grizzled old warrior hanging on an oak tree near death. After fighting off some hungry Frost Drakes, Nygaar and the stranger go on a spirit voyage with the help of the Veleda Heida.*

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## Player Characters Involved

* Nygäär the Dark the Fey Blooded Rogue/Fighter/Dualist played by Dana
* Esbjörn Sigvardson the Giant Blooded Barbarian/Cleric/Surtr's Chosen played by Greg
* Heiða the Mother Fucking Veleda the Dökkálfar Blooded Dread Necromancer played by Justin
* Vindr Skreevarson the Bastard Blooded Human Scout/Ranger/Cleric played by Donnie

## The Wicker Man Survivors

The party pulled the remaining survivors from the smoldering wicker man, watching it burn to ashes. They appreciated the warmth, but knew they could not long enjoy the comforts of the blaze. They turned to the survivors, and a few familiar faces soon made themselves known. Signa Longtooth, an ancient Harii crone that was a member of Jor' band, stepped forward and told the party that their men folk had been mostly slain, while all their boys had been taken by the foreigner invaders. A trail of a large group of horsemen led north, but Jor decided to head east first to seek the council of the giantess Angrboda. While the Harii survivors at first headed south, they soon caught up with Jor who agreed to lead them to safety.

Meanwhile, the party surveyed the druids grove. They discovered that nine trees within the grove were imbued with cursed spirits longing for release. Heida did her best to free one of these spirits, known as Landaettir (nature spirits), but her dispel magic was not powerful enough. Vindr also found the druid's sacred pool, but one dip of his hand caused him to take a serious injury, as magical ice crept up his arm. The party realized that only those within the sacred order could enter such a pool without danger. As the others searched camp, Esbjorn turned again to the survivors and saw perhaps one of the few mortals he cared for. His niece, Ulfra Ødgerdottir, looked at him quizzically, at first unable to place him. Soon, however, Esbjorn's distinctive laugh gave him away, and the lovely young warrior rushed to embrace him. After a quick reunion, the girl revealed how she had come to be trapped within the wicker man with these (semi-clanless) Harii weaklings:

* Ulfra told the party that many of the the fire javelin bands had been wiped out, trying to battle the Umbrian troops who were running riot in these lands and capturing slaves with the consent of the Wulfling clan
* She said a large band of Umbrian horsemen, led by an arrogant man named Payne,  headed north, on a path clearly visible to the party
* She informed the party that the Harii have been particularly hard hit, and that the Umbrians sold all the people they captured to the White Druids, with the exception of all the young boys who they took with them
* The crusader Clive Greyson, an honorary member of the Jute clan, was acting as a scout for the Surtshellir clan, and escaped being killed or captured as far as she knew
* She also informed Esbjorn that Jarl Ulrick Elderstalson of clan Surtshellir was considering leaving the mountains to attack the foreigners, but that so far her grandfather (Esbjorn's father the high priest of Surtr) Sigvard Fireforge had convinced him to use their mountains to their advantage, at least for the time being

Esbjorn introduced Ulfra to Aada Goldenbow, the would be bride of the leader of the Magmamen known as Logee the Obsidian, and the girl agreed to journey back home with Aada, Asleif, and Johan in tow. The party bid their companions goodbye, warning Asleif not to reveal whose child she carried, and headed north along the path of the enemy cavalry. Vindr looked in dismay at the tracks, which spoke clearly of at least one hundred horsemen and a number of carts.

## A Stranger Hanging Upon an Oak Tree

It was perhaps midday, and as they traveled the cold winds blew through the Ironwood forest. As dusk approached, and a storm began, they came upon a grisly sight:

*As you venture through the thick forest a heavy snow begins to fall, hampering visibility. The wind is biting, and the smell of pine as you travel through the thick forest is muted. After a time, you find yourselves in a valley with ridges to the north and south of you, and you hear the sound of distant wolves howling. As you peer through the storm, you see what is clearly the aftermath of a major conflict, as the snow is awash with frozen blood. Skewed about the battlefield you see fresh corpses littering the snow, and the shaggy mounds of a number of massive wolves laying still and dead. Prominently displayed in the middle of the field you see a large oak tree, with a figure nailed upon it and moaning in agony. Clearly weak and nearly expired, the figure raises his weary head and looks at you in pain and dismay.*

Peering through the heavy snowfall, they warily approached the hanging figure. Nygaar pulled the grizzled old warrior down, and it soon became clear that this was in fact Clive Greyson, an honorary member of the Jute clan who had been working with the Surtshellir Fire Javelins as a scout at the behest of the Jute clan Jarl. Clive had been hanging upon the tree for perhaps a day, and had been close to death. He informed the party that he had escaped capture at the hands of the Umbrian cavalry, and had fell in with a band of Harii warriors desperate to reclaim their families. Unfortunately, the Umbrians fell upon this band of Harii berserkers, this time with the help of four massive wolves the likes of which Clive had never seen. While they fought valiantly, the Harii warriors were slain to a man, although they were able to kill two of the fearsome wolves and a number of Umbrian Redcloaks. Marlowe Payne, an old adversary of Clive, thought it would be funny to hang the old warrior upon an oak tree, in a twisted mockery of Clive's adopted gods and the hallowed beliefs of the Seron locals. Clive said the Umbrians had then split up into four groups, heading in the four cardinal directions and each carrying along a number of the Harii boys that they had captured:

* One group headed north towards Gloomwaithe (led by the leader of the Umbrian Redcloaks Marlow Payne)
* One group headed east into the mountains (led by Ulfrik Demonaxe, his eyes turned an ominous black, a famed Harii warrior and Jor' uncle who had been captured by the Umbrians during the battle of Raendale)
* One group headed south towards the glaciers and Adogit lands (led by the heroes old enemy Gunhild the Hag)
* One group headed west towards Geat lands (led by the foreign wizardess Fang Li)

As the party pondered the implications, it soon became clear to them that the Umbrians realized the heroes were close by, and had split up in an attempt to hinder their pursuit of the Harii boy Drekki. The heroes had little time to discuss this development, however, as their attention was soon drawn to ridgelines to their north and south. They heard the flapping of large wings and the scuttling of massive beasts, and stood prepared as six frost drakes came into view above them. No doubt the beasts had been drawn by the carnage all around them, and Vindr moved quickly to escape the valley. Unfortunately, the heavy snowfall hindered visibility and mobility, and Heida took flight while Esbjorn and Nygaar settled in to slay the beasts.

## The Frost Drakes & the Spirit Realm

The creatures took flight, raining ice down upon the heroes and making the battlefield even harder to navigate. As Vindr did his best to fire through the storm, Esbjorn and Nygaar were fallen upon by the beasts. Heida flew about the battlefield, wielding her magic as best she could, although much of her power had been expended earlier in the day attempting to free the nature spirits in the Druidic Grove. Nygaar used his cube of frost resistance, and told the badly wounded old warrior Clive to stay within it's small area of protection. Eventually, the heroes wore the beasts down, with Esbjorn fighting bravely after using his clerical magic to ascend upon the southern ridge. He froze two of the beasts in fear momentarily through sheer intimidation, while Heida was able to drain the strength and vitality from another. Nygaar put his back to the northern ridge, and proceeded to chop one of the beasts to pieces when it approached him. Vindr peppered the beasts with arrows, and as the snow fell he was able to scamper at superhuman speeds through the snow to shoot down the last beast, who attempted to flee after seeing its companions hacked to bloody bits. Even the stallion Glaer had gotten in on the act, rushing one beast and pummeling it mercilessly with his deadly hooves. As the heroes breathed a sigh of relief standing over the vanquished beasts, they turned again to Clive. Helping the old warrior, they left the bloody scene behind them, seeking a safe spot to camp.

In the morning Clive confided in Nygaar that the gods had spoken to him, and that Nygaar was the warrior he had long looked for at the direction of the Aesir he worshipped. Asking Heida to perform a ceremony, the Veleda, Nygaar and Clive entered the spirit realm, where time sometimes moved differently. Over the course of two hours, the three walked the spirit realm for a month of time for normal realms, and returned from their journey changed and exhausted. Meanwhile, Esbjorn had been quietly training, thinking about the effrontery of the foreigners so close to his homeland. Vindr had returned to the battlefield, and his sharp eyes had located a golden ring missed by the others the day prior. He soon learned it was an extremely powerful ring of protection (with Heida's use of the quartz) and put it on gleefully. Vindr released his silver raven to communicate with Jor, and the four remaining party members pondered which direction they would go. Heida made ready to talk to the spirits, to see if they could offer any guidance on which direction would most readily lead them to the boy they sought.

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