The Ancient Ice - a Norse Campaign

[csjames75]

More than a century ago, six long ships set sail from Norway in search of new lives in Iceland. Instead, after a few weeks at sea, a tremendous storm arose that sunk one of the ships and beached the other five long ships on the coast of a new land.

(( A map and more info about the systems I'm trying to develop can be found here http://f2.pg.briefcase.yahoo.com/bc/csjames75/lst?.dir=/My+Documents ))

Close to the arctic, it is a place of ice and dark. The colonists named the new land Iselheim and moved further inland from the rocky beaches and harsh winds, seeking to establish shelter along the wide Volochev River. In the first year, a third of the original 1,000 colonists died, but the Olagari people led by their new thane carved villages out of the harsh land and learned to hunt the vast forests of game and cultivated a native form of wild plant called Sweetmoss. Despite the lack of any quality metal, the small and secretive black smithing guild, Mjolnnir’s Might, have adapted to working a special rare tree called Ironwood, which can be forged almost like metal but requires chemicals rather than fire to make it malleable. The wood seems especially conducive to runework by the Olagari runecaster who place many different types of enchantment on the arms and armor through the Futhark runes.

Five years after the Olagari arrived, their numbers were growing again. Trying to explore the land further, a party ventured deeper into the interior and encountered a people who call themselves the Kree. The Kree are wanderers who live in large clans that travel the frozen plains of the North to follow their caribou herds often by sleds drawn by their dogs which they call “Cu.” Kree resemble trolls in size but have tails and a back that curves forward so that they always seem to be leaning ahead. They are ponderous in word and deed and are lead not only by clan chieftains but also shamans called Pitar, or “Rootmen,” who can communicate directly with the Kree’s ancestors and the spirits of the land. The Rootman - so called because they often chew a special hallucinogenic root before entering a trance - can even venture into the Otherworld through the use of their drums.

Now, a hundred after the colonists arrived on Iselheim, the Thanedom of Olgaric has grown to a size of 10,000 people. It consists of five villages who engage in trade not only with each other, but also the Kree who inhabit the land to the north. The most valuable trade has been the Kree bringing the Olagari Ironwood in exchange for a special mead by mixing Sweetmoss with some herbs. Occasionally, the Thane or a chieftain will be visited by a pale-skinned purple robed visitor known as member of the Illaric Order, but little is known about the secretive order except that they appear to be non-human and are possessed of highly trained minds and bodies.

When the campaign begins, it is mid-October and the inhabitants of the Five Towns of the Olagari are celebrating the annual Harvest Meet in Vasklush. Weddings are decided, bonds are renewed and the veil between this world and the next is weakest. A long ship is being sent down the Volochev River - the first in a generation to launch - in hopes that even a century later some young heroes can find their way back to Norway. This has happened several times before, each time unsuccessfully, but this time the boat built was made twice as large and filled with hysson, a mixture of jerky and sweetmoss that keeps a very long time.

Everyone is in good spirits and the five chieftains are pledging allegiance again to the leader, Thane Bjorn Rimmelsfell under the sky’s dual moons, which the Olagari call Huggin and Muggin. Songs are sung and a tribe of Kree are also present, enjoying the festivities. Then, quite suddenly, a pale-skinned robed figure arrives and slowly walks to the Thane speaking in whispers. The Thane calls a council of chiefs and special warriors to his hall where they hear O, a member of the Illaric Order, speak about a coming doom to the land.
The Povar, a race of bloodthirsty dwarves who turned to the darkness will soon arrive by boat and spread over the surface of Iselheim and will extinguish both the Kree and the Olagari, O tells the assembled men.

Also present is He-Who-Sees, a Kree chieftain of the Milantia Clan who suddenly leaves and rushes out of the meeting, gathering his people and again heading north into the frigid cold air.

The Thane consults with his female blind seer, Milona, who is confused but says that a group must travel to the Glaga Bog too find answers. A remaining Kree says the seer must mean Mudder Musha, a witch “or worse” and tells them to take a sacrifice with them unless they want to be killed. The Thane says speed is needed because the trip will take a week there and a week back.

The Thane then asks for volunteers ...

[Thor]

Hey man, I can't access this for some reason. I'm getting an error that says the source file could not be read.

[csjames75]

Really, Thor? I'll need to figure that out. Is there a good file hosting place you'd recommend or can I just upload that attachment. It's about a 450 K rich text document.

[jc_madden]

Odd I downloaded it just fine. Looking over it now.

[csjames75]

Thanks for taking a look. Yes, if anyone has suggestions about it please let me know. Also, I'm trying to assemble a canon of monsters that are in-keeping with the setting .... sort of a Beowulf, Fafnir, Russian folk tales (gotta use Baba Yaga) type setting.

[Kublai]

Baba Yaga is featured in the Monster Burner!

[Drozdal]

Yes she is :twisted:

This (http://f2.pg.briefcase.yahoo.com/bc/csjames75/lst?.dir=/My+Documents&.order=&.view=l&.src=bc&.done=http%3a//f2.pg.briefcase.yahoo.com/) should help You Thor.

[csjames75]

Changed the name of the campaign ...

First name was kind of a riff on Melting Pot since several races will interact for the first time with the fledgling Olgari kingdom.

The new name is more of a reflection on how the new nation and the PCs who adventure have no idea of their surroundings.

Thanks for the valuable input. It's really shaping the world as I develop it.

Especially the terrific comments and language questions from Drozdal.

Christopher

[csjames75]

Well, we've generated characters and played one full session of Ancient Ice.

The cast so far are:

-- Halfdan "The Wolf" a disgraced noble guilty of slaying his own brother, Halfdan fled to the wilds of Ippin in the north and learned to channel his anger as a berserker. (played by Tim P.)

-- Einmyria, "The Saint of the Slums." A young urchin from the capital city of Vasklush who took to thieving and begging at an early age, but one day stole from the wrong mark, a priest of Thor, who before turning her over to authorities discovered her special gift for prophecy. She was then trained as one of the Freyai, the elevated seers of the Goddess Freya.

-- Ulric, "The Jarl's Voice and Skald of the Olgari." A commoner born to servants of a noble house, this man quickly saw that entertaining others was the way to a better life. After studying the respected art of being a skald and performing in locations both courtly and underground (i.e. brothels), he began traveling the Five Towns for years visiting the various nobles and enjoying the comforts of their estates (and occassionally their daughters). This lasted until he won the skaldic competition held once every six years at the annual Harvest Meet in the capitol city. Having attracted the attention of the Jarl, or High King, of the Olgari, he has entertained the royal ear for the past six years. But now this skaldic loremaster is itching to travel again.

-- Jorgund, "Touched By Thor." This young blacksmith was struck by lightning at an early age and the villagers of Vasklush took this as a sign that he was to be trained by the members of the Order of the Storm, Thor's priests. Now 17, Jorgund splits his time between working for his master Glammer in the forge and evenings spent learning from the priests of Thor.


So these are the results of our first session which was played in solo mini-sessions. Be warned it is rather long.

ISLE OF THE TWINS, THE SEER'S CELL
(Freya's Day, 13 Green Time, 100 LandsFall)

Moonlight poured into the small stone window. The air blowing into the room carried the chill that would be soon setting on the land. Green Time was soon to end.

Her screams carried throughout the small temple and school that had served as the home to the Freyai, the seers of the Twin Siblings, Freyr and Freya, for three generations.

Einmyria woke from her dream. Things were in motion ...

ISLE OF THE TWINS, THE OFFICE OF BIRGET
(Freya's Day, 13 Green Time, 100 LandsFall)

The Seer spoke with the leader of her order. It was decided ... she must travel to Vasklush, the home of Jarl Bjorn Rimmelsfell, and tell him of her vision. She would make the two month trip up the Volochev River on the river boat, The Valkyrie. Dargess, a quiet but trusted man, who served the Freyai for most of his life would bring her to the capital of the Olgari.

IPPIN, HALFDAN'S ROOM IN THE HOME OF CLAN BJORNSSON
(Wotan's Day, 23 Sunset, 100 LandsFall)

A messenger arrived in the night, a Riverman bearing news from his kin, informing the exiled berserker that his family needed him. Halfdan was to meet his brother Axel at a mead hall in Vasklush on the first day of the Harvest Meet.

Halfdan's friend Erik Bjornsson entered soon after the messenger departed, pleading to go along with his friend whatever events may follow.

After a week, the river boat, the Bifrost, manned by Banyan and his deaf thrall, Whimper, arrived in the city of the Jarl, surrounded by the bustle of the Harvest Meet.

Passing through the dock entrance, Halfdan and Erik kept their identities secret ... just barely.

Before stopping in the Hall of the Last Horse, Halfdan's eye was caught by display of Kree masks, used by the mysterious Kree when they encounter the Ancestors. At the display, an aged Kree named Deep-Footprints-In-Snow stood silently. A Kree scholar Astrix Thellon, was explaining the story of Vilopi, the youth who traveled to the sky in order to find his lost wife. The masks told the story of Vilopi's trip and when Halfdan asked a question about the masks, Astrix used the finger language of the Kree to ask Deep-Footprints a question. Once answered, Halfdan and Erik moved on to the Hall of the Last Horse.

There, they met Halfdan's brother Anse whose face was pale and pained. As Halfdan spoke, the berserker's other brothers descended on him, their attacks filled with bloodlust. Immediately, Halfdan overturned Anse's table and it struck two kegs, cracking them open. Halfdan was wounded by his eldest brother, Hurval, but the Hirdmenn - the constablry of the Olgari - arrived. They broke up the fight and took Halfdan into custody.

After a short trial, in which all parties concerned spoke, he was sentenced by the Jarl to death by burning along with three heretics of the dark goddess Hel.


VASKLUSH, GLAMMER's SMITHY
(Freya's Day, 9 By the Hearth, 100 LandsFall)

Jorgund and his master were returning from a lunch, braving the opening day crowds of the annual Harvest Meet, the largest festival in Olgari society. Each returned to their forge and for some time they worked tirelessly. Jorgund had an order for metal sheets to complete.

After a few hours, a young boy arrived in the shop and talked to Jorgund's master for a bit. As the boy left, Glammer came over to the strong young man, hard at work at the forge, and told him the cooper Yula needed some strong bands made for two kegs he was constructing. The order was urgent and the greater Jorgund's speed, the more Wehrgeld would be earned by both smiths.

For four hours, Jorgund worked, crafting bands of metal that made his master proud and again showed the promise of the young man marked by Thor in his youth for something to come.

With his master's praise still ringing in his ears, Jorgund traveled to the cooper with all haste, quickly making his way through the streets swollen with visitors to the Harvest Meet.

Yula the Cooper looked over the handiwork of Glammer's apprentice and smiled, asking young Jorgund to stay as he assembled the two kegs. Once assembled, he asked Jorgund to assist his own three apprentices with carrying the kegs to the nearby Hall of the Last Horse where they were needed. Yula offered the young blacksmith money, but Jorgund, knowing that good relations mean good business, did the task free of charge.

The Hall of the Last Horse was packed. Men and women drunk on McPhefferson's mead enjoyed themselves with abandon in the hall. A skald, unable to get the attention of the crowd, attempted to tell a story, all in vain above the clamor of drinking and merrymaking.

Jorgund and the three apprentices of Yula completed their delivery to the delight of the innkeeper Hiburn. The innkeeper explained that a fierce brawl had left two kegs broken and the fine McPhefferson mead had to be transferred to wooden tubs in order to keep it from spilling completely.

Hiburn told Jorgund that he was expecting great things from the young man touched by Thor at the next day's wrestling competition. Hiburn had even placed his own bet of Wehrgeld on the young blacksmith.

At the end of the day, Jorgund was sure to say prayers to Thor that his friend Hiburn would have no more trouble during the Harvest Meet and that The God of Lightning would bless his battle.

VASKLUSH, THE HALL OF THE LAST HORSE, UPSTAIRS IN AN INN ROOM
(Freya's Day, 9 By the Hearth, 100 LandsFall)

Ulric the Jarl's skald woke up hungover. It was past noon and the waitress in his bed, Lilda, did little to ease his mind. He owed money and the wrestling competition tomorrow would determine his fate. If Uppi "Big Bones" lost, then Ulric would be at the mercy of the Hidden Hands and his pull with the Jarl would not be enough to save him.

Downstairs there was a racket in the main room of the hall. Going down the stairs, he encountered the innkeeper Hiburn who explained about a brawl that had broken out in the tavern and how the Hirdmenn had taken a man from Ippin into custody.

After draining a cup of McPhefferson's mead, Ulric was approached by Wembley, an emmisary of the Hidden Hands. Affirming that his bet would be on Big Bones, Wembley left with a grin. The Hidden Hands knew that the Jarl's skald would be owned by them, if Big Bones did not win the competition.

VASKLUSH, THE WRESTLING RING
(Rest Day, 10 By the Hearth, 100 LandsFall)

It came down to two final combatants, the young man Jorgmund and the three times champion Uppi "Big Bones". Big Bones took the lead early on, but the young blacksmith touched by lightning showed a core of steel. Big Bones kicked Jorgmund in the groin, threw dirt in his eyes and stomped on his head before the young man went unconscious.

The crowd roared at Big Bones' victory, but Uppi knew that next year he would not win so easily against Jorgmund.

VASKLUSH, THE CIRCLE
(Rest Day, 20 By the Hearth, 100 LandsFall)

Perchev Albinson was nervous. Here was his chance to impress the judges of the skaldic competition and he'd chosen a very racy and controversial piece, The Story of Freya's Necklace. When he began the part about Freya being taken by four dwarves in exchange for the necklace, he realized the crowd was turning against him. The stares of the Mothers in the crowd, especially the jarl's seer, Milona. A few rotten vegetables hit his face but he somehow managed to make it through the performance. As he moved to sit, the jarl's skald, Ulric, stood and gave Perchev a hearty slap on the back, encouraging him.

Ulric then launched into his tale, How Thor Got His Hammer, and won the crowd back to his side. After finishing the crowd ripped into a standing ovation and it was clear, even before the judges announced the winner, who won that day.

For another six years, Ulric the skald would entertain the jarl.

VASKLUSH, THE CIRCLE
(Rest Day, 20 By the Hearth, 100 LandsFall)

The four prisoners were brought into the packed center of town on a cart pulled by four men. Some in the crowd gasped at the youth of the one boy to be burned for heresy. He was only 14, but his eyes were dull and lifeless.

In the crowd, Jorgmund watched the proceedings. Ulric the Skald stood on the stage beside the jarl.

Einmyria, having arrived in Vasklush shortly before, saw this as her opportunity to tell the jarl of her dream. Then, she saw the man with the scar along his face being wheeled in toward the four wooden pyres. He was the man from her dream.

Halfdan allowed himself to be carted in, seemingly resigned to his fate.

Torvald the Oathmaker, feared runecaster and head of the Tribunal called attention and began to recite the crimes of the prisoners as they were each tied to an unlit pyre.

There was Tomas Hillerson, found guilty of speaking blasphemies around the city of Usal and encouraging the Hel cult among the villagers. Also, Anders Vilekar, a fourteen-year-old who killed his father as a result off Tomas' dark ministry, slaying him and then running through town with his father's head screaming about the coming of Hel. And then, Hyllari Gesterson, an old woman who was found guilty of cursing her neighbor's goats in Heeshan.

Finally, Torvald announced the crime of Halfdan the Wolf who would be burned as a kinslayer for killing his eldest brother Elric

Einmyria rushed toward the jarl's stage but the tight press of the crowd slowed the Freyai's progress. From the crowd, Jorgmund called out to the jarl asking him why he would kill a child as young as Anders. The jarl caught Jorgmund's eyes briefly then he looked down.

A hirdmann began lighting the first pyre and the brittle wood quickly caught flame under the feet of Tomas Hillerson. As the hirdmann lit the second pyre, Einmyria pushed forward through the crowd. By the time the third pyre was lit, Einmyria screamed out to the jarl.

"Wait," she screamed. "I have to tell you something. I've had a vision and I think this man may be involved."

The jarl called out for the hirdmann bearing the torch to stop but it was too late, the wood of the fourth pyre underneath Halfdan was lit. Suddenly, Halfdan, crazed with berserker strength, burst his bonds and lept from the smoking wooden pyre. He ran after a hirdmann wielding a spear and tried to take it from him. Another hirdmann joined the first and the three men struggled. Halfdan seized the spear with all his rage, he threw it into the air and it arced, nailing his older brother Hurval's foot to the dusty earth.

Halfdan was taken down and as Einmyria began to explain her message to the jarl, the sound of wind filled The Circle and dancing lights appeared in the middle of the open space.

Those lights then formed into a tall blue-skinned figure wearing dark robes.

"Stop," the creature said and everyone present was frozen in their bodies, unable to move.

"Think." Everyone was then able to move again. "Danger is coming"

The jarl, suddenly fell to one knee and said to the creature, "O, is that you?"

O nodded yes.

[csjames75]

SESSION TWO

A COUNCIL IS CALLED

VASKLUSH, THE CIRCLE
(Rest Day, 20 By the Hearth, 100 LandsFall)

The jarl moves over to O as the crowd opens before the noble. The jarl and the dark-robbed, blue-skinned visitor speak quietly for a moment.

Jarl Rimmelsfell then calls a meeting of the Tribunal in the Court of the All-Father, a round wooden building with a heavy thatch roof that serves as the Olgari courtroom and meeting place for large state events. There is no door, rather, there are floor length wooden windows all around the structure where the common folk can listen. But only those the Jarl invites and nobles may enter the Hall while it is in session.

Einmyria the Seer takes a position at the front of the Court near the jarl, his seer, Milona, and the Skald Ulric. Jorgund the Smith watches through the wooden windows with the other commoners and Halfdan the Kinslayer has been removed to a nearby prison.

The Jarl calls for the attention of the Tribunal and the assembled nobles. Torvald Oathmaker, head of the Tribunal, brings the meeting to order.

O speaks first. He begins by waving his hand toward the thatched roof which somehow becomes transparent. He says in a voice that carries to every ear of the crowd this message:

As you look in the sky, you see only one light, the other is hidden in shadow. You have named this moon after your god’s messenger’s, the raven Muggin ... “Memory” as he is known among the Olgari. The other, the raven Huggin ... “Thought” is absent from the sky. Well know now, that an ancient memory is again descending on this world. And no skill of arms alone will save you. You must use your Fists and as well as your Minds to fight this memory ... or your moment in this time will be lost to the coming darkness.

O then moves his fingers at rapid speed and a rapidly shuffling begins among the small number of Kree assembled at the meeting. He is using the finger language of the Kree, called "ke-saa-ni"

He then says in Olgaric, “The Povar will arrive in two weeks.”

An older-looking Kree lets out a scream that makes everyone wince in pain and runs toward O with a spear in hand. O jumps and flips over the charging Kree's back and lands gracefully on the other side. The robed figure sprints and runs up the back of the Kree who is still in motion and pulls off his head from the neck. The body slumps to the ground and O looks at the Kree’s head and says, “You’re debt is paid, Illuman. Move on without burden.”

[Einmyria and Ulric the skald looked up O's robes while he was in the air. Ulric saw only blackness, the absence of light, but Einmyria saw stars under O's robes, a mirror image of the night's sky]

O then sits down beside the body and doesn’t move. O has become a stone statue, his skin hard and his eyes fixed.

All the Kree at the meeting move to leave as one and head north out of town.

Stunned, the officials begin to talk among themselves unsure what to do. The talking grows into heated debate and then arguments as the Jarl accuses the berserkers (The Brenaa, represented here by Ferrick the Fang, an aged berserker with one tooth left in his head) of bringing this rage down on the Olgari because of their heretical shapeshifting and refusal to recognize the power of the Jarl.. Those opposed to the Jarl's power (led by Chieftain Olish Jarmerell of Meelatch) say that the Jarl's adherence to the old ways has left them weak to invasion.

Finally, the Jarl calls for his head seer, Milona, who is attended by her four handmaidens and Einmyria as she goes into a trance, known as sedir magic. She begins spinning as the Freyai around her chant and eventually her voice begins to describe what she sees.

She speaks in a distant voice, saying how she is a white wolf looping over the land moving at an amazing speed to the south till she hits a wall of earth and rock and transforms into an eagle and flies over ... then she is hit by something and begins to fall toward the earth, till she is pulled into the earth and down below it by grasping tentacles. Milona goes rigid and says she can feel teeth on her body, eating her.

She jerks her head and spits out a red chunk of flesh - her tongue. Her eyes roll back in her head and she looks at Einmyria and speaks in a female voice not her own

"I'm waiting Poppet. I'm waiting for you ..." Then the voice trails off and Milona collapses.

It's clear from Milona's description that someone needs to travel past the great Southern Range of mountains and speak with something in a swampy area there.

Once it becomes clear that Einmyria somehow is at the center of this prophecy, then the Jarl calls for Halfdan and has Torvald the Oathmaker place a geasa (an obligation) on him to protect Einmyria with his dying breath. He is now her thrall.

A reed like young man wearing bright colors steps forward. It is the Jarl's son, Nils, who speaks in a nasal tone. He walks up to his father's throne and pulls his sword, saying he will take Blodsarga (Blood Wound) with him and shove its blade down the throat of any who stand against the Olgaric Jarls.

The jarl who has little faith in his son, asks Ulric to go along as well, both to keep an eye on his cruel son and to keep the jarl's interests represented.

It is decided that Anja, youngest of the McPhefferson children and a skilled tracker, should guide the Company, though no one knows exactly where she is at the moment.

That night an honorary meal is held for the Company and the 100 men of the crew of the long ship Gungnir, named for Odin's spear that never missed its mark. On Sun Day, the last day of the Harvest Meet, the long ship Gungnir is setting sail to go down the Volochev River and out into the ocean. It is loaded down with pork jerky, goat and hyssop (dried sweet moss sweetened with honey). Axel, the brother of Halfdan the Kinslayer, is part of the crew and Anse tells Halfdan that the reason he asked Halfdan to return was to talk Axel out of going.

Axel wants to travel to Denmark to visit his mother's family there. He has his mother's family brooch, a waxing moon pierced by a sword and is going to take it with him. Klara, Halfdan's mother, died while he was in exile and asked Axel to do this. Though if Axel leaves and with Halfdan gone, Anse knows he will have no claim on the seat of his father and will probably be killed. At first, Halfdan tries to talk his brother Axel out of making the trip, but then he realizes why his brother must make the trip and gives him his blessing.

Agnar Gaukson, the Wartooth, and leader of The Order of the Storm which venerates Thor, is also in attendance at the banquet and he calls Jorgund to him. The Wartooth tells Jorgund how when the Chosen of Thor was a struck by lightening, an artifact brought over from Norway, a smithing hammer called Thunderclap glowed blue. That same hammer glowed blue that very day, the Wartooth tells Jorgund before suggesting to the jarl that Jorgund join the company to travel south.

The Jarl speaks and says how important the mission of the Gungnir is and how important the mission of the company will be as the head out past the Southern Range. Ulric the Jarl's skald speaks to the crew of the Gungnir, filling them with tales about the wonders of Norway and the brave adventures they will have on the way to the homeland.

Gifts are then distributed to members of the company which include:

-- Five sets of Ironwood Armor - Bear, boar, falcon, wolf and dragon

-- A Shield emblazoned with the Kree personality called Opanish, "The Center of All Things."

-- A leather flask marked with the rune Fehu that will always remain filled with water as long as a drop remains inside

-- A purple cloak with a clasp of two falcon heads facing away from another. The rune Ansuz is sewn into the garment with thread treated with Wehr resin. It will lend a royal aura around the person. It is marked with the rune three times.

-- A great green cloak that takes on the color of the surrounding environment


One Kree, Deep-Footprints-In-Snow remains behind and calls the party aside before they leave. He tells them that the creature that will visit is known to the Kree and is an ancient evil spirit who calls herself the Mudder Musha. Be wary in dealing with her and be certain to bring a sacrifice of living blood to her or she will take it, he tells them.

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Early the next morning, the Company begins it journey and heads south, knowing that first they must journey to the McPhefferson farm to find Anja, the tracker.

A few miles down the road, after passing a few farms the adventurers meet Little Thom, a little red-haired boy of nine or so who is drawing pictures of wolves eating people in the dirt. He immediately latches on to Halfdan the Wolf and asks him what he is doing. Then whether Halfdan is an adventurer. Finally, "Can I hold your sword ... can I? can I?" Halfdan lifts the cowl of his hood and shows him the big scar on his face and tell him that this is what happens on adventurers. Undeterred, Little Thom asks if he can follow the company on their journey. They say no, but the little boy continues to travel along.

Eventually, they lose sight of the boy as they travel further south.
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About 10 miles out of town is McPhefferson Farms, with bees as big as a hand that feed on huge fields of poppies. The bees are out and feeding on the poppies.

A short distance later, the company comes upon the main apiary, a field of poppies that support several colonies of bees. Goo-Goo, a "special" man in his 30s who lives naked around the bees meets the adventurers.

Goo-Goo is actually Anja's older brother Georg who was born special and has taken to living with the bees full time, who he calls his "Buzzy Friends." Trying to make friends, Goo Goo offers Ulric a drink from his "Goo Goo Brew" which he says he makes homemade "like his buzzy friends." The yellow brew is gritty with dirty and only slightly sweet and highly acidic.

Goo Goo tells the Company about the bear that has been coming in the night and how Anja went out two nights ago to hunt the bear that was terrorizing the bear. Anja headed southwest and Goo-Goo tells them they can talk to Old Man McPhefferson at the mead works.

The bear is huge and has done a lot of damage to the business. The Old Man's sons were at the Harvest Meet, so Anja left to find the bear.

"That fool girl, no one can tell her anything. Not since her mother died ten years ago. She's taken to the woods and I can't seem to get it out of her," Old Man McPhefferson says.


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Anja is in the deep wood stalking a bear she has come to call Felix.

"I always name my prey," she says.

She is a raven-haired beauty with a razor sharp wit and pale skin like ice. Anja speaks only rarely, preferring the company of the animals and woods to humans.

She is high in a tree watching the ground where a dead stag has been left. Underneath there is a hollowed out trap with spikes, which Halfdan falls into. Anja slides down from the tree and moves past them to continue her hunt. Ulric tries to talk Anja out of the hunt, but she doesn't listen. She begins to run and expects the Company to keep up with her.

"He's been through here every day lately. He has a lair nearby in the hills but I'm unsure where," Anja says.

She picks Felix the bear's tracks and follows them to a dolmen set in the side of a cliff. It's night time on Sun Day when they arrive at the location. The air inside the cave is rank and wet and filled the smell of dead animals and decomposition. Inside, the bear is enraged and attacks on sight.

Anja says she will draw the bear out of its den with an arrow, but her arrow ricochets off the bear's hide. The bear then attacks and bites into Anja's shoulder tearing a huge chunk of flesh from her shoulder and leaving her near dead on the ground. Halfdan steps forward to defend her and is quickly joined by Jorgund. Ulric and Einmyria begin tossing throwing knives at the bear and the jarl's son, belatedly, moves up to attack. Nils lands the final blow against the bear.

Einmyria talks to Anja who is slipping into unconsciousness and the tracker tells her about some herbs in her traveling satchel. Einmyria is able to give Anja some herbs to stabilize her.

Inside the cave are two decomposed bodies, several animal and sheep corpses, some offal and a few little trinkets, such as belt buckles and a small statue of Odin. Inside, even deeper, past a narrow entrance, is a room carved smooth and containing a ten-foot long stone coffin and some writing on the walls. Which are unrecognizable to anyone. A mural depicts a beautiful glowing creature riding astride a winged lizard with a long spear in one hand and a shield in the other. He is slaying a giant white worm. Over the mural on one side, is the symbol of Hel's cult, a mask half in darkness, half in light. The grave is empty though, robbed of all other contents long ago.

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The adventurers make it back to the McPhefferson farm shortly before sunrise on Moon Day and immediately a doctor is called for to administer to Anja. Old Man McPhefferson cooks a huge breakfast for everyone who hunted the bear. and offers them some special mead infused with herbs that enhances perception.

The Company decides to spend the day at the McPhefferson farm to rest and get ready for the long trip ahead. Also, at the McPhefferson Farm is Little Thom who the Company find out left home because his parents were fighting. They go to investigate and discover that Little Thom mother contracted a disease and so did his father. Little Thom's father said he sent the child away to keep him from becoming diseased.

Upon returning to the McPhefferson Farm, Halfdan bathes in a nearby river, hoping to watch off any potential diseases. Jorgund spends the afternoon playing with Goo Goo in his Bee Patch and Einmyria and Ulric comfort Little Thom about his parent's deaths.

At the end of the day, the doctor says he has done all he can for Anja. Something has infected the wound and it is uncertain whether she will survive. But she is conscious, if someone from the Company wants to go in to talk with her.

[csjames75]

edit

[csjames75]

edit *mutters* wonky forums

[csjames75]

edit . ok, I get the message, no more long long posts

[csjames75]

MCPHEFFERSON FARM, THE FARM HOUSE
(Moon Day, 12 By the Hearth, 100 LandsFall)

Einmyria the Seer stepped into the back room where Anja, grievously wounded, lay in bed. The smell of decay was heavy in the air and the hunter's face was white from lack of blood.

"Seems Felix got the better of me, ehh," Anja said, coughing up a little blood onto her hand. "I don't think I will be making this adventure. The adventure I will be making soon will be more grand then yours I think."

Anja managed a weak smile as Einmyria tried to comfort the dying woman, her blood already poisoned by whatever evil had infected the bear.

"We need your help, Anja," Einmyria said. "Can you direct us how to get down past the Southern Range to the Gologa Bog?"

"I cannot but there is someone who can," Anja said, turning her head away from the seer of the Freyai and out toward the window. "But you must make a promise."

Einmyria nodded that she would.

"Several years ago, I was hunting a boar far to the south and I encountered a young girl," Anja said. "We became friends. Her name is Lena. Her father kept close watch over her until his death and she knows little outside of that world. She has traveled to the Southern Range before. She can lead the party, but you must convince her to do so. Promise me that you will watch over her. She is innocent of the world beyond the woods."

Einmyria nodded that she would.

***

Little Thom was sad to see the Company of the Seer leave the farm. Ulric spent the day entertaining the boy with brave tales of adventure, but it was Halfdan the Wolf who seemed to hold the most interest to the boy.

"Can I go," Thom asked the berserker. "Pleaseeeee!"

"No, you must stay here," the scarred warrior told the young boy. "Where we go there is too much danger."

Crestfallen, Little Thom turned away, but then his face brightened again.

"Well ... well ... would you bring me something from your adventure. Pretty please," the boy pleaded.

"We shall see, Little Thom. We shall see."

***

That night, Jorgund the Smith, Chosen of Thor, prayed the entire night through for Anja to be healed and freed of whatever infection was ravaging her body. As Old Man McPhefferson sat on a chair, his head buried in his hands, his back slumped over, Goo Goo paced in nervous fear for his sister's life. The young servant of Thor's voice could be heard throughout the farmhouse.

The earnest prayer, spoken in humble purity, seemed to have been heard.

The next morning, the doctor Lars, exhausted from his efforts to save Anja felt for the first time that his patient might live and told the relieved father.

At that same time, Goo Goo entered carrying a large wooden platter filled with breakfast foods for the visitors. The tray was a shield given to him by Jorgund.

Goo Goo was thrilled to hear the doctor's words and his high-pitched peals of delight woke the others.

***

But that night Einmyria had another dream. The cryptic dream left the seer confused and disturbed. The journey to visit the Mudder Musha would be dangerous. What sacrifices would be required when they met the ancient spirit that the Kree called an evil demon?


MCPHEFFERSON FARM, THE FARM HOUSE
(Tyr's Day, 13 By the Hearth, 100 LandsFall)

Goo Goo bade the adventures farewell, giving them honeysuckle necklaces he had crafted the afternoon before along with his new friend, "de Door Man" (The Thor Man) Jorgund.

"Whill yoo where it," Goo Goo asked Halfdan, presenting the Wolf with a honeysuckle necklace..

"What," the Berserker said.

"WHILL yoo WHERE it," Goo Goo repeated.

"WHAT," Halfdan answered with a question.

"WHILL YOOOOOOO..."

"Oh, will I wear it," Halfdan finally realized. "Yes, of course Goo Goo."

And Halfdan donned the floral necklace.

Armed with Goo Goo's necklaces and directions from Anja as to where the girl in the woods could be found, the Five members of the Company of the Seer left the farmhouse and the McPhefferson mead works and traveled south.

By noon, the road ended and the adventurers found themselves faced with only sparse woodlands. This was the edge of Olgari society and sanctuary. In the woods ahead, the dangers were unknown.

Without hesitation, Halfdan stepped forward and, utilizing his years of military training as a Hirdmenn, he led the party into the woods.

The first day passed without incident and that night Ulric entertained the party by seeking to create a fire. Once successful, the party dined on pork and bread and honey supplied by Old Man McPhefferson. It would be some days before they were reduced to eating hyssop, a traveling food made from dried sweetmoss and jerky. Even the jarl's son, Nils Rimmelsfall, seemed nearly content that night.

Just before sunrise, wolves could be heard many miles away. As the sun rose, the howls were gone.

THE WILDERNESS, LENA'S COTTAGE
(Woten's Day, 14 By the Hearth, 100 LandsFall)

The next day before sunset, the party entered a clearing. Having followed the markers provided by Anja, it appeared the Company had arrived at the girl's cottage.

Smoke bellowed from the cottage, but no one answered the door. Eventually, Halfdan and Nils entered the home to find that no one was inside but in the cottage were three beds, only one of which had been slept in by someone. Jorgund, wanting to make sure he didn't offend the owner, waited outside and Ulric and Einmyria waited on the porch.

When Lena arrived home, a brace of rabbits in her hand, she found intruders there. Pulling her bow, she secretly entered her house and pointed her bow between the two strange men in the home.

Tense moments ensued as Halfdan tried to convince the woman that the company meant no harm. She was needed for the journey past the Southern Ridge the party was making.

Then Ulric, sensing the need for diplomacy in the situation, donned a special purple robe that bears the insignia of the Jarl and spoke with the authority vested in him.

He told Lena that she was needed, that a great evil was coming, and that she must guide them south. Along with Einmyria, Ulric told her of the sickness of her friend Anja and that the tracker had asked that Lena perform this service.

Suspicious, Lean allowed the company to stay the night while she thought over the situation. Nils' arrogance coupled with Lena's suspicion to all strangers, made for a volatile mix and when Lena neglected to serve dinner to Nils, he too umbrage.

"What's in the POT," Nils yelled at the girl.

Silent, she continued not to serve him. The hostility was palpable.

Respecting her friend Anja's wishes, Lena decided that the she would help the Company, but insisted that they wait till morning.

THE WILDERNESS
(Freyr's Day, 16 By the Hearth, 100 LandsFall)

The wolves attacked shortly before dawn on the second day after the company left Lena's cottage.

Halfdan the Wolf was on watch and the sun was due to rise in a little more than a hour when he heard the howls of the wolves. Remembering stories of the shape-changing wolves of Ippin and among the Kree, Halfdan decided to investigate. Running into the woods, Halfdan moved toward the howls. They grew louder as he approached - the wolves were running toward the camp as well.

The beserker decided to climb a tree and let the wolves pass underneath. As he watched, six wolves and a large great wolf with a missing eye, ran under the tree. Halfdan let them pass then dropped down to the ground. He let out a howl so much like a wolf that the pack stopped and let him approach.

"Easy, Old One," Halfdan said to wolf missing an eye.

However, once they saw that it was a man and not a wolf, the pack set upon him surrounding him and making him push his back up against a tree.

Halfdan fought hard, but in the end, he was slaughtered, his body eaten and little left of him aside from his Kree-made shield with the picture of Opanish, the Center of All Things, on the surface.

The wolves ran toward the camp, catching the sleeping adventurers unaware. They attacked Jorgund and Lena first, biting and clawing. As they attacked the guide and the priest of Thor, the seer, the jarl and the jarl's sone all shimmed up a tree.

While their companions were bitten and clawed to the point of unconsciousness, those in the tree spit curses down on the wolves and Einmyria tried to kill One-Eye the Warg with a throwing knife.

The knife struck the Great Wolf, but he seemed unfazed.

As the sun rose in the eat it became clear that wolves were dissolving. Ulric thought back to some stories from the earliest days of the Olgari and remembered tales of a Great Hunt of Wolves who come at night to terrorize during times of strife and woe.

Down below, Lena was unconconscious and Jorgund was in danger of bleeding to death.

With the wolves gone, Ulric and Lars jumped to the ground from the high trees, each rushing to side of a fallen comrades. Lena's wounds were largely superficial, gashes on her face, neck and arms from the wolves, but Jorgund's wounds were more severe. A wolf bit into his neck, and the blood was flowing from a slash across his artery.

Einmyria fished in Lena's pack and found three doses of the herb All-Heal, a reed-like root, that aids in healing. These were the last three doses and Einmyria adminstered the root to Jorgund and Lena.

Neither Ulric nor Einmyria were skilled in the medical arts, so they couldn't stop the flow of Jorgund's blood. Soon, the Chosen of Thor would be dead, unless someone could treat the gash on his neck and shoulder.

The Seer intoned a prayer to Freya, asking the Goddess for a miracle. Einmyria felt her divine request was unheard and she tried again to help wake Lena.

From the tree, Nils, the jarl's son, spoke.

"Ulric? Is it safe to come down now," the nobleman asked.

Ulric nodded and the three began discussing what to do next.

The day before, Lena mentioned a hermit who lived in the woods near the Southern Range. His name was Roric, the Old Thule, and he was a day away.

"I'll make the trip," Einmyria said.

"But how will you get there," Ulric asked. "Only Lena knows the way."

The skald and the seer looked at Lena. The young woman's eyes opened and she was able to speak. With pain in her voice, Lena said, "I can give you directions, but you will have to make the trip alone."

Around 11 a.m., Einmyria set out in the woods, following Lena's directions. She moved quickly, trying to cover as much ground as possible in the effort to seek help for Jorgund who was dying. Later that afternoon, Lena was able to walk and she tried to stop Jorgund's wounds from bleeding, but in her weakened state she could not.

"He will die tonight unless we can find something to help him," she said.

Ulric gave her the last dose of All-Heal which she gave to Jorgund, hoping it would help preserve him through the night.Before sunset, Ulric and Nils spent their time weaving a harness to help pull Jorgund into the tree.

That night passed uneventfully for those in the tree, but on the ground Einmyria ran at top speed through the forest and reached The Old Thule's cabin by early morning the next day

THE WILDERNESS, RORIC'S CABIN
Rest Day, 17 By The Hearth, 100 LandFall].

Staggering and tired, Einmyria lurched toward the cabin. A few hundred feet from the cabin, the hair on the back of her neck suddenly stood on end. As she continued to walk, she ran face first into an invisible wall of energy.

Einmyria was stunned as the old man approached. Tall and gaunt, the Old Thule's long white hair merged into a flowing beard that formed two tails wrapped in leather. With a booming word, he lowered the runic shield around his home.

"Well hello there. I wasn't expecting you yet," Old Roric said extending his hand to help the seer rise from the ground. "And where are your companions. I was told there were more of you."

Einmyria was shocked. "You expected us? What?"

"Well, this morning a meal worm in my porridge told me a band of folks were headed this way. Apparently, a grasshopper told an eagle about your run in with the wolves and that eagle told a raven and - you know how ravens are hopeless gossips - so the raven told everyone, including the meal worm in my meal this morning."

"We need your help," Einmyria pleaded, aware suddenly that despite her fatigue she would have to make the return trip. "We need to hurry, we have wounded."

The Old Thule nodded, went inside his cabin to get his walking stick and hat and the seer and the hermit began walking back to the campsite.

THE WILDERNESS
(Freyr's Day, 16 By the Hearth, 100 LandsFall)
They arrived back at the campsite shortly before sunset. Lena, Ulric, Nils and Jorgund were in the tree. Exhausted, it was all Einmyria could do not to pass out.

Roric waved to those up in the tree.

"Aren't you some strange birds up there," Roric said. "Is this the patient?"

Lena looked up from Jorgund's body where she had been seeking to treat his wounds.

"I'm afraid you are too late," she said, her voice heavy. "He died today."