Posted: 10 April 2022 (reading time: 8 minutes; 1654 words)
Recap by Joel Hermann
The group initially takes cover behind the snowbank just out of range of the walls of Belmunt that Styr had told them to find. Belmunt appears to be a city midway in size between the smaller Vogsal and the larger Blüstrom. The snowbank is the only place in which they will be fully shielded from view, but there is concern within the party as to whether the scout has directed them to a location sufficiently near the path which the slavers will travel into Belmunt.
Belnirith sends Asja and an arcane eye scouting, and her familiar soon discovers a group of 9 figures walking freely, and six people in chains, about 500 ft to the east. Hearing Belnirith mention the people in chains, Greunthrn’s anger at the abomination of slavery is kindled, and he is eager to intercept. The group agrees and moves stealthily north-eastward, on a collision course.
Upon reaching the distance of about 40 paces from the group, Greunthrn is unable to constrain his fury any longer and cries out, “Hold, you villainous scum!” He advances, and fires two wild arrows at the hooded figure leading the group.
His target retorts, “I would have expected no less from traitors and cowards.” The voice eerily matches Greunthrn’s, and the face that turns towards them is his own, less the scarring. It is his twin brother, Gjøhn. Furthering the symmetry between them, he readies a longbow and fires a shot that flies true into Greunthrn’s collarbone.
The rest of the group are taken somewhat aback at Greunthrn’s unsubtle engagement of the enemy, but rally to help him. Vyshka calls forth a bolt of radiant energy to strike at Gjøhn which goes wide, but Belnirth is able to swing the spear Skera, blessed by Odin, in an arcing and slowing motion and slow down three of the slaver guards. Laguza grows to giant size and, with her now greater strides, runs past Greunthrn towards the enemies and their captives. This frightens many of the rank and file guards initially, but most of them eventually advance, and nearly surround her.
It is at this moment that Irsk, one of Gjøhn’s retinue, sends a glowing, 1-foot-diameter ball of emerald streaking towards a point just between Belnirith, Greunthrn, Vyshka and Viggo. It explodes into an acid cloud, killing the young dire wolf and severely burning Belnirith and Vyshka, while Greunthrn manages to dodge mostly out of harm’s way.
The other spellcaster with the slavers, the cleric Akra, lays his hands upon Gjøhn, presumably blessing him, as the captives huddle and await their fate, still tended by two of the guards.
Waking up to the danger posed by Akra to himself and his companions, Greunthrn closes with the slavers further, adjusts his aim, and fires again. Akra attempts to shield himself from the arrow, but it still finds a target in his thigh. Knowing the guards around Laguza are particularly vulnerable while their attention is upon her, he instead fires his second arrow into one of them, wounding the guard severely. Gjøhn responds by firing more arrows at Greunthrn, which miss.
Even through the pain of the acid burns and the emotional loss of Viggo, Vyshka does her part for her comrades by launching the god-forged smárnr at one of the guards near Laguza. It connects with a thud and rebounds neatly into her hand. She also attempts to shove another guard away from Laguza with her mind, but can’t quite find leverage.
Belnirith, eager for revenge, realizes an opportunity to launch a fireball into an area that would engulf Gjøhn, Irsk, Akra, and one guard without immolating the slaves. Irsk, Akra, and the guard are all badly injured, but Gjøhn is able to sidestep most of the blast.
Laguza then breaks away from the group surrounding her and advances on Irsk, killing him with two blows. Surging with a desire to thwart the spellcasters in particular, Laguza then turns on Akra, and ends him as well, letting his bisected torso slide slowly off klókr. She then rounds on Gjøhn, bashing him with her shield.
The guards closest to Laguza and the slaves swing at her, but fail to connect, as Gjøhn berates them for leaving the slaves unguarded.
Now, even more terrified of the “little giant”, the guards who had previously advanced upon her move to attack the others in the group. Belnirith and Greunthrn each take blows. But worst of all, two guards converge on Vyshka, and manage to knock her unconscious.
Reacting to his elven companion’s fall, Greunthrn disengages from the guard attacking him, and summons a healing spirit in the space that Vyshka’s currently inert form occupies.
About the same time that Greunthrn fires his next two arrows, the vile sorcerer Lüngr apparates near the slaves, holding a long ceremonial dagger. Infinitely smug, but with a hint of frustration, he says, “if you want to do something right, you have to do it yourself.” And then, following the strictures of an unholy rite, he kills the nearest of the slaves with the dagger.
Feeling Laguza’s gaze intent upon him, Gjøhn whispers a brief incantation, disappearing and then reappearing much closer to the walls of Belmunt. At first Greunthrn suspects he is trying to run away, and yells out “Coward!” But from his new distance Gjøhn continues launching arrows in Greunthrn’s direction, and only Belnirth is close enough that she thinks she hears him yelling out, “This is for murdering father!”
The battle becomes pitched, as the members of Asgarday∂a are now torn between the immediate concerns of dispatching the slaver guards and the sudden appearance of one of their most hated foes, Lüngr.
It is just then that a new, hooded figure appears just behind Lüngr. Those closest see a look of terror on his face that they’ve not seen before, as he freezes in place.
Belnirith has a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach that a long-awaited reunion is at hand, under the worst possible circumstances, and wishes that her father were there with her.
The cloak is pulled back and, sure enough, it’s Belnirith’s mother Ægnagryd, now with the sickening red reptilian eyes that the group had seen in their dream. She takes the dagger from Lüngr’s frozen hand and falls upon the nearest slave, killing them, and yelling out triumphally, “I’ve done it! I’ve brought back the great Cthuga!”
Belnirith yells out to her mother, but when she doesn’t answer (except to answer Laguza’s stunned inquiry as to what to do with the debilitated Lüngr, to say “Whatever you like. He’s nothing.”) and begins to depart, Belnirith desperately attempts to banish Ægnagryd temporarily to another dimension in order to preserve the chance to talk with her after the battle dies down. The spell fails and Ægnagryd chides her daughter for thinking she could interfere in her affairs. She then disappears as quickly as she arrived.
Meanwhile, Greunthrn and the others finish off both Lüngr—who dies still frozen in place—and most of the slavers, including Gjøhn, who dies with his brother’s arrow through his heart. While Belnirith hastily uses a precious potion of revivify on Viggo, Laguza manages to persuade Greunthrn to allow one guard to live long enough for questioning,
The guard indicates that they were recently hired on for just for this one trip, and he has little to no useful information about the origin of the slaves or the purposes they were to be used for. Knowing he was just trying to feed a family, Greunthrn agrees to release the guard on the promise that he won’t ever take a job with slavers again.
The members of Asgarday∂a are so preoccupied that they barely notice the sulfurous notes in the air and the reddening color of the skies. With horror they look up to see a mind-bending abomination of fire and hate descend upon, and begin to consume, the entire city of Belmunt. Witnessing the power of a Great Old One unleashed upon their world, the group flee for their lives back towards Vogsal.
Returning to Vogsal several days of hard riding, there’s a profound dissonance between the mood in the city and the knowledge the group holds. For the forces under and allied to Vali, things are looking up. They’ve used the time Asgarday∂a has been gone productively to repair and improve the walls and other defenses of the city.
Greunthrn can’t seem to help despairing when asked about the mission. He makes things very awkward with a epithet that speaks to a hopelessness he feels in that moment, having failed in their efforts to prevent the Old Ones’ return. As has been his role countless times before with young soldiers, Vali has to calm Greunthrn. He reminds him that it does no one any good to describe a situation as hopeless, undermining morale. Leaving the hall, Greunthrn finds his spirits lifted by his talk with Vali, and recommits himself to fighting for goodness and order in the world.
The group again share a dream that night. They return to Odin’s hall in Valhalla, and are welcomed by the Allfather himself to a great feast that will fortify them for the conflict to come.
Belnirith is able to find Nadira and her father, and share her disappointment over her mother’s horrifying success in bringing an Old One into the world, and her inability to emotionally reach her and reform her ways.
Just before the feast begins, Heimdall hails Greunthrn, and asks him for a commitment to join the god’s priesthood in the service of order. Greunthrn gratefully accepts the offer, sealing his newfound commitment to deliver the folk of Hættrland from the chaos and evil that now beset them.
At then end of the feast, Odin informs Asgarday∂a that their transportation has nearly arrived, and with that they awake, and clamber outside, to spy huge, winged shapes rapidly approaching.
TO BE CONTINUED…
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