Following last week’s combat heavy finale, this was a very RP heavy session dealing with the aftermath, as well as introducing Dan’s new character – Albrecht. A Dwarven Cleric, who is a bit of a brewmaster and enjoys his ale. We also got our next level up!
Chapter 9
As the dust settled, I manacled the Dragonborn and Smoke assisted with tying up his lackys, including Arnfinn. Until we know what’s going on, I can’t trust anyone. Meanwhile, Zani goes over and does her best to check on Rake; I can tell from the look on her face that it’s not the best of news. This makes me just tie these ropes all the tighter.
Bejard, upon seeing that my restraints are done, moves forward and rummages through the Dragonborn’s pockets. Finding a wand, he quickly passes it to Zani for safekeeping as well as some keys. It looks like he has a ring from the Magic Council of Hirkjufel, from the North, but I can’t be sure if this was his, or merely something he has acquired along the way… Finding some potions, Bejard drips one down into the beastly things’ throat as the mouth lolls open.
Watching for regained senses, I can see Bejard carefully inspecting the face of the Dragonborn. Once his eyes focus and he starts looking around, Bejard starts talking… Now, I know these people, and what we have persevered through, but wow – I wouldn’t want to meet this party in a back alley on a dark night! I am almost convinced of our own notoriety and bad reputation that Bejard is spinning to start this interrogation!
Once he is done, I take over and start asking questions. He is a Dragonborn who goes by the name of Borruta. He is here to gain the strength necessary to take revenge on the Magic Council who banished him, of which Egil was member of. He was hoping to use the legend of this tree to gain that power by controlling and manipulating nature, and was commanding the resident Goblins in order to accomplish this, directing them to capture people from the road to help with his research, and as minions. The dragon we found belonged to the Kobolds, who were already in residence here when Borruta first arrived. I think Borruta took a slight at the condition that the Kobolds were keeping the Dragon, and used them to test his research in penance…
He did mention that Arnfinn was tainted though, and that it was only the Tree keeping him alive? We can’t lose him now, not with our mission nearly complete! The Jarl will be most displeased if he learns that Arnfinn was alive when we found him, only to return to the village with him dead. At the mention of a branding, I nodded to Smoke, who was the nearest to him, to check his arm – She recoiled slightly at the sight of the bright blue rune glowing on his forearm, under his sleeve. Getting Zani involved, the colour drains from her face – this is the rune of Hel, God of the Underworld! We quickly checked the woman and the dwarf, both seemingly clean, I am grateful to note!
Zani starts casting a ritual to further inspect the rune, whilst Smoke gives her own interrogation to see if Borruta is lying. Her face tells me that she doesn’t look 100% convinced that we are getting the whole story from the inhuman being. She asks him to elaborate on his banishing, and apparently they are a sedate council; comfortable in their own inaction when others are at risk, and he lost his wife to this indifference when they refused to help her.
Finishing her ritual, Zani remarks that the rune is Necromancy magic in nature. This recalls a memory of a door that Rake found the other day, with the riddle about “Rebuking the dead…”. Borruta mentions that he was never able to get past that door, but Erki pipes up offering to open it, making it sound like the simplest thing in the world. Now all of our curiosity is piqued, and I expect that we will get to this door before we leave – especially if it has some connection to the son of our Jarl. Knowing his vengeful nature, none of us want to leave with unanswered questions! But I think Fi is spooked more than the rest of us at that rune – she offers to kill Arnfinn, take the blame for the death and leave the village as penance. I am surprised to hear that she could be that callous, but fear does odd things to people.
It feels like it is getting late in the day, and our ropes bonding our captives are strong, so we drag everyone back to the campfire at which we last rested to get a night of sleep before we make any rash decisions.
Taking the first watch, myself and Zani have an opportunity to chat to fill the time. Regardless of the troubles this little person has caused on this venture, she has a keen mind and a single minded need to learn more about magic. My own situation has perplexed her – how can I gain new abilities, such as reading anything, just overnight and with no study? It takes her weeks of hard work to learn just one new spell! I count myself quite fortunate in this regard! I don’t wish to give her my life story, so gloss over my history but focus on what I expect to be the most interesting aspects for her, regarding my Celestial Patron and their bestowing of magical gifts in order to accomplish their goals in this mortal realm.
As if my surface thoughts were a summon, following my discussions with Zani when we were awake, I dreamt in my sleep of a figure walking around us in the cave as we slept. They pause over Arnfinn’s sleeping form and speaks; THIS ONE WILL BRING TROUBLE, HE IS MARKED. As they melt into the darkness a feather drops into my lap and I pick it up, but I am swimming towards wakefulness before I can do anything else. Blinking the sleep from my eyes, I find that the feather from my dream is still in my hands.
I can’t ignore this warning, and say aloud that he cannot be trusted and will cause us trouble.
The nights’ rest has also rejuvenated our captives who had been unconscious since the conclusion of our fight. The Dwarf catches me by surprise by sitting up and greeting Erki – apparently they know each other? No surprise really, if they were both held captive in the same place. He introduces himself as Albrecht Ironbead. The last thing he remembers is looking for the legend of the tree himself, before Goblins attacked and overwhelmed him.
We are interrupted by a hacking cough and wheezing breath from Arnfinn, maybe Borruta was telling the truth that the Tree’s magic was the only thing keeping him alive? Heeding my warning, Zani checks for evil, and proclaims that Arnfinn definitely has the aura of something else… (I am curious, had I not explained the origins of my ability to Zani last night, would she have given such weight to my proclamations of a dream directing me?)
As Bejard heads into the darkness for his morning meditation or bowel movement (I don’t know, and to be honest, I am not sure it matters which), the woman stirs to life. Erki vouches for her too, saying that her name is Ygret and is also a cleric of Runa. He tends to her wounds and makes sure she isn’t suffering any shock from her ordeal. Like with Albrecht, she was on the road, heading south, when she was beset by Goblins as well.
Bejard happened to walk back in just as she saw Arnfinn amongst us at the campfire, she is suddenly agitated and says that Arnfinn needs to die and is part of the problems in the North. More and more people and creatures are turning up with the same brandings, and it is causing Runa to lose power. The only other option to killing him would be to pin him down with something impossibly heavy so that he can’t move away. Undeath already has him, it seems.
Borruta chimes in; “Mother of the damned is coming. The high council know but do nothing.”
This is enough to steel myself into action, I can’t see any other route out of this. I ask Zani about burning him to death, but Ygret cuts me off saying that fire only makes it worse, beheading is the only option. Zani excuses herself from the discussion, wanting no part of it, and walks away. Positioning herself at Arnfinns’ side, Ygret raises her tied hands and looks at me, questioningly. I can’t see anyone in our group being willing to take on the responsibility of beheading Arnfinn, plausible deniability and all that, so I remove her bindings and watch as she takes Arnfinn’s own sword and neatly decapitates him. Almost immediately the rune on his arm shifts and multiplies across his body and his features change to that of a fiend. I think we can call that a catastrophe missed! I ask that the priestly types deal with Arnfinns’ body and give him full burial rites, and Ygret and Erki get to it.
Now, what to do with Borruta? Jarl Vekato will want vengeance for the death of his son, and we can’t have Borruta giving his own side of the story. Better and cleaner for all that Borruta is the cause of Arnfinn’s death. I look around; we have all killed in combat, that’s for certain, but killing a bound and tied, unarmed person, even if they are a filthy Dragonborn, is another thing. While I wanted to distance myself from this part of my life, I can’t ask anyone else to take this burden, lest it marks their soul, whereas mine is already marked, and the outcome is just. I hope.
Seeing me draw my dagger and the look in my eyes, Borruta closes his and asks me to make it quick. I move to comply, but I think Albrecht has some fire in his heart following the captivity and gives the Dragonborn a swift kick at the point I make my cut. It is bittersweet. It brings back memories of fond excitement at the power and control, but I hate myself for it. I hate that I have returned to this, and I hate that the disgust is not directed at my actions but at myself. Amongst that, I feel a little pride for the burden that I can carry, to save those I am beginning to consider as my friends. I try not to show anything outward, this is my own struggle, but I sense Ygret watching me with a little curiosity on her face.
I distract myself from my churning thoughts with the act of removing the head completely – the Jarl will want something to see for his sons’ absence. Bejard, possibly in the same mindset as me, removes Borruta’s ring, and also the keys he found, just in case they come to use in the future.
In silence we break camp and gather our belongings, heading back to the mysterious door.
Erki bows his head and mutters a prayer at the door, and they slowly swing open, revealing 5 sarcophagi inside. The inscriptions seem to indicate that these were some noble Elves in life. On a table at the end of the room is a crystal flask and what looks like a whistle? There is a note next to it saying something like “Nightcaller”? I call to everyone to see if they know what it is, but Zani is very quick to tell me to not touch it under any circumstances – it is something of a cursed necromantic device for controlling or summoning the undead. I turn to leave as Fi picks up the flask which triggers the coffins opening and skeleton warriors emerging! We have come a long way, and with the mission “done” we don’t want to risk it with any needless battles and retreat quickly back to the cave entrance, overlooking the valley.
Having been in the darkness for a few days now, my sense of time seems to have shifted, it is either early morning or late evening – I don’t know which, but Ygret remarks in despondency – the lake, Runa’s lake should be glowing with her power, yet it is not. A sign of Runa’s power waning and the urgency of her mission to work out what is wrong before the change is too late. She also mentioned something about a Bear King to the good Brother, but I missed its significance – this foreign land is full of wonder!
Asking if we are heading back to Grimsdalur, Ygret asks if we know of a “Lord General Rainik Highmoon” – she needs to speak with him urgently. Well well well… I did not expect that!
Domonet 
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