PBEM:Rjurik Winds/Blood of Stjolvar

From BRWiki

Rjurik » Campaigns » PBeM:Rjurik_Winds » PBEM:Rjurik Winds/Blood of Stjolvar

Occurring in the Stjordviker province of Hjolvar, this adventure saw the thwarting of the Gorgon's plans to lay his claws on a tighmaevril weapon named the Blood of Stjolvar. This was DM'd by Larry Sawh due to unforeseen unavailability of Charles Dupin de St-Cyr.

Bloodtheft and Abominations

Following Laefr of Stjolvar who had decided to track down his missing father Stren, the Manboar who had forsaken all honor in succumbing to the wrath of the Awnsheghlien a group of heroes traveled to a cavern complex in a mountain of Hjolvar. There they found an awnsheghlien with the appearance of both boar and man claiming to be none other than Laefr of Stjolvar! The jarl of Halskapa had found his father, the previous Man-Boar, and slain him with his family's bloodsilver sword, hence assuming the shape of an Abomination himself. The Gorgon's general, the Crisp, proceeded to chain Laefr up after sending dozens of orogs to overpower the morose kin-slayer, robbing him of his sword and leaving him as bait to tenderize the heroes bumbling through the caverns - or so the Crisp thought.

The thwarting of the Crisp

The Gorgon's general was expecting to finish off a wounded and tired group of adventurers who had spent their strength slaying the Man-Boar - not the Abomination and adventurers side by side as allies charging out of the caves at him . The Crisp wielded the Blood of Stjolvar but was luckily disarmed by Ulfgrim of Svinik; the hundred or so goblins and orogs the Crisp had brought with him found themselves surrounded by a horde of clansmen found and hired by the canny Storm Holtson who, expecting such a trap, had taken precautions against such a ruse. The Crisp fled thanks to the use of a mystical amulet; wounded and cursing the adventurers he went back to his master, the Gorgon, with news of his failure.

Aftermath and repercussions

Laefr of Stjolvar - now the Man-Boar, lay grievously wounded ; Bern, warlord of Stjordvik, was the only one capable of speaking with him thanks to his blood of Reynir. Laefr pledged to serve Stjordvik in exchange for his life, but was mysteriously slain in his tent the following night - his throat slit, indicating perhaps that the murderer wished to avoid the fate of the two previous owners of the twisted bloodline. Heavy booted tracks were soon found leading to, but not from, the tent in which Laefr met his demise: the murderer obviously had some means of departing unnoticed.

Song : The Blood of Stjolvar

Penned by Sigrun Kjornaal and Storm Holtson :

The accursed blades of many a hue

Brought death and blood, as such blades do.

A tale of battle and glorious chase,

Bear with me friends, as the shadows grow long

Quietly settle and hear this song,

Of we who met the Swine-man face to face.

Through caverns of arcane protection we did go,

Six was our number, such things you should know.

Ulfgrim of Svinik, his lord’s steadfast arm,

Bern the warlord, from the east, mighty and strong,

I, Sigrun, aided by Storm, who both composed this song,

And Hoskuld whose knowledge would keep us from harm.

The most astonishing member of this fearsome tale

Was a being of beauty, slender and frail,

Whose voice we did hear but once in our traveling,

Lady Jerusha, the Siren, of lands far to the west

For hours at a time to stem sound she did her best,

Yet when she faltered we blanched and reeled in suffering.

In the caves of Hjorvaal we did stumble across a pool,

That nexus of power a greedily claimed by many a fool

A source of great might, guarded by beings of water

The beings we slew, but at what cost! I wince to recall

For the Siren, wounded, let escape her fearsome call

And, tears in her eyes, feared to have been cause of slaughter.

Heroes however are made of sterner mettle,

Banishing these creatures Hoskuld called Elemental.

The mirror’d caverns ahead proved our heroes were canny,

As with speed they outdid foul beasts of many a guise

Brawn and steel became directed by the wise

And the way was clear to the goal of our journey.

The Swine-man we saw, and with it Bern spake!

A beast of giant proportions, gnolls felled in its wake,

But the horror I present to you now is at its height

For the beast’s name was Laefr, son of Stren of Stjolvar

Slayer of his father, cursed in these caverns afar

Now chained by a creature he held in great fright.

With Laefr at our side our heroes charged forth,

To find themselves encircled, a true test of their worth

Orogs, a hundred strong, awaited with bows a-humming.

The Crisp, minion of Gorgon, his trap had sprung hither,

Beastly bows were fired, bolts hit us aquiver

As the thing sprung forth at Ulfgrim madly grinning.

Fate wished for Evil to lose that day!

Promptly disarmed, to his dismay,

The Crisp saw the sword picked up by Storm

Who, yelling defiance, called men from the hills

Who rallied to wreak revenge for orog ills

As the dark one’s shrunken body was pierced and torn.

Blow after blow landed on the fiend’s hide,

Turning tail he fled - would that he had died!

But, called back to his Abominable master,

The spoils of victory seemed bitter-sweet.

Although we valiantly fought the dangers we did meet,

The enemy’s flight was regrettably faster.

Who obtained the blade? That I shall not tell,

For it shall attract greed and ruin, as we know full well,

When sorcery and blood go against Erik’s law.

Laefr, the bait laid by the Gorgon’s minion’s plot,

Was the only one to fall, ne’er shall he be forgot;

Trying to fight the corruption within, though wounded, fealty he swore.

With daggers in the dark, silencing of the Swine-man came.

Ruin of the family of Stjolvar, lured into the Gorgon’s game,

Knew he too much, or was his power so vast,

That agents of the Awnsheghlien wished for him to die,

Rather than to live in the east and try

To redeem his line, avenge his blood, battling enemies of the past?

You who heard this song, bear witness. The Gorgon did once more try

To rob our lands of their blooded ones. By means despicable and sly,

His arm reaches further as his attempts to control us grow strong

But with such heroes to guard us, one can hope

For our continued survival on this steep slope

Battling uphill against the tainted, the twisted and the wrong.