Shadows over Sjoldir

[Zaathun]

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Ranulf the Rooster  _{Human Raider}

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Nodding at Alruna's words, Ranulf seems to grip himself. Gods might've brought us here, but by the look of these folk, they've not been present for a while. He doesn't express his cynical thoughts, however. Giving one last breath of the warmth of the fire, he exits the mead house as the others leave, listening half-heartedly at the humming of the skalds.

 

As they arrive at the house, he pauses at the sight of the broken body. Not one to jump to speak first, not with the bolsterous crew, he is content to watch - and listen. The magical touch of a skald's song was unexpected - the ones with wyrd are rare even among those who know. The sounds of Alruna's hunting of the magic bristles his ears for a moment, before he sends a glance asking whether there's anything out of the ordinary. And then, the casualty seems to rise from her langourous state.

He glances at his companions, the glory-driven Krakung, the quiet, strong bear of a man. The two storytellers, and of course, the Seidkona. Of course they don't think like that. Greater things to do, higher things to think of. None as mundane as him. As the woman seemingly seems to start listening to Hjarlof's words, he nods at Blôdarna, whispering as to not disturb the magic, "Help me move her to a chair. I'll change the bedding, in filth hides evil and disease."

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Stats

Ranulf TN Human (URogue 4)

Init 5  Speed 30  HP 35/35
AC 21  Touch 16  Flat-footed 13 CMD 21
Fort 3  Ref 9  Will 2
Base Attack Bonus 3
Primary Weapon: Mwk Boarding Axe (2) (at will) +10(1d6+5)
Armor: Studded Leather Armour - Light Armor - (+3AC) (+5Dex) (+2 Shield when Weapons drawn) (+1 Combat Expertise, Threatening Defender)
Abilities:  Str 10, Dex 20, Con 14, Int 14, Wis 10, Cha 12
Conditions: None
Special Abilities

Sneak Attack +2d6
Debilitating Injury (Ex)
Minor Magic (Read Magic)

Combat Actions

Free:

Swift:

Move:

Standard:

Full Round:

 

 

 

[Sovereign Sojourn]

Alruna's eyes sweep back and forth over the broken woman, then up to the ceiling, then the eastward wall, then back to the woman. She looked to Hjarlof and gave a small, subtle shake of her head. Nothing. She focused on the wounds... started looking closer at the woman herself rather than the weave between them... looked into her teary eyes and then down to her thinning body... But then, it wasn't magic that caught the young shaman's eye.

She restrained a gasp of surprise, and considered how she might move forward without upsetting the woman any further. After some consideration, she reaches up and removes her elk-antler helm, placing it on a side table. Alruna moves to the woman and motions to Ranulf, bidding caution, implying that he take great care in trying to move her. To Alruna's mind, she wasn't quite sure what might "set her off". But he was correct - there was no telling how long she had been here laying in her own filth.

Hjarlof had at least been able to lay a hand on her shoulder, and so she took a similar tact. She reaches down and gingerly places her hand on the woman's wrist, not grasping but simply a gentle touch. She carried on where Hjarlof left off, speaking slow and soft;

"...fréowíf, we have come here to put a stop to the wickedness, Odin willing. We need your help. Please... do you mind telling us...

...what it is that you have in your hand?"

 

Edited September 5, 2023 by Sovereign Sojourn (see edit history)

[Ace Bronson]

The woman moans as she slowly orients herself and takes in those around her. Alruna and the others get a better look at her hand and see that it is locked tightly closed, the knuckles are white and there are sores on her palm from her ragged nails digging into her flesh. She passively cooperates with Ranulf and Blodarna as they gingerly sit her up in a different spot and begin to change her filthy bedding.

When Alruna mentions her hand the woman's gaze slowly shifts to it as she ponders, as if she had been previously unaware that her hand was locked in a death grip. Her voice catches and then rasps, "I-I took it off the beast when it... when it..." Her body shudders as a low wail builds up from deep inside her as the horrors return fresh to her mind.

With some care and patience, Alruna and Hjarlof are able to gently pry her fingers back. Her hand is filthy inside, crusty with dried blood and gore. There are deep infected sores where her fingernails have been pressing into her flesh, for what may have been the entire time since the attack. Inside her hand is a crude pendant on a broken leather thong. When Alruna touches it a wave of nausea sweeps her bowels and the hair on her arms stands up... Ill Omen...

 

[Xssisha]

An amulet... Hjarlofs mind began to race. The assailants had to, at best, have been beasts belonging to a person. At worst, they were people... Or even had been people.

 

His mind combed through everything he had heard, all the Sagas and history he knew, what he knew about the clans and sects... This was exactly the kind of revelation that they needed... But what did it MEAN?

 

He noticed the physical reaction of Alruna and his heart skipped a beat. "That's not good," he muttered to himself.

[Abalon]

Alfdis was once again standing in the back, preferring to let the others talk to the woman. However, when they see Alruna's reaction, they move forward and take the pendant, shivering uncomfortably as they look at it and realize what's going on. They're not surprised, but that doesn't make it better

"Hm. I see. The Norns were right to send us"

They turn to the woman and try to make the most reassuring smile they can do

"Do not worry, we will see these creatures and their worshippers slain"

Before starting to exit the house, gripping the handle of their axe tightly, a determined expression on their face

[Eborne1]

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Goran Halfbjorn  _{Dire-Bear Berserker}

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Goran does not fail to notice the change in Alfdis' posture as he emerges from the hut, gripping something tightly in one hand and the haft of his weapon in the other. He looks wary as though an attack may come at any moment, causing Goran's own posture to tense up.

"What is it?" Goran asks. "What did you see?"

 

---

Quick Stats

Human Form   (Medium)  Init 3  Speed 30  HP 36/36 STR 18, DEX 16, CON 14, INT 10, WIS 14, CHA 8 AC 20  Touch 16  Flat-footed 17 CMD 23 (25 vs PM) Fort: 7  Ref: 8  Will: 4 Base Attack Bonus (4) CMB +8 (+10 Powerful maneuvers) Primary Weapons: Shifter Claws (2) (at will) +9(1d4+4) - DR Silver/Cold Iron Club +8 (1d6+4) / Short Spears +7(1d6+4) 20ft Range Armor: Lamellar Leather (+4AC) (+3Dex) Conditions: None Special Abilities: Shifter Aspect (Bear) (+2 CON) (7/7 min/day) Wild Shape (Dire Bear) (7/7 hours/day)

Bear Form  (Large)    Init 2  Speed 40  HP 36/36 STR 22 DEX 14 CON 14 INT 10 WIS 14 CON 8 AC 21  Touch 17  Flat-footed 18 CMD 25(27 vs PM) Fort: 7 Ref: 7 Will: 4 Base Attack Bonus: (4) CMB +11 (+13 Powerful Maneuvers) Primary Weapons: Claws(2) +9(2d4+4)+Grab Bite +9(2d6+4)+Grab Armor: Natural Armor +4 Shifter Defensive Tactics +4 Conditions: None Special Abilities: Grab, Pounce, Low Light Vision, Scent: (30ft)

Combat Actions

Free:

Swift:

Move:

Standard:

Full Round:

 

Edited September 7, 2023 by Eborne1 (see edit history)

[Svartalf]

Blodarna, who, not being a great talker, or an expert at anything relevant to the situation, had stayed back, but when she saw and heard Alfdis, she went to her and asked

"What are these creatures you referred to, and what manner of degenerates worship them instead of the noble Aesir?"

 

Her axe was tranquilly rested on her shoulder, but she had unconsciously changed the heft so that, if a fight happened, she would be instantly ready

Edited September 7, 2023 by Svartalf (see edit history)

[Sovereign Sojourn]

Alruna's hand snapped back when the pendant was revealed, and she makes no move to grab it. The hiss of a rattlesnake escapes her lips.

Indeed, she takes a small step back and places the hand once offered to the woman for comfort on her own stomach. She felt uneasy... sick, even. The pendant carried an ill omen upon it... and troublingly, it was not one which Alruna immediately recognized. Further, she watches with a hawk's unblinking gaze as Alfdis picks it up... almost as if she had expecting something to happen when he touched it.

She furrowed her brow, thinking hard. She was troubled by her own ignorance. She didn't recognize the image on the face of the article, but she knew the sense of foreboding in the back of her mind as well as she knew the songs of her clan. Something truly wretched had happened in these lands. In her internalized mysticism, she seemingly rather forgot the old woman, slowly backing away in a transfixed haze as the others tended to her bedding.

She nods and moves to leave without another word, lost in thought, reclaiming her elk antler helm and following after Alfdis... after the pendant...

Edited September 7, 2023 by Sovereign Sojourn (see edit history)

[Abalon]

"While I have not seen them for myself, I have heard many legends of dark beings, followed by small cults dedicated to violence and madness. I thought they would have stayed forgotten, but it appears I was wrong"

Alfdis then turns to the guard who had accompanied them

"I need you to bring us to where this woman was attacked, please. The quicker, the better"

[Xssisha]

Hjarlof watched as the others, save for Ranulf, left the small dwelling with the amulet. Unwilling to just abandon the woman Hjarlof continues to help her. He hums another tune, this one a tune his mother had sung when he was quite little, while he gathers the bedding, which seems to become clean and fresh, just by fluffing and tidying it. (Casting Prestidigitation: Lasts 1hr, Can clean 1LB of material each round; 1round=6sec, 10r=1min, 100r=10min, etc)

As he works, things gradually seem better and more hospitable in the dank room.

(OOC: Cleaning up her bedding and things, probably her clothes and the dressing too, so that she can rest.)

[Ace Bronson]

The old man nods silently at the request and ambles off. He winds his way slowly through the muddy paths of the village and out past the last homes. He dutifully answers any questions posed to him, responding with short, matter of fact replies. The terrain becomes rocky and the vegetation is sparse shrubs and grasses. The pressing gloom is ever present. He leads the party to a small abandoned farm. It is clearly in disarray. There is a large pile of ashes, presumably where the bodies were burned. Inside the house, the signs of murder and mayhem are evident, toppled and broken furniture, scattered food, dishes and implements, and a disturbing amount of dried blood, spilled, and smeared far beyond what would result from a simple killing. It seems that all that had been done was removing and burning the bodies, the rest has been left as it was after the attack.

 

[Eborne1]

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Goran Halfbjorn  _{Dire-Bear Berserker}

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Goran smells the blood and death the moment he steps foot onto the farm. It isn't the warm and stimulating smell of a fresh kill. It is the smell of rot. He makes huffing grunts as he moves around the farm, studying the ground and occasionally gazing out from here or there toward the surrounding treeline, his nose tipped upward to the wind. He lets out a huffing groan as he enters the old wooden structure itself, where the rotting carnage nearly overwhelms his senses.

A week of rain has done its work obscuring the chaotic tracks, but he does his best to make sense of what remains.

---

Quick Stats

Human Form   (Medium)  Init 3  Speed 30  HP 36/36 STR 18, DEX 16, CON 14, INT 10, WIS 14, CHA 8 AC 20  Touch 16  Flat-footed 17 CMD 23 (25 vs PM) Fort: 7  Ref: 8  Will: 4 Base Attack Bonus (4) CMB +8 (+10 Powerful maneuvers) Primary Weapons: Shifter Claws (2) (at will) +9(1d4+4) - DR Silver/Cold Iron Club +8 (1d6+4) / Short Spears +7(1d6+4) 20ft Range Armor: Lamellar Leather (+4AC) (+3Dex) Conditions: None Special Abilities: Shifter Aspect (Bear) (+2 CON) (7/7 min/day) Wild Shape (Dire Bear) (7/7 hours/day)

Bear Form  (Large)    Init 2  Speed 40  HP 36/36 STR 22 DEX 14 CON 14 INT 10 WIS 14 CON 8 AC 21  Touch 17  Flat-footed 18 CMD 25(27 vs PM) Fort: 7 Ref: 7 Will: 4 Base Attack Bonus: (4) CMB +11 (+13 Powerful Maneuvers) Primary Weapons: Claws(2) +9(2d4+4)+Grab Bite +9(2d6+4)+Grab Armor: Natural Armor +4 Shifter Defensive Tactics +4 Conditions: None Special Abilities: Grab, Pounce, Low Light Vision, Scent: (30ft)

Combat Actions

Free:

Swift:

Move:

Standard:

Full Round:

Edited September 10, 2023 by Eborne1 (see edit history)

[Zaathun]

 

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Ranulf the Rooster  _{Human Raider}

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As the pendant seems to affect Alruna, Ranulf's hand darts to his belt, ready to draw a weapon. But the feeling is slow, and the magic is short-lived. He helps hold the wounded woman up, as the Skald seems to use magic to clean - a lazy choice, but if the Gods want him to have this, so they must. Greater deeds and all. He carefully places the woman back in the bed before the band leaves.

"A beast, indeed. No common raider, even one who serves gods of madness would do this.", the man states, as he glances at the ruination in the house, finding most of it even pointless. He tosses a quick glance at Alruna, before taking a closer look at the smears on the wall itself - perhaps even in this madness, there was some method.

---

Stats

Ranulf TN Human (URogue 4)

Init 5  Speed 30  HP 35/35
AC 21  Touch 16  Flat-footed 13 CMD 21
Fort 3  Ref 9  Will 2
Base Attack Bonus 3
Primary Weapon: Mwk Boarding Axe (2) (at will) +10(1d6+5)
Armor: Studded Leather Armour - Light Armor - (+3AC) (+5Dex) (+2 Shield when Weapons drawn) (+1 Combat Expertise, Threatening Defender)
Abilities:  Str 10, Dex 20, Con 14, Int 14, Wis 10, Cha 12
Conditions: None
Special Abilities

Sneak Attack +2d6
Debilitating Injury (Ex)
Minor Magic (Read Magic)

Combat Actions

Free:

Swift:

Move:

Standard:

Full Round:

[Svartalf]

Moving in a spiral away from the house, and ignoring the areas obviously trampled by her own group and by those who found the woman and burned the bodies, Blôdarna tries to discern if there are other tracks that might be of interest in the area.

 

tracking roll

Edited September 10, 2023 by Svartalf (see edit history)

[Ace Bronson]

The party spreads out at the ruined farmhouse, each looking for their own clues about what happened and how. The tracks outside are old now, obscured both by time, rain and the coming and going of villagers. There is a lingering scent that Goran's sensitive nose detects ever so faintly, something he has not experienced before, a rank, bitter bestial scent but not quite natural. Blodarna finds a couple foot prints clear enough to decipher and finds herself perplexed. They are cloven hooves, like that of a goat but much larger than any goat she has seen.

As they are searching, the true darkness of night begins to settle in. Torches are lit. From far off, carried by the night wind, a woman's scream find's their ears. At first it was easy to doubt what they had heard, but again it comes, and again, then cuts short. Goran's ears, sharper than the others feel certain of the direction. It would take some time to get there in such darkness, but haste is made where it can be...