Session 24: Deadly Waters and the End of a Long Hunt

General Summary

The Storm Eaters awoke on the 30th day after Midsommar, benefitting from a safe and comfortable night in the Sorrow's Rest in Hafrsted after their long and challenging trek from the Elvish Gardens. They decided to procure needed supplies in the city's market and seek out Herja, the captain of the vessel that was to take them to Thaneshall. But their plans would have to wait, as a pair of shieldmaidens awaited them in the common room of the Sorrow's Rest. The acting Jarl of Hafrsted, a huscarl by the name of Rorik Rockchin, had learned of their presence in his city and had questions for the group of strange and powerful adventurers.
Along the way to the Jarl's hall, the Storm Eaters were followed by a small pack of curious children and a few equally curious old women, all drawn by the astonishing sight of a Vaettir, a Tomte, and a Ghost druid. Halstein played tricks and games with the children, which caused a bit of a distraction that allowed Maldgrim to use his spectral hand and illusion magic to disappear into a market stall. As the Storm Eaters continued on and noticed that the sentient helmet was not with them, Maldgrim then telepathically spoke to all of them. He apologized for his arrogance and cowardice and stated that he could not go where they were going, so he must take his leave. He also warned them against the treachery of wizards and told them to take caution in their dealings with the Lodge Eldritch. With mixed emotions regarding the departure of their new companion, the Storm Eaters each made their peace with Maldgrim's exit and then continued along with their shieldmaiden escort.

Hafrsted

The Storm Eaters followed their escort to the Jarl's hall, which had been built upon the ruins of the elven king's palace of Aerlathir. A ring of ancient and enchanted standing stones the elves had erected still encircled the Jarl's hall, which the companions learned deadened magic within their span. Inside the Jarl's hall the companions saw the mighty, centuries-old oak tree the hall was built around, and the fabled elven sword buried within it that none could remove. Upon the simple throne before the oak tree sat Rorik Rockchin, a brute of a man with an axe few could lift, let alone wield. Huddled on the floor next to Rorik was an old woman nearly grown over with moss and lichen. Rorik introduced her as "The Voice of the Lichen", and as he did so, she crushed some lichen in her weathered hands which enchanted the Storm Eaters to only speak truth. Svagnir was intrigued by how she made magic within the deadening circle of standing stones and concluded that it was probably a form of herbalism rather than sorcery.
After a few questions Rorik concluded that the Storm Eaters were not a threat to his city and information was traded between the acting Jarl and the group of adventurers. The Storm Eaters learned that a few weeks ago a man named Galdur, another member of the Death Speaker druids of Ghostfalls, had passed through Hafrsted. Svagnir recalled that Galdur was a senior member of the circle and was always accompanied by a large, menacing dog. Rorik said Galder had left Hafrsted on a boat heading for the Axe Breaker Isles, seeking answers to mysteries his druidic circle sought. The Storm Eaters also learned that the Axe Breaker Isles were now considered a cursed place and avoided by all those on the water. If the tales were true, the men that once lived upon the isles had gone mad or become monsters, who now hunted the waters around their islands. They were called the Pale Men.
The Storm Eaters were not as forthcoming with information as Rorik wanted, and the acting Jarl told them it would be best if they left Hafrsted upon the morrow, which the adventurers agreed to do. Upon leaving the Jarl's hall the companions went to the market and procured a variety of equipment, food, and goods to aid them upon their quest.
The Storm Eaters then went to the docks seeking the boat the Lodge had arranged to take them to Thaneshall where Skordal Skullbearer awaited them. They spotted a deadly looking dragonship, painted completely black and reinforced with steel ramparts and a ramming prow. They hoped this was to be their ship, and soon discovered that it was. They were brought on board by the first mate, an archer by the name of Kerstig, and introduced to Captain Herja. Herja was an aging but still strong woman almost as wide as she was tall, with white hair and ashy skin (which made Ottar ponder if she had some dwarvish blood in her ancestry). Direct and gruff, Herja roughly welcomed the passengers aboard her vessel, The Darkness, and made final preparations to depart upon the morrow as the Storm Eaters requested. Herja took a shine to Halstein and procured a large amount of cheese before setting sail so that she could spoil the tomte during the voyage.

Herja, Captain of The Darkness

The Storm Eaters spent one last night at the Sorrow's Rest, and at dawn on the 31st day after Midsommar departed Hafrsted aboard The Darkness. As the first day of the five-day voyage passed, they each noticed strange things in the water. The eye or hand of a huge woman barely noticeable beneath a curling wave, then vanishing. The unnatural curl of some sea spray to soak them. A subtle voice in the lapping of the waves on the sides of the boat, whispering "revenge" over and over. The Storm Eaters told Herja about these oddities and the seasoned sea captain asked if they had done some wrong to Ranbedr, the fickle giantess that haunts the Throat of the World. The Storm Eaters remembered that they had slain Vintior Bluehand, a servant of Ranbedr, in the lair of Scalding Rain. They decided to try to make amends with Ranbedr by offering her magical items, which they recalled is what Vintior had wanted from them before they killed him. The companions ritualistically offered a magical wolf cloak and a token that could turn into a tree to the giantess of the sea. After their sacrifice a voice came to them upon the breaking waves, "You took from me. You took my blue hand. Feed the waves each day or face my wrath."
Not excited about sacrificing a magical item daily to Ranbedr, the Storm Eaters weighed what they should do for the remaining four days of the voyage to placate the angry giantess of the waves. By the end of the day The Darkness sailed uneventfully through the Ice Breaker Straights, making good time on the voyage to Thaneshall.
On the 32nd day after Midsommar the voyage continued uneventfully until the sunset, when the route brought them just to the east of the Axe Breaker Isles. As the gloom of night started to curl around the southbound vessel, a thick fog formed making it even more difficult to see. That is when Svagnir and Ottar, with their sharp ears, heard the sound of another vessel approaching out of the foggy twilight, and approaching unnaturally fast! The alarm was sent up and the companions and crew readied for battle. Not a moment later a strange dragonship emerged from the dark fog and pulled alongside The Darkness. Its timbers were rotten, its sails tattered, its entire hull seemed bent and bowed. It was crewed by men that looked dead, but who were not dead, and made no sound. Their bodies were emaciated and pale, and they wore masks of white bone. Among their number was a rotten and decrepit giant, also wearing what looked to be a mask of bone and skull. At the helm was another man that looked dead but wasn't and also bore the traditional face paint of a Death Speaker druid. Beside him was a large skeletal dog. He used strange magic to control the water beneath his ship, so it could move unnaturally fast and catch The Darkness. The Storm Eaters assumed this to be Galdur, but something terrible must have happened to him and his dog as they were not as Svagnir remembered them. These must be the feared Pale Men of the Axe Breaker Isles!

What had become of Galdur?

As the two boats came along side each other, the Pale Men began to board The Darkness and battle ensued. Halstein planted himself where the fighting was thickest, with Herja at his side. They drew the attention of the bulk of the boarders and the massive giant. Janicka and Ottar hung back from the heart of the melee, along with the first mate Kerstig, and fired volleys of arrows at various foes. Svangir summoned a pair of giant octopi to pull some of the Pale Men into the sea. Chaos and death reigned across the decks of the two ships.
Halstein took a savage wound from the axe of the giant, and his black, oily Eater's blood ran down his stoney skin. When Galdur saw this, he immediately called for a cease to the battle, saying, "Fellow children of death, our apologies for attacking. You are welcome guests at our master's table, and the lord of the great inevitable will wish to have words with you." Many on the battlefield paused, wondering what to make of this offering. But not Halstein. The tiny tomte warrior attacked the giant without question or pause, plunging the entire assemblage back into bloody battle. Galdur summoned a cloud of poisonous gas that covered much of The Darkness' deck. Several of the crew choked to death, and Eiuin, who was down in the ship's open hold, also choked on the gas, bringing her near to death. Svagnir's giant octopi then grappled Galdur and pulled him deep into the water, eliminating the dangerous spellcaster from the fight.
The battle raged on. One by one the Pale Men fell to the Storm Eaters and the crew of The Darkness until there were only a few remaining. Halstein took punishing blows from the giant but miraculously stood his ground. Ottar and Janicka aided the tomte by wounding the giant with arrows and healing the tiny warrior. Finally, the mighty giant fell. Beneath the waves, Galdur did battle with the giant octopi, but without being able to speak and cast spells, he could do little. Eventually the mighty former Ghost druid fell to the onslaught of the beasts. But the soon-to-be victory did not come without sacrifice.
As Janicka aided in the fight with the giant, she took a side glance down into the hold at Eiuin. She looked down just in time to watch the last spark of life fade from her beloved goat's eyes. And then, before the Vaettir could even contemplate the loss and sadness, Eiuin transformed into a woman! Naked as a newborn baby, a statuesque redheaded woman now lay where the goat had died, blue tattoos covering her well-muscled body. She coughed and rose to her feet, a bewildered and confused look on her savage face. As Janicka and this strange woman made eye contact, one of the few remaining Pale Men attacked the Vaettir. The redhead woman growled with rage and suddenly grew nearly three times her size! With ease she crushed the remaining Pale Men with her bare hands. The Storm Eaters and the remaining crew looked on in shock and confusion. If what they knew of the gods were true, this had to be Eika, the goddess of the wilds and the hunt!

Eika, goddess of the wilds and the hunt

Once the threat was completely eliminated, Eika looked down to Janicka. She seemed to be trying to speak, but it was as if she had forgotten how, or lost the ability to. Janicka spoke soothing words of friendship, hoping the goddess would not be violent. The bewildered goddess gave the Vaettir a longing look, then pointed to the corpses of all the Pale Men and forced one stumbling word from her lips, "Hrymm". Then with a shake of her mighty head, as if trying to force the fog from her mind, Eika dove into the water and vanished beneath the waves, leaving both boats rocking perilously with the sudden loss of her gigantic weight.
A stunned silence fell over all aboard. So much had happened in just the last few minutes. Pale Men had attacked and tried to make peace with them to have an audience with their master (who was perhaps Hrymm, the god of the dead), a peace that had been shattered by Halstein's attack. Galdur, a senior member of the Ghostfall druids had somehow been involved and was apparently leading the Pale Men? And then the greatest mystery of all: Eiuin had been Eika all along! Somehow the goddess had become a giant goat and forgotten who she was? Several of the Storm Eaters recalled a myth about Eika becoming an animal as part of a bet with Keitel, the god of trickery, and staying in animal from for so long that she forgets who she truly is. Was this what had happened? And if so, why had Eika been drawn to become Janicka's companion? Was it coincidence, or did it have something to do with the strange scars on the Vaettir's hands? It seems the fate of more than one god is entwined with this band of brave adventurers!
Perhaps time (and a few speak with dead spells from Svagnir) will unravel a few of these mysteries...

Report Date

16 Aug 2023