Loki's Laughter

Loki's balls! This band i find myself teamed with are a frustrating lot! Vikings who fear the sea and hide in the shadows during a fight so as not to be injured! We shall not live forever, better to die as a viking than as a cowardly southlander. I for one will spend my next two days working in a forge and my nights feasting, drinking and fucking. All Hail Wotan!

Nargenstal wrap up

This is to serve as a game note to record numbers killed and treasure gathered. If these numbers are different from what I said saturday night, this post is meant to be the record. Let me know of discrepancies, though.

Killed: 14 kobolds, 2 trollkin warriors,  1 ogre, and 1 dhampir hunter.
Escaped: 14 kobolds, 1 trollkin warrior, 1 trollkin shaman although these escaped, full XP will be awarded
Treasure awarded
Hunter
     light warhorse
     compound longbow +3 strength bonus
     20 arrows
     hide armor
Trollkin warriors
     2 leather armor
     2 longspears
     6 javelins
Ogre
     +1 large longspear
     3 large throwing axes
     large size hide armor
Kobolds
     14 slings, with 50 lead bullets, and a bunch of rocks
     14 medium sized daggers
     14 small sized spears
     14 small sized leather armor
all the above had a few coins in a pouch, after all it is a reaving party.
after some random rolls a total of 162 cp, 66 sp, and 12 gp were found amongst the reavers.
The villagers reward the party with 200 sp.
this list does not include the orog encounter at the outpost, that is detailed in an earlier review.

Machinations of Loki

The quiet whirring of gears and minuscule piston-drives busily rotating and churning out what looks like life from automatons and clock-works constructs is the back ground noise of most of Asgard, emanating from the palaces, homes, bridges and constructions. Huge machines rotated nonstop, providing constant power to the physical and magical gridirons of the realms. Mechanical messengers buzzed back and forth in the open starlit areas between holds and castles. All the clicking and clacking blended to make a soothing drone that Loki took great pleasure in. Seated across the chess board was a personal construct, a gift given him not long ago. The clockwork was quite advanced, with a speciality in strategy games and logic.  It was created with an intelligence to learn patterns of opponents and evolve plans, mainly in chess.  It was a mastercraft construct, built on equations and principles that were stringently rigid, a paragon of true harmonious law. Loki had spent weeks locked in strategic combat with the automaton, an ebb and flow of wins and losses flowing like tides. But the last few hours, the feel was different. People had begun to gather to watch a game of growing legend, and Loki called for a pause. He implored the construct to consider that they had played to a stalemate, and they had only one choice to declare one a better master of strategy- change one rule in the game, play one game. The best player will make the adjustment to win. The spirit within the clock-man was intrigued, and agreed. Loki would make one rule change, and the clockwork would have first turn.after three hours, the clock-man was starting to overheat, but neither man had achieved an advantage.  In six hours, loud squeals and squeaks had turned to a cacophony as the clock-work was under extreme stress trying to win a game that had been sabotaged by Loki.  The rule change put it so that it was practically impossible to not end in a tie. Loki laughed as it was torn apart by it own rules and laws.

It was a clever Sif who saw the reality of what Loki had done. He changed one rule, halfway through an arranged plan, and the entire construct, the whole exercise completely fell apart. She watched Loki laugh maniacally, just as happy to destroy the construct as he was to own it.

This was the lesson Sif was thinking of when Thor first told her of Loki's plan to build a team of Nortlander Raiders to spread and strengthen their masks in the southlands. That was a reasonable and believable reason to commit to mortal heroes, to be sure. But what was the second part of the plan? Why did he need this team of mythic heroes?

Orathian Bjomolf

Orathian Bjomolf wandered away from his home at the young age of nine while following a white wolf cub. Lost and alone Orathian and Ghost was, over the years, raised by the kindness of an community of northlanders learning how to tan hide and craft leather goods. Starting as a warrior, training with many of other boys, his love of nature and his survival instincts however continually led him and his animal companion into the wilds of Midguard where many others feared to go.

Over the next ten years Orathien watched Ghost grow to become a cunning hunter and steadfast companion. This however never sat well with most of the local people who each year either hoped the wolf would run off or be killed by the folly of one of the gods.

His hand at leathercraft and animal handing earned him a reasonable honest wage and everything was well until one of the villagers took it upon himself to frame Ghost for killing his live stock. It was an obvious lie, but it was all that was needed to get the majority of people to support the claim that Ghost was a threat.

That was earlier this winter, now nineteen, Orathien has abandoned the path of common warrior to becoming a pack lord druid. Now with his companion Ghost, and his new friends, Orathien travels headlong bravely to their destiny.

Review 12/20/2014 (Ruins, Horses, Nargenstal)

It was only an ogre. 

A short time after the Spring Gathering, where agreements are met and feuds are settled our new group of travelers met up at a central meeting landmark. Our ppurpose was to travel to Nargenstal and retrieve two horses each; the fruition of deals brokered two seasons ago. We come together not as strangers but as acquaintances having seeing each other before maybe once or twice a season.  

Vorware Undhin, a trickster of Loki. Elisa Berit, the lovely Bard. Draco Morn, expert fighter. Arnum Stormcloak, cleric of Thor. Orathian Bjomolf a pack lord Durid.

Together as we traveled closer to Nargenstal, exchanging stories of the Ice-Spiders with its blood that won’t freeze and who’s venom freezes its victims we come to a crossroads equidistant from Nargenstal to the south east and some ruins to the south west. We decide to boldly stride head-long to unknown dangers and the smell of cooking horses.

First Orog kill and fist to fall. 

At the ruins we encounter three orogs and an ogre who have managed to escape with some horses (our horses) from Nargenstal (which we later learned is sacked). Thanks to Draco, who felled the original orog, Elisa who with her bow dropped the other two orogs, while Arnum put the ferocious ogre down staining the ruins with its blood.

Gathering what resources we could: 1 large sets of hide armor, 4 large javelins, 3 set of half plate, 3 great axes, 20 normal javelins, 3 composite short bows str +2, 120 arrows, and some silver that we immediately split up we camped.

The day was late so we dumped the bodies into the sea and rested before our full day travel to Nargenstal. On the road we discover evidence that Nargenstal has been sacked. Leaving our 5-7 horses in a couple of near-by hovels we scout further, Orathian sending his wolf Ghost out to great effect.

Soon we came across an old man named Ottur. Ottur is a man in his 40s who was over joyed at seeing anything other than the creatures that sacked his home. He described the reaving raiders as

Felled two Orogs with her amazing archery skill. 

mixed races who killed the men and took the women and children who are held up in the Great Barn. They seemed to be led by a giant or ogre, 'tall as a house' Ottur claimed, and was aided by dragon-kin (kobolds). Two days ago the Moss Back Reavers came but also with a mysterious ‘hunter’ who was looking for something.

He mentions two cowards from Nargenstal, Svakia a human ‘singer’ and Duminac a dwarf; but he was out looking for his lost pigs. We told him of the hovels back up the path and to heed the care of our horses until our return, to which he happily agreed.

After a half hour of scouting we conclude Nargenstal was a community of 40-50 individuals, fishermen and such. There was the Great Barn and a place called the Frost Maiden where the giant/ogre sees over 3 troll-kins, and the kobolds.

We begin next session with a wet offensive coming in through Valfish Bay Bitches!

Beginnings

Thor sat at the end of his feast table, alone in his great hall. He stared out into the void, peering at the brilliant, distant, countless points of light he knew to be other worlds. His ears strained, concentrating on the rush of Midgard's oceans as they roared against and over the scales of Auroborous at the world's edges. Midgard was the world closest to his own, Asgard, and in many ways was the most important to him.
     "Stop your brooding, Lord of Thunder." Sif  set a huge flagon before the moody countenance of her husband.  "I shall not apologize for my words and you would be wise to heed them"
     Thor reached for the flagon of ambrosia, and Sif could see the storms recede from his eyes. "My brother is misunderstood by those that love him, so I understand your mistrust. What you, and father, and all the others fail to see is this: Loki does as he must. It is his nature, he can not be other than Loki. For all the trouble he causes the rest of us, he is as strong as any against our enemies, and has taught us as much about the monsters of the universe as he has exposed us to them. He too is a son of  Wotan, and I believe he is right this time."
     Sif drank from her husbands cup and considered her words carefully. "You will do as you see fit Thor, and you have my blessings and hope that all works to your favor. But remember this, your brothers interests are not the same as your own, so tread carefully and mind his tricky nature."

Notes from game session 8/30 & 9/20

Forgive the auto correct errors. Pasted from my IPad.

Digging in the dirt

We start the night with some random  (nemonic vestment) rolls found in the mansion & add 50gp from the Dark Sphere. Zandu sends a massage to Jolistina father saying he is available to discuss the events of his daughters death.

Tony & Rob see some Grey Maidens on the street. They have a memorable flashback with a lanky individual & some undead. The women turning ashen and collapsing as they come into the area of the lanky man. Rob grabs a maiden and asks if he knows her. She disregards his questions and thanks him for admiring her form and trying to help. We head back to citadel vulshnic and rest for the night.  Tony, Rob,& James are plagued with nightmares. Though the rest of us sleep uneasy.

We are awaken by members of pharasma there is an uprising in the grey's and they need assistance. We meet with Crasida and she lets us know Roth's lair has been found. She give Rob his family Crest on a tabard and says go get them!

We head towards the church and see a see of bones in an large area of what looks like eternal night.  We are ambushed by some flying creatures and battle ensues.

We eliminate the both burbling & a BODAK and head into the crypts below.

We run into an undead Minotaur of blood & 3 manananggal ( WTF) a female torso with wings...it's Horrific! We fight our way through a few epic battles and eventually end up eliminating a magic jared Rolth. We discover that someone is controlling the caster known as Rolth. There could be more "Roth's" out there.

We save some females from becoming Gray maidens and will split up loot next game. We get 6,000xp.

The Hospice of the blessed maiden

After splitting treasure we head back to citadel vulshnic. The burning of body's has filled the air with a foul Black smoke. We come across a group of guards auguring about a group of grey maidens. The maidens had killed over 100 people and some guards want to take action. One of the guards breaks off and heads towards Crasidas office / James and Butch follow. The rest of us stay to talk to the anger guards.   Crasida arrives and cuts the conversation short.  

After a brief conversation with the guard that broke off James does some remote viewing and watches him search Crasidas offices. On Crasidas request we bring him to her for some lighthearted questioning with broken teeth and his ears filled with wax we leave him to be handled by Crasidas men as we head to the war room to plan.

She asks us to check the hospice. Rolths hand in the grey maiden project and now the maidens turning on citizens we need to find out what is happening their.

We also find out that old Corvosa has been quarantined. And all the wooden bridges have have been destroyed. 

After we rest we head to the church of Abadar. The church has been locked down since last night as a group of undead had attacked. The outside sick outside. With a chime of opening we enter the main chamber and find 6 ghoul like (corpulent) undead and a necromancer. Battle ensues.

After a ruff combat we eliminate the ghouls but the necromancer was never seen and managed to escape by the end.
 We meet with Ebesco and return complete the deal we had with them (see Rats note). Ishani went to the Hospice and has not been heard from since.

We start next game heading to the hospice to finish this horrific situation.