Night was falling by the time I’d arrived. I had yet to spend a night in Norlund and the shadows cast by the thick of the trees only highlighted the ill of the world.
Ulric was there to greet us, his men rousing a fire for a celebration, during times like these celebrations are important. Tradition becomes more important, it fills our hearts with thoughts of better days. As newcomers and guests we were invited to participate in their traditions. We were invited to learn.
The festival was about Sigurd, a hero of theirs that was famed for going toe to toe with Fafnir, a dwarf turned dragon by curse and treachery.
Victorious, Sigurd accepted the ring and was overcome by greed, and turned on his people. He thought to strike even Odin, and in this was folly. His people turned on him, and were victorious. With Odin’s aid, they entombed his corpse, and sealed him and some of his loyal dead away.
Imbued with Odin’s essence, his sword, now shattered, was the only thing that may open the tomb. And only on a specific day of the year.
We learned these things through story. We learned these things through traditional games. We learned that Chi and Loken, and the people of the Realms in general, are exceptionally good at Jenga, Viking style.
The night was merry and light, with death and danger looming over the morrow.
And so it was as dawn broke, our spirits didn't. Rather we were envigored with a hope for a world that doesn't need to die. We solved ancient puzzles, and riddles, and maps and math. We sought pieces of the sword and defended them from the villainy of the cruel. We defended them from the power hungry. We defended them from Thoril.
In all honesty, Thoril did a lot of the work to obtain the pieces of the sword, even if he was grabby about the pieces once we found them. At this point, perhaps he got more than he deserved.
We carried on, down the road, and came across the villainous Gunner, descendant of Sigurd. Gunner and his men had been collecting the pieces as well, and Gunner made a claim on a right to them. He demanded we hand them over. I, perhaps a bit rash, just outwardly told him no. This broke down any hope of peace talk, and we clashed. The people of the realms were victorious, and we looted Gunner’s corpse.
With all the pieces of the blade, we were able to reforge the sword, with the careful and adept hands of Roland of Eagles Rook hammering away. With the blade in our possession, we took time to rest, allowing the sky to align to proper position for us to enter the tomb.
With night having fallen again, and no one willing to help it back up, we adventured to the tomb. Ulric had taken the time to warn us of the undead plaguing the tomb. He’d told us that there would be crystals of power that they’d carry, corrupted by the ring, and in order to pass into the next section of the tomb, we’d have to quell them. We were gifted with a lantern that shined to this very purpose, snuffing out corruption in all its forms.
The tomb itself was a series of traps and puzzles, of the arcane nature. With teamwork and exploration, with patience, and vengeance we were able to progress our way beyond the undead plague, and further and further into the tomb.
The center of the tomb, was shrouded in a rumble from the beyond. Before we could see it, we could hear the call of Sigurd, now transformed by his greed, by the curse of the ring. Entering the inner sanctum, we could see the beast. Massive in nature, it’s flesh dripping from its bones. It’s very gaze the cause of our destruction.
Flashes of green left many of us dead. Noxious fumes filled the air, yet still many of us managed to slip around the swaying doom of the beast. We ripped its flesh from it’s bones, many of us using our bare hands. Peeling it away to find it’s core. Iawen and Thoril both dove in through it’s ribcage, tearing out bits and pieces to bring the beast down.
In the end, we were victorious. Sigurd was dispatched. What I didn’t tell you was our plan, and how it potentially went awry at this point in the story. I had spent a good portion of this quest seeking to sway others into my belief in a third option. That we didn’t need to cause Ragnarok, and that we didn’t need to let the world snuff out either. Largely, I’d felt successful, and before we’d ventured into the tomb, the group of adventurers had spoken. I told them of my thoughts, and largely it seemed we were agreed. We knew we could purify the ring, with Sigurd’s Sword, but we’d be using up Odin’s essence in the process. We knew we could destroy the ring. But at the time it was unclear what that would mean for the essence, for the world. We decided that we would do neither, immediately. We’d give the ring to Borjid, as he among us, was most likely able to resist the corruption it possessed. We agreed to let him to be the first to touch it. To be the first to pick it up.
It wasn’t Borjid though. Thoril, having dove into the beast slunk through the gobs and goo, and found the ring, a bracelet, really, and put it on. I saw it by my own eyes. He claimed he didn’t know it was the ring. He tossed it aside before Gordon could smite him. For a scary moment we thought we’d lost it. Regardless, Thoril had betrayed us, and that is not something I will soon forget.
In the end his betrayal cost us nothing. The ring didn’t activate quickly enough for that to happen. It didn’t activate quickly enough for anything to happen to Borjid either, who wore it as we strode back to camp.
I spoke to Ulric, and it became clear that destroying the ring would purify Odin’s essence. I spoke to the crowd of us, and let them know it was our greatest opportunity for a good ending for these realms. No one opposed me, it was decided we would destroy the ring. Gordon suggested we let Ulric do it, and we did, deciding it would be the first steps for him to become a hero for his lands, as he’s so adamant that he’s not.
I don’t want you to think this is an anticlimactic ending. For one thing, it’s not an ending. It’s the beginning of a new leg in our journey, where we’ll find the answers to the third option. For another, we slayed a friggin dragon, and got the purified essence of a god as our reward. It was awesome!
If you have any questions about what we’re going to do next, please feel free to ask me. I’ll see you on the field.
Prince Saegan of Blackwood
