Tales of the Ironlands

Kalyra Sophisdottir

Episode 11: The Road to Eidynholt

Recap

Last time, on Tales of the Ironlands, Kalyra finished her investigation of the lost elven village near Peilinham. From the spirit of a dead elf, she learned that it had once been the home of the Shatu tribe, but that one of their Kocari — a woman named Pala — had become deathtouched, and then forsworn her vow to the Black Lady. When Pala died once more, she returned as a Barren, and killed the Shatu tribe with a terrible disease called the Singing Death. The spirit told Kalyra that the Barren Pala left after that, but it did not know where she went. Kalyra promised to put down the Barren, and then tell the spirit.

Together with Einari, Kalyra returned to her home village of Peilinham. There she reported her father’s fate to her mother, Sophi Enyasdottir, and confronted Sophi about her involvement with the Barren. Sophi was able to confirm that she had made a bargain of some sort with the Barren, but was unable to tell Kalyra the details. Sophi is apparently magically bound in ways that prevent her from speaking about her bargain. When Kalyra asked if anyone else knew about it, Sophi told her that her teacher Halfdan Groasson had known about it, but that he was long dead, and buried in the catacombs of Eidynholt.

Kalyra stayed in Peilinham for a week, recuperating from her trials and resupplying; and then she set out for Eidynholt, where she hopes to raise Halfdan Groasson’s spirit and learn the nature of her mother’s bargain from him. The exiled elf Einari joined her once again, this time with the understanding that although he values her, he is not convinced Kalyra is fully committed to honoring her vow to the Black Lady, and intends to watch her until she can prove her intent to him.

Session Report

Undertake a Journey, with +1 for starting from a bonded community. This is a Dangerous journey. 5v2/1, strong hit. Marked progress, opted not to trade supply for momentum.

The journey takes Einari and Kalyra through the Havens: one of the more heavily settled areas of the country (at least, settled by humans). There is not a road exactly, but a path. It is not paved, but a track that has been cleared and is mostly maintained. The two of them walk along through the mid-Spring weather and chat with one another.

“So how do you expect to find out about your mother’s bargain with this Barren?” says Einari.

“She told me that her teacher Halfdan Groasson knew about it.”

“So we’re going to go talk to him?”

“It may not be quite that easy,” she says, “On account of he’s been dead for 30 years. So I am hoping I may be able to talk with his spirit.”

“Brrr,” Einari says, shivering a bit. “You deathtouched make me uneasy.”

“Yes, I can see that,” she says, uncomfortable once again. “But that’s the only path that I have open before me. So that’s the path I must tread.”

“You were able to speak with that spirit in the Shatu tribe’s village,” Einari says. “Was it difficult?”

“Not especially,” she says. “I was quiet for a time, and then I called it, and it came.”

“Do you think it will be just as easy?”

“I have no idea. I’m new to this! Let’s ... talk about something else,” she says.

And the two of them talk about their childhoods. Einari tells her about the long lessons and training that he underwent in the Skaren tribe, preparing him for a leadership role that never materialized. Kalyra tells him about growing up in Peilinham, being taught herbalism by her mother (who is a really excellent healer) and sword work by her father, as well as an introduction to the basics of hunting, gathering plants — all the skills that she’s shown to date.

At the end of the day they make camp alongside the road, just slightly removed from it, inside of a clearing that has been left there by previous travelers. There is an existing fire pit, the rocks stained with the soot of many previous uses. So they make camp for the evening. Make Camp: 9v8/7, strong hit, took +1 on next Undertake a Journey. None of the other benefits were applicable.

The night passes uneventfully. The two of them share a dinner — Einari brings down a small goose which foolishly got separated from its flock, and the two of them have roast goose for dinner. In the morning it occurs to Kalyra that she has not got a sword. She left her father’s sword behind, because it was the weapon on which she swore her vow to save him from the primordial that she was unable to fulfill. She now has a spear instead. She rises early and takes the spear; practices with it a little bit. She has used spears before, mostly when hunting boars, but not so much as a weapon of war. She spends some time getting familiar with the balance. Then, as the sun is burning away the last of the mists and Einari is preparing breakfast, she takes the blade in her hands and listens: listens for the cries of those it has killed. Keen ritual, with a +1 from her deathtouched path because this involves invoking the spirits of the dead. 5v5/9. Miss. Paid the Price: 77, it is stressful.

Kalyra reaches out for the spirits of those this weapon has slain in its time; but rather than hearing singing she hears squeals of pain — the shrieks of things cut short. It seems that this weapon has been used as a hunting weapon, not a weapon of war to date, and so the spirits that she has reached out to are animals. She wasn’t expecting that, and the discordant cries that come back to her instead of the song she was expecting leave her unnerved. Suffered 1 spirit, and Endured Stress: 7v3/2, strong hit. -1 momentum to regain the lost Spirit.

“That was unexpected,” she says.

“What are you doing?” asks Einari.

“Hmm? Oh! Well, I was ... it’s a thing I can do. I can make a keen for the spirits of those that a weapon has slain, and then they come to my aid when I’m fighting with it.”

“More deathtouched nonsense ...”

“Oh, no!” she says. “I could do this even before I became deathtouched. But this weapon has not been used in combat with other people. It’s been used as a hunting weapon — mostly boars, I think. The spirits of animals speak differently than those of people. It was unexpected. Let me try again.” Keen. 6v6/6. Miss with a twist.

Once again Kalyra reaches out for the spirits in the weapon, trying to keen along with them in ways that will assuage their animal nature. And once again she fails. Suffered 1 spirit damage. Endure Stress: 4v3/10, weak hit, she presses on. And now for the twist...

“I don’t think it’s going to work,” she says. “Not with this weapon. It would need to be blooded with human blood before it would work, I think.”

“Well, that’s not exactly something we should be hoping for!” Einari says.

“I agree,” she says. “With any luck I won’t even need to use this.” She sighs and pauses a moment. “I wish I had a sword.”

“Why don’t you have a sword, anyway?” he asks.

She drops her gaze and sits down opposite him. “I swore my vow to rescue my father on that sword. When I lost the vow, it only feels appropriate that I lose the sword. I left it at home over the fireplace, with mother.”

“Seems pretty silly if you ask me. I mean ...”

“Don’t you criticize me! This is important to me. If you swear vow, you must keep it.”

“I suppose you’re right,” he says. Marked progress on her vow to demonstrate her commitment to Einari. It’s Formidable, so that’s just 1/10.

After breakfast they pack up and resume their travels towards Eidynholt. Undertake a Journey, +1 from Make Camp. 9v6/7, strong hit. Marked progress, did not trade supply for momentum.

Partway through the day they cross a river which flows down from the Hinterlands and through into the Havens, making its way southeast. They cross with no particular issue. It’s shallow and broad. The stones at the bottom are smooth — worn away by the water of many centuries. The spring is growing notably warmer — partially because the season is advancing, but also because they are slowly going a little further south. Kalyra begins to notice crocuses peeking up their heads. Also daffodils, and snow bells of course have been out for a while.

That evening they find another camp site similar to the previous one. “Hmm! That’s convenient,” says Einari.

“Well of course,” Kalyra says. “People travel back and forth along this path all the time, and they can get about as far in a day going in either direction. So people establish camps, and then later people use the same camps, and eventually you have semipermanent camping spots along the side of the trail.”

“Hmm! That make sense, I suppose,” he says. And so they settle in for the night. Make Camp: 8v2/9, weak hit. +1 on next Undertake a Journey.

In the morning they pack up and head out once more. Undertake a Journey: 5v3/7, weak hit. Marked progress, -1 supply. The day passes uneventfully. They have been using some of the supplies that they brought from Peilinham.

Towards the end of the day they come to a human settlement.

“What is this place called?” Einari says.

“Here we are,” Kalyra says. “Orvindal.”

Orvindal is a moderately large settlement — larger than Peilinham, consisting of perhaps 20 or 30 homes. They also have a large hall. There is a Jarl or a leader of some sort here. It’s beginning to get dim when they finally make their way to the gates of Orvindal.

“Who goes?” says a guard, standing up from where he has been keeping watch from a seat by the side of the gate.

“Kalyra Sophisdottir of Peilinham, and Einari formerly of the Skaren tribe of elves.”

“Let me get a look at you,” says the guard, and Kalyra stands still and lets the guard look them up and down. Asked the Oracle: Is there going to be any trouble entering Orvindal because Kalyra is deathtouched? Thought it was likely. 26+ means yes. Got 85.

“What’s wrong with yer eyes?” says the guard.

“Oh, well ... I’m what they call deathtouched,” she says.

“Deathtouched, huh? Don’t like the sound of that. You wait here, I’m gonna ask whether it’s all right to let you in.” Kalyra and Einari look at one another and the guard disappears within. There is another guard who has not yet said anything; he keeps an eye on the two of them as they stand there.

After a while, the guard returns accompanied by a somewhat elderly woman wearing a long white linen robe belted about the middle with a sash. She also has a fur cloak of some sort of dark gray fur — perhaps wolf — about her shoulders. Her hair is mostly gray at this point, and her face is strong and stern. She looks to be in her early 50s.

“These are them,” the guard says. “An elf, and the lady says she’s ‘deathtouched’, whatever that means.”

The woman looks the two of them up and down. “I am Sigrun,” she says. “A priestess of Lachless the Sage. I see that you bear the mark of the deathtouched. What is your business in Orvindal?”

“I have no business in Orvindal, really. I’m just passing through. We plan to stay for the night, and then move on. We’re headed for Eidynholt.”

“Hmm. And you?” she says to Einari.

“Greetings, Madame. I am Einari, formerly of the Skaren ...”

“Formerly?” she says.

“I was exiled following a leadership dispute.”

“And your business in Orvindal?”

“As with my friend Kalyra here, I am merely looking for a night’s lodging before moving on. I’m accompanying her on her journey to Eidynholt.”

“Please madame, we just want someplace to sleep for the night. And perhaps we can purchase supplies in the market before we move on. Other than that, we don’t intend to stay,” Kalyra says. Compel +heart: 9v6/9, weak hit; Sigrun wants something in exchange. Asked the Oracle: what does Sigrun the priestess of Lachless from Orvindal want in exchange for allowing Kalyra and Einari to enter the town? Rolled on theme: 70, destiny. Rolled on action: 73, deliver. Deliver destiny.

“Hmmm,” says Sigrun. “I suppose that we can allow you in for the night, and some shopping in the morning, perhaps. However, in exchange I wish you to carry a message for me to Eidynholt.”

“Oh! Well, certainly,” Kalyra says. “We’re headed there anyway. Who is the message for?”

“The message is for my colleague Thorvaldr, another priest of Lachless who dwells in Eidynholt. If you will accompany me, I will write the message out and hand it to you, and then show you where you may sleep for the night.

“Let them in,” she says to the two guards.

“All right, lady,” says the guard. “In you go. Mind you don’t make no trouble.”

Kalyra and Einari follow Sigrun into the town. “Who is this Lachless that you are a priestess of?” asks Einari.

Sigrun glances over at him. “Lachless the Sage. He is the God of light and knowledge. I believe you elves refer to him as the Red Brother.”

“Ah!” says Einari “Well I certainly know that name. But I had not realized that humans worship him.”

“Well, it seems you have much to learn about us,” says Sigrun

The two of them follow her through the town. The place is starting to settle down for the night; Kalyra can hear dogs barking here and there. There is a house with light streaming out the windows, and she can hear the sounds of merriment from within.

“The local public house, says Sigrun as they pass. “People gather there at the end of the day for relaxation and companionship. You may find a bed there, if you are polite. I will send word that you are permitted inside the town — and expected to move on in the morning.”

“Very well,” Kalyra says.

Sigrun’s house is located close to the larger house at the center of the village. It’s actually a fairly small place itself, in the shadow of the larger hall which evidently belongs to the Jarl of this town. “Please wait here,” she says, “And I will provide the note.” So Kalyra and Einari stand in the shadows for a few minutes. Afterwards Sigrun emerges holding a scroll which has been rolled up, bound with a ribbon and sealed with black wax. “Here. Mind you do not open it. Give it to Thorvaldr when you come to Eidynholt.”

“Yes ma’am,” says Kalyra and tucks it carefully away in her pack.

“Off with you now,” says Sigrun, and the two of them make their way back to the public house. Entering, they find a somewhat larger room with tables scattered about. There is a somewhat portly man standing to one side at a small bar, serving drinks as they enter the babel of conversation dulls down and people look at them with interest.

“Ah, welcome travelers!” says the man behind the bar, and gives them an odd look. “We don’t see elves here terribly often.” He does not mention Kalyra’s eyes but she can feel everyone’s gaze lingering on it “What can I do for you?” he says.

“Sigrun said we could find lodging here for the night? Just the one night. We may purchase supplies in the morning, and then we’re moving on to Eidynholt.”

“Where have you come from?” he says.

“Peilinham.” she says.

“Peilinham, eh? What’s the news from Peilinham?”

And as Kalyra begins passing on bits of gossip and the happenings in Peilinham the hubbub slowly returns. The barkeep charges them a few coppers for a night’s lodging, and shows them to a common room. It looks as though there are three other travelers here, and there are pallets for 10 in this room so the places is at half capacity for the evening.

Kalyra does not really feel like socializing with the rest of the people outside, so she simply lays down and rests. Einari, however, returns to the main room and spends several hours talking with the people there: learning about their lives, telling them about his. Eventually he comes and takes a place on the pallet next over from hers.

In the morning they find their way to the marketplace. Attempting to resupply via a sojourn move. 5v6/9, miss. Paid the price: 54, it causes a delay.

The people of Orvindal are suspicious of these two strange outsiders: the elf with his mask, and the strange woman with the glowing blue eyes. Kalyra spends a couple of hours in the morning going from one merchant to the next asking to purchase supplies and being told that “Oh, we’re all out”, or more outright “I don’t like you, and I’m not going to do business with you,” from one merchant who stares in her glowing blue eyes as he says this.

“Kalyra we’re not going to find what we need here. We should just move on,” says Einari.

“Yes I suppose you’re right. It’s not too bad. We’ve got enough supplies left. And with that the two of them depart from Orvindal. Undertake a Journey: 4v2/2, strong hit, with a twist. Rolled on Theme to get inspiration for the twist: 85, fame.

Little does Kalyra realize that she and Einari are the talk of the town behind her. All sorts of gossip is being traded about strange redheaded woman with glowing blue eyes, and her devil companion, this elf who is no doubt hiding some sort of hideously deformed face underneath that mask! She continues on her way completely oblivious to her growing fame in Orvindal.

The journey for the day is uneventful, and they make good time despite having left a couple of hours after they might ordinarily have done. They manage to make it to the next campsite along the line. Make Camp: 5v5/6, miss. Paid the Price: initially rolled 56, a delay, but rerolled because I just had that one. 71, it is stressful.

Kalyra dreams once more in the night. This time she does not dream about the dark, snowy place that haunted her thoughts in the village of the Shatu tribe. Instead she dreams of an empty, cold black lake with rocky shores. A small island sits in the middle of the lake, completely devoid of any plant life; and the shores of the lake are likewise empty of any plants. It is a cold, desolate place. She wanders this lake’s beaches in her dream. Rocks clatter away from her feet as she walks. And when she wakes she has taken no rest from the evening’s slumber. -1 Spirit, to 3. Endure Stress: 4v4/5, Miss. -1 momentum.

Kalyra is muzzy-headed when they awake. “Must’ve been rock in the ground,” she mutters to herself as she begins preparing breakfast.

Einari wakes. “Morning!” he says. “Did you have a good sleep?” She just looks at him, hair frazzled, eyes baggy. It’s quite the picture with the glowing blue eyes with bags under them.”

“Ah. I take it not,” he says. “More bad dreams?”

“Yes,” she says.

“You want to talk about them? Oh, why do I even bother asking ...”

Once Kalyra has woken up a little bit more, they undertake a journey once again. Undertake a Journey: 5v7/7, miss with a twist. Decided this meant they were waylaid by bandits, and that I would impose some extra difficulty on them part way through the fight.

Kalyra and Einari walk along the path side-by-side. Coming around a bend, they suddenly find themselves confronted by a man standing in the center of the path with a spear grounded in the dirt at his feet. He leans on it and says “Well there. Good day to you.”

“Good day,” Kalyra says.

“Going someplace?” he says.

“Yes,” Kalyra says cautiously.

“Well, you may not know it, but this here road has a toll on it,” he says.

“A toll,” she says. “Really. What is the toll?”

He smiles and says “What’ve you got?”

“There is no toll; you’re just a bandit!”

“Correction: we are bandits.” There are four of them: two ahead (one was hidden to one side), and two behind who were concealed off the side of the road and waited for them to pass.

“Now, look here, little miss ... with your weird eyes. This doesn’t have to be hard. All you have to do is give us your stuff; and then you can go.”

“I don’t have anything of interest to you,” she says.

“Oh, I beg to differ,” he says. “I see a pair of finely made spears, I see some bags which no doubt have some very interesting things inside them. And hey, clothes are valuable too! So: pass it all over.”

“I don’t think so,” she says and lowers her spear in preparation.

“It could have been easy. Get ‘em, boys!” says the man. Enter the Fray +heart: 9v5/3, +2 momentum and gain initiative. Set up two tracks: one for the two bandits at the front, and one for the two bandits at the rear. Both were Troublesome difficulty.

As the two front bandits begin to go for Kalyra, Einari falls in at her back so that the two of them are fighting back to back and each knows the other has their back covered. Kalyra strikes at the two bandits that come towards her with their spears out. Strike: 6v5/1, strong hit. Dealt harm: 1 base, +1 for having a spear, and +1 for the strong hit. Marked 9 progress.

As the two men lunge forward towards Kalyra, she spins her spear and smacks one of the other’s incoming spears out of the way, and then plants the butt of her spear squarely in the face of the other man. He falls back, dropping his spear and screaming as his nose is broken. The other one lunges back towards her, but she sidesteps and cracks the spear across his head. He falls to the ground dazed. End the Fight: 9v7/9, weak hit. Decided this was the moment to make things a little worse due to those doubles.

Ironically, Kalyra manages not only to daze the second bandit, but also injures herself. As she cracks her spear across his head, it snaps, and the head of the spear spins through the air and jabs her in the shoulder “Ow!” she says. -1 health and Endure Harm: 4v4/2, weak hit, presses on. The front two bandits have been dealt with, but we’re still in combat, and lost the initiative due to that weak hit.

The two bandits from the rear have rushed forward towards Einari. Clash: 3v6/8, miss. Paid the price: 71, it is stressful.

Einari cries out as one of the bandits jabs him squarely in the leg with a spear “Einari!” Kalyra calls as he is hit. -1 Spirit, Endure Stress. 6v3/4, strong hit, gained initiative. -1 momentum (to 8) for +1 spirit (to 3).

Einari curses and hops backward, clutching at his leg. Kalyra snatches the spear out of his grip and is going to strike fiercely at the two bandits from behind. Strike: 3v4/7. Miss. Decided to burn my momentum to cancel both challenge dice, making it a strong hit instead. Dealt 3 harm (9 progress).

Kalyra snatches Einari’s spear from his hand, and as the two bandits attempt to bring their spears to bear on her, she stabs one of them through the throat with the spear’s head, and then immediately whips it out and it’s cracks the other one across the side of the head with the spear, knocking him unconscious on the ground. End the Fight: 9v3/4.

Einari hops backward on one leg. “It’s over,” Kalyra says, grounding Einari’s spear. In just a few moments, she has reduced four bandits with spears to shivering wrecks: one dead, one unconscious, one holding his nose and cursing a blue streak off in the woods, and the final one weaving back and forth on his feet. “Get out of here,” Kalyra snarls at them.

The only one who is effective — the one whose nose is broken — nods, eyes widened in terror as she levels the spear at him. He hobbles over and lifts up his dazed comrade; then the two of them go over to the unconscious one and each grab an arm, and they begin hauling him away into the woods. The one with the broken nose glances at his spear. “Leave it,” Kalyra says.

“All right!” says the bandit, and the three of them disappear into the forest.

“Einari, you’re hurt!” Kalyra says. “Here, let me look at it.” She leads him over to the side of the path, sits him down on the stump of a tree. She reaches into her pack and pulls out some herbal supplies. Heal check: 6v6/1, weak hit. She successfully binds his wound. It’s not terribly deep. “You’re lucky,” she says. “They didn’t cut into the muscle. You will be able to walk just fine — but maybe not for the rest of the day, at least. We might need to make you a crutch, or ...”

“I think I can just use my spear as a walking stick,” he says. “But you’re right, I should stay off it.” +1 Momentum from her Herbalist path for healing Einari.

“Bunch of fools,” Kalyra says. “They should’ve known better than to pick a fight with armed travelers.”

“Less armed now,” Einari says noting that her spear was essentially destroyed in the conflict.

“More armed. Look!” she says, the bandits having left all four of their spears behind. “Let’s clean up here, and then get you settled.”

Kalyra takes Einari off to the side a bit from the road and gets him settled. She returns, gathers the spears and checks the dead bandit — who is really, most sincerely dead, with a large portion of his throat torn out by her spear blade. He has nothing of great interest on him. It seems that any valuables he might have had, he did not take out with him into the forest. However she finds a few coins in his belt pouch, along with a knife and a couple of apples. Resupply by scavenging the battlefield: 7v5/10, weak hit. Traded -1 momentum (1) for +1 supply (4).

She returns to the camp and sets up their gear: lays out their bedrolls, and clears a spot for a fire. Make Camp: 7v1/5. +1 health (full), +1 spirit (to +4). Kalyra is pleased at the outcome of this fight. She would rather not have fought at all, but having done so she’s pleased that she acquitted herself well.

In the morning she tends Einari’s wound. It was a clean wound, and it seems that although his leg is going to be very stiff today, he can probably travel. Undertake a Journey: 4v3/7, weak hit, -1 supply.

Kalyra spends more of her herbal supplies on healing Einari, but it leaves him capable of traveling through the day at a moderate pace. Fortunately they had only about half a day’s travel when the bandits hit them. They make the rest of their way to Eidynholt. Reach Your Destination: 10v6/10. Weak hit, arrive, with a complication.

It is late afternoon when they come to the gates of Eidynholt, which is the largest human settlement that they have seen yet. Several hundred houses have been clustered along the slopes of a long rise which leads up to a sharply pointed hill with a palisade around the top. There is a fortification at the top of this rock, which projects up above the town down below it. There is also a palisade around the town itself, but much larger than any Kalyra has ever seen.

As they approach the gate, with Kalyra holding three spears in a bundle and Einari hobbling along using the fourth as a walking stick, they come to the gate. “Hey! You two!” says the guard. “You’re wanted for questioning.”

“We are?”says Kalyra.

“Yeah. Lady with crazy blue eyes and a man in a mask? The Jarl wants to talk to you. Come peaceful like, and there won’t be any trouble for you.”

But she can tell that there are a number of guards gathering from inside, up to six of them.

“Well ... why why does he want to talk to us?”

“There’s been a complaint against you by some of our citizens, what said you jumped ‘em in the woods and tried to rob them.”

“What?!” says Kalyra. “No! It was the other way around. They tried to rob us!”

“Yeah? Well, you can tell it to the Jarl. Come on, pass over your weapons and we’ll take you up to talk to him.”

Einari and Kalyra look at one another and she shrugs and says “All right. Here you are,”and she extends the spears to them, butt first, so they can come collect them. A guard rushes up and takes the spears from her. She also passes over her bow and arrows.

“My friend’s leg got stabbed in the fight. Is there a walking stick he could use instead of the spear?” she says. Compel +heart: 9v8/2, strong hit.

“Yeah, we can arrange something,” says the guard. “Hey, lad, run and grab a stave, would you?” And one of the younger guards jumps into a wooden guard house just inside the gate. He emerges a moment later carrying a wooden stave which he hands to Einari, who passes over his spear in exchange. Gather Information to find out what the charges are, at +1 from the Compel. 3v9/10. Miss. I think I forgot to actually add the +1 from the Compel, but it wouldn’t have changed anything. Oh, well.

“Listen, do you know anything more about the claims?” Started rolling on Pay the Price and decided it made more sense that she just didn’t get any information.

“The Jarl will tell you all about it,” he says. “You just keep quiet and follow us.” The group of them heads their way into town. It’s so almost a quarter of a mile from the gate to the palisade of the Jarl’s fortifications. The central street is broad, and has been covered with gravel, making for a fairly easy walking surface; but Einari struggles with the rise in elevation as they ascend to the Jarl’s palisade.

There the guard calls out to the guards at the Jarl’s fortifications. “Hey! Got those two that the Jarl wanted to see. They just walked up to the front gate and gave themselves up.”

“Huh!” says one of the guards. “Did they give you any trouble?”

“Nah!” says the man. “Gave up their weapons when we asked ‘em, and came along quiet like.”

“Good,” says the guard, and he looks at Kalyra and Einari and says “You going to give me any trouble?”

“No,” says Kalyra. “I gather the Jarl wants to talk to us about these ridiculous claims ...”

“Whether they’re ridiculous or not remains to be seen,” says the guard. “Come on. I’ll take you to see the Jarl. You can leave their weapons here,” he adds to the other guard from the gate, who nods and passes them over to the guards of the palisade.

The Jarl’s guard leads them into the palisade. Within it’s a fairly extensive area. There is enough space for some in-buildings: there is a stable, and a smithy, and several small buildings which appear to be dwellings. At the back center of the area there is a hall with carven wood pillars that have been decorated with gold leaf in places.

The guard and one of his allies, another guard, escort the two of them through the area and up a flight of four or five wooden stairs up to a deck, passing through the carven wooden pillars. The guard opens the door and and ushers them in.

Within there is a feasting hall: tables run down both the left and right sides of this large rectangular room, with a fire pit located centrally. Opposite the entryway, slightly raised up above the others, there is another table, at the center of which sits a man with thin graying hair and a thin gold circlet holding it in place. He is flanked by a number of other people: two women, two men, all wearing rather fine clothes.

The guard ushers Einari and Kalyra in, and as the room turns their attention to him he says “My lord, the woman with blue eyes and the man with the mask have presented themselves to the guards. I have brought them to you as requested.”

“That’s them!” says a man, and he stands up. It’s one of the four bandits that Kalyra fought yesterday. “They’re the ones that attacked us in the forest!”

And that’s were going to call session. Some bookkeeping: marked progress on the vow to Speak with the Spirit of Halfdan Groasson, as she’s now in the correct place to do that.