Ludvig watched the room, certain that the Jotunn were dead but all of these other things being said made no sense. Lightning bolts would surely mean Thor was involved somehow, and yet it was here among the Jotunn as the others said.

He tensed, his muscles rolling as he tried to be more relaxed than he was, and he took a glance at Klaengr to assure himself.

A consensus met, the party gathers their packs and continues northward...

Spotting smoke, the party detoured a short distance, where they came upon a small collection of burnt out buildings, seven in total.

The fires had died down, so whatever had hit the small hamlet had probably left several hours ago...

Klaengir agreed with Vermundr, which did not happen all that often. "You are right, Vermundr, we need to get moving again. There are many miles before we rest, and many a foe we may need slay."

He grabbed up his pack and made sure everything was set and ready to travel, and then started back along the trail they were heading down before, keeping a more careful eye out for any other surprise encounters.

That black one, he surely had some kind of Old-Ways magic. But how?"

Klaengir's thoughts drifted back to his youth, when the old hag who lived on the edge of his village talked to him about the Old Ways. The earth, and nature, had power, and long, long ago, humans had the knowledge of how to coax that power to help people. But that knowledge, it was mostly lost. Or twisted to evil. Klaengir wondered what the world would be like today if humans remembered all of the lost knowledge we once knew.

After the party came to the smoking village, Klaengir nearly wept.

"We need to look into this. But we should be careful of traps our enemy may have left for us. Tread lightly."
This message was last edited by the player at 03:44, Fri 08 Apr 2016.

When Amund sees the village he becomes enraged.  "This looks like the work of Jotunn!  Perhaps someone was spared - or hid well from those cowards." 

In response to Klaengr.  "Jotunn aren't smart enough to set traps.  But they usually aren't smart enough for magic either.  Amund will be careful.  Amund will see who did this."

Amund and Geri search around the outskirts of the hamlet, looking for fresh tracks, particularly Jotunn, and watch out for traps.

Hruunwulf was no soothsayer, but he would bet the coin on those Jotuun they just killed as being the culprits that torched the hamlet.  To what end though, he wonders while searching within his sights for survivors, or clues to the meaning of the destruction.

The buildings form a fairly standard pattern, a communal long house in the middle, a well, several ovens for baking, a smoke house, three barns and a cluster of low small one room hovels.

Farm animals, horses, dogs, all slaughtered, though a few chicken survived the onslaught.

From the tracks, the attack appeared to have been a surprise, the dead showing no sign of an organized defense, though several Jotunn bodies are in the mix showing that some did try to defend themselves.

The stack of bodies in the middle show signs of having been munched on, but there is a marked lack of female bodies, and even fewer children.

The prints found by Amund and Geri head north and west, Jotunn feet as small as those they fought, and several much larger in the mix. Geri sniffs with distaste at large, misshapen paw prints of some sort, the enemy had some sort of beast at their side.

Hrunnwulf peers cautiously thru the burnt out shells of the buildings. He finds no traps, no sign that the Jotunn tried to cover their tracks, or their deeds. Brazen!

As he is about to give up, he hears a moan from one of the clay ovens...

Hruunwulf gasps, then rushes toward the oven with battle axe at the ready in case of a trap.

"Over 'ere! They be some'n alive!" he shouts, moving more cautiously the closer he gets. He investigates the noise.

Ludvig looked at the stonework of the buildings as they walked past. The barely marred works showed a craftsmanship that they could be proud of, had they lived.

Then there was the moan. While others rushed forward the mention of a trap kept Ludvig back... not out of cowardice, but to keep an eye on the others and secure the rear.

Klaengr heads quickly over to where the moaning is coming from and begins searching for signs of life and something that might be fallen over on top of someone. "Hang on! Help is here, kinsman! Help is finally here!"

Surging forward with the others battle axe in hand.  "It could be one of the attackers not yet dead, careful"

Vermundr approaches slowly, cautiously. The closer he gets, the more the sounds are those of someone in pain...

Klaengr quickly moves into the circle of building when he hears there is someone in need of help. "Hang on! Help is here, kinsman! Help is finally here!" The moans get louder, presumably because the injured party hears the clerics voice.

Ludvig ponders how best to protect the scion of the storm god, and decides his best course of action is to scout the perimeter to make sure there in no hidden threat. Several of the others are already at the Godi's* side.

Among them, their new comrade, the powerful, enigmatic Hrunnwulf, who quickly reaches the oven in question. Placing a hand out towards the building, he reacts as if the building is still very hot.

Amund, scouting the edges, just now notices the others interest in the over, as does the Skald** Dragnar...




* Godi - a new word I used for cleric, in the Viking world!

** Local term for storyteller, keeper of histories, the bard.

"Investigate, I will watch for any trickery from elsewhere. " he continues to scan and watch the edges of the areas for any sign of a trap or more jotunn.

Ludvig looks at the pattern of tracks, bringing his hunting skills to bear. He wasn't looking for one particular set, but for patterns. If this was an ambush there would be several people or they would surely fail.

Walking over to the ovens, reaching for the doors with one hand axe still at the ready with the other.

Klaengr gets quiet again, trying to listen for exactly where the groaning is coming from.

Amund's blood boils at the Jotunn and he notices Geri's ire also and converses with his friend: "Looks like a hunting party.  These people had no chance.  That is the cowards way of these Jotunn, but they will soon understand Amund's blade and Geri's bite!!"

Amund sees the others and makes a quick scan to ensure Jotunn are not around before going to see what they have found.

The hair on Geri's back bristled and he growled roughly as he sniffed the Jotunn's animals tracks.  As Amund begins to talk, he lifts his head as if listening intently and than barks loudly when Amund mentions the Jotunn feeling his bite.

When Amund points to the others, he rushes forward to aid them in their endeavor.

"Investigate, I will watch for any trickery from elsewhere," Dragnar said, finding a vantage on the stump of a burned out barn.

Ludvig searches for tracks, silent but intent on his task.

Striding boldly into the middle of things, Vermundr and tugs open one of the door handles. The paddle that would have been used to place pottery or bread into the middle was nowhere in sight...


As the door opens, the sound of the moaning gets louder, making it clear to all that the source of the noise was indeed within.

In his own world, Amund and Geri hurls threats at the distant Jotunn, their ire raised simply at the knowledge of their existence and the evidence of their crime. The opening of the oven gets their attention however, and they hurry over to see what has been found.

Setting his ax aside without a second thought,  he reaches in with both hands grabbing the bound man by the shoulders and pulling him out.  Dropping him to the ground and stepping aside leaving him bound on the ground.  "Who did this and why did they let you live?"

Klaengr looks into the oven and helps pull anyone in there out of it.

Klaengr asks his companions, "The tracks... were there any tracks of human?  Human women and children?"

Klaengr prays to Aegir that his suspicions are not true.
This message was last edited by the player at 01:07, Mon 11 Apr 2016.

The man continues to moan for the moment, the drop to the ground adding to his discomfort. Those in the center of the ruins stop and stare for a moment in shock. The man has been wrapped from shoulder to feet in bent metal, swords, two wagon axles, sythe blades and even one plow-blade. The strength to have done such a thing is difficult to imagine. All of the metal glowed orange with the heat, though being exposed to the air, the edges were starting to cool.

Tearing his shirt off and then in half binding his hands with the rags.  He starts with the first piece of metal and begins to pry it open.  Grunting and the sweat begins to pour from his brow but even the heated metal will not give.




13:57, Today: Vermundr rolled 44 using 1d100+10.  Bend bars.
This message was last edited by the player at 05:00, Mon 11 Apr 2016.

A closer look reveals the man is bound, his mouth covered by a sword blade bent with Jotunn strength (you imagine) around his lower face.

Curious about the heat, Klaengr bends low and glances into the oven, seeking out the source of the heat.

Moving on to the next when he first wont give in to him.  Sweat dripping from his brow from the heat and exertion.02, Today: Vermundr rolled 79 using 1d100.  Bend bars.  Wrap number 2.


"They wont give."
This message was last edited by the player at 05:15, Mon 11 Apr 2016.

Amund reaches the others as the bound man is pulled out.  "What is this?  Has he been tortured?"  He turns to Geri and talks to his dog:  "This is very unusual for Jotunn to leave survivors, very unusual indeed.  Amund must hear what this man has to say."

After confirmation from Geri, Amund aids Vermundr by supplying some leverage with his smaller blade to help remove the blade around the man's lower face, being extremely careful to not hurt the man, or anyone else, while performing this maneuver.