Novgorod Log #8: A Farewell to Baxholm +-----------------------------------------------------------------------+ | Of the far reaching powers of the Order of Odin, and how the magi of | | Nature's Teeth manipulate their fellows to avoid it. Once more, | | Flambeau Marinus. A final journey to the village of Baxholm, and the | | fatal consequences of that trip. | +-----------------------------------------------------------------------+ Adriana of Ex Miscellanea Maga (Matt Seidl) Auditor of Mercere Magus (Kevin Wong) Carmen of Bjornaer Maga (Donald Kubasak) Felix of Flambeau Magus (Dave Pickering) Ivarr of Tremere Magus (Sean Matheis) Pacifer of Tytalus Magus (Shannon Appel) Ingmar Ship Captain (Clayton Springer) Uniso German Grog Captain (Chris Van Horn) Ado German Grog Adrian German Grog Apiumi German Grog Astalonzo German Grog Merda of Flambeau Dead Magus (Donald Kubasak) Weris of Flambeau Magus of Flambeau Marinus +------------------------------------------------------------------------+ | "We still got some serious loving to do, baby" | | -Felix, to a corpse | +------------------------------------------------------------------------+ The Book of Nature's Teeth as Chronicled by Pacifer of Tytalus June 11, 1201 Today, a council meeting was called to determine what should be done with the items that we took from the ship yesterday. Ballisto was worried that the Order of Odin might be able to track the three magical items that we took from them, and I was quick to confirm that this was within their power. So, we began to discuss possible actions. I believe that our solution is quite a devious one. Auditor shall take the items to Weris, at the Covenant of Flambeau Marinus. It is our hope that either the Order of Odin shall attack and destroy the Covenant, or Weris shall unlock the secrets of the items and destroy the elders himself. Such is all they deserve for trying to enforce their rules upon us. - * - A Letter from the Covenant of Nature's Teeth to Weris of Flambeau June 11, 1201 Dear Friend, We are sending you three items of power which we believe will aid you in the struggle that you spoke of when last you visited us here. However, we must give you a warning. These items of power were taken from the Order of Odin, and we have reason to believe that the Order may try and retake them. Beware of this danger before you proceed. Although we demand nothing in return for this gift, if you can aid us in exchange, it would be greatly appreciated. Books, vis and information of these Northern lands would all be quite dear to us. May our friendship continue to grow in the future. - * - From Merda of Flambeau's Secret Diary 21st of June, 1201 I am reborn. For an eternity, it seems, I have been trapped in a land that is neither Hell nor Heaven. An awful limbo of pain. Finally, though, I have gained sufficient strength to return to the land of the living. I now have my chance to break my ties to this place utterly, so that I may finally go on to the promised lands. The body that I have possessed is an embarrasing one. It is the body of a woman, a Bjornaer even, Carmen by name. She is the type of magus that I would have destroyed in life, weak in both body and spirit. It is a prison that I am eager to escape. Still, I must learn patience. I am somewhat discouraged by what I have learned since my return. It seems that only ten years have passed since my death. Ten years since my fellows of Flambeau Marinus and I fell into that carefully crafted trap. Ten years since the surviving elders abandoned me, so that they could make their own escape while I died. It is almost incomprehensible that so little time has passed. I would not have been surprised if centuries had gone by. Now, I must learn a new skill, caution. If I can find Fridgthulf, the Odin priest who ended my first life, I believe I will be able to sever the ties that hold me to this world, and thus escape this damned island, which had sucked my soul into it. But, I must not reveal my true face to the members of this Covenant, and I must not madly charge off, as I might once have done. If I died once more, and was thrust back into the storm, I think I would go mad. I must be patient and manipulative. I must convince the members of this covenant to help me in finding Fridgthulf, and to aid me in killing him. Flambeau permitting, then I will be free. Forever free. - * - The Book of Nature's Teeth as Chronicled by Pacifer of Tytalus July 12, 1201 I fear that the integrity of our island has been compromised. I am sure that it is our fault, for we have become complacent in our studies in recent weeks, sure of our safety. Over the last weeks, I have heard Jenna speaking now and then of petty thefts. Problems with food going missing and such. I ignored it, as did the others. A mistake. Today, my studies were disturbed when I saw the two runesticks that we took from that first odin priest, back in Norrtalje, being carried swiftly away by some small creature. I quickly gave chase, but the little beastie was much faster than I. After I chased it a bit through the covenant, the little creature escaped into a hole in the wall. Big Claus was nearby, and he bravely stuck his arm into the hole, trying to capture the escaping beast. He succeeded in recovering one of the two rune sticks, but suffered a nasty gash on his arm in the process. By this time, most of the members of the covenant had joined me in the crowded corridor of our covenant. As Ivarr told us of how he thought he had seen a ring being carried through the covenant yesterday, Carmen volunteered to go into the hole. I was surprised by her uncharacteristic initiative. From the hole, Carmen brought us valuable information. She notified us that the creature stealing the rune sticks had been a small golem, made of clay. A single large rune had adorned its chest. Clearly, our home had been infiltrated by the Order of Odin. Unfortunately, Carmen was too weak to fight the golem, and the rest of us could not reach it. So, we were forced to let it escape. When we searched Auditor's lab, we found that the majority of the items that we had taken from the Order of Odin had been stolen. The ring, the bag of rocks and the one rune stick that had escaped us were all missing. Now, we are in a position that I find very uncomfortable. Our base of power is no longer safe. Minions of the Order of Odin run rampant in it. We are setting a trap, where the last runestick shall be guarded by Ballisto and myself. I hope it is enough. - * - The Book of Nature's Teeth as Chronicled by Pacifer of Tytalus July 13, 1201 We have seen some success in cleansing our covenant of the rune-covered vermin that has invaded it. Last night, Little Claus was on guard while Ballisto and I slept. A few hours before dawn, Claus began to shout of intruders. I woke to see the clay golem that we had hoped to trap floating up in the air, trying to reach the rune stick which was suspended high above the ground. With a yell, I grabbed my war maul, and smashed the creature. It disintegrated in the face of my blow. Then, I realized that there was further danger. In the corner of the room, nearly hidden from view, I saw another small shape. Without thinking, I threw myself at it, determined not to let the little spy escape. I'm afraid that I smashed a good amount of lab equipment in that wild dive, but I did manage to strike the second golem with a firm blow. It too was destroyed. Still, there are two disturbing aspects to our encounter. First, Little Claus reports that there were three of the golems, not two, meaning that the third escaped. Second, poisoned food which I left out has disappeared. Yet, there are no dead bodies of clay nearby. I think I shall be examining my food carefully until we destroy the last of the beasts. - * - The Book of Nature's Teeth as Chronicled by Pacifer of Tytalus July 19, 1201 The captain which we saved from the sinking ship last month died today. After Felix examined the body, he announced that the captain had been poisoned. We are all slightly worried about the affair, for we are sure that the golem that evaded us last week is behind this murder. I hope that we can destroy it before more fatalities result. - * - From Merda of Flambeau's Secret Diary 19th of July, 1201 These golems plagueing the covenant are very convenient. Thanks to them, no one is suspicious of the death I caused. When I spoke with the captain yesterday, he was able to tell me that Fridthulf still resides it Malmo. It was as I had suspected. Afterwards, I was forced to kill the captain, lest he tell the others of my odd inquiries. I was quite humored when we discovered the body later, and Pacifer kept talking of the poisoned food which disappeared last week. It was just as I had planned. Now, I must simply find a way to convince the others to travel to Malmo. I don't think I will meet with much difficulty. None of the magi of this place are precisely geniuses. - * - The Book of Nature's Teeth as Chronicled by Pacifer of Tytalus July 20, 1201 Auditor returned today, telling us that Weris had taken the bait that we had laid out for him. I had not thought that my plan would meet with much difficulty. None of the magi of Flambeau Marinus are precisely geniuses. - * - The Book of Nature's Teeth as Chronicled by Pacifer of Tytalus July 28, 1201 It looks like our golem problems have finally been dealt with. Seven days ago, Ivarr and Lars slew the third of the creatures when it tried to steal the rune stick that we had been guarding. Now, a week has gone by, and no more golems have appeared. Sure that it was safe, we allowed Carmen to investigate the tunnels. She managed to recover the stolen rune stick and pouch, but not the ring, which is still missing. She also reported that the tunnels seemed otherwise empty. I am still worried that the Order of Odin was so easily able to invade our home, but, at the same time, I am more confident, for we were able to defeat them. - * - The Book of Nature's Teeth as Chronicled by Pacifer of Tytalus August 1, 1201 Finally, I am off of that island, away from my lab! I will admit that I have made excellent progress in the last months. My study of Vim is complete, and Ballisto and I have begun to work upon the spell which will allow us to gather the vis that we find. Still, lab work is dreadfully boring. Now we are heading to what remains of the town of Baxholm. There, we hope to gain a magical sapphire, the first of the seven gems necessary to open the door to our fortress. We have put this off for too long already. I believe that there is great power within the castle, power which will aid us in our coming struggles. - * - From Merda of Flambeau's Secret Diary 2nd of August, 1201 When I first saw Baxholm, my assessment of the magi of Nature's Teeth rose. It was a place dead of spirit, full of fear. It was clear that the raid I have heard Felix tell of crushed the very soul from the land. As the other magi stood about, trying to decide upon a correct course of action, I moved quickly, volunteering to scout ahead in the form of a hummingbird. They agreed, and thus my plan was put into action. The church of Odin was deserted, but inside, I found the tools that I needed: vellum and ink. Quickly, I constructed a note, telling how Coslen, the man who murdered Pacifer's master was in the town of Malmo. The letter went on to imply that this Coslen fellow was associating with Fridgthulf. I have studied Pacifer well in the last month, and I was sure that the letter would be more than sufficient to manipulate him into action. After leaving the church, I destroyed it, exploding its wooden walls. I was feeling better than I had in a decade. - * - The Book of Nature's Teeth as Chronicled by Pacifer of Tytalus August 2, 1201 I thought I could control my anger, but when Carmen returned with that letter, telling of Coslen, my world was shrouded by a red haze. I was ready to strike off at once for Malmo, to kill Coslen, a man who deserves death more richly than any other I know of. I tried to convince my friends that we should go to Malmo at once, and return for the sapphire that we sought later. But, there was no moving them. I wish now that they had listened to me, for it would have prevented the tragedy that later occured. Instead, we continued our search for the sapphire. Only after we had located it would we head to Malmo. As Carmen had already dealt with the church of Odin, we instead headed to the house where the two remaining disciples of Odin lived. At first, it seemed empty. We thought that our prey had escaped us. Then, Adriana began to yell of a ladder that she had discovered, hidden away in a secret nook. I started heading over towards her, ready to protect her. But, I was not fast enough. Adrian and Adriana were both partway down the ladder when we heard the two crossbows fire. My heart jumped into my throat when I heard the body hid the ground, far below. But then, it seemed as everything was fine, for we saw Adriana rapidly climbing the ladder. It was Adrian who had fallen. But, just as Adriana tried to leap from the ladder, several of us leapt toward it, trying to see our attackers. Ingmar, less dextrous than most, collided with Adriana, and the two of them went plunging back into the hole that she had been trying to escape. Felix and Ivarr moved to the hole at once, prepared to throw fire and lightning. But, it was already too late. The warriors who had shot Adrian, had leapt at our two fallen comrades. With but one blow, Adriana was dead. Her attackers did not enjoy their victory for long, as the power of the elements rained down on them. But still, the damage had been done. We had been so sure of our invulnerability. Adriana's death stunned us all. Still, we had to move on. With an uncharacteristic ferocity, we tore apart the underground room which the last two Odin priests of Baxholm had hidden. Deep in the heart of an altar, we found the blue gem that we had sought. Gathering it and Adriana's body, we prepared to leave. We also took with us the uncounscious form of Adriana's murderer. Somehow, Ivarr and Felix had managed to not quite kill him. I think we all planned to make his death a most slow and unpleasant one. As we travelled through Baxholm, Felix lashed out again and again with his flames. Soon, the entire town was ablaze. By the time we reached the ship, the fires were so fierce, that it was clear that nothing would save the town from utter obliteration. One last note must be made concerning the fate of Adriana's murderer. Shortly after we had left Baxholm, I decided to have a bit of fun, by cutting off his fingers with my war maul. As I smashed at his hand, he began to scream for Odin. And suddenly, there was a deafening boom, and the man was gone. A ring of dark black was left upon the deck of the ship. The smell of sulfer hung in the air. A problem for another day. Now, we are heading back to the covenant, to tell our fellows the sad fate of our friend Adriana. There, she will be given a proper farewell. - * - From the Journals of Ivarr of Tremere August 2 of the year of our lord, 1201 Oh what a sad day this is. For while we have destroyed an outpost of the Order of Odin (may their accursed souls walk the plains of Gehenna for all eternity) the price was much too high. My dear friend Adriana has passed from us for good. No longer shall I enjoy the storms of the island, the tempest from which our existence stems. All my life, pain and suffering have plagued me. I knew coming here would not ease that, but amongst friends I hoped some relief would come. Now, I know this not to be true. Every drop of rain, every howl of the wind shall remind me of days past and times never to be had again. Adrianna was not only amica because of our hermetic tie but also because of our similar magical traditions. The Order of Odin shall pay dearly because of this. I shall stop at NO ends to destroy them.