Novgorod Log #13: Hunt for the Hidden Valley +---------------------------------------------------------------------+ | Of an epic search for certain legendary oranges, and the many | | discoveries that that search brings. A story of gems and ships and | | killing beasts. | +---------------------------------------------------------------------+ Agripanilla of Jerbiton Maga (Chris van Horn) Auditor of Mercere Magus (Kevin Wong) Carmen of Bjornaer Maga (Donald Kubasak) Nova of Criamon Maga (Dave Woo) Pacifer of Tytalus Magus (Shannon Appel) Una of Tytalus Maga (Clayton Springer) Hobble Blacksmith (Bill Filios) Jarl Nordic Grog Little Claus Nordic Grog Skald Nordic Grog Mutant Shark Killing Beast Kol Merchant Small Man Thief Old Woman Old Woman Trollwise Old Guy +------------------------------------------------------------------------+ | "Maybe I have leapt to an unwarranted conclusion." | | -Pacifer | +------------------------------------------------------------------------+ The Book of Nature's Teeth as Chronicled by Pacifer of Tytalus April 28, 1202 All day, I have been standing in a shadow. It is the shadow of the worm which we came so close to meeting yesterday. The creature has not been freed, as our crew fears. It does not fly over our boat, breathing frosty death. But still, I am in its shadow. It is a shadow caused by doubt and regret. Yesterday, we fled the ice worm, intent upon returning with Felix and Ivarr, two of the strongest members of our fellows. But now, I wonder. Did we flee out of necessity or out of fear? We are now en route to Nystad, determined to learn the secret of Turpis' magic oranges before we again head south. Somehow, though, this second quest has become lessened. It seems such a little thing when I consider the great beast that we have left behind. Hopefully, we shall be able to discover the secret of the oranges quickly. Then, we can return home and begin the preparations for the battle we have fled. It is only then that I shall be able to banish this shadow that lies over me. - * - From the Runes of Little Claus 1 May, 1202 Our first visit to Nystad was not precisely an ideal one. Still, we have accomplished our goal, and I have learned some valuable lessons. It was at the looming gates of Nystad that our problems began. As usual, Pacifer was in the lead, striding into the town as if he were a chief entering his hall, and thus it was he who first met the venerable woman who stood at the gate. The woman was clearly a norn, and in my clan she would have been welcomed with open arms. But, Pacifer did not think as highly of her. As she groped towards him, mumbling prophetic words, Pacifer struck her to the ground, angered by her familiarity. And then, she began to curse him, and I knew that the end was at hand. I turned my back, too squeamish to watch. Still, I could hear the sickening thuds, as Pacifer's maul pummeled ancient flesh. Soon, it was over. It rapidly became obvious that Nystad was not quite as lawless as some of the towns which we had visited in the past. As villagers looked on with shock, armed soldiers began to head our way. I quickly sent Skald and Jarl off, hoping they could disassociate themselves from us, and continue with the mission. Then, I moved towards Pacifer, ready to follow his lead in the massacre that I was sure would follow. And then, Odin smiled upon us. Pacifer showed an unexpected rationality that day and slowly led us out of the town. Once, the town guards tried to intercept us, but a flash of steel and a show of magic stopped their agressions. One more corpse, the body of a loyal solider, was left in our wake. Pacifer, Una and the others were able to make it back to the boat afterwards. When I was sure that they were safe, I slipped away from them, determined to return to Nystad and see how my grogs fared. Jarl and Skald had indeed run into problems in Nystad. Perhaps I should not have left them for so long. While I was gone, Jarl's purse had been stolen by a elusive thief. He and Skald had been rampaging through the village, looking for their assaillant. Quickly, I turned their attention from the fruitless search. Instead, I directed them to locate the magi who had escaped into the city after Pacifer's brutal attack. We soon found Carmen, Nova and Auditor. And thus, we turned to our true quest, the search for the succulent oranges of Nystad. The man who sold the oranges was easy enough to locate, and we approached him concerning a very large purchase. It was subterfuge, of course, disguising our true purpose, the desire to learn the source of his magical oranges. Kol, the merchant, was interested and suspicious at the same time. Eventually, his greed won out. We were instructed to return in the evening. Afterwards, we set out to see the sights of Nystad. And, in that tour, we were again met by coincidence. As we ate lunch, Jarl recognised the small man who had earlier stolen his purse. Shortly, the purse was recovered, and the small man was fleeing, happy to have escaped with his life. The rest of the day was relatively uneventful. We sat; we talked; we ate oranges. It was almost idyllic. Finally, the time came for our evening meeting. Again, the merchant was distrustful when we spoke with him, but with my quick wit, I was eventually able to win him over. Two days hence, he shall take Carmen, my grogs and myself to his hidden grove of oranges. The rest of the magi shall secretly follow us in our own ship, unknown to Kol. The magi plan to surprise him and take the secret of the magic oranges for himself. - * - The Book of Nature's Teeth as Chronicled by Pacifer of Tytalus May 3, 1202 This morning, I was in a foul mood. Paying that weregeld for the woman and the guard had left a bad taste in my mouth, and I was eager to vent my anger. I had thought that the day would be a boring one, consisting of little more than following Kol's ship from far behind. Thus, when the conflict finally came, I greeted it eagerly. The troubles began about mid-day. Magic was aiding our tracking of the merchant's boat, and thus we thought that we were safe from their spying eyes. But then, the merchant's ship came to an abrupt stop. I was sure that we had been spotted, and that our surprise had been lost. Just as I was suggesting an attack, the merchant ship began to move again. Still, I was wary, fortunately for us. When the wave began to head our way, it was obvious that we were under some form of magical attack. At first, I thought the people on the boat were responsible for the agression. Soon, however, we all saw our true foe. In the water, riding the wave, was a huge shark, the greatest that I had ever seen. And, upon its brow was a great horn, wickedly sharp. Clearly, the awfully warped creature was a product of one our Northern foes. It was a killing beast. The beast struck our boat with a great blow. The deck shook beneath us and I nearly fell. For a few moments, there was panic. As the beast slowly turned, preparing for another run at our boat, Una threw lightning at it. However, the bolt was ineffective, for the beast was shielded by the water. The creature struck the boat again, and I heard the sickening snapping of our the timber in our hull. Madly, the sailors began to run about, hoping to repair the damage before it was too late. And, in the distance, I could see the killing beast turning yet again. It was clear that a strategy was needed. So, I called Hobble to my side, and we waited near the edge of the boat. As the great shark neared, we both leaped from the deck, aiming for the beast's wide, slippery back. I struck the creature once with my maul, and then slipped off as it tried to smash me against the hull of our ship. Hobble, however, showed a level of bravery that I never would have expected. After he struck the beast once, he held on, despite the oncoming danger. The shark dived under the ship, coming up on the other side. There, Hobble struck it again and again, while Una's lightning rained down from above. Never again did the killing beast come within range of my maul. So great were the injuries that Hobble and Una gave to it, that it fled, blood streaming far behind it. We have spent the evening fixing the boat. It was a very near thing. If the killing beast had struck once more, I think we would have sunk to the bottom of the sea. Now, though, we are at least seaworthy. With his supernatural allies, Kol has delayed us slightly. He has not escaped us, however, for with our magic, we will continue tracking him. - * - The Book of Nature's Teeth as Chronicled by Pacifer of Tytalus May 7, 1202 Again, events have reach an unsatisfactory conclusion. I am most annoyed. The finale of our quest for the magical oranges began yesterday evening. After a most circular trip, we finally came to a small town, a crossroads with no name. There, we learned that the oranges that we sought grew in a magical valley, nearly a day inland. Already, the merchant and his party were nearly half a day ahead of us. But, it was late, so we stayed the night upon the boat before heading towards the magical valley this morning. Soon, we knew that we were approaching our goal, for the temperature was growing warmer. It was just as the villagers had said. The valley of the oranges was kept magically warm, even in these harsh Northern lands. When we finally came to valley proper, night had fallen. The only light in the valley came from a large hall in the middle, and that was where we headed. Upon entering the hall, my hopes of conquest were crushed. Carmen and the grogs were there, as was the merchant who led them to the valley. That was expected. Unfortunately, they were not alone. Nearly forty guards, clearly the residents of the valley, were also present. It was clear that we were not welcome, and thus the situation grew quite tense. We glared at each other for a time, each unwilling to attack the other. Finally, the merchant Kol spoke. He insisted that we talk with Trollwise, the master of the valley. Sure that Trollwise was at the heart of all the mysteries of the valley of oranges, I was happy to agree. The guards led us to the cave where Trollwise lived, and there we met a most interesting discovery. Trollwise was an old man and he carried with him a large staff. That was not too teribbly unusual, but upon the top of that staff was an object that amazed us all. It was a clear gem, a diamond perhaps, the size of a hen's egg. The size and the shape were such that it was obvious that the gem was one of the six still missing from our door. I would have attacked Trollwise at once, but there were just too many guards. So, instead, I waited impatiently. I barely listened as Carmen questioned Trollwise about the gem, learning that it was the item which kept the valley warm. My attention was only regained when Trollwise began to bargain with us. He spoke of an awful storm faerie which constantly harassed his valley, creating rain which damaged his crops. He asked us to kill the faerie for him, offering us a lifetime of oranges in return. I managed not to laugh when I replied. I told Trollwise that we'd be happy to help him after we gathered some of the other members of our covenant. He agreed, not suspecting that I wanted to retrieve Felix and Ivarr so that we could kill him and take the gem which is the source of the magic that we came to this valley seeking. With our deal complete, we are now just waiting until the morning, when we shall leave. One aspect of our conversation with Trollwise still disturbs me. He claimed no knowledge of the killing beast that attacked us. Later, I questioned the merchant Kol and he too said that he had never heard of such a creature. So now, I can not help and wonder. If the merchant did not send the killing beast, then who did? Could the Master already be aware of our plans of vengeance? For now, though, that must be put behind us. Tomorrow, we shall sail to Nature's Teeth. When we return, we shall strike against both the worm of ice and arrogant Trollwise. They shall not be able to stand against our strength. - * - The Book of Nature's Teeth as Chronicled by Pacifer of Tytalus May 17, 1202 Just a few moments ago, the shores of Nature's Teeth appeared upon the horizon. I feel somewhat ambivalent this day about returning home. We have failed in our quests. Twice, we were faced with opponents that were too strong. But, now we can prepare for the future, perhaps to turn our failures into success. Maybe, just maybe, with Ivarr and Felix at my side, I will be able to banish the twin shadows which now lie upon me.