Novgorod Log #21: Battle in Njur +---------------------------------------------------------------------+ | Of a battle in the city of Njurundabommen, and a confrontation with | | several great priests of Odin. Also, the death of a Magus. | +---------------------------------------------------------------------+ Agripinilla of Jerbiton Maga (Chris van Horn) Ballisto of Tytalus Magus (Bill Filios) Felix of Flambeau Magus (Dave Pickering) Gorm ex Miscellanea Magus (Matt Seidl) Nihil of Criamon Magus (Chad Weetman) Pacifer of Tytalus Magus (Shannon Appel) Torris of Tremere Magus (Kevin Wong) Una of Tytalus Maga (Clayton Springer) Baron Rutger German Baron (Chad Weetman) Uniso German Grog Captain (Chris van Horn) Ado German Grog Apiumi German Grog Astalonzo German Grog Lord Elgan Lord of Harnosand Master of the Killing Beasts Bad Dream Skuli Priest of Njurundabommen Sven Priest of Harnosand Weris of Flambeau Magus +------------------------------------------------------------------------+ | "Weris wasn't just going to lie back and let someone kill him." | | -Ballisto | +------------------------------------------------------------------------+ The Book of Nature's Teeth as Chronicled by Pacifer of Tytalus May 4, 1203 When we made ready to leave this morning, we were, shall we say, not quite as enthusiastic as we had been yesterday. Agripinilla, Nihil and several others all tried to back out of the expedition, worried that a frontal assault would be disastrous. I would not be moved however, and I rallied my friends around me. Very soon, we had set off, just as we had planned, despite numerous protests. Everyone who yesterday promised to accompany me did ultimately go on the expedition. In fact, one new member joined us, Una. Now, we are sailing North. As we approach Harnosand, we shall visit towns on the coast, to determine where Elgan's army is. It is my hope that we can find some village just before it is attacked by the army, and then offer to aid in the defense. When Elgan's army attacks, we shall surprise them. I must admit, our plan does not seem quite as heroic as the frontal assault that we had originally planned. However, I think that it has a much better chance of success. - * - The Book of Nature's Teeth as Chronicled by Pacifer of Tytalus May 12, 1203 We stopped in a small village named Soderhamn this evening, and asked of Lord Elgan's army, as we have been doing for several days. Today was the first time that our questioning met with genuine results. We learned that Lord Elgan's army is rampaging through an earldom to the North. Apparently, the last Earl of the land died during the winter, and a war had erupted between his sons for control of the land. The Lord Elgan is simply taking advantage of that civil unrest, trying to expand his holdings. We should be in the Earldom tomorrow. I believe that we will be able to offer our aid to one of the pretenders, and together crush Elgan's army. - * - From the Chronicles of Weris Thirteenth of May, 1203 It was well after nightfall when we came upon the town of Njurundabommen. Even from a distance, we could hear armor being beat out and weapons being fashioned. Clearly, we had come upon a city preparing for war. As we moved towards Njur's docks, we were greeted by a contigent of men with bows. I was ready to show them our strength by blessing them with a death born of fire, but Pacifer insisted upon a more subtle approach. So it was that Felix and I boarded one of the small boats, and rowed the rest of the way into Njur, emisaries of peace. We were greeted by a priest of Odin named Skuli, who quickly affirmed that Njur was precisely the town that we had been looking for. It is the southernmost of the towns involved in the civil war. Currently, most of its fighting men are to the west, battling with another of the pretenders. Thus, Skuli is quite sure that Elgan will next be moving against this place. Already, Elgan's army has taken the town to the North. Felix and I offered our help to Skuli, and he was very quick to accept. Of course, Skuli thinks that the true help will come from the German Baron's knights. We will surprise him greatly, I think, when our magics erupt against our foes. In any case, my friend Felix and I returned to our boats to tell the others the good news. Very soon, we were all entering Njur, moving into the longhouse which Skuli had made ready for us. Before we retired to our beds this evening, we sat around for a bit, making our plans for the coming battle. I must admit, that no matter how incompetent Pacifer is in real combat, at least he does have some tactical sense. Our sources have led us to believe that the attack will come in two parts. Ships will approach from the sea, while armies march overland. Una and Nihil will wait by the docks, and together they should be able to stop the attack from the Baltic. Nihil will destroy the boats, while Una upsets the waves. The land battle will be the trickier part of this conflict. We will do some preparations; Felix will constantly supply the warriors with good armor, while Pacifer provides them with Eyes of the Cat. Ballisto, meanwhile, will create slightly more mundane defenses, in the form of stone walls all about Njur. After all of that, however, we will simply have to wait for the inevitable assault. When it comes, Felix and I will stand side-by-side on the wall, destroying the army with huge arcs of flame. As we do so, the Tremere Torris will try and pick off the leaders, with simple Pilums. Finally, Pacifer's woman will run about granting Norsemen Auras of Rightful Authority. Then, she will take her proper place, healing the wounded. Overall, the plan seems a sound one. Elgan's army should fall easily before us. - * - The Book of Nature's Teeth as Chronicled by Pacifer of Tytalus May 16, 1203 After several days of waiting, finally Elgan's army came to us today. We may be in for more of a fight then I'd thought. Nihil started throwing spells of destruction at the two ships very shortly after they'd cleared the horizon. In short order, he blew great holes in the hulls of both, and they seemed destined to sink beneath the waves. One of the boats did indeed sink beneath the waves, but somehow, the other stabilized itself. The captain turned the boat, and it fled back over the horizon. That was our first hint that there were very powerful magi among the invaders. Shortly afterwards, the army approached upon land. They have set up a camp, well outside of bow range, but so far, they have not attacked. They are simply watching us. After sunset this evening, we were treated to a second display of magical power. Great waves began to come in from the sea, smashing the docks, and the boats that were moored there into bits. It is very fortunate that I had the foresight to have our own ships moved to safety. After that attack, one of the sentries reported seeing three men emerge from the water. So, at least three magicians of the Order of Odin are arrayed against us. A bit later, these magicians turned to the walls of Njurundabommen, and began to systematically destroy them, using spells quite similar to the one that Nihil took their boat down with. Ballisto has erected walls of stone to replace the wood fortification that we have lost, and thus our defense should not be weakened. Still, the shows of magely power which we witnessed this evening are disturbing. And now, once more, we wait. - * - The Book of Nature's Teeth as Chronicled by Pacifer of Tytalus May 17, 1203 This morning, a land attack came, just as we expected. Their bowmen advanced upon us, and began to fire, but we were not unprepared. Our bowmen quickly retaliated, arcing their arrows well over Ballisto's stone wall. Nihil too stood nearby, and with quiet conjurations, he destroyed the weapons of our enemy. Finally, our foes retreated, for it was quite clear that we were getting the better of the fight. We were sure that the full frontal assault would come shortly afterwards, but we were to be disappointed. All day we waited, and our enemies simply watched us. It was most annoying. As the sun set this evening, we once more sat in our longhouse, making plans. Tonight, a few hours before dawn, four of us will make an attack upon the enemy camp: myself, Felix, Ballisto and Weris. We shall travel under the water, so that we can not be seen, and thus come upon the enemy camp by surprise. I shall be gifted with an Aura of Authority, and thus I will befuddle any watches which may be posted. When we are in the heart of the enemy camp, we shall seek out where the magi are quartered, and then Weris and Felix will start lashing out with flames. From what I have seen, the magi of Odin are soft and weak. They should fall easily before us. Then, the damage done, we shall retreat, Ballisto creating walls of stone to protect us. The Northerners will never know what hit them. - * - From the Chronicles of Weris Seventeenth of May, 1203 Tonight, we fought a most fiersome war, one that brought us all very close to death. It was only luck that saved us this eve. I am quite sure that if the Northerners had planned just a little bit better, we would never have known what hit us. The assault came from the sea, and we were caught nearly totally by surprise. I was woken by people running through the streets of Njur, screaming that all must flee North. Almost at once, I realized that Odin magi were using Mentem magics to destroy our defenses. I kicked Pacifer's woman to awaken her, and demanded that she use her Aura to counteract the effects. She looked confused, but I had no time to explain the situation to her in simple, short words. By that time, Felix was already awake, casting spells. Within seconds, he had gifted me with a magical suit of armor. And then, the two of us were rushing out the door. Shafts of wood rained down upon us as we exited the longhouse. Nearby, one of the Baron's knight fell to the ground, pierced straight through by a magical shaft of wood. Felix and I stepped over him as we hurried towards the sea wall. We could see near a dozen men coming over the wall, several of them encanting spells as they did so. It was quite obvious that their magi had been sent for a full magical assault. Six of the norseman began to charge towards, and so Felix and I moved to meet them. As we all rushed towards a confrontation, there was chaos about us. The four northerners who remained upon the wall continued to gesture, and spells went off all around. Deafening explosions went off overhead, while more shafts of wood arced past us. Behind us, Pacifer's woman had begun to grant Auras of Rightful Authority, and so the people of Njur wandered about, confused by conflicting commands. When the warriors were nearly upon us, Felix and I both cast arcs of flame forth from our hands. Two of our opponents fell at once, and the others all looked near to death. But, it was not normal foes that we fought. As they writhed in the flames, three of our foes began to change. When our enemies closed with us, only one was still human. The others had become a boar, a bear and a bull. I readied my sword, and prepared to face the onslaught. These shapechangers were no stronger than the many others that I had killed, and so with two blows, the Boar and the Bull had both fallen before me. My friends were not doing quite as well. Felix, who had been under assault by spells, looked quite sickly by that time, while Pacifer, who had charged to our defense, had already fallen. However, one of their magi was down as well, slain by a arrow shot from Ballisto. By then, Felix and I had been joined by several knights. Felix took the opportunity to back off, and once more he called upon the magic of Flambeau. Flames again arced forth from his fingers, and the wizards of Odin, who had been casting spells well away from us, all shouted out in pain. Seconds later, one of them was slain by a lightning bolt thrown by Una. And then, Nihil opened a pit under them, and they all dropped from sight. The stone wall that Ballisto dropped on top of them afterwards was probably overkill. And so, the wizards were gone, and all but two of the warriors had fallen. And those last two fell easily, for they were badly outnumbered. The battle was over, and all that was left was to extinguish the fires and bury the dead. When we cleaned out Nihil's pit, we were surprised to find the bodies of only three magicians. It seems that one of them managed to escape with some invocation of movement. Still, we killed three wizards and three shapechangers this evening. I suspect that Elgan's army is crippled. - * - The Book of Nature's Teeth as Chronicled by Pacifer of Tytalus May 18, 1203 When I burst forth from the longhouse yesterday, I gazed quickly about the city. My eyes were drawn towards the combat, where Felix and Weris were facing the magi of Odin, nearly alone. I began to jog forward, ready to aid my comrades. And then, I recognised one of their foes. It was Sven, the priest of Odin who had defeated me back in Germany. I screamed vengeance as I charged, maul in hand. Unfortunately, my vengeance was denied to me. With but one blow of his axe, Sven took me down. And then, after I had falled, he was slain. At least I may be comforted in the fact that it took ten men to kill Sven. The knights of Rutger were only able to defeat him after all of the magi and shapechangers had already been slain. When I awoke this morning, pained by my wounds, I also met a second disappointment. I learned that Elgan's army was in full retreat. We have done Elgan considerable damage by defeating the best of his magi, but the victory would have been so much more sweet if we could have slain his entire army as well. Still, I think that our expedition has been worthwhile. Elgan's power has been hurt greatly. I do not think that he will bother us again for many years. We have made friends in the North, friends who may be able to help us in the future. And, also, we have collected a fair amount of vis and items of magic. All in all, we have strengthened our position in the war greatly. In a few days, the army of Njurundabommen should return, and then we will leave, returning to Nature's Teeth to plan our next actions. - * - From the Chronicles of Weris Twenty-ninth of May, 1203 After our return to Nature's Teeth this evening, a Council Meeting was called nearly at once. I attended, curious to hear of the matters which would be discussed. At first, we simply talked of our recent battle, and the loot that we had won. It was a celebration of victory, well deserved. Afterwards, the conversation moved to the future, and the magi of the Teeth began to talk of Stockholm and Iceland, their next two destinations. It was finally decided that in three weeks, when Pacifer has healed, the magi will return to Stockholm, to try and gain the gem held by the Bishop there. Only afterwards will they consider the matter of Iceland. I must admit that when the magi spoke of their plans and their aspirations, I was reminded pleasantly of conversations with those magi at Flambeau Marinus who were my friends. I was tempted sorely to offer my allegience to Nature's Teeth, and beg for admittance, for my friendships here are clearly as strong as any which I have known before. But, there is still the matter of vengeance, which weighs heavily upon my soul. In the north, there still live over a dozen magi who were involved in the attack upon Flambeau Marinus. I will not be able to rest until every one of them is slain. And so, tomorrow, I will leave once again, to travel through the North, extending the greetings of Flambeau. When I am done, when all those I search for are dead, then, perhaps, I will return to this place, but until that day, I can not rest. - * - The Book of Nature's Teeth as Chronicled by Pacifer of Tytalus May 29, 1203 As our council meeting drew to an end this afternoon, Gorm, who had been silent all evening, clucked quietly to gain all of our attention. When we all turned to look at him, be began to speak, waveringly, of a dream that he had had while we were away. In the dream, he had been tied to a huge slab of stone. Over him stood a man with a helm crafted of fire, the Master of the Killing Beasts. The Master stuck pins into Gorm, pricking him again and again. As he did so, he demanded to know the secrets of Gorm's magic. But, Gorm was resolute, and the Master learned nothing from him. And then, everything faded to black, and Gorm said that he was suddenly crawling through a sewer. Looking ahead, he saw himself when he was but a child, and suddenly thoughts of vengeance were emblazoned upon Gorm's mind. And then, Gorm awoke. I am somewhat worried about Gorm's dreams. Has the Master of the Killing Beasts truly invaded his mind? One day soon, we must track down the Master. He has been a thorn in our sides since the day we first set foot upon Nature's Teeth. - * - Loretta's Report to Fluffy May 29, 1203 Twenty Three Hundred Hours Sir! As you requested, I am here to give the full report on the incident that occured in Felix's quarters tonight. The altercation began shortly after twenty-two hundred hours. At that point, Felix began to move furtively about. Shortly, he had begun to speak quietly with his guardian, Adrian. When their conference was complete, Adrian moved over to Weris' bed, stealthily unsheathing his blade as his did so. Then, with one quick blow, Adrian split Weris' skull in twain. To be sure that the job was complete, Felix encanted several spells of fire. Felix was not satisfied until the body was burning cheerfully. With the assasination complete, Felix sauntered off. He retrieved Pacifer, who quickly siphoned the vis from Weris' carcass. Shortly afterwards, Felix dragged the body away, bringing the affair to an end. - * - The Book of Nature's Teeth as Chronicled by Pacifer of Tytalus May 30, 1203 As amazing as it may sound, Felix managed to shock me this morning. It was still the middle of the night, truly, when he dragged me into his lab to extract Weris' vis. I distinctly remember staring upon the corpse for several moments, amazed that Felix could do such a thing. Sure, we had all agreed to kill Weris, but that was weeks ago. Since then, he had proven himself a boon companion and a brave warrior. I'd thought that it was obvious to us all that he had been framed by Taxus, and not guilty of the betrayal which the Quaesitor had suggested. Weris could have strengthened our covenant greatly, and there had no longer been any good reason to kill him. As I extracted the vis from the Flambeau, I expressed my unhappiness to Felix. Strangely enough, he seemed saddened by the deed as well. I don't think I'll ever understand Felix. I just hope that something like this doesn't happen again. +-----------------------------------------------------------------------+ | "I'll remember that. Next time you're having tea with me is a great | | time to blow my ass away?" | | -Nihil, to Felix | +-----------------------------------------------------------------------+