Chapter 2: Freya's Tear

[Enoch]

Valdis shakes her head in response to Doshea's query. "The spirits show what they want to. Somewhere below the lake our foe lurks."

[Marullus]

Music and Ambiance: Tyrfing

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When the time has come for the warband to enter the hall, Freydis leads you to the basement of the House of Fertility. Then she touches a few bricks inside the storageroom full of flour sacks. The wall shakes and quakes, and the bricks start to come apart, forming a gap. Freydis enters through the gap with haste, gesturing for you to do the same.

The gap leads to an empty room with a gigantic Freyja rune carved on the ground. Freydis asks yous to shed your own blood on the ground, and says one or two drops should be enough.

(I'm assuming you do it.)

As soon as the blood drops to the ground, the Freyja rune glows red. Freydis starts to chant in the name of Freyja. As soon as she finishes, a dim path leading through the door and into the dark hallway beyond appears to those who shed their blood. The end of the path has a golden glow.

Freydis reassures yous that the path leads to the Golden Hall, and gives Ygre a little vial of her own blood and a small incense that smells of lavender. She says that when they wash the Great Altar with her blood and burn the incense, Freydis will know that the hall has been cleansed. Then she will send some gothis to check the hall, and to help the warband get out.

Once you set foot on the path, there is no turning back to the basement, as the bricks in the wall closes behind you. Everyone hears Freydis’ whisper in their minds, “My friends, Freyja will protect and bless you!” The tunnel goes straight about 30 feet before you see a room begin to open ahead of you.

You can see that this temple, which is called sacred, has been defiled completely, starting right in the first chamber. There are the mangled remains of animals, and dirt all over the entrance and the ground has been desecrated with unholy blood. You see vile Hellic inscriptions and runes engraved on the beauteous walls of the temple as
the smell of death and rot wafts to your face. Ygre seems overwhelmed by what she sees, she touches the necklace around her neck, mutters a short prayer, and pulls out her axe: “Pull out your weapons, my friends, this place must be cleansed at whatever the cost!”

As the characters walk through the corridor into the rectangular room, they see four different paths, which lead deep into the temple. One of the roads is on the right, one is on the left and the other two are straight across. The golden path iluminates a trail straight across the detrius-ridden chamber and down the double-wide hallway directly across from you.

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OOC:
I need light sources, marching order, and initial IC reactions and actions.

Environment	Initiative Order	Effects in Play
Time: 5:00pm, after the Council Date: The 8th Day of Winter (Nov. 9th)	None.	None.

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I'll update footers in the next post.

[Rex]

Skirfir

Is her hammer glowing?

[Spearmint]

Stigandr Yngvarsen

Then she will send some gothis to check the hall, and to help the warband get out.

Sounds a bit ominous. Like, why not send in the gothi groupies all in together? Unless she fears losing them. Helping us to get out? Shouldn't that be a formality?

These mutterings he mutters, under his breath. Spilling blood, I do so for Thor and in His name. More mutterings in the desecration.

He stops though, calming himself, focusing on the scenes. "Do we have a blueprint for any caves and passages down here. Which path leads to where." he asks. It may have been useful to acquire beforehand if such was known.

I have axe and shield in hand so am guided by others illumination. It makes sense to me to have Ygre leading the way or another gothi. I will go next.

He roots among the bones and peers down the side passages.

Stigandr mystery roll [1d20]=2 Perception [1d20+3]=6+3=9

[Marullus]

Is her hammer glowing?

It is not. Attuned to the flow of magic, Skirfir holds the hammer and observes the room. The very walls here thrum with ancient magic, crafted in the first age likely by the gods themselves when this middle world was fresh and new. Within these halls, the hammer is insufficient to penetrate. You estimate it will sense what is unblocked within range, or perhaps 10-15' beyond a door, but no further.

Sounds a bit ominous. Like, why not send in the gothi groupies all in together? Unless she fears losing them. Helping us to get out? Shouldn't that be a formality?
These mutterings he mutters, under his breath. Spilling blood, I do so for Thor and in His name. More mutterings in the desecration.

Good observations.

He stops though, calming himself, focusing on the scenes. "Do we have a blueprint for any caves and passages down here. Which path leads to where." he asks. It may have been useful to acquire beforehand if such was known.

Ygre's voice is tight, her grip on her axe doubly-so. "The secret of this place... it was so tightly kept, I've never even heard whisper of its existance, let alone a suggestion of maps in the library. But suffice to say this is no cave. It must be the holiest place created by the gods."

He roots among the bones and peers down the side passages.

Thanks for the mystery rolls!
Pausing to root around amongst the putrid, rotting remains. He knows there are many creatures here, some of them animals, but cannot make any more sense of it himself. The rot is overwhelming, and he cannot bring himself to look further.

Map...

Golden Halls 01.png (41.15 KiB) Viewed 1261 times

[Rex]

Skirfir

"My hammer is not going to have it's normal range in here. We will need to be wary of an ambush."

She advances into the first area and stands watch as the others search etc.

Mystery rolls [1d20]=12 [1d20]=18

[Stirling]

Ralfwin Edwinsen

The gothi is used to spilling blood for ritual purposes. He prays his own blessing upon his propitiation. Advancing into the hallway,

Ralfwin: Perception check [1d20+4]=14+4=18 Mystery roll [1d20]=14

He is reluctant to start casting spells now, so will hold back until dangers appear. He will follow the glowing path.

[sastaz]

Vakar

Sorry, is "the first chamber" the same room as "the rectangular room"?

As his companions all start advancing into the room and even peering down side passages, Vakar (carrying his bow and hooded lantern), stays back, using his lantern to get a good look on what's in the room. He will poke stuff to move it out of his way if needed, but be careful not to touch anything unless necessary.

Perception check: [1d20+5]=11+5=16

"Friends, I think we should proceed with caution, and don't make too much noise. Also, we should stay together at all costs. We will need our combined strength if we are going to survive the beasts that surely hide down here. If you want to, I can scout ahead? Either way, whatever you do - if you face something, back down and we will help each other. Stigandr, I know you are brave and strong, but don't face your opponents one on one, this is not the time to be brave or even honorable." He smiles at that last statement.

Mystery roll: [1d20]=9, [1d20]=18

[Enoch]

Valdis looks around doubtfully. "This, a holy place? Not holy to Freya, at least not any longer. Still, there is power here."

Insight: [1d20+6]=19+6=25, [1d20+6]=8+6=14

Do I get any sense of what the purpose of the desecration was?

"Still, the tight quarter may be to our advantage. If we encounter anything, I can try to keep it at bay while we finish it off."

[Rex]

Skirfir

"Wise advice Vakar."

[Marullus]

Music and Ambiance: Tyrfing

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Sorry, is "the first chamber" the same room as "the rectangular room"?

Yes, you talked to Freydis, entered the hallway, and the bricks sealed behind you. So, the tunnel on the map going south to a dead-end is where you started. Walking 30' up that hallway you came to the first chamber which is the rectangular room. I'll keep expanding the map as you explore. It just gets too hard to explore without maps.

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Valdis looks around doubtfully. "This, a holy place? Not holy to Freya, at least not any longer. Still, there is power here." The Kunnig witch's practice eye looks solemnly over the desecration. It is clear that this mess includes the remains of more than a dozen creatures including humanoids, wolves, deer, and possibly a bear. None of you understand the Hel runes, but the nature of the ritual in Valdis' eyes is that this is not just to desecrate a place created to channel the First Age power of Freya, but to rededicate it to channel the power of Hel.

Ralfwin bypasses the desecration, looking to continue purposefully along the glowing pathway up the opposite hall. In part, perhaps, because the descration calls to him in a comfortable, soothing way. He alone still carries some taint of Hel's influence upon him and that part of him itches like an infection upon his skin as he walks here. He prays to Odin as he lights his lantern and presses on.

Stigandr and Ygre push forward to continue down the next hallway, followed by Doshea, while Skirfir stands guard in the chamber until Valdis finishes looking around and Vakar brings up the rear. Doshea draws her axe which flickers with a blueish electricity, casting its light around her.

The wide hallway stretches on and on, the golden glow moving in a straight light down its center, unwaivering. Eventually you pass a smaller hallway on your left - it has a few steps down into murky opaque water, stagnant and polluted. Peering down it by lantern-light you can see doors branching off to the left and right, the hallway itself continuing straight beyond the reach of your lantern.

Looking forward from the side hall, you can make out the outline of a huge stone door ahead of you where the golden path ends, at the edge of your lantern's illumination. Approaching it slowly, you find the stone double-door fills the entire hallway and is covered with carved runes. Half the runes are in Austris and Skirfir informs you they are not chiseled, but formed whole by magic. The other half of the runes are Hellic and rudely hacked into the stone recently. There is no visible lock, but the door does not budge when Stig pushes it.

Golden Halls 02.png (70.17 KiB) Viewed 1208 times

OOC: I am assuming Ralfwin and Doshea activate their Light spells, and Vakar specified she's using her lantern at the rear. Marching order for the current double-wide hallway (arriving at the door) is:

[DOOR]
Ralfwin (Light) - Stigandr
Ygre - Doshea (Light)
Valdis - Vakar (Light)
Skirfir
[OPEN HALLWAY]

Interpreting the runes on the door takes a Religion skill check.

Enoch, Rex, Stirling, and Spearmint still need to update their character sheets to Level 3 in the Rogue's Gallery thread.

Next move?

Environment	Initiative Order	Effects in Play
Time: 5:05pm Date: The 8th Day of Winter (Nov. 9th)	None.	None.

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> Enoch as Valdís | Female | Kuning | Seiꝺr (Chanter 0f Kin) (2)| HD (1d8): 2 | HP: 22/22 | AC: 15 | Current Speed: 30' | Initiative: +2 | Darkvision: No | Spells - 1st: 3/3 | Hel: 0 |
> Unsungknot as Doshea Ulfgar | Female | Mithal | Alle [Paladin] (Thor) (3) | HD (1d10): 3 | HP: 26/26 | AC: 18 | Current Speed: 30' | Initiative: +3 | Darkvision: No | Spells - 1st: 3/3 | Hands: 15/15 | Hel: 0 |[Inspiration]
> sastaz as Vakar the Disowned | Male | Vestri | Rogue (Scout) (3) | HD (1d8): 3 | HP: 28/28 | AC: 13 | Current Speed: 30' | Initiative: +2 | Darkvision: No | [Inspiration]
> Spearmint as 'Stig' Stigandr | Male | Mithal | Barbarian (Berzerkr) (3) | HD (1d12): 3 | HP: 35/35 | AC: 19 | Current Speed: 30' | Initiative: +3 | Darkvision: No | Rages 3 / 3 | [Inspiration]
> Rex as Skirfir Uvaldi | Female | Dvergr (Stoneborn)| Gothi (Smidr) (3) | HD (1d8): 3 | HP: 22/22 | AC: 18 | Current Speed: 25' | Initiative: +1 | Darkvision: Yes | Spells - 1st: 4/4, 2nd: 2/ 2| Channel: 1/1 | Hel: 0 |
> Stirling as Ralfwin Edwinsen | Male | Mithal | Gothi (Sacrifice) (2) | HD (1d8): 2 | HP: 21/21 | AC: 16 | Current Speed: 20 | Initiative: +2 | Darkvision: No | Spells - (C) 1st: 3/3 (B) 1st: 1/1 | Channel: 1/1 | Gjof: 0 | Hel: 1 | [Inspiration]

[Rex]

Skirfir

Religion [1d20+5]=14+5=19

Skirfir examines the runes.

Myestery rolls [1d20]=9 [1d20]=13

Sheet updated.

[Marullus]

Skirfir examines the runes.

Skirfir:

Skirfir can determine that the doors sealed themselves, the words appearing due to some long-dormant enchantment rather than by human hands. The runes written in Austris state that the door has been sealed until the defilers of life are wiped from the halls. This means that if there is any undead creature in the halls, the door shall stay sealed. It is impossible to break the door. The runes in Hellic, on the other hand, probably state that the hall is very much defiled.

[Rex]

Skirfir

The doors sealed themselves, the words appearing due to some long-dormant enchantment rather than by human hands. The runes are written in Austris and state that the door has been sealed until the defilers of life are wiped from the halls. This most likely means that if there is any undead creature in the halls, the door shall stay sealed. It is impossible to break the door. The runes in Hellic I can't read, but probably state that the hall is very much defiled.

[Unsungknot]

Doshea Ulfgar

Yes indeed, Doshea would definitely use her light spell, thank you Marullus

Doshea brushes her fingers against her talisman before she speaks softly to her friends, heeding Vakar's earlier warning about being as quiet as possible.

"Does that mean the halls beyond the door or the halls we already passed but have not yet tread down must be cleansed of defilement before the doors will open? If we can't get through here, perhaps we go down the other halls we saw and clear and cleanse them as we go searching for another way in?"

Mystery Rolls: [1d20]=5; [1d20]=3

Holy moly, those are so bad.

[Marullus]

Ygre responds thoughtfully to Doshea. "If the magic has sealed these doors, it must mean that we must clear all undead on this side of it before it opens. I too wish we knew more about how expansive these Golden Halls are... we do know there were three passages from the initial chamber, plus the flooded hallway we passed just there." She points to the hallway still visible in the flickering of Vakar's lantern. "I know that at least I will take great pleasure in sending all of these minions back to Hel. Where shall we go first?"

*bump*
Pick a direction, revise to a single file marching order.

[Stirling]

Ralfwin Edwinsen

It makes sense to me to follow the gloeing path and not be sidetracked. So pick that way.

Ralfwin: mystery [1d20]=5 another mystery / perception roll [1d20]=9

He is still getting to grips with the area and defilement.

[sastaz]

Vakar starts looking around himself, nervously.

Stirling, I think the glowing path came to a dead end by this door - that won't open until the "halls are cleansed".

"But if these doors were locked due to the presence of evil here, that means that some of the former inhabitants must be responsible? Did they flee and close the door behind them? The answer is on the other side of that door."

He looks back down the hallway from whence they came.

"I don't like this at all. If there are evil beings in those side corridors and they start coming at us, we have nowhere to retreat. We should backtrack to the large hall in which we entered and try one of those corridors. In that hall we at least have some maneuverability."

Suggestion to go back and take the western corridor.

Vakar can scout, i.e. take lead, but if we're talking a single file, that's no good, because then he can't fall back if something is coming at us. Or can he?

[Rex]

Skirfir

"I am not opposed to backing out and going the other way, but in the end we have to go this way and clean the evil out or we can't leave."

[sastaz]

Vakar

"Oh, you took it to mean these hallways right behind us? I was thinking the glyphs referred to the entire complex. 'The halls'. But I'm no scholar, I wouldn't know the exact meaning."