Chapter 1: Into the Wilderness

[Unsungknot]

Doshea Ulfgar running hp: 1

Doshea grunts softly in agreement. Thoughts of a warm fire, mead, and perhaps an open seat she could rest in, bringing a smile to face. “Yes, the village sounds like a fantastic idea.” she looks down at her seeping wounds. “I don't see anything falling off, I should be able to make the trek back.”

She grunts again as she pulls off her pack and pulls out her torch. She nods to Ralfwin, He is right, we need torches and I need to find my javelin. Would it bother you Carr if we relieved the lost of their torches?”she can’t quite stifle the yawn that ends her comments.

She stares at her pack, debating lifting it again. Would it be so bad to just leave it? She frowns at herself and grunts again as she lifts it. She waves her torch towards Valdis' fire, May I?”

[Rex]

Skirfir

Skirfir casts Cure Wounds on Doshea.

Cure Wounds [1d8+3]=1+3=4

"This should help some."

"I am not sure we can go back until we have completed our task."

[Spearmint]

Stigandr Yngvarsen

Stigandr Yngvarsen: mystery roll [1d20]=14 Nature proficiency check [1d20+4]=8+4=12

After the storm, the calm and more rational actions. He has not seen such unnatural vargr creatures before."Hel-spawn" he calls them.

He binds his own wounds and cleans his axe upon one of the wolf pelts. Something inside of him is not so comfortable presenting a twice dead wolf as a war-party trophy, hard won as it is. He wonders how the others feel?

"Hel be damned. Do we go from pyre to pyre, raising memorials and lamenting the dead?" he says with concern regarding the dead hunters. He suggests more woodwork to build another pyre. The other consideration is dragging their bodies back to the Trinity. If these wolves were resurrected, I fear we just offer more cadavers to the necromancer Seidr who does this.

He also fears another obvious action. "We should behead them too."

He wonders what Grey-eyed Boe will think when we lay heads and ragged furs at his feet.

"If Hungerd labours not, she will then."

He waits on any beheading for a group consent, satisfying himself instead with disturbing the flock of ravens.

[Marullus]

Skirfir uses his second spell. Doshea is up to 5hp. Carr also bandages himself, as he carries a healers bag.

For planning -
* Each wolf weighs 200lbs.
* Each corpse with its gear will also be 200lbs (for simplicity)
* you are 2--3 hours from town (at speed 30)
* encumbrance rules and dragginga travois are here

[Stirling]

Ralfwin Edwinsen

Only a couple of hours from the villages. I must have lost time, I thought we trekked much deeper into the forest.

My own experience of wolves is that their howling can be heard many miles away, with us trekking barely a few miles per hour, these packs calls would be heard on quiet days for sure. "So close, especially a pack of undead wolves animated by a necromancer Seidr; we should really bring his hide to the Jarl's hearth, not such maggoty pelts that looks more like we just dug them up".

He looks around at the group, trying not to second guess their preference to go back or trek on.

"Carr, tell us your testimony. Your recall will be better now than when you get back in town." he asks the man. I want to actually find out regarding any previous attack and hunt, specifically to 'Robart Paulsen'. There must be some link.

Hunters don't usually loose silver barbed arrows at any creature. The barbs are softer and don't penetrate as much, to certain creatures, it is their vulnerability to silver that opens a deeper wound. So did he encounter the Werevargr earlier. How long has he been unconscious?

Ralfwin: Perception check [1d20+4]=5+4=9 Mystery roll [1d20]=13

[sastaz]

Vakar follows the conversation with growing interest, and obvious stress.

"Complete our task? Are you insane?! There's someone, or something out here that brings forth enough hellbeasts to completely tear apart at least two of our hunting parties, and with no or very few casualties. If we don't get back and help defend our home, there will be nothing left to return to!"

Vakar looks frantically around, scanning the surroundings, then turns to Carr and points at him with a shaking finger.

"And you. How come the fangs of Hel did not touch you? I have a hard time believing they ensnared you with their powers only to let you live. Does anyone really know this man? For all I know, we might be standing here talking to the Seiꝺr responsible for this carnage right now!"

He looks at the others.

"How do we trust this man? How do we know we're not leading the wolf right to the sheep?! Scholar of Odin, huh? Prove yourself!"

Btw Marullus, how many silver tipped arrows could Vakar salvage from the bodies and from the ones he fired, so I can write them down on his equipment list?

[Marullus]

Carr puts his hands up before him in surrender. "Peace... these trials are certainly more than we bargained for... I am exhausted and I am sure so are you. You saw me at the feast, remember? I joined up with the two saex-fighting women and the other men," he gestures belatedly, realizing all of his companions are clearly present, their bodies under a sheen of ice. Thinking back, you do remember seeing him depart with this group, a youth hoping to prove himself.

"Complete our task? Are you insane?! There's someone, or something out here that brings forth enough hellbeasts to completely tear apart at least two of our hunting parties, and with no or very few casualties. If we don't get back and help defend our home, there will be nothing left to return to!"

"Is our task not complete? We slew a wolf. You slew four. Let us take their bodies as proof and return with haste. More than the task, Rudolf and Grey-Eyed Boe should see these Hel-runes."

"Carr, tell us your testimony. Your recall will be better now than when you get back in town." he asks the man. I want to actually find out regarding any previous attack and hunt, specifically to 'Robart Paulsen'. There must be some link.

At Ralfwin's request Carr elaborates his story. "We fared well at first - one of my companions was a skilled ranger; he guided us through the forests and found the trail of the wolves. We thought we'd make short work of it. Gertrud and Hilda, they're the ones who demonstrated their saex skills and earned some coin in the wagers, they were well prepared and without nonsense. They had bows and silver arrows... apparently something they kept purposefully after some altercation in their home town further south. I did not know them well enough to pry further into their business - after all, we only had the common goal of finding a vargr and returning tonight." He clears his throat, finding his place in the story again. He looks visibly exhausted, anxious at your questioning. "We came upon a werevargr first - I didn't think to see such a thing, but Gertrud wasted no time, wounding it with a silver arrow. She never flinched, as if she expected it. She definitely hated it, showing no sign of fear. The werevargr loped ahead and Hilda led the pursuit, followed by the other young men. It... well, it was a ruse, to make us heedless. We charged into this clearing and it was a trap. The pack of rune-marked wolves laid in wait, the werevargr continuing onward through them and into the forest, howling in pain.
The storm was raging then and he disappeared into the blowing snows."

"And you. How come the fangs of Hel did not touch you? I have a hard time believing they ensnared you with their powers only to let you live. Does anyone really know this man? For all I know, we might be standing here talking to the Seiꝺr responsible for this carnage right now!" He looks at the others. "How do we trust this man? How do we know we're not leading the wolf right to the sheep?! Scholar of Odin, huh? Prove yourself!"

He pauses, contemplating the ground, then looks up, haunted. The very essence of Hel crashed over us like a bow wave, coming before the wolves as they attacked. Did you not feel the same?" He looks around at you, questioning. You all certainly felt the palpable evil of the beasts, but none of you have spoken of any ill effect - Ralfwin silent thus far, the rest of you unwitting. Perhaps this man is just weak of mind or spirit. "I... I was taken by the vision. Worms writhed up from the soil, skeletal hands grasping and tearing at my flesh. I screamed and for a moment I saw my companions locked in battle, then I... I subcumbed. I woke with you here." He looks down at his limbs. "I know my flesh was torn and bleeding from the fingers of the dead, not from the wolves... I do not know why I now feel the exhaustion upon my soul but my flesh is unharmed."

(You can make an Insight roll to test his honesty.)

Btw Marullus, how many silver tipped arrows could Vakar salvage from the bodies and from the ones he fired, so I can write them down on his equipment list?

Misses can be collected. Arrows that hit and deal damage are not re-useable. You can check the records and account on your own, just keep track in your inventory thread. (This is in the House Rules, just probably easy to miss.)

Only a couple of hours from the villages. I must have lost time, I thought we trekked much deeper into the forest.

My own experience of wolves is that their howling can be heard many miles away, with us trekking barely a few miles per hour, these packs calls would be heard on quiet days for sure. "So close, especially a pack of undead wolves animated by a necromancer Seidr; we should really bring his hide to the Jarl's hearth, not such maggoty pelts that looks more like we just dug them up".

You make a good point; let's chalk that up as a flaw in the module. Let's assume it took you longer because it was indeed further.

How long has he been unconscious?

Addressed in an earlier post - It has been 3-4 hours that these bodies died and were left to cool in the snowfall; he would have been unconscious the same.

[Rex]

Skirfir

"Then let us return with the pelts."

Insight [1d20+5]=4+5=9

Mystery rolls [1d20]=15 [1d20]=16

[sastaz]

Their bows lie next to them on the ground, a half-dozen silver-tipped arrows spilled from a quiver, glinting in the lantern light.

I was just not sure how many silver-tipped arrows he picked up in the first place. Does this mean there were 6 silver-tipped arrows in each of the two quivers, meaning 12 in total?

Insight skill check: [1d20+1]=7+1=8

The man's exposition does not bring any further clarity to Vakar. It does sound reasonable, and we did meet him in the village before.

"All right Carr, sorry for doubting you. I'm a little on edge after all of this death, it got the better of me."

He looks at the others, with great sadness in his eyes.

"We should get going. But I agree we need to take care of the bodies first. No one deserves to rise a minion of Hel."

Mystery roll: [1d20]=2, [1d20]=8

[Marullus]

Their bows lie next to them on the ground, a half-dozen silver-tipped arrows spilled from a quiver, glinting in the lantern light.

I was just not sure how many silver-tipped arrows he picked up in the first place. Does this mean there were 6 silver-tipped arrows in each of the two quivers, meaning 12 in total?

Yep, 12 sounds good. Plus 3d4 regular arrows if you want them. I didn't clarify what you shot at the wolves, so it is up to you.

[Spearmint]

Stigandr Yngvarsen

"What are we doing with the bodies?"

I am not comfortable with the idea that we go carrying a load of undead wolves back in to town and claim our glory yet leave the bodies of these adventurers to rot or worse on the side of the hill.

I am not sure it is wise to drag them at a crawling pace all the way back to Jonnamot. Neither can we just bury and forget them and taking their heads back might be okay for goblins and Hel-spawn but we should not treat them this way.

"I will stay. With the bodies here and keep watch over them. You can return with the vargr corpses and testimony. Afterwards Grey-eyed Boe can bring his host here and they can be repatriated to their families bosom with more dignity."

He will begin to collect the bodies and lay them side by side under a nearby tree and begin to cut coverings of long leafy branches to place over them.

[Rex]

Skirfir

"I agree, we should return with all the bodies. We can rig some travois to help move the loads."

[Unsungknot]

Doshea looks to Skirfir “Thank you again for your aid. Agreed, these fallen warriors should be returned to their families who can honor them,” Doshea says, lighting her torch and going to gather her javelin before helping Stig gather the bodies.

[Marullus]

Amplifying on the math point above - with Carr there are now 7 of you. You can each drag a travois and the group speed drops from 30 to 5, taking you x6 to get back to town. You have four human bodies and five wolves.

(with Stirling's observation) You set out at 4:30 just before sunset, spent six hours travelling and one hour at a short rest, so it is currently 1:30am.
...You came 6 hours out tracking and in a snow storm: Let's say it is 4 hours back at normal speed instead. That's 24 hours with the travois - you can risk more exhaustion and get back by the following dawn.

If you only take what you can carry encumbered (10x your STR, -10 feet speed) then you can get back in a little under 6 hours, which is just before today's dawn. It would be up to you to figure out what you can carry.

Stigandr is offering to wait in the accursed forest alone with the corpses. That would be 4 hours back to town, get help, 4 hours back to the clearing, then 4 hours back to town again, which if all went well could get you all home by dusk tomorrow, with everything collected.

Carr offers to run for help alone as he can move with haste... if you trust him to go alone and to come back with help. If what he says is true, he can make it to town in 3 hours, returning with help in 4, which would be shortly after dawn. You would get home by noon.

Lastly, Ralfwin could consecrate all the bodies (4 hours and 40 mins total) and then you could take 4 hours to return only lightly encumbered as a group (about noon), and send back the Headman's forces without you for the bodies. They might be descrated, but wouldn't be able to rise as Draugr once the rituals are done.

"No one deserves to rise a minion of Hel." Vakar's words hang heavy over the group. The bodies are collected and laid at rest under a tall pine. Your breath puffs in the frigid air, but you are glad that at least the snowfall has stopped. A few thrown rocks scatter the scabberous looking ravens from the tree, but they alight on other trees just a little further off, watching in silence. Ralfwin considers their consecration against Hel's influence (as he did with Robart), but with five bodies it would take almost until dawn to perform rites on them all.

"I... well, I am blessed with runes of Travel," says Carr. "It would be unsafe to leave Stigandr here alone, however brave, and I can return with aid faster."

---

Environment	Initiative Order	Effects in Play
Time: 1:30am Date: Before Dawn on the Second Day of Winter (Nov. 2nd) Temperature is currently -1c. Clouds are 100%. Snow has stopped, winds died down and are now a light breeze. Several inches of snow cover the ground in the clearing.	None.	Night at 5:35pm (darkness) Pre-dawn at 5:56am (dim light) Almost Dawn at 6:51am (normal light) Sunrise at 7:43am

[Spearmint]

Stigandr Yngvarsen

For myself, I would counsel against trekking with bodies and wolves together. The time it takes does not give any vantage. In truth I would suggest we either alert Grey-eyed Boe to these deaths and let him come with the War-party to conduct any post mortem necessary or, and I know it will not be a favoured choice within the group but I am going to offer it anyway,

"We bury each body with a vargr. They can go to their graves knowing their foe was vanquished. Embracing them in death, they can skin them upon arrival in Valhalla.

Ralfwin performs any rites of consecration over them. We then take the remaining vargr carcass back to Jonnamot as our trophy for the hunt.

Whether Grey-eyed Boe comes to collect the bodies or raise a cairn and Rune-stone here can be his concern."

I think that best fits in with this suggestion.

Lastly, Ralfwin could consecrate all the bodies (4 hours and 40 mins total) and then you could take 4 hours to return only lightly encumbered as a group (about noon), and send back the Headman's forces without you for the bodies. They might be desecrated, but wouldn't be able to rise as Draugr once the rituals are done.

[Rex]

Skirfir

How about consecrating the bodies and bring the wolves pelts back after skinning? That should reduce the load down to only -10to Move.

[Stirling]

Ralfwin Edwinsen

Four hours plus. Takes us into the dawn. I can't trek exhausted, it'll be me pulled on a travois.

I am up for doing the bodies then taking a short rest, then trekking back. I kinda like the suggestion to bury each with a wolf too. We have one, that is all we need. If Boe wants us to accompany him back here we can. Maybe the War-party will track this necromancer Seidr.

With dangers around, sending Carr, however fleetfooted alone would be risky, as is Stigandr suggesting to stay here alone.

Let's bury the corpses with the wolves then look to trek back together.

[Unsungknot]

Doshea nods to Stig “this is a good option. We lay the warriors to rest and can tell their families when we get back.”

[sastaz]

Vakar nods as well and looks at the others.

"It's decided then?"

[Enoch]

"Maybe we should camp here until dawn, then start back with both the pelts and the bodies, and send someone ahead for help. Even with travois, we won't be able to make good time."

Guidance: [1d4]=1
Insight: [1d20+6]=7+6=13, [1d20+6]=17+6=23
14 is good enough.