|
"And ever since, you've been on this frozen ship, with a retinue of ghouls, waiting in a painting on his wall? These folk of 'Issiren' have strange methods of courtship indeed."
"Those . . . creatures, are not "mine", little witch. Not as anything but a torment, reminding me of the past and a prison to keep me. Every time someone comes here, the corpse of my first husband, the cold, or whatever other dangers would kill them, and they would rise as those abominations. But they didn't dare attack me, and eventually I found use for them at the oars. Not that it did me any good. I am not bound here by magic, nor curse. I could call on my magic to bore a hole through the ice, if I wanted, and have, many times. I just need more rowers. . ." she gives you a look, as if implying that if you return with bad news, well, you can figure it out.
Making your way back to the portal, you step through and return to Skelg. Once back, the portal closes behind you, and you see that the Lantern has very little oil left. Using it seems to deplete the oil, quickly. Where it might last for an hour to just use light, it seems to consume much more to create the magical beams, or to reopen the portals. He is still there shivering, though he seems to have woken up temporarily, if not in even worse straights now.
"Yooou, you still have. . . have noooot found. . . a way. . .to remove this currrrssseee? I. . . I am willllling ttooo die, then. . . It willlll not. . . be long. Attt le. . . at leasttt you triedddd. . ."
|
Shuffling a boot-toe in the dust, Angruf forays, "Well, good sir, we do have one possible cure - at least a hint. But you're not going to like. I just want to warn you, before we go on, that we are just carrying the message here, and have gotten caught up in it."
Sensing the mounting of an explosive frozen rage from old Skelg, Angruf moves the story along more quickly, "You see sir, there's a really lovely lady in the boat in the painting. She claims to be your wife sir. And she claims if you come to her she may cure you. Her claim didn't seem very credible. Normally, I'd say that your options appear to be to see her through, or to perish - so no harm trying. But it does appear there is some magic at work that raises folk on that ship to an unpleasant unlife. I'd leave it to you sir, whether we brace her in her den."
|
"I don't know what you think of your relationship with Natayla, Skelg, but she does seem to want you with her. I will caution you that she does have an evil aura about her." He pauses. "Though from what I hear of Irrisen Witches, that's probably pretty standard."
"Your choice, sir. But I don't know how much longer you can last like this. She might be persuaded to help."
|
|
Through chittering teeth "I have no idea what you are talking about. I never had a wife."
But when he hears the name, he pauses. It obviously rings a cord in him, but he is struggle to recall.
"Who is this woman that claims to be my wife? And she claims to have a cure? More likely she seeks my wealth and title, and no doubt with child she says is mine huh."
-Posted with Wayfinder
|
|
The look on his face is priceless as realization does not so much dawn on him as proverbally slap him upside the head. Diplomacy checks please.
-Posted with Wayfinder
|
|
Skelg agrees to go, both curious about Natalya and also a hoping to be saved. He honestly doesn't seem to know what's going on, but as you carry him into her room, and their eyes meat, you first think she will call on her magic, if not sheer wrath of a woman scorned to strike him down, but she stops.
You are not sure why she stops. Perhaps after all of this time, seeing the individual she loves to hate and hates to love is such a fragile and sickly state, it seems to warm her heart just a bit, perhaps, just perhaps, send a small crack up her frozen heart. A crack that just might allow something else to take root, even grow perhaps.
Taking the lantern, she begins to speak to it, rubbing her jeweled finger along the small etched runes. Her words are in Skald, the language of the northmen, though it is an archaic form, and suddenly it explodes in it's silverly light, flooding the room. Two polar beams begin to form out of the globe, and first hits the Ripper, then also Kargen. Both feel much better as that happens, as though something has been closed, or maybe removed from within them. As that happens, large cracks begin to form in the ice around the ship, and it slowly begins to fall away.
The two ask for a bit of time to talk alone, and as you step into the other room, you can hear them reconciling. From what you can hear, (even though you are not trying to <probably>), it seems that Skelg, as he raided the funeral party, was drunk on both strong drink and rage for some past blood-feud, and had gone there not expecting to come back. He instead struck many lucky blows, and managed to find himself on the funeral ship. Trying to avoid being burned to death, he also stumbled upon the bound Natalya, and freed her. (Natalya insists at this point that he swore to return to her, and together they would get further vengeance against her late husband's family.)
It basically seems to end with Skelg apologizing profusely, and agreeing to return with Natalya, to work things out, if she will have him. He later confesses to you that these events, and what you and the Society have done, remind him a bit of the old days, his younger days, and he longs to return to the life of adventure. He will rejoin the Society, and go back to the northlands, with his wife, and taking the ship, now christened "The Iceberg", and travel the world.
A slightly more gentle Natalya comes from the room, and offers you a small chest, saying it the last of the funeral's treasure, something he has been holding on to since that night, the last thing she had that did not horrify or encage her. She hands it over in thanks, remarking that "you have returned something to her she had not even realized she had lost so long ago, some faith in people. She takes the lanten one more time, and calling on her magic, summons flame to burn through the remaining ice on the ship, clearing it nearly entirely. Near the mast, you see a lantern ring, stylized like a dragon. Hanging the Beacon of the North there, she again uses it's magic and a massive portal opens before the ship. "Home", she whispers, before handing the lantern over. "There is one more portal for you. It will take you back to Skelg's mansion. He asks you to lock the door before you leave, as he will not be returning there any time soon."
Her words where true, as stepping through the smaller portal returns you to Skelg's mansion, and only a small way back to the grand Lodge, with a rather long story to report.