Yoi do find some shipping logs, Ulf. Apparently a company called Fornjot Power Associates shipped an item from here to Colorado. What that item is is not listed.
You do find some correspondence in an Outlook account. A messeage from one rforson@gmail.com to one gforson@gmail.com. Thereis no subject but th sent email reads:
“we found it. On it’s way to you. Will wrap up and return shortly.”
There is no reply.
Cybil responds to your comment, Ulf.
”The way I heard it, we Scions aren’t bound by Fate to Ragnarok, so we might be able to get clearer messages and actually effect things.”
This, of course, is almost exactly what ypu have been told. She continues.
”But since no one seems to object...”
Cybil concentrates on her bowl for a few moments, and then speaks.
”Great, it’s coming through! You can read this in the bowl but I’ll speak it out in case you can’t see...
Lie-smith’s daughter, Aid the Band
Heart replaced by Hero’s hand
Tree and mountain, Twisted fates
Tithe of blood Controls the gates.”
If anyone looks into the bowl, it is clear that Cybil has repeated the words that appeared verbatim. She looks at all of you and grins.
”Lie-smith’s daughter aids the Band! See? I’m meant to help you! Though, I can’t really decipher the rest...”
Chloe, Cybil and Ola tell you that they saw a bit. It looked like there had been a large mining operation, and something had been found, but they don’t know what. This mine had been long tapped of precious metals and valuable minerals as far as they know.
Yoi do find some shipping logs, Ulf. Apparently a company called Fornjot Power Associates shipped an item from here to Colorado. What that item is is not listed.
You do find some correspondence in an Outlook account. A messeage from one rforson@gmail.com to one gforson@gmail.com. Thereis no subject but th sent email reads:
“we found it. On it’s way to you. Will wrap up and return shortly.”There is no reply.
Ulf will pull a small notebook from his pocket and jot down a copy of this information, including the email addresses, company info, and content of messages. "Got it. We'll need to look into Fornjot Power Associates when we get out of here."
Cybil responds to your comment, Ulf.
”The way I heard it, we Scions aren’t bound by Fate to Ragnarok, so we might be able to get clearer messages and actually effect things.”
This, of course, is almost exactly what ypu have been told. She continues.
”But since no one seems to object...”Cybil concentrates on her bowl for a few moments, and then speaks.
”Great, it’s coming through! You can read this in the bowl but I’ll speak it out in case you can’t see...Lie-smith’s daughter, Aid the Band
Heart replaced by Hero’s hand
Tree and mountain, Twisted fates
Tithe of blood Controls the gates.”If anyone looks into the bowl, it is clear that Cybil has repeated the words that appeared verbatim. She looks at all of you and grins.
”Lie-smith’s daughter aids the Band! See? I’m meant to help you! Though, I can’t really decipher the rest...”
Ulf will let someone look over Cybil's shoulder (likely Erika), but won't read it himself. Instead he puzzles over the message itself. "Well, the second line could mean that the heart will be replaced by heroes... or that there's a heart we need to trade a hand for, though it could mean it's already been traded. Wasn't there a god that did that?" he asks.
"Wait, there are rules to wearing cowboy boots? I thought that they were just to look cool," says Chase, looking down at his boots. "I think I might have a pair of jeans in the car. Or maybe this can be a new trend?"
Chase crosses his arms as Cybil speaks, a little annoyed that she didn't even bother dodging his questions. At least she was being more forthright with the others. He listens as the others talk to her--when she admits to being a scion of Loki he nods his head even though she doesn't really look like Tom Hiddleston. But maybe Tom Hiddleston doesn't actually look like Loki?
When Dustin decides to show off his six-pack, Chase does his best to surreptitiously check it out without being obvious, while hoping that he isn't blushing in the process.
"Just because someone's parents are jerks doesn't mean they are," says Chase at the revelation of Chloe's heritage
Chase listens to the prophecy; it's pretty baroque, but that seems like it's standard fare for that sort of thing.
"Tithe of blood controls the gates. Some sort of sacrifice, probably. But what gates? Maybe the gates are where the Heart is? Heart replaced by hero's hand--maybe we have to give up something to get at where the Heart is, just like Tyr had to give up his hand," he suggests after Cybil is finished prognosticating.
Nick blows some smoke out the side of his mouth then shakes his head at Chloe, "Oh I'm not one to judge someone just based on parentage. I'm sure I would win the worst parent award, and that's not even counting the Lady of Helheim. It's everything else that makes me suspicious. I figure there's three possibilities here. One, the ravens lied to us about being the only ones that have had visitations. Two, she's lying about being a scion at all. Or three, Loki visited her and didn't tell the other Aesir. None of those sound good to me. But, who knows about any of this? I sure don't. Maybe you're right and she's on the up and up. I don't think we should distrust her automatically, I just don't think we should trust her automatically either."
He throws his butt on the ground and stomps it out. "So I'll keep an eye out. We should probably go back in."
Chloé replies to Nick, "I think it's unlikely that she's not one of us - why capture her, in that case? And where would someone who's not one of us find an actual Midgard dwarf? I think number three is the most likely."
She sighs and says, "If there's going to be more fighting like this, I'd better get... well, better." She tugs at the edges of her coat. "But maybe I can get some more out of her, see how much trust we can risk."
Cybil nods along with your comment, Chase, smiling gratefully at you. She then purses her lips, thinking.
”Wait a minute...heart replaced by hero’s hand. Didn’t you just say you were looking for the Heart of Winter? I don’t know what that is, exactly, but maybe I’m supposes yo help you find it?”
Dustin notices Chase noticing him, and grins at the young man.
”My eyes are up here, handsome,” he says with a wink, the tone of his voice as flirtatious with Chase as it was with Cybil. He then addresses the group.
“As far as I can tell, we won’t find anything else out here. We have a company to look into and some new friends to see safe. I say we head back to SoCal and link up with Ola’s people. They may have more resources that could aid us.”
Despite his tan Chase manages to turn a pretty impressive shade of red at Dustin's comment.
"I, uh. Umm," says Chase, doing his best to not make eye contact with Dustin while he thinks of what to say. "You must live in the gym, right? I guess that makes sense since you played football. And the personal trainer thing."
"And I guess the first line of the poem was telling you to help us out," says Chase to Cybil, doing his absolute best to change the subject. "I think Dustin's right. We should take Ola back to Bixby Knoll. This cave's seem like a dead end."
"I'll get the tarp out of the trunk, unless that's where Ola wants to ride. It's going to be day by the time we get back to town." Ulf says. "Unless I was wrong about the whole dwarves turn to stone thing. I'm still figuring out how much myth is reality."
"Well, there is only one record of such incident, in the Prose Edda. But it could be true, as dwarves may share the same ancestry as the jötnar, according to the Völuspá."
"I think number three is probably it too. And I find that just as fishy. And as to why they captured her, I've never really agreed with the whole the enemy of my enemy is my friend thing. Maybe they are, maybe they ain't. I just think we should be careful."
Nick gives Chloe a thoughtful look, "Everybody ain't necessarily here to fight. Maybe you have other skills to add to the job, and maybe you just haven't caught your stride in battle yet. Hell, I was given this sword and I reckon I'm expected to use it but I didn't do too much in that last fight. I intend to fix that, and I bet you do too." He holds the door open for Chloe like the southern gentleman he is, sometimes, "Let's go make sure they haven't gotten into any trouble without us."
Ola nods an affirmation.
”You all have the right of it. If it’s all right with you, I think nighttime is pretty soon, and I would prefer to wait until then. My husband always said I was stauesque but I tgink he would be upset to find me so literally.”
Chloe and Nick, once you return to the group, you can confirn this; the sun was slipping below the horizon while you chatted, and waiting a half hour should make it dark enough for Ola to be safe if that’s what you wish to do.
Dustin shrugs.
”Yeah, I pretty much live there. Don’t worry, once we gave some down time, I’ll be sure to help you train and pack on some muscle. Assuming, of course, you wouldn’t mind a bit of...personal attention,” and Dustin smirked, voice heavy with amusement and innuendo. He couldn’t help it...he was a tease.
He then responded to the group at large.
”I’m all for not risking turning Ola into stone. Let’s wait a bit.”
"Then, while we wait, let's talk a bit, get to know each other a little better. Ola, forgive my curiosity, but is that an Icelandic accent I hear on you? I was born there, always nice to meet someone from the motherland." She smiles at Ola, hopefully encouraging her to talk about herself.
Ola snorts.
”Of course it is. All of we Elder Ones settled in particular areas in the old times. There’s a reason that Dwarves don’t figure into Greek vases, and why minotaurs aren’t part of the stories mothers tell their children in Reykjavik. But Iceland is one of the few places that I feel the modern wold hasn’t completely consumed; I like to visit every few years.”
"I visit quite often as well. Ísafjörður in the summer, Lake Myvatn in the winter. Say, do you know which Elder Ones settled here? If any?" Erika makes a vague gesture with one hand, indicating anything from the surrounding area to the entire of North America.
”Ah, lass, America is the land of immigrants. I couldn’t begin to guess at all you might find. I do know of a certain you’ll find Alfar and Svtaralfar. Likely most of the other benevolent creatures in most mythologies; merfolk, for example, though I wouldn’t know where to look.”
"Uhh. Sounds fun," says Chase, near incandescent at this point and doing his best to not make eye contact with Dustin.
"Bet my mum knows some mermaids," says Chase. "Goddess of the sea and all that. Like that old Disney movie. Umm. The Little Mermaid! I want to be where the people are. I want to see, want to see them dancing," Chase continues, half-singing as much of the lyrics as he remembers.
Time passes. Night falls, and Ola is safe to venture out.
The journey goes quickly and smoothly. Both Ola and Cybil are interested in learning more about you, whoever's vehicle they're in. Once you've shared what you're comfortable sharing, they ask about your companions.
Eventually you reach Long Beach, and Ola provides you with directions to Bixby Knoll. Along the way, you notice that the roads become narrow and
winding, then have posted signs reading 'No Trespassing' and 'No Through Streets.”'
"Don't worry about the signs," Ola says, "They're just to help keep the mundies away. We're going the right way."
After several minutes of driving through confusing streets in the hills, you coms to a street with a large gate across it. There’s no guardhouse or visible defenses, just a wooden barricade blocking the lane.
Ola points out a call box you. She presses a button on it, and the barricade slides up.
As you continue driving, now you see dwellings. Most of them are quite small; most of you would have problems standing comfortable in them. A couple are normal sized, however.
Ola directs you to a cul-de-sac near what seems to be the center of the town. Once there, she points out a long, low-roofed building that seems almost like a barracks.
"That's me," she says.
Once you pull over, she gets out and walks to her door, motioning for you to follow. She opens the door. You hear footsteps from inside, and swiftly, another Dwarf is standing in the entryway. His expression is clearly joyous, as he embraces Ola warmly.
After a moment, the two break apart, and Ola links arms with the (you can now see) male Dwarf, walking him over to you.
"Lodi, my heart, these are the courageous young Heroes that saved Cybil and me. My friends, this is Lodi, my husband."
She introduces you, giving all your names properly.
Lodi bows low, then straightens, smiling at you.
"Please, come in! Come, and take some refreshment. I can never repay you, but the least I can do is get you lot a drink or ten and something to fill your bellies. Please, come in and make yourselves comfortable!"
"Enough drinks to fill my stomach? After tonight I'll take it." Ulf says, adjusting his coat. "There a smoking area?"
Dustin graciously accepts their hospitality, asking if he can help them with setup. He is, after all, an excellent host.
Lodi raises an eyebrow, Ulf.
"We're not bothered by a bit of smoke...the sub-basement is a forge so we're certainly used to it! Though some others don't take kindly to it, I know. The backyard is certainly open to you, my friend."
And with that, Lodi and Ola set about making you comfortable. They bring you down to a basement that's a large entertainment room; there are several dwarf-sized couches and chairs, so it's a bit of work to get comfortable, but you manage. There's coffee or alcohol or water to your taste. Cybil takes three fingers of scotch. Ola makes a batch of cookies for you. As she sets them down, she speaks.
"Now that I've returned, some of our community will be coming to take your measure. Lodi is their leader, but he won't go against their will. We're...sort of insular, and wary of outsiders. They'll want to hear your story...and the telling should be made a good one, worthy of your skald ancestors! That will certainly win them over. Perhaps the most silver-tongued among you should do the speaking, eh? Lodi's already won over; you rescued his wife, so I'm sure you have a friend for life, and he's a good one to have. Convince the rest...well, there are worse things than a community of Dwarves as allies!"
As word gets out, several other Dwarves, seven in total besides Ola and Lodi, arrive at Lodi's house. They greet her warmly, with either a handshake or a hug, but eye you somewhat warily.
Lodi starts to speak.
"It has been centuries since we have had the children of the Aesir among us. Some have treated well with us, and some have proven corrupt and false. Let us hear from their mouths how they came to us...but the beginning of the story, let us hear from my wife."
Ola speaks plainly, relating to them the same story she told you about she and Cybil coming here to try to rescue their friends, and getting in way over their heads. She stops speaking after describing her capture, and looks at your group expectantly.
Dustin, you are ever so politely told that you are a guest here and that it is their pleasure to serve you anything you might like.
Chloe is fairly talkative on the long ride back to Long Beach.
"It's so strange, the world being upended like this," she says to Erika. "It's like the world is in black and white but you don't know it, until suddenly it's in color. Wizard of Oz was ahead of its time."
As the ride continues she tries to tease out some more from Erika about herself - both because she seems legitimately interested in knowing more about her compatriot, and because she seems to use talking as a means to expel stress after these kinds of unexpected encounters.
~~~~~~~~~~
As the caravan pulls into Bixby Knoll, she looks about the houses with an expression of wonder. "Now I know where the idea of Santa's Village comes from! Little people, living in the cold north, making treasures in hidden workshops and giving them only to the worthy, right?"
~~~~~~~~~~
Inside the dwarf's hall, she gratefully accepts some water (who drinks water in a dwarf's house?) and is about to say something about their trip when Erika speaks up, so she delicately refrains from swerving everyone's attention and instead takes a comfortable seat to listen to the story.
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Erika finds a spot on a cushion and sits cross-legged, watching the assembled dwarves in silence. Reaching into the leather pouch that she is holding in her lap, she retrieves a single stone, the rune Jór, running it through her fingers as she casts her mind back to the extraordinary events of the last day. She starts off with a quote from the Prose Edda, reciting the words in English, but letting the Icelandic accent slip in and flavor them with the weight of a language that has changed little in the last millennium.
”Odin is highest and eldest of the Aesir: he rules all things, and mighty as are the other gods, they all serve him as children obey a father. Frigg is his wife, and she knows all the fates of men, though she speaks no prophecy.”
She pauses for effect, looking everyone in the eye, one by one.
”Frigg is also my mother, and I have inherited the gift of fate wisdom from her. She was wearing a blue dress the night she visited me. Revealed herself to me, and the destiny of the world. Ragnarok is coming, my friends.”
She switches to Old Icelandic, reciting from Völuspá in a slow, ponderous cadence:
”Sól tér sortna,
sígr fold í mar,
hverfa af himni
heiðar stjörnur;
geisar eimi
ok aldrnari,
leikr hár hiti
við himin sjálfan.”
The dwarves should know this one – it is the stanza describing the destruction of Midgard, the darkening of the sun and the burning of Yggdrasil.
”The gods are bound against the fates. The Norns have measured the thread of the world and its length is set. But us, us Scions, the offspring of gods and mortals, standing on the threshold between this world and the divine one… There is a sliver of a chance that we can still nudge the waft and weave, change the path of destruction, save some of this world. That is what we here have set out to do. Huginn and Muninn told us of an artifact called The Heart of Winter, the power of which can control the weather, and who knows what else besides. The spawns of titans also hunt this Heart of Winter, and the trail of it led to the town where we found Ola and Cybil.”
She pauses again, taking a sip of water and letting her audience stew a little.
”We girded ourselves for battle and set off. The place was eerie when we got there. Cold. We descended into the bowels of the earth on rusted chains, not knowing what to expect. Creatures came at us, such as we had never seen before; a giant and three trolls. Perhaps you think our claim to divine ascendancy untrue, but if you had seen how they had fought – the son of Thor, the son of Ran, the son of Hel, the daughter of Freya, the son of Heimdall – their feats were not those of mortals, I tell you! No mortal can ram his spear clean through a troll in one blow, or dance on the walls, or fire crystal bullets in the colours of the rainbow!”
Her words are ringing with passion now as she gesticulates in an attempt to illustrate the battle in the mine. ”The sword Dainsleif crashes down, wounding the giant, who swings his mighty club in retaliation and is thwarted by the earth itself! Dainsleif strikes again, hewing the giant in two. Heimdall’s son leaps on a troll’s head, putting a bullet in the skull of another! Thor’s son impales two trolls at once on his mighty sword and Hell’s Scion sinks his blade into another. The son of Ran springs on his spear, driving it into the chest of the enemy and out on the other side! Thor’s son cleaves the last foe in half, and the battle is done.”
She takes a few moments to get her breath back to a more normal rhythm and to take another sip of water. ”Thus we vanquished those who had captured your kin, but alas! Our prize was out of our reach, spirited away. Cybil read the fates in the waters, and we think they hint at the new location of the Heart of Winter, but we have yet to solve that riddle.”
The Dwarves all seem impressed, Erika. You noticed some of their faces tighten when you speak of killing trolls, but they say nothing. After your story, they thank you for the telling, then excuse themselves; they wish to discuss amongst themselves their course of action.
Ola pats you kindly, Erika.
"Well, that was quite well done! I should think-"
She is cut off by two sounds from outside; one is of tires screeching to a halt, and the next, perhaps ten seconds later, is a loud warning siren cutting through the air.
Ola looks grim.
"Please, not again..."
What do you do?
"Were we followed?"
Dustin moves, far more quickly than a man of his size should be able to. He runs to the front door, drawing Dainsleif and his shield in preparation for any trouble.
Ulf, you know a large vehicle has pulled up outside; your ears have picked up, however, that there were actually two sets of screeches.
Dustin, as you open the door, you see a bizarre scene. Sitting on the road is a huge black Escalade, and moving towards it are three figures that can only be Giants. Each of them is clutching a baseball bat in one hand, and an unconscious Dwarf in another.
Stranger still, next to the SUV, there is the strangest creature you've ever seen. It's lower half seems to be that of a motorcycle, and it's upper half is humanoid.
Folks, go ahead and roll Join Battle!
=> 1 success
6 successes
= 2
- Turn Order
- Tick 0- Nick
- Tick 2- Dustin
- Tick 4- Ulf/Horseman
- Tick 6- Erika, Chloe, Chase, Giants
Once he hears the giants have captured some dwarves Nick leaps to action, literally. He makes his way outside and jumps towards the nearest giant. He slashes Gram at its leg hoping to get it to drop its victim without putting them in danger.
The Giants were focused on getting the Dwarves into their SUV; they are unaware of your presence and were not suspecting your attack. Go ahead and roll your damage along with three threshold successes.
Dustin waits for Nick to move, then springs into action himself. Knowing that the car could likely move very fast, and being unaware of the capabilities of the monstrosity accompanying the Giants, Dustin knew he needed speed and power.
Dustin leaps forward, somersaulting in the air with a grace that his bulk would not suggest. He leaps between two of the giants and times his leap so that as he is inverted, head pointing towards the ground, he twists, facing the Giants, and the terrible blade of Dainsleif is capable of hitting them both with one slash. Dustin swipes with all the might in his thick arms.
Dustin completes his flip, landing and actually skidding back a few feet from the force of his leap before setting himself up against the Giants once more.
- 4 Successes
Dustin, roll your damage with 4 threshold successes and one stunt die;
Remember as well, friends, please roll your damage with your initial attack. I will roll threshold successes along with bonuses from stunts. Also please list the speed of your actions.
- Initiative
- Tick 0-
- Tick 1-
- Tick 2-
- Tick 3-
- Tick 4- Nick/Ulf/Horseman
- Tick 5- Dustin
- Tick 6- Erika/Chloe/Chase/Giants
9 successes + 4 Auto= 13 Aggravated to each