"Afraid not, Dvallinsdottir," O∂ørn replies with a growl as he drops back. He shifts his club to his shield hand as he steps back from the front lines and fires a icy spear from the palm of his right hand.
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"Do you think a sailor is harmed by the seaspray, foul one," O∂ørn demands as he steps forward next to A∂albjorn, raises his shield, and brings his club down onto one of the undead.
O∂ørn launches a bolt of ice out of his open palm at one of the zombies in the rear, then moves up to stand behind his allies, his shield raised at the ready.
Yeah, I'm still in!
"Wait...I know these men! Rán took them into her depths! How are they here? WHY ARE THEY HERE?!"
The decayed and bloated flesh. The half-rotten eyes. The blank stare of death. It was all too familiar to O∂ørn. He had seen dozens of men in such a state. Swam among their corpses. Used their bodies to buoy himself above the waves when his own legs became to weak to keep him afloat any longer. That these men were dead was no great tragedy. Men died all the time. But that these men were dead, yet still walked was an affront and a mockery of the gods. It had to end. "Your strategies are sound, Dvallar," O∂ørn growls, "But this is not some Southerner's civilized battlefield. This is a cleansing." Despite his tough talk, the go∂i follows the dwarf's commands. He knew it would help no one for him to strike out recklessly.
O∂ørn catches the scent as well and nods grimly. "Hmm, yes. We should approach, but be careful about it. Why would there be a lot of folks down in here with rotting flesh? Ulf? Any ideas?"
"There seems to be some underwater stream in here. Ulf, do you know if that tells us we are heading the right way?"
"Sounds like some water ahead," Odorn whispers. "Watch your footing."
No problem! Take your time to get back in a good space. :)
With his own torch in hand, the old sailor-turned-go∂i follows his companions into the darkness.
O∂ørn looks around from his position near the lever, trying to determine the source of the grinding and clicking that had just rung throughout the cave.
"Right. Let's get a move on then." O∂ørn steps toward the lever, ready to pull it once everyone is through.
"Heh. Seems whoever built these tunnels didn't want to make it too easy." He moves beyond the gate and examines the lever. "You suppose this is some sort of mechanism to keep the gate open or something of that sort?"
O∂ørn lets out a sigh of relief as the mechanisms click into place and the heavy gate opens before them. "Well that's about as good as they could have gone," he says to A∂albjörn with a slight smirk. "Let's get inside."
I think that is me, Dvallar. Just posted my best guess. Hopefully it works out. Sorry for my own absence as well. Kinda was in the same position as A∂albjörn and was stumped by the puzzle for a bit, but as he said, that's no excuse for the radio silence.
Thinking through the story that the murals seem to tell, O∂ørn approaches the pedestal to stand beside A∂albjörn. "Hmmm...yes. That one first, then the snarling wolf in front of the cave, then the picture of the fight, then the wolf entering its cave again. Odd that the howling wolf seems to turn into a man in the second image. Perhaps this cave has some kind of ward against lycanthropes?" Shaking his head to focus on the task at hand, he calls out a warning for the others to take cover near the entrance, in case of traps of some sort, then nods at the burly warrior, signaling to pull the first lever (howling wolf), and proceeds with the rest of the sequence himself (snarling wolf by cave, fight, wolf entering cave).
"That seems to make sense, Dvallar. Perhaps the wolf howls to show it has found its prey, then makes its kill, then returns to the cave? But this one, with the wolf standing in front of the cave and snarling. It's almost like it's guarding the entrance. Perhaps that one comes first?" O∂ørn racks his memory to see if he can recognize natural wolf behavior in the sequence of the murals.
O∂ørn looks carefully at the levers, but is unable to determine any connection to the murals. "Would one of you come help me with this? I'm afraid I don't recognize what we are meant to do here."
O∂ørn heads back down and looks at the pedestal with the levers to see if he can make any kind of connection between the murals and the various levers to see if Snorri is right about the specific order.
O∂ørn examines the second mural. "A wolf. Standing on some kind of precipice and howling. What is this supposed to tell us?"
"Looks like there's some murals up on the walkways. Maybe they'll have some kind of clue about how this whole thing works." O∂ørn ascends the nearest set of steps and checks the mural there.
O∂ørn takes in the scene, trying to see if there are any clues about how the levers should be used to open the gate ahead of them or if they seem to serve some other function.
That is pretty incredible! Exciting time!
O∂ørn walks at the back of the group with Helle, his shield strapped on while his shield hand keeps hold of the torch. In his other hand, his spear is out and ready to face any unexpected threats. As they make their way into the cave, he takes a look at the carvings in the walls as well as checking the ground for any tracks the party ahead of him hadn't trampled.
O∂ørn stares into the inky darkness of the cave for a moment, then turns to Dvallar. "I'll take a torch as well. Unfortunately Rán has not seen fit to grant me sight through the darkness." He retrieves a torn from the dwarfess then moves toward the mouth of the cave. "Ulf, you said there were some levers we would need to pull or some such mechanism, right? Well, where are they?"
O∂ørn takes the cuff to his shoulder and turns to the enormous A∂albaörn, "Do not worry, my friend. I shall not so easily fall. Especially not so long as we travel and fight together." He rubs at his shoulder which has begun to throb from the playful blow, "Though I may come away from our ventures with a new bruise or two." He laughs quietly then turns back to the labor of climbing the ridge.
O∂ørn does not hesitate, but strikes out to follow the path up the slope of the ridge. His legs ache for the gentle turn of the waves as his feet strike the hard, shifting stones of the footpath. Though his mind occasionally carries him back to the sea, his eyes scan the area for any sign of wildlife.
O∂ørn follows Helle's lead, allowing her to guide them forward by the light she provides. As he falls in behind her, he straps on his shield and turns to Ulf. "So? Where is this cave?"
Before the group heads off to the cave, O∂ørn makes the rounds with the recently purchased curative wand to help prepare everyone for any threats they might encounter in subterranean darkness. Cure Light Wounds rolls: Dvallar, let me know if you want me to take care of that non-lethal damage from your fall.
O∂ørn begins to make his way carefully down the hill, feeling his way for loose soil with the butt of his spear. His focus is drawn away by a couple of the others as they tumble down around him. His foot hits some gravel and slips out from under him. He falls hard, but manages to only come away with a few scrapes and bruises. Once he reaches the bottom and Ulf gives the group their first hint about what to expect at the cave's entrance, O∂ørn nods solemnly. "We'll be ready. I'm sure between six of us, we'll be able to sort out the puzzle."
Sounds good!
Wow congrats! That's awesome news! Wishing your wife and child to come a healthy pregnancy and wishing you the strength to keep sane through it all. Hahaha.
O∂ørn chuckles at Dvallar's offer of iron cakes, "Been a while since I've had an iron cake. Used to get a fair bit of the stuff while I was at sea. Never really was fond of that rusty taste, though. S'pose it makes sense a dwarf would find it appealing, though."
O∂ørn wakes early as usual and finds a small stream in which he can perform his usual morning rituals. Once he has completed his devotions, he returns to camp and quietly thanks Ulf for preparing some food. "Let's be done with it then."
O∂ørn nods solemnly at the strange man. "Indeed. Rest well. Tomorrow we will complete the task you have set before us and you may continue on your way from our home. Helle, I will take the first watch." The Vastaviklander finds a rock or stump to lean against and takes a seat with his spear lying across his lap, his eyes reflecting the bright oranges and reds of the small campfire.
O∂ørn also gazes out over the cliff's edge to see if he can spot the cave Ulf is referring to.
He also takes the opportunity to use the wand the group had purchased to provide some healing. Heals:
O∂ørn grunts in agreement, "A waste indeed. Though the gods do sometimes send us small tests such as this to prove our worth, so in the end, let's simply be glad that we didn't shame ourselves. Let's be on our way. As you said, we need to make camp before dark falls."
If, by some chance, the goblin is still standing after A∂albjørn's attack, O∂ørn will tear a tuft of wool from the lining of his cloak, cast it toward the goblin, and mutter a quick prayer for Rán to flood the eyes of the goblin, taking its sight away for its wickedness.
Hey folks, wanted to let you all know I'm gonna be out of town again starting this evening and running through next Tuesday, Oct 11. I'll be fully back online next Wednesday. I'll have my phone with me at least, so I may still be able to put up short posts, but maybe not. I'll do my best at least to keep up with what's going on while I'm gone so I can jump right back in when I return.
O∂ørn's spear misses its mark in almost the exact same way as his last attack, despite the goblin's distraction. He refuses to let the vermin defeat him, though, and strikes once again at the goblin standing before him.
This time, his spear is a much greater threat to the goblins, and O∂ørn is satisfied that, if he could not end the beasts, at least he kept them on their toes. He shifts back and lets his spear drop, then straps on the large shield he had bathed in the sea.
"What are you doing, you foolish woman. Fall back. Let the rest of us deal with these pests." O∂ørn steps into the line with the others, his spear and shield at the ready, then stabs at the nearest goblin with the spear.
O∂ørn notices the commotion of Snorri and A∂albjörn looking around at some unseen attraction and takes a quick look himself. He fails to notice anything unusual, however, and continues marching alongside Helle. "What do you suppose they're all worked up about?"
Hey folks! Just wanted to let you know I'm gonna be out of town for a few days starting tonight. It'll just be over the weekend, and things tend to slow down a bit then anyway, but just wanted to give you a heads up. If we end up in combat while I'm gone, feel free to bot me.
"I have no skill on horseback, so I shall accompany you on foot if that will not delay our travel too greatly," O∂ørn says, addressing the last few words almost as a question to Ulf.
I believe we all agreed on that earlier. Each of us paid 150 toward the total of 750, so everyone paid an equal share.
"Agreed. We should make use of the shield wall whenever we are able, but we cannot rely solely on that tactic. As far as healing abilities, I was able to purchase a wand to provide some basic healing when we need it. Aside from that, Rán has given me the power to...let us say 'give our enemies a bad day.'" O∂ørn adjust his pack on his shoulders, straps on his shield, and readies himself to move out with the others.
O∂ørn rises early that morning and makes his way directly to the beach, his shield and spear in hand. He wades a short distance into the water, and carefully scoops the salt water over the boss of his shield and the haft of his spear as he says a prayer to Rán to strengthen these weapons. "Might Rán, bless these armaments to do the will of the gods. Strengthen this shield to protect your servant against your enemies, and guide this spear to pierce the hearts of those whom you disfavor." After washing his gear in the sea, he does the same for himself, allowing the waves to wash over him and putting his head under the surf to show his submission to the deity who had given him a second chance to prove his worth and earn a good death. His rituals complete, O∂ørn returned to his home, packed the last of his belongings, and made his way to meet his fate alongside the others. He approached quietly, just as Ulf begins to explain the purpose of their quest. As he concludes his story, O∂ørn asks, "Am I right to assume that such a legendary artifact would not lie unprotected? And, if you don't mind my asking, which tribe is it that you hail from?"
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