Day 1 (17th of the Wild Month)

A karvi bobbed gently amidst the ocean swells. Bretta, Ulfer, Torbjorn and 12 others cast the body of their former master into the sea, Ulfer's knife still stuck in his back. From this day their ship was known as the Njord's Song.

Four days of provisions, stolen in their flight, remained.

They sailed south on the open sea under a light Spring breeze and fair weather until, nearing the end of the day, they spotted the remains of a galley wrecked upon rocks. Behind it lay a green coast. Dropping sail, the Njord's Song drew close under oar when aboard the wrecked vessel and atop the rocks appeared two figures. They had the forms of men but were clad in pale scales like fish, with long arms and legs. Eyes glittering like fire opals stared impassively from faces uncannily human, yet alien, while red gills flared at their necks. Long, webbed fingers clutched spears of coral or the sharpened teeth of some monstrous creature of the depths.

The party believed these figures to be mer - sea demons who lured ships on to rocks and raided villages along the coast - and considered them an ill omen. They raised the sail and made for land, several crew members making the sign of the evil eye at the figures as they drew away and left the wreck in a sea stained blood red by the light of the dipping sun.

The Njord's Song was run aground and hauled past the high tide mark on a shingle beach in an inlet on the coast they had spotted. Ulfer set to work organising the crew and identifying their skills, Bretta and Tatio (her loyal hound) climbed a slope leading from the beach to spy their surroundings, and Torbjorn ventured forth to set snares for rabbits. 

From the hill she climbed, Bretta saw before her a wide valley with sparse woodland struggling out of winter's clutches. To the north-east lay a grassy plain, to the south a wetland with a road leading south and a large menhir of some sort atop a mound that rose from the swampy surrounds, and to the south-east a dense forest from which plumes of smoke large enough to be from a settlement arose. Returning with her findings and a bundle of firewood, the crew ate a meal of salt fish and hardtack before settling in for the night and taking their respective watches.

The night was initially peaceful but when Ulfer took the last watch a storm rolled in from the north, obscuring the quarter-moon and driving down with rain. In a lull in the wind he thought he heard a monotone muttering, but nothing came of it.

Day 2 (18th of the Wild Month)

The storm continued. Although the crew had been reasonably sheltered by the hull of the Njord's Song, such a storm would wear them down if endured for a second night without proper shelter like tents. Disturbingly, when Torbjorn checked his snares he found each undone and the quarry taken - footsteps the size of barrel lids and a wide trail, as if something large had been dragged, led to the north-east.

The party conferred, and it was decided that Torbjorn would follow the tracks along with Thorgild (a crewmate with hunting experience). Meanwhile Ulfer and Bretta would take three other crew to investigate the possible settlement to the south-east with a view to procuring food and equipment for the Njord's Song by trade or plunder. The remainder of the crew would maintain the ship and camp.

Bretta, Tatio and Ulfer set off on their journey and, upon entering the thick forest, came across a road whereby they travelled north-east. Although they enjoyed the shelter that the woods provided from the worst of the storm, they were still surprised when they came across a group of 10 people led by a Christian priest.

Bretta spoke to the priest in Ruis - his name was Callum and he was leading pilgrims from Culemwarden in the east to St. Olham's Monastery in the south. Their party had been attacked last night by a terrible being which seized several of their number and dragged them into the darkness, all while grumbling in a fell monotone. They had sought refuge in the village of Stamullen but the folk there harbour no love for Christians, and Callum offered 100 silver pieces were the party to escort the flock as far as Dorbog on the south road. If they accompanied them all the way to the Monastery then the abbot, Sean, would surely reward them greatly.

The priest paid 100 silver, but at the tip of a spear. The pilgrims were sent on their way with no further violence and the group made for Stamullen. Spying from the woods, they saw a wildflower-wreathed village of some 80 folk with no wall, tower or any other obvious defences. An abundance of beehives were noted, although the bees were not abroad due to the weather, and a figure wrapped in deerskins went among the hives whispering to them. Entering the village and heading to a longhouse used as a storage space, Bretta spoke in Ruis with the townsfolk and was introduced to the deerskin-clad figure under the guise of trade - Macullen, the druid. He was strange, his manners more akin to those of beasts than a man, but he was friendly and offered to trade for what tools and food Stamullen could spare. Bretta asked about the strange footprints and was told that nothing bothered the village due to their relationship with 'the little ones' - she correctly identified these as the bees they had seen. Macullen was pleased by Bretta's curiosity as to his Druidic faith and invited the party back to Stamullen should they need anything else.

Meanwhile, Torbjorn and Thorgild tracked the strange footsteps as best they could in the fierce storm. Thankfully the size of the footprints made them quite obvious. In the grassland to the north-east of the ship's landing the pair made a gruesome discovery - under the hollowed out roots of an old oak lay a pile of shredded clothes and the meticulously deboned body of a man wearing a wooden crucifix. The roots were slick with gore and entrails but not a single shard of bone could be seen. After recovering what they could from the man's belongings the pair decided to return to the Njord's Song. The storm, however, hindered their view and, turned around, they instead headed east whereupon they spied a strange drystone house - the building was ramshackle and haphazardly extended, and the proportions of its doorways and windows matched that of no man. Thankfully, from their vantage point on a hill they spied a road in a break in the weather and made for it, following the path south-east to Stamullen where they reunited with the others as the sun began to set.

The party purchased some food for themselves and their companions, as well as some equipment to take back to the Njord's Song, with the money extorted from the pilgrims, and were offered an empty byre for the night - not the comfiest night's sleep, but a lot better than staying out in the storm - where they made plans to raid St. Olham's Monastery...

Day 1 (19th of the Wild Month)

The storm dulled to a light rain throughout the night, and the party slept well in Stamullen. The next morning they spent the bulk of their ill-gotten silver on supplies and ventured back to where the Njord's Song was beached, to the north-west, with the Druid Macullen wishing them a silent farewell.

The journey through the rain-slick woods went easily enough but as the day's end approached on the final stretch towards the ship, the party noticed that they were being followed by what appeared to be a group of people. Suspicious, the party looped back on their path and laid an ambush in the shadow of a wooded pass for their followers, only to be surprised at their numbers. Against their seven were sixteen strange folk, all pale, horribly scarred, and carrying the stench of gore and rust with them, marching in good order bearing pitted arms and tattered, but serviceable, armour. Waiting until these strange warriors had passed and dispersed to follow their trail into the broken terrain in which they hid, the party broke cover and marched at speed to cover the final distance to their ship - a harsh cry like the sound of rattling chains signalled a pursuit but fortunately their hunters appeared to lack the means to assail the party from a distance.

The Battle of the Njord's Song

The party crested the rise above the small bay in which the Njord's Song was beached as the sun dipped low in the sky. A mailed stranger, Brynjar, sat conversing with the crew in passable Norse and scrambled up the slope with the crewmembers to form a ragged line of battle opposite their approaching foes as Ulfer bellowed a call to arms. Ulfer gave a a rousing speech to his companions which girded their spirits for the fight ahead:

The gods are on our side, men! 

We would not be so close to freedom to be felled by demons and foul spirits. With me!

He then beat his axe upon his shield and proclaimed that he would take the head of the enemy leader and mount it to the prow of the Njord's Song. The crew of the Njord's Song charged as their enemies drew close and Bretta claimed first blood, with a thrown axe slaying one of the strange warriors. As the clash of arms filled the air Ulfer made good on his boast, slaying the leader of the enemy band with an axe blow so mighty that he tore the weapon from a neighbouring opponent for good measure. As black ichor and steam gushed from the enemy captain's body, Bretta cut another warrior down with a strike from her atgeir and Brynjar ran a third through with his sword. In the face of such fury and the loss of their leader the strange warriors disengaged from the battle and retreated in good order, disappearing into the growing gloom. Ulfer struck the head from the enemy captain and held it aloft, proclaiming:

See this! Ruin befall those who stand in my way, men and Demons alike. We will never know bondage again as long as I draw breath. Writ upon this coast are our deeds, The Njord's Chosen!

The crew, of whom none had been injured, let loose a roaring cheer as the head was strapped to the prow of their ship before dispersing to unload the supplies and set up watches lest their opponents return. The party noticed that the weapons which had spilled the blood of their foes were pitted, and cleaned them thoroughly.

Bretta spoke with Brynjar, who revealed himself to be a traveller late of St. Olham's Monastery in search of lore on conflicts with Norse raiders and monsters, and they examined the bodies of their slain enemies. They had the form of men and were deathly pale, leaking dark blood which reeked of rusted iron, and the terrible scars upon their bodies glittered in the fading light as if tiny threads of metal stitched across them. The steam which had so profusely leaked from their bodies when wounded now trailed in thin wisps. Their teeth were sharp and pointed, though the pair could not discern whether this was natural or self-inflicted. The fallen enemy captain carried a backpack full of iron scrap - knife blades, old axe heads, nails prised from wood etc., carefully wrapped in cloth.

Bretta recalled Norse legends of the Draugr from her childhood - the unquiet, dishonoured dead who stalked the living - but they were said to be corpse-rotten and possessed of a deathly cold touch. Brynjar had heard local rumours of pale men with boiling blood bearing horrific wounds attacking pilgrim parties near the Monastery under cover of darkness - all he knew was the Ruis name 'orcneas'. Ulfer joined them and welcomed Brynjar to the crew as one who had fought and killed for the Njord's Song.

The night passed without incident, save for the sounds of some distant, short combat, and the new morning brought thick fog.

Day 2 (20th of the Wild Month)

Upon waking the party found that their weapons were once again pitted, and upon close inspection saw thin rivulets of rust spreading through the steel of their blades. They resolved to re-arm themselves at the earliest opportunity.

The Njord's Song set sail into the fog banks, hugging the coast line as she headed south. A northerly breeze propelled her well and soon the party drew close to the wreck they had spied on the first day of their freedom. There was no sign of the strange figures they had seen. Nothing moved save the gentle lapping of the waves.

The crew rowed the Njord's Song as close as possible to the wreck and Bretta dived into the cold waters of the Northern Sea, easily swimming the short distance to the wrecked vessel. The Frankish galley had been thoroughly ruined - its mast had gone overboard and its hull and deck bore huge rents from the sharp rocks. Spying through a hole in the deck into the hold, Bretta saw no movement save for the bobbing of drowned sailors in time with the swell of the waves, and descended. Several barrels of spoiled provisions were all that remained in the hold but the captain's cabin held a chest in which lay a pouch of Frankish silver coin and three oiled leather tubes sealed with wax. Bretta wrapped the tubes in a cloth, hoping that they would be adequately waterproofed, and swam back to the Njord's Song. Two of the tubes contained bundles of dried blue-green herbs with strong aroma - Brynjar identified these as rue (or witchbane), a herb from far-off lands often associated with Rûmish temples and great houses - and the final one a vellum map showing a great runestone in sand dunes with a Latin passage. Brynjar, fully literate in Latin, read it thusly:

Seek ye the silvered axe at the feet of a mighty warrior, that ye may slay the creatures of Hell.

The party resolved to seek this artefact later in their travels and continued hugging the coast south, whence came the fog-muffled sounds of a settlement which they reckoned to be Dorbog. The Njord's Song continued on and soon the silent mists were all that accompanied the party.

Near the day's end the unmistakeable sound of a church bell pealed through the fog and the party knew their location was close. Putting in to a cove they discussed their plan of attack as Brynjar detailed the layout of the Monastery - it lay upon a spit of cliff above the southern coast of Ruislip and was bounded by an outer palisade and an inner drystone wall, behind which lay the church and the belltower where the Abbot Sean also made his quarters.

The Raid on St. Olham's Monastery

Taking the bulk of the crew with them, the party advanced under the cover of the fog and slipped  through the bare fields and orchards outside the palisade and through the first gate before any of the monks realised what was happening. As the alarm was raised chaos gripped the Monastery while the inner gate was hurriedly barred. Ulfer directed the crew in rounding up several hostages from among the fleeing monks and breaching the gate while Brynjar and Bretta investigated the monk's refectory - a large drystone structure topped with thatch. Inside they were able to liberate several casks of provisions, which they stacked upon a handcart taken from a nearby workshop.

After an hour the crew had breached the inner gate and the raiding party advanced to the heart of the Monastery. Ulfer attempted to negotiate with the Abbot Sean, a thin, young, and high-handed Ruis man who would happily see the hostages maimed and killed before unbarring the door to his quarters in the tower. As Ulfer readied his axe, Bretta tried a different tack and instead called out to the monks in the tower with Sean, promising them safe passage if they subdued Sean and unbarred the door. Within minutes the tower was opened and the monks within fled. Sean excoriated the party, proclaiming them heathen devils, but was knocked to the floor by a punch from Ulfer who ascended to the Abbot's quarters and claimed a hefty sum of 2,000 silver pennies in Ruis and Brythonic coinage held among Sean's otherwise-modest possessions.

Meanwhile, Bretta and Brynjar searched the church which proved to be modestly furnished and provisioned save for several expensive-looking bottles of wine which they swiftly claimed. The attached scriptorium held several half-completed works of little value, but did turn up a recently finished book in Latin entitled "Commentaries on the Idolatrous Habits and Customs of the Heathen Druids" which Brynjar swiftly claimed.

Their plundering complete, the party retreated into the mists and returned to the Njord's Song. They sailed further down the coast before the sun began to dip and hauled the ship ashore on a beach. They found here the remains of a village, seemingly long abandoned without a fight, and holed up for the night in the buildings which were still weathertight. Seashells lay strewn across the floors and out to the foam-flecked sea under a peaceful night danced blue and yellow lights beneath the gentle waves.

Night Attack

The party settled down in a still-intact drystone longhouse and set about celebrating their successful raid on the Monastery. A fire was lit and the bottles of wine looted from the church were doled out, along with several casks of mead seized from the refectory, and the crew of the Njord's Song diced, danced and sang in celebration. The fog gradually dissipated and gave way to a warm, clear night where the quarter-moon shone brightly - the village and its thin, sandy beach were revealed to be sat not far from an expanse of scrub crawling over former farmland. Clearly the hamlet had been abandoned for some time.

The festivities were interrupted when the crew on watch burst in and reported seeing strange things in the woodland. Ulfer, quite drunk, strode out with several of the crew to see eyes like burnished silver coins watching from the shadowed trees. He bellowed a challenge and received no response. Deciding that the watchers posed no danger, the crew built a bonfire outside in the hamlet and continued their revelry outdoors before retiring later in the night. They were awoken by shouts from the watch - the beings in the woods were advancing!

The tired and partially drunk crew scrambled to the fore and witnessed a troop of orcneas moving towards the village. Meeting them in the light of the bonfire, half the crew were wounded, with Ulfer suffering a light wound from a glancing spear thrust, while most of the orcneas were slain - Ulfer killing four, and Bretta & Brynjar each slaying two. The surviving creatures fled back into the darkness and the crew tended to their wounded. The night's festivities had come to grim end.

Day 1 (21st of the Wild Month)

In the clear morning that followed the party decided to seek out Dorbog, which they believed that they had passed in the fog. After taking note of the drovers road passing to the south-east, and what sounded like the barking of a dog from the woods to the north-east, they loaded the wounded into the Njord's Song and set sail.

Although the wind was against them it was a fine day, and after several hours the crew caught sight of a fortified town from which several fishing boats departed long wooden piers. Fine wooden halls built in the Norse style butted up against Ruis drystone buildings, and atop a motte dwelt an old fortress built of dressed stone in a foreign style. As they approached the pier, Old Ulli presented himself to the party - he had been selected by the crew to request salaries for them in light of their sacrifices for the ship. The party happily obliged, although this meant a sure pressure on their future finances it would ensure that the crew were equipped as well as possible.

Tying the ship off at the pier, the party found that they had indeed reached Dorbog and were delighted to hear folk speaking both Ruis and Norse.  Their first order of business was to visit a blacksmith to repair or replace their weapons. The town square held such a place - Connor, the smith, had seen such damage done to iron before and assured the party that heating and reworking the metal would resolve the iron rot. He would be able to have their weapons repaired by the next day. Connor had heard rumours of the orcneas but they hadn't troubled Dorbog proper, which was odd. Nor had they caused trouble for Ogonelloe, a small village in the woods south-east of Dorbog, which was even stranger.

Ulfer stayed to talk to Connor while Bretta and Brynjar left to attend to their own business and asked the smith if he knew of any work to be had in Dorbog or elsewhere in Ruislip, especially if it involved guts and glory. The garrulous smith regaled Ulfer with news of Cioran, Lord of Culemwarden, and his problems with a beast Connor referred to as 'the gryps' - some sort of huge bird that terrorised Culemwarden's fishing boats and could occasionally be seen flying high over northern Ruislip. The Lord of Culemwarden promised a handsome reward to whoever rid him of the terrible beast, though none were sure where it laired. Or, if Ulfer was feeling more like politicking, he could throw himself into the brewing war between the Christian Lord of Blulach, Glas, and the Druids of Ruislip. Finally, in an embarrassed tone, Connor mumbled something about a strange man who lived on the outskirts of Dorbog who apparently had no face, though he couldn't say much about the poor fellow. Ulfer also asked about a learned person who may know a map of the area, and Connor recommended he speak to Mish - the Lord of Dorbog's Druid advisor.

Meanwhile, Brynjar took to the taverns of Dorbog in search of news regarding monsters and a way to Faroe. In one he found a companion in a Norse warrior named Hrafnkel, who was busy drinking the day away. He had recently arrived in Ruislip, which he hated, after fleeing Faroe in shame. After being bought several drinks by Brynjar, Hrafnkel revealed that his beloved brother had succumbed to the lure of sorcery and had murdered their parents. After confronting his brother and being handily defeated, Hrafnkel sought the advice of a learned hermit who advised him to smear his skin with horse blood to protect himself from foul sorceries. After sacrificing the family mare to the gods, Hrafnkel daubed his skin in its blood and confronted his brother once more, whence he slew his sibling as the sorcerer's magic swept over his gore-stained skin like water over a blade.

In the marketplace, Bretta found a lady at a stall selling various herbs and poultices. After discussing the herbalist's healing poultices and doubting their veracity, Bretta engaged in talk of Dorbog and its goings on instead. The herbalist told her of Donnagh, Lord of Dorbog, and his advisor, Mish the Druid, who kept the peace in Ruislip by remaining neutral in the conflicts between Culemwarden and Blulach, as well as rumours of a strange sickness spreading through the folk of Dorbog - folk had come to her for remedies for a disease they had begun to refer to as 'the blue death' and Mish the Druid was working his talents as a healer where he could. The sickness began as tiredness and nausea, progressing through to vomiting and diarrhoea, and often to death as the victim wasted away. Folk were beginning to fear this illness, and some had even contemplated 'going East', although the herbalist refused to elaborate further to Bretta on what that meant.

Bretta reunited with Ulfer while Brynjar drank with Hrafnkel and the pair decided to speak with Donnagh, Lord of Dorbog, and Mish, his Druid advisor, in the fortress overlooking the town. A deep green stylised boar on a banner of blue flapped gently from a gatehouse in the late afternoon sun as the ascended the motte before a mailed guard, Norse by his accent, challenged them, before admitting them into the fortress. Up close the foreign nature of the structure was obvious - all the stone was dressed and bore the marks of skilled masons. They passed through a courtyard bustling with servants and soldiers of Donnagh's retinue and entered the great hall of the fortress. Donnagh was not present but a dark-haired, lean figure dressed in deerskins and bearing a long staff banded with bronze sat atop a smaller stool before the dais which held the Lord of Dorbog's seat.

Bretta and Ulfer stepped forward and greeted the man, assuming him to be Mish. Their assumption was correct and he greeted them - his manner was similar to Macullen. Bretta spoke to him about the sickness afflicting Dorbog, and he revealed that he suspected a taint in the river which ran through the town and was where most of the townsfolk drank from. A group had been sent upriver some days prior but had not returned, and the Druid offered the party his friendship and full access to his healing skills should they venture forth and end the source of the affliction. Bretta accepted the offer, and Boasted that she would purge the source of the rot which corrupted the water of Dorbog, aiding the Druid Mish and saving the townsfolk! While Mish was pleased to hear such full-throated acceptance, he warned them to be careful when heading upriver and gave them explicit orders to avoid entering the forests to the north or face being marked for death as enemies of the Druid Cult. He refused to share further information on the matter, although he did impart knowledge of the witchbane/rue which Bretta presented to him, to his distaste. The herb, when burned and the smoke inhaled, would protect its user from mortal sorcery and would also prevent any who inhaled the smoke from casting magics. To the Druids it was a foul remnant of Rûm. Ulfer asked if Mish possesses a map that would help guide them, and the Druid replied that his kind had no need of such things - simply follow the river.

The conversation moved on to the nature of Druids, and Mish confirmed that members of his order left aspects of their humanity behind as they acted as agents of the natural world. The degree to which this occurred depended on the Druid in question - he and Macullen, the Druid of Stamullen, were younger and lived among mankind but whether this was due simply to their age or their personalities he couldn't say; the Druids of East Ruislip, by contrast, often lived among beasts and were seldom seen among 'civilised' folk. Mish was, in fact, a good friend of Macullen who was the youngest of their order. He asked the party to check in at Stamullen as Macullen had gone against the orders of other Druids to leave the bees untamed and he feared for his friend's safety - matters of discipline and rank are simple and brutal matters for the Druid Cult.

Ulfer remarked that there appeared to be a great source of corruption in Ruislip, as if a source of power tainted the land and sowed ill omens. Mish replied that the Norseman was very perceptive, but was subsequently called away by a group of townsfolk reporting more cases of the blue death.

As they headed back into Dorbog proper Ulfer and Bretta debated the events of the day. Ulfer found Mish and the Druids highly suspicious, suspecting that they wielded too much power in Ruislip and that this had corrupted them. Bretta trusted the strange man, noting his obvious concern for the townsfolk and his willingness to live among them despite his obvious preference for natural spaces.

Day 1 (22nd of the Wild Month)

The party took a day of rest to allow the crew to heal, and attended their own business in Dorbog under the dim light of a solar eclipse - many considered it a dire omen. Brynjar studied the book - "Commentaries on the Idolatrous Habits and Customs of the Heathen Druids" - that he had claimed during the raid on St Olham's monastery. Bretta purchased a shortbow and arrows for herself, mindful of the crew's limited capacity for ranged attacks. Ulfer returned to the fortress of Dorbog and met with Mish and Donnagh, Lord of Dorbog, to appeal for a financial reward upon completing their search upriver of Dorbog. Mish deferred to Donnagh, who, while utterly confused at Ulfer's insistence on silver over glory, agreed to pay a sum of 800 silver before dismissing the Norseman.

Ulfer then explored Dorbog some more and witnessed a strange man living near the northern gate of the town - a man with no face. The guards at the gate told Brynjar that this man was something of a staple for Dorbog - he had lived there a long time, but no one was sure exactly how long. No matter how hard he tried, Ulfer could not make out any features beneath the man's ragged hood - he was able to catch a brief semblance out of the corner of his eye but the moment he focused on the man he was unable to perceive anything distinctive about him. The unfortunate man lived in a rundown shack just off the road and when Ulfer introduced himself thrust a sign into his hands, as he apparently could not speak. Ulfer couldn't read it but fetched Brynjar who was able to translate the Latin script:

I am Suetonius. A dog stole my face and fled to the north. I offer a sum of 1000 silver denarii to any who can recover it.

The pair offered their condolences and told him they would keep an eye out, taking a scrap of old clothing offered by the man as a means for Tatio to track his scent.

The remainder of the day passed without incident.

Day 2 (23rd of the Wild Month)

Fog rolled in overnight and hung heavy in the still air as the crew made ready to depart and rowed upriver through Dorbog. The fog limited their visibility but the crew observed what they could of the scrubby wetland that lay on both banks of the river, the water of which was a fine blue-green. As they travelled they heard many strange noises from the north-east - grumbling moans that boomed through the fog, the creaking and crashing of uprooted trees, and trumpeting screeches - but saw nothing.

Around midday they heard something new - low, atonal singing from the north bank of the river. Slowing their approach, the party scanned the fog from the prow of the Njord's Song and spied a figure on the bank who appeared to be focused on something in the shallow water before it. They put in on the bank and Bretta slipped forward to see what she could find. Her soft steps carried her through the scrubby wetland until she arrived behind the singing figure, who looked almost like a large boulder through the mist. It was squatting the shallow water of the river and wielded a large knife - a sword to a regular man - with quick dextrous motions. Although crouched, Bretta could see that it was half again as tall as a man, and twice as broad, and it appeared to be wearing a raiment of carved bones over a tunic of rough cloth. Lank, thin hair sprouted from its scalp and its skin had an unhealthy pallor, although its arms rippled with corded muscle. A large sack and a club the size of a tree's bough lay propped against a rock nearby and Bretta watched as the figure added a new bone to a neat stack that it had built on the river bank, realising that it must be butchering something on the riverbank.

Bretta crept back to the Njord's Song to relay this information to the party and they decided to return to Dorbog to bring news of this strange creature to the settlement. Although it was leaving a corpse in the water that likely wouldn't be enough to cause illness as far downriver as Dorbog, but the party felt the creature's presence was an ill omen. As they pushed off from the bank, a low voice rumbled out of the fog:

"Good day."

The party drew closer cautiously and looked upon the creature, who had now noticed them. A pair of glittering black eyes stared out from a misshapen, lumpy face above flat, tombstone teeth. The flaccid body of a deer lay in the shallow water before it, meticulously deboned. The creature's name was Oss and it proved open to conversation, although a crazed look crossed its eyes at any mention of bones. The party learned that it had been collecting bones from bodies left by other entities further upriver, namely a strange figure that had emerged from an ancient bog and its skeletal coterie. Oss had attempted to take some of the skeletons but had been driven away - their master was powerful. The party and Oss came to an agreement - he would help them against this new threat in exchange for any bones claimed during the battle. When pressed for his word, Oss responded that he had not forgotten so much of life as a man that he did not hold to honest bargains.

Oss gathered his things and thumped off into the mists while the crew continued rowing the Njord's Song upriver. The wetlands gave way to peaty moorland and the party noticed a sheen on the surface of the river, with a dark current beginning to taint the otherwise pristine waters. Eventually they arrived at an old dead oak on the riverbank where Oss awaited them. A few crew remained with the ship while the others accompanied the party on the last stretch by foot.

The Battle of the Bog

After leading the party through the moorland, Oss dropped to his belly and crawled forward into a thicket of heather. The crew followed. Beneath the fog-dimmed light of the midday sun lay an expanse of bogland ringed by lichen-covered stone pillars stretched close to the scrubby riverbank - a dozen bronze-mailed skeletal figures were busy dragging sealed urns out of the bog waters and to the riverbank, whereupon they emptied the dark ichor within into the water of the river. The work was slow, with the strange warriors often having to completely submerge themselves before coming up with an urn. Overseeing the work was a lean figure with leathery skin the colour of pitch, save for its right hand and forearm which were a red ochre colour. Empty eye sockets gazed out over the bog and yellowed teeth were bared in a perpetual, lipless snarl, and it clutched a spear with a gleaming, serrated silver head.

Remaining hidden in the misty heather, the party developed their plan of attack - they would send several crew members to create a distraction and draw off as many of the skeletal warriors as possible then, noting the oily sheen they had seen on the river, Bretta would launch a flaming arrow into the bog waters in an attempt to ignite whatever foul substance had leaked from the urns before the crew advanced. Fearing dark magic, the crew partook in the smoke of witchbane to strengthen themselves against foul sorcery.

The plan initially worked extremely well. A few crew members were able to draw the majority of the skeletal warriors away and ran back in the direction of the Njord's Song, and Bretta's flaming arrow set a mighty conflagration up from the bog waters, incinerating all but one of the remaining warriors. The red-armed figure was untouched by the flames but suffered a couple of mighty blows from the thrown axes and javelins of the crew as they charged forward, spilling black ichor from its leathery body. The crew blocked as many spaces between the stone pillars as they could, trying to contain their opponents. Things went awry when Oss charged into the fray, bowling through one of the lines and knocking a crewman to the ground. His swings went wild although the skeletal warrior he targeted perished in the flames before it could counter-attack. The red-armed figure then advanced and dealt a grievous blow to the downed crewman. A lancing spear wounded it again but all other attacks seemed to make no difference - only the most punishing strikes had any impact and even Oss's mighty swings seemed to do no damage.

The serrated silver head of the creature's spear seemed drawn towards its foes and in the melee its wielder unleashed a flurry of blows that slew a crewman and struck Bretta a grievous blow that rendered her out of the fight. Brynjar boasted that he would claim the creature's spear in battle and stepped forward to cover his companion's body, and Ulfer struck a mighty blow with his battleaxe that wrenched the creature's weapon from its grasp and sent it spinning away to land, point first, in the peat. Realising the danger it posed even when disarmed, and seeing their chance, the crew swarmed the creature with their shields and pinned it in place whereupon Ulfer split its skull in twain and ended its threat for good.

The Return to Dorbog

Tending to Bretta's wounds, her companions were delighted to find that, although unconscious, she lived and would make a full recovery. Brynjar claimed the spear from where it had come to rest, and fulfilled his boast - the weapon was of exquisite make with a fine elm shaft, and Brynjar felt the silver head of the weapon gently pulling towards his comrades as the faint awareness of something brushed at the edge of his mind. The crew gathered up their dead and wounded and claimed the red-ochre arm and head of their opponent as trophies. Brynjar also took up an urn of the strange ichor and found a different make of vessel within which lay several necklaces of jewelled bronze (worth some 1300 silver in all), half a dozen heavy silver coins of of differing make but all bearing the same style of paired varied faces on the obverse and strange intersecting lines on the reverse, and a small ivory figurine in the shape of a squared pillar bearing the impression of children and adults on three faces with the fourth having been worn smooth. Brynjar attempted to claim a bronze-clad bone but found Oss looming over him - he wisely gave the bone up to the creature.

The crew returned to the Njord's Song, finding the crewmembers who had staged the distraction were safe aboard the ship - their pursuers had began wading out into the river after the ship but had suddenly crumbled apart shortly after. Making their way back to Dorbog, the crew grew concerned when Bretta failed to regain consciousness. The other wounded crewman was similarly stricken. Bretta herself was living a nightmare of peat-water, mistletoe, and searing, burning shame. When they arrived back in the town, Ulfer and Brynjar spirited her to the fortress and presented her to Mish. The Druid took them to a secluded courtyard where he immersed Bretta in a pool of cool water and smeared a strange ointment on her wound - she rapidly returned to consciousness as the spear wound, angry and dark, knitted together with amazing speed. The night was drawing in and Mish offered for the crew to stay in the fortress - quarters would be found for them and he would see to the wounded crewman in a similar fashion. Brynjar and Bretta went to rest and Ulfer, before leaving, spoke alone with the Druid:

It reminds me of my life before all this, it must be 20 years ago now.

I had 2 daughters, Freya and Hilde, they were wild like demons, they would never listen to me either, if you told them something they would take it upon themselves to do just the opposite.

And I lost them, the day I was taken all those years ago, and the world is still  full of monsters.

Thank you for saving what little I have. 

I'll still be wanting that silver.

Day 1 (29th of the Wild Month)

After several days of rest and recuperation, the party were seated as guests of honour at a feast hosted by Donnagh, Lord of Dorbog. As the rain poured and the wind hammered against the walls of Dorbog's fortress, several warriors stepped forth from the guests and pledged themselves as loyal Companions of the Njord's Song:

• Bjorn Gundersson, a hammer-wielding Norseman clad in maille, was accepted as a member in his own right.

• Hrafnkel, the Norseman who revealed to Brynjar the secrets of horse blood as a ward against sorcery, swore himself to Brynjar. He wields a battle-axe and is clad in maille.

• Varg & Brigitte, also Norse,pledged to follow Ulfer and Bretta, respectively. The warriors wear leather armour and fight with spears & javelins.

Toasts were drunk, and festivities and games whiled away the foul weather.

The next day, Ulfer spoke with Mish privately about the corruption he had witnessed across the isle of Ruislip and requested that the Druid expound upon the cryptic words he had previously uttered. Indebted to the party's efforts, and seeing them as friends of Dorbog, Mish revealed to Ulfer the secret of Donenashoe - First City of Ruislip. Centuries ago, when Rûmish invaders and their Brythonic allies threatened to overwhelm the proud people of Ruislip, High King Niall Red-Hand and his Druid advisors undertook a terrible ritual which drove the invaders back, but led to the downfall of Donenashoe and the entire civilisation of the island. In the years that followed, the Druids swore never again to adopt the mantle of civilisation, and the ruins of the once-proud city were declared taboo. It is from this event that Ruislip's woes stem, but how to remedy things Mish did not know - his master may. Ulfer pressed the Druid on this, who revealed that the master of his order is one who has grown beyond the need for names - many call them the Arch-Druid. This Arch-Druid possesses knowledge beyond the realm of mortals, but has left much of their humanity behind - to meet with them, at the Circle in the East of the land, carries the risk of death. Ulfer swore that he would find The Circle to meet the Archdruid and survive the encounter.

After Ulfer returned, the party set off northwards in search of Suetonius' face and the dog that stole it from him. Upon meeting the unfortunate man, Bjorn swore that he would track down Suetonius's face and return it to him. Tatio was able to track the scent of the dog using the scrap of clothing Suetonius had provided them. Following the road North, the party encountered the same priest they had robbed on their first day. This encounter saw the priest and his flock pass unmolested. Further up the road, they came across a series of jagged cliffs above pebble beaches. Before a gaping sea cave, several skeletons lay on the shingle and gouges could be seen on many of the rocks. Taking a narrow, steep path down the cliff face, the party found that many of the skeletons had shattered bones and had been pierced by sharp iron bolts - Bjorn took a few. The gouges in the stones resembled claw marks.

Retreating back up the slope, the party settled down to watch the sea cave. After a couple of hours, with the tide drawing in, a monstrous shaggy dog the size of a horse emerged from the dark mouth of the cave with a wheezing, hacking giggle. It toyed with the skeletons on the beach and splashed about the water in play for a bit before retreating back into its lair. Although quite far away, shining spines were visible at the end of its tail.

The crew went to work setting snares (hammered into the cliff rock with the iron spikes Bjorn had taken) on the path and dragged a large boulder over to the top of the path. Their plan was to wait in ambush when the beast came to ascend the cliff path until it was snared, and then roll the boulder down onto it, finishing it off with javelins and axes if needed. The wind was with them - the beast would not catch their scent.

The plan worked perfectly - the beast ascended the path and was caught in the trap. The boulder struck it such a mighty blow that it was killed instantly and hurled from the cliff back down to the beach with a terrible, shrieking death scream. Its corpse was a terrible sight - the tail with the nest of jagged metal spikes was terrible, but the worst part was the corpse-pallid human face stretched across its own. Taking his knife, Bjorn cut the face from the beast. As he severed the last sinew, its body twisted and convulsed as it shrank with with crunching and grinding of shattered bones into the form of a large, but ordinary, wolfhound. Searching the dank caves, the crew found the beast's lair, replete with human bones and accumulated treasures - ordinary silver, a strange semi-melted flagstone, an odd large, leathery coin with a face of mushroom gills, a glass vial of green unguent, and the shredded remains of a large, leather-bound book.

Retreating from the encroaching tide, the crew returned to Dorbog, where a small crowd stood gathered around Suetonius' hut - they had heard screaming and thrashing from within. Breaking down the door, the crew found Suetonius body - dead - sprawled on the floor of his hovel. A raw, bloody void lay where his face once was. Bjorn pressed the face he had taken from the dog onto the wound and found that it fit perfectly, although Suetonius did not return to life as he had hoped. On a rickety table the party found a map in Latin indicating an island off the North coast of Albann indicating something he had labelled 'the Treasury', but there was no sign of the coin he had promised in return for his face.

The crew left Suetonius' body in the care of the townsfolk and returned to the fortress, where Mish cast his eye over the items they had retrieved, and planned their next move.