View source for Chronicle - The Quest for the Scabbard

== Journey to Locklastar ==

Lanzi had taught Milai how to make use of the travelling cloud, so between them they would be able to provide trasportation, and with Odin's blessing I was able to sustain us with food and water. Lanzi was also able to shelter and hide us whilst we rested, with his hut of great dweomer. It was three days of travel, with the temperature rising as we covered the miles, we reached an expanse of boggy plains... and the end of any reliable maps we knew of.

I turned once more to Odin for guidance, and we followed the direction I was granted, travelling for another three days before strange vegetation was visible and the temperature and humidity became uncomfortable. I called on Odin once more to protect us within this strange environment as we continued our journey. After another two days the ground started to rise, and we could see a mountain range in the distance ahead. The following day we reached some foothills and the vegetation was not so smothering below us. Having travelled about WSW from the start of the boggy ground, we were far from any features known to us, but incredibly Milai spotted a humanoid ahead, dressed in natural clothing that made them very hard to pick out against the environment they were in, and if they had not been lighting a fire we might have flown right over them.

We, of course, were seen easily and the figure dropped what seemed to be a lyre, drawing a bow and standing ready whilst watching our approach. We continued to close, although not directly, and tried to signal peaceful intent. Lanzi tried blaring out some music with dweomer, but Milai strummed a more gentle tune on her own lyre. Closer now, it seemed that the figure might be a half elf, somewhat handsome with blond hair and hardy travelling leathers. He stood in a small camp, carefully prepared, and was armed with a Dai-Ku and rapier. The slope he was camped on was grassy, with some flat areas that would afford an easy landing, and the mountain scenes around and behind were quite beautiful. As we came closer still we noted the amount of jewellery he was wearing, with a headpiece speckled with precious stones, golden necklaces and bracelets, as well as rings on his hands. His belt was decorated with a symbol suggesting air or wind, and his eyes were blue to match. I sensed that he was checking our alignment with dweomer or divine insight, but we had nothing to hide.

He greeted us and introduced himself as "Rathon", and knew of Milai and Lanzi, inviting us to share his camp. We accepted gratefully after a week of travelling in haste, and shared a meal. We spoke of our destination, and he seemed to know it well. He referred to it as the "Lock of Lastar", a lock that required a key, although we did not know of such a key. Lanzi, in discussion, started to connect the gate with the poem we had heard of Persephone, which might give us a clue to find our way. This talk of Lastar and a poem related to Hades started to give us an insight into the journey we were about to undertake. As we ate, Rathon spent time with Milai, and seemed to improve her ability with the lyre surprisingly quickly.

Eventually Rathon offered to take us to our destination, but warned us to prepare before we left so Lanzi cast stoneskin on himself and Hintzu. We then held hands and suddenly found ourselves transported through time and space!

== The 'Lock of Lastar' ==

I saw the battle scene from my vision, with Guerin there, but the image was gone in an instance. We witnessed the death of Valorin and of Yorlikson, and the disappearance of all of Guerin's people. For a moment we saw the scabbard on Yorlikson's belt, but then landed on solid ground in a dark room. Light slowly filled the room after our arrival, and Rathon said "here is Locklastar."  We appeared to be in a Grecian temple adorned with statues of the Gods (we recognised Athena at once), in a circular space about forty foot across and domed about twenty feet above us. Aerial creatures were depicted in flight on the ceiling, and no doors were visible. We stood on a marble floor. Turning to take this in, it was clear that we had arrived in front of the statue of Zeus. Lanzi speculated that this might be a part of Limbo, which would fit with Lastar's previous secret places.

Rathon bid us be careful and departed in whatever way he had brought us here by. Mindful of the planar nature of the 'lock' we were about to attempt to pass through, we turned to our lore for guidance. Milai sang the "winged shadow", accompanied by strumming her lyre, and we burned leaves in the centre of the room to make ash. The smoke whirled around the room, fogging our vision with abnormal amounts of billowing smoke, but it slowly cleared and we saw that the statues had changed.

Now there was just the male 'sun' god and female 'moon' goddess, so we shone sunlight with dweomer on the male statue and starshine on the female. They disappeared, leaving the room empty, but a siren song could be heard, with a strange glow lighting the air around us. Out of the ceiling half female, half eagle creatures emerged and dived at us. Lanzi was raked by talons, but his stoneskin saved him from harm. Milai lashed out with Agan, downing one, and Hintzu loosed arrows to bring down two more. Lanzi conjured a stinking cloud, and fortunately I was able to duck aside and hold my breath before it affected me. Milai and Hintzu killed two more apiece, striking any that came close. Lanzi hit one with magic missiles, and I finished it with a blow from my hammer. Although they were many they were not strong, and Hintzu killed two more as Milai killed three. Lanzi struck one down with more magic missiles before Hintzu killed the last one flying. There were a few remaining in the room alive, but they were incapaciated by the stinking cloud.

Milai started singing again, and the room span and shifted, with the bodies vanishing as it did so. We were plunged into pitch darkness, so I took out my gem of brightness. As I did so, the three heads of Cerberus seemed to loom out at us, but Milai shouted a warning that it was an illusion and should be ignored. We collected ourselves and saw stairs leading downwards from behind the image of Cerberus. The stairs were long and straight, although direction had no meaning to us here. Hintzu advanced, but the floor started to fall away. We all hurredly used dweomer to ensure we could fly!

Milai created a pocket of Prime Material plane so that she could take a sapling to burn, leaving a trail of ash behind us as we travelled. I ended up carrying a faggot of wood for Lanzi to do the same. Milai and Hintzu took the lead and we flew down into the darkness; it was black all around us. Eventually we could make out a grey dome below us and as we drew closer we could see an opening in the top that we headed for. Looking around we could make out a dark horizon with broken, black shapes in the distance but everything was dark and indistinct. We entered the dome and ended up stood in a round room at the base, which seemed unremarkable and without exits.

Lanzi used his gem of seeing, which revealed dead things in the walls, clinging around archways that he could now make out. We used the sheet of smallness to reduce the size of the saplings, so that I could move freely and defend myself, and I then volunteered to be the first to step through the archway (which I could not see). Lanzi kindly helped by shoving me through the right spot in the wall and I emerged from the other side stood on a basalt black 'road' about four feet wide surrounded by twisted grey rock and tress either side. There was an acrid smell in the air and it was cold (although not freezing), with no wind I could feel. The most noticeable thing, though, was the cacophony of wailing and screaming filling my ears, with no discernable source - talking would be difficult here. There was a creature approaching, about twice my height and revolting looking, although all grey, crawling across the rocks fairly slowly but definitely heading my way.

Milai was next to step through, but when she emerged there was no sign of me, and she stood alone amongst the grey rocks. There was also a creature visible, although it was different to the one I saw. Lanzi and Hintzu tried to step through together, and Hintzu's badge might have been heard saying "I've been a very brave boy" if it were not for the noise all around. They emerged together but with nobody else in sight, so we were now separated. The mages' familiars had not made the transition, or were lost somewhere else, so we would not benefit from their support here. We were now in the plains of the Hells, and must find our way to Hades' realm.

== Entering the Realm of Hades ==

Milai engaged the creature she was faced with in melee, landing a hit with Agan. The thing tried to engulf here, it's touch burning like acid, and she retaliated with a thrust that caused it to deflate into nothing. She quickly used her decanter of water to clean herself in case of any burning liquid, and then communed with Agan asking which general direction the scabbard could be found in.

Lanzi spoke to (shouted at) Hintzu, saying that they should head to Persephone's Grove. Hintzu responded with "good idea; do you know the way?" Their conversation was interrupted by the appearance of strange balls of tentacles appearing from behind some of the rocks, propelling themselves by ejecting gases whilst floating in the air. They reacted by ensuring they could fly first, then Lanzi used magic missles and Hintzu struck out at the nearest, hitting it with a solid blow, and then finished it with a second strike. Lanzi tried a lightning bolt, but it appeared to have no effect. He was then wrapped up by multiple tentacles as the creature got closer, pulling him in. Hintzu was also hit, but was not trapped. Fortunately their stoneskin saved them both from harm. Hintzu killed the creature that had tried to immobilise him, and then tried to help Lanzi who was being squeezed hard by the tentacles that held him. Lanzi used one of his magical devices and disintegrated the creature holding him, letting the remains of the tentacles fall from him. They were safe for now.

I was not in immediate danger, so I called forth a helping hand and ordered it to find Hintzu. If it found him it would beckon at him to follow and return to me, and I knew that Hintzu was the only one likely to follow such a curious image without suspecting a devious trap. I then tried to mentally dominate the creature approaching, but without success; instead it hit me in the face, so I hefted my hammer and hit it back harder! A second blow finished it off, leaving me alone once more. I used air walk to gain some altitude in the hope of being more visible for my friends, calling on Odin to shine the sun's light in this dismal place, again hoping to be seen.

Milai could see a light amongst the grey surroundings, so decided to head towards it in the hope that it was another of our party. The ground shook in a violent tremour (which we all felt, but Milai was closest to the source). She rolled to one side as the gaping maw of a massive worm erupted from the ground where she had stood, sinking back in a few moments later. She decided it would be prudent to fly rather than walk, and ascended with dweomer. As this, a flying eye creature swooped on her, catching her by surprise and causing some wounds; a couple more followed, but this time she was ready and cut one down with Agan. Not wanting to waste time she conjured a wall of ice above her and dropped it on the melee, killing all the creatures attacking her.

I was the next target for the giant worm, but fortunately I had climbed just high enough that its momentum could not quite carry it high enough to snatch me from the air. I rose a little higher and continued to shine a sunray around in an arc, like a beacon, and the light highlighted some flying creatures heading towards me. They were fast-flying, part bat, part humanoid, undead looking things, and their speed meant that they were able to land some hits, but I killed one in return. As I was fighting, I was fortunate that the hand I had sent out located Hintzu, beckoning him to follow. Lanzi thought that he was crazy, and Hintzu was a little concerned that even John could not see the hand, but elected to follow it anyway.

I fought for some time against the flying creatures, as they swept in and out I had to make attacks of opportunity. I had killed eight by the time that Milai finally found me, and she used an ice storm to kill the remaining half dozen creatures. She seemed to forget, though, that not everyone is immune to her ice dweomer, and almost killed me in the process! Now that we were together I decided to use another sunray to act as a beacon for Hintzu and Lanzi, hoping that they were also close. A combination of the hand beckoning and the light did eventually reunite us, thank Odin, and they told us that they had seen a great river, probably the Styx, as they flew.

There were more vibrations beneath us, so we elected to fly to the river quickly. Lanzi needed to restore his stoneskin protection, and as he did so turned pink (dweomer could be a little unpredictable on other planes), and he continued to turn everyone else pink except me... well I did wear his miraculous ancestral armour, which over time healed my wounds. When we arrived at the river we paused, wanting to cross but unable to simply fly across due to some nature of the planar boundaries that Lanzi seemed to understand better than I. Lanzi used dweomer to sound a horn, and we waited to see if a boatman would answer, as told in the legends.

Eventually a large black boat approached with a single figure inside, who demanded payment for passage across the river. We paid in gold and boarded; the crossing was uneventful and in silence, but took five hours! Perhaps time was subjective here, as in other planes. Once across we continued to follow the direction roughly indicated by Agan, with Milai taking the lead as usual. The terrain here was just as lifeless and colourless, but was now boggy and flat rather than rocky and sloped.

At one point three hydras rose out of the waters around us, each with a dozen heads. Lanzi reacted first, with another lightning bolt, but it did not seem to have any effect. The heads lashed out, biting several of us before we could defend ourselves, then Hintzu raised a ring of fire around one of the creatures. I let off a fireball from my mace, charging to strike at the body, which was a big target. Milai tried a cone of cold, but again there seemed to be no effect, then struck at a head with Agan, severing it with one swipe. Lanzi, caught in melee, struck out with his fists and actually knocked a head out with his blows, causing it to sink back into the bog. Milai cut off another two heads, but the others again struck out and caused damage with their bites to many of us. Milai cut off another two heads, but Hintzu was now in the fray and he cut off four in quick, dancing attacks. I landed a blow with my hammer, beating one creature back as best I could to keep it from the others. Milai, not to be outdone by Hintzu, cut off two more heads with Agan. Lanzi was able to cast now, calling a flamestrike down on the nearest hydra, finally killing one, but was then struck from behind by another's head, as was Hintzu. Milai cut another head off, and Hintzu another two; I switched to aid with the head culling, smashing one as Milai cut off the last from the second creature. United now against the last of them we hacked at heads and body until there was no more movement.

We were victorious, but were not sure of the regenerative powers of the creatures, so after calling on Odin to heal us we quickly decided to continue in the air, flying for about an hour. We noticed a slight darkening of what little light was in this cursed place, and then a wind started to grow and swirl around us, getting stronger. It pushed at us from above, and we quickly descended to solid ground. Lightning struck at us, and burning acid fell, destroying Milai's wand of force and one of my scroll cases. Milai quickly conjured an ice sheet over us to give shelter, and we prayed and used dweomer to prepare for a fight. Milai then turned herself into something resembling a wraith and passed through the ice to see what was outside, whilst I chanted a prayer to protect us all. Milai returned having seen what seemed like a sentient storm turning its wrath onto us, and warned not to venture outside. Lanzi conjured a wall of force outside of the ice, and then Milai removed the ice. We saw a dark disc which seemed to have two burning red eyes within it, but made up of storm clouds. Two 'appendages' of some kind struck down at us with elemental forces, but could not penetrate the barrier Lanzi had raised. This went on for some time, but eventually the thing grew tired of wasting its energy on us and drifted off looking for something else to do. We had bored our first monster into submission!

Once we were sure that the thing had gone far enough we flew on. Of course, being in the air also had its dangers and before long we saw some eyed blobs approaching on giant insects. Milai sent an ice storm their way, but it did not seem to worry them and they responded with magic missiles, which she absorbed. The rest of us were not so lucky, all being hit by more magic missiles. Hintzu conjured an ice sheet to drop on them, hurting some of them, and then Lanzi went one bigger (and better) with a meteor swarm that killed two. As the major dweomer was coming out, I also let off a meteor swarm from the mace, killing another two. Milai charged forward, sending a cone of cold ahead of her, but again to no effect, and was then forced to absorb the energy of a flamestrike as they retaliated. A wall of ice appeared between the two groups, and Lanzi quickly raised a wall of fire that turned it to steam. We adopted a defensive posture, and Hintzu threw a fireball through the steam, but as the steam cleared there was nothing to fight; they had thought better of pressing the attack and withdrawn.

I called on Odin to heal more of our wounds and we continued as before. The ground ahead finally showed signs of change, rising slowly out of the marshland into firmer barren ground. On the horizon we spotted about a score of flying creatures approaching, and beyond them a regular shape in the distance. Perhaps a building? Milai sent another ice storm towards the approaching foe, and Lanzi another meteor swarm, felling about a quarter of the force. I make Lanzi immune to magic missiles, and Hintzu created smoke around the creatures in an attempt to disorientate them. Fireballs streaked towards us, but had no effect. Lanzi let off another meteor swarm (he had definitely won the mighty dweomer contest), killing a few more. A few more fireballs came our way just before we were in melee. Milai cut one down, and I charged forward to smite another dead with my hammer. Another fireball and magic missiles were throw at us, and Lanzi responded with a rain of acid on those not engaged directly. Hintzu breathed fire and then cut one down as they drew close to him. Lanzi tried a fireball back at them, but with no effect, and magic missiles and multiple attacks were hurting us. Milai slashed with Agan, killing one, used the great sword to heal herself, and then cut down another in quick and accurate strikes. Hintzu raised his ring at one, which somehow caused it to flee downwards away from the fight. He then struck one down in melee, as did Milai and I, giving us a little breathing room, as Lanzi drank from a potion, fearing for his health. Hintzu switched to arrows, but they had no effect on these creatures. Lanzi conjured a gargantuan hand which took hold of one foe, immobilsing it, and Milai killed the last one still fighting. Lanzi released it and Hintzu made mincemeat of it before it could cast any more dweomer.

Once again I called on Odin to heal our serious wounds, and Milai's mind had suffered from attack. When ready we continued on towards what looked like a thirty foot high black wall as we got closer. There were buildings beyond the wall, and all were guarded by numerous creatures atop them. We climbed as we approached to around two hundred feet, and I blessed all of us (bar Lanzi who used fly) with air walking in case of mishap. We could see now beyond the wall a large castle of some description and a grove further ahead; to our surprise we could actually see some colour in the grove - this must be Persephone's Grove that we sought. A white tree stood alone in the grassy area, but we could not make out more details from here. Flying creatures were starting to rise from the defenders' ranks, heading for us, and we decided to withdraw. We had not realised that we were so close to our objective and did not want to go on without due preparation. We retreated some way, and the defenders returned to their posts, not pursing us for long.

After a discussion we decided to use Odin's power to transport us to Persephone's Grove directly, now that we had some idea where it was and had even seen it, albeit briefly from a distance. As usual I warned that we would have to go together at once to avoid being separated, so Milai took post at the front to make the call on whether we all went or all stayed. The portal opened and after a pause we all went through, emerging into a volcanic area just in front of a gate to the grove.

There was lots of heat emanating from lava around us, and the wailing was particularly noisy here. The gates of the garden were a complete contrast, with lovely carvings and although still grey a slight hint of colour and warmth that stood out amongst the rest of the scene, looking inviting. Melting rocks and burning souls could be seen below where we stood, and what appeared to be a low fence around the garden was all that separated it from the destruction outside. The gateway had that slightly indistinct look of a portal between planes, though, so we suspected that simply hopping over the fence was not an option. Behind us stood massive iron doors to the fortress we had seen, with the walls well guarded. Creatures were occasionally trying to climb over the fence to the garden, but as we thought they could not do so and often slipped back down into the lava.

== Persephone's Grove ==

I took the lead, stepping up to the gate and as I reached for it an immense demon creature burst from the lava behind us, looking like a massive cross between a man and a dragon. We all quickly entered the gate! Surprisingly we met no resistance doing so, and found ourselves at last within the Grove.

It was larger than it seemed from the outside, and was a well tended garden with a white laurel tree in the centre. Lanzi quickly gave Hintzu stoneskin in case of attack, but nothing seemed amiss so far. We decided to fly just above the surface as we followed Agan's guidance, urging us further into the garden, so as not to disturb anything or cause offence. We quickly noticed a young woman amongst the wild flowers to our left, and rather than continue to our goal we decided to be polite and greet her.

We approached and returned to the ground. Her aura as we drew near was so awe inspiring that we could not help but sink to our knees before her. She greeted us and asked what we were doing there, and again we decided to be honest and polite, telling her of our quest. She had no interest in the scabbard, but warned that her husband would not let us leave this place. She offered to take us to the place where all the 'junk' was kept, and we proceeded to a large garden shed that proved to be full of interesting artifacts. We had no interest or desire for anything other than the scabbard we sought, though. Persephone (for it was clearly she) left us to it as we searched through the items and eventually found what we were looking for, a fairly plain looking scabbard considering it attracted the attention of the Gods.

Although I was keen for Milai to use it for now, she insisted that I was given the quest and I should wear it until it could be taken to Odin. I reluctantly buckled on the scabbard, not used to anything related to bladed weapons, as is the way of our order (my order I should think of it as now, although that still comes hard). We called Persephone, not wanting to leave without thanking her, and also asked if we might rest for a while here, having been fatigued by our journey. She agreed, but asked for payment of some kind as a gesture of goodwill; Milai offered an ambrosia fluid of the elves, which she accepted gracefully.

Once rested we prepared for what we knew would be a flight from this place that would be contested all the way. We used dweomer and prayers to fortify ourselves, and Milai made sure she had a horn with which to summon Charon when (if) we reached the Styx. We ensured that we were all flying, knowing that there was lava outside.

== Flight From Hades ==

We stepped through the gate and, unsurprisingly, found ourselves surrounded by many monstrous creatures, including the hundred foot tall demon dragon man thing that had reacted to our arrival. There was an immediate mental assault on Milai and Lanzi. Lanzi summoned a great hand to try to slow attacks against us, while Milai absorbed the inevitable dweomer that was cast in our vicinity. Magic missles flew at Lanzi, but he had prepared with mirror images; this was lucky as he was now summoning the cloud for us all to escape on! I raised a wall of fog to offer some protection against ranged attacks, and the cloud then appeared at Lanzi's bidding. Milai dropped ice on the other side of the fog, as Lanzi created more mirror images for protection. A Creature got a little too close, so Hintzu stunned it with one punch. However the mental battle was clearly taking a hard toll on Milai and Lanzi, so I jumped on the cloud and used my mace to restore Lanzi fully. Milai followed close behind.

In order to explain what happened next I should note that as a precaution in case anyone was knocked out (or worse) we had roped each other together; in this way we could take casualties with us quickly without having to reach them or carry them. Lanzi used a ray of disintegration to ensure that there were no invisible barriers holding us and then immediately order to cloud to fly away at maximum speed. Hintzu had not quite been quick enough to climb on before he did so and ended up being dragged in the air behind us at high speed! He had the presence of mind to use his ring to make him as light as a feather before he started to pass out, which enabled us to very quickly pull him onto the cloud.

We flew towards the river Styx, but soon realised that the wall we had seen earlier was more than just a physical barrier - it was a planar boundary of some kind and we would not be able to cross just anywhere. Milai healed herself, more for the mental rejuvenation than for physical wounds, as Lanzi took out an orb and the map of the planes and started studying it closely. The obvious exit was a heavily guarded gatehouse, but Lanzi was pleased to announce that there were other, smaller portals, and steered us towards the closest.

As we approached we could not see any gatehouse - just the wall dotted with towers; it was possible that it had been deliberately blocked up by the wall, which is why a physical barrier was necessary. The wall was still well guarded, but we would have a better chance here. I gave Lanzi immunity to magic missiles and fireballs, expecting the usual attacks, as we needed him conscious to aid with a rapid escape. We descended rapidly towards the wall, and as we came closer Milai created an ice sheet at an angle to shelter our landing spot. Lanzi obscured the top of the wall with fog, as creatures started diving off and flying towards us to attack.

Milai was hit, no longer having her stoneskin in place, and Lanzi lost some of his images. The ice sheet above us melted suddenly in a rush of steam, but Hintzu quickly created another in its place, then turned and executed an attacker as it swooped past him. Milai created yet another ice sheet, closer now, to give more shelter. I breathed steam, with the help of my crown, using the positive energy to attack these creatures in such a negative place. Hintzu called flame down on a couple as Lanzi used disintegrate to create a hole in the wall. Milai and Hintzu cut down three of the foe, but there were hordes pouring down at us now. A renewed mental assault was again taking its toll on Milai and Lanzi, and then we heard the pounding of great feet approaching, knowing full well what was coming after us. A huge fist smashed through the ice above us and the demon creature breathed flame through the gap right at us.

I had prepared us for resisting heat damage, knowing when we left the garden that there was lava around, and this protected most of us, but I was the closest and took the full brunt of the attack. The enemy closest to us had no such protection and were fried instantly, bar one that Hintzu finshed off by burning it from the inside out. I was hurt, and my backpack had simply vanished as I turned my back, with some items destroyed and others scattered everywhere, the only thing I took hold of as we ran was my horn of collapsing, which I planned to use shortly. We all headed through the hole Lanzi had created as quickly as possible, but as we reached the other side Lanzi collapsed from the mental assault he was still under.

I turned and sounded the horn, causing the hole we had just passed through to collapse in on itself, giving us some protection for now. Milai quaffed a potion, restoring herself once more, and just in time as the great demon placed his hands on the wall above, leaned over and breathed more fire at us. Milai was able to absorb the energy, along with a few fireballs that were also thrown at us. Hintzu created a pyrotechnic display centred on the thing's head. Remarkably this seemed to work, as the beast roared in frustration and flailed around blindly. I resurrected Lanzi, not able to give any lesser healing, and getting him straight on his feet. Milai created another ice sheet for protection, as the beast stepped over the great wall and almost flattened Lanzi with a massive foot. It roared in anger, unable to target us, but we decided not to stay this close!

Milai summoned a cloud to transport us, and I lifted Lanzi bodily onto it before his confusion from snapping back to life got us killed. Milai absorbed some fireballs as the second leg of the creature came down to the other side of us. Hintzu was just able to jump on in time as Milai commanded the cloud to fly off at speed once more. We flew immediately to the Styx, with no further barriers to cross in the mean time, and alighted on the bank.

Milai blew the horn she had kept at her side for this moment, and then created a wall of force around us as a safety measure. We waited nervously for Charon, but he appeared without incident and we paid for our crossing once more. We asked to be taken to the Prime, and we set off on a long journey on the river. We were eventually deposited by a gate on the shore, which should lead to the Prime. Finally we felt that we had made our escape and took a moment to take stock.

On the journey we had been gifted visions, although not all were positive. Hintzu feared for the safety of the lost souls, having a vision of a great serpent, Wang-Lung, selected as the new dragon to bring about Ragnarak... and he was allied with Malor. He also seemed to think that the Gnomes would favour his request to combine the third ring with the other two if he aided the dwarves. We could do little while still in Hades, so we stepped through the portal, emerging on the top of a hill in cold, wet, wintry conditions. The rocky grassland reminded us of the plains of Golgorath, and confirming this we could see a couple of young humans dressed in greens and leathers with short bows near a campfire in the lee of the hill. Although not aware of us yet, they appeared to be men of the north and we wished to speak with them.

Milai stepped forward and hailed them boldly, causing both to jump up and reach for weapons. They could not be a score in years, and were understandably awed by Milai's presence. To add to this, I created a flaming symbol of Odin above our heads, literally putting the fear of God into them, and also ensuring they knew that we fought for good. Lanzi noticed that they had been cooking rabbits on their fire, and in a rare attempt to put them at ease as equals he ate their dinner! We quickly reassured them that they would eat, and I created food and water for us all to share.

They were from Gos, although they said that there was little left of the city. Milai decided that we should not have to worry about the cold weather, and created a small pocket of warmth (and rabbits), prompting them to tell us more of what had happened in these lands. Gos had fallen, been retaken, and then fallen again to Orcus. Now, though, it was abandoned, with the demon's attention to the south, and left in ruins. One of the men confided in Lanzi that he heard spirits, and Lanzi listened to them - reassuring him that he was not mad. Milai also used all her senses to take in what had seemed like a remote wilderness, sensing a history linked to Bavarik; he had proved himself in battle here, and a great man had grown from the seed nutured in these lands. The other man revealed that he was named Bavarik after the legend, and Milai encouraged him, saying that he too could grow into something greater.

We rested a while, but our positive experience was broken by the sense that Rantor was approaching, with Gith; we had to move!

== To Asgard! ==

We quickly joined hands and I focused on Odin's gift - my holy symbol, shifting us instantly to Asgard. At first the change was not too noticable, with similar grassy plains around us, but we were quickly surrounded by mythical beastmen. They were wary, but not hostile, and once assured of our alliegence were friendly. Apparently a couple of other gates had been opened recently, and they were tasked with defending the approaches to the halls of the Gods. I confirmed that no gate had been left by our passing for others to follow, and asked if we might have an audience with Odin. They equipped us with something resembling horses and directed us to approach a Norse longhouse on a raised stone platform with steps leading up to it. It was constructed of wood, coated with hides, and massive gates that stood ajar. Drunken warriors lounged around the area, and the unmistakable sound of Thor's booming voice carried from inside; apparently he was advising a course of action that consisted mostly of conflict and "crushing" the foe.

Deciding to await an opportune moment to speak with Odin, we instead offered to test our mettle in the training grounds with the warriors here, knowing that this would be the best way to fit in. We had brought the two men from Gos with us, Bavarik and Aras, and they were suitably awed by the whole experience.  We would certainly have tales of the Gods shared amongst the men of the north should they live long enough. Eventually Thor emerged from the hall, recognising us from a previous meeting. He informed us that their focus had turned firmly to the Prime, and that he required our commitment to the cause. Milai and I quickly pledged to fight and die in battle if necessary in order to join Odin's ranks in the fight ahead. Even Lanzi, normally not one swayed by religion of any kind, started to lean towards pledging himself to the Gods (although he was not quite ready to commit yet).

Thor, suitably placated, gifted us generously. Milai was granted the ability to call on a half dozen warriors from Asgard to fight alongside her when in dire need. I was granted the ability to fight with Thor's strength when I needed to the most, and to Hintzu he granted the victory he deserved when fighting himself to better his abilities. Lanzi was most keen to get his familiar, Moya Moya, back - Thor consulted (without actually moving) with Odin, as this was not something he would normally involve himself with, and said that he would be successful in his hunt. He also said that our companions, Bavarik and Aras, would walk the Prime for five years and be unvanquished, but if by then Lanzi had not built a tower for Aras and I had not consecrated a temple to Thor for Bavarik then they would wither and perish. He then bade us continue to see Odin, but warned that his brother Loki was also here.

We entered the great gates, seeing Freya as we stepped inside; she warned Milai to be careful and left. Frey was also here, but had drunk heavily of the mead and did not move from his table. There was a darkness around one figure, surely Loki, that made him hard to discern. Plenty of servants moved around with drinks and food. Odin stood as we approached, ordering mead for us (which I would enjoy), and stepping forward, indicating for a table to be made available for us. We were completely awed by his magnificence in his own halls, and fell to our knees - feeling his gaze upon us without even having to look, and in a way we felt relief that we did not have anything to hide or explain, because he already knew it.

Odin sat at the prepared table, and invited us to join him. We at once spoke of the scabbard that we had retrieved from Hades, and our thoughts that if he were to allow us to keep it for a while then it might aid us in collecting the shards of the holy avenger that was once wielded by Bavarik. Odin made it clear that he wished the whole sword to be returned to these halls, and bade me give the scabbard to Milai for safe keeping, which I did gladly, having no use for bladed weapons. A quest was placed on us both, as his servants, to see his will done. He then turned to Hintzu, gifting him with great wisdom and naming him the "Defender of the Prime", neutral in all things.

With his attention now on Hintzu, he spoke up of his vision, explaining that he has seen a new dragon named as the serpent to bring about Ragnarok, Wang-Lun. Hinztu, already a dragon slayer, was tasked by Odin to face this new threat and defend the Dwarves from Malor and the beast. Hintzu was to aid the dwarves and understand the serpent - not defeat it, at least not yet. Odin granted us the ability to know where Hintzu was when he needed us, knowing that we would be forced to separate to see our quests fulfilled, giving Hintzu a gem that would act as a beacon. We explained that our most urgent task was to go to Perion's aid in order to rescue Yagitamo, but would need to travel to Limbo first to seek the aid of the Gnomes.

Odin urged us to offer the Gnomes his thanks and provide them aid, and as an added burden, but one we were glad to undertake, said that we were to bring Mercantire back to his halls. As the discussion seemed to be coming to a close, I formally asked forgiveness for my wayward acts at Fontainver, and I was forgiven by Odin. A great weight was taken from my shoulders, and I was ready for the challenges to come. We then took our leave, and suddenly found ourselves stood once more on the plains of Golgorath.