Road to Hyperborea, Chapter Two

Resting
Thursday, May 17th, 988 AD

Dorn and Shara come back from berry picking and view the carnage that the flaming beards have wrought. Dorn mans up and takes watch all night long so that relatively unhurt mages can get spells and everyone else can rest. Nicolae and Jean-Claude help out a little.

Everyday Encounters
Friday, May 18th, 988 AD

We heal up and rest for most of the day. During our resting, a large black dog comes running up from the south. Shara quickly casts Speak With Animals. The dog stands up on his hind legs and introduces itself as Managarm.

Managarm: Saur tells me you're friends of his?
Thalia: Of course.
Managamr: Then it should be okay to give you this information. I am an agent of the Fullness and I keep track of troublemakers. My sector is the Northlands and it's usually a quiet sector, but now, I'm smelling a lot of trouble.
Anna: Like what?
Managarm: Lord Evelake is running around with a Viking, up to no good. He normally just broods in his castle, but he went down south for some reason.
Shara: We hate that guy. He beat us up for no reason, though we didn't see any Viking.
Managarm: Ah, you know of him. Do you also know of Lilith? She used to be locked up in Kebnekaise some time ago, but she was released.
Reynaldo: Yeah, we know the idiots who did that.
Managarm: And before the mountain exploded, I smelled Throk and Atigat's scents in there.
Jean-Claude: Wait, Throk!? The real Throk? I thought he was the fire in the East?
Managarm: He is, and Atigat is from the land of Hind. And that's not all. The giants are getting a lot more aggressive and there is a man wearing black beetle armor and he doesn't even know who Kunefsa is.
Shara: Wait, who?
Managarm: Kunefsa, the shapeshifter who can become a woman or a giant black beetle. She's a friend of Evelake's. And speaking of shapeshifters, Kutavuonae aka 'Six-Phases' is messing around with reindeer carcasses again.
Reynaldo: That guy's a dick.
Jean-Claude: That's how he was able to fly away. He just changed shape.
Managarm: Like I said, this is normally a quiet sector, but with all this movement of troublemakers, I'm afraid of what's happening. My only job, really, is to avoid large amounts of people getting hurt.

We decide to tell him about the Octopuses and Tailed People.

Managarm: The only tailed people I know are the Holder Folk around this area, also called the Kadnika, but they only have ox tails. Regardless, I'll let my superiors know about this.
Edward: Can't you do anything?
Managarm: I'm sorry, I speak only for the shadow, not the thing that casts it.

Before he left, he gave us some more information: Udrez Kudrez's killer smelled of dead things and pickles; the protectors of the Everbloom are tow giants named Thorgrim and Thorgrima; a Loen Lanketa is a Finnish shaman who falls into a trance and sends his spirit out, and that sounds a lot like those guys that attacked us by pulling spells out of Edward's head; and that Psalm 93 is being defaced in many Bibles across the north.

He bids us farewell and heads back down south. We continue resting for another two hours until a baby ghost starts noshing on Anna's neck. At first, Anna is unsure of what to do, as it is a child, but the others quickly attack the undead, and even Anna joins in. Edward finally turns it.

We continue trying to rest, but then a nine-foot tall old man hobbles over to us, using a large two-handed sword as a cane. He's got a bunch of swords tied to himself with willow twigs over his overlarge cloak covering most of his body. He plops down about ten feet away and introduces himself as Starkath.

Starkath: So, any of you kids looking for a fight? I got a lot of platinum for whoever can kill me.

He jangles a coin purse around his neck.

Reynaldo: Uh, no, we're good.
Starkath: What, are you a bunch of girls? 'Cause I don't fight girls.
Reynaldo: No, we're not a bunch of girls, we just don't want to fight.
Starkath: So you're just a bunch of cowards, then?

Ivan gets up, but Edward and Anna quickly sit him back down.

Starkath: Wait, was someone challenging me? My eyes aren't so good.
Reynaldo: No, no one was challenging you.
Starkath: What, you're saying I'm wrong!? Draw arms!
Reynaldo: No! I'm not drawing anything. Just settle down.
Starkath: Oh, alright. You bunch of pansies... Wait a second, did you just tell me what to do!? Draw arms!
Reynaldo: For fuck's sake, man! You'd fucking kill me in two seconds flat. Just settle... Why are you trying to pick fights, anyway?
Starkath: A volva (witch woman in Norse) told me to walk this way and I'd meet someone that looked like my reflection in a turbid river.

At this point, a third, hitherto unseen arm came out of his cloak and scratched his chin.

Reynaldo: Woah! What was that? I thought Thor ripped your extra arms off?
Starkath: Why are you reminding of my only defeat? Are you trying to psych me out!? Draw arms!
Reynaldo: No, no! I'm just, you know, making conversation.
Starkath: Oh, well, yeah, he did rip them off. I found a lot of Regenaration Potions, though.
Reynaldo: That's... that's a lot of Regeneration Potions.
Starkath: Are you calling me fat!? Draw arms!
Reynaldo: Lord give me the strength...
Edward: I thought you didn't believe?
Reynaldo: I don't, but these are trying times.
Thalia: I think you've just met someone as obnoxious as you is all.

Starkath tried to pick a fight a couple more times and Ivan was forced to eat Reynaldo's hat so that he wouldn't take him up on the offer, but we finally all rested through the night.

Outside the Everbloom
Saturday, May 19th, 988 AD

We wake up in the morning and begin healing and casting our spells for our steeds. Starkath, upon seeing our pansy-ass reliance on magic, just scoffs at us and walks off. No one has the stones nor the patience to remind him that he's drank at least six magic potions in his lifetime. When our Mounts and Phantom Steeds are ready for us, Anna once casts Unfailing Endurance on the Mounts and Reynaldo, Jean-Claude, Shara, Moishe, and Nicolae.

We ride for two hours and see a group of undead reindeer, all hacked to pieces about two or three days earlier. We assume Orm's party are responsible and continue riding. Another hour into our ride, we encounter a group of undead reindeer that aren't hacked to pieces, but we simply ride around them. They chase for a little while, but their hearts aren't really in it (or in them, now that I think about it).

At the end of the day's ride, we catch up with Miaslav, Innocence, Thorbjorn, Princess Mengloth, the Moors, and another giant Moor we've never seen before carrying Orm.

Reynaldo: Guess what kids? We totally blew up the mountain.
Thorbjorn: That's fantastic!
Jean-Claude: Yeah, we didn't give up or anything.
Anna: What's wrong with Orm?
Thorbjorn: He was bitten by a snake in his tent.
Reynaldo: Were you in the tent with him?
Thorbjorn: No, only Raheesh, Aaqib, and Qadir were.
Reynaldo: Why does that not surprise me.
Raheesh: Careful elf. We did nothing to him. We were talking about the Everbloom when he let out a yelp. I saw a snake quickly slither away.
Thorbjorn: Then they called me. I entered the tent, and Orm very calmly told me to continue towards the Everbloom because that's where the we'd find the cure for whatever it is he has. Then he passed out.
Edward: Have you tried Neutralize Poison or Cure Disease?
Thorbjorn: Of course I have. I also tried Dispel Magic and Remove Curse.
Anna: What about Dispel Evil?
Thorbjorn: Unfortunately, Thor has not granted me access to that spell.
Anna: Luckily, the one true God and His archangel Michael have. I'll attempt it tomorrow.
Reynaldo: How did he know there'd be something to cure him of?
Raheesh: He'd just been bitten by a snake. Wouldn't you think you'd need to be cured?
Reynaldo: Then why was he so calm?
Thorbjorn: He's a king. He can't let his subjects see him frightened.
Reynaldo: But surely when it's just his most trusted advisor...?
Thorbjorn: Maybe, but it wasn't just me.
Reynaldo: Right. Okay then, who's in charge now? The princess or you?
Thorbjorn: Well... Jean-Claude: Oh, and I'd been meaning to ask: does the Princess have any skills or powers that might help us here?
Thorbjorn: No, none at all.
Raheesh: So, we're going to continue towards the Everbloom?
Edward: It's getting dark. We should make camp.
Raheesh: But Orm is still sick.
Anna: But he's not getting any worse.
Raheesh: We should still press on.
Thalia: It's been our experience that traveling at night is usually not a good idea.
Moishe: Plus, I've been shlepping all day. My feets and tuchus are tired.
Raheesh: Then, maybe those that want to stay should stay and those that want to continue should continue?

Nenufar and Reynaldo shared a sideways glance, and then Reynaldo shared it with Thorbjorn.

Thorbjorn: Reynaldo, come with and we'll ask Thor what he thinks.

They went away from the main camp and spoke for a few minutes. Raheesh and the party continued discussing the pros and cons of continuing and staying. Finally, Thorbjorn and Reynaldo returned.

Thorbjorn: We're going to continue on to the Everbloom.

We limbered up our legs again and hiked for another couple of hours as the forest got denser and denser around us. Raheesh told us that the large Moor carrying Orm (and now Moishe as well) was actually a djinn summoned by Baqir. Reynaldo told the rest of us that Thorbjorn had told him that Qadir seems to be their champion. During some downtime, they had thought about sparring, Orm's champion versus the Moors. Orm of course picked Miaslav, but the Moors picked Qadir and not Raheesh. This doesn't make sense to Reynaldo, as he was able to defeat Qadir rather easily once he had broken out of his fetters. Finally, we got to the edge of the Everbloom and another disagreement was exposed.

Reynaldo: I think we should wait here until daybreak.
Raheesh: Whatever for? We're here already. Let's just go find the giants.
Reynaldo: I want to avoid a misunderstanding.
Raheesh: What misunderstanding?
Thalia: What would you think if a band of heavily armed people walked into your home in the middle of the night? Raheesh: ...Point. Maybe we should only send one person in. Baqir's djinn could surely go in undetected and find the giants and then get them to come over.
Reynaldo: What makes you think we'd let you do that?
Edward (quickly): What Reynaldo meant to say was that we're trying to avoid subterfuge. An invisible djinn stealing across your home is just as bad a large group bearing arms.
Raheesh: So what then?
Ewdward: We can try calling from here, see if we can get their attention.

We began shouting the giants' name, but to no avail.

Thorbjorn: That's that then. We'll sleep here and wait until tomorrow. We'll try calling them again tomorrow.
Raheesh: But Orm--
Thorbjorn: Tomorrow.

We sleep during the night, but when Reynaldo sees the djinn disappear, he keeps track of it with his Gem of Seeing. The djinn stays near Var for most of the night, but then dissapears during third watch.

Death of a Dream
Sunday, May 20th, 988 AD

We heal up and we're feeling really good. In fact, we're feeling better than we have in a really long time. We shout the giants' names again, but again there is no answer. Raheesh says we should probably just go in now because who knows how big the Everbloom is or where the giants might be inside of it. Anna Divinates this plan, emphasizing the part about going in with the Moors. God says it's a good idea, and that we should probably make friends with the Moors because they are somewhat trustworthy, but we should do it soon, otherwise their mistrust of us will lead to a confrontation.

We go into the Everbloom together and continue calling the giants' names. Suddenly, storm clouds gather overhead and it starts raining.

Reynaldo: This can't be good.

A lightning bolt from one of the clouds hits a tree (lovingly referred to as the Shenanigans Tree) and separates Orm and all of his people, as well as Shara, Dorn, and Nenufar from the rest of us. We call their names, but the blaze is so fierce that we can't tell what's going on the other side, though we do hear sounds of battle. Two giants come running from inside the Everbloom and we assume it's Thorgrim and Thorgrima, but there is something wrong with them. They've got the crazy eyes and they immediately attack. They just start pounding on us. The mages hang back and cast spells on the two giants (Nicolae is succesful in blinding Thorgrima), but they Call Lightning on the mages. Conrad and Wong fall to their massive onslaught, but Thorgrim is finally felled. Strangely, his body disappears. We continue wailing on Thorgrima but she ruthlessly kills Anna, cleaving her in twain. We press on the assault and kill her as well. She likewise leaves no body.

Reynaldo: Hildegund!
Jean-Calude: Woah! She said not to call her anymore. Not after getting her name wrong.
Reynaldo: I don't care! We're helping her friends, for fucking free I might add, and now she's going to help us! Hildegund!

But Hildegund never showed, not even to kick our asses for calling on her again. We pick up Anna's pieces in the hope that something here can make her live again and look for the others. We find them a short time later, also looking like they were in a battle of some sort.

Reynaldo: Thorbjorn! Call Hildegund! She's not answering our calls.
Thorbjorn: What? Why?
Reynaldo: Lady Anna is dead again, and we need Hildegund to bring her back.
Thorbjorn: I'm sorry for your loss, but I can't call her.
Reynaldo: Why not?
Innocence: We think she was abjured during a skirmish with the giants. She hasn't answered our calls since then.
Reynaldo: Fuck!

Edward: What happened to you guys?
Raheesh: We were attacked by the giants who guard the place.
Jean-Claude: Did their bodies disappear after you killed them?
Raheesh: Yes, how did you know?
Edward: The same thing happened to us. We don't think they were the real guardians.
Raheesh: What were they then? Manifestaions of the guardians?
Jean-Claude: It's possible, I guess, but I don't think they were responsible.

Nenufar: Hey, I need to tell you something.
Reynaldo: Yes?
Nenufar: When the giants attacked, the sayeer summoned two large djinn.
Reynaldo: I'm sorry, who's the sayeer?
Nenufar: It's Baqir, he's a sayeer. He summons djinns to do magic for him, and while fighting the giants, he summoned two of them. One had eight arms and fought like a whirlwind, and the other one belched out green fire.
Reynaldo: Green fire, eh? Good to know.

We continued through the Everbloom, looking for the real giants. They came crashing through the forest, much like their doubles, but when they came into view, they did not have the crazy eyes.

Thorgrim: Are you okay?
Reynaldo: Not so much, no.
Thorgrim: Come with us, we can help you.

We followed the giants into their cave, and once we settled in, Thorgrima began to heal some of us.

Reynaldo: Listen, we've got a problem. Our comrade-in-arms here died before we could take care of your twins. Is there anything you can do for her?
Thorgrim: Blood has not been spilled in the Everbloom for hundreds of years, and we are sorry for your loss. While we are grateful that you have taken care of these mockeries, we regret our inability to help your fair comrade. We cannot access such powerful magic as the kind required to help her. In fact, we're quite certain you can access more powerful magic than we.
Stepanova: Is there anything in the Everbloom that can be used to help her? Some kind of magic font or some plant or something?
Thorgrim: There is nothing here that we know of, and we've been here for three centuries.
Thorbjorn: How about for a sleeping King? He was bitten by a snake and we can't remove the magic keeping him asleep.
Thorgrim: I'm sorry. I know of no such herb or water found in the Everbloom to cure that either.
Edward: What about your doubles? Do you know anything about them?
Thorgrim: All we know about them as that they attacked us in the morning before we woke. Two of each of us. We escaped them and ran away to regroup. They'd been hunting us since.
Reynaldo: Well, they found us instead and now they're gone.
Raheesh: What is this place, and what do you do in it?
Thorgrim: This place, as you can plainly see, blooms eternally. It never wilts or dies, and so animals come from all over for refuge. We police it and make sure creature harms another. We'd been doing a pretty good job until today.
Thalia: What happens when another creature harms another?
Thorgrim: They are simply expelled from the Everbloom and not allowed back in ever again, but again, that hadn't happened for a long time before today.
Raheesh: You said creatures come from all over. What about elves? Do elves come here?
Thorgrim: Well, yes, obviously, as there are five here today, but not usually.
Raheesh: You don't get them all the time?
Thorgrim: No. In fact, this is probably the most that have been here at the same time.

Raheesh began gnashing his teeth.

Reynaldo: Is this place a nexus maybe?
Thorgrim: What's a nexus?
Reynaldo: You know, a place that exists in many places simultaenously, and could perhaps be used to travel between these places.
Thorgrim: Oh no, the Everbloom is not one of those, although I have heard of them. I believe the Marshan Veldt is one such place, although where it leads, no one knows. Anybody who goes in, never comes out again.
Reynaldo: You guys came back out, didn't you?
Raheesh: Yes, but we didn't go in too far. Things made less and less sense the further we went in. We had to leave for fear of losing our minds.
Reynaldo (under his breath): Pussies.
Thorgrim: That sounds about right.
Reynaldo: You know, that might have been the Glitter Gates, it just didn't open for you because you're not elves, nor were you of age.
Raheesh: I doubt it very much.
Reynaldo: Then where, pray tell, are they?
Raheesh (gritting his teeth): I. Don't. Know.
Reynaldo: Right. Why do you even want to know where they are?
Raheesh: Our Caliph has asked us to search for them.
Reynaldo: To what end, besides killing elves?
Raheesh: I know not the mind of my Caliph. I merely do as he asks.

The conversation continued, with Reynaldo taking more verbal potshots at the Moors, but they would not rise to the bait. Sometime during the talking, Ivan and Reynaldo independently of each other noticed tiny pieces of polished silver on the cave floor. They picked them up and searched for more, but found none.

Reynaldo: This is probably how your doubles were made. Some kind of mirror magic.
Raheesh: But how would a mirror get in here without them noticing the culprits?
Reynaldo: How indeed.
Moishe: Perhaps Thorgrima can ask the plants around the cave entrance to see if they saw or heard anything.
Thorgrima: I can, but it will have to wait until tomorrow.
Thorgrim: Yes, it has been a long day and we should all rest. I shall watch the cave entrance.

Before totally bedding down, we come up with a plan to revive Anna. We remember that Ilya Murmometz' mother still resides in Kiev and that she is a powerful cleric. Jean-Claude, using a mix of Polymorph Self and Phantom Steed spells, will get to Kiev in about five days, possibly less. Anna's body will be Itemed so that he doesn't have to worry about her weight (or her smell). Since this will be a very dangerous mission, Jean-Claude insists on a Divination in the morning.

We all rest through the night.

End of Chapter Two