View source for We Meet Aylee, Jomsvikings, and Suar, Then Kick the Shit Out of Bashim, Morkoth, Eryx, Yaya Sr. et al.

While we're resting in forest after running from [[Puff]] and assorted wandering monsters [[Mamun]] hears some noise, like skittering all aorund and some web-extrusion sounds. He goes to check it out, as meets [[Aylee]]. She tries to talk to him, but they lack a language in common. The rest of the party comes over, and [[Harald]] translates. She says that some guys came and robbed her, stealing an egg sack full of [[Hamalasia]] eggs. Oh yeah, and three of her exploding arrows, the ones that do a lot of damage and give no save. She wants the eggs back, and is willing to heal us up if we agree to go after them. Also, if we refuse we have to fight her and her spider folk. We say we'll play ball, and leave behind [[Yaya Jr]] and Af-af's spellbook as colaterall. We agree to this under duress.

After some trekking through snow we see ten Norsemen. It's those wacky guys, the [[Jomsvikings]]! [[Bui Dire]], who looks like a chronic masturbator, his son [[Sigurd Fairhair]], a pretty boy who is rather clever, Jarl [[Sigvaldi Strut-Haraldson]], the leader, his brother [[Thorkill the High]], a berserk, and their half-giant (half-troll?) friend [[Nurmerae]]. Five redshirts were there as well, and Jomsviking redshirts are a cut above the norm. They see us at 500 yards in the dark Northern night, a testament to their eyesight. We charge, and they shoot some arrows. Aylee and Harald get hit by the exploding ones, which do a bunch of damage and wipe out Harald's Mirror Images. Then we start fighting. Aylee turns into a scorpion and immediately poisons [[Bui Dire]]. Harald is fighting the berserk, and after a bit the berserk takes him to -10. Everyone else goes down in short order, and we surrender. After some negotiation we pay wergild for the Jomsvikings killed by Aylee when they robbed her, and [[Sunflower]] users her touch power to turn Aylee into a moron. We get an invitation to join the Jomsvikings if we survive, and they leave.

While we rest ex-Jarl [[Saur]] shows up. We chat for a bark bark interminably bark bark long bark bark time before he goes off to get [[Managarm]]. When they return Managarm heals us a little, and we swap news. There are Thugee in [[Polotsk]], the [Ill Rigger]], a jerk with bug armor, was running around recently, and [[Hoovalempy Cheneva]], Queen of the Ice, is rumored to be active. There's a jerky evil Moon Dog named [[Molos]] around as well. In a bit of foreshadowing he also mentions that when the temperature gets too cold portals can open to the 9th level of [[Hell]]. 

We finish resting and go back to Aylee's folks in the woods. They are more dead than when we last met, covered in Wall of Ice type shards. Two [[Ice Devil]]s are rooting around in a pile of corpses. They ask us where the whip sword is and attack. [[Mamun]], always willing to lend the devil a hand, tries to give them the sword. [[Harald]] beats up on one devil while [[Ailyll]] and [[Sunflower]] try unsuccessfully to get the sword from Mamun. Eventually the devils run away, empty handed. We dig [[Yaya Jr]] out from under some corpses, and then rest until we can Heal Ayleee out of her idiocy. She thanks us, and we take off back to Cairo. [[Jacon Ibn Killis]] bitches at us for taking so long to get [[Yaya Sr]]. We Teleport back to our boat. [[Harald]] goes off to [[Chrysopolis]] to try and get [[Eorl]] to come with us to fight Sicilian jerks. He says [[Halcyon]] is already there, and he wants Bashim real bad. We scry on Halcyon, and get him to come meet us at [[TrapoII]]'s boat. Before we do anything else Harald Magic Mirrors the Gauntlets of Dexterity we used to have. They are on the corpse of the assassin who failed miserably in his attempt to kill Harald near the [[Forbidden Dungeon]]. We hop over there and grab the gloves, avoid being hit by a waiting genie, and hop back. Now Mamun is even better than before! We plan a bit and spell up, then scry on Bashim. He's hanging out with a [[Marid]], [[Eryx]], [[Yaya Sr]], Mister [[Morkoth]], and some sexy mermaids in an underwater cave. We Augur and get "Probably Woe". "Screw you, Tree!" we say, and Teleport there with [[Harald]], [[Ailyll]], [[Mamun]], [[TrapoII]], [[Halcyon]], [[Elfo Magico]], [[Akim]], and [[Sunflower]]. It's about one on one.

A big fight ensues. [[Harald]] awesomely disrupts the bad guys first round spells, and we notice that two of the mermaids are something else in disguise. One of them is quickly killed, and revealed to be a [[Kelpie]]. Everybody is casting spells and landing blows. Bashim goes down first, with [[Akim]] bravely risking heat explosion to beat him down. [[Harald]] and [[Halcyon]] grab his weapons and drink arm potions. The [[Marid]] gets taken out next, but by now [[Elfo Magico]], [[Mamun]], and [[Akim]] are all negative. [[Ailyll]] and [[Sunflower]] are beating on the [[Morkoth]]. [[Harald]] takes on [[Eryx]] and [[Yaya Sr]] while [[Halcyon]] is doing Otto's Irresitable Dance courtesy of Yaya Sr. A lucky whip sword shot cuts off [[Yaya Sr]]'s arm, and reveals him to actually be two weird-looking midgets, one of whic is now armless and dead. The other begs for mercy, and release Halcyon, who is then Healed by Ailyll. Harald beats the tar out of [[Eryx]], and Halcyon hits the Morkoth, who is now giving up and agreeing to answer questions. [[Eryx]] gets scared like a little girl and Gates in the [[Grey Executioner]]. Then he offers to leave. The Executioner is making fun of him, but [[Harald]] convinces him to lay off by giving him the [[Spear of Vaxa]] (double headed spear from [[Yodat]] and the bone sword. Maybe he'll fix them for us. 

The other little guy who made up Yaya Sr is gone, and the Morkoth answers our question about the Names of God. Of course his answer is a the [[Riddle of the Names of God]], the jerk. It tells where to find the lost tribes who know the names.