Part 45: Day 106: Bjorulf

Day 106. Our supplies have been extended ever so slightly.

Also, we've reached the village!



+15 Clansmen



That should get me to Boersguard!

I'd buy items, but we already have plenty of good gear. From here on, all Renown goes to promotions.



20 Renown goes into bringing Krumr to max rank. +1 Exertion, +1 Will, and more importantly, I can swap some items around!

Eyvind takes the Vadrun Silver Brooch, giving him a little more Survivability. Krumr, meanwhile, takes Dundr's Hand, launching his total Strength up to 18.



Yeah, I think I can reach that in ten days.

Let's go.



Day 107. Morale is still terrible.



Day 108.



There's no happy ending for this event.



I don't have time for a thorough search if I'm to reach Boersguard without anyone starving to death.



As the caravan prepares to move, a woman shouts, "No! They are out there! If you won't look, I will!" She heads off into the snow. Others join her, bu the vast majority gather and move on.

-42 Clansmen



Day 109. Slightly fewer miserable people.



Your clansmen are on edge as you question the chidlren. None of them seem to know anything about the food, but you manage to scare them more than you intende. Two brothers in particular are left on the verge of crying.

-15 Supplies



Well, that sucks.

There's something up ahead.



The imposing godstone of Bjorulf approaches. His severe visage makes it feel like he's watching you even now. The caravan spreads out, happy to be free of the confining forest and in open fields.

Hogun pulls yuo aside to show you some red berries growing on an ash tree that looks like it was chopped down long ago. "These shouldn't be growing here!" he says excitedly. "I haven't seen them in a long time." He and Mogun busily go about collecting the berries.





"What exactly are these?" you ask Hogun. "When I would travel to Boersguard with my father, sometimes he'd buy us a few of these," Hogun replies. "Couldn't be a luckier find. See for yourself." You try one and can feel energy returning to your tired limbs. Not taking a few more would be a wasted opportunity, you figure.

As the hour becomes late, the caravan is eventually ready to get back on the road. The day by Bjorulf's stone is one of the few memories that hasn't been tarnished by the spectre of bad fortune, you think to yourself.



The Tistelberry makes you gain an additional +2 Willpower when you rest. In other words, it's worthless.



Day 110. Supplies are running out.



When it rains, it pours.

You look away from the petrified varl and rush to help others dip blankets into water barrels to combat the fire. When the flames seem under control, you're able to retrieve the coughing boy. The ashamed varl retreat further from camp while peasants count the lost supplies.

-16 Supplies

"What in the depths was that about?" you mutter to yourself. "Something about the fire," Oddleif tells you. "I've heard of this before. They don't like it." Doesn't change what happened, you think to yourself.

I could have saved the supplies, but I guess I have principles. They may get a lot of people killed.



Day 111.

Reynivik is in view! I guess there were two villages, not just one.



"What is that?" points out Oddleif, up near one of the longhouses. In the distance a large person, clothes seemingly covered in blood, is cursing loudly and stumbling about. He staggers into a longhouse, laughing.



"Against my better judgement, we should probably do something," you say. The others agree, even though it means putting them all at risk. As you quietly approach, the dredge have managed to splinter the door and break through!

"Hey!" shouts a varl wearing all red, standing othe other side of the dredge. "Came all the way up her just for me?" He seems unconcerned about the dredge as he hoists his enormous sword.



New party member!



This is a nasty engagement. We're surrounded on three sides - the enemy numbers two Slag Slingers, two Slinger Marksmen, one Flame Slinger, one Spark Slinger, one Scourge Warrior, one Stoneguard, and one Stoneguard Defender. Nine against six.



My plan: Rush the warrior, kill the slingers in one hit each.



Iver starts the slinger massacre on the very first action!



Oddleif, Rook and Eyvind are in a pretty precarious position in this fight. There's no real back line for us.



This is what the New and Improved Krumr is capable of! Never mind that he's already out of will.



Eesh. Everyone, fall towards Iver! That area should be safe soon!



Hiding behind the enemy's strength/armor banner, Rook does the Rook thing.



Sigbjorn is decently powerful, although he's lacking in Willpower. Like Eyvind, he joins at rank 5 with all his points unspent.

His artifact, the Scarlet Feather, increases his movement speed, making him useful as a hit-and-run fighter.



Oddleif can hopefully keep that Stoneguard at bay for a turn with this.



Eyvind isn't much use right now - the enemy is all scattered, and nobody has taken any Armor damage. Still, a lightning bolt is a lightning bolt.



Success!



Another Iver turn, another dead slinger.



An unexpectedly shrewd move - Krumr can't quite kill it in one turn. It stands a very real chance of getting that move off.



So, he'll do what he can, and we'll see if we can't manage a plan B.



A Sunstrike is the third hit Oddleif's taken. Down to 4 Strength, her prospects are looking grim.



Stoneguards are basically the reason I keep Rook around.



Oddleif's odds of surviving this battle grow grimmer by the moment.



He keeps not getting any kills, but Sigbjorn is putting out a lot of damage - total 20 Strength cut down between two actions.



And there goes Oddleif. Oh, well.



Eyvind finishes off the warrior before he can finish casting. Our turns are coming faster now.



Every time Iver has taken a turn this fight, somebody has died.



Feel the wrath of Dundr's Hand!



The plus side of these long fights is the amount of willpower you build up in the Horn.



Like all Warhawks, Sigbjorn is plagued by subpar Armor.



It does not stop him from carving more chunks out of the enemy!



Only one enemy left with decent Strength.



And he's acting soon, with Sigbjorn down to 4 Armor.



Iver maintains his perfect kill streak.

And now it's time to see exactly what the new and improved Krumr is capable of!



Yeah.



And Sigbjorn finishes the fight.



+11 Renown



Wasn't expecting a varl this far south. Or this drunk.
I can see that.

There are people huddled in the corners of the mead hall, looking on with uneasiness.

Who are all these... who are you people?
No, no, they're friends. They made this place. It's not really mine.
You lured dredge back to a room full of unarmed people? What is wrong with you?
Come on. I saved everyone in here. They shared some fine drink. The best drink! Wait, I was saving your ass, remember that part? If you knew you'd come up here you could've told me.



The townspeople show you a huge stack of barrels, filled with quality mead, and help you haul them back to the caravan.

+20 Supplies
+10 Renown

I'll miss this place. Good memories.

With some help, you gather up the casks of mead and head back to the caravan, Sigbjorn and the other survivors in tow. The caravan gives the boisterous varl a large berth as you set out for Boersguard.