Recovery and Return to Fjallisilfur

Session #2, December 10, 2017

Koriol's wounds from the two-headed dog's bites seemed to be infected as rather than healing, the flesh was dying away and he felt very unwell. In game terms, Koriol would suffer disadvantage on all to-hit and ability check rolls. He and Forni realized that this disease would eventually kill him if he was not cured and that his best chance for survival was to suffer through the two-day journey back to Amkedvik and hope that one of the drenge experienced with infected battle wounds could help.

They made the return trip without incident and Koriol was laid in a bed in his father's home where Allis, a berserker who had raided with Koriol's father, Kjorin Finnison, tended him. Although Allis was no healer and could not stop the disease, he was able to help Koriol stay as strong as possible while his body fought the disease. Finally, after a week in bed, Koriol pulled through and was on his feet again.

In preparing to search again for the buried mining village, Forni and Koriol recruited Allis, Iorad (another experienced raider, if an annoying one), and Gyrdhi who knew something about mining and was quite keen to find the silver mine that the men in the mining camp had supposedly discovered before an earthquake-driven mountain slide apparently buried them in their camp. The men equipped themselves with 6 shovels, 3 picks, 100' of rope, buckets, a hammer, a ladder, lamp & oil, a scale, two iron pots, cook's utensils, 5# of flour, 1# salt, 5# cheese, and a 5 gallon butt of beer. Plus sacks and a pair of donkeys to carry it all.

On October 29, 837, the five men set out to the east in search of the lost mining camp in clear but cold weather. At dusk the party disturbed a nest of giant wolf spiders which they dispatched quite easily. Koriol was bitten by one of them, but its bite delivered only enough venom to numb his arm for an hour.

During second watch that night, Gyrdhi's, three swinemen attacked the camp. Gyrdhi was killed instantly by one's greataxe. Koriol was knocked down as well before the swinemen were finally killed.

The next day was mostly sunny and warmer, though still below freezing. The party arrived at the site they had staked out for a base camp and began setting up a small smokehouse to preserve game they hunted, designated a paddock for the donkeys, and started work on a bunkhouse.

November 1's weather was much like the previous day's, just a little warmer and a little cloudier. The party spent the day excavating the mountain slide again, but finding little. As they worked a small flock of scarlet bloodhawks attacked them. Iorad was badly wounded before one of the hawks was killed and the others flew off.

That night, during the first watch, they heard something crashing slowly through the woods. Upon investigation they discovered a giant lumbering along and eating everything in its path, even ripping saplings from the ground to munch. Although it was not on a direct course toward the camp, the party reasoned it would soon smell their food, so they set up positions to snipe at it. The tactic worked exceedingly well as the giant was unable to figure out where the attacks were coming from and the party managed to kill it before it's reckless, random rampaging actually found any of the characters.

[Recreated from poor notes and weak memory. Apologies for any inaccuracies.]

In Search of the Lost Mine

Session #1, December 3, 2017

In the afternoon of October 15, 837, Koriol and Forni were drinking together in the meadhall of Amkedvik. Both were ready to strike out from their families' homes and they decided that they should travel to Fjallisilfur to investigate the report they'd heard last year of a mountainslide that buried a mining camp there; perhaps there would be silver. They recruited Mundi's daughter Sylfa, who was like a sister to Forni, to join them.

The next day they set off in a heavy rainstorm and traveled east into the forest at a foraging pace, finding 3# of wild plants and fungi and harvesting a doe that yielded about 75# of venison. After dressing and partially butchering the doe, the party continued east at a normal pace. That afternoon Koriol spotted 2 swinemen traveling north with only 100' separating them before they noticed, thanks to the storm. The party shot arrows at them, killing one before it closed the distance to attack with great axes. Sylfa was badly wounded and unconscious before they killed the second one. Koriol used his healer's kit to help Sylfa. Collecting the faceless coins (10 greengold and 17 silver) and axes from the bodies, the two men carried Sylfa and set up a cold camp 100 yards from the site of the fight and about 13 miles from the village.

The rain ended after midnight as Koriol kept second watch. October 17 dawned clear and moderately breezy and the group traveled east. By midday they were another 12 miles east of Amkedvik. Here they set up camp with a lean-to and fire, then roasted and smoked the venison.

On the 18th they set out east again under increasing clouds and a light northeast breeze and in about 2 hours sighted the mountain a few hours away to the northeast, arriving at the base late in the afternoon. Looking around, there were no immediately obvious signs of a camp or a mountain slide and they made camp for the night, planning a thorough survey beginning the following day.

The 19th was warmer and mostly cloudy, but not raining. While surveying the lower part of the mountain for remnants of the mining camp or signs of the slide, Koriol spotted a mammoth. The party gave the animal a wide berth while searching the rest of the base area unsuccessfully. After finding nothing around the base, they went back to the area the mammoth, now gone, had been in, and discovered signs of a slide and a piece of wrecked timber. Spending more time at the site they tried to piece together the bits of evidence to narrow where they might try to dig, then sited a good long-term camp about 20 minutes away from the slide area where there was a spring.

That night, during the second watch Sylfa was charged by a large, two-headed dog. It bit her and though the sword blow she landed on its flank didn't seem to affect it much, it ran off immediately. Koriol stayed up for the rest of her watch and later after she had gone to sleep it attacked again. This time it kept up the fight taking down both Sylfa and Koriol and badly wounding Forni before it ran off again, though this time obviously badly hurt. Forni attempted to bind Sylfa's wounds, but she died before he could staunch enough of the bleeding. Koriol's wounds were not as bad and he was stable by the time Forni had a chance to check him.

Koriol slept until noon healing and Forni built a pyre for Sylfa. When Koriol woke he realized that he was suffering from some kind of poisoning apparently from the dog bites which were not looking good. Reflecting on the past night, Forni remembered that the two-headed dog was wearing a silver collar just above its shoulders.