Session 4

General Summary

May 18th (continued)

May 19th

"Mother," calls out Ignar, Asger and Inga's seven-year-old son, "tell them the story of when uncle Ingvar killed the dragon!"
The other children and Gunnar join him in loudly pesturing her to entertain them before bed, if only briefly.
"Very well," says Inga, handing off her infant daughter to Astrid, before stepping aroung the hearth so that the fire burns between her and the group of children and Gunnar who take up seats on the floor. Isa and Asmund each watch from the bench of the dinner table with Asger and even Bairrfhionn listens carefully as he works on his map.
"Your uncle is a mighty warrior; skilled with sword and bow," says Inga, gestuing sharply to represent each weapon's use. "Seven years into his reign, a great dragon appeared from the west. Its name was Rauðrherja and it attacked the towns of Gnopa and Bodo, extracting tribute from them."

'Oh arrow of mine, with power pure and immense to slay the dragon, do thy good deed, fast and swift; grasp the crystal in it's neck.'

May 20th

Gunnar and Murdaeg

Gunnar and Murdaeg leave Buskagar through its Northern Gate before the sun has even fully risen over the Keel. Gunnar has more dynamism in his stride than usual as he assends the pathway that gradually leads its way up the slops of Stetind, a mountain to the northwest of the township. The well planned, laid, and maintained path offers views of thin, high, waterfalls cascading down the rising cliffs from the mountain's slowcapped peak. The trickling falls each feed into a creek that comes to run parallel to the trail that continues to gain in incline.
Eventually, after an over hour long trek, the pair come to a flat basin that allows the trail to lead straight to a seemingly unmarked cliff-face. The valley's floor is covered in short grass and the pathway's sides come to be marked with simple stone pillers of approximately dvergr-height.
Murdaeg confidently strides up to the stone mountain-face and says in Dvergmêr, "Greetings, brothers of the Stonefoots! I, Murdaeg of the Firebrands have returned! I and my companion have need of your forges. Open your gates so we may speak with Lord Fargrim."
A moment of silence passes before a face-sized opening in the shape of a square rotated fourty-five degrees opens in the stone revealing a masked dvergr. From behind his helmet's full-faced mask, the dvergr responds in Dvergmêr, "You are welcome here, Murdaeg, son of Gamdu."
"I am Gunnar, alle of the hird of Jarl Asger.
"No," ans
"I evoke the Rite of Sigin-tarâg," says Gunnar, a smile touching the edges of his lips.
"You what?" blurts Murdaeg, his eyes darting upwards to look at his companion.
Before either can say another word, the stone face begin to open fully into a doorway.


"The manling has invoked the Rite of Sigin-tarâg! The Dvergr test of endurance, fashioned by Brokkur and Eitri themselves! Once we lift our hammers, we shall smash the great stones until one of us can smash no more! In the unlikely event he should win..." Fargrim laughs and every dvergr in the hall joins him, save for Murdaeg and Iðunn, "we shall grant a single boon! But, should he lose... I may impose upon him any penalty I wish, including making him my servant for a year or banishing him from this Hold forever more! Does the manling understand?"
Gunnar looks to Iðunn, who watches anxiously from the corner of the hall.
"He does," says the alle of Buskagar.
Fargrim looks entirely unimpressed as he disdainfully says, "The let us begin."
A gray bearded dvergr blows a ram's horn trumpet and the growing crowd of dvergr begins to chant their patriach's name as Fargrim unclasps his cloak and lets it fall from his shoulders and Gunnar does the same. The Astari doffs his chain hauberk and both remove their tunics, leaving each combatant in just his boots and breaches. Despite being fifteen inches shorter than Gunnar, Fargrim is an equally impressive display of muscel and fortitude and his blue skin emphasize his definition. Fargrim leaves his crown on his head and rings upon his fingerd and Gunnar leaves his pendent and Astrid's opal dagger around his neck. Murdaeg and other nearby dvergr take note of such a huge gem, though Fargrim remains implacable.
As Gunnar and Fargrim each pick up their massive, two-handed mining-hammers, a dvergr pushes into the hall a cart bearing two large gray stones as wide as a man's chest. One of the stones is placed on each of their anvils and the Fargrim raises his hand, signaling the halt of the chanting. Placing the side of his hammer on the top of the of the stone, all are silent as they await Fargrim to make his first swing. Taking the haft in both hands and raising it high over his head, Fargrim brings the hammer down with enough force to split the stone, seemingly with ease, prompting a roar of cheers from the crowd. Fargrim howls triumphantly as he raises his hammer in one hand and looks to the dvergr around him.
Fargrim gives Gunnar a dismisive look before saying, "Your turn, manling," prompting Gunnar too look to his own rock.
As the crowd of dvergr laugh and jeer, Gunnar looks to Murdaeg, then to Idunn, before taking his hammer with both hands, lifting it over his head, and smashing the stone just as Fargrim had. Some dvergr seem suprised he managed it and are unable to stop themselves from cheering, if only for a moment.
For the next hour, Fargrim and Gunnar break twelve stones.

Rewards Granted

Bairrfhionn Genmason made use of his favor from Jarl Asger Jorikson to gain access to Asger's maps and also to a pair of Handaxes
Gunnar Thorson won the contest of endurence against Fargrim Thorinson, requesting hospitality as his boon.