Day Four of the Odinsleep (Korbin's Ordeal Continues and the True Enemy Appears)

Day Four of the Odinsleep (Noon- 5pm)

The Norn Mother nods and passes the crow to the Crone. Bony and wrinkled, liver-spotted hands with nails like talons pass beneath Korbin taking his sleight weight. Dull, milky eyes gaze down at him and paper thin lips peel back to the reveal her sharpened iron dentures. The gnarled, arthritic fingers of one hand close around Korbin’s beak and eyes with surprising strength, cutting off sight and air while the other hand pushes him beneath the surface of the pool.

Panic sets in immediately.

Korbin thrashes in the stone cold grip of the Norn Crone. With his eyes and beak covered, these is no sight, only darkness, and no water rushing in to fill the void left by the air leaving his lungs. Korbin’s wings batter uselessly at the withered yet implacable hand and after an eternity of seconds; pry the stiff fingers away from his face. The other hand still grips him tightly, holding him under water made turbulent by his struggles.

Against his will, Korbin’s brain screams “Holding our breath is killing us! We must BREATHE!” His beak opens involuntarily as he gasps. Water rushes in, flooding his throat and chest with cold liquid death that burns worse than any fire. Half-conscious and enfeebled, his body surrenders to the inevitable and he begins to black out. As darkness gives way to a searing white light, a burst of energy courses through Korbin’s body as the second hand releases its hold on him. With a powerful thrust of torn, tortured wings, Aesop’s Crow shoots to the surface. He sucks in a prodigious gasp of air. Water erupts from his mouth and a fit of coughing painful enough to make drowning seem a blessing wracks his body. It takes several minutes for him to realize that the Norn Crone is holding him up, massaging his chest to aid his breathing. Her eyes crinkle with delight and she smiles, her visage softening as she tenderly strokes his sopping ebony feathers.

“Well done, Korbin of Aesopica, well done. Thou has’t madeth thy ancestors proud this day. Thee shalf maketh a worthy Kanin!”

The Crone wades through the water. Korbin looks around, detachedly noting that ice is forming on the surface of the pool and that snow is falling. The Crone passes Korbin’s body to the Mother and she passes it to the Maiden before helping the eldest Norn from the water. Korbin is carried into the shack and placed in a cradle beside a loom. The Maiden towels him dry, stokes the fire, and then swaddles him in a blanket. The Mother sits down beside her as the Crone takes up a spot at the foot of the cradle. The three Norns take turns passing around a bowl of porridge and feeding the ebony crow warm spoonfuls of it to restore his strength until sleep finally claims him.

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Ra’ziir looks up when he hears the cries of alarm coming from the battlefield and sees the party of Jotuns, trolls, and ogres approaching. “Further investigation will have to wait. It appears we may be in for quite the battle.” Shadow nods in agreement, “Not those guys again. Don’t they have anything better to do?” The drow’s keen mind quickly begins estimating the distance from the horde to the wall and the amount of time it will take them to reach the group. If the Jotun leave their smaller “fodder” behind, they could be upon us in a matter of seconds given their long strides – somewhat longer if they engage the Einherjar along the way but even so, the power of the brutes means they will still arrive in less than a minute.

Kysek begins counting, “One...two...three...fo...” his voice trailing off as he turns to address the group, “Clearly this attempt may be ‘slightly’ more successful than the last. I’d say we need a plan to quell, nay, survive the onslaught.” He raises his arm, bidding Bubo to fly out again to scout the approaching company for siege equipment.

Grotto jumps up and down in excitement, “YES!!!!” he yells, “Looks like they didn’t learn their lesson the first time!” The scarred dwarf turns to face Idunn, his eyes wide with anticipation for the coming battle, “Shall I show them who’s boss, or would you like to put them in their place?”

Idunn glances down at the dwarf and then back out at the Jotun party, her brow crinkling with concern and blows out a long, slow breath.

Hansuke shifts into his human form and pulls a flask containing an elixir of speed from his belt. 

Desmond moves up beside him and readies his bow, waiting to see where he will be of the most use.

Drax glances at the new force but keeps his attention on the sky, “If it was me, I would strike from above. This new force below is likely another ruse. Arthur, do not become distracted by what is below you. A distracted bodyguard makes for an easy contract.”

Raven leaps onto the top of the nearest crenellation and starts to reach for his bow but hears Niklas exclaim, “Not only do we have the new threat below, something is heading out to attack Ægir on the island too! Can we do something to warn him?” He sees the the woodsman point toward the island and the lone god standing in the water along the shore. Raven discards his initial plan in less than a moment and has his sword out. He drives the unbreakable blade into the stone of the wall and drops over the side, dragging the weapon down though the stones like a pirate splitting sailcloth. 

Morn looks around at the others, “If anyone is planning to follow him, I might be able to help those who can’t fly!” as he uncoils his magical whip from its place on his belt.

Nightwatcher strikes sparks as it carves through the stone and Raven hits the ground far faster than he would have liked and pain shoots up through his ankles and knees, “I need a BOAT!” he cries to the nearest Einherjar while pointing toward the island.

Cedron cries out to the group, “We are here to protect Idunn. Be wary of distractions that may split our attention!” The priest sees Raven go over the side of the wall and shakes his head ruefully then calls upon the power of Malazzarr, “Oh, hear me, Lord of Progress and grant unto me the power to see things as they truly are.” His prayer complete, Cedron feels the surge of magic as his vision is overlaid with a second vision – one that pierces all illusions, rendering the world plain for the cleric to see. Cedron directs his magical gaze first toward the fjord and the approaching wyrms and sees at least four of the serpentine creatures slithering through the water toward Ægir’s small island. Frowning, he then looks toward the massed giants and sees that they too are exactly what they appear to be. And then he sees the squad of one dozen Svartaflar cresting the wall while cloaked in invisibility.

= = = = = =

• Arthur: 100% health;

• Bubo: 100% health;

• Cedron: 100% health; (True Seeing – 11 minutes, 0 rounds remaining)

• Desmond: 100% health;

• Drax: 100% health;

• Grog: 100% health;

• Grotto: 100% health;

• Hansuke: 98% health;

• Korbin: 100% health;

• Kysek: 100% health;

• Morn: 100% health;

• Niklas: 100% health;

• Raven: 100% health;

• Ra’ziir: 100% health;

• Shadow: 100% health

• Spewer: 100% health