Stories of Lore 18

 

The situation has developed further. The Nezatl and Xiaoshen have managed to produce enough warm gear for the champions to venture out, though not enough for the entirety of our warriors. So we are now free to take further action, however a complication has arisen.

Ragniva and her army have returned to the south, apparently she is faster than expected. We have since learned her clan’s huts are carried by the horde so that she is constantly mobile. Without ever needing to sleep or rest her horde can move surprisingly fast. It turns out the living among them have learned how to eat long dead corpses and can feed on their own minions to make sure there is no need to slow down and hunt or scavenge for supplies.

Her horde is moving directly towards Auwana. There is suspicion from Koamalu and Zhuan that she is about to lay siege to us. Even if the army cannot get up here, we will be limited in methods to get down as well. That army will never rest nor need supplies, but eventually we will. Without the gryphons it will be difficult to move. Those who are down below will not be able to return and those who are up here will not be able to go down below. Exception to those who can fly. I am sending some of my clan now while they can still escape Ragniva’s notice and spreading them further out so we still have a way to interact down below.

Haleh herself is at the Vargr village amassing her forces. Notably, not many of them can fly. Though there is the constant threat that she leads those who can up here with her wyvern, just that beast alone could cause a lot of damage. So be sure not to send everyone down below too hastily.

However, she is trapped in a position that is not advantageous to her. Hallvard has destroyed another village to the north and the Howling Horror claimed more victims. We are deep in her territory as well, which leaves her having to split her forces to deal with many issues at the same time. Thanks to Kaya we have learned that the Asvald and Hedin clans have been appointed to try and deal with Hallvard and Thorinson problems along with support from the other northward clans.

Haleh and Ragniva are focused on us with their handful of clans in the immediate Vargr area while Icno has been sent to try and figure out what is going on with the Howling Horror, accompanied by several champions to protect him.

This has in turn released some of the pressure on the Ivor clan, though they don’t seem all that interested in taking advantage of it other than rummaging the eastern forests for food and supplies.

Other than Alihana and myself, the rest have recovered from their wounds they acquired fighting Xiomac thanks to Xacalli’s persistent work.

 

 

I suppose I can take over as advisor to you along with running the temple for the time being. Though if there is too much to be done, my duties at the temple will take priority.

It would seem Kaya has infiltrated deeper into the Vargr, having been recruited by the Asvald. They even gave her a warbeast to ride around on. They still don’t actually know what her abilities are. So we know what the Asvald are up to in particular. It would seem they were originally clearing out the territory near the lake they set up by, though with the incoming barrage of problems they’ve been reassigned to try and handle both Hallvard and Thorinson.

Kaya doesn’t tell us much, but fortunately the scrying pool keeps tabs on her. The Asvald are a different ilk than most warrior clans we’ve met. They’re all…really coordinated. While the Dozen have some training, and Iiniwa once provided a village-wide level of basic training for those who wanted to go, the Asvald have almost daily training mandated by their chief Asa. They train in things they call formations, the art of walking together in unison. Not to mention weapon skills as well. They are divided into something smaller than a clan they call parties. Small groups of five who know each other well and specialize in specific tasks. The end result of all this is that they seem to win a lot of their battles. She has also learned how Asa became the chief. Asa isn’t as strong as even half of her own clan, but she is the most gifted in telling people what to do and when to do it. She also leads the training and was apparently the one to originally suggest the creation of the Asvald to Haleh. So the whole clan is her personal creation. It is likely that Kaya could defeat her one on one, but the Nezatl would be left in ruins in a clan battle.

Being deep enough among their midst to ask as many questions as she wants, we’ve also learned that the Asvald village is the furthest reach of the Vargr territory. Draw a line from it to the Hedin village and you get the idea of how wide they really are. It is also worth noting that the Asvald are more loyal to Hoskuld than Haleh, despite being the tribe’s elites they don’t seem to have a full grasp of what is happening politically back home. That being said, Asa bears the mark of the Chanai on her left forearm so she might know more than she lets on. Which leads me to suspect the Asvald serve a second purpose, most of the champions loyal to Hoskuld are now very far away from the Vargr village and under the control of one of the elusive members of the Chanai. This means a lot of those remaining close to the Vargr king are actually those who favor Haleh.

The Vargr tend to take prisoners of the villages they defeat but then relocate people from those villages. Very few remain left alone, those that are tend to be the ones that surrender to the messenger rather than requiring a conflict and subjugation. These relocated people are seldom seen again, and Kaya has learned that they are ‘put to good use’ to atone for their rebellion.

Slaves?! READY THE WARRIORS! I will lead a raid to liberate them within seven mornings.

 

Calm down Necatzlai. Even if that is true, we don’t know where they are taken and there is a distinct lack of slaves in the villages as far as we’ve seen so far. Though the men sometimes take captured women as additional wives-

SHARPEN THE SPEARS!

 

You do know that Kaya is the clan’s war leader right? As I was saying, we’re not sure where they’re taken. Judging by the materials coming into the Vargr village to expand it, as well as the sheer reach of the tribe, there is likely a village specifically made to contain these prisoners and make use of them. Originally I suspected they might be cannibalized for food in the winter but the Vargr don’t seem to have any issues hunting meat. There are also no crow-folk among the Vargr so mass ritual sacrifice seems unlikely. However, the fact that we have no idea where they’re taken is foreboding of something sinister.

 

The meeting with Ragniva was a confusing mess evidently. Though we learned some important things from it. Mostly that Ragniva is Esin but less so. Feigning idiocy to make it harder to figure out her real motives.

But Koamalu sent Esin to shut up Rohaka so what she has gathered is that Ragniva is a rather practical person but has somewhat of a loyalty to Haleh for reasons she did not fully disclose. There might be more digging to do but at least she’s not all ‘rawr kill all rahana’.

That being said Hamona arrived at the Rahana and they give a slightly different version of the story Ragniva gave. According to them they have been in friendly negotiations with another tribe that is extended from this strange empire Ragniva spoke of and the chief took a liking to one of them in particular, so she moved into the village for the time being. Ragniva was requested to travel to their village as a sort of cultural exchange of magic and stuff. Though it is worth noting, their empire sure do love human sacrifices so its not like Ragniva’s impression might even be wrong. It is also possible they recognized how powerful it would be to integrate her into the heartland of the empire.

Hamona gets the impression both are leaving out little tidbits here and there to make sure the other one is definitely the bad guy. Because they didn’t mention anything about her son’s involvement.

We learned more about the Ivor from Ragniva than we did the Ivor oddly enough. Kawil already found the clan albeit not Ashyln. They don’t seem to have a primary village, just live scattered across a vast distance. Though Ragniva mentioned that they are some of those who Xiomac has reached out to in the past. They probably don’t know he’s dead. This tells us we can expect them to be hiding magic items and the like though.

 

Judging by Kawil it is a talent that can be learned, though judging by the amount of effort it has taken the Nezatl to acquire any of it, it may be more difficult than we might be inclined to think. With the Akarona here there is at least a place to attempt it and see if any learn the art.

Kennae has returned to Auwana and is now just sitting by the fire of Auwana with the others.

Contacting Ashyln is not too difficult really. Kawil already found her clan, it shouldn’t be too hard to ask to meet with her. Though Kawil the talking tree of horror might not be the best first impression. Then again her clan seems to indicate she is used to such oddities. Either way, we can probably find her if we just figure out how we want to approach first contact.

<The monsters of note are few and far between. Most have been hunted within the realm between two mountains. Most of us must seek shelter within the eastern mountains where few men go. I am one of the strongest, so is the elemental who also came to your mountain. We do not see other monsters too often, usually this leads to conflict over food or to eat one another. So we do not have as many rumors and legends as those that persist among men evidently. All know Vandrad, but few know others. Though there are strange scents the further north you. I lived closer to the south side of the white lands as you describe it. The elemental is from further north. With the information I have learned from those around here, I can surmise that there is a pattern. Those more inclined to flesh, fur, and fang like to live a little further south. We are dependent on the bounty of the forests. The further north you go, the more…bizarre the inhabitants become. As for rumors… I do not know of many. As I said, we do not talk to one another often.>

You’re adapting quite well though.

 

This is Tzelac, he didn’t have a name so I gave him one. As he says, the monsters out here tend to be quite isolated compared to ourselves. Though that is a recurring story everywhere we seem to go. He is a frost troll, and capable of regenerating his wounds and withstanding the cold. He is adapting to fitting in around here still, though he is quite well spoken in the monster’s tongue. Not so well with the common one of the village. We’re working on that. Don’t send him to talk to humans.

 

 

Though he propositions the theory that the further north we go, the more magical the monsters become. Similar to Kawil or the elemental. The further south we are, the more they rely on flesh and bone to produce raw power. The problem with recruiting such creatures is that though they are powerful, they don’t need food in the same way as most others. So it is hard to offer them much if they are already dominant in their territories since the security of Auwana is not as necessary for creatures of their kind. Upon questioning all of the new recruits, I’ve gathered that they don’t talk to each other much as Tzelac said. Few know rumors beyond Vandrad. Though there are notes of strange scents or signs of powerful monsters across the land, these never develop into rumors because they were very quickly avoided and their territory is rarely ventured within by anyone smart enough to form a social structure as those we have recruited.

One of the most peculiar is a creature described to live within the forests just a little southwest of us. This is deep within Vargr territory, few monsters survive here due to being hunted. Actually a lot of our recruits that are clearly far from apex predators came from this area since they had nowhere to escape to yet doom seemed impending. They mention that there is a creature here that is everywhere within the forest yet has never been seen. No one knows what it eats, where it lives, or what tracks it leaves. Just that there is something there that is a bit off but always present.

There is one mention of a terror that might be the second strongest monster in the north. It lives far north, in the land of what the Vargr call the savage folk. It is the only one known by rumor instead of ‘someone came across the scent’. Supposedly it is the only beast to survive a targeted hunt by members of the Vargr hunting parties. Information from Kaya leads us to believe the Asvald are actually hunting this specific creature before the village they inhabit can bring common villagers to the area.

The last one is less of a rumor but a well known and confirmed ‘we don’t go there’.  Far to the north, farther than we can see from here, there is a single smaller mountain. There is nothing alive in that area, no man, beast, nor monster. It is a dead place, but it is well known to monsters that something lives there. Something so dangerous that even the northern clans have learned that they must never go there. Supposedly, even Vandrad does not go near that mountain. Granted, Vandrad’s territory is the south anyways so there is no reason for him to be near the mountain.

That covers rumors of big scary things out here in the north that we might take interest in.

Aside from rumors, some of our scouts were rummaging through the ruins of human villages. Northwest there are reports of a scent described as a burning cold that stings the nose and marks of a powerful, and large, creature roaming the land. Those who have encountered this territory suggest the creature must be made of stone, ice, fire, and rage. Vague, but interesting at least.

We have seen to equipping Taike with some of the charms from the armored serpent. Though before we can proceed with the drain experiment, it must be noted that your weapon only is reversed when affecting Alihana. In order to create a new weapon that is reversed when used on Taike we will need another weapon that channels your same power. So basically we need to create a second one like yours, which requires some specific bones. Fortunately, as this is just for an experiment, we do not need quite the same scale of bones as would be needed for an exact copy of your weapon. Unfortunately, in the north it may be hard to find something aligned to the necessary aspects. We were able to create a similar tool for Esin using Dalyn’s bones, but we’re out of those now. Sawiri says something parasitic would do well, or just something that drains blood. Mosquitos don’t have bones unfortunately, and there are no blood sucking bats this far in the north.

As for mining, according to Esin she hits rocks really hard with harder things. The problem with exacating the caves below isn’t avoiding the crystals, but knowing where they are before striking into the rock as many are hidden in the rock walls.

Zhuan reports that Hallvard can easily move that axe in any direction. I think the Xiaoshen have more on the matter.

We can deploy the hunters now that the warmer gear has been prepared for a larger number, though they didn’t do anything these last few weeks.

The “east” is still in the white lands. Look east of the island. Also the Travelers are along the southern border of the white lands. We may wish to consider sending someone to get them properly dressed.

As for the curved spear blade, its currently still too brittle to see much use with how its been made. Though if it could withhold its shape, as we know to be at least possible, there is merit to the idea. It would open new offensive opportunities, likely ones people are not used to seeing.

Lokala’i is currently traveling. It is a long journey from the southern end of things all the way up to the Thorinson in the north.

To be fair, Haleh didn’t use any bones to make her armor. They are made from the scales. That being said, I suppose the travelers can start trying to hunt down the trail while they’re not doing anything in the south. Not sure where it died at though.

As for looking for the sacred spring, we know thats two territories south in the grasslands in some mountain or other. Up here…not so sure where they’re making these things.

 

I suppose I’m here while Zhuan is away. He has managed to slip into Hallvard’s…horde as you call it. As their adviser to the chief…and their strategist. So…that’s convenient. Apparently Hallvard likes it when we do that Wenhai fireside storytime thing where we are really unnecessarily wordy and exaggerated. We’ve learned a lot from this though.

First off, Hallvard’s physical strength was given to him. Similar to how Kaya received hers, though he did not say from who. Though his strength is somewhat bizarre. Zhuan described it as being unlimited but he doesn’t move like someone who is actually that strong. Esin is the strongest in our clan, physically speaking, and she has a certain weight to everything she does. She can also move very quickly very suddenly, like when punching. Hallvard lacks that. He’s not prone to bursts of momentum nor does he seem to have to obey the weight of his own strength or weapon. It’s kind of like he just moves normally, but nothing can prevent that movement from happening no matter what is in front of it.

We’ve also learned he’s not invulnerable, Zhuan was able to dislocate something just as well as he could have against anyone else. Again this is a strange contrast to our strongest tribe members. Esin, Wehilani, and Uyitzan are all just as hard to take down with a spear as it is to survive them hitting you with a spear. He’s really tough, enough to rival maybe Uyitzan. Though not enough to rival Xacalli or Coszacatl. Not even as much as Esin actually, which is unbefitting his supreme strength.

Then we learned he’s kind of smart. Smarter than we might normally assume but still kind of an idiot? His understanding of warfare and logistics is terrible basically. Zhuan is in a position to fix this weakness or exaggerate it though.  As it stands, Hallvard is a terrifying enemy to face but his army is sort of wild. Given the reports from Kaya about the Asvald, it is likely that he won’t make it all the way into Vargr territory as he is right now. The Asvald will cull most of his forces, and if he makes it through the northern border the Hedin will finish the job. Especially if Haleh herself goes to face him.

On to other news, Caowei took another route into Hallvard’s forces in case Zhuan’s mystic man approach didn’t work. She just walked into them overnight and no one questioned it. The army is not well put together, everyone keeps assuming she’s from some other group and that’s why they don’t know her. The army itself is pretty much being held hostage by Hallvard as he conscripted them by way of murdering everyone who resisted. That being said, at least half of the army truly believes in him. He is promising to lead them to defeat the Vargr and take the southern areas of the White Lands for themselves, which is richer in food and resources. Since he managed to “unite” so many people into one large group they are willing to take this chance. Though the other half might be fairly willing to give up and go home if they could, maybe even turn on him for murdering their clan members.

We have also learned that Hallvard has five major champions…only five. He kept dueling them all to death as his method of forcefully recruiting various clans so he is kind of lacking in that department. That being said the five he has are pretty terrifying.

Zhuan and Caowei are able to retreat at any time you like…since as I mentioned before he’s not so good at logistics. Most people in his army have nowhere to go and no idea where to start walking but Zhuan and Caowei can just come back here. Though we’re in an interesting position with Zhuan as his adviser and Caowei sneaking around among the troops.

Also, we managed to make enough winter clothes for all the major champions of the tribe. Hakenu’e covered that one for us but we should be able to send everyone out now. Though we’re on a bit of a narrow time frame to do so since Ragniva is on the way.

Speaking of which, Esin says if we trade off some of our old silk stuff we have laying around we should be able to get a large amount of hides from Ragniva. I’m still not sure how she worked out that deal but…well we have unlimited silk up here thanks to the Huanacan and maybe it would be worthwhile. Though we would be trading with the enemy, not sure how I feel about that. Also we did get kind of volunteered into it without being asked….also not sure how I feel about that.

 

Stories of Lore 17

 

Kaya is off sneaking around and defining the edge of the Vargr territory, which seems to extend to the northern lake of Asvald. Beyond that is the Savage Lands but it is a gradual transition. It seems the Vargr intend to take over the lands within that transition right up until the great north where there is little more than ice. Basically once the trees stop growing, that is the edge of the Vargr’s intended territory. Conquering all of that land would make them the largest tribe in the world I’m sure.

In terms of fighting the Vargr specifically, they do have a lot of champions around the area due to their culture practically spawning them as a rite of passage. They’re not quite on par with crow folk on average but the sheer number of great warriors is notable. It is also notable that there are no crow folk here in the north. Apparently it was one of the first groups Haleh had hunted down and mercilessly slaughtered, she may have a bit of a grudge with them from the plains.

As for cold clothing, what we gave to Kaya is…I will call it sufficient. She still complains that its cold and definitely still needs fires. Though I’m not sure if anything can be done to truly mitigate it.

So the thing is…dragging up raw materials with the basket is kind of hard. There is also still the matter of not over harvesting our own forest here on the island in that process. Going over the idea of defensive structures and better buildings with the Xiaoshen and the Pride reveals that we will need a lot of trees. Given that the tribe doesn’t want to over-use the gryphons who already had issues bringing up heavy stuff, it will be difficult to construct anything actually defensive up here until we resolve that issue.

As for building atop the lake, I am sure there is something we could grow in the lake itself that would provide food…I just have no idea what grows underwater that we could realistically harvest.

We have built some tent shelters around our bee hives to help keep at least the wind at bay to alleviate the cold on them if only just a little. Though Kaya reports there is a source of honey here in the north, the natives use it to make their strange drink. It might be worth seeing what kind of bees they have around here.

 

Ah what clans are we dealing with. A reasonable question to ask, especially now that we have our scrying pool, and even Tehanau to help with scouting. Surely there are many things we know. Are you sure you don’t want to learn details bit by bit so we can deal with one problem at a time as we encounter them? No? You really want everything right now while we’re already getting our bearings with how much we know?

So… clans…there are a lot of them. Mostly smaller so I’ll focus on some major notes, largely from initial scoutings and the scrying pool. We may not know every detail but we have learned a lot since we arrived.

The Wolf clan is dead now, despite being the major clan we heard about before getting here. Their legacy still plays a large part in what is happening though. They were originally loners and very similar to The Dozen in the way they operated. Eventually they started to work closer with the Vargr for the benefits of having a tribe to back them up when things get out of hand…so The Dozen. After supposedly killing the king Haleh wiped them out too with one exception. Their defeat turned Haleh into a legend among the Vargr and is why most do not have any issue with taking orders from a foreigner. She is now revered as a warrior queen and people like that kind of thing around here. I still say sending our leaders to fight is a bad idea though.

To the west is the Hedin clan, living along a lakeside. They are the home of the Vargr’s shaman experts and often are the ending step in a Vargr shaman’s journey to become a full fledged shaman. They are…aggressive for shamans. Hakenu’e is generally more of a ‘don’t mess with me and I won’t mess with you’ type of guy. The Hedin are more of the ‘lets fight right now’ type of guys. They believe Haleh’s power to control living animals to be the pinnacle of their own type of magic and consider her one of the greatest shamans in the north. What is strange is that they were not the ones to train Haleh in her current shaman abilities nor did they train Icno, who is another of the greatest shamans in the territory. Supposedly. Anyways, the Hedin are very fond of Haleh for the aforementioned reasons. This village keeps others near it in check as they know the Hedin’s loyalties and the Hedin’s love for attacking things.

They are led by Hamund, Walks by Moonlight. I can’t help but notice you may need to kill him for the naming rights. Hamund is, as the clan might have given away, a very powerful shaman. He has the beast form that our shamans do, though remember how the Vargr seemed to have learned how to have multiple totem bindings? I have no idea what binding Hamund has, or if they fused together. Either way he is a physical threat as well as a spiritual one. We don’t know the full scope of his abilities, though he is known for having a lot of ominous visions. He has also personally defeated four dozen champions in Vargr duels having only lost a handful of times. Notably he lost outright to Haleh, which has perhaps played a role in the Hedin’s reverence towards her.

Basically, the leader of the war shamans is himself a very powerful war shaman. Who would have seen that coming? He only respects people that duel him, doesn’t need them to win, just needs them to try. Supposedly he should be on Hakenue’s level as a shaman. Which is either inaccurate or frightening since he is considered only the fourth greatest shaman in the White Lands. Inaccurate because Haleh shouldn’t count, they don’t realize her powers are not based in shamanism and she lucked out on having an extremely powerful totem spirit. Frightening because the next two ahead of him are Icno and Eerihild.

I will remind you, shamanism is a unique practice that can take on many forms. Different does not mean stronger, even if they are stronger than me it may not be by as vast a margin as you imagine. Eerihild can use lightning in ways that defy my knowledge of the ability, but she cannot use it in the way I do which is has its own uses. Jula also has many abilities they might not have ever seen. The diversity of shamanism comes from its close ties to the spirits, and every spirit can be very different.

Back on topic. Another important clan is in the northeast by another lake, known as the Asvald. It was formed by taking the second or third strongest champions from every other clan within the Vargr and composing an elite clan whose sole purpose is to conquer new territory. Behind them will be other clans to do things like building, hunting, and gathering. But the Asvald go first into dangerous new territory. They have the most resources and not a single member among them is less than a champion. Every member of them has a personal warbeast from Haleh. Apparently part of the tradition was that only warbeasts who won a duel against another warbeast would qualify to be a mount for the Asvald.

They are led by Chief Asa. One of Haleh’s direct apprentices in the art of riding. She’s the best on beastback in the north with the exception of Haleh herself. Though that still puts her quite a bit behind Hassan, who had a lifetime of riding experience to call upon. Though she is still dangerous and has had specialized equipment crafted for her to perform this role in combat. I am very curious as to who made her that bone armor and weaponry. I must consume them and steal their knowledge.

Asa is really not that mean or aggressive. She’s just proud and blindly loyal. People like her because she’s so easy to get along with. She has skills but not power. Without being a true born Chanai, her ability to control her beast is definitely a lot different than those we have fought before. Though she is excellent with whatever that weird spear is. Notably, her bones are not enchanted like ours so despite appearances she is not as powerful as so many bones might imply.

That being said, she is still the leader of the elite Asvald clan. I’m still not sure how or what she did to get that position. I think there is something to her we don’t know and should not be taken lightly despite how lighthearted she is herself.

Next we have the Dead Clan as they call it. Because Ragniva is an exile but has enough followers to be considered a clan despite having no real standing name to give to them. So they are just known as the Dead Clan. They’re all necromancers and help control the vast army of the undead that she has at her disposal. This is the largest group we have ever encountered by body count. The horde numbers in the hundreds upon hundreds, even if the actual living among them are only half the size of an average clan. They apparently mastered the art of permanently animating the dead. Kind of like our bone guardian but they have an easier way to do it than just enchanting bones with a very powerful ritual. It seems every member of her clan can animate bodies on a whim and the best among them can create monstrosities of ‘spare parts’. This is why the Dead Clan are so important to the Vargr, it gives them an uncountable mass of bodies to send into war that grows with every battle yet requires no food or shelter. That being said, the undead are a lot less dangerous than a true warrior. Its just the sheer overwhelming number backed up by Ragniva herself that makes it hard to combat. Also her zombies can sprint, so running away doesn’t work.

The Vargr as a clan instead of a tribe consists of Haleh in particular. Though they are actually loyal to the king not the queen. They are mostly those talented in long voyages to manage all the other clans the Vargr hold in their domain. There are a few great and proud warriors among them, but they play very minor roles compared to Hedin, Asvald, and The Dead Clan. Were not for what we know about Haleh, they would be important as the central managers of the tribe.

There exists another clan the scrying pool revealed to us that few among the Vargr even know about. A sort of secret clan made up of members from other clans. The Chanai. A group who have pledged loyalty to Haleh instead of Hoskuld, and are fully aware of how the Vargr actually work. They don’t bear her name formally, though they all share a tattoo so they can recognize each other. The oddest part is the tattoo is like none we’ve seen, it is very intricate and difficult for anyone to imagine drawing multiple times to perfection. This clan keeps the Vargr under Haleh’s control and the clan Vargr itself is being slowly bled of its power by the hidden Chanai clan.

This is all we know of the Vargr so far.

On to the Thorin clan. They’re the home of Losvir, the Standing Stone. He is the main resistance against Haleh. He is fully aware of what Haleh is doing to the Vargr and doesn’t appreciate it. Though his problem solving for this situation is “just defeat the Vargr”. Not the most nuanced approach, but he has become the representation of those who stand against Haleh. As a result he found himself allied with others who don’t like Haleh, as well as several smaller non-Vargr clans who just don’t want to be conquered, thus inadvertently forming an alliance that is on the verge of becoming a tribe itself. The Thorin have powerful shamans though not quite as mighty as the Hedin. Just as aggressive though. They became the face of the alliance because Haleh hasn’t figured out how to kill Losvir yet. We also have no idea what his durability is tied to. He’s not quite like a crow, they still take damage but shrug it off. It seems like nothing can actually hurt Losvir at all, and he lacks their overwhelming physical strength. Still plenty strong, just not Nihaul strong.

The Volsung are another of the resisting clans to help Thorin in traveling the land to try and fight off the Vargr’s invasions or liberate their already conquered villages. They are considered witches by many and few would want to be their ally. It just so happens that Losvir isn’t picky with who he associates. They really just like to be left alone, and the Vargr aren’t leaving them alone. Though they held out for a long time, they were defeated by the Asvald and forced to flee their ancestral home. So now they’re out for revenge even if they are weakened. However, because they are one of the few clans that are not shamans it is worth noting their existence.

They are lead by Haki. The newcomer to power ever since the battle with the Vargr killed the former chief. Their clan elected to appoint the greatest warrior among themselves as the new chief during this time of war. They have an odd system, apparently they rotate chiefs all the time based on whatever immediate problem they want solved. Haki is kind of like a northern Alihana really. He loves magic and the study of it, he also has abilities no one really understands. Among them is that he can induce cold onto all in his presence, similar to the plague sight. It bypasses clothes and he can cripple even northerners with it as they succumb to the chill. Unlike Alihana, it is not based on what he can see but proximity to himself. It helps that he’s really good with a spear too so he has no problem getting up close. His most powerful ability is to melt ice and match it to his own body temperature. In the White Lands, it means his people never go thirsty. Also he cannot feel cold. Which you’ll notice is a common ability among the magic users of this land.

Kawil found something along the eastern mountain range,  there exists a…uh… clan known as the Ivor. They are lead by a powerful elven druid whose origins are unknown. She is the only elf in the clan, but the clan itself is composed of misfits. Somewhat similar to the Huanacan. Instead of being directly related, they just banded together. They have demons, weird creatures, an elf, several orcs from the plains who fled north found a home with the Ivor.

Led by Ashyln, who is clearly not an Akoa elf judging by her lack of thick. She is perhaps as talented in druidic arts as the demon druids we faced, at least the weakest among them. Not quite a Dalyn or Esin situation. That still makes her the strongest druid in the White Lands, a convenient place for her to live since druids can withstand the cold. She doesn’t shapeshift, but has the unique ability to control water. Apparently all this white stuff is water, because she controls that too. You can see how she became known as a threat. No Vargr lives near mountains because she has destroyed one of the Vargr clans by making something they call an ‘avalanche’. I am told it is the most destructive thing anyone in the north has ever witnessed, and no one survived. She can also control animals and such.

She is currently trapped along the mountains because she is a direct threat and rival to Haleh. Haleh isn’t foolish enough to attack her on the mountainside, but Ashlyn is not dumb enough to leave the only thing she has protecting her. In an open field she has no chance against Haleh so she can’t leave, but Haleh can’t defeat her whole clan while the threat of this ‘avalanche’ is constantly available to Ashlyn. We have no idea which of the two has the stronger power of domination, but if they were to collide it would weaken either side’s major asset.

I don’t have confirmation from the pool or our scouts, but there have been two mentions of a mythical clan from two different sources that implies I should mention it. Supposedly there is a “clan” known as the “Lost Blue Clan”. It isn’t really described as a clan, more like a group of people who have notable similarities to each other. The story is that the clan was wiped out generations ago. Those of the Lost Blue Clan are born as shamans and do not need to learn the art. They just pop out of their mothers already wielding spirit totems and seeing dead things. The marker of this lineage is white hair and blue eyes. This is where the myth gets muddy, because Haleh achieved white hair and blue eyes when she became a high shaman. We also know that Icno bears these physical features but is a foreigner…and one of the four strongest shamans. Different villagers will give you different explanations as to why that is if it was a originally an inherited feature. Ranging from a mysterious force living in the north that is the true greatest shaman in the world but rarely reveals itself or takes on students, to the transformation being something the Lost Blue Clan were just born without needing to learn. Another theory is that those who achieve the Lost Blue features are those who managed to learn shamanism from a lingering spirit of that clan, or that the lost blue clan’s descendents are the only ones capable of doing this and that they weren’t actually born with the power but had to undergo the clan’s secret rite of passage. You get the idea, no one really knows what is going on with these super shamans.

However, there exists a shaman in the north who was born with these features. Eerihild, you know that shaman born with a wolf aspect who didn’t know she was a shaman and was then able to figure out lightning just by seeing Hakenu’e do it? However, if all this is true there is another person of note among the north. Hallvard also has these features yet no seeming knowledge of shamanism.

There are two more mythical clans. Supposedly there is another lost clan who had purple eyes and whose skin was cracking like a stone trying to contain an immense evil. We know this is the crow folk, and before Haleh came they were regarded as something special…this also means that the north barely understands what the crow folk are. They have no idea who the King of Crows is apparently. To be fair, the only reason we know he actually exists is because Xacalli met him and we had to deal with those cannibals for years. They were few and far between, and Haleh made a deliberate point of wiping them out wherever they might be. Out here in the White Lands, they weren’t a known element to every clan and Haleh hasn’t bothered to correct the myth other than to make it clear they should be reported to her so she can deal with it. Apparently allowing the legend of them to persist has done well for her reputation as that means she has killed many mythical figures including the Great Wolf and the descendants of the Lost Evil.

The other rumored clan has such concrete details that are shared among so many that I’m pretty sure its a real one. They are known as the “Erland” clan. Supposedly they live hidden within the eastern mountains. A place no one really goes poking around because of people like Ragniva and Ashyln. Since no one goes there, no one hunts there either. So now its also filled with monsters, some of which are loyal to Ashyln so people can’t figure out what poking will accidentally bring them to war with her. It is said that they are a group who know how to make all the wondrous items of the land that no one knows where they come from. Particularly weapons and armor. Their many creations sometimes fall down the mountain and are found by the natives, others claim to have received it directly from one of them when they come down from the mountains to wander around for food in the winter. Either way, everyone attributes the best tools to the Erland Clan and their reputation is known across the entire White Lands. I’m pretty sure they’re real to some capacity because if someone else was making this stuff they’d definitely be taking full credit for it. I wouldn’t shut up if I made all this stuff. I do make all this stuff for us and I don’t shut up about it.

 

Moving on! We sent a rider to the Rahana, we’ll…hear back from them someday hopefully.

It turns out Tehanau and Lukia do not remotely understand the bone spells. I spent two weeks trying to teach them the most basic thing and they couldn’t really grasp the basics. Most importantly, how to channel their power into the magic. They are not talented enchanters I can say.

Made some bones, handed them out. Gave Silas the nicest one. Moving on.

Tehanau found other stuff I went over while looking for Eerihild. Though as for Eerihild herself, it has been very difficult to find her. Tehanau thinks she is in hiding to avoid Haleh mounting an attack on her own terms. Though we have found signs of carnage that are attributed to her. Villages have had to call upon riders from the Vargr to protect the village because supposedly Eerihild is in the east mauling anything and everything that she can get her hands on. We’re not sure why, though she has gone truly mad with bloodlust. Sightings of the Great Wolf, who we know is a spirit bound to Eerihild, have been told about destroying village populations. There are dead champions laying in the forest where it appears they dueled such a wolf. Women are laying dead in scores out in the forests where they looked for berries and other plants, and dozens upon dozens of children have just gone missing entirely. Warbeasts have been killed and barely any of them eaten all over the eastern area. While we cannot say all of this is Eerihild, that seems to be the running belief of the village people. We also have reason to believe Eerihild has turned to the crow’s ritual as of late.

I think she’s just attacking the Vargr in any capacity she can from any angle she can. Hoping to eventually weaken the tribe so much that she can strike a meaningful blow. She has no allies anymore and must challenge a force unlike anything ever encountered in the form of Haleh.

Aaaaanyways. Lukia also found that flower you wanted her to look for. Very easily actually. It turns out druids have a knack for this kind of thing. She hasn’t returned to the island from scouting yet, but she has a bunch of it. So far she says eating it doesn’t taste good so we still don’t know what its for.

As your advisor I must remind you we last saw that our lost relative was being recalled to the Vargr Village to help defend it from….well us, on Haleh’s orders. We are unlikely to find her in the mountains. That being said she is still in transit and if you have a plan for that…it is very trivially, laughably, comically, and stupidly easy to find her. There is a number higher than I can fathom of undead animations marching across the snow, I swear I can see it from up here. The dark spot over yonder that moves a bit every day. I think that’s her. Just a hunch.

As for Alihana’s recovery, Xacalli has nothing to speed that up. She describes it as not being a truly physical illness. She could help with the recovery of the symptoms, but her long sleep is beyond us to do anything about. This is actually more of a shaman thing.

To be honest you should not have let her do that. Its like her spirit was torn asunder, for all I can tell she is dead. Sawiri informs me this is the normal recovery process but if you could see what I can you would never let her do this again. It looks like she shapeshifted her spirit the way druids do their body, and formed it entirely of spikes and teeth that tried to tear its way out of her body. Imagine putting a wolverine in a waterskin, that’s what her soul looks like right now. Trapped between life and death as she tries to prevent her soul from leaking out of said waterskin and disappearing into whatever awaits beyond forever. In the name of Auwana, I cannot fathom out how she has survived doing this twice before. I would say that Xiomac, who Xacalli exploded from the inside, has a better chance of waking up than she does.

Be silent wolf. She will live.

 

I don’t think you understand what she has done to herself. If she-

 

I said be silent. My sister is the greatest of all the legends to ever walk this world, she will not die without taking half of it with her.

 

Immune might be a bit of a stretch. Though we have been able to send out those who are resistant to the cold for a shorter venture. Mostly the gnolls.

When it comes to monsters of the north we have learned something about Haleh’s frost tyrant…as apparently everyone in the north knows about that thing. It is one of a kind and no one knows where it came from. It was known to wander the north and no one knows what it actually eats. Though its quite big and could easily destroy a clan if it got a little peckish. That’s the bit everyone knows, other monsters happen to have more insight.

The frost tyrant’s name is Vandrad. They are…particularly strong. This is a beast that could comfortably challenge a chimera or a hydra. It has the ability to spew a blizzard from its mouth so they say, similar to a wyverns breath but…cold instead of hot. It is the size of an elephant and unlike similarly large monsters can sprint extremely fast.

Vandrad is an omnivore. Most people think its a predator but its perfectly fine eating trees, which there are plenty of. Apparently before Haleh came along, it was known for just wandering the north snacking on whatever it came across. It is completely intelligent and speaks the language of monsters as well as humans. Which means one of two things. Either Haleh can now dominate anything, or that she didn’t need to in order to enlist Vandrad’s aid. It is known to have always had a rivalry with the Great Wolf. Apparently with the Great Wolf slain it is now the big beast of the north, undisputed. No one is sure why its working with the Vargr, it doesn’t need food from them given its ability to eat practically anything. Its personality is described as devious. Having a way with words that monsters do not often possess. There is also apparently a myth that anyone who can slay it will be cursed. I have a hunch Vandrad started that rumor.

We also recruited a few odd monsters here and there purely by merit of “we don’t live in a hole” and “you won’t be hunted”. Among them includes a some creatures who are good in the snow. Though we have elected to let them settle into the village up here before we actually deploy them for anything further since that was what enticed them to our clan. Among them most notably includes a dire sabretooth, a frost troll, and a frost elemental.

Kennae has been having a rough time foraging out here. He isn’t used to snow and even giving him our set of warm clothes he is…well not good with cold. He spends most of his time by fires or trying to sit in the sun.

Esin sent Harakino to take the gryphons with them back to the Akoa, Esin herself didn’t want to leave pride village so early into the winter. It is worth remembering that Esin is a druid and immune to the cold, so she’s been doing a lot of the work around her village on her own.

The driders were already making blankets and warm things with the Xiaoshen, though their silk is not the best at retaining heat by comparison to hides.

As for a heatstone, Sawiri mentions they need creatures aligned to fire to do so. Which is why the only one we have is the fire of Auwana, made from the bones of the wyvern that once inhabited this island..

As for your own abilities…its hard to tell. You have a tendency to just blow things up and I don’t know how much more it could evolve beyond that.

Also our clanmates can attempt studying with Kawil, though judging by Maxhui from the Nezatl, learning druidism is difficult. Though the current druids around the island have made some stuff we’re keeping in jars that should help against any future poisons. They did pointedly mention that it wouldn’t stop whatever Esin’s venom is. No one seems to know what she’s using or why its so incredibly potent.

 

Lokala’i has taken to visit the villages and engage in some casual dueling. He won half of them. It is worth noting that Lokala’i is on par with the travelers, so all this talk of how many champions the north possesses is definitely not exaggerated. Anyone defeating Lokala’i is someone to take seriously. Though also to be fair, he was specifically challenging champions rather than the average folk so it is a bit of a focused perspective. They seem to naturally respect him since he just walks around shirtless and barefoot in the snow. He is still a druid after all.

 

 

Caowei has been digging around for the strange flowers and found a few. We still don’t know what they’re for though.

The farmers however are not having much luck, they’ve never had to grow anything in this kind of cold. The ground is frozen. I’m not sure how to help them handle that. We could have the warriors punch the ground a few times maybe and loosen it up? I don’t know if that’ll solve the problem though.

The other winter preparations have reached a point of people not dying of cold at least. Still mighty uncomfortable and productivity rates are quite low. We’ve almost finished making enough blankets so that we can focus more on the production of winter clothes for those intending to wander out into the wilderness.

Which has led us to some notice from Caowei. While they do keep people warm enough to function for awhile out there, they will still need to find shelter now and then. So be wary of plans for more extended trips out into the cold. Exception to those who are naturally resistant to the cold.

The blue stone is a rock that is blue. Though more importantly it has properties that are useful in weapons, we have seen them in use within the grasslands though the secret to shaping them is unknown.

As for the sword, currently the dozen seem convinced it isn’t that useful due to its lack of range compared to the common spear.