M.I.S.T Campaign: Session 5

So the director told us we were too valuable to join the main fight since we had the shards of Utgard-Loki, those gem things.  Which wasn’t really a tactic I was a fan of, sneaking out the back door just isn’t my style.  I resisted the urge to protest…I shouldn’t have.  Because we really probably would have been better off if we’d just fought our way out the front door.  Which is how you know that the sneaking part of the plan just went to hell.

It started well enough, between the map of the tunnels I had and Lexi’s sense of direction we didn’t have any trouble making our way through.  But there were a few trolls that made themselves something of a nuisance.  They just kept trying to drop rocks and debris on us, which got really annoying after a while.  So I shut off my light, went up to the ceiling, and snuck forward as best I could.

And I found three of the little bastards trying to saw through a support and collapse the tunnel on everybody.  So I promptly sent the ugliest one flying back into the wall of the tunnel with a good right hook.  I heard Lexi say something right before I hit, she must’ve been trying some of her social magic.  But it was too late for me to pull up by then; I didn’t even know they’d seen the trolls.  Afterwards I tried to just knock out the one I’d hit, briefly.  Then Lexi got one under her spell, and the one I was fighting tried to grab hold of me…so I just shattered it with another good punch.  Claire pretty much cut the other one in half with an axe throw.

I got a piece of the one I killed stuck in Grimmur Klærnar; Ken took a look at it for me while Lexi was talking to the troll.  Ken said it’d let me see in the dark like she could.  After that we flirted for a bit while.  Which was…nice, really nice.  Especially since things just went downhill from there.

The troll led us through the tunnels, avoiding the giants’ other forces on the way out.  But we still had to get past Graback, Niddhog’s son.  And, given who my birth mother is, I’d really rather not antagonize Niddhog.  Anyway, at first we were going to try and sneak past it.  But then the troll insisted that Lexi couldn’t leave him, and then it got the idea that she was tricking it and threatened to get us all eaten by the dragon.  Which seemed to be a very real threat as it started raising its voice.  So I grabbed the damn thing and clapped a hand over its mouth to shut it up.

Then there was the argument over what to do with it.  Lexi and Andrew were in favor of sparing it, the rest of us wanted to kill it.  Though I didn’t kill it because I didn’t want to upset Lexi…I should’ve just crushed its skull instead of grabbing it.  Cindy tried to kill it, but Lexi did something to stop her…those two seem pretty mad at each other.  I just know that’s going to come back to bite us somewhere down the line.  Then Lexi gave a big speech to convince the troll to leave, which seemed to work.  So it all would’ve been more or less fine…

…but the dragon woke up.

M.I.S.T. Campaign: Downtime 1

So the downtime between the fights turned out to be almost as eventful as the fights themselves…somehow.  Okay, where to start.  I thanked Lexi for distracting Rigvar and giving me that free shot on him.  That was the tame part.

Meanwhile, Cindy and Claire were talking.  And flirting, and setting up a date, and egging each other on, and having an honest to Odin soft core porn audition right on the edge of the battlefield.  Somehow, since it looks like those two are going to become an item, I get the feeling that’s just the tip of the iceberg.  Well, should keep things from getting boring, I guess.

Ken and I talked for a while too.  I gave her Rigvar’s hair.  Which…might seem weird, but the hair of a Svartalfar helps the user see through illusions a lot easier.  Since she’s probably the best scout we have, not to mention a sniper, I figured it’d be more useful in her hands than mine.  Then we got to talking for a while.  She compared me to Nuada, and swore that in my hour of need she’d be there to help me in whatever way she could.  And it was just so…heavy; you could really tell she meant it.  I wasn’t quite sure how to respond, so I just told her I’d make sure to be worthy of it.

Then she passed around a flask of whiskey to us to ease the nerves before the battle, reminded me of the Æsir.  Well, passed it to me and Lexi at any rate.  I wasn’t about to interrupt Cindy and Claire.  Speaking of, that’s about when Cindy took off her pants and started dancing so Claire could film her on her Smartphone.  Yeah…that was surprising.

Anyway…that prompted me to ask Ken whether or not Claire had that out earlier.  She told me she wasn’t sure, and smirked.  Kinda like she did after checking me out earlier.  So I asked if something else had caught her eye back then to distract her.  Some uh, rather blatant flirting ensued.  And the conversation just seemed to pick up right where it left off before the drink, with both of us just being so open with one another.  It was the first time I’ve been open with anyone ever since my visitation.

Long story short, once the current craziness is over with we have a date.  She’s planning to cook for me.  And after that, well…we’ll see what happens.  But I think it’s safe to say that the both of us are even more eager to put this Alaskan mess behind us than we were before.

I talked with the Director; too, after I was pretty sure my heart rate was back down to normal.  Which went as well as I could’ve hoped.  I’m not all that subtle, so the discussion was a bit confrontational.  Which can be dangerous when dealing with a Valkyrie.  Anyway, I wanted to know what was going on.  She’d claimed we were sent in because there were no other legendary forces at her disposal.  But Idunn and the arrival of Valkyries plainly showed that to be a lie.  Thankfully, she didn’t seem offended.  She also said that the reason she’d sent us, despite the dangers, was that we were the only M.I.S.T. team she could trust.  But she wouldn’t tell me why…just one more thing to worry about.

M.I.S.T Campaign: Session 4

Victory, wrath, vengeance, defeat, justice…all delivered with one blow.  My oath fulfilled, a great evil foiled…I have quite the tale to tell.

When I left off we were about to send the exploding trucks in.  It worked as we intended, throwing the camp into disarray.  I came to earth like a thunderbolt, Grimmur Klærnar delivering a powerful blow to the leader.  My next two strikes, however, did little as the giant appeared to activate divine body armor.  His own attacks were laughably ineffective, as he was unable to so much as make contact.  And bullets from the remaining guards whined off my own armor, all but one or two finding it as unyielding as any rock face.  Curiously enough, the damage from those that did make it through healed almost instantly.  The giant then taunted me, but I paid little attention to what he said as I noticed flames from the explosion approaching a box of munitions.

Cindy seemed to see it as well, and her warning split the air a fraction of a moment before mine.  But there were only seconds to act by then, so I acted to protect my allies.  I could get to two.  Kennedy was focused as she peered down her scope and did not seem to hear Cindy’s warning, and Lexi could not take the punishment that the rest of us could.  Though a part of me seemed particularly concerned at the thought of them coming to harm, for reasons I cannot explain.  Perhaps a portion of the reason for my decision was my conscious mind attempting to justify the subconscious compulsions?

Regardless, I caught each by the waist as I desperately flew away, putting as much distance between the three of us and the blast as I could.  Then at the last second I dropped to earth, curling myself protectively around the girls.  Perhaps the increased mass that my latent Jotunblut gave me upon awakening is a blessing after all.

As the blast went off I could feel the ammo slam against my back, along with the almost comforting warmth of flames which I was lucky to be immune to.  But the bullets did their damage, reducing my clothes to ribbons and punching holes through me.  Thankfully, that accelerated healing seemed to work once more and soon enough I was unwounded.  Lexi and Kennedy seemed mostly unharmed.  Curiously enough, in Kennedy’s case, she had unmarred skin beneath damaged clothing.

Then I plunged back into the flames that engulfed the clearing to determine the fate of the rest of the Band.  Claire was seemingly caught on the outskirts and escaped, whilst Cindy strode out from the heart of the flames without seeming any worse for the wear.  I wonder if those two have also gained the gift of healing that I found affecting me?  Kennedy’s wolf, Rufus, bounded from the flames as well.  Leaving only Andrew missing, of him I could find only shredded clothing and his Book of Thoth.

I could feel worry seize me immediately, but the rash thoughts were chased from my head for now.  I saved the book from the fire, then flew Cindy over to regroup with the rest of the girls.  Once there, Lexi consulted with fate and learned that Andrew was within the mines.  And I was able to expand my connection with the Earth, slamming my hand to the ground and sensing the vibrations that ran through it.  It allowed me to map the tunnels that ran through the area, and locate the room that held the gate that was our objective.

With the flames still raging around the entrance, it was necessary for me to fly the women to the mine entrance.  Which brings me to why things were a bit…awkward.  While I may have shielded Lexi and Kennedy; Cindy, Claire, and myself had our clothing all but destroyed in the blast…leaving us naked.  I did my best to maintain eye contact, at all times…which was difficult.  Though it also let me see where their eyes were.  Claire seemed to be doing her best not to stare, as I was.  And Lexi seemed to be doing her level best not to look at anyone.  Cindy, however, seemed to be sneaking glances at Claire.  I think Kennedy snuck peaks at several of us.  I’m certain she checked me out at least once…and swear I saw her smirk afterwards.

And I am certain that I blushed as they all piled on me to get flown to the entrance.  Especially as Kennedy climbed onto my back and wrapped her legs about my waist.  I am certain I blushed at that point, though with luck my armor kept it from view.  It was certainly awkward…though, all told, I can hardly complain.  Especially since none of them can be considered unattractive.

But we made it to the entrance without trouble, and then I lead them into the mines.  No resistance was encountered as I quickly lead everybody to the gate, where we were confronted with two doors.  One was giant-sized, the other sized for a human.  One blow sent it flying open to reveal a Norse feasting hall of enormous proportions.  Only four individuals were within.  Three frost giants in fine armor faded from my awareness almost instantly as my gaze fixated upon the last individual.  I knew instinctively that the Svartalfar was none other than Rigvar.

My rage re-ignited in an instant as I lifted off from the ground, determined to see my oath fulfilled.  I brought myself in an arc, planning to come down behind the giants to confront my oath sworn foe.  Lexi, Freya bless her, stepped forward and caught Rigvar’s attention fully.  He appeared prepared to engage her in conversation, and completely lost track of the imminent violence.  That is rarely a forgiving mistake.  Claire actually struck first, her bullet striking him in the shoulder.  But he seemed unharmed.

I fixed that.

I screamed an inarticulate cry of rage I could hardly hear for the blood pounding in my ears as I crashed to earth.  And as I reached him I swung.  Into that one blow I channeled all my frustration, my rage, the bloodlust that had been incited in me.  I swung in defiance of all the forces that sought to pull me every which way, of the ancient evils that attempted to enforce their will upon the world.  I struck to avenge my fallen Einherjar.  I gave that one blow every last ounce of strength and determination I had, as I let Fate guide my swing.  And I felt his skull fracture beneath Grimmur Klærnar as I connected with as devastating a blow as I’ve ever struck.

Rigvar was pounded back into the gate’s supports.  He did not get back up.  So I strode over and fulfilled my oath, finished him by tearing his head from his body.  The three giants, at that point, lost all nerve and fled from the room only to run into the waiting spears of a squad of Valkyries.  I was surprised to see them, but they did not immediately explain their presence, instead urgently warning that the gate must be removed soon to prevent Utgard-Loki from moving through the gate.

It snapped me back to the here and now, as I realized that Andrew had, at some point, entered the room and removed one of the gems embedded in the gate.  Cindy removed the second, with the third at the apex of the arch some fifty feet high.  So I seized a table knife and flew up to it.  Utgard-Loki spoke as I did, saying that he could see us.  I told him that I’d have words for him at a later date, and that he should tell my Grandmother that the gate is closed.  Though as it faded he addressed Andrew by name, which was certainly ominous.

One of the Valkyries then removed her helmet, revealing herself to be the director.  It caught me by surprise, as her earlier phrasing back at HQ had led me to believe that she was mortal.  She had stated that we were the only supernatural individuals MIST had at its disposal.  Which also makes me wonder where the Valkyries, and for that matter Idunn, came from.  Were we truly her only choice, or was this intended as a test for us from the start.

But those are worries for another time, as an army of Rigvar’s thralls descends upon our position.  My oath has been fulfilled, at the very instant I closed upon Rigvar, but today’s battle is not yet over.  Still, if I will be fighting alongside the Valkyries themselves I will know no fear.

M.I.S.T. Campaign: Session 3

Rigvar

The name still rolls through my mind, foul as any curse.  He is the one orchestrating this, to whom the blame for all that has occurred can be placed squarely upon.  And the crimes he has committed are dire indeed.  We will find him, this fledgling band I find myself in.  And when we do I will make sure his end comes swiftly, preferably at the end of Grimmur Klærnar.

But I let anger guide my hand as I write.  I speak of someone not yet known to whomever may be reading this, and reference deeds to which you’ve not been informed of.  Allow me to begin where my last entry left off.

We were just sitting back down to speak with the director when a rumbling filled the air.  Anyone who had heard it before would likely recognize it without trouble, an avalanche of enormous scope.  It seemed almost immediately apparent that it was set off intentionally, and I suspected that explosives were used much as authorities in the Swiss Alps used them to set off controlled avalanches.  A suspicion that Andrew later confirmed after consulting with Fate.

The Director, Idun, and those the two of them had brought with them from MIST evacuated in the helicopter.  And though I did not trust the trucks we’d driven to the city to outrun the landslide we had little choice but to use them for our own evacuation.  Well, perhaps I could have flown above it on my own power.  The wendigo heart seems to have empowered me; Njord’s gift of the sky grew more powerful, my body seems hardier and less needful of rest, more recently even my muscles seem to bulge with added power.  But simply flying off would have been fleeing as I left the others to their fate, something I was not willing to do.

So I climbed into a truck with the rest of them and after tethering myself to it using a length of cord and a climbing harness flew out the back to do my best to deflect any boulders that threatened to overtake it.  Cindy must have liked the idea for she did much the same thing with her own car; minus tether, harness, or the gift of flight.  Rather reckless, but I have not seen that worry her yet.

My fears that the trucks were not fast enough to outrun the avalanche were soon realized, as the leading edge began to overtake the trucks.  But the tunnel that had allowed entry to Whittier was close, and we were safe from the avalanche once we gained its shelter…most of us.  One truck did not make it; Steve, Ryan, James, and John were buried by the landslide.  Thankfully they are Einherjar, and now find themselves back in Valhalla instead of moldering beneath countless tons of snow, ice, and stone.  But I doubt that made being crushed any more comfortable, and the knowledge does little to cool the simmering rage that overtook me once I learned of their demise.

After emerging from the tunnel we saw that the landslide had swallowed Whittier as well, almost certainly killing all its inhabitants who happened to be present.  Andrew was able to provide the name of the one responsible.  Rigvar…the one who perverted nature and tried to harness its destructive power as though it were some crude power, who tried to kill us, who wiped out an entire town, who killed my men.  He shall pay for those crimes in blood.

Further scouting, aided by an apparent affinity Cindy has with the moon, located the mine entrance that will lead us to Rigvar and the gate.  It is guarded by four Frost Giants, and a score of mortals whom I suspect to have been enthralled by the Jotuns’ Eitir.  More than we could likely take in a head-on assault, especially if we wish to be able to forge onward to the other battles that await.

But there were other, abandoned, mining camps.  We salvaged vehicles and explosives from them, sufficient to fashion a pair of car bombs.  We will guide them into the camp and detonate them shortly, which will hopefully allow us to annihilate the guards.  And perhaps the Jotunblut in my vein carries the berserker tendencies possessed by the Vikings of old.  For one thing is certain, whether the jury-rigged explosives do their job or not our foes will face the brunt of my wrath soon enough.