The Northron Skein - Part 1

Cathal sails north on the cog Anora, pulled by duty and the desperate words of his blood-brother Fulgrim. He is accompanied, despite his wishes but perhaps to his relief, by his retainer, Dolan. It is mid-summer, and the Taeghan Seas are at their calmest, yet still the man-at-arms struggles with seasickness. Discontent with idleness, Cathal takes on duties with the crew, quickly showing himself, to their mild surprise, to be a skilled sailor.

A fortnight into their journey, Captain Aelfricg puts in at Tariene, in Northern Boeruine to take on supplies for the long trek around the cape of The Siren and through the Thaelasian Passage. They find the city in the midst of a summer fair, colourful banners flapping in the warm breeze above spired buildings and trees washed gold in the late afternoon sun-light. Cathal is struck by the beauty of the place, and counts it almost immediately as his favourite of Anuirean cities.

Cathal, under the name Matholwc Pynnead, secures a room for he and Dolan at The Siren's Eye, an inn of moderate means overlooking the docks. The streets, plazas and common rooms are packed with wayfarers, townsfolk, traders, and soldiers. Both Dolan and Cathal take note of a particular preponderance of soldiers and the two of them take to gathering information from their fellow travelers. Dolan hears that unrest is spreading through Rjurik, and the realm of Jankaping is in open civil war. Cathal discovers that the Archduke is sending men through the Five Peaks, and overhears a drunken soldier talk about taking the "wine and women of Alamie." Cathal and Dolan then briefly attend the summer fair, enjoying the food and music there. Cathal is disappointed to not see Tashairah amongst the musicians. Both are tempted to arm themselves and enter the tourney lists as mystery knights, but they err on the side of discretion. They retire to their room to prepare for their journey, and discuss the implications of Boeruine's troop movements.

Before sailing the next day, Cathal finds a ship heading for Taeghan ports and sends a letter, written in indirect Rjuven, to Dvorak, as an obfuscation, knowing Cuinn will be the one to translate it should it reach the dwarf. His words hide warning of Boeruine's pending encroachment on Alamie. 

He and Dolan board the Anora, noticing that Captain Aelfricg's crew are hauling a massive, ornate sea-chest onto the main-deck. As the crew fix the chest at the base of the main-mast with heavy chains, Cathal inquires of its purpose to the Captain. Aelfricg tells him it is tribute, and that he hopes not to need it. He then hands Cathal a length of chalk and tells Dolan and he to scribe their names upon the chest's surface, as the crew has already done. Cathal signs his assumed name, Matholwc, and hands the chalk to Dolan. The Anora sails north.

They pass the waters of The Siren without incident, but upon spying the coast of Halskapa, see plumes of smoke smothering the horizon. They hear troubling sounds carried on the winds, and as the light dies, they see the glow of what can only be massive fires lit against the gathering clouds. Cathal and Dolan share grim sentiments about the state of Rjurik. Suddenly, the ship is rocked by a massive wave, pitching hard to port. A deep voice reverberates in the wind, demanding tribute. Cathal looks into the water and sees a massive, coiling shadow lurking beneath the waves. Aelfricg hollers for help releasing the sea-chest. Cathal obliges and they hurl the thing overboard. The voice in the air offers spiteful thanks, and the shape in the water darts away with unnatural speed. Cathal asks Aelfricg what it was, and the captain explains that the Sea Drake, a great and malevolent awnshegh, demands tribute in gold from ships passing north.

The Anora reaches the Thaelasian Passage and is greeted by a burgeoning storm. They continue on to the port of Aaldvika. The storm intensifies, and Aelfricg orders the sails furled. Even Dolan lends his strength to fight the storm. The ship is carried further north, far off course, for a day and a night. A haunting, feminine voice calls out through the dark. A lament, sung in old Rjuven, pierces the storm. Cathal tries to interpret it, but can catch only bits and pieces, having little knowledge of the ancient tongue. As the winds intensify, the song does as well. The voice turns to anger, and the song to vengeance, and tenebrous forms climb out of the water into the darkened sky to surround the Anora.

Cathal screams to Captain Aelfricg to arm the crew; crossbows and spears are distributed, and Dolan brings up their swords from below. The ancient arm ring Cathal took from the Fulcairn treasury warms his wrist as a great, suckered arm descends to smash the deck of the Anora and wrap it in a crushing embrace. The sailors falter, but Cathal stokes their courage with brave words and he and Dolan strike at the great arm, attempting to cut it asunder. The beast's other arms do their work, clutching sailors and hurling them into the water below, or grinding them to slurry with the sawlike teeth of their suckers. Cathal and Dolan deal mighty blows, but cannot dislodge the arm. Cathal loses his feet, and slides over to the ship's gunwhales. Cathal watches as some sailors dive overboard to escape, only to feed themselves into the beast's gaping maw. Their bones crunch as it chews. The ship groans and tosses in its grasp. Then, Cathal spots the Kraken's eye. A great, rolling, angry moon of a thing, glaring up at him in ravenous glee. He climbs to his feet and raises his sword, but is grabbed from behind by Dolan.

"Are you fucking crazy?" the man-at-arms cries in his ear, but Cathal shakes him off. The Fulcairn raises his blade and invokes the gods:

"HAELYN! SKY-LORD! GRANT ME WINGS!

CUIRAECEN! BATTLE-FATHER! GUIDE MY BLADE!

NESIRIE! LADY OF WAVES! VOUCHSAFE MY PASSAGE THROUGH YOUR HALLS!"

Cathal dives from the ship as the last syllable thunders from his throat, sword blade-first, into the waves below. The current threatens to dominate him, to pull him into the creature's jaws, but he defies it with his corded strength and swims for the monstrous orb. He plunges his blade into the Kraken's eye, twisting and prodding, filling the sea with its ichor. At the sudden stroke of pain, the Kraken contracts its great arm, splitting the Anora asunder. Then, frightened, it releases a great toxic cloud of darkness into the waters and jets away, pushing Cathal in the great stream. Cathal struggles to the surface, choking on the beast's poison, only to be struck on the spine by a huge, falling piece of the broken ship. There is a flash, and then darkness.

***

The next days come only in flashes. Dolan, the only other survivor of the Kraken's poison, pulls Cathal behind him as he swims. They are both dragged to shore by the tide.

Cathal awakes and feels a sharp, throbbing pain in his back. Whatever struck him in the water has broken it. He finds Dolan, laying still, beside him. Cathal moves carefully to turn Dolan onto his side, then uses his blood's power to heal the loyal man-at-arms. Dolan vomits sea-water onto the sand, and admonishes Cathal for wasting his strength on him. Cathal tells him to stop complaining and find a way to keep them both alive, then passes out again.

Dolan eventually finds a small hut owned a tiny old Rjuven woman named Alfhilde, who takes them in and cares for Cathal while he heals. Dolan does what he can to help, collecting fuel for the fire and catching fish.

Cathal eventually awakes, and speaks to Alfhild. He learns that they are on a tiny island off the coast of Njorldar, a trackless and lawless province in northern Hogunmark. The land is tundra, and Alfhilde is supported by the aid of a Nomad clan who travel to her island roughly once each moon.

A few weeks pass. Cathal heals rapidly, thanks to his Anduiran blood, and can eventually walk with the aid of crutch. He helps as he can, but Dolan struggles to collect enough food for all three of them to eat.

One day, a small band of warriors arrive outside Alfhilde’s hut. They are not of Alfhilde’s clan. Dolan and Cathal hide, and the kind old woman attempts to hide them. The warriors are not swayed, however, and one of them enters the cabin to find Cathal seated, his crutch before him. The warrior steps forward and grabs Cathal’s hair, telling him it is time for him to die. Cathal lashes out with viper speed, the knife he had concealed beneath his fur blankets taking out the warrior’s throat, saying, grimly, “Tell your ancestors Cathal Fulcairn sent you.”

The brigand collapses, gurgling to the floor as sounds of fighting erupt outside. Cathal collects the warrior’s two axes, and hobbles outside to help Dolan.

Dolan is being waylaid by four warriors at once, but manages to slay one almost immediately. The others do not underestimate him, however, and surround him like a pack of dogs. Cathal’s divine blood boils at the sight of his loyal friend so outnumbered, and his fury raises him to his full stature. He kills one reaver with a single hurled axe, then, as the other two grapple with Dolan, he hobbles forward. He takes the face of the nearest with his other axe, then buries its blade in the spine of the last, who had pinned Dolan to the ground. Anduiras’ wrath fades, and Cathal collapses.

The rest of the month passes in peace. Dolan strips the reavers of their armour, weapons, and trinkets for trade with Alfhilde’s kin. The nomads arrive the next week, and Cathal speaks with them, revealing his true identity and beseeching their aid in guiding Dolan and he to Aaldvika. They agree. Dolan gives the nomad clansmen some coins from the warriors they killed, asking that they buy something more for Alfhilde the next time they pass through.

Cathal and Dolan outfit themselves for their journey, donning armour and taking weapons and shields from the men they have slain. They each embrace Alfhilde in turn, offering the wizened woman very fond farewells, then set off in the Nomads’ boat for the tundra of Njorldar, and Hogunmark beyond.