Þrír: Vengeance of the Long Serpent

Of the harpoons thrown, three make their target and stick in the whale. Lines are pulled taut as you begin pulling the beast towards the ship, but it seems to have a mind of its own. Not content with being pulled from its aquatic home, it thrusts its tusk straight at Oren; the viciously sharp point penetrates the links of his armor, leaving a deep wound that threatens to bleed out. Meanwhile, the whales that were not caught begin to fade from sight, taking on an ethereal quality as they make their escape. To Kara's eyes, no other beings are present.

Hraven draws steel to end the beasts suffering attacking with his holy blade and the gaff hook in a vicious one-two thrust.

"Pull the lines! Get this beast bound and near enough for the spears! Together! Pull!!"

Though run through and wounded, Oren was by now no stranger to pain and he reached quickly for another harpoon which he hurled at the sea-god with all his might!

And with the final strokes of Oren's blade, the beast is dead. The remaining whales seem to have vanished, wary of being caught in the same way. The crew assists in pulling the whale closer and then into the ship; space is cleared for the butchering, and time is allotted for the task. By the end of the day, you now have food, fat, and an impressive ivory tusk. Hallbjorn turns to the party and asks with a broad smile, "What do the gods say now?!"

Hraven who was frying a narwhal steak in its own blubber chuckled and doused the steak with some ocean water dropping a kelp strand and an apple he had diced into the pan. "I don't speak for them. But after salting this meat we will be well provisioned for many weeks. My belly says its greatful to the gods."

One morning near the end of the third week, the sky is red at sunrise — a sure warning that a storm is coming. The crew quickly begins to prepare the ship, battening down loose items, putting out any lit fires, taking down the sail and mast, and tying themselves to the oars. Hallbjorn is beside himself with glee, as he loves nothing better than fighting the wind and waves, and ties himself to the rudder. Many of the sailors pray to the gods of storm and sea and make small offerings, hoping for courage and protection from the coming tempest. In a few short hours the sea turns choppy and white capped, the sky darkens with fierce clouds, and a strong wind begins to blow from the east.

"We’re in the teeth of it now," Hallbjorn yells from the stern, "and there’s naught for us to do but face Donar’s wrath and ride her out!"

The storm breaks over the ship in a howling scream of wind, tearing at the cloaks and beards of those poor unfortunates on the Long Serpent. Waves crest over the bow as Hallbjorn turns the ship into the teeth of the storm. The crew must strain at the oars to maintain enough forward momentum to allow Hallbjorn to control the ship. A heavy, pounding rain begins to fall, and soon any northerner not physically up to the task of pulling the heavy oars is instead ordered to bail freezing seawater from the ship. The temperature is dropping, and ice begins to form on any exposed surface, prompting the bailers to split their attention between scooping up water and breaking ice off the deck and hurling it overboard in chunks.

The storm’s fury continues to increase, as does the fear of the crew. Hallbjorn is hard pressed to keep the Long Serpent on course, and calls for the strongest of you to join him at the rudder. The sea is mounting to touch the sky, and the ship rides up one mountainous wave only to crash down into a cold and wet valley of the sea. Sleet and then hail begin to mix with the rain, driving into the faces of the crew. Lightning flashes above, and soon the dragon’s head prow is a glow with St. Elmo’s fire.

Hraven responds to Hallbjorn's call to assist by breaking free of his bonds on the oar. He was already at the back of the ship so he fought to keep his feet as he moved to the rudder to assist.

The courage of Hraven is without doubt. The skill without question. The luck without belief. As soon as Hraven breaks free from his oar, a wave seems to reach up and pluck the warrior from the ship, pulling him down to an icy grave. After a few moments, he is spotted on the port side of the ship fighting the waves and struggling to stay afloat.

The huntsman, expert with the harpoon, feels that he could aim just ahead of Hraven and then get him tangled in the line when the raging surf pushes. He knows that this one shot can mean life or death.

Yäns rushes to the side and is knocked off his feet by a sudden rocking of the ship. He manages to avoid being thrown from the vessel, and instead crawls to the gunwale and throws the harpoon with deadly accuracy. The line crosses over Hraven and the man is able to grab on, and the two begin the process of dragging him back to safety.

Kara trusts Yäns with her comrad's life, her confidence in him knows few bounds. She unties herself and heads for the rudder. No use in saving anyone if they lose the whole ship.

Oren keeps his seat at the oars when he sees Yäns go for the drowning Hraven, his mind is focused only on the rhythm of the stroke as he blocks out the searing burn in his shoulders.

Hallbjorn is calling for help at the rudder, and the raging storm has defied anyone from answering the call.

Runar's stomach clenches. If a strong and sure man like Hraven could be flung overboard, what chance did he have? But the whole ship was at risk, and he must do something. He makes for the rudder.

Seeing no other go for the rudder, Oren grits his teeth and leaps across the deck to help Hallbjorn...

You there! I saw your fine throw of the harpoon. Quickly! Throw just beyond my man there. He just went overboard! Don’t think, just do it!

The scene in the longboat is chaos. Sailors are tossed around as only their oars are attached to the ship. Waves crash over and steal the bodies of the unlucky. Runar is tossed overboard, but is quickly rescued due to Yäns' quick acting. Oren, with some favor of the gods, finds the strength to make it to the rudder and help Hallbjorn take control of the ship once more.

After 10 minutes, a rogue wave strikes the ship, washing across the decks and tugging everybody against their lifelines. Those who are not swept overboard are left soaked and cold, somewhat stunned by the furious power of the sea. A shout rings out, though it is difficult to ascertain as to from whom. "Hallbjorn has gone overboard!" The wave snapped the brave Northlander’s lifeline, and he has disappeared over the side. In the distance, his blond head can be seen bobbing away before the darkness, rain, and waves hide him from view.

---

Another fifteen minutes of the storm passes, which feels like an eternity. But it finally ebbs and ceases, leaving you cold and weary, but alive. In total, seven crewmembers were lost along with Hallbjorn. One sailor swears she saw a face in the wave that took him, a terrible bestial countenance with long fangs and a crown of spearheads. You might recognize this as the images of Althunak that you had seen in the Ice Palace as well as some of the loot that Hallbjorn had returned with. But for now, the crew has decided that they need a new captain, and that one of you should take the lead. After all, you are the most experienced among them. They also need a decision to be made about what to do now.

"Hard on the Oars you men! Njord forges us cold in the Brine of the Icy Waters. Donar beat the dross from us with his mighty hammer. All-Father took the best of us! But by Tiwaz if you row your utmost this Long Serpent will become Jormungandr itself. We happy few have mastered the seas. Full sheets to the wind and row!"

Hraven lashes himself with rope and chain to the rudder. Holding steady the course and using his immense strength to drive the ship through the turbulent sea.

His life as a seaman told him the importance of both hard work and morale on a battered ship. Even though his entire left side had bruised, eyes were red from the surf and his lips blue from the frigid ocean Hraven was going to lead by example. "Weep for the lost later. Let your rage fill these sails. And a double ration of mead to anyone who outrows the song man's beat. We are a force of warriors, on to dispense Tiwaz’s justice to these northern wretches!"

Not one for long speeches Hraven kept it brief and energetic with his one free hand he motioned to Oren to take the drum but by no means demanded he do so. First among equals, the pride of a free man's life.

Responding to many things, the humbling power of the storm, the triumph of saving Hraven and Runar, the disorienting loss of Hallbjorn, the sudden urgency of choosing a new leader, Yäns is feeling overwhelmed. He knows and sees several of the crew look to him for leadership. He does not want it, but knows he must address it.
It is unwise to remain without a leader to carry our quest’s vision. Surely that would be our undoing. Yet, I have no ambition for this responsibility. However, if none step forward, I will serve as captain until we reach shore. Then, around the fire, we can see what vision stirs in the flames.