Game Posts

"Everybody just calm down so we can figure this out!"Gunnar lets out a low whistle. "Gods! I need a drink!" he fishes in his pack and comes up with an empty bottle. He stares at it mournfully before tossing it back in. "Looks like I've got some brewin' to do. Hey Ryyrik, help a guy out, will ya?"

"You took the words from my mouth, mate." Ryyrik saunters up next to Gunnar, procuring two flasks from his bag and tosses one to him. "To 'Not being frozen anymore', I guess." he pops the stopper off the top and takes a swig.

Gunnar catches the flask, unstoppers it with his teeth, raises it to Ryyrik"s toast, and takes a swig. He then offers a drink to anyone who wants one. Having wet his throat, he puts his mind to the current situation. "Go forward or go home, just let's get the hell out of here. Can she break through the ice, Captain, or will we have to go on foot?"

"I'm not asking for 'a go', as you call it," Baern says steadily, "I was simply attempting to speak your language. Don't let your anger at losing Dirk push you to do wrong, or we will have that go you mentioned."

Gunnar nods. "Let's get to it, then. How's the crew? Did we lose anyone besides Clawhammer?"

Ulfren releases the wizard in disgust. There are bigger fish to smash, he feels, and answers are not forthcoming.

Baern nods his head as if in acceptance of Ulfren's gesture, but keeps his eyes steadily on the dwarf as he turns away.

Gunnar eyes Baern and Ulfren. He realizes that with Dirk gone he is probably the ranking officer here. But damn, does that even mean a thing now that everything's been centuries gone? Gunnar reaches for his gun just to reassure himself. This gun has gotten him through lots of hairy situations. He once held the Q'sulth Mountain Pass singlehandedly for forty days, eating nothing but snow, and shooting 489 orcs in the process. Gunnar was lauded as a hero, which wasn't so bad, but he was also put in command of his own small troop of gunners, which wasn't as much fun as it sounded. He was glad to be put under Clawhammer's command when this unit was put together. Now someone's got to take charge and Gunnar hopes it doesn't have to be him.

Billy puts his hand gently at the back of Ulfren's neck and pulls him close until their foreheads almost touch. His voice is at once solid and soft. Soothing. Ulfren, friend. Pard, I feel your frustration, but you know the wizard ain't the one that done this to us. He's stuck, same as us. When yer in a stew, you cook together or ya cook separate. We are where we are and there ain't nothing to save, now that we're lost, but a tiny core of stillness in the heart, like the eye of a violet.

He smiles and removes his hand. He turns and heads toward the prow of the ship. Well boys, he says loudly, I ain't my gran so I don't have eyes in the back a my head. I don't like not seein' where I'm goin' so I say we move forward. I already been where I was so I don't see the percentage in goin' back!

Baern nods his assent.

"Forward it is. I reckon we promised we'd do a job, and just because it's a thousand years late doesn't mean we can break our promise. Best finish what we started."

"You know I respect kith and kin," Ulfren grunts to Billy, closing his eyes as their foreheads touch. "A dwarf ain't nothin' without his clan, and a clan ain't nothin' without their dwarf."

As they separate, Ulfren shoots a glance at Baern. "Don't think that your time in the woods makes you exempt from that, boy."

"Then do we all agree?" Gunnar says with an inquiring look at Ryyrik. And the Captain, who has yet to answer his question about the state of the crew.

"Don't see what my input matters any, the lot of you chose to carry on with our mission." Ryyrik takes another swig from his flask as he looks off into the frozen sea.

After a time, Phineas makes his way over to Baern. He sees that his old friend's wounds are still as fresh as ever, and he tries to rekindle a bit of the light in his eyes that once shone so bright.

"Areana, must be smiling right now," he starts. "Knowing her, she's been watching us from the heavens every day for these untold scores of years waiting for the day we all woke up. She must be pleased as an otter with a chestnut that she doesn't have to watch us standing there like statues anymore. "

Phineas hopes the imagery of Areana smiling is enough to cheer Baern up, or maybe the thought of her watching down on him help him keep from starting fights with his allies. He's seen him get into these moods and make bad decisions before.

"The Captain says he and the crew can get us close, but we may have to break some ice with our axes and hammers if it gets too thick. In the end it may still come to a trek across the ice. We should get our gear ready."

"Aye, let's get to it, then," says Ulfren.

When we get out on the ice, Phineas approaches Gunnar and strikes up a conversation. He know Gunnar is a learned man, and he hopes to run a few ideas passed him about what might have happened.

Between axe strikes, Phineas says: "Gunnar, in all your studies have you ever heard of anything like this before? During my apprenticeship I read a few accounts that might be connected, but I'm not sure. Have you ever heard of ..."

"To be completely honest, my studies are focused on other areas, but I've read about as much history as one might expect...hm...let me see.."