Session 45 (4,000 xp)

Heroes: Sigurd, Malik, Vladimir, Niobhe.

Year 647 MR (3rd quarter)

The Heroes travel to Stjordvik to participate to the marriage of Storm and Astrid. The kings of Rjuvik, Svinik, and Halskapa are also present, and Sigurd gets the opportunity to gauge their willingness in an eventual attack against the White Witch.

Unfortunately, it will not be a happy day. During the marriage feast, while King Varri and Sigurd are having a private discussion in the courtyard of the castle, hidden assassins make an attempts on Varri's life. The attempts fails to kill him, but seeing the king helpless on the ground, Sigurd's sword take control and forces him to stab Varri through the chest, killing him and committing bloodtheft. Sigurd rapidly dispatches two guards passing by, and then returns to the feast, alerting everyone of the king's death.

He professes himself innocent, claiming that assassins have overwhelmed him, and killed Varri with his sword. But the gathered jarls, led by the scheming Guthrim, accuse Sigurd, going so far as to produce a witness to confirm its guilt. A skirmish between the jarls men and the Heroes bodyguards begins, and chaos rapidly spreads. Malik, Niobhe and Vladimir manage to bring their familiy to safety, and escape the city. Sigurd is made prisoner, pending trial.

Malik, Niobhe, and Vladimir sneak back into the city, to investigate the matter themselves. It seems that jarl Guthrim and King Fulgar of Rjuvik are both working to depose King Storm, and start a war between the Giantdowns and Stjordvik. No hard proof is found, but Malik manages to sneak into Guthrim rooms, and assassinate him.

Sigurd is put on trial, and Storm's hand is forced be the gathered kings and jarl: he finds Sigurd guilty of the murder of King Varri. Sigurd demands trial by combat. He will face jarl Njall, a powerful berserker. Sigurd wins the combat, showing mercy to Njall and not killing him. But king Fulgar of Stjordvik will have nothing of it. He orders his men to kill Sigurd, while king Storm orders his men to protect him. Once again, a skirmish takes place.

During the chaos, the Heroes, together with Storm, escape the city by using a route previously prepared by Storm himself. Sensing that his jarls would rebel one way or the other, he had already planned to leave the realm, to return after the Heroes' armies had once again pacified the jarls.

The next month, Rjuvik, Stjordvik, Jentilak, and the Giantdowns prepare for war. Armies are mustered, troops are positioned, as the Heroes prepare to invade Stjordvik. But they are disappointed to find a Stjordvik united by the assassination of their King, and of one of the most influential jarls, Guthrim. The combined forces of the jarls amount to 4,400 men! Also, the Oaken Grove of Erik supports the Stjordivk jarls, fielding a 1,200 men.

The Heroes invade with an army 4,000 strong. On the field of battle, they manage to kill three jarls and a druid of the Oaken grove. But Rjuven are hardy fighters when defending their home country, and the Heroes irregulars are easy pray for the trained Stjordvik infantry. The Stjordvik army obliterates the invaders, also managing to capture the Heroes.

Still, with King Storm and Queen Astrid safe in the Giantdowns, and so many jarls dead, Stjordvik army will need to invade Jentilak in return, to support its men, before the treasury runs dry and men begin to desert.