The Ageless Promise

During their first month in Kintargo, Sif and Alrik leave their jobs at the theatre with the idea of writing their own saga, “The Saga of the Winter Wolves in Kintargo”. They alternate performing in the streets of Kintargo with weeks spent at home writing the saga. By the second month they are ready to perform, and they do so in front of the opera house, to be as abrasive as possible and try to catch the attention of Clémentine Faure, who they know is a member of the Silver Council. Their aim is both to make a name for themselves and to get into the Council’s good graces, so as to be hired, for a fee, to deal with the problems at the silver mines. The attempt is a great success, with help from the other Ulfar, and they soon receive a formal invitation to the Faure salon, in the third week of the second month.

Meanwhile Sif happens to pass the stall of a wizard who claims that his magic mirror reflects what a person truly is. She has no intention of looking into the mirror, but her gaze falls on it anyway: in an instant the mirror shatters, and the cracked glass forms nine distinct shards, each reflecting the image of a girl. All these girls are different from one another, but they all have something in common: a left eye the same colour as Sif’s. A few minutes later one of the girls seen in the reflections approaches Sif. The two decide to go and talk in a café. The mysterious girl introduces herself as Nina and gives her a magic ribbon that will protect her from the invasion of dreams for a couple of months. Nina doesn’t tell her much, saying that the more she knows the more danger she is in; she asks her whether she is sure she wants to stay with her friends, since her mere presence could put them in danger, and then takes her leave.

The Ulfar also learn that Vigil, the destination of their journey, no longer exists, like the nation of Lastwall, and that in its place lie the ravaged Gravelands.

Nevertheless their plan and their mission do not change.

In the second month Astrid leaves her job at the harbour and becomes a blacksmith’s apprentice; she manages to recover a tiny amount of orichalcum from the remains of one of the automatons from the ruins near Skarvik and reforges her weapon into a hammer, adding orichalcum decorations.

Freya keeps working at making potions, but instead of doing it from home three times a week she goes to Aurélie Moineaux’s place, and so she gets to know some of Kintargo’s characters (Pip Brackfield the courier, Solène Vachier the tiefling florist at the market, and Zora Enkh, another tiefling, a cabaret singer).

One day Bite and Erik show up at the door of the Ulfar’s house. Erik has become a druid initiate, but the two bring grave news from the north: Olso is dead, Ivar has turned the refugees from Mistreach who stayed with him into brigands who raid caravans, and the situation in the north with the MHI is practically open war between them and Ivar’s band. Elsa and Gunnar led the few handfuls of families who did not want to submit to Ivar away from his clutches: they are now temporary guests in Springsgate and are safe. Bjorn stayed with Ivar, pretending to support him while passing information to the fugitives.

Bite also tells Freya that the time of her trial is approaching: she will go and talk to the shadow druids of the Uskwood in Nidal to ask their permission for Freya to undertake the trial there or, if they refuse, she will go on to Crystalhurst in Nirmathas and ask there. Bite then leaves, and Erik goes back north.

One of the following nights Sigurd sees his father, Bjorn, in a dream; he says he is glad that at the end of his path it is his son who accompanies him to judgment. He tells how he finally challenged Ivar for the leadership and was killed by him; on the way, however, his soul was sucked away and the Wolfmother could do nothing about it. This traumatises Sigurd, but even more Ragnar, who wakes up beside himself with rage.

Ragnar cannot come to terms with it and loses his faith in the goddess, and his powers with it.

Sigurd swears he will avenge his father.

A few days later Bite comes back and says that Freya’s trial will take place in Crystalhurst, and that the druids there are waiting for her. However, the meeting with the druids of the Uskwood has earned her a deadly curse that will slowly kill her. She doesn’t seem worried about it, and Ragnar asks her to take him north with her.

Elsewhere we witness a scene in which Eaudrik Vallemar talks with two mysterious figures: a man with exaggerated elven features and what is in all likelihood a vampire. Vallemar addresses the man with elven features (calling him “Tan’zul” and provoking his anger), asking how his work on the pillars is going. The man in turn calls him a tin puppet and tells him not to worry, but to focus on the candle. To which Eaudrik Vallemar replies that he knows perfectly well where it is and that he is only waiting, because right now “it can’t be taken”. The two then ask the vampire how his task is going, and the vampire replies that “they are already in his web”.

NPCs

Clémentine Faure, Nina, Aurélie Moineaux, Pip Brackfield, Solène Vachier, Zora Enkh, Bite, Erik, Bjorn, Eaudrik Vallemar, Tan’zul