Today’s story is all about Eiwaz, even though he isn’t on-stage for most of it.
— Perseus Greenman (@futharkvillage) November 22, 2019
Eiwaz is a rune of going out with your bow to defend your village, rather than waiting for bad things to come. #futharkvillage @blithgunde pic.twitter.com/QXiO3PwvAb
"Okay, Perthro, here's the plan: You come up behind them, and try to draw their attention back to you." Eiwaz pointed down toward the mountain pass the einherjar were following. "Then I will come down the other end of the pass while they're looking at you.
— Perseus Greenman (@futharkvillage) November 22, 2019
"#futharkvillage
“Wait,” Perthro said, breathing hard from the climb Eiwaz had led up to this overhang. “So I’m… the bait? Doesn’t… the bait usually…. get eaten by… the fish?”
— Perseus Greenman (@futharkvillage) November 22, 2019
“Yes. Now that path,” Eiwaz gestured, “should lead you down just behind them.”#futharkvillage @MightySigurd
Perthro began climbing down the path.
— Perseus Greenman (@futharkvillage) November 22, 2019
After the first time Eiwaz had dragged Perthro out of sight of the patrolling einherjar, he dragged Perthro up the side of a mountain to get off the path. Now he was going back to the path to draw the scout’s attention.#futharkvillage
"Did you hear that, Thorleif?" Ullfinn looked back over his shoulder again, away from their captive. He was sure he had heard something behind them.
— Perseus Greenman (@futharkvillage) November 22, 2019
"For the last time, Ullfinn, there is no one behind us," Thorleif said. #futharkvillage @SRCExplores @rhipossessed
Ullfinn and Bjornstein each held one of Sowilo's arms as they walked through the mountain pass toward Modi's fortress here in Svartalfheim. Thorleif was tasked to go back and forth between scouting ahead and watching their rear.
— Perseus Greenman (@futharkvillage) November 22, 2019
#futharkvillage @ILupine @Hyrrokkin89
A rock skittered up the trail toward them. “Look!” Ullfinn said.
— Perseus Greenman (@futharkvillage) November 22, 2019
Thorleif turned around in time to see the rock roll up hill and come to a stop. He rolled his eyes. “Bjornstein, take the prisoner on ahead. Ullfinn and I will investigate.”#futharkvillage @MarieHa44988077
While Thorleif was talking, he was also making gestures with his hands. He silently communicated that Ullfinn was to go back, Bjornstein was to seek cover, and he himself would take the high ground. This was an obvious ambush.#futharkvillage @Apez140 @NacternalDeath1
— Perseus Greenman (@futharkvillage) November 22, 2019
The ambush became even more obvious to Ullfinn as he walked back. Of course there were the signs of his own passing, like overturned stones and broken twigs. But one of their would-be attackers had his elbow sticking out from behind a boulder.#futharkvillage @wing_paranormal
— Perseus Greenman (@futharkvillage) November 22, 2019
That kind of blatant “mistake” could only be on purpose. He kept walking to make it seem like he hadn’t seen the obvious bait, but he kept his eyes open. He began to go the other way around the boulder, intentionally making his steps louder.#futharkvillage @MjolnirForge
— Perseus Greenman (@futharkvillage) November 22, 2019
Ullfinn heard the sound of scrabbling stones from the other side of the boulder. Whoever it was must have thought Ullfinn hadn’t seen him. Ullfinn stopped walking loudly and changed direction to approach the side of the boulder where he had seen his foe’s arm.#futharkvillage
— Perseus Greenman (@futharkvillage) November 22, 2019
And then it was over. Ullfinn punched Perthro in the back of the head, knocking him unconscious. Perthro cried out, and his cry was mirrored by another cry from up the trail. Thorleif must have caught whoever was going to spring the trap. #futharkvillage @CeruliasCircle
— Perseus Greenman (@futharkvillage) November 22, 2019
Ullfinn threw the unconscious Perthro over his shoulder and proceeded up the trail. Presumably, Bjornstein would have heard the two cries and come out of hiding. He should then have proceeded up the trail toward the castle.#futharkvillage
— Perseus Greenman (@futharkvillage) November 25, 2019
Ullfinn kept his eyes upward as he walked up the trail. Thorleif had taken to the ledges above to ambush their ambushers. He turned his eyes to the left as he heard some small rocks slide down into the path. He caught a glimpse of movement. #futharkvillage
— Perseus Greenman (@futharkvillage) November 25, 2019
“That’s enough skulking, Thorleif! Come on down and join me on the path!” Ullfinn called up. Ullfinn waited, still holding his unconscious captive over one shoulder. “Come on, this isn’t funny, my back is getting tired down here!”#futharkvillage
— Perseus Greenman (@futharkvillage) November 25, 2019
“Okay,” Ullfinn said after a moment. “I’m heading up to Bjornstein. Meet you at the castle.”
— Perseus Greenman (@futharkvillage) November 25, 2019
He proceeded up the path. As he rounded the next bend, however, he found the dead body of Bjornstein, riddled with arrows.#futharkvillage
Ullfinn whirled around and dropped into a crouch, holding Perthro’s body up as a shield with one hand. He began yanking arrows out of Bjornstein as quickly as possible with his other.
— Perseus Greenman (@futharkvillage) November 25, 2019
If Bjornstein had been the other to shout, then where was Thorleif?#futharkvillage
Bjornstein groaned as the last arrow was pulled from his chest. He would need to sleep for a few hours before he would be any use. Ullfinn cursed the perpetual twilight of Svartalfheim which kept him from telling how long it would be until dawn.#futharkvillage
— Perseus Greenman (@futharkvillage) November 25, 2019
Ullfinn looked over his captive’s shoulder, trying to figure out where the arrows had come from. Judging by the angle of the arrows, it must have been somewhere near that ledge.
— Perseus Greenman (@futharkvillage) November 25, 2019
Then Perthro groaned. He was beginning to regain consciousness, too.#futharkvillage
Ullfinn mentally reviewed his situation. He had an unconscious prisoner and an unconscious ally. There was an unknown number of enemies, including one who had a vantage to shoot his current position. He was currently protected by the body of his… Wait.#futharkvillage
— Perseus Greenman (@futharkvillage) November 25, 2019
Ullfinn cursed himself. Bjornstein had been escorting the bound seeress whom they were bringing back to the castle, and she was gone. Whoever was up on that ledge must have rescued her after killing Bjornstein. So there were two enemies out there.#futharkvillage
— Perseus Greenman (@futharkvillage) November 25, 2019
But that also meant that his enemy was likely no longer on that ledge. He had some time.
— Perseus Greenman (@futharkvillage) November 25, 2019
Ullfinn reached into Bjornsteins pack and pulled out some rope. He placed the prisoner on the ground and bound his arms to his chest, leaving some rope for a lead. #futharkvillage
Ullfinn slapped his captive in the face. Perthro startled awake, sitting upright. “We need to move. Get to your feet.”
— Perseus Greenman (@futharkvillage) November 25, 2019
Perthro looked around, getting his bearings, then he laid down. “No, I think my nap wasn’t long enough. I shall sleep.”#futharkvillage
Ullfinn threw Bjornstein over his shoulder. With his armor and his muscles, he was much heavier than the scrawny captive had been.
— Perseus Greenman (@futharkvillage) November 25, 2019
He tugged on the rope. “Then I will drag you along the ground as I go. Now move.” Perthro climbed to his feet.#futharkvillage
“Who’re you?” Ullfinn asked Perthro.
— Perseus Greenman (@futharkvillage) November 25, 2019
“I am a mystery. I am amusement to warriors in the drinking hall. I am he who follows plenty and precedes the sun.” Perthro had been saving answer for months.
“I understand: You’re an idiot.”#futharkvillage
Ullfinn was in a bad place and he knew it. There were at least two unseen enemies out there, in addition to the one he was leading right now. He had a mostly dead comrade on his left shoulder, so he *could* fight with his right hand, but not well. #futharkvillage @blithgunde
— Perseus Greenman (@futharkvillage) November 26, 2019
“Move faster, idiot,” Ullfinn said to his prisoner. “The closer you stand to me, the less likely your friends are to shoot at me and kill you with a stray arrow.”
— Perseus Greenman (@futharkvillage) November 26, 2019
“I have a name,” Perthro said. “And it is?”
“Call me Gambler for now.”#futharkvillage @MightySigurd @SRCExplores
Ullfinn tugged on the rope, causing Perthro to stumble. “I’ll call you idiot until you give me your name. Now how many are out there, idiot? Are there only two, or do you have a half-dozen?”
— Perseus Greenman (@futharkvillage) November 26, 2019
Perthro laughed. “There are a full two dozen.”#futharkvillage @rhipossessed @Apez140
"By now, Hagalaz the Destroyer has placed himself at the head of the pass up ahead. He once killed 100 men in a single battle.
— Perseus Greenman (@futharkvillage) November 26, 2019
"Your friend on the ledges must be playing hide-and-seek with Thurisaz the Giantslayer and Tiwaz the Vengeful."#futharkvillage @MarieHa44988077
“You should hope that they find you first, before Wunjo the Bloodthirsty–”
— Perseus Greenman (@futharkvillage) November 26, 2019
Perthro was cut off by a hard tug on his lead. He lost his balance and fell flat on his face, unable to catch himself with his arms bound to his chest. #futharkvillage @ILupine @Hyrrokkin89
“So it’ll be lies, then,” Ullfinn said pointedly.
— Perseus Greenman (@futharkvillage) November 26, 2019
He kicked Perthro in the side, lightly by his standards. Then he sat on Perthro’s back, slid a cloth under his face, and gagged him. “Ok. You can get up now. I won’t ask you any more questions.”#futharkvillage @NacternalDeath1
Ullfinn picked Bjornstein back up on his shoulder and prepared to continue the hike to the fortress. When he reached into the sand for Perthro’s leash, however, Perthro rolled away, causing the rope to slide out of Ullfinn’s reach.#futharkvillage @wing_paranormal @MjolnirForge
— Perseus Greenman (@futharkvillage) November 26, 2019
Perthro rolled to his feet and began running downhill. He yelled as loud as he could, but it came out as a whimper through his gag. After about 50 paces, however, he lost his footing on some loose stones and fell face first into the trail again.#futharkvillage @CeruliasCircle
— Perseus Greenman (@futharkvillage) November 26, 2019
Ullfinn cursed and put Bjornstein down as gently as he could against a ledge, then turned and jogged back down the trail toward his captive. Perthro was already beginning to climb to his feet, but he was slower now, more careful than before.#futharkvillage
— Perseus Greenman (@futharkvillage) November 26, 2019
Ullfinn caught up to Perthro before he had taken three more steps. He grabbed Perthro by his bonds, pulled out his knife, and shouted, “No more games! If you want your friend to live, you will show yourselves!”
— Perseus Greenman (@futharkvillage) November 26, 2019
There was silence for a moment.#futharkvillage
Then the silence was broken by the sound of skittering rocks from a ledge above. Thorleif slid down the rock ledge, a single arrow sticking out of his left eye socket. When he came to a rest, Ullfinn saw that his sword was missing and his hands were tied.#futharkvillage
— Perseus Greenman (@futharkvillage) November 26, 2019
The seeress’ voice echoed through the pass so that it was hard to pinpoint her location. “Fine. No more games. Surrender now and you may live to return to your master.”
— Perseus Greenman (@futharkvillage) November 26, 2019
Ullfinn laughed. “Surrender? You have one archer and one volva!”#futharkvillage