by Eric Ugland
We crossed the river, which was also horribly cold. A recurring theme for the quest. Wulf insisted we skirt the lake, and by quite a distance. I wasn’t sure why, but I didn’t want to ask.
A storm came on around midday. Not a terrible thing — it barely felt right to call it a storm, really. It was more like the suggestion that it was snowing. But it did have the other requisite elements of winter weather, like incredibly dark low-hanging clouds. And the cold. It was definitely cold.
For the most part, the upward tilt of the ground the first day had been mild, and we’d only had to scramble up inclines and the like a few times. But day two introduced real hills. We went up and up and up, until finally we had to climb up a cliff-face about twenty feet or so. Then, we were out of the forest.
I’ll admit I was surprised to come up and over the cliff and see a verdant sea of grass spreading out across the hills. It was one of the first times I’d really had the chance to look around and see the landscape. Towards the south, I saw green hills for a goodly distance, perhaps half a mile, and then scree slopes and rocky crags disappearing into the dark clouds above. A massive lake sat to the north, deep and dark blue with some sparsely wooded hills on the far side. There was an island over to the east, and though I tried to make out what was on it, I just couldn’t tell. I wanted to believe it was something that had been built, but it was just a little too far away with just a bit too much cloud cover to really know.
I opened my mouth to ask Wulf about the denizens of the lake, if he, maybe, knew about the fishing there. But that’s when I realized everyone else had spent maybe a second to take in the landscape before they continued hiking. I shook my head at their damed pragmatism. If we were in a movie, this would have been the moment where the camera pulls back and the music swells and there’s a gorgeous landscape montage.
The land was beautiful, in a grey, green wild sort of way. Tall grasses, occasional trees, lots of rivers. Rivers, streams, creeks, brooks, you name a style of running water, and it was there. Nothing approaching the size of the river that ran by Coggeshall, but the amount of water moving downhill was astonishing.
The water certainly presented its own unique challenges. By mid-afternoon we all had a certain amount of ice we were carrying along with us.
It was still light when we had to stop though. Wulf decided he was done.
“I am done,” he said. “We camp there.”
He pointed over to the left, uphill a bit, to a flat spot tucked up against a short cliff, maybe fifty or so feet high. There was a burbling brook coming from that direction, which made me think there might be a spring.
I looked over at Amber. She shrugged.
Wulf, however, was already moving, head down and picking his way through the grass and mud.
“You think this is okay?” I asked her.
“Seems fine,” she replied. “I’d prefer to go until a little closer to dark, but…”
I looked over at Tarryn, and realized that maybe Wulf had a bit of a point to stop. The poor guy looked horrible. Exhausted and partially frozen.
“We stop for the night,” I said. “Let’s get as much of a fire as we can tonight.”
That brought smiles. Spending the night in the tree had been a safety measure, but it sure was a chilly one. And as we’d hiked up higher, it had only gotten colder. Even without a weather app, I could tell that the wind kept temperatures well below freezing, even during daylight hours. I felt bad for my quest mates. I could feel the cold, but I think my absurdly high constitution helped even out the extreme temperatures.
While the others got tents set up, I pulled broken furniture and firewood out of my bag of holding. It was a remarkable gift, not having to source kindling and the like in the wilds, especially on a horribly wet day in a place where trees were sparse. After a little sparking on some oil-soaked rags, we had a fire crackling and pushing back the night. Skeld grabbed my knapsack, got some meat out, and was, in short order, cooking a traveler stew of sorts.
The cliff-face was curved just enough to block a fair amount of the wind, and that kept the snow from falling too much. Not that there was much in the way of snow happening that evening anyway. And though we were pretty quiet while the food was cooking, once everyone had a hot meal, or two, in their bellies, the taciturn nature of the group seemed to slip ever so much.
“You know this area well?” Amber asked Wulf.
He nodded as he blew on a spoonful of his second bowl of stew.
“Well enough,” he said, then he ate. “My home was far from here, but we would come to this valley some winters. And some summers. Good hunting, fishing. Lots of food if you know where to look. But it has been some time.”
“Any reason?” I asked.
“The rolegurdaüdi.”
“I’m sorry what?”
“Rolegurdaüdi. Big monsters.”
“These, uh—”
“Rolegurdaüdi.”
“Tough name. How big are they?”
“Very.”
“Strong?”
“Yes.”
“Big fingers?”
“They walk on two legs, have long arms, and have the ability to move silently through even the thickest forest.”
“So that’s what that thing was,” I said.
“You know of it?”
“I had an unpleasant encounter with one.”
“Most encounters with the Rolegurdaüdi end in death. You should count yourself lucky.”
“It was a pretty tenuous sort of affair. And really fucking painful. But I didn’t get the name of the thing. Rolegurdaüdi. Now I know.”
“Was it near your town?”
“Our town? Yeah.”
“Ah, so you have only seen the juvenile.”
“That fucking thing was the kid?”
“Yes,” Wulf said, and he smiled for the first time — his first genuine smile at least. “There is a breeding pair at the mouth of your valley, where the mountains divide and the plains come in. We have left that area alone for as long as I have been coming into the valley. Twenty winters, that. But it was two or three winters back we encountered the young rolegurdaüdi who was staking his territory along the river.”
“Do we need to worry about him coming here?”
Wulf shook his head. “No, as far as I know, as far as all the Ursus know, the rolegurdaüdi never leave the trees. There is little to fear across the hills here. When we get to the valley, we’ll have more to worry about.”
“Why’s that?”
“Hills go on like this for a day or two. Up to a top you think is the end, since you only see sky above. But the clouds conceal another hill. So you go up that. And there’s another hill. And up and and up. The Clouded Hills. A short stretch of rock before a valley. There the trees return. But the trees in the valley are shorter than those in the Valley or the Endless Green to the west, and thick. They make the way dark, impassible. In those woods, plenty of nasty things are hiding. We tell the cubs stories of that valley to get them to stay inside at night. That forest is full of things I hate. Things we all hate. But through that forest we must go.”
“No way under it?” I asked. “No way over it?”
“And no way around it,” Wulf finished. “We must go through it.”
I smiled, but no one else did. Stupid Earth-bound references…
“Past the valley and the forest, we get to the Rocklands. And that will be the real test of you.”
“Me?” I asked. “Why me?”
“Ogres and others of their ilk will have moved into the Rocklands by now. Their winter hunting grounds. And they’ll be hungry, wanting to fatten up before the big snows come. It is rare for ursus to move through the Rocklands this late in the year.”
“Yeah, that might be a test,” I said, “but I’m pretty sure I can handle an ogre.”
Wulf just shrugged, then scooped a third bowl from the pot. For a small bear, he certainly put away the food.
Meikeljan, on the other hand, had
managed half a bowl before he looked like he was going to throw up. He was in nearly as bad a shape as Tarryn, and I was starting to have doubts as to the wisdom of bringing the two along. Certainly from a questing background, it was nice to have the firepower of Tarryn and the healing prowess of Meikeljan, but what if this trip killed them?
Use them, I heard myself telling Nikolai. This was exactly what I was getting on his ass about. Maybe it was just more important that I figure out a way to use them without killing them. You know, a little thing like that can pay off with big dividends later in life. It was something I was learning as a leader of men. And women. And otters. And other things.
“I’ll take first watch,” I said. “And, uh, I guess, at least for tonight, I’ll take all the watches.”
The lutra were used to me not sleeping, so they headed to the tent without me and were asleep remarkably quickly. But I noticed no one else opposed the motion, and within no time at all, I was left alone, sitting with my back to the fire, looking out across the grassy hills all the way to the lake below.
Chapter Six
Night was quiet. Almost eerily so.
And it was cold.
But the most dangerous thing was boredom.
To stave off the danger, I pulled up my character sheet and gave it the once over.
Montana - Lvl 26 Burgmann
Traits
Race: Royal Fallen
Height: 6’5”
Weight: 410 lbs
Eye Color: Hazel
Hair Color: Blonde
Renown: 375 - Some appreciate what you have done for them.
Statistics
HP: 510
STAM: n/a
MP: 748
Active Effects: Frightful Presence
Attributes
Strength: 101
Agility: 36
Dexterity: 39
Constitution: 70
Wisdom: 24
Intelligence: 32
Charisma: 32
Luck: 37
Unassigned points: 0
Skills
Riding - improvised (Lvl 1)
Falling (Lvl 3)
Animal Handling (Lvl 5)
Investigate (Lvl 1)
Harvesting (Lvl 5)
Swords (Lvl 25)
Unarmed Combat (Lvl 11)
Axes (Lvl 22)
Large Weapon Throwing (Lvl 28)
Jump (Lvl 6)
Stealth (Lvl 3)
Improvised Weaponry (Lvl 5)
Swimming (Lvl 17)
Spears (Lvl 41)
Warhammers (Lvl 25)
Light Armor (Lvl 5)
Heavy Armor (Lvl 8)
Fishing (Lvl 9)
Carving (Lvl 6)
Crafting (Lvl 5)
Wooden Weapon-Making (Lvl 1)
Skinning (Lvl 11)
Detect Traps (Lvl 45)
Lumberjack (Lvl 21)
Intimidation (Lvl 10)
Surveillance (Lvl 1)
Birding (Lvl 1)
Archery (Lvl 20)
Tracking (Lvl 24)
Fletching (Lvl 10)
Shield (Lvl 40)
Internal Monster Butchering (Lvl 1)
Abilities
Darkvision
The Sword of My Enemy is My Sword
Iron Will
Make An Entrance
Stand Tall
Regal Bearing
Rallying Cry
Duelist
Labyrinthine Recall
Detect Mimic
Indomitable
Swift Tracker
Veritasium
Detect Metals and Minerals
Tremorsense
Unbreakable Skeleton
Imperial Favor
House Scion
That’s not Pain
Armored Hide
Boons
Powerful Build (Mister Paul) - You are bigger than you look. For all strength roles, you are counted as one size category larger than you actually are.
Regeneration (Mister Paul) - Outside of combat, your body will repair rather quickly. Given enough time, it’s possible you will heal from nearly any wound.
Gift of Gab (Mister Paul) - Should you encounter a language you do not understand, as long as you hear at least three words of it, you will understand it, and speak it, perfectly.
Monstrous Companion (Typhon) - You have been gifted a companion from the god Typhon. Your companion is immortal, though if reduced to 0 HP, he will be forced to return in a different form, chosen at the whim of Typhon. You may absorb your companion for a temporary boost to your abilities, but the boost will only last until Typhon sends another companion your way.
Indicium
Coggeshall Heraldic Achievement (complete) - You are granted permission to use family buildings as you see fit, granted control of family funds, granted permission to use the family name, granted permission to name an heir, granted permission to expand the family, granted permission to bestow aspects of the Coggeshall Heraldic Achievement. You gain ten levels in the skill Shield. You gain the ability Imperial Favor. You gain the ability House Scion.
Eona’s Blessing of the Spear - Eona blesses you with +10 spear, +7 swimming, +5 fishing, +10% movement in water, +3 Agility
Indicium of Imperial Prerogative: Magic - You are permitted to perform magic within the Empire of Glaton
Royal - You are identified as being of Royal Blood, and gain the abilities Stand Tall and Regal Bearing
Dungeon of the Ancients Indicium - You gain the following skills and/or abilities: Duelist, Labyrinthine Recall, Detect Mimic 20 ft, Indomitable, Detect Traps +45 levels, Swift Tracker, Veritasium, and Endure Destruction.
Slayer: Death Bringer - As a living embodiment of death, know that you cause Frightful Presence. Your enemies now have a chance to be frightened when they are aware of you.
Typhon’s Mark of the Beast - Typhon blesses you with +10 intimidation, tremorsense, labyrinthine recall, and +5 Strength.
Zothys’ Blessing of the Protector. You gain 25 levels in shield and +3 Constitution.
Eona’s Blessing of the Hunt - You receive +20 skill levels in Archery, +15 skill levels in tracking, +10 skill levels in fletching, +10% harder to detect while moving, +3 Dex
Titles
Imperial Duke of Coggeshall
Prince of Eonneque
Fürst of Vreijuirag
Ducal heir of Old Lattimoore
Count of Duhamel.
Count of Helgand.
Count of Dunnismeer.
Count of Whitelock
Count of Michelgrove
Count of Daroonga
Count of Braewood
Count of Kingshills
Count of Wolveshire
All lesser titles minimized.
Relationships
Rumib Pass (destroyed) - Liked
Languages
Goblin
Imperial Common
Mahrduhmese
Infernal
Hobgoblin Battle Cant
Night Goblin
Ursusian
Lutra
Northern Kobold
Carchedonian
Spells
Lifeform Identification (Lvl 1)
Heal Other (lvl 3)
Humus (lvl 1)
Identify Object (Lvl 3)
Tame - Greater (Lvl 1)
ManaBomb (Lvl 1)
Seemed good. As far as I could tell.
But I still had a long way to go.
Chapter Seven
Trekking through the hills was almost relaxing. Almost. It was still challenging to walk uphill all day and it definitely didn’t feel like we were making real progress. It was mostly walk up one hill, then walk up another hill backtracking a bit because it was easier. Then up another hill. A lot of walking, sure, but it was nearly all vertical. My legs felt wobbly after the first few hours, so I decided to walk backwards for a while. Old scouting trick.
While there still wasn’t much in the way of chatter, a n
ight of sleep and two hot meals had done wonders for everyone, especially our warmancer and cleric. For the first time since we’d set out, neither of the casters looked like they were about to pitch over, or roll down the endless hills to their deaths.
At a certain point after midday, we got to a little level area near a small lake. Maybe an acre or so. There were a few trees around it, smaller things, and steep sides all around the lake. Oddly, though there were streams coming into it, nothing was coming out.
“Lake Portos,” Wulf said.
He and Amber were sharing the lead, but at the lake, Wulf stopped and walked up to the edge. He knelt down and took a deep drink.
“Best water in the mountains,” he said. “Big fish. At least in the spring. Not sure where they go the rest of the year.”
Before anyone could stop me, I had my rod and reel out and tied on a hook.
Whizzzzzzzzz…. Ploop.
“Ah,” I exhaled.
There were a few ripples on the lake, which was really more like a pond. A true feeling of contentment washed over me as I watched the bobber do the thing it was named after. A light breeze rustled the few leaves in the few trees.
“Are we taking a break here?” Ragnar asked.
“Just a few minutes,” I said.
He shrugged.
Everyone else took a seat somewhere along the shoreline. Even though I knew we were on a bit of a time crunch, I knew it would be good for everyone’s morale to take it easy on occasion. Plenty of tough times were ahead, so a nice little break wasn’t the worst idea.
After waiting a few minutes, I tossed another line out. Then another. I was getting into the rhythm of things. Sure, there weren’t any bites, but fishing wasn’t always about the actual catching of fish. Sometimes it was just about the motions. About forcing your body and mind to separate. Giving your body something to do so your mind can be free. Back and forth, back and forth. It wasn’t quite the meditative state I got into when fly-fishing, but it was more peaceful than anything else I’d experienced in Vuldranni so far. The rhythm got me thinking, and thinking dropped me into my past. An unceremonious push into the last time I’d been fishing back on Earth.
