Yspadadden has word from his friends and allies amongst the Picts of a fiery skeletal giant haunting the Pictlands to the North of Dingradur. He immediately realises that this must be the lich of Urko, the dead Fire Giant whose grave they had desecrated last winter to obtain the war axe Gore Raver (E7). He gathers together his comrades from that trip along with the Ranger Aranath and treats with the centaurs once more to provided them with mounts. He also arranges with Hilda to transport him to Katelgroth, there to make arrangements with a priest to dispose of the remains once the night-walker is tracked down and defeated.
The creature leads them a merry dance across the broken lands south of Giant’s Pass. Each Pictish tribe with whom they speak tells a similar tale. The Giant had come by night, slaying all in its path but had been chased off by their shamans. Eventually they catch up with it in its temporary resting place of an ancient barrow. There they camp, expecting it to rise at night and attack them. They are not disappointed. A fierce fight ensues, the giant wielding a great flaming club, but it it is no match for the dwarf-wrought blades of the party and it brought down. The lich continues to wreak harm even in defeat as Wilf and Aranath are pierced by its splinters and have to be cured of wound fever by Yspadadden’s magics. It’s shattered bones are picked up with scrupulous attention to detail and gathered into a casket wrought by Yspadadden for the purpose of holding them. This is transported to Katelgroth by Hilda and the bones are exorcised by the awaiting priest. The casket is flown out over the sea by Yspadadden and cast into the deeps.
Though the party is focused on the task in hand, they have a number of interesting encounters along the way. These include the rare sighting of a Pegasus; an Imperial or pre-imperial tower and other ruins; a pillar made of a mysterious metal – over 100 feet tall – and inscribed with strange sigils. All would have borne further investigation had they not been on their quest. Later in the night of their final encounter with Urko, the Wolf King, Kveldulf arrives at their camp with a pack of wolves. This time it is Wilfred who takes him on in a fist fight. Wilf actually manages to knock Kveldulf down. He departs with his wolves, laughing.
E-13
OE Date: August 691
Characters: Yspadadden, Salrod, Ranulf, Aranath, Wilf NPCs: Hilda
Real World: January 1998? ; Where – Marsden?
See also Salrod’s Diaries