On his return from Basi, Grettir sets his mind once more to the Protectorates. Two remain: Sleat and Garstang. They are the most northerly – closest both to Sequarl and the Wood of Itaen. Initially Grettir favours an exploratory raid on the Orc Mound in the Wood of Itaen to find out what had happened to Oglog and the orcish alliance once the Ilithid arrived. He reasons that without support from their orcish allies, the remaining Protectors are of limited concern. However, he has an army in the field; morale is high; and there is no sign of a thaw. This is important because as soon as the ground softens, troop movements will become much more difficult. As it is the going is ideal both for his cavalry and his sledge borne infantry. He decides to take out one more Protectorate before the winter is over. Sleat is the weaker of the two.
Sleat comprises a palisaded compound, a cluster of houses within, on an island in the middle of a small lake. There is a keep at one end; a building, reputed to be a temple, is situated on a crannog built out from the island at the other. The lake is frozen, but rather than trust his men entirely to the ice, Grettir has them bring the means to lay a corduroy causeway across it. They also bring several arbalests – heavy siege crossbows with exceptional range and accuracy. In addition to the Sequarl regulars, Grettir has at his disposal the fyrds of several villages, including that of Meriad under Kimo Kuru and his fearsome brother Yog the Beast, along with a contingent of Rangers and several of the adventuring fraternity.
While his men prepare a frontal assault and lay the corduroy road, Grettir takes a picked band of allies to assault the keep by air. It is strongly defended by both men and sorcery and heavily trapped, but the forces there cannot repulse an airborne assault by the forces at Grettir’s disposal. Apart from Grettir himself the assault group includes Wilf Stefson, Paradoxides, Girindor, Trevillion, Kimo, Yog, the Sequarl huscarles Kolgrim and Adhils, and the Rangers Gron Masny, Tarek Yellowhair and Aranath. By the time they overcome the resistance in the keep, all is in place for an assault upon the palisade by the Sequarl army, with the main force proceeding across the corduroy road and a secondary force upon dog-drawn sledges approaching from the opposite side across the ice.
However, Grettir leaves all this to his army commanders and instead has his magicians fly the assault group to the Temple to take out the second strongpoint. They land right in front of its black walls. The only resistance comes from some foul disembodied heads in the eaves of the lake house that spit curses at the intruders and try to daunt them. They are not daunted but cannot identify a point of ingress. Paradoxides and Girindor seek for magical ways to locate and open a portal to no avail. In desperation Grettir turns to prayer. Putting forth his ka – his holy energy – he calls upon Osiris to show them the Way. A door swings open to reveal a dark interior dominated by two avenues of evil looking trees whose branches disappear up into the rafters. In the centre is a noisome pool. At the far end, on a dais, stands a throne, upon which sits the Priestess of Sleat, surrounded by a chanting choir of black-cowled acolytes.
Grettir and his companions surge forward towards the dais. As they advance they find themselves impeded and entangled in the branches and roots of the trees, while a rain of biting and stinging insects fall upon them from above. Yog strays too near the vile pool and is snatched by a huge spider that suddenly emerges from it, taking him unawares. He is dragged under the water and disappears from view. Trevillion shoots several arrows at the choir but they are well protected against his mundane shafts. Suddenly, everything goes black as all lights in the room are extinguished. The only light that shines in this Stygian gloom is Grettir’s holy spear that continues to shine in the darkness, although even this is subdued, offering only a rallying point for his companions.
In the end it is Girindor, who saves the day. Rather than join the headlong charge at the dais, the elf had stayed at the back quietly mustering his powers. When prepared he unleashes a mighty Dispel upon all the Evil in the hall. Light is restored, the trees and their roots become inert and the insects flee. By the dais there can be seen a giant black hand, writing runes in the air. This, the wizard Paradoxides blasts with his lightning wand. It disappears with a scream. However, the portal that it has created persists long enough for the priestess and most of her acolytes to disappear through it and escape the wrath of Grettir’s companions. They leave a scant few of their companions dead upon the dais. There is a great disturbance in the pool and out of it crawls Yog the Beast. He is barely alive but it seems that he has vanquished the demonic spider and yet lives – although only barely.
The company set about the destruction and desecration of the Temple with furious energy. The throne is cast down, smashed and thrown into the pool along with other religious artefacts of Set and allied Gods found upon the dais. The evil trees that support the roof are cut down – blood pours out of them as their trunks are pierced by axe blows. Eventually the temple is exposed to the cleansing light of Ra’s sun and when it is all torn down the ruins are set alight.
Turning his attention once more to the military operation in the village, Grettir finds that his forces have secured the perimeter. However, there is still fierce resistance and house to house fighting. There have been several casualties amongst the Sequarl forces from this and Grettir does not want more. After an unsuccessful attempt to parley with the cultists, Grettir reluctantly gives the order to stand off and burn them out, killing any who try to escape under arms. Only children are allowed to leave unmolested. At the end of this Sleat is no more and Grettir’s forces have taken no further casualties. Some thirty children are taken captive and put into the care of Eggo of the Holy Brotherhood to be brought up in the Osiran faith.
Yog is examined by the healers. They manage to slow the virulent poison still coursing through his veins from the bite of the demonic spider. However, they cannot eliminate it from his body entirely. They do what they can and carry him to his tent to rest for the night. In the morning he has vanished. No-one, not even his brother Kimo, has any idea of what has happened to him.
F-4
OE Date: Late Winter 692
Characters: Grettir, Paradoxides, Wilf, Girindor, Aranath, Trevillion NPCs: Yog, Kimo, Kolgrim, Adhils, Sequarl Army, Rangers
Real World: 1st March 1999 ; Where – Rhosybol (Angelsey)
See also Salrod’s Diaries