RÔGNAR'S HOUSE

  




Hook: It's been a hot one... Even with the mist clinging to everything this side of the Misty Wood... You'd have thought the moisture would have burned off, by now, but, all it does is amplify the sun's heat through the heavy damp air. Sweltering, and miserable, you plod along, lost in the open woods. It's a healthy forest of cypress and pine and occasional oak and poplars... Mostly-soft-barked trees surround you, broken up by space created through wild fire a decade ago. Most of the trees are young... Not enough shade to hide much from the sun... Your clothes are wet and hang boiling your bodies within them, chafing and uncomfortable... A few horses bearing your armour and weapons make you glad you brought the beasts. There is no way you would have braved this weather without them... That or leave your armour behind... The shadow of the tyrant king looms long over this part of the country... That's why you left in a hurry... You may not have made it this far without your mounts to carry your belongings... You're hoping the heat will make the king lazy, assuming you would be, too. No one travels in this heat... Thankfully, you found a watercourse. Otherwise...

After a few hours more travel, lost, your thoughts are broken by the smell of burning wood... Here? No one lives this far out... You notice the trees have become thicker. You must have passed the new growth into some of the older forest, which is a blessing from the gods, for sure... The warrior's spirit must be upon you, or you have the luck of the trickster, because this was a good trick, leaving in the heat... The heat which has abated, slightly...

The forest breaks, suddenly, upon a clearing you enter from the north following the thin stream, and in it is a comfortable-looking little conical cottage nestled inside a protective ring of earthworks surmounted by a wooden palisade of sharpened stakes, all surrounded by a narrow moat fed by the stream. Everything is in the style of the old homes in the country... A neatly-arranged, willow-fenced plot of small gardens large enough to support a small number of people occupy the eastern side of the grassy opening outside the enclosure... The cottage, which you can barely see over the wall, spews a thin trail of smoke from its straw-thatched roof... You hear a cow or two lowing from the other side of the habitation... Horses knicker, annoyed, from the same direction... You see no one, but, guess, somewhere inside that cottage, someone must be preparing food, because you smell something that even the humidity couldn't ruin as your stomachs recognise the fact you haven't eaten in four days... Some sort of meat, broth, and tang of bread... sourdough or rye... likely both, fills your nostrils... Other animal sounds, chickens and... pigs? Can be detected, as well... Nearby, a massive willow tree overhangs the stream, dipping its fingers idly into the water as if to cool itself in the stream. A well-ordered apple orchard stands between you and the fortification...

Details: Rôgnar, the Firebeard, the fabled warrior smith of the gods, has blessed these travellers with a special boon. In times of great need, the warrior god appears to those he deems worthy of his help. A fortified household appears in the woods, wherever natural protection provides a chance for such a place to exist. There is no one inside. Ragnar's spirit is everywhere, here... The horses will remain, if the characters need them, a forge for repairing anything that needs it, including horseshoes, is present. Cows, chickens, a fully-stocked home, and food already prepared for the bellies of hungry warriors on the run in need of hospitality denied. The gods will judge those rulers who break the codes of Justice, and aid those they know possess good wisdom and heart, in times of trouble... The local king has made a foolish mistake, and these warriors have been tasked with dealing with it, a thing the protector god deems worthy of assisting with his gifts... Some have been known to dwell in such places for an entire winter, or more... Escaping tyranny long enough to gather resources and plan whatever is necessary, make some useful things using the forge and tanning supplies. Ragnar is friend to warriors, guardians, and those who think ahead for the coming storm. His blessings are not lightly given. Of particular use are the hunting dogs, a pair of them, that guard the inside of the fortified home. They will accompany those who wish them to, and be loyal to the death, but, anyone visiting this place should be wary... How they treat Rôgnar's gifts will be a test of their character.

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