Yasma Thinmarsdotter
The house looks as if someone has just moved in. You knock.
“Just a sec!” a woman’s voice calls from the inside. After a few minutes, a black-haired woman of about 30 [N] years opens the door. She looks at you with an inquiring expression.
“Hello there. Who are you if I may ask?”
You introduce yourselves.
“We are here on the hetman’s orders.”
She thinks for a while.
“Oh, you must want Hasgar Hasgarsson — I’m sorry, but he doesn’t live here anymore.”
“No, we’re looking for Yasma Thinmarsdotter…”
“That’s right. Could you tell us where he moved to?”
“I don’t know. He wanted to go to Thorwal — at least, that’s what I think. He didn’t really say much, only gave some vague hints. You’ll have to ask someone else.”
“I don’t want to be rude, but I have a lot of work to do. Good bye.” without waiting for an answer, she shuts the door.
You leave to ask around Thoss.
You knock again.
The woman wears a look of irritation and barely opens the door to just poke her head out.
“Now what? I really don’t know where Hasgar is.”
The house looks very bright — it seems to have been painted recently. You knock, but nobody seems to be at home.
“You are looking for me?!” the woman looks at you in askance.
“I don’t believe it — what do you want?”
- “You are a relative of Hyggelik’s, aren’t you?”
- “We are looking for Hyggelik’s sword.”
“Certainly not! But he’s given me a lot of trouble…”
“You’re not the only ones! His sword has given me a lot of trouble lately…”
“But why are we standing out here, do come in. Just don’t look around, it’s a bit messy in there. I just moved in a few days ago.”
A “bit” messy is putting it very mildly. There are boxes everywhere. You have to watch out not to trip over something. Yasma cleans up a few boxes, gets some chairs from another room and asks you to get as comfortable as you can manage.
“…Now, where was I?! Oh yes, the sword, I remember. Well, of course I’ve never seen the sword, but this parchment seems to offer a chance of finding it. You see, it was like this…”
“All this mess isn’t just from moving in here. I’d barely been in Thoss — I used to live in Clanegh, you know… anyway, when this strange fellow appeared at my door.”
“He asked me for a map drawn by old Hyggelik. Of course, I didn’t tell him anything. The next day he came back with two hulking brutes and took the place apart. Of course, he found the map and took it. Let me tell you, if I ever get my hands on that devil again…”
“But I know where you could find him. There are some old, abandoned ruins by the road to Thoss, very easy to miss. It’s a small path, about 12 miles from here — you have to go around the mountain before you can even see the place.”
“But I’m just talking and talking, without offering you anything. Would you like a drink?”
- “No thanks, we just had one.”
- “Yes, please!”
“What a pity. I’ve got some of my famous moonshine in the back. Ah well…”
She gets a jug from the next room, gathers some cups from various corners and pours.
“Down the hatch!”
“Now, what do you want with Hyggelik’s sword?”
You tell her the whole story.
“We are looking on the hetman’s orders.”
“Ah yes, you said that, didn’t you? On the Hetman’s orders! That’s a real honor for you, of course. The Hetman doesn’t just deal with anybody. He must consider you reliable. I shall help you as best I can.”
“I know how you could make some progress. My family used to have two maps, but my father lost one of them gambling with… wait a minute, what was his name… Hjore Ahrensson. Used to live in Ottarje, some 40 years ago it was.”
“And you could ask old Umbrik too. He knows scores of people. Lives in Orvil, he does.”
“Thank you, you were a great help.”
“Thank you, is that all you know?”
“My pleasure. But I’m afraid I’ll have to ask you to leave now though. I’ve got loads of work waiting for me.” she accompanies you to the door and leaves you with a friendly farewell.
“Right now I can’t think of anything else that might be of help to you — anyway, I have to ask you to leave now, because I’ve got a lot of work waiting for me.” she accompanies you to the door and leaves you with a friendly farewell.
Umbrik Sevenstones
A grey-haired old man comes out of the cabin. He must have seen you from a distance. He locks eyes with you.
“What brings you to my humble abode?”
You knock more than once, but nobody answers. Looks like no one’s at home. You keep looking around Orvil some more.
“We are here on the hetman’s orders!”
“You were recommended to us.”
“That’s all very well, but what do I care?” the old man replies.
“Recommended?! For what?”
“We are looking for Hyggelik’s sword.”
“You know a lot of people, don’t you?…”
“That’s nice. So?”
“Of course I know a lot of people, but you’ll have to be a bit more specific than that.”
“You could help us!”
You just stare at him.
“You scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours. There’s been precious little back-scratching by you folk yet…”
“So what could we do for you?”
“All right then, don’t help us!”
“It’s your call.” the old man turns around and disappears into his cabin.
You leave.
You knock again.
The old man appears in the door frame.
“Ah. Changed your mind, did you?”
“Now, it’s like this. There is a rather scruffy chap terrorizing the whole area, but I can’t do anything about it on my own. He has powers over the fauna, and he drives the poor creatures to attack people. He is dangerous, but you have the numerical superiority…”
“All right, we’ll take care of it.”
“We have no time to waste.”
“Well, I guess I won’t be able to help you either, then.”
“Gorah, that’s the fiend’s name, has settled in a forest clearing by a mountain path not far from here. You have to find the secret sign — three hawthorn bushes in a row. Bring me his rune bone, then I’ll help you.” he says good bye and closes the door.
As you approach the cabin, Umbrik comes towards you.
“Have you got the rune bone?” he asks.
- “No.”
- “Yes, here it is.”
“Then why are you wasting my time?” he turns and disappears into his cabin.
The old man’s eyes begin to sparkle, as he takes the bone.
“You have no idea, how much help you’ve been!”
“Wait, I prepared something for you!” he goes into his cabin and reappears a short time later with a parchment scroll.
“This is a letter of introduction to Tiomar Swafnildsson in Brendhil. He’s a friend of mine and will help you.”
“Oh yes, I just remembered something else. If you are interested in Hyggelik’s story, you should definitely pay a visit to his direct descendants. There is a great-grandson of his in Angbodirtal. I believe his name is Beorn Hjallasson.”
Once more, Umbrik expresses his thanks.
“Good luck!” then he turns and goes back to his cabin.
Isleif Olgardsson
“Ho, ho! Visitors!” a very old, white-haired man comes out.
“What brought you to old Isleif?”
An old man leaves the house, swinging a stick.
“What do you want again, stinking beggars, get lost!”
After hurling some more threats and vulgarities at you, he slams the door shut.
- “Janda sends her best.”
- “Hyggelik’s trail.”
- “The hetman sent us.”
For a second, Isleif stops.
“Janda?”
Then he suddenly remembers.
“Good old Janda, well, well. That was a long time ago!”
“And you came all the way here, just to give me Janda’s regards.”
“Quite right.”
“Not really, we are also interested in Hyggelik.”
“I don’t get many visitors — you will stay for a drink?”
“Sorry, we’re in rather a hurry.”
“How could we decline such an offer?”
“Pity. But it’s nice to know somebody cares. If you’re in a hurry, I won’t keep you.”
He says good bye and returns to the house.
“The Hetman didn’t send you to me. Now, what is the matter?”
“Hyggelik, to think somebody else is interested in him, too…”
You look at him quizzically.
You tell him your story.
“Do you know I’m a relative of the great Hyggelik’s?”
“I might be able to help you. I know some people…”
“Well, if it’s that important…”
He leaves for a spell and returns with a scrap of parchment.
“…You can have the old thing. It’s part of an ancient treasure map I inherited from Hyggelik. Maybe you can solve the puzzle with this?!”
You thank him.
“And that’s all you know?”
“That was quite a bit, I should think! You sure have a strange way of showing your gratitude — will you at least stay for a drink?”
“Boy, all that talking has made my throat sore — you are staying for a drink, I take it?”
He asks you into the house and pours a pint of port for each of you. One hour later, you say good bye.
“I’m glad someone remembered old Isleif.”
“I’m beginning to wonder why I told you ungrateful louts anything. Just get out of my sight!”
He turns and angrily stalks back to his house.