Enter the Drugen/The God Under the Mountain

Journal, Sixth Entry

The Wrath of Perūn

Today we began our investigation of the town of DerBlitzvolks, and discovered that surprisingly opinion of the troll occupation was varied: For while some such as Steinfaust said that the Troll King was a tyrant, there were others who seemed more or less content. One such as these was a wealthy man named Rede, whom we met in the tavern. We also ran into Oison, an old tutor of Gabriel's who had begun to teach the message of Ӓester in the absence of Perūn,  who also seemed impartial to the presence of the trolls. Unsure, we returned to the tavern to speak with Rede, and learn more about the former church of Perūn. Steinfaust seemed open to discuss this with us, but we suddenly noticed a dark figure in the tavern, one who was not there before. Steinfaust and others seemed afraid, and he quickly ushered us out the door. Poor Kala had stayed back though, and had words with the figure, who acted strangely and spoke mysterious words, before walking through the very wall of the tavern and entering the night!

Steinfaust led us to his house quickly and quietly, trying to avoid the other ghostly figures who had emerged in the town, and when we arrived he finally spoke openly. The Drugen he called them: apparitions of the seven warriors of old, pilgrims from the East who first brought the worship of  Perūn to Gray Realm and defeated the Troll King, but alas did not kill it. They had returned of late because they sensed the loss of Rangvaldr's crown, a relic belonging in life to the leader of these warriors, which the Troll King claimed for itself when it returned. It was then that Steinfaust revealed to us his secret guest: Donner, the last living Priest to Perūn who described the atrocities committed by the trolls in the early days of the occupation, and of his plan to defeat the Troll King once and for all.

For the Drugen will search endlessly for any of their stolen treasures, becoming wrathful upon finding those who have stolen it. Another relic of the Drugen's remained in the crypt under their burial mound, the sword of their leader, Rangvaldr's Revenge, which we could use to bait the Drugen and lead them to the Troll King's lair, wherein we would use their power to defeat it. We travelled to the crypt and were forced to battle the servants and squires of the Drugen who, even in death, felt their master's need. We also fought the Drugn themselves, for temptation proved too strong for some of our members, and minor tokens were pilfered. However, when we came to the resting place of the sword, we found it stolen! Distrought, we left the crypt and found ourselves surrounded by the angry Drugen, and an invisible foe also did we encounter. Daylight finally came, and our foe was revealed: a Goblin assassin, who claimed he worked for Rede, who had taken the sword...

We then set off to find the worm, but Steinfaust warned us that he had seen the captain of the Troll guards enter his house. We knew the Trolls feared fire, one of the few things that can kill them, and thus did we enflame the domicile of our adversary (we were very grumpy...) and lo! The captain broke forth at a terrified sprint, with a green cloaked figure under his arm. Thumbelina and Occultis would discover the figure to be none other than Oison, but the rest of us rushed into the house. A wretched state did we find Rede in: for he was strewn about the charred and bloodied floor, as the flame-brand pierced his cowardly heart. With what breath he could muster he told us of his schemes with the Troll captain, and how he wished to offer him the sword as a sign of good will. Rede wished to slay the Troll King and take his place as the ruler of the land with the captain as his chief enforcer. Oison's wish was to finally root out those that followed Perūn, so that his message would not be stifled, but alas such plans did not find fruition, as Rede had underestimated the captain's loyalty

Kind Gabriel healed Rede of his wounds and gave him the chance for repentance, as the Troll captain had fled to the Mountain, and the Troll Kings forces would likely soon be sent down to set the town to rights. Rede stayed with Steinfaust and some of the towns folk to defeat the Troll guards that remained, with Steinfaust revealing his intimidating were-bear form as we left, and the rest of us ventured to the Mountain.

From the start this proved a cruel and laborious endeavor, for the fell Troll King summoned a dreadful blizzard that bit our skin and froze us to the bone. When at last we made it to the mountain keep, we had little time for rest or healing, as the Troll Kings guards were already upon us! We fought long and hard with the brutes, hoping that the night would come soon, and the Drugen with it. When at last we found ourselves at the Troll King's throne, a queer sight lay before us: For you see, Trolls do not have any words in their crude language that denote gender when describing royalty. And so, sitting before us, with long black hair, the crown of the Drugen wedged on its head, and with a grotesque suckling babe upon its lap, was in fact a Troll Queen!

But make no mistake, she was no less powerful or vicious, and some of her guards still remained. Thumbelina used her magicks to make the crown blaze upon her head, keeping her at bay, but our strength was dwindling and the end of our fight seemed but a distant dream. And then, wreathed in bitter cold and an aura of doom did our salvation find us: night had fallen, and the Drugen had arrived! They walked slow and menacing towards their ancient, hated foe, and with silent solemnity did they raise their amulets to Perūn, and something marvelous happened.

A great wind like unto a hurricane overtook them, and the spectral warriors began to fade but their auras combined. Their power raised and the tempest raged on, and with a crack of lightning there He stood before us! A single warrior, ancient and terrible, with a mighty axe in his hand and a storm in his gaze. For even in death the Drugen's faith was still strong and their need was great, and thus did their master heed their call, transforming his faithful into a mighty Avatar, a portion of his great power made manifest. He smote the fell Queen, rending the very mountain side in his might, and the day was won!

We returned to DerBlitzvolks to find the guards defeated and the peoples freed! According to Steinfaust, Rede had proved his mettle after all, having helped slay many Trolls, before meeting his grim demise. Gabriel was stern with Oison, proclaiming him an outcast from the town, but bid him to help our allies if he wished to repent. And so did we leave the town behind, and the people did love us and sing our praises. But alas, we journey again on the lonely road to Dornstadt, and whatever trials
we may meet there...