Chapter 1

“Ulfgard? That place is bad news kid, stick to these here docks for a good few years before you think of playing the game near the fancy lords and the jarls court. Last time one of us tried five finger fishing around there they swiped the money pouch of an Ulfheðnar … we only found the poor guy’s belt buckle and that was in a tree…. Not even a tree near here!”

-Words of Turin Nine Fingers to a prospective pickpocket.

“It’s ruined.”

"Sigyn’s spite!" Erika Yrsasdottir, apprentice Vitki and proficient curser (in more ways than one), thumped her head on the fancy wood counter and desperately tried not to cry. She was in so much trouble... actually trouble wasn’t really a strong enough word, trouble would be being savaged by a bright wolf. This on the other hand was a catastrophe, a disaster, this was a grand mist wyrm tearing down the front gates and making a nest in your damn bedroom.

On the countertop, just next to Erika’s head, was the source of her problems. A hand and a half-sized lump of bone that was badly burned and a glass orb bigger hand her head which had previously been filled with a soup of expensive reagents, now it was a bubbling black stew of failure.

“Hey hey easy on the counter Erika.” Said Asira gently patting Erika on the head. Asira was one of Erika’s oldest friends in all senses of the word, despite looking and acting like a youth in her teens Asira was probably older than her teacher, but Jotunkin aged more slowly than human. “Look your mother won’t mind too much, right? I’m sure she can fix it … she’s probably got some spell for that right?”

Erika let the stinging in her forehead fade then she pushed herself back upright and sighed. “Yeah… maybe… she might have one.” But it didn’t matter did it, said a poisonously sweet part of Erika’s mind, she left it to you your responsibility and you ruined it, you dropped her focus into a vat of magick acid.

“What’s it for anyway Erika?” Asked Asira still staring at the bubbling jug.

Erika nodded glumly. “The soup is the reagents mother was making for the temple…

“Oh that’s not to bad, I can probably talk to the Grand Gothi if you wanted? Get you a delay?”

“… and the bone was the focus for a 6th circle spell mother was commissioned to cast by the Jarl herself.”

“Oh.”

Erika had one last idea. “You don’t know a rune to… undo it, do you?”

Asira did at least think about it for a few heartbeats before she shook her head. “I’m just an apprentice Erika, the runes that lord Magni has sent me can’t do anything like that yet. Probably never will, you’d want a Gothi of Eir maybe or Vidar I suppose… normally I’d tell whoever was asking to get a Vitki to help but…”

Apprentice Vitki Erika, the only Vitki in Leirhofn, sighed so forcefully that a newspaper left carelessly on the edge of the bench fell off and slapped dryly onto the floor.

“I don’t suppose you’ve considered faking a theft?”

Erika paused for a long moment before huffing and looking away. “Anyone else Asi and I’d do it with a smile… but not my mother sorry.”

“Don’t apologise for that Erika! I think it’s sweet seeing your loyal side.”

Erika made the sign of Fenris at her old friend who giggled and shook her head. “Fine fine… thanks Asi, I owe you one for this.”

Asira shook her head. “No debts between friends, I was on break anyway just… I'm sure it will all work out, ok?”

Erika nodded vaguely staring at the bone and bottle, they taunted her sat on the counter the only spot of colour in this dusty workshop… Eriak paused for a moment and squinted, the soup stuff was black that’s not colourful, then why is it flashing red?

Erika reached out and gently pushed the bottle aside, behind it, crushed against the wall, was a square of paper nailed to the wall. Freed from its glassy prison it unfurled revealing the splattering of red ink Erika has seen to be an amateurish seal daubed flyer covered in crude type.

Delvers Wanted!

Experienced Delvers required for the expedition of a lifetime!

The Silvermane syndicate is gathering a team of experienced warriors and explorers to recover a treasure from the depths of the Fimbulwinter.

Deadly enemies expected! Vast rewards guaranteed!

Delver’s guild membership desired but not required.

Pay: two hundred silver penningar paid by the Silvermane mercantile syndicate who will also pay market value +10% for first bidding upon any other valuables that delvers retrieve from the expedition site.

Accepting any and all applications but applicants must be the certified to possess the skills of a Delvers Guild Bronze Rank or higher.

All interested parties report to the Dancing Droog tavern.

Two hundred silver penningar! That was more than most people earned in a life time! A good house in a fancy city would cost fifty and a rune weapon a handful more, the ingredients she wasted… they couldn’t be worth more than that could they?

Gently Kamiliah reached out a hand and tore the poster off its nail. The details were very vague about nearly everything except the location which was concerning instead, the Fimbulwinter covered a good eighth of Midgard’s surface even after Ragnarök ended, whole nations and empires had died within it and some even said the corpses of the old Aesir lay undiscovered in the endless blizzard, it was the most dangerous place in the realm… but two hundred silver was two hundred silvers.

“…ERIKA!”

Erika started and look around at a very unamused Asira, her blue skin was flushed purple with anger and she’d drawn herself up to her full height intimidating height. “You aren’t thinking of taking that are you?” She asked her voice like ice and syrup.

“Why not?”

Asira recoiled skin flushing a deeper colour “Why noy? WHY NOT?! Because it’s dangerous! Because you might die!”

“I might not!”

“It’s in the Fimbulwinter!”

“I’ll pack my best coat then.”

If it wasn't for the seal Erika would have just ignored the notice as a bad joke or some rich kids passing fancy but the Silvermane syndicate was different, nearly a thousand years old and still run by the golem who gave it her name, they were richer than she could even imagine.

This could be it, the answer to all her problems, maybe the gods had heard her prayers? They did tend to more flashy answers but subtle wasn't unheard of.

“Erika!”

Erika turned her full attention to her friend as a blue finger the size of a shortsword jabbed at her collar bone. “This isn't a joke!”

“I know I know... but two hundred silvers, I can replace all of mother’s ingredients and even buy a new focus from some bone picker, this could fix it!”

Asira sighed. “I get it Eri but what’s the chance you even come back? Expeditions get lost all the time, the delvers go on and on about it when they quote their prices, even if the caravans make it back you might not, do you even know how to fight?”

Erika was down but not out. “Throw spells till they stop moving?”

“Actual fighting Eri, footwork and courage especially, can you dodge attacks? Stand firm in the face of a charge? Can you stomach the blood, the pain, the exhaustion?”

Erika flushed. “Can you!?”

“NO that’s why I'm not a fighter just like you aren’t!”

Erika and Asira stared at each other then the Vitki deflated and shrunk in on herself tucking a loose strand of white hair back behind her ear as she did so. “Ok ok you made your point Asi.”

“Thank you.” Asira muttered as she sank back onto her stool. “Look I can help you get a loan or something if you need it ok? Or talk with some of the temple staff and get you some help, I may be an apprentice but I’ve got some pull for bartering, but not this Erika, this will just get you killed.

“Yeah yeah… you’re right.” Erika frowned and tapped her nail on the notice. “Besides it needs a bronze rank that’s… the second rank right?”

“Yep, still experienced fighters only.”

“No no I get that… I mean that’s like… what… the 3rd circle of spells… I’d what? Need to pretend to be a higher rank than I am for the interview and then for months on end and fake using higher circle spells that I can’t even cast all on a highly dangerous expedition whilst working alongside experts? I mean they probably don’t need many spells cast at a time and they won’t have another Vitki who can gainsay me…but no it wouldn’t work and it’s totally wrong, I’ll have to find the money another way.”