Hrefna's Calling, Day 56

The portents are strange and speak of dark things to come. A siren's call seems to be cycling in the depths, and smaller fish are booming while larger sharks and whales vanish without a trace. Fishermen and traders sail to the west and never return. We are told that crops will be good this year by the farmers, and not a fortnight later we find them being decimated by insects unlike any we have ever seen. Insects are rare enough in our lands, let alone ones that destroy crops.

Recently we had an aurochs die during calving, but when we sliced it open we found the calf to be badly deformed and long dead. We burned them both, not in sacrifice, but in warding.

My journey took me through Umea, where the rumors became even more dire. Despite it being late in the spring, the ice has not yet broken around their ports, and on the rocky beaches they are finding strange fishlife the likes of which are seen only in the deepest of deep water nets. Oarfish and dogfish, and crustaceans the size of lynx, all washed up on the stone shore. When I was there they were in the process of dealing with a whale that had washed up on the shore, deep lacerations running down the length of its body.

Point of Origin is not oblivious to these omens, and they have also become even less communicative with us than usual. When I arrived there, their seaport was closed and they were accepting no visitors who weren't on official business. We were forced to weigh anchor in a town slightly to the north. From there I made my way east to the capital of this region.

I entered without causing a fuss--elves are rare in this region, but I am the right height ((nearly 1.8 meters)) that if I throw up a hood no one would be the wiser.

First I entered the temple of Þórr to check in, where the disciples were worried about the head priest not having returned. There are rumors of a serial killer targeting foreigners, and there are rumors of a group of Paladins disappearing. I have met another group of Paladins who seem to be fighting for a cause, but seem to not be wholly aware of the greater fabric. I am uncertain where they are going, but I see that I should travel with them for the time being.

The gods choose strange bedfellows for us indeed. Why did they see fit to send me to a group of Paladins? A more fractious and divisive group is hard to imagine, and while the sea tells me this is the correct place and the correct time, I am left with some deep doubts about the future of my mission.

From what I have seen so far, the strange signs that we have been seeing in Romsdahl and its surroundings simply don't seem to be here in the same degree... but the moon is full tonight, the winds still whisper, and I cannot help but worry.