Into the Fog was a virtual representation of one of Eivor Varinsdottir's genetic memories, relived by Layla Hassan in 2020 through the Portable Animus HR-8.5.
Description[]
Eivor searched near the village of Tuam in the Kingdom of Connacht for the person known only as "The Cursed".
Dialogue[]
Eivor arrived in Tuam to search for The Cursed's cottage.
- Eivor: This is Tuam. One of these cottages is where The Cursed hides.
Eivor began her search for the cottage and found its entrance. However, the door was locked.
- Eivor: Locked. Someone around here must have a key.
Eivor on the outskirts of Tuam
Eivor looked around and found the cottage key on a windowpane of another cottage. Eivor opened the door and investigated the cottage, which contained a note.
Note from a villager
- Most esteemed sir,
I been helpful to you in the past, I have. And I believe this gossip I heard might be helpful, too.
Some villagers who pray at the old effigy have heard strange cries echoing up from they-don't-know-where.
I think it's from the cavern that runs 'neath the village. The one you had me deliver peat to.
I just thought you ought know, afore people get curious the way they do.
I ask no silver, although I am most needful...
Erce, the gong farmer
- Eivor: Beneath the village? That's odd.
Eivor searched for the cavern's entrance and found the entrance at the bottom of a pit. Entering the cavern, Eivor fought and killed a bear while venturing through the cavern.
Eivor entering the caverns beneath Tuam
- Eivor: Loki's balls!
After defeating the bear, Eivor progressed through her search and found a druid lair within the cavern.
- Eivor: What is the meaning of all this?
From her investigation, Eivor overheard prisoners screaming.
- Irish Man 1: Please! Get me out of here!
Eivor found the door, but it was locked. Through further searching, Eivor found the key, opened the door, and talked with the prisoner.
- Eivor: What tragedy has befallen you?
- Irish Man 1: Thanks be, you're not one of them.
- Eivor: One of who?
- Irish Man 1: The Danu! Not like any druids I've ever seen before. They grabbed me and me mates. We got lost in the fog, and... Me mates!
- Eivor: Keep your wits about you.
- Irish Man 1: The High Druid, calls herself The Cursed, she sacrificed 'em bit by bit, you understand? First a hand, then a leg...
Eivor talking to the captured man
- Eivor: You should run while you're intact. But first, what is The Cursed planning to do?
- Irish Man 1: She dragged ol' Fintan to some ritual. Poor man! I daren't think what's become of him.
- Eivor: Save yourself.
- Irish Man 1: I will. I'm done with this place!
The prisoner left.
- Eivor: The luck of Thor be with him.
Eivor kept investigating and found a note near an animal carcass on a table.
Note to Druids
- Druids of Danu!
The ritual hour comes upon us. All efforts must bend to its success.
We have offerings aplenty to please The Cursed, our High Druid
- Eivor: A shoddy sacrifice. They will learn of no portents from this.
Eivor came across another note on a table on a higher level.
Note from The Cursed
- I have left to prepare the ritual. My púca is with me as always.
Flood the land with fog! My púca will take strength from it for her changes of form.
–The Cursed.
- Eivor: Púca? What would that be?
Eivor gathered all the clue she could find.
- Eivor: A sacrificial ritual and something about a púca. It is not much, but Ciara may know what it means.
Eivor left the cavern as quickly as possible.
- Eivor: Ciara said to meet outside the village to the south.
Eivor went to the south of the village and saw Ciara waiting.
- Ciara: Eivor! I delivered the cure.
Eivor spoke with Ciara.
- Eivor: Has Bárid escaped Flann's wrath?
- Ciara: He has and is much relieved. The soldiers are coming back to themselves. What have you learned?
- Eivor: The Cursed will perform a sacrificial ritual.
- Ciara: Sacrifice? Fé (Alas), The Cursed is then a High Druid.
- Eivor: I learned that she is. But what does that mean?
Eivor relaying her findings to Ciara
- Ciara: She wields great power. She will be protected by her acolytes.
- Eivor: Not only her acolytes. I also learned the ceremony will be protected by a... What was it? A pook?
- Ciara: A púca? That will be dangerous. But we've no choice. The ritual will likely be held at Carnagan. We must look there.
- Eivor: What is a púca? A kind of animal?
- Ciara: "A kind of animal?" I will explain on the way. Come.
Eivor and Ciara took their leave.
- Eivor: You promised to explain about the púca.
- Ciara: Sure, they were once marvelous creatures. Able to take the forms of any animal. Now... they're dangerous.
- Eivor: Is this a jest?
- Ciara: Have you no such creatures in Norway?
- Eivor: There is Fenrir, wolf to the gods, but he is unusual.
- Ciara: Well, púcas are common in Ireland.
- Eivor: Púcas, sacrificial rituals, is this your world?
- Ciara: The Children of Danu are an aberration. True pagans oppose them. Flann knows our traditions will disappear without his support. He has pledged not to let that happen.
Eivor and Ciara arrived in Carnagan.
- Ciara: Careful now. Púcas are quick. Search for tracks showing long claws. And stay on your guard.
Eivor and Ciara look for any tracks. Eivor quickly found and examined such tracks nearby.
- Eivor: There. Tracks.
Eivor looked around and saw the púca on the trail in front of her.
- Ciara: The púca! Follow it!
Eivor and Ciara followed the púca across a torn-down bridge.
Eivor spots the púca's wolf form
- Eivor: It looks like a wolf.
- Ciara: Because the púca is in the shape of a wolf just now.
Eivor and Ciara followed the creature through a sudden fog.
- Eivor: This fog enters into my head.
- Ciara: Mine as well.
Eivor and Ciara were nearing closer to the púca.
- Púca: Stay away!
- Eivor: Did the wolf speak?
Eivor and Ciara stopped at the last tracks of the púca, only to find it nowhere in sight. Suddenly, the púca leapt at Eivor from its hiding place, this time in the form of a towering wolf-like biped with deer antlers. Grabbing Eivor by the neck, the púca threw her to the ground and roared as Ciara and a dazed Eivor readied themselves for battle.
- Púca: I warned you!
- Eivor: Ah!
After injuring the púca, Eivor noticed the creature changed back into the form of a wolf and ran away.
- Eivor: What in the nine realms was that beast?
Ciara spoke in an urgent whisper.
- Ciara: Whist! The ritual has begun. This way.
Eivor and Ciara followed the púca's tracks all the way to Lackanscaul. Within the area, a ritual was being performed as Eivor and Ciara entered to confront The Cursed, who was heard to be a woman.
- Eivor: She will not live to see the rising of the sun.
At that moment, Eivor figured out that The Cursed was the High Druid Sétnae.
- The Cursed: Who dares defile this sacred spot?
Eivor and Ciara fought Sétnae, her acolytes, and her púca. During the fight, the druids shouted at Ciara.
- The Cursed: Traitress!
- Druid 1: The priestess of the stone!
- Druid 2: Blood for the earth spirits!
- Druid 3: The ritual is profaned! It is the priestess!
Eivor face-to-face with Sétnae
Eivor and Ciara defeated all the cultists and the púca, then confronted Sétnae, who was fatally wounded. Furious that her plan had failed and despite her own injuries, Sétnae stood to look at Eivor.
- The Cursed: You!
Eivor punched Sétnae square in the face and she fell against a block of stone. Sétnae looked at Ciara.
- The Cursed: You betrayed us. I curse you with all the powers of the moon.
- Ciara: Your curses mean nothing.
- The Cursed: You drew back when we most needed your awful might. And now...
Sétnae succumbed to her injuries and died in front of Eivor and Ciara.
- Ciara: The Cursed is dead.
- Eivor: She accused you of betraying the Children of Danu.
Eivor asking Ciara about Sétnae's accusation
- Ciara: I was once one of them.
- Eivor: How can this be?
- Ciara: Deirdre warned me against them, but back then it seemed the only hope.
- Eivor: You knew these people. Why did you not direct me to The Wren?
- Ciara: They only wanted to use me. Distrustful and secretive. I never knew their true names or anything about them. A glen of great beauty lies on our road. Find me when you're ready and I'll confess my errors there.
Ciara left as Eivor recovered The Cursed's amber shards and two more clues regarding the Ollamh Druid called "The Oak" and the member known as "The Deer." Afterwards, Eivor traveled to Lough Glendallon to rejoin with Ciara. Eivor and Ciara met and stared at the waterfall.
- Eivor: It's beautiful.
- Ciara: I used to wash my cares and pain in this pond. Would it be all right if I...?
- Eivor: Of course.
Eivor and Ciara at Lough Glendallon
Ciara undressed down to her delicates as Eivor smirked and turned away.
- Ciara: As a young girl, when the Christians cleared the forests of druids, I fled and stumbled on this spot.
Ciara walked further into the pond.
- Ciara: How would I survive? My friends? The world I knew? Soon, I turned to the Children of Danu. At first they pledged simply to keep the old ways alive. Then, one by one, druids turned to dark rituals.
- Eivor: Then they turned to worse.
- Ciara: Yes, even murder. I disavowed the Children and now pray for their destruction.
- Eivor: The High Druid spoke of some sort of "awful might."
- Ciara: Fantasies. An ancient fable of a people long lost. The druids are now dispersed without a champion.
- Eivor: You have King Flann.
Ciara floating in the pool
- Ciara: My hopes are placed in him, but am I a fool? He has no deep love of the past. He hopes to build a new Ireland. He pledges that my people will be part of it, but once he's king, storms will come. I cannot know where he will take refuge.
- Eivor: You are no fool.
- Ciara: You and I have been through much together. We came near death. I would like to celebrate life.
- Eivor: Is this why you brought me to this place?
- Ciara: 'Tis a lovely glen. Perhaps we could pass some time here.
- Eivor: I would like very much to pass some time with you.
Eivor undressed down to her delicates as Ciara watched.
Eivor and Ciara in the pool
- Ciara: Aye. Lovely. Lovely, indeed.
Eivor neared closer to a smiling Ciara. Both Eivor and Ciara looked at each other and then started to kiss and embrace each other in the pond. After some time, Eivor woke up dressed near a log on the ground. Standing up, she read a note that she saw on a rock beside the log.
Note from Ciara
- Eivor,
You sleep so beautifully, I could not bring myself to wake you.
Forgive me for leaving. The encounter with the Children of Danu has reminded me of difficult times. I feel I must spend some time alone.
–Ciara
- Eivor: Ciara. I admire you a great deal. But it's best not to form entanglements in time of war.
- Ciara: Mo lén (Too bad), Eivor. You drive a woman mad, you do.
Outcome[]
Eivor learned that "The Cursed" was the druidic priestess Sétnae, and killed her at a druidic site south of Lough Tuam used by the Children of Danu for ritual practices.
Gallery[]
