Session S.5-W-17

1629, Fire Season, Movement Week, Clayday to Godday

Dramatis Personae

Events

Rajar has been given a gift to a sibling under a rock and sodded off back to Prax. Rajar returns to Whitewall in satisfied failure, and reports to a guard of new king-to-be Tarakar that the zebra riders stole the loot, not politically motivated – just took an opportunity.

There is some preparation for taking care of Serala’s baby. That evening Farinst is looking straight at us, crooks a discreet finger, and Varanis hooks Finarvi and casually strolls that way, and Finarvi snags Serala. 

Farinst reports the city has a problem. The Heroquest summoned enemies. He’s seen people who apparently live here being called up to the walls. He thinks there are internal enemies. 

Farinst spotted that some called as enemies in the heroquest pulled back from ‘attacking’ Tarakar. One had a complex cheek tattoo. Varanis decides to speak to Raldina and Haralast, the current city rex, that there is a potential problem that may need their attention. 

Finarvi is skeptical. But they agree he and Serala will visit Raldina and Varanis will corner Haralast. 

While plotting, Rajar and Inpira spot them and join them. Neither buys their innocent act. Inpira joins the Grazelanders visiting Raldina. There are many, many oatcakes before Raldina sees us. Serala introduces Lorgilyn and Finarvi explains the suspicious enemies. This comes as news to Raldina. Then they discuss wetnurses for Lorgilyn, and the difficulty of finding a woman who will want to move to the Grazelands for a couple of years. Finarvi, with Inpira and Raldina’s support, persuades Serala to negotiate with Giland for the baby to remain in Apple Lane until he’s at least weaned.

Rajar and Varanis find Haralast and tell him that some of the enemies called in the heroquest came from within the city, and were trying to fade into the background during the quest. Haralast admits they do not have a census and over a thousand inhabitants. And Haralast offers Rajar a bounty of 100 lunars for the head of any of those zebra riders. Haralast muses that taking care of internal enemies would be a nice gift to Tarakar.

Rajar says ‘if they were summoned once, they can be summoned again.’ A ritual to cleanse the city might bring them in. Haralast agrees it’s a good idea, and pounces when Varanis mentions wind lord Farinst could help. Wants to know how he is tied up in all this.

Movement Week, Orlanth’s high holy day will be perfect time for a ritual to gather the enemies and cleanse the city. Then he asks if Lady Serala could move her horse herd nearer the gate and be in attendance. He will keep an eye on the gates and see who comes and goes, so we know who is not in the city. If our group does it, then he doesn’t have to ask the guards to do it (and leak). Farinst might also hang around the gate. Four days of watching. 

We put our Stormbull on the gate to make sure no-one coming in is a problem.  Farinst and Varanis will sit out up the high gate and talk philosophy. 

Rajar loves this plan. A week of drinking with a big fight at the end.

On the day, Haralast gives us a briefing. A ritual circle, effigies of the enemies, the ritual pulls in the nearest malevolent spirit that fits, and we must fight it. While the spirit is in the circle, physical enemies will be pulled in towards us. When the spirit is killed, we get a bonus to fight the enemies who should be quite close by that point.

The followers of the god will be expected to go into the circle and fight the spirit as it appears. Enemies will have freedom of movement once the spirit is killed.  Haralast will do the spotting – he is most likely to recognise and know who they are.

Haralast makes the effigies one by one and stashes them in our tents. We come back to find effigies in our bed and the like. We move them, rearrange them into conspiratorial rings, and prop them behind doors and loitering by the food and giving each other jump scares. Everyone gets a little twitchy.

Godday arrives. Everyone arrives, and the effigies cause a stir in the crowd. Haralast launches the magic before the crowd has done more than gather and murmur in surprise. Lightning bolt and the effigies begin to sway, move and move about. 

Varanis and Serala go with woad and spend an hour in meditation preparing for spirit combat, Inpira, Rajar and Finarvi go physical armour. 

Finarvi casts Spirit Block, fighting with broadsword and shield. As we step through, we see the circle teeming with enemies. Varanis and Rajar see the others hesitate, but they can see the six effigies. The others see twenty enemies. Serala feels something pushing in at her in spirit combat and strikes, tearing the spirit. Finarvi fares less well, but his Spirit Block saves him. Inpira fends off its first attack, and falls to its second. At least she’s not in axe trance anymore, as she is possessed by a ghost. 

Rajar and Varanis fell a couple of effigies. The other defenders close in on Serala, Rajar and Varanis. They retreat. A blast takes out another effigy. 2 effigies left, one being attacked by Varanis, who is slicing it into bits. Then from Serala the tear from her first hit unravels the veil of deception that was covering the combatants. Inpira comes round, aware she was about to attack Serala, and collapses. Finarvi sees people he recognises instead of enemies and Serala looking cross. The last effigy slumps, the animating spirit dead. 

A few people have pushed to the front of the crowd, now trying to melt back into the crowd. Cheek tattoo guy is at the front, with Farinst moving up behind him to punch him in the back of the head. Guards are moving in on the others. Four are grabbed, held and taken away. Haralast announces the cleansing of the city has taken place, to hand a cleansed fortress to Tarakar. Now we drink!

Inpira wakes up in the Earth Temple. She and Finarvi get checked over for residual spirit nastiness and get a clean bill of health. 

The city is handed over a few days after in an official acclimation ceremony. There’s lots of rumours in the intervening days. It’s time for us to go. People are eager to see us leave for some reason. There’s a rumour that we’re taking Haralast on a much-needed holiday. Farinst gets into some sort of trouble and goes home with his wife. Malkonwall people still – rumour is they will petition to be part of Volsaxi.¹public rumour

Varanis wants to head to Wilmskirk and asks the rest of us to come with her. Serala chooses to go west through Sun Dome County. Rajar goes as bodyguard.

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  public rumour