Session Season 7, Boldhome 1

1629, Storm Season, Early

Dramatis Personae

Events

Esrolia. Warm rain season. We overwinter in Nochet, on Grandmother’s hospitality. A servant politely invites Serala to visit Grandmother – we take that as an order and accompany her. 

Irillo went North before Dark season and Grandmother hasn’t heard from him, so asks us to look to make sure he isn’t in trouble. Rajar takes this to mean he is in trouble. His troll stayed in Nochet with most of his mules, she imagines he will want them up north. So we’re taking the mules and Saleed North. 

Dormal is to tell Irillo she has not received a letter since before Dark season. She tells him to write too. And send presents. 

Dormal tracks down Saleed, who has a place in Trolltown. Sid is now many times larger than he was. The house was Trollkin sized and has had a larger door knocked into it. Inside, we hear singsong chanting in Tradetalk. Dormal knocks. There is a scuffling inside, then door opens on Sid holding a short spear. He relaxes when he sees us. We come in, and spot trollkin hiding from us. Sid offers us human safe drink, and ham beetle. Mules are at palace, he will fetch and drive them for us. Wants to look after Irillo.

We set off and stay the night at an inn. Serala hears noises in the night to find someone has carved a fertility rune in the plaster. Dormal says it’s something about her being a great Ernaldan priestess.

Next morning we get up and see a faint eternity rune carved next to it. That we recognise as the runes of Uleria. Round here, Dormal knows this means Rhigos. Dormal’s assassin sense is tingling. He lets us know that Rhigos assassins have just found him. He lets us know that the queen of Rhigos wants him dead or ideally, in her clutches so she can torture him some more.

We press on, in the rain. The rain gets colder as we head north. We’re still in the Holy Country when an arrow lands in the road ahead of Dormal, who is in the lead. They mistake Rajar for a troll, and Dormal fast talks them into believing he’s Esrolian cattle cavalry. Then lightning flashes and they see he’s a Praxian.

Dormal persuades the peasants to offer hospitality to ensure our good behaviour. The village they take us to has more of a cultural palisade than actual useful defence.

We’re given gruel and a place near the fire to steam. Dormal repays them with tales of the big city. Tales of duels and some fabricated tales of gang wars in the city. Thrilling nighttime rooftop fights. We sleep by the fire, and give them gifts, and travel on. Another day to Whitewall. 

In Whitewall there appears to be a celebration in progress. Giant puppets on sticks, fighting each other. Half dressed in rags – undead monster of some kind. One is a huge bearded guy with a beard that wraps 3 times round him. A skeleton puppet points out his shoelace is undone and bops him on the head when he bends to tie it. Rajar has a sense of humour about it. Another puppet all in black is overwhelmed, and then a very tall one-eyed duck puppet beats back the skeletons and then puts a flaming sword against a ceremonial hut that then becomes a bonfire. As we arrive, someone calls, “Oh, you’ve missed it!” and invites us to the inn where they are proclaiming Queen Vareena. But she said she couldn’t, because she’s in her Orlanth Questing phase. She’ll be back to be king, now that king Kallyr’s dead. We’re getting our news in a rush. “Kallyr ran him through with a spear and he tore her head off.”

Leika and the king of Alone want the throne, and Thane Varaena, but she’s gone missing. Dormal says she’s his cousin, and gets pumped for stories of her heroic childhood.

Doral asks Serala for moral guidance. She tells him to tell the truth. Varanis is going to kill her.

Dormal tells of her stealing food from the kitchens,  and tales of her throwing tantrums and being led astray by Dormal – very much casting her as the trickster hero in the mould of Orlanth the mischievous layabout. Rajar sings the story of the box.

“They say she travelled into the underworld to bring back Yelm.” She did. Dormal was there. And then he proves it with his sunbeam. “Let there be a puppet show!” The sun shines out of Dormal’s arse, and he gets a reputation for brightening up a party. 

Dormal’s offered accommodation at the Orlanthi temple, Serala and Rajar with Ernaldan temple, and Salid and Finarvi stay with the mules and horses. 

Finarvi finds Irillo came this way. Arrived late on sweaty mules, did nominal one item trade then immediately left the next morning. Did not stop to trade – not like him at all. Heading up on the road that becomes the Kings road – heading North. From here, the question is did he go Wilmskirk or Clearwine. 

Finarvi casts Divination and gets a very clear picture of where Irillo was last in contact with Issaries. Village on a hill over a river bluff, with some suspiciously new stone earthworks, a blue tree. Lightning weather, moon phase – 4 or 10 days ago. Wilmskirk – Boldhome – Blue Tree.

Before we leave, Dormal sends a message back home Arrived in Whitewall, heading to Blue Tree. Finarvi draws a rather poor depiction of Dormal performing the Rite of the  Full Moon in the inn. 

There is debate over what to do about the altar to the spirit of Gunda. A Humakti points out that just because she was an enemy doesn’t mean she wasn’t a great Humakti, while others people don’t think that someone who sacked the city doesn’t deserve an altar here. And then Serala gets mistaken for the queen of Wilmskirk again.

In drier weather, we travel on to Boldhome. The gate’s been smashed through and is blocked by a wicket. 

Envar is the only guard on the wall Finarvi recognises. The palace is a burned out wreck, as is most of the city below halfway up the eastern valley. Envar tells us chief priest of Orlanth is dead, as are many warriors, most of the army was back but who can stand against Harrek? Only the high priest of Humakt did well, led the defence, ‘That duck’ defended the north gate until he got driven back. The only good news is the Lunars are still fighting each other. The king of Alone came and helped clear out the city, but the city didn’t really want a lot of Praxians running around. He asks if we have somewhere to stay – Dormal asks if his cousin’s house is still standing. 

“The great lady with the un-feathered boa around her neck…” – GM

“Winch my eyebrow back into the ‘down’ position…” Dormal

“The Lunars are fighting like… rival claimants to the throne in a sack.”  – Grandmother

“She wouldn’t stoop to poisoning you herself…” Rajar
“She has people for that.” – GM
“One of them is standing right behind you” – Dormal

“On the list of things Rajar is worried about, the wrath of Irillo is very low.” – Rajar

“You’re such a sweet boy. I never believed those nasty things the others said about you.” – Grandmother
“Even the true ones?” Dormal
“Especially those.” – Grandmother

“That’s the way to think of Esrolia. It’s a city of Mafia clans.” – GM

“Tell me that isn’t a troll on a giant riding beetle?” – bowman
“It’s a big cow!” Rajar
“You’re not hicks up here, surely you’ve heard of battle cattle?” Dormal, fast talking.

“It’s a Heortling peasant” – GM
“Ah yes. Nasty, brutish and short.” – Dormal

“I’m hoping to sleep under a roof tonight. Don’t tell anyone in Prax I said that.” – Rajar

“And then Harrek ripped her head off with his bare hands!” – storyteller
“With his bare hands? Or with his ‘bear hands’?”  -Dormal

Serala, to Dormal: “You’re not helping!”
Dormal “I think you are labouring under a misapprehension.”