1629, Fire Season, Death Week, Fireday
Context
The group has just visited the Inhuman King, and seen him looking over the Mesogloranthan Ball Game. Now they are on their way back, probably to Dunstop. Session S5.O-04.
Events
After the visit to Stone over Souls, as they ride out of the Dragonewt city, Berra asks Nayale, “So, uh, about the borders. Tell me again what happened.”
“Harmakt and I were scouting your hide, looking for a good spot for the tower. And we were looking around the borders of it, to work out where those are. There’s border stones, but they’re small and a bit overgrown,” Nayale says.
Berra nods, keeping her eyes on the landscape around them, and her attention half on Nayale. “Yuhuh.”
“This local man rode up and demanded that we explain ourselves. Said we were on his land.” Nayale frowns. “I didn’t think we were, but I couldn’t find the markers. And the man wasn’t listening to anything we said. He was spitting mad. His name was Jerrick… no, Jarrick. Cousin to Harvan, who’s the Chief’s weapon-thane, I guess.”
“Uhuh. Yeah, I dunno Jarrick, but I’ve met Harvan. Anything else?” Berra’s eyes narrow as she thinks, but she keeps on the alert.
The young woman stares at the ground, scowling like it has offended her. She makes a frustrated sound and makes an effort to scan the horizon instead. “Well, he said you and Varanis and the others… and me and my brother too are all… outsiders. That we have no business with hides in Grey Rock territory.”1Berra fails Insight: there’s a general sense that she’s not saying everything, but that’s about it.
“Yeah, well. That means he knew you, and that’s probably why he was angry. Is Harmakt looking for the stones? What did you leave him doing?” Berra wrinkles her nose thoughtfully.
“He’s searching out and marking each stone. He was thinking they might have been moved.”
Berra nods slowly. “S’there something you ain’t telling me? That you were thinking of saying but decided not to?”
Nayale frowns, then shakes her head. “Not really. It’s just… I gave you a summary instead of word for word what he said. It was pretty nasty.”
Berra nods. “RIght, yeah. Well, we’ll deal with that when we get back. I gotta work out what to do with you now. One thing is to send you back and have the shaman ask the ancestors where the stones are. But one thing is to send you to Lord Eril to tell him what we just saw.”
“The High Sword?” she squeaks. “You want me to tell him about the game thing?”
“I think it’s probably important he knows. And it shouldn’t get written down. Although obviously Irillo’s gonna send his grandmother news, and he might write that.” Berra rolls her eyes. “But yeah, Lord Eril’s got to know and it shouldn’t wait until the end of Fire Season.”
“So, Boldhome first then?”
“He’s up in Tarsh somewhere, with the Regiment. It’s a war zone, or I’d have told you already to go. I just need to think about whether you’ll get there alive. Probably.” Berra frowns, thoughtfully.
Nayale bristles. “I can do it, Lady Berra! I’ve been practicing scouting with my brother. I know how to find basic foods off the land and I can find safe sleeping spots too.” 2Varanis: Offended adolescent!!!
“Uhuh. It’s more the rest of the people doing that which’ll be a problem, to be honest. And the fact that you’ll need to use the roads to travel at speed and I have no idea who the roads belong to right now. I didn’t get enough information, and I know about where the forces are, but finding them in a place full of who’s hostile’s not always going to be easy. You could easily get jumped by a … hmm. less’think. Maybe you can find extra help at Alda Chur. Dwarf Mine would be really expensive, but you could ask the Dwarf if he’d be willing to have you escorted in return for hearing what you saw.” Berra is obviously running through possibilities.
At the mention of the Dwarf, Nayale’s eyes get huge, but she stays quiet as Berra thinks.
“Dunstop’s not the right place. We don’t want Fazzur to know any of this.” Berra glances over to Irillo again, in what might be irritation. “You could ask your boss here to suggest safe ways. I don’t yet know if I want to keep you or send you off, mind.”
Nayale nods. “I’ll be careful if you send me, I promise. But, if you want me to stay, I’ll do my best for you and your friend.”
“Yeah. I’m letting you know I’m thinking, so you can think too, but I don’t yet know what’s most important and what’s dangerous. It could easily be a simple run, but we never rely on that.” Berra’s expression runs through thought, wonder, and apparently indigestion, to settle on a relaxed look. “Don’t worry what people called you or me. We can find out the Truth, and that’s what’s important.”
“You should probably know that he made it sound like his cousin would make things bad for you if you fought the matter. I don’t think Jarrick knows who he is messing with, but we decided we didn’t know the Chief or weapon-thane enough to try to call the bluff. Because it might not have been a bluff.”
“Yeaaaaah.” Berra looks unimpressed. “I ain’t sure he’s ever really met a Humakti proper, then. Also, probably not met someone with a temper like mine, but that’s different. Telling me things are going to be hard isn’t really gonna put me off.”
- 1Berra fails Insight: there’s a general sense that she’s not saying everything, but that’s about it.
- 2Varanis: Offended adolescent!!!
