1628, Storm Season, Death Week, Fireday
Context
After a Heroquest, it is required to ensure a Hero is not a danger to the temple, and to learn from them any secrets or mysteries that have been hitherto unrevealed. Jarangsdottir being unable to report in a satisfactory fashion, having been injured, now presents herself for examination.
Events
~ Fireday of Death Week, Orlanth’s Season. Sword in attendance Lord Eril. Also present, Lord Raven. Witnessed by initiate Athanu. Report on the Heroquest of Lord Eril revisited. Initiate has waived the present of a second Sword of Humakt. Initiate, the last report was cut short. Is this interruption likely once more?
~ No, Lord.
I think I can relieve you of that point. I have no objections.
But you intend to interrupt as you see fit?
Interrupt is a harsh word.
…
~ Then proceed. From the point where you entered Boldhome before the matter began.
~ I was coming in to come to the Temple, Lord. I didn’t want to be noticed in the streets so I cut through the back ways. As I passed the Temple of Lhankor Mhy, I found that I was in heavy armour, ornate, and I knew myself to be you. To my right I saw a group of Lunars. I hated them – wanted to-
~ The emotions of a god are not germane.
I’m interested. I want to know what I was feeling at the time.
~ Um. I gotta tell this and I gotta pick out what I can remember so I can’t just say some bits.
She is doctrinally correct.
We knew this would come…
~ Proceed.
~ I hated them. As soon as I saw them I wanted to kill them all, but I also knew I couldn’t. I ran so I could do the right thing. It wasn’t being a coward. I had something more important to do than dying or killing. They followed and I wounded one that I later found out was Varanis, and then I got away. The Lunar commander called then off. She was one I thought I knew, named Sanra. She was being played by Serala.
~ I lost them, and ran for a bit, and then I went to the river to get rid of my armour. I found some young ducks there and asked them to hide it for me. They already knew about me although we had not met. They knew about a duck that couldn’t swim.
Ugh.
Your Priest is showing considerably better control of herself than you are, Lord Raven. Was this how she won you?
~ Were they all adults?
~ I think so. Some were still a bit fluffy, but I don’t think I asked a dangerous thing of children. Otherwise I wouldn’t have asked them to do it.
~ Proceed, then.
~ I knew the next thing would be where the Secret Hospital was, so I went there to hide and observe. I didn’t get there because I was interrupted by a scene of the Heroquest. I met Ariun and talked to him and then he tried to get away. A lot of Orlanthi were there and they were pretty confused so I just got into the crowd and yanked them back and stopped them. They din’t volunteer to be there and I wasn’t going to draw on them in the city. There’s always another way. So anyhow, most people in the city don’t know how to run or work through a crowd.
Where did you learn to?
~ I’m kind of concentrating here.
~ Keep to the point, Priest Berra.
~ Ariun got away. He was played by Finarvi. Then I talked with Maalira afterwards and said I would see them at the Secret Hospital.
~ I told her I had not started the Heroquest. She didn’t know who had either. But I was in it and my friends were in it, and I didn’t want to damage them.
~ But you did not mind damaging an initiate of the Temple of Humakt?
~ I’ve done that a fair few times. Lord. Me, Lord Kesten, Lord Gallem…
Note the Wyter Priest’s new habit of answering back in reports. Track to see if this stays a habit.
So it shall be done.
~ Leave aside the boasting. Continue with the report.
~ I thank my Lord for the instruction. So, I started off for the hospital, and waited there, and watched. At one point Sanra came down the street and I hid and got away. I was on the roofs an’ they didn’t understand what I was doing or how mobile I was. I could go sideways away.
~ I got to the hospital and scraped the Rune off my cheek and the Death Tattoos off my hands.
Note she names Death easily but dislikes admitting she put aside Truth.
I shall do your will.
~ There was a lot of blood, but I dropped all the yuk and skin into a stream and walked the last bit. When I went in the Priestess there was Maalira, an’ she didn’t really understand I was in a hurry, but she healed me with magic when I asked. The wounded there were, um…
~ Were…?
~ Played by alynxes, Lord.
Hahahaha!
~ Alynxes.
~ Yeah. Um, I don’t know why. Maybe it was the free-est Orlanthi people that the Heroquest could find?
~ Alynxes are categorically not people.
~ I know! But I have no idea why they were there, Lord. It was just they were. And the Lunar was outside. Finarvi went out of one window and I went out of another. I had my face and one hand healed. The other one’s still a bit of a mess.
~ We are not here to discuss your current state. Continue without digressions, if you will?
Questioned signals for water, which she pours herself. ~ After that I called on your knowledge, Lord. Hidden in a place in the city I wrote a note to my friends.
Previous request: Athanu, remind me to make no remarks on her penmanship or letter-writing
Noted.
~ I told them to signal me if they wanted to help, or wanted me to do it on my own, then I went to the Temple. They signalled they would help.
~ What was this signal?
~ Coloured cloth on the top of the house. They put the White Lady’s robe out to dry.
~ I see. And did you observe this personally?
~ No, Lord. I paid an initiate of this Temple to do so, as a private hiring matter.
~ That comes close to stepping over the bounds of your authority.
~ Please tell me if I put a foot wrong, Lord.
… Athanu, that was uncalled for. Mark for future consideration of Wyter Priest’s rebellious tendencies.
It shall be as you command.
~ Continue, with more emphasis on facts.
~ Yes, Lord. I slept in the Blacksmith’s bothy. It’s a place that’s different from the Temple, outside the building. A day later I crept out with the relics which had been provided to me, and Finarvi was there. I met him.
~ There is no record of you leaving.
~ Like I said, Lord. Crept. Oh, yeah. There’s a crack in that goes from the top-level eaves past the Place of Veneration and down past the arrow slits to ten feet off the ground. I climbed down that. I don’t think it’s a massive problem – getting up would be pretty hard. But still.
Athanu, mark for repair. Note further evidence of insubordination in minor part. No action to be taken.
Your will is mine.
~ I left over High Bird, when Finarvi and my other friends were causing a fuss at the gate. I went to the market there and managed to get some money, but I had seen a path I hadn’t spotted before so I went over that way. It went in through the glacier, an’ that was … uh, not germane?
~ Correct. Move on.
~ Having met my friends on the road to Wilmskirk-
Questioner calls for pause for other business.
Athanu, either she is taking instruction from Lord Raven, or her level of understanding of grammar has increased. I will consider this before we go on.
