Private journal.

Lucky do I call Garmeed, my brother
skillful herder, tamer of bisons
Who weds Neela, the fairest flower of Straw weavers
Mother of Orgfal and Elara, lady with the spotted Bull
May her herds multiply and ever find good fodder, may he never return empty handed from a hunt.
May happiness dwell in their yurt, may they share many happy years

I do hope they find love together. A marriage does not require that for happiness. Respect and duty can be enough. But I pray Uleria they find it. She would deserve it, I think. But deserve does not determine it, alas.

I don’t know if Orgfal understood the meaning of Truth. If I can leave him one lesson as meaningful as Sestar left me I have not lived in vain.

Letter concept to granny

In Boldhome, the White Grape
Dearest Gran

Blessings of Ernalda with you and all of our house.
I have some family news I am sure you are delighted to hear. First of all, I have a niece called Elara, daughter of Neela of Black Lance, born last Dark season. She carries Saiciae blood through me. Among her people she can only have one father, though so I am her uncle through adoption. Mother of the late and new husband of Neela accepted me as her son so I am now both Straw weaver of the bison tribe and Saiciae. Still not good enough on a bison I am afraid.
In Sartar Varanis has given birth to a healthy daughter called Berra. A loud little thing with cute red hair. Comes after her mother I guess. Strong in Air. Varanis is also quite healthy although she was perhaps a bit surprised by this turn of events. She misses Martha. Could you ask her if she would consider the hassle of travelling to Sartar and Blue Tree tula where little Berra is been raised.

Good health and prosperity
Your loving grandson Xenofos

PS. Congratulations to Serzeen, I hope she is feeling well.

To temple archives

In Sea season of 1628 dame Varanis introduced her daughter Berra to Leika, queen of Colymar. Queen Leika asked Varanis scholar (not sage as the queen said) to investigate a haunting that had taken place in Clearwine. Together with her band and scholar Varanis found out the cause of the disturbance to be a Draconic egg robbed and left there by Lunars. The egg was found out to be a river almost ready to emerge. Queen Leika ordained it’s course to be marked by the denizens of Quackford. Despite attempted interference by a some Lismelder tribesmen and a band of Dragonewts, it was planted under guidance of riverpriests and Berra, a Humakti who had reached a contact with it (See the Story of the river egg.) and was guided to run to Quackford by Berra.

Dragonewt king and a river copulated. An egg was laid. Sometime later a band of Dragonewts transporting it were waylaid by a Lunar patrol who took the egg. It was taken into town of Clearwine and hidden in rushes of a townhouse roof. After liberation of Sartar it was never recovered, maybe the person who hid it was killed in Dragonrise, maybe he just arrived. People moved into the house but did not find the egg. They did not find the egg but it’s presence disturbed their dreams driving them mad. At last nobody moved into the haunted house anymore. The egg hatched slowly among the rushes emitting water and at last falling to the floor from the rotten thatches and almost filling the lower floor of the house with water.¹Knowledge here partly Mysteries of Lhankor Mhy, partly witness testimony of Oraninna of Ernaldori

It was at this time Oraninna of Ernaldori asked Queen Leika to investigate the haunting and Leika referred the task to thane Vareena of Blue Tree and her Sage Xenofos (sic. title used by the queen mistakenly.) Vareena agreed to this and a band consisting of Varanis, Berra Humakti, Valseena Well-loved, Suuraki High Llama and Xenofos set out to investigate late on the evening. Use of simple detect magic from outside the house was met by a light as bright as Yelm, signaling presence of magic of utmost potency. Varanis left the group temporarily, but the rest proceeded to enter the house. There it was found that lower floor of the two storey building was half filled with water. Source of the water appeared to be the the upper floor.²own observation

In the upper floor there was a spherical object about size of an ostrich egg in a puddle of sweet water.³own tasting observation Protected by a shield spell cast by Humakti Berra I observed the thing with appropriate mysteries of Master of knowledge to ascertain its powers. It was immediately certain that this was a thing of Draconic origin and “Left alone to hatch, this will release a river. Destroyed before hatching, it will release a dragon.”⁴Lhankor Mhy As I contemplated this I observed Berra Humakti falling unconscious and amount of water surging markedly from the pool around egg trying to reach the said Berra.⁵Berra said later that during her unconsciousness she had a vision or instinctive knowledge of how to tend to the egg and of it’s nature and that she made a choice to want to have a river not dragon. It might be wise to further discuss the experience with her, but present writer may not be the best scholar for the task.

I informed my conscious companions of worst case scenario (Dragon) and likely outcome (a river.) On further note it was decided to take the egg out of the town as a priority as safely as possible and Oraninna – at the same lodgings as Vareena, was to be informed of this. A safer passage was created by Suuraki and meanwhile I asked Lhankor Mhy for further information regarding the egg. I got the history outlined above, and with another question the knowledge that the egg had not become a river yet, but planting it correctly would be required. This gave some leeway on timing but on the other hand unfortunately suggested a risk of a dragon appearing was not yet past.

We were hindered from leaving the vicinity of the abode by a group of Clearwine guards. Fortunately Vareena arrived pretty soon and we got moving towards the gates with her using her authority to clear the way. After our group was attacked by an Orlanthi warrior by a lightning spell I took custody of satchel with the egg. (The warrior was put to sleep by Maalira of Bison tribe a White Lady.)

As we made progress towards the gates Humakti Berra regained consciousness and demanded to have the egg. Surprised by the demand and her claim of ownership of the thing I had seen never to touch her before I examined it I refused (despite her anger and express order of my liege lord) and urged marching forward. My resolve was strengthened by said Humakti trying to lay hands on me and thus in my view increasing the risk of the egg breaking leaving me suspicious if she was in command of her faculties.

Local Humakti Naimless asked our healer Maalira to end this disturbance which she did by persuading Berra to let us proceed outside. When outside the gates this discussion was renewed. Since I had had time to observe that Berra was at least sound of body enough to walk outside the gates, had been able to calm down markedly and was prepared to promise to protect the egg with her life. Since I had also time to think of her claim to possessing the egg through hatching it and connecting this to the eruption of water, I now deemed it possible to give her the egg, which I did with great relief.⁶My liege later accused me of provoking this altercation, as did Humakti Berra. I disagree, but acknowledge I should have made sure my liege was better informed despite presence of outsiders. With such testimony from two independent witnesses this possibility can not be discounted entirely though.

Outside the gates, with water flowing freely we heard advice from the river priests and had to wait for queen Leika’s judgement of where the river would be planted.
The next morning it was judged the ducks of Quackford would get to set its course.⁷See Torograi Berra the Waterbringer or Lhankor Mhy archives of Clearwine royal
courts We set out on the same day towards Quackford where we were accompanied by a local riverpriest Greenfleck and his companion Arganast who later proved to be excellent shot with a sling.

After mainly non eventful two day travel to Lismelder lands we reached a point deemed the right one by Greenfleck.⁸There were fish observed in the puddle surrounding Berra There we were attacked by half a dozen dragonewts in a vicious battle. If Berra had not spotted their ambush this could have turned out really badly. Their range with javelins aided by kind of sticks was remarkable.

However they perished under the assault of Vareena, Rajar – and after she had made sure I had the egg on a way to safety – by Berra. The intiate Arganast dropped two of the Dragonewst with his sling.⁹I find it unlikely that this attack was a mere coincidence, with us carrying a Draconic magical treasure with us. Were they perhaps trying to releas the dragon?

The river was planted by Berra on Fertility Week of Freezeday under instructions by Greenfleck. The course was then marked by path of Berra until we reached Quackford where the New River now flows into the old one.

You can hear it from the wind, not everything is at it should.
One falls fatigued, weary is the other
Against the red moon you can see the wolf howling,
But not the glint of morning dew on the leaves of the rowan tree.

By shouting you can make a rock weep
but you can not not talk the other one into an apology
– and thus do we sow the wind¹⁰thanks Viikate

It does not matter
where you ride, horseman
It does not matter
where your trail comes to an end
Decay do the most beautiful of roses
Of death reeks Dark Season,
Once the night to the wanderer grants his rest
Joy of wine is but a vanishing dream
The most beautiful song echoes but for a moment
Vanity of vanities let your motto be
And in the lands of Death all be forgotten shall be
Roses of love bloomed to you once
Lips charming swore sweet wows
Wows dearest vanish like will o wisp
The fire of a kiss is but a fleeting illusion
It does not matter
When you die horseman
It does not matter when your trail comes to an end
Because forever bloom the dark roses in gardens of death
It does not matter
when you die horseman.¹¹Adapted from Swedish Kavaljersvisan