Mellia — Healing Tale 1
????, Sea Season, 1626/Stasis Week
Context
Sea Season 1626/Stasis Week/Windsday/midmorning, out near the farms. After Session 27.
Events
Mellia wanders through the village fields, calling Sosa’s name. At this season, the fields are green, not gold. Mellia finally spots a bit of white on the horizon. She walks towards it.
There is Sosa, hurrying from a farmhouse with a smile on her face and a basket of food on her arm. Her robe is hitched up so that she can talk down the muddy lane, but obviously not to the point where anyone could call it salacious. She’s simply getting along without falling over. This is a good thing, as half of the basket seems to be filled with eggs.
“Can I help with the basket? I need your help with Insterla,” calls Mellia.
“Oh, I know what is in it,” says Sosa. “Everyone tries to give me food, but they all like different things so I just end up helping them to share.” A big, wide expression like that could do with a big bad wolf, but none have presented themselves. “What is it about Insterla? The dear girl!” Sosa offers over a mushroom, with a mischevious smile.
“The dear girl,” Mellia explains, “suffers from guilt as well as fear. I don’t know whether she thinks she led the Tusk Riders here, or let them in. I do know that she thinks her silence is protecting us all.”
“Oh…” Sosa’s shoulders sink a little. “I can see that could affect her, the poor little gecko. But what can we do about that? She’s not wounded, and she listens and nods and smiles and she is just lovely, and then she doesn’t say anything.”
“I can think of two approaches. Do you know the goddess’ song of comfort? Singing that over her might help.”
Sosa shakes her head. “I could learn it,” she says hesitantly, “But I was planning to learn more about the blessings of fertility. I don’t know how to balance one child against future children…” She sighs. “I’ve been thinking about this a lot, but I didn’t know how the problem was caused.”
“You go ahead and learn more about fertility,” Mellia says. “I can either ask for that knowledge, or we can go the sneaky way. Do you know any good stories where someone speaks up and saves everyone? Ones about Vinga would especially be good.”
Sosa sighs. “No, but Arianatha does, I’m sure. And if she tells them to Varanis, who is new, and has bright armour, that would probably help more than me knowing them. I think that is a brilliant idea!”
Mellia beams. “Let’s go find Arianatha and talk to her. Varanis will help; she asked me to help Insterla in the first place.”
“I should go and deliver some of this while I still remember what is what in the basket, but right now Arianatha is at the shrine, I know. If you need someone to act the part of a person in… well, it won’t be a grown-up hero quest, but if you need someone to be in danger, call on me so she can save me.”
“I will! Where is the shrine to Vinga?”
“It’s by the shrine to Orlanth Farmer,” says Sosa. “The pair of open buildings next to the low part of the cliff, by the copse with three stunted trees.”
She points the way, and adds, “Along here until you reach a big mossy stone, and turn uphill. That path leads you back to the palisade fastest, and it’s in there.
“Thank you, Sosa. I’ll try to come back to the shrine after I go there.” Mellia sets off for the shrine of Vinga, minding her feet and choosing easy paths.
