1629, Fire Season, Likely Illusion Week
Context
Varanis has been busy finding a King for Whitewall. Mellia has been busy being married, pregnant, and a White Lady. Session S.5-W-17.
Events
Wilmskirk, some days later. The Hospital holds a Wolf Pirate, a White Lady (by which it be understood a particular White Lady, in this case Mellia Lightbringer) and her companion, Thane Vareena.
The thane looks as though she’s been on the road recently and came directly here.
Mellia looks like she has been working hard. She is just finishing up with a mother and baby when the thane arrives.
Varanis greets her cousin with a heartfelt hullo before bowing briefly to the new mother. Turning back to Mellia, she looks the healer up and down. “Still no babe? Are you remembering to take care of yourself as well as everyone else?”
Mellia is very, very pregnant. This is why Varanis is offered a sideways hug. “Varanis! I am so tired of waddling around. Everyone here reminds me, I think on Jaldis’ orders. You look well; did you forget to let Silor offer you hospitality?”
“Your letter made it sound like I should come with what haste I could manage.”
Mellia frowns. “I don’t remember that. I probably messed up the letter. I wrote it all by myself.”
“It was something about a lost lamb, Jaldis, you heading home and taking my prisoner with you,” Varanis says with great confidence.1Varanis fumbled Read/Write
“I messed it up. Let’s take a walk.”
Varanis falls in beside Mellia, shortening her stride so that her cousin doesn’t need to hurry.
Mellia looks for a nice quiet spot to talk.
The hospital is a busy place. The aftermath of the Wolf Pirates’ attack is still being felt, even after the time that has passed. Despite the number of people present, there is an air of calm. Patients are resting, as rest is often an important medicine.
Some halls are busier than others. Mellia manages to find a quiet spot, although it does take work.
“I think we’d better discuss that prisoner first.”
“Has he been causing trouble?”
“No, but Jaldis wants you to take him with you when you return to Boldhome,” Mellia says. “We have him here under our protection, but we are also not telling anyone that. Even most of the staff don’t know.”
The thane chews her lower lip, considering. “I’ve been thinking about that. I figured I’d probably need to give him a job of some sort. What’s his behaviour been like? How’s he healing?”
“When I saw him,” Mellia says, “he looked healthy and was meditating. My hope is that he will choose peace, take the vows and spend the rest of his life saving lives. I don’t think he will, but then there is the healer of Wildrock Woods.”
“The what?”
“The healer of Wildrock Woods is a broo. So if she can choose healing, then so can he.”
“A broo?! But broo are Chaotic. We’re obligated to destroy them!” The utter shock on Vareena’s face gives way to a very Orthlanti anger. “Broo are Chaotic, Mellia. They cannot change their fundamental nature!”
“With the aid of the White Lady, Varanis, many things are possible. The healer of Wildrock Woods has forsaken Chaos for life and harmony. She stands high in the favor of Chalana Arroy, too.”
Mellia gets a very disbelieving look from her cousin, but Vareena doesn’t push it. Instead, she says, “And if this ex-pirate wishes to become a healer, where would he train? Who would have him?”
“No one in Wilmskirk,” and Mellia sighs. “I think the Great Hospital might, or maybe the hospital in Boldhome. I would do it myself if I could teach him all he needs to know.”
“I had thought to perhaps employ him myself. I suppose I need to talk to him now that he’s well, and establish what his wishes are.”
Mellia nods. “I can take you to him, but I think you should brace yourself for Jaldis. She doesn’t want you here for some reason. It might be that you have important work in Whitewall, or Jaldis may be up to something.”
“I … what? I thought Jaldis was heading back to Whitewall. And we finished the work we needed to do there.”
“She is, as soon as she feels comfortable leaving the hospital here on its own.”
“Right.” The brave Wind Lord heaves a sigh, then says, “Take me to him and we’ll just have to hope she’s elsewhere.”
Mellia nods and leads Varanis to a door marked with the Harmony Rune. Mellia knocks on the door and…..
… no one answers.
Mellia looks very worried and opens the door just enough to let her enter. She walks in.
The pirate is stretched out on his sleeping pallet, unmoving.
Mellia tiptoes over to the pirate. She gently tries to wake him.
He startles awake with an incoherent yelp, sitting up so quickly he nearly bonks heads with the healer.
Having followed Mellia into the room, Vareena’s hand drops to her hilt for the barest second before she realises there’s no threat.
Mellia tells the pirate, “Thane Vareena is here to talk to you.”
He stares past the White Lady at the bronze-clad Wind Lord looming behind her.
Vareena stares back.
“It’s alright,” Mellia reassures him, “you’re safe here.”
He gives her a wide-eyed look, but nods and gets to his feet. He stands to face the stony-faced Vingan.
Mellia says to the pirate, “I will get this started. What do you want to do with the rest of your life?”
The Pirate nods to Mellia, like he is agreeing with her.2Mellia fails Insight Human. The pirate has no idea what she is talking about, as his Tradetalk is terrible.
Mellia waits for a more detailed answer.
The man smiles, nervously, and also tries nodding to Varanis.
Varanis nods slowly back, then says carefully, “What is your name?” She points at him.
Confidence floods his face. “Pallya,” he says, touching his belly. “Warriar.” Warrior? Worrier? Probably Warrior.
“Pallyyaa,” she repeats. “Warrior. Vareena,” she says with a hand on her cuirass. “Wind Lord. Mellia,” she adds, patting her cousin on the shoulder. “Healer.”
“Wide lady.” He bows to Mellia. It looks different to when a Heortling does it, somehow.
Mellia bows her head to Pallya in reply. She then greets him in Heortling and Esrolian.
“Plis, tray-talk,” he tells her. No Heortling or Esrolian, apparently.
Mellia nods and returns to Tradetalk.
The man waits to be addressed. He looks like a farmer-warrior, the sort of person who marches in fyrds, and sometimes rises to high esteem and honour. For all his nervousness he seems very ready for action.
“What would you like to do, Pallya, now that you don’t need to be a pirate?”
He stares. “Food?”
Mellia nods and goes off to the kitchen. She will eventually return with food. No one else might want the pickles.
This does leave Pallya with Varanis for a little, but if they talk, nothing seems to have changed when Mellia gets back.3Insight for Varanis: Pallya is trying to work out what the White Lady said. His trade-talk is bad, and she was asking questions that went beyond what he knew.”
Mellia says, “We get to share this.” Between bites of pickles, she asks, “Are you sworn to the service of a god, Pallya?”
He hedges, “Food is good. Wide lady good giver.”
Mellia smiles. “Thank you, Pallya. I wish Berra was here, or Yamia. They would know if Humakt would take you.”
Pallya looks up to Varanis and back down to Mellia. “Humakt no. Orlant.”
Mellia nods. “Orlanth is a good god. I fear for you outside this room, though.”
He looks alarmed. “No hurt! I not hurt Wide Lady!”
“Thank you for that,” Mellia responds. “Once you leave here, you may be in danger.”
His expression changes, and he nods, gesturing to Varanis with his open palm. “Thane. For me.”
Vareena had been watching the entire exchange, silent and thoughtful. “You wish to serve me?” she asks, pointing to him and then herself.
“Am serve, yes.” That gets a nod and another of the bows where he touches his fingertips together.
She nods back. “Yes. I will help you.” To Mellia, she says, “I will make the donation to this temple on his behalf. Can you let whoever is in charge of such things know that I arrange for the donation to be sent from Boldhome?”
His eyes dart back and forth, from woman to woman.
“Of course,” Mellia says. “Right now, I think that is Jaldis, for all she is planning to return to Whitewall.”
“Why her? Did the High Healer here die in the attack??”
“I don’t know, but Jaldis has pretty much taken over.”
“Surely she is above the mundane tasks of handling donations.” Vareena glances at the former pirate, and on seeing his confusion, tells Mellia, “please ask around as to who handles donations. We can continue that discussion later.” To Pallya, she returns to careful Tradetalk. “You are Pallya, a warrior, and a worshipper of Orlanth. Do you know how to ride a horse?”
Mellia nods and lets Pallya speak.
His face is blank. Varanis might have to resort to mime.
She does. “You ride horse?” She points to him, then tries miming holding reins, followed by attempting to draw the shape of a horse in the air.4Varanis passes Act.
“No, not horse. Ship. I ride ship only.” The man looks confident about that.
Vareena chews her lip. “You will learn.”
Vareena looks at the clothes and at the armour piled in a corner. Wolf Pirate. She frowns.
To Mellia, she says, “Can he stay a few hours more while I find him something Sartarite to wear and leave word for Finarvi and Xenofos that I am taking a trip to Boldhome?”
Mellia replies, “Of course. The temple of Orlanth has been replaced with a hill, so going to the palace might work better.”
“Pardon?” Vareena looks genuinely confused.
“King Vamastal, on his way back from the Hero Plane, managed to anger a storm giant. The storm giant replaced the temple of Orlanth with a hill.”
Her cousin gapes. “And the Storm Voice?” Then she glances back at Pallya. “Later. First, I’ll deal with my new guard. You,” she points to him, “stay here,” she points to the floor. “I”, she points to herself, “go and come back.” She makes a walking gesture with her fingers towards the door and then back again.
Pallya nods his head. “Weill do.”
“I don’t know, ” says Mellia. “Almost anyone else knows more than I do. I was running the walking wounded first aid station.”
Vareena starts to turn to leave, then turns back to Pallya. “If I asked, would you take an Oath?” She says it slowly, but there are no hand gestures this time, as if she can’t figure out how to sign something as complex as a Humakti Oath.
Blank look. “Uehhh…”
She shrugs. “Later.” And then she’s striding out the door, leaving Mellia to stay or join her as she wishes.
Mellia tells Pallya, “Stay here, please.” She slips out the door and searches for whoever is handling donations. Once that is settled, Mellia will look for some clothes for Pallya in the hospital.
Donations are of course handled by the usual team of women who make sure that money is handled well. No changes.
Meanwhile, Vareena heads off to Silor’s home to leave word for Xenofos and Finarvi, make her apologies to the chief, and then check out both the Temple and the market.
- 1Varanis fumbled Read/Write
- 2Mellia fails Insight Human. The pirate has no idea what she is talking about, as his Tradetalk is terrible.
- 3Insight for Varanis: Pallya is trying to work out what the White Lady said. His trade-talk is bad, and she was asking questions that went beyond what he knew.”
- 4Varanis passes Act.
