Session Sartar Arc 11

1628, Earth Season, Illusion Week, Wildday

Dramatis Personae

Events²Serala logging again

Maalira is now outside Wilmskirk for the night.  Berra arrives to inform her that the others are all in the city and offers to camp together, much to Maalira’s relief.  Until she finds she’s snugged herself up right by an anthill.  Ouchie.  

In the morning, everyone else emerges from Wilmskirk, all happy and refreshed.  And not rubbing it in at all.  

Berra recaps The Plan for Maalira’s sake³Ed: And not for the rest of us who aren’t confused at all, honest

She is doing a quest for the High Sword.⁴Dickhead  He doesn’t appreciate ducks, on the whole, but if we proceed with the quest with the help of some ducks, it might improve Eril’s general personality.  Oh, and might improve the quest outcome.  So we’re off to the Uplands Marsh – which happens a lot in the Indrodar Cycle – having picked up some ducks from Duck Point to help us on the way.  The outcome should be that a demon should be summon/created from the parts that Eril previously lost to Ikadz the Torturer,⁵when his weaknesses were tortured out of him and that will be his Wyter.

Are we all up to speed now?  Good.

Oh, an aside, D’Val was going to play Ikadz, however he is occupied, so Berra would like the Humakti Blacksmith to hand so that he can deal with any unexpected issues.

We pass through Quackford, with Berra greatly disappointing the ducklings by not playing with them; for good reason, not wishing to drag them into a heroquest.  Maalira is dispatched to feed them sweets and distract them and all ends happily.  Perhaps not so much as the ducklings all climb into Maalira’s bison’s fur to nest happily and she is left with how to turf them out.

We proceed on towards Duck Point, but en route we are ambushed by zombies!  Or so Berra and Serala think, as they accidentally think some rotted trees to the north of the road are zombies.  Having distracted everyone, only Finarvi manages to spot the Grazelanders riding towards us.  There is confusion as everyone tries to repurpose spells and attacks towards the actual threat – as it turns out to be as the Grazelanders shout ‘Get her’ and charge.  Her?  Which her?  Everyone assumes it’s Berra.

Serala manages to kick Pag in the ribs and send him careening towards the forest rather than turning back towards the enemy.  Berra goes all Humakti, Varanis moves in to defend Berra, Finarvi moves to defend Maalira.

Berra goes to stab her opponent, hits him – even as he hits her right in the neck, she’s about to drop, even die… and then we are all in the Humakti Temple at Duck Point.  And Berra is looking rather shame-faced and even prostrates herself to Lord Geoffri, and requests sanctuary.  The duck tells the rest of us to leave the temple; Varanis believes that there is about to be a summary execution of Berra and refuses to leave; everyone else backs Varanis of course.  There is a moment where Varanis might actually leave, but it doesn’t last long.  Finarvi and Maalira, being the wise ones, do.

Geoffri⁶who I’m sure is spelt differently asks Berra what she fears most.  She promptly rambles…  Crimson Bat, disappointing Eril, she would fear D’Val in battle, for all that she likes and respects him,⁷and in unsaid words, that she doesn’t feel the same about Geoffri and she sometimes dreams of being taken by the troll again.  The others tell Geoffri what a good Humakti she is.

The Duck Lord then asks how important the quest is; when she says very important, he tells her she cares too much about Varanis and to duel her, as a lay member of Humakt.  There is a brief stare, but Varanis volunteers to be fought. Berra explains the rules – no starting with magic, fight until one cannot continue, the loser will owe the winner a favour/future promise.

Berra goes off to do thinking/preparation/sekkritshit.  Varanis goes to the Air Temple and spends time in prayer and preparation.⁸including Woading  The other three go off to the nearby village to stable the horses and bison as we will be spending the night.  

Two hours later, the fight begins.  The first blow is from Berra to Varanis – and takes out her sword arm in a mighty blow.  Varanis resolves to continue, managing to dodge Berra’s second attack, taking her sword out with her shield in the process.  The crowd is split – it’s definitely a D’Val vs Geoffri grudge match judging by the reactions.

Eventually Varanis manages to get the magic off to heal her arm, while backtracking and defending and picking up Eril’s sword and thus gets her first chance to hit at Berra; sadly⁹for Varanis Berra dodges, before coming back with a flurry of blows of her own.  Lots of sounds of clanging of sword meeting shields later, no-one is hurt.  Varanis hits back, Berra still dodges.  

Berra finally gets a sword blow in; but misjudges it and stabs Varanis in the stomach, luckily between armour and how uber Varanis is, it doesn’t do as much damage as it might have done.  But it was a near thing, probably leading to a few pale faces in the stands.  Berra is clearly working up to something, but in the meantime Varanis manages to smack her in the head, the flat of the sword rattling Berra’s brains – and she goes down, unconscious. Varanis staggers and then topples.

Maalira comes in to do her White Lady thing; perhaps oddly, checking on Berra first in spite of the fact Varanis is the one bleeding.  Before long, Berra is stabilised and Varanis is no longer bleeding.

While everyone is busy patching the wounded up, Finarvi points out someone he spotted in the crowd.  DEVOLIN!!!

Serala takes off,¹⁰not literally heading for Devolin with, at least, enough presence of mind to not draw a sword. She manages to grab him and start bashing his head off the ground.  Varanis steps in to tell Serala to stop, after Devolin appeals to her as an aspect of Orlanth.  Serala throws the duck at Varanis and storms out, swearing.  

Berra is taken to the room for the night, with Devolin unwillingly helping carry her litter.  And he also manages to pickpocket Maalira for all her sweets while doing so.  To be fair, he’s good at what he does.  It’s just a shame what he does is to be a conniving, thieving little sneak.

Finarvi fixes the dents in Varanis’s armour before she and Maalira go to look for Serala, leaving the injured Berra and Varanis to recuperate.  Serala really should be in the stables, judging on past form, but she isn’t.  The pair head into town, where they are propositioned by Ducks of the Night, which they respectfully decline.  

Serala returns in the night and sleeps in the stables, where Finarvi has left some blankets for her – and some  bison dung in her boot.  This leads to childish counterattacks with horse dung down Finarvi’s shirt.

With 20 ducks in tow, we all head out, back via Wilmskirk.

En route, Serala has some nightmares – worryingly, she is apparently dreaming in New Pelorian.  On waking, she says that Sanra is never out of her head.  But she agrees that ‘after’ this, she will talk to Grandfather Centaur.

And in due course they arrive at the Cinderfox Tula. 

• 1
  Actttually, duckss are a speciesz with very goodt hygiene!
• 2
  Serala logging again
• 3
  Ed: And not for the rest of us who aren’t confused at all, honest
• 4
  Dickhead
• 5
  when his weaknesses were tortured out of him
• 6
  who I’m sure is spelt differently
• 7
  and in unsaid words, that she doesn’t feel the same about Geoffri
• 8
  including Woading
• 9
  for Varanis
• 10
  not literally