Joined-Up Thinking

Session 7

1629, Fire Season, Fertility Week, Around Freezeday up to Windsday evening

Dramatis Personae

PCs

Berra
Irillo
Kolyey
Maalira
Nayale

NPCs

Ornkarth
Salid
An unnamed Messenger
Jebedigg and some guards
Dormal
A Silvertongue Priest
A food vendor who neither expected nor deserved Berra

Events

The caravan, with Ornkarth as a guest, set off for Queen’s Post. Ornkarth proved to be a smug, amused, but not incompetent man, seeming not to need any sleep, and making himself useful around the camp. He also gave good but patronising advice to people, mostly Nayale. The journey looked like it would take four or five days, depending on how hard they pushed the mules.

As they rode, a vision swam across Irillo’s consciousness. He was dimly able to make out Dormal and what might have been a lot of hazia smoke. Dormal told him something big was going down in Rhigos, and a thing was coming down via the Grazelands. He wanted Irillo to fi-… and the vision was cut off.

The others had paused to gather around Irillo, who was subvocalising, and Berra1I think it was Berra. concentrated on the feeling and was suddenly in the den with Dormal, who eeked a lot, and then told her he needed to know every single one of Irillo’s contacts and favours down there. The Demivierge was building up to something big, with festivals left, right and centre, to distract from whatever it was.

The group picked up the pace somewhat. The only problem they had for two days was how useful Ornkarth was – Kolyey insisted in taste-testing the porridge that he made before Maalira could have any, for example. He then gave them all a short lesson over breakfast in slow-acting poisons.

That day, they caught up with an Issarian caravan, and after some discussion, Irillo persuaded him to check his stock. Ornkarth cooked up a quick lunch for everyone while that happened, naturally. The newtlings bought more things for sacrifice from the merchant, and then Irillo’s caravan pushed forward. Berra sent Ornkarth to talk to Nayale for a bit, which was cruel but amusing for everyone else.

Late at night on Clayday Eve, as Kolyey and Salid guarded, they heard hoofbeats. Kolyey went to look while Salid woke Berra, and then everyone else on Berra’s orders. Kolyey found someone she thought was a merchant, because his greeting was polite, but he did not explicitly say so. Berra arrived on the scene and after the three of them had fenced words for a while, she told Kolyey to bring him up to the camp, and hurried there to warn Ornkarth to stay out of the way, as she was pretty sure this man could be a Lunar messenger. She poked up the fire a little, and went to stand by Irillo.

Kolyey brought the maybe-a-messenger up to camp, where they asked him a few questions, and went through his pack. The man had no Runes on show, but when Berra cast Soul Sight, he turned out to have a little magic on him, and some on the horse – both centred around the eyes. He had some message tablets with him, and did not apparently know who they were from, or for whom they were meant. He was polite but very cagey indeed, and Kolyey and Nayale noticed that he was keeping his hand close to where a sword might be, but they could not see any sword. In the end, Berra searched him, finding several weapons, but no reason why they might keep him, beyond suspicion.

As they discussed what to do, Ornkarth faded into the group, and suggested that he could read New Pelorian, and could perhaps work out what the tablets said. As it turned out he was capable of pulling rank not just slightly, but significantly. Revealing his rank to the man made him stand up straight and look worried. Ornkarth took the tablets and sent the messenger back North. Berra, watching him with Rune Magic on, saw a lot of magic on a very powerful man.

With the messenger out of the way, Ornkarth pulled several leaves of parchment from a case he carried, and sat down to try to work out what was written on each. Berra took the last watch with Salid.

In the morning, after distributing breakfast, Ornkarth explained what the tablets were; one was something he was not mentioning, and the other was a directive to a contact in Queen’s Post, effectively instructing him to stay bribed. They had a name, and Ornkarth suggested putting the two relatively unknown Humakti in as apparent Lunar Enforcers. He took Nayale and Kolyey away to instruct them, and offered to induct them into the Lunar Army. Kolyey instantly agreed, saying she hated it, and Nayale said that she would if it was the best thing to do.

On working out that her command had volunteered, Berra did too, to Ornkarth’s surprise and perhaps consternation. He pointed out that she was a Wyter Priest, but she did not understand why that made a difference, so on his suggestion she Divined on the matter to Lord Eril. The answer was definite, that she should not. The group discussed kill clauses, for various definitions of that phrase, allowing those who were to join to exit the army if necessary.

After consideration, and seeing how the youngest Humakti was being cut up by the idea, Berra told Ornkarth only to induct Kolyey, and Nayale could just be a trainee. Ornkarth, listing a very long set of titles, inducted Kolyey into the army. Nobody save him looked happy about it. Ornkarth ordered her to take Nayale and lean on the contact Jebedigg, and to report to Berra. The group went into Queen’s Post separately, with Berra paying Ornkarth a clack to join and guard the caravan.

Nayale and Kolyey waited to see Jebedigg, and then did some good leaning on him when he sent his guards away to go get fresh food from a vendor on the other side of the camp. Kolyey thought she was scary, but Nayale was in fact the one who was making Jebedigg nervous. He agreed to have them stay with him for a while, and to check he was doing his job.

Meanwhile, out in the city, Maalira had found a sweat lodge, where she could clean down and do something about her hair. (Berra had bound it up for her, but nothing could entirely tame it.) As she settled to relax, she suddenly saw a vision of Dormal, who was surprised he was not getting Irillo, but nevertheless demanded that Maalira ask him for the information he had requested, as Dormal was trying to start an insurrection. Maalira rather grumpily went to look for the merchant.

Irillo had gone straight to the market to meet the Silvertongue priest there, and to ask him about the coins. Irillo had his money brought in, and gave it to the Silvertongue to look at, going to get on with some trading. One of his first ‘customers’ was Maalira, talking about having just seen Dormal.

Irillo listened but was unsure what to do or how to contact Dormal, and barely knew anyone in Rhigos anyhow. He went to talk to the Silvertongue again, and was told the coins were not tainted and the wax disc would not transfer madness. He noticed that the box was unenchanted iron, but the pins were enchanted. That could potentially let a spirit out. Unfortunately, anything further than that was not under the remit of Issaries, and to understand spirits would require talking to a shaman.

Nayale and Kolyey went to find Berra, narrowing down where she was by where the argument was, finding out where she was sleeping, and reporting what they had found out. In turn, Berra reported this to the caravan, including Ornkarth.

Session Quotes

  • 1
    I think it was Berra.