Session 5-O.2

1629, Fire Season, Harmony Week, Wildday to about Godsday

Dramatis Personae

Events

As the group moved out of Herongreen, Berra told Irillo about the fact local rulers would be able to establish or move headwaters with a sufficient sacrifice. They agreed that the Shaker Temple was the last option, and Berra said she would guard the caravan rather than seeing Fazzur.

Most people noted that there were a lot of patrols out. Koraki was ensuring his city was safe from enemies, no matter who those enemies were. Irillo was also pretty certain that there were uncustomed goods moving, and some of them were drugs. As they approached Alda Chur, Irillo paid the usual level of bribe. Berra went unrecognised, but did not try to enter the city. Instead she went and camped at the North gate, which Irillo would use when he left.

Irillo sent Maalira to the palace to greet Koraki, and Maalira took Valseena along. On the way Valseena spotted a street with guards, and few people on it. It was apparently a quarantine street. They watched a hand cart being checked and pushed in. The lay member of Chalana Arroy who was pushing it delivered medicines and made a couple of marks on the door jamb. The guards, alas, knew nothing.

Maalira went into the street and asked the White Lady seeing to the patient for details. There was apparently a high fever and a moving rash, and they were unsure what it was. Maalira went back to Valseena and they continued to the palace, where they pulled rank enough to see Koraki, who was in a side-room lounging on a not-quite-throne. After a little talk about Irillo and politics, he found out (or pretended to find out) about the mystery illness, and asked Maalira to deal with it.

Out at the gate, Berra had asked a guard to see if Lord Gallem, God-talker of Humakt, had time to speak to her. Gallem visited and she asked him to set up a Rune Stone to the Hero Eril, at the site of the battle where his Hero-form had been revealed. Nobody got stabbed this time.

In the marketplace, Irillo was helping people who wanted to leave town by picking up their valuable at a good price, but not so good that they would be destitute. He was approached by trolls who wanted to buy the newtlings to eat, and were prepared to offer him a wheel for a single tail. With the aid of Salid negotiating, he managed to persuade them not to start a fight with his troll guard. While he refused to sell any newtling parts, the newtlings surprised and somewhat disturbed him by negotiating, and one of them had its tail yanked off by another, and earned a wheel. They then tried to pay Irillo to get more things for the sacrifice. The Wheel would cover everything he could get, and a few of the more esoteric items. He decided to stop in and see T’Dwarf on the way.

Maalira and Valseena went to the White Lady’s Temple, to find that the Chief Priestess was out at the Library. Given the size of the Temples this was just next door, and they went that way. They waited for some time, and towards evening were able to talk with her. She invited them to go with her, and they met Irillo coming the other way, to check on the pair, as they had not come back. After hearing that there was a possible epidemic, he went to have a quiet drink nearby, and let the women get on with the healing.

None of the White Ladies could sense disease, leading them and Valseena to suspect there was some kind of curse. The Eirithan pointed out to the others that when their patient was turning over, the rash on him moved a little like a beam of light – just with no visible beam. After some explanation, and trying to tell Valseena she was wrong, Maalira also noticed that. They could not think of an explanation, however. The High Priestess recalled being told about a disease that was going around in Carmania long ago that was a little like this, but there was nothing concrete to do.

Out by the gate, Berra chatted a bit with the guards, getting their understanding of the military politics. They were worried that the Lunars were very very absent – more so than they would have thought based even on the Civil War. She took some time in reassuring them that Koraki had a plan for if the bat arrived, but not actually telling them details, so as not to let anyone else know¹She had arranged with the Dwarf the year before that if the Crimson Bat came to Alda Chur, Koraki’s people could hide in Dwarf Mine. She regarded this as a high-level military secret.. She sent her helmet (and feather) in to Koraki, as a signal to say she was there, in case he wanted to come out and pretend not to be King at her. That way, she could ask him how much he minded her saying.

Valseena sent a message out to tell Suuraki (and therefore Irillo) that everyone was fine, and the healers settled down for the night. Valseena noticed that in the darkness, her patient was glowing very gently. Believing that he might be under a curse or there might be magic on him, she cast Soul Sight, and was able to see there was something magical within him – perhaps he had ingested it. She woke Maalira, and they discussed matters, and then Valseena dismissed the magic. The glowing light of the patient went out, and then he began to convulse.

Fortunately, with two healers and another two on the way, the patient was stabilised rapidly, with Valseena knowing exactly what to do. The High Healer listened to what had happened, and went to give instructions that would help others. Maalira and Valseena went to tell Irillo and Suuraki what had happened, where Valseena noticed that a newtling was missing its tale. She was very disturbed to find out it had been sold.

The newtling wanted Irillo to buy more things for sacrifice. A wheel was probably sufficient, but not everything was available in Alda Chur. Irillo determined to go to Dwarf Mine to see what he could find. Some of what was asked for was clearly Praxian, and some was in Newtling, but he understood everything in Tradetalk.

Irillo suggested that there could have been illicit drugs involved in the illness. Maalira and Valseena told the High Priestess of Chalana Arroy that they suspected drugs, but the woman said she probably could not find out how. People would just lie about it. The pair then went back to the palace, where they reported to Koraki, who was offended that he had not been offered the drugs. He gave them Berra’s helmet, along with a written tablet for her, leading to some discussion on what had happened that he had the helmet in the first place.

The caravan left the city, picking up Berra as they went. They handed over the helmet and the tablet. Berra studied the tablet briefly, and then did little with it²In fact she had a Special on Read/Write, but everyone was still assuming she was illiterate., until eventually she asked Irillo to read it. Maalira managed it when he could not. The tablet said that someone was trying to move goods through Koraki’s city. He was pretty sure that someone had bribed some of his officials, but he did not want us to investigate because he did not want them to be spooked. He was happy with Berra telling Irillo.

They went past Glasswall, where King Herengvot did not order anyone exiled, and left Salid at the crossing of the river, taking the rest of the group down to Dwarf Mine.

• 1
  She had arranged with the Dwarf the year before that if the Crimson Bat came to Alda Chur, Koraki’s people could hide in Dwarf Mine. She regarded this as a high-level military secret.
• 2
  In fact she had a Special on Read/Write, but everyone was still assuming she was illiterate.