Session 5O-8

1629, Fire Season, Fertility Week, Fireday to Godsday

Dramatis Personae

Events

On Fireday morning, Irillo left Kolyey to cover the bribee, Jebedigg, and walked Nayale and Maalira around Queen’s Post, looking for a shaman. He was significantly fortunate, or else his tongue was blessed, as he was given information; there was a holy madman who was sometimes around, and if he was then that was the best option, or failing that he could look for the East Horse Lord, or the West Horse Lord. As it turned out, there was nobody in town who answered to the description of holy madman. Of the two available shamans, Irillo went for the West Horse Lord first, bringing Nayale and Maalira as a guard and a companion.

Idravic, the West Horse Lord, was to the West of the encampment about Queen’s Post, and in fact formed the Westernmost point. He was giving a religious service to a herd of horses. After a polite amount of time, and at a good break, Irillo made interrupting noises. The Horse Lord greeted Maalira, however, and invited her to his ceremony. Rather confused, she let herself be drawn in, and requested him to speak with Irillo. Idravic then deigned to notice the merchant, referring to him as Child of Change. The shaman mounted up on a horse that lay down, and rather confusingly seemed to be seated on a saddle, despite the fact that none of the horses had been tacked up.

When Irillo explained the problem, Idravic decided it was outside his remit, and sent them away¹Fumbled Devotion (Yelm).. If there ever had been a saddle on his horse, it vanished when he dismounted. The crew went to see Dradsic, the East Horse Lord, instead.

Dradsic was meditating, either on a short stool²Yelm needs a throne. or flying slightly. He did not get up, but he did allow Irillo to speak, and agreed to look for the problem. He would dedicate the rest of Fireday to it, and then the next two weeks, with Irillo agreeing to return 2 weeks from now, and Dradsic potentially having information before that.

Irillo then spent most of the rest of the day trying to get to see the local Feathered Horse Woman, Hand of Offering, representative of the Queen. In the late afternoon she admitted him and his companions to her presence at her tent half a kilometer out of the trading post. Her natural charms were very much on display, and she made at least one pass at each of them, as well as accepting Irillo’s information and saying she would put out pickets for caravans, and talk to her husbands. She also bought some green silk from him. In the course of conversation she pointed out that she would be displeased, and would probably impound part of his caravan, if he or his people dealt with the madness problem in a way that damaged legitimate trade.

Maalira noticed that Hand of Offering seemed ill or in pain in some way, as she moved, and stayed behind to ask if help was needed. This just resulted in being asked to bed and then dismissed.

Everyone prepared for their service the next day. Nayale went along to evening worship assuming Berra was there, but the other initiate was absent. As soon as she was free and it did not look indecently fast, Nayale went off to Berra’s tent, where Berra asked where she had been³Worshipping Eril was not going to be subtle, and would draw attention to the fact that both had been together, so Berra had intended to take Nayale out to somewhere private, but Nayale had been busy all the previous day, so they had not talked.. This devastated Nayale, although it was arguably partly Berra’s fault for not making the plans clear well in advance. The younger Humakti went off to guard Jebedigg.

Maalira had a quiet day working in the Temple of Healing, such as it was. She found out that Hand of Offering had some form of chronic hip pain, and the Temple here lacked the ability to heal her⁴Heal Body would work. Arguably Restore Limb, cast twice, would also do.. There were not enough Ernaldans to form the size of Temple that would be required for Ernalda to give the spell to Hand of Offering either. Naturally, she was not mentioning to people because their Ernalda had to be in fine health.

Early on Godday morning, Irillo was woken by Berra to say that the newtlings were missing, and she was worried they had gone to get a sacrifice. She went to check that the egg was not also missing while Irillo cast around for people who were nearby, finding Nayale before she went off to lean on Jebedigg, and Maalira. They met Berra not far from the gates of Queen’s Post; she was doing a very good impression of a Humakti who had been underwater. She told them that the egg was still there, meaning that the Newtlings might be going off to find a sacrifice despite having been told not to.

The group went to see the East Horse Lord, who asked the bird spirits to look along the river, and soon noticed the newtlings waiting at a ford, along with a caravan heading that way. Nayale was sent off on her horse to ride as fast as she could and warn the caravan, and the others headed there in a group, with Irillo taking only a few trade goods. As Nayale approached the caravan at the ford she had a sudden flashback to the Great Winter, when as a child she had protected her family from raiders. It took her a moment to reject the vision, during which time she was convinced that the caravan was a raiding group. Then she managed to focus on them properly and saw that it was already under attack by newtlings.

Nayale defended the caravan master, scaring away a couple of newtlings, but they were all attacking him, and finally all she could do was pull him to the edge of the water so he did not drown. The newtlings vanished underwater.

Meanwhile, the others had been approaching at speed. Each of them had their own flashbacks, and unfortunately, nobody managed to throw them off. Maalira saw a raiding party hitting Lunars, and Irillo was back in Nochet during the siege. They went to help the caravan master, and demand his ransom, respectively. Unfortunately for everyone concerned, Berra had a vision in which she was at Pennel Ford, and the caravan guards were the attacking Lunars. Nayale realised to her horror what was going on, and used her connection to Humakt to knock down Berra’s magic. As she stood between Berra and the caravan guards, the newtlings finally managed to open the box they had stolen from the caravan, and the madness within was fully released.

Some time later, Maalira came round after what felt like a horrible fever, to find that her head was cradled on Ornkarth’s lap. He gave her the choice of going after Berra to help her as the newtlings were likely to sacrifice her, or staying to help those who were here; Ornkarth said he could help them. Maalira chose to go find Berra. The Scimitar then pointed out Nayale, the only person not completely floored by the red fever – she was simply muzzy-headed, and after a bit of talking, worked out what was going on. Ornkarth offered his rather splendid but Lunar horse to Maalira, but then they worked out that Irillo’s mule was available.

Nayale and Maalira caught up with the newtlings somewhere up-stream of Queen’s Post, and Nayale spotted the gleam of bronze on the raft they were pushing. The newtlings had changed in appearance, becoming smoother of skin, and slimmer, with green skin and dotted markings⁵Although neither knew this, the newtlings had been pushed into their adult forms by the experience at the ford.. The Humakti called them to the bank and both women were very severe at the newtlings. Nayale also offered to sacrifice her own magic, but the newtlings had already been persuaded by the fear of her violence.

Down at the ford, Irillo woke up to Ornkarth’s tender minstrations, to find that Berra was missing with Nayale and Maalira in pursuit, and that before she was taken, the Priestess had likely killed four caravan guards. Irillo started helping to bring people round.

Back up at the site of the sacrifice, Berra was returned to shore, and Maalira started the slow process of bringing her round and looking after her. There was a lot of Maalira/Berra awkwardness. The newtlings got Nayale to lie down in the river mud, and sculpted mud on her, in the shape of scales. Beside her, her egg was buried. Nayale had various visions, and then the egg hatched and something invisible slithered into the river, which fought it, with red wisps, and then there was peace. Four crocodiles with markings like the newtlings, one with a tail cut short, rose to the surface.

With Nayale unconscious, Berra tried to get to her to help her, which Maalira tried to stop. Berra either played very foul, or got carried away, kissing Maalira on the ankle and thus rendering attempts to keep her safe entirely impossible. Nayale was pulled up away from the bank, and once she came round, the group returned to the ford. Nayale walked on the far side of the two riders, away from the river.

• 1
  Fumbled Devotion (Yelm).
• 2
  Yelm needs a throne.
• 3
  Worshipping Eril was not going to be subtle, and would draw attention to the fact that both had been together, so Berra had intended to take Nayale out to somewhere private, but Nayale had been busy all the previous day, so they had not talked.
• 4
  Heal Body would work. Arguably Restore Limb, cast twice, would also do.
• 5
  Although neither knew this, the newtlings had been pushed into their adult forms by the experience at the ford.