One Hell of a Time

S01 — Session 46

1626, Fire Season

Season, Week, Day

Fire Season, Truth Week, Godday

Dramatis Personae

Events

As before, the log will be recounted with extracts from Berra JarangsdottiHumaktisaga, NalaTiwrSaga and The Death of Rajar. As with last time there will be extracts from the Sonnets to Varanis, Sonnets in Praise of Xenofos and The Sonnets to Mellia, Sweetest of Healers, White Lady of Esrolia. There will be reference to the Accounts of the Travels of Irillo Goldentongue. Editorial commentary will be recorded [thus]. The {“D”} voice appears.

[“Good day! We seem to be over holidays, sickness, and attacks of rodents both human and otherwise! So, now let us move onto the Lightbringer’s quest. Unfortunately much of this section has been badly damaged, and it appears that not all of this is accidental and the passage of time. The attempt to purge the consequences of this quest seems systematic, and the cause of much of the confusion about Gloranthan history in this period. Let us begin with a little scenesetting from the little know Vareena fragments, and then to the ever reliable Berra JarangsdottiHumaktisaga. It is my contention that the Vareena fragments refer to the same individual as the Varanis of the Sonnets. We can discuss why later.”]


Woe! Word went wide. Wise White Prince was lost.
Vingan Vareena vainly wept, giving voice to vanguishment.
Came then Humakt’€™s Herald, called her to his hall.

Oath-ordered rose only she, in guise of Overarching Orlanth.
Led line of Lightbringers, to Sartar’s light loyal.
Humakt hollered halt! Hovered before hall’€™s threshold.

‘€œMake right the riven wrong, which you had wrought.’
Swift struck the Sword-Champion. Sword severed life.
Heart of hale Orlanth hewn by hand of Humakt.


To Sartar’s Sacred Stele
Swiftly swept Leika’s sept!
Lighting flames lofty leaping
Laying Kallyr’s light to rest!

“Now” Night clad Noble Eril
“Near is your path now.”
Smote he Sartar’s Sevenchild
Swiftly hellward spiralling.

[“This segment is well known, of course, from Staffords masterly history of this period, but note the differences here. The Saga authors are suggesting that Leika’s early lighting of Kallyr’s funeral pyre was in some fashion unnecessary. This is a major departure from our normal reading of the history. One needs to ask what the motive was either for the poet, or the historian, to alter matters. Let us continue.”]

Dark, deserted doom
Dauntless heroes descended.
Reaching river riven
With red-rend writers1 An interesting kenning, playing both as it does on the red colour of bronze, but also on the wounds a weapon would ‘write’.

Led by light flaming liquid
Launched in lances against walls
Trickster taking a touch
Testing the tale.

Ferryman forbade forward passage
Frowning at folks still living.
Goldentongued Guide giving
Gift of graceful going

[“Thus far we are broadly in keeping with our other accounts of the various Lightbringers quests, although very much abbreviated- notably the entire prelude quests are cut short, as it were, by Eril’s sword, and presumably the implied human sacrifice is the suggested explanation for that. Naturally a ‘stand in’ for the central figure must have been utilised at this point. ‘Lhankor knows the paths’ is missing, but given the fragmentary nature of the texts, this is probably lost to time.”]

Death troll before him, the knowing God led
Death to the Beserk God, leaving him dead.
The Sage to the battle, Flesh man before
His pike pierc’d the foe man, striking him raw

His magic back turn’d, the lance in his head
Fear felt but mastered, Flesh troll sav’d the stead2 This is a very obscure passage. Some authors (Wiermonken et al) have suggested this means a troll of some sort was playing the role of Flesh man. Others have argued (Fox et al) that this is merely a scribal error. Furthermore Flesh Man is hardly the normal participant for ‘Guarding the stead’.
And thus they went on then both full and fair
On to the only old one’s castle lair

[“Interestingly digs on the Tell al Bihome, note that ‘B-home’, incidentally, ladies and gentlemen; ahem. Digs on that Tell have discovered another ,,Salidstele,,.”]

,,Here, as Flesh Man, Salid struck down Zorak Zoaran,,

Flame-farewelled Fairst Kallyr, fiery-haired and fervent,
Hale she harked with spark in hand, from Humakt’s halls.
Daughter of Vinga, Vibrant Virgin Prince of Sartar’s vaunted vales.

Sanguine still Vareena stood, armour slick with battle-sweat,
Princely glinting gift of golden limb-fire gleaming on graceful arm.
Kinswoman, knight, and king’s grandchild, she bent the knee to Kallyr.

What Really Happened

Session Quotes

  • 1
    An interesting kenning, playing both as it does on the red colour of bronze, but also on the wounds a weapon would ‘write’.
  • 2
    This is a very obscure passage. Some authors (Wiermonken et al) have suggested this means a troll of some sort was playing the role of Flesh man. Others have argued (Fox et al) that this is merely a scribal error. Furthermore Flesh Man is hardly the normal participant for ‘Guarding the stead’.
  • 3
    But was definitely a dragon.
  • 4
    Which were most definitely not teeth.
  • 5
    Which in no way at all could have been a tongue.
  • 6
    Varanis’€™ father
  • 7
    This definitely was not stealing, because they were too dead to need walking sticks anymore.
  • 8
    Xenofos woke up face to face with a troll mistress and contemplated stabbing it with a knife, but didn’€™t, which was good, because it was Eurmal with his illusion.