Session 3.4

1628, Sea Season, Death Week, Wildday

Dramatis Personae

Events

Varanis was at the Clearwine White Grape Inn, with Rajar and his Storm Bulls, when there was a loud knocking at the door. Rajar went to answer it, axe in hand. On the other side stood a small female trollkin and a pair of guards, who locked shields against Rajar. The big man cheerfully offered them kumiss, which Sagak accepted and shortly thereafter scampered away with. After a bit of bluster, the guards came in to address Varanis, one keeping his shield between himself and the thane, while the other kept his shield and eyes on Rajar. It was rather impolite, but Varanis treated them courteously anyway. The guards said something about Berra and the others and I don’t remember what, but Varanis called for Rajar, his conscious Storm Bulls, and Maalira to come with her to look into it.

One of the guards cast magic that caused his shield to light the way. The other guard took up the rear, assuring that no one could attack Varanis and her people from behind. They hurried the short distance to where a stream – a new one – was running down the road. A little up’river’, Suuraki sat mounted on his high llama, surrounded by more guards. Within the circle of guards, Valseena bent over an unconscious Berra. Xenofos was arguing for passage with the guards. Water was streaming down the llama’s leg¹Ew. to pool around the Humakti and then run away as a stream. This disquieted people for reasons they could not comprehend, save for Nala, who spotted that the water was running uphill, and indeed up a couple of steps.

Maalira immediately went to help Valseena and confirmed that Berra was not injured, but rather drained of spirit. Xenofos explained what had been happening as best he could in the moment. He seemed very concerned that the egg in Suuraki’s bag would hatch a river at any moment. (Or possibly a dragon. Xenofos did not mention a dragon, but he was quite anxious to get moving.) Rajar grew alarmed at this and decided that the egg needed out of the city immediately. Varanis agreed and intimidated the guards into helping instead of hindering this process, including having the inner city gates opened to allow them passage.²Reputation augmenting Intimidate.

As the gates were opened, several of the party heard footsteps coming at them from two different directions and a certain amount of yelling. From behind them, there was a glowing blue man, possibly older, yelling about Lunar magic. He threw a lightning bolt at the river, at which point Varanis asked Maalira to send him to sleep. The healer obeyed and the man fell over with a large clanking of armour. Maalira backtracked to ensure he was unhurt.

Meanwhile, from the other direction, Nameless’ voice rang out, asking about Lunars. When the Humakti came into sight, Varanis rushed to give her a synopsis of current events and to demand her help getting the egg out of the city before Leika had a flood on her hands.

At around this point, Berra came to and immediately demanded her egg. Xenofos refused and things became loud and contentious. Varanis tried to order him to give the egg to Berra and he refused outright. Nameless was losing her temper, and Xenofos would not move uphill, as he had the egg. Berra tried to stop him from going downhill, but even burdened he was able to escape her. Berra demanded the Queen’s justice against a thief. Nameless attempted to turn the whole journey around, but Xenofos refused further. Nameless asked Maalira to solve the matter peacefully, and was slightly surprised when Maalira did so, but without the aid of magic – she managed to talk Berra into letting people leave the city. The streets were surprisingly crowded. Some of the people were ducks; Berra noticed Devolin among them.

Outside, Berra demanded that people stop and talk, but as the water was running downhill, there was now time to do so. Berra wanted to talk to her egg, and said she had hatched it. Xenofos finally handed it over when Berra swore to guard it from breaking with her life. Berra could not manage to talk to it, however. Meanwhile, the gates stayed open for a while. Ducks and humans both arrived, with various people laying claims to the river, for the Ernaldori, the Earth Temple, Orannina, Quackford, and Leika. Berra and Varanis were both pretty sure that Leika could not sit in judgement over herself.

Berra spotted Devolin in the crowd – she was already looking out for him – and told Nameless it would be a personal favour to deal with ‘that bandit’. When Nameless asked for proof, the others could swear to him being a bandit. Weirdly, he disappeared not long afterwards.

Berra was cold and wet and miserable, sitting in a pool of water close to the fire that Nameless had ordered. Leika’s Humakti had also requested blankets and when those arrived, Berra was wrapped in several. Xenofos offered his companion his cloak; she snarled at him a bit before accepting it. Meanwhile, Maalira heated a tea based on spices and seeds (no vegetables!) to help warm Berra from within and Nala baked stones in the embers to wrap in leather. Berra said she was happy to take advice from Nameless, but only for the price of having a well dug in her village.

Suddenly, Rajar spotted a tree moving weirdly not too far downhill from everyone. He charged for it and killed it with a single blow of his mighty axe. Startled, Varanis asked the other Storm Bulls to fetch Rajar and they did, but started to bring the tree back too. Maalira managed to convince them to hold it in place for her so that she could heal it.³Good as new. This won’t come back to haunt us at all.

Berra suggested to her friends that the Duck claim could be accepted in return for them giving up their claim on beak blood money, explaining what that was. Nala Charmed them all and softened them up for Varanis to do the negotiating.⁴Charm augmented Bargain, both passed. They felt it was a generous idea, although they could not speak for all Ducks.

Time passed.

The gates opened at dawn. After some time, Queen Leika arrived with a significant entourage. Seating herself, the Colymar queen called the Black Spear to her and opened her court of judgement. Varanis presented the case as she knew it and the husband of Orannina failed to persuade.⁵Varanis got a special on Orate. Rastadath did not. The Earth Temple, represented by Ereneva Chan, was not greatly persuasive but the durulz could really speak.⁶Ereneva passed Orate, but the dulrulz got a critical. Tororgai was very glib but was speaking for Leika and the Earth Temple and the durulz noted Leika cannot judge her own case, while Varanis also brought up precedent.⁷Lots of passes on Customs Heortling and Orate. Torograi was outnumbered and wrong. Queen Leika ruled that she cannot judge herself, and saw no reason to bother any other individual.⁸i.e. Kallyr, though she doesn’t say the name because saying it would mean admitting that Kallyr is her liege.

Leika respectfully dismissed Orannina’s claim – she had already profited from the clearing of the curse. The Colymar queen then promised Berra a well and gave a gold arm-ring to Xenofos. (Xenofos asked Varanis if this was acceptable.) She asked Vareena if this was acceptable and the thane agreed, though she also pointed out that Valseena and Suuraki deserved compensation for their work. Leika gave them 100 L to share. Finally, the queen ruled that the durulz would get their river.

• 1
  Ew.
• 2
  Reputation augmenting Intimidate.
• 3
  Good as new. This won’t come back to haunt us at all.
• 4
  Charm augmented Bargain, both passed.
• 5
  Varanis got a special on Orate. Rastadath did not.
• 6
  Ereneva passed Orate, but the dulrulz got a critical.
• 7
  Lots of passes on Customs Heortling and Orate. Torograi was outnumbered and wrong.
• 8
  i.e. Kallyr, though she doesn’t say the name because saying it would mean admitting that Kallyr is her liege.