Session 4.03 (interlude)

1629, Sea Season, Disorder Week, Fireday to Godday Eve

Dramatis Personae

Events

Maalira arrived at Beasts Gather on Fireday, and was given hospitality. She noticed that the only people present were the old, infirm, very young, and very pregnant, and a few guards who had been squabbling.

When the others arrived, they noticed the village was empty. They realised that this was because they were out with their herds for the moment.

Varanis and Berra headed out to pray over Wildday and did not return. This was not a cause for concern.

While Irillo, Lenta, and Maalira had an early breakfast, there was some kind of fuss. The young men present jumped up and headed out rapidly. Irillo asked what’s going on and a woman said that Berra’s horse had gone awol.

Berra and Varanis arrived at last. They were very tired – Berra looked especially wrung out.¹Berra had not slept. Varanis had a couple of hours sleep at best. Lenta and Maalira tried to work out how to tell Berra her horse was missing and they ended up sort of blurting it out. Berra took a nap for several hours.

Mellia was just barely waking up when someone came in looking for a White Lady for help. There was a young man (Salian) who had been in a scrap. He had a black eye and broken nose and was looking very bloody. It turned out that he was the one Maalira sent off to deal with his shit the previous night. He looked like he had been chewed on by an alynx. He was definitely still drunk and had no memory of what had happened.

During breakfast, a middle-aged woman asked Varanis for help because something had attacked Salian. Varanis agreed to look into it. She asked Entast (who had been squabbling with Salian the night before) some questions about the fight and about predatory animals in the area. Nothing particularly useful came from the discussion. 

Meanwhile, a small child (Darikeen), came to ask for help because her pigs had gone missing. Lenta followed her and they saw that the pigs were gone and the gate knocked down. They went to tell Varanis who, after some questions, sent Maalira and Lenta to go looking. Irillo suggested that Salid should go with them.

When the three humans and the troll arrived at the sty, the pen was empty, but Maalira heard a worrying (non-pig-like) snuffling sound. Salid approached with a lowered spear while Darikeen tried to pull Maalira away. Lenta decided to go for a closer look.

As Maalira pulled back to avoid the threat, she realised that she’d moved away from some sort of malevolent disease-ridden thing. Maalira ordered Lenta and Salid to back off too. Salid would not do it, because he’d been told to protect the White Lady. Lenta suggested Maalira should retreat so Salid could too. Varanis with Mellia and Irillo found the tracks of a big predator and a load of pigs.²Varanis fumbled her second track while Irillo passed his.

Varanis and Mellia followed the tracks in reverse and ended up back by the sty. Maalira warned them to stay back because it was some kind of disease spirit. Maalira went to deal with Salian, while Mellia summoned a healing spirit.

Her healing spirit beat up the disease spirit, though it took a beating in turn.

Meanwhile, Irillo found the pigs, which seemed intent on battering down a foodstore. He carefully and wisely let them be and backtracked his way to the sty. When he arrived, he spied a giant wolf.

Varanis worked out that the wolf was a Telmori wolf brother. The party helped him to escape to the point of Lenta resorting to using the Inviolable spell to get him past the gates. Mellia and Varanis escorted the wolf, leaving Irillo, Lenta, and Salid to deal with the pigs.

In the village, one of the guards stormed over to tell Irillo that the wolf needed killing. Irillo pointed out that Varanis is of the House of Sartar and suggested that they needed to deal with the pigs. Lenta turned on the charm and the women of the village went out to collect the pigs who were blessedly not rabid.

Meanwhile, Varanis and Mellia thought the wolf would be leaving the clan lands, but he refused. After arguing with the wolf a bit, Varanis asked if he had kin in the area and he said yes by nodding. They got to the den to find one surviving cub.

Varanis and Mellia then took the cub to the nunnery. Mellia stayed there letting her healing spirit recuperate. Varanis insisted on returning to the den to fulfil her promise to see the dead properly buried. Luckily for her, the White Ladies sent people to assist.

Back in the village, Lenta and Irillo asked for help with finding Varanis and Mellia who had been gone too long. The chief’s son blustered a lot about the Telmori being Chaotic and that the Telmori should be killed. Eventually, it was decided that Irillo and Berra would go looking for Varanis and Mellia, while Lenta and Maalira stay in the village. 

Berra and Irillo found the den and, having lost the trail, decided to linger overnight to see if anyone returned to the area.³I’m still not sure why this seemed like a good idea? – V
It was late and smelled of Death and we might have had to deal with it, I think. – B During the night, the Wind Lord returned with some Nunnery workers, an Arroin surgeon, and a couple of healers to clear out the den and bury the dead. The Telmori were shrouded and Varanis donated clacks for their final journey. They were joined by Irillo and Berra and were able to return to the village some time after dawn. Along the way, Irillo helped Varanis to compose a song about the importance of aid and honour and that sort of thing, as a way to combat the anger of the clan.

• 1
  Berra had not slept. Varanis had a couple of hours sleep at best.
• 2
  Varanis fumbled her second track while Irillo passed his.
• 3
  I’m still not sure why this seemed like a good idea? – V
  It was late and smelled of Death and we might have had to deal with it, I think. – B