Session Season 3, Prax/Wilmskirk 3

1629, Early Earth Season?

Dramatis Personae

Events

Gift for shaman – leather bag containing a whirlvish.footnote]Did the mad King provide this? Or did Farinst? It sounds like a Farinst thing.[/footnote] and some snacks. Xenofos is unsure which part of this is conspiracy and which not¹having fumbled Intrigue.

Igril The White lives on Hill of Kolat in Zethnoring clan. Head through Richberry lands but do not take the road all the way. A day’s travel should see us there. Varanis suggests we travel to the Richberry on the way and stay the night with them. 

We’re on a good road and the horses are in fine fettle. Finarvi notices this is an uncommonly well-bedded road, from the King’s Road up to the Richberry. It looks new. 100 metres coming out of the Richberry the road is even paved, like the King’s road. 

We arrive at Richberry’s village in good time and are welcomed in. The chief comes hurrying, giving a piggyback ride to a young child. Chief Jarang is a White lady, wearing a simple gold crown. Two children go by riding a hippogriff. Dawnsquawk. 

We’re given hospitality. Finarvi judges them rich but not roadbuilding rich. Another road leads west towards the Zethnoring, also paved that particular way. 

Next morning we are waved off by the king, his wife and a surprising array of children, some of whom are teens who have turned up to gawp at the wind lord.

We head off on the road, passing some roadbuilding supplies and equipment left by the side.

The road begins to descend. Recalling we were told to leave the road at this point, we go off road. The road has an arch over it. It descends into a tunnel. This is beyond tribal level, and we follow the road aboveground, but after a kilometre we begin to wonder how it was made at all. Dwarf made maybe? We are still on the rounded ‘roof’ of the tunnel. Finarvi spots a flight of hippogriffs flying over Pegasus Plateau. An omen of some kind?

We follow our directions, saved by the fact Xenofos can recite the landmarks we were given. Ahead is a conical hill with a road spiralling up it. We can all feel the wind. Desar goes hunting and brings Varanis a wriggling air spirit. She tries to pet it then lets it go. A tiny stormcloud floats angrily away.

Varanis says the winds will be unpredictable here. We leave the horses behind and climb the hill. It’s windy, and then a lightning bolt hits Xenofos. We cut off his armour. 

Finarvi heals him with Rune Magic.

The horses are calming down and have not run away. Finarvi helps Xenofos back to camp and tends his injuries, then feeds him a hot meal to rebalance his runes. Varanis continues up the hill and finds the shaman, seated, hair floating in the winds, lightning sparking from his eyes. They greet each other, and Igril chides her for bullying her brother. She hands over the whirlvish gift and asks him about the curse affecting Wilmskirk. Not a curse she can break, because she is a creature of violence, but it is a curse he could break, perhaps. 

He shakes out the bag, and the whirlvish goes for him. He battles it, knocking the sand and dust out of it until it is just a whirlwind. Then it dissipates. He tells her the whirlvish was a bad wind that had absorbed the sands of Prax.

Finarvi looks at the very frail old man and offers his mount, Stone, in place of Fish. Varanis, having committed to walking, walks beside the shaman’s horse and talks about the time Giland released and judged the 6,000 spirits of Broyan’s battlefield. Igril has a loud rant about that and tells Finarvi to tell Giland he should have invited other shamans. But he does listen to the story of the curse.  This involves Varanis ‘translating’ (repeating) everything Xenofos says because he is ignoring that Xenofos exists for profaning his holy hill. Meanwhile, Xenofos is also not talking to Igril.

We stay the night again at Richberry, and they make a nest for him on the roof of a longhouse. The hippogriff goes mad, yelling at him from another rooftop, until Jarang comes and calls it in for dinner. 

Meanwhile, in Wilmskirk, Mellia discovers rumours that this curse is an Esrolain plot to weaken Wilmskirk, through the food the House of Hulta is feeding people. So Mellia heads to the house of Hulta. She’s greeted by a strapping young man who takes her to meet Jezidan. She’s led into a courtyard where a scarred Humakti man bows, puzzled. Mellia explains she wants to disprove the horrible rumour that the Hulta are poisoning people with a sleep poison. He agrees it will help, they have been told to help how they can, and will leave the town if that is also the best thing. He suggests she speaks to Yamia too. She thanks him and heads to the temple to see Yamia. Tamakt greets her and takes her to where Yamia is meditating. Mellia explains the rumour. Yamia knows it comes from a man called Oyist who hates Esrolians. She has not taken action because it is a king’s matter. She tells Tamakt to keep the temple and walks out with Mellia to go speak to the king.

At the palace they are let in. The guard tells them they are expected. Mellia is surprised, as she did not expect to be here. The guard gives her a long-suffering look.

The king is still drawing on the floor. The image is refined, becoming more obviously the sky as seen from above. The king listens and commissions Mellia to keep the peace for him. Yamia and Mellia leave to arrange the confrontation with Oyist.

At Richberry, airy people are boisterous. There are some fights overnight that need Jarang’s scolding. We head off uneventfully the next morning. Wilmskirk is still standing when we arrive early in the afternoon. We take Igril’s lead to the air temple. And we see a fight break out. Someone in the street slugs someone else and a brawl kicks off.

Mellia, hurrying in, finds this Orlanthi has picked on a trained Esrolian wrestler, who makes a mess of the man’s leg in a move Xenofos recognises, and walks away as the man drops. 

The man on the ground is swearing and shouting. Mellia lectures him and then heals him. He thanks her and slinks away in the direction of the hospital.

Igril carries on riding up towards the air temple, ignoring both the fight and its aftermath.  

Varanis finds she is falling asleep on her feet. She catches at the horse so she can walk with her eyes closed, but grabs at the shaman’s leg instead. She gets hit on the head with his staff. He tells her the air here is having its strength eaten. Stop being a storm and start being a rebel. So Varanis calls on her inner Berra and marches rebelliously ahead.

At the air temple, Igril needs a hill to sit on and some air around him, and thus, does not have to move. He sits down and prepares for a big working. Varanis looks around for someone to punch. Spots Fish kicking off at a crowd of people. Goes to punch Fish. Who goes berserk and throws Finarvi off. One of the storm voices Fish was threatening sends Fish up into the air. Fish tries to fight the air. Mellia sends Fish to sleep. The storm voice sedately walks down the hill with a sleeping Fish following behind like a balloon.

Mellia walks up the hill, and meets a priest being followed by an airborne horse. He bows to her. She asks him to put the horse down so she can heal it. 

The Stormvoice with Fish riddles Xenofos whether an arborne horse is of the sun or not. The horse floats down beside Xenofos very gently. Mellia heals Fish’s leg.

Finarvi recovers Stone and goes in pursuit of Fish, and catches up with Mellia, Xenofos and the Stormvoice outside the air temple. Fish wakes up wanting to take on the world. He’s being very Orlanthi. Finarvi takes Fish out of the town to the pastures.

Igril is fighting something. Varanis wants to pounce, then decides actually a nap would be better. She curls up to sleep.

Mellia finds a good vantage point to spot trouble. Yamia is out searching for Oyist.

A few hours later, Igril descends and emerges from the environs of the air temple. 

Xenofos tells her who Igril is. Igril tells them the problem is a living curse, and they can negotiate with it or bind it. He suggests talking to it somewhere air holds no power, and it will be our guest, if it accepts. Under earth or water would be good. Where the air does not move. Even a market where violence is not allowed.

Mellia goes up to the air temple to find Varanis napping. She wakes her up and tells her what the shaman had to say. As Igril is proceeding slowly, he is overtaken by them. He tells them the living curse tastes like a cloak torn from the storm. Varanis offers Igril a piggyback ride. Igril complains loudly the whole way. The people of the city should call out the curse, but he can always fight it if that goes wrong. 

“Richberry. I hear they have a white lady for a chief, which is weird.” – Varanis, who played an entire other campaign in that setting.

Quotes:  

Varanis: Richberry. I hear they have a white lady for a chief, which is weird.

“Those of you who pass…” GM 

“Finarvi.” Varanis

POUNCE THE HIPPOTHINGIES – Dezar-fos
ROWR I CAN FLY – Berra-zar

“I want to ride one, Dezar. Looks like fun.” – Varanis

UNLEASH THE WHIRLWISH FOR ME – Dezar-fos
YEAH YEAH I WILL HUNT IT REALLY WELL! – Berra-zar
PUT IT IN THE SACK WITH THE OTHER ONE! – Dezar-fos

“I totally am a horse, I’m just missing some legs.” – Finarvi

“OK, re: notes, that does not need to be a full 3D6.” – GM looks aghast at having nearly wiped out Xenofos

“I’m going to comb out the singed bits of beard.” – Varanis, traumatised

“Are you alright?” – Varanis
“No, I am not alright.” – Xenofos
“Not sure if it’s a good idea to continue.” – Xenofos

“Respect. For Orlanth. Stops me. From hitting you. With my staff.” – Igril

 “STANDARDS HAVE SLIPPED!” – Igril

“Xenofos should not step on that hill again, ever.” – Varanis

“Beer with cinnamon and cloves – that is not the best of ideas.” – Xenofos

“It is an Esrolian plot to weaken Wilmskirk!” – GM
“Oh dear…” – Mellia

“I remember once seeing a ship in full sail across the Coralinthor Bay and you do resemble that ship.” Yamia to Mellia

“Is this the one about me not being Vamastal, but being a madness spirit in his stead?” – Vamastal
“No, I had not heard that one.” – Mellia
“Oh, I made it up.” – Vamastal

“Are you sure that you are right?” – Vanastal
“No lord, but I am sure that I am sure.” – Yamia

“I am honoured, majesty.” – Mellia
“Mm. Most people are just confused.” – Vamastal

“I wonder if we should invite him to watch me eat?” – Meliia
“I was thinking about inviting him to die on my blade.” – Yamia
“That sounds better.” – Mellia

“There are some things boiled egg soup can’t cure.” – Finarvi

“I blame Berra.” – Varanis
“I blame me too.” – Berra

“Riddle me this, bearded one. Is an airborne horse of the sun, or not?” – Priest
“He does seem a little bit like he is eating a badger backwards.” – GM the Storm Voice’s beard.

“With proper training, Fish would probably be able to hold a flank on a battlefield all by himself.” – Mellia

“Darnit, this is not working out as well for me as for St Francis.” – Mellia when Fish tries to eat her.

“I’m taking Fish out to pasture.” – Finarvi
“Mellia and Xenofos, what are you doing?” – GM
“Getting out of Finarvi’s way!” – Mellia

“Punched a horse?” – Xenofos

I CAN FIGHT ALL THE BIG CATS HERE! – DEZAR

“That person over there, who I am not speaking to, is Igril the Shaman.” – Xenofos

“Tell me, has any powerful Orlanthi done anything particularly stupid here of late?” – Igril
“Why yes. My cousin punched a horse in the leg.” – Mellia
“No, that’s entirely normal. I once knew a man who challenged a bear. It tore his arm off. So he challenged it again for the next year.” – Igril

“Erhehta would have – never thought I’d miss that weirdo.” – Xenofos
“At least Finarvi isn’t talking about holding a poetry competition anymore.” = Finarvi

“Poison is not an Esrolian wrestler’s weapon. Poison is a woman’s weapon.” – Mellia

“It was so cute. I wanted to pet it.” – Varanis
“He brought you a rat, essentially.” – GM
“I thought it was a bunny!” – Varanis

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  having fumbled Intrigue