S01 — Session 9

1625, Earth Season

Season, Week, Day
Earth Season, Death Week, Claysday-Godday
Earth Season, Fertility Week, Freezeday

Events

and re-introducing
Salid the Sniveller (Sid)- Trollkin Guardstrollkin

As before, the log will be recounted with extracts from Berra JarangsdottiHumaktisaga, from The Sonnets to Mellia, Sweetest of Healers, White Lady of Esrolia, The Lay of Serala, Lance of the Cold Sun , The Death of Rajar or The Sonnets to Vestra, Grey Lady of Wisdom, and NalaTiwrSaga. {insertions} will occur in another cynical or sarcastic voice, whose precise nature is unclear, but may prove identifiable with future work. Whilst some of the comments of the ‘D Voice’ may sound like the ‘Q Voice’, and indeed sometimes strikingly similar to the ‘T Voice’, the context indicates it is a separate interlocutor who has opted to step outside the heroic narrative. Also included are some extracts from ‘The Accounts of the travels of Irillo Goldentongue‘. They are brief, and terse, and some authors (Garin et al) have suggested they are written in a code, whose decypherment would clarify many points of this time.

[We begin with a segment of the Lay of Serala, as our heroes gather themselves together in Boldhome. In this section, which was later set to music by von Wargner, in his sadly neglected opera, “die weibliche Kriegerin” in what is perhaps the most well known aria of that work, “Der Gott hat mich besucht und war ein Fremder“, the Heroine reflects on her Divine experience.]

The Lance beset by awe of Gods, and rising to the higher plane
Did wonder if she to strange Elmal should as votivess herself en-name
And thus it was, unto his sleeping place did stride
For she from mental strife was not the one to hide

But instead did face it as if it were a foe she struck at with a lance
And there she spake of what she glimps’d of Elmal in her trance.
Seeing she was by Elmal Horse Lord a chosen tool
Wise Yannioth did not preach, nor try on duties needs to school

But welcom’d Serala as Her God’s true child and spear
Whom all his foes, she’d teach the Cold Sun’s ire to fear!
And thus, relieved the Lance of Cold Sun, her friends led forth as knights
To save the weak, to guard, to save the preyed on victim from their plights!¹ It is a consistent part of the Lay of Serala that she is always depicted as the leader of the group. Whilst this is probably no more than heroic hyperbole, it gains interesting aspects when one recalls the interplay between Yelm and the Sky/Fire Gods (including Yelmalio) and Orlanth and the Air Gods.

[Let us now switch to Berra JarangsdottiHumaktisaga, which unsurprisingly has a somewhat different emphasis. ]

Going to Goldentongued God follower
Gaily Gelt-giver Berra
Protector of Priests and Pilgrims
Pure and Pride of Blue Tree²The Blue Tree Clan were famed for the herding of horses, the wild river within their flood plains, and their tenacious approach to life best exemplified by the horse-herders who held riding their animals would be an insult to the ultimate owner, and therefore ran alongside.

To Irillo tallier of talents³ The talent was at this time a lesser known currency, used in Esrolia, and thus appropriate to an Esrolian merchant. The other meaning of talents, as skills or qualities, was also current. This reinforces the suggestion that the author of Berra JarangsdottiHumaktisaga was Esrolian- the same pun does not work in Heortling.
Told True Berra of Trollkin traitors
Lightly laughed Lightbringer
Loyal named he leal lance-troll

Clever Irillo saw Chattelry cheating
By Salid’s Claws clasped
Metal made manumission⁴ Interestingly, ‘Metal Manumission’ was later a named, famous iron sword, dedicated to mobility as one ‘cannot be slave and mobile’. The connection with this poem is unknown.
Matured by Men’s Swords!

Berra heard truth begotten
Bade Troll, Man and Baboon follow her⁵ The gathering of allies, both likely and unlikely is one of the elements of the Hero that the poet appears to be drawing out here.
To guard and guide
Going to Gods!

[The travel seems to have been largely uneventful. The terse Praxian texts record it in a couple of lines. The Lay of Serala takes roughly 15 pages. Only The Accounts of the Travels of Irillo Goldentongue have anything to say in regard to their trip through Jonstown.]

Jonstown 1625-Ea-De-Fi⁶Garin (Altn 17.3) takes the apparently plain scratchings of Irillo as more than the mere work of a merchant of the time, citing major differences in outlook between these and any Esrolian or Sartarite. A comparison of the prices within Nochet and the locales through which so-called Irillo travelled reveals that the goods to which he refers were all associated with the Janil merchant house, which is no surprise. However, they had ritual significance within the house, a sub-house of Saiciae. (Altn 17.4-17.7) The sale of these goods can thus be read as a wide-scale protectionist ritual for the House of Saiciae, explaining the careful detail of the Rec’d and Spent notes. No indication of Rune magic appears in this part, and indeed Runic Ritual would be surprising at such scale. Garin considers that this would be a spiritual magic, or Runes operated within Esrolia.

Reditus:
Gift from King, 5 hides, 3 of deer, 1 of fox, 1 of black bear, local value approx 20L, Nochet value approximately 50L
Sale of Silk threads similar to those given to King, cost 10L in Nochet: 50L

Sumptus:
Bribery, 10L, 5c
Gift to King, Silk threads, 10L in Nochet. Local value approx 40L
Guards, 5L

[Heading north uneventfully, and starting to turn West, towards Alda-Chur, they once more encountered draconic magics. The Sonnets to Vestra tell this most clearly.]

Along the Pavis road wise Vestra rode
Dragonnewts within an em’rald path strode
Sage Vestra most wisely learning guiding
But foolish danger in their midst was hiding!

Whilst Berra stood still in wonder frozen
Serala then a diff’rent path chosen
Lifting Ernalda’s gift from earth soft breast
She threw a stone, the glitt’ring path to test!

{“Who thought that was a good idea? Why am I even with you? Who are you? I’ve never seen you before!!”}

And thus it was that Vestra first beheld
The Dragonkin of which the sages told
Rubbing bruiséd head the Klanth⁷ The obsidian edged wooden sword of the Dragonnewt warrior bearer spoke
-Tongue so old it held man a childish joke

Yet Vestra stooped and ‘pon the kindly Earth
She spake an answer in his tongue of birth!⁸ This echoes the solution as coming from the same root as the problem- the circularity of the pains caused and gifts given by the Earth is remarked on by Wiermonken, in an otherwise tedious article- “On the Element of Earth.”
A coup of scholarship of such a breadth⁹ The choice of ‘coup’ as a semi-military term may be deliberate here, showing the warrior aspects of the sage, in fighting with the pen, rather than the sword.
It saved her comrades from the touch of death!

{“Seriously? What sort of a plan is, ‘Let’s see what happens?!?!?”]

[Death by lightly concussed dragonnewt warrior averted, our heroes continued on towards Alda-Chur, camping up once more for the night at a place they deemed suitable. Our story picks up again with Berra JarangsdottiHumaktisaga.]

Darkness draped down
Dread D’Val-follower¹⁰The compound word D’Val-follower is a hint that the so-called Deus Ex Quackina achieved hero status, some time after this poem, much as the capitalisation of the word ‘Sword’ shows Berra’s ultimate fate. Studies of Devevalsaga indicate nothing of the sort among the few extant fragments. Garin (Altn 14.10-14-11) argues that D’Val-follower refers to the Duck Point journey only, and ‘D’Val-Devotee’ would be the obvious alliteration, with D’Val-Dagger also hard to ignore. The Sage Llewun has Berra visiting Duck Point as a cynical voyeur of human-duck nature, in ‘A Treatise on What is Best In Life’. Dauntless¹¹ This helps remind the audience that at this stage, Berra had not fully progressed from follower to leader.
Seeing shadows shift
Suspicious of something sinister!

Salid¹² It is remarkable in writings of this era that in all of these linked tales that non-humans are often sympathetically dealt with, even named. This is most remarkable for those races which are often the subject of derision in contemporary writings- the Duck and the Trollkin. This has led authors (eg Derzinksy, Fox) to speculate that the author is one of these races- Fox suggests Duck, and Derzinksy opts for Trollkin. This author feels that these options are unlikely, as the Trollkin population of Esrolia was low (although admittedly not zero due to the proximity of the Shadow Plateau), and none of the writings have the linguistic characteristics of Ducks. It is more probable the author is simply more interested in challenging societal assumptions. This is in keeping with a proposed Eurmali authorship. softly spake
Saying seven¹³ The records of the writings of the Sage Vestra Saiciae suggest the number was somewhat smaller. Naturally claims of warriors who slew them tend to increase the figures! somethings he saw!
Brave Berra bespoke
Bidding him bring others to Battle!

[Alas, this suggestion does not seem to have gone entirely to plan. Despite the best efforts of the trollkin, the Uroxi seems to have been hard to wake, as is documented in ‘The Death of Rajar’.]

Uz-danger looming
A great-troll berself distant?
Trollkin, not far away

If you slay two foes
Strike one friend, are you ahead?
Axeing for a friend

[It would seem that Tiwr intervened in this point, for NalaTiwrSaga tells us]

Trollkin blood spurting
Seal’d swift with a loving horn
A first for both there.¹⁴ Interestingly, this suggests that Tiwr’s intervention was the first time he had healed a Trollkin, or perhaps any non-human, non-unicorn. This would be considered a vital stage of the growth of this hero.

[Naturally, the Lay of Serala has the Yelmalian as the heroine of the process, saying]

And thus the scorpeen¹⁵ Sic folk did rush
From their concealment in the bush
And under Yelm’s son’s light she slew¹⁶ An attack in the daytime seems unlikely. It appears more probable that she had called upon the blessings of the Cold Sun, as appeared in earlier verses.
Arrow following each, anew.

Before her lay a pile of slain
Each writhing in a bed of pain
Serala saved the lesser kin
Her arrows striking with a din

Which seemed to stun the chaoskind
She slew them as the meaty hind
Which in times gone by she hunted oft’
With bow and arrow, spear aloft

But now she slew a monstr’us band
Her bow like ’twere in Yelm’s own hand
And as each one on one lay down to die,
The piles of corses reached the Sky!¹⁷ Realistically, one suspects a certain degree of artistic license has taken place here.

[Berra JarangsdottiHumaktisaga naturally tells it somewhat differently!]

Brave Berra bade Baboons
And Bondsmen bide by her side
Standing stalwart as a sword
Striking Scorpion-folk and smiting swift!

{“And does anyone look behind them when fighting? They do not.!”}

[More realistically, given reliable historical accounts of Uroxi in a fight against Chaos, The Death of Rajar says:]

Scorpion man slain
A dozen more lie dying
Urox is cheated!

As Yelm’s journey ends,
Large man falls prone at her feet.
White lady gives sleep.¹⁸ This appears to be a reference to another work, which survives only in title, ‘The Avengers of the Death of the Son of Coul.’

[Thus ‘The Death of Rajar’ is unable to give more details of the clean up, and it is the ‘Sonnets to Vestra’ which gives us more details of the investigation of the Scorpionmen camp.]

And so they found the chaos lair of death
Where nothing living gave a single breath
With skin of Wind-folk to pale parchment made
With fire the shades of darkness there were laid!

[And so to Alda-Chur, our heroes came….]

Related Logs

[[[berra:kicked-in-the-head-by-storm-bull|Kicked in the Head by Storm Bull]]] – Serala and Berra discuss Berra’s interesting bruise

• 1
  It is a consistent part of the Lay of Serala that she is always depicted as the leader of the group. Whilst this is probably no more than heroic hyperbole, it gains interesting aspects when one recalls the interplay between Yelm and the Sky/Fire Gods (including Yelmalio) and Orlanth and the Air Gods.
• 2
  The Blue Tree Clan were famed for the herding of horses, the wild river within their flood plains, and their tenacious approach to life best exemplified by the horse-herders who held riding their animals would be an insult to the ultimate owner, and therefore ran alongside.
• 3
  The talent was at this time a lesser known currency, used in Esrolia, and thus appropriate to an Esrolian merchant. The other meaning of talents, as skills or qualities, was also current. This reinforces the suggestion that the author of Berra JarangsdottiHumaktisaga was Esrolian- the same pun does not work in Heortling.
• 4
  Interestingly, ‘Metal Manumission’ was later a named, famous iron sword, dedicated to mobility as one ‘cannot be slave and mobile’. The connection with this poem is unknown.
• 5
  The gathering of allies, both likely and unlikely is one of the elements of the Hero that the poet appears to be drawing out here.
• 6
  Garin (Altn 17.3) takes the apparently plain scratchings of Irillo as more than the mere work of a merchant of the time, citing major differences in outlook between these and any Esrolian or Sartarite. A comparison of the prices within Nochet and the locales through which so-called Irillo travelled reveals that the goods to which he refers were all associated with the Janil merchant house, which is no surprise. However, they had ritual significance within the house, a sub-house of Saiciae. (Altn 17.4-17.7) The sale of these goods can thus be read as a wide-scale protectionist ritual for the House of Saiciae, explaining the careful detail of the Rec’d and Spent notes. No indication of Rune magic appears in this part, and indeed Runic Ritual would be surprising at such scale. Garin considers that this would be a spiritual magic, or Runes operated within Esrolia.
• 7
  The obsidian edged wooden sword of the Dragonnewt warrior
• 8
  This echoes the solution as coming from the same root as the problem- the circularity of the pains caused and gifts given by the Earth is remarked on by Wiermonken, in an otherwise tedious article- “On the Element of Earth.”
• 9
  The choice of ‘coup’ as a semi-military term may be deliberate here, showing the warrior aspects of the sage, in fighting with the pen, rather than the sword.
• 10
  The compound word D’Val-follower is a hint that the so-called Deus Ex Quackina achieved hero status, some time after this poem, much as the capitalisation of the word ‘Sword’ shows Berra’s ultimate fate. Studies of Devevalsaga indicate nothing of the sort among the few extant fragments. Garin (Altn 14.10-14-11) argues that D’Val-follower refers to the Duck Point journey only, and ‘D’Val-Devotee’ would be the obvious alliteration, with D’Val-Dagger also hard to ignore. The Sage Llewun has Berra visiting Duck Point as a cynical voyeur of human-duck nature, in ‘A Treatise on What is Best In Life’.
• 11
  This helps remind the audience that at this stage, Berra had not fully progressed from follower to leader.
• 12
  It is remarkable in writings of this era that in all of these linked tales that non-humans are often sympathetically dealt with, even named. This is most remarkable for those races which are often the subject of derision in contemporary writings- the Duck and the Trollkin. This has led authors (eg Derzinksy, Fox) to speculate that the author is one of these races- Fox suggests Duck, and Derzinksy opts for Trollkin. This author feels that these options are unlikely, as the Trollkin population of Esrolia was low (although admittedly not zero due to the proximity of the Shadow Plateau), and none of the writings have the linguistic characteristics of Ducks. It is more probable the author is simply more interested in challenging societal assumptions. This is in keeping with a proposed Eurmali authorship.
• 13
  The records of the writings of the Sage Vestra Saiciae suggest the number was somewhat smaller. Naturally claims of warriors who slew them tend to increase the figures!
• 14
  Interestingly, this suggests that Tiwr’s intervention was the first time he had healed a Trollkin, or perhaps any non-human, non-unicorn. This would be considered a vital stage of the growth of this hero.
• 15
  Sic
• 16
  An attack in the daytime seems unlikely. It appears more probable that she had called upon the blessings of the Cold Sun, as appeared in earlier verses.
• 17
  Realistically, one suspects a certain degree of artistic license has taken place here.
• 18
  This appears to be a reference to another work, which survives only in title, ‘The Avengers of the Death of the Son of Coul.’