[coronatiger]

26th of Varatga, year 412

O Ashtar, Mother of Snakes, Keeper of Death’s Door, hear my confession!

We woke early in the morning, and let the old woman sleep. Baldrian asked me if I thought she’d mind if we used her kitchen to make breakfast. I didn’t think so, considering how welcoming she had been yesterday. I thought she must be lonely, her children long gone to make their own homes. Baldrian left a few coppers on the kitchen table, and I put a silver piece on the bed I’d borrowed. Kork and I did the dishes, and I said a prayer over the old woman. She was still sleeping when we left.

Xipil asked me about raising snakes, how to feed them and take care of them and so on, and we discussed it on the way through town. We met Lunari and Grogg by the wagon at the inn, where the dwarf who had insulted Grogg had been replaced by a militia man from the village. The escort didn’t mention yesterday’s events.

We stopped for lunch on a hilltop, and could see Badahan and the great river in the distance. Actually, we could see the river bed, as the river itself had almost dried up. I overheard Lunari and Baldrian talking about contacting people in the city who could “buy” the cargo, but I didn’t hear if they came to a decision. It wasn’t really my business.

We had to wait in line to enter Badahan, but got in after a while. After bringing us to an inn loyal to Durban, the noble house who had been so kind as to provide us with an escort, the soldiers ordered Baldrian and the wagon to remain while they went to “check something out”. We waited with him. Eventually, they returned and gave Baldrian a merchant’s pass.

Baldrian brought us to an inn he knew in the harbor district. Kork declared that he would remain with the wagon, now that the soldiers weren’t keeping an eye on it for us anymore. I asked Baldrian if he was familiar with this area, and he gave me directions to a chapel further on towards the river. Baldrian paid for rooms until after the sun festival, which is in three days. With the throng of people coming into town from the surrounds, rooms weren’t guaranteed unless we paid now.

I ran quickly up to the room and removed my cloak and knives. I left my pack with Baldrian and strolled down to the chapel. It was a nice one, both spacious and decorated with snake motifs. I washed in the hallway outside the main room, and entered to find a man praying and an older dwarven woman who just sat there thinking. I introduced myself and asked the dwarf if there was anything that worried her. She confided that she knew and cared for people on both sides of the slave uprising, and was torn with uncertainty because of it.

I prayed for her, asking You to grant her wisdom. Then we heard someone washing, and I asked if there was going to be a Meet tonight. The dwarf said that she had come here to think precisely because she knew that there wouldn’t be many people here tonight. To my surprise, it was Xipil who appeared at the entrance, hesitating to come inside. He had clearly recognized some of the snakes as dangerous, but I bade him enter, if he was willing to open his heart to You. He glanced at my waist, where I keep my knives when we travel, uncertain if I spoke literally.

The dwarf spoke the ritual words beginning a Meet, and we initiated Xipil. He lay flat on the floor, and allowed a holy creature to slither over him. Then we all congratulated Xipil, and welcomed him to Your coils. The joy of it all brought inspiration to the dwarf woman, and she left. I offered prayers of thanks, that you allowed Xipil to come to You. I was bursting with elation and told stories about You for several hours.

When we returned to the inn, I woke Baldrian so he could congratulate Xipil, too. Then I lay down on the other bed in the room.

O Ashtar! I surrender my life to Your coils. Take me while I sleep, or grant me another day in Your service, as You will.


27th of Varatga, year 412

O Ashtar, Mother of Snakes, Keeper of Death’s Door, hear my confession!

Lunari was sore and stiff at breakfast. Thinking that my medical services may be useful, I asked him what he’d been up to last night. Grogg answered by calling him dancing king and less flattering titles and got a kick on the leg for it. I took Lunari’s silence as a sign that he didn’t want me to meddle in his affairs.

Baldrian left it to Grogg, Lunari, Xipil and me to decide whether we wanted to remain in Badahan for the festival or not. It turned out the papers he had received allowed him to bring the weapons further, to a more profitable market, he just had to lose the wagon before going home.

We compared the sun festival customs in Arland and the Prince’s Cities, and it turned out they were mostly similar. That was no surprise, as we are neighboring countries with much trade between us.

Lunari wanted to check out the travel conditions, but Xipil looked to me to suggest activities for the day. I proposed to look for another chapel. We agreed to meet again for dinner, and parted ways. Rummaging through my head, I recalled that I visited a chapel here in Badahan a couple of years ago, while I was on a bounty hunt.

We found it after a short search, and I explained to Xipil the importance of the ritual cleansing before entering a chapel, and how to do it properly. A series of paintings on the wall above the wash stand had been enough for him to reason it out, yesterday. You absolutely have to wash your feet and your hands, I told him, but if you have the time, you should wash the rest of your body, too. Xipil raised an interesting conundrum when he pointed out that his tail isn’t mentioned in the order of body parts to wash. I explained that he should wash the tail after washing his legs, but before proceeding with the torso. A small voice inside my head, Your voice, I presume, told me that he had to wash the tip of the tail if it had touched the ground since his last cleansing. Putting words into practice, I undressed and washed, and Xipil copied me.

Xipil impressed me with his calm attitude, sitting among the snakes. An inexplicable urge made me ask him to show me his tongue. It had forked since I noticed it last. It isn’t usual for initiates to have their tongues fork that soon, but I considered it to be a sign of Your approval, a blessing. I opened my mouth to show Xipil that my tongue was forked too. He didn’t comment on my slightly elongated upper canines, and I didn’t draw attention to them. By contracting certain muscles in my jaws, I can thrust them forward. I consider my fangs to be my primary weapons, sharp enough to penetrate leather. Connected to my poison glands, they can take down a strong enemy in seconds.

At dinner, Lunari asked if we had visited one of Your temples, and I said yes. He isn’t to know the difference between a chapel and a temple. Grogg expressed worry that Xipil has joined a death cult. I made a joke about it, but then I turned serious and told him that we don’t meddle with necromancy, raising the dead and suchlike, if that was what he was worried about.

Lunari had judged traveling conditions to be favorable, so we left after the meal. Progress was slow through the mass of people inside the city, but once we crossed the river, we were able to speed up. We encountered a party of festival-goers wearing lion masks that impressed Grogg mightily.

Baldrian raised a concern about the next checkpoint. Before we reached Badahan, our escort had allowed us to pass them without delay, but the merchant was worried about Lunari’s drugs. He and Lunari took some precautions, but once we got to the checkpoint, the soldiers just waved us through. For a fee, of course.

We left the main road in the evening, going the short distance to a small village. The only inn was full, but the innkeeper allowed us to park our wagon there and sleep near it. Lunari noticed a bakery next door, and ventured inside. An angry woman chased him out shortly and accused him of hitting on her daughter. I shook my head in resignation and turned to the innkeeper, asking if it was permissible for me to erect my tent to get some privacy. He took me through to a small vegetable garden behind the inn, and said I could pitch my tent there. I got permission for Xipil to stay the night there, as well.

Passing through the common room after a chat with Baldrian, I spotted Lunari with two women about my age, or perhaps a little younger. He was buying drinks for them, and it was clear to me what he was up to. The girls were rather pretty, and would probably have been married already, if they hadn’t been servants. Their simple clothes and unsophisticated manner gave that away. Nevertheless, I found them intriguing, and walked over to admonish Lunari to be kind to them.

I crawled inside my tent, but noticed that something was happening outside when I tried to sleep. Outside, Xipil was meditating, his eyes glowing blue with collected starlight. It didn’t seem to pass, so I prodded him. His eyes stopped glowing, and he turned to me and told me he’d had a disturbing vision of dark clouds blowing in from the east.

O Ashtar! I surrender my life to Your coils. Take me while I sleep, or grant me another day in Your service, as You will.