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Old 09-15-2020, 10:07 AM   #91
coronatiger
 
Join Date: Apr 2018
Location: Trondheim, Norway
Default Session 29 (2020-09-06)

16th of Rama, year 412

Nujan had brought water for washing, so I cleaned Lord Lunas’s blood off my hands. My white dress needed special care, so it would have to wait.

Wolfram came for a short visit. He wanted to know if I knew how to communicate with spirits. He had found one who refused to move on when he used his ritual of passing, and would like to talk to the spirit, so he could help him. The only way I knew was if I materialized the spirit. Then anyone would be able to talk to him. However, since Wolfram had insisted that I watch over Irdol Larma’s corpse, I would be busy the next twenty-four hours. Wolfram wished me luck and bid me good night. I looked in on the corpse through the hatch in the cell door. Still no sign of spiritual activity, of course. I had complete confidence in Your gift.

Keri dropped by early in the morning, asking if I wanted a drink. I don’t really care for intoxicating beverages. I want to keep a clear head, so I can perform my duties responsibly and perceive the omens You send. You have blessed me with a resistance to drugs, which I see as a sign that You don’t want me to get drunk. I thanked Keri for the consideration, but told him I still had water, and that was good enough for me.

Keri’s reason for visiting was to find out if my friends and I were planning to leave the island soon. That reminded me that I have promised You to track down the rogue spirits. I knew that this quest should have the highest priority for me, but I had made promises to my companions, promises I needed to keep if I wanted them to help me in my quest, and then I would need to find my bed as soon as possible, lest I fall asleep on my feet. I told Keri that it was unlikely we would be leaving during the next twenty-four hours.

I asked Keri how Lady Isa was doing. He answered that she was doing well, all things considered. And what about Yana? Keri mumbled something that indicated that Lord Lunas’s death had affected her deeply. I asked what he meant by that, and he said I should talk to Yana about it. I shouldn’t delay too long in talking to her, a fact he for some reason didn’t want me to attribute to him if I mentioned it to anyone.

Even though we had kept our voices low, our discussion woke Xipil, and he got up soon after Keri had left, asking what the dwarf wanted. I told him Keri wanted to know how long we were staying. Xipil was eager to get started with the spirit hunt, but also thought we should observe Lord Madan for a day or so, first. Looking at my blood-stained dress, Xipil suggested that I ask Yana to make me a darker one, where the blood wouldn’t be so glaringly visible.

I told Xipil that I needed to talk to both Lady Isa and Yana before we left. Xipil wondered what I was going to do with Yana when we left, for he was concerned that she might be a target for Larma agents, since I had insisted that she was present during meetings when we received sensitive information about the “Loyalists”. I had no answer for him at the moment.

I had promised to sleep in the dungeon while Xipil watched over the corpse, so I would be nearby if anything happened. However, I also needed to talk to Yana, and I feared I couldn’t wait. If I went to sleep now, I’d probably not wake up again in ten or twelve hours. I told Xipil I would find Wolfram or Grogg to be backup for him, and lent him one of my sacred blades, as well as the vial of poison that can harm spirits. We prayed together, and Xipil bit my knife ceremoniously when I handed it over. He got the ring, too, of course, so he would be able to see the wraith if it appeared. Not that it would, but it was better that Xipil had the ring, since I was planning to go to sleep as soon as I had talked to Yana.

In the outer courtyard, I asked a couple of guards if they had seen Wolfram or Grogg. They pointed me to the guest hall, where I found them in the dining room, having breakfast. I explained my need to them and asked Wolfram if he could go and keep Xipil company. If they required my help for something, he could find me in my room.

While we were talking, Yana knocked on the door and entered. She asked rhetorically if I was tired, and I replied, “Just a little,” holding up my hand, with thumb and index finger a hairsbreadth apart. Wolfram left for the dungeon. Yana wanted to talk to me, so I asked if we should go to my room or hers, but she thought Grogg should hear, too, so we remained in the dining hall.

Yana asked if we saw the moon last night. I said that I had noticed it shining more brightly than usual for a short period, but Yana was referring to something that happened later. She said the moon had signaled that this was a time for departures. I felt as if I was being stabbed in the gut. Was she leaving? Would I ever see her again? I forced myself to focus. I was leaving too, so it didn’t matter that she might go. Yana babbled on, and it seemed she was trying to convince herself that leaving was the right thing to do. She mentioned the moon again. It couldn’t be a coincidence that it had been like that on the same night as her heirloom broke. She said that she didn’t want to be part of what “the others” were up to. “The others” seemed to be some people from Amrosh land, where she was from. When she asked if I thought she could get a job elsewhere, I answered, “Of course! You’re so skilled. A seamstress of your caliber could find work anywhere!” Yana implied that she had another profession, too, but she didn’t elaborate. We agreed that Yana could come with us when Grogg, Xipil, Wolfram and I left for Ur. Yana was very upset about cutting her ties to Amrosh, so I hugged and comforted her.

I asked Grogg if he would like me to hold a burial ceremony for Lunari. He said it was all right, as long as I didn’t mention You. I explained to him that You are the Keeper of Death’s Door; a burial without acknowledging that wouldn’t be possible. Grogg decided he wanted to bury Lunari in the troll fashion.

I told Yana I was going to the chapel to pray for guidance as soon as I had changed out of my blood-soaked dress. If anyone came asking for me, they could find me there. Yana begged me to be careful when passing through the tower.

I went upstairs to my room and changed into the simple, grey dress, and the bells began ringing in the fort, calling for everyone to gather. I left my dirty dress on the floor outside my door, hoping that the servants would take care of it, and headed for the gathering. It would be disrespectful not to go, as if I was saying I didn’t belong here, and didn’t care for their customs.

The people who gathered in the inner courtyard seemed uncertain what was going on. Yana arrived and took my hand just as Keri climbed up on a box to get everyone’s attention. He told us that everyone had to come here in one hour, for Lady Isa was going to address the fort.

I asked Yana if she thought that the bells were going to ring again in an hour, for I didn’t want to miss it, and feared I might fall asleep. Yana was uncertain; Lord Mir used to ring the bells, but not Lord Lunas, and she didn’t know which brother Lady Isa took after. She raised her voice a little and delivered a short speech about one of her sewing projects. It was clearly for the benefit of those near us, but I couldn’t understand what it was she was trying to hide from them.

We went our separate ways. At the chapel, I took off the dress and washed thoroughly, finally getting all the blood off. Xipil came and said that Wolfram wanted to examine Lord Madan, but he also wanted to watch over Irdol Larma’s body. I finished my ritual and clothed myself again, while telling him that I wouldn’t be much use for either task before I had had a few hours of sleep. I needed to go and listen to what Lady Isa’s speech in about half an hour, and then I wanted to find my bed. We could visit Lord Madan around midnight; I had hopefully gotten enough sleep by then.

I entered the chapel while Xipil washed. I stood near the altar, praying. I didn’t dare kneeling down, because I might fall asleep. When Xipil followed me inside, I got my knife and poison back. He didn’t need them outside the dungeon, and I wasn’t about to let him hand over these holy items to Wolfram, an outsider. I bit the blade ritually before replacing it in its sheath.

The bells started ringing when we were on our way out. Xipil dashed ahead, having something he needed to do before the speech. I didn’t see Yana in the inner courtyard, so I headed over to the gates, so she’d see me when she came. Xipil, Grogg and Nujan gathered near Yana and me, just before Remi announced that Lord Lunas had fallen in battle while defending his family from an outside threat; he sacrificed himself to keep Lady Isa safe, so she could lead “us” in the time to come. He asked everyone to wait for the next speaker.

I stood behind Yana, wrapping my arms around her and resting my head on her shoulder. “Wake me if I fall asleep!” Yana stroked my arm. Some of the servants looked at us. I didn’t understand their looks, but Yana seemed to, for she shifted with embarrassment.

Trumpets blared, and I was suddenly wide awake. Lady Isa climbed up on a podium. For once, she was dressed according to her station, and wore a simple diadem on her head. “Did you do her outfit?” I whispered in Yana’s ear. Yana shook her head and pointed to the master tailor. It struck me that I hadn’t seen her with him often, which was strange, as she was nominally his apprentice.
__________________
You don't need to spend 100 CP on Status 5 [25] and Multimillionaire [75] to feel like a princess, when Delusion [-10] will do.

Character sheet: Google Drive link (See this thread for details.)

Campaign logs: Chaotic Pioneering / Confessions of a Forked Tongue
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Old 09-15-2020, 10:26 AM   #92
coronatiger
 
Join Date: Apr 2018
Location: Trondheim, Norway
Default Session 29 (2020-09-06)

Lady Isa got down from the podium without saying anything, which caused murmurs to spread through the crowd, but nobody left. A few people were just now making their way into the inner courtyard, and were admonished by their peers. A small commotion broke out at the entrance to the nobles’ house. Someone tried to push Wolfram out, but he refused to join the crowd. I’ve come to understand that he’s really uncomfortable in the company of more than just a few people.

Lady Isa must have gone inside while I wasn’t looking, for she came out a few minutes later, climbing back up on the podium. She harrumphed, quite needlessly, for everyone quieted down when she reappeared. “Hi,” she said, and sighed. “It’s sad what happened to Lunas, but nice to see so many of you here. Some of you need to remain and listen: Nuur-Karif, Grogg, Xipil, Wolfram, Pak, Groman, Ebsalon, Remi, Nujan, Keri and Yana. Everyone else may leave if they wish.” Nobody moved, so Lady Isa harrumphed again. “I am now the Queen of the Evening Fort!” Gasps surged through the crowd, for this was a declaration of treason. Queen Isa continued, “I am also the enlightened leader of the Council of the Twelve. And now, everyone except those named WILL leave.”

Queen Isa walked over to us near the gate when the courtyard emptied. She asked Grogg to make sure that the named people wouldn’t leave, and promised him food. Grogg used one hand to grab each of Nujan and Xipil. Nujan protested the rough treatment and swore to follow, if he would just let go of his arm. Queen Isa led the way toward the nobles’ dining hall. Grogg took Nujan at his word and released his arm, and Nujan scampered up on his shoulders, showing off like an acrobat.

The queen asked Yana and me if we wanted a “ladies’ corner” or if we were consorts. I pointed to the dining table and asked if we couldn’t just all have a seat and get this over with. Realizing I was being rude, I apologized, blaming my lack of sleep. “I haven’t slept all night, because I’ve been watching the corpse of … someone … in the dungeon.” Queen Isa asked Yana to instruct me that there were more important things than sleeping right now.

Grogg went to fetch Wolfram. When we were all gathered around the dining table, Queen Isa spoke. “Do you consider him part of your company?” she asked Grogg, referring to Wolfram. Grogg didn’t reply, so I said yes. Queen Isa continued, telling us that we were the ones who according to prophecy “wakes everything”. She added something about the threads of fate, which slipped by me because I yawned. I did get that she required us to leave the fort “immediately”. Nujan asked me if she really said that we had to go right now. Fortunately, in this context, “immediately” meant that we would have one day to make our preparations, and there would be a feast in our honor tonight. Queen Isa asked for a favor, to bring the spear from the dungeon to Lord Mir in the capital. Lunari was dead, and the spear needed a new master.

Queen Isa turned to Nujan and said it was about time he returned home. She hoped he could get the cat folk to become a little more organized. Nujan protested, but Queen Isa overruled him, reminding him that he has responsibilities in his homeland that he had to shoulder. Nujan bowed under the pressure, but wanted to take a detour, if that was acceptable. He asked if he could go with us, and the queen nodded.

“Ebsalon!” Queen Isa addressed her former tutor. “You are to take Keri, Pak and Groman, and transport Madan to the Kings’ Crypt, where he shall rest.” Ebsalon looked like he was going to object, but bowed to the queen. Pak, on the other hand, started to protest, only to be hushed by Groman.

The queen turned to Yana and informed her that there was a ship lying at harbor in Guling which would sail west. “You will be on it.” I asked if Yana couldn’t come with us instead, and Yana nodded agreement eagerly. Queen Isa asked me, “Do you know that they are after her?” Unless I was mistaken, she was speaking of the Moon Shadows, Amrosh’s intelligence network. I replied, “They’re after me too!”

Next, Queen Isa addressed Remi: “The time for serving two families has ended.” I sensed that this could get ugly and put a hand on a throwing knife. The queen continued relentlessly, asking Remi to pick a side. He protested his innocence. Wolfram stood up so fast that his chair toppled backwards. Queen Isa’s eyes began to glow. I took my other hand off Yana’s and laid that on a throwing knife, too. Wolfram ran towards the queen, but I focused on Remi. I prepared to draw and throw if he showed any sign of aggression. Yana put a concerned hand on my shoulder.

A bolt of lightning shot from each of Queen Isa’s eyes, and they both struck Remi. His head exploded, and blood and flesh spattered everywhere. Yana flinched, but I didn’t. As I was sitting right across the table from Remi, I got a good dose in the face and all over my bosom. Yana gripped my shoulder tightly. Grogg threw up on the table. His unnatural fear of lightning had been triggered.

Wolfram tried to grab Queen Isa, but she retreated. I stood up and told Wolfram, “Do not lay hands on the Queen!” Nujan drew his sword and pointed it at Wolfram. Keri climbed up on the table and ran towards the queen’s end, splashing through the troll vomit and fumbling to draw his weapon.

Yana stood up and screamed “No!” Ebsalon stood, too, and commanded Wolfram to kneel. Queen Isa turned blurry. Wolfram stepped back from her and ordered her to stop with the magic. To show everyone that I taking the situation seriously, I prayed loudly, “O Ashtar, tell me who to kill!” Xipil ran over to Wolfram and begged him to sit down again. Keri reached Wolfram, but stumbled and fell to the floor; Wolfram promptly put a foot on him to hold him down.

“You’re not casting any more spells now!” Wolfram demanded. Grogg had finally found his feet and staggered towards the belligerents, but he was still retching. Queen Isa asked Wolfram, “You know whose fort this is?!” Wolfram was stubborn and insisted that she stopped using magic. Grogg tried to grab him, but the only thing he accomplished was showering Keri with bile. My line of sight to Keri was blocked, but I heard him sputter and curse in Dwarvish.

Yana mumbled that she thought I had done enough. I positioned myself on her other side, so if anything came flying our way, it would hit me, not her. She whispered in my ear not to do anything stupid, and I thought she sounded more like herself, unlike in the previous sentence; it was almost as if someone had spoken through her. Was it You?

Wolfram finally raised his hands in the air and asked everyone to relax. Grogg grabbed him and pulled him off Keri. I whispered to Yana that she should take hold of my shoulder again. Not for any tactical reason; it just felt so nice. She complied.

Grogg forced Wolfram to the floor. I put a hand on Yana’s hand and whispered that everything was all right now. Ebsalon and Queen Isa retreated to a corner and spoke in hushed tones, then he pulled her upstairs to the lounge.

I picked up a napkin and wiped Remi off my face. Xipil walked around the table and tasted Remi’s blood. Grogg tried to wipe the vomit off his shirt, but he only rubbed it into the fabric. Keri handed him a bottle of beer, before going outside to fetch two guards. He instructed them not to let anyone leave the room before he returned. Yana and I helped each other get clean, which was easier once Keri returned with two servants and water for washing. He approached Yana and asked her “one last favor”. He mentioned the word “coffin”, and told the guards that she could leave. I went with her, and the guards let me by when Keri nodded to them.

“I really don’t like violence,” Yana confessed as we headed for the outer courtyard, arm in arm. “It makes me sick.” “I’ll protect you,” I promised. “Thanks, Nuur-Karif, but hopefully it won’t be necessary. I think I should be able to defend myself if someone attacks me. I just won’t be the one to start the fight. I could never live with myself if I killed someone.” Her voice trailed off and she glanced worriedly at me. “Don’t be afraid, Yana. I don’t go around murdering people willy-nilly. When I take a life, it’s always with Ashtar’s blessing. She is the Keeper of Death’s Door. She decides whose lives I should reap.” “Out of morbid curiosity,” Yana asked, “how many … how many people have you ‘reaped’?” “I could tell you,” I replied, “but then I’d have to kill you!” Yana flinched, and my gut twisted. “I’m so sorry, Yana! That was a poor attempt at a joke. To be honest, I don’t keep count. We’re told not to dwell on the lives we take, beyond showing the proper respect for the deceased and performing the proper rites. But if I should hazard a guess, I’d say somewhere around thirty, certainly not more than forty.” Yana gaped at me. “But you’re so young! That means …” I could hear the wheels grinding along in her head as she did the math. “Yes, it means on average once per month since I started doing it professionally, so to speak. That was three years ago; I was sixteen.”
__________________
You don't need to spend 100 CP on Status 5 [25] and Multimillionaire [75] to feel like a princess, when Delusion [-10] will do.

Character sheet: Google Drive link (See this thread for details.)

Campaign logs: Chaotic Pioneering / Confessions of a Forked Tongue
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Old 09-15-2020, 10:46 AM   #93
coronatiger
 
Join Date: Apr 2018
Location: Trondheim, Norway
Default Session 29 (2020-09-06)

We walked the rest of the way to Yana’s workshop in silence, but Yana still clung to my arm. I took that to mean that she was more afraid to let go than to be near me, a good sign. Inside, her rooms looked completely transformed. She had removed every trace of her occupancy, except for a backpack and a bag near the door. We picked up a couple of pillows, and went outside. In the courtyard, we found a carpenter named Kyrre, who had a coffin ready for us. We put the pillows in the coffin and carried it back to the messy dining hall.

Many more servants had arrived to help with the cleaning up, which made Wolfram panic and attempt to hide away in the kitchen, but the guards stopped him. Xipil and Keri were trying to calm him when Yana, Kyrre and I returned.

We were lifting Remi’s remains into the coffin when Queen Isa and Ebsalon came down the stairs. She approached Wolfram and bowed ironically. She told him he had committed a heinous crime by attacking her, but she pardoned him. She emphasized that here it was her laws that applied, not his. They shook hands.

Queen Isa said that everyone who had washed was welcome up to the lounge. Yana and I left with Kyrre and the coffin and carried it to the outer courtyard. Yana commented that it shouldn’t begin smelling for two days, and thanked Kyrre for the help.

Queen Isa sat in a corner with Ebsalon when we reached the lounge, and she raised her glass towards us. Xipil stood next to them, and it was clear they had been talking. I found another corner for Yana and me, away from everyone else. Grogg and Keri needed a bit more time to get clean, and Wolfram had gone to check on Irdol Larma, but they were in the lounge when Yana spoke my name, waking me from my slumber on her shoulder.

Grogg, Wolfram, Xipil, Yana and Nujan were discussing whether to take Lord Mir’s magical shortcut to Ur across the sky, or the road from Guling. Yana woke me because she wanted my opinion. They were also debating what to do with the star box, but I didn’t care about that at all. It turned out Xipil was the only one of them who wanted to take the sky way. I told him I wasn’t going to deny him that route, but the rest of us would be traveling by wagon. It wouldn’t take that long to get from Guling to Ur.

I asked the others if they had many preparations they needed to take care of before leaving, or if we could cross the land bridge at sunset. I suggested that we spend the night in Guling, for I had some shopping to do. We could leave for Ur in the morning. Wolfram wanted to keep up the watch over Irdol Larma, and he also said he should examine Lord Madan. He had promised Lord Lunas that he would, and it was why he had come here in the first place.

Yana was worried. She said it wouldn’t be safe to travel with her, since the Moon Shadows were hunting her. If they found her, they’d “take” her. I repeated that they were after me too, so having her along wouldn’t pose any additional risks. It seemed that Lord Lunas had told her that they were no threat to me, but I revealed that as a lie. Yana must have believed I was fibbing, earlier, so Queen Isa would let her come with us.

Wolfram stood up. He was going to talk to Ebsalon about Lord Madan. I called after him that we were going to leave the island tonight. Xipil asked Yana when she last was in contact with the Moon Shadows, but she explained that she had never really been close to them. She had sent the occasional sign of life back to Amrosh since coming here, and understood that the Night Riders received the messages, but Lord Lunas had graciously taken steps to make sure she didn’t have to meet any visitors from Amrosh.

I asked Yana and Nujan if they were ready to leave on short notice, which they were. If Yana didn’t have anything better to do, did she mind if I used her as a pillow? “You’re so nice and comfy and cozy!” She didn’t mind at all, although she was concerned that I might have to run to “save the world” if something happened with spirits. I just said that in that case, she didn’t have to be my pillow anymore.

Xipil and Grogg left, as did Nujan after helping himself to some grapes. Yana fetched some food and drink so she’d have it within reach before she allowed me to put my head in her lap. She sang in a low voice and stroked my hair. It didn’t take much to put me to sleep.

It didn’t take much to wake me either. “Nuur-Karif, are you sleeping?” Yana’s voice was so low, she couldn’t have intended to wake me, but there is just something about the way my name passes her lips that catches my attention. I really needed to sleep, though, so after opening one eye slightly and seeing no threats, I closed it again. It was terribly rude, but I knew that if I began talking with Yana, I’d probably get so caught up in it that it could be hours before I dozed off again.

“You can be so scary, sometimes,” Yana whispered, “but I don’t want to be afraid of you. I like you too much! You embody my two greatest fears, snakes and violence, so it makes no sense that I should care for you the way I do. Still, I’m growing more accustomed to being near you. There is comfort in your embrace, support in this time of grief. My heart broke when Lord Lunas died. He was so kind to me, the first noble who saw me as a person, not as chattel.” I rolled over on my back and looked up at Yana. “You’re talented, beautiful and compassionate! If those other nobles couldn’t see that, they didn’t deserve you!” She must have seen anger glimmering in my eyes. “It was nothing like what you had to endure, Nuur-Karif. My mother is a daughter of the Amrosh clan, but I was born out of wedlock, and that left me without status, yet I was still expected to contribute. It was hard, though, when nobody trusted me. But I wasn’t beaten on a regular basis, like you were, so you don’t have to be angry on my behalf. I apologize for waking you, by the way. I was trying to organize my thoughts, so I could present them to you coherently.”

“Listen, Yana. You’re the best friend I’ve ever had. I’d die if I lost you, if I pushed you away. It hurts to think that it might be Ashtar that drives a wedge between us. Not Ashtar Herself, of course, but the fact that it is Her gifts, my serpentine features and my ability to execute Her will, that terrify you. What I see as a blessing, you see as a curse. I had hoped to convince you that She truly has blessed me, but should you decide that Ashtar is not for you, I will still remain with you. While I think that the world would be a better place if everyone accepted Ashtar into their hearts, it is not our way to force anyone to believe. If you do decide to embark on this journey, I will only take you as far as you are willing to go.”

Yana’s reply was like balm on a wound: “Don’t give up on me, yet. I might still come around to accept Ashtar. I’ll admit that what I’ve seen and heard so far has been frightening, but there has been encouragement, too. Just thinking about the great serpent gives me the creeps, but the way it hissed away the confusing thoughts I used to have was impressive. You should know that when I was little, I was told what to believe. That didn’t work for me. I was never very devout. If I join your cult, I don’t expect to be as passionate about it as you are, so I don’t want you to hold me up to your standards.” I wasn’t quite sure what to say, so the silence stretched out for a full minute. Yana broke it. “I need to think about this, and you need to sleep. Do you want me to sing for you?”

I woke again when the sun was on its way down. I looked out the window and estimated that the land bridge would open in about an hour. Yana had lain down behind me and was sleeping. I tried not to wake her when I lifted her arm away and stood up, but she wasn’t sleeping very deeply, and opened her eyes questioningly. I told her I was going to the chapel to say goodbye to the snakes there. She didn’t want to accompany me there, but made a vague promise to visit another chapel with me, sometime. I gave her a comforting smile before I left.

Xipil found me outside the chapel while I was washing. He had pen and paper, and wanted me to sign an agreement to let him use the sky way. I thought it seemed reckless to use that road, having been told of the dangers. “I won’t stop you if you’ve made up your mind to use the way through the stars, but I’m not helping you either!” Xipil tried to persuade me, arguing that he could do research in Ur before the rest of us arrived, but I stood fast on my decision. Ebsalon wanted a signature from two of Xipil’s friends if he was to send him along the sky way. I supposed Grogg and Wolfram could be convinced to sign.
__________________
You don't need to spend 100 CP on Status 5 [25] and Multimillionaire [75] to feel like a princess, when Delusion [-10] will do.

Character sheet: Google Drive link (See this thread for details.)

Campaign logs: Chaotic Pioneering / Confessions of a Forked Tongue
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Old 09-15-2020, 11:01 AM   #94
coronatiger
 
Join Date: Apr 2018
Location: Trondheim, Norway
Default Session 29 (2020-09-06)

Inside the chapel, I said goodbye to each of the three snakes, both in the common tongue, in Shamara, and with a kiss on top of their heads. The great serpent hissed a warning to me, not to rouse more than I quench.

I returned to Yana in the lounge and asked if she wanted to come with me to say goodbye to Queen Isa. Yana was a little concerned that the incident with Wolfram earlier had ruined our friendship with the queen, but she came along. I asked the guards outside the nobles’ house formally for an audience with the queen. They passed the message inside, and we found ourselves in the queen’s chambers soon after. Ebsalon had been there with her, but he was dismissed.

I thanked Queen Isa solemnly for the hospitality of the Evening Fort, and for allowing us to make her acquaintance. She replied that she didn’t think she would be the person she was today if it wasn’t for us taking her along on adventures, and asked me to thank the others. We hugged. Yana had been standing in the background so far, but the queen waved her over for a hug, too. I heard Yana whisper that she had to remember that she represented more than herself. Queen Isa followed us to the door and watched us walk down the hall.

We met the others in the guest hall in the outer courtyard. Xipil ran to retrieve the spear from the dungeon, and handed it to Grogg. I shouted for Nujan out the window, expecting him to be sleeping on one of the rooftops, but he didn’t show. Xipil thought he might have found a roof in the village. Wolfram picked up Nujan’s little backpack. If we didn’t find Nujan in the village, I hoped he realized that we were gone, and joined us in Guling. One of the guards came inside to say goodbye. I thought he might have a little crush on me. I gave him and the Evening Fort the blessing of all gods, but I made Your sign with my hand.

We did find Nujan in the village, and walked down to the causeway. Wolfram noticed a too large group of people heading over towards us, and wanted us to fetch a wagon and meet him on the other side. He would cross when there weren’t as many people there. Xipil and Grogg decided to wait with him, so Yana, Nujan and I went to the wagon hall. I approached the counter and explained that we were on a mission for the Aldera family, and needed a wagon that could bring the three of us and two trolls to Ur.

Wagon and horses arrived in a few minutes. Yana told me that the wagon was larger than those she was used to, but she should be able to drive it. We fetched our companions at the land bridge. Yana pulled her cloak down her face and asked if it was easy to recognize her. Considering that few people have as good night eyes as me, I thought she was hidden well enough.

Outside Guling, Nujan and Xipil climbed up on the roof. I reminded everyone that now that we had left the Evening Fort, my name was Godana, Xipil’s was Hisse, and Grogg should be called Mork. Yana chose “Hala” for her alias. Nujan and Wolfram didn’t need false names, since they were neither wanted for arrest nor known as my associates.

Grogg was telling Wolfram in the cabin that when they met me, I had a box with a head in it. Yana promised not to ask about it. I curled up and put my head in her lap. Wolfram told Grogg a story from his childhood, when he was apprenticed to a witch hunter. I said my evening prayer and went to sleep.

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.

Xipil woke me up to ask if I had seen the wraith before, in a garden. “Yes,” I replied sternly, “Good night!” Hadn’t I told him that already? Maybe not the part about the garden.

I woke again some time later when Yana startled. A Night Rider from Amrosh had passed our slower wagon. Yana and I whispered to reassure each other that he hadn’t identified us. I put my head back in Yana’s lap, but watched the Night Rider until he passed out of sight.


17th of Rama, year 412

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

When the sky began to brighten, I pulled my cloak over my face, hoping to get another hour or two of sleep. A little later, Yana said that we had to stop soon, to allow the horses some rest. We turned off the road at sunrise and stopped between some trees and hedges.

Yana took a quick snack and went to sleep in the wagon, while the rest of us had breakfast in the sun. As we were soon entering the desert, I asked Wolfram and Grogg if either of them would come with me to the village on the other side of the road to get some provisions. Wolfram wasn’t too keen on meeting people, so Grogg and I walked the five minutes up to the tiny village.

We met a woman there, who wasn’t very interested in helping people who were going to Ur. Grogg tried bribing her with a copper coin, but she didn’t budge, so he asked me if I thought she wanted one of the yellow ones instead. The woman overheard it and made Grogg fish another coin from his purse. This one was silver, and the woman gave him a leaky bucket and two small jars for it.

We decided to try our luck at a nearby farm instead. A young man there sold us a rain barrel and some dry loaves of bread. He warned us about unspecified disturbances farther east and said that people around these parts have stopped sending trade towards Ur. I thanked him for the warning and the provisions, and Grogg and I returned to the wagon.

After a couple of hours, Yana emerged from the wagon and suggested that we continue our travel. She helped me get the wagon back to the road, and went to sleep on my shoulder while I guided the horses towards Ur. Xipil pointed out that one barrel of water wouldn’t be enough for traveling through the desert, and I told him we could find more villages during the day.

There was some traffic on the road, and when we stopped again at lunch time, Yana said that she could take the reins again. Wolfram handed me Lunari’s spirit seeing ring, and I put it in my pouch.

A few hours later, we arrived at the last village before the desert. It was larger than the others we had passed today, naturally. Yana paid some people to take care of our horses during our stay. Xipil asked if we should seek out a chapel, but I said we needed to provision first.

Grogg removed his armor and wandered across the square to a whorehouse. Wolfram and Nujan would stay near the wagon, guarding it, while Yana, Xipil and I bought more food and water for us and the horses.

I told Yana afterwards that Xipil and I wanted to look for a chapel, and asked if she wanted to come along. She preferred if I could check it out first. Looking around, Xipil discovered a sign pointing us to the cellar of a farmhouse just outside the village. There, we found a tiny chapel in an earth cellar. We washed our feet and hands, and entered. There were a handful of small snakes inside. After greeting them, I told Xipil this place seemed cozy; I was going to fetch Yana.

Yana agreed to come when I assured her that there were no large snakes there, but on one condition, that I’d go out for a drink with her afterwards. I told her I’d love to, and led the way to the chapel. She took my hand anxiously.

In the chapel, Yana asked me to make sure the venomous snakes didn’t bite her. I refrained from telling her they all were venomous, and sat down on the floor between her corner and them. Few of the snakes here possessed venom that might kill a grown human, but I didn’t think Yana was ready for detailed information about them. They all packed nasty bites, if they deemed her a threat.

It was peaceful and quiet in the chapel, unlike the hubbub of the nearby village. Xipil and I prayed silently. I paused briefly whenever a snake became curious about the intruder. I picked it up and hissed that Yana was a friend, and put it back down.

After a while, Yana asked if it was all right if she slept a little. I told her that of course it was! This was a good sign, I thought to myself. Yana had to feel safe and comfortable in Your holy chapel if she could sleep. Maybe she would even accept You into her heart? I prayed about it while she dozed.

When we had been there for a few hours, I heard approaching footsteps. I put a hand on Yana’s knee and woke her. She pulled her hood down her face so she wouldn’t be recognized, and Xipil copied her move. Two locals washed and entered, a man and a woman. I greeted them and made some small talk. As sunset was approaching, it was the right time to hold a Meet, but the low-ranking locals weren’t comfortable holding one with so many strangers. I smiled disarmingly and told them I would love to lead the Meet. As I held the rank of Slitherer, it was not only a pleasure, but also a duty, I told them, but I didn’t mention being a Fang; that was a holy secret. It also had no relevance in regards to leading Meets.
__________________
You don't need to spend 100 CP on Status 5 [25] and Multimillionaire [75] to feel like a princess, when Delusion [-10] will do.

Character sheet: Google Drive link (See this thread for details.)

Campaign logs: Chaotic Pioneering / Confessions of a Forked Tongue
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Old 09-15-2020, 11:11 AM   #95
coronatiger
 
Join Date: Apr 2018
Location: Trondheim, Norway
Default Session 29 (2020-09-06)

When the Meet neared its conclusion, I whispered to Yana, “I know this might come a bit suddenly, but if you want me to initiate you into the cult, now might be a good time.” Yana agreed that my suggestion was too abrupt, and said that she wanted to think about it. I turned back to the others and lead them in the final prayer of the Meet. The locals wore laborers’ clothes, so I handed each of them a gold coin. They were reluctant to accept the gift, but I charged them to use it to do Your will. We prayed about it together, and then we all split up.

The locals returned home, and Xipil wanted to look at the stars. Yana and I headed back to the village, and I reminded her that I had promised to buy her a drink. She seemed to have forgotten that completely. I guessed the encounters at the chapel had been a little overwhelming. Yana asked if we should have ordered rooms at the inn earlier; she worried it was too late, but I relayed that Xipil had suggested that we travel during the night. He thought that would be more comfortable, and I didn’t disagree.

We spotted Nujan enjoying a glass outside the tavern. I didn’t feel like disturbing him, so we went to check on Wolfram in the wagon instead. He was a little thirsty, but otherwise fine. I thought he might like to stretch his legs, but not before we left the village. As far as he knew, Grogg was still in the whorehouse. When I said that Yana and I were going for a drink, and looked to be leaving shortly afterwards, Wolfram gave me a silver coin to get him something, too.

The tavern was rather crowded, and I couldn’t blame Nujan for choosing to sit outside. I found two seats at the bar, and Yana and I sat down. Ignoring overtures from the nearby patrons, I caught the barkeep’s attention, waving Wolfram’s coin in the air. “Can you send a bottle of wine to the Aldera wagon outside? Hala, what do you want to drink?” Yana told me to surprise her, so I asked the barkeep for recommendations. I picked a dark ale and asked for two glasses to go with the bottle. Yana was pleased with my choice. I sensed it was rather strong, so I took the liberty of finishing the bottle after we had both had one glass, since I didn’t want Yana to be tipsy when she was going to drive the wagon.

Grogg had still not returned when Yana and I checked in on the wagon again, so I decided it was time to go and fetch him. Yana commented that one should never visit a brothel sober. The ale must have been stronger than I had perceived. With Your protection, it can sometimes be hard to tell. Yana looked steady enough on her feet, so I didn’t worry about her driving skills being impaired, but I was glad I had taken the last third of the bottle instead of letting her bring it along.

There were three guys waiting in line at the brothel entrance. As I wasn’t there for business, I had no qualms about jumping the line. The men protested, of course, but a little innocent flirting quieted them. I told the madam, “Hi! We’re looking for a troll …” The madam looked over our petite figures and worried that we had lost our marbles. I explained hurriedly that we had a troll friend named Mork who had come here earlier, and we wondered if he was still here. The madam thought he was long gone, but checked her ledgers, and discovered that he hadn’t paid. She summoned a huge orc woman, who had been servicing him, and asked why he hadn’t paid. The orc pulled a few coins from her purse and handed them over. I repeated my plight to her. She revealed that Grogg was still here, and said she “needed ten minutes to wake him”. I told her that was fine. I didn’t want Grogg angry with me, so I didn’t want to deny his happy ending.

While we were waiting, a drunk offered me four coppers for a “quick one”. I told him I was busy. Grogg arrived without his wig, so I paid the staff one silver to locate it, then we returned to the wagon. Yana commented that she was glad that I wasn’t a giant orc woman. I had no idea why she would say that, but I didn’t want to appear ignorant, so I replied that I was happy to be just as I was. Yana stated that there were far worse things in this world than being a snake lover. She rambled on, and I interpreted it to mean that she wasn’t yet ready to become an Ashtarite. That was all right. I like Yana and don’t want to force her to anything. She’s a better friend than any I’ve ever had. She could have all the time she needed to make her decision.

Nujan was waiting on top of the wagon when we got there. Yana took the reins, and I sat next to her on the driver’s seat. Grogg joined Wolfram inside. We picked up Xipil on the way out of the village. He joined Nujan on the roof. With a troll and a giant human inside the cabin, I didn’t blame him for finding the compartment crowded.

Yana mentioned that we were now so far from Guling that she wouldn’t have time to turn back in time before the departure of the ship Queen Isa had mentioned. I put an arm around her back and promised that she could travel with me as long as she wanted. Maybe we’d even leave Arland and go to the Prince’s Cities to deliver a magical box to a temple there. Getting beyond the reach of the Moon Shadows would make life easier for her, and for me, for that matter. We wouldn’t have to look over our shoulders all the time.

I rested my head on her shoulder and dozed off for a while. Yana woke me when Nujan became worried for Xipil; his eyes were glowing. I spoke Xipil’s name, for he had asked me to do that before shaking him awake, but the lizard man didn’t respond. Therefore, I poked his shoulder and woke him. He complained that he couldn’t remember the dream he just had. I told him I was worried for him; strange things have happened when his eyes were glowing. If he wanted me to act differently the next time this happened, he could think it through and inform me in the morning. I put my head back on Yana’s shoulder and closed my eyes.

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.
__________________
You don't need to spend 100 CP on Status 5 [25] and Multimillionaire [75] to feel like a princess, when Delusion [-10] will do.

Character sheet: Google Drive link (See this thread for details.)

Campaign logs: Chaotic Pioneering / Confessions of a Forked Tongue
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Old 09-17-2020, 02:06 PM   #96
coronatiger
 
Join Date: Apr 2018
Location: Trondheim, Norway
Default Session 30 (2020-09-16)

18th of Rama, year 412

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

Both Yana and I had traveled this road before. We knew that there were few signs of habitation between our current position and the greener region surrounding Ur. The desert was strewn with rocks of various sizes, except for the road, which was clear. I suspected that there might be hunters’ lean-tos and whatnot hidden among the rocks, but they would be difficult to locate, and probably not worth the effort. About half-way between the last village and Ur lay the only building I expected to see. It was nicknamed “Bottle Dregs”, and was a place where one could refill one’s water containers, even if there wasn’t a wellspring or other water supply there. I understood that merchants brought water barrels there, but these were uncertain times, and I feared that the presence of Larma troops near Ur might have forced the abandonment of Bottle Dregs.

I told Yana she could go to sleep. The horses needed rest, too, so I promised to find a large enough boulder for us to use for shade. We would rest there while the sun crossed the sky, and move on when it began to set. Yana pecked my cheek, setting it ablaze. Why her touch affected me so, I was yet to explain, but while it made me uncomfortable, I longed for it still, deep in my bones. She rested her head on my shoulder and dozed off.

Xipil worried about a sudden storm, like the one we experienced near Sulla, for he had recently had a vision that seemed similar to one he had during that storm. I wasn’t as concerned, but I didn’t want to disregard Xipil’s vision either. We should be safe behind the boulder I planned to find for us.

Wolfram wondered what our plans were for the star box. I didn’t really care about it, even though I knew it to be a terrible weapon in the wrong hands, so I let Wolfram and Xipil argue about it. Xipil declared that he wanted to bring it home to his people, while Wolfram wanted to consult his superiors in Tiri’s order about it, because they should know how to handle powerful artifacts. Neither of them wanted to take it to the Azura temple, which had been Lunari’s plan, if I recalled correctly. Wolfram really wanted my opinion, so I told him that I trusted them to come up with a solution. “Ashtar neither needs nor wants the star box,” I explained.

Xipil was also worried about the possibility of Larma besieging Ur, and proposed to scout ahead of the wagon tomorrow. I thought that sounded like a good idea. Wolfram mentioned that he thought traveling through the desert was much worse than traveling through the swamp, and launched into a story of how easily he had passed the southern swamp on his way to the Evening Fort. It was obviously spun out of whole cloth, but it was entertaining.

I found a boulder when the sun’s heat began bothering me, and parked the wagon in the shade. Marks on the ground made it obvious that the boulder had been used for this purpose before. We would need to move the horses and wagon as the sun progressed across the sky. I erected my tent where it would remain shaded for as long as possible, and let Yana sleep there to have some more privacy.

Xipil climbed the boulder and looked around. He thought he could see buildings or wagons in the distance, about one hour’s travel from our current location. It could be Bottle Dregs. I asked if he wanted to go ahead and check it out. He brought a water skin and a lightened backpack, and headed out. Wolfram drew his sword and began practicing.

I went for a walk to check out the nearby area. I found some broken pieces of pottery, a fox den that someone had filled with rocks, and a snake pit. I sat down to pray. After a while, I fetched dried meat from our food stores and placed some at the entrance. A half-meter-long, brown desert viper with a red stripe along its back slithered out and ate. I spoke to him in Shamara, and fed him from my hand. When he had eaten, I asked if he wanted to accompany me for a while, opening my belt pouch. He settled inside. I tightened the drawstrings and slid the pouch around the side, where my cloak would provide shade. Direct sunlight on the pouch could harm my little brother.

Back in camp, Xipil returned and told us that a rider with bags on the horse’s hooves had passed us not long ago. As we were hidden behind the boulder, the rider might not have spotted us. Xipil had made his way to Bottle Dregs. Two large wagons, chained to the cabin, blocked the road, but Grogg and Wolfram should be able to carry our wagon around the block. Initially, the place looked abandoned, but Xipil had noticed movement inside. He thought there couldn’t be more than two or three people there.

Wolfram wanted to attack, but we didn’t know if they were hostiles, so we agreed that Xipil and Nujan could sneak up behind the cabin to prevent escape, while I knocked on the door with Grogg and Wolfram. Yana could bring up the wagon. Grogg claimed I was no more charismatic than a wet sock, and didn’t want me to be the one to talk to the people there. I ignored him. Nujan insisted on checking out the place for himself, and Xipil tagged along.

We would remain where we were for several more hours. We had planned to depart when the sun began setting, so we could travel through the night when it wasn’t as blazingly hot. The presence of possible hostiles at Bottle Dregs didn’t change that.

I asked Yana if there was room for one more in my one-man tent. Of course! Our baggage was in the wagon, so there would only be the two of us, and we were both quite small. I crawled in and lay down behind her, placing my pouch on the ground near the flaps where I wouldn’t accidentally roll onto it. Yana rolled over and asked if we had been discussing anything important, so I explained our plan to her. She wasn’t fully awake, so there were some things she missed. I told her to go back to sleep. Yana said she didn’t want the others to get up to mischief. Her tone told me that she wouldn’t mind if I did, but that made no sense to me. I just put an arm around her and closed my eyes. Yana snuggled up to me and stroked my arm and my cheek, but lying so close soon became clammy in the desert heat, and she withdrew slightly so we’d have some air between us. I slept well on Yana’s shoulder during the night, so I failed to doze off now. It was nice to rest near her, though. I opened my eyes and studied her. She looked so peaceful, so beautiful!

When Yana woke up, she saw me watching her, and smiled. I smiled back. She left to stretch her legs and to answer the call of nature. I sat up and meditated. One of my knives still had some poison on it, so I licked that off and refilled my vial with fresh venom from my glands.

Nujan and Xipil had been back for a while, and they informed me when I emerged from the tent that they had seen Xipil’s rider at Bottle Dregs, watering his horse. Nujan claimed the rider was one of Lord Lunas’s messengers.

We packed up and departed. About three quarters of the way to Bottle Dregs, there was a sign by the road. It read, “Dangerous road past this point while peace and order is being restored.” We decided to ignore it. Nujan didn’t think it was necessary to sneak up to Bottle Dregs, for if someone watched the road, they had surely seen us by now. He still darted ahead stealthily with Xipil.

The rest of us waited five minutes, and then we followed. If anyone was watching us, the sign made it seem natural for us to stop and discuss whether to proceed. I deviated from our plan and asked Yana to take the wagon all the way to the roadblock.

When we reached the roadblock, I jumped off on the side where the cabin was. Grogg and Wolfram wisely remained in the wagon. I asked Yana to climb off on the other side. I wasn’t expecting trouble, but if arrows started flying, I wanted her on the safe side of the wagon, not in the crossfire.
__________________
You don't need to spend 100 CP on Status 5 [25] and Multimillionaire [75] to feel like a princess, when Delusion [-10] will do.

Character sheet: Google Drive link (See this thread for details.)

Campaign logs: Chaotic Pioneering / Confessions of a Forked Tongue

Last edited by coronatiger; 12-10-2020 at 07:22 AM.
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Old 09-17-2020, 02:16 PM   #97
coronatiger
 
Join Date: Apr 2018
Location: Trondheim, Norway
Default Session 30 (2020-09-16)

A man walked out the small cabin’s door. He had a sword on his hip, but didn’t wear the garb of a soldier. I noticed him noticing that we arrived in an Aldera wagon, and it improved his disposition towards us, not that he had seemed particularly unfriendly initially. I asked if it might be possible to pass the roadblock, and if we could refill our water barrel. That might be possible, but the man wanted to have a talk with me first. I followed him inside. Nobody else was in sight, but someone could be hiding in the loft. There were no obvious signs of additional people present, but I kept my guard up.

The man pulled out a couple of stools, and we sat down. He asked if I wanted something to drink; I accepted water. He spent some time finding a cup for me, and then filled it from a water skin. His own cup was more readily available, and he filled that too. The man asked if he should put us in touch with someone who could help us. I felt he was fishing for information, so I told him I wanted some from him first. He could tell me that parts of Ur were compromised, but most of the opposing forces were to the east of the city. I told the man to signal his contact to approach. If they were indeed hostile, which I was seriously doubting, it would be better to have them all where we could see them.

The man told whoever was hiding in the loft to raise a blue flag. I left the small building to inform Grogg and Wolfram not to attack when someone arrived; they would be friendly, at least initially. Nujan made an appearance, concerned about the blue flag, but I told him it was all right. Yana asked if it was still dangerous to be here, and I told her it was not. I asked if she wanted to come back inside with me, or if she wanted to wait by the wagon with the others. She chose to follow me inside, and a wave of happiness washed over me.

We were offered the choice of water or wine. Yana accepted both, but water was enough for me. Our host asked for news from Guling, since we came from that direction. Yana and I kept our mouths shut. The man asked if we knew who Isa was. I confirmed that with a short “Yes”. He took that to mean that we hadn’t stolen the wagon. He had heard that Lord Lunas had died while defending his sister. He revealed that Lord Mir was somewhere near Ur, and wondered if we were going to see him. I didn’t answer, instead telling him that if that was the case, he shouldn’t expect us to tell just about anybody about it.

We heard someone approaching. Our host went outside to meet them while I watched from the window. There were two soldiers on horseback outside. They looked like Aldera people, but wore no visible markings of allegiance. They could be undercover Loyalists, so I asked Yana in a whisper to look for signs of them being disguised. She replied that she thought they looked like Aldera scouts.

I went outside and asked them if they could escort us to Lord Mir. They asked us to go back to the warning sign, where we would meet someone who could. We traded our half-empty rain barrel for a full one, loaded it on the wagon, and returned towards the sign.

A man stood beside his horse, waiting near the sign. He whistled through his fingers, and four others came out from among the rocks on foot. The horseman wore the markings of an officer, and when we reached him, he asked me if all was well at the Evening Fort. “All is well at the Evening Fort,” I replied, giving the answer that he was expecting.

I got off the wagon and talked for a while with the officer, apart from his men. I explained that we had several errands near Ur. If Lord Mir was farther east, it would be convenient to take care of our other business before going to see him. The officer asked if we were the ghost hunters that were supposed to come, and I confirmed it. He gave me a letter, sealed with the Aldera family sigil. I guessed it was from Lord Lunas, but I wouldn’t know until I read the letter, which I promised the officer not to open before passing the roadblock at Bottle Dregs. The officer warned me that there were two areas near Ur that were guarded by special Aldera people, and I thought those areas were spirit related from the officer’s description.

The officer sent with us two riders who could take care of the wagon when we decided to abandon it. When we were going off-road to deal with the spirits, we might take a horse or two along to carry our luggage. I directed the two riders to ride in front of the wagon. They put some distance between us before slowing to our pace again.

Disregarding my promise to the officer, I took the letter out of my pouch as soon as he and his remaining men were out of sight. I held the letter between my legs so nobody could see what I was doing, for I expected the soldiers to be watching us, even if I couldn’t see them anymore. I warned Yana that she shouldn’t snoop around in my pouch. She misunderstood and thought it had something to do with the letter, but I opened my pouch, holding it safely away from her, to show her the snake inside.

Xipil plumped down next to me, and I tilted the short note away from him while reading it. It read, “Order a double dan at the Beachfront”. That wasn’t a type of drink I’ve heard about, and I showed the note to Xipil and Yana. Neither of them knew what a “double dan” was, but Yana remembered that there is a tavern on the road to Ur, just where the desert gives way to greenery, called the Beachfront. I recalled that there was a small lake there, hardly more than a pond, so the name seemed logical for a tavern there.

Xipil asked what I had been whispering about with the officer, and I told him he knew that we were spirit hunters, and that I believed that if we walked into the Beachfront and ordered a double dan, we’d get in touch with someone who might have useful information regarding our spirit quest.
__________________
You don't need to spend 100 CP on Status 5 [25] and Multimillionaire [75] to feel like a princess, when Delusion [-10] will do.

Character sheet: Google Drive link (See this thread for details.)

Campaign logs: Chaotic Pioneering / Confessions of a Forked Tongue
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Old 09-17-2020, 02:31 PM   #98
coronatiger
 
Join Date: Apr 2018
Location: Trondheim, Norway
Default Session 30 (2020-09-16)

Xipil climbed inside the wagon to inform Grogg and Wolfram. I noticed Nujan was sleeping on the roof, and the soldiers weren’t watching in our direction, so I put my arm around Yana and gave her a hug. “I’m so grateful for you coming along on this trip,” I whispered in her ear. Just then, the wagon started shaking, and Yana banged on the roof with her fist. “Hey! Take it easy, in there!” she yelled. Xipil called for her to stop the wagon, and she did, mightily annoyed. The soldiers stopped to stare at us, and instincts made me flinch away from Yana.

I looked into the compartment through the small hatch behind the driver’s seat. Wolfram had thrown himself at Grogg, but Grogg pushed him off. “What ARE you doing in there?!” I asked. Xipil and Wolfram called out that Grogg was messing with the star box. Thinking quickly, I put as much surprise as I could into my voice and exclaimed, “Yana, is that Lunari standing there?”

Grogg threw himself out of the wagon, looking around and asking where I saw Lunari. “I thought I saw him over there,” I said, pointing in a random direction to the front and side of the wagon. “Wait while I find the ring.” Xipil snatched the box away from Grogg while he was distracted. Yana sighed and leapt down from the wagon, putting on a smile and heading forward to “explain” things to the soldiers.

Wolfram grabbed Grogg from behind, but the troll shook him off and ran in the direction I had pointed. Grogg couldn’t see Lunari, of course, so he returned to me and grabbed me, lifting me into the air. I held the spirit-seeing ring in front of my eye and made a show of looking around with it. Then I looked at Grogg with a sad face and apologized whole-heartedly that I gave him false hopes. It turned out the wind had blown up some dust, which I had mistaken for Lunari.

Grogg swallowed my lie, hook, line and sinker, and put me down. If I had felt suicidal, I would have told him, “And you didn’t think I had people skills…” Instead, I discussed the star box and the needle with him. He had poked the box with the needle, and starlight had rushed into it, which caused Wolfram to snap. I asked if it was wise to experiment with the box that way. What if he poked a hole in it with the needle and all the star light leaked out? Then we’d have to find another mountaintop to refill it. Grogg reminded me that the star box had fallen thirty meters to crash onto rocks, and hadn’t taken a scratch. I had hoped he had forgotten that incident.

Grogg agreed that it wasn’t wise to experiment with this powerful artifact without a plan, but he had a plan. He wanted to touch his needle to the star box for ten seconds. That was all. He asked Kraa if this was a good plan, and Kraa replied in its usual unintelligible fashion, which Grogg interpreted to mean that the spirit raven agreed. In the interest of making Grogg realize that I was his friend – he seemed to have discarded that notion some time ago, probably in Gritt’s crypt – I told him I agreed to his plan.

Wolfram asked if either of us possessed the required knowledge to experiment safely with such a powerful artifact. He thought we should ask the Council of the Twelve in Ur if it was safe to poke the needle at the star box. Grogg agreed. So did I, even though I had currently no plans to visit them. My quest for the rogue spirits might not take us inside Ur at all, and then we should go and find Lord Mir to deliver the spear, as promised to Queen Isa. I kept these thoughts to myself, though. Up ahead, Yana was laughing with the soldiers and jealousy stabbed at me. I turned to Grogg and pointed out that it was his decision not to experiment now; I agreed with Kraa that it was all right.

Nujan fetched Xipil, who had run off to hide with the box, and the lizard man climbed up on the roof with the box to keep it away from Grogg. I took the driver’s seat and got the horses moving again, as soon as the others had boarded the wagon. Yana walked back to meet us. I stopped and let her take the reins. She whispered that she had tricked the soldiers into believing that Grogg and Wolfram had fallen in love, but didn’t know how to deal with it. In the kerfuffle, they had nearly broken one of Hisse’s toys. I smiled at Yana. How she had come up with the idea, I had no clue. Making the soldiers believe her outlandish claims was even more impressive.

When we had settled back into the pace of traveling, Xipil complimented me on my quick thinking. He asked me not to disturb him if his eyes started glowing. Wolfram overheard the last bit, and worried how others might react, but who would see his eyes out here? I said it would be fine.

A little later, Nujan poked my shoulder. I turned to see Xipil’s eyes glowing, as expected. Yana turned up the lanterns so the soldiers wouldn’t see Xipil past them. I said my evening prayer and put my head on her shoulder.

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.


19th of Rama, year 412

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

I woke when the sky began to glow with the early morning light. Yana reported that she thought we might reach the edge of the desert when the sun stood at its highest, but I asked if we shouldn’t rather rest the horses. Yana couldn’t agree more.

We continued through a spectacular sunrise, then found a good place to stop, by a similar boulder to yesterday’s. I whistled for the soldiers and pointed at the boulder. They took my meaning immediately. One of the soldiers wanted to do some scouting, and the other wanted to sleep, and they asked if we could take care of their horses. I told them that was just fine.

The scout made his preparations, taking only a dagger and a small shoulder bag. He asked how long we expected to remain here, and when Yana chimed in, we agreed on three hours. I told Xipil to stalk the scout when he left. Xipil returned after only a minute or two, and reported that the scout had taken up position on top of the boulder. Camouflaged under a blanket, he was watching the road.

I pitched my tent and told Yana she could sleep there. “Do you think the letter was from Lord Lunas?” she asked. “I think that’s the most reasonable assumption, yes,” I replied. Yana looked around. She could see that the soldiers were too far away to hear, but she used my alias anyway: “You know, Godana, that he took good care of all of us outsiders at the Evening Fort. I wasn’t his only special project. Keri, Remi and Nujan, even Markus, we were all treated far better than we would have expected. Lord Lunas befriended each and every one of us and gave us his trust. If he really wrote that letter, it would mean a lot to me if we could do that one last favor for him.” I looked deep into her green-gold eyes. “We will, Hala. We will.”

Yana crawled into the tent and went to sleep. Wolfram practiced with his weapons, as usual, but Grogg sat down and began talking to a piece of cloth that he had rather inexpertly covered with embroidery. I brushed my teeth, fed the snake in my pouch, and sat down to pray.
__________________
You don't need to spend 100 CP on Status 5 [25] and Multimillionaire [75] to feel like a princess, when Delusion [-10] will do.

Character sheet: Google Drive link (See this thread for details.)

Campaign logs: Chaotic Pioneering / Confessions of a Forked Tongue
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Old 10-10-2020, 06:14 AM   #99
coronatiger
 
Join Date: Apr 2018
Location: Trondheim, Norway
Default Session 31 (2020-10-03)

19th of Rama, year 412 (continued)

Nujan walked around, kicking loose rocks and disturbing my prayer. Wolfram, Grogg and Xipil picked up the debate about the star box again, which didn’t help my concentration, either. After a while, Xipil crawled under the wagon to get some sleep, as he had spent the night in meditation under the stars instead of sleeping. Nujan came and stood near me, seemingly praying too, for a few minutes, before climbing the wagon to relax there.

The two Aldera scouts, when the time approached for us to leave, asked Wolfram if they could spar with him. The sounds of clanging blades should wake them up, they claimed. I put Little Brother back into my belt pouch and woke Yana. She smiled and said that she could drive. I told her I’d gladly do it, since she had only slept for three hours; she could sleep on my shoulder. Yana preferred to drive herself, being more experienced with handling a wagon than me.

Once we were on the road again, Xipil suggested burning the note from Lord Lunas. It wouldn’t do for it to fall into the wrong hands. I gave it to him to handle. Our two scouts met up with a third and stopped to talk, but the third galloped off when we came near. Yana asked me to keep her awake with stories of strange clothing customs in Sam, my hometown, so I told her of dwarven men who wore dresses. I described how the beards clashed with the skirts, and Yana regaled me with her pealing laughter.

After several hours of travel, one of the scouts said we were nearing the edge of the desert. They wondered when to take possession of the wagon, and I said that I needed to go to the Beachfront to gather information before I could give them an answer. We should be there in one hour, the scout said.

The wagon rattled onwards, and the desert’s edge seemed like a sharp border between green and brown that slowly drew closer. Yana asked if she should drive all the way up to the Beachfront, which I confirmed. There were three buildings near a muddy pond, and the place looked shady, as if it catered to a dodgy clientele.

Both Yana and Xipil asked if they should accompany me inside, but I preferred to go alone, unless Yana was very keen on checking it out, that was. When I asked her, Xipil said it would be best if they stayed outside. A boy came and guided the wagon to a shed. Nujan woke up when I jumped off the wagon and asked if he should come. I repeated that I would like to go alone.

I passed the bouncer and walked up to the bar. There weren’t many people present, and they followed me with their eyes, but nobody greeted me welcome, not even the bartender. I swept my glance over the room, and people returned to their own business. I leaned over the bar and asked in a low voice for a “double dan”. The bartender said he needed to fetch something in the back, but moved over to one of the tables where a few men and women were seated. He said some words to one of the women, and pointed at me.

The woman walked up to me, and I asked if there was anything she could do for me. I was intentionally cryptic, being on a sacred quest in a war zone. The woman replied that she hoped that I could help her instead. I indicated that this might be possible, and she flat out asked if I was a spy. I said no. A messenger? No again. Rather dejectedly, she exclaimed that I didn’t seem to be the “expert” she was waiting for. I couldn’t recall the last time that my appearance worked against me. Usually, having an innocent look on your face and a build that wouldn’t even make a cripple feel threatened would be a great recipe for success, but not here.

I asked the woman to accompany me outside, and led the way to the shed where the wagon stood parked. The woman seemed afraid we might be kidnappers, but she got in when I promised we’d only go a few hundred meters, to get some privacy. Maybe having an honest-looking face wasn’t so bad after all. I climbed up to Yana on the driver’s seat and let the woman join Wolfram inside. Grogg had wandered off.

The woman was skeptical about the two scouts who sat their horses on the main road, so we passed them and stopped once we were out of earshot of them. While we drove, she introduced herself to Wolfram as Niffi, and clearly believed he was the expert she was awaiting. She identified his Tiri association. That surprised me, and Wolfram’s hesitant reply dissuaded her of the belief that he was in charge.

When we stopped, she got out and prodded Nujan awake. She guessed his name; there weren’t any other Aldera-aligned cat people as far as I knew, but she seemed very well informed, apparently on a wide field of topics. She accused Nujan of being the boss, and he was so uncomfortable with that, I interjected that it was in fact me she was looking for. Nujan nodded vigorously.

I told Niffi we were on the trail of runaway spirits, and hoped that she might point us in the right direction. She described how to get to the two “spirit related” places, and told us there was a wraith at the southern location. We had to take care of it within three days, she claimed.

Niffi recognized Xipil as “star folk from the south” and took him aside for a private conversation. Then Xipil dashed off to fetch Grogg. It seemed we would leave the wagon here, so I walked up the road to the scouts to let them know they could take the wagon as soon as we had unloaded our luggage. Wolfram joined me. He insisted that we shouldn’t bring horses and promised that he and Grogg could carry whatever needed carrying. I took my poison vials out of my backpack and handed the rest to Wolfram before we returned to the wagon.

Niffi kept the others busy with unimportant chatter, and I expressed my impatience to get going, but nobody listened. I took my backpack back and started walking south, but Xipil stopped me. He wanted to check out the stone circle to the north first, and convinced me that he could find out something useful there for the confrontation with the wraith. I turned and walked north instead. Yana came with me, but expressed worry about going alone. According to Niffi, the stone circle was the site for frequent clashes between Aldera and Larma these past few days. That didn’t worry me. I was certain Yana and I could talk our way through anything. I called back to the others that we’d wait near the stone circle unless they overtook us before we got there. We walked right past the Beachfront and continued north. Yana had reasoned out that Niffi was a member of the Council of the Twelve, and informed me of that fact. Good to know, but hardly useful, at least for this quest.

Xipil caught up with us when I thought we were about half-way to the stone circle. He told us the others had changed the plans. There was no need to go to the stone circle. I gave Xipil a Look and turned around. I complained to Yana about Xipil, low-voiced, but loudly enough for Xipil to hear. He retorted in kind. I lowered my voice even more. “Do you know what Xipil said, back on the Fort? He told me that if I was going to mate with you, I should just do it and get it over with!” Yana gasped with indignation.
__________________
You don't need to spend 100 CP on Status 5 [25] and Multimillionaire [75] to feel like a princess, when Delusion [-10] will do.

Character sheet: Google Drive link (See this thread for details.)

Campaign logs: Chaotic Pioneering / Confessions of a Forked Tongue

Last edited by coronatiger; 10-14-2020 at 09:14 AM.
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Old 10-10-2020, 06:25 AM   #100
coronatiger
 
Join Date: Apr 2018
Location: Trondheim, Norway
Default Session 31 (2020-10-03)

We arrived where Grogg, Wolfram, Nujan and Niffi waited, where the wagon had stood. It soon became obvious that my companions had spilled their guts to Niffi, not just about the spirit hunt, but everything, even our real names. That annoyed me, but I kept my mouth shut. Arguing wouldn’t make anything better.

Niffi set course for Ur, having fetched her stuff from the Beachfront while Yana and I were away. I tried giving my backpack to Wolfram again, but he had changed his mind and didn’t want to carry it. Xipil wanted to scout ahead, so I gave him the spirit-seeing ring. He asked if anyone could take his backpack so he could move more quickly. I sighed and said that I could take it. Xipil warned me that the star box was inside.

Nujan asked Yana if Keri was a noble, too. Niffi had known that Nujan and Markus were, which prompted the question. Yana wasn’t sure, but suspected that Keri was indeed a nobleman. The casual atmosphere at the Evening Fort had mostly washed out the line between noble and commoner.

Wolfram thought we were going so slowly that he came and took Xipil’s backpack. That allowed me to speed up a little, and I wasn’t the slowest party member anymore. Grogg was, but then, he was carrying a ton.

Xipil waited for us when we had walked for an hour or so. We rested for a minute and buried the star box, since nobody wanted to bring it near the wraith. Wolfram asked how my powers worked, and I confirmed what he should already know, that I can force spirits to manifest physically, and have a vial of poison that harms them. We decided to set up camp a bit away from the spirit site, and then Wolfram could use his ritual to summon them.

When we moved on, Wolfram said that while he could turn spirits visible and draw them to us, he didn’t think he’d be able to banish the wraith. I didn’t let that discourage me; my powers should work just fine against it.

Grogg began to shamble after a while, for he hadn’t slept forever. Yana was also getting tired, but she hid it better. We continued another half-hour before setting up camp. Xipil dashed ahead to see if he could locate the spirit site. Grogg just sat down with his back against a small tree and closed his eyes. If he leaned backwards more heavily, the tree would snap under his immense weight.

The sun was setting, so I saluted the dying day with Your sign. Yana and I pitched my tent, and Wolfram erected his totem pole. Yana and Nujan went to sleep. I asked Wolfram if he could take the first watch, and he accepted that task, but Xipil returned quickly and informed us that the landscape was changing further on, whenever he blinked.

The three of us discussed what to do. We decided to let Grogg get some rest and then wake him and go explore the strange area. I moved up to the troll on silent feet and filched his needle. Then I did my signature move, poking him in the neck with something sharp and pointy. The magic needle should speed up Grogg’s recovery.

I sat down to pray and to feed Little Brother. After an hour, I asked Xipil and Wolfram if they were ready to go, then I woke Grogg and told him we were going to beat up the spirits now, did he want to come? I woke Nujan, too, and told him our plan, asking him to watch over Yana in my absence. I took the spirit-seeing ring back from Xipil and gave him the vial of anti-spirit venom instead. I planned to use my powers to materialize spirits, so I wouldn’t need the venom.

After a few minutes of walking, a cloud suddenly appeared in front of the moon. It was clearly supernatural, and Wolfram thought it was a disgrace to hide the moon. We noticed it was difficult to navigate this landscape. Features seemed to shift and change in front of us, except for the razor-sharp edge that separated the desert from the greenery. Niffi had told us to follow that to the spirit site, and it suddenly became clear why, although it had seemed she only had relayed that instruction, and not been here to see for herself.

Grogg launched Kraa on a scouting mission, which seemed foolish to everyone except the troll. Xipil tried to convince him to call it back, but to no avail. Grogg instead started running. With the spell of confusion that lay over the area, Grogg stood no chance of catching up to the spirit raven. As we didn’t want to split the party, the rest of us followed Grogg, but the confusion got the better of us, so I called a stop and asked Wolfram to set up his totem pole and begin his rituals.

Xipil wanted to search for the stupid troll. I opposed the idea, but Xipil was convinced that he could use the stars to find his way back to us, as long as Wolfram and I didn’t move. I told Xipil that the stars wouldn’t be any different ten meters away from where we stood now, and with the shifting of our surroundings, he wouldn’t see us even across such a short distance. Xipil disagreed, and I demanded my venom back, in case he lost his way out there.

While Xipil was gone, Grogg returned. It turned out that the strangeness only twists sound and sight; Grogg’s sharp nose led him straight to us. Wolfram turned himself into that giant bear and sniffed Grogg. When he tried to sniff me, I swatted him over the snout. Grogg said he only wanted to say hello, but I maintained that he could do that with his voice.

Xipil returned shortly after, and I gave him back the venom. We talked for a bit, and decided that it might still be a distance to where the spirits are, so Wolfram might not reach them with his rituals. Xipil left to scout around, this time with the spirit-seeing ring, but when he came back, he claimed it was impossible to see anything in the dark. I could see just fine, except for the distortions, but Xipil opined that we should come back in the morning, in daylight. Wolfram wanted to return to camp and fetch a lantern, and the rest of us agreed, especially when he said that the spirits could see our presence, regardless of any light sources we brought.

Back in camp, Yana and Nujan were up and alert. I rushed over to Yana and asked what had happened. The guardians of this place had arrived, and it looked like they were going to kill them, but then they had said that they had come with the ghost hunters, and the guardians had wished us luck and left. Nujan thought they were very good skulkers, for he hadn’t noticed them before they were right on top of the camp.

Grogg and Wolfram were rummaging around in their packs when three figures appeared out of the darkness. They were heavily armed, but didn’t act threateningly. Wolfram asked the whereabouts of the crypt, and the leader told us that ten minutes past the beginning of the distortion, we would come upon an even darker area. He asked us to take care of the wraith that was there. He also warned us that our lantern wouldn’t be much use, since the area opposed light sources. Xipil mentioned that the stars weren’t affected the same way the moon was.

The guardians slipped away after asking us to forget about seeing them. I gave Yana a good night hug, and she asked me to take care of myself, and the others. Grogg overheard and growled. The guardians reappeared. They had forgotten to tell us their most important piece of information: The distortion had always been there, but it had worsened after the wraith arrived. They vanished again, and we headed out.
__________________
You don't need to spend 100 CP on Status 5 [25] and Multimillionaire [75] to feel like a princess, when Delusion [-10] will do.

Character sheet: Google Drive link (See this thread for details.)

Campaign logs: Chaotic Pioneering / Confessions of a Forked Tongue
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