Included page "clone:sartarite-scum" does not exist (create it now)
Episode 10: One Wedding and a Funeral - 22 Feb 2020 23:34
Setting
Laika had some of her pigs on someone else's land, although not all of them had been driven from Clearwine.
Androuranos was slightly out of time, having missed a couple of sessions.
Plot was based on working out what would happen in winter, and doing it, plus the scorpion men and scorpionid stat blocks from Stone and Bone on DrivethruRPG.
IC Play
Androuranos returned to his Temple in Boldhome, to silence and then whispering and the direct greeting of the Light Son, Farenor. He was questioned by Farenor and others about the exact circumstances of the change on the Hill of Gold. He spoke of what had happened and demonstrated the ability to create fire on his spear-head. He talked about successful bridge-building, but Farenor reminded him that Yelmalio stood alone, and was strongest that way.
The Temple called on Andros to take up his seasonal service so that they could study the spear, with the warriors falling into a faction - by far the largest - that supported the notion Yelmalio's power had been returned by his bravery, and a faction that supported the idea friendship had helped him. Andros' understanding of the sacred Lore was that it was his own actions and bravery that had pushed Zorak Zoran aside, and nothing to do with the bridges he was building with others.
Helver Swordsman did thank him personally for the Hill of Gold victory, mentioning a lost spear and bow. The thanks came with a warning not to go through Birne's Squeeze alone, if he was travelling to Apple Lane, as there were many bandits reported. Androus went via Clearwine instead.
Laika's pig-landlord - the man with the hide and a half - suggested marriage to her. She considered it, and decided it was time she found out his name.1 She was happy with the notion of a year-marriage. They decided to wait for Saronil to come round, so he could attend.
Thus, some days later, Saronil woke up to find one of the pretty initiates at the Ulerian Temple was flirting with him outrageously. He did not notice that part at all, but listened carefully to her instructions on eating.2 He went over to the Tin Inn to be asked if there was anything he could not eat at the wedding feast, which rather surprised him, but he was happy for Laika.
There was threshing to be done, and everyone took a hand at it. After a while it was decided that Varaema should look after the children instead of trying to move the flail or the sieve, and the threashing got faster. Varaema was very sweet with the children who from the age of about four up swore to defend her with violence if necessary. One of them tried to vanquish Saronil, but was defeated by the man's scabbard. Varaema sent them off to fight oak trees.
Androus got into Apple Lane just in time for the wedding, and to have an emergency gift made. He gave the pair an earring each, a golden pig that Squinch helped him to cast from a Wheel. Saronil gave Laika his best, very expensive, sharpening stone, because her axe frankly needed it. Varaema gave her a little lead pig charm on a necklace. Rastar, as an entertainer, was exempt from gift-giving in an official capacity. Durggi, Laika's new husband, gave everyone gifts of food and drink, and there was a great party.
In the morning, Rastar took a couple of the older boys of the village out ice-fishing, and they showed him how to hook and cast, and then one, Arlan, of them spotted a monster fish below the ice. One massive yank later, and Arlan had been pulled into the water. Rastar wisely decided not to go in, but his friend Duli started stripping off to swim and Rastar tied a rope to his ankle, so he could be pulled back if need be. There was a disturbance beneath the water and a lot of blood, and the rope went limp. When Rastar pulled it back it had only the leg attached. He stabbed down through the ice hole with a spear and got the fish, which swam away. Arlan managed to get back up, gasping, and dressed in Duli's clothes to survive the trip back.
Back at Apple Lane, Duli's parents were informed and Varaema used White Lady magic to heal Duli's body so there was enough to bury.3 They discussed what to do. Rastar recognised the sort of fish as a Malani Alynxfish and Saronil (was it Saronil) remembered where the Alynxfish Clan were, out on the edges of the Malani-Colymar land argument.
After some discussion the young man's blood price was fixed at 60 Lunars, and the group set off to to Malani lands to tell them a holy catfish had killed a Colymar boy. This involved going through Birne's Squeeze, which was fair enough, as they were in a group. They set off between snow falls, as the God-talker of Orlanth said that the weather would be good for a day.
They set off, with only light snow, which soon stopped. On the way through Birne's Squeeze to Jonstown, they encountered strange footsteps which Varaema confidently pronounced to be Impala4, although they seemed a little pointier than that. After about an hour, they came across a man standing alone in the rocky valley, and he asked them about Chaos he was hunting. He had Air and Beast and Death signs very prominent. However, as he sniffed the air something went wrong, and he decided that Androus was Chaotic.5Fortunately Varaema intervened6 and calmed him, and he tried again and admitted maybe it was not Androus. He asked7 them to come with him to fight it. They turned back, and soon found the pointy tracks again.
These tracks were followed, and turned out to belong to some scorpion men and a set of strange carapaced humanoids with stinging tails. The beasts went under the snow and emerged from a tunnel. Fortunately, no stings managed to hit the adventurers, and they made short work of the problem. One surviving scorpion man fled down his tunnel, as Granshi the Storm Bull gave chase, losing both of his weapons in his berserk frenzy, and punching it hard enough to break carapace. Androus caught up with them and unwisely but nobly finished off the scorpion man, resulting in a berserk storm bull with no obvious foes turning on him. Fortunately Granshi had lost both of his weapons already, but he managed to do damage to himself, Androus, Saronil, and Saronil's shield before Varaema caught up. After this he thanked them, and they told him about Apple Lane needing a hero. He said he had heard, and was heading that way if nothing else got in the way.
The bodies of the scorpion things were burned, and they parted ways with Granshi, with him going to Apple Lane and them on to the Malani lands and the clan of the Alynxfish.8There, the chief of the clan, also confusingly called Saronil, listened to the complaint, and said it was not his problem, and he would not be paying the blood money. He also refused to deal with the fish, but said that the skin belonged to the Malani.9
The group returned to Apple Lane with this news.
Other Things
Tags: 1625 alynx_fish androus apple_lane colymar dark granshi laika malani rastar saronil varaema
