Drûr 11-15, 652 DR: The group again travels south from Eldarkar into the Morén Burdrul. Shambling shapes emerge from the forest. A Ðaranð Spring shaman stone and passage through the farmlands of Urthari Gnot. A caravan-masters warnings go unheeded and the company encounters a patrol of the Order of Deephold. Rest on the shores of Nūlàrya Lūn.
Continued from Troubles in Morén Burdrul.
Padídor, 11 Drûr 652
The group arrived at Loston in the middle of the eleventh day of Drûr. The wind was soft but cold and the roads were damp from rain a day or so past. The Nar Drūden road into Loston descended to the shores of Nūlàrya Lūn giving the travelers a tranquil view across the hilly hedgerow-lined farms and gores of trees. Having traveled many days and slept several nights on the knotty forest floor, the group decided to stay at the Loston Inn, a large and welcoming half-timber wayside on the east edge of town.
After arranging for rooms and baths, Jak found his way to lounge where some local men invited him to their table for some pipe and ale. The spear-man grabbed a chair and talked with the farmers, all more than happy with their shared company. WhenTressta arrived fresh from her bath, the men all stood and welcomed the beautiful Taládan. Seated, she too listened to Jak’s stories and his many adventures, which were becoming more and more familiar with each re-telling. Dammon meanwhile, languished in the tub room, keeping the maid busy with kettle, shears, and comb. Mishara cloistered himself in the bedchamber fashioning fletches, shafts, and arrow points in the manner of his kind. The priestess of Drāūn walked out into the twilight and visited the lake shore. Wandering along the ancient levee she found a strange metal construct humming on the lake’s southeast shore. It appeared to be a bowed metal building without windows or doors. Pipes led from the structure in many directions, most disappearing underground in short order. Alcèrra followed one of the pipes back into town and into the far woods where it elbowed into the ground.
Dammon finished his long bath and joined his companions in the lounge. The men welcomed Jak’s friend with a pipe and some wine. Dammon looked uncertainly at the pipe at first but dove into the “new” activity as he did so many things every day, without knowing whether this was something old or new. Jak watched curiously as his friend took effortless puffs, like a man returning to an old habit. The men immediately asked the magician about magic, having been told about Dammon long before his arrival at the table. After glancing at their loquacious spear-man, he relented and entertained them with a small twist of Draga Nol that caused the smoke above the table to tremble and twist. The men were most impressed, and applauded the prestidigitation. As the evening drew on, Mishara walked down to the lobby and ushered his friends from the smoky lounge. Alcèrra had returned from her wandering and supper was being served. As they sat and talked, the priestess learned of a nearby shrine of Roð-Ðurkan and excused herself from the meal. Following supper, the calm was interrupted by the exclamations of two maids down the hall. It seemed some person (or thing) had defecated all over the room and the unearthly smell had polluted more than one room. The maids fought-off sickness and tears as they gathered their buckets and rags to clean the chamber. Those that peered inside saw the bone-littered green and black feces strewn across the furniture, the rug, the walls, and the shutters.
Dammon returned to his room and was soon joined by his familiar. His Conscience sounded different, but it took a moment for Dammon to determine that the difference was illness. The thing took credit for the mess in the lower hall, explaining that it had eaten a pig and that the creature hadn’t agreed with him. Dammon commanded the thing to show itself but it refused, filling his mind with groans instead. The familiar did relate that in its travels through town it had seen a large glowing thing on the western horizon but didn’t venture too closely. Dammon left the inn to investigate this, and was soon near the structure the priestess had investigated two watches before.
As night advanced, Jak grew concerned about Alcèrra’s prolonged absence and hired Nathys, a stablehand, to lead him to the town’s shrine. The boy led him along the dark country roads, and into the dark wooded land where the shrine stood. There they found the priestess and Cr. Mar Kurrum, the town’s priest, engaged in conversation. Content that she was safe, Jak and the boy wandered back through the night. Along a ramble between hedge-lined fields, they arrived at a long mound. Scrapping and digging at the mound, Jak discovered the interior to be metal. Jak and Nathys followed the mound through the dark woods and barren fields to the metal lakeside structure. Nathys explained that the townsfolk called it the Slave. After a thorough examination of the metal thing, which by all appearances looked to have fallen off Kyrm Oryroð, Jak attempted to climb the structure but fell, disappointing both himself and the boy. His curiosity undeterred, Jak decided to follow the pipe and mound back through town and found themselves back in the Nar Drūden where the pipe turned into the ground. They wrestled with a nearby hatch but it would not move so they returned to the inn.
Bærídor, 12 Drûr 652
The next morning Alcèrra woke, left Mar a note that she would return in a day or two, grabbed her horse and rode toward the City of Oð. Mar Kurrum met the remainder of the group at the inn during breakfast and told them she had left, but that he’d arranged for a guide to the Two Brothers as she’d requested. Confused by this, the group decided to stay at the inn and wait for the guide to arrive. Dammon retreated into his ground floor bed chamber and studied his scrolls and books. Mishara wandered through the nearby forest collecting wood and materials for arrows, and spent the remaining day in that manner. At supper the group was met by an Urdar who spoke fluent Oðic, and introduced himself as Turvel. He claimed to know the way to the Two Brothers, though he admitted to having never met the Urdar Queen. A price was agreed upon and it was decided to leave that same night. Dammon decided to stay at Loston Inn and catch-up on his studies rather than accompany Jak, Mishara, and Tressta.
Alcèrra arrived at the City without much incident. She’d dodged an Ogdar’s “welcome” along the road by spurring her horse onward and away from danger. She arrived at Templegate Keep after dark but after speaking with the Lords’ Men was permitted through. At the Iron Colonnade some guards escorted her horse to the stables and directed her up the long staircase to Kyrm Oryroð. There she was led to the chamber of Cr. Ichmel Sucorun. She produced for him the bronze Eye of Uul which had been cut from the skull of Kelzerak. She explained that she did not trust the item to remain her group’s possession and offered it to the Temple as a gift. Amazed by this offering, the priest ordered some books retrieved from the Iron Library. Despite the late night hour, the books were brought to his chamber and in they found mention of the Eyes of Uul. He read to Alcèrra what history he could find of the Dekàlan general, but could offer no details specific to the item.
That same night, Turvel led the group down the road toward Oð but turned south at an unmarked stream-path and led them deeper and deeper into the dark forest.
Virídor, 13 Drûr 652
By dawn, the group came to a low place where Urdàri guards stared wide-eyed from their skullish helms. Turvel grumbled with the guards for some time and the Urdar nodded and made some display of their jagged weapons. Down a hillside the branches snapped and parted as two wolf-riders came close, positioning themselves to either side of the group. Turvel bid the group farewell, accepted his payment and disappeared into the dim forest. The riders led them up a far rise and into a clearing filled with tents and ramshackle structures strewn about a large knoll. Atop the hill stood two giant trees from a mound of tangled roots. The path that led to the trees’ was bordered by dark tents and lean-tos from where hundreds of the light-shying Urdar watched the strangers arrive. The further they moved through the camp the larger the trees grew before them. The central knoll was surrounded by pikes bearing sun-dried Yrūn corpses, their heads bent backward and mouths agape. There were bodies of children among them but the group made no motions, no comments.
Stepping from the shadows of the root hill cave stood a noble-looking Yrūn woman with raven hair streaked with gray. She held a polished staff etched with strange carvings. Her resemblance to Lord Rott was unmistakable, though despite her hair, she seemed years younger. The party did their best to address Nolda properly, but it served only to amuse their hostess. Finally, Jak beseeched the Urdar Queen to spare the village of Cænden from her raids; the reason they had traveled to this place. In response, Nolda asked Jak about the ring on his finger. Jak related the story of Karrus Nezràvan, and explained how the ghost had presented the ring to him in reward for his service. In response to this, she led Jak into the warrens below the Two Brothers, and though he could not see where they walked, her voice led him safely to a deep chamber. Illuminated by a single shaft of dim light, a bier stood in the room’s center. Upon the table lay a dead warrior in Oðic armor Jak had seen at Kry Ōddon. The Urdar Queen wrenched the sword from the warrior’s death grasp and showed it to Jak. Jak seemed confused. Commanding him to kneel, the Urdar Queen knighted him, asked him to stand, and presented him with the dead Ðard’s sword. Next, she led the peasant Ðard from Fal Tembràndom and reintroduced him to the group as “Ðard Jak”. Before sending them on their way, she told them to give her brother “her regards” and promised that she would tell the Urdar not to harm Cænden so long as they were allowed to pass through. The group left the encamped army and ancient trees behind, camping on the edge of the area until nightfall. When the cold of night returned, the party packed their things and walked back to Loston.
Palídor, 14 Drûr 652
The group arrived in the Village of Loston on the second morning of the Midmonth. Alcèrra had returned from Oð. With a night’s journey behind them the tired group slept for most of the day and more that night.
Alídor, 15 Drûr 652
On the following morning, with a cold drizzle to accompany them, they set out again for the City of Oð.
Continued in Oddo and the Bandits. See also Kera’s Story tangent.
Characters
- Alcèrra Nàdrelan
- Dammon Shroudson
- Jak of Cænden
- Mishara Mythdaras
- Tressta Drynsval
- Anathya Irdshor
- Anzal Lapð
- Berrum Cordoz
- Familiar
- Karrus Nezràvan: dead
- Cr. Ichmel Socorun
- Ðr. Lathar Mullar: dead
- Cr. Mar Kurrum
- Nars Ubrem
- Nathys
- Nolda Rott
- Turvel
Played: 09 Jan 1999