Latest revision as of 15:52, 21 May 2014

Previous Entry: Under the Sign of Mercury

And miles to go before we sleep

Following along a well used caravan track the Circle and their Sidereal associate come upon a section where the track diverges and goes two ways. The one running the way they wish to go is disused and desolate, but the other would take them mile upon mile out of their way. They decide to follow the disused track, feeling that any group of bandits would be no match for their skills. After some further miles they come to realize that they have unwittingly wandered into a shadowland, which is very bad because they have been traveling at night to spare their water resources and now have no easy way out. Pushing on still further they discover that the grass to either side of the road is filled with bones, gnawed clean of flesh, and some of them are even the bones of larger prey such as elephants.

Some wish to turn back, but Artisan Faust advises that they should confront whatever danger lies ahead and eliminate it in the cause of protecting mortal travelers from the dangers of the shadow land.

Soon they come upon the core of the problem. It seems some of the Tri-Kahn's troops have had a major battle with a group of bandits, and didn't come out but tied. Both sides have now devolved into a huge pack of hungry ghosts which attack anything that comes near and have even now brought down an elephant. Knowing that they cannot face the 30-40 hungry ghosts ahead by themselves the Solars begin a ritual to burrow through the border of the shadowland back into creation. Soon however some of the hungry ghosts take note of the scent of fresh meat and come looking for the Solars. Not long thereafter River get's the first chance to use her Orichalcum Long Powerbow and drops the five ghosts that approach, buying time for Cat to complete the ritual and allow them all to escape.

A village in Crisis

Traveling along the border of the shadow land through the rough scrub and hardpan of the dessert the group at last come to a small village. This cluster of adobe houses nestles around a large marble temple but everyone is afraid of them and hides in their dwelling places. Only one woman dares to open her house to them, one Harmonious Flower by name who greets them as "The Shining Ones whom I have awaited." Inside Harmonious Flower's house they meet the adult woman and her three children who explain the situation.

In the House of Flowers

The Village has been beset by a string of misfortunes, Harmonuious Flower explains: First the rains which had been regular and reliable stopped coming three or four years ago, but the village adapted, under the leadership of an immaculate monk they changed over to dessert hardy crops and managed to dig a new well. They found a small forest far out in the dessert, a good two day's journey away, from which they could gather wood to build new houses and doors and things. Then a few weeks later one of their lumbering parties was attacked by strange apelike monsters: led by one of the Fair Folk. At that point the village still had regular trade with the rest of creation, so everyone in the village armed themselves with Cold Iron. The Fair Folk came a few days later in the middle of the day and captured anyone they caught out of doors, demanding their service for a year and a day in recompense for the Lumber the villagers had 'stolen' from their woods. When the villagers fought back the next raid the fair folk were armed and willing to use lethal force.

After watching the Fair Folk terrorize his charges for ten months their Dragon Blooded Monk armed himself with a set of Cold Iron tiger claws and went to meet the free hold's champion in single combat. He has not been heard from since but when next the hosts of Faerie came calling they were demanding Bloodprice for their champion who "Lies nigh unto death through your Treachery."

Harmonious Flower did not mourn the monk's death, because she and her husband were secretly members of the Cult of the Illuminated, but she did have reason to mourn: her husband had been taken by the fair folk in a raid.

Harmonious Flower explains all of this then cooks the Circle lunch. She then agrees to help them talk to the other villagers, who are expecting the monthly raid any day now and unwilling to be out of doors during daylight hours when the fair folk always arrive.

Speaking With the Villagers

Harmonious Flower escorts the party out into the village and convinces the other villagers to open up the disused Caravansary for the circle to use as their lodgings for the rest of the day and for meeting with the village elders who Cat and the others wish to interview and see what can be done about the present crisis. One by one the village elders come and speak to the circle and explain the situation in detail, and shows them around the village. On their tour the circle notes that a large circular building at the center of the village looks like it is constructed in the style of a manse, but flows with no essence. When the circle have finished conducting their interviews they rest at the caravansary and in the morning depart down the south east road toward the silvery woods where the confrontation started.

Meeting the Fair Folk

A few hours down the long wide caravan trail the circle comes upon the Faerie encampment. It consists of a collapsible fort with 4 siege towers at it's corners and walls of spider silk. As they approach a gryphon trained to guard the camp by the fae tries to attack them, and fails miserably. It repeatedly tries to dive and savage the party but thanks to the charm Seven Shadow Evasion it cannot make any headway and end's up being called off by the leader of the Raksha delegation.

Within the encampment we meet the fae host: consisting of some 2 score hobgoblins and 3 fae nobles accompanied by various mutated beasts of the Wyld who they keep as mounts and beasts of burden. They sit down with Cat and the others and talk at some length on the subject of their side of the story. It seems that about a year ago the Fae came to the woodland where the villagers said they encountered them and set up a freehold. A few weeks later they caught the villagers harvesting wood without their permission and set up an ambush when next the villagers came. There was a fight and one of the nobles was wounded, so they prepared themselves and came to the village seeking restitution. This time the villagers fought them with Cold Iron weapons and that provoked a feud. Some months later one of the Villagers, some kind of spiritual leader: came to the freehold and challenged them to send forth their champion to face him in single combat, the loser would surrender their claim to the woods and his people would depart it never to be seen again: the winner's people would be owners of the wood and it's resources.

The fairie agreed and sent forth an experienced warrior who had joined their side: but what the human neglected to mention was that he bore a set of Cold Iron Tiger Claws. The fight had not been agreed to be to the death, and when the Raksha saw that the villager's champion was cheating they killed him on the spot and carried the gravely injured warrior back into their freehold. That was about five months ago and Gayleen had grown steadily sicker, eventually slipping into a coma. Now the confrontation was more than about honor and resources, there was blood-price to be paid, and the court's Orkhan sent his troops forth regularly to raid the village for captives taken in payment.

The three fae nobles hear Cat's petition that he will serve as arbitrator of this dispute and put up the group in their fort for the night then with the day visit the village and knock on every door demanding that the village send forth representatives to serve a year before the mast in recompense for the theft of the fae's wood and the apparently inevitable death of their champion. No one is captured on this trip, but that may be because the fair folk did not WANT to capture anyone.

On the Way Back to the Freehold

Honor and Duty satisfied the whole troop, our heroes included, turns around and begins the two day trek back to the freehold. Along the way they get to know the Raksha a bit:

One is known as The Vixen of Seven Despairs, for the fact that she looks like a humanoid fox and her uncanny skill at disrupting the ongoing plots of those who cross her. She is peculiarly interested what the characters know about Deathknights and The Underworld. She is a Cataphract who wields a sword made of black Chiaroscuro Glass and a similar breastplate.

The Leader of their party is known as Mistress Rhesus the Azure and is the adopted daughter of the Master and Mistress of the Freehold. She is an Imperial Raksha who is learning the arts of leadership from her 'parents' and takes the from of a bright blue monkey the size of a 10-11 year old child.

The last named member of the band is called simply Knight Parrot and takes the form of a humanoid rainbow feathered parrot. He too is a Cataphract and carries a mighty falchion which will make anyone it cuts but does not kill fall in love with him.

These three are the favored agents of The Lord and The Lady of the freehold for these tribute gathering missions, the cataphracts because they are some of the most experienced of their servants and their 'daughter' for the valuable experience she could gain in dealing with humans.

Under the boughs of the forest