The Ghost/The Details of Gods and Fairies

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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.