Birthright 3 Chapter 6

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ewancummins
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Birthright 3 Chapter 6

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FIVE DAYS AFTER THE EVENTS OF THE LAST CHAPTER...


FALCON's ROOST


FILBERT AND TERMELAN arrived at Falcon's Roost three days ago, and delivered the Duke's message. Caine seemed pleased with the gift of the golden falcon. Caine spent a couple of days working out a tentative arrangement with Lord Filbert. Nothing binding, but the archmage was happy to provide advice about how best to deal with Rhoubhe. He suggested that further diplomacy could create a more lasting compact between himself and the Duke.

Now the mission has been essentially accomplished. But one possible complication has developed. Caine wishes for SAFANA to remain with him, at least "for now." The archmage's strong interest in the sorceress can be seen in the close attention he pays to her, but his exact motivation may not be so clear...

-------------


ELEVESNEMIERE BORDER

The flight from Kal Antherak will haunt the dreams of the Searchers for many nights to come.
The glare of living bonfires as tar coated and flaming Orogs ran through the city, the stink of death and smoke, incessant screams, the herd of four footed semi-humans that broke out of pens and rampaged in the mushroom gardens... Horror piled on Horror.

But somehow ---Sevett swears it was divine favor--- the party escaped the hellish city. The filth eater Cormac had befriended guided them all back up the drains to the caves. From there they moved out into starlight and clean air.

Almost bereft of supplies, tired, some of them limping from wounds, the party had little choice but to retreat into Tuornen before the snows blocked all the trails down from the mountains.

The bandits who aided them earlier seemed to have moved on.

They reached the lower hills one morning before the weather turns foul again, sleet and hail battering the trees and exposed earth.
A cold breakfast, a dreary hike, and by that evening they came to a road. Before dark, the found a ruined cottage near the road, which would serve well enough for a camp once pine boughs were arranged to block the holes in the roof.



------------------------
WESTERN TUORNEN


CRANSTEL and PRIESTESS ISOLDE joined DOMENICA and SIR RORY THE CASTELLAN a couple of days ago.(SUMMONED BY THE CASTELLAN"S MESSENGER)

THe witch hunt is now in full swing. THe Duke's men scour the countryside from Haes to the foothills of the Seamists, looking for the Crone.

SIR RORY departs this morning, as he is needed in HAES. The Duke's wedding is now only a few days away.

The Castellan leaves DOMENICA in charge of this part of the Crone hunting operation.
CRANSTEL and the priestess are with her.
SO are Volmar, Fredimir , Rolf Smithy, Gimp, and Finn (the latter have come from Haes now that the hooded gang there seems to have been defeated and scattered. Atli provides additional security at her HAES warehouse and office, just in case, as does a detachment of the Duke's guard).
She has riding horses, a couple of pack mules, and another wagon with a team to draw it. Basic supplies.
If she wishes, she can have hired a local man with hunting dogs to assist in tracking down the Crone.

Priestess Isolde has consulted the oracles of her patron, and determined that the Crone must have fled into Elevesnemiere province. Probably looking for a way into Rhoubhe's Country.
Delight is to him- a far, far upward, and inward delight- who against the proud gods and commodores of this earth, ever stands forth his own inexorable self.

-from Moby Dick (Hermann Melville)
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Re: Birthright 3 Chapter 6

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SEARCHERS

Cormac's legs...shoulders...everything hurts. Sleeping for a week sounds pretty good at this point. He looks down gratefully at the children they rescued, and thinks fondly of the ugly, filthy thing they befriended in the tunnels. He'd left it with what food they could spare and blessed him in the name of Erik (though the creature doubtless had no idea what this last meant.)

But the worst hurt comes when he looks back the way they came. "I'm sorry friend," he whispers, "I tried. I hope you're at peace, at least."

Wiping stubbornly at the moisture in his eyes, he turns back to the group. "Now wha'?" he asks, "Wha' settlements are nearby we can take these kids too."
"Of course," Benn mutters, "It would be a damned shame if we ever knew what the hell was actually going on."
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Re: Birthright 3 Chapter 6

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Falcon's roost

Termelan did his best to avoid Caine as much as possible these days but he did try to explore the tower as best as he could making absolutely sure that he didn't cross to places he wasn't supposed to be and didn't see things that he wasn't supposed to see. As for his dealings with the archmage, he would never address Caine, never meet Caine's gaze. If he wanted to ask something, he would politely whisper to Filbert the question and leave it to the Halfling to decide. The first such question was when he realized they would be staying in the archmage's tower, that he whispered to Filbert if he would kindly ask where they were not supposed to go while they stayed there.
His curiosity led him to ask those strange servants Caine had how they were treated. He would also try to "Accidentally" touch their exposed flesh to see if they're alive or undead.

In his free time, while Filbert was talking with Caine, he would seek Safana's company and compose a song named "Guest of the Archmage" which dealt with a highly fictionalized and poetic view of the tower and Termelan's stay there. That everyone listening him practicing it could see that the walls weren't actually made of "liquidated dreams and ether cemented with slices of the silver moon and the golden sun" didn't seem to be of a concern to Termelan.

When news that Caine has requested Safana's presence reached him, Termelan was upset, but tried to conceal it. He did relay however to Safana and Filbert at some time of leisure that when he was asked to partake in an archmage's ritual back home along with several other people... the spell teleported him in Tuornen along with half the leg of another "guest".
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Re: Birthright 3 Chapter 6

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Falcon's roost

Filbert passes these days mostly talking to Caine and trying to figure out a way to defeat Rhouble. Even if he knows that that he has to do with a powerful wizard he tries to keep clear mind, say his point of view when asked and politely ask if he can do anything to help. The halfling keeps safe distance from the strange servants and avoids them if he can. He has asked permision to visit the library of the tower and look for books about fiends, undead and anything that could be related to Crone and the poison. When Caine announces them that he actually prefers Safana to remain with him Filbert frowns but says nothing, letting Safana make her decision. He doesn't want to say anything to upset Caine and spoil the deal but on the other hand has heard what happened to Termelan and how he got to Tuornen so he is worried about her. At his free time he seeks the bard not so much to listen his new song but to avoid being overwhelmed by this tower and those that live there. So he just pretends to listen him composing or he was asking Termelan to narrate him stories about his land and the archmages back there.
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Re: Birthright 3 Chapter 6

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Searchers

Roald sits down on a relatively dry spot and sighs, his body aching in places he didn't know he had. "One that has an inn with a hot bath and soft beds, I would hope. Though I admit, I'd probably have trouble recognizing either of those after our little adventure."
"Most men would rather deny a hard truth than face it."

George R.R. Martin.
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Re: Birthright 3 Chapter 6

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Cranstel looks for Mistress Domenica, hauling his mule along behind. "Have to drop off these poison cures," he says, "Call me out into the bloody countryside to stamp through the woods looking for some witch, then no one even comes to greet me..." he grumbles.
"Of course," Benn mutters, "It would be a damned shame if we ever knew what the hell was actually going on."
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Re: Birthright 3 Chapter 6

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Adam wrote:Cranstel looks for Mistress Domenica, hauling his mule along behind. "Have to drop off these poison cures," he says, "Call me out into the bloody countryside to stamp through the woods looking for some witch, then no one even comes to greet me..." he grumbles.

"So sorry, Master Cranstel, to bring you out here like this." She goes on to recount what happened and the reason he is there. "When we get back to the city, we should meet properly at my offices

or your place of business. I will recompense you for your efforts and the possibility of more work for you, sir." If Isolde is within earshot, she has beckoned the priestess over and retells what

happened and why they are here.
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Re: Birthright 3 Chapter 6

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THE WITCH HUNT


After briefing Isolde and Cranstel, Domenica is able to continue her process of gathering information, checking up on sources she has tapped over the last couple of days. Her companions and workers prove helpful in this effort, as Domenica cannot be in two places at once.
The warrants signed by the Duke impress the locals--at least the few who can read. But these Tuor folk are happy to gossip over a beer, in any event.

Domenica's inquiries with the local farmers and shepherds yield the following intelligence:

An old woman matching the description of Oona, the Crone, was seen by some men tending flocks, travelling west over a dirt path in a horsecart with a tarp covering the vehicle's rear compartment. This was just a couple of days ago.

The nearest rural burial ground has been (quite recently) desecrated, with several graves dug up and emptied of human remains.

A tinker claims to have been accosted by mute bandits near a place called Elf Hill, a mound that all the local folks avoid as cursed fairy ground.The tinker escaped the silent robbers and shared his tale with a farmer, but has since fled the area.
Delight is to him- a far, far upward, and inward delight- who against the proud gods and commodores of this earth, ever stands forth his own inexorable self.

-from Moby Dick (Hermann Melville)
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Re: Birthright 3 Chapter 6

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THE SEARCHERS


In the course of the evening spent in the abandoned cottage, the party confers about where exactly they might be now, where the nearest inn or stronghold might be found, and so on.
Nevil tells the others that he thinks he recognizes by landmarks that they are not too far from the Tower of the Hunt. If they set out early in the morning, they might reach it in daylight hours. And along the way there should be some small villages, farmsteads, and so on.

One of the children rescued from the orog city speaks up at the mention of the Tower.
The girl from the bedroom, Anna's friend, who has till now maintained a dazed silence.
''I know that place. My uncle took me there once, when they called him to help fix up a stables."

Anna pats her friend on the shoulder. ''Gael, don't worry. I'm sure they will get you back to him soon."
Delight is to him- a far, far upward, and inward delight- who against the proud gods and commodores of this earth, ever stands forth his own inexorable self.

-from Moby Dick (Hermann Melville)
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Re: Birthright 3 Chapter 6

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VAN wrote:Falcon's roost
he was asking Termelan to narrate him stories about his land and the archmages back there.
Termelan is pleased to relay stories about his homeland but he resists telling which parts are actually true. In all of his stories though, no archmage plays any part. Vicious demon-worshippers like the Nanny abound, hedge-wizards like Safana play their part. Monsters. Knights. Common folk. He often references the priests of Azrai, although he claims they cannot cast spells unless they're also wizards. It seems in his world the clergy is just common people dedicated to a deity (Azrai actually) without any supernatural gifts in return. He also says that theology has evolved and not all priests agree on what Azrai's dogma actually would be.
He also mentions that long, long, long ago, his people marched under the banner of the Azrai-chosen generals to colonize "another place". Termelan claims that he believes this place, this continent in the "end of the world" as he calls it, is the other place his people went to colonize.

What is evidently missing from those stories is any reference on clerics, demi-humans of a race Filbert would recognize and any kind of blooded people. It would become evident at some point to Filbert that every blooded person Termelan knows in his homeland is from this cadre of mad wizards that Termelan avoids talking about.

Termelan also asks Filbert to tell him about this "shadow world", what should be expected, what it is etc. If he has access to the library, he makes full use of it to check books on the shadow ... and Cerilian history.
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Re: Birthright 3 Chapter 6

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ewancummins wrote:THE WITCH HUNT


After briefing Isolde and Cranstel, Domenica is able to continue her process of gathering information, checking up on sources she has tapped over the last couple of days. Her companions and workers prove helpful in this effort, as Domenica cannot be in two places at once.
The warrants signed by the Duke impress the locals--at least the few who can read. But these Tuor folk are happy to gossip over a beer, in any event.

Domenica's inquiries with the local farmers and shepherds yield the following intelligence:

An old woman matching the description of Oona, the Crone, was seen by some men tending flocks, travelling west over a dirt path in a horsecart with a tarp covering the vehicle's rear compartment. This was just a couple of days ago.

The nearest rural burial ground has been (quite recently) desecrated, with several graves dug up and emptied of human remains.

A tinker claims to have been accosted by mute bandits near a place called Elf Hill, a mound that all the local folks avoid as cursed fairy ground.The tinker escaped the silent robbers and shared his tale with a farmer, but has since fled the area.

Domenica relates this to everyone when she has gotten all her facts. "Lady Isolde or Master Cranstel, would you suggest we start at the graves or follow up on the dirt path?"
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Re: Birthright 3 Chapter 6

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SEARCHERS

"You can keep the soft bed," Renn says, "I'll settle for the ale."

Renn furrows his brow when he realizes they're near the Tower of the Hunt. "Best be heading there. It'll be our best bet to resupply and regroup. I'd imagine we want to scout the villages along the way."
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Re: Birthright 3 Chapter 6

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steveflam wrote:
ewancummins wrote:THE WITCH HUNT


After briefing Isolde and Cranstel, Domenica is able to continue her process of gathering information, checking up on sources she has tapped over the last couple of days. Her companions and workers prove helpful in this effort, as Domenica cannot be in two places at once.
The warrants signed by the Duke impress the locals--at least the few who can read. But these Tuor folk are happy to gossip over a beer, in any event.

Domenica's inquiries with the local farmers and shepherds yield the following intelligence:

An old woman matching the description of Oona, the Crone, was seen by some men tending flocks, travelling west over a dirt path in a horsecart with a tarp covering the vehicle's rear compartment. This was just a couple of days ago.

The nearest rural burial ground has been (quite recently) desecrated, with several graves dug up and emptied of human remains.

A tinker claims to have been accosted by mute bandits near a place called Elf Hill, a mound that all the local folks avoid as cursed fairy ground.The tinker escaped the silent robbers and shared his tale with a farmer, but has since fled the area.

Domenica relates this to everyone when she has gotten all her facts. "Lady Isolde or Master Cranstel, would you suggest we start at the graves or follow up on the dirt path?"
"We've found evidence that this crone is using magic related to worship of the demon prince Orcus," Cranstel says, gulping as he says the words, "So perhaps the graves would make sense as an investigation point."
"Of course," Benn mutters, "It would be a damned shame if we ever knew what the hell was actually going on."
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Re: Birthright 3 Chapter 6

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Brock Marsh Runoff wrote:SEARCHERS

"You can keep the soft bed," Renn says, "I'll settle for the ale."

Renn furrows his brow when he realizes they're near the Tower of the Hunt. "Best be heading there. It'll be our best bet to resupply and regroup. I'd imagine we want to scout the villages along the way."
"Aye, tha's the place," Cormac agrees, "Le's go."
"Of course," Benn mutters, "It would be a damned shame if we ever knew what the hell was actually going on."
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Re: Birthright 3 Chapter 6

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"We've found evidence that this crone is using magic related to worship of the demon prince Orcus," Cranstel says, gulping as he says the words, "So perhaps the graves would make sense as an investigation point."

"Orcus? I'm sorry master Cranstel but I have no knowledge of this demon prince you speak of. Is this serious? I will defer to your and Lady Isolde's judgements for where we should go.

Are we prepared to face this Crone and whatever she can do?"
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