Session 2: Friends, Fists, and the Dead Report

The light of Eshabal rose on another day, beating harsh rays upon the hungover eyes of the Viod’s celebrants. Groggy villagers and the groggy party stumble about, gathering this forgotten item here or that loose clothing thereabout. Thelastor and Yaza meet the morning by seeking evidence of what happened to the garrison, but were unsuccessful. It appeared that whatever useful details were left behind were disrupted for ruined by the Demhezzar. Other kept to themselves or remained sleeping through the morning.

Othyrus awoke and wandered the fort with some interest, and thus arrived in the highest tower of the viod. While he lingered about the tower, taking in the morning warmth, a solitary figure garbed in drab closing and a worn coat of maille came walking down the narrow forest path. He wore two swords and carried javelins with him, yet appeared to move without intention to fight. Othyrus called down to him, asking him his name and business. The fellow looked up and named himself Rhomod and stated that there was a garrison here, and that he wished to trade with such garrison for food. Othyrus agreed and said to meet them on the southern side.

Thelastor, Yaza, and Othyrus went to meet this individual, making contact around the southern gate. The fellow again introduced himself as Rhomod, and that he was traveling the southern reaches of the Golbesh to improve his skills, learn the land, and eventually settle an old score. The party nodded with acknowledgement, and thus offered to have him assist and work with them, perhaps for pay and certainly for food. They were the new garrison, as it stood, and any fighters or ones who could teach war would be more than necessary. Rhomod agreed and entered the fold.

Around this time the villagers were preparing to depart. Thelastor wanted to secure from them an agreement to trade for food, since the revelers had eaten everything. The leader, Ebrihin as his name went, was quite unwilling at first, but Thelastor was clever with words and managed to talk him into a corner from which he could not escape. The villagers agreed to offer food in exchange for protection. Shortly after the majority of them departed besides those few who were still asleep, straggling, or exploring the viod. The party left them to their devices.

Thelastor, Othyrus, Xeyesh, and Oradyol departed southward with a handcart, aiming to gather up the supplies and leftovers on the boat. They traveled without issue for about half an hour, making most of the journey with pleasant cheer. Yet, sometime caught their eye on the side of the road. It was something blue- fabric, a flower, something else? They were uncertain. Xeyesh and Thelastor moved a way off the path to investigate. Their sight was keen, and they halted abrupted at the sight of strange pits in the ground, perhaps four or more of them tucked into the brush. Each of them was about two feet deep, and perhaps the same wide, filled to bursting with brambles, thorns, and other dangerous plants. It was clearly a trap, and clearly set recently. Strange, but they continued forward. They reached the body, and found the blue to be the blue and silver livery of the ship’s conscripts, same as the Tresivar Pyrgosar. The fellow’s leg was caught in a hole, and his body exhibited the signs of many smaller stabs and blunt wounds. They withdrew for now, vowing to return to collect the corpse.

Moving a short distance further, they arrived at the ship. It was thankfully still afloat and not utterly annihilated. Yet, all was not well. The deck and hull of the vessel were stuck thick with crude projectiles, hewn from misshapen branches. Getas and those aboard were stationed behind a make-shift barricade with spears, bows, javelins, and other weapons on hand. They were delighted to see the party and beaconed them over. Getas explained that they were attacked in the night, and that three fellows volunteered to seek out the party to see if they found the garrison or were camping somewhere or were dead somewhere. They never came back. The party discovered one, it appeared, but the other two were missing, presumed dead. Xeyesh went aboard the ship to examine further while Thelastor and the others scoured the nearby shoreline. The attackers were large beasts, pawed but with odd, long fingers, hunched low, but with strange companions with them that dashed and leapt through the grass. The evidence and information which they gathered together was measured at length by Xeyesh, the best educated among them, but the others as well. The end they came to was that the assailants were Duyor, an ancient remnant race created during the First Feud and abandoned. In these shaded, remote places such races were allowed to endure.

Rhomod and Yaza went to gather foodstuffs for the day. This was done swiftly with relative ease, for both of them were quite familiar with the area, terrain, and wildlife. Rhomod used his javelins to hunt big eels along the wider rivers which cut through the swamp. He was quite successful in this, even if the eels bit and struck back at him. Yaza had little difficult gathering berries, for much of the wildlife was scared away by the strange amount of movement in the area.

Arelastod and Qetukris were left in the viod. The former sulked while still coated in alcohol while the latter kept to himself writing on and on about his fringe anarchist ideology. The former was rudely awoken by a heavy hand, who turned to be Ebrihin, who attempted to explain as best as was able in his native tongue that certain people were missing from his group. Arelastod was having none of it, and told the man to go away now. Ebrihin grew angry and punched the insolent youth in the nose, knocking him flat, before turning and going elsewhere. The next unfortunate fellow was Qetukris, who was equally unsuitable for the task. He did not understand the language, and the two came to heated words, leading to Ebrihin striking Qetukris twice with his fists then hilt. Ebrihin and his two companions departed them to continue seeking their people.

Rhomod and Yaza arrived back first, carrying with them hunted eels and fruits of the undergrowth. They saw that most of the commotion in the fort was finished, but oddly saw Arelastod sulking beneath a table with a blank covering his legs. Blood was running down his face. They asked what had happened. Arelastod explained that Ebrihin had “struck him for no reason” which sounded strange. They sought out Ebrihin for an explanation, as he was still in the viod, and he explained the dilemma of his missing people. Yaza and Rhomod suggested that perhaps the left already, for nobody has been found, on and on such. Ebrihin agreed, and said he would send word if they were found. Yaza and Rhomod said they would send word if the folks were found here.

Thelastor and the others arrived not long after, bringing life back to the place. Eight Tresivar folks including Getas, then Thelastor’s servant Balborast. They immediately saw Arelastod, then Qetukris, who were bloodied. The same conversation was had, and the matter appeared solved. Now greater matters were afoot, unpacking the materials from the ships and situating the newcomers in this place that the party were themselves newcomers within. This took the remainder of the afternoon in evening.

During that time, Xeyesh briefly pulled aside Othyrus while he was moving the crates. He pointed to one among them and explained that he must not get close to it, otherwise terrible things shall happen to everyone. Othyrus was taken aback, but listened with uneasiness. Neither were certain who the chests belonged to, but that they needed to be hidden somewhere a long way away. Othyrus agreed, and took up the chest to move to the lower portions of the viod, long untouched.

In the coming darkness Xeyesh settled himself upon the high tower of Viod Lyros, watching up toward Vussalas and taking notes as was often his pastime. In this moment he received a note of conversation from the Eshan, to whom he always spoke but never quite received response. It was Mesian, mother of his race. She asked what he had learned. He explained some of the day’s tidings, and Mesian explained that more was afoot. Eshan were stirring in this place, stirring the beasts with them, causing dread to walk their shadow. A dark time was approaching. Eshan are seeking refugee in remote places to survive this coming storm whose character is uncertain. Xeyesh nodded his head. Mesian explained that she would reward him greatly, in what ways she could, if he were to make the right decisions and keep the peace. She departed not long afterward, and Xeyesh scribbled note furiously.

Meanwhile, Oradyol sought out a forge to practice his trade, and thus wandered high and eventually low through the fort. He discovered the lower areas to be quite abandoned, strangely, but with large open spaces ideal for storage. The stones here were an odd character as well, altogether more weathered, pale, and of a larger cut than the viod’s construction. Further on Oradyol went, and found that many of the lower walls and floors of the lower level were covered with faulted wooden construction. A great gap of around 10 feet around was open upon one of them. Interesting. Around this time Othyrus came down the steps to store the chest of Viiryne. They spoke, noted the hole, and jointly agreed to investigate it. Othyrus desired to grab his spear first, and thus went upward.

As Othyrus moved up through the viod to retrieve his spear, a voice spoke to him through his Esseythu. It was a voice, though strange and unfamiliar. It asked Othyrus about his place. Othyrus explained that he was grabbing a spear to go into the lower levels. No, foolish, your PLAN for what comes next. Othyrus had little to say. The voice explained that he had inherited much responsibility from his former master, and now had to act decisively to survive the coming storm. This female voice explained that she was near, and could be more near if required, but that Othyrus should prepare himself in whatever ways necessary to survive a coming onslaught of great proportions. Othyrus, understanding little of the gravity, agreed for what it was worth. The voice shortly disapated, leaving him alone.