Lemuralia & The Feast of Lanterns: Chapter 1 - 8.5.20
General Summary
At the start of spring each year, the people of Greater Anghor celebrate Lemuralia & The Feast of the Lanterns. The towns stay up until midnight, when the head of the household puts black beans in their mouth, and then spits them in each room of the house saying: “Ghosts of my Father’s, be gone!” with his eyes close.
The rest of the family then bang pots and pans to chase the spirits away.
In the morning, the town wakes up to a huge feast symbolizing the fortunes of Spring’s beginnings, before setting aloft paper lanterns to signify the spirits fleeing until next winter.
The winter’s famine left the kingdom dangerously low on supplies, and it is only now recovering. Lady Elenna’s court has given a small stipend to both, Anghor Dum and Anghor Thom to journey to Summershaw to obtain supplies, inclusive of food, wood, beer, and most importantly, Beans for the festival.
Both towns will be doing a show, and both are trying to gain notoriety and drive tourism and economic growth to recover from the winter.
Kona arrives in Summershaw and informs our heroes she was waylaid on her journey by cloaked and hooded enemies, assumed to be members of The Circle of Dragons. She lost her horse and carriage.
A short time later, Tyvor arrives representing Anghor Dum. Our Heroes split up and help each side obtain needed supplies. In conversations with Tyvor, his suspicions are revealed regarding the oncoming Balcoth Easterling army, that he suspects his half-brother Ivor, sheriff of Anghor Thom, could be collaborating with Balcoth to bring down Summershaw. Summershaw’s growth poses an economic threat to Anghor Thom, and Tyvor is positioning its downfall.
Blayton Bluery works at the Summershaw grainery and has five barrels of choice Beans both Tyvor and Kona need for the festival. He tells anyone who will listen, his rascal cousin, Payton Bluery, has gone off and stolen his pipe weed, down by the river where it’s known to grow.
Our Heroes agree to investigate, and after lowering down into the depths of the cave, they discover poor old Payton has met an early end. Further exploration reveals a group of Easterling Deserters using the cave as a hideout. They are defeated, save for one, Crackpot Daniel, whom Araphant is helping to reform.
Back in town, Blayton is informed of his cousin’s demise, and though saddened, let’s the team take the beans. Vandre convinces Kona and Tyvor that for the good of all Anghor, they must split the beans. Although he does try very hard to have the entire feast held at the new Smaug’s Lair.
The Arrival of Kona & Tyvor
Blayton Bluery and ‘ole cousin Payton
