A Castrovel Adventure: Part 4, Chapter 1

In which Vaeol recounts her flag-pod’s journey from the Yaro Valley to the Retaea, the great northern treeless moor.

From the Daylog of Vaeol-Zheieveil Yaranevae be’Son

7. Vinelae, 24,543 - Leiss Farmhold, Lea
I have been meaning to write for some months. Yet the trial proved too great while afare over the moors. Now that we have reached Lea and are safely nestled at the farmhold of my brother’s wifemate Elarue’s kindred, I shall upcatch.
After our raid and overthrow of Lady Erenyae, our household left Elahat last year on the fifth of Evelae, six months ago, with not only ourselves, but all our children: Remaue’s Lanaryel, Erymi’s Tesine, Sievae’s Lenis, and Draue’s sons Vesh and Donas, who are old enough, fourteen years and twenty, to help chore. With things in the freehold peaceful under a fellowship of mistresses (dare I foretell they may become matrons?), we bade farewell to our sister outriders who had hosted Lady Taiase from Son, and who would bring the freightbark back to the City and hopefully soothe my sister Risodess and any other ladies our misdeed had offset. I fully bewared my share in Lady Erenyae’s overthrow would not go unwitted, but chose to unheed.
With many tears we left Krastaes my First Axe, who I reckon was even so sorrowful as we, for he would not come with but instead would go back to his wifemate’s farmhold. We sent him away with a full word-writ for the Captains, bewriting the warcraft we had wrought, its outcome, and, we somewhat proudly told, the onslaught’s utter death-lack. I also gave him a leafwrit for Lady-Mother, where I tried best to outlay my thoughts on our feud. How she will read it I am unsure. Some things I told may offcome as unkindly, which was the hardest thing to write. Not easy to break from the one who is oneself’s root, as my mind grew from hers. Yet for our love’s sake, I believed I must tell her frankly. In ending, I wished her love, and also wisdom to understand her mistakes.
We fared along the elder dykeway the Sage-Queens had built through the great northeastern marsh to foster trade. Taiase reminded this path from her youth, though in many steads the dyke has been rebuilt over yearthousands (I recall the Thief-Queens did much to upkeep the dykeway as the main link between Son and their homeland). We overwent in easy stretches, meanly a dayfare until we might find a meet campstead, and then a day tarrying when we could hunt with the Shota and so outstretch our foodstock, and from Tae’s bechildness, for she was swollen thick, and we would not worry her or the babe unborn. We found the marshwater low under Stormtide’s mildness, which thus yielded easy prey. In this wise, our furtherness undertook a holiday mood, the foot-warriors watching at a blind-stand they might hastily gather for any behappening game, we riders or merely the Shota scouting further outward, Tae tarrying as she would, and Remaue overholding the day’s meal and indrawing anyone she deemed fit to help. Sometimes I thought she gave more bids than I.
By the first of Shenelae, thirteen days after leaving Elahat, the land rose from the marsh, and the trees thinned. Instead, we betrod a queer world, green, gold, and purple, full of stalks every half-stride, making thoroughfare hard, and whose leaves sprouted almost at head-height and grew no higher than three steedlengths. Here we beheld the great canegrass meadows that lie beltlike between Father-Yaro’s marshes and the moors. Though the baletoads and great ~qutau~ snakes shun this dryness, other threats lurk. Coeurl feud with wild Shota packs for overreeveship, and deadly hood-adders hide under the ferns and leaf-fall. Also, at this yeartide the great ~Qoelu~, and mainly the huge Yaruks, make easy meal chewing these canegrasses of their sap and woody flesh. I also beminded that mighty hunters, like the Queenslayers, come southward. After our ~Qoelu~ hunt seven years ago, I held no heart to meet such a hungry foe with our whole household and children along.
In another twelve days even the canegrass thinned, and we betrod a land almost otherwordly. Nothing but stunt-grass grew, but where odd shrubs or treelings marked streambeds, until so far as sight faded to mist. After almost two months’ fare, we had reached the Retaea, the treeless moorland. While we had found the canegrass meadows queer with silver sky peeking through the thin leaftop as if we had climbed to a tree’s slenderest limbs, some found the sky’s full breadth and the bare land-edges even fearsome. Little Tesine wailed at first sight, and Draue’s boys cowered. A few times I even caught Kaure ducking head, as if afraid something might fall. Said our veterans who had gone to Qabarat and Valmaeana, it nearly reminded of the sea.
The sky’s openness proved strong when, but three days later on the Fifteenth, we marked Heavenwatch, which came unforeseenly, though I have heard it happens earlier here in the North. While we rode, a sunbeam split the sky and enlightened the earth ahead, at which omen we halted and yielded swift prayer. While we watched, the rift widened, lone clouds fleeing to catch the skyfolds, until Heaven in full blue glory shone down. There hung Burning-Mother, in a wonder-sight that only we few who have climbed to the Hall of Stars have witnessed. We sang thanks of the goddess’s goodwill, though we warned the children not to stare, for Her awesome brightness can blind.
The sky wallowed like lazy waves on a shore, rushing forth but then withdrawing, which made an otherworldly show of light blazing through clouds turned from steel to sheer silver, and then breaking through to full blaze. Even more dreamily, we watched sky-shadows run in herds over the land. How the sun-seers among the Retaea Clans read these omens I know not, but their fellow priests back in Son would go crazy. So strong fell the sunlight that I worried of sunburn, whereof I had learned a hard truth when first I spent lorehood at the Hall of Stars. I had bethought it a folktale until my antennae hurt and went numb. So I warned the others to mix soot with oil and slather it, and also on brow, nose, and cheeks. It would not do well to spend the next week mind-blind as one’s antennae’s thin skin fries under the sun’s mightiness.
That eve when we camped, Heaven stayed clear. We beheld a seldom sunset, watching Burning-Mother’s shroud shift from silver-gold to to pink to copper as She fell below the land-edge. We made it into a show-meal, eating riceberries and cheese. Remaue sat sharing the sight with Lanaryel while I sat on Kaure’s lap and the others dearly tarried. 
While Heaven deepened under the purple hem of Father-Night’s shroud, I was watching, even if the others were not, for I foreknew what would next happen. I spotted the first light-glint within the darkness, grinned, and beckoned upward as the  stars showed. At once I thought of Deznae the Wanderer, the Elvengods’ Mother of Stars, whom I have ever loved among them, though she is little known, since the stars back home show so seldom. The others leaned back and stared awesomely.
When full dusk overcame, I spotted a new star nigh across where Burning-Mother had set, who grew in brightness until it outshone all else. I witted its hue: bluish silver, as I had ere seen at the Hall of Stars. Though I had lost all track of star-maps or yeartides since last I beheld it through a far-sight glass, at once I knew. My hand aimed: ~Shaealisse!~ I outcalled - the Blue-Queen! Kyonin, to bespeak that world's Elvish name. Then I spoke another name, which first I had heard from un-Lashunta lips: ~Qolaryon!~
At that name, my housemates startled, for Remaue, Erymi, Tae, Nae, Sievae, Oshis, Less, and Hanos all had met Brand and the Aslanta - or ~Hyumanza~ as they had named themselves, and all else had heard the tale. We all stared and wondered. Remaue headed to me. Softly she asked whether Brand is well, for she knew my heart. I answered that so I hope, for we had striven hard to send the Aslanta home, even against their misdeeds. I reminded big, merry Verun, who had lost his leg to a moonflower’s wound, and keenly Brand, who had spoken me love, but whom I had offheld, though I had wished elsewise. Yestermind led my thought on queer paths, for I now was giving Oshis what I had withheld Brand. I have wondered whether I did unfairly, and unleastly to him, but to me.
Whatever maudlinness had overtaken, at that nighttide Oshis forbanned it when he cupped hands to mouth and hailed for Brand at the star, as if he could hear! We all laughed, though I more than others. I chided that Blue-Queen flies too far to hear, at more than a million ~sem~ away. He answered such a far length holds no forsoothness, for he could not math it. So I outlaid that, if he would overfare our whole world fifty times, over the Western Sea to Forbidden Ukalam, then over the legendary Lemenoran Sea, and then over all Asana from Candares to here, then he still could not match the length, and furthermore he would die from the loft’s thinness and the chill between worlds long ere he would reach it, for so the Loremasters have reckoned the great gap in Heaven wherein Burning-Mother and her child-worlds sit. Thus the Aslanta had behooved the worldgate in Lost Hoshiasa, for no other way to fare the gap outstands.
Afterward, Oshis sulked, for he quoth I reckoned him unwise. I kissed him and naysaid. ~Avyri si ei,~ - “Wisdom you have,” I told; ~O’shili dozhienantas,~ - “Your are merely unlearned.” This word little softened him, though I beseeched forgiveness, for he said it recked not. In answer, I bade him stay as he might wish, but I did not love him for his head, anywise.
Throughout the wayfare, Erymi and I had made a game of Oshis, brooking him as the gambit, though laterward, Oshis withheld from bed, and instead offstalked among the Shota. ~Ovas zhyeamas!~ - “I am no toy!” he yelled sternly. Even the next day, he withstood us both, nowise how much we begged.
If by days I so gambled with Oshis and Erymi, my nights I held for Remaue and Kaure. I could tell that our tide in Elahat had stirred our ~Korashe~ maidemate, and furthermore had filled her with deep and manifold thoughts of men, but uneasy. Though I would have begladdened to let her join idleness with Oshis and Erymi, I let her free to choose her will.
Once while we lay in arms, she asked me whether I begladden more of manlove than wifelove. I could not answer, for how can the two be matched? Luckily, in mind-share, I needed no words to outlay all these things. Kaure knew my heart, and that I would not forsake her. I think instead she was asking for her own sake, if she could overcome her fear. When she stirs such thought, I merely hold her tight. Also, whenever Kaure holds Lanaryel abreast, I think she understands, which makes me forelook the day when I may lay a babe in her arms and name her mate-mother.

Here I must halt ere I tell the rest, for Lanaryel is giggling wickedly with Shaess my brother’s son, and I hear Remaue’s warning lilt. Mother and daughter so alikely owe each other. I must go and see what truce I can make.

This daylog entry occurs six months after the end of Part 3, when Vaeol and her flag freed Oshis from Lady Erenyae. (Remember; a Castrovellian month is only 18 days)

Some Lashunta Terms & Phrases:

• Vinelae: the fourth month (of ten).
• Evelae: the eighth month. (of ten).
• Shenelae: the ninth month.
• ~Qutau~: Castrovellian aquatic megapython
• ~Qoelu~: Saurian megafauna
• Deznae: Lashunta rendition of the name for the goddess Desna, whom they know from the Elves.
• ~Shaealisse~: literally, 'the Blue-Queen'. A Lashunta name for Golarion, as it appears in Castrovel's night sky.
• Kyonin: may mean both the Elven homeland on Golarion or Golarion itself. Lashunta (and also many Elves on Castrovel) have at best the vaguest understanding of Golarion geography.
• ~Qolaryon~: Lashunta rendition of Golarion
• ~Aslanta~: historical Lashunta term for humans, derived from 'Azlanti'.
• ~Hyumanza~: Lashunta rendition of the word 'humans'
• ~Sem~: a Lashunta measure of distance, roughly equivalent to three miles, or five kilometers.
• ~Avyri si ei,~ - Roughly translated: "Wisdom you have," or: "Wisdom is in you."
• ~O'shili dozhienantas.~ - "Your are merely unlearned."
• ~Ovas zhyeamas!~ - "I am no man-toy!"
• ~Korashe~: A female Korasha.

Type

Manuscript, Historical

If you're interested in the tale of how Lady Vaeol met Brand, you may find it here.