Chapter 17 - Immortality and Death

General Summary

After the evening of debauchery, in which most of the Temple guests did not participate, Franz wakes desirous of learning more about his trial. He is upset about the fact that he, unlike his purported siblings, must slay a man who is either his brother, or at least a child of the family with which he has lived nearly his whole life. He seeks out Eir, to his eyes, the most beautiful of the residents of the Temple of Teeth. Franz asks her directly why the elves  believe that him killing a humans  advances their agenda, and reposes a question from the previous night: are the elves somehow involved with the Sensenmann and the Plague, and is his destiny, as they see it, the mass murder of humankind?. Eir responds that she is a healer, not a death dealer, and is not herself involved with the Sensenmann in any way. Death, and the Reaper, are associated with humans, not elves, who, as they do not know Death as such, cannot have made the Sensenmann, who, in any event, could not be the Reaper if he had nothing to reap. She recommends Franz speak with Sigrun about any particulars. She does add, however, that Franz's point of view is typically human, in that it is based on an understanding of history that begins only once the querent becomes conscious of it. The history of elves and humans began long before that. It was the humans that initiated the attempt to drive elves away from Mittelhof, not the reverse, and the final act of that conflict was spearheaded by the Church. Dietmar, who has now joined the conversation, objects, saying that the Church does not alway stand against those who are different, though Eir counters that the humans' Church freely violates any agreements by which it feels itself not bound, in the same way that Dietmar himself simply refused to complete last night's ritual with Kára because he did not want to accept its term, thereby, to compromise. Trade, which Dietmar finds suspicious and self-serving, builds trust over time, whereas gifts that are ostensibly given for free actually create resentment, as is instantiated in the doctrine of Original Sin. Compromise, reason, and treaty are possible, she says, but only if the two countervailing forces are of roughly equal strength. Without this, there can be no compromise, as the stronger party will simply refuse to deal. The elves simply want the scales evened. The example of dwarfs cited by Franz is of no consequence - they are forced behind walls that humans control, and live at the sufferance of humans - something elves, as a free people, refuse to do. Eir concludes that this is precisely the reason why Franz must show willingness to break with his purely human past by showing that he is willing to kill. In any event, he characteristically does not want to recognize that he has already killed his brother Manfred by refusing to heed the Sensenmann, and to recognize that his gifts bear a cost that he must be willing to pay. The expectation that a god will communicate with followers like a jurist is something that Franz has in common with Dietmar. Instead of expecting clear directions, perhaps he should learn to listen to the Sensenmann carefully, to fulfill his end of the bargain, and to be thankful for what he is given.
Before its conclusion, the conversation is joined by Cilly, who feels particularly refreshed by last night's reveries. For her part, she is willing to abandon her old life entirely, because Albenheim is the best place she has ever been to. She objects to Franz' charge that the temple is built of teeth extracted from dead humans, as it is obvious to her that they are baby teeth traded freely for gifts by humans who still have a vestige of belief in the old ways. Eir confirms this interpretation. Cilly completely accepts Eir's demand for the balancing of the scales, and her charge that humans initiated the hostilities between the two species. She has little problem with the elves using the elixir she will create as a bargaining chip to stop the Plague at some future time. She is a bit offended at the way Franz and Dietmar are carrying on, or perhaps she is overwhelmed with the sensations experienced the previous night. Unlike her companions, she does not seem to mind when the question is posed to the elf Froh regarding the relationship of the elves who live here. He says the precise relationship is hard to translate into human terms, but it is in any event a blood relation. He adds that incestuous coupling has been found among human royal families throughout Mittelhof, and sees no evidence of any physical problems this may have created. Cilly's response to all this is to drink herself silly, and after she passes out, her companions carry her up to bed in one of the high lofts of the temple.
Reinhard, like Cilly, emerges quite late from the night's merrymaking. He begins the morning by trying to convince Kára - apparently a favorite - into teaching him the language and magic of the elves. Intrigued, she accepts, at the price of taking the scholar's clothes - specifically, his plague doctor outfit. Naked, he imbibes her lessons. She translates the runes that displayed on his disk, and he gleans their true meaning, copying the necromantic spell into his grimoire. He then goes goes upstairs and changes into his regular clothes.  
In the meantime, Eddi  decides to undertake her trial, as it seems simple and likely involves no violence. From Froh, she learns that her fish lives in a pond about a day's travel to the northeast (in human terms). Cilly is passed out, Reinhard is busy with Kára, and Klawuhn is still unwell, so she convinces Franz to accompany her. Dietmar joins them as well. Reinhard does agree to send his owl, which now has the power of speech, to guide them, and Carrot the Donkey joins them as well. Carrot spends much of the time along their way singing at the top of his lungs, enjoying his newfound voice. Toward evening, he has a stone flung at him for his efforts, as three big, hairy humanoids jump out of trees and chase the donkey and his rider Eddi down, while another engages Franz with his stone axe. The former soldier decapitates one, then dispatches another, while the third one is subdued and then resuscitated, and forced to answer questions. Dietmar utters a prayer to allow him to understand the creature's language, and Eddi reveals that she has secreted his crucifix in Cilly's bag. The hairy one reveals that the pool is less than two hours travel from this place, and recommends that all specific questions about it and the fish should be posed to The Guy, a creature who lives near the pond, but refuses to share his name with anyone. The hairy humanoid is then released. Soon, the travelers arrive at a pond, and see a small hut by the shore off in the distance.  

* * *

Back at the temple, Cilly finally wakes, surprised to find herself in a bed. She finds Reinhard dressed in normal garb, and Klawuhn bent over in pain, still unable to overcome Albenheim's bright magic. Cilly ministers to him after chiding him again for coming along, and asks Froh if there is some way to help his plight. The elf tells her that some ways from the temple, there is a pit from which boars emerge. The boars, like Klawuhn, are originally from Schwarzalbenheim, and cannot abide Albenheim for long. They are hunted down because they were sacred to his divine namesake, Froh, and put out of their misery, for they would die anyway. But the pit is likely a conduit to the realm of the Dark Elves, so it may help Klawuhn if he can find the portal.  
Additionally, Cilly questions the mysterious blue-haired Rán about the basics of elixir making. The elf explains that elixirs typically have eight ingredients - one for each of the five senses, one for mind, one for spirit, and a liquid base. Thinking about the latter, she asks where her other companions have gone, and is told they went off to the pond to deal with Eddi's trial. Cilly kicks herself, as she realizes that the pond water may well serve as her elixir's liquid base.

Rewards Granted

• Reinhard learns another spell

Missions/Quests Completed

• Eddi, Franz and Dietmar arrive at a mysterious pond

Character(s) interacted with

• Elves at the Temple of Teeth 
• A hairy humanoid encountered in the woods (possibly an orc)

Report Date

02 Feb 2021

Primary Location

Albenheim