An Enclave of Handmaidens Pt3
General Summary
Session took place on 4-15-2025
Players present: Sam, Mo, Katie, Kelly
(In game: August 3rd)
As the group left Selvianne's cabin, Zune began to have stomach pains. She and Xeneva decided to go back to the boat and setup camp in the hopes her ailment would clear up. Meanwhile, the remaining group members decided that they would hang about the settlement until the evening for when The Sending would take place.
The sun was setting as the group made their way up the hill that they had ran up earlier that day. The wind stirred the long grass around the shrine as they crested the hill. Offerings lay scattered about: feathers, woven dolls, milk bowls, and bunches of herbs left to wither under the open sky. The party could sense the hill was sacred ground, overlooking the now quiet expanse of forest and fields below.
The Handmaidens —cloaked, hooded, barefoot— were all present in a semi circle around the pyre. One of the Handmaidens, whom the group would later learn was name Yrsa, stood at the head of the pyre, draped in ceremonial black-and-gold robes. She bore a twisted wooden staff adorned with silver bells and crow feathers.
Selvianne watched from one side of the edge of the semi circle. Her cat, Varessa, was present as expected. She wore a veil over her lower face, her hands folded—impossibly still.
At the center lay Alina, pale and still upon the pyre, her body wrapped in a ceremonial shroud of indigo sailcloth, its seams stitched in white thread. Her hair had been braided and looped over her chest, and a small wooden idol of Freya—a stylized cat with wings—rested above her heart. The shroud covered her fully.
The group took their place towards the back of the semi circle. As they took their spot, Yrsa began to lead a chant:
Then one of the younger women stepped forward with a bowl of scented oil, infused with lavender, bloodleaf, and ashroot. Yrsa dipped her fingers in and drew three runes on Alina’s brow.
The priestess then stepped back to allow each Handmaiden to lay either a tuft of cat fur or a white feather onto the pyre.
Once the women had reformed their semi circle, Yrsa then stepped forward and said:
Yrsa then raised a torch made of cedar and thorn branch, its head soaked in tallow and myrtle. She spoke not to the crowd, but to Freya herself:
She lowered the torch to the base of the pyre and the flame crackled to life slowly. Smoke swirled upward, gray and sweet with the scent of myrtle and burning cloth. A breeze swelled up, curling around the hilltop as if Freya herself exhaled.
The Handmaidens as one then began to chant softly once more, swaying with their hands clasped:
The Handmaidens began to whisper to each other, an indication that the ritual was complete. Then Selvianne stirred, like a statue coming to life. The group immediately quieted. The High Priestess then said:
She then turned and walked to the edge of the hill, looking out into the night. Varessa settled next to her watching the crowd. The Handmaidens began to chat in hushed tones.
A woman, who shortly would be known to the group as Liv, sat down by the pyre by herself. Duno noticed her and approached the woman.
As the dwarf drew near, she heard Liv singing a soft lullaby that faltered halfway through. Duno greeted her and asked her several questions. Liv shared that she came to enclave shortly after the second Nilfgaardian war had ended five years ago. She had known Alina since Alina's arrival on the island. She began to speak about a strange phenomenon affecting the women, but stopped short. Duno, perturbed by the woman's reluctance, guilted her into revealing what she knew alluding to the fact that if she withheld information, then it could lead to another death. Liv, while not clear what the murder had to do with what Duno wanted to know, obliged for fear the dwarf may prove correct. She shared that women seemed to have bouts of unexplained fatigue every three to four weeks. They would be noticeably paler and the odd part of this was that it was usually after a deep, sound sleep. Duno, satisfied with the answer communicated what she learned to the group.
Avallach wanted to question Liv further. Liv could be seen talking to Yrsa, the one who had led the ritual. The group together approached Liv. Avallach began to ask a question: Ff Handmaidens felt drained, then why had they not woken up during the night. Yrsa heard this. She turned to Liv and indicated that she would handle the question. Liv nodded and walked of as Yrsa in a low voice told the party to follow her. She then lead them to an edge of the hill so that they ccould not be overheard. In a low voice, Yrsa invites them to dinner after the gathering on the hill and indicated she did not want Selvianne to catch that they were asking such questions. Intrigued, the group agreed. Wolfface and Avallach then wanted to speak with Myenna. Myenna turned to the group smiling, but before they could get into a deep conversation the crowd's attention clearly turned to a focal point: Selvianne.
Selvianne stepped forward from the shadows. Her expression was solemn but composed. The cat followed at her heels, silent. The fire had quickly burned low. Only embers remained, glowing faintly and casted a red light upon the underside features of Selvianne's face that seemed almost sinister. Speaking softly she addressed those gathered:
A ripple moved through the crowd—curiosity, nervousness, even excitement. A few women clutched their beads.
Selvianne's eyes scanned the crowd slowly. She locked eyes with each one of the party members in turn.
Then they settled on one face.
She lifted a hand, pointing.
A hush fell on all. Myenna froze mid-breath, clearly caught off-guard. Varessa, the cat, trotted over to Myenna. It curled around Myenna’s legs, uninvited. Myenna looked down incredulously as if she could not believe what was occuring.
Selvianne smiled faintly, saying:
Selvianne then turned and began to walk down the hill. Varessa waited a beat longer and then followed after her master.
The group took in the reaction of the Handmaidens. The general feeling was one of surprise, but the focus of the party was of the women they knew.
Inga had a general look of surprise on her face. If she felt anything else, then she did not give herself away. However, the others were not able to hide their actions from the group. Myenna looked stunned. She blinked rapidly, then slowly nodded as Selvianne turned to leave, and triedto smile but was visibly shaken.
Yrsa had stiffened. Her hands curled into fists. She said nothing.
Liv whispeeds something under her breath, yet no sound came out. However, Wolfface could read her lips. She was forming the following words over and over: “No, not her… gods, not her…”
The party approached Myenna. She looked at them and answered a few of their questions. The group learned from Myenna that while she had her Mark of Devotion fairly quickly compared to others, she was not aware of anyone who had been selected for The Pilgrimage within a year of the Mark. They also asked her about the fatigue phenomenon mentioned by Liv. She confirmed that she too experienced, but that she just thought it was Freya's way of testing Handmaiden's devotion and offered up the suffering to the goddess as a small sacrifice. The party asked if she would be willing to come to the dinner with Yrsa. She gave it some thought but ultimately informed them she needed time to digest what had just transpired and that she would be going to bed. The party understood and then made their way to Yrsa's cabin that she had given them the directions to earlier.
Minutes later, the group knocked on the door of the cabin. Alina’s funeral pyre still smoldered on the hill behind them. The soft chants and chatter of the remaining Handmaidens rose and fell in the distance like a tide.
Yrsa answered the door and with hand wave and nod motioned them inside. She began to ladle the stew into wooden bowls and passed them around and said, quietly, "She liked thyme in her stew. Alina, always said it reminded her of the coast."
She began to tuck into the stew. She said no more and it became evident she was waiting for one of the party to break the silence. Avallach was the first to ask a question.
She did not answer the question directly. She seemed more wary after Selvianne's announcment. Yrsa responded, saying:
She paused, studying them. Almost as if she was measuring what to say next:
The group explained their suspicions that there was more to Alina's murder than it first would appear and expressed concern for the women on the island.
Yrsa nodded as she listened. She replied in a guarded, but softer tone:
She finally looked them each in the eye and said in a bolder tone of voice:
She swallowed hard. The fire reflected off the moisture in her eyes, but she blinked it away.
She paused to gather her composure and then continued:
She then leaned in, voice low. Her tone shifted. It was a demand or maybe more accurately, a test:
She then sat back. Her eyes were sharp now, but not cruel. She finished with the following:
The group then began to question Yrsa. She acknowledged that Varessa the cat did not act as she would expect either but had no explaination for it. Selvianne's ageless appearance was also brought up. Yrsa, again, did not have an explaination, but mentioned that it was a point of gossip amongst the Handmaidens and that none had been around long enough to pin down her age in relation to her length of leadership. Yrsa also mentioned that the High Priestess' full name was Selvianne du Veyres and that she was originally from Nazair, but was not sure when she had establised the Handmaidens.
Witcher Bas had been analyzing all of what he had observed and heard up to this point. The clues were stacking up:
The cat's non-reaction to his mutant nature
The cat's general behavior over the various times they had observed it.
Freya's Kiss leaving the two marks.
The "fatigue phenomenon."
It led the Witcher to a couple of conclusions: That this was some kind of familiar or that there was some kind of vampire activity. If a vampire was involved, then he suspected an alp due to the cat, Varessa. If it was a familiar, then what did that say about Selvianne?
He broached the subject to Yrsa. Suggesting that Freya's Kiss was actually vampiric activity ignited cognitive dissonance in Yrsa's mind: On the one hand, it was plausible based on what the Witcher described, but on the other how could this blessing she had believed in for so long, but only lately suspected be an utter farce?
Yrsa wrestled with this potential truth and debate ensued on how to proceed. Wolfface suggested violence against both Selvianne and her cat. Yrsa strongly disagreed with this course of action unless they could prove that either or both were not who or what they appeared to be. That proof would need to be shown to the Handmaidens as many of them were loyal to the leader and not all shared the Yrsa and Liv's suspicions that there was more than met the eye. Trapping the cat and injuring it to try and reveal it's potential true nature was also suggested by Duno.
The session ended on that note and the party was awarded 3 Improvement Points (IP).
Players present: Sam, Mo, Katie, Kelly
(In game: August 3rd)
As the group left Selvianne's cabin, Zune began to have stomach pains. She and Xeneva decided to go back to the boat and setup camp in the hopes her ailment would clear up. Meanwhile, the remaining group members decided that they would hang about the settlement until the evening for when The Sending would take place.
The sun was setting as the group made their way up the hill that they had ran up earlier that day. The wind stirred the long grass around the shrine as they crested the hill. Offerings lay scattered about: feathers, woven dolls, milk bowls, and bunches of herbs left to wither under the open sky. The party could sense the hill was sacred ground, overlooking the now quiet expanse of forest and fields below.
The Handmaidens —cloaked, hooded, barefoot— were all present in a semi circle around the pyre. One of the Handmaidens, whom the group would later learn was name Yrsa, stood at the head of the pyre, draped in ceremonial black-and-gold robes. She bore a twisted wooden staff adorned with silver bells and crow feathers.
Selvianne watched from one side of the edge of the semi circle. Her cat, Varessa, was present as expected. She wore a veil over her lower face, her hands folded—impossibly still.
At the center lay Alina, pale and still upon the pyre, her body wrapped in a ceremonial shroud of indigo sailcloth, its seams stitched in white thread. Her hair had been braided and looped over her chest, and a small wooden idol of Freya—a stylized cat with wings—rested above her heart. The shroud covered her fully.
The group took their place towards the back of the semi circle. As they took their spot, Yrsa began to lead a chant:
“Freya who stirs the root and sky,
Take now the daughter who dares to die.
Through claw and tooth, by kiss and flame,
We send her onward—unchained, unnamed.”
Then one of the younger women stepped forward with a bowl of scented oil, infused with lavender, bloodleaf, and ashroot. Yrsa dipped her fingers in and drew three runes on Alina’s brow.
The priestess then stepped back to allow each Handmaiden to lay either a tuft of cat fur or a white feather onto the pyre.
Once the women had reformed their semi circle, Yrsa then stepped forward and said:
“Freya does not weep—she watches.
She does not mourn—she hunts.
This child has tasted Her kiss, and now walks the true path—
unfettered by pain, desire, or shame.
Let her body be the ember.
Let her soul be the flame.”_
Yrsa then raised a torch made of cedar and thorn branch, its head soaked in tallow and myrtle. She spoke not to the crowd, but to Freya herself:
“Take her now, O Modron Freya!
Let her climb your shadowed tree.
Let her not return—unless reborn.”
She lowered the torch to the base of the pyre and the flame crackled to life slowly. Smoke swirled upward, gray and sweet with the scent of myrtle and burning cloth. A breeze swelled up, curling around the hilltop as if Freya herself exhaled.
The Handmaidens as one then began to chant softly once more, swaying with their hands clasped:
“Let her burn. Let her bloom.
Let her wake in Freya’s womb.”
The Handmaidens began to whisper to each other, an indication that the ritual was complete. Then Selvianne stirred, like a statue coming to life. The group immediately quieted. The High Priestess then said:
“You grieve because you forget.
Freya does not.
Alina has gone where none of you yet dare. That is not death. That is devotion.”
She then turned and walked to the edge of the hill, looking out into the night. Varessa settled next to her watching the crowd. The Handmaidens began to chat in hushed tones.
A woman, who shortly would be known to the group as Liv, sat down by the pyre by herself. Duno noticed her and approached the woman.
As the dwarf drew near, she heard Liv singing a soft lullaby that faltered halfway through. Duno greeted her and asked her several questions. Liv shared that she came to enclave shortly after the second Nilfgaardian war had ended five years ago. She had known Alina since Alina's arrival on the island. She began to speak about a strange phenomenon affecting the women, but stopped short. Duno, perturbed by the woman's reluctance, guilted her into revealing what she knew alluding to the fact that if she withheld information, then it could lead to another death. Liv, while not clear what the murder had to do with what Duno wanted to know, obliged for fear the dwarf may prove correct. She shared that women seemed to have bouts of unexplained fatigue every three to four weeks. They would be noticeably paler and the odd part of this was that it was usually after a deep, sound sleep. Duno, satisfied with the answer communicated what she learned to the group.
Avallach wanted to question Liv further. Liv could be seen talking to Yrsa, the one who had led the ritual. The group together approached Liv. Avallach began to ask a question: Ff Handmaidens felt drained, then why had they not woken up during the night. Yrsa heard this. She turned to Liv and indicated that she would handle the question. Liv nodded and walked of as Yrsa in a low voice told the party to follow her. She then lead them to an edge of the hill so that they ccould not be overheard. In a low voice, Yrsa invites them to dinner after the gathering on the hill and indicated she did not want Selvianne to catch that they were asking such questions. Intrigued, the group agreed. Wolfface and Avallach then wanted to speak with Myenna. Myenna turned to the group smiling, but before they could get into a deep conversation the crowd's attention clearly turned to a focal point: Selvianne.
Selvianne stepped forward from the shadows. Her expression was solemn but composed. The cat followed at her heels, silent. The fire had quickly burned low. Only embers remained, glowing faintly and casted a red light upon the underside features of Selvianne's face that seemed almost sinister. Speaking softly she addressed those gathered:
“Alina’s soul has passed through Freya’s veil. We give thanks for her time among us.
But as one is welcomed home, another is called forth. The moonless path awaits. And so, in Freya’s wisdom… a new pilgrim must rise.”
A ripple moved through the crowd—curiosity, nervousness, even excitement. A few women clutched their beads.
Selvianne's eyes scanned the crowd slowly. She locked eyes with each one of the party members in turn.
Then they settled on one face.
She lifted a hand, pointing.
“Myenna.”
“You have been chosen.”
A hush fell on all. Myenna froze mid-breath, clearly caught off-guard. Varessa, the cat, trotted over to Myenna. It curled around Myenna’s legs, uninvited. Myenna looked down incredulously as if she could not believe what was occuring.
Selvianne smiled faintly, saying:
“Tomorrow night, on the New Moon, we shall prepare you. The following day, your journey will begin.”
Selvianne then turned and began to walk down the hill. Varessa waited a beat longer and then followed after her master.
The group took in the reaction of the Handmaidens. The general feeling was one of surprise, but the focus of the party was of the women they knew.
Inga had a general look of surprise on her face. If she felt anything else, then she did not give herself away. However, the others were not able to hide their actions from the group. Myenna looked stunned. She blinked rapidly, then slowly nodded as Selvianne turned to leave, and triedto smile but was visibly shaken.
Yrsa had stiffened. Her hands curled into fists. She said nothing.
Liv whispeeds something under her breath, yet no sound came out. However, Wolfface could read her lips. She was forming the following words over and over: “No, not her… gods, not her…”
The party approached Myenna. She looked at them and answered a few of their questions. The group learned from Myenna that while she had her Mark of Devotion fairly quickly compared to others, she was not aware of anyone who had been selected for The Pilgrimage within a year of the Mark. They also asked her about the fatigue phenomenon mentioned by Liv. She confirmed that she too experienced, but that she just thought it was Freya's way of testing Handmaiden's devotion and offered up the suffering to the goddess as a small sacrifice. The party asked if she would be willing to come to the dinner with Yrsa. She gave it some thought but ultimately informed them she needed time to digest what had just transpired and that she would be going to bed. The party understood and then made their way to Yrsa's cabin that she had given them the directions to earlier.
Minutes later, the group knocked on the door of the cabin. Alina’s funeral pyre still smoldered on the hill behind them. The soft chants and chatter of the remaining Handmaidens rose and fell in the distance like a tide.
Yrsa answered the door and with hand wave and nod motioned them inside. She began to ladle the stew into wooden bowls and passed them around and said, quietly, "She liked thyme in her stew. Alina, always said it reminded her of the coast."
She began to tuck into the stew. She said no more and it became evident she was waiting for one of the party to break the silence. Avallach was the first to ask a question.
She did not answer the question directly. She seemed more wary after Selvianne's announcment. Yrsa responded, saying:
"You’re not like the others who’ve come through to drop off supplies or do a quick job. Most just nod, pretend they understand, and leave before the day's end. In fact, you are one of the few in a long while to stay the night."
She paused, studying them. Almost as if she was measuring what to say next:
"Why are you here, really?"
The group explained their suspicions that there was more to Alina's murder than it first would appear and expressed concern for the women on the island.
Yrsa nodded as she listened. She replied in a guarded, but softer tone:
"Good. Then we’re not wasting our breath."
She finally looked them each in the eye and said in a bolder tone of voice:
"Alina wasn’t just anyone. She wasn’t weak. She doubted—gods, did she doubt as all of us has from time to time—but she stayed because she truly loved the others. Especially Liv. Wouldn’t have ever left without her."
She swallowed hard. The fire reflected off the moisture in her eyes, but she blinked it away.
"I’ve seen things I don’t have names for. Dreams that feel so real - more than lucid. "
She paused to gather her composure and then continued:
"We call them ‘blessed.’ But no one ever sees them again. And we never say their names afterward. Like they were never here."
She then leaned in, voice low. Her tone shifted. It was a demand or maybe more accurately, a test:
"You want me to trust you? Then prove it. Not with kind words. Not with prayers. Bring me something real. A sign. A reason for why we are fatigued. A reason we never hear from our sisters again. Anything."
She then sat back. Her eyes were sharp now, but not cruel. She finished with the following:
"If you’re not afraid of what might be hiding behind the veil... then I’ll help you pull it down. I just need some proof."
The group then began to question Yrsa. She acknowledged that Varessa the cat did not act as she would expect either but had no explaination for it. Selvianne's ageless appearance was also brought up. Yrsa, again, did not have an explaination, but mentioned that it was a point of gossip amongst the Handmaidens and that none had been around long enough to pin down her age in relation to her length of leadership. Yrsa also mentioned that the High Priestess' full name was Selvianne du Veyres and that she was originally from Nazair, but was not sure when she had establised the Handmaidens.
Witcher Bas had been analyzing all of what he had observed and heard up to this point. The clues were stacking up:
He broached the subject to Yrsa. Suggesting that Freya's Kiss was actually vampiric activity ignited cognitive dissonance in Yrsa's mind: On the one hand, it was plausible based on what the Witcher described, but on the other how could this blessing she had believed in for so long, but only lately suspected be an utter farce?
Yrsa wrestled with this potential truth and debate ensued on how to proceed. Wolfface suggested violence against both Selvianne and her cat. Yrsa strongly disagreed with this course of action unless they could prove that either or both were not who or what they appeared to be. That proof would need to be shown to the Handmaidens as many of them were loyal to the leader and not all shared the Yrsa and Liv's suspicions that there was more than met the eye. Trapping the cat and injuring it to try and reveal it's potential true nature was also suggested by Duno.
The session ended on that note and the party was awarded 3 Improvement Points (IP).
Report Date
15 Apr 2025
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