Session 3: The Crossing of the Cheyth

At this point Varanjala rejoined the party as they sat down to a midday meal with Lieutenant Samlon, and he explained the situation and the opportunity over a sumptuous repast.

"I don't know what you've heard about the state of affairs here on the Marches of the Cheyth, but it isn't good. These, as we know them, are the facts. Hural Yalir, the northernmost of the River Forts, has been... shall we say... rather hard-pressed of late. A long winter, Nalshbori raids out of the Serth Hatama..." He made a dismissive motion with his hand. "Well, the long and short of it is that supplies are running low, and the river is too swollen this time of year to safely carry them by boat north of the Hiksuyara Kjarakam. Two caravans--the first one the standard Spring shipment to the Fort, the second a special order paid for by Sir Ralus himself--have been waylaid on the road between the eastern landing and Hural Yalir. At least, we assume the first one was waylaid. We only know it didn't reach Hural Yalir. There were no survivors."

He took another pull from the low ceramic beaker at his elbow. "There were two survivors from the second caravan. Their names are Thorinta and Verekan, and they are staying in town now. An odd couple of chaps, if you don't mind my saying so, but brave as lions--or so they must be, for they have already volunteered to go as drivers and guides for the third caravan, which will be leaving as soon as I can raise enough swords to guard it."

The lieutenant smiled a little. He was a handsome, rakish fellow of some forty or fifty (fairly young for an Amborian), dressed in sturdy but clearly well-worn traveling clothes. There is a gleam of metal mesh beneath his jerkin. "Well. I think you can see what I'm getting to." He reached beneath his cloak and produced a small leather pouch, which he opened, spilling its contents out onto the table. There were three hunks of amber, each oddly shaped, each about the size of a large marble. "It's dangerous, of course, but Sir Ralus is paying well, in amber from his own treasury. It isn't just about the supplies now. Whoever is waylaying our caravans has to be stopped." 

His eyes drift between the two of you, as though he is trying to take the measure of you both. At last he says, "Plenty of treasure. Plenty of danger. Probably the chance to take a couple of Nalshbori scalps along the way." He grinned. "And should you come through it, doubt not that you shall find Sir Ralus to be a generous patron in future."

After accepting Samlon's offer (Orusen volunteering the services of the entire group), the party decided they wanted to speak with the two drivers, Thorinta and Verekan, who alone had survived the last caravan. Tengelbur and Reiana specifically were curious about these men, and wanted to know why, after having watched all of their companions captured or killed in the previous attack, they were so eager to go out again.

They found Thorinta and Verekan in the Market Square, speaking with the hunters Klorpeim and Karalin, a pair of tall, dark-haired identical twins who wear their hair in the same close-cropped chin cut. Hasanyah, speaking for the party, questions Thortina and Verekan about what happened to them.

• Full of bravado and condescension, Thorinta is full of stories of his own courage in the face of danger, eager to go out and prove himself again against the enemy. With a sweeping gesture he takes Hasanyah's hand and kisses it tenderly, assuring her she will have nothing to fear as long as he is near.
• Verakan is quiet and surely, and mostly glowers darkly at his companion, occasionally contradicting outright his version of events. He tells Hasanyah that their caravan was attacked about ten miles north of the eastern landing, and that they were attacked by a dozen or so masked individuals who seemed to materialize out of the forest without any warning. He and Thorinta fought as long as they could fight, and when they could not fight they fled.

Something about the drivers' story didn't ring true to Reiana, however. She noticed that Thorinta in particular was perhaps trying a little too hard, while Verekan seemed to outright resent Hasanyah's questions, and treated the whole party with suspicion. Although she could not put a finger on it, something about the pair didn't seem to pass the "smell" test.

In the meantime, Teithbor continued to make his way down the hill towards the docks, until he came to a number of houses and booths belonging to some of the tradespeople of the town, who had chosen to set up their businesses here closer to where the ships were loaded and unloaded. He caught the eye (or perhaps his eye was caught by?) a striking red-headed woman named Telini, a fletcher of some skill, as she sat preparing goosefeathers for arrows. Telini half-flirted, half-interrogated Teithbor about himself and his business here in Cheykor before offering him the chance to "sample the wares" -- meaning the arrows, of course. Teithbor chose the 40-yard target first, before being goaded on ("are all the men of the Isle such close shooters?") to try the 80-yard target. With a bit of luck and a bit of Hope, Teithbor represented himself and his people well, and seemed to have impressed Telini. Disappearing into her house, she emerged again a moment later with a cloth-wrapped bundle of five arrows. "Such arrows as these I do not sell, but rather give them to those who impress me sufficiently."

During their conversation, Teithbor learned of a homesteader named Onerama the Bald. Onerama has a homestead a few miles to the north of Cheykor, and many men in his service, and according to Telini, he is the real power in this region. "Those old fools who sit in the market square think that they own this town. But no one brings a real claim dispute to them. What strength would they have to arbitrate it, now that the king who sits in Sencankarr no longer looks to the North? Onerama has strength. The strength to lead, even to rule. And he will reward strong men." 

Wishing Telini a good day, Teithbor decided to proceed back up the hill and rejoin his friends.

Tengelbur, in the meantime, decided to get a game of Pickets going at the Cracked Beaker, where he, Orusen, and Reiana lost (since draws go to defender) to the enigmatic huntress Karalin, one of the two twins they had met earlier and who they now learned would be accompanying them as drivers for one of the three supply wagons they were to escort to Hural Yalir. Reiana took the opportunity to study their new companion. Karalin seemed a strange woman: always either too quiet or too loud, and though she was a skilled Pickets player, she would occasionally make decisions that were blatantly tactically unsound, almost as though she relished the chance to imperil her chances of winning the game. When she laughed it was a sharp, dangerous laugh, and sometimes--when they spoke of the Serth Hatama and the perils of the road the next day--a strange light would come into her eyes. 

At the end of the game, Karalin collected her winnings and was about to leave, when Tengelbur suggested they make things a little "more interesting" for the second game.

"More interesting?" A strange light seemed to flash in the huntress's eyes. "What did you have in mind?"

"Say this time the loser... buys everyone drinks?" Tengelbur suggested.

Karalin laughed. "Come now, Tengelbur of the Road, I thought you wanted to make this interesting."

"What did you have in mind, then?"

Karalin looked at the three companions, her eyes coming to rest on Tengelbur again, following the line of his arm down to where his hand rested--perhaps out of habit--on the hilt of his sword. "I will wager you sword against my spear."

"But lady," said Tengelbur, "I have only one sword."

"I have only one spear."

Orusen, always eager to throw in, said, "I will gladly wager my sword!"

Karalin's mouth twitched in a smile. "But I have only to look at you, sir, to know that you are no swordsman."

In the end, Karalin made her way out the door and Reiana and Orusen, their suspicions aroused, followed her to the gate of the city--which was then about to close for the night--and watched her take a footpath leading south away from town until she vanished out of sight. They then went down to the docks and spent the night there in one of the many empty houses on the outskirts of town, Reiana keeping a careful watch on the supplies for the next day to be sure that no-one interfered with them. Oursen sat outside, studying the stars and listening to the soft rhythm of the rising and falling tide of the river, and watched as The Hunter Who Goes in Silver crossed the arc of Mjath the Bow where it danced low in the Western Sky. Orusen divined that the morrow would be an auspicious day for hunting.

As all of this was going on, Varanjala returned to the home of Yuralesh the Smith and his wife, Vitherai the Amber Cutter, for dinner. Most of the time was taken up with Vitherai plying Varanjala for gossip. "It's just that we get so little news," she said, darting a glance at her husband, "here on the edge of the kingdom. We heard that Commander Feiral of the Ralakarr garrison was killed in a duel over the winter. Do you know anything about that?" Vitherai's precocious daughters, Feala and Feianrai, were captivated by Varanjala and her tales of desperate adventure. Eventually, Yuralesh dismissed his daughters and turned to the question of amber. Yuralesh was a short, small-framed man, but his shoulders and arms were a mass of corded muscle. He spoke seldom and slowly, but when he did speak, every word was measured. 

"What do you know of the amber trade?" he asked.

"Not very much," Varnajala admitted. Her whole goal, you may recall, for coming to the Marches of the Cheyth was to forge a weapon of amber.

"This," said Yuralesh, raising his wine goblet, which was crafted of the clear yellow substance, "is made of what is called the shell, or sap amber. It is soft enough to be worked by hand tools, though still quite valuable--worth twice its weight in silver. But this," and now he reached into a fold of his sash and produced a small golden gem, about the size of a marble, but cut with a thousand facets, so that it caught the light from the lamp overhead and cast it back in a hundred golden hues, "this is a heart-gem of amber. It is as hard as a diamond. It traps the light and casts it back more brilliant than before. Some say that in the right hands, it can even shine with a radiance of its own even on the darkest night. These are the hardest and most dangerous to find, for they can only be found in the deep groves of the Serth Hatama. Some miners say that the heart gem secretes the shell or sap amber, and therefore to take one is to destroy an entire lode of amber. For all of these reasons, they are a treasure beyond price. Although I have never heard of a sword made entirely from amber, such gems were used in ancient times to craft weapons of great virtue and enchantment." He closed his hand, and when he opened it again, the gem had vanished. He stood. "Come with me."

He led Varanjala to the forge, where the coals were already glowing red. He began to work the bellows, stoking the coals up to white-hot brilliance, and then reached into forge with a set of tongs, producing a bright orange sliver of metal. This he set upon the anvil, and handed a hammer to Varanjala. "Show me what you can do with this."

For three hours Varanjala worked the steel, shaping it into a dagger, quenching it, welding it to a second piece of harder steel for the edge, heat-treating it again. In the end, she overdid the second heat-treatment, producing a weapon which would be too brittle to be used reliably. Exhausted and crestfallen, she stepped back from the anvil.

"You are not without promise," Yuralesh said. "Vitherai tells me you are going tomorrow with your friends across the river?"

"I am," she said, with downcast eyes, beads of sweat pouring down her face. "If you will not have me as student."

"Go with your friends. It will do you well to see where the amber comes from, and the peril you take upon yourself if you would take this work in your hand. When you return, we will begin your first lesson."

Varanjala thanked the smith, and then left to get what rest she could before the next day's journey.

Hasanyah, in the meantime, returned to the Norinlakor (the local hall of records, though in this case it's more like a cramped stone building full of fire hazards) to see if Palfeinan the Scribe had the book on the Stone Kings he had promised. She found him there as before, amid large piles of books and scrolls which he was in the act of shifting around. He offered her a thin parchment bound with silver thread, but when she promised that she would return it when she was done with it, he insisted that she stay there and make her own copy rather than absconding with his, since if she brought it back by the morning it would be too late to put it back in its proper place for several weeks. Apparently terrified of the errors Hasanyah would make, Palfeinan left to get a drink while Hasanyah made a relatively fair copy of the document "Concerning the Stone Kings" for herself.

The next morning, with all preparations made, the party began loading their provisions onto a barge with which to cross the Cheyth. It was then that Teithbor noticed that one of the drivers, Verekan, was same man he'd met the previous day, speaking with the cloaked stranger on the outskirts of town. Verekan did not acknowledge him one way or the other, and Teithbor has not yet made this information known to the rest of the party. With Tengelbur, Hasanyah, Reiana, and Tanurendal manning the poles and oars, they set out across the river.

The Cheyth is not the greatest river in the world, but he is the oldest--and he has no love of men. During the crossing the barge was swamped by a great wave coming down off the Isle of Pines, and the companions only just managed to keep the craft from capsizing before they reached the other side. As it was, the rocky landing set one of the mules to bolting, and washed some of the supplies farther down the river, and the party had to spend a couple of hours recovering the soggy supplies and getting the mule teams hitched to the wagons. But in the end all was done without lasting harm, and with the long dark shadow of the Serth Hatama looming on their right, the party began the northward trek to Hural Yalir.

Session 2: Many Meetings

The crew:

Teithbor, a Weixranbori Warden [played by Daniel S.] - The strong and silent type, Teithbor has been the party's anchor. He is taciturn, tends not to follow the crowd, but is always on the lookout for danger.

Varanjala, a Sothbori Warden [played by Sabrina A.] - Varanjala is a beautiful, nonconformist warden from the marches of the Amborian Wood. She has come to the Northern Province, and the town of Karet Cheykor, with the hopes of acquiring enough amber to forge a sword of great worth with which to better defend her people. Varanjala has demonstrated a general disregard for established authority, but as long as the goals of the rest of the group align with her own, she's along for the ride.

Reiana, daughter of Rinsosa, a Weixranbori Leader [played by Sophia] - Born to the warrior culture of the Red Isle, Reiana's father had wanted a son, but got a daughter instead. Reiana is accordingly something of an "army brat," and is an extremely skilled tactician and swordswoman. Reiana has bonded closely with Teithbor, a fellow child of the Red Isle, and with Ralatharr, who probably owes the fact that he is still alive at least partially to her.

Tengelbur of the Road, a Sothbori Wanderer [played by Ben] - Tengelbur is the heir of some great noble house, although he has never deigned to explain how he became a wanderer and vagabond, living on the road and taking his chances as a duelist, rake, and gambler. The unofficial spokesman for the party, Tengelbur is a man of great personal honor, comfortable among ruffians and nobles alike.

Orusen, a Njeitbori Wanderer [played by Arthur] - An exile from his own people, the raft-dwelling Njeitbori, Orusen attached himself to the party hoping for adventure and treasure. He has become fast friends with Tengelbur, and despite the jibes of "water-breather" aimed at him by some of his companions, he has proven stalwart in battle, if perhaps less-so at the drinking table.

Ralatharr, scribe of Sencankarr, a Sothbori Scholar [played by Ana S.] - A scholar and a hopeless romantic, Ralatharr began travelling to the North in the hopes of chronicling the great deeds of his age. Along the way, he fell in love with a merciless woman, who set him up to fight a duel with an honorable man, whom he was forced to kill. Just how this will change Ralatharr remains to be seen.

And joining us for the first time:

Hasanyah, Feirkanbori Treasure-hunter [played by Hope] - Hasanyah is newly arrived in Cheykor, having come to the North in the hopes of seeing the world and reviving her family fortune. She has traveled widely for one so young, having been fostered by one of the great houses of the Oornan kingdom to the south of the Sea. Two days ago Hasanyah was approached by Lieutenant Samlon, aide-de-camp to Sir Ralus, commander of the River Forts. She has already agreed to join a caravan escort taking badly needed supplies to Hural-i-Yalir, the northernmost of the forts.

Tanurendal, Cheybori Slayer [played by PJ] - Born and raised in the North, Tanurendal's whole family was slain by a Nalshbori raid during Galal's war some thirty years ago. Ever since that day, he has been chafing to wet his sword in the blood of the hated enemies of the Ambori. Tanurendal was hired two days ago by Lieutenant Samlon, and has taken it upon himself to screen the newly arrived party of heavily armed adventurers and determine whether they are suitable for hire as additional caravan guards.

~~~

Our party of six adventurers arrived at the gate of Karet Cheykor on the 14th day of Orupeim (The Sword), in the year 451 of the Third Eon.

The road you are following -- really, it's more of a dirt track than anything else - has been winding slowly downward for hours, ever since you entered the Cheyth River Valley. But now, as the last of the moorland just seems to vanish behind you like a mantle of gray mist which is driven by a wind from the sea, the road cuts away to your left, and begins leading again up the slope of a hill. This hill, although not particularly high under normal circumstances, is the largest of a whole range of hills which runs north and south along the western bank of the icy Cheyth, which from your vantage point you can now see as it winds like a long silver snake down to the sea.

The path beneath your feet is muddy, scarred by the ruts of wagon-wheels and the heavy sleds which, in the deep winter, are used to transport goods through the ice and snow. As you wind your way up the hill, you enter the outskirts of town, passing a few buildings which, although they seem of relatively new construction, appear to be completely abandoned. As you reach the gate of the high stockade - a wall of wood and earth some fifteen feet high - a man at the gate in a padded gambeson and carrying a long spear limps forward to accost you.

Upon arriving, they were immediately questioned by Raoseina, Warden of the Gate and Captain of the Guard.

"Hail, travelers from the waste. I am Raoseina, Warden of the Gate. In these evil times we do not suffer spies or enemies to pass within our walls. Tell me, and haste is best, who are you, what is your business, and in whose name do you come an armed man to the gate of Cheykor?"

Tengelbur stepped forward and introduced himself and his companions, and after the exchange of a few words (and Tengelbur forgetting the Warden's name), the part was allowed to enter. On the way into the town, Reiana noticed that the guard on the gate was unusually heavy for such a quiet town. But the party was allowed to enter without incident, and made their way to the town square.

Passing through the gate of the town, you enter what at first appears to be a maze of buildings, and only after a moment do you realize that each is built along a series of concentric circles, ever narrowing, ever nearing the top of the hill. About halfway up the hill the newer construction stops, and in place of the houses of timber you see houses of stone, culminating in the low black stone structure which caps the hill. That is when you realize, for the first time, that Cheykor must be a very old town. At the same time, the placement of this town so near to the dangerous, often-flooded Cheyth makes sense now: for there is a sacred well here, perhaps the easternmost in all the Northern Province, and by the architecture of the shrine you assume it must be immensely old.

In the meantime, Hasanyah decided to head to the local Norinlakor, the "hall of records" although really it was more of a small, cramped stone building on the hill just below the shrine. Here, she met Palfeinan the Scholar, an obsessive compulsive scribe who seems to have filed the books and scrolls in his keeping according to some bizarre calendar that requires things to be constantly shifted about in complicated circular patterns. She inquired about a book on the Stone Kings, but he informed her that that particular book was stored in the month of Kanuvar (roughly equivalent to our January) and that she'd have to come back that evening.

Hasanyah then left, emerging onto the market square to see her companion, Tanurendal, suspiciously requesting the group of adventurers (the other 6 PC's) who had just arrived. Despite the fact that he had been newly hired into Sir Ralus' service, Tanurendal was taking his new role very seriously - some might have even said he was exceeding his remit. Between them, Reiana and Hasanyah managed to diffuse tensions, and Tanurendal offered to buy everyone drinks at the local karilin (public house), the Cracked Beaker.

In the meantime, Varanjala went to the house of the local amber cutter Vitherai, wife of the town blacksmith and mother to two precious daughters the PC's had bumped into a couple of times already. (An amber cutter is someone who is responsible for selecting, cutting, and preparing the lodes of amber brought back by miners across the river for sale.) Vitherai was evidently very well-off and very good at what she did, but apparently a bit unhappy with her lot in life, here on the edge of the kingdom and so far from the land of her birth. Varanjala made a good impression on her, and requested to become her apprentice. Vitherai was a bit taken aback by the request, but was not uninterested. She invited Varanjala to come and have dinner with them that evening so that she could meet her husband, Yuralesh the Smith, a noted judge of character.

Teithbor, perhaps deciding it was a little early for drinks, wandered through the town, eventually making his way down the hill towards the docks. While doing so, his ever-watchful eyes spied out a couple of shady looking characters speaking together beneath the shadow of one of the abandoned houses. Sneaking closer to listen in, Teithbor's mail jangled and his sword clanged against the side of the building, alerting them to his approach. Of the two men, one was dressed like a hunter or outlander, while the other was shrouded in dark robes which made it impossible for Teithbor to see other than his two eyes, which glittered out from beneath his hood. The man in the robes quickly bid his companion good-day, and vanished around the side of the building, while the other, shorter man approached Teithbor. Teithbor managed to allay any fears the man might have had of being overhead, and the man hinted that Teithbor should make his way back up into town, where Lieutenant Samlon was hiring men for a caravan escort. Teithbor chose to continue on down to the docks, and on his way noticed a flash of black fur running north along the riverbank - something he could have sworn was a wolf.

Meanwhile, at the Cracked Beaker, Lt. Samlon was indeed there, sipping on his tea and watching with amusement as Tanurendal bought a round for the new arrivals and grilled them regarding their suitability as caravan guards. Samlon, a dashing figure, though every inch the soldier, caught the eye of Reiana and exchanged a bemused look with her before standing and approaching the party.

"Well, when I hired you, Tanurendal, I thought I was getting a caravan guard, not a recruiter. But," here he turns to the rest of you, "he is right. Sir Ralus is looking for brave men... and women. There will be treasure enough, and reputation, and the good graces of the commander of the River Forts... If you survive."

Tengelbur grinned. "Danger. Treasure. What more could we ask for?"

"It is coming time for the midday meal. Eat here with me, as my guests, and I will tell you the full tale."

Session 1: A Matter of Honor

We began our adventure in Sencankarr, the Holy City, on the first day of the month of Akdeipal, the beginning of autumn, two weeks before the Fast of Lamentation. The various members of the company had been in Sencankarr the past few weeks on various business, and now they had chosen for their own reasons to journey to the Marches of the Cheyth, where Sir Ralus, commander of the River Forts (and former governor of the North before he was removed from that position by the current monarch, Onwae) had put out the call for more men, since the Crown had been ignoring his pleas for reinforcements. The members of the company met for the first time at the _karilin_ of the Listing Harkel, where they had heard that a knight named Sir Paraman was arranging a caravan to the North. They were:

- Tengelbur, a Sothbori Wanderer. A failed scribe, he had chosen to make his fortune on the road. [Played by Ben]
- Orusen, a Njeitbori Wanderer. Owing to some crime committed among his own people, he has been forced to a life of exile and wandering. [Played by Arthur]
- Varanjala, a Sothbori Warden. Having guarded the Western marches of the wood for her whole adult life, Varanjala has decided to journey to the North in hopes of finding or making a blade of great worth. [Played by Sabryna]
- Ralathar, a Sothbori Scholar. Ralathar has spent his entire life in the Royal Library, but with war breaking out on the northern moors again, he is travelling to the North to chronicle what will become the history of his people. [Played by Ana]
- Teithbor, a Weixranbori Warden. Bearer of one of the fabled Red Fang longswords, Teithbori is travelling to the Marches of the Cheyth to lend his sword in the war against the Nalshbori. [Played by Daniel]
- Reiana, a Weixranbori Leader. An "army brat," the daughter of a respected Knight of the Order, Reiana is answering the call for soldiers. Her father might have wished for a son, but Reiana still means to make him proud. [Played by Sophia]

Arriving at the Listing Harkel, the Company were ushered in to a private dining room to wait for Sir Paraman. In the meantime, they had a chance to meet each other as well as two other of their traveling companions:
- Malfaloth, a somewhat foppishly dressed rake and duelist of some repute. Although he did not exactly say why he was leaving Sencankarr, it seemed to have something to do with the fact that the city had become too hot to hold him.
- Varjala, a beautiful young Sothbori noblewoman whom Tengelbur immediately recognized as being the neice of Verekan, the Viceroy--and second most powerful man in Amboria. She held herself aloof from the rest of the company as they spoke, and seemed uninterested in having anything to do with her lower-class companions.
Before too long Sir Paraman arrived, and the party had a chance (which they largely whiffed) to make first impressions. He seemed fairly impressed with young Ralathar though, and it seems that the two had a mutual friend in Master Norkur, chief scribe at the Royal Library.
The interview concluded, Sir Paraman left them to make preparations, informing them that he intended to leave as soon as the city gates opened the next morning. With some time on their hands, the members of the company went their separate ways:
- The two Weixranbori decided they would go and visit one of the city's many shrines, in order to prepare themselves spiritually for their journey. There, they heard the story of Orusen's slaying of the Serpent, and the hallowing of the Queen's Pool. Finally, Anaris the Well-Woman blessed them and their journey.
- Ralathar decided to sample some of the fine cuisine of Sencankarr, which as a scholar who had lived a fairly sheltered and austere life, he had never really sampled. He dined on peacock's flesh and grain-fed dormouse, all the while listening to the general gossip of the city about some of his fellow travelers. He learned that Varjala, the beautiful but aloof young noblewoman he would be traveling with, was (as he had heard) the neice of the Viceroy, but that she had been involved in a number of scandals, most recently with a nobleman named Thorind. She was now being sent to marry Commander Feiral of the garrison of Ralakarr (the party's first destination), an arranged marriage probably intended to get her out of the way and out of the public eye. Feiral was reputed to be an old-fashioned moralist,  He also learned that the new governor of Ralakarr, Neratsoan, was an incompetent glutton, and only in his current position because of his friendship with King Onwae.
- Tengelbur and Orusen made their way down to the lower city, to an alley behind the Market Square at Thorinta's field, where they had heard there was gaming to be had. The two managed to lose most of their spending money after a couple of unsuccessful rounds of the game of Pickets, before all of the games were cleared away to make room for a duel. That was when they saw Malfaloth, their new traveling companion, calmly buckling on his shield and drawing his sword. Standing opposite from him was a young, trembling nobleman. Asking around, Tengelbur learned that the latter had challenged Malfaloth to a duel after Malfaloth had... greatly impinged the honor of not one, but two of his sisters. Tengelbur quickly sized up the situation and realized that Malfaloth was an experienced (and probably a professional) duelist, and that the poor sod fighting for the honor of his sisters was almost certainly going to be killed. Considering Malfaloth to be a man wholly without honor, Tengelbur convinced both parties to let him step in and fight the duel on the behalf of the wronged noble (and Tengelbur and Orusen also made a number of bets on the former's chances of winning the duel - at fairly favorable odds, too, owing to Malfaloth's reputation as a duelist). The duel began and there was a quick exchange of blows before Tengelbur ran Malfaloth through the body, killing him instantly. Tengelbur and Orusen collected their winnings, were thanked profusely by the young nobleman whose life and honor he had just saved, and made their way back to the Listing Harkel.
- Varanjala (having the Herb-lore speciality) decided she wanted to acquire some poisons, something she could use to coat her blade in case they ran into any trouble along the road. Since such things are a bit outside the realm of polite society, it took her a bit of searching, but she eventually found a withered old crone down by the Water Gate who was willing to sell to her - but only for a price. The old woman wasn't interested in money, however. It seems she had a competitor farther "up the Hill" (that is, nearer to the Palace Complex that is at the top/center of Sencankarr) whose business she wanted sabotaged. That done, she would gladly give Varanjala the "herbs" she was seeking. Varanjala agreed to this, went up the Hill, and made the same inquiries from the man running the shop there, offering to sabotage his competition down in the lower town in exchange for poisons. The shopkeeper, whose primary customer base were "dirty old men" in the Palace Complex, agreed to this, and provided Varanjala both with nightshade (for coating her sword) and a strong laxative (for sabotaging the competition's stock). Varanjala then returned to the Listing Harkel and waited till after dark. Then, taking Orusen (whom she paid handsomely for his help), they returned up the hill to the well-to-do herbalist's shop, and used the laxative he had given them to poison his own stash. The next morning, on their way out of the city, Varanjala stopped by the old woman's booth in the lower town. Word had already begun to spread of what had happened, and the old woman was more than happy to provide Varanjala with some healing herbs she wanted for the journey.

The next morning the company, led by Sir Paraman, made their way out of Sencankarr. There was a brief moment of tension between Sir Paraman and Tengelbur, when Paraman learned that Tengelbur had killed another one of their traveling companions. Warning Tengelbur not to make trouble for the rest of the Company while they were on the road, the travelers set out. It was a three-week journey from Sencankarr to Ralakarr, and although they encountered a few hardships on the road, they more or less weathered all difficulties. A few things happened of note which would turn out to be of importance later on:
- Varjala, previosly aloof (not to say snobby) towards the party members, now began to take an interest particularly in the men in the company. This began with several attempts to flirt with Tengelbur, which he managed to rebuff on a number of occasions.
- Scouting ahead, Varanjala followed a narrow, rocky path down into one of the rocky canyons or ravines which break up the otherwise endless upland of the moors. About halfway down one side of the ravine she was hit by a horrible stench, and as she neared the source of the stench swarms of huge flies began to buzz around her. The stench was coming from a huge, bloated corpse of a giant dark-furred, bat-nosed humanoid figure, with two enormous spiraling black horns protruding from its head. Although Varanjala could see no marks on its body or indications as to how it had died, there was an enormous black sickle lying beside it. Leaving the body and the sickle, Varanjala ran back to inform the rest of the party. While Varanjala described what she had seen to Ralathar, who thought it might match descriptions in verse and in old murals and reliefs of the Arjagbori, the horned servants of Orkon, Tengelbur and Orusen ran ahead of the rest of the party to see for themselves. But when they arrived, the body was gone, the sickle was gone, and any trace that there had ever been a body at all was also gone. Sir Paraman chalked it up to the strange visions which travelers sometimes see in the mists of the northern moors, but Reiana, glancing up to the opposite side of the canyon, thought for a moment that she saw a pair of glittering eyes watching the party.

About 6 days out from Ralakarr (and the night after the strange corpse had been found), the party camped for the night on the moor. Orusen went off from the rest of the party to study the stars and see if he could find in them any clues to how the rest of the journey would go, or any answers about the strange happenings earlier in the day. While he sat alone, gazing at the stars, he suddenly heard a fell voice shrieking on the air. Looking in the direction it had come from, he saw what appeared to be a low hill rising up out of the darkness, into the side of which a bright crack had begun to form. Strangely compelled to move towards it, he began following the light.

In the meantime, his absence had been noted. Teithbor and Tengelbur decided to go in search of him, while the rest of the party stayed behind to keep watch and secure the camp. Catching up to Orusen, Teithbor and Tengelbur saw the strange light as well, but they were not close enough to see what Orusen saw: the figure of a woman, cloaked and hooded, with two gleaming serpent's eyes peering out at him out of the darkness. Then she vanished, and the Arjagbori attacked.

Fortunately, the three men heard the Arjagbori before they attacked, and had a chance to draw their weapons and loose a trio of arrows into the darkness. Orusen and Teithbor both hit their marks as four black steel javelins came whistling out of the darkness, missing the heroes. Then the Arjagbori were upon them. Huge and hungry, with faces like bats and teeth like leopards, the horned things came on. By this point the rest of the party had heard the sounds of the fight and came rushing up, to see one of the creatures already dead on the ground, slain by Teithbor's Red Fang. Reiana quickly organized the company, enheartening her comrades with a mighty battle-cry as they closed in. All fought hardily, and although Tengelbur and Teithbor were both rather badly knocked about, in the end the heroes won the day. Orusen buried his sword in the back of one of the Arjagbori through a Sudden Attack, while Ralathar the Scholar cleaved another one in half as it latched on to Tengelbur's shoulder. Tengelbur slew the last of the four creatures, cutting its legs out from undre it and severing its head from its shoulders. Although they heard more shrieks in the darkness a long way off, they saw no more monsters that night.

The company rested, and Varanjala used some of the herbs she had acquired to treat Teithbor's injuries. The next morning they investigated the site of the battle, but saw no trace of the Arjagbori, or the hill, or the mysterious woman. The trophies they had cut from the Arjagbori were all missing too - all save a tooth that Tengelbur had pried from the jaw of one of the monsters. But as they searched the field, Ralathar found a shattered bronze tablet with an inscription upon it in Old Amborian, which he was able to read:

Under hill the horned creatures
Long ago, the Children fleeing,
Lay, and here the hand of Verek
Buried them to lay forever
Under moors with heather shrouded
Till the awful day of judgment.
Cursed be the Son of Water,
Forest, sky, or gleaming cavern
Who this seal should break, releasing
Ancient evils on his children.

With no other sign of the monsters and several days of travel ahead of them, the party continued their journey towards Ralakar. [Following the battle, Sir Paraman also had a brief aside with Ralathar. But since it was a private conversation and neither Sir Paraman nor Ralathar have yet seen fit to reveal it, I am leaving the details out of this AP.]

Varjala made one more attempt to connect with Tengelbur, and even suggested that perhaps instead of marrying Commander Feiral - whom she was due to meet when they arrived at Ralakarr - she might possibly continue on with the party on their journey towards the Cheyth. But Tengelbur rebuffed her again, soundly, and she seemed ready to accept her fate. But Ralathar was not willing to accept the injustice of a young woman being forced to marry a man she had never met and did not love. He rode up alongside her and let her know that, just between them, if she wanted she was welcome to come with him when he left Ralakarr. He would ask nothing of her, expect nothing of her, but if she wanted to be free she could. Varjala did not outright commit to leaving with Ralathar, but she did accept his offer with gratitude, saying that she should at least meet Commander Feiral before she makes a decision. She owes herself and her family at least that much.

Arriving at Ralakarr, the Company was greeted by Governor Neratsoan, an enourmously fat, repulsive, effeminate sort of man with an eye for the delicacies of the dinner table as much as for young women. He greeted the company and, upon learning that they had escorted Varjala this far, offered them the hospitality of the Governor's Mansion as long as they were to stay in Ralakarr. Varjala gave Ralathar several meaning glances as she invited all of them to attend her engagement banquet in three days' time.

The PC's spent the three days of downtime with various Fellowship Phase undertakings: Teithbor crafted a new suit chainmail, Reiana made a necklace as a wedding gift for Varjala (whom she had offered to stay with and help in her preparations for the engagement banquet), Tengelbur and Ralathar went in search of answers about the Arjagbori they had encountered on the moor and the tablet they had found, and Orusen and Varanjala spent some time singing/whittling to heal the corruption they had gained as a result of their activities over the past several weeks.
- Tengelbur learned that there had been many sightings of strange creatures on the Moor.
- Ralathar met with Kjanli, the Well-Woman of Ralakarr. It turned out Kjanli was a member of the Scarlet Sisterhood, an offshoot order of Well-Women (about which Ralathar knows little), but using her second sight Kjanli was able to tell Ralathar a few things that were helpful: In the reflection of her Well, Kjanli saw the Arjagbori as they had been long ago, when they came with Orkon to the sack of the Hills of Jade. Something was awakening these ancient evils which had been believed all destroyed or imprisoned since the days of Sencan, but Kjanli could not seem whom. Whoever it was, she said, was "very good at hiding, even from me."
- Reiana made some discrete inquiries into the personality and character of Commander Feiral, Varjala's new husband-to-be, and found out that although he had a reputation as something of a hardass (something Reiana could appreciate), he was known to be just, honorable, strict, and old-fashioned. So perhaps not the most fun husband for a girl of Varjala's age and reputation, but possibly the steadying influence she needed in her life.

When the day of the banquet came, the Company appeared dressed in the finest clothes they could find in Ralakarr. Although not nearly as opulent as Sencankarr, the Governor's extravagant tastes and overt dislays of wealth meant that there was food and drink in abundance. As the Company arrived, they were introduced to Commander Feiral for the first time: a tall, gray-haired man with upright posture and little time for small-talk. As he excused himself, Varjala brushed past Ralathar and shoved a small slip of paper into his hand. Going off to read it alone, she found the following:

Meet me in the garden after dinner. There is something you need to know.
 -V

The banquet progressed with delicacy after delicacy, extravagance after extravagance. Orusen suggested a drinking contest, which to his consternation the Governor (who has an enormous amount of body mass) took him up on. Half an hour later, the Governor was just getting warmed up, while Orusen lay passed out next to the table for the remainder of the evening. When the desert course came, Varjala excused herself from the table, got up, and walked out to the garden. Ralathar followed her out, along with Reiana (who was mostly checking to make sure Varjala was all right).

In the garden, Varjala took both of Ralathar's hands, and explained that she couldn't marry Feiral: she didn't love him, and she wanted to start a new life somewhere else, somewhere far away from all of the expectations and pressure her family was putting upon her. A new life with Ralathar, if he would have her. He said that he would, and she kissed him. And at that moment, there was a shout of outrage and dismay, and turning, Ralathar saw Commander Feiral standing there. He had evidently just come into the garden, had seen the kiss, and as Varjala began to sob and say, "it's my fault, I shouldn't have encouraged him," and ran off to her rooms, Commander Feiral threw down the gauntlet and there and then demanded satisfaction upon the following morning.

Things looked pretty bleak. Commander Feiral was a seasoned veteran and a renowned swordsman, while Ralathar was a sheltered scholar from Sencankarr who was still wet behind the ears. Word spread quickly throughout the Governor's palace, and the banquet came to an abrupt halt as the evenings excitement had thoroughly killed the "engagement" vibe. Varjala kept to her rooms while the Company discussed their options. Eventually, Tengelbur decided to go to Commander Feiral and see if he could convince him to call off the duel, or at least accept a proxy for the scholar.

The conversation between Tengelbur and Commander Feiral went unexpectedly well: both were men of honor who had seen much of the world, and Tengelbur understood Feiral's difficulty, and the demands which honor put upon him. Tengelbur offered himself as a proxy for Ralathar, pointing out that there would be considerably more honor in killing a duelist such as himself than an unknown scribbler like Ralathar. But Feiral countered that if he were to kill Tengelbur in a duel, not only would the man who insulted the honor of his betrothed still be alive, but Feiral would be deprived of an honorable and competent man who might still do him future service. In the end, Tengelbur was not able to change Feiral's mind on the matter, but the two parted as friends. Tengelbur also learned two important pieces of information which Feiral let slip in the course of the conversation: He had received a letter from Varjala inviting him to meet her privately in the garden after the dinner (which is why he had been there to see Ralathar and Varjala kiss); and contrary to what Varjala had told the Company, Feiral had visited her a number of times in Sencankarr and was very much in love with her. And in that moment Tengelbur realized that Malfaloth, the duelist who had been intending to travel with them before Tengelbur killed him in Sencankarr, had likely been intended to provoke Commander Feiral into a duel and kill him.

Unfortunately, none of this was communicated to Ralathar, who stayed up all night with Reiana, who used her training in Warfare to prepare him as best she could for the duel. As the sun was coming up, Varjala visited him, professing both her contrition at getting him into this situation, and her love for him. She gave him a poison she hoped he might be able to use to give him an edge in the duel. Ultimately (after disuasion from Reiana) he decided not to use the poison, but at the appointed hour he met Feiral in the garden for the duel.

The duel, presided over by the Governor, was short and brutal. Commander Feiral took the initiative, scoring an early hit and stunning Ralathar. But Ralathar, using the training he had been given by Reiana and a few tricks he had learned when he had learned to use the longsword back in Sencankarr, managed to hold his own for a couple of rounds before disarming (partly by a great stroke of luck) his opponent. As Feiral drew his dagger and attempted to close with the scholar, Ralathar drew his own dagger, parrying Feiral's thrust with his sword in one hand while driving the dagger in his left hand through the Commander's chest. Feiral looked down at his wound in surprise and said, "I... I loved her, you know," before falling dead. Feiral was slain, and the duel was at an end.

There was a sense of melancholy in the air as the players realized that Feiral had been killed, and Ralathar (and I think, Ralathar's player) instantly regretted the decision not to simply wound or disable him.

When word was taken to Varjala about the outcome of the duel, it was found that she had already left the palace. She was nowhere to be found in the city, but on her pillow there was a note, addressed to Ralathar.

I am very, very sorry for what I have done to you, Ralathar. You are far too good a man to be used in such a way, and I dare not hope that you can forgive me for what I have made you do. Feiral, you see, was a friend of the Old King's, and my Uncle made it abundantly clear that unless I went through with this, the man I love would suffer. I hope you find what you are looking for on the Cheith, and I hope that in the days to come you will remember me more kindly than I deserve.
With love,
Varjala

~

And that was where we ended the epic seven-hour session. When we begin the campaign proper in the New Year, the PC's will - perhaps a bit sadder and a bit wiser for their experiences - be continuing their journey towards the Marches of the Cheith. And as for Varjala... well, who knows? But I have a sneaking suspicion we haven't seen the last of her.

Thanks to all of my players for making this session so dynamic and memorable. It's difficult in an AP writeup to communicate all of the heart, humor, anger, and sadness of a marathon session like this, but I consider it one of the greatest efforts of my GMing career, and one of the best sessions I have ever played in period. I've been on pins and needles for the last two months since I started planning this adventure, and sharing my main worldbuilding and storytelling effort for the last 15 years for the first time with a group of players was everything and more than I could have wished. This was one for the books.