The players once again found themselves at the beginning of the loop, as Tengelbur stood on the battlements of his tower, his liege-men awaiting their orders. Although Tengelbur and Anaris remain in their previous positions, the other three roles of the company have changed:
- PJ is playing Anerash, the captain of Lord Tengelbur's Outlanders, and one of two men vying for the hand of the lovely Falanarai.
- Hope is playing Karalu, the senschal of the tower and another aspirant to the affections of the lady Falanarai.
- In Sophie's absence, the Loremaster (Richard) played Falanarai, sister of Tengelbur and weaver of great power.
The opening scenes unfolded much as before. By choosing to gain a bit of permanent shadow, Tengelbur was able to realize that his sense of deja vu was more than coincidence--he could vaguely remember the series of choices which led to his and his companions's transformation into fossilized trees. As they debated the course of action they should take this time around (they are able to confirm that the leader of the enemy army is in fact Mawish, and Tengelbur ponders attempting to forge a weapon with the Anvil of Lanenomen that will slay him), the Swan Maiden entered the Hall once again, and once again sang her song.
Seven silver maidens swam
under a gleaming moon
Upon a mere by golden sands
with lustrous pearls strewn.
They knew no bond nor love of man,
they wandered far and free
Until one day a traveler came
to the cottage by the lee.
A Deep Man came there, worn with cares,
and toil beyond his years,
And drank the silver waters sweet
and remembered not his tears.
Then as he slept the sisters stole
his heart into a shell
And kept it clasped in a beech-nut brown
at the bottom of a well.
The mortal did not tarry long
but went the way of men
And the youngest sister tarried there
and wept upon the sand.
But now the hour has come again
when the Anvil will be rung
A wounded Tree, a Burning Tow'r,
and the Deep Man's dirge is sung.
Then the blood of ancient Orusen
upon the Hill of Green
Will be avenged, and Darkness fall,
on the lands of the Stone-kings.
This time, however, the Company asked some clarifying questions (not to mention paying closer attention to the words of her song) and were able to realize that:
- The "sword that has never been forged" in some way refers to Tengelbur.
- The "song that has never been written" refers in some way to Anaris.
- Based on the words of the Swan Maiden, it seems the Anvil must be run at the moment of the Tree's wounding and of the Tower's burning.
- The words which came from Orusen seem to indicate that he is somehow outside of the loop, aware that the Company are repeating themselves.
The plan agreed upon, the Company began making their various preparations:
- Secretly and at the behest of her brother, Falanarai undertook to post guards at the entrances to the secret passage which led directly into Lord Tengelbur's bedchamber, making plans--should everything go wrong--to have the Anvil removed from the Tower before it fell.
- Tengelbur orders the Anvil to be brought down from the top of the Tower and set up in the great hall before the Tree--which is already growing swiftly. He has it set with the side depicting the Southern Sky full of stars facing up.
- Arguing over the Lady Falanarai, the lords Keralu and Anerash make a bet: whoever slays the most of the Horned Things in the coming battle will win the honor of being able to court her hand. The Lord Anerash (who will be played by Sophie next time, in PJ's absence) rides out proudly from the walls to meet the vanguard of Mawish.
No comments:
Post a Comment