Session 37 - Gashund-i-Yalir

"Run."

The company did as Varsuja instructed, dragging away the wounded body of Thorinta--though not before Feala nimbly managed to snatch the coral necklace from around Varsuja's neck. Fleeing into the Serth Hatama, the strange tower and their companion, Varsuja, were soon lost to sight -- not even the stone roof of the tower now visible among the trees. 

That night, Thorinta died of his wounds, and the Company buried him beside one of the many blighted green pools which are found amid the Withered Wood. This pool Feala cleansed during the ceremony, and with it the spiritual toll of the Company's journey began to lighten perceptibly. Moving deeper into the Withered Wood, the Company came at last again upon the main thoroughfare of the old northern road, and with it, the recent tracks of Nalshbori companies and wagons.

It wasn't long before the Company encountered one such company. Fortunately, they'd managed to disguise themselves as Nalshbori before they fell in with a roving band of Sea Scorpion raiders, just come from an expedition to the outlands. Since the Company did not have a disguise for Oratsos (but DID have a necklace), they had decided to pass him off first as a rogue Nalshbori prisoner, and later as a normal Amborian prisoner. He was still passing for the former when the Sea Scorpions offered to take him off the Company's hands. Thoranrai managed to talk them down, and the Sea Scorpions were on the verge of moving on when a taunt from Thoranrai resulted in an outburst by one of the Nalshbori warriors. In a flurry of blades and hooked spears, Thoranrai took him down, though a second squabble over the dead warrior's weapons and armor almost resulted in a much larger, much deadlier confrontation.

Thoranrai backed away, and the Company were allowed to press on to Gashund-i-Yalir.

As the treeline breaks on either side of you, the sprawling encampment of Gashund-i-Yalir stretches out before you in every direction. Built, destroyed, rebuilt, and destroyed again over the centuries, Gashund-i-Yalir has been the property of Amborian kings and Nalshbori warlords, and is currently the main Nalshbori outpost West of the Wanle Cheyth. There are ruins all around, most of them now repurposed to support the city of hide tents. The sound--the noise--the smells--all of it is somehow familiar, and yet repulsive -- a grim parody of the great cities of the Ambori. 

The Company managed to infiltrate the camp with only minor difficulty (and by subjecting Oratsos to a fair amount of abuse), and were directed to the Slave Pen, into which Oratsos was cast--meeting Sir Ralus and some two or three dozen other prisoners in the process. At that moment a general murmur began to spread throughout the camp: "Mawish. Mawish is coming."

Session 36 - The Half-Ruin House

When last we left our heroes…

The party had been traveling through the forest on their mission, when the party scout, Feala, spotted a tower off to the side of the path they were following. Upon closer examination, the tower looked as though it had been recently patched together where it had begun to crumble. Varsuja, the sneakiest of the group, creep closer to the tower to get a better look and see if it were occupied. Determining that it was safe, she retuned to the party and they all advanced to enter. But before entering, Varsuja stopped them and reminded them of the Well Priestess words, “Do not trust everything you see in the wood. You would not be the first to be led astray there.”

Upon entering, the party was met by the sight of a banqueting hall, the table full of all sorts of fine foods and drink, and the walls adorned with suits of armor. They decided that the hall held some type of enchantment and that eating the food would not be the wisest course of action. Looking around the hall, they noticed three doors. From behind one of the doors, Thoranrai could hear the sounds of laughter and music. But when she opened the door the sound of merriment ceased, and her eyes were met with the sight of twelve stone figures, both men and women, sitting around a banqueting table in various stages of a meal. 

Thorinta took it upon himself to open one of the doors from which he could hear hushed whispers coming from. Upon trying the handle, he found it locked, and the voices ceased. He then took a sword from the wall and tried to use it to pry open the door. He was unsuccessful, and his hand started to calcify, making it impossible to release his grip on the sword.

Varsuja opened the last door and found herself drenched in saltwater from a wave that came crashing into her. The door led out to a beach which she stepped out onto only after having a rope tied around her waist, the other end tied to Thoranrai, who was to pull her back in the event that something should go wrong. Once out on the beach, Varsuja could see a distant city with great ships, their sails black as night, headed towards the city. She was unsure if the Nalshbori ships were headed there to attack the city, or where returning home. It was at that moment that she had Thoranrai pull her back in, the ominous cries of a vulture causing her some uneasiness. 

Feala told the party that they needed to leave right away, and she and Thorinta started heading for the door. But Varsuja took it into her head that she should leave something on the beach so that they could find it later should they come across it, and then they would know where to find the doorway into the tower. She suggested they leave a tent peg, but Thoranrai thought that silly, and thought that they should leave something heavier that would not get buried in the sand and be lost forever. After some argument, Thoranrai took her brother and they both headed to the banquet room with the stone statues to acquire one to be left on the beach. 

Meanwhile, outside the tower, Thorinta and Feala found themselves face to face with a figure on a horse. His skin was white, and his lips as red as blood. He proclaimed himself as the guardian of the tower, and challenged the trespassers, declaring that the only way to leave the tower and break the curse would be to defeat him in combat. Thus, Thorinta engaged the knight in combat.

Back in the tower, Thoranrai and Oratsos laid their hands on one of the statues and found that their hands became stuck to it and were slowly turning to stone. Varsuja offered to solve the problem with a swift cut of her sword, but they declined her help. Varsuja then finished tying her tent peg with her ribbon and drove it into the beach. A cry for help from Feala brought Varsuja to the aid of her companions outside the tower, and she picked up the cursed sword that lay in the hands of the wounded Thorinta, using it to fight the knight. With the help of Feala, Varsuja managed to cut off the hands of the knight before driving her sword through him.

Thoranrai and Oratsos meanwhile had sung a sacred song, and as they did so, the statue that they were stuck to began to come to life and turned her head to look at them. Their hands now free, the woman turned back to stone. They joined the others outside the tower where they found Thorinta wounded and bleeding from a lance through the chest, and Varsuja with sword in hand. Her face turned deathly white, and her lips as red as blood. She turned to them and said, “Run.”

[This AP courtesy Hope]

Session 35: Into the Serth Hatama

When last we left our heroes... Crossing the Cheyth (with only a few minor hiccups as Tanurendal fell overboard after overconfidently trying to pole the barge down river), the Company stopped at Galal-i-Yalir long enough to ask a few questions about Sir Ralus' disappearance, but were unable to press the matter for fear of giving away the purpose of their mission. They continued on their way, pressing up the Serth Hatama for some miles until, on the third day since crossing the river, their path wound into a narrow gorge that dipped below the line of the trees. There, amid a honeycomb of abandoned caves, they encountered one of the Great Horned Beasts known to frequent those regions. With the aid of the freshly arrived Oratsos, Thoranrai's brother, and some keen shooting from Varsuja, the Company managed to lay the great beast low, after which they found a few valuable odds and ends in a cave nearby -- no doubt the remains of the beast's previous prey.

Sessions 32-34: The Sleepers Awake

When last we left our heroes...

The second time through the Siege of the Inyalia-i-Parujar ended in ruin, when both Kalaru and Anerash were betrayed by their would-be lover, the Lady Falanarai, and Tengelbur died fighting on the walls. The third time through seemed to be fated to end much the same, though this time it was Anerash who betrayed both Falanarai and Kalaru, opening the secret way and allowing Mawish to enter. This time, however, Tengelbur and Anaris were prepared, and as Mawish raised a spear to strike down the sapling growing in the courtyard of the Tower, Anaris stepped in front of it, taking the blow instead. Then Tengelbur struck the anvil, and as Mawish's forces petrified, transformed into the Withered Wood.

The world fell away from them, and they awoke again sitting around the temple in the Sorcerer's Tower, back--as far as they could tell--in their own time. But the tower was falling to ruin all around them, the now-motheaten tapestries in the room depicting, as far as they could tell, their own adventures. Making it down to the lower floor (with Tengelbur having taken the bell and cups as souvenirs of their strange journey), they found that the great, wounded tree was absent. In its absence, the whole tower seemed to be crumbling to the ground.

They quickly explored the ruins--finding an ancient treasure chamber and enough to make all of them comfortably wealthy--before heading out, leaving just in the nick of time. When they were barely out of site of the tower, it collapsed behind them. Heading south to to Kor-Gilin, they were met by evil omens. Apparently, however much time they had spent in the Tower, evil things had passed in the world outside, and War had crossed over to the western side of the River. In the nearly empty common room of the inn, they were accosted by a stranger who identified himself only as "a Wanderer," and informed the Company that they had been gone for seven seasons. In their absence, well...

---

It was at this point that we rewound, back to only a season after the Company's departure. A completely new company had been formed, called in by Lieutenant Samlon for a mission of great delicacy and urgency. They were:

• Varsuja, a Cheybori bird-tamer played by Hope.
• Thorinta, a Feirkanbori and Knight of the Order of the Leopard.
• Thoranrai, a Feirkanbori spy and ally of the previous party, whose most recent escapades seem to have included acting as a political provocateur for the Scarlet Sisterhood, and faking her own death.
• Feala, a Sothbori Well Priestess, who for her own reasons has come North seeking answers about her past.

Meeting Lieutenant Samlon at the Cracked Beaker, the company was met with dire news: Captain Ralus, commander of the Border Forts, had been taken in battle recently after his scouting party was ambushed by Nalshbori on the eastern banks of the Cheyth. Given the similarity of this incident to how Prince Galal was captured several decades ago, Samlon suspects that Ralus was betrayed by one of his own men. Unsure who to trust, he's brought in the Company from outside to bring back Ralus--who he believes is currently being held at the great Nalshbori encampment of Gashund-i-Yalir on the Eastern Bank of the river. He's offered to pay the Company the hefty sum of eight treasure each for the return of Sir Ralus.

After agreeing to take the job on, the company were provided with Nalshbori clothing and gear, along with pendants of blighted coral which will ensure that they look like Nalshbori once across the river. That done, they set about making their personal preparations to cross. Varsuja and Feala went to the Sacred Well in the village and met with Feiala, the priestess there, who blessed them for their journey, but also gave them some vague and ominous omens of what was to come. Thorinta headed down to the waterfront, where he met with Weiksura, the nasally dock-master, with whom he made arrangements for a ferry the following morning (one which would be polled by Thorinta himself in order to save the cost of boatmen).

For his part, Thoranrai went to inquire of the local amber-cutter Vitherai (meeting Talarja along the way, who was evidently visiting for the evening), asking about the best places to search for amber across the river. This, it was felt, would strengthen the Company's cover as amber-hunters, disguising their real agenda, which was as yet a secret. After some hesitation, Vitherai showed Thoranrai a small sliver of red amber which she had kept (in fact from the lump that Tengelbur gave her) and directed Thoranrai to the Bent Grove, promising to pay her well if she could return with more of the same.

With their preparations made, the Company prepared at last to cross the Cheyth before venturing into the Withered Wood...

Vanera's Last Journal Entries

Entries in the journal of Vanera Kjavabo from the summer of TE 452

Here I am once again on the road, off to another adventure following Tengelbur. There is a reason they call him Tengelbur of the Road. The man cannot be content to settle down in a nice town somewhere with a pretty wife. I do not know why I let him talk me into going with him. Especially when we know so little of what we are getting into. But I seem unable to say no to him.

Two nights ago, Talarja and I were about to sit down to a quiet dinner, when Tengelbur and Anaris walk in uninvited.  Tengulber says he has heard rumors of a tower called Subijar-i-Yalir, the Sorcerer's Tower. He naturally assumed I would be going along. Upon my raising the question of going, he insists that I will go.

“Yes! You’re coming with me and your sister! And we’re going there to find adventure. Also, treasure. Ancient hidden mysteries, which I am told are your jam.” He exclaimed all the while looking through the cupboards for something to eat.

“Yes,” I replied. “But I will have to talk to Talarja first.”

Talarja emerged from the back room. “What’s this now?”

“They want me to go out of town to explore a tower.” I said in reply to her inquire.

“Right!” Tengulbur piped in. “In a haunted wood.”

“But apparently there will be some form of romance.” It was Anaris who spoke. “I’m confused about that bit.”

“That’s tied to the haunting.” Tengulbur explained.

“Oh, well,” Talarja sighed. “I mean, you just got back, but…”

“I know!” I cut in. “I just got back!”

“I suppose this is important though, your work and all, and I--” Talarja had begun to say.

“One word. Treasure.” Tengulbur cut in.

“You know, you said that last time.” I said referring to the ivory expedition.

“There was treasure! There was. Reiana could tell you. She went down there. There was in fact a sunken ship full of ivory. Also infested by a massive, horrifying, cursed creature from the dawn of time.”

“I know, but—”

“How could we possibly have known.” He chuckled. 

“I do have business. I need to send out letters so I can sell this book.” I held up the little book I had made while trapped on the island for two weeks. Tengulbur’s doing.

“Right. I suppose you could write those on the way and drop them back off on the way back.”

“I suppose if you left that with me, dear, I could be your secretary.” Talarja offered.

“There you have it! My sister once again saves us all.” Tengulbur triumphantly stated. Though I’m not sure what other time she has saved us.

“But, is that too much, darling?” I asked earnestly looking into her eyes. It’s not that I doubted Talarja’s business skills, but I do worry about her being taken advantage of by others and not getting a fair price for the book.

“No, it’s alright, actually. I don’t mind having a bit of work to do. You see, I spent rather a lot of time with Vitherai last time you left, and she can be a little tiresome after a while, honestly. I hate to say that. Oh,” Talarja turned to Tengulbur. “She’s expecting to see you again, Tengulbur.”

“I suppose she is. I suspect her husband is as well and has prepared his largest hammer.” Tengulbur chuckled.

“But,” Talarja continued. “I could have a bit of work, and we’ve got to make a living somehow. I do want to support what you do, and if you’re going to make your—our—fortune, then exploring old ruins—you need to explore old ruins, dear.”

“She has a point, Vanera. You’re running out of furniture to sell.” Tengulbur stated.

But what does he know of domestic life, furniture, and money? This is the man who took handfuls of gold and threw it into a river for no apparent reason. I paid him no heed.

“Are you sure, Talarja?” I asked.

“What happens when the little Vanera’s start coming?” Tengulbur interjected again.

“Well, they haven’t.” I stated.

“Ah yes. I am sure that is a long-term plan.” Then Tengulbur proceeded to make what I felt to be both an awkward and inappropriate comment. I blinked twice, and Talarja stared blankly at me.

“In any case,” Talarja continued. “I would be quite happy to see about selling the book. I can write to the Red Scriptorum. It will take a few weeks, but if it is worth as much as you seem to think, then it will be worth it. It should be enough to pad the nest for quite some time.”

“Yes! See, she said it! Nest.” Tengulbur cut in again. “Reiana is coming. She has weapons coming out of her very ears. We will be safe. Also, Tanurendal knows his way around the North, what could possibly go wrong? They can’t possibly have ancient, multi-faced creatures from before the dawn of time in this wood.”

“Why not?” Talarja asked.

“Because they only have those under the water.” He said confidently.

“Do they?” Talarja asked.

“I assume so. I feel that if creatures of that nature lived on land that they would have already eaten this town and moved on.”

“I mean, if not for such an adventurer as yourself to protect us, and also the city watch…”

“Trust me, sister dearest, the city watch of this lively little berg would have peed themselves before dying horribly.”

“Well, I mean Raoseina, he’s a veteran. Vanera, you said he was with the Dogs of Winter.” Talarja looked to me.

“Correct, he alone would not have peed himself before dying horribly. He would have died a dry man.” Tengulbur stated.

Talarja sighed. Then she leaned over to me. “Did Tengulbur pee himself?” She asked referring to the ivory expedition.

I was at a loss for words. Why were we talking about this? It did not seem in the least to be an appropriate topic, especially before dinner. I assume my mother-in-law did not teach them that such topics are not appropriate in polite company. But then, Tengulbur is not polite company.

“I think you should go, Vanera.” Talarja changed topics. “Just for a little while. It’s not that far as I understand it, and if—if you learn something—that would be helpful to your overall designs.”

“Darling, if you don’t want me to go, just say so and I won’t. Then I will throw all these people out of our house, and we can go on with dinner.” I made a sweeping gesture to the door.

“It’s not that I don’t—” Talarja began but was once again cut off by her brother.

“There’s dinner?” He asked loudly. It is extremely hard to have a conversation with anyone if Tengulbur is in the room.

“It’s not that I want you to go, it’s just that, well, this is your business. This is your career. I don’t want to stand in the way of that.”

“Also, your destiny. Tell him, Anaris, that this is where he’s meant to be.”

“This is where you’re meant to be.” Anaris spoke as told.

“I understand that marriage to a famous scholar is going to come with some sacrifices. But we’re young right now. We’ve got a lot of time. And later on, I may need you around more, so if you got to do this sort of thing, then this is not a bad time.” Talraja said reassuringly.

“Alright.” I said hesitantly. “I suppose I will go with you, Tengulbur.”

“I will take that as a yes. Your resounding commitment to my adventure warms the cockles of my heart.”

I fear some people may see me as overly cautious, or not as an enthusiastic historian and archeologist. But I am! I love learning and documenting things I as discover them. It brings me great pleasure to sit and write in my little leather-bound books and sketch Sacred Wells, or whatever else I might run into. It’s just that at the moment my heart is elsewhere.

I did not want to leave Talarja so soon after getting back. We have just been parted for a whole month, and now I am being asked to part with her for three more weeks. We have only had a few uninterrupted months together to enjoy married life. Before that I was parted from her for a year. That is why I was so surprised that Talarja did not put up a fuse over my leaving as I expected. There was no pleading, no tears, no cold shoulders.

The fact that she did not protest in the least about my going has bothered me. I understand her wanting to support me in my endeavors, but to not even once say something about how much she would miss me, and how she would prefer I stay but understood that I needed to go, was unusual. Last time I left she at least protested some. A man wants to know he will be missed by the love of his life.

Her comments about lining the nest, or how she would need me in coming months, has me thinking that she is with child. But surely Talarja would have told me that. She would not keep something like that from me. Unless she knew I would not go if I knew, and she thought it better I go and make a livelihood doing what I’m good at, discovering things and documenting them. Afterall, that is the reason I came out here in the first place. She would have been right in thinking I would not go. I would have stayed to take care of her, though I do not know how much help I can be in these matters.

Mother always had her mother and servants to help care for her, and I cannot clearly remember seeing Father do anything to help Mother, though I am sure he did. But these are things I never thought to ask him about, because being a father has always been something so far off in the future, it never occurred to me I would need to learn about them so soon.

I do find the thought of being a father overwhelming. I know very little of caring for infants, and the small things really frighten me. They are so delicate. I would never hold any of my sisters until they were well over a year.

I also know very little about birthing them. I have heard that it is very painful. I have also heard stories of women dying while giving birth. Perhaps if Talarja is with child I should write to my mother or hers to come. Though I do not relish the idea of her mother being pinned up with us in our small house for several months to help. It sends a chill down my spine just thinking about it.

Perhaps I am a poor husband for not having outright asked her about it. Perhaps I should have stayed, even if I only have a suspicion about it. Perhaps I did not ask because I wanted to go.

There is one other reason I can think of as to why she would have been so eager for my leaving again so soon. It has been a fear that has plagued me ever since I first left for Cheykor, leaving my bride behind for what turned into a year. But I dare not write it down and chide myself for even letting the thought enter my mind.

….

A little about the tower we are traveling to.

In the early days of the Third Nalshbori War, a servant of King Orril, skilled in ancient lore and the use of the runes, traveled to the Hiksuyara Peiruar [The Fir Wood] and built a strong fortress, intending to wield the power of the wood in the war against the Nalshbori which were at that time streaming across the Cheyth in great numbers. But he was overmatched by the power which dwelt in the wood, it is said, and in after days things of evil crept in and dwelt there. These were all driven out, or so it is believed, by the Wayateth during the final days of that war, and since then no man has passed beneath its gate of ancient stone and returned to tell of what he saw.

….

The strangest thing has just occurred. We saw a figure standing off the side of the road. It was Tengulbur, but old Tengulbur. Missing his left hand. Young Tengulbur, our Tengulbur did not seem to be bothered in the least by this and talked with his older self. We were warned to turn back now. Then he said to "drink the cup to the bottom, but do not ring the bell". He then took hold of young Tengulbur and they merged into each other and disappeared! We are rather worried now, and the tales of this forest we have heard hold more weight.

…

After eight days of travel, we have just arrived at the tower! I am overjoyed at what I have discover to the point that I cannot help but write it down.

Upon arriving we discovered a silent and empty courtyard. Too silent if you ask me. There is no chirping of birds, no rustle of leaves. The drawbridge to the tower being down, we crossed over the moat surrounding the tower safely.

I have just examined the foundation of the building. That stones are much too large to be of Amborian construction and are ancient. At first I thought them to be from the First Eon Noe-Trian revivalist work, but on closer examination I realized they are not imitation work of the ancient Starland, but the real thing! I cannot wait to make a sketch and examine the rest of the tower. Who needs Tengulbur’s treasure when there is such a wealth of knowledge about?

I cannot wait to tell Talarja all about this!

Session 31: The Anvil of Lanenomen, Pt 2

When last we left our heroes...

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. 

Session 30: The Anvil of Lanenomen, Pt 1

It is a life-age of the world since Lanenomen came up out of the West with the Treiana Remnant, and built his cities beside the crystal waters of the Great Inland Sea. For a thousand years and more the glory and memory of ancient Feihoth has been preserved in memory--in the works of the hands and the deeds of valor of the folk of the Seven Cities. During that time, the remnant of Starland has slowly become one in culture and blood with the folk of Orusena, though at least in name the two peoples still keep their own chieftains and customs. But there are many places, such as the Pleasant Isle, and the wide plains and fir woods of the North, where a people have arisen who count as kin both the folk of Wood and Starland, and keep alive the memory of both Feihoth of Old and the mighty arm of Orusena, who brought his people up from the wide and desolate South, seeking freedom from the hosts of Vishnarr. The Inyalia-i-parujar, the Tower of the Wood, is one such place. Its lord is Tengelbur, tall and far-sighted and mighty among the children of Starland, eldest among the third generation of those who followed the banner of Wide-Fame Lanenomen. 

But rumor of war and treachery has broken at last the long peace of the Great Inland Sea, which has not known war since Gasojean was slain, and the Kodihan driven from the slopes of the Holy Hill. Rumors have come to Inyalia-i-parujar of treachery and burning, and of a watch which slept in the Hills of Jade until it was too late. Orkon, the most ancient foe of Lanenomen, was stirring in the world again, and war was kindled. Then taking thought for the defense of the passage of the northern shore, Lord Tengelbur set all things in readiness, and set a watch upon the eastern rode, so that the servants of Orkon might not pass that way for fear of envenomed darts or sudden assault by the swift horsemen of the Treianraal. In that day certain treasures were sent out of the Jade Hills to Tengelbur for safe-keeping, and he was known in those lands as Lord Tengelbur i-Kanabara, that is, Of the Road. 

In those days was Anaris the Fair of Lanenkarr sent to Inyalia-i-parujar bearing in her possession the greatest treasure of the Treian people, save one only. And the treasure was hid within the Tower, but Anaris remained there with Tengelbur, for she was a high lady of the Treianraal, and much learned in lore, but she cared not for the warfare of the Cities, and all deeds of violence cast a dark shadow over her heart. And it was hoped that the treasure which she brought there would protect Inyalia-i-parujar for a time and a season, and strengthen it against assault. And she became fast in friendship with Falānarai the sister of Lord Tengelbur, who was a spinner and weaver of great renown. She was exceeding fair, though whether her heart was given to any her brother could not guess. For there were two who loved her--Karalu, the seneschal of the Tower, and Anerash, the captain of Tengelbur's outriders, whose task it was to waylay the columns of Orkon whenever they were sent probing into the West. But at last there came a day when Anerash returned, bearing word that a far greater host than they could oppose was now swarming towards the passage of the Cheyth, and that within seven nights the Inyalia-i-parujar would be besieged. Then Tengelbur looked Eastward, and with the far sight of the men of Feihoth, he discerned the burning of the Hills of Jade, and he knew that the end was upon him...

Lord Tengelbur--the Horned Things will be at your gate ere the sun again rises. What are your orders?

---

When last we left our heroes...

Finding themselves in another time, another place, the players struggled to come to grips with who they were now:

• Ben is playing a past (or possibly future?) version of Tengelbur, now a Treian lord in the days before the Dark Times.
• Arthur is playing a past (or possibly future?) version of Anaris, now a high lady and loremaster of the Treians.

Those whose characters had drunk the wine in the previous session found themselves playing new characters:

• Hope is playing Anerash, the captain of Lord Tengelbur's Outlanders, and one of two men vying for the hand of the lovely Falanarai.
• PJ is playing Karalu, the senschal of the tower and another aspirant to the affections of the lady Falanarai. 
• Sophie is playing Falanarai, sister of Tengelbur and weaver of great power.

After taking some time to assess the situation (they are several weeks from any help, the forces of the Arjagbori are closing in in great numbers upon the Tower, and they can by no means allow the treasure which the Lady Anaris brought to the tower to fall into the hands of the Enemy), Lord Tengelbur summoned a council.

At this council, various strategies were discussed for dealing with the invaders. Failure to stop them here would almost certainly mean they would descend upon the Amborian Wood, leaving the more primitive Sothbori open to their ravages. On the other hand, the Tower could not withstand a determined siege for more than a month, even should the forces of the enemy--led, it is rumored, by a fallen Star--find no way to breach the Tower's defenses. During this council, it was revealed that the treasure which the Lady Anaris brought to the Tower is the Anvil of Lanenomen itself, a dangerous artifact which--it is rumored--has turned some to stone for merely looking upon it for too long. It has not been used, so the legends say, since Lanenomen himself forged his great spear. 

In the midst of this council, the doors of the great hall blew open with a sudden gust of wind, and a white swan flew in through the doorway bearing a bright beech-nut in her beak. Planting it in the flagstones in the middle of the Hall, she transformed before their eyes into a beautiful woman clad only in white feathers. Speaking a cryptic prophecy, alluding to a Deep Man who long ago had come to her and fallen into forgetfulness, and whose soul she had stolen and hidden within a beech-nut, and warning Tengelbur that the time would soon come to let the Anvil ring, she turned and flew away again. 

At last, the council made its decision: Anerash (eager to show his valor in contrast to Karalu's) would ride out to scout out the movements of the enemy; Karalu would prepare the fortress in readiness; Falanarai would retire to her chambers to begin weaving a tapestry which would, hopefully, bend fate in their favor; and Anaris and Tengelbur would ascend to the top of the Tower with the Anvil where Tengelbur would, hopefully, forge a new blade which might be capable of slaying the commander of the enemy forces.

Cautiously examining the anvil on the roof of the tower, Tengelbur and Anaris found that each side portrayed a different starscape:

• The Southern Sky, full of stars.
• The Southern Sky, as men know it today (that is, largely void of stars).
• The Western Sky, with Reinfal, the Green Lady of the sky still gleaming in her place (and not having descended to found the folk of Starland).
• The Eastern Sky, with many stars and constellations missing in the Southeastern quadrant.
• The Northern Sky, with Raos, the Polestar absent, and many stars besides.
• The Northern Sky, with Raos the Polestar gleaming, as men know it today.

As in the wood near the Tower, Anerash and his men engaged the enemy, Tengelbur chose the side of the anvil portraying Reinfal still in the sky, and struck the anvil in his forging. High upon the tower, Tengelbur Anaris began to transform, first into trees and then into stone, as the same fate befell Falanarai at her loom, Anerash and his men in the wood, and Karalu where he stood at watch upon the wall. Then...

The world seems to drop away from each of you, as you wander through the waste places of the world, hemmed between darkness and strange stars. You walk alone and unclothed for time out of mind until slowly, gradually, and then all at once, you find yourself in your body, the memories of your past life a shadow--and for some of you, only the shadow of a shadow.

Tengelbur, you adjust the chinstrap of your plumed helm as you stand at the top of the tower, overlooking the vast forest. In the distance--hundreds of leagues away--you can see, with the long sight of the men of Starland, the smoke rising from the ruin of the Seven Cities of Lanenomen. One of your aids appears at the top of the tower beside you, kneeling as he salutes.

"Lord Tengelbur... The Horned Things are coming. What are your orders?"