Session 4

A false knight in ancient armour patched with fur spends the Feast of the Stars alone at the bank of a river burying offerings to the Realm while their steed dances in the rain.

What follows are notes from Sir Heldris' diary (thanks Michele):

2nd STONESDAY of the Month of Bales

As we are sitting in our room at Barrow Castle, a strange knight comes to visit us. Cormorant, The Gull Knight, has a rough appearance and they wear patchwork armor that features bits of black fur. We take that as an omen and we ask them to join us.

We set to travel North, to visit the Entombed Seer. We decide to follow the river, when suddenly the temperature drops and mist rolls in from the east. A flock of red crows fly overhead shrieking. We think it is an omen. We decide to travel to the nearby village north following the river, passing a sort of swampy forest.

Rustic hospitality in Swinjo

Turnip field outside the village, reed covered roofs and a muddy road, pigs and pig farmers. Bogdan, the mayor of Swinjo greets us and asks if we are here to take care of the poacher. He invites us into his house and gives us shelter and food. A woman has hunted in the King's Wood. Her house was carried away by the flood. She has been caught by the villagers and they are waiting for orders about what to do with her. He also tells us of some beast that hunts in the North and travels on black wings.

We go talk to the Lenka, the poacher. She relates her story about the lost house after the flood and her looking for food in the King's Wood. She seems serene in her predicament. Ludmer dispenses judgement and tells her that she will serve us and help us, and if she will survive she will be free of her crime. The daughter tells Heldris that a bard coming from the North passed through the village and sang a song that goes: "The great winged one grows and we are the feast" about a monster in the North.

2nd Woodsday of Bales

Lenka will follow us as a guide. She leads us East, because she tells us that the mountain is unaccessible from the south. We enter a deep dark forest, burned down trees as if there had been a fire. During the day the mist lifts and we hear birds singing. At noon we arrive at the foot of the mountain. There is some bickering between Cormorant, who is telling a dirty joke about a made up seer (the Turnip Seer) and Ludmer, who has recently taken the lead of the party, and in the absence of Perilake has reverted to his introverted nature.

The mountains to the North are sparse with trees, we follow a winding path and we spot an old watch tower. Shortly before the sun disappears behind the mountain we find ourselves in a lush mountain valley. There is a white tomb set in the face of the mountain and there are two figures who approach us. We recognise the two people that led the feast of the stars, they guard the Entombed Seer. They are Sir Anton and Lady Bente. Bente is playing a sorrowful melody and Ludmer asks about it. It is for the mourning of the Entombed Seer. When Heldris asks Bente about the dark winged beast in the North, she refers to it as the bat, but she only heard about it from the people, not from the Seer. We spend the night in the Watch Tower with Anton and Bente.

The Sanctum of the Entombed Seer

2nd Armsday of Bales

In front of a white tomb set into the face of the mountain. Offerings of food and wine. Bente plays the flute. The voice of the Seer sounds hollow behind the stone. We ask the Seer about the Eye. He says he is not worried, for he is already dead. We ask the Seer about the Bat. He says:

    They say “Offering will calm it.”

    You can lure it with sweet fruit.

    You will judge it in front of the King.

He adds a line of poetry: "Spoil the loaf, taint the wine. To starve a fiend is most divine."

More bickering between Cormorant and Anastasz, the latter might suspect the Gull Knight of not being true. The Entombed Seer told us they would answer another question if we recover the Chalice of the City from a mound near the village of Bohat in the South. We set to travel North, looking for the Bat. In a clearing in the forest we see a flock of various birds, they are grounded grovelling toward the darkest part of the sky. They seem to be afraid of what lies West. We follow that direction and make camp at night.