Session 26

Morning of the first Stillsday of Sprouts, Kranach Castle

In the courtyard Sir Heldris says farewell to the Pigeon Knight who needed no encouragement to lead his warband into battle. They agree to meet in the hills north of the Citadel to unite the troops from Kranach and Masur. He walks all morning under a grey sky, fatigued and broken, until he reaches the banks of the Ryba, swollen from thaw and rain and he keeps on walking until the river reaches to his thighs and pulls on him. “O river,” he cries in desperation “give your champion the strength to move on!” and the River answers angrily “A sinful person must be brought to me and sacrificed!” and when the Dove Knight agrees, he sees visions of those who wronged him, bloodied and taken by the waves. He comes by in a nest of woven reeds where the River had placed him, he is refreshed and the sun is setting in the west … but something is wrong: He hears the screams of frightened frogs and they flee into the water and hares and foxes follow. The sun turns black, surrounded by a golden corona and the Dove Knight leaves his nest and runs into a night that never comes.

The sun turns black

Afternoon of the first Stillsday of Sprouts, south of Masur Keep

Perilake and Anastaz cross the fort and the lake district beyond until they reach a rocky landscape where steam erupts and geysers shower them with hot water and when they make camp they too see the sun turn black and the soldiers scream and prey to the Seers. When they finally find sleep they dream: Perilake sees the Veiled Seer stumbling from their cave and they only say one word: Blind! And Anastaz dreams of the echoing caves where ancient acolytes flee in terror, their leathery faces distorted. The Cured Seer sits in a pool of brine his eyes white and unseeing.

Morning of the 2^nd Stoneday of Sprouts

They wake up, disturbed by these uneasy dreams and leave the warband behind while a storm is brewing and they gallop under darkening clouds. They follow a forest path and at noon they come upon a monolith covered in spiderwebs and a warm wind brings the smell of spices and an onslaught of dust and they cannot travel further for the rest of the day.

The East

In the hills near Bohat

At dawn the cursed sun is replaced by a new dawn and in the hills The Dove Knight sees a group of nuns removing pins from the clothes line while the fabric billows in the wind. Sir Heldris stumbles between them and falls to his knees: “I have been cursed, sisters, ever since I've been a young Knight” and the sister help him up and surround him with love and mercy. In the chapel nuns sing hymns to the Child to expel the nightmares of the night before and he is brought before mother Inga who sits in her cell in the twilight of a candle, an old woman with cold compresses around her head that smell of vinegar. When Sir Heldris tells her that her son returned she thanks the Mother on her knees and doesn't listen when he petitions her to send the Seeker Knights to the Company's aid and later he turns into a hawk again and flies north.

Morning of the 2^nd Woodsday of Sprouts, near Karpat Fortress

The two Knights gallop east and cross the ornate bridge over a gorge and arrive at the fortress in the mountains where they are lead to the chambers which seem to remember them and display icons of their Seers on the walls: Cloaked in golden robes the one who knighted Anastaz and a heap of flesh and bone and metal who dubbed the Gilded Knight.

They are summoned to the lord of the fortress, a frail man bowed under an iron crown. They are greeted coolly. Karpat will not send troops to aid them: “We feed our Vassals first and then our soldiers” and they are reminded of the Queen who said the reverse. The Salt Knight makes a plea and is rejected. Only siege ladders can be spared and they take what they can.

Later that day they stand on the balcony of a tower in the shadow of the mountains and a hawk approaches on tired wings and turns into the Dove Knight who leans against the balustrade and tells them of his trials and tribulations. But a warband from Kranach will meet them he adds unable to muster a smile, and we will march together to take back the Citadel!