Evening of the 2nd
Riverday of Sprouts
Perilake, in the evening clouds
are moving in and hiding the stars behind them. Avert stares into the
fire with heavy lids over his strange slanted eyes and he promises to
take the second watch and falls asleep almost immediately. It is cold
in the mountains and you tuck him in and he almost looks like your
lost son again. Then you see torchlight and someone calling out:
“Peace be with you, strangers. The Order protects the weak and
punishes the wicked. Which one are you?” Two Knights appear out of
the dark, the crest of the cradle on their shields and torches
raised. You can't see their faces, but they sound giddy—almost
drunk.
Anastaz, in your arms the child
falls asleep and you feel its warmth and trust and the fire from the
hearth throws shadows over the walls in which you and the child are
one. Then you hear riders approaching and a commotion outside of the hut. Two
groups it seems, threatening each other with violence. “Open up!”
a voice shouts. “We know the Child is in there. Let us in and we
will save it from the Rogue Seekers!”
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| The burning Hut |
Ser Perilake, The
Gilded Knight
Perilake swiftly
stands as the torchlight grows nearer, picking up both his sword and
the shield of the mad Seeker knight who nearly killed him. "Peace
be with you, warriors. We travel for an audience with The Mother."
Perilake words are as cool as his gaze upon the shadow-clad
figures. "I am Perilake, and this is my son."
Referee
The younger of the two
looks staggered by your words but is quickly pulled down by the older
Knight who is already kneeling: “Praise be the Mother, Her Child
and the lost Son.” he exclaims ” This is a wondrous night!” and
now in the torchlight you see his eyes filled with tears of joy.
Avert looks drowsily out of his bed roll. “You must have seen the
second sign, my lord: It is true, after all these years … the Child
is born! We have been sent to look for it but now that we found you …
and the son … we will guard you with our lives.” The younger
Knight makes the sign of the cradle and starts praying while the
older looks at you expectantly. “I am Sir Gorny, your servant. What
are my lord's orders?”
Ser Perilake, The Gilded Knight
Perilake beckons
them to rise. "We have taken a... long and strange...
journey. If you can guide us the last few steps to Lady Inga, it
would be welcome." He frowns slightly at the excited ecstasy on
Sir Gorny's face, before adding "In the morning, of course."
Referee
“Of course, my lord. Rest now while we watch over your sleep.”
And they sit down some steps away from you and start their own fire
and whisper with each other, throwing shy glances over to Avert who
has been fallen asleep again.
Sir Anastaz, The Salt Knight
The Salt Knight
glares at the door. He covers the Child's head and ears and yells,
"The Child is under the protection of the Salt Knight. Enter and
your lives are forfeit." He begins to rifle through the
bedding in the cradle and the shelves of the cottage.
Referee
You grab the blanket
from the cradle and try to tie it with one and a half hand while
holding the baby and you hear heavy thumps against the door until it
finally is kicked in. You spin around to face the white haired Knight
who wields a mace and half-shield and barely get your own mace out to
meet her blow. She hasn't noticed the Child who is seemingly unfazed
by the noise and resting its head against your shoulder.
Sir Anastaz, The Salt Knight
Anastaz's mace
crashes into the other knight's inches away from his skull. He knocks
it away and forces the other knight back. "Are you trying to
kill the Child, you fool?" He brings down his mace but the
other knight dodges out of the way and readies for another blow.
Referee
She involuntarily takes
a step back and angrily points with her mace at the cradle. “No
harm will come to it if you put the Child down and leave. We will take
care of it.” You hear the sound of metal against metal outside the
hut. A fight has broken out on
Sir Anastaz, The Salt Knight
Anastaz looks
between the other knight blocking the entrance and the indistinct
commotion happening outside. He lowers his mace and whispers,
"Forgive me," to the Child as he hugs the babe to his
breast and throws his other shoulder through the window of the hut.
He runs to Tibor, blood dripping from around his scalp and pieces of
stained glass forming some perverse crown. He puts the Child in the
saddle first and in a low voice, "We must protect him"
as he pulls himself up onto his steed. As he goads Tibor into
galloping west, he looks back at the din.
Referee
You see light pouring
through the open door and something is aflame, maybe a torch being
thrown inside and the cradle burning and the white haired Knight
rushing out. Outside two Knights pressing on a third who has lost his
helm and he tries to keep them from following you. Then Tibor carries
you away and the burning hut is just a bright light in the darkness.
Your steed hisses and breaks through shrubs and branches and it is a
wild ride through the starless night, blood running into your eyes.
After some time you manage to catch your breath and dab your wound
and light a torch and you try to hold a south-western course. The
child is sleeping and its sweet warmth melts your heart. Later you
find yourself between forested hills and you can see a fire far below
you, the hut ablaze. It is the hour of the wolf and you are dead
tired and shivering in the cold mountain air.
You take a swig from
the everflask, cold, pure water and press on, following the only path
away from your pursuers and higher into the mountains. A cold light
rain starts to fall and you cover the child's head with the blanket.
When a grey morning dawns you find an overgrown trail leading South
towards the Cured Seer's cave.
Sir Anastaz, The Salt Knight
The Salt Knight
yawns and rubs his eyes. He peeks under the blanket and sees the babe
gumming the compass, somehow extracted from his pack. Anastaz sighs
and whispers, "Ready to meet a Seer, little one?"
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| Mountain path to the Monastery |
