Book Seven, Chapter Seven �How to confuse Ivinians�
����������� 10/03/2007
What happened last time? Well Daniel and Bowlhead weren�t there and the rest talked of failing saving throws and failing down a hole and running away. Lots of damage and Sir Martyn is blind � again. So nothing much happened and nobody took any notes so obviously nothing important happened.
It�s the 2nd of Nolus and Bowlhead cures Sir Martyn�s blindness, one eye at a time with 1 to 10 hours recovery time per eye. So do it and put Bowlhead into the back of the wagon, and he can see with one eye in 2 hours and with both after 5 hours. Meanwhile Sir Martyn can see normally, which is good.
The Rugby is on and its Scotland (cheer, cheer) versus Ireland (boo, hiss) and Ireland won by one point, can we switch the telly off now please? Hurrah.
This day we circumnavigate a marsh for most of the day, and towards the end of the next day (the sixth day of the journey not counting the missing day of last session). We see in the distance what appears to be a sort of fairy tale castle. Sedisi says this is probably Quiso, the castle of the local Baron, Yonen. We push on a bit so we arrive at it at about 8 in the evening. Are you sure his name isn�t Ludwig?
Its got pendants and twee towers, it�s very pretty and has a big moat. Zytsi says it�s over 20 years old but less than 50 years; he�s in the profession so he should know. We hear courtly music as we approach; good quality music says the bard. This place isn�t actually in the middle of nowhere, more sort of on the edge of nowhere. This court is considered to be the most decadent court in Rethem, which is a pretty decadent place in itself. We pull up to stay for the night. On a side issue we have decided that the gryphon and Sir Martyn�s horse have been parked in Sulla�s place. We are merchants and this is the sort of things merchants do, makes a change from being an Erana and his entourage.
Stable the horses and wagon, scrub up and posh up for dinner, apparently we can posh up quite a bit. We don�t get much of a chance to do this often. Apparently the bard is the only one with two sets of clothes, goes with the two sets of armour I suppose. There are many nice statues, paintings, hangings, and stuff, this is quality stuff and above average quality music. We are on our best behaviour, Sir Martyn sorry Edward Silverhand is not with us, he appointed himself guard. We are seated low down on the table but above the salt. There are jugglers and acrobats, and a short playlett after the third course. The Baron has three daughters, and we affront none of them and chat up none of them either. In fact nothing untoward happens and we have a jolly, good meal. We should slum it like this more often.
However Bowlhead wakes up in the middle of the night and thinks he hears screaming. He tries to listen to hear it again, but hears nothing. He sticks his head out into the corridor and still can�t hear anything. There is a guard in the corridor, not a guard on us just a guard on duty. So he asks him �Did you hear anything just now?� The guard continues to stare straight ahead and replies �No sir.� So Bowlhead goes back to bed. Meanwhile the rest of us sleep on blissfully unaware.
The next day we have breakfast in the kitchen and then go to say our thank you�s and good buy. The Baron is doing the usual baronial stuff in the hall, the sort of thing Sir Martyn does once a year if you�re lucky. A minion is getting a ticking off for something, and then is dragged off with the comment �I will be merciful, just the left hand.� Markus Spencer says that �It is most gratifying to find such comforts out here� and thanks him. The Baron is artistic and sadistic, what a nice man.
At end of the 2nd day (6th Nolus) we cross the Denia River to the town of Tormau. On an island in the middle of the river is the local Earl�s castle. This is religious tolerant place and only the Churches of Larani and Naveh are banned. The Agrikan Order of the Fuming Gate has a Temple here, and there is a Temple of Sarajin and just outside of town is a shrine of Peoni! The local Earl hates the current king of Rethem. The town is full of Kaborian and Ivinian mercenaries, and there at least 300 hundred men!!! They are building a wall around the town, which is a bit odd really, not really what you�d expect on Harn.
This sounds like a more important place than it really ought to be. We stay White Stoat Inn, a well above average quality inn. Daniel goes for the local rumours with Streetwise. Two rumours � the current Earl is pissed off as a he was in contact with a female Agrikan order in Orbaal � result � he is setting up a sort of mini Ivinia here. Earl of Tormau and the Earl of Ithiko may fight soon; this lord is pardoning brigands so long as they join his army.
We might be in an up market inn but Aruth is accused of spilling an Ivianian�s pint, who has 4 mates. Aruth confused him by criticising his taste and buys him a brandy. The Ivinians are confused and adopt him. They give him lots of stuff, some of which Daniel found out with his streetwise. They warn about a witch 2 leagues outside of town. The locals are torturing a Morgathian priest in castle but he�s not talking. Earl is fond of music and rewards musicians. The Earl is very wealthy. The Temple of Sarajin is built on a Temple of Morgath, there�s supposed to be monsters in the basement.
We leave the next day, the 7th Nolus, heading north. About mid-morning we meet a group of mounted knight types coming toward us, with a priest. The Order of the Octagonal Pit, an Agrikan fighting order whose HQ is about a day and a half north oft here. We get out of their way.
The next day we get to Bedanase next day, Octagonal Pit Central. That�s the lot who are going to get the skulls back, they hope. The head of the Fighting Order is a sadistic fat bastard. They considered themselves at war with the Kaborans. Lets not go there, we go past and they don�t come out and take umbrage. After a few miles we are into hills with mixed forest.
Robin says that he thinks we�ve been playing Harn for about 20 years now. Daniel noticed its his birthday on the 13th of Nolus. It�s the end of the 8th of Nolus, its getting dark, we are in the back of beyond, heading towards a bunch of war mongering bastards whose religious artefact we�re going to nick, not forgetting the skulls of the knights whose main chapterhouse we will be smuggling them past later. How much worse could it get. Oh they have a prophet on the go, up for uniting the tribes and conquering the world. Time to put on the spiky armour thinks Daniel.
Late afternoon on day three, 11th Nolus, we see smoke on the road about half a mile away. Visibility is low due to the overhead trees. We cautiously advance with weapons wound up and ready. 70-80 yards away we see a wagon on fire with arrows sticking in it. Some dead bodies and 8 or 10 people pillaging it the wagons. They are Ivinians.
We advance and they don�t notice us until we are about 20 yards away. �Morning, nice day for it� Confusing the Ivinians, and lo and behold it was the one from the pub the last town. We went past and Aruth was given a bottle of brandy and a warning about some Kaborans up the road.
The next two days were uneventful except for the chorus of happy birthday on the 13th of Nolus. The next day, which is the 6th of the journey into the forest, Bowlhead spots a yellow mold type of overhanging plant. Well worth remembering for the way back and avoiding. Bowlhead wants to mark the spot and so he carves a symbol into a tree.
On the 8th day, the 16th Nolus, that night. We should be arriving on the 18th of Nolus. The middle watch is Zytsi and Daniel and we are attacked. Zytsi got away with it. Daniel was got by the waist, Aruth by the leg, Bowlhead was not grabbed, and Sir Martyn was got by the leg. And the Bowlhead was attacked again and got by the waist. Daniel got caught by shield arm as well. Its gets worse, but Sir Martyn may be turning the tide here. But Zytsi kills one out right, straight up. So he goes to kill one on Bowlhead. Sir Martyn kills one slowly but surely. But with the tide turned they die, even the one on Daniel was down to its last 4 hits before Sir Martyn killed it. They were Amorvorin, undead servants of Morgath, created by Shadow of Bukrai. Daniel lost 4 points of strength, from 97 to 93, boo, hiss.
The next day we encounter 4 Kaboran tribesmen, coming towards us along the road. They ask us what we want, we�re traders. Got any weapons? No beer and brandy, got any free samples? So Aruth gives them some beer. That evening 20 Kaborans turn up looking for free beer. There is free beer if you escort us to Kustan, that�s not free beer that�s beer for escort duty. They drink two barrels of beer, and Zytsi is annoyed and walks off in high dudgeon and someone throws a bread roll at him. Daniel plays and sings and entertains them, did try a sleep song but roll very, very badly. Bowlhead does a badger curry as someone gave him a badger.
Next day Bowlhead gets to cooks an antelope for breakfast. Then we set off, and as we walk Daniel gets to learn a few of the local drinking songs. Sir Martyn pumps them for information. They dis the people of Rethem and Agrikan Orders and big up themselves, the usual bollocks in other words. There is about 800 to 1,000 people, with probably 250 to 300 beer swilling warriors.
We camping in the middle of the valley between the two rivers, camping at 4 (moot site). Now north is the village, east is fortress (allegedly haunted) and the ruined temple, south-east is watch tower and skulls, and the barrow we want is somewhere on the western side. We want the barrow of Nebran buried with his fabulous weapons and the loot of Kustan, and the other is Kemlar the Guide their god that they will go to war over.
Their theory is that we have brought the beer as an inducement to trade, oh dear, oh dear. Day one should be people come down and look at trade goods and then party in the evening. And Sedisi doesn�t understand why we want the skulls, we explained we had been hired to do it and he still doesn�t get it.
Barrow of Kemlar is directly south on the point, that�s what they�ll go to war for, highly religious, stuff and interesting information. North-west directly opposite the castle so he can gaze upon the scene of his triumphs, lots of gear and loot.
The skulls are opposite the tower, and overlooked by it. Eight people in the tower, Aruth finds out in a night scout. The have a large fire up there.
There was a full moon on the 15th. The weather will be 80% percent overcast, cool, winds from the south-west, showers. (Summer 17 is the reference for the weather says Robin.)
The plan - have a party a little way away from where we camp, start the party ridiculously early, say 6 o�clock start for a 4 hour party. We send some booze to the tower, laced with sleepy stuff, but we�re aren�t relying on that. We are relying on silence and shadows to sneak past.
Party will quieten down and then there will be a sneaky trip for a skull exchange. Three people job. Then we do the Nebren tomb, then the Kemlar tomb, then back to wagon and leg it.
3,000eps each