Tales of the Ironlands

Kalyra Sophisdottir

Episode 06: Make Peace with the Slain

Recap

Last time on Tales of the Ironlands, Kalyra Sophisdottir found her way to the Skaren clan of the elves in the Deep Wilds. There she was greeted by Raleth, the leader of the clan, and invited back to the village. Upon arrival, after having been shown to a room, the elder Kocari of the village a — man named Veris — showed up in order to seek her assistance with something.

But before he could tell her what it was that he hoped Kalyra could help him with, Raleth put in another appearance. It seems that the previous leader of the Skaren clan, a man named Huron, had perished some five days previous. And for the past three nights his Hollow, a terrible spiritual being, had been haunting the village, howling down below. It could not get up into the trees to get at them, but the entire clan was in a state of turmoil over this.

A Hollow arises when an injustice has been done; specifically it arises from the spirit of an elf who has been slain unjustly. Raleth was the new leader of the tribe having inherited the position from her father, Huron, who is now haunting the village. She requested that Kalyra go with her to confront the Hollow that evening, hoping that Kalyra would strike the Hollow down and thereby put an end to its reign of terror.

She gave Kalyra until the evening to consider this proposal and then left; whereupon Veris came out of hiding once again and reported that he believed that Huron had actually been murdered. Perhaps even at Raleth’s hand. He wanted Kalyra to investigate this possibility, determine whether or not Huron had been murdered, and if so by whom. He left, leaving Kalyra to ponder this dilemma.

It was a very difficult decision for her. She spent quite some time thinking about it. Based on Raleth’s manner, she was more inclined to believe Veris was telling the truth. But what eventually decided her to assist Veris instead of Raleth was that if her investigations came up dry, she could still go with Raleth to confront the Hollow and thereby get what she needed.

Kalyra is not one for investigation and sneaking around, and so she decided on a very straightforward plan. She would ask the Hollow whether he had been murdered, and if so if he could name his murderer. In her attempts to get to Veris to inform him of this plan and ask him to come bear witness to it, she tipped off Raleth that she had had communication with Veris. And so when the moment of confrontation came, Raleth had backup waiting for her: a series of three archers who attempted to kill Kalyra for having interfered with Raleth’s plan to destroy the Hollow and thus compound the injustice done in Huron’s death, for indeed it was Raleth who had murdered him by poison so that she could take control of the clan.

Initially disarmed in that fight, Kalyra spent a good while just trying to locate her sword. But when eventually she got it back, she was able to tear through those archers, rapidly dispatching them, and then turned to deal with Raleth who’d been fighting the Hollow in the background. With a couple of well-placed blows and a moment’s distraction, Raleth was defeated: torn in half by the spirit of her dead father for murdering him.

Veris came forward and agreed to assist Kalyra by telling her about primordials — which was all she was really after in this entire endeavor — after matters had been settled in the village. And that is where we’re going to pick up.

Session Report

Veris and Kalyra make their way back along the path towards the village. Kalyra is wounded; Veris came through untouched, having spent much of the fight observing from the edges. Upon arriving back at the village of the Skaren, they discover that as is usual in these times the ladders have been pulled up. Veris calls out in his own language.

Up above, Kalyra can see the dark shapes of elves moving, backlit by the glowing flowers the twine the trees of the village; and after a few moments, a rope ladder is lowered. Veris climbs up in front of her and Kalyra follows. Reaching the top of the ladder which brought them to the central tree, Kalyra pulls herself up over the edge and looks about to discover that there is a small crowd of elves here. No children — it’s late — but they are all standing in a semicircle clearly wanting to know what has happened.

Veris is already speaking to them in their own language. I’m going to be conducting dialogue for Veris and the other elves in their language that Kalyra does not understand, but for the benefit of the listeners (and myself) I will narrate in English.

Veris, as Kalyra pulls herself up onto the platform behind him and stands, is saying “The Hollow has seen justice done. It will trouble us no longer.”

“But what happened, Veris?” says a man in the crowd.

“Raleth went with our guest, the woman Kalyra Sophisdottir —” and in the background, Kalyra notes the presence of her name in the dialogue “— Raleth went with Kalyra Sophisdottir to confront him. I accompanied them, although Raleth did not know it. I was present, watching, hidden in trees. Raleth began by trying to order the Hollow to simply go away and leave us undisturbed.”

There is a rustling amidst the crowd, who note a couple of things. First off, Raleth is not with them. And second, this is not a thing one generally says to a Hollow.

“It naturally did not agree, and at that point our guest, Kalyra, spoke to it in her language and asked whether he had been murdered.” Veris goes on.

Stock still silence, as everyone waits to hear what it said.

“The Hollow indicated that it was. Our leader, Huron, was murdered.”

Continued silence.

“Before Raleth could say anything further, the woman Kalyra asked also whether the Hollow could name his murderer; and it pointed at Raleth.”

At that there are great many exclamations, and a babble of of many many people trying to speak all at once. Veris holds up both hands and says “Hush! By the Hollow’s own actions, Raleth has been named a murderer of her own father. When this was revealed, she ordered three men — I saw Jaska, Ilmari and Aksel there. They came out of the shadows of the forest and she ordered them to shoot the woman Kalyra, while she turned and fought her father’s Hollow. It was a difficult fight.”

Everyone is silent once again, noting that Jaska, Ilmari and Aksel are not there. They look at Kalyra, clearly wounded. There is in fact still an arrow partially embedded in her shoulder and she looks beat up, scuffed, and covered with dirt.

“She is a very dangerous woman,” Veris says. “Although she initially tripped and lost her sword, once she retrieved it they did not stand much of a chance. And then she turned on Raleth — who was, in the end, killed by the Hollow, after which it dispersed. Huron’s murder has been avenged and he will trouble us no longer.”

Asked the Oracle what kind of reaction the elves have to all of this. Rolled on theme. 64: structure.

One of the men of the small group steps forward and says “And who shall lead the tribe now?”

I’ve decided that the elves have castes already, the Kocari being the shaman or priest class. I think there’s also a caste for leaders. I think I will call it the Elendi. So I’m going to ask the Oracle how many successors or potential successors are available now: zero, one, two or three? Rolled a d6, re-rolled any 5 or 6 result and subtracted one. The answer came up: two. There are two potential successors here in the village.

“We will have to resolve that in the morning,” says Veris.

“And what of my husband?” says a woman from the from the crowd.

“I’m sorry, Auni,” says Veris. She turns her mask away.

“What’s going on?” Kalyra asks. All of the elves turn to look at her, which is intimidating: all the elves staring at her out of the holes of their masks. She starts to take a step backward and then remembers that there’s a 60 foot drop into the darkness behind her. Instead she twitches a little bit.

“There are many things to be decided,” says Veris in her tongue. “For the moment, please: we will take you to your room. You may heal yourself and rest. In the morning we will have to hold a council to decide what is to be done.” He says as much to the others in their own tongue.

Veris shows her the way. She is a little creeped out by these bridges in the dark still, but with a guide showing her the way and having had a little more experience with them now, she gets across without too much difficulty.

In her room, Kalyra puts her things against the wall, sits down and for a moment just rests with her arms on her knees. She is battered, bloodied — and not at all certain of her welcome in the village now that she has slain three of them by her own hand ... and caused the leader of the village to die at the hand of the Hollow. Regardless, she wearily pulls out her herbal supplies and sets about attending her wounds. Rolled Heal, opting to take +1 health on a hit due to Herbalist. 4v2/7, weak hit; -1 supply down to 1, +3 health to 4.

It is difficult extracting the arrow by herself. “Maybe I should’ve asked them for help,” she says. But she is uncertain of her welcome here, as mentioned, and so she opted not to. With her wounds bandaged, she stiffly rolls out the bedroll and goes to bed. I’m not going to make a camp roll here; she’s not in a camp.

In the morning, Kalyra sleeps late. She was exhausted by the fight last night and by the days of swift travel before that. It’s been a long time since she had an opportunity to sleep on a bed — even a strange bedroll like this one — which seems to be stuffed with some sort of soft material that she doesn’t recognize immediately. Forgot while doing this that she actually slept on exactly that type of bedroll a few nights ago at the Bantu settlement. Whoops.

The sun is well up by the time Kalyra finally comes to consciousness, and her stomach growls. She eats a little breakfast — just some jerky. She’s running very low on supplies, and that is the last of the jerky.

Sick at heart, and a little paranoid about her current welcome, she decides to take all of her gear with her today. She packs everything up, makes sure that she’s restored to the room to its ready state (that is, with the bed rolled up), and she climbs down the rope ladder.

As she approaches the central tree, Kalyra can hear a babble of raised voices. There are two guards standing outside the entryway to the central room in the center of this enormous tree. She approaches; they nod at her, but one points of her sword and gestures that she must take it off. Although this worries her a great deal, she does so, unbuckling her belt and wrapping it about the sheath and leaning it against the wall just outside the entrance. The two guards nod at her, and she passes in.

Within, she timidly looks forward and discovers that there is an entire group of elves in there. Veris is there, and of course many others that she doesn’t recognize, not having met a lot of people here upon her arrival. They’re all trying to speak at once. Veris is sitting at the front of the room — slightly to one side. There is an empty seat which Kalyra thinks must be that the belongs to the leader of the tribe; he is not sitting in that seat, but is instead sitting to one side of it. He has both hands up and is trying to get control of the meeting.

As she steps in, everyone turns to look at her. It’s spooky, all the masks looking at her. There is a moment of silence and then one of them, a woman, runs towards Kalyra shouting “Tapoit mieheni! Tapoit mieheni!”, and the others grab her and pull her back as Kalyra backs away.

“My apologies,” Veris says. “She is overcome.”

“I don’t understand,” Kalyra says.

“Her husband was one of the archers last night,” Veris says.

“Oh.” says Kalyra. After a long pause, she asks “What was she saying?”

“She said: you killed my husband. You killed my husband.”

Kalyra looks at the the woman; the masked face. Even through the mask Kalyra can tell that this woman is distraught. She notes that there appear to be tears dripping off the bottom of the mask. They must’ve slid down the interior. Kalyra walks forward and kneels before her and says: “I’m very sorry, but I was not willing to die for Raleth’s sake.”

She glances to Veris who translates the speech. Rolled Compel +heart to talk the distraught woman down. 6v6/8, miss. Auni rips one arm free of the others who are restraining her and slaps Kalyra hard across the face. Kalyra sees stars. Suffered 1 damage and Endured Harm; 4v9/2, weak hit, presses on.

Kalyra turns her face back towards the woman who is breathing heavily, shoulders rising and falling with with each breath, and Kalyra simply nods, one side of her face reddening. The woman storms out of the of the hall. The others are silent. Kalyra stands and turns to face Veris. She says “I wish to set things right for the Skaren. Those men lie dead at my hand; and I am sorry for that. But I will defend myself when I’m attacked and I think it is reasonable of me to do so. How can I make this up? Or rather, how can I make amends? For I cannot give you back your dead men.”

Veris translates this for the others of the group and then says “There is nothing that can be done on that until a new leader has been chosen. We were just discussing that when you came in. There are two claimants. Einari,” and a man over to the side tips his mask to one side as he hears his name — “And Calla.” And woman on the other side of the room nods. “It is customary when there is an unclear or disputed succession — and in this case it is unclear simply because Raleth was her father’s only child and left no issue of her own. These two are both first cousins of hers. Each has an equal claim; they will have to prove themselves. Asked the Oracle: what kind of ritual do the elves use to settle succession disputes? Rolled on Action and Theme. Got 32 on Action: Breach. Got 33 on Theme: Peace. That suggests single combat, because it is a breach of the peace of the tribe. These two will have to fight it out until either one of them is dead or else one concedes to the other.

“Oh. What is ... how is that done?”

“It will be a fight between the two of them. Down below where there’s plenty of room for them to maneuver and everyone may see the fight,” Veris says. “It will be up to the successor to decide what is to be done about the men who perished last night.”

“Is there anything I can do?” Kalyra asks.

“No,” says Veris. “This is an internal matter.”

“All right.”

“You should go now,” Veris says. “The fight will happen at noon. You may come and observe, if you wish.”

And that is what she does. Kalyra makes her way out. She wants to stay out of sight. She is a point of contention at the moment; so she simply goes back to the room they assigned her. The time is eating away at her; time is precious. She doesn’t know how long she has to rescue her father. She paces in the tiny room like a caged animal until an elf comes. It’s a young woman; very young. She looks to be — well, it’s hard to judge the age of these people, partly because of the masks, but also because they age differently than people she has known before. It looks to be a young woman perhaps in her teen years (or the equivalent). Her mask is very new. There are no nicks or scratches on it. It still has the sheen of the of the oils that were rubbed into it, and she says in a lightly accented voice: “I am Belisant. Veris sent me to get you. It is time for the fight.”

“Oh! Good. I’ve been going crazy in here waiting to see what happens.” says Kalyra.

“It is a very unsettled time.”

“I’m so glad you speak my language,” says Kalyra. “I’ve had no one to talk to.”

“I still have something of an accent, I am told, but I do speak your language. Come,” Belisant says. She leads Kalyra down out of the room, out of the upper village and down the rope ladders. A crowd of elves has formed around a large open space in the center, There the two combatants — Einari and Calla — have put on armor and taken weapons. It looks as though both of them have chosen spears for this.

Veris is officiating. He steps forth and raises up both hands the sleeves of the robe that he is wearing fall back slightly from his arms as he raises them, and he speaks in his own language. Belisant translates for Kalyra.

“He is saying that in accordance with the rituals of our ancestors, these two must fight to prove who is the stronger and more worthy to the tribe. This is not a fight that is meant to go to the death; so soon as one ... what is the word ...” and she falls behind slightly on the translation as she searches for the word — “One of them may yield to the other and then that will decide the fight. And in accordance with the rituals, the loser must leave the tribe.”

“Really?” says Kalyra.

“Yes. We have found that it is unwise to have an unsuccessful leadership candidate stay in the tribe. Whoever loses here will be leaving. Perhaps they will go to a different tribe. It’s not so bad.”

Kalyra looks over at Belisant at this last and says “Have you left your tribe?”

“Yes, of course. I am Kocari,” says Belisant. “It is the way.”

“What do you mean?”

“All Kocari leave their tribe. We are born into a tribe, but once it is come time to apprentice, we must leave and seek a teacher in a different tribe. So I am not originally of the Skaren. They are my tribe now; but previously I was from a different tribe. The Kaisu.”

“Oh.” But at this time Kalyra’s attention is called back to the center because Veris has stopped speaking and stepped back.

The two combatants circle one another. Einari is a young man, seemingly. His mask is made of a dark brown material and he is fast; slender; clearly quick on his feet. The woman, Calla, is somewhat shorter than he is. Her mask is made of some sort of almost white wood — birch perhaps? She seems much tougher, but a little slower. Asked the Oracle: who wins the fight? Gave it a 50-50 chance, with Einari winning on a low roll, and Calla winning on a high roll. Got a 72: Calla.

The battle is quick. Einari leaps forward, attempting to use his speed to gain the upper hand quickly. But although she is slower, Calla manages to swipe his spear out of the way and turn his own momentum against him. She spins and slaps his back as he comes forward. He stumbles, and she raises her spear and points it down and slams it towards him! He rolls out of the way; her spear has stuck in the ground. His has dropped away.

He gets to his feet and attempts to kick her. She is forced to let go of the spear and back away. The two circle one another, each looking for an opening. Einari attempts again to use his speed to advantage. He moves forward and attempts to sweep her legs out from under her — but she sees it coming, and leaps up over his foot. As he is off balance, she lands, plants both feet firmly on the ground and shoves him backwards.

He staggers away, manages to keep his feet. But while he is recovering from that, she leaps backwards, landing right next to the spear that he dropped earlier. She snatches it up and whips it around, bringing the point directly at his throat. She says something in their tongue ... and he nods.

She lifts the spear. “He has yielded; Calla is our new leader,” says Belisant. “And Einari must go.”

“It seems strange to me,” Kalyra says. “But I suppose if it’s your way than that is how we must do it.”

“Why is it so strange?” Belisant says. “Surely we wish to have a powerful war leader in charge of the tribe?”

“Do you spend that much time fighting?” Kalyra says.

“No,” says Belisant. “That is why we need a powerful war leader.”

“I ... what?” Kalyra says.

“If we had a weak leader, we would be a ... target, I think is the word. We must have strong leadership that will make others think twice before attacking.”

“I suppose I hadn’t thought of it that way,” Kalyra says.

“It has worked out for us. There are fights between tribes, but they are less common than you might think. Often we are able to resolve disputes with other clans without fighting; but we prefer not to invite attacks by appearing weak.”

“Very well. That’s how you do it.”

The crowd around is not exactly cheering. This is a serious occasion and no one is happy, least of all the people who lost. It’s still at a time of unsettled relationships. Anyone who had favor with Raleth or with Huron before her — all of that has evaporated. Their support in whatever internal politics there are within the tribe has gone. Anyone who had good relationships with Calla from before stands to rise; and those who favored Einari ... perhaps their stock has fallen. Thought about marking progress on the vow to Set Things Right for the Skaren at this point, but opted not to, because Kalyra hasn’t really done anything to advance that yet.

The woman Calla steps forward and addresses the crowd in their own tongue, and Belisant translates once more. “She is saying that the first matter of business must be to see to our dead.”

“Oh! We just left them there last night. I should’ve thought of that,” Kalyra says.

Belisant’s mask shakes. “Do not worry. Veris did not forget. We retrieved the bodies immediately. We sent a party in the darkness to collect them. They have all they have all been brought for preparation.”

Calla turns towards them and says in Kalyra’s language, “Kalyra Sophisdottir, we will need to speak with you above. Be in the Council chamber in the next five minutes.”

“Of course, yes,” says Kalyra. And then, aside to Belisant, “She speaks my language?”

“Of course. Ever since your people came to the Ironlands, we make sure that every member of the Elendi and the Kocari castes learn you language. Most of the rest of the castes do not, but our leaders and our shamans learn to speak your tongue. That is why I know it. I have been learning it from Veris.”

“And how did they learn it?”

“I presume by going amongst your people and talking to them.”

“Oh! Well, I suppose that makes sense.”

In any case, Kalyra goes back, leaving her sword outside the Council chamber once more. Belisant accompanies her, and Veris is there as well. She does not see Einari; presumably he is elsewhere in the village packing. The room is filled. Veris sits in the same place that he did before, to one side of the leadership chair, which is now occupied by Calla.

Kalyra enters and, uncertain of the protocol, simply bows to Calla.

“Kalyra Sophisdottir,” says Calla. “You have caused quite a ruckus in the short time you have been amongst us. It seems that three of our warriors fell at your hand.”

“That is true,” says Kalyra. “They attacked me at the order of Raleth.”

“And why did Raleth order you killed?”

“I refused to assist her in putting down her father’s Hollow unjustly.”

“Yes,” says Calla. “Veris has explained that to us. Nevertheless, there are three dead men and two grieving widows with their children. Some amends must be made.”

“I am prepared to ... among my people,” Kalyra says, “We pay blood price. In such instances, we offer coins or other goods. It is not always satisfactory; some people demand vengeance anyway. But the system is designed to prevent an ever-escalating feud between families, and to ensure that the bereaved are not left entirely without support.”

“And do you have any money?” Calla says.

Kalyra shakes her head. “Not much, I mean ... a few coppers. I did not expect to need it when I left.”

“Well then, you cannot offer money according to your custom; and therefore you must work with ours.” Asked the Oracle: How do the elves settle a blood debt? Rolled on Action and Theme. Action was 63, Challenge. Theme initially came up 33, Peace; but this sounded like more fighting, and I didn’t think it suited. So I rolled again and got 98: Home. Challenge Home. I paused the recording for a while to think that through.

“Our custom ...” Calla says. “You have seen what happens when an elf is slain unjustly: it returns as a Hollow, seeking vengeance that will set its spirit at rest. Therefore, our custom when an elf has been slain is that the killer must visit the home that the victim lived in. There they must ritually wash the body, kneel before it; declare their intentions, or that they killed them honorably, and seek the spirit’s blessing. If this is done satisfactorily, then no Hollow rises and the elf may be laid to rest.”

Kalyra wears a necklace about her neck. It’s nothing terribly much; just a small bauble. It’s a small iron charm in the shape of a spiral, which her mother gave her. She reaches up and grabs it, and says: “I swear by this iron that my mother gave me, I shall go to the homes of each of the three men I killed, wash their bodies, declare my honorable intent in killing them, and seek their forgiveness according to your custom.” Swear an Iron Vow to Make Peace with her Slain: 7v6/9, weak hit, +1 momentum to 3. Troublesome difficulty.

Calla nods. “Very good. This is an honorable course of action.”

“May I ask for someone to accompany me to translate?” Kalyra says.

“Of course,” says Calla. “Veris. I shall leave it to you whether it is you or your apprentice who accompanies her.”

Veris nods and says “I think I will send Belisant. She needs practice at the language anyway.”

Kalyra nods. “Should I do this immediately?”

“Yes,” says Calla. “At once. The longer this goes undone, the greater the chance that another Hollow shall arise. We have had enough of those lately. Besides which, if a Hollow arises from a man that you killed, it is clearly your responsibility to deal with it, and I suspect you probably don’t want to face one.”

“You are correct,” says Kalyra. “I have seen what they can do. They are dangerous creatures.”

“Then you must go.”

Kalyra nods.

Leaving the Council chamber, Belisant falls in at her side and says “I suspected it might go this way. We will be visiting the homes. Do you have any particular order you wish to do them in?”

“No, why would I?” Kalyra says. “I didn’t know any of them. I mean, I arrived here yesterday and by the end of the day I’d killed them.”

“Then I will take you first to the house of Alina.” Belisant leads Kalyra along the bridges that connect this village until they come to come to a house. It’s on the northern outskirts of the village, and as they approach Kalyra notices that the glowing flowers that grow over have been stripped of their blossoms.

“Why are the blossoms gone? The the ones that give off light?” Kalyra asks.

“It is a sign of mourning,” Belisant says. “When a member of the house dies, the light goes with them.”

“Oh. Well, that’s depressing,” Kalyra says.

“Come.” Belisant takes Kalyra in. It seems that the elves spend much of their time outdoors. These buildings are necessarily small because they have been constructed in trees. It’s just a single room. She can see three bedrolls there; and there is an elven woman who is kneeling next to one of the bedrolls. It has been unrolled and on it lies the body of one of the men that Kalyra slew last night.

He still wears his mask. His wounds have been cleaned and bound, and he has been dressed in a simple white shift that covers most of him. His feet are bare, and his hands have been clasped across his belly.

The elven woman looks up as they come in. Kalyra can see her eyes through her mask; they’re red from crying. And in the corner of the room she notices the little girl that she saw yesterday. The one who felt her face.

Belisant says something in their language and the woman, Alina, nods.

“There is water here. You must wash his hands and his feet. If you were one of ours, we would have you wash his face as well; but as you are an outsider, I will ask before we do this.” She turns to Alina and says something in their tongue. The woman shakes her mask vigorously and and speaks a few sharp words. Belisant nods and says “You are not to remove his mask under any circumstances.”

“I see. I understand,” Kalyra says. There is a bowl of water there and Kalyra picks it up, setting aside the rest of her gear; and she washes the man’s hands and his feet. Then she sets the bowl aside and dries them with a soft cloth which has been provided. She kneels down beside him opposite from his grieving widow.

She says: “My name is Kalyra Sophisdottir. I fear to pay my father’s debt. Yesterday, I slew this man in honorable combat. He had his weapon. I had mine. I take no joy in his death. I am sorry for the loss of his loved ones; and I ask his spirit’s forgiveness.”

Belisant translates all of this for Alina and the little girl. The little girl bursts out crying partway through the translation and runs out of the room. The mother starts to go after her, but Belisant says “No, no,” in her language, and runs after little girl to comfort her.

Alina and Kalyra sit facing one another: one face behind a mask; the other unmasked. It’s a bit unorthodox, but in order to determine whether Kalyra’s request for forgiveness is granted by the dead man’s spirit, I decided to use the Test Your Bond move. She did not have a relationship with this man, but I think the mechanics makes sense here. It was a heart (+3) roll, and for mysterious reasons I opted to give her a +1 above that. Test Your Bond: 5v5/1; weak hit.

Belisant returns with the little girl in her hand, and just as she does there is a stillness that spreads across the room. Then a voice speaks in whispered tone. Although it is spoken in the language of the elves, Kalyra understands its meaning perfectly. And it says: “I have heard your declaration. I demand that you show your mettle; shed your blood as you shed mine in proof of your earnestness.”

It is deeply chilling; but Kalyra draws her sword. She runs it across the palm of her hand. Bright red blood wells up from the cut and she squeezes it. Drops of blood fall from her hand into the bowl of water down below, where they disperse. Drip. Drip. Drip. Suffered 1 damage; Endure Harm: 4v3/6, weak hit, presses on.

“It. Is. Enough.”

All of a sudden they can hear the birds outside again. The moment is past. Alina reaches out towards her daughter, with tears falling from the backside of her mask where they have dripped down on the inside, and pulls her daughter to her.

“We should go now,” Belisant says, and leads Kalyra outside. Marked progress on the vow to Make Peace With Her Slain. That’s three progress.

“Oof,” says Kalyra.

“We should move on. Would you like to go to Auni’s house, or go to see the house of the man who was unmarried?”

“I should ... I should see Auni,” Kalyra says “Let’s go there.”

Belisant leads her back through the village. Auni and her husband, Ilmari, lived on the west side of the village. Upon arrival, as before, the flowers have been stripped of their blossoms. Entering, Kalyra discovers that Auni is there. They apparently did not have any children; or if did, then they are not present.

As before, Ilmari’s wounds have been bound. He has been dressed in a shift; he lies on his bedroll, bare feet, and his hands clasped over his belly. Belisant begins to say something to Auni, who cuts her off, and Belisant simply says “I think we should do this quickly.”

Kalyra nods. She takes the bowl that has been prepared here as well, washes his hands and his feet, dries them, and once again sits opposite the widow of the man she slew. “My name is Kalyra Sophisdottir. I fear to pay my father’s debt. Yesterday I met this man in combat and killed him. We both had our weapons. The loss went to him. I grieve for the loss of his loved ones, but I believe I have acted with honor and I ask his spirit’s forgiveness.”

Belisant translates this. Partway through the translation, Auni reaches out and slugs Kalyra across the face again. Kalyra takes it, and doesn’t react. After a moment the stillness comes again. Test Your Bond, +heart+1: 7v1/4, strong hit. +1 spirit, +2 momentum.

The stillness comes and a voice speaks in that language which is not a language; the language which sounds Elven, but she understands its meaning. And it says: “I bear no grudge. It was a fight well fought. Auni: mourn me for three months and then move on. You deserve a good life. Farewell.”

And as the sound returns once again outside, Auni begins weeping, sobbing openly; and Belisant simply puts a hand on Kalyra’s shoulder and pulls her away, leaving the woman to her private grief. Marked Progress on Make Peace With Her Slain, up to six.

“I think that was most likely the hardest of them,” says Belisant. “Come, I will take you to Aksel’s house.” She leads Kalyra through the village — not far away, actually. Aksel also apparently lived on the west side of the village. There they find not a grieving widow, but a pair: a husband and wife; a mother and father bereft of their son. He lies as the others did, in a white shift, on his bedroll, hands clasped.

Kalyra bows as she comes in. The two do not acknowledge her, but simply wait. Now well familiar with what is to come, Kalyra takes the bowl. She washes Aksel’s hands and feet and dries them; takes her seat opposite the grieving parents. “I am Kalyra Sophisdottir. I fear to pay my father’s debt. Yesterday evening I met this man Aksel in combat. We both had our weapons. We both fought well. I meant him no ill, and I grieve for the loss of his loved ones. I ask his ... his blessing, or forgiveness.”

Belisant translates this. There is no reaction from the two on the opposite side. Test Your Bond: 6v5/6, weak hit.

The sound leaves once again. After a long moment, a strange sibilant voice — in some ways it has sounded like the same voice each time — says: “I bear you no ill will, Kalyra Sophisdottir, and acknowledge a fight honorably fought. But in token of respect, I demand that you be the one to set my pyre alight.”

“This I shall do,” Kalyra says.

“It is enough.” Marked Progress on Make Peace With Her Slain, to 9.

Kalyra stands, bows once again to the grieving parents, who once again make no reaction.

Kalyra walks outside straight past Belisant. She crosses the bridge and leans on a tree; just rests her forehead against it, shaking. “That was intense,” Kalyra says when she hears Belisant behind her.

“It is not meant to be an easy task. But it is meant to show that all was done properly.”

“When will the burning be?” Kalyra asks. “I will need to be there to start his pyre.”

“This evening,” Belisant says.

“All right. I still need to find out about my father. Can we see Veris?”

“Very well. Come with me,” says Belisant, and leads her out of the trees of the village, down the rope ladders to the clearing below and off a ways into the forest.

There is a path leading to the north, up a slope. It’s a good long ways, almost half an hour’s walk before they come to a small clearing, an opening in the trees. There they find a series of standing stones: seven of them, arranged in a circle. Their surfaces have been carved intricate whirling loops and designs.

“Oh! I’ve seen one of these before,” Kalyra says.

Belisant turns her mask towards Kalyra and says “You have?”

“Yes. It was the first day outside of Peilinham when I was tracking the earth primordial. I came across one of these standing alone in the forest. It was old. I was interested; I stopped and almost touched it. But I had to go.”

“Interesting,” says Belisant.

In the center of the stone circle, Veris is seated cross-legged with his hands resting loosely on his knees and his mask raised up. Belisant stops just outside of the circle. She raises her hands and claps twice.

“You may enter,” Veris says.

Belisant and Kalyra step forward.

“And has she done what she said she would?” says Veris.

Belisant nods and says, “She went and spoke with the spirits of all three of the men she slew. All three of them have indicated their forgiveness.”

“That is good,” says Veris. Marked Progress on Set Things Right for the Skaren, up to 6 progress.

Kalyra says: “Can you tell me now what I need to know?”

“Is everything done?” he says to Belisant.

“Aksel’s spirit asked that she be the one to set his pyre alight this evening.”

“I think perhaps we should wait until after that has been done.”

“Oh! ... fine.” Kalyra says. She sits in the center of the stone circle “I begrudge every moment.”

“What is it that she wishes to know, Master?” says Belisant.

“You may as well tell her,” says Veris. And Kalyra explains the whole sorry story again.

“Once you have made your peace with them, we will tell you what you need to know. But since there is time yet, there is something I would like to know from you,” Veris says.

“What?” says Kalyra.

“What did you promise to the Black Lady?”

“I needed to get to my father. I needed to save him. Still need to save him. But that boar killed me. I spoke with the Black Lady, and she demanded that I bring the Rose of Light and Shadow to her from the Shattered Wastes beyond the Veiled Mountains. Asked the Oracle: Does Veris know anything about the Rose of Light and Shadow? Assigned it a Small Chance (91+). Rolled: 86. He is not familiar with it.

“The Rose of Light and Shadow?” he says. “Hmm. I do not like this. The Black Lady is ... the Black Lady has strange agendas. However, you cannot in honor forswear your vow.” Marked Progress on Find a Kocari and Learn About Primordials, because Kalyra has revealed her epic quest about the Rose of Light and Shadow, and it has not immediately led him to not want to do things for her. 8/10.

“What is this place?” Kalyra says. “I saw stones like these, or a stone like these once before.”

“You did?” Veris says. And once again Kalyra recounts the story about the stone she found on her path north from Peilinham.

“And you say it was very old?”

“Oh yes,” Kalyra says. “It was covered in lichen. My mother told me that lichen grows very slowly, perhaps an inch every hundred years or so; but I saw patches that were six or seven maybe eight or 9 inches across. It had not been touched in a very long time.”

“These stones are relics of our people. There must have been an elven settlement near your Peilinham at some point in the distant past.” Veris says.

“If so, we know nothing about it,” says Kalyra. “I hadn’t even heard that that stone existed until I came across it myself.”

“Hmm. Go over to one of the stones. Touch it,” Veris says. And Belisant draws her breath in sharply.

Kalyra looks over at Belisant wonderingly, but she stands and walks over and touches the stone. “It’s singing!” she says.

“Yes. Those are the songs of our ancestors. They — root us. And they grant us wisdom. I wonder what you would have heard had you touched the stone by Peilinham.”

“I don’t know,” Kalyra says. “I did not touch it. I went on my way.”

“In any case,” Veris says, “I will tell you what you need to know once you have finished making your peace with the rest of the tribe. Go now. I must think.”

Belisant takes Kalyra back to the village, where they wait for the evening. In the gathering dusk the entire tribe makes their way to the burial grounds. There are three pyres set up. Atop them are the three men whom Kalyra slew.

“What happened to Raleth’s body?” Kalyra says to Belisant.

“She is not being granted an honorable burial. She was a murderess.”

“Oh.” Kalyra does not ask any further what has happened to Raleth’s body.

The elves gather around the pyres and one of time they step forward. Alina lights the pyre of her husband, Jaska, and the entire tribe calls out his name as the flames take hold in the kindling.

Auni takes a torch to the pyre of Ilmari, and once again the tribe calls out his name: ”Ilmari!”

The man and the woman whom Kalyra met earlier approach her and hand her a torch. Kalyra nods, and walks forward. “Go in peace,” she says, and sets the torch to the kindling of Aksel. And as the flames roar up in front of her, the entire tribe calls out: “Aksel.” Marked Progress on Making Peace With Her Slain. She has now completed everything that was asked of her. Also marked progress on Set Things Right for the Skaren.

The entire tribe stands for a brief moment and watches the pyres burn; then they begin to file away. “Come,” says Belisant. “Veris must stand and watch the pyres through the night. The rest of us should go. Close family may stay if they wish; it is not our place here.”

And so with the pyres burning behind her, a very sober Kalyra walks back towards the village of the Skaren contemplating all that she has done. Fulfil A Vow to Make Peace With Her Slain. 10v3/3. Marked 1 XP. And a twist ...

When Kalyra gets back to her room — because clearly if Veris is going to be up all night tending those pyres she’s not going to be able to ask him until he’s done with his task. When she gets back to her room she discovers something waiting for her there: set on the floor of the room lie the two halves of Raleth’s mask. There is no indication as to who brought them, or why they’re here; but Kalyra takes them and looks at them. As her fingers brush across the wooden surface, she can hear something very faint — like a whisper. She looks over her shoulder. There is no one there. She sets them off at the side of the room and goes to bed. “Tomorrow,” she thinks that she goes to sleep. “Tomorrow, I will finally finally find out what I need to know. Father! I’m coming.”

And that’s where were going to call session.