Chapter 15: Session 04

After a night spent drinking and conversing with Thelius, Cadmon, and Hovirith, the PCs begin to make their way out for the day. Mitu decides to chat with some of the locals, and Lugh gets an early start with his language tutelage, while the others choose to return to the library under the mountain. However, as Soreiss dawdles, he is approached by that odd, barefoot fellow, Bodan Weepingcrow. Bodan apologizes for his odd behavior, explaining that he mistook the wizard for another person; as usual, Soriess has been mistaken for Veldir. Soreiss accepts Bodan's word before meeting with Slip at the library.

Lugh's language studies intensify at a rapid rate, especially once his teacher realizes that Lugh has a solid understanding of not only Kinlari, but of ancient Cathic as well. Slip studies some magical theory, especially where it concerns the nature and development of focus objects. Soreiss researches the minor prophecies of the earlier cycles... and finds a startling revelation from an ancient prophecy from the era of the first cycle. He learns that "the first hero will fall to the Painking, but soon will rise from death to exact his vengeance against tormentor and betrayer alike. However, in a time long hence, when the darkness has come and gone and come again many times over, he will unite the slaves and lead them into battle". Notations imply that the Order suspects this first hero is most likely Lord Prion of Cathan, the first of his people's great heroes to battle against the Daemok. And with that piece of knowledge gleaned from a minor prophecy several thousand years old, Soreiss confirms his suspicions that Lord Prion the Necrus is Puraiun, the In'ta of the Varukko.

During this time, Bodan finds a distressed child wandering the streets in the avenue between Mount Wind and the first tier of houses. The kid is dressed in a somewhat archaic style, clad in a fine, silk cloths of deep red with gold trim and white accents. Around his neck is a pendant resembling an inverted hammer. He speaks to the child (though neglects to ask the boy's name), and learns that the child has been having dreams of his uncle since four days prior. The kid seems to bounce between levels of listlessness and being generally distraught as he explains his dreams are more like visions in which he sees his Uncle, Daenus, an eagle rider of the Blade, in mortal peril. In his dream, the great eagle plummets from the sky over a dead field containing a single, large tree, and his uncle is thrown from the eagle's back, and wounded, crawls through the hills to seek shelter in abandoned ruins. The child explains that he has been seeking the Blades for over a day, but no one seems to be around. Bodan offers to help the kid, and heads to where he knows members of the Order are stationed.

Mitu notices Bodan and the child, and inquires about what is happening. Once more the kid tells his story, and when Mitu asks, explains that many of his dreams come true. Once he had a vision of his older cousin dying in battle, and soon after, the vision was revealed to be true. Mitu offers to help as well, but seems oddly ill at ease (even to the point of rudeness) around the boy. The two men and the boy head to the local barracks and speak to the Watch Commander, who does not seem to notice the boy (who has wandered off to chase an odd, brown lizard down a narrow, gravelly side street) until Mitu drags him forward. The Watch Commander explains that almost anyone of rank is currently meeting in closed council, and that the only local member of the Blades not on an assignment is a man named Krius who is training in a local park.

The trio head to the park and meet Krius, a very tall, well built (but not quite ganthur burly) man with a tiny mustache and a torso full of random tattoos. He wears only loose, wool pants and is fighting of other men two at a time unarmed as they attack him with sticks. He laughingly mocks his attackers as he throws them to the ground each in turn. When Mitu and Bodan inquire regarding Krius, he ceases his training exercises to speak to them. He does not know anyone in the Blades of Oryon by the name of Daenus, but he explains thats not unusual since until a few days ago, he had been assigned to coordinate intelligence gathering in the Corwinton area of the Glass Continent. Krius is convinced to help the boy after hearing the tale, since he recognized some of the places described in the boy's dream. The large tree, he explains, is in a field of strewn gravel. It is said to be a very old grave, and when he last saw it, had strange writing on it. He adds that there are many old ruins in the hills south of Mount Wind.

Krius enlists the aid of his Eagle companion to fly a scouting mission, but warns him to return if he senses any serious danger or threat. If something killed another great Eagle, then Krius would prefer not to jeopardize the life of his own companion. The Eagle heads out to scout, while the others await word of what he finds.

Soreiss and Slip finish their research, and they hope to find Olarus so they might attempt to gain his support in accessing the restricted portions of the library. However, they are told that Olarus is in closed council chambers and not to be disturbed. The Watch Commander adds that the only person of rank within the Voice or the Blade who is available is Krius, who can be found in the park. And thus, Soreiss and Slip find their way to Mitu and Bodan. They are filled in about the boy (who glares at Soreiss, seeming to sense the man's dark aura) and his vision, and continue to wait.

The Eagle telepathically informs Krius that he senses corruption in the hills. Krius has him come back; there is no point risking danger now. Krius writes a quick note to be given to Thelius of the Blade when the council meetings have ended, explaining whats happening and that he is joining the party to figure out what is happening.

Lugh finishes his language study for the day, and decides to head to the park to unwind. Instead, he comes upon his friends and a member of the Order discussing a plan of action. They explain to Lugh that there is dark road corruption in the hills, and tell him about the child's dream (and still no one has asked his name), glossing over the part about trying to find the wounded or dead Daenus.

Everyone is committed to heading into the southern hills, with Krius agreeing to fly overhead while the others handle the ground. Everyone gears up expecting a fight, and after Soreiss attempts to scry upon the area (and finds far too much of it to be warded), the Wizard opens a portal just outside a warded area at the northern edge of the small valley containing the ancient tree.

The valley is little more than a steep-sided bowl nestled between two hills. With a narrow pathway leading in and out, the valley is filled deep with gravel and hillside detritus. It is immediately apparent that something is amiss, which Krius confirms when he indicates that he sees something moving under the gravel, rapidly approaching the party from the valley's far side. Lugh and the great Eagle both sense corruption coming from the hills a fair distance north of them, however, they also sense a lesser source of corruption coming from the being moving under the gravel. Addressing the immediate thread, they all take a defensive posture.

Slip tosses up a thick barrier of water just as a long stream of acid sprays from something that pops up from the gravel. Soreiss and Krius quickly see the source -- a Dragon.

A fight ensues, and within seconds the Dragon has burst from the gravel and taken to the sky in a hasty retreat after a barrage of spell fire, forced dehydration, and stabbings. However, Bodan reveals his mastery of Earth as he hurls a volley of sharpened boulders into the sky, tearing a hole through the beast's wing and smashing it about the neck and chest. Stunned, it plummets to the ground, where both Krius (who stabs it from Eagle-back with his lance) and Mitu (who smacks the dazed dragon in the side of the head) put it out for good. However, even dead, Lugh and the Eagle can still sense corruption from it...

...From INSIDE it, they realize, as they surround its crumpled form. Mitu guts the dragon, opening its stomach and spilling the contents all over the gravel. While they find some evidence of it having feasted upon birds, and maybe even an eagle, there is not enough there for it to have recently devoured a great eagle within the past couple of days. They root through the remainder of it's stomach contents, and Slip finds the source of corruption within it -- a stone ring with Daematic inscriptions, still on the severed, half digested finger of a woman. Perhaps a Pax'a priestess? Krius confirms that the Order knows the Matriarchy sends spies into the hills all the time, so the notion is not implausible.

Lugh examines the tree itself, and confirms that it is indeed a grave of sorts. The writing on the tree is an old Ogham script explaining that this is the final rest of Gwynn, the first Heirophant of the Druidim. Bodan uses his earth mastery to search under the gravel around the tree itself. He finds several hundred coins of various types and some odd jewelry. Most interesting, however, is a bone scroll case containing a note. The note itself is in no language understood by the party -- until Krius sees it and explains that it is a coded message using the current encryption sequences for the past few months. This dates the note itself as being fairly recently penned.

After studying the daematic ring for a while, Soreiss dispels the magic of the ring, and Mitu shatters the stone. With those efforts, that source of corruption fades. However, there remains the greater source of corruption still in the hills. Lugh seems ready to head into the hills immediately to confront that corruption, but is dissuaded when it is stressed that Daenus's potential rescue is first and foremost the priority. Instead, he communes with the stones themselves, and learns that no eagle has landed in this clearing in many, many months -- however, there was a great impact four days prior just outside the valley, further up the southern path.

Heading south, the party does indeed come upon the decomposing corpse of a great Eagle. First examination indicates that it was struck by acid on its underside, however, deeper probing uncovers three arrows embedded deep it its chest. The arrows are made from a black colored, very light weight metal shaft, (shattered, red) glass tipped arrows, and deep blue (though stained black with blood) fletching, with a yellow-gold contrasting feather. Soreiss notes this immediately as the colors of Pax... once more the Matriarchy's presence is identified.

As the party prepares to leave, Krius's Eagle requests that the dead eagle be incinerated. Too badly decomposed to bring to the summit of Mount Wind, he would rather the bird be burned to ash than be left to the earth. Lugh recites the canticle of life when Soreiss agrees, burning the corpse until nothing remains but black smoke pouring into the sky. The Eagle is satisfied.

Lugh notes faint indications that someone has dragged themselves up hill from the where the eagle died. They follow the path up hill, noting several ruined structures in a small gully down one hillside. The path disappears over that edge, so the party heads down into the ruins. Krius calls out in Pargrati, but there is no response. However, after entering the nearest of the shattered old buildings, they see a red, white, and gold lump on the ground. Definitely a man, his legs are bent at odd angles and his hips seem collapsed. He breaths, but slowly and laboriously, and appears unconscious.

Mitu rushes forward and attempts to heal the injured man, who mutters when he sees Krius, begging the man to bring him home.

Krius explains that he knows this man, a fellow member of the Blades of Oryon. However, his name is not Daenus, but Urith Danius. As Mitu takes on many of Urith's wounds, the fallen man regains consciousness. He speaks to the party, wondering how they ever found him. They speak of the boy and his dream, but Urith is confused. He has no nephew -- he does not even have a family. When he is told the name Daenus, he seems surprised they know the name. He explains that Daenus is an archaic form of his family name, Danius. He adds that he was carrying a message from the midlands of Kesh, and was supposed to be reassigned to the region around Shrewsborn.

As Danius and Mitu rest a short while, the others discuss what to do next. The issue of the boy is an odd one. Considering his description, Soreiss recalls that he had seen the hammer pendant before as an ancient holy symbol of the God, Woed. There is some speculation that the boy was a ghost, but that seems to quickly shift toward speculation that perhaps the boy was an aspect of Oryon himself. Tired, confused, protective of his family, and wearing the colors of the Order. Oryon, too, had once been a loyal follower of Woed. Furthermore, known only through tales of his apparent superficial juxtapositioning with the Guardian, Corwin, who is known are Dark haired and bright eyed, Oryon was supposedly light haired and dark eyed, like the boy. It remains a mystery, for upon returning to Mount Wind, there is no sign of the boy.

It is decided that after Urith and Krius make reports to Thelius, the will inquire about the Order's response to the apparent incursion of Matriarchy persons into the hills of the Southern Protectorate.

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[Jolt Code: 3B,6C,3CB,5R,3S]