About a week after Barra has defeated Utiog, Gus has chanced on something close to a feast for the group. The group is at one of the tables in the Inn. Alexis is in good spirits. He turns to Telosh.
“We’ve never taken the time for you to tell us about your upbringing. About your father. Care to tell us the ‘Tale of Telosh’?”
Sometime during the quick march to the Grayfax estate, as the group is moving down the road. Alexis moves up and addresses Gustov.
“I feel bad for the poor woman. Surely she was mentally tormented in some way by Barra. You seemed so confident about tying her up… and gagging her. I see now, I hoped there was some of-the-land magics you were in the process of working on here to alleviate her torment. In hindsight this seems like a childish wish.”
“What was your plan?”
Lucius looks around at his companions, and his “liege,” stirs the dirt a bit with a stick, and speaks up,
“We’ve done a bit of exploring, and survived a group of outriders, and now the army is moving out of the Copper Hills fort, it seems to me that we’ve kicked the nest a bit already, and there is a strong likelihood Barra will attack the fort soon…
“Red’s suggestion from a few nights ago was a good one, and now that the army is on the move, it seems like it is time to return to the fort and begin to plan for the inevitable. Being in the woods while Barra attacks the fort doesn’t seem like it will help us fr… break the sword.”
While settling down for the night one night, Gus suddenly looks like he has realized something disturbing. He looks at everyone getting into their bedroll and says:
“Did we make a deal to free a Gnoll God? I understand helping non-humans who help us. But unleashing the power of an angry god who is not human seems like quite a bad idea. Are we helping Aegir doing this? We have worked with so many strange creatures lately that maybe we forgot where we come from, forget who we are. Am I crazy?”
Gus has started to sweat all of a sudden and looks like he has just woken from a terrifying dream. He doesn’t usually show such fear or emotion.
Around a wilderness campfire, after leaving the Copper Hills Fort, Lucius “Of Sutheron” slips out of his Sutheroni accent, and starts to speak.
“Well then, I clearly need some help at being from Sutheron… rather than have a noble name, which seems… complicated…. I’m thinking I’m a young bravo out to prove himself, perhaps my mother was a Westlander slave, and I am the bastard of a noble, or perhaps my mother was a Sutheroni woman of the night, and my father was a Westlands horse-trader… Something that will be understandable and also… not worth talking about?”
“What do you think will be the most… sellable? believable? At least to Aegierians?”
“Lucius” looks around at his companions, waiting for them to respond…
Telosh – Sneakthief! The scavenger Grokxex, she knows you, from your drunken desperate stench. You came upon her hunt and stole it. Grokxex was starving, and you made off with her last meal. She resorted to chewing on berries and leaves that were poison and she perished. Do you deny this? Do you take responsibility for this? …This is good. She-Who-Is-Fierce wishes for such weakness and stupidity to be culled. When Grokxex returns to us she will be blessed now, with better eyes and ears for detecting and rooting out those who would try to steal and sneak. She-Who-Is-Fierce is grateful.
Gustav – The spirits of those first free’d by the peacemakers…you fought a memory of them in a fragment of this world…they know you and only wish they had been cut down by your blade originally, and reborn, instead of trapped by the spirit catcher of these hills. You called them goblins as an insult, and goblins were the minions of the spirit catcher, and so they have sworn a blood oath to She-Who-Is-Fierce that they will not be so easy to defeat once they are full-grown again. Your taunting has made them more savage and even if they were to fall on a spear they will have the power for one last killing blow.
Ethelred – Seedling of the one who wielded the Fangblade, a warrior of Kuststad who fought with the ageless wanderer. The beginning of a war that until recently raged ceaselessly in these lands. Those who were cut down by the Fangblade grew more fierce in their return and thus our tribes have become more powerful, with warriors who know no bounds. Those who were cut down by the Fangblade are among the greatest of us today! She-Who-Is-Fierce was most pleased. You must be a peerless warrior and leader to your people!
Alexis – You are the one who She-Who-Is-Fierce has sent us visions of, and the Lady has led us to you. The dead god wanders the hunting range of She-Who-Is-Fierce and she tires of his presence. He mourns and weeps and is quite unseemly. She-Who-Is-Fierce worries the dead god will make sheep of our people. She would allow him to walk back into the world and become reborn as is our way, but he cannot as he is barred by his own making. She-Who-Is-Fierce wishes a boon of you, now that you have walked the steps of the peacemakers who free’d our people. With them gone, She-Who-Is-Fierce has guided me to you in hopes that you will attain the object which holds the last of the dead god’s powers, and break the spell that stops She-Who-Is-Fierce from casting him out. The Peacemakers were our allies by blood oath, but now they are gone, defeated by the slavers. The call of war will soon begin again. Find the Peacemakers weapon, a broken sword mended twice, guarded by many spears, in the place the humans have named for the metal they dig from the earth, and break it for the third time to give She-Who-Is-Fierce free range again before her children must fight. The battle to come may be the toughest any of our tribe has ever faced, and we would not do it hobbled.
The giant white wolf has left the group and morning is fresh upon them. Alexis asks for a memento from each as appreciation for the help through the night. Ethelred pulls out one of the spearheads from the stink lizards and starts working it to be more like a fang. While Ethelred works, Alexis takes the pickax and starts digging a relatively shallow hole out of the way, Telosh takes out the goblin potions and decides which to part with, and Gustav finds a stone and starts carving a wolf-head on the stone. After Alexis finishes the hole he brings out one of Nock-Moss’ river rocks and draws a tear on the rock.
When everyone has their offering, Alexis takes each one in turn starting with the stones from Ethelred and Gustav.
“As small tokens of appreciation for you and your wolf, our protector last night, we dedicate this fang and this fierce visage.” Alexis sets Gustav’s stone first and places Ethelred’s on top of it.
“In the name of the wise woman, we offer this tainted potion. May you use the taint as a poison or the potion for it’s power.”
“With the ink of humanity in this remote place, we remember how you have saved humanity once again, and mark it with a tear.”
When the last item is placed in the hole, Alexis looks at his companions. “Now a moment for each of us to silently give thanks.”
The period of silence extends, and extends. The period is too long. It feels awkward.
Finally Alexis breaks the silence with a whispered “thank you.” Then he turns to the group “those awkward silences always make me uneasy. Let’s cover this hole and get over that saddle. May we be blessed across the river and not be stopped by the smooth cheeks.”
Telosh drifts in an out of consciousness as Gustav cares for him. Thoughts drift in and out of his mind…
…
Gustav is more gentle than Sven was when Sven tending to Telosh’s wounds.
…
Av’v, Ath, Torr-vann, Tylin, Raiden, Tymora, Dian-Cect, Kahru, Lomont, the Anemoi… some of these Gods Telosh has heard of before, some he has not… but what Alexis said rings true, praise and beseech them each in their turn…
…
“Ath does not view himself as a betrayer,” isn’t that what Alexis said?
TyLin, guide me as you have, that I do not become a betrayer, that I may protect my companions. Give me strength to be open an true with my friends.
…
Alexis thinks upon the feeling of slaying the scar-cheeked orcs.
Torr-van guide me to strike down my enemies swiftly and finality.
Raiden, guide me to protect my companions and humanity.
…
Telosh thinks of the billowing spores of mold, how he was affected in a way that Ethelred was not.
Tymora, I accept you push and pull, and am grateful for your support and the lessons you teach.
…
Telosh senses Gustav’s caring attention. The ranger is kind, provides for the group, cares for their wounded. He does not rush to fight, even against orcs and stink-lizards. Goblins may be his weakness, but even there, he listens to the counsel of others.
TyLin, see Gustav, aid him if it please you. If his path is not to you, I beseech you, please help him to find it.
…
“Gustav, Alexis has allowed me to indulge in some good old sleuthing to see if we can unearth that ax buried in the nasty mold.
I need to run a few experiments. For this I will need some tasty bits of meat from you next hunt.
As well I will require your help in reviewing and placing some traps to gather some field mice, or really any small furry things. The traps will be little cages that we can move around and keep the specimens alive, for now.
Also please keep any hide and sinew you get from your hunts. I will require building some glove and possible a very inventive mask.”