Not long after seeing the Kohlar, Priest of Anashar preach, Telosh signals to Alexis and behind a hand quietly mentions:
“Perhaps the good friar would know the right thing to do with Raff’s tooth.”
Telosh makes the signals, Priest, Law, Sword.
“If it is broken, surely he’d be the right one to deal with it.”
Twice Break, Sword. Three times.
After the group has left the area of the Copper Hills fort and is heading north on the road to explore the area of the three-armed giant, Alexis asks Telosh “Why didn’t you take the sword when you had the chance? These two” he says motioning to Gus and Red who are walking slightly ahead “I get why. But you, I’m still not sure why you didn’t and I’ve been thinking about it since we left the Greyfax estate.”
As the group returns to the Copper Hills Fort, Ethelred is feeling his mortality in a way he has not before. The brush with death has not shaken him from the hero’s path, the loss of all his gear has not defeated his spirit (even if it has rendered him more or less useless).
“Alexis, we can’t out run or hide from the Darkhand for ever. They will find us at the Copper Hills. There probably wont be an army, who know what forces will remain. And ever if there was an army they wouldn’t care about our squabble with the Darkhand.
We do know of at least two groups that have no love for the Darkhand. Our current travel companions, though they seem more interesting in killing Gods? But also the bandits we gave the sword to.
Could we deal a blow to the darkhand by defeating some valued treasure hunters? Ride ourselves of foes and forge some loose alliance with the bandits?
Maybe you have other plans?
And can you talk with Telosh. I need money to get some tools”
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 two weeks after Utiog was destroyed, the group is in the old Inn of the River Village for a meal. Alexis addresses Telosh.
“While I admit there was some intellectual interest in the idea of killing all the gods, you seemed particularly interested in the idea. Do you still that strongly?”
Somewhere along the way, on the journey from Sutheron to the Copper Hills Fort, Lucius, complete with Sutheron accent, strikes up a conversation with Alexis:
“Say my fellow Sutheroni, I heard an interesting speculation in the Five Winds Inn and Tavern between a couple of priestly types, and it nearly started a fight with some Westy horse traders, apparently one of the horse traders is from a farming family…
“Anyhoo, the one acolyte says to the other, ‘Oo-rin is THE Harvest God, and Hood harvests souls, seems like may be two facets of the same gem, the scythe is associated with both as well, right?”
“Now, the Westlander overheard this and started yelling, ” ‘arvesting gray-en ain’t da say’m as peoples!” and whatnot… no Hoodites were to been seen to stand up for their Patron, but there certainly wasn’t much more discussion of the issue that night!”
“What is your learned opinion, Esteemed Alexis Laelius? Is Hood connected to Oo-rin? It seems odd to me, I always thought Hood was just the… children’s name for Erlik…”
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…
Alexis, Mavon, and Ethelred are wet and cold, but all five of the group is ready to leave the caves to get warm. As the group leaves the fungal cave and into more traveled areas Ethelred and Mavon start discussing treasure hunting. Alexis takes the opportunity to signal Telosh for them to take up the back of the procession.
Keeping his voice a little low Alexis addresses Telosh “I’ve been thinking about Skelor. We should reach out to him. Up until now, I’ve been leaving that to Gus, but you and I both know he’s not the most… gregarious woodsman. Plus he’s from Aegir.” Alexis says the last bit about Aegir in a knowing tone. A shared, conspiratorial tone.
“Would you be willing to reach out to our crippled friend?”
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.”