Session 4 - The Trip to Helm Rest

Back to masterpost.

Have council, Danan wants to be the envoy, Aldem refuses and puts Alala as leader, eventually Danan was allowed to go

Baik is the formal leader of the expedition to get sheep for the festival

Day 1 of travel northeast-ish - Path north along the coast, away from dense woods. Boats from Alum can be seen. Sky turns grey about midday. Looks like rain.

Baik says it's gonna pour. Asks if we should take shelter, there is an old ruin we can shelter in.

Cruel says it's just water, if it's not a storm it'll be fine.

Chubby says rain sucks and is curious about old ruins.

Cruel changes his mind and says to check out ruins.

Ruins poke out of the forest, they ring the top of the hill, some of the roof has collapsed. As this happens, the rain picks up harder and harder, the boats on the ocean start returning.

Boots asks if it's a known campsite, Baik says it is.

Cruel asks if he knows who used to live here, Baik says he doesn't know history that well.

Danan adds that people from the south landed in Southron, the peninsula, and there used to be a lot of conflict, so this ruin must have been a fort once upon a time.

The hill is extremely muddy, Uuroa slips and falls and gets an injury. Baik uses the trees to pull himself up. The other adults use their spears as staves.

Once we arrive, it's a simple square fort with a second level and arrowslits cut out. Otherwise it's just a block, the eastern side has collapsed inward, and the archway for entrance has been broken, but we can climb the rubble to get in.

Chubby comes first, Boots right behind. Chubby peeps around. There is a couple there, a man and a woman. The man is balding, the woman is folded inside him, on his chest, so she's difficult to see. Chubby shouts "You there!"

The man jumps, draws a shortsword and points it. Chubby steps inside, arms akimbo, and says "I mean no harm!"

The man yells "Who goes there!? Tell me who you are!"

Chubby: "I'm Yamarck of Novum"

The woman grabs the man and says "It's only a child, sit down." This seems to calm him down but he's still holding the sword.

Chubby: Let us talk.

Man: We can talk while I hold it.

Woman: Please put down the weapon! It's a guest.

The man puts down the sword but his thumb is still on the crossguard.

Chubby: What ails you so? Why are you so scared?

They whisper among themselves.

Chubby: This is no time for whispers.

Man: If you're a child, come closer.

Chubby: I have friends outside.

Woman: They're just guests, they can stay.

Chubby: Is this your fortress?

Woman: Well, aren't you all guests? You're Ikkali, you come from the water.

(OOC Boots: Are they from our culture?)

They're Balamites, one of the two main ethnicities from the continent, not often on the water. It's hard for Ikkali to tell them apart from Lacunans, the other main ethnicities.

Woman ushers and insists on us coming in, the man doesn't want that.

Cruel: Are there other ruined buildings? If this is your home we can just move, we just have to be here for the night.

The man starts shaking his head crying "this isn't our home!"

Chubby: Are you on the run mister?

Man, yelling, pointing at the wrong direction above Chubby: Don't throw such accusations! I run from nothing!

The woman starts crying and grabbing him.

It appears the man is blind or hard of sight.

Cruel: It's not our business if you're running.

Woman: They're just guests, they don't care.

Chubby: Are you hungry?

Woman: No, we have some food. - She pooints at 2 dead bunnies, neck broken, blood draining on the corner.

Chubby: This won't do. My friends will come in and we'll help you make dinner.

Chubby: Go tell Baik, Cruel. In the meantime I'll sit with the woman.

Cruel goes and tells Baik that there are two adults, man is blind and agitated with a sword. Baik nods and says we suppose to get some shelter.

(Ags: They might be ghosts, I'm not worried about them however)

Chubby sits down in front of the woman and tells her she's pretty and looks at her eyes.

She smiles sadly, "That's awfully sweet of you". In her eyes there is anxiety, stress, fear, etc, but she's trying to keep it together. She appears embarrassed, for some reason. She pats the man on his back and says "Calm down Severian".

Chubby: What's your name?

Woman: Ales.

Outside, Uuroa says we should knock them out. Boots says we should knock YOU out. Uuroa dares Boots to fight. Baik pulls both of them apart, it's ok to fight, but he doesn't want the adults to see it.

Boots: We'll solve this later.

Cruel: We shouldn't knock them out, we should get chummy and take the sword away from him without him noticing it.

Baik nods: Sulong Solo always says that holding a sword like that is a promise of violence to yourself.

Cruel: Let's go in and see how they react.

We shuffle in, the man still turned to the wall. Ales says Sev please greet everybody.

Severian: How many people are seeing me?

They start whispering.

Cruel: You don't have to greet all of us, we're just here for a little bit.

Ales: Traveller, where are you going?

Chubby: We have a big coming-of-age festival, the Windfish festival, do you know?

Ales: No, I don't know much about your people.

Chubby: You should tell us, we love to learn!

Ales: Sure!

Cruel: Are you balamites or lacunans?

Ales: Balamite, of course, from Helm Rest. (She becomes sad) Our home has become cursed, we've been forced to leave.

Chubby: The entire settlement or your house?

Ales: The entire settlement.

Chubby: We're going somewhere cursed?

Ales: Yes, I wouldn't go there, the stain might follow you.

As she mentions this, Severian becomes agitated, she calms him.

Boots offers his bucket as a guest gift.

Ales: Take these rabbits. See, they're toys! (Making them hop) This one's bones broke very nicely.

Chubby: Do you know a lot about bones?

Ales: I like to feel when things go from alive to dead, it's very satisfying don't you think? You will become fishermen, surely you know a thing or two about that.

Danan shakes his head, silently.

Ales (about Balamites): We have farms unlike you, we don't live from the water. I'm a bit jealous. You can just come and go, no matter if you're a man or a woman. For a Balamite that is everything.

Alala speaks up: It's not easy to be a woman among men, even if you're an Ikkali.

Cruel: They don't let boys do magic either...

The two of them just sit there, an awkward truce raises.

Cruel asks more about the curse. What it is, what it does, and does it kill.

Ales nods slowly: I don't like to talk about it.

Severian starts talking for the first time. "I'm not sure if it's a curse, it might be a blessing. It killed Halvar, it pinned him to the tree. And I escaped with you Ales." They start kissing and Ales seems embarrassed.

Cruel: How did it kill Halvar?

Severian: It pinned him to the tree, removed his nails, and killed his whole family.

Ales: One by one, if one wasn't killed, it took something from him, like Severian.

Chubby: Are there some wards?

Ales: I wish. The temple might have it. What we tried didn't work.

Boots: Did it kill people from outside of Halvar's family?

Ales: It killed from Halver's, Craymore, and Karlus' family. Started with their poultry. (That's when she started wondering about killing animals)

Chubby: Someone must have trespassed.

Ales: I don't care anymore, we just want to leave. Would we be received at your settlement?

Cruel: Maybe, we have a big baby...

Baik: Of course you'd be welcomed.

Cruel: Is there any sheep left there?

Ales: Yes, it was mostly the personal flocks fo these who were killed.

Chubby: I won't marry anyone so I'm safe!

Severian: What a pathetic life, you should kill yourself now.

Cruel: At least we can see!

Severian starts pulling his sword but Ales jumps him and kisses him to calm him down.

Cruel, whispering to Baik: Should we be worried that they'll bring their curse to Novum?

Baik nods: But we can't turn someone in need.

Alala: There's no reason to help these people. We're guests, why should we help the hosts.

Uuroa is trying to grab the dead rabbit.

Boots: Is the reason you were embarrassed earlier because your man is so much older?

Ales: Embarrassed? What do you mean?

Cruel and Chubby: You were DEFINITELY embarrassed

Severian: Embarrassed of me?

Ales: Absolutely not!

Severian: I can hear your lies!

Severian then storms out, everyone lets him. Ales starts leaving, Boots and Chubby stops her.

Ales: I need to help him, he helped me, I love him and he loves me, and he lost his sight!

Chubby: To me you are both lost.

Cruel: He might just come back later, he probably needs some time to cool off.

This calms down Ales who starts messing with the dead bodies.

Boots goes out to the edge and peers out.

Severian is with his sword, at the edge of the rubble.

Cruel: Hey we have a fire, be quick about it...

Severian doesn't respond.

Chubby doesn't trust them.

Julinga, as everyone is getting cozy: Wow these people are going crazy.

Danan Aldemsson talks to Boots. Firstly it appears he's sniffling.

Boots approaches him very closely and says "Why are you crying?"

Danan jumps back, sighs and says: You're a kid, you wouldn't understand.

Boots furrows his eyebrows and they go back to sleep.

In the morning, the rain keeps going with the occasional lightning. Chubby is exhausted. Severian did not return.

Ales is very worried about it. Chubby says he always heard this is what happened if he masturbated.

Ales: We have similar stories.

Chubby: If you want, you can go calling for him. And listen, I don't you coming back to our village.

Baik: How can we refuse someone in need of help?

Chubby: These people aren't helpless, they're adults. The curse is their fault!

Cruel: That makes sense.

Ales begs us to help look for him.

Cruel: I'll help if you tell us if the curse was your fault.

She shakes her head.

Chubby: Was there any inciting incident?

Ales says it happened when Halver went to retrieve Finna, the daughter of chief Cathal.

Cruel: Did the others do something?

Ales: They were related... you wouldn't understand, you're not from our lands.

Cruel: Seems pretty straightforward...

Chubby: Maybe we can lift the curse.

Ales: I'm scared.

Cruel says he'll stay here and just call out.

Boots goes out too, daring Uuroa to come along.

Chubby tries getting a minute with Danan: I feel bad for that lady, but her behaviour is creepy, and her lustful behaviour shouldn't be done in front of tohers.

Danan: I don't think anyone deserves the things that happened to them... (Shaking) I'm scared of going to Helm's Rest now, and I was supposed to look after you kids! (Hitting himself with the spear)

Chubby: I heard you crying..

Danan: Don't tell anyone

Chubby: I won't, but tell me about it

Danan: The things that happened to these people, who would do that!? I cried the first time I had to gut a fish, my dad calls me a pussy.

Chubby: Yeah...

Around somewhere else Uuroa purposefully pushes Boots, he slides harmlessly on his butt and lands on his feet at the bottom of the rubble.

Uuroa, glibly: Oops, did you hurt yourself?

Boots does not respond.

Chubby makes a plan to call out until we can't hear one another, spreading out to find Severian. Ales sticks with Cruel, afraid to be alone.

Cruel and Ales see a tree near the perimeter with a marking that looks like an eyeball. Ales gasps and says it's the evil eye. Cruel recognises it as one of the satanic symbols he's seen.

Cruel: What does it do?

Ales says it's a general symbol of evil and malfeisance.

Cruel: What if I carve my own, what would happen there?

Ales: Don't do that...

Cruel: Why would THEY do that then?

Boots sees a bunch of other trees with that symbol.

Cruel takes his knife and scratches the eyes out.

Ales: Piswulf says you have to dismiss the evil first!

Cruel: And how do you do that?

Ales: I don't know

Cruel: Man you don't know a lot do you.

Ales starts crying that Piswulf is dead now.

It is known that Balamites use salt for this kind of dismissal.

Cruel says he'll use some of the salt on his rations to dismiss the evil before scratching the salt.

The eyes get worse and worse as they go, they start tapering to a point.

Boots: We should march towards the point.

Cruel agrees.

Chubby, to Danan in a hushed tone: Let's be brave together.

Danan and Ales become very scared.

Boots: Danan, take her back.

Uuroa: Die then.

Chubby: Since she likes hurting things maybe she should die.

Danan hands Chubby his spear and leaves with Ales.

We follow the path and eventually come to a ledge on the woods. Circling around it to the right side there is an entrance to a cave.

Boots marches in there, followed by Cruel. Uuroa says he'll keep watch. "I'm not afraid, it's strategical!"

Chubby, poking him on the belly and following: Yeah you keep watch.

We crouch down to enter it. We smell a corpse and notice we don't have a light.

Chubby throws round pebbles ahead. We follow the chokepoint and it opens up wider. The cave dries off and we start feeling a new liquid on our feet. Sandals squishing, lapping on our toes.

Cruel touches it and smells it, smells like blood.

Cruel and Boots try finding the body, Chubby keeps the spear ready.

Boots touches a body covered in fur, large. Cruel feels what are other little bodies - squirrels, rabbits.

Boots feels a hand touching the back of his neck. Severian's voice says "Do you feel this gift that I got for Ales? I got her all these gifts because I want her to forgive me, I don't want everyone looking at me."

Boots grabs his hand and asks about the eyes.

Severian yells "Don't touch me! There's a monster inside of me, don't tell anyone." Pinning Boots down.

Cruel asks about the eye, Severian says "the eye the eye the eye"

Boots tries lifting him, he backs away, his sword cuts Boots carving his shoulder down to his ribs.

Cruel starts leaving, Chubby guides him out.

Boots throws his net, trying to pull him down. The wall is on his left side, on the ground is the corpse.

He hits him but the net doesn't catch. He starts hitting the ground and yelling. Chubby tries to find him with the spear. Boots puts his back to the wall and tries to find stable ground silently.

Chubby doesn't hit anything in the centre of the room.

Chubby hear something yell and hits something, then feels something cut at him. Chubby is injured under his stomach, Severian crashes to the ground. He starts yelling about the monster inside of him, and about the body of Halver. He says Halver was gone for a week, but before he finishes Boots bashes his head in with the club and grabs his sword, saying "I hope you become a feast for the dogs and crows."

Chubby is crying and wounded, Cruel enters asking what happened.

Uuroa: Hup! Heh, that would be an ambush if you were an enemy.

Cruel: If you ever ambush me I'll curse you.

Chubby is doubled over and using the spear as a crutch.

Uuroa asks if Chubby and Boots are alright, Cruel asks what happened. Boots says we killed a monster, Chubby says a great tragedy happened today.

Cruel: Should we have a story?

Boots: We did nothing wrong.

Going back, Ales starts begging not to be brought back to Helm Rest, and to be taken to Severian to die with him.

Chubby gets under the shelter and collapses.

Ales grabs Boots and he freaks out, pointing the sword at her and saying the sword is his. Danan asks him to stand down, Alala supports his claim.

Boots, Uuroa, and Cruel says all that happened.

Alala among the adults says that Boots deserves the weapon to bring honour to all Ikkali and not be punished.

Danan says he sympathises with Ales and says she lost everything and should honour her reuniting properly, a warrior should be buried with his weapon.

Boots argues it was conquered rightly and that we shouldn't follow Balamite customs. Cruel backs him up.

Danan finds this disgusting, "This life is cruel enough, if someone wants to end it, they should end it how they wish, depriving Ales of this is despicable".

Boots calls him a coward and says Aldem was right about him. Danan starts crying and leaves with Ales to take her there.

Baik wants to spend the day resting to make sure Chubby can make the travel, doesn't matter if Vengeance Night is delayed by a day.

Day 2. We take a day of rest. Uuroa thinks Boots is cool now. Chubby apologises. Danan returns, Ales isn't with him. He goes inside to grab his stuff, Baik talks to him about it, Danan just brushes him off saying "I'm going home".

Chubby struggles to his feet to ask him for a hug and Danan obliges, and apologises saying "I'm sorry I couldn't help them", tears in his eyes. "Boots was right about me, I'm sorry I let you down, I love you" and then leaves. Alala shows Boots some techniques with a sword, saying her father Odson taught her, and that many Ikkali don't know how to use swords.

Day 3 of travel, weather has cleared up a lot, fine weather, flowers are blooming everywhere, soaking up the rain. We make it to Helm Rest without incident. There are many wooden buildings, Ikkali are unused to them. We go to Lord Cathal's big house, are greeted pretty quickly.

An older man named Hazelhead with a dark face and a red hat greets us. They were already expecting us and excuses themselves because things are a bit hectic in town.

Cruel: What did you do to Halver's body?

Hazelhead: What? How did you know that?

Cruel: We met some people on the way who-

Hazelhead, squatting down to their level: Who did you meet?

Cruel: A guy and a lady who died.

Hazelhead: Who, how did they die?

Chubby: His name was Severian and I took his life.

Hazelhead: And Ales?

Chubby: She took her own.

Hazelhead: Oh no no no

Chubby: I'm sorry, please don't be mad at him.

Hazelhead: Hey it's alright, it's alright. Maybe you didn't see him!

Chubby: Is this one of the lies adults like to tell?

Hazelhead: You couldn't have known. She was kidnapped by that man, that's what Piswulf said before he died.

Cruel: She didn't want to come back.

Hazelhead: That has nothing to do with it, when Lord Cathal is on the line.

Cruel and Chubby agree to lie about it after a little back and forth. Chubby says he wanted to see a boob.

Hazelhead looks up and says he doesn't consider Severian a Balamite anymore, and asks us to hide the sword. He then says Severian was a bodyguard to the chief, but Craymore and Karlus haven't been harmed.

We're taken to a mansion a hill, a wealthy pasture nearby. The central hall is filled with people, but everybody is quiet and dour. Looks unkempt. At the head is Cathal, with long white hair and balding, the yellowish skin of the Balamites look sickly on him, big wrinkles. His wife, Duana looks haggard, working on spinning a loom, looks much younger than Halver and has let herself go.

Craymore the CRAZY appears, wearing chainmail, and squeezes Cruel's hand, saying he's pathetic. He says Boots has guts for not reacting.

Cathal, appearing bored, lets us take the stuff. Seems very uninterested.

Alala asks for help, Cathal is about to say no but Craymore wants to go and take men. Cathal consents.

Boots asks the rest if they want to stay here and help out, Baik thinks it's a good idea.

Cruel asks for a story and Cathal tells a long story about Luffia, a goddess they (Balamites) worship of arts and poetry and preparing food for guests, and then asks Cruel to repeat parts, and he manages it. This gives Cruel access to the library. "This is chief Cathal's treasury."

Meanwhile, Chubby is out drinking with Craymore who is recruiting men. They mostly talk about fighting highlanders. Chubby tries asking them about the curse but Karlus gives him a slap and walks away. Craymore seems fine and start talking shit on the Ikkali. Chubby gives the ick to a woman. Craymore seems to get mad but he was just messing with him.

Boots goes to the temple, session ends.