9 May 451
Krinn sat staring at the glowing embers that remained in the fire pit, her expression unreadable as usual. El Sid had insisted they put the fire out after the Beetle attack, but there was still some warmth remaining in the coals, and she needed it.
The sun was just beginning to peek over the grassy knolls East of them. A slight throbbing she had felt from where the beetle had sliced her arm was already subsiding thanks to Delrin's healing spell. She could already see the flesh on her forearm knitting together-she doubted there would even be a scar. That was not what was bothering her, but what was? Lack of sleep, perhaps? No. She had a good six hours behind her, early morning watch or no. The skirmish with the crystalline bugs had been exciting, she was healing admirably, no one had died, so why did she have this slight crawling feeling that something was different?
She looked irritably at her arm and resisted yet again the urge to scratch. As she did so, she noticed Aron scowling just as she was, although the stubbed fang like front teeth brought about by the man's Urakai lineage made it a lot more gruesome. The sight of this huge man twisting with an annoyed grimace was almost comical.
"Itches doesn't it?" she asked in halting orcish.
Aron's surprised eyes fell on her. He inspected her as though for the first time. "Speak you orc?" he growled in the same language.
"A little" she replied, laughing. "One of our best trainers at the Temple was half orc. She had a saying, "The enemy is my friend for without him there is no war."
Aron's eyes suddenly lit up. "...and my friend is my enemy for with him there is peace." The huge half orc finished with a a bellow. He clapped Krinn on the shoulder, almost sending her head first into the dying embers. "You know the words" he cried.
Krinn decided to seize the moment. "Aron she said, do you feel changed somehow from your cuts?"
He looked at her puzzled. "Changed?" he asked. "Like what?"
Krinn shrugged. "It's nothing... I just feel a little odd" she trailed off.
Aron nodded sagely. "Combat does that to you."
Delrin joined them, hunching down. "I've looked around. No obvious signs of anything else in the area. The bugs either flew most of the way from the forest, or leave no tracks, so we can’t backtrack them." He frowned at them. "I asked Tristan a bit more about this disease, but most of his knowledge is second hand. Keep alert... if you feel any signs of fever, tell someone immediately." Krinn bit her lower lip and thought about mentioning her odd sense of a difference, but said nothing. Delrin stood and stretched in the first rays of dawn, then continued "I think we should stay here for another day. I have an experiment I'd like to try."
"Oh, really?" asked Krinn, arching a brow.
Delrin smiled at her. "I have a couple of spells that might work. I can summon a wolf and try to speak with it... we may find out more about the forest, and what lies inside."
"Why?" asked Aron. "I thought our goal was Micaforo?"
Delrin's smiled disappeared. "To right a great wrong. We must find some way to restore this place to nature's harmony." Aron looked doubtful but said nothing. "My spells will return at midnight."
There was a whooping sound from over a nearby rise, and Fuji came trotting over the crest with something large and heavy tossed over his shoulder. As he came closer, Delrin could see it was a antelope. Tanaka followed him at a more sedate pace, wiping blood from his sword. "Got party!" Fuji yelled smugly.
Delrin frowned slightly. Death was a part of the circle of life, but birth and death were special parts, to be treated with respect. Then he sighed. Fuji was respectful to no man, beast, or thing.
Aron looked on approvingly as they brought the dead animal in. "El Sid can go hang... let's get that fire going again. I am damned tired of field rations. Good hunting."
Fuji looked at him in confusion for a moment, then burst out laughing. "Hunting, no, no. Ceremony. We first do combat, then ceremony follow. Now combat is done. Now ceremony is time. Lots of blood, you understand?"
Aron looked increduosly at the animal. "Blood? Like animal blood? For the Sa Kajok ceremony? I hope this is a joke."
Fuji shook his head vigoursly. "No joke, big ceremony, lotsa blood, you understand?"
Aron was saved from answering when Krinn turned and walked away coldly. She had not said much to either Kandayan after they had turned down her offer to join the Sa Kajok. Tanaka looked after her with a troubled expression on his face. Delrin noticed it. "You could still change your mind."
Tanaka shook his head sadly. "No. Can not be, at least here and now. If we invite woman into Sa Kajok, we be asked for sepulchre."
"Sepulchre?" echoed Aron.
"Sepulchre. You say... Sepaku? Ritual removal of bowels with own sword, best way to ask forgiveness for breaking code."
"You mean ritual suicide? I guess you don't have to ask forgiveness very often!"
"Don't break code very often, at least not in big way. You, and other friends, minor, how you say, subi saw jorum... vi-oh-lay-shun, of code."
Aron drew back and looked at him. "So what is the punishment for a minor violation, Tanaka?"
"Sepulchre, maybe. 50-50, I say. We trust friends impress hell out of everyone, maybe we just do sword pushups till knuckles bleed."
"Sword pu... never mind, I don't want to know. OK, well, hell, if you guys are willing to gut yourself for this, I guess I can put up with a little animal blood. But I still wish Krinn could join."
Tanaka looked at her receding back. "Well, one way. One way, very difficult, most likely she die in attempt, if head not hacked off for asking. But die most honorably, very, how you say, cool way to go."
"I'm sure." replied Aron sarcastically. Then, more seriously, he added "So, tell me about the ceremony..."
"We explain tonight, to explain now... you forget details by time we start, and details important to Sa Kajok."
Tristan caught the end of that as he wandered over to the rapidly growing group. "A ceremony this evening is fine, but for now, I think we need to get on the road."
Delrin looked nonplussed. "I was hoping to stay here for another day... there are some things I would like to find out about this place."
Tristan frowned and shook his head. "I agree that it is interesting, but I’m worried about Krinn and Aron. If they come down with this disease, it will hit fast... hours to maybe two days. We are at least two days out, more like two and a half, from Micaforo. We can probably find a Vodan cleric, or a member of the Brethern or Fagar the clean there. Any of them should be able to provide us with a cure disease."
Delrin looked stubborn, but finally nodded. "As you say, then. But we need to return here sometime soon."
Tristan nodded, the called out "Mount up!"
The rest of the day passed uneventfully, and they pushed on until close to sunset, leaving just enought time to set up camp before dark.
Unexpectedly and out of character, Fuji approached Krinn quietly, almost shyly. "You well fought, Elf... Krinn. You be sure that Warriors receive the grace of Ghods in odd ways. Be not fooled by appearance and not ever presume that those who seem to forsake you value not the mighty heart of a Warrior proven. Tanaka not speak freely, he is Kanday. But, he is my kin, my heart is his heart, my mouth his mouth. So I say this to you, you have the heart of a Warrior. I know this. It will be rewarded in time." Without saying anything further, Fuji bowed his head slightly then turned and walked away.
Later, Tanaka approached Krinn. "We bond tonight, Krinn. You must not attend. It would be dishonorable to my ancestors. Respect this wish." Tanaka's word's brought back the fury to Krinn's heart. The desire to assail him for his stupidity and ignorance rose in her throat. But, even as the blood ran to her eyes, she did not miss the spark in Tanaka's. Her ears detected the slightest inflection of those carefully prepared words, "dishonorable TO MY ANCESTORS," not to himself. Perhaps the Barbarian was bound by culture, or even magic, who knew in this world of strange creatures and stranger events. She would wait. The savages, Tanaka and Fuji, would prove themselves soon enough true to higher thinking or as base as the culture that created them. She would wait and see. "Pity them", thought Krinn, "if the latter proves true. I will dispatch them to Hell myself." She turned coldly, and walked away from Tanaka.
That evening the Kandayans spoke to the men.
Tanaka turning to Glorm declared, "Hyung Nim, the joining is a ceremony which recited takes many hours. We learn the oaths and questions and articles from the time we are children. It must be performed in ancient Stangri and it would take years to teach you all of it so you could deliver with proper punweegi, um, emotion or feeling. So it will be with our brother's answers, that too would take too long. So we will do what's necessary. The crux of the ceremony is a simple statement, "Chugalae? Salae?" You must ask this of each brother to be. In your tongue the literal translation is "Do you wish to die, or do you wish to live?" Each of us must respond, "Chugo shipou, " I wish to die. This cleanses the soul of all prior commitments, obligations or ties. If this is the response you receive, Hyung Nim, and ONLY with this response, you must tie the Brother to you. Wipe your bloodied hand across his forehead and respond, "Na anae sanda! Erum anae sanda!" You live in me! You live in..., our family name, which you will declare tonight. Your hand will be bloodied by inserting it into the hunted animal's chest. It is the blood of a wild beast's heart that will tie our Sa Kajok to the Earth as the beast was joined to the Earth in life. When you have completed the circle and driven out or killed those who are impure, those who choose "sago shipou," you must tear forth the animal's heart and toss it in the flame. Thus done, our bond can never be taken back save in death. From that fire, you will then take the coin and again complete the circle, asking each Brother, "odee?" Where? They will tell you where they wish their mark to be placed. You will then ask, "Pul ee Sak?" Fire or color?." Tanaka paused for emphasis.
"Our brothers who choose "sak" are those who will lead our family in pursuits of intellect and art, if they choose this path you must dip the coin in the curret, um , the bowl. This will take all the heat from the coin and will leave an eternal, colorful tattoo on the Brother. Then return the coin to the fire. Our brothers who choose "pul" are those indicating their love of battle and physical strength, if they choose this path do not dip the coin, instead place it readily upon their chosen spot and an eternal brand will be left upon him. Now, the ceremony is done. You must then cleave the head from the beast and signal the "pahti" to begin. The Pahti is a celebration of our brotherhood. We will smoke the "yone chopcho," Urakai Madweed, it will relieve the pain of marking instantly. I will tell you, Brothers, the mark is delivered and must be received in pain. The coin is treated with an agent that will inflict unbearable pain, but you should not cry out. Be patient, enjoy the pain of birth and know you that the Urakai Madweed will soothe us all. Then we feast."
That night was strange beyond belief for all the travelers. Tanaka and Fuji had taken great pains to prepare the small clearing carefully. All knew almost instantly where they were to sit. The seal of the house of Borgia was carefully drawn in the sand for Don and Sid, a pipe and hazy undefined landscape awaited Glorm. The seal of Tristan’s house and the stick figure Urakai warrior-rune marked seats for Tristan and. And, Delrin recognized the simple outline of the wolf as his. Tanaka and Fuji's seat were amongst etches of their father's clan mark, explaining that they were still named to his clan until the ceremony was complete. By the right side of Glorm's seat was a beautifully decorated bowl with a strange fluid in it. The antelope brought down earlier was on the left. It had been staked to the ground, back down, chest carefully, almost surgically, opened to expose the great beast's heart. A fire was burning and as the group approached Fuji scooped up a handful of spice from a carefully laid pile near his seat and tossed it into the flame. The aroma was intense, stinging, but somehow hypnotic to each man.
Tanaka began a slow rhythmic drum beat on a ceremonial drum and Fuji stepped methodically around the circle stopping in front of each man. Fuji spoke not a word, but each traveler was compelled to open his mouth and accept the leaf Fuji placed upon his tongue. It was small, tasting and shaped very much like a mint leaf, and it dissolved quickly. Each man felt a warmth and pleasing dizziness almost instantly. Fuji took his seat and nodded to Glorm.
Glorm stood and as planned stepped in front of Delrin who was seated directly to his left.
"Chugalae? Salae?" he began the ceremony.
Delrin's mouth opened, "Chu.....," he stopped. Thoughts, pictures flooded into his brain. He remembered his childhood, his friends, acquaintances he had met briefly decades ago and shared but a moment in time with. He saw his home, the house where he grew up, his first pet. New faces rushed forward, faces he couldn't discern but... knew. They were his future wife, his future children and grandchildren.
Everyone froze. Each thinking furiously, "why isn't the idiot completing the rite. Surely he could not have forgotten his simple response!" Glorm and the Kethemers were sure the Kandays would savagely avenge this sacrilege. Each felt the impulse to rise and yell at Delrin, "answer, you fool!" But Tanaka and Fuji were strangely subdued. The Kandays were not reacting, just staring patiently, knowingly into the fire. So each man waited.... tensely.
Delrin felt an overwhelming peace with his life. He did not want to choose "death" and leave these wonderful people, this wonderful beautiful life behind. Starting anew, binding with these savages was ridiculous. Why would he choose anything but "life!?", the life he knew, the life he was reliving in a flash of images and emotions. He began rephrasing, "sago...." No! That wasn't the response. Delrin became aware of the silence, the campfire, his companions. It was the leaf! Those bastard Kandays drugged him to test his courage and his commitment. He knew then. The "death" he chose was symbolic only, his life was his and would unfold as the Ghods wished.
"Chugo Shipou!" he declared proudly.
Glorm exhaled and stepped to the next man. One by one the men fell into confusion when called upon for their response. One by one they revisited and reveled in the best parts of their lives. And, one by one, they realized....slowly....that it was the herb and the fire spice evoking these emotions and this reluctance to bind to a new life, a new brotherhood. Each ultimately responded without remorse, "chugo shipou!"
Tanaka and Fuji smiled slightly with each response. They had chosen well. These Kethemers had will! They had honor. Perhaps, strongest of all was the Dwarf. It was he who without reluctance honored the Kandays with his commitment to the Sa Kajok. They were all worthy of being Kanday! Tanaka and Fuji had gambled their honor, their lives and won. They would fulfill the prophecy one day. They would regain their father's house and, perhaps, with the help of these wanderers, their brothers, unify Kanday. Tanaka and Fuji hesitated with their response just as the Kethemers had. But they seemed not confused. Instead their hesitation was one of pleasure, a last visit with an old friend, and then they calmly moved on, "chugo shipou."
Glorm swathed each man's forehead with blood from the antelope's chest and called for the life of each man in turn as the rite required. "Na anae sanda, Mitheril anae sanda." Fuji continued slowly tossing herbs into the fire and Tanaka continued the slow melodic beat. Each man chose the back of his weapon hand for placement of his mark save Fuji who burned a brand upon his cheekbone opposite the seal of his mother. Each man chose appropriate to his nature "sak," color, or "pul," fire. And each felt the horrible searing pain of the chemically treated coin. Each bore his pain quietly, bravely. Finally, it was time. Tanaka offered his sword to Glorm and the dwarf brought it swiftly down upon the antelope’s carcass cleanly severing the head. Fuji and Tanaka sprang forward chanting, "pahti! pahti!" and each Kethemer quickly followed suit. Tanaka handed small finely rolled cigarettes to each man and declared, "smoke."
The Urakai Madweed worked its magic instantly. The pain of the marking subsided and a euphoria erupted in each new Warrior. The ceremony was done. They were Sa Kajok.
The men awoke dazedly and slowly early the next morning. They felt refreshed. The realization came upon them that their behavior had not been ideally prudent. The drunken revelry had left them all sleeping with no watch save Krinn who was not immediately visible. None of the men had clear memory of the previous night's events after smoking the Yone chopcho. Blurred images of Fuji and Tanaka dancing a fierce tribal stomp holding aloft the impaled head of the antelope.
A remembrance of biting into flesh even before the carcass had been skewered and cooked over the fire. They each seemed to recall wild wrestling and stunning headbutts but they carried no pain this morning. Looking at each other they couldn't help but laugh, they did feel a kinship a bond closer than before with these fellows.
Tristan broke the eerie morning silence, "no watch last night, normally I would say we were fools to indulge ourselves like this but looking at you all I'm sure we were safe. No creature nor devil would have dared attack a party looking like this." The men looked at each other. They were filthy. Caked blood covered their faces and ran from their mouths. The smiles they exchanged exposed pieces of flesh caught in their teeth. The once pristine camp was a cacophony of littered bits of carcass, large pieces of the antelope appeared to have been cut and stomped into an oozing muck, clumps of ground and sticks torn from trees were strewn about. It appeared a battle had raged here, but there were no bodies. The men quietly, comfortably began cleaning up....their efforts strangely coordinated.
Glorm cupped his hands to his mouth and began calling, "Krinn? Krinn?"
Tristan slapped Aron on the back, grinning. Aron smiled back and stretched, weaving slightly. Tristan looked more closely, recognizing the sheen on Aron as sweat rather than the water used to clean off the blood and dirt of the night before. "Are you OK? "
Aron stood woozily. "Actually, I do feel a bit under the weather... the madweed, no doubt."
Tristan’s response was cut off by Glorm’s yell from the top of a nearby knoll. "KACRUL! Everybody! Krinn is unconscious!"
---------------------------------- BREAK, MECHANICS
2D6 Saving throw vs. disease:
less than 1/3 con, feverish but no real affect, 3 days
1/3-2/3s con, feverish, -4 hit & d, mobile, 1-2 weeks
2/3 - con: extremely feverish, immobile, not lucid, 2-4
weeksgreater than con - dead
Aron rolls a 5
Krinn rolls a 11
------------------------------- BREAK, CONTINUE STORY
Delrin felt the heat radiating off Krinn like a oven. he held her a little tighter as Rascal jumped an old, decaying log. She was wrapped in a blanket, eyes closed, limp in his grasp, which made it very difficult to ride gracefully. Occasionally, she would mutter incomprehsively in elvish. "Prella. Nosela pa fossel tena..." She said in a tortured whisper. Delrin wondered for a moment if he should ask Tristan to translate, but concluded it was only fevered babbling.
Aron was still riding, but was clearly in a bad way. Some combination of endurace and plain tenacity kept him in the saddle, teeth gritted, sweat pouring from his face. Tristan was nearby, watching his old friend carefully.
"Prella, prella, nosela pa, nosela pa!" Krinn said a little more loudly. Her eyes opened for a moment, pupils dialated and seeing nothing. "A storm is coming" she said clearly in English, then collapsed back into her fevered sleep.
Delrin cursed, and urged Rascal forward. El Sid was on point, Tristan too worried about Aron to make an effective scout. "El Sid" he called urgently.
El Sid reined in and waited for him. "Yes?"
"Krinn says there is a storm coming."
El Sid looked at her lying limply in his arms, leaning against his chest. "Are you sure she's coherent?"
Delrin frowned. "No. Do you want to assume she isn't?"
El Sid shook his head. "No. A storm seems to be in line with our luck thus far on this trip." He looked thoughtful for a moment. "We have tents, but I don't think we want to try to weather a storm with Krinn and Aron sick. OK FOLKS!" he cried more loudly. "WE NEED TO STEP UP THE PACE!" He turned to Delrin. "I'm going back to prod the others. You get moving." Then he turned and cantored back to the end of the line.
Delrin almost called back to him... on point with his arms full of a fevered Krinn wasn't his idea of fun. But he realized that they were not going to be able to maintain marching order and increase their speed significantly, and so urged Rascal to a gallop. Behind him, he heard El Sid prompting the others.
He kept a wary eye out, but saw nothing dangerous. There were a few of the large, woolly creatures with blubbery mouths he had seen in Pranan and Negrata being used as draft animals, but they had been told the things even when not domesticated were not aggressive. A few wild cattle and horses, and a myraid of smaller creatures, but nothing that would bother them.
Weather was a different issue. Clouds were gathering overhead, clouds with a dark, threatning look. Several hours passed, with a short break where he switched to Krinn's mount for a while. The horses were getting exhausted, their pace too fast for the poor animals. Delrin felt for them, but more for Krinn, who's breathing became more laborous as time went on. Then he topped a rise, and saw the first signs of civilization in the past two days. A stone wall, and on the other side, waving fields of grain. They paralleled the wall for a short distance, and found a gate they could pass through. A dirt road lead east, and they made better time than in the rolling hills they had left.
Drops of rain had started falling by the time they saw the first farmhouse, a low wooden building with a five foot stone wall around it. In the distance, a tall dark spire stood above the scattered tree tops. Delrin slowed, thinking of taking shelter in the farmhouse, but El Sid urged them on. "If there is a healing cleric around, they will be in Micaforo proper."
Delrin turned to answer, looking at El Sid. Suddenly, he shivered. A small, black cat was perched on El Sid's shoulder. El Sid noticed Delrin's gaze. "Rosebud couldn't keep up with that pace" he explained. Delrin nodded, and El Sid rode on. El Sid had explained he had a cat when they had boarded the Golden Sunset, but Delrin had only caught glimpses of the thing throughout the entire trip. To see it actually touching the man... it was spooky. Who would keep a harbringer of death as a pet? Most people in Kethem would kill such an animal on sight, although Tristan explained that outside of Kethem they were not uncommon, even as pets.
They continued on, running the horses past the ragged edge of exhaustion. But the animals seemed to realize they were almost to their destination, and put on a sudden burst of speed. It was several miles, and by the time they were hitting the outskirts of the town, the rain was comming down hard.
Micaforo was indeed built around a Castle, set into a long rolling hill. It was difficult to make out in the rain, but there was obviously a scattered town that streched out from tall walls of dark stone. The walls were far enough out from the spires of the castle that it was clear an inner town existed as well.
The street turned to cobblestone as they hit the edge of the town, a relief from the rapidly muddying road they left behind. They passed a couple of inns, but again El Sid urged them on. "Inner city" he gasped, "more likely to get someone quickly."
Tristan, back on point now that they were so close and Aron was still in the saddle, agreed. They made it to a main gate quickly, and passed a few wet and unhappy looking guards with crossbow and swords. The guards made no comment as they passed, but looked at the group curiously. Clearly, Kethemers were not common here.
Inside the gates, a twisting road spiraled up the hillside, disappearing around the other side of the hill and undoubtedly leading to the castle. They found an inn called, quaintly enough, the Gutted Halaxi just inside the gate, and Tristan signalled for everyone to dismount. A stable boy ran out, grumbling about strangers without enough sense not to arrive in a rain squall, but quickly lead the horses into a stable. Dom suggested the rest of them move into the inn and attend to Aron and Krinn while he ensured the horses were properly stabled. Delrin half lead, half carried Krinn inside. The warmth of the hallway was a welcome relief, but they were so soaked through that most of them were still shivering. Delrin heard the sounds of singing and yelling through a nearby doorway. Undoubtedly a common room. Tristan arranged for rooms, then stayed behind to try and arrange for a healing cleric.
They headed up a set of stairs to a long cooridor along which were the doors to the inn's rooms. Delrin turned to the others. "I'll take care of Krinn" he said. Inside her room, he quickly stripped off her soaking wet cloths and put her in the bed, covering her with as many blankets as he could find and trying not to think ungentlemanly thoughts. She was shivering with cold, and barely concious, still muttering incoherently under her breath. Delrin took long enough to get one of the inn's room boys to fetch some water he could try to dribble in Krinn's mouth, then settled in until the Cleric arrived.
------------------------------- BREAK, MAP OF MICAFORO
_ ____ __ _ ___ __
[ ] [ ][ ][_][_ ][ ] outer
<-outer [ ] [ ][ ] /-\[ ][__] ____town->
town__ [ ] [____][__]/ . [__] _ [ ]___
[___][ ] _ _ / . \[_]_[________] _
_ ___ [_]__[_][_]/ .6 \[ ] [ ]
[ ][ ] / . |__] [ ]
[ ][ ]| ..... . +++++++ |__ [ ]
[ ][___]| .5 + + |__] [ ]
[_] = . ++++ + | [__]
++++++++++=++ . + +....= Back
[ ] W R= + . + ____ + 3 | Gate
[_] e o| +[1] + [ ] + ___ \ ___
_ s a| + ++[ 2 ] + / | | [ ]
[_] _t d \ ++ [____] + / | | [ _]
[_][_] _ \ + +| 8 | | [_]_
__ [_] [ ] \___ + .7 +| / / _[_]
[ ] [ ]_____\ + . +|__/ / [___]
[ ] _ [ ]\ ++............+ /
[__] [_] [ _____] \ + + / _____
[ ] _____\ ++++++++++ / [ ]
[ ] [___ ]\ . 4 . /_ [_____]
outer [__] _ [ ]_\ ..... /[ ]
<-town [ ] [____]_____________|[__] _____
[ ]____ __ __ _ __ [ ]
[______] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ __]
[__] [__] [_] [__] [__]
. = secondary road + = Major road = = Gate through wall
[1] Gutted Halaxi [2] Main Castle 3 Barrent's staircase 4 Southern loop 5 Portent staircase 6 Northern staircase 7 Brewer's end [8] Market plaza
-------------------------------------- BREAK
pul - Aron, Fuji, Tanaka, Glorm sac - El Sid, Dom, Tristan
Pay 5 gold for Krinn, Aron recovers on his own in 1-3 one week 4-6 two weeks: roll is 2