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Game synopsise 25 October 2004
The defenders of Whitewall were intrigued by this strange turn of events. Never before had they seen such a gaily dressed solar man, with his pale, flawless complexion. He had more the look of a flaxen haired maid than that of a mighty man of arms or wyrd with which the put fear into the hearts of the true sons and daughters of the storm. But no matter. He was gone and he took his glow with him – the strange light that seemed to radiate from him, accentuated by the dull gloom of the dark rumbling cloud above the city.
We now turn to Arya the Firebrand, she whom the men now call Arya the Twinblades. She approached the Stewards high chair with a purpose. ‘Kurash, where is the King?’ ‘Why dost thou wish to know Arya?’ ‘I want to try something. Something that might help.’ Kurash was plainly vexed. Verily he did not wish to deny his companion, yet still he felt the mighty pull of his responsibility as Steward. Eventually he relented, after Arya had told of her mother’s talisman, and how it might provide healing to the stricken King, and so perchance speed his recovery to health and vitality. He instructed her that the King lay at the earth temple, in the care of the iron shrew, Scathaca, his wife. With this information Arya hurried from the hall.
As she reached the doors they opened and in came Kallyr Starbrow and her boon companions. Insterid the Vingan gave a pause and spoke with Arya. Both daughters of the defender storm, they spoke of Arya’s vows and how they had been achieved. Insterid spoke of her vows, that they had been taken many years afore and why, and that she wondered at times whether she would get the chance to avenge her family, butchered by the foul soldiers of the poison moon. Still, Insterid must attend her mistress and they parted sisters with kind words.
Kallyr approached the Steward. She spoke of her concern at this new turn of events. She asked what Kurash new of Tatius the Bright. Kurash related that he and the Chosen Ones had seen Tatius as he paraded through Jonstown on his way to the capital at the start of the year that now drew to its close. Kallyr said that she had heard that he was a high ranking officer in the Lunar College of Magic(1). She wondered if he had been brought forth because of the peculiar magical effect that surrounded Whitewall. Still, Kurash and Kallyr resolved that at the least the guard should be doubled and the men sleep in their armour. Tatius had promised them death before the year was out and with just two weeks to go until the sacred time the next full moons were the most likely time for assault – one being only two days hence.
Kallyr spoke to Kurash of another matter that concerned her greatly. That morn, when Elmal had only just passed the gates of dawn and began his ascent into the sky, her people had discovered Elusu, Kallyr’s trickster (2), gone. His iron chain and collar were intact, still attached to the wall. The door had been barred and the room had no windows. A mystery indeed.
Aren said that he would accompany Kallyr and investigate this mater and report to the Steward. Kallyr asked that the tricksters escape should not become general knowledge as it might incite a panic, a trickster on the loose and a new lunar army camped outside of the walls. So the Chosen Ones joined the search.
We now must needs turn to Arya, and her visit to the stricken King. She was greeted by Scathaca, who was here usual warm self! She demanded to know what the Vingan wanted with the King, ‘Come, I have little enough time for warrior men, but warrior women even less. Make your errand known to me and I will consider!’ Scathaca scowled. ‘I come with this’ Arya held forth her mothers talisman, ‘It belonged to my mother, and is all the memory I have of her. I was taken to slavery by the redmen when I was a child.’ Scathaca looked upon the talisman, and her face softened. Here was plainly the token of a woman of the earth goddess. ‘Tell me child, were you initiated into Ernalda?’ ‘Yes, but when my parents were killed I was taken prisoner with my twin Nalia and enslaved. I was rescued by Vinga and by her I had sworn vengeance on he that enslaved us and to find and rescue my sister. One part is done. Now I will search and find my sister Nalia.’ Scathaca looked into the eyes of the flame haired Vingan. ‘You will return the earth when you have completed your vows then?’(3) ‘Yes. I desire only to live in peace with my family in a land where the winds blow freely and the earth is not stained by the red light of the poison moon.’ Scathaca then took Arya to where the King lay. Together they placed the Talisman upon Broyan. Arya said the payer that her mother taught her. Broyan did not stir. Scathaca thanked the Vingan for her attempt, and told her that all the ministrations of the healer women had likewise failed. Arya requested the King keep the talisman until he returned into his own as it may yet have some value in his recovery. Scathaca smiled a rare smile when Arya bade farewell as she left to return to the great hall.
So it was that Arya and Olend resolved to take flight upon the very air and scout the land betwixt the city and the Lunar camp, lest the villainous trickster plot to betray the Olanthi, verily as Eurmal (4) had betrayed Orlanth his self many times during the war of the gods in the days before days after the fall of the evil emperor.
Aren meanwhile had accompanied Kallyr to the place where Elusu had been chained. Calling forth all his powers as a hunter he sniffed and he scratched and bent his eyes and nose to the stone floor. A bare room of stone is not fen or wood yet Aren proved mighty when he detected the faintest trace of the imprint of a foot at the threshold to the door. He showed thus to Kallyr – who could not see at first what Aren pointed out to her. He saw, he told the queen, the shape of a foot, but one that appeared to have a ring around what would have been the big toe. Kallyr confirmed that none of her people, neither Elusu himself wore such footwear. These tidings Aren took to the Steward.
We now turn to Olend and Arya, as they soared upon Orlanth’s breath (5) searching this way and that for the Eurmali. So it was that they did not detect swooping down upon them from out of the sun, giant vrok hawks (6), bestrode by warriors of Yelmalio, God of cold light. Olend was nigh struck from the sky by the fell bird of prey. Only Ayra’s supernatural luck saved her when a sunbeam glinted off the sunman’s golden spear and caught her eye allowing her to turn aside narrowly in time. Thus a ferocious battle began in the sky. The sky flared with sunbright coronas, and Arya’s twin blades flickered with lightning. Hail was drawn down from on high and Olend sent it blasting at the hawks as they traversed this way and that, each trying to gain the advantage. Arya and Olend concentrated their efforts upon the giant hawks, for they suspected that the Yelmalions would not be born by the living air without the aid of their steeds. So it was that Arya and Olend dealt the hawks and their masters grisly death and sent them plummeting from the sky. The hero’s collected the armour of the fallen and made their way back to the city. That the battle in the sky would have attracted attention they doubted not and thus their search would not go unnoticed.
So it was that when Olend and Arya returned to the Steward they found Kurash, Kallyr and Kurash debating the strange footprint. Kurash, wise in the ways of strangers suspected that the culprit was wearing socks. Aren, Olend and Arya looked puzzled until Kurash pointed out that they were a strange garment worn by folk in cities. Thieves would sometimes wear them as they made no sound. ‘Then,’ spoke Aren, ‘We will shall scour the city find this wearer of socks!’
The days passed and neither socks nor indeed the wearer of socks were found. The day of the full moon had arrived. All of Whitewall held its breath. The airs were stilled, and as Elmal rose to the air the few clouds in the sky were driven away. Thus as the day drew toward noon, they heard that which they feared, the sounding of the horn of Whitewall, the Horn of Little Big - wind of Whitewall, the sounds of which reverberates through the very walls of Whitewall.
When they left the hall the heroes could see that approaching the broken bridge was siege engines. From the sky came moonboats bristling with warriors of moon and sun. Aren took flight with Elmalandti, who made his way to the temple for to call forth the powers of storm. Orlanth rumbled overhead. Arya flew to the gate house to strengthen the defence. Kurash, Queen Leika, Kallyr and Gyffur could only blink unbelievable as Olend strode upon Orlanth’s breath toward the approaching moonboats, unaided. No one knew what he resolved, what mighty plan he had for the defences. He alone had cracked the foul moonstone upon the bat; he alone had stood in battle with the high priest and struck him from the air; Olend famed Stormwalker and Helering renowned went on to glory.
Olend bated the crews of the moonboats, ‘Flee foul shepelkirtian scum! Olend Batbane is come!’ A thicket of javelins struck the man of Heler from the sky. A cheer went up aboard the moonboats. This should be an easy victory. Heartened they sped on as Olend fell from the sky.
The siege engines that approached the bridge fell to bridge the chasm and shining warriors of the sun sprung forth. Kallyr cried in alarm, ‘The gates! Tarkalor’s gate is open! Tarkalor’s gate is open! Elusu!’ With her thanes and Gyffur she took flight. Kurash decided in that moment that he would seek the King. What his purpose might be none night say but melee was joined.
Arya heard the cry from Kallyr all the way to the gate. She looked but the gates were plainly closed. Then inexplicable she heard the cheer and cry as men ran through the gates. Though closed they gave no more protection than a veil of mist. Calling upon the powers of storm to blow away any illusions, the gates that appeared to be there faded and she could plainly see that indeed the gates were open. Arya and a handful of thanes leapt to the defence. She slew six golden warriors with a whirlwind of blows from her dreaded blade frostreaver and her red blade of vengeance. The solar advance momentarily stymied, Arya bade men hold the gate whilst she closed the gates. The men looked incredulous – a phalanx was marching toward the gate and the mighty Arya was leaving them! She scolded them and told them hold the Lunars back she would return. She entered the gate house and saw the large bronze chain that operated the mechanism to close the heavy gates of Tarkalor. She made to operate them when suddenly an incredible thing happened. A man, clad all in red samite, and wearing a golden head band appeared to come spinning out of the stone paved floor. He came to an abrupt halt facing Arya in a peculiar stance. He had no weapons, but he had a single broad golden ring on each of his index fingers and the big toe on each of his feet. He had a strange sigil upon his breast, a rune made of two lines joined at an angle, set above a like image separated by a bar set at an angle (7). Arya set her teeth and clenched her blades. The strange man spoke in heavily accented Sartarite, ‘I am Tothus Seven-Seventh. Barbarian, your death is immanent is three moves – are you prepared to die?’
(1) Lunar College of Magic – Greatly feared, the magicians of the Lunar Empire were formed into battalions that together could cast spells that could devastate an entire fyrd and call burning rocks from the sky!
(2) Trickster – Though universally hated, they are enshrined into Orlanthi society for good and for ill for mythic reasons dating back to the war of the gods and the lightbringers quest, when Orlanth returned the light to the sky and banished chaos from the world.
(3) ‘return to the earth…’ – The norm in Heortling society is for all girls to be initiated into the secrets of Ernalda. Some women have a different wyrd and are called by warrior gods. Others like Arya take up the sword for a purpose, like revenge.
(4) Eurmal – The trickster, God of disorder and mischief who single handed almost destroyed Glorantha and the very fabric of existence itself.
(5) Orlanth’s breaths – The air.
(6) Giant Vrok Hawks – Horse sized birds of prey.