Last week was “move the campaign plot forward a little” week, with some past issues re-emerging to (literally?) haunt you…
Aria's Well had survived the Chaos eruption at the fumarole but not un-scarred. Not only was there fire damage and misshapen trees and lingering, exacerbated fears of more evils to come, but the local reputation of the settlement continued to slide downward. You did what you could to stem this, but word travels far and fast and broadly, even here…
Jett came and confided (to Boamund and Ahappi) that there was trouble coming from the Rokari. They had been “sneaking” in Seshnelan soldiers to bivoack outside the St-Thosos-In-The-Mire chapel next to town. Meanwhile, the Evracians had grown rich and even well-liked by the inland peasants. Baron Ron felt trapped between these Rokari political forces and the war on the mainland, as Jett said: “Overplay our hand and we'll be part of the war; a part that is quickly crushed. No one cares about us; even the Dark Duke of Pithdaros is distracted by the mainland war, and the Quinpolic League as well. Seshnela and the Rokari could take Giraine if they wanted it, but the only reason they'd do it is to rid themselves of a hive of heretics.”
You argued with Jett that you should not waste further time and just attack, or at least try to drug the Seshnelan troops with Evracian “Golden Poppy” products to stir up internecine trouble with them, but he wasn't so convinced and Big Ron clearly was still conflict-avoidant (the Heretic rune scar on his head was too blame?). Another plan was to bring the Giranois clans into unity as allies; Big Ron wasn't against this and Ahappi was firmly in favour of it, so you schemed to go meet them.
That discussion was interrupted by a far-off rumbling- investigating and re-uniting with Miguel and others (Fraud Shaven was doing investigations in St Thosos), you found out that the neighboring farmhouse of Safiz al Zapar, a colonist allied to Big Ron but on your borders with a successful large farm, had been entirely swallowed up by a sinkhole, which collapsed in on itself and left no way inside. Picking through the rubble and consoling the farmer, it became clear that his children had survived but his wife and her parents had been inside the house when it fell. Witnesses reported it just dropping into the earth with no warning! Miguel talked privately to Safiz about the little contraption he'd seen in the house before but the farmer did not know its fate. Bloody rocks in the sinkhole showed that there were deaths, but no bodies were found, and sorcery spells of Sense Life and Sense Chaos found nothing. Hmm!
Miguel went to St Thosos to fetch Fraud Shaven for meetings with the Giranois, and talked about getting some instruction from the sage Evakranem about the local native life, but was instead encouraged to try that with Lars Windchare back at Aria's Well. Indeed, the two of them hit it off and soon began collecting local samples together while chatting about the curious life of Giraine and its mysterious history. Ahappi unpacked a big bundle from the Baron and tried on the nice new sea-metal (aluminium) suit of chainmail that he'd been sent. Good old Brobard got the captain's old chainmail suit, which drooped on his smaller frame but could be refitted.
As if summoned, Giranois showed up in town! It was your old “friend”, Groad the huntsman from the Sottogh clan to the north of you, with his usual entourage of scruffy warriors and his uniquely cheery-grumpy-toadying-threatening demeanor. He complained that there had been disappearances of his clansmen at the forbidden canyon between your two settlements, and that the Sottogh elders had done nothing of it.
Citing your reknown for dealing with spirits and sorcery and such, Groad - in a characteristically passive-aggressive Giranois way - urged that you solve this problem and “head off future trouble”… with the ghost? Sottogh? Giranois? He did not specify. You agreed to do it, although heads were shaking in resignment to the grim task. Before he left, he worked in an insult about your local water and his clan's fine upland water and tea (basically saying that all their shit washed downhill and you drank it here in the swamps). Message was sent to Maugis that he was needed for this. The hope was that the elders would speak to you about other matters (over Giranois tea, of course!) after this was settled. The timing of all this did soon seem interesting…
As Fire Season's final week came toward its close, word spread quickly across Giraine that there was new trouble, or old trouble reborn at least. Maugis got this news at Fort Mudlark just before he got the news about Sottogh help, and you got it in Aria's Well soon enough. Giranois- of some uncertain clan, but the Sharde clan was nearest - had raided some patrols from the fort and were showing newly aggressive activity, including thieving and other raids on settlements (but clear facts seemed lacking at the time). Maugis spoke to a friendly soldier as the fort mobilized and heard a rumour about an “armoured frog” spotting in the swamp, as paranoia of Baronet Mudlark ratcheted up a few notches to “Level 4 siege” mentality and the sleepy little fort buzzed with action. Maugis did not speak against the looming threat of new hostilities, not being a big fan of Giranois priest-burnings and such! Here we go again?
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