Bog and Shrett return to camp with news of the strange figure and their failure to pursue it further—it reminds them of the elusive ghost at the Monastery in this way. You get some rest, though, after some discussions. But you also hire two boats, thanks to Fraud’s good bartering at the tavern, to help you cross the Brena Marsh the next day; to be returned that night.
And so you head out, ekeing your way through the maze of creeks and mudflats and islets and open waters of the Brena Marsh. It’s slow going at times but there are no mishaps. You come upon a series of paths made of wooden planks, crossing the marshes on the far side of a broad, sluggish, scummy stream. They roughly go southwards and are about 1m above ground or water level, with poles every so often that rise another 1.5m or so. You investigate them later. The poles are carved with runes: Water, Beast, Movement, Death and more. But they also carven silhouettes of men, animals, gods and monstrous things. Shrett is convinced that some of the figures are spiders, and this gets Fraud interested for a while until he realises that these are just willow or cypress trees, and Shrett is imagining things. Maybe Giraine homesickness!?
You come upon a sort of island of mud and vegetation when, as you approach, your eyes catch a white branch protruding, then realise that it is a human forearm, ripped away at the elbow joint. You cast Sense Chaos and Fraud draws his Embracing Blade, but there is no Chaos or undeath there. So you warily stop at the mound. The vegetation over the mound is loose and Shrett peels it away in mossy mats. There are three mangled, pale corpses of men in ragged leather armour and cloaks, with nothing much left. They haven’t been here more than a few days at most. They have no weapons, and you check for other signs of who they were but can only find faded, rotted remnants of tattoos that Bog thinks are marks of them being Storm Henotheists; most likely Safelstran, although not impossible to have come from barbarian lands of Ralios.
You leave and continue somewhat parallel to the wooden-plank path, which turns more southwestwards. There is a distant scream of a man in mortal anguish. It sounds like it might be in that direction where the plank-path goes. You continue that way, choosing to stay on converging creeks that flow southwest, rather than go eastwards into the vast expanse of smaller canals in the Marsh. The current speeds up but still is slow. Yet it reaches a river; presumably the Green Serpent River; which flows from roughly south (Tarin Mts) to northwest.
The plank-path stops near the river, in an area of mudflats. You hear some moans and place them to be from the north side of the path. Shrett picks his way carefully across the mudflats to investigate. There is a small cove where the marsh meets the river’s eastern shore. Some earthen ground rises at the back of the cove, above the level of the mudflats and water. He returns, and you discuss how to approach it, with Fraud arguing to try to bring boats in (but the cove’s entrance is narrow, so that would be a challenge); you finally agree to just have Shrett lead the way back over the mudflats. And he does so tremendously well.
There is a low cave within the mound, facing the river. It is about 2m wide and 1.5m tall above the ground and water. The water has eroded the mud from around it, so there is more solid ground, but this means that the cave is partly flooded, about 1m deep. Mist and shadows hide the contents. Fraud thinks, I wish we had some wind! And then aha, yes, I have the Fan of St Lelbic! He waves it and the fog blows away. Shrett goes in to investigate. He sees something at the back of the cave but hasn’t time to process it, because a hulking, mucky shape rises from the water behind him and tries to grab him in a great clawed hand! It is pallid and clammy and slimy and large, troll-sized, with distorted features like a waterlogged corpse’s, and sharp teeth. He trades blows as Fraud comes in behind it; first it takes a wicked sword-slash across the face and growls, then as Boamund throws Disrupt spells in and Bog wonders what the heck is happening, Fraud hits it hard with a stab to the chest but the wound hardly damages the rubbery, yielding flesh. He tries again with a swing to the head, connecting perfectly, and this almost cuts the thing’s head off. He ensures that it is beheaded; the body then sinks into the muck; while Shrett goes deeper into the small cave.
Inside, two posts are driven into the ground and a miserable, haggard, filthy man in shredded monk’s robes is suspended by ropes hung between them, keeping him just above water level. His hair and beard are wildly unkept and his face is muddy. He is conscious and responds to Shrett that he is (the kidnapped) Knower Gofrey and is not at all well; with bad wounds to his abdomen and legs, and weakness from terrible exposure and pain/bleeding. His skin is sallow and pale; his lower body shows bite marks from nibbling creatures that he says are “marsh demons”. His eyes stare weakly out from sunken pits. Mostly, he rambles incoherently in Safelstran. About “shapeshifters”, “accursed by air, earth, water and sky they are”, “blue serpent Church”, “Unn’s green stone”, etc… Fraud treats him enough that he can be carried out and taken on board a boat; he will live.
Yet back on the wooden path, Boamund’s keen eyes reveal that the south side of the path has a hidden inlet with cypresses, concealing a little wharf where there is a small river barge, as you find when you check. There is nothing else, and the wharf is not new (but not ancient either). You debate what to do with the barge and opt to just leave it and get Gofrey back to your camp so he can recover. You do so, and before midnight are resting. You keep careful watch at night but, although there are creepy sounds and such aplenty, nothing comes from out of the murky fogs of the Marsh.
That morning, thanks to Fraud’s diligent attentions, Gofrey is recovering enough to have periods of rational discussion. He says that Rollo wants something from the Church and is trying to force Gofrey to speak an old Boatspeech incantation for a ritual at some unholy place nearby; and has been torturing Gofrey to do it. He explains that yes, he was out for a walk by the Monastery and someone snuck up behind him and hit him in the head, and he awoke tied up on a horse’s back, ending up in this Marsh, lapsing in and out of consciousness, then finding himself captive not to these horse-riding kidnappers (who you figure must be those 3 bodies you’d uncovered) but rather some horrible monsters; the swamp-demons; of which he thinks he saw two. One he wonders if its features were those of Knower Jensos, or was that delirium? The other was larger and seemed to have only one eye, but large and baleful. They were his tormentors, and he quickly weakened; he might not have lasted another day if you’d not saved him. Asked about his prior ramblings, he isn’t sure what he was on about but says that there is an old, reputable Beacon of Malkion temple in the Brena Marsh, along the river to the north of where you rescued him. This seems like a good place to check if it is that Blue Serpent Church or whatever. Gofrey tires, still having fainting spells and neading more rest. Bog wants more rest, too, and so he stays put in the camp, with Shrett watching both of them and the mules. Boamund and Fraud go to do two visits.
The first is to the Elfchild/Aelkind. You bring her some food and Fraud has some gentle conversation with her. She imparts, with an unusual edge of anger or hatred, that the monster you killed was a “Marsh-Wight” (to you, “Wight” has no special meaning but is a Ralian barbarian word not familiar to Westerners, but basically meaning monster/demon/whatever); and part of the Monster Army. She giggles at mention of the blue serpent (church), that it’s silly talk, but says that the Green Serpent is “asleep” and the swamp has become more sluggish and muddy over many years, with the Marsh-Wights’ threat returning too. How might the Serpent be awakened? Bring back the dragons she says; all of them; and one has already awakened. OK, that doesn’t sound like an easy task. (Dragons and serpents/rivers have a complex affinity in Glorantha) As for Owid, her brother, she says that he once walked with her through the Marsh and she returned but he did not, yet he “is not in the Court of Silence” (i.e., dead) and she hasn’t seen him in some time. Fraud talks a little more, then leaves.
Next he has sent a message via Skrantal to the Tondheres, asking in a nice formal, proper way for an audience with the Lady, and before noon you’re invited there. Recca answers the door, looking to Fraud and saying “Oh Wifril, you’re back! Take your mask off, it’s OK, your visage does not frighten me to behold.” And so Fraud takes off his mask, and she beholds his snake-head and screams and flees into a corner. Lady Tondhere has come forward with a frown and, not hiding her displeasure with Fraud’s actions and impact, speaks to Boamund. She had been preparing to speak more with you, bracing herself to maintain her composure this time. She doesn’t know anything of these Marsh-Wights or such, but didn’t finish a tale she began with you yesterday, and this relates to Rollo’s family and the mystery of what happened between them and the Tondheres. The real story of her son Wifril’s death is that he did not die in battle with Rollo’s men like his father did (some peasants think this), and did not fall into the marsh water on a walk back from fishing; choking and dying at home (other peasants think this). Rather, he saw what happened with Recca (Lady Tondhere never learned just what he saw), flew into a rage and confronted Rollo’s son Vilman, and knocked Vilman down, hurting him. Vilman soon died of the wound. The true story of Wifril’s death is that came home mortally wounded, delirious, and died moaning of “bloated devils”, “giants”, and “drowning in eyes”. Indeed, Rollo’s wife Sintra gave Wifril a carved stone that Vilman had owned, as a peace offering. Wifril drowned in his bed a week later. These events resulted in the Tondhere family becoming almost destitute and powerless, and great lingering tensions with Rollo’s clan, who thenceforth were dominant in Othona but also heavy-handed. Rollo clearly remained upset about his son’s demise.
Lady Tondhere presents an old leather pouch from a pocket, gingerly holding it forth to Boamund. It is this that Sintra, mother of Vilman, gave to Wifril as “peace offering”. She warns Boamund to take great care with it. He peeks into the pouch and sees a stone, smaller than a fist, flat, cream-coloured, with a Water Rune carved onto each side. Mother Tondhere has never touched it, always keeping it in the pouch; she fears it. Boamund thanks her and you leave.
You come back together at the camp and Fraud uses his Truestone’s Analyse Magic spell on the stone, learning of its terrible evil curse. It casts Drown on any Man-Rune being touching it; 200% vs. Endurance; continues until death or stone is smashed (AP 8, HP 8). Works once more; crumbles once it kills. You talk it over, and Bog realises it would make a nice sling-stone, so he gets it!
You take your boats back to the end of the wooden path near the cave and hidden barge. Fraud then pilots the barge northwest to the place where you’re told the Temple is. That’s easy to find. It is at the end of a trail that goes northeast and might be the same trail that Shrett had first taken (i.e., back to Othona). This is a remote, small temple in the swamps, built 100m north from some ruins. It has a badly overgrown garden area out front. It is a simple structure: a single front doorway with no door, a roughly rectangular hall about 18m long, 6m wide and 4m high, and a basic altar of stone, bronze and wood at the back, with a worn fresco of Malkion (in some obscure Action) above it. The floors are the most impressive aspect, being fine mozaics with coloured stones in geometric designs like three stars or the Sun. Seeing no activity around this area, you approach and look around inside, and see a man who hasn’t noticed your coming.
He is an old (70s), stooped, scraggly white-haired, tired-looking peasant in worn grey robes. You hail him and he turns in calm surprise and welcomes you. He is Reader Wilmot, and is the sole priest who presides here; he has a small hut in the village of Othona but has been here much of the time. He is a peasant by caste but serves the Othona peasants as intermediary with the wizards, who have itinerant Knowers visiting now and then. But it’s a small community so they don’t get a lot of visits. Fraud questions him with increasing intensity and Wilmot gets more and more confused. He says he’s not had any troubles with “Marsh-Wights” or other things. His explanation of this Temple is that it’s a holy place that long has been a place of refuge from the deprivations of the swamp. Malkion’s essence has guided the faithful to safety here many times. He doesn’t know anything about a blue or green serpent church or whatever. While Fraud accuses him of misdeeds, the rest of you listen as Boamund translates and you can see Reader Wilmot get exasperated, appearing to know little and having trouble getting that across to Fraud. Perhaps for some reason the horrors of the Monster Army have spared this Temple so far, much as they have spared Othona and Rollo’s clan. Indeed, you’re the first to have encountered such horrors in recent memory of the locals. They’ve just been going about their lives, which are hard, for many decades.
Reader Wilmot has been here for 3 seasons; the previous Reader died mysteriously (you may be wondering, this timing is close to that of the invasion by Rollo’s clan). He is still coming to know the village, but has met Rollo’s wife Sintra and found her charming. He found vandalism here 2 weeks ago, and since has spent more time here than in Othona. The altar had been dragged over to the northwest wall, and some stones had been pried out there. During this conversation, Shrett and Bog have noted a stone in the northwest corner that has a green serpent’s head in fine tiles that don’t match the surrounding stonework. You point this out and Wilmot says that he knows nothing of it; he is no architect and has only basic knowledge of the history of the Temple. He says though that the missing tiles were made of stone of an unusual blue hue, and none such stones remain in the stonework here.
But, under some duress now, Wilmot offers to open the Temple’s records and see if he can answer any of your pressing questions with them. Fraud offers to help and Wilmot somewhat begrudgingly agrees. They set to the task. Most documents are waterlogged or irrelevant, but working together the two quickly hone in on two informative documents; in Seshnegi rather than Safelstran (but most other documents are Safelstran). Meanwhile the others are active elsewhere (see below). The documents are:
In the meantime, the others’ investigations find things that soon match up with what Fraud and Wilmot learn. Bog goes out to the ruins and recognises that they are First Age ruins, some of whose stones have been used in the building of the Temple (Shrett and Boamund inside the Temple have seen such evidence). The ruin is an Enerali structure, Bog observes. The Enerali were predecessors of the Galanini; horse-riders and among the first to build things in what became Ralios. Indeed, they built some structures at Hrelar Amali. (safelster in the first age) for some deeper diving.
The ruins have some walls remaining, at best reaching to 6 to 9m long and 1m high, surrounded and partly engulfed by the marsh. In one area, the stone work has been cleared of surrounding vegetation and muck, and some excavations have been made. The stones there show inscriptions in Boatspeech, and some crude depictions: A great serpent wrestling with many misshapen humanoid figures, in a swampy setting by a river. Some of the figures seem to have turned away from the battle in more humanlike forms. Bog gets Fraud to copy down what is written there, although none of you can read Boatspeech.
So it is mid-afternoon by the time you finish all of this investigation, and come to the conclusion that the Beacon of Malkion Temple has been built using remains of this Enerali fort/temple/whatever, which might have been a Green Serpent religious site or such, and thus perhaps that is to blame for current problems? It still does not explain much, like the coming of Rollo’s clan etc. There is strong mythic resonance, though, that Ehilm defeated the Monster Army here, but now the Daran County rulers (of whom the nobles are Ehilm worshippers) have lost control of Othona to Rollo’s clan, and it may be no coincidence that the Marsh-Wights have returned and all of these troubles with monks and so on, and something involving the Green Serpent/Elfchild tied into all of this too.
But, as you pat your backs for figuring this much of the mystery out, you feel a chill. Looking to the east, you see a wall of fog slithering across the Brena Marsh, closing in on the Temple. Something is coming.
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