RPG Campaigns

Giraine Summaries

Hi,

Your rest at Fort Mudlark was interrupted in the middle of the night by the local sage Wendel Wyvernsbait who came knocking, coming inside with a gourd flask of “authentic Giranois turnip spirit” which did end up having a flavour and a kick. You partook of it while he expressed his disappointment that Maugis was not present (there was a mutter in there about Ron's sage Evakranem not being a conversationalist). Then, as he turned to leave he remembered that you had some interests in the Giranois and he always has (from a very bookish perspective), so he kept passing the flask while talking about his latest finds.

It turned out Wendel had assembled a good copy of Ibertus Dislexus's heresiology text on the Giranois; the definitive known text on the topic, from many hundred years ago; and that the latest pages showed some interesting insights into Granno's religion. However, he disagreed with the last part- he'd found that the Old Gods, whose names he mostly recalled wrongly (the turnip spirit at play?), were similar to 1st Age Pithdaran darkness spirits that fought Gbaji with the Arkati, in some way. So they weren't Godlearner in origin at all; Iubertus was wrong. While his academic argument bored you, his final point did catch Fraud's attention strongly. As Ahappi turned the discussion toward darker topics like whether Wendel was a Godlearner or such, Wendel quickly grew uncomfortable and handed you the flask to keep as he fled.

Miguel wasn't rested by dawn, when a surprisingly sober and commanderly Baronet Mudlark stormed in, full of excitement to see you (he was as drunk as you'd ever seen him last night, with Big Ron). Mudlark said that you should help yourselves to the fort's stocks of armours and provisions or beasts, and Miguel could use his Hospital to recover. So Miguel was taken there and met Sister Kaapra (a fair-skinned Junoran; from the far north) of St Xemela, who gruffly scolded him for his dishevelled state and his needs, then set him right with a quick blessing and sent him on his way. He was troubled by brief visions of his Executioner arrow flying into her head, much as his arrows had the healer Cicatrose's…

You were about to leave the fort when Mudlark returned with an old friend: Embulian the Clean, elder of Oyesteria Major, and one of the only survivors/free Perfecti left, as he soon related in deeply sad tones. The story of how he barely escaped there when the Order of the Golden Lance (Inquisition) came charging in, hewing down or capturing his people, saddened and angered you, too. He was sure that his settlement was now shattered forever, but if any free Perfecti remained on the run on Giraine they should find him here, now acting as another advisor to Baron Ron. He explained how the Inquisition had called out to the Perfecti that they were sought; these were heretics of very high priority for this invasion to Put to the Question or stamp out, and they did.

Miguel quickly checked around the fort for his sister and found some soldiers who recognized her description, saying that lost children like her had ended up at New Arv (Fort Mudlark being a military outpost/Ron's new HQ for now; New Arv as the growing population center and port for the resistance) but she had been alive. You left into the Big Gunge, headed for the Sharde.

Storm Season of year 1622 arrived with a cold sleet turning to heavy rain. It provoked a flash flood in the swamps, which swept up Captain Ahappi until he regained his bearings further toward the coast and rejoined you. Fraud Shaven had leapt nimbly to safety in a tree and watched his unfold; luckily all were safe. Later, eight Giranois hunter-warriors tried to ambush you but were spotted. As you challenged them and noted that you were the “Thralls of Granno”, they scattered into the swamps; showing no willingness to lead you to the Sharde. You camped that first night (3 days since leaving Jett's camp) in a fine higher ground area that Boamund had chosen, and it turned out to be tactically excellent when three giant white grub-things came burrowing uphill on Miguel's watch. You dispatched them easily but were amazed by their size and formidable black, venomous mouthparts. What great beetles would these have grown into?

On day 2, Miguel did a great job guiding you and hunting food along the way, so travel was easier. But he didn't spot a soft spot in the ground which sent him tumbling down into a great spiderweb-pit. As he freed himself, the giant Swamp Spider responsible came into the treetops above and Fraud Shaven established communication with it via non-sticky vibration-lines that extended from the trap to the trees. It relaxed but expressed hunger and disappointment over losing its prey; Miguel was shaken to not have become such. Before it left, it was asked what was happening with its kind up north, and it said that there was peace and happiness but the great spider-mother had warned of “monsters” to come (or here?) and, with Ahappi querying, that these monsters originated from the seas like he did. Hmm! Narak, who had remained silent and uninvolved (but independently capable) for most of your journey, spoke out in approval of your peaceful handling of this threat. Apparently she was curious of and sympathetic toward these swamp-spiders.

That afternoon, a giant purplish hagfish grabbed Fraud about the waist as you crossed a deep stream in flood. It injured him but then he turned into a moray eel and escaped. Ahappi and Boamund hewed its slimy bulk to ruins and then eel-Shaven fed on some morsels as recompense. Shaven returned to his human form ashore, shuddering from the horrific experience. Indeed, the Big Gunge still was a nasty place!

Some time later, you met a Sharde hunting band led by an old associate, Jzhurte the Warleader; one of the first Giranois of note that you'd begun turning from foe to friend (Ahappi did so via a great speech years ago at Blind Priest's Hill). He was easily convinced to bring you to the Sharde elders, but again insisted that you must be blindfolded; even Narak's pig Glut.

A great thunderstorm broke as you arrive in the heart of the Sharde lands the next night. There had been some conversations en route with the Giranois but little insight was gleaned. Jzhurte reached out to Fraud and Boamund now and then, showing respect, but gave Ahappi a wide berth and some suspicion at his new appearance. Miguel didn't get far making inquiries with his tight-lipped tenders. At the clan heart, the small village was similar to when you'd visited years ago. The Sharde seemed to be doing OK; even better-equipped with bronze items (from trade/raiding with your people). You tried not to stare when you saw five people (non-Giranois; probably fellow islanders) in a terrible state imprisoned under a mangrove tree. Guards here were heavy including wolf-toads on leads and a gigantic fanged toad watching the spot where St Lelbic had once lain, but now maybe nothing (or a walktapus tentacle's remains?).

You remembered your experiences (or in Miguel's case, hearing of) your prior visit here: how Aym Alamyn “the Unsighted One” and the Cjed family had helped you find the Sharde and St Lelbic, leading to your heroquest into the past of Giraine to take down the Yomilstor gate that let in chaotic walktapi. Fraud Shaven had gained a blessing that enabled him to kiss St Lelbic to the freedom of death, and won the Foestopper fan from the Sharde. And you'd talked the Sharde into accepting a truce with Big Ron's people, which was initially fragile but now held strong. Meanwhile, Aym Alamyn had been doing his own thing, on a quest paralleling yours(?), becoming more like the Giranois. Events had come full circle and now your actions here once again would have great importance-but times had changed, in some ways.

Jzhurte presented you to the three Sharde elders (old man Shesh, younger Shoor and very old, almost inhuman Shilde). They were all more like frogs than any Giranois you'd known before. Something about the Sharde brought them closer to this aspect of their ancestry; the Deep Mother connection here, perhaps? Anyway, you were told to state your case for the war that Jzhurte said you'd come to proffer. Fraud began with an eloquent oratory, emphasizing that unity of the clans was a goal and unity with the others (Ron's folk) too; then if that unity could help the war, all the better-you did have a common foe here. Ahappi roared out that war was here regardless, and they should join it; the need is mutual and he'd saved Granno in the Rokari hell so he was worth listening to. Boamund emphasized fellowship of the peoples on the island, speaking more gingerly and noting that he'd do anything it takes to keep this fellowship. Miguel joined in and told of how he'd entered a feud with the sorcerors now, that he saw the Giranois as friends whereas the Seshnelan bounty on Giranois heads proved that they were foes. But as a simple man, he sought merely to hunt the Rokari and invited them to join.

Shilde had squatted down to draw runes in the mud while the other two elders and the attentive crowd listened. You'd all made good speeches, you felt; with Miguel making some very strong points in his evocation of the feud principle (at the core of Giranois culture!). With brief clarifications and debate, the elders spoke that the Sharde would join the war IF the Sottogh did; to send their forces south would cause feud with the Sottogh otherwise. But the elders doubted the (weak?) leadership of the Sottogh would comply. There had been peace down south with the Sottogh, somehow still persisting now. The Huru and Sharde were already united against the Rokari and indeed were fighting them when they (seldom) entered the swamps, with monsters drawn up by Deep Mother recently to help (maybe you'd met some of these…).

BUT the Sharde raised some lingering points. You'd forgotten some pledges (made amongst many) from your last visit: the Sharde blamed you for stirring up trouble in the Maggotweald (formerly Wizardwood), where “Yomil's House” (the library) was opened and evils came out that still haunted the land. You must go find out what was happening there; no one knew. And Ahappi had promised to burn down St Thosos's Chapel (he said later in explanation that Big Ron had forbidden this; but now was not against it), plus you had left Rokari in Yomil's House and their fates were unknown-the Sharde would not have it that wizards were left (alive or dead) in Yomil's House- that was bad mojo(!!!). So one way or another, you must clean up your messes with these Rokari. (there seemed to be flexibility? You must show a big symbol of wizard-slaying/other resolution on one of these two issues, to prove to the Sharde that you're ready to fight wizards)

[clarification: yes the Sharde and Huru clans are unified, and so might fight together, but to ensure their unity in such a war vs. the Rokari you would need to do the above and convince the Huru to still lend a hand; it's just that without Sottogh involvement, the Sharde are sure that the Huru won't help either. So you could cement a deal with the Huru first, probably on the same terms as the Sharde, and then resolve the Sottogh issue; or the reverse. At some point the Huru clan do need a visit; Big Ron wanted this anyway and you wondered what the Huru were up to-they'd kept very uninvolved in island life recently, and you'd left the “frog girl” Wilbi/Wulbu there long ago. But the Sharde still need to be satisfied anyway.]

Finally, it was raised that you'd brought this odd woman Narak with you and what was that all about? You explained, and it took a lot of negotiation but the elders finally agreed that Narak's Mraloti would be welcome in the Big Gunge and there could be relations between their peoples, BUT they could not play with the Darkness powers here and should behave themselves, including with other Giranois such as the Cjed family (the Sharde do act like caretakers of smaller clans/families in their swamps, it is clear; quite unlike the Sottogh clan).

Fraud, and to a degree Ahappi, had noticed that Shilde was drawing runes in the mud throughout most of the negotiations. A Spirit rune was central and runes of Water, Fire, Earth and Darkness proceeded around its periphery. Fraud also had offered an Arkat statue to Shesh and was turned down with a bluff of indifference but saw that this provoked some recognition (and confusion) in that elder, so there may be something to this whole body of evidence that the Giranois and Arkati have ancient roots together. But the runes in the mud: they were the four seasons minus the Storm Season you were now in. And the Foestopper fan was the only power of Air/Storm you'd seen much of on this island; let alone the Giranois (who did not deal in such magics normally; the Old Gods being more of water-fire-darkness and maybe earth ties). What Shilde said next silenced everyone, leaving the two other elders awkwardly unable to participate in further discussion:

Shilde stood, raised her hands and spoke in a whispering croak, interrupting each sentence with bouts of mad chuckling/croaking/barking: “There may be more than one Unsighted One. [CACKLE] The words that echo from the past are easily mistaken. [CACKLE] Trust in the Old Gods; they will show who is Saviour or Traitor. [CACKLE] In a dark place, dark women need no sight to see the truth of the Old Gods. Hear their words and believe them as true. [CACKLE]”

Pondering this, Shaven knew immediately that (1) she meant that the trolls knew important things about the Old Gods, which also meant that (2) the trolls and Giranois have ties, even friendship(?), but also, more profoundly and subtly (3) Shilde knew all this, and had some hand in it-had she helped the trolls access the Old Gods? Shilde knew more than she'd let on, and was involved with other parties. As for “saviour” and “traitor” the Giranois like to talk about these things with their clan feuds (tied in with “the Unsighted One” and also with the Old Gods in some way), and St Lelbic was previously cited/admitted as a traitor amongst the “four saints” (or was St Karkovoch the true traitor to them, standing up to the others who had been corrupted? Or were they all traitors?) but some would say that Granno was a traitor to the Malkioni back at the Shattering; and so on; there is much ambiguity in those words. Some of you might worry that “saviour” and “traitor” apply very well to those amongst your cohort, too…

We'll pick up there on 1 December, as you leave the Sharde village-but you need to make a choice where to go. Narak should rejoin her people at some point but is willing to go to the trolls. To go to the Huru involves a massive overland voyage through mostly unknown lands, and with poor provisions/unknown prospects for your basic needs up there (2+ weeks overland); or a sea voyage from New Arv (~2 days), for which you'd need to fetch The Shadow (now should be waiting at Oradaros port in Pithdaros, so delays will be involved). And there is the Sottogh clan, much closer to Rokari lands, with uncertain challenges. And the Library/“Yomil's House” (eek). And so on. Many choices!

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