Game Date: 14-16 Browning, 994 KC; Play Date: 7/1/2001
14 Browning: The women set sail for Carnvrin, and around midday, saw the forested island of Ligabeth. They saw some villages on the coast; Sarah told them that few people dwelled in the interior. She knew little about the forest; the seafarers avoid it. Late in the afternoon, they sighted Carnvrin, the only large settlement on the island. As they entered the port, they could see a stone fort overlooking the harbor, and the countess's banner: a white raven displayed, holding a skull, on black.
Sarah could not see Meg's boat, but recognized those of mutual acquaintances. She went ashore to speak with those crews, and was told that Meg was at sea with part of the fleet, but should return tonight or the next morning. She left word for Meg that she was here, and had someone who needed her advice about a possible trip.
In the wee hours of the morning, Sarah and Star woke to the sounds of boats coming into port. Sarah spotted Meg's, then returned to sleep.
15 Browning: Mid-morning, a child came to tell Sarah that Meg would see them at noon, at her boat. When they arrived, they could see that Meg's boat was about twice the dimensions of Sarah's, and that the others in the fleet fell between those two in size. As they approached, they heard snatches of singing in Merfolk; Star did not recognize the song, but could tell that it involved swimming with dolphins. A crewman recognized Sarah, and told Meg they were here. The other crewmen noticed Star, and the men watched her carefully; a few gave Ruqayyah strange looks, as she was once again stopped wearing her veils. (Star had claimed to rather like her lynx ears.)
Meg was an old, very thin woman, weathered by her life on the sea. Her clothes covered all but her hands (which were webbed, like Sarah's) and her head. She invited them into her cabin, which was small, with a cot, a small stand holding a statue of a trident-wielding mermaid and some personal effects, a sea-chest that doubled as a table, and some cabinets. A trident was hung on the wall behind the statue. Sarah explained that neither Star nor Ruqayyah spoke Sivian, so they spoke in a combination of Merfolk and Krithian. Ruqayyah offered to take cat form, to give more space; curious, Meg agreed.
Sarah explained how they found "Star," and that she has recovered very little of her memory since then. She has learned that: she is not from near here; the star on her hand is related to how she got here; someone who looks vaguely like her is out there, somewhere; her home is underwater, with forests nearby; Northlanders are vaguely familiar; she speaks Merfolk and Naiad, and another language no one recognizes [including Meg]; she can do water magic, but has yet to discover just how many spells, or how she knows them; she cannot get home by way of this sea; and she thinks something went wrong with her journey here (and needs someone else with the star-mark to get back?).
Meg concluded that she was a water sidhe, but didn't recognize her type. She may be from the faerie-inhabited islands to the west, or from the faeries' native world. Merfolk was not obviously Star's native language. Sarah was unwilling to leave Star on her own until they had found much more information for her. They planned to travel together until something gave Star direction. Sarah was uncomfortable about the prospect of sailing west, but would if necessary. She was unsure how Meg could help, other than giving advice.
Meg offered to try some rituals on Star's behalf--"If one of the Sea Mother's children is lost, I will at least see if I can help." While Meg pondered this, she asked about Ruqayyah. Sarah explained how they had met, then Ruqayyah explained her odd appearance, and described her magical skills and her training to become a Duz. She was had recently had direct contact with her goddess through the actions of her friend Laylah, but that friend was now training so not really available to help Star. Meg then had a crewman and show them the ship and give them food, while she sought her goddess's insights.
An hour later, Meg summoned them back to her cabin. She confirmed that Star was a water sidhe, but she still had no name for her race. There are some of her kind in this world, but she is from a lake in the realm of Faerie. These others generally resemble Star, and usually go unclothed, but only a few have star-marks, which may be found in various places on their bodies. This journey was Star's first; she was being shown the way by an older relative, but apparently something went wrong and they ended up in different places. Meg explained further: The sidhe can often travel between worlds, but the methods vary. Some have colonies here, and maintain contact between worlds. Star's mark does not appear to be a tattoo; more likely, she was born with it.
Meg outlined some options: 1) They could sail west and search for more of Star's people. This would be very dangerous due to the sidhe, monsters and weather of the western seas. 2) Ruqayyah's friends may have access to more powerful divinations. 3) Star could consult the Oracle of the Cauldron, through the priests located at certain shrines placed around the island's sacred interior. She would need to offer a gift [a potential problem with no possessions!], ask her question, then would receive an answer.
Meg felt that if Star regained more of her memory, she would relearn at least part of the way to get home. She was welcome to stay here, in the fishermen's part of Carnvrin, while she made her decision. Star had no more questions for now, so they took their leave, and walked around the harbor while Star digested all this new information.
During this walk, they saw more of the raven banners. Ruqayyah asked about them (curious especially because of the bad associations she had with skulls). Sarah said that the forest was believed to be haunted; white ravens did indeed live there, but few knew what else did. Eventually they retruned to the boat.
16 Browning: Sarah went into town to find some good maps of the western waters, but without success. Ruqayyah practiced her spells while she waited. Star spent the day in thought, and finally concluded that she had few options at the moment: the had nothing to offer the Oracle, Sarah was reluctant to go west, and Ruqayyah's friends sounded pretty busy. She talked with the others, and they decided that the best plan would be to go to Cauldron Isle and learn more about the demands of the Oracle's priests. Ruqayyah warned them of her lunar cycle: she had recently been through a lethargic phase, and would be "really energetic" in about another week.
They consulted Meg again about the Oracle. She told them that the more specific the question asked, the less cryptic the answer she would receive. Since their last meeting, she had learned more about the Cauldron: Go to Veluvar, then follow the trade route into the interior to a shrine in the foothills; the priests there take the gift and question, then return with the answer. They can find out more in Veluvar; guides, interpreters, etc., can be found there. Some (most?) of the islanders speak an old dialect of Krithian. The young women decided that they would leave the next day.
Meg suggested that she demonstrate her repertoire of water spells, to see if Star was reminded of any more of her own. They did so, and learned that Star knew the Shape Water, Walk on Water and Water Vision spells. Meg also described some spells that she herself did not know; of these, Star knew Water Jet. They also discovered that Star was more susceptible to magic than most people: magic is easier to use on her.
[Next Session] [not yet available]
GM Note:
At this point, the campaign was put on hold so that Tim would not burn out, and could have more time for his other game projects. Tim has been having some trouble maintaining his focus on this plot-line, so the Oracle thread will be resumed when Tim has a better idea of how to run it.
The resumption of the campaign will likely involve completing the Asanos plot-line. This will occur after 1) Tim has recovered somewhat from his near-burnout, 2) Anne's schedule allows her to commit her time once again, and 3) we resolve enough about Darra and Ruqayyah to have them return for the Asanos conclusion. For #3, we need to work out the results of Darra's attempt to help Yantos, and continue with Star and Sarah long enough for Ruqayyah to part ways with them.
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This page last revised 10/15/2001. | Copyright 2001 Timothy E. Emrick. | time@sluggy.net