Session 26: Dealing with a deal Report

General Summary

“ Wake up, old friend.”   Tommel Dresner fought his way back to consciousness as he became aware of a presence next to his bed. The past few days had been terrible. After having chased away a hag from his wife, he had grown increasingly ill. Eventually he had slipped into a coma. He knew he had been cursed, but did not have the heart to tell his wife the truth. He had thought that if he died, maybe the price would have been paid and the worst could be avoided. He had not died though. When he woke up a few hours ago his wife had told him the new lords of Dogtown had saved him. They were young knights who had used their magic to break the hag’s curse. Still, not even they could stop what would happen next.   Opening his eyes was still painful, an indication that although the curse had been lifted, his body was still recovering. The room was dark, save for a sliver of moonlight that came through the ill-fitting wooden shutters on the window. To his surprise, his wife was gone. The small bed she had pushed into their room to sleep in while he was sick stood empty and the door to the hallway was open. The house was quiet, no sound came from his daughter’s room or the rooms downstairs. For a moment Tommel felt as if he was all alone in the world, then he remembered the presence that had woken him.   He vaguely remembered a voice calling to him, a voice he hadn’t heard in over 16 years. Sylvesse’s voice. As he remembered the fey deer, the shadows at the far end of the room seemed to shift and the fabled stag stepped into the moonlight. The white hart was as impressive as Tommel remembered, and its large body somehow filled the room while still seeming distant. Once again Sylvesse’s deep voice echoed through the chamber. “Welcome back to the world of the living, Tommel. It is good to see you, once more.”   With much effort and more than a few grunts of pain, Tommel managed to sit up in his bed. He smiled as he took in the sight of the magical creature that had once saved his life.
“It is good to see you too. You haven’t changed at all. I on the other hand, …. Let’s just say that time is a little harsher for us mortals.”   “I am far from the stag you once knew, old friend. Trust me on that. For one, I am dead.”   Tommel had to make sure he heard his friend correctly.
“Dead? Like, actually dead? But you are here.”   Despite its bestial features, Tommel was sure he could see Sylvesse smile.
“Actually dead, yes. I was killed by the fey hunter Corvu five years ago. As to how I am appearing to you now, well, technically I am not.”   “You are not?”   “When we last met, I gave you something, a part of me.”   Tommel lurched for the small bedside cupboard and opened its top drawer. Inside lay a beautiful dagger. Although it looked like it was made of gold, the entire weapon, both hilt and blade, were carved from bone. Magical deer antlers to be more specific.
“Yes, of course. I have kept it close all these years.”   “It is through that small part of me, combined with the strength of your memories of me, that I can talk to you now.”   Carefully lifting the dagger from the drawer, Tommel shifted back, making himself more comfortable again.
“So, you are not really Sylvesse? You are just a memory of him?”   “Something like that.”   The blade felt the same way it always had to Tommel. Lighter than it should and a little warm to the touch. It was clearly magic. Although he was scared of the answer, Tommel asked the question he knew the stag was waiting for.
“Why have you come back?”   Sylvesse took a step forward and Tommel crawled back trying to keep the distance from closing.
“You know why. Remember what we talked about when we last met? The boy that would come? Now he has.”   “The nobles? He is one of them, isn’t he? But, I can’t. It isn’t right. I didn’t think about it back then. I was young, and…”   The stag slammed its hoof down on the wooden floor. The thunderous clap that followed was far too loud to be natural. Tommel wondered where his family was that they did not respond to the noise.
“I took you before our Lady. You bowed and made a promise to play your part. Now, the time to do so has come.”   “There are some complications, though.”   “Your deal with the hag? I know of it. Not your brightest moment, but I understand why you did it. Why do you think that would interfere with your promise?”   “These nobles, they don’t like dealing with fey. My wife told me they broke a pact that had benefited our hamlet for generations. They don’t trust us. Think they know better. They are nobles after all.”   Slowly the white hart started to back into the shadows once more. Where there had been a smile before, now Tommel could see only regret and sorrow.
“All of this may be true, but I cannot help you. Keep your promise or worse things than barren fields will befall these lands. Just know that you can trust Gael. Give him what he is owed, and he will serve you well.”   With that the last golden gleams of the stag’s antlers disappeared from sight and Tommel allowed himself to slide back down into his bed. Although Sylvesse’s message had been foreboding, his body demanded more rest. As Tommel was drifting off he imagined hearing another voice calling across the fields of Dogville, a voice promising bountiful harvests.