Session 9: Venturing Out Report

Xeyesh spoke with Thelastor upon arriving, and warned him about Othyrus- how he stole away the Vojunic power from beyond and misguided the creatures there for his own purposes. Thelastor responded that he and Othyrus spoke, but the latter’s purposes seemed not quite clear yet. He was not delighted with the Eshanic nonsense swirling above his head and behind his back. It was getting worse and worse. Attacking Othryus was not the answer, however, as the depths of his powers were yet unknown. At the same time, Kastayos and the Duyor remained a threat. Xeyesh understood- for now, but Othyrus was not to be trusted in his malignant ways. They departed one another with an understanding but no plan determined nor discussed. In these early hours, certain members of the party departed to hunt, such as Yaza, Thelastor, and others. A great many of the beasts in the immediate area had been hunted out by the party or the Duyor in the recent week, and therefore game was difficult to find. They found nothing much, but Yaza discovered an overgrown yet somewhat recognizable Atamani cairn in the north, far separate from the rest of the party. Old bones, moldy feathers, beads, and other trinkets were placed upon it, to which Yaza made her own contributions. The important detail here is that certain Atamani groups, slavers or hunters, might have been active this far south, which could be a boon for their beleaguered group. She could not act much upon it at the moment, but took certain trinkets for proof and returned back to the group.   Back at the Viod, Rhomod desired to teach certain members of the party to fight, as the Duyor attack upon the Viod was dearly won and only secured through the arrival of the strange creatures from below. He gathered Xeyesh and Arelastod in particular, with Othyrus choosing to join- much to the chagrin of Xeyesh. Rhomod taught them certain fundamentals of swordplay- keeping aligned on center, never over nor under swinging, always keep the blade in a dangerous position, etc. Othyrus picked up swiftly, but Xeyesh and Arelastod were miserable wrecks. Arelastod in particular swung with such awkward arcs that the whole congregation was revolted to witness it. Around this time Thelastor and the others returned from hunting and gathered around to watch- they were disgusted with Arelastod and Xeyesh’s progress. It was clear they weren’t learning. Thelastor suggested a 1 on 1 duel between them to accelerate the training through stress. Rhomod agreed. The two were aligned with one another, prepared their moves. When the cry of battle was given, Arelastod turned and fled with great haste. Disgraceful.   The match was not finished. Rhomod and Xeyesh chased after Arelastod- dashing over burned ground, blood stains, and tumbled debris. Arelastod moved with surprising speed, outrunning Rhomod altogether, but he was caught up by Xeyesh and compelled to fight. The two squared off again, panting for air, and took swings and dodges this way and that. The others watched on with amusement and vague apprehension. Xeyesh got off the first hits, but Arelastod came around under the blows, rising to resist them with remarkable ability. They fought back and forth, and Arelastod turned the fight in his favor, landing a series of blows upon Xeyesh and causing him to recoil. Rhomod called the match complete- all were in bewildered silence at the outcome, but Rhomod stepped forward to congratulate the young man. Perhaps there was some hope for them after all.   Arelastod, Rhomod, and Xeyesh marched their way up northward, passing through the familiar path treaded by Rhomod and Qetukris previously. It was different, however, littered with vine-pit traps and various other signs of habitation. A number of make-shift shelters appeared abandoned here and there, as if the whole region outside the fort was once occupied then abandoned. Beyond the immediate bounds of the viod, the land returned to its normal, desolate state. They continued north throughout the rest of the day, until evening descended. Around that time they noticed a strange grey-ish spit which polluted the ground and tree boughs which grew thicker the closer the party moved toward the village. None of them had seen such a thing before… but Xeyesh’s erudite nature allowed him to recall certain details from his Eshanic studies. This strange spit was consistent with an ancient remnant race known as the Eyti- created by a forgotten Eshanic master, long suppressed by the Odyrzid, then erased from the domains of modern civilization. Why here?   They didn’t have long to consider the matter when dreadful chittering sounded out from the north, coming closer. Terrible beasts with many legs and olundi faces burst forth from the forest. Rhomod attempted to flee and succeeded by too great a measure, leaving the others behind. They caught up to Arelastod first, but did not attempt to devour him, but instead tore apart his ration bags and feasted upon the contents. They took additional interest in certain claw cuts made up Arelastod’s face during the fight with Xeyesh, and they licked the wounds, leaving behind that miserable spit. Xeyesh attempted to calm them by speaking in the Eshanic tongue, which appeared to divert attention to himself rather than Arelastod- an improve, but the Eyti were not well capable of exchanging complex conversations. He managed to sate them with a measure of his own food, which pleased the Eyti well enough, and he managed to convince them to take the party to their “others” wherever that might be located. The beasts pressed Xeyesh through the forest northward, while the other two follows with grave dread.   Meanwhile Thelastor, Qetukris, Yaza, and Othyrus departed north to hunt, scout out the area, and discover the full measure of the Duyor infiltration in the area. They found a similar scene as Arelasrod, Xeyesh, and Rhomod, wherein the Duyor had established themselves in the region with the implied expectation of remaining there for quite some time. In particular, they found freshly cultivated swamp growths upon the shorelines, too deliberate to be accidentally placed. Thelastor pondered them closely, examining their leaves and inspecting the seeds. He found that the seedlings were freshly planted- indicative of a new food source being created for a long duration. Perhaps the Duyor soon intended to siege them down? In response, Thelastor and the party spent the day gathering what food they could carry for rations, then burning the remainder.   As the company of four was up north, Oradyol was back in the viod repairing armor which was damaged during the Duyor battle. This was possible due to the supplies brough aboard the vessel and thereafter removed, thus the work was simple. Much of the day passed in this endeavor, until the sounds of movements and disturbance stirred Oradyol from his work. He stepped into the courtyard and saw there a great figure, a slight larger than himself, wearing drab linen clothing and dragging behind it one of the large eels native of this region. Oradyol was surprised- justifiably so, and asked the identity of this individual. It was a female voice. She simply explained that she was native to the region, hunted often around here, and was traveling through as common course. She desired shelter here, and brought food as a payment. Oradyol had little reason nor ability to eject this being, and thus allowed her to remain. She placed down the food for storage and settled into rest.   Not long thereafter, Thelastor, Yaza, Qetukris, and Othyrus returned. They were surprised to see this linen-garbed newcomer lounging in the courtyard and immediately came forth to question her. Where did she come from? What was her purpose? She explained that she was native, and an elder among the peoples in this place. Many dreadful beasts were stirring from the remote depths- times were harder now. The party asked what she knew about such creatures, and she replied that they hadn’t been seen in many years, perhaps something was stirring them to action. Whatever the case, she was tired from the journey and desired to rest for a time.