Session 21 - The End of the Siege

After arriving at the place of the altercation, Rurik told the party to find Veleslav. They failed, and Veleslav escaped. In a mental exchange, the serpent priestess gloated at Vladimir about the money she stole. The party waited a week, hoping that she would give up the prince She didn't.   The party spent the week doing various things. Hrefna talked to a messenger of the Raven Tsar, who was pleased by her efforts to free Miroslav, and open to a potential marriage between them, but he asked about the size of her dowry. She told him she would have it within a year, but mentioned that she did have other options. The messenger also told her Radu had left a reward for her, but did not hand it over after her allies attacked him. Vadim patrolled the outskirts of the city, and with the help of Chrevougodnik, noticed signs that the serpent priestess and her allies leave the city, and told Vladimir. Vladimir, for his part, sneaked to the city walls with piles of sticks, and set them on fire. He lit the sticks, but the people managed to put it out using water from the river. And Vasilii purchased materials for divinatory tools from the army's supply train.   At the end of the week, the defenders, apparently exhausted, sued for peace. Yaropolk agreed to release Vladimir Sviatoslavovich, to restart the amber trade with Ladan', and to pay a one-time tribute in amber in exchange for Rurik lifting the siege and allowing Yaropolk's army to return home unmolested. Rurik rewarded the party for their efforts, but the party was frustrated because the serpent priestess had escaped. Rurik gave them a rowboat to follow her upstream, toward Luzhinsk.   After a day's rowing, they tried to talk to warriors in the fleeing enemy army. What they learned was that Yaropolk's troops did not like the serpent priestess, and blamed her for their defeat, because she abandoned them (apparently, with Rurik's silver). They also learned that she - a native of Galinda, was traveling west, toward her homeland.   Vladimir had stayed behind on the opposite side of the Virta, and was approached by other soldiers who wanted to share his fire. Vladimir fled, not wanting to talk to them, but rejoined his companions after they returned from the other side.