Struggle for Paruhapta VI: And They Withdrew Themselves to the Wilderness

The wight behind the freshly opened door moaned "MAWAT" as it's hand reached for Kegho's throat, but failed to make contact as Teleptyon muttered arcane words and the door sprung closed on its hand. Theo prayed as he looked at the hands wriggling between the door and the jamb but the wight took no notice of his prayers. Elissa slid her spear tip through the hand of the wight but the flesh knit itself. Kegho, still startled by the near contact and the haunting glowing eyes dropped his axe while he attempted to slice off its hand. Khufu also prayed but the hand continued to wriggle in the doorway. Teleptyon again drank deeply from the well of the arcane and this time none judged him when the faintly glowing purple goat and chains appeared on the door and the wight groaned a resigned "mawat" as its hand slipped back into the room from whence it came. Kegho picked up his ax and gruffly said "If Kegho had cut Kegho had 'MAWAT ABOUT THAT' in chamber." Khufu responded "well, actually it was telling you to 'DIE' that's what mawat means." Kegho looked for a trace of irony on the Keb's face before saying "Little man is bad as Riven. Kegho wasted on you" before leading the party up the stairs, back to the kitchen to collect the items left there—Theo offered to carry the ancient date wine, and out into the drizzly, grey late morning.

Theo sighed sullenly. "Today is the Aelosia, I should be drinking with Iggy." Teleptyon perked up at the name of the Ouranic celebration, only to notice Theo drinking greedily from the amphora, "Brother Theo it is not yet noon!"

Everybody Else

Earlier in the day The Jiam and Alex were quietly lowering themselves down the rock wall and Alex unpacked an inordinate amount of dried fish, and figs, and some kind of date wine balsamic reduction, a sack of tigernuts, a few cave mushrooms and laid them all out on the table, lightly shaving tigernuts and dried mushrooms on top of everything with an ancient necromantic ceremonial dagger. The Jiam suggested that the apemen in the cave's canopy would probably not appreciate the care he was putting into the food, but Alex hissed "the eyes eat first!" He had narrowly finished plating when Riven descending the lip of the cave caused a small rockwall and the first simian creature dropped into the room. He wore crude clothes and had charms of bones and feathers. He moved to lunge at The Jiam and and Alex but noticed the table of food. Alex beckoned with hand gestures and the smattering of Khemian for "food" "good" that he could recall. The leader tentatively tried some food and more dropped into the room and they too tried food. Alex and The Jiam backed into a corner where they could be pulled up and out quickly. When Riven did not follow they pulled her along too.

The band of creatures finished the food and turned to the intruders curious but unfriendly. Alex could not gauge whether the creatures were abused by or allied with the bearmen that they had encountered through out the caves and carefully laid out one of their amulets that showed allegiance to Kharun. He hoped the leader would see it either as a worthy gift of conquest if they were enemies or a sign of friendship if they were not. The leader lifted the amulet and traced with his fingers the glyphs with Kharun's name. He held it aloft and howled Kharun! Kharun! in a reverent voice and the band began to howl in unison with him. They began to climb back up into the vines, jubilant.

"Concerning" Alex muttered before joining The Jiam in looking around, checking for hidden compartments, stashes and hidey holes but not finding anything new. They helped pack the bellows and tie off the anvil. Riven's hand a blur as she secured the ropes around it. They hefted it out of the cave without incident and returned to their makeshift camp.

Khufu arrived as Herk was setting up the anvil and began instructing him in how best to do it. Herk nodded along as Khufu told him to do things he had already done correctly, indulging his cousin.

They tested the set up by making two silvered mace heads and attaching them to hafts. Theo was overjoyed to feel the weight of a strong, Keb made weapon in his hands and made a benediction as he poured another drink celebrating the Aelosia and the gift of a new weapon. He stopped mid-pour and said he might have to switch to water as the date wine had caused him to hallucinate two giant toads sitting calmly at the edge of camp while The Jiam sat between them meditating, smiling beatifically.