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Talislanta - Tales of the Bloody Hell
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<blockquote data-quote="xnosipjpqmhd" data-source="post: 2706268"><p>Tales of the Bloody Hell</p><p>Book One: Long Live the Tirshata </p><p>Session 5 (from 25 Oct 2003)</p><p></p><p>As the larger of Talislanta’s two suns broke upon the horizon and cast its first pale rays on the ruined town of Matre, Vidian awoke to find the corpses of Za bandits still littering the deck of the Bloody Hell and the ground around it. Gingerly, he pried a sawtoothed broadsword from the clutches of one of the marauders who lay sprawled against the ship’s ladder. He used the bloodied weapon to snag the dead subman’s battle harness and drag the carcass away from the windrigger.</p><p></p><p>When Vidian gained the main deck, he stepped over the dead body of another Za to reach the cabin. To his chagrin he found the larder empty but for a few mouldy scraps of mossloaf bread, which he refused to eat.</p><p></p><p>A brief assembly of the heroes determined the morning’s duties. While Vidian cleared the ship of the bodies of their fallen foes, taking care as best he could to avoid getting blood on his overtunic, Gann, Motar, and Maylek searched the village for what little foodstuffs the Za had not plundered or defiled. A short while later they returned with half a dozen casks of beer and grog, along with a couple armloads of bottles full of tipple from around the western half of the continent. It seemed obvious to Vidian that great effort had been focused not on searching out meats, breads, cheeses, and other staples, but on rescuing “liquid loot” from deep within the hidden cellars of the Inn of the Dreaming Cloud.</p><p></p><p>By mid-afternoon, Motar heard the approach of equs riders from the southeast. The vanguard of the gypsy caravan had arrived. They could see for themselves that Matre had recently come under attack by the Za, and within minutes the riders left to scout the northern edges of the forest.</p><p></p><p>When Valu arrived, he took counsel with Vidian, and the facts of the previous day were related to all who were there. Yet before much lore could be shared, Vidian was eager to barter with the gypsies. He offered a king’s share of the liquor that had been found in Matre in exchange for seats at the dinner table when the Sarista held feast that night, plus nine weeks of good trail food loaded onto the Bloody Hell before they left on the morrow. Valu agreed.</p><p></p><p>Among the caravan was a Sindarin traveller who seemed to take a keen interest in Vidian’s tale. His name was Dar Lotis, and though he was no warrior, he offered to join the crew of the Bloody Hell to aid their quest as best he could. In token of his friendship, he offered two elixirs with healing properties. Vidian gratefully accepted.</p><p></p><p>As day stretched into evening and the gypsies began to settle into their encampment, the other heroes sought out the services of various merchants within the caravan. They stocked up on additional supplies that would prove useful in the days ahead.</p><p></p><p>When all was made ready, the feasting began, and the dancing of the women was a fine sight. But the night’s festivities soon turned to more serious matters, such as where the heroes would travel next. For when the riders returned to the town, they told that parties of Za ranged far and wide through Werewood, and they doubted that safe passage could be found through it to any northern land.</p><p></p><p>The Sarista therefore decided to turn south at first light and travel the safer roads of Zandu. Vidian pressed Valu for more information about the Dhuna and where they might be found. If a very large tree near the northern shore of the Green Lagoon was sighted, said Valu, so to would be the settlement of the Dhuna. Valu said that the heroes should seek one named Lenatha. She was of the Laeolis coven, which revered the moon of sorrow.</p><p></p><p>But to follow these woefully inadequate directions the five heroes had little choice. And so when morning light next broke across the horizon, the Bloody Hell sped northward toward the Green Lagoon in the heart of the forest.</p><p></p><p>For much of that day the heroes searched the northern coast of the lagoon for some tree that might pass for that described by Valu. Just when it seemed they would give up all hope, Dar spotted an unusually large and gnarled spideroak standing head and shoulders above its companions. Within a few hundred paces was a convenient clearing beside the calm waters of the lagoon, and Vidian set the ship down onto the root-softened earth as best he could.</p><p></p><p>The heroes gathered their gear and set off to the tree. Once there, they began to canvas the surrounding woods for any sign of habitation. It was Maylek who found the Dhuna first, or perhaps they found him. It was a stony-faced man in clothing of grey that stepped forward, accompanied by armed compatriots a few paces from either shoulder. He demanded that Maylek discard all weapons and go into the forest with them to see Lenatha; no one else would be permitted to follow.</p><p></p><p>Soon thereafter Maylek returned. He had indeed spoken with the witch Lenatha and shone the runes of the Kharakhan knife in her firelight. Lenatha said that the knife was given to the giant Malenok, protector of King Modor of the giants. “In service and protection, to Malenok” read the ancient letters.</p><p></p><p>Furthermore Lenatha imparted news of a more immediate and troubling nature. The Batrean had been seen with the armies of Za now roaming Werewood. Even now she was encamped with the bandits in the forest many miles west. And her evil ran deeper than that of mundane women, for she was more than just Batrean, though precisely what else Lenatha could not—or would not—reveal. Finally, she charged Maylek with a great duty: to return with Silva’s dead body. Only then could the witchfolk of the Dhuna reveal more information about the extent of her evil.</p><p></p><p>When Maylek related everything that the witch had told him, the heroes held council. They could fly directly against Silva, risking a pitched battle with a great host of vicious bandits. They could return to civilisation in an attempt to gain strength. In the end, Vidian decided to return briefly to the Phaedran ruins where the mystery began, hoping that Maylek could converse with the ghostly Phaedran visage with whom he could not. Yet it was a fateful decision.</p><p></p><p>The ruined city had changed since last they had seen it. More Za had arrived and were busily fortifying the perimeter of the site. At least eight of them could be seen in various parts of the city.</p><p></p><p>Vidian confidently steered the ship toward the largest building, the temple, while Motar aimed great bolts from the ship’s ballista. The Bloody Hell swooped down from the cloud-swept sky and landed abruptly in front of the temple doors. Within seconds, wild submen were charging from every direction. </p><p></p><p>Gann’s task was to hold the ship against the assault of the eight Za surrounding it, while Vidian led the rest of the crew into the temple. But all did not go according to their wishes. The temple doors were fiercely defended by hordes of sword-wielding bandits, and four Za had taken up positions atop nearby buildings and were raining arrows onto the Bloody Hell.</p><p></p><p>Though valiant fighters, the crew knew they were outmatched and could not win the day. They retreated to the ship and managed to hold it against the onslaught of the Za long enough for Vidian to build enough wind to fly away.</p><p></p><p>After a safe haven was found for the ship that evening, the heroes nursed their wounds as the last dying rays of the smaller of Talislanta’s two suns faded into the purple night.</p><p></p><p>TO BE CONTINUED</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="xnosipjpqmhd, post: 2706268"] Tales of the Bloody Hell Book One: Long Live the Tirshata Session 5 (from 25 Oct 2003) As the larger of Talislanta’s two suns broke upon the horizon and cast its first pale rays on the ruined town of Matre, Vidian awoke to find the corpses of Za bandits still littering the deck of the Bloody Hell and the ground around it. Gingerly, he pried a sawtoothed broadsword from the clutches of one of the marauders who lay sprawled against the ship’s ladder. He used the bloodied weapon to snag the dead subman’s battle harness and drag the carcass away from the windrigger. When Vidian gained the main deck, he stepped over the dead body of another Za to reach the cabin. To his chagrin he found the larder empty but for a few mouldy scraps of mossloaf bread, which he refused to eat. A brief assembly of the heroes determined the morning’s duties. While Vidian cleared the ship of the bodies of their fallen foes, taking care as best he could to avoid getting blood on his overtunic, Gann, Motar, and Maylek searched the village for what little foodstuffs the Za had not plundered or defiled. A short while later they returned with half a dozen casks of beer and grog, along with a couple armloads of bottles full of tipple from around the western half of the continent. It seemed obvious to Vidian that great effort had been focused not on searching out meats, breads, cheeses, and other staples, but on rescuing “liquid loot” from deep within the hidden cellars of the Inn of the Dreaming Cloud. By mid-afternoon, Motar heard the approach of equs riders from the southeast. The vanguard of the gypsy caravan had arrived. They could see for themselves that Matre had recently come under attack by the Za, and within minutes the riders left to scout the northern edges of the forest. When Valu arrived, he took counsel with Vidian, and the facts of the previous day were related to all who were there. Yet before much lore could be shared, Vidian was eager to barter with the gypsies. He offered a king’s share of the liquor that had been found in Matre in exchange for seats at the dinner table when the Sarista held feast that night, plus nine weeks of good trail food loaded onto the Bloody Hell before they left on the morrow. Valu agreed. Among the caravan was a Sindarin traveller who seemed to take a keen interest in Vidian’s tale. His name was Dar Lotis, and though he was no warrior, he offered to join the crew of the Bloody Hell to aid their quest as best he could. In token of his friendship, he offered two elixirs with healing properties. Vidian gratefully accepted. As day stretched into evening and the gypsies began to settle into their encampment, the other heroes sought out the services of various merchants within the caravan. They stocked up on additional supplies that would prove useful in the days ahead. When all was made ready, the feasting began, and the dancing of the women was a fine sight. But the night’s festivities soon turned to more serious matters, such as where the heroes would travel next. For when the riders returned to the town, they told that parties of Za ranged far and wide through Werewood, and they doubted that safe passage could be found through it to any northern land. The Sarista therefore decided to turn south at first light and travel the safer roads of Zandu. Vidian pressed Valu for more information about the Dhuna and where they might be found. If a very large tree near the northern shore of the Green Lagoon was sighted, said Valu, so to would be the settlement of the Dhuna. Valu said that the heroes should seek one named Lenatha. She was of the Laeolis coven, which revered the moon of sorrow. But to follow these woefully inadequate directions the five heroes had little choice. And so when morning light next broke across the horizon, the Bloody Hell sped northward toward the Green Lagoon in the heart of the forest. For much of that day the heroes searched the northern coast of the lagoon for some tree that might pass for that described by Valu. Just when it seemed they would give up all hope, Dar spotted an unusually large and gnarled spideroak standing head and shoulders above its companions. Within a few hundred paces was a convenient clearing beside the calm waters of the lagoon, and Vidian set the ship down onto the root-softened earth as best he could. The heroes gathered their gear and set off to the tree. Once there, they began to canvas the surrounding woods for any sign of habitation. It was Maylek who found the Dhuna first, or perhaps they found him. It was a stony-faced man in clothing of grey that stepped forward, accompanied by armed compatriots a few paces from either shoulder. He demanded that Maylek discard all weapons and go into the forest with them to see Lenatha; no one else would be permitted to follow. Soon thereafter Maylek returned. He had indeed spoken with the witch Lenatha and shone the runes of the Kharakhan knife in her firelight. Lenatha said that the knife was given to the giant Malenok, protector of King Modor of the giants. “In service and protection, to Malenok” read the ancient letters. Furthermore Lenatha imparted news of a more immediate and troubling nature. The Batrean had been seen with the armies of Za now roaming Werewood. Even now she was encamped with the bandits in the forest many miles west. And her evil ran deeper than that of mundane women, for she was more than just Batrean, though precisely what else Lenatha could not—or would not—reveal. Finally, she charged Maylek with a great duty: to return with Silva’s dead body. Only then could the witchfolk of the Dhuna reveal more information about the extent of her evil. When Maylek related everything that the witch had told him, the heroes held council. They could fly directly against Silva, risking a pitched battle with a great host of vicious bandits. They could return to civilisation in an attempt to gain strength. In the end, Vidian decided to return briefly to the Phaedran ruins where the mystery began, hoping that Maylek could converse with the ghostly Phaedran visage with whom he could not. Yet it was a fateful decision. The ruined city had changed since last they had seen it. More Za had arrived and were busily fortifying the perimeter of the site. At least eight of them could be seen in various parts of the city. Vidian confidently steered the ship toward the largest building, the temple, while Motar aimed great bolts from the ship’s ballista. The Bloody Hell swooped down from the cloud-swept sky and landed abruptly in front of the temple doors. Within seconds, wild submen were charging from every direction. Gann’s task was to hold the ship against the assault of the eight Za surrounding it, while Vidian led the rest of the crew into the temple. But all did not go according to their wishes. The temple doors were fiercely defended by hordes of sword-wielding bandits, and four Za had taken up positions atop nearby buildings and were raining arrows onto the Bloody Hell. Though valiant fighters, the crew knew they were outmatched and could not win the day. They retreated to the ship and managed to hold it against the onslaught of the Za long enough for Vidian to build enough wind to fly away. After a safe haven was found for the ship that evening, the heroes nursed their wounds as the last dying rays of the smaller of Talislanta’s two suns faded into the purple night. TO BE CONTINUED [/QUOTE]
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