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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Manbearcat" data-source="post: 8978852" data-attributes="member: 6696971">FIRST SUMMER* Returning to Stonetop with Jollum’s baby, Cullen seeks the counsel of his uncle, Llewelyn. He suggests Cullen speak with Gwynn, a town elder who’s served as a mentor of sorts to Cullen. He meets with the old blind woman, and she listens about the baby, and suggests a couple that may be able to take the baby in; the Vandereshes. They lost a baby during childbirth years before and were never able to have another. Gwynn tells Cullen to find a way to break the curse, and gift the baby to the Vandereshes, and to not involve the Publicans, Sawyl and Sianna, because they would not think kindly on this.* Trys and her father and his apprentice Aedelfred are working on reforging Trys’s damaged armor. They’re approached by some Marshedge folk who’ve brought their wagon through the streets, ignoring established ruts and making a mess. There is an aristocratic couple and their daughter on a softback wagon, along with a driver and two armed sentries. One of the sentries asks for Trys and says they don’t want to bother speaking with Sigurd. The sentry then mentioned how rumor has it that Stonetop is “tainted”. Trys points out they need help and they should be civil about it. Sigurd overhears this exchange and comes over and grabs the sentry. Before Sigurd can toss him, the man lashes out, booting Sigurd across the face, leaving a gash from his spur. Trys grabs the sentry by the boot and pulls him from the horse, throwing him into the mud. Trys is borderline angry at this point, and sparks of electricity crackle about her. The family shrieks with cries of “sorcery” and Trys attempts to calm them down. Many townsfolk have been alerted to the situation at this point. The wife speaks to Trys and she agrees to treat and feed the horses, and then the strangers will be on their way.* Gavin has noticed that one of the new arrivals, Elsa Hendricks, is not assimilating well. She’s taken to the wolves (especially Finn) and other animals, but she doesn’t mesh well with the other kids. Another girl, Dorra, won’t let Elsa take part in a kids’ game. Dorra moves toward Elsa aggressively. Finn immediately charges at the situation, growling. Gavin manages to calm the wolf so he can observe how things play out, hoping that Elsa can handle this situation on her own. Dorra shoves Elsa to the ground, and the other kids scatter. Dorra then goes on to berate and tease Elsa, who sits there mortified. After watching this, Gavin finally chimes in and tosses an insult at Dorra’s family. Elsa gets to her feet, and the other kids laugh at Dorra, who then storms off only to return before long with her parents.* Cullen consults the chronicle, and communes with Aratis to determine the best way forward. He learns of an ancient ritual that will join a baby to a new family. This will undo the familial curse on the baby. It requires the acceptance of the new family by the entire community. He speaks to the Vandereshes and they are eager to take in the baby. He knows that he must convince the Publicans to be on board. He meets with them in their office and explains the situation. He shares the entire truth with them. He sees that they are hiding something. Sianna has her hand on a record of the dead of Stonetop. Cullen asks her what troubles her. She explains that her brother was a foundling who was brought into the community. However, he bore a strange birthmark that was considered a curse. As a result, the infant boy was thrown from the cliffs north of town. She’s convinced that the town will be cursed again if they take in another such child. Cullen convinces her to not make the same mistake that was made, and to embrace this child and accept him into the community. She breaks down in tears and agrees. Not long after, the ritual is performed and the Vandereshes welcome the baby into their family.* Trys, while dealing with the Marshedge family, realizes that they’ve learned that the Garretts (formerly of Marshedge) are here in Stonetop. The strangers are talking about the Garretts quite a bit, and Trys is concerned. She sends Aethelred to get Cullen so he can help. Cullen comes and confronts the strangers. The folks are actually a group of deputies from Marshedge, sent here to retrieve the Garretts. * Gavin watches as Dorra’s mother and father, a burly farmer with a rake in hand, approach. He sends Finn off with Elsa, and the other two wolves to tend his herd. The father starts to curse and berate Gavin. He uses Danu’s grasp to have the plant life hold the farmer in place. The wife then charges Gavin, enraged. She hits him and then starts calling him a warlock. Townsfolk are starting to pay attention. So are the wolves. Gavin responds by threatening the husband to try and get her to back off. This works, but people have seen him threaten people and use his magical abilities against them. Once their anger subsides, Gavin releases the husband and lets the two go about their business.* Thorn dashes toward the forge, and Gavin follows. He sees the group of strangers near the forge, and notices that Trys may be a bit angry as she works at the forge. Thorn leaves Gavin in the dust. Trys sees the wolf coming. So does one of the strangers, who draws his bow. Cullen shouts for him to stand down, and as the man turns in the saddle to look at Cullen, the horse throws him, and he lands awkwardly, breaking his neck. * We may be proper effed.* Trys shouts for someone to get Dap, who is walking outside of the town with Sigurd. They hear the call for help, and Sigurd reacts as if he’ll happily head back there and cause trouble for the Marshedge folk. Dap attempts to get Sigurd to go get Dap a torch. Sigurd obeys due to his loyalty to Dap. * The Marshedge captain is cradling his fallen companion. Cullen recalls the books he’s read, trying to recall something that can be done to help. He remembers a ritual that can be performed on one thrown from a horse and suffering a broken neck; the person must be sent down a waterfall and sometimes, they will miraculously recover. * Dap arrives and sees the injured man and then consecrates the forge fire. The riders in the wagon see this and cry “sorcery”! They flee on foot. Gavin watches them go, and sees that the others are unconcerned by them running away, and lets them go. Dap smiles at the captain and tells him the darkness cannot hold here. It calms the captain and he doesn’t resist. Dap invokes the sun god and sheds healing light on the fallen man. It drains Dap, but seems to help stabilize the man.* The captain begins to panic, but Cullen places a calming hand on his shoulder and tells him there may be something that can be done. He asks Trys to carry the injured man to the waterfall. She lifts him and also asks Aethelfred to retrieve a dose of the Crinwin’s healing honey. At the river, Cullen says that all the gods have cooperated to make this happen: Tor’s water, Danu’s honey, Helior’s light, and Aratis’s ritual. Cullen realizes that he must go over the falls with the man. Trys realizes this and says she should go instead; Tor has blessed her with resilience and his waters are less likely to hurt her. Cullen relents and lets her go. He then performs the ritual, invoking all of the gods in opposition to the Lady of Crows. We will gamble, a chance at two souls instead of just the one she is due.* Trys goes over the falls with the injured man. They hit the surface far below. * Too much time passes without sign. Cullen scrambles down the switchbacks. It has been minutes. Suddenly, a bolt of lightning strikes the pool, and Trys and the young man emerge. He is clearly healed, and the two are well. * Meanwhile, Gavin tracks the fleeing Marshedgers. He does nothing to impede them, and just watches them flee. He wants to make sure that they don’t harm themselves. He calls out to them and warns them of the dangers of going out into the wild. They don’t react well, as they consider Stonetop a den of sorcery, and they continue to flee. Gavin follows them to see how they fare. * After five days of traveling back to their town, the Marshedgers eat the wrong berries. The father and daughter are sick. They’re likely dehydrated. It’s a sweltering hot day. The mother leaves the two in a shaded area and approaches Gavin. She begs Gavin to do whatever he can, sorcery or not, to save her family, and then collapses from exhaustion. Gavin heads to the clearing and realizes there is a treant nearby. He beseeches the treant.* The wood spirit tells him that his brothers are being threatened by woodcutters to the south. The treant offers to save the two sick folk in exchange for Gavin somehow putting a stop to the woodcutting. Gavin agrees and heads off to find the woodcutter’s camp. He sneaks up on the camp. Gavin attempts to use his Wards & Bindings, but the spell did not work. Several treants attack the camp and kill most of the woodcutters. Some folk get in a wagon and ride off, and they see Gavin nearby. He knows they will blame him for this, and considers asking the treants to kill them, but decides enough violence has taken place. * Gavin takes three horses that were at the camp, and returns to the grove where the Marshedge family has now recovered. Gavin gives them the horses so they can return to safely to their town. They thank Gavin for saving them, and they seem to have had quite a turn in their thinking. They ask Gavin if they can return with him to Stonetop and learn of Danu’s teachings.* Meanwhile back in Stonetop, the inquisitor captain has witnessed what he considers a miracle. At first, Cullen suggests he go back to Marshedge to tell the inquisitors that there is no dark sorcery at play in Stonetop. However, the man’s belief is so fervent, that sending him back to Marshedge would likely doom him. He asks to stay in Stonetop, and Cullen and Dap tell him that he and his companion are welcome. * Summer ends- we need to select the Gain we receive from the Summer Roll.</blockquote>

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