[RuneQuest] Brylaneth's Journey Continues, part 9: Escape to Beast Valley

The Red Priestess's warriors pursued us as we ran. The wyter told us it was safest to head south. We went into the woods, skirting around Wilmskirk where there might be people who supported the king. We avoided places where people lived. Our destination was Beast Valley, south of the Sun Dome. None of us had ever been that far from our homes.

To stay on our path we came close to Harvast's Vale, that some people said was haunted. It lies south of Boldhome. It was growing dark and we had to look for a place to rest. Arrows came out of the trees and hit the Royal in the leg, neck and flank, wounding it badly. We pulled out the arrows and used our spells to heal the wounds. Wurk used his white stone to float a torch away from us so the bowman would think we were where the torch was.

Wurk put out the torch and Collan hid in the shadows, waiting for those who followed to come out. I stood guard over the Royal. I heard an alynx prowling and snarling, but it wasn't Wurk's or Collan's cat. Jaryan and Wurk cast spells to find our enemies and Jaryan used a darkness spell against them. Wurk used his sword to leap toward them. They were Colymar, hunting us for a bounty. Jaryan and Wurk hit them hard, but they nearly killed Ropps, Wurk's cat. 

There was no archer with them when the hunters were brought down. The hunters said their archer often went off on his own. Jaryan took trophies from the hunters and then Wurk said to let them go. 

Afterward Shah'vashak came out and asked to speak to the Royal. The two wyters put their foreheads together and bowed to each other, a strange sight. Then they faded out of sight. After a little while the Royal came back alone and spoke to us, saying that we must leave behind the Haraborn name because we couldn't be a clan without land. It said we must become something new and make sure such a crime wouldn't befall other people. Then it told us to take him to Beast Valley because he had family there. We still had our own wyter, Shah'vashak, who could go on with us.

We thought of going to the river that ran near Sun Dome and Beast Valley to get to the valley. But boats mean people and we wanted to avoid being seen. We went toward the place known as Wasp's Nest.

It wasn't long before we saw the wasps that were as big as deer. There were small people riding them! They were chasing some hunters. When one of the men was stung by a wasp he screamed and went limp. The wasp picked him up and flew off with him. We hurried to get away before the wasp people saw us.

That night we stood watches looking out for Kitori sorcerers who were rumored to come to that area. Collan's alynx Shade noticed soemthing, and then the Royal was hit by three arrows again. Three more arrows hit the ground around him. The bowman couldn't be seen. Wurk and Collan and I used our spells to heal the Royal. Shah'vashak could see the archer but couldn't help us much. 

The next day as evening came we reached the Aurochs Hills. It was barren there. As we looked for a place to camp we found a rotting corpse hanging in a tree. We had heard that chaos demons haunted that place, but there was nowhere else for us to rest and we couldn't keep going all night.

Wurk heard a sound. A centaur appeared. He told us his name was Harjeen the Handsome, son of Ironhoof. Six others came with him. He had come to greet his uncle, he meant the Royal. He said we should go to Beast Valley, and the centaurs let us ride them. Shah'vashak had told them we were coming. 

At their camp we feasted with them and told them what had happened to us after we left Black Stag Vale. Wurk and Jaryan both dallied with fox women. I spoke for a time with a manticore named Haro. 

When morning came it was time to part with the Royal. We said our farewells to him. Shah'vashak told us that he had decided he would take our side in the coming struggle. Harjeen gave Wurk a ring with Starbrow's seal on it. This meant we would not have to live as bandits in the wild.