After we brought the cattle back, the chief's wife gave us 200 silver pieces as a reward. That was nice but we had no home to go to, and there weren't many places where we could spend the silver. So we stayed in that village a little while.
Wurk suggested that because we can no longer claim to be Haraborn we should find another name for ourselves. He wanted our new name to be the Shahvasites after Sha'vashak. We agreed with that because we could think of nothing better.
A guest came to stay in the chieftain's household. His name was Joh Mith. He was a trader. He was going to the northeast to trade with the people in Prax. He said he came to Sartar once every year. Wurk made a deal with him that we would go along with him as his guards. We went north into Milani territory with him and his muleskinner.
We came to a crossroads and Joh Mith said he knew a village where we could stay for the night. We went to one man's stead and his family treated us well. They washed our clothes and let us use their sweat lodge. They shared news with us. They also warned us that because it was Dark season there were trolls about.
After we left that stead we went on to Runegate Fort, which had been destroyed before by the foul Crimson Bat. There was a permanent market outside the rebuilt fort. Joh Mith said too much of the stuff there was new.
Because of the threat of trolls, we stood watches that night. I had the last watch before Yelm-rise. The muleskinner was awake too. I saw at a small camp not far away from ours there were some people who gave a piglet to a troll and the troll ran off. I thought I heard children running but I couldn't see them. When Yelm rose I asked the muleskinner if the people there gave bribes to the trolls. He said yes, it was a way of saying to the trolls to eat these things like the piglet instead of eating the people. Those children running I heard were trolls running from camp to camp to get their bribes.
We heard from the town watch that some trolls had raided that night and taken some sheep. The muleskinner said he had given the trolls some apples to leave our camp alone, but I never saw that.
We kept going northeast to Two Ridge and camped there. We saw a patrol of Malani. We knew they weren't friendly with the Colymar, but not whether they were friends of the Lunars. They stopped us and wanted to know why we were there. They wanted a silver piece per foot of our group, but Joh Mith negotiated a price of one silver per person and two silver for each of his mules.
While we were going along with Joh Mith, Wurk spent a lot of time learning more tradetalk from him.
We left the Milani lands and came to the Cinsina lands. Then we came to Jonstown. We had to go down steps from a plateau to get to the south gate. Joh Mith took us to his house there.
Wurk thought we should look for a shaman who would be willing to teach me. But while he was walking around Wurk suddenly saw Jodi White Hart from Black Stag Vale. Jodi White Hart was glad to see him. After everyone left the Vale, Jodi White Hart and his family went to Jonstown to stay with his wife's second husband, Kayden the Scribe. Jodi White Hart told Wurk that the Redsmith was there in Jonstown too. They went back to the house Jodi White Hart was living in to talk without being overheard by strangers. Jodi White Hart's wife Margo was pregnant.
After that all of us went to stay in Kayden the Scribe's house. Joh Mith paid us almost twenty silvers each for being his guards. Wurk told the story of what happened to us to Temerin the Younger, who was one of Kayden's apprentices. Temerin wrote a poem about it. Jodi White Hart didn't know where the rest of the Ring were or if they had survived.
The Ode of the Hariborn Wyter
ReplyDeleteBy Temerin the Younger, initiate of Lhankor Mhy
The omens there did lay about, the harvest it was meager
Then came unto the valley bold, the king so over-eager.
“Surrender those of Hariborn, your very lives I’ll save,
By selling you unto durance vile, alive, but as a slave.”
Gordanger proud, still Gordanger wise, he bargained for more time,
To plot and plan, to save the clan, from this boot-licker slime.
The warriors strong would guard the clan, allowing to retreat,
The babes and mothers, our sisters and brothers, and Hariborn elite.
But four were taken from the fight who had proved their worth so brave,
Rescue they, the heart of the clan, the wyter they must save.
By stealth the four reluctant left, their mission laid before them,
With borrowed axe they chopped with haste, and little of decorum.
The Wytering Oak so proud and strong, within the Royal’s grove,
Fell before their mighty blows, releasing treasured trove.
Absorbed then by the waiting stag, the spirit of the clan,
To flee this valley, it’s home so long, that it was the plan.
Things there-of were going well, the five they turned to leave,
A priestess red, of horrid stench, their prize she tried to reave.
A thunder clap as lightning struck, the tree once tall and proud,
A hollow shell, an empty husk, no longer wyter’s shroud.
The Royal reared, it’s bugle call, to bird and fauna near,
Came to our aid, the red brigade, did then find much to fear.
Upon the stag the herder boy, did magic he bestow,
To aid the Royal’s swift retreat, the humans left in tow.
The priestess vile, her plans in shreds, did see her soldiers fall,
To hooves, and teeth, and claws so sharp, about her they did sprawl.
Her gaze it fell to noble stag, it ran in swift retreat,
Her anger huge, it sought release, and chaos she would mete.
A spell she formed and called she here, a creature most impure,
And set it forth to slay our four, it’s attentions they would endure.
A pall upon our warrior cast meant to slow his quick depart,
And thrust unto our shamaness, confusion of her heart.
The undaunted hunter in our midst, decrying damsel’s distress,
Did swoop her up from off her feet, and reduced all of our stress.
The warrior slowed to pace of snail, the creature’s fate would seal,
But defiant stood he in face of death, his back was made of steel.
The herder boy wielding magic sword, came to his comrade’s aid,
Between the two they slew the beast, and retreat was hasty made.
Withdrawing then, from combat fierce, they caught up with the Royal,
And led the stag to safety sure, upon a foreign soil.