The Scouring of Pale Gorge, Part 5

Cycle's End

Steve paused again, letting the woodsmen consider Kalyustar's words about the price humans have to pay to keep the cycle of the Mortal Realms turning on and on. Loss, so that new hope can blossom again, nurtered by regret. The Shyishan Trade Pioneer, meanwhile, smiled knowingly sipping his wine.
"The Fay People's song faded away" said Steve resuming his tale, "but what we could hear next were not the voices of the forest around us. Rather, it was a guttural chanting rolling under the boughs. We followed it and as I climbed above a rocky outcrop, in front of us I saw them. The 'Eadsplitta himself and his tribe clustered around an idol of Gork.

The Warboss spotted us and let out a deep throated bellow, immediately taken up the shrill screams of grots emerging from caves not far from where we were.

I downed the content of my Greenglade Flask as Kalyustar cast a charm of healing upon himself. I could feel Ghyran's energy coursing through us as we charged the grots and sent them packing.

Then a troggoth barrelled onto us as the 'Eadsplitta's bellows drew more orruks out of the caves.

Crooked arrows rained around us, still we weathered down the troggoth's initial assault and wounded it in return.

Then the 'Eadsplitta left the side of the idol and roaring Waaagh! at the top of his lungs sent his boarboyz onto us.

They slammed onto Kalyustar and though he unsaddled one, he had to leave me to fend for myself against the troggoth. As the brute bashed me aside, Kalyustar let loose an eldritch blast at the Warboss, then dragged me up across is saddle and broke free from the combat.

His horse was no match for them, not even the snarlig boar. But the 'Eadsplitta had more minions laying in ambush and they emerged to block our escape route.

That gave time to the Boarboss to reach. To protect me, Kalyustar took a hard battering.

He again blasted the Warboss and spurred his horse away, then yanking hard on the reins to stop it before the Arrowboyz could hit us.

As the orruks recovered from that sudden move, Kalyustar summoned Ghyran's Lifeblood and with that renewed strength rushed to charge the Arrowboyz fromt heir exposed flank.

That took the orruks by surprise and they stood where they were, but the 'Eadsplitta and the troggoth barged forward.

Then, the Ardboyz that had all this time being chanting next to the idol, moved to barr our only way out.

'Eadsplitta charged in, and nearly decapitated Kalyustar's horse with a single blow. Kalyustar just focused on the Warboss, engulfing him in sourcerous flames. But then the Arrowboyz surrounding us dragged us from the saddle.

Yet, the orruks didn't finish us. They bound and dragged us all the way to the idol. There, a gibbering shaman started to dance around us, crackling green energy building all around us.

With Kalyustar unconsious, there was nothing that could stop the shaman and I felt my soul being clawed away by the Waaagh magic and syphoned into the idol. Then the trees around us shivered, as if in alarm, and in a faintly glow the Fay People appeared.

I'd never seen Sylvaneth like them before. Hulking and winged they were, and much more skilled with blade and bow than any Tree-Revenant I'd cross path with. Their leader swooped down onto the shaman, breaking his spell, while the others lay about the terrified orruks.

They then closed upon the troggoth and turned it into a pile of pebbles, just like roots do with the flank of mountains. And in a flurry of blows, the winged one ended the wrtched shaman.

As the shaman died, the Idol of Gork flared with green light and crumbled to dust. The Sylvaneth then gathered around us and sang for our wounds to heal. And as we raised, their leader spoke.
"We thank you, Kalyustar of the Gilded Hand. For by your actions the 'Eadsplitta was brought low and Worgutz Deffskull, the true power behind him, forced to reveal himself. Long we had hunted him, and yet he always evaded us. You have spared Ghyran a great pain and for this, you have the eternal gratitude of the Gnarlroot Glade and of my liege, the Lady Yltriana Grimroot. Go now, return to your kind and may this Naive Hope mark your Blooming as a keeper of the Eternal Cycle".

As the woodsmen nodded gravely at these words, Steve snapped at them.
"So you now praise the man upon whose name you spat upon just moments ago! I told you, your memory is as short as you are tall! I really had enough of you all for this night! Try to remember my tale and maybe one day one of you could raise to be like Kalyustar was!"
Steve stomped away, leaving the woodsmen to ponder his words. As the Prancing Gryph-hound door closed behind himself, the halfling gave a deep sigh, pulled out a pipe from his pocket and started filling it, staring at the night sky.
"And was that the end of your story?"
Though coming in just a whisper, the Shyishan Trade Pioneer's voice stirred the smoke coming out of Steve's mouth into gaunt, leering shapes.
"Ah... you... must understand... they are simple folk in dire need of something to cheer them up. What with those rumours of Soulblight assailing the Bleeding Gate and those dark storms blotting the skies? The Realms are breaking and people like them will need all the courage they can muster. And if a story can help that, so be it".
"A story, maybe, but what about a lie?"
"It was Naive Hope when Kalyustar was a hero. Do you know what season is, now that I told that story?"
"It is Secret Remorse".
"Well, that's all that's left to the last of the Little People. He bids you good night, stranger from Shyish".
***

The Venythian Rovers

Exploration rolls: 12 - Threat Level: 0 - Map Fragments: 0 - Spectral Lanterns: 0 - Battles Won: 6
Kalyustar of the Gilded Hand (Archmage, from Grand Alliance: Order): Realmblood (Ghyran Spell), Master of Defence (Order Trait). Wounds suffered: 5, DEAD - Enemies killed: 26
Captain Rodrik (Freeguild General, from Grand Alliance: Order): Tenacious (Order Trait). Wounds suffered: 6, DEAD - Enemies killed: 27
Steve Boffin, restored by Sylvaneth magic (Huntmarshal, from The Empire Compendium): Greenglade Flask (Artefact of Ghyran). Wounds suffered: 5, DEAD - Enemies killed: 2
***

The Scouring of Pale Gorge, Part 4

Many Meetings

Steve stared into the fire, his expression lost as he recalled the pain. The woodsmen waited, holding their breath.
'And then?' asked the Shyishian Trade Pioneer, thrusting a freshly filled tankard into Steve's hands.
The halfling blinked, took a long sip of ale and resumed his story.
'I was drifting between Ghyran and Shyish... my soul was. I remember being carried on an improvised stretcher, Kalyustar ahead and Rodrik at the back. And Kalyustar hold a strange lantern in front of him. It bathed the woods in a spectral glow.

The next thing I remember is a bow stretched in front of us and grinning skulls staring down at me. And a voice, like the rustling of dried leaves. "You bring an evil light into our Glade, wizard" it said.

Then, I came to my senses in one of the halls of the Forest Spirits. A Tree Revenant stood next to me, her hand outstretched.
"It is done" she said. "Rest, Steve of Venythia, for you have come close to threading the path to Shyish. And you, Captain Rodrik, go with my guards and feed, for it is not to be said that Gnarlroot Glade has no gratitude for those that fight the enemies of our lands."

"You, Kalyustar of the Gilded Hand, come, for I, Yltriana Grimroot, much desire to know from you".
They moved away from the bed of greenery where I laid, but I could still hear their voices.

"You carry a heavy burden, manling. Tell me what it is".
"I... I have been touched by something, Lady Yltriana. Early in our travel, I brought back Rodrik, like you brought back Steve..."
"He speaks to you, doesn't he?"
"Yes... with a voice cold and harsh, like the wind of Everdusk. And he whispers that Death is next".
"And in this, he is not lying, for the following season is indeed that of Death. But do not fall for his treachery. There is no true power in Death alone, but only in the eternal cycle of the Realms, as the Everqueen teaches us. And after Death comes Rebirth, so that balance is restored. Look at us, we do carry emblems of death, but to remind ourselves of what we have to cross before life comes again".
I then slipped again into a deep sleep. For a few more days we stayed with the Fay People. During that time, I didn't see much of Kalyustar or Yltriana, as the two spent nearly all their time away from the rest of us. When I was fully restored, we resumed our hunt.

It didn't take long to trace the minions of the 'Eadsplitta again and soon we were faced by some Ironjawz and their grot underlings.

We moved where we could shoot at the Ardboyz, knowing that if we could rout them, the grots would loose any fighting spirit. Alas, the first salvo was not enough and we found ourselves crossing blades with the grots.

As always, they were not much of a problem for the three of us, but they pinned us in place while the Ardboyz advanced.

They charged at Rodrik and though he put up quite a fight, they dragged him down.

Kalyustar summoned his bolts of eldritch force and created a hopening that allowed us to put some distance from the Ardboyz.

But they were fast and caught up with me before I could notch an arrow. I'm sure they'd have killed me if Kalyustar had not blasted another one and hold the boss while I dragged myself away.

Then the song of the Fay People came from where Rodrik had fallen and that spooked the Arboy boss.

We rushed back and found Rodrick surrounded by a Branchwych and her retinue.

"Fear not!" she said "He is alive. But my Lady Yltriana asks you pay a price for her healing of the halfling".
Kalyustar made to protest, but the Branchwych cut him short.
"Remember the cycle we are all bound to. Rebirth and life lead to death, and from death will come rebirth again. At the end of seven years we'll return your friend to you, your debt paid in full. And as a token of our good will, we gift you a Greenglade Flask. It will keep you strong in your fighting. Farewell, Venythian Rovers".
And suddenly, they disappeared with Rodrik, as if they had never been there. Only their song lingered under the trees for a while.
And I think, amidst those harmonies, I heard Kalyustar murmuring "This is too high a price"'.

***

The Venythian Rovers

Exploration rolls: 11 - Threat Level: 5 - Map Fragments: 0 - Spectral Lanterns: 0 - Battles Won: 5
Kalyustar of the Gilded Hand (Archmage, from Grand Alliance: Order): Realmblood (Ghyran Spell), Master of Defence (Order Trait). Wounds suffered: 3 - Enemies killed: 22
Captain Rodrik (Freeguild General, from Grand Alliance: Order): Tenacious (Order Trait). Wounds suffered: 6, DEAD - Enemies killed: 27
Steve Boffin, restored by Sylvaneth magic (Huntmarshal, from The Empire Compendium): Greenglade Flask (Artefact of Ghyran). Wounds suffered: 4 - Enemies killed: 1
***