Session 20

Fact Sheet: Arrival in Damanhour

Players present: Ecchima, Marty, Meinhart, Tuur and Vinnie. Dins was our GM.

Date: 12-04-23

Date in-universe: it’s Wednesday night when we hurry away from Reva's ambush, it’s Friday morning when Sharm asks our help to find Saumi.

Major developments:

we got some hints about Reva's complicated relationships with Na'Dir, Saatia and her father
we got the hint that she'll be hunting down Simeon Ibn Seif
Fyllion got a talking-to from Virgil, who's impatient to activate their deal. Fyllion didn't give in
Ezra came into their own, coaching El(drin), sewing a plushie for Aqueel, coaching Aqueel, sewing a lute kit for Fyllion, interrogating Gladiola, stepping up as our spokesperson and leading strategies on the fly
Storm found an interesting book about religion in Gladiola's library
we learnt the Thamyrian army is in the area, looking for Santiago
Fyllion showed signs of growing up after he blabbed about being pirates and magic users
Fyllion, Hali and Storm indulged in conspicuous consumption, shopping, handing out gold and tips everywhere in Damanhour
Ezra wrote a letter to Enza with Mohsine's recipe
we met Sharm and her husband Mohsine, the shopkeeper Ridwan and Hasjra a woman who's together with Saumi, the groundskeeper for Lunaire's temple
We're a few days shy of a full moon, when Damanhour has a monthly mini festival in their temple in honour of Lunaire
we learnt a few things about the Grove
- the Grove is inhospitable to begin with: most Eladrin Elves left, those remaining don't like strangers & there's a bunch of fey creatures chafing under druids' control
- the blockade only started a few months ago, given its location and nature, everyone seems convinced magic is involved

Previous episode: session 19 too many motherfucking snakes in this motherfucking desert

Next episode: session 21 It's a peaceful morning in the village and you're a horrible beast

Notes

As everyone stares, stunned, at the sudden reversal between Reva and Na’Dir and at Danzig’s death, a hush falls over the battlefield. The bandits are milling around, a little aimlessly: what’s going on with Reva, is Na’Dir really gone, can they wake up the sleeping horse, so they’ll have a way out if needed…

Gladiola pipes up from inside the cart: “why is everyone silent, what's going on”? Hali reassures her so Gladiola opens the cart’s door. She almost steps on Fyllion who's clutching Simeon's love note to his chest. Gladiola is perturbed, both by the bloodshed and by the fact several bandits appear to have survived.

As she steps outside, we notice her travelling dress is wet from where she had to struggle with Aqueel to keep him inside the cart. A few pearls are strewn on her carpet, the casualties of Aqueel’s frantic struggling in Gladiola’s arms, but Aqueel is mostly okay. He’s upset, but not hurt. Seeing the door is open, he tries to dash outside to check on everyone, but at Storm's warning, Hali keeps him away from the battlefield. When Aqueel asks about Lapis, Fyllion grins he saved her & Hali hops down to heal her completely, pretending it's medicine from her backpack so the bandits don't cotton on to her magic. Hali pets Chalcedony, a rare honour she doesn't usually allow strangers.

Hearing Fyllion’s croaky voice, Gladiola offers him the use of her futon to recover.

Storm figures he should also join his friends and get away from the carnage and the bandits still standing around. Painfully, slowly, he crawls through the sand towards our cart. As Na’Dir’s bones keep crumbling into sand, it’s evident their spirit has moved on, unclear if they’re gone forever or if they’ll return again… As he passes Reva, he stares up at her. She snarls “Keep going, polecat. I've decided to allow to keep breathing, but we're not friends. Don't expect anything more from me”. When she closes her eyes in hateful contemplation, Storm picks up

Na'Dir's eyes, 2 rubies worth 50 gold each
Danzig’s pouch with 20 gold, which he donates to the bank
Danzig’s flamberge, a great-sword with a wickedly twisted blade and a ruby in the pommel
Ezra's killing arrow

Ezra also decides to deescalate. As the flying carpet responds to Ezra’s polite request to return to the cart, Ezra notices the carpet is eager for feedback about their first mission together. Ezra doesn’t hesitate to pet and compliment the carpet.

.

Meanwhile Fyllion snuggles down on the futon in Gladiola’s sitting area in her cart. His rest is disturbed by the angry vibrations emanating from Virgil’s totem, still submerged in Fyllion’s waterskin. As soon as he pays attention, Virgil starts chewing him out:

V: I can’t believe you almost got yourself killed, again, without invoking my help, again! You're obviously too chickenshit, shying away from your friends' judgement, to take the power I'm offering you! You'll never become an arch fey this way, you're way too sloppy about your lies and your cutesy dedication to friendship, love and fame will get you killed before I can even make use of you!
F: I see your point, but I had everything in hand. Still, I value your input, so I'll evaluate the situation & get back to you.
V: Next time I'm not going to pick up the phone. Just hand me back to Storm, at least he was entertaining to listen to. If I must sit through another of your sappy dates, I'll self-immolate
F (deeply insulted on his and Simeon’s behalf): Please do! I'm not stopping you!

They both break the connection in anger.

.

Under the watchful eyes of the crew, El(drin) carefully approaches Reva where she stands over Na'Dir's remains. A bitter expression lingers around her mouth and her one fist has a white-knuckled grip on Saatia’s earring which El(drin) gave her just minutes ago. Sensing their approach, she grits out:

R: Simeon is a rabid dog who fell under Na’Dir’s spell as soon as the Sable Serpent paid him to kill. Killing is all he knows, and somehow you made it necessary that he turn on my mother! How did you even get involved with her?
E: [explains how we met in the desert and how they received the earring in an anonymous letter when they went to pay their respects at Saatia’s grave]
R: My mother didn't love anyone. Not my father, not me, not Na’Dir, not even herself I don’t think.

Furiously, Reva orders us to leave her sight. Ezra can tell she's in the full throes of a tidal wave of grief. As curious as we might be about Reva’s relationship with her mother, and the difference in their accents suggesting Saatia didn't raise her, and the cruelty we see in both Saatia and Reva’s brilliantly bright-green eyes, and her motivations for revenge if she didn’t even feel loved by her mother, Ezra notices Reva clearly wants to be done with this conversation about shifting blame and giving second chances. Ezra signals us to fall back to give her space.

R: You're still breathing because I allow it. And you'll keep breathing as long as I allow it. Don't cross paths with the Sable Serpent ever again!
E: it's not too late, we can still make a contribution, to save your soul!
R: don’t you dare talk about my soul, when yours is burdened with the fact you put my mother, Saatia you pretend to appreciate and adore, in a position where Na’Dir had to order her death in order to protect the Sable Serpent’s secrets! Na’Dir made the call, knowing Akram would be too soft to execute her, but you are the reason Na’Dir decided to eliminate her!

Reva grinds her teeth in anger, but Ezra manages to pull El(drin) away. As Ezra shifts back into their more human form, they offer Reva some parting words: “you can be a bandit and still a good person”. Reva responds bitingly: “I’ll think about it, after this last thing I have to do”.

.

Reva snaps at her men, she jumps in the cart & everyone starts leaving. Gladiola is just as eager to get out of here. Gladiola asks El(drin) to have Madonna pull the cart, since Lapis is still weak. Ezra whispers El(drin) isn't a mister, Gladiola can just use their name. El(drin) keeps bonding with Madonna, so calming down Lapis and having Madonna pull the cart work out well.

After a few more miles, it's clear we're in the plains of the Sandveld. There are more trees and shrubs here, as well as rocks and pebbles instead of sand and dunes. We decide to set up camp, allowing everyone to recover. Over the evening, the tiny luggage is running around eagerly.

Ezra finishes the plushie they were sewing for Aqueel: a sea creature with waves embroidered on its belly, a gift to remind him of home. Aqueel sits next to Ezra, observing their craft in utter fascination: "I didn't use to have toys like this when I was small, well smaller. I'll cherish it forever, and under water I’ll be very careful with the filling"!

Using this quiet moment, Ezra explains he shouldn't be too eager to fight. He’s a kid, and we want to keep him safe. We couldn’t very well return him to his father all bruised and scarred, right? No matter how brave and ferocious the King of Storms is, he wouldn’t like to see that! Storm undercuts Ezra’s life lesson a little by exchanging vocabulary with Aqueel: this is your thumb, this is a finger, this is a fist, here is the best spot on a jaw if you want to punch. Fyllion sings Aqueel a song (with a NATURAL SIX) and combined with Hali's kids’ books, he learns some more common.

Gladiola offers us the use of her bookcase for some light reading before we fall asleep. She has:

several technical reference works about lapidary
a handful of bone-dry and boring accounting and finance books
some works about detailed lineages of important (Elvish) families and diplomatic observances
two or three philosophical tracts about religion and history (see primer 2.0 in Marty’s care)

.

Thursday dawns and we travel on. The mountains come closer and the trees along the road get denser, soon they'll form a forest. Lapis has recovered enough to pull the cart without problems, Madonna is also settling in under El(drin)’s saddle. Fyllion lounges on Gladiola’s futon-couch as much as he can. The carpet rests on the roof, with our luggage.

During one of our rotations between roof, back deck and drivers’ seat, Ezra gives Fyllion the present they’ve been diligently sewing: a wonderful silk pouch, of sturdy construction and with skilful embroidery. It’s a care package for his lute, enabling him to take care of it, no matter the climate we’re in. With a shy blush, Fyllion stammers he doesn’t feel he deserves this, but he’ll treasure it as the token of Ezra’s friendship it is.

.

As we travel on, Ezra bites the bullet and asks Gladiola what she knows about the Friends of the Weave. Initially she pretends she’s outraged Ezra would associate her with such a subject, and she only repeats what everyone knows:

The weavers are mages rebelling against the war flaring up again between Kharkhorin and Rosaria (which is aided by Thalmiria this time)
Aashvi, the matriarch of the fashion House Saree is involved. Given she’s a tiger shifter and a luxury retailer, that’s perhaps not really a surprise

After a heated discussion between Ezra and Gladiola about what's legal and what's moral, Gladiola reveals more personal information:

as an Elf, she's not convinced about the need for war: humans and esp. newly installed crown princes are so rash
she's averse to treason, although she doesn’t want her family’s business empire to get involved. Selling gemstones as an arcane focus is one thing, having the Faraday stones claimed as a war tribute is quite another
she’s rather surprised, and frankly outraged, Ezra is talking about “Friends of the Weave”, so openly and especially after they swore to Gladiola, we were simply looking for honest work! Also, the correct name for this dangerous network is The Weavers

Ezra confirms they're also opposed to the pain and suffering that comes with war. They insist they’re not aware about any details, hence our confusion about the name Weavers vs Friends of the Weave. They repeat don't know anything about their mother’s actions this past decade… but they don't trust her to make the right decisions. Gladiola agrees: one bad apple can spoil an entire family.

Slightly reassured by Ezra’s disavowal of Aashvi, Gladiola warns us: while she'll gratefully use our magical talents for what she's hired us to do, she's not going down for us. At least Ezra inherited Aashvi's strength of character, we all understand each other. Ezra is very uncomfortable, having to discuss their family and Gladiola remains uncomfortable Ezra would assume she knows about rebels.

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Storm and Aqueel take another language lesson with Hali. Storm keeps playing into Aqueel’s marid personality, as they learn words like “punch, bite, kick”. After Hali clears her throat, Storm cleverly weaves in concepts like “stop, mercy, retreat, take shelter, hide”. Aqueel frowns a little, but he understands.

.

We reach the outskirts of Damanhour. It’s a village nestled in a little valley between rolling hills. All surrounded fields are full of flowers, spice plants, colourful mosses... some people are picking the plants while other people are tilling the fields for produce. Further in the square we see the plants are processed into dyes and paints. People greet us with a friendly wave, they're eager to see visitors to their little visitors.

From atop the cart, Ezra spots 3 riders on the road travelling towards us. They're 3 Thamyrian soldiers with the emblem of their king on their harness. It’s a little surprising to see them here. Sure, Breheima is a Thamyrian province, but we’re in the back of beyond, incredibly far from the capital Orlaine at the southern-most shore of the Breheiman Sea. They give Gladiola and Ezra a friendly nod, asking where we're headed. Ezra takes the lead:

E: just up north. Soldier: oh, you’re in for an unpleasant surprise. The road is blocked near the Grove. You’ll have to detour to Quantir on the south-western coast of the Mandurian Strait. There, you’ll be able to pay for a ship, although just between us, these merchant vessels are asking exorbitant prices right now

Gladiola interjects with her typical blend of tact and snootiness. It seems she’s successful at wrapping up the conversation. However… as the riders round the cart and spot Storm quietly reading on the back of the cart, the whole mood shifts. The youngest soldier babbles nervously: "polecat, male, travelling with at least 2 Elves, Soliman’s stinging rays, is this the caravan we’re looking for”?

Now the soldiers are hostile: one grabs at Lapis’ reins, their leader orders Storm to step down slowly and signals the remaining soldier to search the cart. At first, Ezra uses Captain Magpie’s secret signal to order us to remain calm as they encourage us to comply… but Gladiola has a death-grip on Ezra’s arm and implores them to prevent the soldiers from checking her vehicle.

With their hands up, Ezra explains Gladiola hired us to protect her for every eventuality and to shelter her any inconvenience. No luck, the soldiers grunt back that the Thamyrian king’s orders trump anything Ms. Faraday may wish.

Trying to avoid a conflict, Storm obeys. As he steps down from the cart’s back deck, he also puts up his hands, allowing the afternoon sun to show off how very unburnt they are. One soldier hesitates, but the others think it's an illusion.

Ezra uses Baaloo to lock the door, hiding Gladiola, Hali and Aqueel inside
Fyllion blathers he wants to show them a new song, which he softly starts playing when no one really pays him any attention
Storm allows the soldiers to inspect his hands, even though they’re rather rough about it

As we’re shuffling around in the roadside dust, a woman hurries over to the commotion. We hear her cry out: “No, please, Santiago is a local boy, this isn't him”!

Immediately, Ezra calls upon their inner Karen: “Did you say Santiago? We met a Santiago, first he plied us with wine and then he stole e-ve-ry-thing from us! He only left us a dirty handkerchief”! The soldiers rear back from this barrage of complaints & the woman is very apologetic in the face of Ezra’s upset.

The soldier in the lead decides to believe everyone standing around. With an apology to Gladiola, he signals his colleagues to move on. With an elegant movement, Storm asks for a moment of his time: “what’s going on”? The soldier replies:

They’re looking for a polecat named Santiago, with burnt hands and arms, for grand larceny, several misdemeanours and high treason, on orders for the Thamyrian king
Though he is in no way willing or able to vouch for us in any way, we can mention his name Hasan, should we run into any other soldiers or officials.

As they leave, they compliment Fyllion for his wonderful music, they'll spread the word about his talents! Yaaay, Fyllion and his charm strike again!

.

The local woman introduces herself as Sharm. She explains everyone in the village Damanhour knows Santiago, a naughty polecat boy from one of the neighbouring villages. He’s been around recently, and given the allegations against him, Damanhour felt they had no other choice than warn the soldiers.

When we reassure her that no harm was done, she’s happy to hear we’re going to visit Damanhour. New faces are always welcome, especially as exotic as we are. Looking over the fields, we notice that everyone here seems deeply tanned, with dark brown hair and dark brown eyes. She gives a quick overview:

Ridwan has a general goods store where we might stock up if we want to
there's no inn but we can use her stable & set up our tents out of the wind
her husband Mohsine will enjoy cooking for us if we contribute three coppers per person to compensate for the ingredients…

Eager to impress, Fyllion presents us as the crew of the Young Kraken. Sharm hesitates, we can see she’s suddenly unsure about inviting pirates into her village and her home. Ezra grins with too many teeth that “Fyllion and the wet bandits band” is just our stage name, for when we perform in Fyllion’s show!

Sharm appears reassured. With a smile, she shares that Damanhour celebrates Lunaire once a month: during the full moon they sing songs in the temple as a ritual of thanks for the god. Fyllion quickly adds that his parents are also gods, so perhaps we could arrange a performance in the temple…? Hali adds that typically, she’s only allowed to play her bagpipes on Saturday, but surely for Lunaire we can make an exception…? Though we clamour that the code is the code, we can’t talk too much about the Young Kraken, since Ezra just forbade it. Sharm doesn’t know what bagpipes are, so she nods eagerly. Augh!

With a polite small-curtsey, Sharm goes off to pick up some more flowers, sending us off to her husband. As soon as her back is turned, Ezra jabs Fyllion in his ribs: “next time don't mention wet bandits or the pirate ship the Young Kraken”! Fyllion is a little unsure now about which subjects he should avoid… In a hushed whisper with an eye out for any passers-by that might get within earshot, Ezra lists:

the weavers, the friends of the weave, any treasonous human activity where your interlocutor hasn’t been brought into the circle of trust
the use of magic, unless you can credibly explain it as science
any illegal activities like piracy, privateering, banditry, looting, stealing, killing or enslaving…

After a little group brainstorm to help Fyllion out, Hali suggests we call ourselves the wet wise crackers, although Fyllion appears to lean towards the wet jesters. Amused at our antics, Gladiola insists we remember we're gainfully employed by her, an upstanding citizen. We can’t bring shame to her name, and we better be available to carry out the mission she hired us for.

.

As we travel through the village looking for Mohsine’s stable and house, we get to see several more people. Given their uniform colouring of dark skin, dark eyes and dark hair, and some recurring facial traits, these are clearly locals: very few people leave here and very few people stay here.

In the golden sunlight of the late afternoon, the peaceful village is wrapping up the day. It’s a very peaceful sight: between these hills a protected micro-climate creates a very balmy mood under an early moon rise. As we we’re enveloped in all the scents of the spice plants and flowers in a staggering contrast to the arid desert we just left, we see that the moon is just a few days away from full. It seems to fit the theme of the village: a lot of the houses have decorations or pendants in honour of Lunaire. We see a lot of crystals, stylized moth motifs, moon symbol votives etc. Hali feels very at home in this place.

While we’re settling Lapis and Madonna in the stables, Sharm returns from the fields and offers some more water. Fyllion casually gives her ten gold for the meal for our group. She gushes “Mr. Springcrest, you're going to be a blessing to our village, I can tell”!

We follow her inside, where we meet her husband Mohsine. Despite it being a random Thursday, he’s completely ready to prepare a feast for us! He’s proud of his produce, so a vegetarian dish for Storm is a challenge he’ll relish. Get it? Got it! Good, his relishes are beauty to behold!

When Storm mentions the famous mushrooms from the Crooked Spine, Mohsine sighs that Damanhour is too far out to really get that kind of moisture-loving fungi. Especially with the blockade going on in the Grove these past few months… luckily their trade is mainly with Koh’Shar, although Mohsine has heard some worrying rumours about a drought there… When Ezra nods that we’d heard about that drought too, Fyllion is quick to brag we helped solve that. Mohsine looks up from the broth he’s stirring: “wow, you’re merchants and mercenaries and artists…” “And SCIENTISTS”, Fyllion and Storm add with a delighted grin at the jinx of double-speak! Mohsine raises an eyebrow at their antics and softly smiles that Lunaire usually helps out Damanhour, for which they’re always grateful. Fyllion is on a roll and keeps going: “my greatest hit is called Fey Magic, and it’s all about being grateful for science… and the title is ironic”!

When Mohsine tells us it’ll be about half an hour till the meal is ready:

Gladiola returns to her cart to freshen up
El(drin), Ezra and Aqueel help with the cutting and slicing, the washing and dicing
Fyllion, Hali and Storm figure they’ll check out Ridwan’s general store.

.

Our three friends see that Ridwan runs a delightfully quaint general store. Though there’s not a single magical thing in sight, but just like Mi’Kal’s shop, it’s organised chaos. We start browsing and take turns asking for Ridwan’s help.

Fyllion is up first: he’s looking for music, of course.

Ridwan can’t help him with string instruments, the climate is too hostile to such instruments for there to be a proper market for it. So Fyllion can’t buy a new viola, nor any strings for his lute
Ridwan does have a lovely flute, carved out of a mysterious dark wood with a purple sheen.

Delighted, Fyllion pays 5 gold even though Ridwan only asks for 2. Ridwan throws in a random clump of beeswax, the only thing in stock that Fyllion can use for his lute.

As they wrap up their transaction, they chat a bit about our future travels. Ridwan shares this info about the Grove:

The Grove isn’t a hospitable place – the Eladrin Elves there are wary of strangers, and many other creatures are dangerous
Most Eladrin Elves who used to live there, have moved away to cities, mainly the Vale nearby
The other fey creatures who travelled here from the Wild Fey plane are mostly controlled by druids

When he hears from Storm that Fyllion is famous and infamous, like a rock star, Ridwan asks for a signature. Fyllion is happy to oblige.

.

Picking up the discussion about the Grove, Hali and Storm push the narrative that we’re scientists, aiming to study this mysterious blockage, and perhaps solve it through the power of observation, hypothesis, and testing, now that the royal courts and the magic users are too busy with the impending war. Hali cleverly decides to build out our ruse of posing as scientists & orders some scholarly supplies

ink, pen and parchment “to keep our records, you see, good man”

an abacus for our calculations, of course
an herbalism kit to analyse all those mysterious plants everyone keeps talking about
a signal whistle
10 more rations

With a king’s ransom of 4 gold and 9 silver as a tip, she settles her bill, paying 23 gold and 1 silver.

.

Storm’s turn is up: he’s eager for some back-up supplies since we don’t really know what to expect where we’re headed. He gets:

a jar of massage oil with night jasmine which was grown in Damanhour’s Lunaire temple. The aroma is rich and deep, and restful. Still, it’s a simple oil without any special properties
a vial whose beautiful filigree silver stopper catches Storm’s eye. Ridwan explains the shimmering red fluid under the vial’s seal was an offering from the grandson of the man who built Damanhour’s temple. 1 health potion, grandson of the man who built our temple, it's Sampson 50 gold
a healer's kit and a poisoner's kit
10 vegetarian rations for Storm, Ridwan is eager for the challenge of creating delectable, transportable well-balanced meals

Storm pays up 106 gold and 5 silver.

As they’re talking about the massage oil, Storm offers Ridwan a demonstration of his massage skills. Ridwan is hesitant at first: he’s got his eye on a woman he’d like to court, and he doesn’t want there to be any misunderstandings. Storm rolls his eyes and retorts Ridwan can keep his pants on, it’s only a hand massage, at least when it’s for free. As Ridwan consents, Storm begins a concise lesson about the hand’s anatomy and the way muscles, tendons and joints work. As their hands touch, skin slipping with the oil taking on our body heat, they have a moment of intense eye contact… and Storm is left quietly reeling: though Ridwan is an unremarkable man in his forties, with the same tanned skin and dark hair the other villagers sport, his eyes are a startling, and familiar shade of yellowish green. Ridwan doesn’t seem to notice and is grateful for a mini masterclass, an opportunity which doesn’t occur often in this sleepily peaceful village.

.

Meanwhile, in Mohsine’s kitchen, Gladiola excuses herself: she wants to freshen up in her cart. Ezra and El(drin) listen to Mohsine’s stories, occasionally translating a bit for Aqueel. While El(drin) helps with the washing and peeling, Ezra jots down Mohsine’s favourite recipe. They include it in a letter they’re writing for Enza, which they are planning to send in the morning, care of Akram in Koh’Shar.

When their letter is done, Ezra helps with the chopping and slicing.

.

As they wrap up the massage/massage lesson, Storm’s eye is caught by a navigator kit on the shelf behind Ridwan. With a glance at Fyllion and Hali for their confirmation, he buys it for Ezra, with some of our bank’s meagre funds. Since Ezra holds Mi’Kal’s map, it’s a worthwhile investment to be sure we’ll easily make it across the Spine as soon as we solve the problems in the Grove.

Ridwan cheekily explains the kit holds a sextant, though he’s quick to add that it’s less spicy than we might think. He prattles on that wooing a woman is a complicated balance of spicy flirting and helpful kindness. In that context he brings up Saumi, who takes care of the Lunaire temple. You know, fishing fallen leaves out of the moonpool, sweeping the floor, organising the monthly mini festival, keeping stock of the gifts the god receives and bestows… anything to keep the Lady happy.

We’re a little taken aback that he refers to Lunaire as a Lady with a housewife’s preferences, but Damanhour is plenty peaceful, so we figure Fyllion and Hali will be able to talk to this Saumi to plan a performance, with or without bagpipes.

As Ridwan closes his store for the night, he invites us back tomorrow or any other day, if we want to buy more, or if we want to sell something... although he'd have to assess the goods we'd have on offer for him.

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When Fyllion, Hali and Storm return to Sharm and Mohsine’s home, El(drin), Ezra, Aqueel and Mohsine are almost done with the meal. Gladiola has washed her face & is now demurely setting the table. She's looking forward to the comfort of a cosy home-cooked dinner.

We enjoy a nice meal in jovial company. During the meal, Storm mentions Ridwan’s store is open every day, so

El(drin) might be able to check if they can trade Madonna for a draft horse
Hali might sell the animated chess board, since we never really use it, or we could sell some other things, though Ridwan warned us he’d have to assess what we bring him
We could get some more supplies if anyone still needs anything

Then we prepare to retire for the night. Gladiola steps into her cart, accompanied by Chalcedony. Fyllion tries to convince Gladiola he should sleep on her couch, but thanks to a NATURAL ONE she politely lets him understand she wants her privacy & doesn't want any misunderstandings about the line between generous patron and hired hand. Also, he’s kind of young for her, so that wouldn't be proper… with a stammered “no but yes, well no, I meant it in a platonic way”, Fyllion hurries outside and joins the others in Gladiola’s tents we set up in the wind fall next to the stable.

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The next morning, just as dawn wakes us, we hear commotion in the street: someone is crying and banging on Sharm and Mohsine’s door. It turns out to be Hasjra, a thin and slightly older woman. She wails that her husband Saumi didn’t come home last night. He went to check on Lunaire’s sanctum on the other side of the village and didn’t return!

Sharm hurries over to where we’re clustered around our tents, asking if we’ve seen anything. As we shake our heads that we haven’t, Ezra takes charge. They check in with Gladiola: if she’s not in a particular hurry to journey on right away, perhaps we could look into this?

Episode Line-up

Previously: Session 19: Too many motherfucking snakes in this motherfucking desert

Up Next: Session 21: it's a peaceful morning in the village, and you're a horrible beast