Previously, Emrys managed to jump into the portal through which Epidemius and his forces invaded Kingsport. The fiend followed him into the portal and the two agreed to go their separate ways; Emrys back to Kingsport, and Epidemius back to… hell. The heroes defeated the infernal forces left behind by Epidemius, while the crownsguard and Lyrian knights routed the skaven throughout the city.
Fourth Day, Second Ride, Autumn Twilight, 1262
(Silvermoon is waning, Bloodmoon is waning, Darkmoon is in low sanction)
The evening was running late after the bountiful meal. Guests were nodding off in their seats, filled with food and drink, while Andrew Selkirk sang songs and the fire roared high in the hearths. Astrid had joined the two Sheridan brothers who had decided to stay at the inn to celebrate with the heroes.
Quentin made sure that two cups of wine were filled for Adrian and Clement. They stood, untouched, on the table in front of two empty seats. It was a reminder of the sacrifice of the Morvrayne riders, and represented the loss of life in the defence of Kingsport that day. Durham had a hard time catching on to what the cups represented, and could be heard grumbling about it being “a waste of precious wine,” referring to the ongoing shortage.
When Dame Pauline came to Quentin to ask for permission to retire for the evening, Her intention was to rejoin the delegation in the morning, and Quentin asked her to inform him when it became time for her to depart.
Quentin’s mood was dour, but it was Chakuq that lifted his spirits by complimenting him on his bravery. It had been Chakuq’s experience that “steel men” rode into battle only when victory had all but been secured, stealing the glory from the men and women that had done the heavy lifting. Chakuq was happy that Quentin was not like that, and was glad to call him a friend. Quentin, in turn, said that the feeling was mutual, but Chakuq expressed disappointment in himself due to the fear he had felt for Epidemius on the battlefield.
Quentin departed for his bedroom, while Neamhan continued to observe the tavern room, stewing on the fact that Epidemius got away. It felt like a Pyrrhic victory, and her frustration grew with every passing hour, until Lauryn took her out of her reverie by warning her that “the storm in your heart stirs the air around you.” An itch on the back of her hand reminded Neamhan that she was still marked.
Emrys spent some time talking to Andrew about the fight on Steward’s Square. There was no doubt in Emrys’ mind that the bard would use the details he gave him to compose a song and further spread the tales of the Heroes of the White Eye. Andrew, in turns, told Emrys that the Beauclair delegation had brought a small army of troubadours and trobairitz with them. As they had made their way through the westerlands, these troubadours had split off from the delegation and had spread their songs far and wide. Andrew had travelled to Kenton recently and had listened to one of the troubadours perform there, and remarked that all of the songs were about the history of House Lys and how they stood for Beauclair virtues and chivalry. The Fleur de Lys, the legendary sword the heroes knew as Róisín, featured prominently in these songs. He also warned Emrys that Villem of Landsdowne, the famous auctioneer, had come to the College of Bards and investigated the Fleur de Lys and had been helped by the headmaster of the college; the legendary Papillon.
Eventually, when most people had either nodded off in their seats, and the only entertainment was an ongoing arm-wrestling match between Marcus and Astrid, Emrys snapped out of his contemplations and he went up to his room. He spotted his lute case, and was reminded of the note hidden away by Lady Annabella; “And death shall have no dominion.”
Fifth Day, Second Ride, Autumn Twilight, 1262
(Silvermoon is waning, Bloodmoon is in low sanction, Darkmoon is waxing)
Each hero was plagued by nightmares, reliving the most horrifying parts of the battle against Epidemius; threats made by hamatulas, the savagery of the rat ogres, and the fury of the erinyes. For some, it was the peak beyond the seal that kept them jerking awake.
When Luca came down after eighth bell, he found Neamhan and Lauryn at the bar drinking morning brew. The weather outside was calm but cold, with snow gently blanketing the city in white. Intuitively, Neamhan knew that later that day the weather would turn grey and stormy. She recognised that Luca had the same rough night that she had and that he had not recovered from the fight. Neamhan used her connections to envelop the young arcanist in a gust of reinvigorating wind, partially healing his wounds. This startled Luca, and while he was grateful, he had asked Neamhan to ask for permission to use her magic on him next time.
Lauryn was curious about the battle and the adversaries the heroes faced. Luca explained that hamatulas and erinyes were devils, and that they were different from the savage demons, and enigmatic yugoloths. This lead to him explaining about different realms of existence, about the realm of fairy and its courts, where Wynn and the dragonling came from.
It was a rarity that Neamhan and Luca connected and shared some personal thing; Luca about his ability to absorb knowledge, starkly contrasted against his inability to fit in where he grew up, and Neamhan about her husband Gabhan, who was patient, kind, and caring.
Luca spent some time reading through a book named The Luminous Enchiridion of Thunda, written in archaic Lyrian, a language that he had not mastered as well as Quentin seemed to have after returning from Old Llygad. It was a curious book which only revealed its writing when illuminated by a magical light. He found that the work was an academic treatise on the nature of magic, and could, provided he invest some time into it, act as an excellent reference guide while researching a wide variety of topics on the arcane.
Emrys, Quentin, and Astrid all came down late. Quentin had washed and groomed himself, and was dressed to represent his station. He had fallen out of the habit, which showed by the small cut he had given himself while shaving, but today would likely be the first of many things he had to get reacquainted with.
Everyone was surprised to see Falka walk through the door of the inn, carrying a few books. She had been gone for a day or two and nobody knew where she’d gone off to. It turns out she had reached out to James and gotten access to the Newport vault, where she had spent some time perusing the library, much to her delight. It became clear that she had no idea how much time had passed, or that she had missed the confrontation with Epidemius. She informed the heroes that James had tracked down a fellow by the name of Garvan, who was in charge of excavating the vault. There was progress, but funds were limited.
A messenger arrived at the inn who delivered a summons to Quentin to present himself at the Beauclair delegation’s camp north of the river Lyn. It also stated that the Morvrayne riders were to be restationed at the camp in order to improve the visibility of House Morvrayne at the camp. Emrys’ keen eye observed that the interaction between Quentin and the messenger was intricate, and dense with social queues he did not quite understand yet.
The time was close to depart, and everyone got ready. Luca used his obedience to appear as the Baronette of Evenshade Hall, and he also helped Astrid to freshen up. Chakuq made note of the symbols that everyone was wearing; the swan volant of House Morvrayne for Quentin, the blue markings on Astrid’s face, the symbol of St. Aureus on Luca’s lapel, and the crescent moon of Sehanine on Emrys’ scabbard. He hatched a plan to find a stone cutter who could carve the tooth he had harvested from Epidemius’ mount into seven symbols.
Quentin asked Wojciech to pick up his horse and arrange for horses for the rest of the heroes, and the stable master headed off to the Bridle, accompanied by Neamhan and Chakuq. On the way back, Neamhan’s attention was caught by Goodman, who asked her to pass along a message to Quentin. She agreed, and the two came to a cease fire in the process.
After arriving back at the Careless Wanderer and having a conversation with the horses about personal riding preferences, Neamhan went inside and handed Quentin the note. It read:
Lord Quentin, as you go into the fray, please remember:
The earth was sown with early flowers, the heavens blue and bright,
I met a gallant cavalier as lovely as the light.
I knew him not, but in my heart, his graceful image lies,
And well I marked his open brow, his sweet and tender eyes.
He carried sword and scabbard, full of leaves and blossoms mixed,
Encased by vines and verdant growth, with flowering blooms betwixt.
Plunging sword in barren soil, crops and vintage grew,
The hungry, famished and the starved were given life anew.Faithfully,
Lord Andrew of House Selkirk
