Write up follows:
Throughout the County of Rand, the celebration of Odin, the All-Father is an important time and this week was usually referred to as the All Father’s Feast, the last major holiday signaling the ending weeks of Summer and the start of the Harvest season. In Sorton, the upper class section of town throws what is referred to as the All Father’s Ball on the 1st day of the feast; and it is a highly sought after affair that people sign up for weeks in advance in hopes of getting a vaunted ticket.
Darius’ family, the Diamondcutters, have been staples to the Ball for generation and his youngest sister, Twilaine, made sure to include Darius on the invitation listing even though the young slinger had a falling out with his father weeks earlier. But on the night of the 21st, Darius made sure that he was decked out in his newest clothing, doublets and jerkins in black, green, and red, cut in the latest style and fashion. He made his way through the Jarl Heorot, a massive meeting and banquet hall located in Overcliff, until he found his seat at the table his family was already at.
His eldest brother, Gordon, was here, along with his youngest sister, Twilaine. Twilaine was betrothed to a man 12 years her senior, Isilwine Goldsmith, a shallow chinned jewelry maker whose family had been working with the Diamondcutter’s for years. Isilwine and Gordon have been friends for some time and were deep in their cups, talking and laughing. The seats for Darius’ mother and father were empty and there were other members of the Darblewythe mines here as well.
Darius’ arrival was met with surprise and skepticism by Gordon but naked appreciation from Twilaine. Isilwine was big on making sure Twilaine had enough to eat and was plying her with ham as he joked about “fattening her up” so she can squeeze out some kids soon while patting her on her slim hips. Darius didn’t like it and Isilwine kept joking Darius off.
The conversation drifted around the various mines and jobs that had been coming and going for some time until Gordson touched upon the crème de la crème they had just done – a signature piece for Siggurd Eindaud. Buh-wha?? Seems he had a piece of gem, called it a Ravenstone, and wanted it mounted on some gaudy piece of gold and silver plaque worn around his neck.
Darius listened to his brother and Isilwine talk about the piece for a bit and the difficulty in getting the stone mounted – was multi-faceted but was immune to further cuts no matter what Gordon did – so he had to figure out how to mount the translucent brownish gem offset in place without cutting a holding groove on its face. At this point they noticed Siggurd was at the Ball and was walking the crowd. Darius noted how everyone seemed to like Siggurd no matter what and there was even talk that the League picked up some of his gambling markers on their own.
The former teamster, murderer and colluder with kobolds, current mid-level and rising functionary with the League of Odin made his way over and gave Isilwine and Gordson a hug and noticeable thanks. He was introduced to Darius (who dressed very neat, shaved, haircut, and out of place – Siggurd didn’t place him) and Twilaine and spend a little time talking and showing off his chest jewelry. He left to mingle more and the group was just gushing over Siggurd – again, except for Darius.
Now earlier there had been note that a Matron priestess was going to be at the table as well but was running late. There was the herald call of Matriarch Marsha Jarlborrin-Strake, Speaker for the Dead announced and Darius and the rest of the table beheld the pale dwarven high priestess gliding across the chamber until she arrived at the table. She gave everyone a piercing glance and then centered it on Isilwine and said, “You’re in my seat. Leave.” The shallow chinned burst from his chair, apologized, and left the table, hovering nearby but close enough to hear the quiet conversations.
She sat there in uncomfortable silence after bidding her hellos and then asked Darius if he liked the goat? She hated it. How about the music? She thought it was terrible. She hated these things and had been the face for the Vault of the Heorot for the last 10 years since Paduntosis had been to one and there was…a problem that Ball. And Parylis always had some leprous growth of problem at these times that would “surprisingly” clear up a few days after the fact.
She talked to the Diamondcutter siblings for some time. Gordon and his kowtowing to his father’s whims and wishes, Twilaine living in the shadow of her elder sister’s death and middle sister’s shame, and Darius’ escape from his family dynamic. She then pointed out Siggurd and said that his ownership of the Ravenstone was an affront and someone should remove it from him before he grows to become a larger problem.
How or where he got it she doesn’t know, but the longer he has it, the more it becomes attuned to him and the greater his mastery of it becomes. It might be why everyone seems to like Siggurd without question, and maybe why the League is picking up his gambling debts. As to why now he is wearing it like a medallion, Marsh wasn’t sure, but equated it to why a peacock’s feathers get ruffled or why the less endowed would stuff a rock or two in their codpiece – merely for show.
Marsh eventually left and the three siblings talked for a bit longer. Twilaine was going to take a trip to the Vault of the Heorot and see the Speakers there, amazed at Marsha’s insight. Gordson was going to take small steps to assert himself and make his father’s influence superfluous – over time. Darius gave them both heartfelt goodbyes and eventually took 2 jugs of alcohol and made his way to Meg’s Flower Shoppe. He met Flora at the door, and then made his way upstairs to Meg where they shared some drink and then eventually her bed.
He awoke the next day, enjoyed her again, they shared breakfast and she gave him 5 small vials of distilled flower oil from the deadly plants he was looking for. She asked if he was going to the bar that night, and if so she’d like to go to see his friends. Darius nodded and said, “we’ll see” and then left, heading back to the Illytch Demesne and filled the rest of the group in on last night’s activity and today’s bounty which he gave to Avulstein.
Today was the 22nd and the final day of training. The League of Odin had invited the other guilds over to train and show off some of their student at some exhibition matches. There were three planned and Connal was selected for the 2nd heat. Each match was 3 on 3, with points for 1st blood, maximum damage, and knocking down the opponent. Connal, a dwarven fighter named Fenthil, and a Firvin barbarian named Gungar were squared off against 3 Leaguers: Jeros a swordsman, Beznor Coinhorn a dwarven warrior, and Dorf Dorfson a dwarven brawler.
Gungar eschewed armor and charged across the field, two handed sword slamming down and the three Leaguers were engaged. Fenthil was doing his best to catch up and Connal came up faster. The combat was short and intense, with one by one, the party members loosing HP before it was down to just Jeros and Connal and our monk won. Money was dispensed and the group was happy.
The third heat was 3 Leaguers vs 3 Storm Ravens and Siggurd was in the middle of the pack, doing his best to not look like he was doing his best. Barb picked up on his feinting and posturing during the combat and commented on it to the rest of the group. But the fight got nasty and dirt was thrown in Siggurd’s face. He stumbled back, tried to clear his vision, and what seemed to be a hiccup, suddenly had his legs planted and miraculously recovered his stance, hitting his opponent had and taking him down. He placed 2nd in points and the bouts were over.
It was in the post-fight that the group was with Connal as he and the other Grim Gauntlet fighters were being debriefed. The Midfather from the Red House, church of Loki and who was responsible for the gambling and odds making, were commenting that the runes and portents before the fight showed Siggurd with a 7 to 2 odds of winning; but the post-fight odds had instead read 4 to 3. An over 200% loss on potential earnings. The Red House was “out” over 2,700 commons since they would have booked his odds as different if they had been read as they currently were before the fight. Do odds ever change? Sometime yes, maybe by 10 or 20% swing, not as much as it did for Siggurd. A curious thing was that no one from the Church of Loki or the Red House seemed enamored from Siggurd – a sign that his “likeableness” did not affect those touched by Loki.
The group discussed the situation that evening and the fact that Siggurd or his Ravenstone was able to change the outcome of something and we should be aware of it during the apprehension tomorrow. We then went off to the butcher to see about getting some chickens and goats for Avulstein and ended the day at House Illytch getting wind that the “B” team was overdue by over a week and there has been no sign of them. Bobkins was talking about using some of the funds we had earned to hire some mercs back in Sorton and get his friends back.
We told the 3rd Reeve Spearo to hold that for now as we expected to be back at Base Camp in 6 days give or take. But tomorrow night, we were going to finally confront and take down Siggurd after almost 6 months of his being free from the crimes he committed against House Darbeard and the party.
No comments:
Post a Comment