The Cattle Raid of Koli

Next: Death, Ducks, and Death Ducks

Early Fire season, 1625

Characters

Mellia
Berra

NPCs

Skafloc
Venna
Lead Biter the Troll
A Duck Toll collector (Devolin the Deadly/Duque)
An assorted collection of Ogres
A Rhino Rider (dead) (Razig Taranau)

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This will be recounted either as extracts from Berra JarangsdottiHumaktisaga, or from The Sonnets to Mellia, Sweetest of Healers, White Lady of Esrolia¹. Unsurprisingly, there will be stylistic differences, but these will be resolved, where possible, using authorial voice. No traces of a proposed 'Skaflocsaga' survive. There is speculation about why² .

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Bright her eyes, Brave her heart
Bold Berra, Jarang's daughter,
Venna summoned, Argrath's vizier
Votivess of Urox

Saying sadly, stolen cattle
Swiftly seen, leaving camp
Leaving loyal Huscarls hungry
Leading Skafloc, then launched forth

Berra was summoned by Venna. Someone had been stealing Cattle, in a raid, which had managed to hit a local village. The problem is, those cattle had been due to be driven to the Army of Argrath, still consolidating his hold on Sartar, and without them, the army might not be able to be kept in the field. Berra and a Waha hunter initiate, Skafloc, were sent out to get them back, and find who was responsible.

They left, and en-route to the village of Koli, they came across a road block, manned by a Duck, demanding a toll. Berra was inclined to ride him down, but Skafloc saw more armed Ducks in the shrubbery. Berra intimidated the Duck into letting them pass, unhindered, and no poorer.

Sweetest Lady, long she travelled, o'er the land
Carried healing, wandered as Chalana's Hand.
Saw the sorrows, thain and peasant
Salved the wound, and made it pleasant

Came a spirit, shaking sickness
Upon the brother of a noble heiress
Begged to Mellia, sweetest healer
Would she do her best to aid her?

That White Lady, best and brightest
Came and soothed with salves the lightest
Met she Berra, Humakt's favoured
Met and melded Lightbrings pledge

Mellia, travelling through Sartar, bartering healing for food and lodgings, came to the same village of Koli. Her robes were cleaned, and she noted the care taken, and enquired why. It seemed one of the warthanes' sons was dangerously ill. She who had cared for Mellia's clothing with such care hoped to bring the healer to him. Naturally, as healers are kind of obliged to help as able, this wasn't a big ask, and Mellia settled down to contend with the sickness.

Meanwhile Skafloc and Berra went out and picked up the trail of the raiders, and left without their healer, because seriously, what could possibly go wrong with that as a plan? Fortunately, they didn't make great time, partly because Skafloc was having to track the herd, but mostly because Berra, one of nature's infantrywomen, regarded the horse she was on as something adjacent to trying to ride Storm Bull. (Skafloc merely regarded it as the pariah beast of Prax, and refused to have anything to do with it.) Consequently, after Mellia had saved the day, she was able (by clinging to the back of one of the Carls from the village as he did the difficult "riding" bit) to catch up, just as our heroes were encountering the corpse of Razig, propped up on his slaughtered Rhino, facing deeper into Prax, as though waiting for something.

Noble Bera, Bearing Sword
Bade the Khan to rest then well
Ride to Urox, Roughest fighter
Rage against the Lying Lunar Spawn
Listened Raziq, Lay he quiet
Lofted high above their height
Saw the Heroes, Heard their questing
How their journey just began

Flowing freely o'er the praxie(*)
Fairest Mellia then did see
One beyond her way to heal
Led them as her heart did feel
Away from Razig, Frenzied killer
After foes who felt yet iller
Softly spoke she, to her party
That she would heal and leave all hearty

(*) Praxie: A neologism, or portmanteau, combining Prairie and Prax. Esrolians sometimes try and be too clever with their poetry.

Long Yelm lingered, o'er the heroes
Left them e'er their quest they closed
Saw they scuttling, in the gloomtime
Swiftly turned towards the sight
Not though Lunars, Lady Chaos
Lept forth, instead a lusty Uz
Heit Leadbiter, led a trade trail
Listed where their foes had left
Thanking Trollkind, sped the threesome
Thrusting quick, like Yelm's own spear
Sprung they upwards, over screeslides
Sought they then the higher sight
Looked down pon them, dev'ious devils
Lurking down in darkened dell
Launched they arrows, Like the Lightning
Lept from Orlanth's Mighty Thews
Seeing sword was swiftly needed
Silently, did Berra slip
Down amongst them, like a Dervish
Deftly striking each one down
Almost slain then, saved as Mel'ia
Sought Chalana's healing hand

Amongst the falling fearing foe
Strode a healing hero so
Each there saved, who would take it
Saving even those who'd freely quit
Chaos serving, but the foeman rather die
Than see the lie.
Wept she then, pon broken shield and splintered haft
Wept Chalana, Wept then Mellia, wept they as Humakt just laughed.

What Really Happened

Mellia was travelling [for reasons] looking for people to heal and generally be lovely to, and stopped at the home of a clan that had recently had their cattle taken. She tended to their various woes and illnesses with the true mercy of Chalana Aroy.

Meanwhile Berra was sent by Venna to go find stolen cattle so that Argrath's army could eat. She travelled, with her llama-riding guide, to the village of Koli. On the way she passed through a copse of trees where a duck bandit, Devolin the Deadly, tried to hold her up. Despite her guide, Scaffloc, seeing several other ducks in the forest, Berra refused to pay a toll, threatening Devolin with death. They passed on without paying, and reached Koli. The villagers were disappointed to find out that Berra was not a sword-lord, but hopeful that she could succeed despite her youth.

The next morning Berra and Scaffloc set out along the trail of the cattle, not thinking to ask Mellia along, but the healer was sensible enough to catch up with them, with the help of a rider from the village. They passed along the way, Scaffloc keeping them on track, past a wide river and through a copse that had a corpse in it - a dead rhino rider propped up, wounded many many times. They could do nothing, and moved on, and after some time encountered a troll at the head of a caravan that had baboons [I think?] also. The troll, Leadbiter, was happy to hear the intelligence that there were probably lunar patrols in the area, based on the wounds on the rhino rider. Rather than be indebted, he told them about the raiders, even hinting that they were long-toothed, when the heroes failed to ask.

They moved along to a canyon where they knew the raiders to be, and climbed up onto the rocks over and beside it, approaching in the dark. A watcher in a tower saw them, but they were able to take him out (mostly Scaffloc's work) and move into position at the edge of the cliff. On seeing ogres below, Scaffloc stayed where he was and fought, while Berra shot a couple of arrows and then slid down the cliff, landing clumsily. Mellia followed, asking the ogres to renounce Chaos. They refused. A melee ensued, with Scaffloc unable to provide much help because an ogre mage in a cave was targetting him, but failing to hurt. Berra was wounded several times, losing her sword not once but twice. However, with Mellia's help, Scaffloc coming into the battle, and her own skill, they prevailed, rescuing not just the cattle but also the ogres' equipment. Carefully, they returned the cattle, herding them across the plains, and back home.

Quotes

Devolin: "Toll. 10 Lunars apiece"
Berra: "How many pieces would you like to be in?"

"I may die, but you will end up worth at least ten lunars." - Berra to Devolin, after he offers a 'fee' of five lunars apiece

Mellia: "Renounce Chaos, and I will heal you!"
Ogre: *Spits*

Related Logs

Next: Death, Ducks, and Death Ducks

Footnotes

1. Authors are unknown; see later logs for discussion.

2. According to Garin there is some evidence of the suppression of Praxian voices of this era. It is to be noted how many other Praxian epics have descended, compared to the Sonnets.