Nala, God Talker and Assistant Shaman, asked bountiful Ernalda where the Feathered Horse Queen could be found. The Goddess told her to look “‘twixt Cannibal Daughter and Fort of Bagnis”,
After some discussion, the party agreed to make for Bagnot first and then work their way down toward the Shaker Temple. Rajar and Valseena remained at the caves to sit vigil until Rurik returned with aid.
The first day was mostly quiet, although Suuraki had a close encounter of a crocodilian nature when they were watering their animals. This led to some speculation about the spread of crocodiles in the region of Dragon Pass and the potential involvement of Varanis and Nala.
Their journey continued and soon they came to a small Tarshite village. Given the village had a newly constructed stone inn and it was late afternoon, they decided to stay for the night. As they settled in for some food, beer, and surprisingly good wine, the innkeeper told Nala of the village’s woes and asked for aid. Suuraki complimented the man by saying that if he led a raid, Jorgrim would die last.
In recent weeks, villagers had been attacked and brutally murdered. Their bodies looked as if they’d been tossed about by giants, or beaten with heavy chains. The village was at a loss and in need of help. Berra blurted out that she volunteered, which had been obvious from the way she sat up like a hunting alynx hearing mice. Suuraki asked which week it was, and the innkeeper, Jorgrim, supplied that it was always Wildday Eve - which they were just coming up to.
The Praxians, Suuraki and Nala, investigated the locations where attacks had occurred, but given the passage of time and the activities of the village, there was little to learn. Suuraki noticed the hoofprints of some very fine horses, in among the pig and human and cow and sheep prints. Berra and Varanis examined the area, in hopes of developing a plan, and at least in Berra’s case to know the area for fighting in. They both came to the conclusion it was hopelessly indefensible from most angles, and other than the stone inn, the buildings were too lightweight to hold against a possible Air elemental with cursed chains, let alone a giant.
Xenofos sat down in the inn with his kithara and attempted to tune it. After some time, he was joined briefly by a young woman who offered to sell him new strings. As he followed her to her smithy, he observed that she wore a kopis, which caused him some concern. He called out a greeting to Varanis in Esrolian, hoping to attract her attention. Berra misunderstood and thought he called for help. Berra joined him at very high speed, eagerly, and Varanis followed, though it did not take long to clear up the miscommunication.
In the smithy, Xenofos purchased new kithara strings, while the others surreptitiously investigated. Varanis and Berra noticed the young woman had severe burn scars on her face, mostly hidden behind her hair. Berra asked about getting her (Eril’s) sword repaired, but despite knowing how badly damaged it was, decided she did not have the time to do it, as it needed recasting entirely. Finding nothing else out of order, and unsure of what else to do, they left.
As night fell, they set their plan into motion. Berra waited outside as bait for whatever monster they faced, while the others waited inside the stone walls of the inn. Some time well into the night, their patience was finally rewarded (sort of), when Suuraki heard sounds approaching. He whistled to warn Berra, who cast Protection and made sure she was ready to run. Then a scream rang out across the village. Berra took off at a run, followed in short order by Xenofos and Varanis. Suuraki and Nala more sensibly collected their mounts and quickly caught up to the others.
At about the same point, they all reached a collapsed cottage, or scene of death. Suuraki spotted something in the darkness, but Berra’s keen eyes could make out what it was - a red-glowing chariot that seemed to have skeletons in, and no horses. It was already departing, but she ran after it. Nala had been looking at the scene of death, and seen a sad ghost just realising she was dead. She and Suuraki both shot at the chariot, both hitting it.
Suuraki caught Berra up onto his high llama so they could move more quickly. Nala and Tiwr followed, leaving the Esrolians cursing and retreating to find their horses. Suuraki lent Berra his bow, but even though he managed to keep the llama going in the dark, they could not go fast. Tiwr overtook them, and Berra could not keep her seat. Suuraki was forced to sacrifice speed to keep her from falling. Nala’s last shot at the chariot missed. Berra wanted to go back immediately and see about the curved sword, but as they were already close to the collapsed house, they went to look at that instead. In examining the dead woman, Berra picked out something that glinted oddly - a little sprig of a plant that Nala identified as water weed.
As Varanis desperately tried to mount up, Fish lashed out and the Vingan collapsed with a horseshoe-sized dent in her helmet. Xenofos came to the rescue, healing his cousin as best he could. The redsmith arrived on the scene and, taking in the trouble, she pried the badly damaged helmet from the Vingan’s head. This allowed Xenofos to complete the healing, leaving Varanis with a bloody hoofprint and an impression of the edge of her helmet on her face.
Nala stayed to put the ghost to rest, and find out its story - she had been asleep, then she was dead. Berra stamped back to the village. She demanded of the Redsmith, Viborna, that she tell them about the curved sword, because there was a Lunar Chariot that was the monster. What could be seen of Viborna went white. Enough people were awake that Jorgrim, the Innkeeper, was there, and he explained.
A Lunar Rune Lord and his charioteer had arrived in town and abused them, but he got drunk, so they killed him. He had half-deafened Jorgrim, burned Viborna, and lamed a man named Orvald. The group considered this in light of the Rune Lord’s abuse of hospitality and decided that while it was an ambush, the people who had done it were not warriors, and they were not bound to keep hospitality that had already been flouted.
They had weighted the chariot down with chains and pushed it into a nearby lake, without the horses, and that had been eight years ago. The group decided to set off in the morning to deal with it.
