Online Session Recap - 07.11.2018

Tylendel leaves the House of Martial Holies and heads to the encampment of the Wardens of Tamolyn Pahórek. On the way there he notices that the place where the Lady of Summer/Ristina Goldhill was buried he notices extraordinary growth – the bushes and flowers are very colourful, and he can see a butterfly fluttering into the grove, the first living thing other than horses and predators he has seen in a long time.

Tylendel: "It gladdens my heart to see you are making yourself at home, Lady."

Tylendel enters the encampment of the Wardens and follows the company banners until he finds Syr Waldor of Ashgate. While passing through the camp he notices that the temperature has risen. Syr Waldor is standing with weapon in hand, resting after sparring – like many others he looks pale. He gives Tylendel a respectful nod when he notices Tylendel.

Tylendel: "Syr Waldor."

Waldor: "Lord Greyoak. How may I assist you?"

Tylendel: "You and I and the First Wardens are going to do something you won’t enjoy, but that is neccesary."

Waldor: "Tell me."

Tylendel: "The tunnel from beneath Tamolyn to outside the walls have been left unguarded. The protections of the tombs have been desecrated. We need to search the tombs, thoroughly, to make sure there arent any unwanted beings down there, and we need to seal the tunnel."

Waldor: "My lord, Syr Gylian would not approve. He is-"

Tylendel: "Syr Gylian told me that I should bring you."

Waldor: "I understand. You’ve changed his mind, have you?"

Tylendel: "The danger is too great. The Questioner started the desecration of the Hill. The Cultists, the Parsians, they’ve had years. We need to make sure the Hill is safe, especially now that the Lady has come home."

Waldor: "You’re noticed as well? It’s been... As if it’s transformed overnight. Literally speaking."

Tylendel: "The Lady fo Summer came home yesterday."

Waldor: "Now the Questioner, that’s a man I haven’t thought of in a long time."

Tylendel: "He doesn’t deserve to be thought about."

Waldor: "True. It feels as if he belongs to a different time, almost. Things have changed so much. Anyway, my lord, if that is the command, of course I shall oblige. Shall I gather the troops?"

Tylendel: "Arms and armour, each man with a torch."

Waldor: "The entirety of my company?"

Tylendel: "Yes."

Waldor: "A hundred men."

Tylendel: "Yes."

Waldor: "As you wish."

Tylendel: "The danger is real, Syr Waldor."

Waldor: "Yes, I was merely curious about the logistics of moving a hundred men down those stairs. We’ll manage, my lord. Can you give me half an hour?"

Tylendel: "I’ll be at the entrance of Tamolyn."

Waldor: "I’ll meet you there."

As Syr Waldor starts preparing his troops, Tylendel walks up to the temple. He stops at the top of the stairs infront of the doors to the temple, where there are four guards. One of them is a knight of House Ziven, one of the River Knights. He gives Tylendel a respectful nod.

Knight: "My lord."

Tylendel: "Has any one of you heard about the Lady of Summer?"

Knight: "Yes!"

He points the the Lady’s Grove.

Knight: "Have you heard as well?"

Tylendel: "The spirit of the Lady of Summer helped and guided the Saint of the Mines."

Knight: "I heard, my lord, that you and Syr Morton buried Ristins Goldhill in that wood."

Tylendel: "Yes."

Knight: "So she was truly a saint?"

Tylendel: "Indeed she was. And she brought the Lady of Summer home."

The knight turns to the other guards.

Knight: "You hear that, boys? Hope."

Tylendel: "Take heart. The Lady of Summer has come home, and we become stronger because of her."

The guards all look at each other, nodding.

Knight: "May you be right about this, my lord. I pray for deliverance each day. Tonight I shall make my prayer to the Lady of Summer."

Tylendel: "Honour her, as you would honour the earth that gives food. As you would honour the mother that gives life."

While he speaks, Tylendel notices that the knight is picking at his clothes. He looks like he has taken more care about his appearance than most others at the Hill, something Tylendel approves of.

Knight: "Apologies for asking, my lord, but... Is there anything we can assist you with?"

Tylendel: "Keep your eyes open. I’m waiting for the wardens now."

Knight: "The Wardens, they are coming here?"

Tylendel: "We need to secure the temple."

Knight: "Oh, I see, I wasn’t informed."

Tylendel: "It has been decided in haste."

Knight: "I see, my lord."

Tylendel stands looking at the Lady’s Grove while waiting for the Wardens. After a while he finally notices a hundred men gathering in the Wardens’ area. The stand in columns behind Syr Waldor, and they shortly start moving towards the temple. When they reach the temple, Tylendel motions to Syr Waldor to have the Wardens stand in lines in front of the stairs.

Knight: "Fine man, Syr Waldor. Unlike most of his family."

Tylendel: "Some of the best we have on the Hill."

Knight: "I do believe that these Wardens, because of their dedication to their faith, have this fierce loyalty and strength of will that, perhaps, is lacking among men more easily tempted by this world’s many... temptations."

Tylendel: "I believe you are right."

When the Wardens are in positon, Tylendel addresses them.

Tylendel: "Wardens. I am going to ask you something that will make you uncomfortable, because we are going down into the tombs. The wards of the Hill have been desecrated, and the tombs have been left unprotected. We need to go down there and make sure that there’s nothing there that wants us harmed. I could have asked for anyone else to join me, but the reason I asked for the Wardens is that you know how sacred this place is, and I trust that you will take the proper care needed when we go down there. There is a reason why I wanted so many of you as well, because what may be down there may be invisible. There are some of our enemies that have the ability to hide themselves from our eyes. We need to use our bodies to make sure that nothing comes past us. We need to make sure that any way up or out is blocked when we start searching each crypt room, and we need to search each crypt room, every inch of it. When we come down there I want every third man to have a lit torch. We will work in groups of ten. We will have two groups blocking the entrance to the level; two groups to watch the hallway, and six groups each searching rooms, passing from room to room."

When Tylendel is finished, Syr Waldor steps forward.

Waldor: "Wardens of Tamolyn, you heard him."

He looks at Tylendel

Waldor: "Lead us, my lord."

Tylendel looks over the soldiers, then nods and walks inside. He notices that the River knight looks at Tylendel with what looks like admiration.

Tylendel and the Wardens search the crypts of Tamolyn thoroughly. They spend a few hours doing so, but doesn’t find anything. Tylendel creates a six inch thick barrier of bronze to seal the escape tunnel, engraving it with an image of the Lost God Found. As they finish, Syr Waldor comes to give Tylendel his report.

Tylendel: "It’s best to have it done; better to be safe than sorry. The tunnel is sealed, the crypts aren’t visited by anything... untoward. We are safer."

Waldor: "As you wish, my lord."

Tylendel: "Thank you, and your men."

Waldor: "It was an honour to serve."

Tylendel: "The honour was all mine."

When they leave the temple, it has become dark, and Tylendel decides to head for bed. He stops by the infirmary before doing so, though. He notices, with approval, that there are more guards around. When he reaches the infirmary he finds everyone alseep; he sneaks into Ghoston’s room and "borrows" a jar of water, then goes to his room.

He takes off his armour, washes, drinks some water, goes to bed, and tries reaching for Loronë in his dream. He thinks of his trip up Loronë’s Stairs; he thinks of sight and hearing, of speech and the gift of talking, of how he orates and where that gift is from; he thinks of the one leading a people with a guiding light, a lantern; he thinks of the Torchbearer. When he thinks of light and lanterns he feels himself slipping away.

He finds himself on a stony, cold scree, where the only growth are some dead bushes. There are patches of dirty snow around. Some distance above him, he sees a shape carrying a lantern, walking up the slope. The shape looks like a female. Her face is covered by a hood, but he can see her stop and turn towards him, before continuing her ascent.

Tylendel: "May I approach, Lady?"

Taking her silence as approval, Tylendel follows her.

The air, the smells, the texture of the ground, the stones, the moss, reminds Tylendel of the Remheck mountains. As he follows her, she sometimes stops and waits for him, but she keeps her distance. He passes a fallen statue with writing on the base: "Scythe of darkness, shadow’s light. Guiding eye of thirteenth sight." Tylendel cointinues; the woman has been waiting for him. The slope becomes steeper, giving Tylendel some difficulties, but the woman in front of him ascends with ease. He passes another statue with an inscription: "Always changing, always the same."

The woman crests the top of the slope, and soon after Tylendel comes to the top as well. Beneath him lies sheeth of ice, reminding him of the lake with the Tower in the Ice. There is no tower on this lake, but some distance ahead he spots the woman holding the lantern. She stops and turns towards him. The ice feels solid, and the woman places the lantern on the ice. When Tylendel comes close to her, she lowers her hood, and she reveals that she is wearing Renata’s face; the only difference is that her hair is glowing silver.

Tylendel: "Lady."

The ice cracks, and darkness seeps out of the lake.

Tylendel: "The answer is flame."

She looks at him.

Tylendel: "The riddle on the statues."

Loronë looks at him, takes a step closer, and studies him, like a child encountering an animal for the first time. A large shadow moves under the ice. It thuds into the ice.

Loronë: "Are you afraid?"

Tylendel: "I fear for my people."

Loronë: "You should."

Tylendel: "Parafor is going to kill them all."

Loronë: "He will."

Tylendel: "I need to stop him."

Loronë: "You can’t."

Tylendel: "I have already faced him once."

Loronë: "Impossible."

Tylendel: "He shone as bright as the sun. He burned everything around him. But not me."

She looks uncertain.

Tylendel: "But I am still not strong enough. Not yet. Braek turned against me, and she paid the price. Ruis is hiding. Gaffon is somewhere, doing whatever Gaffon does. Loronë is the Lightbearer, and Light is hop in these dark times, so... I search for Loronë, and maybe she will aid me."

She smiles a beautiful, sad smile, breaking Tylendel’s heart.

Loronë: "She tries, and she is grateful for your unimaginable courage against this dark and venomous tide. But is there enough light to bring back the day?"

Tylendel: "How can I help?"

Loronë: "You have already helped, greatly. My sister, you have stopped her. And the slave... The slave of the Creeping God. You broke his mirrors."

Tylendel: "All except one. Which is proving to be very difficult to work with."

Loronë: "Take great crae of that mirror. Such a mirror can no longer be made."

Tylendel: "Who is the spirit within?"

Loronë: "It is a foul being, guarding it. A trap laid by Kandarov."

Tylendel rubs the finger marks on his cheek.

Loronë: "It has given you the mark of death."

Tylendel: "When I travelled from the chamber of the creature with the eight arms I heard someone say that. "He carries the mark of death.""

She raises her hand to touch the mark.

Loronë: "Fortune has been with you. Take care. These marks will vanish in time, but if you should be assailed by such a thing again it might consume you. It is a mirror wraith, a soul warped and twisted and currupted into utter malice and hate. Its very essence is that of death. Kandarov, you see, serves not only the Creeping God."

Tylendel: "And who else does he serve?"

Loronë: "Old Bones."

Tylendel: "And the Black Flames?"

Loronë: "They are servants of Old Bones. Take care with that mirror."

Tylendel: "Is there a way I can use it more safely?"

Loronë: "Then you must be able to banish the spirit within. Do not use it until those marks have left your flesh. Too many of them and you shall be as them."

Tylendel: "But the need is so great."

Loronë: "Yes."

Tylendel hears knocking, and Loronë starts to fade.

Voice: "Lord Greyoak!"

Tylendel: "How do I bring back the light? How to I banish the darkness?"

Loronë: "You have already strengthened light. I... Am coming."

Voice: "Lord Greyoak! I don’t think he is here."

Tylendel finds himself in bed, hearing fading footsteps. He stays lying in bed, thinking. Anger, resolution, sadness, determination. He thinks about getting out of bed, but decides that it couldn’t have been important. He is too tired, and he falls asleep.


Tylendel wakes after a long sleep. He feels well rested, but hungry and thirsty. He dresses in his fine clothes and heads over to the infirmary in search of food. As if answering his prayers, Ghoston and Wilmar are eating when Tylendel arrives.

Wilmar: "Good morning."

Ghoston: "Have a seat."

Tylendel: "Goog morning, and thank you."

Wilmar: "Slept well, my lord?"

Tylendel: "Like a child."

Ghoston: "That’s good to hear."

The food is simple, but good.

Ghoston: "You’re not going to the council?"

Tylendel: "They’ll have to deal without me today. There are so many things to do."

Ghoston: "I can imagine."

Tylendel: "Have your watchers arrived? Your help?"

Ghoston: "I have been notified by these guardsmen, my lord. I believe they will join us later today."

Wilmar cackles and rubs his hands.

Wilmar: "Nice with womenfolk in the hallway. I can show them what a Wick can do."

Tylendel ignores him. Ghoston looks annoyed.

Wilmar: "Just kidding."

Tylendel: "I was hoping they could help you with more than just, well.. Using their eyes. I’m guessing yu will need a lot of bandages, well... If we come under seige."

Ghoston: "That sounds very useful, indeed."

Tylendel: "Use their skills."

Ghoston: "Hm. Yes, I will. Thank you again, my lord, I’m very appreciative of the help."

Tylendel: "It’s the least I could do for all that you have done for others up here."

Ghoston: "Thank you."

They chat about small things while they finish their breakfast, and after a while Tylendel returns to his bed chamber. On the way he finds some firewood, and he makes a fire in the fireplace in his room. He sits in his bed, crosslegged, Red Dancer in his lap, then lets his mind search for the Between.