Stuart's Game History Part 14

Fire Season 1616 – Dark Season 1617

The Trickster is capricious but Orlanth tamed him.

In spite of his jovial greeting all was not as it seemed. Garrath Sharpsword may have been a Wind Lord in the cult of Orlanth, and high in the esteem of the Orlanthi rebels of Pavis, but amongst the tribesmen of Prax he was naught but a Groundman. He was not a slave, but as the tribe broke camp and headed into the Wastes it may have seemed to the party that the difference was academic.

The vast deserts of Prax stretched out in all directions as the tribe rode east. None in the party had ridden with nomads before, save for their comrade Kurtulmak who was a nomad scout for Duke Raus. It did not strike them as strange that although they rode with the chieftain of the Bison Tribe, among their number were several riders of sable, alticamelus, impala and rhino. Whilst they camped alone, these riders were given shares of the kill befitting great heroes of the tribe. Although the party could never know, such an occurrence was rare in Prax these days.

Kulbrast was perhaps most accustomed to this life, having spent seasons with the Brown Boar clan of Balazar and learning of the ways of Foundchild. Aransar was ill at ease and truculent, as ever when faced with a curb to his sense of freedom. Orstanor withdrew into himself, to that place where the Amadi go when unable to govern their own fate. The man known as Saul Galvost took solace in murmured prayer as he, like the others rode double behind nomads who seemed to be torn between resentment and a strange pride in their appointed role.

Garrath explained something of the purpose of their journey to the party, telling of a visit made by Godunya, The Dragon-Emperor of Kralorela, to the Empire of Wyrms Friends, during which time he took counsel with the transcendent Dragonlords and learned of the ways in which humans could command the loyalty of Dragonkind. Godunya returned on foot across the Wastes, and legend stated that He found a secret path up to the summit of the Plateau of Statues which he marked by binding the secrets of Dragon Mastery into a series of glyphs that showed the way through the cavernous secret passage.

Stranger things were afoot however, gleaned by the party as they learned more of the language of their Praxian guardians. The Daka Fali shaman made cryptic reference to ancient Praxian legend. Prophecy had long told of the coming of the White Bull. This meant naught to the party, but it was obvious that their arrival from Balazar into The Hidden Greens had been linked to this prophecy by their Praxian companions.

It took a whole season just to move across the vast plains. Soon, angry and vast on the horizon, loomed the maelstrom of clouds of the Storm Bull. Some of the Praxians chuckled at the outlanders who stared in disbelief at this physical manifestation of a God. However, the party soon learned that below the clouds sat the infamous and terrible Krjalki Bog, home to chaos and terror. The Bison tribe moved to within half a day’s travel of the deadly swamp, and Akasta Ironspear held a feast of warriors. He talk long and with deep passion, and the party could pick up words in their limited Praxian that spoke of unity of tribes divided and of the long foretold coming of the White Bull. He foretold of a mighty hunt that would mark this arrival.

The great warriors of the Bison Tribe and those of the other Praxian tribes, who had accompanied the Bison people so far, now came forward. Mighty oaths were sworn to hunt chaos in the swamp, and great honour was promised in return to those that could bring the deadliest chaos prize to the ritual immolation that would light the way for the coming of the White Bull.

The party, even though they were reckoned Groundmen, came forth for the hunt. It would last a week. Garrath offered to be a spear bearer for one of the mighty Bison Storm-Khans. The party went in alone, looking for their prey. It was deemed safest for Orstanor and Saul to protect their camp whilst Kulbrast and Aransar went looking for tracks. It was not long before they encountered a gang of feral broo who they attacked. Aransar and Kulbrast were hard pressed, and Kulbrast almost fell to the broos, but was saved by the steadfastness of Aransar – a fact that Aransar was loathe to let the bearer of the Windsword forget.

Knowing that a sack full of brooheads was unlikely to impress the mighty Khans, they retreated to the campsite to heal. Aransar could see no benefit in continuing the hunt. He strongly voiced this opinion, perhaps showing the traits of the young Orlanth when he slew Yelm, failing to see beyond the immediate, and showing little regard for the Old Ways. Kulbrast saw a chance to gain great repute by returning to the swamp as a lone hunter, and although all saw his folly, they told him they would wait for a week.

Kulbrast found spoor of many creatures of chaos, but found one of the deadliest. The dread chaos horror could kill with but a glance, but its malformed head was too great a weight for its long neck, and thus Kulbrast stood at least a chance. His spear pierced the metallic scales of the creatures hide again and again, but before he was able to slay the creature it placed its fell gaze upon the Orlanthi warrior and he knew no more, falling dead in the Krjalki Bog, the Windsword of Alakoring Dragonbreaker strapped inert upon his back.

Orstanor had been desperate to enter the swamp to hunt chaos, but had stayed his hand upon the word of Aransar. Now he counselled that they try and pick up Kulbrast’s trail, for he secretly feared the worst. The party then entered and through the blessing of the Bull they found the slain body of Kulbrast, lying where he fell. They bore his slain body back to the nomad camp, where other hunting parties had returned. Garrath Sharpsword had mightily impressed the Storm Khan, slaying a terrible six-legged chaos-fiend. The Storm Khan was stood at the fore, lyrically retelling the tale, and declared Garrath his brother and no longer a Groundman, offering to fight any who would gainsay him. Garrath and the party were gifted with riding bison from the warriors of the tribe.

Upon seeing the body of Kulbrast, Garrath was distraught, knowing that he had led this man to his death. He beseeched mighty Orlanth to return life to his fallen fyrdman and Orlanth granted his request. The shaman looked on amazed as the Wind Lord brought back the dead with the breath of the gods, and stated that the herd mothers of Eiritha would tend to the desperately mortified but born-again body of Kulbrast of Lankst. Kulbrast was desperately weakened, and even the Herd Mothers could not return him to full strength.

The tribe moved further east, now in the direction of the Tunnelled Hills. Here the tribe split, the majority of the Bison people moving north to continue their vast circuit of the Wastelands. Garrath had earned the respect of the Praxian warriors and became the leader of this disparate band of seventeen. They made their way to the Storm Bull stronghold of Only Safe. Aransar answered the challenge of the Berserker lord who barred their way, for only the strong are welcome at Only Safe. It was clear that in a simple duel the two combatants were well matched, but Aransar drew first blood, and so the party were able to receive succour from the populace. Without this they would have never been able to locate the hidden caverns. Life in Only Safe was harsh, and every day was a battle for survival, either against the land itself or against the surrounding hordes of chaos.

Even with the secret knowledge that Garrath had received, it still took a season of searching to locate the true caves. The party were scouting yet another location and found the sacred signs that they were looking for. They headed into the cavern to confirm their findings and were attacked by Scorpion Men who had made the caverns home. Fleeing for their lives after a near-deadly fight they returned with the news to the fort. Garrath bartered for provisions and the party returned to the caves, where Garrath found a cavern strewn with magical dragon and dragonewt teeth and a shrine apparently created by Godunya as a repository for the knowledge that he could not take with him.

The group fought their way back through the caverns and emerged onto the Plateau of Statues. Overwhelmed by the scale and grandeur, they were put off exploring by the huge and terrifying guardians who roamed the Plateau looking for intruders. Gathering a handful of runic tokens and crystals each, the group left the Plateau of statues to begin the long journey back to Inner Prax. More Seasons passed, and when they arrived back in Vulture Country the group took a mighty oath and named themselves The White Bull Brotherhood. Their Praxian companions headed east to locate their respective tribes to preach to them the message of unity in the face of chaos.

They arrived back in Pavis in the early part of Dark Season 1617. Garrath paid for Kulbrast to receive magical healing at the Chalana Arroy temple and the others took a few weeks to recuperate from their long journey. Finally, for the first time since early 1615 they had come full circle through Sartar, Tarsh, Balazar and the Wastes back to the city of New Pavis, looking wesward across the Plains of Prax to the Stormwalk Mountains...