Campaign6/session22
From Hebridonia Wiki
Hunter or Hunted?
Session Date: July 23rd, 2005
Teaser: The timeline is restored.... mostly. Jake is back, and Nymvayas is on the loose. The giant will be back tomorrow, just in time for the arrival of the Prefect! Will our intrepid band sneak out of the village under cover of darkness, or will they stick around? Will they try to track the fugitive Nymvayas, or return to Hebridonia to make a report?
Synopsis:
Assynt 35, 1022 - early evening
Recovering from their shock that Jake is back with them (instead of part of the Drysophian Collective, see The Demons Within), the party tries to pump the poor elf for information. Unfortunately, it seems that Jake cast one too many spells and is suffering from a magical backlash that wracks his body with pain. He pleads with Triella for relief, and after several unproductive minutes of questioning, she relents and casts a painkilling spell. Free from the pain, Jake slumps from exhaustion into a troubled sleep.
Through the partial answers from Jake, and their own deductive reasoning, the group ascertains that the event that is still out of place in this new timeline is Anna's slaying of Nymvayas. According to Jake, who went through the portal after Anna, Nymvayas used some sort of defensive magic to deflect her arrows, and eluded the expert huntswoman once inside the forest. Though Jake does not say so, the theory is that the gnarled roots covering the forrest floor may have made it difficult to track the Demarian priestess, and she may have used a disguise spell to become hidden. It naturally follows that if Nymvayas did not die, then she did not become part of the collective, and hence could not have emerged from a tree to absorb Jake into the collective. So the party seems satisfied about how the group's charter has been modified, and how Jake came to be with them. No explanation is available for Tegred's possession of the stone from Nyria however...
Before resting, the party is entertained by Naruko's family as a show of their gratitude for Triella's healing Hoshiko. They serve a fine meal, which is most welcome after the party's harrowing adventure in the alternate timeline. Shimura comes by to discuss some options in light of the tapped out mine, and Gurath offers to survey the nearby mountains for a new vein of gems or other precious materials for a reasonable consulting fee. Shimura seems satisfied with that course of action and leaves to meet with the giant, hoping to avoid another confrontation. The night passes uneventfully, so it would seem that he made a convincing argument.
Assynt 36
Triella and Tegred decide to stay in the village. Triella needs to rest, and wishes to check in on Hoshiko and spend time with their family. For Triella, who lost her own family so long ago, it is a power restorative for the spirit. Tegred stays in the village because.... doing something else sounds like far too much work...
Jake has brief moments of conciousness, but additional spells from Triella help him rest comfortably.
Gurath leaves to survey the mountains. He spends most of the day "feeling out" the nearby mountains before finding a promising spot for further study. He returns to the village by early evening, just in time to see the Prefect's arrival.
Meanwhile, Anna and Feiruhn scout along the wall between the Drysophian Collective and the path leading up into the mountains, looking for signs of passage that might indicate Nymvayas passed southward near the village of Nemuro. Anna's exceptional tracking skills easily find a place where someone scaled (or fell) down the wall, and entered the nearby woods. Anna follows the trail, and finds small tufts of cloth on thorns which match her recollection of Nymvaya's robes from several nights ago.
She follows the trail until it intersects a wide path leading from the mountains eastward. It is clear that someone hid in the bushes beside the road for a long time, perhaps even resting there before moving on. Anna does not find any entry on the other side of the path, and starts tracking the person along the path heading eastward. They walk for several miles, noting several spots where someone left the road to hide. Finally they reach an intersection with a north-south road which Anna reckons is 3-4 miles south of Nemuro. Anna can see the very recent passage of at least a dozen or so individuals, and in the distance Feiruhn can make out a group of people traveling northward. They guess it is the Prefect heading to the village. Fighting the temptation to continue tracking the person they believe to be Nymvayas, they walk northward to return to the village, hopefully in time to see the Prefect and his entourage.
The whole party is reunited as the Prefect's entourage arrives in Nemuro. The Prefect and two of his consorts each arrive in a separate, ornately decorated palanquin borne by four strapping male servants. The palanquins are flanked by several officials on foot, and a dozen guards. With the exception of the two consorts, the rest of the entourage is entirely men. Shimura and his adjutants meet the Prefect, then escort him and his consorts and officials into the receiving house for dinner.
As the consorts are lead toward the building, one of them notices the party, and takes particular notice of Anna. She breaks eye contact and enters the building. The party is unsure what to make of this. Perhaps the consort is surprised to see a woman in garb such as Anna's (since she is not wearing the traditional dress robes of the Nith)...
Previously:Session 21: Ouroboros Pt 2
Continued in Session 23: The Saiji
Back to Campaign 6 Index
