Mynval Shadowfoot brushed aside the heavy cloth flap of the pavilion and stepped inside. She squinted against the unnaturally bright light illuminating the space and shielded her eyes. Through the blinding white, she could make out the silhouettes of two people, one tall and broad, the other short and compact. She stepped between the two and stopped, mouth agape, as she beheld the figure seated on a wooden dais before them.
The figure—a young woman—seemed to be the source of the light. The effulgence of her presence assaulted every sense and left Myn feeling exposed to the steady, pale white eyes of the woman. Suddenly, the luminous figure shifted, and the light vanished. The trio was left in a near complete darkness that weighed upon them like a thick wool blanket. Anxiety and uncertainty radiated off the tall man beside her, and panic gripped her heart like a vice.
Mechanics Discussion: Activating Abilities
Mechanics Discussion: Position
Iryn: Activate an Ability
In the darkness, Myn heard a quiet, sing-song voice rise and fall in a lilting tune. Intense, green wisps illuminated the calloused hands of the feminine figure beside her as she manipulated the magic of the song hanging in the air before her. A peaceful melody accompanied the magic as it formed brilliant green music notes in the void.
With a gentle flourish, she guided the calming energy toward Myn and the tall human. It curled and whorled languidly through the unnatural dark until it hung before her, gently shimmering with the melody. The energy coalesced into two green orbs as the song softened to a close, each touching Myn and the human gently on the chest. The orb dissipated with a flash and crescendo of bells and chimes. Calm flooded into her, bubbling like a highland river after a spring rain. Myn let out a breath, releasing the last of the tension the darkness created.
“What’s this about?” The baritone rumble of the man’s voice filled the silence the song left behind.
Myn heard the faint rustle of fabric, and then the inky darkness lightened to a dim gray. The young woman was standing on the dias now, her small frame covered in a gray mantle. Once again, Myn couldn’t shake the thought that the blinding brightness, the forbidding dark, and the twilight glow flowed from the woman herself.
“I apologize, my friends,” the woman said, her voice quiet and quavering. “I am newly come to the role of Mother Superior and have not yet perfected my mastery over the powers of the Eclipse. Come, sit with me. Eighth, please bring in candles and refreshments for my guests.”
The strange young woman motioned to the small wood-and-cloth stools resting near the dais and settled herself comfortably in a cross-legged position. Another girl, clad in a black habit with a white left sleeve, and barely into adolescence, carried a silver tray into the room and placed it on the dais in front of the Mother Superior.
“Thank you, Eighth. That will be all. Please have First and Second attend me when our guests have gone.”
“As you say, Lady Eclipse,” the young girl replied with an awe-filled voice, and bowed before turning to leave the pavilion.
“As Eighth has said, I am the Lady Eclipse. Mother Superior of the Order of the Sisters of the Eclipse. My sisters, known only by their ordinals, and I have come from far away to bring succor to your wounded village.” The woman poured steaming tea into three small cups as she spoke.
“I have never heard of the Sisters of the Eclipse,” Myn said, leaning forward curiously as the Mother Superior held out a teacup to her.
“No, I suspect you have not. We are not a…well-known order.”
“That sounds nefarious,” rumbled the human. “How could you have known the volcano would erupt?”
“The role of the Lady Eclipse…my role…is to read, listen, and behold the portents revealed by the great Lady of the Heavens, Mogaelan.”
“You’re a seer then,” he continued, spitting the word like a curse.
“You do not approve,” Lady Eclipse replied. Her gentle smile never left her placid face, though darkness crept in, shrouding the edges of the false twilight.
The human grunted in response and crossed his arms over his chest. Myn understood why; seers had a bad reputation among many of the Peoples as frauds and swindlers. It was the same with her folk, the gnomes of Blackvine Forest far to the north and east. Seers, magicians, and the like were frowned upon and often ran out of villages. True magic, rare as it was, was not shunned, but the false folk were unwelcome.
“Why have I never seen you around the village?” Myn asked the human.
He stared at her but did not offer an answer. The compact female, spoke up for him.
“That’s Torfyr, the woodsman. You weren’t in town when he was last here. I’ve seen you in the tavern, haven’t I? I don’t think we’ve ever been introduced, though. I’m Iryn Whisperwind.”
“The minstrel, right?” Myn replied. “I’ve heard you play. You’re not bad. I’m Mynval Shadowfoot, but you can call me Myn. And I agree with Torfyr,” said Myn, turning her attention back to the dais.
“I am in agreement with Myn and Torfyr,” Iryn replied, crossing her arms. “Seers, when they speak true, only speak of disaster. I do not know about this one, but my people are not prone to trust seers and their kind.”
Lady Eclipse rose, her eyes black. The darkness crept in at the edges of the false twilight emanating from her, its tendrils like a chthonic beast clawing its way out of the depths. “You will not defame the Mogaelan in my presence! My sisters have given you the blessing of restored life, and this is how you repay us? With doubt and slander?”
“We do not mean to be ungrateful,” Myn said, placatingly. “It is just that where we are from, those who claim to read portents of the future are not trusted and have been proven false time and again.”
Mechanics Discussion: Checks
Myn: Check Using Willpower
Myn: Resource Update
The Lady Eclipse seemed to deflate at Myn’s words, and her eyes grayed as the encroaching darkness retreated. “Forgive me, you are right. I should explain more fully.
“The Sisters of the Eclipse have existed for thousands of years. There are always eight sisters, and one Mother Superior—the Eclipse—the ninth sister who embodies the eclipse and communes with the Lady Mogaelan. She grants her mouthpiece wisdom and insight beyond that of other people. Three weeks ago, we were at our convent in the northern wastes beyond the Walls of Crackling Ice. I received a vision on the night of the Azure Moon—the second Full Moon in a single month—of Mount Baram erupting with fierce and violent force, spewing fire and brimstone in the shapes of creatures not seen in these lands for millennia. The vision showed this village at the epicenter of the Mountain’s violence, and thus I gathered my sisters and we set forth immediately. We did not arrive in time to warn your people, though we were in time to resurrect the three of you. To that end, I must reveal the meaning of my vision.
“The demon hordes of the Inferno and Obsidian Plains have united under a leader foretold in the ancient texts—a Kamphyun of the Horde. In my visions, the Bright Lady has shown me the Kamphyun’s form. It appears as a massive humanoid made of magma and obsidian. His obsidian wings block out the sun, and the lava spewing from his mouth consumes all in its path. I do not yet know why his ire was directed toward this village, but if we do not prepare to face him and his horde, all will be lost.”
“Quite the tall tale, your excellence,” Torfyr spat. “But what does this have to do with me? I don’t call this village home. I’m a woodsman, and only come to the village a few times a year.”
“Lady Mogaelan marked you, whether you believe it or not, as well as your companions. You will be her champions and the saviors of the Peoples of this land. Whatever the Kamphyun seeks here, he will not stop once he has found it. He will go on to turn the rest of this land into a wasteland of fire, smoke, and ash. Death will overcome all the Peoples, and your precious forests will be among the first casualties of his tyranny.”
“I am not convinced any of this is real,” Torfyr growled. “It’s not unheard of that mountains burst. I’ve seen it before in the west, in the Jungles of Tarral.”
“But what if she speaks true?” Myn asked. As Lady Eclipse spoke, an uncertainty settled over her heart, and now, hearing of the violence this Kamphyun of demons could bring, she knew that if she could, she must help stop him. “We cannot let these folk, and the People of the land, be destroyed by our inaction.”
Mechanics Discussion: Grit
Myn: Check using Grit
Myn: Resource Update
“I do not believe this seer,” Torfyr replied, quietly. “But I will help rebuild the town and defend it as I am able.”
“That is all I can ask. The truth will be borne out soon enough, and you will know then that I speak truthfully. Go now, Remnants, and meet with the survivors of the village. Rebuilding this place will be as important for the coming battle as your participation. I will supply you with a caravan to sell any valuables you might stumble upon in your journeys on behalf of the village. I will send my sisters to you soon.”
The woman went silent and closed her eyes. A dim radiance, somewhere between the gray twilight and the blinding effulgence, poured out of her and embraced the three Remnants. The tension and exertion Myn felt while listening to Mother Superior and attempting to convince Torfyr washed away. She felt revitalized, even more so than the cordial the Sister had offered her.
Mechanics Discussion: Rests
Party: Rest
Myn followed Torfyr out of the pavilion into the gray morning. Ash and embers swirled in a gentle breeze, but the raging fires had burned themselves out, and all was strangely quiet.
“Look there,” Torfyr said, pointing a long finger toward the village ruins.
A crowd of people, soot-stained and bedraggled, were coming down the hill to the south of the village. Many carried small children or bore up stretchers with wounded, while others seemed to shrink on themselves as they laid eyes on the ruins of their home.
“We must speak to them,” the halfling said, and started down the hill.
Myn looked up at the surly woodsman as he stood, towering and glowering on the hillside. She shrugged. The woodsman seemed to be the type to brood, and she had no qualms letting him do so in silence. Turning away from Torfyr, she followed Iryn into the village.
Thanks for reading the first proper episode of my Tales of the Burned Stones adventure. Tune in next week to see how the party can help the villagers or Harfall rebuild.
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