Adventures in Pendleton's
Chronicles of Pendleton's
Khus Afav (Lady Ashes)
In the rainy golala of the present year, the army of Khus Thuvalch, the Alegani faVashala lord, arrived in the Athulm valley between the Batharkh and the Ferchu mountains. Ahead were the forces of aKhus Ga'an and Khatthum, the faThey generals of the Churgani province's garrisons, numerous and armed. In the Alegani legion, the First Wild-Dogs, were a unit of spearmen and swordsmen, with an attached unit of crossbows. Thulvalch keeps a staff of “special task” soldiers, and among these are:
Fer Vellalt, archeologist of Rhuthuok birth;
Khus Khuthuth, soldier
Khus Chajin, soldier and thief-acrobat
Thuvalch called Vellalt to him and gave him a mission. Some km distant, atop the mountain Nelfonad Mea'a (“Hope's Eyrie”), lives the lonepriest Afav, a professor of ancient devices from the monastery of Vokherkhe. She needs must be evacuated in the van of the army. Vellalt was warned to bring her, and her devices, to Thuvalch personally. The soldiers Khuthuth and Chajin were to accompany him as well as a medic if one could be spared. (None could be.) In addition, the aged wise-woman Yeemunay, of the Rhuthuok folk, arrived and predicted success by her magical divining stones. She decided to accompany the group.
The group set off with two pack-westh, of whom Chajin was suspicious, and as night became rainy and chill, camped in a copse of pines amidst woolbeasts. They had dozed off in wet and cold when mantigers (Homo carnifex) assaulted the woolbeast herd, and then the humans! The result was, as Tolkein put it, a gorgeous row. Chajin dodged the meat-eaters, climbed a tree, and peppered them with crossbow bolts, since Butros' World shone bright enough to enable this. Khuthuth emerged from the sodden tent with sword in hand and engaged a mantiger hand to hand, clawing, biting, and slashing with his blade. A beast smelled Yeemunay and clawed her, but Vellalt helped her from the wrecked tent and the two of them spent an inordinately long time trying to climb a pine tree, which went very poorly.
Finally, Vellalt pulled the aged truth-teller into a tree, from which she descended to cut the throat of a wounded mantiger; Chajin's hidden knives killed another such beast. Vellalt and Yeemunay sought help at a nearby farm cottage, from which Ghir Thulch, a peasant woman, and her sons emerged with blazing torches of firetree (Eucalyptus pendletoni), sending the remaining mantiger fleeing in fear. Sadly, the group found that their manhorses had fled also, but the peasant woman invited the group in to warm themselves, eat and rest. And so, if one may say, ended our story.
2. In the House of Khus Shachep
Waking in the home of Ghir Thulch, who had taken them in, Yee Munay, Vellalt, Chajin and Khuthuth ate and rested as Thulch, her son Thwod, and his two brothers, “Small Son” and “Stupid Son”, began a night's workday of weaving and spinning. The peasant folk told them that Khus Shachep Eslenson, their landlord, was welcoming and could aid them in their quest. The group thus set out to find the landlord. As they left, the doctor Elab Korat, also of Thuvalch's legion, came to find them, as he had been ordered to accompany them to care for the aged Khus Afav, the professor-wizard whom they sought. The doctor treated their wounds and the group went off to find the noble.
They arrived at the manor house of Khus Shachep, and his supercilious butler admitted them, stabling their manhorses. They were given wine and then rooms to wash up, fresh clothes, and came down to dinner with the noble. They were served food, more expensive wine, and brandy, and Shachep was heavily intoxicated, at one point beating a servant cruelly with a whip. Chajin posed as a noble Khus warrior, with Yee Munay and Vellalt as his servants, which the drunken lord accepted readily. He told them of his centuries-old house, his family's history, and his huge collection of wild animals, kept in a zoological garden. He also gave them directions to the mountain, Nelfonad Mea'a, or “Hope's Eyrie”, whereon Khus Afav lived. Eventually he was carried off by his butler to bed and the doctor, Elab, treated the beaten serving girl, whose back was horribly scarred. (This action saved the lives of the group.) The girl told them to leave as soon as they could.
After fearful discussion, the players decided to rest for a few hours and leave before dawn. Yee Munay slept in the purdah, while the men were put in guest rooms. Waking, they found a servant revolt in progress, but the rebels spared first the aged wise woman, then the males of the group. Yee Munay noticed a mob advancing from the village on the manor, carrying torches and improvised arms, and warned the menfolk to flee. The group went out the back of the manor, got both their one manhorse and two geldings which were in the stable, and headed out through the zoological gardens. On the way, they met two dog-bears, Kodiak-sized descendants of the Schnauzers that the ramscoops brought.
Chajin and Yee Munay evaded the first huge beast, while Khuthuth rode it down with his spear and it clawed Vellalt. Near delirium from blood loss, the archeologist grabbed his saber and enacted the ko•ante, the Rhuthuok bear-sacrifice rite, whereupon Khuthuth hauled him away. The second bear was distracted by Yee Munay, while the others escaped. Finding refuge with a shepherd, the group hid and treated their wounds.
Khus Afav (Lady Ashes)
In the rainy golala of the present year, the army of Khus Thuvalch, the Alegani faVashala lord, arrived in the Athulm valley between the Batharkh and the Ferchu mountains. Ahead were the forces of aKhus Ga'an and Khatthum, the faThey generals of the Churgani province's garrisons, numerous and armed. In the Alegani legion, the First Wild-Dogs, were a unit of spearmen and swordsmen, with an attached unit of crossbows. Thulvalch keeps a staff of “special task” soldiers, and among these are:
Fer Vellalt, archeologist of Rhuthuok birth;
Khus Khuthuth, soldier
Khus Chajin, soldier and thief-acrobat
Thuvalch called Vellalt to him and gave him a mission. Some km distant, atop the mountain Nelfonad Mea'a (“Hope's Eyrie”), lives the lonepriest Afav, a professor of ancient devices from the monastery of Vokherkhe. She needs must be evacuated in the van of the army. Vellalt was warned to bring her, and her devices, to Thuvalch personally. The soldiers Khuthuth and Chajin were to accompany him as well as a medic if one could be spared. (None could be.) In addition, the aged wise-woman Yeemunay, of the Rhuthuok folk, arrived and predicted success by her magical divining stones. She decided to accompany the group.
The group set off with two pack-westh, of whom Chajin was suspicious, and as night became rainy and chill, camped in a copse of pines amidst woolbeasts. They had dozed off in wet and cold when mantigers (Homo carnifex) assaulted the woolbeast herd, and then the humans! The result was, as Tolkein put it, a gorgeous row. Chajin dodged the meat-eaters, climbed a tree, and peppered them with crossbow bolts, since Butros' World shone bright enough to enable this. Khuthuth emerged from the sodden tent with sword in hand and engaged a mantiger hand to hand, clawing, biting, and slashing with his blade. A beast smelled Yeemunay and clawed her, but Vellalt helped her from the wrecked tent and the two of them spent an inordinately long time trying to climb a pine tree, which went very poorly.
Finally, Vellalt pulled the aged truth-teller into a tree, from which she descended to cut the throat of a wounded mantiger; Chajin's hidden knives killed another such beast. Vellalt and Yeemunay sought help at a nearby farm cottage, from which Ghir Thulch, a peasant woman, and her sons emerged with blazing torches of firetree (Eucalyptus pendletoni), sending the remaining mantiger fleeing in fear. Sadly, the group found that their manhorses had fled also, but the peasant woman invited the group in to warm themselves, eat and rest. And so, if one may say, ended our story.
2. In the House of Khus Shachep
Waking in the home of Ghir Thulch, who had taken them in, Yee Munay, Vellalt, Chajin and Khuthuth ate and rested as Thulch, her son Thwod, and his two brothers, “Small Son” and “Stupid Son”, began a night's workday of weaving and spinning. The peasant folk told them that Khus Shachep Eslenson, their landlord, was welcoming and could aid them in their quest. The group thus set out to find the landlord. As they left, the doctor Elab Korat, also of Thuvalch's legion, came to find them, as he had been ordered to accompany them to care for the aged Khus Afav, the professor-wizard whom they sought. The doctor treated their wounds and the group went off to find the noble.
They arrived at the manor house of Khus Shachep, and his supercilious butler admitted them, stabling their manhorses. They were given wine and then rooms to wash up, fresh clothes, and came down to dinner with the noble. They were served food, more expensive wine, and brandy, and Shachep was heavily intoxicated, at one point beating a servant cruelly with a whip. Chajin posed as a noble Khus warrior, with Yee Munay and Vellalt as his servants, which the drunken lord accepted readily. He told them of his centuries-old house, his family's history, and his huge collection of wild animals, kept in a zoological garden. He also gave them directions to the mountain, Nelfonad Mea'a, or “Hope's Eyrie”, whereon Khus Afav lived. Eventually he was carried off by his butler to bed and the doctor, Elab, treated the beaten serving girl, whose back was horribly scarred. (This action saved the lives of the group.) The girl told them to leave as soon as they could.
After fearful discussion, the players decided to rest for a few hours and leave before dawn. Yee Munay slept in the purdah, while the men were put in guest rooms. Waking, they found a servant revolt in progress, but the rebels spared first the aged wise woman, then the males of the group. Yee Munay noticed a mob advancing from the village on the manor, carrying torches and improvised arms, and warned the menfolk to flee. The group went out the back of the manor, got both their one manhorse and two geldings which were in the stable, and headed out through the zoological gardens. On the way, they met two dog-bears, Kodiak-sized descendants of the Schnauzers that the ramscoops brought.
Chajin and Yee Munay evaded the first huge beast, while Khuthuth rode it down with his spear and it clawed Vellalt. Near delirium from blood loss, the archeologist grabbed his saber and enacted the ko•ante, the Rhuthuok bear-sacrifice rite, whereupon Khuthuth hauled him away. The second bear was distracted by Yee Munay, while the others escaped. Finding refuge with a shepherd, the group hid and treated their wounds.