Aersalus B-Team: Season 1, Session 11 – Assault on the Kennel

Dramatis Personae

Previously . . .

Several days after arresting the bandits, Unit Seven has shown back up in the center of Wolftrap with a light dusting of snow around it. Unit Seven doesn’t seem to recall what or where it went, or that any time had gone by. Unit Seven did have some damage to its legs in the form of animal bites and scratches, but not else.

They group has spent about another 30 days in Wolftrap getting things settled down now and determining who will be going where in terms of the settlers. The previous planned airship with more settlers hasn’t arrived, but instead there’s missives being sent to them, especially Listens, that they aren’t sending in more people as they’re behind on the Duke’s side, especially with winter coming and not everyone being hale and hardy. They’re instructed to take Raito’s group and head off to the next town along with a few other hand-picked members. Tessikai forcibly volunteers herself no matter what objections were raised as she’s the only healer left and there’s already a healer in Wolftrap.

The food from elsewhere has arrived already, supplying the town. The Duke also sent more supplies by water and by airship. They do get access to a rather expensive object, a crystalgraph along with a box full of instructions as no one in the group seems to know how to set one up. They do need to set up nodes along the way around every 30 miles or so away from places of spiritual disturbance.

Before leaving Wolftrap, Listens creates a shrine to the spirit of the shoreline from the Kani Crystal that his father had left. He also chats with the ships that came in and around, implying they should tithe to the shrine in exchange for favorable winds. There were also the trials which ended in quite a few executions. The Duke does, however, get them to pardon some of the less guilty members of the bandits and Dogskull is still in jail awaiting questioning despite Listens’ wishes. Trapper does get Listens to check out Jori, who insists that she’s perfectly well. Listens is able to diagnose her with some mental trauma and persistent insomnia. It takes Listens nearly three herbal sleeping teas to knock her out and get her treated.

Overall though, folks are a bit sad to see the group head out, well most of the group excepting Meiri feelings about Listens. They’ve had to modify the wagons they’re using to use skis and there’s several of them that watch as the group heads off into the distance via the Western Road which is far more intact than using the Northern road. Wolftrap is still sending some of their grain to other places and further on where it’s not as dangerous. A total of three groups and multiple wagons.

On The Road Again

Listens-to-Ocean and Trapper
Temporary Encampment
Watersday, Skure 12th, 2,981 Fourth Reckoning, 8th hour of the Sun
The Westroad, Western Span

Rhum and Raito have gotten distracted by a stand of old-growth trees, checking to see if there’s anything there that could be used as it’s part of their job to mark such resources. The other wagons have already left towards Iron Haul along with Unit Seven leaving Trapper, Listens, Tessikai, and a member of the exploration unit that had come back after the defeat of the bandits named Vasco.

Vasco was a part of a previous group that disappeared that he doesn’t really remember much about, originally under Jerrah’s purview before he’d headed off. The person is a local and part of the Duke’s group simply so he can get lands of his own. Vasco came along as a kind of guide for the area as though he comes from further north, he’s still aware of the lands around Ironhaul and Wolftrap. In the summer he works as a hunter and in the winter he chops and delivers firewood.

There’s also a few other folks there with them, but Tessikai has found an outcropping of rock that had medicinal lichen on it similar to sphagnum moss. She has requested that the group stop long enough to gather some up. They’ve stopped underneath tall trees and built a fire to keep warm while the snow continues to fall lightly, not enough to actually stick to the ground.

Listens heads out to help Tessikai gather moss, noting that the area was likely a former riverbed and there’s signs of scarring and burning on the trees that have survived. As far as Listens can tell, the spirits in the area are fine, the spiritual energy is flowing alright, it’s just a place with numerous battle scars, moreso than Wolftrap.

They can hear someone in the distance calling for help, Listens looks around noticing Vasco who is taking watch while Listens wanders off to follow the voice while Trapper sniffs the air first, smelling mint and oil and pine but no blood or anything. About a hundred yards down the road they see a man in dark blue clothing waving them down claiming that they’ve broken an axle. He leads them back to his wagon, more of a vardo than anything. The axel has snapped and the man claims that he’d be able to fix it if he could get it lifted up. Listens claims that they might not be able to lift it but they have some folks that might as he looks around. The man introduces himself to Shimmyn Begge, a wandering tinkerer and fixer of pans and cutlery. Listens finally uses his woodshaping to lift the cart upwards so they can properly see the axle which is cracked right down the middle. Listens improvises creating a wooden axle for him to at least keep going to Ironhaul and makes sure to strengthen it, though he’s gasping for air after all the use of the woodshaping.

Thankful, Begge helps Listens up to his feet and gets them some hard bread and water, explaining that normally he doesn’t normally have trouble on the last leg but he’s needed to fix the axle years ago. He claims he doesn’t have any to pay them, but offers a story instead though Listens has heard of all of them so Listens offers to tell Begge a story instead which confuses Trapper about the issue of payment. Begge brings out some liquor to enjoy the story to in a thick glass bottle while Listens tells a story about the water folk. Begge travels with them to their encampment, where Tessikai is arguing with Vasco.

Upon seeing the two return with Begge, she confronts the man asking if he kidnapped Trapper and Listens and threatens to stab Begge before Listens calms her down. Begge notes they’re in a small group and it could be dangerous on the road, though maybe not that particular road. Tessikai points towards a very large cloth sack that’s been stuffed with moss and has some squirrels roasting over the fire, fairly large sized ones. Trapper makes a comment about it being fine as long as they weren’t talking when they were killed, to which Tessikai mentions that if they had been talking she’d have kept it alive and cut of its feet, to show it’s been defeated. Trapper gives her a dope slap and says no to which she is suitably annoyed and stalks off to get firewood while Listens introduces Begge to the group who immediately takes to him. He keeps going in and out of his vardo, cracking jokes, seeing to folks, bringing out sugar for tea and the like unlike the honey that’s typical in the lands.

Tessikai is rummaging around in her belongings in the back of one of the wagons before coming back and starts braiding ivory beads into Trapper’s hair. He cannot be too annoyed with it, figuring that she’s doing it to help with getting used to her prosthetic finger with all the manual dexterity it requires. Begge, meantime, shares stories with Listens about the local area and changes in Wolftrap before he turns in.

The night passes fairly smoothly, no bears or wolves approach. The next morning they wake up to the smell of eggs and sausage and roasting tomatoes who is cooking breakfast with quite a spread of pots and pans. Saying he’d like to repay their kindness with breakfast and tells them that the chicken, Cluckers, is being annoying as he pets the chicken he got the eggs from while the chicken is trying to take off pieces of Begge’s hand. When Listens greets the chicken, it decides that it enjoys the perch of Listens’ head and starts to roost on top. Begge hands out plates for everyone and some blueberries.

The servant of bones stands behind Trapper as they eat, gesturing towards the broken sword in its hand. Trapper questions what he’s supposed to do about it and suggests giving it to Begge who might sharpen it up into a knife or something, which Begge does much to the Servant’s disappointment. Apparently it really wants a replacement sword and not a knife or kani crystal knife. Listens suggests that maybe Trapper will give him a sword when they get to Ironhaul which makes the servant seem hopeful which Trapper dashes horribly.

Aftermath

They get going back down the road, with Begge travelling with them. They manage to get to Ironhaul is fairly good time before the snow starts again. Ironhaul is build into the side of the mountain in old quarries and mines, almost every single building is made from stone and roofs made from slate tiles. They use snow melt for a large reservoir of water, the quarries looking like they aren’t stopping for anything as they keep breaking out stone. As they enter, they notice that there’s a huge stockpile of quarried material just waiting to be moved, the next is that it’s a far larger town than Wolftrap when they arrived with closer to 700-800 people there.

They find that the team has set up a temporary came to the north of the town and has set up multiple stoneshaped lean-tos. Listens informs that Rhum and the rest of the team will be by soon and questions about the current situation, if they’ve been settled in with no problems. Unit Seven is checking out the constabulary and the group itself is waiting for someone from the City Council who were waiting to speak with Listens. Listens checks on Unit Seven who is sitting in an empty room almost like it’s recharging. The room itself is fairly neat with no weather damage, there’s some incidentals like files and a book of law on one of the tables and firewood next to a fireplace. The jailcells have been nicely maintained with coating of oil and almost double the cells as Wolftrap. The constabulary has been neglected, but to the point of a monthly check up of dusting and care.

Listens wanders around Ironhaul to explore and make himself visible. The place doesn’t look anywhere remotely as rundown as Wolftrap does and there’s plenty of places to explore. They look at Listens a bit curious and treat him with polite neglect, they don’t know who he is and they don’t really want to offend someone that looks like he might be a noble assuming that the council member will seek him out.

Trapper, meantime, reads the files and determines that there has been no minor crimes and the last major crime was some time ago, nearly two years ago. A murderer that was hung with the approval of the council. The law book itself hasn’t really been touched much, barely referenced. Trapper notes that there’s quite a stockpile of stone and otherwise and steampipes running through the town providing heat and keeping snow levels down.

After Action Report (GM)

And now the PCs are onward to the settlement of Ironhaul. We were missing two players tonight (one we knew wasn’t going to be there and another who was not feeling well). Still, my new rule for this campaign kicked in for the first time: if there is at least two players and I feel up to running, we’re playing. All that said we didn’t play for long – just a few hours, but it was still good. I needed something to clear my brain out a bit. This was it.

I got to introduce a character who has been in my head for a while: Shimmyn Begge. Shimmyn is a tinker, tailor, merchant, storyteller, and all around jack-of-trades. He could also be considered one of the Traveling Folk because he does have a vardo and follows some of their ways (the PCs don’t know, but his wife was one), but he’d never claim that. It’s just the home he and his wife shared. The last solace he has going with him everywhere with him even after she has gone. I hope that Shimmyn Begge becomes a NPC I can use over and over again, but like all things – you cannot force the players to like who you want in your games.

World Lore Tidbit (The Traveling Folk)

[Now before we get into this too deep, I very much did not try to coopt any of the actual Romani. I totally did borrow some words (vardo being the big one) and that’s it really. I’ve personally known and spent time with several Romani (mostly the gitanos/Calé and a friend who was the daughter of a Irish Traveller) but that in no way should be construed as “I have permission to do what I want because I have a $friend who is!” but rather it has shaped my experiences and thus has shaped how I write and so on.

TL;DR I ain’t out to offend or culturally appropriate.]

In Aersalus there are several groups who call themselves “Travellers,” “Traveling Folk,” or “Folk” (their name for one another is the Karahm). Most everyone simply calls them “Folk” and that is a widely understood term. Traveling Folk are highly respected for a multitude of reasons. First, after the Day of Covenant’s End (the time when the Old Gods released all Warborn (the collective term for dwarves, elves, and humans) from their service after the Giant’s Rebellion ended) the Warborn split into multiple groups. One of those were the proto-Traveling Folk. The Warborn had no real home but tents, wagons, etc. They were a fully mobile people. Many of them wanted nothing more than to settle down – and that’s what they did. But not the Folk. The Folk walked, rode, sailed, and otherwise explored the face of Aersalus, but they never forgot their bonds with the others. And the others never forgot their bonds either. The Folk are always welcome wherever the Warborn are and they are treated as having guest-right even if it was never offered. To harm one of the Folk is to invite anger and possibly violence from any human, elf, or dwarf. The Folk in return bring news of lands beyond, knowledge of nearby routes, and more.

Millennium ago the original Folk split into groups of their own to better explore Aersalus. Those who went to sea became the Karmisie or “Sea/Water Folk.” Those who continued to roam the land by foot, hoof, or wagon wheel are the Karmehsi or “Wagon Folk.” There are other groups such as the Karmiishah or “Sand Folk” who live solely in the Deep Desert of Atterallus and similiar minor branches. Interestingly enough about 30 years after the Draculari Empire gained skyship technology from the gremians one of the smaller branches of Folk became friends with one of the leader of one of their Factions. Trevisse and her family soon became the Karmusa or “Sky Folk.” Normally, this would violate the gremian Council’s agreement with the Empire, but since it was a smaller Faction it was not technically a part of their contract with the Imperials.

Regardless of how the travel, they are all Folk and are treated with respect and honor by most. Even the ill-tempered people of Svarog are wary of them even if they do not like them at all.

Other Notes

Bonus Report from Rory.

Soundtrack

“Fortunate Son (Bardcore Cover)” by Marcus Aurelius

Aersalus B-Team: Season 1, Session 13 – Memories, New and Old