1/3/500 CE: The heroes met at the Sour Vintage. Artemis the Centaur flirted with the handsome red-bearded hunter Taneias, and was doing well until she gave a very horsey whinny.
2/3/500 CE: Next dawn they headed out to face the Great Boar. Their first encounter was with a very large sheep, then four thugs menacing a willowy blonde shepherdess Jenesis and beating her aged father Rastus. The heroes and their allies (Kyrah the Bard and the hunters Taneias & Javon) killed or drove off the thugs, rescued the two shepherds, then headed on into the hills. They found the boar's cave but retreated from the foul stench, camping overnight with alarm snares.
3/3/500 CE: The snares alerted the party to the boar's approach in the cold light of dawn. The party offloaded massive attacks on the boar, but though horribly wounded it would not die, until the nymph Aster used magic to send it into magical slumber. Artemis then cut off its head, which spoke to them of fell prophecies. Kyrah revealed to Taneias that he had been fated to die to the boar that day - somehow he had cheated Fate. Was Fate after all not immutable? Aster then took Kyrah the Bard aside for a little chat.... The group then debated which god to sacrifice the boar to, Aster proposed the goddess Kyrah, but Artemis held out for the Mother Goddess Thylea herself, which won the day. After a feast of boar meat and receiving the blessing of Thylea, the heroes then headed for the Oracle's Grotto to learn of their destiny.
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| Jenesis the Shepherdess, daughter of Rastus |
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| The Great Boar |
The Boar and The Bard
Z
The
Oracle has prophesised the Doom of Thylea, including the death of the Gods, the
destruction of Mytros and the total annihilation of the mortal races. This is
believed to occur when the Oath of Peace ends… which is soon. I, along with a
handful of warriors of some renown, have been summoned to avert the coming
catastrophe.
Z
Apparently,
our first task is to be found in the Heartlands. We are to meet a woman named
Kyrah[1]
at The Sour Vintage. She wants to hire us for a ‘difficult task’, promising a
sizeable reward and more information about the Oracle’s prophecy…
Z
This
is the diary of Aster, the Aurae nymph of Mytros also known as “Stargazer”. I
answered the call of the Oracle, determined not only to save Thylea, but also
hoping to find out more about where I came from. For those who don’t know, I
crashed to earth on an island outside Mytros only 3 years ago, though my
recollection of how I got there is absent, except for fleeting memories and
dreams. I have been granted magical gifts by Mytros herself; it would be wrong
not to use such gifts to help Thylea in her time of greatest need.
Z
Upon
the road from Mytros to the Heartlands, I am accompanied by the human Serenfar,
a Captain of the Mytros Centurions. Rumours orbit around him like flies around
a corpse. Even I have heard of the sorcerer who saved his ship from
certain destruction… or was it the charlatan who murdered his superior officer
to create dead man’s shoes to fill? It is dubious company I keep, but he also
has been summoned by the Oracle, so perhaps I should place a little more faith
in him.
Z
At
a crossroads, we meet two others summoned by the Oracle: Leander, a human
warrior in ancient armour, and a centaur shieldmaiden named Artemis. The former
matches the description of the man who supposedly invoked the wrath of both
King Acastus and Queen Vallus, Goddess of Wisdom, also rumoured to be the
Oracle’s pet, of sorts. The latter would have been a mystery, was she not so
open about her penchant for Bacchaen wine and exacting revenge upon a dragon
that murdered her tribe. As we gather outside the inn, whilst Serenfar assists
a local smith with his craft, we are suddenly joined by another summoned by The
Oracle. I recognise her as Meroë, a warrior monk said to be a daughter of
Pythor, the God of Battle, and a denizen of Mytros like Serenfar and myself.
Once gathered, we enter as one.
Z
The
barkeeper, a lady made famous, as I recall, for hunting a mythical and terrible
stag, informs us that Kyrah has a tab open for us, and is currently performing
her music for the locals at the other end of the inn. Wishing not to interrupt
a bard mid-performance, as well as enjoy the music further, we decide to sit
and wait for her. My new compatriots, including the hungover centaur, do not
hesitate to add an assortment of alcoholic beverages to the bard’s tab.
Z
Following
her set, Kyrah joins us. She seems gleeful despite the serious news she brings.
A cursed Giant Boar has been a menace to the local community, attacking the
locals and proving too powerful for many adventurers and rangers to handle
(Kyrah gestures towards a sullen group of wounded men on a nearby table). This
is to be a test, of sorts, to see if The Oracle’s visions of us were true. Though
the rest of the group are resistant at first (I am aware of the magic bards can
lace into music, but the others apparently are not), Kyrah insists that she
will accompany us on this quest. Leander seems especially keen to prove his
valour in battle with this foe, or perhaps it is to impress The Oracle? Artemis
is also keen to impress, though this is directed towards the more aesthetically
pleasing rangers, whom she quickly trots over to. As the others drink, I notice
the starlight streaming in through the window: night has come, and my attention
immediately goes to that. As I take my wine outside, I hear our centaur friend whinny
excitedly – it is the kind of half-squeal that only the most enthusiastic can
achieve[2].
As I set out my bedroll for the night, I gaze up at the sky, and see Mytros’s
constellation, The Queen’s Crown, shining brightest of all. I am lost in the
sheer magnificence of this spectacle for what seems like hours – truly, this is
a good omen, the Silver Queen smiles upon us!
Z
In
the morning, we are guided across the plains by two of the rangers who had
escaped the beast’s attacks (it would seem Artemis’s display in the evening had
granted an unexpected benefit), following the destruction left in the boar’s
wake. Along the road, we stop suddenly, as Meroë spots a large creature moving
towards us. As we brace for attack, we soon relax as it is revealed to be a giant
sheep. The reprieve soon dissipates though, as we hear an old man crying for
aid ahead. Immediately, we rush to aid, Meroë in the van.
Z
Two
muscle-rippling ruffians are beating the feeble man, whilst a younger woman is
being held by another two. Their attention soon turns to our group, aided by
Kyrah bursting into magical song. Drawing their weapons, Meroë and Leander engage
three of them, whilst I illuminate the thugs with Fey magic to make them easier
to hit. Despite this, the attackers prove a savage group when together, Meroë
sustaining terrible wounds despite her incredible agility. I act quickly,
calling upon Mytros to bolster my allies, granting the Demi-Goddess some much
needed vitality. The fourth tries to make off with the young woman, but Artemis’s
javelin and Serenfar’s fire and threats causes them to jettison their human
cargo and make for the wilderness. With the centaur assisting the Oracle’s
champion (Leander) and the Daughter of Battle (Meroë), the three are soon
dispatched. The old man is thankful for being saved, even more so that his
magic sheep is unharmed, but is clearly still distressed about the cursed boar
that roams the land. After exchanging kind words with the Sorcerer Captain
(Serenfar), the young woman, named Jenesis, assures us that she will escort her
father back to the tavern and safety. I pray that the Five will guide their
path.
Z
Some
time later, the rangers lead us to the Boar’s lair. We note the creature is
active at night, but that is soon approaching, and will not allow us time to
prepare a trap for it. Under Meroë’s direction, we double back and make camp in
a clearing, the surrounding area being carefully filled with trip alarms using
our various ropes and Meroë’s tools. I elect to been on watch most of the night,
being the only one of this group, that I am aware of, with the eyes to see in
the night[3].
Z
In
the early morning, as the rangers cook a rabbit, Meroë’s alarm bells ring – the
Boar had found us! Before it has the wit to charge our camp, Artemis gallops up
to engage the foe – it is a most hideous creature, looking half-dead with
atrophied features, yet it appeared twice as dangerous, with it’s sharp tusks
and extra barbs, like a giant abortive hedgehog! Though our martial warriors
(Artemis, Leander and Meroë) close down the beast, all of our ears are pierced
by its cursed cry. I briefly experience my hairs stand on end and a fogginess
of mind, but it subsides quickly. The same cannot be said of the rangers and Leander,
who all lose focus on the foe, and turn their attention to within. Despite
taking blow after blow that should have slain the beast thrice, it still stood
firm, surely in an unfathomable amount of pain. I almost pity the creature,
wishing its torturous existence to not go on any longer, and pray to the
Goddess of Dawn to permit the creature a temporary slumber. With the boar at
rest, it falls to Artemis’s great axe to make it permanent – a clean death to
end its suffering. Though decapitated, the boar had one last thing to say – and
this is not a misuse of that term! An unearthly voice creaks from the boar’s
mouth, warning us that we, along with the rest of Thylea are doomed, and
nothing we can do can stop what is to come. Kyrah confirms our suspicions that
this may indeed be Sydon, one of the Titans who will seek to bring ruin to the
land. Only the Oath of Peace stands in his way, and that is soon to end.
Z
To
finally cleanse the creature and the land of its curse, Kyrah insists we
sacrifice the boar in the name of one of the Gods. With my suspicions of her
true identity, I propose sacrificing the boar in the name of Kyrah, Goddess of
Music. Only Serenfar (of all people) agrees with this since it was Kyrah’s
music, and Mytros’s magical slumber through me, that ultimately defeated the
creature. Despite my efforts to convince and beguile Artemis, she insists we
offer the boar to Thylea herself, the first Titan and Great Mother of all,
since this is a creature of her land – Meroë agrees, and Leander eventually
concedes to this. They, along with Serenfar, begin to build a pyre, whilst I
take Kyrah aside.
Z
As
someone demonstrating a good understanding of the Gods, I confess that, as
someone deriving power from Mytros, I cannot dishonour the Five by partaking in
a ritual dedicated to one of the Titans. Kyrah assuages me, however, noting
that eventually the two sides (that of the Titans and the Five) will need to
unite to create peace. Of all the Titans, Thylea does not possess wickedness or
cruelty like her offspring. There is something in the manner of her speaking
that at once reassures me and prompts me to ask the question that has plagued
me since we met. After some hesitation, Kyrah reveals she is indeed the Goddess
of Music herself! I have never met a God before, and so lose myself in silly
questions about what title to refer to her by and how to treat her. She is
refreshingly down-to-earth, asking that I refer to her only as Kyrah, and not
to identify her to others outside of my new comrades. She notes I will have to
be honest with them, since we are all about to take an Oath of Fellowship, and
I will need people I can trust before we meet The Oracle tomorrow. They are a
strange group, I admit to the Goddess, but I believe there is good in each of
them. I return to the group and help them build the pyre. As the smell of
cooked boar fills the air, I feel a presence rise up through the ground and
into my body – perhaps Thylea has granted us a blessing. Shortly, we will
gather our things and head to meet The Oracle, Kyrah in tow. I pray that both
the Five’s and The Oracle’s faith has been well-placed in us!
[2] I have heard a sound of
this kind once before, when I was approached by a gaggle of maidens in Mytros,
who seemed to know me only by reputation and were seemingly enraptured by my
mere presence.
[3] I also find myself at my
most conscious and alert at night, the midday sun seems to give me a lethargy
of sorts. I am not sure if this is always true of my kind since I have yet to
meet another Aurae Nymph.
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