Suihkulahde: Session One

Lore Notes: Elves refer to themselves as vaeltaja, the wanderers. Elves refer to humans as the lyhyt, the curt, the short, the concise.

There are two moons of Heranyt: the malevolent Eous and the benevolent Aiti. Werewolves and vampires claim that Eous is their father and is the father of all monsters.

Andy, Lena, and I have developed a set of pronouns for elves that are going to start showing up here. I've a real love for the obscure terms of Wolfe and in a wish to imitate his ability to alienate and fascinate, which I think intrinsic to fantasy, I put forward the idea to them that the vaeltaja would not see themselves in terms of male and female, given how little reproduction happens in a vaeltajan lifespan. We decided that elves would instead classify themselves in terms of how much Grief a vaeltaja carried on their soul. To them the differences between even a Grief of B1 and B2 would be noticeable, although for simplicity's sake they'd stick to what we think would make four categories:

Grief B0-B3: mu (singular and multiple)/mul (possesive)

Grief B4-B7 dai/dail

Grief B8-9 ta/tal

B10, but not yet sailed into the Void tor/torl

Dawn had not yet kissed the waves that gently carried the two-masted Felicitas. The beach took her intrusion with the good nature of one who has not had a visitor in many a year and is just happy to have someone there, regardless of whether the visit was planned or not. It had been some time since the crew of the Felicitas had left the coast of the Argentum Empire. Fingar had grumbled about not being able to fly, as well as the strange wood of the humans, but Anneli was relieved to be on a deck of any sort, regardless of who had crafted it and whether it floated on air or water or blood. It was Anneli's first port call since becoming a captain, over three years ago. Everyone was excited to get off; vaeltaja friends Fingar and Thungal, along with the humans Brutus and Remus pushed to get off. They were greeted by a trio of male lyhyt, covered in teals robes. "It has been a long time since we have seen any travelers. How can we help?" asked the eldest.

Anneli stepped up. "We're just passing through and are in need of some food and water. Do you have any to spare?"

"But of course! Right this way, to our Redoubt Castle."

They fell in together and walked up the shore, torches lit. The torchlight revealed walls that jutted out at an angle that should require supports to keep upright. But there the walls stood. "What are vaeltajan walls doing here?" asked Thungal, meerl eyebrows creased.

"Those are elven walls?" asked Brutus, confused.

"We live on asteroids orbiting Heranyt and fly in ships from what you consider to be magical wood and this is what's troubling you?" poked Anneli.

"We knew all that, just we thought all that happened with straight walls!" chimed in Remus.

"Yes, it's vaeltajan make", said the youngest teal robe as they walked toward the castle. "Dal the great architect  built it about one hundred and fifty years ago, as a place of refuge. We maintain the place so when the opportunity arises its purpose can be fulfilled."

Fingar kept staring at the structure in the pre-dawn gloom. "It may be far away still , but there is no possibility that structure is one hundred fifty years old. It's much, much older than that."

"We have records of Dal building it, good sir vaeltaja," replied another one of the teal-robed men. "We have elders who knew humans who helped build it."

"Well that settles it one way or another" said Remus.

Fingar and Thungal pulled aside Anneli, away from the lyhyt. "What is this all about?" asked Anneli.

"I don't think we ought to let Brutus and Remus see our confusion," Fingar said gravely. Thungal nodded as well.

"Why not? They're part of our crew. We need to trust them," Anneli replied.

Fingar and Thungal's confusion was interrupted by shouting from the teal figures. "STAY ON THE PATH!" They ran up, hands on hidden hilts. Fingar and Thungal didn't hide their blades. Or the sound coming from them as they were drawn.

Anneli pushed dailself between the two groups. Something shone in dail eyes that made up for the lack of the sun, something that took everyone (including Anneli) aback. After a second of realizing that everyone was starting at dai,  Anneli finally spoke. "Our sincerest apologies, our dear hosts! We had to resolve a small disagreement and had no idea we offended. Please forgive us. We will come with you immediately." Fingar and Thungal promptly put down their weapons. The teal figures relaxed. All fell in together, back to what the vaeltaja could now clearly see was a path, where Brutus and Remus were hastily putting away their blades. "We were curious to hear more about the Redoubt, if you do not mind. This is a most unexpected place to find a vaeltajan structure, not to mention a human cult devoted to it," Anneli requested.

The youngest teal robe stepped forward, excited. "Of course! We apologize for that outburst, we just have a very strict way we approach this island and should not have expected you to know about it." As they continued onto the castle he began to explain the cult had formed around Dal's prophecy that the Redoubt would needed come the end of the world and that the cult was meant to be a beacon for those who needed it. Anneli watched the faces of the elder men; they did not fully agree with the you one's ideas.

As the young one talked Brutus whispered to Anneli. "The sun should have been up a half hour ago."

"Are you sure?" Anneli asked, shocked. "Instruments sometimes make mistakes," dai said, pointing at the instruments that Brutus had been checking while the young one waxed poetical.

"I'm very sure," said Brutus, shaken.

"Keep an eye on it. I hope you're wrong," Anneli said. Dai felt uneasy and couldn't begin to explain why. 

"Me too," said Brutus, shaking his head.

The group entered the castle courtyard, passing next to a beautifully crafted vaeltajan fountain as they made their way to a small house near the slanted walls of the Redoubt. Bread and cheese was presented and the travelers were grateful for it. As they ate screams of terror could be heard. "The sun has abandoned us! The moon and stars too!!"

Anneli's thoughts flashed to an ancient vaeltajan prophecy: when the malevolent Eous ate the night sky with the Void, a lone vaeltaja would find The Fountain that led to the center of the world. All would be put right. But all the robed figures in the cottage with them were eyeing Anneli and dail friends. One of the elders drew a blade.

"What are you doing?? They're our guests! We're bound by the laws of our cult to help them!" shouted the youngest cultist, the one who had been telling them about the proud history of the Redoubt. 

"We have a Prophecy. Her death fulfills it", declared the elder, point at Anneli.

"There are more prophecies than just yours," rejoindered Anneli as dai cut his throat open in a spray of iron and fluid; another male lyhyt collapsed as his teal robes grew a dark stain, all from the same cut. The group cut their way through to the door, youngest cultist joining in with his dagger, and ran to the fountain. The group quickly filled their waterskins, with Anneli keeping watch until they were ready. Just as they finished the remaining cultists they had cut their way through bowled out the cottage, screaming an alarm into the gloom like a flare at sea. Anneli and the rest cut their way through the cultists; Anneli received a light cut on dail arm. It would keep. Running back to the welcoming but tiring sand they managed to shove  the Felicitas off, just in time. The cultists did not follow, as they did not have deep sea-worthy vessels. Very soon the island was out of sight.

The young cultist turned to Anneli. "What happens now?"

"There's a prophecy," Anneli reassured him. "And I know my place in it." The youngest cultist nodded, looking as lost and confused as Anneli felt but would never have let on, not right then. Dai clapped him on the shoulder warmly. "I never asked your name, nor do I remember giving mine. I'm Anneli, Captain of the Felicitas," dai said, presenting dail hand. 

"Aloisio," he said back, shaking dail hand.