Dragon's Egg - Act III

[Nihal]

"Burnbright is an innocent child who still follow the adults' lead. These people are not, they are perfectly able to see the things for what they truly are and chose not. Do not fool yourself, they will try to stop us, if not they will send word to the villages of this region and we will be feared, chased off and hunted down."

I cross my arms, also turning to Gisla. "Won't they? How many people did you burn in the last twenty years, uh? I am not talking about creatures like Branwen, but people just like me and you."

 

[SeverinR]

Aliron: "Dufus or Barkly? I should have killed them when I had the chance."
"How do they get the message out? They remain here? Some other runner? By pigeon? Magic communication of some type?"
"Gilsa, you mentioned prejudice, it is not prejudice to believe people when they speak against a race or occupation of people and say they are not natural or should be purified by fire. Without prejudice, everyone would be burned before they could protect themselves. You burn people for learning magic that will defend your town, your people would attack a group that rescued their people. They will attack the people that could help defend them from the impending attack."
"Gisla, I believe your town will act so as to guarantee their destruction. We will flee and the attack will happen. We cannot speak of where we go with you in the room unless you go with us. They have ways to encourage you to tell what you know. So if you fail to pursuade them not to harm Branwen, they will face the attack alone. We must plan where to run before Baldhart goes to speak so she will know where to go."

 

[Keitsumah]

Anger also flares in my heart. To kill a child of any kind without giving it a chance . . . i can see why i avoided civilization when i was younger.

The amethyst i wear pulses a deep, blood-red, and i clasp it in my burned hand, exhaling slowly to calm down. "I will be blunt here. Branwen is different than our other races, but just as a wolf can be made into a friend, so can a young harpy. Evil is made, not born. And if anyone aims to harm the child they will find an enemy in nature itself." I shudder as i imagine these people burning innocents for just trying to protect them, and magic sparks between my fingers. Calm down . . . calm down . . . now is not the time to lose it . . . i tell myself, still, my fear of fire remains steadfast. And if they do harm Branwen, I will have no qualms about backing up my words. The villagers depended on crops to live. What would happen if their very food rebelled against being harvested?

I feel Batos begin to grow impatient through our link, and i send a soothing vibe to him. He does not like being away from me for long, and though he knows i am protected by the others, i can sense a certain possessiveness in him over being my personal guardian.

 

[Steerpike]

Cadell & Geralt

The priest is shaking his head even before Cadell finishes. "Listen, your creature is like a golem, only the hand that directs her is a spirit within her body. You can't simply point to a wizard and say "Aha! There's the man behind it!' Such is the nature of the spirit realm. But it is the spirit of a demon. They do not know good. They are not capable of it. The greatest deception such demons practice on the mortal races is to appear sympathetic to our eyes. They may appear to hold great beauty, or great innocence, but it is all play acting! You cannot trust it."

He pauses for a moment, tugs at his beard, then softens his voice. "You mean well, I see that. So, too, do your friends. The fact that you've been taken in by this creature is all the more evidence of the danger it poses. Please. I have kept this village safe for many years. I must prepare to continue in that solemn duty now."

With that, he sketches a quick bow and heads toward the temple once more.

Gisla's Room

As the discussions continue, Gisla's own demeanor has become decidedly more frosty. She is skeptical of the Elder Council willing to allow an appearance by outsiders, or to give much credence to it. "I'm not sure what you plan, exactly, but if it smacks of magic, you may do more harm than good. The Councilmen are old, set in their ways. They do not understand such things, and what is more, they have no wish to. Geralt was correct in one thing - the Council will defer to him on any matters religious or spiritual. If he maintains his opinion that the child is a demon, they will not gainsay him. If he brands whatever demonstration you have in mind as 'evil,' I deem they will go along with that as well. Mentioning gnolls and wargs might stay his hand, or he might simply have the child put to the sword. I'll give better than even odds that he'd take the approach of the gnolls as a sign that Branwen has brought evil down on the village. Most here would believe that, like as not."

"That said, however, neither Geralt nor the Council will resort to an attack on this inn, or anything else that might cause greater harm to the village. I simply cannot believe that. Your rest tonight will not be interrupted by them. I will sleep by the door, and deny entry to all. They won't force the issue, though I expect a meeting of the village proper will be called in the morning."

At the mention of Tommen and Dalla, she frowns. "Running mail between temples of Tyr is common in the north. There is nothing unusual about that, in and of itself. I can send for Dalla any time you like. I have no doubt she will come. Do you believe she had some involvement as well?"

When Mauve asks about burnings, Gisla grows more somber. "It happens. Not often - certainly not as often as in the south lands. But it has happened. The people are frightened of things they do not understand. Sometimes, even of things they do understand. It is true, magic can be protective, but would any of you deny that it taps in to a corrupt essence? Have none of you been around wizards and such long enough to see the ultimate effects of their practice?"

In response to Keitsumah's defense of Branwen, Gisla nods. "We agree on that point. I believe Branwen is a creature of nature, like any of us. She may be good or bad, as she chooses. The choice is hers, and I would no more see her killed than any human child of this village - which is to say not at all.

When Aliron speaks of purifying the entire town, or even individual members of it, Gisla's jaw sets, and once more the conversation becomes more heated. "If you seek to bring destruction to this village, you will go through me first. I may not be as young or as whole as I once was, but I reckon I'm no pushover with a blade. Anyone of you who seek to harm the people of this village will have to cut me down in order to do so. Will that be your next plan?"

She looks at Baldhart, face resolute. "I protect these people upon my oath to Brynhild, sister. You know the force of that oath as well as any. If I have to stand against your friends, or even against you, to fulfill that oath, then I will do so, though it would pain my heart to be placed in that position."

 

[Legendary Sidekick]

The peace I thought I'd find was beautiful while it lasted. If only the boat was much, much slower… maybe I could have…

No sense looking back, Baldy.

I listen to my friends'—trying not to visibly react to a few careless word choices. Their anger is justified, though the misunderstandings only make matters worse.

"I—I would never dream of attacking you… or any of them. Alin meant the town may fall to the beasts that come for us, and—Dalla's innocent, I think—I meant that if the boy we rescued ran to Srilkind, he may be sending the enemy to us.

"That said, I proposed ideas before you because you know these people best. If persuasion is hopeless and we are safe here, then all we can do is bathe, eat, rest, and leave, and hope this place is not attacked by monsters." I approach Gisla. "I still want to have that meeting… as a parting gift to you. It seems we won't stay long, and perhaps we should avoid human towns in the north altogether.

"Drimmen-delve is a possibility. You don't happen to know the way, do you, Gisla?"

 

[SomethingToPonder]

I have been listening intently for the last few hours and several conversations with the priest. Thoughts have been running through my head faster than a warg running for its prey. I dont think any child should be harmed at all, However Should what the father is saying be true, We all will have a serious fight on our hands should the demon take its full form.

"What will we do? Here is our options as I see them. Please remember I am new to your, our little circle we have here. I am merely providing a view from someone who is not so emotionally involved.
option one. We can go to the meeting, However as I see it the priest means well, But he loves his people and villagers more than us without a doubt, though he may have some respect for us. But should we go to this meeting it could well be a trap and branwen could end up in some real trouble if we dont manage to fight our way out of there.
What if he is actually right, On my travels I have seen demons, And if she really is too far gone, then the father is right, She is not a human at all, not a child. All the laughs and cure giggles could well be a guise to get "Her" through enemy territory without so much as a fight. I would not be so quick to assume she is merely a little girl.

Option2.We rest quickly, Stock up on supplies and get out of town quick, We may not be remembered for our social skills or our mannerisms, But we could avoid some serious confrontation that we do not know how it could play out.
We may be in a lot more trouble than we know already in two ways. If branwen is a demon and too far gone then we have to do what we can NOW before it is too late.and for all we know the father has some scheme in the works already.
I just think you should all know how I feel about this. "

I feel the shouts ringing through my head already, I know they wont like it but it's the truth, If the child is in fact a demon then we cannot help her hoping that she will somehow be this "branwen" we all know.

 

[SeverinR]

Aliron:
"Branwen is no demon. She might turn into her mother..., But I think we owe it to both daughters to give them the chance to prove they are not their mothers."

"I say again, we should not talk about where we will go after this town, if Gisla doens't go. We need to have a clean get away with no one pointing out where we go. If Gisla knows, they could make her talk."

 

[SomethingToPonder]

"so what do you propose? We set out 6 different locations or directions and roll a dice when the time comes, whichever way comes up we shall go? "

 

[Legendary Sidekick]

If, he says… if only!

"Alin, as much as I would love to battle along Gisla's side, she's settled into this place. She's a ray of sanity in a lunatic asylum. I hope our presence doesn't ruin what she's built here.

"And it's as Alin said, Aldar. Best not to discuss where we go, not even falsely. I'm afraid we'll get tailed if I say the wrong thing…"

…such as, if I never set foot in a northern human town it'll be too soon. Or, why Father Harald and not this son of a—?

 

[Nihal]

With a "I told you so!" look in my face, I exchange a glance with Baldhart before listening the maimed woman's response to my question. The mention of the south disheartens me. I always thought everything would be better there, a notion somehow reinforced by my strange companions, who never flinched away from my power or attempted to 'purify' me. I keep listening with half of my attention, saddened and still looking for a way out of this situation.

Realizing the woman went silent, the room being filled with their words I raise my head and interrupt them, "Listen. Listen to me."

I sit Branwen on the bed, complimenting her gently, "Good. Stay. Good girl." Unfolding my map over the desk, I gesture to Gisla to approach. "It is an old map, but the land itself did not change much since it was draw. Please, tell me where are located the villages within a week of travel. Name and size. I would appreciate if you can also tell me where are the dwarven holds, abandoned or active, including Drimmen-delve."

Without raising my eyes I tell the others, "We have no time. Gather everyone, including Burnbright." I proceed to mark the locations on the map if any is given and also ask the woman other questions while I work.

"How busy are the docks at this time of the day? Do you think we can sneak back to them if some distraction is provided? Could you hide the fact Branwen is not there anymore? We will leave the door locked and the window open, to make clear we slipped away without your apparent help."

When everyone is gathered and the door is locked again I explain my plan. "Remember why we are here: Burnbright. To put our lives and hers at risk for a bunch of children murderers is out of question. We shall leave discreetly and we have less than three hours to do so. The sooner we leave better our head start, not only concerning these people but concerning her minions too. We will figure our next stop after restocking on the way. We shall take nothing here, to not arouse their suspicion. These hours are vital, we will not be able to walk in this region unperturbed after the word gets out.

"Here is the plan I have been contemplating: A group will leave the city by the main street. Wolf girl with her wolf, Bressel, the crazy elf, Cadell and Líadan. This group is going to pretend to be leaving for hating Branwen, or for hating the fires, I do not care. Make sure they see you and notice Branwen nor Burnbright is with you. Take at least a rope and move to the cliff after you leave the town and make sure you are not being followed.

"Baldhart, Masama, Burnbright and I will take a boat and return to land as soon we are out of sight, meeting the others. Aliron, you will take Branwen with you, you are the best person to sneak away. You will move through the cliff. Here, take these shoes, they're good for climbing. You are less likely to be spotted than the boat, but if it happens we can always give you a ride."

I move closer to him, whispering something and giving the shoes.

 

[Legendary Sidekick]

I hear Mauve's plan. I hate it.

"I agree."

I move to get Burnbright, but turn to Gisla. "It makes things safer for you as well. I wish we met under more pleasant circumstances, like on a battlefield full of monsters. I wish we had time for…"

I let my voice trail off. I don't want to speak. She'll never know what she missed, but still, I pity her.

 

[Nihal]

I hold her arm. "Can't you? How much time...?"

I know what she wants to do and I know it's important to her. The woman will be dead soon, she may meet a valkyrie in person, but it's Baldhart who matters here. She seems quite sad and we already have the elf complaining. We need her.

 

[Legendary Sidekick]

"Before the ritual begins… not long before, but before."

I know what she's doing. "Thank you, Mauve. For understanding. How about we sit for a proper meal then? It may be a while before we can enjoy a hot meal again."

And a hot bath. Dammit… I'm having that bath if it kills me!

 

[Nihal]

"Could you be more precise, please?"

It could be worthy the risk. We will give the illusion we are staying, and Burnbright was too unstable at the Crow. If Nissa can get her to calm down it will help. I scratch my chin, frowning.

 

[Ireth]

Cadell & Geralt

The priest is shaking his head even before Cadell finishes. "Listen, your creature is like a golem, only the hand that directs her is a spirit within her body. You can't simply point to a wizard and say "Aha! There's the man behind it!' Such is the nature of the spirit realm. But it is the spirit of a demon. They do not know good. They are not capable of it. The greatest deception such demons practice on the mortal races is to appear sympathetic to our eyes. They may appear to hold great beauty, or great innocence, but it is all play acting! You cannot trust it."

He pauses for a moment, tugs at his beard, then softens his voice. "You mean well, I see that. So, too, do your friends. The fact that you've been taken in by this creature is all the more evidence of the danger it poses. Please. I have kept this village safe for many years. I must prepare to continue in that solemn duty now."

With that, he sketches a quick bow and heads toward the temple once more.

Cadell

I grab Geralt's arm, trying to pull him back.

((STR is non-prime. Guess that didn't work.))

"You are making a huge mistake. If there is a demon in Branwen, it is only half of her. You mean to kill the demon, so you say. But in doing so you will also kill the elf and the human in her. Do you want that blood on your hands? For your own sake, if not hers, think this through! Speak with your Elder Council before you prepare what method of murder you've devised for Branwen. It may be they see things differently, and with unbiased eyes."

 

[Legendary Sidekick]

"A half hour before… I hope."





Nissa… do you know which valkyrie watches over her? Can you sense her when you're not in my body? Will you receive another—?

Relax, Baldy!

 

[Steerpike]

Cadell & Liadan

Father Geralt's eyes flash as he yanks his arm free of Cadell's grasp. "Unhand me!" His voice is louder than necessary, and it attracts the attention of a couple of nearby villagers, one of whom it working a piece of leather at a stall near the street. He looks over to see what is going on.

"I am a priest of Tyr. If you hinder me, you hinder the work of the church itself. Not here an hour, and already you resort to violence when things aren't to your liking?" He shakes his head. "Little wonder the demon has found such a sympathetic audience among your group."

He grips his staff with two hands, holding it in a defensive posture. "I have nothing more to say on the matter. Now, unless you intend to kill a man on the open streets of Arendal, our business is done."

The Maiden's Spear

Branwen looks back and forth between the many people in Gisla's room, edging nearer to Mauve and Aliron. When Mauve picks her up and puts her on the bed, she grabs Mauve's sleeve for a moment, the lets go as she understands Mauve wishes to keep talking to the other adults. She looks back at the cat, but frowns instead of singing.

Gisla says "As I've said, there is nothing for you to fear if you wish to pass the night here. If you wish to leave, I doubt Geralt will try to stop you. He's more concerned with keeping evil out of the village, and once you're gone he will be mollified."

"As for the Council and the other villagers...you have to remember that these people have grown up with each other. They've fought and died together, witnessed marriage and the birth of children. They go to Geralt with their troubles, and he counsels them. If it comes down to Geralt's word versus yours, the Council will not think twice. They will side with Geralt. Whatever else he has done, he has kept Arendal safe. Or at least that's how they all see it."

She shakes her head. "There is no need for a confrontation. You will remain here as my guests. In the morning you will leave. Even if the Council orders Branwen 'purified,' none in the village will be eager to force the issue. Most of us aren't seasoned warriors, but instead are fishermen, tailors, and bakers."

"I ask that you think on..."

There is a knock on the door, interrupting Gisla's words. She opens her desk drawer, withdrawing a long dagger, then moves to the door and opens it. Burnbright stands in the doorway, her eyes red-rimmed. She looks around the room, then sees Baldhart and takes a step forward. Her hand is outstretched and from it dangles the golden necklace with the symbol of Gefjon, taken from the temple north of Srilkind.

"It's doing it again," she says, offering the necklace to Baldhart. "Feel how warm it is."

 

[Ireth]

Cadell

I slowly raise my arms, empty palms outward. Now is definitely not the appropriate time to tell him that I follow no gods, even of my own people. "I intend no violence, Father. But I cannot simply stand by and allow you to put Branwen to death." But what can I do, if words alone will not halt him? "Again I urge you, think before you act."

An idea springs to my mind. I only hope it works.

"I ask that you allow Branwen to dwell here with us, in peace and safety, for three days and nights. If by that time she proves herself to be a non-threat, then please do not threaten or devise harm to her. If you are dissatisfied with her, then only after those three days and nights are up shall any action be taken. The Elder Council may hear from both my company and from your flock, and from there will things be decided. But no harm is to come to her, nor anyone in my company -- including the wolf Batos -- until that time is fully spent."

I look coldly into his eyes. "Do we have an agreement?"

((Wow! What a time to roll a 21!))

Líadan

I look on and listen from the window, my heart beating faster as it seems Cadell and Geralt may come to blows. Cadell is reluctant to openly engage, something I can hardly blame him for. I stay silent for the moment, not wanting to rile either of them by interfering. But if Cadell does come to harm... I clench my fist to keep it from gripping the haft of my dwarven flail. I do not want to try my luck with a new weapon against a godly man.

My eyebrows lift as Cadell attempts to bargain with Geralt. I swallow and bow my head, my lips forming a silent prayer to Oercus. Lord, though I know he does not serve you, please spare Cadell from this man's wrath, and keep Branwen from harm by his hands or those of his flock.

 

[Nihal]

I don't trust them at all. If they decide to fight they'll give us trouble due their numbers, probably trouble enough to force to do more than swing my spear. I wish I could turn to the others for advice. It would be useless, I know already who is going to say what and they can not be relied upon in these matters. Too naive.

I nod slowly. "Whatever is our decision, we need to eat. Shall we contemplate it while—" I look at the door, frowning at Burnbright's relate.

"Did it happen before Skrilkind fell too?" I get up. "Last time it was the warg riders."

 

[Legendary Sidekick]

I feel the necklace.

"Maybe the letters were just letters… or maybe that's just one way they found her. Burnbright, we need to get rid of that."

I say to Gisla, "If we stay, will I be safe if I enter and exit this place? I fear this necklace may be a means of the enemy finding Burnbright. I can't be certain, but we found this in our travels, and I'd just as soon lose it."

To Mauve I add, "Yes, let's consider her offer to stay the night. I don't like how we've been treated, but if something's coming for Burnbright, I want to deal with it. Think on it—as long as we're safe from the villagers, I'm not afraid of the monsters. Just the same, this necklace needs to go so their army will spread out."

I take the necklace in my hand, but do not pull it from Burnbright's neck. "What do you say I ride an north for an hour and toss it? I'm sure Cadell will permit me another ride. In two hours, we dine."

I wait for reactions. If I have the necklace, I ask Cadell to borrow his horse again.