Session 28 - Fleeing the Gathering Storm
General Summary
The party returned to the watermill, continuing to work on fixing it up, as well as to recover from their injuries. At the same time, Vashti was concocting potions, Hamal was catching small game, and Ivan was fishing. Lada and other party members confronted the rusalka about her interaction with Prokhor, and pressed her regarding her plans. However, she remained aloof.
During the week, Borya, a friend of Ivan, arrived at the watermill. His arrival was not appreciated by the rest of the party, as he was there to hold the watermill on behalf of the Volkhvy. The party didn't fight him, mostly because he and Ivan were on good terms, but Ivan met with each of the members of the party to discuss their next plans.
During the week, Vashti had received a vision as to where the Forest Tsar resided; he was still near where he had first tried to kidnap Ivan. This made the watermill plan moot. Holding it would mean fighting the volkvy again, including Borya, and risking the village.
However, soon after, the Kochmaki returned. Ivan and Hamal were out collecting firewood and other morning chores when they were confronted by a multitude of riders. Hamal negotiated with these riders, deceiving them into thinking that there were many defenders at the watermill, as it was a point of interest in the region. Hamal hoped they would heed his warning, and leave the watermill alone, but the Kochmaki were not so easily intimidated.
The rest of the party, including Borya, were confronted by the Kochmaki. Borya tried to encourage them to all fight together, but Alena and Vashti were both vehement enemies of the Vokhvy, and would not help him. Borya battled honorably, but died, being heavily outnumbered. Afterwards, Alena convinced them to let the rest of the party leave, since Ivan had already spoken to her about leaving anyway. The Kochmaki allowed it.
As the party towards the woods east of Aleksandrovka, when they were caught in a powerful storm. Deciding to take refuge in the cave once set aside for Vashti, they were surprised to find Pyotr and his family camped out there. They had been driven out of the village for consorting with Lada, and were also taking refuge in the cave.
Now partially responsible for the plight of this family, the party considered what should be done with them, after waiting out the storm. The nearby city of Vyshemila seemed like a good choice for them, but Ivan suspected that the local presence of Kochmaki meant that the city was in great danger of being raided. Another option was to seek out Bishop Tikhon, which would, however, make for a longer trip. With an eye to protecting the family, Vyshemila seemed the better choice. Assuming the brewing storm didn't kill them first.
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