Session 37 - Searching For Direction as the Kochmaki Leave

General Summary

The party, now almost completely broken up, finds itself resting in the city of Zmiihorod after their ordeals. As they do so, Ivan meets up with a child as he returns the rope he took from the peasant family the night before. The child is named Dukh v Dymu, carries a bow, and reminds him the late Light-Heart. When the child avoids the family, and follows Ivan, Ivan decides to tell him about the "child" Light-Heart, and Dukh seems suddenly very interested in finding Light-Heart. However, since Ivan's plans are leading him in the opposite direction, he decides to look for Alena. He doesn't know where Alena plans to go next, but if she is following the Kochmaki, she may be heading to where Light-Heart's grave is.
In the meantime, Yael meets with another lady named Marina at a local tavern. Marina is trying to play matchmaker for a lord of impressive strength and size, and ends up taking interest in Yael. When the men of the bar start to bother her, Yael is quick to step in, and use her local reputation as a witch to get them to back off. However, when Marina starts arm wrestling her, a group of guys take interest, and a bit of a party starts, with one man who was "bewitched" by Yael offering to help Marina with setting up her lord with the daughter of a local noble.
Alena, however, is starting to panic, waiting by the gates of the Zmiihorod for Lada to be released by Tolui Beg, and returned to her, friends. She waited for many hours, and now the army has started to pack up and leave the outskirts of Zmiihorod. Ivan, planning on finding her following the army, finds Alena by the gates, pacing. After introducing Dukh and Alena, he tries to explain to Alena that Dukh is looking for Light-Heart, and if the she is planning on following the army, she could probably bring Dukh with her.
However, the conversation is full of insinuations, as Ivan doesn't want to bring up that fact of Light-Heart's demise. Alena is not so interested in being tactful, and just explains to Dukh is already dead, passed away from sickness. Dukh becomes distraught, so Ivan decides to bring him to a tavern to drown their sorrows. Alena ends up joining them, presumably to drown her own sorrows as well.
It is here that Dukh, Ivan, and Alena meet with Yael and Marina. Ivan recognizes Yael, and is somewhat surprised to see her and the feast forming around her, but he joins in. It doesn't take long for the party-goers to offer drinks, and for Alena to impress both Marina and the guys with her strength. However, the people are a bit split on what they plan to do. Alena and Dukh want to head north, following the army to retrieve Lada and find Light-Heart. Ivan and Yael plan to head west, to find the churches hidden in the hills & tunnels. Marina and the tavern man plan on meeting with the local lady of high status as a prospective match for Marina's lord. The man in question turns out to be Tikhon Vasilievich - Prince Mikhailo Glebovich's majordomo, whom Ivan has met during a previous visit. His dauther is Nadia, who had a brief dalliance with young Ivan (and a somewhat longer one with Amadeo. The tavern rat explains that Tikhon may be looking to ship his daughter off somewhere safe, because having her around after the Prince was forced to send his own daughter to the Kochmaki may lead to grave consequences for both of them.
Eventually, Alena decides that chasing after Lada now would be useless, and agrees to go with Ivan and Yael, until they have the ability and strength to retrieve Lada from the Kochmaki. Dukh decides to follow the party, if for no other reason than they have some knowledge of the mystical and mysterious forces of the world. But for the time being, they all decide to go join Marina in going to the citadel in the morning, so that she can find carry out her lord's order to find a wife for his son.

Report Date

17 Sep 2023

Primary Location

Zmiihorod