In Dreams - Session 05

General Summary

Hearing Eric's song, Sylman says to him: "I hope that one day, if the time comes, you will write a song for me." While en route to Redwall, Eric's ardent devotion to the bardic arts grants him knowledge of the Comprehend Languages spell. Applying his new skill to the disc, he deciphers the five inscriptions around its rim:

Might of the Mother.
Rend the scales of the sky.
Seal the Heart of the Void.
Arise the Sanguine Scale.
Guard that which whispers death.

Phinneas is quiet and somewhat withdrawn on the journey back. Mongo recalls that, as a child, he often spoke of wanting to go on adventures; evidently the reality is not what he expected. Eric makes a point of thanking Phinneas for not joining in Marcus's attack on the group. The rainy weather has cleared and it is a pleasant fall day, the sixth since they left Sinzil's tomb, when they rejoin the King's Way between Redwall and Kalm. The next day, at around noon, they spot black smoke billowing from the road ahead, with figures on horseback milling around the scene. Leaving Phinneas behind with the wagon, Sylman, Mongo, and Eric ride forth to investigate. Deciding that a stealthy approach is not feasible, they charge towards the scene, yelling and brandishing their weapons. Three riders advance to meet them: orcs, one armed with a bow and two with short spears. Their faces are marked with white painted skulls, the sign of the Spiritbinder Tribe. In the initial approach, Sylman takes an arrow in the arm. Attempting to return fire, he loses control of his horse and falls to the ground, hitting his head in the process. Eric similarly falls but lands more gracefully on his knees. After a futile exchange of blows with one of the riders, Mongo circles around to haul the fallen Sylman onto his own horse. Dropping his bow in the process, Sylman climbs into a crouch behind Mongo. "Get me next to that guy!" he commands, drawing his dagger. Mongo complies and Sylman launches himself at his foe. Having misjudged the distance, he lands on his stomach over top of the horse, directly in front of his intended target, who stabs him viciously. Recovering quickly, Sylman wriggles around the orc and ends up at his back. His daggers soon make quick work of his enemy, and Sylman shoves the corpse aside to let it fall into the dust. Eric, meanwhile, has been ridden down by one of the orcs, who spears him in the shoulder. Eric casts Sleep in retaliation. The orc nods off but somehow remains in the saddle, his horse wandering into the smoke. Eric then exchanges fire with the orc bowman, each wounding the other. Eric speaks a Healing Word to himself. As he had done previously with Sylman, Mongo circles and hauls Eric onto his own horse. Eric sits behind him as Mongo rides toward the remaining active orc, with Sylman joining their charge. After Eric lands a hit from his bow, the bowman turns to retreat, dropping his own bow as he rides into the smoke. He dies when Mongo's longbow shot takes him in the back of the neck. The three regroup, recovering their own horses. Eric speaks a Healing Word to Sylman. They advance on the smoke once more, Sylman from one side, Eric and Mongo from the other. They can make out two or three wagons on fire, and hear orcish shouting through the crackle of the flames. Sylman shouts out in orcish: "Leave now with your honour intact, or face the consequences!" In response three orcs emerge from the smoke on foot, two bearing spears, the third a handaxe and a severed head. "Is that supposed to impress me?" Sylman asks. The orc, evidently the leader, hurls the severed head at him, crying out, "the Spiritbinders will reclaim this land!" Eric and Mongo fire at the orcs with their bows while Sylman rides closer. Two of the orcs run to attack him; they are swifter on foot than he expects, and the leader's bloody handaxe bites deep into Sylman's flesh. He tries to withdraw to pick up his fallen bow, but cannot escape from the orcs, and after taking more blows from the axe and spear falls to the ground, unconscious and bleeding. Mongo and Eric are likewise injured in the battle, but Mongo's mighty blows and a few of Eric's arrows finally kill the two spearmen. Finally the leader hurls his axe at Eric, wounding him; then Eric shoots him in the eye. Stabilizing Sylman, Mongo and Eric take him back to the cart to leave him in Phineas's care, then return to investigate the wagons. They find the bodies of a dozen people, savagely butchered. There is no sign of life, nor of the orc on whom Eric cast his Sleep spell. Searching the wagons more thoroughly, they find only simple possessions, blankets and food. A few of the corpses still bear simple jewellery: wedding rings or the pendants signifying devotion to the Gazel Ministry. In one wagon Phinneas finds part of a burned book, evidently the journal of one Hayley Hayward. The final pages refer to the plague and describe having to flee from Kalm. They dig shallow graves for the corpses. Mongo once again wears his vestments and speaks the holy words. Eric plays a mournful dirge on the bagpipes. The following day they continue to Redwall. After another day's travel, they find themselves in the relatively populous farmlands that surround the city. Some surly and apprehensive farmers they meet in the fields tell them that anyone who's been near Kalm is not welcome, and that the Iron Wolves are locking the refugees from Kalm out of the city. They blame the refugees for the recent increase in orc attacks. The party arrives at the north gate of Redwall the next day. A city of hundreds of tents has sprung up around the gates, kept well back from the walls by the watchful Iron Wolves. Gray-robed members of the Tandun, the Gazel Ministry's holy Order of the Spirit, can be seen ministering to the refugees. Though crowded, the camp seems well-ordered. After questioning by the Iron Wolf guards, and an inspection for disease from a Gazel Ministry acolyte, the party is allowed into the busy city. They return to The Bent Coin in the Trade District, which has an enclosed stable where they can secure the cart and the stone disc. The innkeeper, Simon Blest, regards Sylman suspiciously but is mollified when the group takes the best room in the inn for a week. Sylman promises to be on his best behaviour. The party sends a message to Baron Deston Ashwood stating they have both good and bad news, and requesting a meeting—replies to be sent to Father Wilhelm Stone at the Morning Star Abbey. Phinneas also leaves the party to stay with Father Stone. Before he departs, he asks plaintively, "are all your adventures like this?" "Yes," Sylman replies. Phinneas is confused. "Why do you do this?" Sylman shrugs: "it just kind of worked out that way." That night Eric performs for the crowd at The Bent Coin. It's a festive evening, with some applause and a few requests. The drink flows freely, and Sylman gets half a dozen other patrons up and dancing to the music. The next day Simon Blest thanks Eric and gives the group breakfast on the house. Later that day the group visits the abbey in search of Father Stone, and find him reading scripture to a group of children. When finished, he gives Mongo a hug. "So good to see you," he says, then turns to the others. "I saw Phinneas and he told me quite a story," he says concernedly. They relate their adventures, opining that Phinneas fell in with a bad crowd and does not seem cut out for the adventuring life. Father Stone sadly agrees: "I could have guided him to a better career." He hands the group a sealed letter from Baron Ashwood, summoning the party to attend him. The party makes their way to the Baron's walled manor, bringing the cart, disc, and other artifacts with them. The letter gains them entrance and they meet the Baron reading in his study. As they relate their adventures, Ashwood is intrigued by the discovery of Sinzil's tomb, shocked by the encounter with Sinzil's ghost, and surprised and upset to learn of Karsus's death. He shares some of what he knows of Baron Alcar Borgen, who employed Marcus, Kyra, Gideon, and Phinneas: a wealthy collector of artifacts from a family of noted vintners, he is well-known and well-liked in Redwall. Although he donates to the university, he collects in order to gain prestige rather than to learn. His family holds a lucrative contract to supply the Iron Wolves. Sylman displays the artifacts they have collected, uncovering the disc with a special flourish. Baron Ashwood finds them fascinating, particularly the rubbings from the tomb, though he is perhaps nonplussed by the desiccated organ. He gives them a writ for the gold he will pay: 50 GP for each of the 14 items, plus 1500 for the disc, a total of 2200 divided by the three of them. "Given your service to me and my work," he concludes, "if you are interested, I might have a more... involved role for you in my project." He asks them to return in three days' time with their answer, while he consults with a few others.