.j. Fireday, Disorder Week, Fire Season 1627

The strange figures loped off into the night, and a series of blood-curling howls from dozens of inhuman throats issued from the gloom.

Aeson asked Jafoska if she was in trouble, if the exchange he had witnessed overnight was some kind of extortion by bandits, lunars, trolls, or worse. Jafoska replied somewhat flatly that there was nothing Aeson could do to help her, without confirming or denying anything.

Baran the Chopper and Jafoska fixed us breakfast (bread, butter, salt, strips of fried pork fat¹, and weak beer) and sent us on our way. We made good time along the Dusk Road, arriving at the small city of Alone² in a few hours. We crossed the Lonely Bridge that spans the small chasm that protects the city from outsiders, passed the guards, and down the main artery road, the Solitude, rising from the area known at Gatetown towards the higher tiers on their rocky, volcanic outcroppings.

We saw mostly a poor and sad people in the streets of Alone, as if some great calamity had recently struck them. The scars of Ironfist’s Sack remained, with some buildings still standing in ruin.

We noticed that the building architecture in Alone had made some unique adaptations to the heavy seasonal snows and the nearby Giants Path. The buildings had high edged roofs, with a tall sharpened, and often poisoned, tree trunk sticking out of the center. The tree trunk provided a central support for the roof and a defense against wandering giants.

It was clear most of the populace lived a hard-scrabble life. We saw, however, the beautiful gardens surrounding the Temple of Love and the sulfurous baths within were open to all the citizens; so despite being very poor overall, the people of Alone were notably healthy. We saw other temples: the great Lightbringer Temple and the adjacent, smaller shrine to Sartar; an Earth Temple to Ernalda and Maran Gor³; a small library and school; a ruined, abandoned temple to Elmal and a newer, gleaming temple of Yelmalio; and, perhaps most interestingly, a temple complex jointly dedicated to Issaries and Argan Argar⁴.

Above Gatetown, we entered the Rowdies, the rougher heart section of Alone, with its narrow alleys and seedy taverns. A stink of old beer and sulfur lingered over the place. We moved along to the wider lanes and fresher air of the Highgrounds, where the great Lightbringer Temple loomed over the city.

Across the entire city we saw no children.

In the Highgrounds, we found Geo’s Alone Inn, with it’s welcoming host, Urvorlan Winterbelly, who welcomed us with the traditional water, bread, and salt. He brought out platters of roasted chickens, sausages, and turnips nestled atop mounds of baked, fermented salt cabbage - a local speciality called “Cut-Cabbage”.

Our arrival had been noted: a golden-eyed Yelmalian leading a band of apparent ruffians through the middle of town was bound to be noticed. Soon, the local (interim) mayor, Harvana Harsandra’s Daughter (otherwise known as Harvana the Quick), a few of her thanes and local dignitaries arrived at Geo’s to discuss matters with us. She inquired after our reasons for being in Alone, which we answered truthfully. She seemed incredulous about Argrath, but Berrik announced himself as the Thane of Apple Lane and when we made clear we were in the service of Queen Leika, her attitude became more serious.

Harvana soothed our worries about Lunar soldiers (there were none present), but when we floated the idea of helping Argrath in his upcoming war with Alda-Chur, she demurred that as a decision she would have to take to Amadhall⁵. However, she strongly hinted, if we as Argrath’s proxies, were to do a favor for the people of Alone, the Tribal Ring at Amadhall might give Argrath’s request a more favorable hearing (ie., she would support us).

That favor was this: in recent weeks, many children of Alone (about a dozen) had gone missing in broad daylight, for no child would be outside the walls at night. Their own divinations had revealed that something ancient, evil, and powerful in the Woods of the Dead, something older than the Ghoul King himself, was taking the children. However, they had neither the men nor the will to penetrate far into dreaded forest. The dignitaries had collected a tidy sum, over 200 silver lunars, to offer us if we would, as a favor from Argrath, enter the Woods of the Dead and find the missing children.

Aeson agreed immediately, but the men of the Flotsam and Jetsam had seen the forest and heard the howls of the creatures the night before: they had no desire to go into it. Aeson pleaded with them, and in the end three of the twelve former Wolf Pirates volunteered: the “been everywhere and done everything” old Wolf Pirate Red Killi, weasly Little Ugly Patch It, and the massive blue-skinned Agimori armed only with his fists, Akato.

Kj. Wildday, Disorder Week, Fire Season 1627

After a good night’s rest in Geo’s, as honorary members no less, we set about investigating the sites of the most recently missing children: we foumd a few odd bird- or reptile-like footprints mingled with those of barefoot children.

People We Met