SESSION FOUR

The party returns to Fulcairn Keep without further incident. Cathal is still reeling from the taint of Eldric the Fair's cursed god-blood; his sleep is plagued by nightmares and he suffers a concussion that resists the healer's efforts. Reynhild's preternatural alertness and protectiveness of the House seems to be verging on paranoia; she too stays awake late nights endlessly poring over books from the library, trying to hone her martial and woodland skills. They both awkwardly avoid each other, unsure of their feelings after their kiss at the Battle of the Plateau.

Bracers of the Firehawk

On the urging of their councilors, the House decides to host a small celebration of their victory at the Plateau. Reynhild (uncharacteristically wearing her Rjurik green gown and flowers in her hair, mostly to placate her ever-doting handmaiden, Elena) presents Mara with a gift-- a pair of exquisite bracers crafted by the House's famed leatherworkers, set with the rare amber the Wilders call the Heart of the Forest, and tooled with the shapes of cairnhounds and twin fiery hawks, as the townsfolk have taken to calling Mara the Firehawk of Wilder's Gorge. She thanks Mara for her service to the house and states she considers her as good as family.



Later that night, a rider approaches the keep. It is Adair, Reynhild's most trusted ranger, bearing the body of Brindon, Cathal's half-brother. He tells Cathal that as best he could tell, Brindon was slain not by the rival house Duenes, but by a pack of brigands. He leaves to search the area further. They lay him to rest in the catacombs and Adair leaves to tell Reynhild of the news. Reynhild and Cathal stand in silent mourning over Brindon-- their third lost family member-- then Reynhild reminds Cathal of the Rjurik tale of Culloch, the warrior who the gods promised immortality if he had the strength to walk through hell. She then tells him that perhaps House Fulcairn is currently walking through hell, but that even so, she would walk through hell with him. They embrace and kiss with heated passion, but she tears herself away and flees.

After discussing their next course of action in the struggle to reestablish the House and secure the lands, the party decides to venture to Firstcairn, a town in the south in an area rife with border disputes with the neighbouring barony of Seamist. Reynhild sees Adair's horse in the inn, and finds him drinking with Garon, a ranger from the lands of House Duene. She questions them both and finds out nothing further-- Brindon seems to have been slain by brigands, whose leader Garon and Adair are in pursuit of. Seeing an opportunity, she attempts to recruit Garon as a spy, but her offer is rejected.

To assert control on the town, Cathal parleys with the magistrate, and implements a new policy-- public humiliation and flogging for lawbreakers, particularly the itinerant ne'er do wells from Seamist who have been plaguing the town. A brawl breaks out at the inn, and soon enough they are able to enforce these new laws. Cathal himself flogs several miscreants, and the townsfolk cheer and are relieved.

Their business at First Cairn fulfilled, the party leaves to pursue another, more mysterious goal-- a rumoured long-lost Imperial villa in the orog-haunted mountains, that would no doubt provide much riches and prestige to whoever secured it. They leave with a minimal party-- only the faithful armsmen Dolan and Magda in tow-- and head for the mountains. Reynhild, most at home in the woods, takes point, and manages to guide them through with little incident. They discover something unexpected-- a lost shrine to Haelyn in the mountain, occupied by orogs.

They engage the orogs in battle. Dolan and Magda are both wounded, but the Fulcairns are victorious, partly due to a well-timed sleep spell from Mara. They take rubbings of the temple markings and press onward.

Reynhild's tracking skills finally lead them to the lost Imperial villa... but a stranger surprise yet awaits them. What they find is an untouched, perfect Imperial estate, there in the middle of the orog-stalked wilderness, replete with flower gardens, tapestries and banners blowing in the wind. Reynhild immediately urges everyone to back away, extremely distrustful of the scenario, but Cathal and Mara's curiosity and wonder get the better of them, and they walk in.