SESSION SEVEN

Mara decides to return the villa to explore the mysterious draw of magical power she sensed from beneath it. She, Dolan, and several men-at-arms venture beneath the villa and discover a gated passageway. Within it, they find hidden rooms, some filled with relics and artifacts, some with treasure. Mara also discovers a magically sealed room with the inscription "For the Disciples of the Blood Magus". She cuts her hand and manages to open the handprint seal. Within, she finds a ritual room with four obelisks around a central point with a floating magical book. She learns that they represent sites of magical power centered around a nexus of magical energy, evidently beneath Fulcairn Keep. She decides to take the book and leave, but discovers to her horror that she has disrupted some sort of ancient ritual of binding and is about to unleash the demon Eblitris to devour the realm magic, and eventually the realm itself. She frantically taps into the mysterious source of power to beg its aid. It commands her to rewrite the broken spells of binding. She expends all her magical energy and is unable to do so, then begins to cannibalize her own body to gain more spellcasting power. The demon makes reference to a pact going unfulfilled, and she glimpses a vision of a horrifyingly malevolent black city behind a sandstorm. Just as the demon nearly breaks free to annihilate the world, she manages to contain it, but at horrific cost to herself. She collapses, her bodyweight nearly halved, blinded, her hair falling out, and her unseeing eyes weeping golden-black tears.

Back at Castle Fulcairn, a package arrives for Reynhild. Its resemblance to the package (containing Adair's head) that she received in the Shadow Realm unnerves her; Cathal attempts to shield her from seeing its contents. But it contains not Adair's head but a hand and a message from Adair, stating that he caught one of the brigands who killed Cathal's half-brother Brinden, and he was in pursuit of more.

Cathal and Reynhild resume their tour of the barony, for one last stop in Forks. Cathal offers to wrestle the townfolk, and they meet and recruit a burly and jovial woodcutter, Thaddeus, for the men-at-arms, as well as his wife. Later, Cathal takes Reynhild to a ramshackle cottage where his family used to visit, and shows her a tree where the family (Cullan, Cathal's mother Catriona, and the three brothers) all carved their names. She hesitates, but on his urging, carves her name on the tree. They decide to restore the cottage when time permits.

They are greeted by the novice ranger Telfirth on their return, bearing news that the caravan with Mara is returning, but Mara has been horribly wounded. Immediately Cathal and Reynhild leave to intercept it. They find her in a terrible state, unconscious, burned, ravaged and blind. No conventional means of healing help her, and out of desperation, they decide to ride to the nearest temple of Haelyn-- in Seamist.

They decide to travel incognito for the sake of haste, rather than with an entourage. A comical incident transpires at the gate, in which Reynhild pretends to be a haughty Rjurikan tradeswoman and Cathal her long-suffering servant. They enter the town without incident, though they do glimpse the youngest Duene son, who has caused them so much trouble. The temple of Haelyn offers them precious little aid, claiming they need to contact the temple at Stormpoint for a matter as dire as Khorien's apprentice being near death and in need of healing. However, they suggest Cathal and Reynhild take a visitor with him-- a mysterious warrior named Varyan Goeryne. The man scrutinizes Reynhild and Cathal oddly. He claims to be an itinerant warrior and protector of the people, and offers to ride north to aid them.

As they travel, he asks for a few moments of privacy every evening. They respect it, but the ever-vigilant Reynhild follows him one night, watching from the shadows. She witnesses him perform some sort of mystical purification ritual or prayer; it strikes her as harmless enough, and she lets him be.

They reach Castle Fulcairn. Varyan locks himself in with Mara and requests to not be disturbed. They can hear him through the door beseeching the gods and the land itself. Several days pass, and the chanting continues; Cathal and Reynhild are exhausted and bewildered at the process. Finally Callum draws Reynhild's attention to the door; she enters to discover Mara looking healed and Varyan evidently having absorbed her condition into himself. Cathal and Reynhild immediately have Varyan tended to and put to bed, but there is little they can do for him. Eventually he recovers enough to speak, though he is still blind. He requests nothing save a little honey mead; they drink and share Rjurikan songs and stories with him, which he relishes. Both Cathal and Reynhild are drawn to his selfless, self-effacing heroism and the aura of peace and goodness he emanates.

Mara arrives to thank him, and rather than chastising her for her recklessness, he merely says she was well worth saving.

One night, Callum awakes Reynhild, and she finds Varyan's guest quarters empty. She finds him in the stables with his beautiful mare, Temperance; his eyes are healed and he is about to leave. She thanks him for his aid and states he will always be welcomed as family at Fulcairn Keep. He says he must leave to pursue penance, and gives her a cryptic warning from his visions-- that "blood is not everything". Then before he departs, he tells her she is loved in this world, and the next.

The next day, the ranger Adair returns, limping. He states that it was the younger Duene who ordered Brinden killed, but he has no proof. Reynhild thanks him profusely for his service, and begins to ponder what to do to avenge Brinden.

The Fulcairns, now with Mara on her way to recovery, discuss their next steps. They decide to keep the gold from the villa, but to redistribute the relics, and host a tournament to increase their prestige and fame. Cathal decides to remain in Wilder's Gorge at attend to business there; Reynhild and Mara decide to travel to Stormpoint.

Reynhild speaks to both Brigid and Dolan about building a shadow network to keep ahead of the House's enemies. Both have differing ideas; Reynhild is satisfied by neither, but Dolan does suggest a contact he knows in Stormpoint named Leandra.

The night before Reynhild and Mara leave for Stormpoint, Reynhild and Cathal go for a ride in the countryside; unable to contain their feelings for each other any longer, they make love amidst the falling leaves of autumn. Cathal says they should marry on her return from Stormpoint, as the House needs heirs; Reynhild's reaction is (as usual) inscrutable.

Reynhild and Mara ride for Stormpoint. Mara is joyfully reunited with her parents, proprietors of a shop called The Silver Lock. Reynhild and Dolan meet Leandra; Reynhild attempts to be subtle about her goals, but nearly loses Leandra's interest, and only retains it when she, on Dolan's suggestion, reveals she too is of a rather rough-and-tumble origin. Leandra strongly advises Reynhild against dealing with the House of Wind. They warily strike a deal; Reynhild fronts her some gold and asks her to learn more about the youngest Duene, specifically what he cares about the most.