The morning was early, and Utana, aware of many paths that Ihradel could have gone, decided that confirmation of a track of a lame horse might be the only clue to where she went next. The raving of Levan had said she had gone north, north was likely. As Dhran was nuzzled by the groups horses, seeking fruit and vegetables stashed about his person, Utana found evidence of the lame horse having been in the stables then leaving, after all, by the northward path.
This was followed, but the trail was soon obscured by the tracks of the caravan that had settled the night in the same caravanserai as the group, but they plowed on up the slope, past the highest farms and beyond for half a day, coming to the pass that is the highest point before descending into Quulbar. At this point the pass heads east-west, and the cliff wall has, at the opposite horizon, woods. The main road heads slightly north at the end, a lesser path slightly south. From that southern pass a horse, slightly lame, runs towards them, above it, chasing it are four flying lizard creatures, that Azadah calls “”Daruk””, magical servitors, spirits bound to an almost manlike, for a lizard, form. Watching all this is the Hermit of the Pass, Abrosyed, a priest of the Three from the distant Harixan Kingdom.
The horse, seemingly the one stolen from Iralun, sought refuge behind the group, the daruks, striking from above, caused some damage. They hit hard but, bound in flesh, were vulnerable to mortal weapons. José was stunned, Utana and Jalabu seized, Dhran discomforted. Abrosyed conjured knives, or so it seemed, hurling them at the daruk. Things went better for Farshad, who found himself standing atop the saddle of the runaway horse, slicing and stabbing, reins between his teeth. Not that things went well for the daruk, Though slashing and stabbing with claw and tail, one crashed into another, affording Utana the chance to swing round and jump on its back. When it died, however, he was temporarily trapped under its body. Jalabu manages to escape.
The Daruk downed, José tended to the horse, aided by Abrosyed, who then tended to José and Jalabu. From Abrosyed they learned that Ihradel had been there lately, and while he knew what she was, and proved resistant to her powers. Though knowing that she was a Rabasilu, he tended her horse and sent her on her way. He saw where she went, to the village of Sadr.
The group took that south east path, which descended down into a scrubby tree haunted set of defiles. Using Utana and Farshad as scouts, they were hailed by Remlo, a hunter from Sadr, waving hello to them, accompanied by his wolfhounds. He warned them against proceeding to the village, as a band was waiting to ambush them and take them to the headman. Whilst the party might think that isn’t a problem, the village is in an uproar. a young woman, found in the Temple of the Lady of Crops, Varyamerha , displaying powers and revealing herself to be an agent of the Goddess.
They started to serve her, even when she demanded that the dogs be killed, even the pups. Her reign did not last long, the Quulbari lord of the village came and took her to his tower. The village was arming and preparing to rescue
The group ask Remlo to take them to the Tower. As the get close they hear the shaman, Vyutar, cry and laugh in madness from his tower, a more recent construction of wood atop an older stone watchtower. They get close but Remlo’s dogs go mad, straining at a trail heading north-east and down to the lowlands. The group follows, and withing an hour come to a shepherd’s cottage, where the shepherd was building a cairn. The dogs became agitated, howling and straining and whimpering, to be answered by other hounds calling from an outbuilding.
The shepherd, Aytal, stands up, tears in his eyes, apologising for the sad times. A young woman, running here from up the mountain, severely injured, sought his protection. That he gave, but she died in the night, and this cairn was her burial. The group, against the wishes of Aytal, dig up the cairn, to find Ihradel injured but alive. This shocks Aytal, who had checked her for breath and pulse, and was sure that she was dead. Injured as she was, the rocks of the cairn weighing down on her crushed her ribs and organs. She was, despite what José tried, dying. Nothing he could do would save her.
The group debated what to do, in the end deciding to take her to Abrosyed, perhaps she could be made well enough to travel to Iralun. They made a litter and carried her carefully on it. Aytal accompanied them, concerned for the girl, and he handed the group a bag she had, containing the remains of the jewellery she had stolen from the Deorsin crypt.
Abrosyed was able to heal her, but he made another offer, to drive the demon of the Rabalisu from her, leaving her as a young woman, deprived of the powers of the spirit. This would take about 5 days. The group conferred and agreed, heading with good speed to Iralun.
As they grew close to the city, Farshad, thinking that the horse he rode technically belonged to a commander of the City Guard, decided to take action, as he had grown fond of it. He ditched the military harness, tied a blanket around it, under which were two piles of spare clothing, in an approximation of a Bactrian’s humps. Ridiculous as this sight was, the gate guard did not spot, or want to admit to seeing it.
They reported to Elisim Deorsin, who considered the options the group presented. Return and kill the girl, return and fetch her, or let Abrosyed do his work and let her life her life, but, as far as Iralun and in particular his son was concerned, she was dead. He asked them if the group had seen hide or hair of the Guard Officer’s missing horse. They said not.
Elisom decided on this last, he could use other agents to keep contact with Abrosyed. He thanked them, remarked on Farshad’s new, ahem, camel, and said that he would send their reward on.
And there, for this adventure, and this year, we left it