Adventure 11 - The Tribemoot

After surviving the villainous attack by Ketch and his men on the prisoners, Kewatha decreed that the prisoners' arms and armour should be returned to them. She also expressed the need to talk to Sengal immediately. The group remained with their guards while she departed, only to return later and inform them that Sengal would not speak to them until the travels of the day were complete.

In camp that night, the party waited patiently in the prisoners’ tent for Sengal’s arrival. Late in the evening, the bald Poquoi arrived with Kewatha in tow. Sitting, he asked the group to tell their story of what happened, and they did so briefly. Sengal upheld Kewatha’s decision to return the groups’s armaments, but told the party that they would still be required to travel under guard and separate from the main body of the tribe. When asked, the chieftain reminded them that they were not Poquoi – they were still colsha, at war with the Poquoi nations, and that having them ride amongst his people bearing arms would be unsettling to most. Neelan hastily agreed to Sengal’s terms before Keigan could complain.

Both Hamish and Keigan mentioned their keen desire to take revenge on Ketch for his treachery. Sengal’s face darkened and repeated that Ketch would be dealt with at the tribemoot according to the laws and customs of the Poquoi people, and that raising a blade against a brave and a chieftain would earn them a swift death rather than the justice they sought.

Satisfied that the matter had been dealt with, Sengal then produced a small ornamental pipe and lit it, sharing it around the circle of party members, and proceeded to question them for an extended time about the nature and makeup of the military forces of the colsha. He had asked questions in the past, but never as probing and never with such insistence and duration. Hamish in particular made sure to stress the point that the colsha came in great numbers from across the sea, and, roused and angered, they had limitless peoples to arm and throw against the Poquoi… that their numbers were endless and that there was no effective way for the Poquoi to either convince or to force their withdrawal from the New World. Sengal was obviously very disturbed at this revelation.

The next day passed as the tribe began their ascent into the mountains. At some point during the morning, it became apparent that Keigan, John Henry, and Dinsdale had contracted some sort of illness, symptomatic by high fever and a lack of strength. They retained the ability to ride, and thus didn’t slow the progress of the prisoners, but it was evident that their companions were concerned.

Mid-afternoon, in a disturbing re-enactment of the encounter with Ketch’s tribe, the prisoners’ group caught up with the main body of Sengal’s tribe as they had stopped unexpectedly. Again, Sengal’s people had met with another Poquoi tribe, and camp was struck early. The group passed most of the day in or around the prisoners’ tent. Neelan made a point of practicing his martial artistry in plain view of the braves, even inviting them to participate. None took him up on the offer, but the gesture was recognized.

After moonrise, Sengal entered the prisoners’ tent to speak with the party, bringing with him some new faces: a middle-aged handsome Poquoi brave, and an elderly Poquoi man leading a large colsha man. The brave was introduced as Apusat, chieftan of the Quapatec tribe, and the elder was Qillac, the Quapatec’s wise man and shaman. Apusat seemed very surprised – even somewhat unsettled – by the presence of such a large group of armed colsha “prisoners”. After some discussion between the chieftains, Sengal told the group that Apusat’s prisoner, the large man known as William (or, as he called himself, “Ox”) would be allowed the same freedoms as the rest of the group provided they vouched for his behaviour and kept him under control. None of Apusat’s tribe could converse with the man, yet that did not seem to deter the aged Qillac from taking a shine to the gentle giant. When questioned, William answered slowly and incompletely, as if mentally stunted in some way. He muttered about the Poquoi having taken his “respect.” Sometime thereafter, a huge maul was returned to him and he cradled it like a child’s favourite toy.

Mid-morning the next day, as the tribe made its way into a narrow mountain pass, a shadow passed overhead and a cry – one much like those from a massive eagle - shook the landscape. Keigan raised his face heavenward, his eyes alight with hunger; in the same instant, the entire Poquoi tribe, as one man, lowered their heads in apparent reverence. Overhead passed one of the thunderbirds which members of the Horizoners had mentioned – gigantic eagle-like birds of mythic proportions. For a brief moment, its wings had blotted out the sun.

Neelan started a conversation with Kewatha about the meaning of the Poquoi’s bowed heads, and the conversation went on for a few hours as Kewatha related legends and stories about the power of the thunderbird and how it was one such a bird who brought about the earth and all life thereon. The fact that the birds played an important part in the Poquoi creation myth was not lost on the party, but it did not seem to deter Keigan from making plans to bag one for his own greater glory.

Days passed as the combined tribes climbed into the mountains, occasionally travelling narrow divides and precarious trails. The weather grew colder as they ascended. Eventually, their destination became apparent before them. A large, cavernous escarpment, cleft from the side of the mountain, afforded shelter from most of the elements while offering a magnificent view of the mountains, hills, and valleys to the east. Fresh water was abundant, and the mountain retreat was easily large enough to accommodate over a thousand men, women and children, with room to spare for animal pens and other necessities. This was the location of the tribemoot, and many tribes were already in attendance.

The approach to the Poquoi meeting was not encouraging, however. On either side of the trail, above and below the escarpment, crude wooden spears held aloft the rotting heads of colsha, killed and desecrated in battle with the Poquoi. Sengal was impassive, but the group noticed Qillac regarded the ornaments with barely-hidden disgust.

Sengal and Apusat led their tribes into the open cavern, and then departed into the crowds. The group was kept under guard by Sengal’s braves, but that did not stop many of the tribemen and women from gaping at the colsha that had been brought so shamelessly and wantonly into the midst of the tribemoot…. and armed, no less. As Sengal returned briefly to direct the Ojibnan to set up camp in the cavern and then abruptly disappeared again, the uneasiness of the group slowly increased.

Kewatha and Qillac stayed with the prisoners as much as possible. Qillac pointed out many of the other tribes – at a minimum, the Lopono, the Taotaac, the Pasaset, the Yamtzee, the Skee were present (in addition to Sengal’s Ojibnan and Apuset’s Quapatec). Kewatha pointed out that the Pasaset were Ketch’s tribe, confirming their suspicions that the murderous chieftain had arrived before them.

As they stood there, the party spotted a sallow, frail-looking man observing Kewatha and Qillac through the crowds. Almost immediately, he wove his way over and spoke with them in Poquoi, smiled, and left. When asked, Kewatha identified the man as Ijamo, Shivo’s shaman and wiseman of the Skee tribe. Kewatha appeared ill-at-ease in his presence.

It was later in the evening that the crowds parted and the party was approached by a group of powerful looking braves, Sengal, Apusat, and Ketch (wearing a malicious grin) amongst them. At the head of the group was a powerfully built Poquoi native, who Kewatha identified as Shivo, chieftain of the Skee tribe and the war-chieftain of the Poquoi nations. Shiva appeared bemused as Sengal spoke briefly; the party surmised Sengal was explaining their capture and, eventually, Ketch’s murderous attack. Kewatha explained that Sengal was requesting that the group be considered “tribe-friends,” which would afford them some rights and priviledges within the moot.

Without immediate answer, the group of chieftains moved on to deal with other matters. Before following, Ketch winked at Keigan and places his four fingers against his lips – as if stifling a giggle – in a repeat of the strange sign he performed before slashing Keigan’s leg open. The group kept their need for vengeance in restraint.

Shivo returned to the group with Sengal and Ketch some time later, after dealing with other matters and considering both chieftain’s description of events. Ketch, he claimed, arrived first and accepted full responsibility for his actions, hiding no important details nor denying anything in Sengal’s account. The offence against another tribe’s solidarity was bothersome, but not unheard of. Punishment, Shivo decreed, would come in the following form: for the attempted kidnap and possibly murder of Sengal’s colsha prisoners, Ketch would be forced to turn over all of his own colsha prisoners to Sengal. This consisted of a single man, a middle-aged and badly mistreated Stanholmian named Johann who had been tortured and kept alive by Ketch for the amusement of his tribesmen. Ketch continued to smirk his incessant smirk, and the judgement did not appear to disturb him in the least.

Sengal’s proposal to elevate his prisoners to tribe-friends, Shivo decreed, was ill-advised. They defended themselves from an attack against Poquoi braves – one could hardly expect them to lie down and cravenly suffer death without some struggle. But battling in self-defence and raising a blade against Poquoi is hardly cause for tribe-friend status. Luckily, Shivo reflected in amusement, an opportunity had arisen which would allow the group to test their friendship to the Poquoi, should they still wish it. A nearby eyrie of thunderbirds, revered by the Poquoi, had fallen victim to one of the monsters who lurked in the mountains, and some the great birds’ eggs had been consumed. On Shivo’s orders, braves had tracked the beast from the eyrie to its lair, and plans were being made for the warriors to kill the beast. But, with the fortunate arrival of Shivo’s prisoners who sought tribe-friend status, they could take on the task and prove themselves worthy of the friendship of the Poquoi.

Shivo demanded verbal assent from the captives, a wilful commitment to seek the good-natured beneficence from the war-chieftain. Most of the group did so… some cautiously, seeing no other alternative, and some resolutely, earnestly wanting to bridge the divide between the Poquoi and the colsha and find a war to end the war. Keigan, however, refused to answer. Shivo, sensing an opportunity, squared off with the old warrior, and the tension slowly increased as Shivo made his demands and Keigan refused to acknowledge and assent.

Then, without warning, Keigan collapsed to the cavern floor, insensible.

Moments later, it was obvious that the fever had overtaken him, as his skin was blistering to the touch. Both John Henry and Dinsdale were starting to show signs of worsening, as well, although neither had progressed as far along as Keigan in their illness. All three were taken to sick huts, to be tended by the various tribal healers. In the meantime, Shivo tasked the group with the death of the thunderbird’s assailant.

Before leaving to deal with other matters, Shivo also decreed that Ujarak, Ketch’s shaman and wiseman of the Pasaset tribe, would act as Sengal’s shaman until a suitable elder could be found. The news left the group more uneasy than before.

At dawn, the group, accompanied by Kewatha and a collection of armed guards, travelled farther in the mountain. Eventually, they climbed to the eyrie of the thunderbird, where they were shown the wreckage of the great avian eggs. The tracks that the braves had followed earlier into the mountains were monstrous and sodden, indicating a beast that had travelled through water. After a few more hours of navigating the mountain trails, Kewatha pointed out the end of the party’s journey.

A small mountain lake was formed by rushing waterfall, ejected from a cliff face some thirty feet into the air. Rising above the water, a thin ledge ascended to the mouth of the cave from which the river ran. Kewatha indicated that the monster had been tracked back to that cave, but the rushing water was going to cause some difficulty on the hunt. Thanking the Poquoi warrioress for her assistance, the group followed the trail and paused at the entrance to the lair.

Inside the cave, the ground rose sharply, and it was obvious that this slope is what caused the water to eject from the ledge with such ferocity before falling into the lake below. Lighting a lantern to explore the caves, the group stepped into the torrent, gauged the surety of their footing (which was tenuous at best), and slowly proceeded inward and upward. Some walked upright carefully, some steadied themselves by submerging their hands and walking on all fours amidst the rushing waters.

The tunnel, made of rough, river-hewn stone, ran for approximately thirty feet before levelling out and affording some dry footing. As the group slowly approached the dry ledge, a bestial roar burst out from the back of the cave and a large, lumbering beast charged into the light. Its was humanoid in shape, but its hide was covered in moss, leaves, ferns, and woody plants. Tiny, animalistic eyes – red pinpoints of malevolent light – fixed themselves on the intruders and attacked.

A fierce battle ensued, blades and bludgeons against claws and teeth. As the creature struck, roots and vines attacked the limbs of the heroes, slowing them down and, in some cases, rooting them to the spot. Through some ill twist of circumstance, Neelan, the most sure-footed of the companions, abruptly lost his footing on the water-soaked incline and plummeted down the tunnel to be ejected with some force into the lake below. Meanwhile, Hamish, Pennyworth, and William fought to keep their footing secure while battling the monstrosity.

Neelan, after scaling the cliff face and returning to the cavern entrance, sat down in the midmorning sun, disgusted with the failure of his footing and presumed his companions could take care of the threat.

Above and within, the three companions laid the creature low. Disturbingly, its remains continued to shift and move about with some strange vitality; William and Hamish worried the body with their weapons in an attempt to slay the living plants, and one of the group began pouring lamp oil on the corpse in an attempt to burn it.

Their labours were interrupted by a screech of rage as a similar creature burst forth from the shadows and attacked.

Neelan, hearing the monster’s cry and the sounds of renewed battle, wondered if his earlier assumption was erroneous and charged up the tunnel… only to lose his footing a second time and be flung once more into the mountain lake some ten yards below. Above, the battle with the second creature went much as the first, with Hamish, Pennyweather, and William taking some wounds but managing to slay the beast.

Exiting the cavern, the group returned to their guards and guides, and were lead back to the tribemoot. They rested for the remainder of the day, hopeful that by morning the assembled nations of the Poquoi would consider them friends of the tribe.

Hamish was quietly shaken awake in the lee hours of the morning. Rolling, he registered the presence of Kewatha and Qillac in the prisoner’s tent. Kewatha woke the others, and then told Hamish “You must flee tonight, for your lives.” She told a story of how the group would be slain in the morning by Shivo and the tribal elders, how she heard that the group would not be granted tribe-friend status and rather be seen as sport for the Poquoi during a time of war. It was not unheard of. Their own salvation lay in disappearing before dawn.

Neelan asked about their ill companions. Kewatha promised that they had already been roused and were being bound to saddle as they spoke, to better keep themselves for the certain difficulties of the flight.

Qillac provided two waterskins made from deer hide, and Kewatha told the party that they contained “Godswater,” and to take it with them on their journey. As well, that she and Qillac had talked at length before coming to the prisoners’ tent, and they agreed that there might be chance that war could be stopped. If the party were to face a Poquoi nation from a position of power – as head of their own tribe, for example – they could demand certain privileges because of their show of strength and their favour to the war chieftain. Kewatha told of a battle ceremony called the Unstrung Bow, in which one tribe may call another into parley, provided both are strong and trustworthy. Many conflicts between hostile Poquoi nations had used the ceremony to end hostilities. Kewatha explained that, on a field of battle, a brave must stand in his saddle and cry the Poquoi phrase “Dah cron wats, ho no she ont!” for the right to be respected. She also said that she and Quillac would try to work with Sengal to ensure the rite was respected… should they be suffered to live. Obviously, releasing prisoners in a time of war was no light matter.

Seeing no alternative, yet torn about leaving dishonourably, the group mounted their horses and, with Keigan, John Henry, Dinsdale, and Johann in tow, left the tribemoot under cover of night and began their flight.

Hours later, Keigan spoke with Neelan about the pursuit that must be behind them. He suggested that the group split, the healthy travelling onward and the ill veering course, looking for another route. Perhaps their pursuers would follow only one trail, allowing some of the company to escape unharmed; perhaps it would force their pursuers to split their forces, making pursuit or capture more difficult. But the old campaigner refused to allow the invalids to slow the entire group down and potentially doom them all to death at Poquoi hands. Neelan was visibly torn, but Keigan growled at him to return to Farholde and expect them to arrive a little later. “We’ve got a few more meetings in THIS world, before we meet in the next,” he said.

After the sun had risen, the remainder of the group was overtaken by 10 braves on horseback. Most had bows, but a few charged ahead and attacked with melee weapons. It was a confusing battle, with people mounting and dismounting, arrows raining down on the party, and periodic pursuit and battle as the Poquoi employed pursuer and hit-n-run tactics on the group, but eventually the braves turned around and quit the battle, obviously on their way to report back that the trail of the captives was fresh.

The group continued their treacherous journey east, toward the morning sun, civilization, and freedom.

Experience Awards

Combat XP:
2 moss trolls: for L5 PCs, +1125XP
TOTAL COMBAT: for L5PCs, +1125XP

Story XP:
For making it to the Tribemoot; for befriending Kewatha; for the decision to flee instead of staying and fighting: for L5 PCs, +375XP

RPing and Personal Goals Awards:
Hamish (1; +250XP); Neelan (1; +250XP); Ox (1; +250XP); Pennyworth (1; +250XP)

Player Chits:
Neelan (1; +250XP); Ox (2; +500XP); Pennyworth (1; +250XP)

TOTALS:
Hamish (L5): 13594 + 1125 + 375 + 250 = 15344
Neelan (L5): 15159 + 1125 + 375 + 250 + 250 = 17159 (level up!)
Ox (L5): 11000 + 1125 + 375 + 250 + 500 = 13250
Pennyworth (L5): 11552 + 1125 + 375 + 250 + 250 = 13552