Healers' Meeting at Elvas

Friday The Lions arrive on Elvas in typical sporadic fashion having sailed over from Ustica. Attending are Lochlan and Dalziel Douglas, Robin Ashwine, Sister Bethanie, Jari Dzygati, Lemming Demetus, Jess Hawkes, Cosaint, Midir, Sebastian and Debreni DuPont, Vincenzo Sangrado, Devlan McEwen, Jutah Fate and Peiraios Iltara Anl’Ash.

Former Prince Bishop Jari Dzygati and Prince Bishop Lemming Demetus agree almost straight away that retreating is not an option, “Over my decaying body”, says Jari.

An expedition force finds a defiled shrine devoted to Good. Sister Bethanie managed to empower it somewhat, but it turns out that of seven keystones (in the shape of small stone statues of animals), five are missing.

Many of the kidnapped Lions are discovered and rescued early on. They are under the effects of a Beguile spell but Sister Bethanie, msyelf and Cosaint (the latter two using my Amulet) break the charms on them.

An expedition is sent to the transport circle to rescue Xavin, the last of the kidnapped Lions, who is under physical torment there. The rescue is successful. They return with a Keystone from the shrine of Evil. Expecting that Golgul will want it back, various Lions (specifically, Jari, Cosaint, Sister Bethanie and Debreni) set about concealing and guarding it. They successfully keep it hidden throughout the weekend.

The vast majority of the Lions and Bears present get on and cooperate very well.

Jari announces that there’s a “new glue” sticking the chocolate to the orange parts of jaffa cakes.

Saturday

Much faffing occurs.

The Lions realise that the Queen Blodwyn of the Bears is utterly lovely.

Snake arrives and announces that Mhaedros is unbalanced towards the element of Fire. A group, including many Lions, tries a rite on Mhaedros to balance the elements but are attacked by Salamanders. Prince Bishop Lemming uses the “Fillipe Manoeuvre” and returned all to Elvas in an injured state.

Snake forces the rite group back because the “Great Spirit” Ancestor told her to. The Lions involved, who until that point were planning a return to complete the rite, refuse to be bullied and further refuse to participate. Members of other factions perform it whilst the Lions watch. It is successful, thus proving Lemming and Robin right when they said they weren’t needed. The Great Spirit returns all to Elvas, baning each of Lemming’s limbs as it does.

“He made the list.” – Lemming, with reference to the Great Spirit.

There is more faffing, interspersed with checking the shrine of Good, fighting unliving and demon bashing (both physical and verbal): Demon: "By my power I strike your head mage bolt!"
Lemming: "Not with a sword in your casting hand you won’t, you moron! Where did you learn spell casting, off the back of a cereal packet?!"

The Queen Blodwyn volunteers to be Probationary Acting Knight Captain the Queen Blodwyn of the Prince Bishop’s Men.

Vincenzo: “I was very stylish throughout the weekend, but especially on the Saturday.”

Lemming, Robin, Jess and Midir, together with others, attempt a ritual to rescue Elani through ritual. The ritual fails as Golgul has taken measures to counter such a thing.

Myself, Lemming, Devlan and many others play many hands of the card game “Zeus and Hera”.

A magical pulse destroys my Amulet of Mental Purity.

The Queen Blodwyn and me deliver a villager woman named Eve of a baby with an unliving pattern. The baby’s unliving pattern was violently purged but the Blodwyn was able to heal what was living and uncorrupted in the child and save him.

The Vipers formulate an Elani rescue plan. Everyone will stand in a tunnel just down from the ritual circle (which is underground beneath the transport circle) where Golgul intends to sacrifice Elani. Everyone goes except Sebastian, Lochlan and me (who guard the shrine of Good to make sure no one tries to take the remaining keystones). The Vipers find an alternative route to the outside from the ritual circle leaving the Lions inside the pit. Golgul’s ritual group shows up and his ritualist seals the circle around Golgul, the contributors, Lions, Tapper of the Healers’, Finnian of the Militia and some others. The ritual begins with the contributors attacking the interlopers. Lemming stalls by pointing out that the contributors are not actually contributing by attacking. They stop their attack, and Lemming promises not to disrupt the ritual whereupon a chant in the name of Schaedal to disrupt the ritual starts. Sharp and blunt weapons are also used. Golgul sacrifices the power in the ritual to save himself and vanishes. The unliving ritualist uses the remaining power to mage bolt a few people before dropping the seal. A lot of fighting goes on, both inside and outside the circle, and Elani is eventually rescued, but so badly injured she is sent to the Planes of Life in order to save her. A fighting retreat is made to the Guild House but despite disarray of such a retreat there are no casualties. The Shrine of Good remained safe.

Lots more fighting against unliving and more card games and singing goes on.

The ghosts of Golgul’s victims appear in the Guild House, re-enacting various scenes previous conversations about the liche and replaying their deaths. Me, Lemming, Sister Bethanie, Midir, Cosaint and Finnian attempt a Rite of Exorcism but although it quietens the ghosts it does not lay them.

The jaffa cake debate continues:
Lanceman Jess Hawkes: “It’s not the glue they’ve changed, it’s the jaffa.”

A plan to destroy Maladius is conceived. Vincenzo explains that if cress seeds are thrown at Goldilocks then the plant will grow and eventually the weight will crush him. Vincenzo explains that his financial interests in cress farms are purely incidental to the plan.

Sunday

Various Lions wear wode as applied by the Queen Blodwyn. Many Bears wear Prince Bishop’s Men’s tabards.

"Operation Cress" is discussed in more detail. Whilst most are enthusiastic, Lemming is curiously against it.

A group of healers and various others (including the Lions and Bears) go down to the vault door to see if they can get it open. Eventually they succeed and Lemming has a running battle of wits and weapons with a golem who was guarding the vault on behalf of the guild (Lemming is by far the wittier given that the golem tends to say “arrrrgh” and “raaar” a lot). We cannot convince him that we’re with the guild and to compound troubles we are also attacked by unliving.

The Guild House is taken whilst we are by the vault. Rolling fight to get in there, with the sad loss of two Bears.

The majority of folk present set off to destroy Golgul and his phylactery. After a long fight in tunnels below Elvas the mission is successful and Golgul destroyed. All the Lions attending return.

Those that Died
Several Bears and Finnian of the militia were lost and mourned as good and decent people.

 

All Works are © Original Author

(OC Author - Gillian Smart)