Session 87 Part 1:
The Shainti that traveled to the Kallow Mounds returned. Krajun-Eats What He Kills and other Sklar-Quah tell the Chief and the Sun Shaman about the recent fight. The Sun Shaman nods and says to the group, "You are true nalharest".
He then says I will call you when all is ready.
The group goes back to the guest yurt, and Sivath talks to Egric about calling Phaeton Skota here. She needs to buy a ring of Spell Knowledge, and he may have one. Egric does not mind if Riris calls him. Riris later relates that Phaeton says that there will be a surcharge, due to the danger that he may incur traveling to us. The time comes and goes when Phaeton should have showed up, finally he does not show.
Riris tells the others that she dreamt of her mother, and the need to search for something? She was very drunk last night, she does not understand.
In the morning on the 22nd of Pharast the Sun Shaman comes to the Guest Yurt and invites the Avangers to the War Council of Fire. He says that he is ready.
When the group arrives, the Sun Shaman waits for them alone to speak with his brothers and sister. Then Krojun Eats-what-he-kills and Chief Ready-Klar join him.
He congratulates you again on shedding their outlander status to become Sklar-Quah before inviting them to be seated around his personal fire.
The Sun Shaman begins: I am one of the few Shoanti who retains knowledge of the secrets held before Cheliax invaded their homelands along the coast of Conqueror's Bay.
My predecessor passed the knowledge of these times down to me, just as I plan to do for the shaman who will follow, and as I plan to now to do for you. The Sun Shaman's tale is relatively short.
He tells of how, hundreds of years ago, one of his own ancestors was called to join a righteous cause. A man named Mandraivus, a hero from a distant nation, was gathering a small group of warriors to aid in a fight against a despotic dragon named Kazavon, and the Sun Shaman's ancestor joined this crusade. He was gone for months, and when he finally returned he was not the same man-his hands shook, his eyes carried a haunted stare, and he cried out in fear at night.
He spoke little of what he saw while serving Mandraivus, but did say that they were successful in defeating Kazavon, and that the fortress of Scarwall was now under Mandraivus's control. He was convinced it would remain impotent as long as the hero managed to maintain a hold on it.
While Kazavon had been defeated, his will to live was so immense that even the remains of his body twitched. The cabal had attempted to destroy the remains, but many fragments of the dragon's skeleton resisted even their most destructive spells. Mandraivus tasked seven of his surviving followers (which the Sun Shaman's ancestor counted himself among) each with claiming one of the bony relics of Kazavon's body and ordered them taken from Scarwall.
None of the seven would communicate where they were going to the others or to Mandraivus, and they were to ensure that their chosen relics would remain hidden and guarded for all time in order to prevent the dragon from returning to life.
The Sun Shaman's ancestor told this story to his fellow shamans, and revealed that his chosen relic was the dragon's fangs. The Shoanti took to calling them the Midnight Fangs, and they chose the ancient pyramid on the shores of Conquerer's Bay as their reliquary.
After hiding the fangs in a secret room deep inside the pyramid, they took to the task of ensuring that the fangs remained safe. For generations, they maintained their task-until Cheliax invaded and slaughtered the Shoanti. Those few who survived and knew the secret of the fangs were forced to flee with their kin into the Cinderlands.
For the next three centuries the knowledge was passed from Sun Shaman to Sun Shaman, and they watched with fearful eyes as the city of Korvosa grew around their ancient reliquary.
That Queen Ileosa has discovered the Midnight Fangs and somehow tapped into their latent power troubles the Sun Shaman greatly, for he knows something of the Fangs' power. During the time they were guarded, Shoanti shamans studied the fangs and communed with the spirit world about them.
They discovered that a fragment of Kazavon's soul remained lodged within the fangs. While this fragment alone wasn't enough to work ill upon the world, it could certainly invade the dreams of those who touched them.
The Sun Shamans were stubborn and willful, more than a match for the fangs' temptations and promises, but a weaker mind-say, that of a petty young queen-would have no such defense.
The Sun Shaman goes on to explain that the fragments of Kazavon's soul are like a plant-once they find suitable soil in which to grow, they can bloom into a mighty tree. This appears to be the case with Ileosa-her own cruelty and strength had been enhanced greatly by the fangs.
Worse, she now possesses two souls-her own, and one grown from the fragment of Kazavon's. Two souls in one body, the Sun Shaman muses, would grant her incredible power over her own mortality.
Ivar asks who this Mandrovious was and what is the Serenthal?
The Sun Shaman recounts the sad tale of Mandrovious to Ivar (see Shaman’s Tale), and after this he suggests that: the Avangers take part in a ritual called the Blessing of the Ancestors. This is a rare ritual the Shoanti use only in times of great change-it calls upon a soul from the spirit world to seek guidance and advice on how to precede.
He explains that: Typically, the Blessing of the Ancestors is used before making the decision to go to war on another tribe, or to abandon a long-held campsite in hopes of finding a better home, but this situation warrants the ritual as well.
The group faces a time of great potential here, but returning to Korvosa to confront an immortal enemy would only result in their deaths. Clearly, advice is needed.
The Sun Shaman asks the group if there is a particular spirit or ancestor with whom they have a particularly strong link-the stronger the link, the more exacting the advice granted by the Blessing of the Ancestors becomes. He asks does the group have a spirit that they are familiar with?
Ivar says how about Zellara, that is associated with the deck that Egric carries?
Zellara shows up in the middle of the fire. She begins the harrowing.
She says The Marriage represents the positive past, the avengers have rescued Neolandus and Vancarlofrom certain death, Neolandus has suggested stat the Avangers seek out the Shaunti. Mandraivus and his allies long ago defeated Kazavon with the Serithtial.
The neutral past is represented by the Foreign Traider, you have quested for not so long a time for the answers that you have been seeking, while some have died during these months, many more have lived because of your deeds. You have made allies and enemies. Ages ago Kozovan defeated the Orcs of Belkezen, for the Kingdom of Ustalav, then he betrayed his masters and Built the Castle of Scarwall. The fang of Kozovan was brought to the area someday to be known as Korvosa, but the Chalixians drove away the guardians of the item that should not have been found. It waited in the depths of Castle Korvosa for over 400 years.