This interlude covers the time between your return and the start of Sacred Week.  The other patrols that were sent out had returned either before you or within a day of your return.  Most of them had no major encounters, but those that went toward the Hollow and Skyfall Lake were beset upon by broo, other creatures, and spirits.  The group that went toward Snake Pipe Hollow mentioned that their scout claimed to have seen a Walktapus moving from the hollow into the hills (Jelmine is at the Eastern end of the hills, and the tabooed stead you visited is within these hills).

There is not enough time to practice, but there is time to solidify the the skills that you used (i.e., skill and power rolls).

If you are part of one of the religions in town, or close enough, you will be invited to help prepare for sacred week (the Elmal followers will grudgingly accept a follower of Yelmalio, but will try to show you why Elmal is stronger and braver).

There are some NPCs that I know people want to speak with, so we will do it here unless it needs to go to private threads.

'Ere! Are you calling me a follower of little stick boy? 'cause I'm too hot-blooded to mind a cold sun.

In reply to Tamarkorda (msg # 2):

Bingling hides his smirk at the mention of the spear...

Although Tamarkorda's faith in Kargzant is weakened after his experience in the cave, he is neither wavering nor intolerant in his devotion. He will receive a little Elmali proselytizing politely (it's their home ground now even if it used to be part of the Pure-horse range). He will not take any actions that disrupt the Elmal preparations and will help enthusiastically wherever the traditions align. He may use his native chants at times (in Pure-horse tongue or in translation) but only sotto voce [hopefully no "He omits 'filioque'!" incidents].

Personally, I don't subscribe to the Kargzant is Yelmalio or Elmal is Yelmalio schools of thought. I'm not even convinced that Antirius is Yelmalio, though I sympathise with a publishers wish to make the best uses of a 'limited' 100 cult 'Gods of Glorantha' tome by not focusing on angels on pin heads!

((OOC

:D I had to look that up, that's fascinating.))

((OOC
That was a souvenir of reading Agent of Byzantium many years ago. I think it was the first Harry Turtledove alternative history that I came across. It may be worth a look if light historical capers are your thing. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agent_of_Byzantium

Sorry about the mixed posting by the way. I sort of interpreted 'Interlude' as all being OOC ))

In reply to Narrator (msg # 1):

Upon hearing of Sandien's whereabouts, Sanuzi will head over to the Lunar outpost and beg entry. He will not impose upon Oligur's friendly attitude, but make his case to see Sandien as an underling who has an urgent report to a superior.

Some of this may bleed over into other threads.  If you have something you want to do during the interlude, please tell me.

Henetha goes to the temple to help Desola prepare the body.

Update: There are a few private threads going.  I'll post more general events tomorrow afternoon.

Waterday, Illusion Week, Storm Season (the day after everyone returns).
12 days til the start of Sacred Time.

OOC:  this is to set the stage for the next meeting.  Consider what you will want to bring to the table during this discussion.

At midday, Danbal, Chief of Jelmine, calls the Elders together at the courtyard of the Earth Temple to discuss recent events.  Due to the support Commander Jalmon has given, he and a contingent of Lunar soldiers are invited.  Along with them comes Idovanus.

OOC: Continue with actions in other threads as needed.

Danbal has gathered the town Elders together, along with a contingent from the Lunar fort and the Uz, to discuss the demon that threatens the town, and the demon that the group found in the caves close to town.  When they gather, Desola and the priestesses come to join the gathering.

The day is growing colder, and the sky is filling with gray clouds.

"We have not faced the demons in a few days, and we must prepare for their return.  Sandien is unfortunately occupied with the Lunar Uz shaman."

Zelda seems ready to explode at the mention of Gulk, but holds it in for now.

"Hopefully Sandien will return to us with the wisdom of the Spirit Realm, but until then, we need to make plans.  Sacred Time is fast upon us, and we need to strengthen the spiritual defenses of the town.  We also need to prepare to send some off to again face the demon in the cave.  We must also discover why we are under attack at this time.  What god have we offended?"

Desola speaks, "we have offended none of the gods or goddesses that we have followed for generations.  This is an evil that came into our world with the Dragon rose over the land."  She looks to Danbal, "but you are correct that we need to prepare.  Our traditional rituals will not aid us in this new crisis.  We must consider other stories to tell, other rites to perform, even the ancient rites that are rarely performed."

"Do you mean the full Lightbringer's Quest?", says Farin too eagerly.  "Do you suggest we send a team to attempt that legendary feat?"

"None would be foolhardy enough to dare follow that story," says Danbal.

To which Desola adds, "and it is not the story that will help us here.  We do not seek to bring the dead back to life.  No, we must ask our gods for insight and remember the stories rarely told.  There we will find a key."

"Then each night let each family tell the stories they remember, one may aid us."  Looking to the group, "if you know stories of your people, speak them.  They may help us."

OOC:  basically Danbal and Desola are looking for HeroQuest stories that would aid the people now.  Stories such as Elmal defends the stead.  Some of you may know the Glorantha heroquest stories, but that is not critical.  Feel free to suggest stories that are unique.  This is setting the stage for your group to perform a Sacred Time hero quest (with a few NPCs).  Your group will be one of three attempting a HeroQuest for the town during Sacred Time.

Tamarkorda steps forward to speak while while people shuffle their feet and whisper amongst themselves.

"This is not a  quest that I think we should do now (it is best with a seventh son of a seventh son) but one of us has to start the tales, and it is quite a good tale to know, and while I tell it you can work out which tale you might want to set forth next.

After we left the dead city the gods rode with us and showed us how to survive, but as time went by and the One Clan out-witted or avoided more of their enemies (like Yenfar the Capturer, Orvadrudus the Chiller and Zakmat the Duck) the gods left us alone more often and we had to sort out more of our problems by ourselves.

When we left the city most of us had been cavalry who had always enjoyed the status of  Witnesses or Officers. We took our wives and children with us so there were not many spare horses and to ride away you had to have a horse, and to have a horse you had to be a leader, or a leader’s relative, or if you were lucky, a groom or a favoured servant.

That made life difficult once we had left. Everyone wanted to be in charge, no one wanted to do the work that had been servants’ work back in the city. Even those who had been servants said things were different now and if we were all going to pull our weight on the journey no one should have all the heavy loads all the time.

Soon no one would agree to do anything they were asked even if it meant there were no tents at night and no porridge in the morning. Things cleared up if enemies attacked but once the danger was past everyone started squabbling again, which was no good.

Some people saw the problem and appealed to Hyalor but he just flashed them the shiny tablet again which did not seem to solve anything.

So the next time Josad rode with the clan these people put the problem to him, which was a good idea because he was used to thinking a way out of problems that the headmen and servants had only moaned about.

To begin with he cleared up the One Clan into seven sensible families which was the best number to have. He showed this by splitting himself into seven Josads. Each Josad picked a family head who was good in battle but also had a second string to his bow and was known for insight, bravery, hospitality, ethics, practicality, godliness or lore.

He made sure that no family was too big or too small, too important or too insignificant. A lot of people stayed with the bloodline that they knew but he showed others why their relatives were those they had not thought of as kin, and this was the start of joining bloodlines though adoption.

The seven Josads took their seven families into seven different dells to explain and expound to them how things could be better deliberated.

Each of the seven Josads split into three Josads, a tall Josad a strong Josad and a grey Josad (who some people wrongly call the bent Joasd because one of them was bald and one of them was white. But not all of them were bent either and even the ones that were liked being reminded of it even less than being grey (or white, or bald)).

The twenty one Josads showed the people that each had obligations, to perfect, to act, and to instruct.

Then the Josads showed how a household would work, respecting blood ties and an elder to remind them what the Josads had explained, aided by other elders to help remember the right answer to each right problem and to sort the wrong problems into the nearest right problem. These house elders and their descendants would be like nobles. They would decide war or peace and amass tribute. Others would support them the way officers, headmen and servants had supported nobles.

Those that the Josads had appointed to the less prestigious but equally necessary tasks objected strongly as if they had not been listening to the Josad’s explanation at all, so each of the twenty one Josads split into eleven Josads and rushed out of their dell to fight the other hundred and ninety eight Josads of the other six families until all of the Josads were slain, to show where that sort of nonsense ended up. From all the hacked up bits he reformed into the originals (that is the seven Josads) and they separated out their seven families again and said “This is what happens if no one leads and no one follows.“

“When you fight yourselves you will only please Raven, but when you fight together, you yourselves will be pleased.”

One Josad said “If you fight at the right time your will be remembered in the story tents of all the clans that come after”. One Josad said “If you fight the fiercest you will have foreigners as slaves to do the tiresome things”. One Josad said “If you fight with the best words your opponents will not even know you have fought them”. One Josad said “if you fight your battles in you head seven times before you fight them with your hands you will have seven times fewer wounds and seven times seven fewer funerals.” One Josad said “Fight in the fruit-trees, and in the fish-holes. Fight in the beehives and the kumis skins. Fight in the fire-pits - you will never feel hunger.” One Josad said “Fight to protect the sunpath and the earth caves not for gold plaques and copper coins”. One Josad said “Remember all the fights you fought, and those your fathers fought and those their neighbours fought, but don’t fight them again, once was enough.”  None of these was the same Josad (though of course they were all the same Josad to begin with)

Then seven Henedras appeared and they told the seven Josads why they had picked a poor dell for their audience, and had not chosen to stand in the best light and were even wearing the wrong clothes for the time of year, and the Seven Josads dragged their feet and looked uncomfortable and said of course they had meant to ask the seven Henedra’s advice but the One Clan had been calling them and seemed to be in a bind, and the seven Henedras smiled and nodded and said of course they knew that, and they were sure it was an unaccustomedl oversight.

Then the fourteen gods and goddesses rode back with the seven families until they were one clan again and the seven Henedras merged and the seven Josads joined themselves back into the original and authentic Josad.

Our ancestors were amazed at the wise teachings that Josad had set out so straightforwardly, and they asked if he had any other counsel to give them before he and Henedra rode back to the sky together, Josad nodded and then he looked at Henedra and she nodded back and said “Josad’s lesson has not just been about how you can get along in your families and as a clan but how the time comes for things to split up. One day this clan of yours will need to separate into many, not,” (she sniffed) “always seven, but many, and this can be done naturally and is in fact a thing to be celebrated even if it may not feel like that at the time.”
Josad looked pleased and said “So when that day comes, (you will know it when it arrives)  just call on me or on Henedra and we will lay it out for you as we always have and always will.
Plainly, precisely, and in just as many parts as necessary
(unlike Hyalor with his perpetual pesky tablet)."

Tamarkorda bows to indicate that his tale is done and looks for the next person to speak

In reply to Tamarkorda (msg # 13):

Bingling nods along to Tamorkorda's tale.

In actuality, he is trying to think of a way to re-tell the story of Bina Bang, her Dehori mate Lord Lurker in Darkness, and their son Pikat Yaraboom -- but with a magical bite rather than Yaraboom's left hand of doom. Alas, Bingling's stumped, so far.

Oligur listens with great interest to Tamarkorda's story, wishing he himself was as talented a storyteller. 
((OOC I'm not going to try to put in my own {or Oligur's} words))
Oligur does his best to tell the story of the Goddess's glorious ascent; her ambush and defeat by Wakboth; of her encounter with Arachne Solara; of how she achieved illumination when she freed Nysalor; of how she tamed the Sky Bear; how she at last defeated Wakboth and rode to victory on the Crimson Bat... as illustrated by these cakes
http://www.pensee.com/dunham/glorantha/con5/cakes.html

"Now that I think of it " Tamarkorda says, "I do know one tale that has a truestone in it.  The Sun Ring clan have done it as a quest but they had a flying horse that they could use from a quest they did with Gamara in earlier years. It involves flying up to the sky and winning contests against the bird spirits that grant access. Sometimes you can offer them things made of their rune metal instead of having to win a round of the contest. It can clean a true-stone, or make the quester 'gifted', some say it can exchange an enchanted silver egg for a true-stone. "

This is the bedtime story version which we all know very well:

Zenagar had a favourite pebble which would look after his magic and his good luck for him. But one day he lost it on the heath and Skylark found it.
“Whose egg is this?” Skylark chirped “This heath is my place and this egg does not belong to me and my kind”
Skylark was quite indignant and picked the pebble up and took it to his mate to make sure it did not belong there.
“Whose egg is this?” chirped Skylark’s mate “This nest is my place and that egg does not belong here. Get rid of it”

Skylark saw a shape overhead so he flew upward singing “My eggs are the goodliest, no one here has eggs as goodly as mine” and as he rose he recognised Raven
“Whose egg is this?” said Raven “It’s quite shiny. Perhaps you should give it to me I have a place where I keep shiny things safe”
Raven made a bowl of his wings and Skylark saw a dark sky with no sun or planets and few stars that could glint off the shiny things”
“No thank you Raven” Skylark said, “I wish to find where this egg came from and stop it happening again” (and in his head he said ‘and I don’t want you to get a taste for lark eggs’)

Skylark saw another shape overhead so he flew upward singing “My eggs are the shiniest, no one here has eggs as shiny as mine” and as he rose he recognised Stormcock
“Whose egg is this?” said Stormcock “It’s quite swirly. Perhaps you should give it to me I have a place where I keep swirly things swift”
Stormcock made a bowl of his wings and Skylark saw a dull sky with no sun and gale force winds that blew the swirly things about”
“No thank you Stormcock” Skylark said, “I wish to find where this egg came from and stop it happening again” (and in his head he said ‘I don’t want you to visit and blow my nest away’)

Skylark saw another shape overhead so he flew upward singing “My eggs are the swirliest, no one here has eggs as swirly as mine” and as he rose he recognised Unnek the buzzard
“Whose egg is this?” said Unnek “It’s quite spotty. Perhaps I will hold onto it. I have a place where I keep spotty things cool”
Unnek made a bowl of his wings and Skylark saw a dim sky with a weak sun where the were lots of dead things and flies and maggots”
“No thank you Unnek” Skylark said, “I wish to find where this egg came from and stop it happening again” (and in his head he said ‘I bet you’d eat me if I stayed still long enough’)

Skylark saw another shape overhead so he flew upward singing “My eggs are the spottiest, no one here has eggs as spotty as mine” and as he rose he recognised Vrok the hawk
“Whose egg is this?” said Vrok “It’s quite pearly. Perhaps I shall take it. I have a place where I keep pearly things light”
Vrok made a bowl of his wings and Skylark saw a brilliant sky where the sun seemed extra large and many beautiful shapes glowed mysteriously”
“No thank you Vrok” Skylark said, “I wish to find where this egg came from and stop it happening again” (and in his head he said ‘I know you’d eat me if you felt hungrier’)

Skylark saw another shape overhead so he flew upward singing “My eggs are the pearliest, no one here has eggs as pearly as mine” and as he rose he recognised Swallow
“Whose egg is this?” said Swallow “It’s quite healthy. Perhaps you should give it to me. I have a place where I keep healthy things warm”
Swallow made a bowl of his wings and Skylark saw a red sky where full of dust and heat where many warm things waited to come alive”
“No thank you Swallow” Skylark said, “I wish to find where this egg came from and stop it happening again” (and in his head he said ‘I wonder if these things ever get free’)

Skylark saw another shape overhead so he flew upward singing “My eggs are the healthiest, no one here has eggs as healthy as mine” and as he rose he recognised Grandfather Loon
“Whose egg is this?” said Loon “It’s quite pretty. Perhaps you should give it to me. I have a place where I keep pretty things clean”
Grandfather Loon made a bowl of his wings and Skylark saw a cloudy sky filled with rain falling straight down with no wind to move it”
“No thank you Grandfather” Skylark said, “I wish to find where this egg came from and stop it happening again” (and in his head he said ‘Only a Loon likes to stay out in the rain’)

Skylark saw another shape overhead so he flew upward singing “My eggs are the prettiest, no one here has eggs as pretty as mine” and as he rose he recognised Crane
“You have come far with that egg, little Skylark” said Crane “Have you now decided what it is that you seek? truth? knowledge? or wisdom?”
Crane made a bowl of his wings and there Skylark saw no sky, no light or dark, no up or down, no before”
“Thank you Crane” Skylark said, “I wish to find truth” (and in his head he said ‘what good is knowledge that I don’t know is true? and what would my mate say if I became wise’)

Crane clacked his bill once and skylark realised that the pebble had never really been an egg to begin with, and he felt very tired and then slightly disappointed.
Down he fell, down past Loon, down past Swallow. Vrok looked a little hunger now, and Skylark roused himself to thrust away from him travelling very very fast.
The wind pulled at his wings as he spiralled by Unnek, but now he began to glide more than to fall, and he circled round Stormcock and Raven as he looked for his own heath.
When he got there, he heard Zenagar singing a lament for his lost luck, and, moved, he flew down to wipe a tear from his eye. When he dropped the stone, Zenagar saw it and was amazed.

And that is why we are happy whenever we hear Skylark sing over the heath

"I don't know how a quest can do these things with true-stone, but my Uncle the Shaman said that he thought that Crane in this story was Grandfather Loon's mother and that she was a dragon, so maybe that's how. The Sun Ring like Seven Foals Vale and that's not far from Dragonspine Ridge... He also said Crane might eat you if you went to her in the wrong frame of mind."

The people are grateful for Tamarkorda's stories, and show much appreciation.  They are far more hesitant when Oligur speaks of the Goddess, though a few actively listen.

Danbal then stands to give a story.

Dini is the name of the high valleys where the earliest tribes lived.  They had lived separately from each other for many years, each with their friends and animals.  then Durev brought them together, and as a group, they moved down from the valleys to the more fertile lands below.

Mavorela is the name of the area where the herds stopped and calved.  The tribes stayed there for a while before moving on.  The lands of wide valleys with low hills between, and many trees but few Aldryami.  Some people stayed behind here with their heards and wandered among the hills.  They were the Mavorelans.  Others kept moving forward.

Envorela was the next land where people stopped.  Again, many calves were born, and so many lambs that it is called Ewe Fields.  Barntar's wife was tired, so Barntar built the first cabin.  Other people stayed, and Bartar developed the farming we know today.

Kerofinela was the next objective.  Kero Fin was the mother of Orlanth, but Orlanth was driven away from her years earlier by a fierce monster, the dragon Sh'hakarzeel.  Now Orlanth gathers his fellows about him, armed with his most potent weapons, and goes to confront his enemy.

Sh'hakarzeel rose and fought Orlanth.  Their fight opens the huge mountain gap called Dragon Pass.  Orlanth is badly wounded, but he kills the monster, which vomits out the cloud sheep as it thrased about in its death throes.

Other lesser dragons are destroyed by heroes, and the last of the Draconic race flies far to the east where they hide under the land and water.  Kero Fin heals her son.

Vingkot, one of Orlanth's sons, led his people into the new lands.  When his people got there, Orlanth spoke from the huge lenticular cloud that hovered above the mountain.  Elmal stood overhead.  The people settled nearby and built their steads there.  They were later called the Vinghotlings, after their leader.  His other kin moved on to the north.  He and his people built the first steads with longhouses.

Desola stands and tells a story about the Green Age

One day, the men saw the women getting barley for dinner.  The women were breaking it off with their hands.  The men saw how they might help, and so they took out their knives and they went into the fields.  They used their knives and grabbed a handful of stalks, and cut them all off at once.  The women were impressed, and the work was done quickly.

However, that night everyone heard the pitiful sound of someone seeping with great and terrible pain.  When they went to see who it was, they found the goddess Pela, daughter of  Esrola, crying.  "It is the knives," she said, "they are the things which hurt me.  I will weep whenever I am cut that way."  So after that, no one used knives again to cut grain.

Vesmortha one day was bearing the jaw of a sakkar that her husband used as a saw.  She was marveling how the creature would later be resurrected, as everything was when it was dedicated to Hallo the seed goddess.  Yet even now the jaw, in its transitory state, brought further change and creation to the world by helping to cut wood.

And from this, Hallo spoke to Vesmortha, who bent and tried to cut the grass with the jaw.  Though good for hard wood, the teeth only got stalks caught between them.  Hallo spoke again.  Vesmortha then set bits of obsidian blade into the curved handle.  Then she took it back to her sisters.

"The shape is like the white moon," she said, "and as long as you use this shape to harvest our sister Pela, she will return just like the moon does. The women used the obsidian covered jaw to harvest the grain, and Pela was not hurt, but the men were angry again, not knowing the secret information of the women.  So they refused to help in the harvesting unless they could use their knives.  And that was refused, of course, so some of the men took it as an opportunity not to work at all.

One day the men said that they wished to make a great feast for the women.  They went to their singing places and after a month of great effort, returned with many hares, deer, and other creatures to eat.  The women were very happy, and after it was all gone, they wanted to do it again.  "We will come back in a month," said the men, "and feast again."

The women were unhappy with waiting so long, and when the men were gone one of them said, "it is too bad that they do not ask us about these things."  She was Verg, or Sow, and she called her children all to her and they were cut up, cooked, and eaten in a great feast, for the women knew that these seedlings would be reborn.  The women had so much food to each that when the men came back with their hares, pheasants, and deer, none of the women were in a mood to eat.  "You have such difficult ways of doing things," said the women to the men.

The men, of course, were hurt and angry.  They went away to the woods with their feast and shared it with the wild creatures and the homeless.  They stayed out of the wilds for a while and sang about Grandfather Vagath, the father of Gagarth, the wild hunter.  After a while, they came back home.

One day it grew cold.  The men wanted to protect the people, so they conferred on what to do.  They took their tools and went into the woods where they chopped trees, collected vines, and gather piles of brush.  They dragged these back to their camps, where they built the first huts that anyone had ever made.  They were dark inside, so they built small fires inside for light and heat.

"That would probably be a good thing," said the women, "if we were assailed by evil gods, but we have these to keep us warm these days."  And they showed the men that they had cloaks, and boots, and sleeves, and leggings for when it was cold.  The men were envious of these things because they really liked to move around freely if they could.  The women would not share the secret, but agreed instead to make clothing for the men if they wanted it, and if they would share the hut space, which they did.

But the men did not like being bested again.  They were often just away from their huts, sulking, because they had found another thing they could not do.  Some were so outraged that they swore they would never bother with women again and took pleasure and company only with other men, but most men just sulked as they still do today when there is nothing for them to do.

One day some strangers came camp.  They were people, but they spoke a strange tongue no one had ever heard, and no one could make sense of it.  They were treated the same way that all newcomers were always treated, but these newcomers did not know anything about behaving, good manners, or hospitality.

The strangers were only curious at first, going into huts and taking little things.  When no one responded to their rude behavior, they grew contemptuous.  They showed that they had no respect.  In the Women's Sacred Hut, the strangers seized a pair of baskets, a pair of jars, a horn, and the Yernzil rattles. 

The women were frightened and screamed, and in their huts and tents, the men heard it and grabbed their spears.  They ran out and saw that the strangers were stealing things and manhandling the women.  Then the men whooped and threatened the strangers with gestures and buffets.  The strangers got angry and acted like they had finally found a behavior that they understood.  They shouted back and made faces.  Finally, their leader seized a woman, and Protector smashed him with a stone club.  There was a big fight with many cracked heads and broken legs, until at last the strangers ran away, crying.  For a change, the men did not feel useless.

"Now this," said Protector to the women, "is something we can do!"

And with regrets, the women agreed.

(As the story precedes, the men begin to sulk.  They have obviously heard this before and don't like it that the men couldn't do anything, but all the men rejoice at the end of the story that they were the heroes.  Desola shakes her head, and you feel that she gets this response whenever the story is told)