The Rivers Route by Khandis PDF Print E-mail

Madrigal. Rainbows Landing

The only clues available as to the fate of the River People.
Arbor of the Ways and Groves requires a group of clear minded, skilled, loyal adventurers to take these meagre scraps of knowledge and turn them into a bounty sufficient to return this bloodline to Orin Rakatha.
The quarry is elusive. Their trail is obscured. The hunt is on.

A group was assembled to travel to the last known location of the Rainbows Landing Waystation just south of Valley lands and hunt for any trail or trace of the River People.
The group was
Khandis Greyspider
Kyle OmPaq
Jux
Kudos
Sunil (Lying Dog)
Scortch (Snarling Dog)
Yerevan (Running Dog)
Kuu-Fisi (Sleeping Dog)
Markesh (Fighting Dog)
Dayleth
Vilk Bloodmoon
Vallen
White Crow

We met a representative of the Keepers who led us to a bolt hole that they had in the nearby area. There we spoke with Captain Starfish who gave us the idea that the information we were looking for might be found on the Vale of Memories. The good captain also supplied us with items that would let us travel to the VoM and then start on a story.
We initially summoned the spirit of Kel, a River Person and Sage who told us of the fate of the River People. He spoke of Madrigal; a hero of the River People had taken them to a safe place. Knowing this we called forth the story of Madrigal and travelled to the Vale of Memories to play it out. I present the story as it was told to us.

The Story of Kornick
Kornick began as a member of the Khalid nation. He was found to have an innate skill with Dreamweaving and was ordered by his superiors to enter training to expand on his skills. Kornick rejected these orders preferring to travel his own path with his companions of many years.
The Khalid superiors were unhappy with his public defiance and despatched a group of Doth Lodas to force him to obey. The Doth Lodas found Kornick and his group. The Doth Lodas slew many of Kornick’s group and threatened to do the same to his family at which Kornick had no choice but to submit to his orders.
Kornick was trained in the arts of a Dreamweaver by a member of Halmadons Heights as part of a special deal between the Heights and the Khalid nation. While his natural affinity quickly became apparent Kornick displayed reluctance to continue especially when it came to harming others.
When Araikas travelled to the central isle to pledge the status of Wolfhold, Kornick was among the group of Khalid dreamers that was unleashed to prevent the Dreadlord from arriving. However, while the other dreamers fought and died only to return, Kornick participated reluctantly and withdrew when threatened.
Between the fall of Wolfhold and the Khalid wars Kornick grew increasingly disillusioned with his  superior’s attitude. Eventually he left the Khalid nation choosing to become towerless and travelled the land in search of somewhere safe for him and his family. Kornick wandered for some days before meeting a band of River people. The River people heard his story and sensing a kindred spirit they allowed him to accompany them for a time.
Kornick fell in love with a woman of the River People and, as is the way of the River People, once their love conceived a child he was accepted as a true member of their people. However dark times for the River People lay ahead as the Khalid persecuted them in a drive to replace the River People in their role ferrying nations to the Central Isle.
Kornick had heard of the River People legend of Madrigal, an ancient hero of the River People who had aided them in times past and when called on would do so again. Knowing that he had an affinity to dreams and as such to Madrigal, Kornick presented himself to the river People sages and offered to give himself to protect his wife, child and people.
So, with the aid of the Sages, Kornick used his power to become one with the essence of Madrigal, that which resides within, and oversees the stories of the River people.
The Khalid attacks continued to press the River People forcing Madrigal/Kornick to perform a ritual to send his people to safety. A small group of people choose to stay behind and fend of the Khalid while the ritual was performed. When the ritual was complete the still pregnant wife of Kornick emerged from her hiding place and told Kornick she could not bear to leave him. Madrigal sent her, along with the rest of those who remained to the Shadow Grove. He prophesied that the River People will only be reunited with Orin Rakatha after he was reunited with his wife and those in the Shadow Grove are reunited with their people.

This was the story that played out in the Vale of Memories. At its end the storyteller who had been guiding us became in some way fused with the memory of Madrigal. This story spirit heard our explanation of why it had been called to us and why the River People and Madrigal’s child needed to return to Orin Rakatha. The Madrigal spirit set us a series of challenges and tests to demonstrate our values and strength. We demonstrated our united nature, our opposition to the void and our adherence to the laws. Madrigal summoned a story of a Sage of the River people who, based on our actions deemed us worthy to find and return the River People from the Shadow Glade. We were given a key that will allow a future group access to the Shadow Glade.

Other Business:
Northern Alliance Dreamers:
We encountered a group of Northern Alliance dreamer both on Orin Rakatha and on the Vale of Memories. The full complement was a Legion Knight, a Khalid, a Shadowsfall, a Keisoras Dynasty member and a member of the Fortress of Pentar.  
We fought the group initially but during our discussion with the River People sage they sent the Shadowsfall as a representative to talk with us. The asked that we step aside as the driving force for rescuing the Bloodlines and let them take the helm. Specifically, the Northern Alliance wanted the key to the Shadow Glade so that they could return the River People. In the end the Sage refused them at least partly due to the Khalids history with the River People so it was not our choice. However, to try and start a dialog and emphasise that the void is too great an enemy to face without all the people on the plane, we offered them as much information as we had about the other Bloodlines and asked for their assistance wherever they could offer it.
As we were leaving the Vale of Memories we were granted a vision of the Dreamers talking. They were faced with a decision to either come and attack our group or to stop a large force of the Chosen of the Void. They decided finally to fight the void. This is the first significant step towards an end to open hostilities between our people and the Northern Alliance. While we are never going to be at peace with many of the Nations in the alliance, an end to the war, even with only some of the nations, would allow us time to combat the void.
It was agreed during the Cataclysm that dreamers would no longer walk the Vale of Memories. the Heights were charged with enforcing this and while not a current priority the Heights have been made aware that there are new Dreamers.

Void:
The void has started to corrupt the Vale of Memories. There was a Void storyteller that caused great trouble by warping stories to attack us and by creating new stories of the voids victory. We destroyed it after a tough fight but it shattered into fragments that seem to have dispersed themselves throughout the Vale. The Master of Time is aware of this and taking some unclear actions in his own strange way.

The Halls of Asgard:
We met an ambassador from the Halls who delivered the following letter:
Warriors of the Valley People,
The tales of your great battle still fill my halls with joy, but also with sadness, for we did not join you in glory and death as the oath we swore. Now is not the time to cower and weep about this but now is the time to forge stronger bonds. The witch has gone for now returned to her realm of Illianna to break the ritual of Manu Shee. Our people are now free from her bonds of obedience, for now. But warn you I must she has left her war dogs here to savage your people and your people only. She has declared a blood feud against ones called Kylar and Kiara and all of their supporters. But I swear you this, we are oath bound not to stop them bonded by ties of old blood magic from our ancestors. These ties do not stop us warning you so Bjorn advises well yet again and this time I am wiser to listen. Watch for my people with darkened eyes and slay them with no fear of reprisal.
Till we meet in Valhalla.
King Gundral.

Immediately after handing over the letter the ambassador’s retinue suddenly grew dark under the eyes and attacked our group. They were slain but the ambassador carried our message of understanding back to the King.

Rhiannon:
We witnessed a story of the recall of the Masters of Law. This was largely uneventful except that one Master of Law was allowed to remain. It was of course the Master of Waystations, our own beloved Rhiannon. This makes the void attacks on waystations of even greater concern as a void corrupted Rhiannon is almost too terrifying to think about.
Khalid:
It has been previously established that only “real” Khalid can be counted in the Khalid tally. Which is very unfortunate as we slew a huge number of memories of Khalid while on the Vale of Memories. We did however pick up a modest count seven actual Khalid on our way to the Keeper bolt hole.


As ever if you require more information or clarification I can easily be found in Darkhome.
Lord Khandis Greyspider
 
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