8th of SepDec, 1061 - Village of Eding, Kingdom of Crosedes
A very stern young lady, holding a far better witch's staff than the one I was provided, was standing beside a large wolf.
"You're the replacement," she asked, matter-of-fact-ly.
I was at a loss for words, so all I could manage was a wave of my arm to invite them both in.
The woman wasn't a witch. She was Elswyth Harvesthand, Druidess of Draloite. She followed the same traditions and political leanings as the witches in Eding, but at some point, the druidic teachings were more practical in Eding, and drawing the divinity of nature was no longer part of it. Elswyth was a full-blown member of Druidic Grove of Crosedes, talking to animals, changing into them, the whole deal.
She also was the main correspondence with Caton during his duties as the witch which caused the disaster in Eding.
After inquiring about the goblin invasion, Elswyth got a bit grim and the unnamed wolf snarled at me.
"Caton had some sort of fling with the old lady who was the Witch of Old Alasku prior. She lured him into the mentor/protege role. I don't want to think about the details," she shuddered. "Things need to be in balance, or else everything creates more destruction than the perceived threat. Distracting the goblin-nation would minimize damage and prevent a larger attack. The only problem is, he used this Krull for maximum effect. Once it appeared that some vindictive party of humans was hunting goblins for sport, no actions by my agents in the north could stop the attack."
I could only nod and accept her apology.
I barely held back a yip of glee when she mentioned she was originally from a simple farming family Coolspring, a village in Verbobonc! That glee was tempered when she explained how she came to be a Druidess.
Her village was destroyed at what is now called the Second Battle of Emridy Meadows in 1045. A horde of goblins escaped the "Temple of Elemental Evil" and traveled northwest. Verbobonc Lancers destroyed them all, but not before the goblins destroyed Coolspring.. Elswyth was rescued by the Druid Jaroo from Hommlet.
All that she knew and loved was destroyed and she dedicated herself to balance the forces of good and evil. It seemed odd that Jaroo disagreed with this philosophy, only desiring the destruction of evil, so eventually she traveled to Crosedes to deal with a more natural balance in her beliefs. The studies led her to become the Druidess of Draloite.
I admitted my desertion on the assault on the Temple, the fact that it was the cohort of Sabu Tablesmasher that ignited the attack by the Elemental forces, and after one trip down there in my youth, it looked like suicide to appease some noblemen who knew nothing. And as a nobleman who admitted to knowing nothing himself, that seemed like a terrifying proposition.
I believe she accepted my apology.
10th of SepDec, 1061 - Village of Eding, Kingdom of Crosedes
Elswyth left today, with her wolf, Canisoul. I am far better prepared for my duties as Witch of Old Alasku, and much relieved that I only have fight blatant disregard to nature and decency. My mind is still sharp as a tack, but my body can not withstand the rigors of constant, passionate melee.
Elswyth has promised to clandestinely return from time to time for additional training. Draloite is an entire Duchy to oversee, Old Alasku is only the village, the manor row, and the swamp.
I also may not need to play the game of finding and training a replacement. The legends of the return of King Leif and the restoration of the Empire was simply stolen from the older tribes of Guya, but the divination and signs point to this actually occurring during my lifetime. If the wheels of fate begin to turn, the Druids/Witches have a contingency plan....
GM Notes: This officially corrects one error omission that I committed in all of my campaigns to the present, there has never been any information regarding the druids of Crosedes. I started to flesh things out when the campaign was over in Markakeikos, but nothing on the western side of the Ancien Empire. The reason was always there, but never obvious: The Witch effectively played the role of overseer, druid, and wise (wo-)man in Eding, People respected the role and did little to question it.
I also loved the Compleat books by Bard Games and based the Witch off of that material.
With the reveal that the Witch isn't some old eternal biddy, but rather an adopted persona that folks take up to keep balance between the goblins, the modern humans, and the ancient traditions around Eding, it makes sense that they work alongside the regional (re: mid-level) druids who are fine overseeing the modern boundaries as well as natural geography.
Elswyth was attempting to take some angry goblin heat off of Draloite, but Caton, the Witch at the time, used Krull & Company to their fullest potential/destruction, and the goblins acted in kind, much to the dismay of the many who perished. Both Elswyth and Elsderth will need to be wary of what fills the power vacuum left by the decimated goblin tribes.
Before that happens, it does make traveling to each others' domains a whole lot easier.
Elswyth was a direct creation from Hall of the Mountain King, and a perfect NPC for the situation. Draloite should be proud to have her.
Next: #93 - Trial of Redemption
I've been spending a lot more time at the shack, prepping materials, researching tomes, repairing costumes. The magical quality of the shack also means that there are no windows, unless I open them, so the concept of daylight is quickly lost on me.
Since I returned to Eding, there have been no youngsters playfully rapping on my door on a dare. Most families who survived fled toward Omsjik, many are not returning. It's been pleasant, to say the least.
So it came as a surprise to hear a forceful banging on the door while I was preparing a meal inside the shack. I didn't pay full attention until the second flurry of hits, and I was quite annoyed as I applied my costume with the third barrage.
I was not prepared for the sight before me.
"You're the replacement," she asked, matter-of-fact-ly.
I was at a loss for words, so all I could manage was a wave of my arm to invite them both in.
The woman wasn't a witch. She was Elswyth Harvesthand, Druidess of Draloite. She followed the same traditions and political leanings as the witches in Eding, but at some point, the druidic teachings were more practical in Eding, and drawing the divinity of nature was no longer part of it. Elswyth was a full-blown member of Druidic Grove of Crosedes, talking to animals, changing into them, the whole deal.
She also was the main correspondence with Caton during his duties as the witch which caused the disaster in Eding.
After inquiring about the goblin invasion, Elswyth got a bit grim and the unnamed wolf snarled at me.
"Caton had some sort of fling with the old lady who was the Witch of Old Alasku prior. She lured him into the mentor/protege role. I don't want to think about the details," she shuddered. "Things need to be in balance, or else everything creates more destruction than the perceived threat. Distracting the goblin-nation would minimize damage and prevent a larger attack. The only problem is, he used this Krull for maximum effect. Once it appeared that some vindictive party of humans was hunting goblins for sport, no actions by my agents in the north could stop the attack."
I could only nod and accept her apology.
I barely held back a yip of glee when she mentioned she was originally from a simple farming family Coolspring, a village in Verbobonc! That glee was tempered when she explained how she came to be a Druidess.
Her village was destroyed at what is now called the Second Battle of Emridy Meadows in 1045. A horde of goblins escaped the "Temple of Elemental Evil" and traveled northwest. Verbobonc Lancers destroyed them all, but not before the goblins destroyed Coolspring.. Elswyth was rescued by the Druid Jaroo from Hommlet.
All that she knew and loved was destroyed and she dedicated herself to balance the forces of good and evil. It seemed odd that Jaroo disagreed with this philosophy, only desiring the destruction of evil, so eventually she traveled to Crosedes to deal with a more natural balance in her beliefs. The studies led her to become the Druidess of Draloite.
I admitted my desertion on the assault on the Temple, the fact that it was the cohort of Sabu Tablesmasher that ignited the attack by the Elemental forces, and after one trip down there in my youth, it looked like suicide to appease some noblemen who knew nothing. And as a nobleman who admitted to knowing nothing himself, that seemed like a terrifying proposition.
I believe she accepted my apology.
10th of SepDec, 1061 - Village of Eding, Kingdom of Crosedes
Elswyth left today, with her wolf, Canisoul. I am far better prepared for my duties as Witch of Old Alasku, and much relieved that I only have fight blatant disregard to nature and decency. My mind is still sharp as a tack, but my body can not withstand the rigors of constant, passionate melee.
Elswyth has promised to clandestinely return from time to time for additional training. Draloite is an entire Duchy to oversee, Old Alasku is only the village, the manor row, and the swamp.
I also may not need to play the game of finding and training a replacement. The legends of the return of King Leif and the restoration of the Empire was simply stolen from the older tribes of Guya, but the divination and signs point to this actually occurring during my lifetime. If the wheels of fate begin to turn, the Druids/Witches have a contingency plan....
GM Notes: This officially corrects one error omission that I committed in all of my campaigns to the present, there has never been any information regarding the druids of Crosedes. I started to flesh things out when the campaign was over in Markakeikos, but nothing on the western side of the Ancien Empire. The reason was always there, but never obvious: The Witch effectively played the role of overseer, druid, and wise (wo-)man in Eding, People respected the role and did little to question it.
I also loved the Compleat books by Bard Games and based the Witch off of that material.
With the reveal that the Witch isn't some old eternal biddy, but rather an adopted persona that folks take up to keep balance between the goblins, the modern humans, and the ancient traditions around Eding, it makes sense that they work alongside the regional (re: mid-level) druids who are fine overseeing the modern boundaries as well as natural geography.
Elswyth was attempting to take some angry goblin heat off of Draloite, but Caton, the Witch at the time, used Krull & Company to their fullest potential/destruction, and the goblins acted in kind, much to the dismay of the many who perished. Both Elswyth and Elsderth will need to be wary of what fills the power vacuum left by the decimated goblin tribes.
Before that happens, it does make traveling to each others' domains a whole lot easier.
Elswyth was a direct creation from Hall of the Mountain King, and a perfect NPC for the situation. Draloite should be proud to have her.
Next: #93 - Trial of Redemption
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