[Runequestprax] Chapter Six: Rabbit Hat Farm

[Lev Lafayette]

Chapter Six: Rabbit Hat Farm

Storyteller, (Lev)

Phoebe, Sun County Initiate of Zola Fel and Chalana Arroy (Michael)
Red Mouse, Zebra Tribe Initiate of Zola Fel (Sean)
Honest John, Pavis Initiate of Eurmal (Rick)
Mathee, Pavis Initiate of Lhankor Mhy and Issaries (Gawain)
Praxilites, Sun County Initiate of Yelmalio (Jay)


The following year, 1614 Solar Time, the River Voices and their allies
met once again in Sun County. It was Sea Season, Water Day, Fertility
Week and for Sun Dome County this was the holy time of the River Ritual,
where the Yelmalio re-forged their alliance with Zola Fel and the river
people. The Yelmalio provide grain to the river people, who have no
knowledge of farming, and the river is used to irrigate the farmlands.

Chosen for the ritual this year was none other than Praxilites who bore
the sign of Zola Fel upon his right hand. The choice was nominally made
by Count Solanthos Ironpike, although in all probability he was also
advised by the high priests, Perimides The Chaste and Gaumata The
Strange.

The ritual itself consisted of five parts, the first representing Yelm
in his youth when he was attacked by his enemies but sort refuge in the
river spirit that inhabits the Pelorian basin. Dressed in naught by a
lioncloth and covered in ash, Praxilites had to make his way to the
river as local farmers took turns at beating him, wailing with scorched
throats like the ancient drought.

In the second part of the ritual, friendship had to established with the
river and in this instance represented by the Naiad of Kinope. Many
expected that this would be a simple task, for the foe of the river
would surely be specified as the recent gorp plague, and indeed it
initially seemed that it would be so. But no sooner had the priestess of
Kinope spoken, as a militia rider, exhausted and covered in dust arrived
and interrupted the ritual, making his way directly to Count Solanthos.
Count Solanthos Ironpike
The interloctur introduced himself and apologied profusely, giving
reason that a hamlet far in the south of the County, known as Rabbit
Hat, had fallen to Praxian bison riders. When a scouting party was sent
from the encampment at Chomoro they reported the presence of Broos!

"Whilst not wanting to brood on the matter, it is clear that there is
trouble brewing", spoke Hector the Librarian as he conducted a
Divination, whose report was that the threat to Rabbit Hat was "in the
darkness beneath the festering earth".

With a knowing look from the Naiad the old party of River Voices
rejoined, for this was clearly the great threat that had to be removed
before the ritual was completed. The Naiad was able to transport the
party, such is the power of the recreation, and the party arrived at
Chomorro just before dusk.

The following day they took leave early and forded the Zola Fel,
travelling to the neighbouring hamelt of Wyoh. There they met two
refugees from Rabbit Hat who had escaped the Bison Rider attack. Their
tales of woe came with practical assistance, for they were able to
provide a sketch map of the hamlet. Armed with this new information the
Voices went forth.

Approaching the hamlet from the northern rise, the stench of death and
destruction was everywhere. Carcasses of animals lay scattered in the
fields. The hamlet itself, some mere score of buildings, had almost been
totally destroyed, with merely the burned out shells of most remaining.
Among the farms and the distutbed fertility stones, Phoebe noticed
illegal hazia crops growing some of which she collected. 

Inside one building which remained standing the party discovered the
remains of militia soldiers and was attacked by a number of ghosts which
they fled from. Nevertheless they also recovered the town records and a
collection of old treasures, including an old golden crown. Stepping
outside for a moment however, they were set upon by what at first they
mistook for a scarecrow. This turned out to be a creature of chaos, a
wicked Jack-O-Bear, which harmonised members of the party one by one and
struck them down with its foul claws. Whilst Phoebe tried to put the
creature to Sleep, the creature took down every other member of the
party. Finally however, just as Phoebe reached the limits of her magic,
she overcome the creature's Power and it fell to the ground in a deep
slumber and was dispatched.

That night as the party recovered, the scorned Phoebe drugged Praxilites
with the Hazia herb, causing him to fall into a discorpereal state. This
was contrary to the harmonious requirements of her religion and Chalana
Arroy sent a Spirit of Reprisal against her, and later she was exposed
to the Shakes and due to the Power of the Spirit, not even her ability
to control such beings would succeed. Thus both Praxilites and Phoebe
awoke the following morning at less than their full ability.

The previous day's scouting by the Voices had discovered two holes in
the ground, one close to the hamlet and the other in nearby woods. By
the Red Mouse and Mathee's estimations the latter which sloped slowly
towards the hamlet would meet with the former which went straight down
with an unnatural smoothness. Taking the smooth path, the group lowered
themselves below Rabbit Hat farm, exiting in a cavern with a natural
stream. This stream proved to the home of a foul Dragon Snail, a slow
moving creature of Chaos which was defeated by spear and spell. Further
ahead the party easily dispatched a ghost of a severed head, as Mathee
conducted the Lhankhor Mhy head smashing ritual against those held by
the Cult of Thanatar.

Further ahead the passage broke into numerous directions, each with the
smooth walls previously encountered. Following a gnashing noise, the
party encountered another chaos creature, a Krashtkid, of all mouth and
legs eating into the wall. Despite it's foul sticky spit and disgusting
long acidic tongue, the Voices defeated the being and returned to the
other passages. There they also discovered a dead militia soldier,
covered in solidified spit, and a Krashtkid on the end of his spear,
locked in eternity in their deadly embrace.

Finally the party made it to the central temple, where an open gaping
mouth was over the north wall and a pit in the center. As the party
explored, a sticky net was thrown, fortunately missing, but followed
with crossbow attacks. As the party pressed itself against the wall
whilst being attacked by this invisible foe, archers fired flaming
arrows into the mouth, causing much smoke and discomfort to their
would-be assasin. Finally, a lucky strike was achieved as the Priest of
Krasht leaned out felled the weird cultist and he fell to the ground
unconscious. The Red Mouse took the body and dropped it into the central
pit where it was consumed by the gorp therein. Among the treasures found
within the Temple, included a collection of erotic writings from Peloria
and a theological treatise which marked Krasht, the Devourer, as the
final mother of the world after Glorantha the creater and Arachne
Solara, the maintainer.

After clearing the temple, the Voices returned to the river ritual back
in the Heartland of Sun County. The ritual was completed and Praxilites
and the Naiad ritually consumated the union between Zola Fel and the
Yelmalio. In order to remove the Spirit of Reprisal, Chalana Arroy was
forced to sacrifice Power to the dead subcult of Arroin and she was
expelled from the cult and her home. Hector paid handsomely for the
golden crown as it was a cult relic from their first count - when he
divined for it he received the same answer as he originally did for the
threat to Rabbit Hat Farm which caused some confusion.

But this was not all; Count Solanthos Ironpike also declared in the name
of Yelm that Praxilites would be the new lord of the hamlet, for its
prior owners were dead and he had proved his duty. From that day onward
he would be no mere Praxilites, but in respect of his authority he would
be known as "Lord Rabbit Hat".