Back we go to the whimsical world of Cairn. Here's last time.
The characters wake up in the evening (they've tried to move to a more crepuscular schedule, to accommodate the nocturnal characters and Ratatosk) and talk over their next move. They feel that they need to find the boundaries of the magical border that keeps out the goblins, but that's going to involve going into the Graymantle Ruin, and they feel that they want a guide. Russelet, himself a scout, looks around and finds a hare named Aldelard Nightsburrow among the farmers. They strike up a conversation and Russelet learns that he is a scout and a wilderness expert, but gave up that life and became a farmer when he fell in love with a hare who lives here.
Adelard tells them that some Favored do indeed live in the Ruin, and the leader, if there is one, is a pika called Tekno. He isn't sure what their culture is like, just that they've chosen to make their home in a Titan ruin. The characters decide to bring their weapons - they don't know what they'll find.
The characters strike out towards the Ruin, and some time later arrive at what Adelard calls "the wooden road." Indeed, it's an immense expanse of wood stretching over a deep gorge, and leading into the Ruin via a stone arch so tall that the characters can't see the top. Marveling at the scale of it all, and not in the least bit in a good way, the Knights enter the Ruin and look about.
Snootabur climbs to the top of a pile of debris to try and get an idea of what's around, but when she reaches the top the size of it all terrifies her and she curls up into a ball. Ratatosk scampers up the side of one of the many stone towers here, and spots a rock that moves...no, it's an armadillo! He points this out to the others, and the armadillo bumbles over and greets them. He's friendly enough, and asks if they want to talk to Tekno. They do, so he pulls out a small cylinder made of metal (which makes Rumdiggle twitch a bit) and blows into the end.
It emits a wail so horrible and piercing that Rummy falls over dead (well, "dead" in the 'possum sense). Ratatosk scurries around the tower he's on, and Snootabur curls up tighter ("too big, too big, too loud"). Russelet holds his ground, but winces and asks the armadillo to warn them next time - he's a bat and has the ears of one.
A moment later, a pika flanked by some weasels, groundhogs, and another armadillo walk up. Pikas are small, but Rummy notices (once someone pokes her to wake her up) that he's wearing metal boots that give him some height. Actually, all of these folks are carrying some metal. Rummy concentrates a bit, and realizes they're all in discord, though not so deeply that they're in imminent danger of becoming Dire.
The Knights talk with Tekno about the place and its history. He knows that there was a great war between Favored and goblins, and the Ebonblood family, mighty warriors all, were instrumental in winning it. He also knows that one of them, Craster Ebonblood, is interred in a brick in the outer wall of the Ruin. The characters ask to see where, and he agrees, but he does ask that if they find any Titan relics, he gets them. They quickly agree (they certainly don't want them), and the group strikes off through the Ruin.
On the way, Rummy starts up a rendition of her famous song, "Yeet the Noodle," in hopes of creating a Celebration to help these folks maintain their Harmony a bit. It seems to work, as the escorts sing along with her and keep time. Russelet, meanwhile, talks with Tekno, and asks why they choose to live out here, and how they cope with the constant drain on their souls from the metal.
Tekno explains it this way: There's a particular plant called nightgrass that grows everywhere, including around Cairn. Eating it tends to make you sick, and touching it makes your hands tingle, but if you eat it consistently, eventually you stop getting sick and it's very nourishing. Same with living here and carrying metal - there's an adjustment period, and yes, it would have a much stronger effect on the folks from Cairn (he implies, if not outright says, that they're pretty provincial).
They arrive at the wall and Tekno points out a brick. It's about three Rumdiggles off the ground and has the Ebonblood crest carved into it. Tekno and his mates leave them to ponder their next move.
Ratatosk climbs up the wall and pokes at the brick, and realizes that it's been hollowed out and then mortar'd over. They could chisel their way in, but he doesn't know what's on the other side. They don't want to violate a tomb, but at the same time, they feel like they kind of need to. They decide to camp for the night and do this in the daylight. Russelet and Snootabur start making some arrowheads into chiseling tools, and Russelet also weaves rope into a pulley system to lower the crest down. Adelard runs off and scares them up some food, and Rummy plays some tunes for them.
They bed down, and in the morning when the sun rises ("HISSSS" says Rummy) they get to work. Ratatosk runs up the wall and delicately chisels out the crest, and then loops the ropes around. They start to lower it, whereupon the ropes fail and it goes crashing to the ground. Rummy and Snootabur roll out of the way, but the crest shatters into a million pieces.
(I should mention here that Cairn has a system where if you fail a roll, you can "raise the stakes" and reroll. If you fail the reroll, the failure is worse in some way. During this session, every single time a player raised the stakes, they failed, such as Russelet making the rope/pulley system.)
The Knights recover from this, and Ratatosk enters the tomb. He fails to notice, however, that there's a hole at the back of it, and goes plummeting down. He lands in a chamber filled with oddities - suits of metal armor, a big (but Favored-sized) wooden table with a leather scrolled laid out, a huge sword on a stand, and other personal effects, including a lute. The others follow him down, and marvel in particular at a big metal disc with a chain attached. It makes a constant, low ticking noise, and Rummy finds it beautiful, if terrifying.
Ratatosk, however, is more interested in the scroll. He reads it out, and it tells the history of the War with the Goblins and the fates of the Ebonbloods. Four of them are described: Xabit Ebonblood, the youngest, was a warrior and scrapper who died when he unwisely agreed to a riddle contest with a goblin wizard. He is buried in a field with a simple marker, bearing a crescent moon (the answer to the riddle that he couldn't guess).
Meeta Ebonblood was a barbarian and paladin, and the scroll tells of her channeling the fury of the Bright Ones in battle. She died in the last battle against the goblins, and was buried on a cliff overlooking the sea.
Versto Ebonblood was a master archer, and it was said he could kill a dozen goblins before anyone knew he was there. He was caught in open ground and fell in battle with a horde of the bastards, and was buried in a tomb on a small hillock in the countryside (this, the Knights reason, was the first tomb they found).
Danada Ebonblood was a strategist and the general in the War with the Goblins. She allowed herself to be captured as a kind of Trojan Horse, which let the others sneak into a goblin encampment and take out their daggertusk mounts. She did not escape, however, and her head (all that was left of her) was buried in a rocky crag southwest of the Ruin.
Ratatosk notes, though, that Craster himself isn't mentioned. And just at that moment, a ghostly being swirls into view, a weasel wearing robes and carrying a staff. The Knights are taken aback (and Rummy falls "dead" again), and the weasel shouts "Here! The goblins are here! Send the fire, send the smoke!"
Snootabur tries to reason with the ghost, but it swoops down and swings its staff at her (she dodges handily). Ratatosk, in turns, tries to strike it with his Treestaff, but the ghost expertly blocks. Russelet, though, remembering the ghost's cry for smoke, fires a smoke arrow. The room is filled with acrid clouds of white smoke, and the weasel-ghost calms. He lands, and says that the goblins are gone now, and he is glad to meet them. He introduces himself as Craster Ebonblood.
The Knights talk with Craster, and lead him to understand that he is a ghost. He gradually remembers what happened; he survived the War with the Goblins, raised a family, and studied Titan relics, but then died in battle with a swarm of crazed buzzers. This was his sanctum and research room, and where he wrote down the history of his family. He nods to the lute in the corner, and says that it belonged to his son, who became a minstrel. His son must have put it here when Craster was laid to rest. He offers it to Rummy, saying that it won't ever music down here. Rummy is touched, and pledges to write a song about the Ebonblood family and include it on the scroll.
Hearing that the goblins have returned and are getting more aggressive, he says that he senses an Ebonblood nearby. Ratatosk asks if he means the Ebonbloods near Crystal Rock (since he heard the family had a branch there), but Craster says that it's much closer than that. He asks that the Knights take his scroll, finish his history, and give it to this Ebonblood so that the knowledge of the family will live on. He also asks, though, that the sanctum be sealed up, so that none of these Titan relics ever fall into the hands of the Favored, especially the Sword of Beheading.
The Knights agree that this is a good idea, but then realize that they promised Tekno he could have any Titan relics they found. They talk this over, and ask Craster if there's anything here they could take, just to convince Tekno not to go digging. It's not clear what Craster thinks he heard, but he becomes angry, and flakes of his ghostly form begin to peel off and become spectral bees.
Ratatosk tries to talk him down, but fails miserably (remember what I said about raising the stakes?). Craster explodes into a swarm of bees. Russelet, thinking quickly, fires another smoke arrow, giving the Knights enough time to climb back up the hole and get out. The bees don't follow them, and the Knights spend some time finding debris and rocks to block up the hole and conceal it. They plan to come back with a mason and seal the brick entirely (Adelard knows a mason in the farm community, in fact).
They leave the Ruin, stopping to talk to Tekno and convince him that there's no Titan relics here, just this lute and this scroll. They get back to the farm just after dark, and Snootabur takes Russelet's bow and arrows to go put them away (no weapons, remember). Adelard points them to the hut of Theomir, the mason, and tells them if they need him again, he'd be happy to help.
And just then, the Knights hear a horrible, high-pitched, pained squeal from outside the commune, and the beat of hooves tromping toward them. Something is coming.
