For better or for worse, they decide to set camp and rest for a few hours. Daire is tired and welcomes the respite despite the threat of the hound, which has them all spooked. Only Ruadhan is unphased. He explores the copse of trees and decides that, for the time being at least, they are safe. He lights a small fire, which offers some small comfort on such a cold and gloomy day.
Sister Cobhlaith's condition seems stable, but she remains weak. Blinded and afraid, she allows herself to be led, depending entirely on her companions...
Even with how tired she was becoming Aoife took first watch, after the howl she was just too wired to sleep at the moment.
Too spooked to sleep soundly and despite being herself near exhausted, Aoife takes first watch. Thorun relieves her during the day, followed by Ruadhan...
There's something out there, moving in the shadows. Or is he simply seeing things? In this strange world where shadows seem to sway in the wind, he cannot be sure. Then, he sees it clearly: a huge dog with shaggy, dark green fur, a long and coiled tail, and paws that are the size of a man's head!
The creature is observing them from a safe distance.
Nudging the nearest sleeper with his boot, Ruadhan whispers as he wakes. "Wake the others, but don't look threatening, I'm just investigating something."
Leaving his weapon sheathed, but readying his shield, he approaches the great, green beast cautiously, trying to look unthreatening and keeps no closer than 10ft. In a calm, placating voice he speaks to the beast. " Hey dog, you are a big one aren't you. What you waiting here for? Anything we can help with? I'm afraid we haven't got any fokd, certainly not enough for a big one like you."
Still spooked by the hound's nightmarish bark, Thorun watches intently as Ruadhan fearlessly approaches the wild beast. The ranger takes his time to prove himself to be both dominant and non-threatening. The creature snarls at first but eventually shows itself to be, if not friendly, at least indifferent. Carefully, it withdraws into the shadows and then hurries away...
It won't go far, Ruadhan thinks as he watches it go.
Thorun watches silently, and as the creature makes it way off he raises a brow, as if asking We good?
Russian smiles as the beast walks away, it was nice to meet something in this world that wasn't out to kill them straight away. Turning he notices Thorun's expression, offering a shrug and a tentative thumbs up he walks back. "Honestly, I know not, but I think it went well. I think it may follow us for a while, but I did not feel that it meant us harm. Go back to sleep, I will finish my watch."
Thorun nods, rolling back over and falling asleep almost immediately. Either Ruadhan's judgement is sound and the best won't kill them in their sleep, or it won't be his problem anymore.
When Ruadhan explains to Daire what happened, Daire is far from reassured that all is well. And when he sees the creature roaming in the distance, he begins to think that this – all of this – was a fool's errand and that they are sure to die.
But his watch passes without incident and he gladly awakens his companions in the late afternoon. The faded sun is low, but they have a few more hours before nightfall. As they prepare to start on their way, the men describe to Aoife and Sister Cobhlaith what they saw.
"That's the Cù Sìth!" Sister Cobhlaith exclaims, crossing herself. "It is a harbinger of death."
Then, they hear it bark once more, in the distance.
"If we do not find safety before it barks a third and last time, we will surely die!" she warns, still spooked but keeping calm nonetheless.
After the startling news from last night, the howling, and the Sister's words of dire warning, Daire's face turns pale.
Better to not wake to this!
"Daire! You said this place mirrors our world. Is there anywhere around here that you can think of? A place we might be able to hold up in for a bit?" Aoife asked.
The Grianán of Aileach is north – where the flocks of crows seem to be concentrating in the distance.
But there are many more mounds all of the island!
"I...do not know! I do not recognise this place!"
"Ok everyone, calm yourselves, it may be what you say, this Cù Síth, but this is all old religion. I approached the great beast and although it snarled at first, it calmed as it sensed my belief. It was a fine animal, and even possibly one enhanced by pagan magic, but that is nothing when faced by belief in the one true God. Now, I do not believe this 3 barks thing, but I have no objection to shelter, in fact in this strange world that would be a blessing. That being said, I have no idea where to start looking, we either head North or South along the river, North may lead us to that landmark and the crows or South we can cross the river. If no-one has any better knowledge I would suggest South to the crossing.
Calm and confident in his faith, Ruadhan exudes a complete lack of fear, gathering his things he readies himself to walk on, before remembering "What does the compass say now? I would like to get this finished and return to out world before too long, I am hungry and know not whether we can trust the food here."
Ruadhan is unaffected by the hound's howl.
Sister Cobhlaith is spooked.
Daire, Aoife, and Thorun are shaken.
Sister Cobhlaith pulls out the compass. It points northeast, across the river. Frightened and disoriented in this strange world that imperfectly mirrors their own, they can only hope that Daire and Ruadhan are right and that there is, indeed, a crossing to the south. Taking advantage of the few remaining hours of daylight, they head south along the east bank of the river until they reach the fork where the rivers Mourne and Finn meet to form the river Foyle.
Here, the river flows wide and shallow. It's not an ideal crossing as the water remains neck-deep, but finding a better spot might require travelling a fair distance further...
"Let me try and see how easy the crossing is." Aoife said as she stepped into the river and began to make her way across.
Thorun watches Aoife dip into the crossing. "How do we even know the water is safe here? For all we know it's made of bugs or something." He muses unhelpfully.
Aoife takes the lead and begins to swim across the wide river. The slow current and safe footing make for a relatively easy crossing, and she is soon nearing the other side...
Thorun takes Sister Cobhlaith. "Sister, lock your arms around me. We must wade across this crossing. All you must do is lock your arms and not let go." Thorun goes to his knees and guides her hands, then stands up and wades into the river.
Thorun carries Sister Cobhlaith with ease and begins to swim across the river without trouble. However, the water is cold and the blind and spooked nun soon begins to panic!
"I can't hold on!" she cries.
An expert swimmer, Thorun turns and swim backwards instead of forward, pulling his companion to safety on the east bank.
Thorun takes a deep breath, setting down Sister Cobhlaith on the far bank. He steps away, then shakes his wild mane like a wet dog, showering the bank. "Anybody else need help!?" He calls out.
Aoife made her way to the other side slowly after Thorun had problems with Sister Cobhlaith though he recovered well. Thus she made her way to the other end.
Bringing up the rear, Ruadhan slips into the water last and strikes out slowly.
Current: 6
Current: 2
Ruadhan makes it safely across and rejoins with his companions in time to hear the Cù Sìth bark once again from across the river. It seems to be hesitating, wondering if pursuing its prey is worth the risk of the crossing. Nevertheless, the dreadful sound fills them with horror and fear of what will happen if it chooses to continue its hunt...
"We have to move!" Sister Cobhlaith insists, clearly shaken by the presence of this otherworldly beast. The stress takes its toll on the already fragile nun. She seems ever so frail, cold and feverish as she combats the sickness that has taken her.
The sun is setting...
Here are the descriptions in the rulebook:
Spooked: The nature of your surroundings or events that you have witnessed makes you uneasy.
Shaken: Fear has taken hold of you and you are no longer thinking or acting clearly.
Scared: You are noticeably afraid, jumping at shadows and easily panicked by odd sights and unexplained noises.
Thorun calls out the others with a strain of urgency in his voice. "Cross, now! We must remain together!"
A shiver runs over Aoife's skin as the howl seems to hang in the air. Visibly pale and with a light sheen of sweat beginning to form, Aoife seems to do everything in her power to hit look at the creature behind them. It is easy to tell what is all holding her together.
She does however take a side glance to Sister Cobhlaith however and her breath hitches in her throat. "She... she looks bad..." Aoife almost squeaks out. It's almost totally uncharacterisic of her.
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Nodding at Aoife's comments about Sister Cobhlaith, Ruadhan gathers the two ladies together, his hands on their shoulders he bends down to look them in the eyes. " Sister Cobhlaith, Aoife. We are on our way to shelter, I know of a couple of places near here as we are approaching the equivalent of my home, I will get us there as soon as I can. But you are both working yourselves into a panic. I know it is hard on you sister, as for the moment you are blind and can only hear, but focus on your faith. God has placed a test in front of you, he has taken away from you your main sense and placed you into battle with the old religion. Will you believe in the old religion's power and run scared from it, or will you believe in the one true faith, discounting all others as the worship of false idols? I have seen you embody the holy spirit and bring it forth to help others, now take the time to nurse that little flame inside you back to strength and fight back against the ploys of Satan. I will be here with you the whole way.
Aoife, I know you do not have the faith that has grown in me, but do not despair. I have met this beast, I have talked to it and it did me no harm. When did the brave, almost to the point of crazy, Aoife, run from an enemy before at least engaging it in battle. I believe you are better than this, you are both better than this. Do not let it gain strength from your fear.
Now follow me, it is this way. "
Moving off east quickly, Ruadhan modulates his pace to the quickest Sister Cobhlaith can manage safely, explaining what he knows as he moves.
Daire mutters something about 'the fork of Lifford' and 'the blood of King O’Gallagher' as he approaches the water.
Fear clearly drives him on.
Shaking his head, he follows Ruadhan's lead.
Ruadhan remains unphased.
Sister Cobhlaith, Thorun, and Daire are shaken.
Aoife is scared.
fatigued
fatigued
exhausted
fatigued
While Ruadhan's words help to assuage her fear, Sister Cobhlaith finds most comfort in the promise of a safe place to rest. "I hope that the beast doesn't follow," she prays with little conviction. She is fading fast.
The compass still points northeast, but they head east toward Carntogher, hoping to find a Sidhe there – perhaps its inhabitants, if there are any, will prove friendly and offer hospitality? With Thorun carrying Sister Cobhlaith, they walk through the night...
Late into the night, Thorun begins to feel the burden of carrying Sister Cobhlaith and Aoife finds herself increasingly distressed. But, still afraid of being hunted by the Cù Sìth, they continue on their way, marching despite their fatigue. As the sun rises on Carntogher, Aoife drops to her knees, exhausted. In the near distance, there is a grassy mound with a small door and smoke billowing from a hole in the roof.
Aoife had never felt so heavy before. The weight of everything upon her seemed far more than they had been when they first entered this place. Shaking as if from a winter's chill, with dark bags under her eyes, Aoife forced herself to her feat. Though it was more of a stumble. Not saying a word the weak and frightened woman raised one hand to point to the small door in the mound not too far away. "G-go..." She coughed out as she tried to catch her breath. "Get Cobhlaith there, they might be able to help... I just... I need a moment.... I'll catch up..." She promised, taking long yet shallow breaths. It was almost like have the wound acting up again.
A cursory glance at the ailing sister is all Daire affords, consumed as he is with tension.
This damned place will end us in a heartbeat, whatever faith Ruadhan has!
He makes a snap judgement.
"In there! There is a fire and more safety than out here!"
Thorun grunts, setting Sister Cobhlaith down. He puts her arm on Ruadhán's shoulder. "Lead her the rest of the way." Then he kneels down, unceremoniously picking up Aoife, then continuing on towards the door.
With Aoife exhausted and scared, and Sister Cobhlaith blind and dying, the promise of respite by a warm fire on the hearth fills them with the hope that they may yet all survive this ordeal.
Walking up the slope of Carntogher mountain, they come upon the Sidhe – a run-down and unkempt home in the ground with a rotting red door that is merely four feet high.
"Humans!" a high-pitched voice remarks curtly, clearly surprised and unsettled. "What do you want?"
Aoife didn't fight Thorun or even make a comment about it like she had when he carried her from battle. No here she only gave an exhausted sigh as she settled into his arms.
Hearing the voice on the other side Aoife replied "Help, our friend is ill."
"Aye! You can not be leaving visitors outside your door!"
Thorun holds Aoife, doing his best to look like a big helpful man instead of a big dangerous man, staying silent and letting the others do the talking until they're inside.
Focused on remembering where the Sidhe is located, Ruadhan fails to notice the state Sister Cobhlaith finds herself in and pushes on. As they get close and Thorun passes the sister to him, he picks her up as gently as he can, talking to her to calm her as they walk up the slope towards the little red door. Listening to the others, he chimes in at the end. "Even just a place to lay our friend down, sheltered from the elements would help, somewhere to warm ourselves."
Tentatively, the inhabitant of the underground hut opens the small red door. The fearful fairy is fat with dark and hairy skin, a long snout and a skinny tail. It's more rat than man. Slouching in a red coat and red hat, it jeers: "you're half-Sluagh already! I should let you die... But I won't."
With that, he disappears into the shadows of his home, leaving the door open.
As they follow, they find the lair surprisingly spacious despite the low ceiling. There is a warm fire burning in an open pit in the middle of the room and a sweet-smelling stew in a small pot sitting on hot stones.
The rat man is standing near a tight tunnel – likely, a way out in case things go awry.
"Sit and eat," he invites them unceremoniously.
Thorun ducks under the doorway, stands up, and then swears sharply after his head cracks into the ceiling. "Oh bloody!..." He sets down Aoife with a grunt, uncomfortably trying to find a way to navigate around the room without going to his knees or stooping over so far his spine bends. Couldn't of built a little more up with all this room? He thinks. After a moment he settles to walking with bent knees, as if crouching through the night. He gives a nod to the rat-fairy-man, sitting and only sniffing the food for a moment before taking a bite.
Thorun takes a bite and finds it quite tasty, if entirely foreign. Root vegetables, fragrant herbs, and what he can only assume are worms and grasshoppers...
Thorun moves his jaw around, then reaches in and pulls out the head of a grasshopper. He stares at it a moment, then shrugs and pops it back in with an audible crunch. Still better than what I got in the army.
"A hundred thousand thank you's! And food for weary travellers too!"
Daire sits and begins digging into the food.
Aoife made her way to an area she could sit down in without being in the way. She watched the creature for a moment before smiling a bit saying "You're a Far Darrig aren't you?" The tone didn't sound insulting or anything, more of a matter of fact than anything. "I remember hearing stories of your kind... never met one before though." She told him "Thank you, for taking us in."