With the furor of combat over, the party turns to their stricken friend. Halinde Stillmoon is unconscious from the effects of Brother Frynd’s poison.
Striding confidently to her side, Lucia Talene calls forth her magical power and removes the ichor from Stillmoon’s body. The shield maiden’s husband is profuse with praise for Talene and her compatriots.
Meanwhile, Kristov and Sturmberg survey the temple ruins, hoping to glean any insight into what drew the Rust Brother to the remote village in the first place.
It’s not long before they find a mix of artifacts, fragments of legends, and other detritus before they stumble upon a tapestry that has one complete story. The legend they found claims,
“A long time ago, before the age of the Blood Mist, there was an elven warrior prince. They sought to continue their war against human invaders of the Raven Lands. As the legend goes, it is said that at the end of their long life, they invested part of their heart into their Warhammer to continue their fight forever. The Warhammer rests with the prince in a barrow deep in the dank wood, surrounded by his retainers, guarded by Shardmaidens”
Tiring of looking through the tattered remains of the once proud outpost, Sturmberg turns his attention to Brother Frynd. He wakes the villain with a swift kick to the sternum.
The injury elicits a cough and a laugh from the sorcerer and he says, “They’ll turn on you, you know that, right? Humans will also chose their own kind over the sad children of the races that would have been the masters of all the Ravenlands.”
The dwarven warrior grunts and responds, “It’d be the last thing these humans in particular ever do if it ever came to that. Which I doubt it would. But you have an angle, so I’ll hear you out.”
The Rust Brother tries to convince Sturmberg that he would be richly rewarded even if he only loosened the bonds and allowed Frynd to escape. The dwarf isn’t completely against the idea, but only promises Frynd an impartial party at any deliberations over his fate.
The rest of the party is not so neutral. Stillmoon and her husband demand an immediate and excruciating execution, while Talene and Mick E. Faus are in favor of a quick beheading. Faus in particular is excited at the idea of being able to raise a sorcerer from the dead to learn his secrets.
Kristov suggests letting the townsfolk decide but does not strongly protest a quick death either.
“I don’t think the world would be a rose place if one more Rust Brother was gone,” Kristov comments.
In the end, Sturmberg convinces the group to bring Frynd back to the village and to interrogate him further to learn whether a Rust Church invasion force is on the way.
The march back to Heartwater Village quick and uneventful. Brother Frynd tries his best to convince each party member to set him free to no avail.
The villages almost immediately mob the group and try to hang the Rust Brother, but Stillmoon convinces her people that if they wish to be better than the Rust Brothers, they must allow for justice and a trial.
The next morning, the entire village gathers to hear the trial of Brother Frynd. No one is surprised that he is quickly found guilty, but most are shocked at the extreme nature of his execution.
Stillmoon suggests that since the village is near Lake Varda, they should lash the sorcerer between two boats, then force-feed him milk and honey before covering him in more milk and honey. They would then set the boats out to the water to let insects and animals feed on him while he dies of starvation and dehydration.
Talene, Kristov, and Sturmberg are aghast at the sentence but don’t intervene on the villain’s behalf. They watch silently as the grim execution is carried out by the mournful villagers.
Right before Frynd is cast off, Talene walks up and whispers into his ear, “This is for the Raven sisters.”
Stillmoon nails a notice into one boat that proclaims the execution is the will of Flow and that none should intervene should they find the Rust Brother.
All Frynd could do is murmur fervently as the townsfolk push the death barge into the stream and watch if fade from view.
JesseFolk.com 