Kuldahar

"A dwerf is jubilant for ye, he was afraid you died b'fore yer time. He be near his own end soon enough, but a dwerf has work to do before that end comes. Aye, Halla showed that woman what she can do; left her running, tail tucked between her legs back home. Many believed that the twins were responsible for yer death."

Reòthadh continues to ramble for a good while before remembering the most important thing that has happened.

"And then Halla and Zenithral were wed in the shadow o' the Great Oak."

"The last vision? I...don't know...It's so cryptic. Perhaps I just need to take some time studying all of this?" He idly flips through the journal's pages. "I haven't actually done a lot of that now that I think about it...Actually...do you think Arannis might be able to help? He's always been very sharp, great at spotting patterns and the like."

Father Tulfgyr nods happily. "Those two! It warms my celestial heart to hear that they've finally figured things out."

The dwarf spirit sighs and closes his eyes. "Lathander is calling me back. Do me a favor, brother, and put my body to proper rest? And tell the others that I'm truly in a happier place."

Just as the ghost begins to fade away, his eyes open. "There are more than a few gods watching events unfold here. Some good, some bad. None of them want that devil to have his way. Stay strong, brother!"

Then he is gone.

As the last light leaves the shed, Reòthadh notices Kaleel and the other hunters peeking in. Kaleel's eyes are wide. "The Father was not killed by the twins... I believe we have made a mistake."

Saki shrugs. "Your grandfather likes to think he is smart. You are smarter." She smiles warmly. "But I am sure he would be willing to help."

Some of the cheer leaves her eyes, then, as her thoughts dwell on something else. "Your mother... What do you plan to do about her?"

Zenithral nods solemnly. "I'll try to talk to her. I'm not sure I'll be able to change her mind, but I can try, and I can at least try to understand her motives. If she can't be reasoned with, however..." He sighs gravely. "We may not have much of a choice. Tell me. You raised her...what does she respond best to? How do I...get to her? Reason? Chastisement? Empathy? She's a different person, no doubt, but one's fundamental motives rarely change."

Saki's smile falters as she thinks on Zenithral's questions. "Raised? Hardly. She grew up with us, but never paid our counsel much heed. She was always a wild thing, paying attention only to the things she wanted." She sighs, eyes searching the air as if for memories. "I tried to teach compassion and selflessness, but she was just... devoid of empathy. Selfish. She wanted nothing to do with Ilmater, despite sharing his name."

Saki leans back in her chair, shoulders slumped helplessly. "We wanted her to stay and she left. We said not to marry Erestor. She did. Everything was a conflict with her, and she would lash out at the slightest provocation. And Ilmater protect you if you ever pointed out she was wrong... Arannis and I never discovered how to get through to her. But... perhaps you can. She loves you, in her own way."

Hearing the disappointment in his grandmother's voice, for the first time Zenithral finds himself thinking that whatever their differences, Ilmadia must have felt very lonely growing up in a family that thought so poorly of her life decisions. And that loneliness must certainly have resulted in frustration. And what might that frustration have driven her to do? Seek safety in a place where none could follow, especially an overbearing father. Make friends and connections with people and creatures that accept or encourage her behavior - or worse, take advantage of it.

As he thinks on Saki's words and his own experiences, Zenithral realizes that there is something that he has in common with his mother, a flaw that has hindered both of them throughout their lives: neither like to admit that they are wrong.

When they return to town, Alalla sends the blood hunters off to check on Reothadh. Spotting Halla, she stays behind to catch her as she escapes from the inn.

"So, Halla, did you like your present?" Alalla smiles at the druid and leans on her glaive. She doesn't look terribly different to most onlookers, but to her friend she is easily more relaxed than Halla has ever seen her. Her eyes narrow slightly. "Or no? You look hounded."

Halla jumps at Alalla's voice, then relaxes when she sees it is only her friend. "So his grandparents are here... 'Tis slightly unnerving. All Saki wants to talk about is Ilmater and children and children for Ilmater." She shakes her head. "Put it to a god of martyrdom to insist on going through the travails of childbirth. I wonder if Ilmater has ever tried that. Not that I don't want - I mean someday... nevermind." She puts a hand to her forehead. "I was just about to get him to myself for a minute when they showed up. And just in time to hear about all of my recent failures. Your husband could have given me some warning."

The druid stops to take a deep breath of night air, then sighs. "Well. You look pleased, at least. I trust Mirek and his boys are behaving themselves?""

Alalla winces in sympathy, then gives a serious look. "The blame for this is not on you, Halla. Not even a bit. Ask Zenithral if you don't believe me."

Turning to glance the way Mirek and the others had gone, Al nods with satisfaction. "Yes, I think Reothadh and I managed to soften them a little. They didn't try to skewer me for my fiendness or my status as the chieftess of the giant tribe of orcs on their doorstep- after a good lecture. They agreed to take Reothadh to see and investigate Father Tulfgyr's corpse- that's where they all are now- and some of them came with me to visit my tribe.

They're three hundred strong now, Halla! The orcs, I mean. They're only just starting but they're doing so much better than I hoped already."

The excitement on Alalla's face fades to sheepishness. "Oh, and I swore paladin oaths to Torm." She brightens again. "Keggruk asked to follow me in that. We started with knighthood oaths to me, but I think he'll be a true paladin before long. In any case, Torm was able to free his soul from Gruumsh. Freedom for them all is a long, long way off, but now I can see it!"

The young woman breathes outward in a heavy, yet satisfied sigh. She rubs at her eyes, still blinking away the aftereffects of the boy's illusory lights. "You need to listen to me, Jermsy! I need to know where you are. At all times! These are dangerous days. I can't have you sneaking around and getting into trouble."

Jermsy struggles in vain to escape. All sense of fun seems to have vanished from the boy's face. "What do you even care for? You're not my mother. Or my sister. They left me alone. Now you can too. Just leave me alone!"

"You're not the only one who feels lonely, Jermsy." Natalie rubs her eyes again irritably. "And now we lost Father Tulfgyr. And Halla's leaving." Perhaps that irritation in her eyes is not only from Jermsy's spell. "I need something to do, and you need someone to keep you from crawling facefirst into a manticore's den or whatever curse happens next in this town."

They continue to argue, apparently oblivious to the fact that Alalla and Halla are standing nearby.

Zenithral nods solemnly. "Well, on the bright side," he tells Saki. "They had me." He smiles. "Though if it weren't for you, who knows how I might have ended up? Thank you. When I speak with her...I'll do my best."

Alalla frowns at the small boy. "They didn't leave you, Jermsy. They were taken. They would have done anything to stay with you, I'm sure." She passes a hand over where her first mortal wound had once been, flashing back to the fight with Yxonumei and the spike in her chest. "I'm sorry, Jermsy. It's my fault you don't have any family. I was supposed to bring Mother Egenia back to you, but she died instead. It was supposed to be me dead, but she took my place. I'm sorry."

Natalie starts at Alalla's voice, then pulls away from Jermsy with a shamed expression.

With fortuitous timing, it is at this moment that Zenithral leaves the inn and comes upon the scene, and the stomp of heavy feet announces the arrival of Reòthadh.

Jermsy rubs his nose. "I know. Father Tulfgyr told me about that." The boy massages his grass-stained legs. "Bad people do bad things. And there's nothing we can do about it. There will always be bad people, and sometimes you don't know they're bad. Sometimes they're sneaky. So we have to be sneaky too."

Alalla looks the boy over. "Do you know of any sneaky bad people?" She narrows her eyes. "Do you know anything about Whitcomb? There's always something we can do about bad people and their bad things, and anything you could tell us could help us against the bad people."

Jermsy shrugs his small shoulders. "He's a bad man. He tells lies, and not the good kind. Fergy used to tell lies, but they were the best. Now he's gone too."

The boy points in the direction of the tavern. "He has a magic door. But it's only there sometimes. I almost snuck in, once. But then Natalie made me do chores, and I missed it." He sticks his tongue out at her.

Alalla opens her mouth to curse, then looks at Jermsy and Natalie and coughs instead.

"Well I'm glad you missed it. Zenithral went through a secret door that as only there sometimes, and we almost lost him forever." She shoots the half-elf a look that says, "I haven't forgotten about that."