The Diary of Skullweed Moonflower

Purple Elf and Selene Moonlord: part 14

In which we purchase strange artefacts and accept Esmerelda’s challenges…

Moonday, Illusionweek, Seaseason, 613 TA – evening

So we turn to the items Esmerelda offers for purchase. Sydney asks if any of her followers has Detect Chaos. Corax, her shaman, admits that he has and offers to cast it four times in return for a small portion of Sydney’s faer (soul). That doesn’t sound much of a deal to me, and Sydney declines but asks if Corax could teach him the spell – Corax replies that he must consult with Esmerelda first. (Since we hear no more of this I suspect she said no.)

I haggle with Esmerelda for the silver oakleaf. She asks if I have any unusual knowledges and I offer my grasp of Cthulhu Mythos, gained from Horace Debden, the infernal bookseller. Initially she thinks I’m making it all up and there’s no such thing as Cthulhu or the Mythos. I tell her it’s a body of knowledge regarding horrible raugen (demonic entities) from between the interstices of reality (mînennorath).

She tries to get me to buy something else as well, offering a discount. She has an eye on my new cloak, but I’m only really interested in the oakleaf. Eventually she agrees the deal. She puts her hands to my head…

And suddenly I’ve no idea who or what Cthulhu is… Actually, only now do I realise I’ve had this knowledge weighing on my mind all this time. It’s a relief to be rid of it.

Now Esmerelda understands the Cthulhu Mythos and much good may it do her. In return she gifts me with the silver oakleaf. She advises that it’s genuinely magical and will glow dimly when any Fae are within 40 yards. I point out that I’m Fae so it will be glowing all the time, but she assures me that it will respond only to others. No matter! It will go very nicely with my new cloak.

Then Monty strikes a bargain for the die, among which is that the price is reduced if he accepts two challenges. She tells him it will work only three times but if he casts Power into it, it will produce the number he asks for. That feels as if it goes against what Nemesis stands for but I assume Monty knows what he’s about.

Dan is interested in the candle and compass. He offers a portion of his lore of minerals. Esmerelda is willing to accept that along with a song, dance or story – apparently she wants to see him perform. He offers a rousing speech, she accepts and he gives a very commanding oration. Then she puts her hands on his head and he loses a little of his grasp of Mineral Lore but gains the candle and compass.

Esmerelda explains that the candle represents a single use of a Medium Salamander. All he need do is light the candle and withdraw to a safe distance. Two rounds later the Salamander will appear and obey his orders.

Then she explains that the ‘compass’ is actually a Dwarf-made timepiece. In return for Power, it will offer the correct time for a week.

I think Dan has made two outstanding purchases.

Sydney bargains for the monocle. Esmerelda wants to see him exercise his healing arts on a wounded patient. There’s an awkward silence when I suspect we’re all thinking who is going to be wounded, but Esmerelda creates an illusion of a patient for Sydney to demonstrate his skills upon. Evidently she is satisfied for she presses the monocle into his hand, explaining that it is a matrix of Detect Illusion.

No one else seems inclined to purchase anything else so we turn to Esmerelda’s challenges. Each challenge will cost a Moon. Monty’s deal includes accepting two challenges so he volunteers to go first. She spreads her cards out face up (it’s not a full deck – and I wonder what challenges might have been represented by the missing cards), then she turns them over and slides them rapidly around the baize card table. But I notice Monty’s sharp eyes following the cards carefully – he is a professional gambler, after all, as well as a great hero.

As she moves the cards, Esmerelda gives her spiel – whatever the challenge, the supplicant will go into a trance, finding himself in an arena in an illusory dreamspace, where he will enact his challenge. There are forfeits for failure but if he succeeds the rewards are ‘quite nice’. There will be a short interval during which his colleagues will be able to cast spells upon him before going into his trance.

Monty considers carefully, before reaching out to tap a card. “The Ace of Clubs”, he says – Esmerelda turns the card and he’s right. The only spell he accepts is Countermagic from Sydney, since Monty already has powerful magics of his own. Then his eyes glaze over as he stands…

A minute later he shakes his head and blinks. He relates that he found himself in combat with a mere tulucnáv, with a spear in each hand but no armour, which he dealt with summarily. He’s victorious! His reward? Suddenly he knows the spell Detect Undead!

Esmerelda observes that the reward is proportional to the challenge. It seems Aces are low in this game. Now he knows how things work, Monty’s makes his second choice, again tapping the back of the card. “Ten of Clubs!” Esmerelda turns the card and again Monty is right.

This time the trance is much longer and I confess I begin to fear Monty may have bitten off more than he can chew. But suddenly he gives that shake of the head and seems none the worse. This time he found his opponent was a Dark Troll in armour and the fight was much harder. But Monty is a great hero and his iron rapier duly despatched the Troll. This time his reward is reusable Moonvision!

So now it’s my turn. Esmerelda again displays the cards before turning them over and sliding them about the table. I follow Monty’s lead and try to note the passage of particular cards but I lose track of more than half of them. Of those I do follow, the only club is the King, which I suspect must be a harder trial than Monty’s ten. Unlike Monty, I’m not a great hero; I am very capable but I’ll need to work my courage up to tackle such a challenge.

But all this time I’m wondering what the other suits might represent so I choose the Ace of Hearts…

I find myself in an oval arena, under bright Moonlight. There a compere announces to the crowd that I am to engage in a contest to heal injured Fae. At the far side of the arena is my opponent, another Elven Moonlord. Between us are three Elves, all looking the worse for wear. Our task is to examine each patient and devise a treatment to make him well.

So we both examine our patients. Two of them seem very straightforward to me, but when I cast my eye over the middle of the three, I notice the faintest hint of blight about the ears – it’s almost unnoticeable but it makes me realise his affliction and I adjust the regimen to affect a cure.

So the compere gathers our notes and announces to the crowd the results. I’m confident that one diagnosis will swing things for me… But then the compere announces that my opponent spotted exactly the same affliction and made the same diagnosis – he announces that the contest is a tie!

Suddenly, Esmerelda manifests before me. She tells me I have two choices. Either I can choose to withdraw without reward or forfeit (aside from the Moon it cost to partake), or I can go head-to-head with my opponent with a fourth patient. I accept the winner-takes-all proposition.

My senses feel heightened when I examine our new patient. Again I spot a hint of pink behind an ear – my patient has the earliest symptoms of dodder! I hurriedly devise the appropriate treatment and again the compere compares our notes. This time my opponent missed the pink veining and the compere announces me the victor!

I return, suffering momentary pendrol but recovering in seconds. Esmerelda congratulates me and sends a flunky off to bring my reward, which turns out to be two potions of Healing VI – excellent, I could not have asked for better. I can give one to Corbie to replace the one he gave me in Ostbraundorf in Mortimer’s cellars and keep the other for myself or any of my companions who might suffer hurt.

So it’s clear that the suit of Clubs brings challenges in the form of fights while the other suits bring indirect contests. I peruse the cards again. The trouble is that my choice is very limited. Of the other cards I managed to keep track of, two are aces and another is the four of Diamonds. The only other card I’m at all sure of is the King of Clubs, which must represent a formidable challenge indeed…

It’s not generally known outside the Fae community but in our language the word for ‘brave’, dywr, is the same as our word for ‘foolish’. Somehow I muster my courage (or something else) and tap the card I think is the King of Clubs…

Esmerelda turns the card and I’ve guessed right – Selene be praised on this most auspicious night! However, I may be dywr but I’m not insane… quite. Recognising the likely nature of the challenge I request the highest levels of Bladesharp and Shimmer from Monty, while Dan Ube volunteers Vigour. These three spells clear out all my stored Power, but I need every edge. Just before I enter the trance, I cast Foxtroll, at Sydney’s suggestion…

And Sydney proves wise for my opponent is a massive Daertorog (Great Troll), in mail armour – bronze, thankfully – with a heavy, flanged mace in each paw. But I have Shimmer and Foxtroll and we’re fighting under Moonlight…!

I spring to attack immediately, executing a perfect thrust but he catches my blade on his mace and all I achieve is a chip out of his weapon. I parry his return stroke but my deft footwork means he’s nowhere near me – which is just as well because my strategy is to avoid being hit at all – I’m dead if he lands a single blow!

But something about this being under Ithil, (the Full Moon) and our Holy Day inspires me. Again I execute a perfect thrust – and this time he misses his parry! My thrust goes deep in his guts and with a twist of the wrist he’s disembowelled! Even the Torogrim are firiath!

Once more there’s that moment of pendrol but then I’m myself again. Esmeralda congratulates me – my reward is a single use of the spell Knifeguard and reusable Fumble. Excellent! I have little use for Knifeguard and will probably trade it but Fumble is a fine offensive spell – I already have one use non-reusably. I think my choice is justified and my gains are well worth two moons. (Just don’t tell my mother – she’ll call me worse words than dywr.)

Until now the others had been rather lukewarm on the challenges but the successes of Monty and myself induce Dan to join in. Once more Esmerelda displays the cards before turning them over and sliding them about the table. I see Dan try to follow the cards but none of us are Monty…

While he’s pondering his choice, Dan asks for Parry on his Shield, from Monty. Then he reaches forward and taps the back of a card. “Ace of Spades!” And he’s right!

He’s not as long in his trance as Monty was last time round. When he comes to himself he reports that Esmerelda (who has been here with us all the time) offered him a contest of his choice of cookery, musicianship, locksmith or thrown missile skills. He opted to contest throwing stones. His opponent and he tied the first throw. With the second they both (embarrassingly) missed. But with the third throw Dan won outright. His reward is that his skills with all thrown missiles are enhanced.

Possibly inspired by Monty and I, Dan opts for a second challenge, choosing the Four of Clubs, for what he hopes will be an easy fight. His trance isn’t long, when he recovers he reports his opponent was a Toroggorth (Dark Troll zombie), which he had no trouble despatching – his first cut removed a leg, the second destroyed its chest. His reward is a single use of Delusion – one of Selene’s finest offensive spells. In my opinion, Dan has possibly done the best from our encounter with Esmerelda.

Esmerelda seems intent on cajoling as many as possible into her challenges but Roxie has been steadfast in her refusal. I myself am quite happy to leave things as they are – my brief burst of dywrol has passed. But Monty makes all sorts of weird offers for the opportunity to have a third try. Esmerelda smiles, telling him he can have a third try if he can persuade Roxie to do the same.

We seem to be at an impasse so I take the opportunity to ask, if we can give up esoteric skills, can we purchase them from her? Esmerelda says it’s possible but she thinks we will find the price too high. She asks what I have in mind and I tell her I’d like to improve my parrying skills with the shortsword. However she dismisses this as ‘too mundane’.

Roxie has yet to buy any of Esmerelda’s trinkets but now she expresses an interest in the ruby. Esmerelda offers to give it to her for free if she accepts a challenge. I immediately guess that the ruby has insignificant powers but Roxie accepts Esmerelda’s offer.

Once again Esmerelda displays the remaining cards before turning them over and sliding them about the table. Roxie chooses the Ace of Diamonds, which happens to be one of the cards I had considered myself. She returns from her trance to report she had lost a contest of archery with her arbalest. This is the first time any of us have lost a challenge. Apparently Roxie’s forfeit is the veriest portion of her faer.

But she gets her ruby – and my suspicions are confirmed when Esmerelda tells her that its property is that it’s magical – just that! Oh well, she can always sell it for a hundred shillings or so.

But despite that he had nothing to do with getting Roxie to partake, Esmerelda allows Monty a third challenge. For the last time she displays the few remaining cards before turning them over and sliding them about the table. Almost without hesitation, Monty, heroic gambler that he is, chooses the Joker.

When he recovers from his trance he seems proud and just a little relieved. He found himself in a Jesting contest, of all things, with the Joker himself. Somehow he won and his reward is enhanced verbal and social skills.

Perhaps it’s my Earthy sap calling but I ask Esmerelda how much the grey pebble would cost. She tells me it’s mine for a portion of my faer – but a greatly reduced portion thanks to my discount for the Cthulhu Mythos knowledge. However, I have no wish to reduce my faer any further. Instead Dan seems happy to offer his faer and Esmerelda tells him the stone will infallibly destroy a gorp but will only work once. I think I made the right decision.

The challenges are over and the Gypsies start tidying things away. The night draws on and soon it will be time to worship Selene as Ithil. But while I’m readying myself for the service we all see a most peculiar ‘thing’ approaching from the north, down the road from Hilltown and Gung-Ho (though I’m certain it’s not from the latter).

She (and somehow I’m certain it’s a she) is small, though still twice my size. She appears to be an enormous mushroom with a broadly smiling face beneath the canopy and very plump arms and short, stubby legs. But she radiates a faint silvery aura that has to be a lunar radiance.

I send up Ithiltê to fly over her and cast Detect Illusion – Ithiltê reports the aura is illusory (no surprise there) but she herself is real!

Meanwhile, Roxie and Sydney, who had already stated their preference to be elsewhere for our devotions (apparently they’re afraid they’ll get sent to the Moon). Correctly taking this new entity as a manifestation of the Moon, they walk off in the opposite direction. But Dan Ube stays – we’ll make a lunatic of him yet.

As she approaches, the mushroom waves to the Gypsies, who wave back. I hear one Gypsy remark, “It’s just Chanterelle”. Chanterelle shouts “Halloo!” She has no visible weapons and the Gypsies don’t seem worried so neither am I. She enters the camp and looks around. Then she puts a hand to her face, pointing at Monty and I, chortling, “Oooh!”. She comes over, smiling radiantly.

She stops twenty feet away. Her flesh is a pale lilac with the dark underside of her cap deep purple. She says, “You are Lord Monty, Nuncio for the Duke of Moonguard and freer of Sartac.” Then, looking at me, “You are Skullweed Moonflower”. (Not quite so gushing but then I’m not a famous hero – I wonder how she’s heard of me.)

Then she looks up at Ithil and recites a poem of devotion…

“Blessed Selene in her dark and light

Arraigned against the gloom of night

She gifts us wisdom, way and pose,

Gifts used by those we do oppose.”

It’s a strange poem, I sense it may be laden with meaning, but it’s from no scripture I know.

Dan asks if she’s a creature of Chaos. She giggles and says, “I am a creature of Moon and Plant”. “So am I!” I can’t help blurting out – but I confess to some ambivalence; those Fae tied to the fungal plants are the Gwathrim or Black Elves, but they are sundered from Faerie. However, Chanterelle seems to be something else altogether.

Dan asks why she’s here. She replies that she came to see Lord Monty and I, and now she’s done that she intends to leave. She talks briefly to Esmerelda before waving farewell to the Gypsies and walks off the way she arrived.

So we all join in the midnight service, offering our worship to Selene – I for my part giving thanks for her inspiration in my challenge. As we enter the raptures we shout all the usual quotes from scripture…

“I never knew the Moon could be so big,” Book of Secrets, Light, vs 4;

“If I were the Moon, I’d be cool,” Book of the Mother, If, vs 9;

“The lunatic is in my head!,” Book of the Dark Side, The Lunatic, vss 13/14;

“Shine on you crazy diamond!,” Book of Wishes, The Crazy Diamond, vss 3/6/17/20;

“Light up the sky!,” Book of Crises, Sister Moonshine, vs 42;

…as well as more incoherent things. At last, in the small hours, we all turn in. I don’t know about the rest but I’m utterly exhausted – but happy!

Tomorrow we must set about finding those four missing soldiers – unless that one we buried was one of them? But before we go I want to ask Esmerelda about Chanterelle and her poem…