Game Log 17

## Road Apples Aren't Good For Pies

Having adventured continuously for most of a season, the following weeks were tamer, with all engrossed in their own pursuits.

Mantis, with the help of his elemental, raised many earthen walls (and dug many pits) to fortify the stead. He learned to put ink in skin and empowered the designs with magic.

Aud treated diseases but was stricken with a terrible illness and had to spend time in a smoke house fighting the water plague spirits that she had confronted.

Ryala strengthened the people of the stead, training all who would listen.

Astra delved into the arcane realm of sorcery, learning many new things.

Mankar spent much time on horse with his alynx scouting the surrounding areas. While in the village, he improved his ability to forge bronze, learning the secrets of the metal.

Mankar, Mantis (and Ryala) explored a heroquest involving the apostate hero Erinalta.

What the villagers learned:

* Don't walk around randomly as the landmarks will change from day to day.
* It's always better when Aud is around.
* The difference between Ryala teaching and Ryala randomly beating people up was miniscule.
* Never drink or eat anything in Mantis's hut without thoroughly verifying the contents. Breathing also was hazardous.
* Everything near Astra was potentially flammable but, strangely enough, never around the library.
* Mankar spent more time talking to animals than to any random person.

Mantis was, again, explaining his scheme to everyone. Whenever they went to the godplane, conducted some ritual, or even just tried to follow his line of reasoning, there were always moments when they thought he was simply crazy.

They often glanced at the unsavory mushrooms and oddly-colored bottles of wine in his hut during these times.

"So we participate in the apple ritual but we use the Trickster variant because we don't currently have an apple priestess living here. We are symbolically stealing her apples, you see?"

Ryala looked puzzled, "Won't that just piss her off?"

"No, you see, it's already been established that all apples in the world started from stealing from her so this won't cause any new animosity. After this, we can use the non-theft rituals to keep our apples healthy. It would be best if we had a true priestess, of course, but I couldn't find one to sedu... errr... convince to move here."

He turned to Mankar, "Do you have it? And the gold foil?"

"Yes, here you go." He handed over a beautiful bronze apple, apparently good enough to eat if you ignored the fact it was made of metal. The foil was saved between sheets of paper in his journal. He had spent the previous night pounding one of their coins flatter and flatter. He was surprised at much the metal spread and had used far less than a single coin.

The shaman picked up some dung and coated the 'apple' with a thin later of it and then let Mankar delicately apply the gold leaf. In the end, a perfect (though slightly smelly) golden apply was created.

Mankar looked at it askance. "Soooo... poop?"

"Mystically necessary."

"Ah."

"So we'll need to pick a representative to stand in place for the goddess."

Astra interjected, "A woman, then? Vinga is the granddaughter of Flamal. The connection isn't bad for Ryala."

Ryala shrugged, "Sure, how bad weird could an apple ceremony be?"

They all found the answer to that a short while later.

Ryala sputtered with outrage, "I have to EAT the apple?! It's nearly solid bronze!"

Mantis tried to soothe her, "Just one bite..."

"Solid. Bronze!"

"Okay, we just have to follow the myth more closely." He gathered up some more dung and, with Mankar's help, transferred the gold foil to the new, less shapely, apple.

Astra looked on. "Poop again?"

"Mystically necessary!"

Ryala gingerly picked up the 'apple' but glared at Mantis in the way she usually reserved for someone about to die. "You and Eurmal might be best friends but I swear, if you are making that up I'm going to..." She made a fierce grasping and twisting motion with her left hand that made every male who could see her wince. "And don't think I wouldn't!"

Mankar grinned, "That would put a hamper on any 'evening' plans someone might have!"

The shaman cleared his throat, "Yes, well. For the quest, Ryala will be Vinga, I will be Eurmal..." He deliberately didn't look at Ryala then as she was still making a powerful clutching with her hand. "Mankar will be Orlanth and Astra will be Ernalda. Our congruences are good, so we should obtain a lot of benefits."

Apple priestesses dressed in ceremonial garb began their annual rituals. It was all very inspiring for most but only Mankar appeared to be paying proper attention. Mantis was looking at parts of the priestess in a rather unholy fashion, Astra seemed bored and her hand kept twitching toward a new book she would not let leave her hand and Ryala... well, Ryala took her apple bite with considerably less enthusiasm than the others in the ceremony. (Truth be told, though, Mankar was only pretending interest in the ritual and didn't hear much... a skill he hand learned from being exposed to too much Dragonewt jabber.)

The heroes assumed their roles in the Godtime... the mythic feel was always different yet always the same. Each action, each thought took on more weight as if they were carrying an unseen burden of destiny and history.

Ernalda looked the sumptuous meal laid out. "I'm bored with all this... I need something new! Something sweet, perhaps."

Eurmal chimed in, "Something... flexible."

Vinga added, "Something sturdy that would travel well."

Orlanth lifted his glass, "Something that can be made into liquor!"

Vinga suggested they talk to Flamal, "Grandfather, after all, is the creator of forests and he would know best how to proceed."

Flamal, his tree-like body towering over even the large gods and goddesses, pondered the request. "You might speak to Apple Keeper about this. The fruits she guards should work but, alas!, when she took the apples from the world, she took all their seeds, all their branches, all their roots, all their fruits! There are none left anywhere but where she has hidden them. Speak to Elmal... they are close and he may know."

Ernalda nodded, "He's on the Spike most times. Let us be off!"

Elmal may or may not have been on the Spike but the guardian of the gate was Yelmalio and, after one sour look at Orlanth, was unwilling to let them pass.

Orlanth grinned, "Brother Yelmalio, surely you won't be so petty! While we have had differences, it was all in good fun, right?"

"You slew the Sun and brought about the Lesser Darkness!"

Orlanth shook his head at the other's small-mindedness. "But we brought him back, eh? All of us make mistakes, do we not?"

Yelmalio was unwilling to let the 'mistake' go but, fortunately, his shift at the gate was taken over by Elmal himself after a timeless time. Yelmalio frowned and muttered to Elmal, "I wouldn't let those four in, they mean no good, I'm sure!"

Elmal glanced over at the four, his gaze lingering a long time on Vinga. "Have no fear, brother, I know my duty well!" Yelmalio left with a sour look on his face.

Vinga, no fool, smiled at Elmal. "Ah Elmal! I was hoping to go on an important quest but I'm missing some trivial piece of information. I was wondering if," she lowered her voice and said huskily, "you can enlighten me?"

Elmal cleared his throat, "I'm known for my erudition, but I must guard the gate!" His gaze was so full of lust, that several new species of prolific weeds sprang into existence.

Orlanth laughed, "I can take over that minor chore! My arm is strong and my eye keen. No unworthy person shall pass on my watch!"

Elmal still hesitated, "Still, the Son of the Sun would object if you entered the Spike."

"I swear on the Great Air that none of us will go any further onto the Spike today other than to guard this entrance! Likewise, until you return, I will not leave this post!"

Satisfied, Elmal put an arm around Vinga's waist. "Well then! I have some etchings that I think will be most instructional..."

In the meantime, Orlanth spent a gleeful afternoon turning away Yelmalio's allies on spurious grounds while letting his own friends access to the Spike. Of course, he was quite diligent in searching out any true enemies but he considered some harmless disorder as a good and healthy thing so this day on the Spike was remembered long afterwards...

Vinga and Elmal returned, looking slightly disheveled, to find quite a few goddesses (and gods!) participating in a wet-lingerie contest to see who would be allowed to enter the Spike next. Eurmal, the one who suggested it, was giving a running commentary on the various attributes of the 'contestants' while a crowd cheerfully hooted and booed as they spectated.

Eurmal grinned and said, "Now for the talent round... mud wrestling!" He saw Elmal and almost immediately faded into the background as if he had never been there.

Vinga winked, "I have the maps! Let's be off!"

Elmal stood, stunned at everything he was seeing, "How long was I gone, again?"

Apple Keeper's grove was easy to find and the scent of apple blossoms was rich and enticing. "So this is what we are here for?" She touched an apple with a finger and a voice cried out, "Who dares touch my apples!? Begone!" Vinga vanished in a swirl of leaves and a green-clad woman stepped into the grove clearing.

"It is I, Orlanth, along with Ernalda, Eurmal and, formerly, Vinga."

Apple Keeper frowned. "I don't like you, begone!" With that Orlanth likewise vanished.

Ernalda was about to speak but Apple Keeper apparently wasn't finished and she likewise was banished.

Eurmal, thinking quickly, said, "Stay your hand, Goddess, if you would like a SPECIAL apple like you've never seen!"

"All apples are mine and all are here. What could you have that I do not?"

With a small grin, he held up a golden 'apple' that gleamed most enticingly in the sun. "Nothing but this apple of gold!"

Apple Keeper's eyes grew wide. "T-that... it can't be... I must have it!"

"Ah, but you are offended by us. Maybe it's best if you banish me and I'll keep this little thing."

"No! What do you want for it?"

"Nothing much... perhaps a few of your rather more common apples. Say, one of each color, red, yellow and green?"

"That's three for one! Hardly fair!"

"Are any of your apples even remotely as shiny and beautiful as this one, hmmmm?"

The apple goddess couldn't answer and was silent. Very soon afterwards the trade was made and the heroes found themselves back in their bodies, on their world, with the perceptions once again bound by the rigors of Time.

Ryala said, "I have a lot more sympathy for that poor goddess now! This better be worth it!" She grabbed a bottle of wine from Mantis, changed her mind, and got one from Mankar to wash out her mouth.

It had to be noted, however, that after this time, Ryala would always inspect any apple carefully before she ate it.

(Day before Sacred Time)

Many weeks after that, the Sacred Time was coming near and Speaks with Liars came to talk to the heroes. Ittold them, in its own fashion, that the year had come to an end and they would be gone. Their gratitude was eternal (in a very encompassing fashion from what Mankar was able to determine) and they wished to grant the humans a boon.

Mankar thought on this and finally said, "Rather than some material or fleeting thing, I prefer the friendship of the Dragonewts and the future Eternal King. Perhaps, someday, may we call on your assistance or you ours?"

The Dragonewt seemed surprised at this request but merely indicated that it would teach those blessed with the dragontongue a dance to call for them.

Mankar suspected that more cabbages would be sacrified in such an instance but that was a small price to pay!

(End of Sacred Time)

Two weeks later, after the usual Sacred Time rituals, all the heroes became initiates of their cults having proven worthy over the past year!