Tiding 17: Clean Slate

## Content Warnings

Terminal illness, death, bugs

*"I remember thinking, 'This place seems alright'. In my head, Eulogy was all kinds of grim and bleak, and... I couldn't have imagined a worse place to wait this out. But then we got here, and... everything was... more pleasant than I'd dreamed."*

 *Show more/less*

 *We spent time going on walks, Alison and I, looking out for the critters that'd hid in the vines. Sometimes we'd spot them gathering food on the paths. We saw a Shukka, or dust rat, gnawing on an acorn or seed. We spent time getting to know these neighbours; learned the right names to call them by. Back in Atropa I'd raised horses, mainly for the nobles wishing to race them, and I took up the same here, only with the Occant. I reckoned it'd go alright to train them the same way I did stallions and mares, but they have a whole different nature of their own. I had to learn some new tricks. And Alison, well, they kept up their art for as long as they could. Built them a space out back where they could spend the day working on their sculptures. I remember we put in a window facing the sun, and they loved to feel its warmth on them while they worked. I never thought that I’d be able to think of this place as a home, and it wasn’t half bad for a while. But life being the way it is, the things we were running from caught up with us. And now, as I find myself wanting desperately to forget and to leave this place behind, I find myself weighed down – as if by stone.*"

―The memories of Tiller Bract, recorded by The Distractible Sepult Carus

## Summary

The camping group find shelter in the house of Tiller Bract, a rancher living near Eulogy. For the first time in a long while they are well-fed and rested.
However, like leaves in the gutter, gloom and memory weigh down this house. Sensing something strange, the group attempt to investigate the farm and their forgetful host.
Bris investigates, Venz takes it all in, Challa discovers strange animals and Belka learns about omelettes.

## Synopsis

Tiller Bract invites the group into the house for some food. Challa immediately enquires about an animal standing outside like a cow-sized woodlouse, which turns out to be a gentle Myaril; she goes over with Tiller to hug her. The myaril chitters and squeals in excitement, and Challa offers to help feed the animals later. Bris scouts the area, trying and failing to get Korrin to be careful with the animals (Belka actively carries Korrin over to the Myaril to pat her). Venz watches for a while, enjoying being around the animals, and also keeping an eye on Challa.

Eventually Venz goes inside and the others follow, noticing that the homely space looks less-well tended to and dustier than it should be, and strangely with small rectangles where there is less dust. At the back of the house is a door that looks like it hasn't been opened in a long time. Tiller offers them drinks and produces some dried bisher seedpods while Challa helps get water from outside; they then boil the seeds in the pan.

Venz asks them if they live here alone, and they say they do. Venz notices that although they seem at ease and enjoying the hospitality, they also seem a bit confused and slow at times in a way that seems off. Tiller offers them an omelette, and Challa explains to Belka what an 'omelette' is. Belka encourages Challa to go and help (distract) Tiller in the kitchen so they can nosey around the house, but at the last minute Tiller gets Belka to help too, thwarting them (but also teaching Belka how to make omelette). The eggs are from the Myaril rather than chickens.

Once Bris is sure everyone else is inside, she scouts the perimeter, noting that the paths around the farmstead are well-worn and surfaced - particularly towards Eulogy. Bris checks out the outbuildings: the barn seems normal enough (apart from the stones at the base), but the overgrown building's doors are chained shut and it looks like it's being actively reclaimed by vines. The brickwork at the bottom of the buildings on closer inspection looks like the buildings are gradually turning to brick rather than them being put there deliberately. It reminds Bris of a folk tale about someone trying to climb Carn Vers and visit Duier. As they climb, their grief gets heavier and weighs them down, eventually they lie down and sink partway into the earth, turning to stone. Inside the building are several abandoned pictures, canvases, statues and sculptures.
Bris gets the slightest sense that the group is being followed, and heads inside to check on the others.

Back inside, everyone is sat around the table. Tiller asks why the group is travelling to Eulogy, and Venz explains that the group are refugees due to a new Remnant inhabiting The Sharrow; and that they are hoping to find knowledge in the libraries of Eulogy with the help of the monks there. Tiller scoffs at this, explaining that the monks are really only interested in taking knowledge rather than disseminating.

Bris enters, grabs a plate, looks at the un-dusty rectangles on the walls from where canvases have clearly been removed, and bluntly asks Tiller about it. Tiller looks around, notices the bare patches as if for the first time, and becomes confused. When asked, they say they've lived there for around a decade. Bris is suspicious, but it seems less that Tiller is lying, and more that they don't know the truth themself. When out in the shed, it was clear that Tiller at one pint lived with another person here, but that their memories of that person were no longer there.

As soon as Tiller leaves the room, Bris explains what she found in the outbuildings, and her suspicions that Tiller lost someone and has subsequently forgotten about them. Venz wonders if Tiller willingly gave up their memories as a way to deal with their grief, as some people might choose to do; but Bris thinks that maybe the memories were taken by the monks without consent. It's unclear whether the monks (in either case) are taking memories as tribute to Duier or for their own purposes, but she becomes worried that she might lose her memories of Aya and Issin whilst in Cenja. Korrin looks scared and uncomfortable at the conversation, and Bris reassures him that they won't forget. Belka hands knotted string and feathers to Korrin, pointing out how each feather represents his parents, the village, and himself - it will remember for him, just in case.

As Challa and Tiller prepare to put the animals in the barn, Tiller remarks that for some reason it's become cold around the farm. Venz, suspecting it might have something to do with Strael and Challa, hastily offers to help herd the animals too. Korrin and Belka join them too, leaving Bris alone.

Tiller asks Belka where they're from, since their accent is different. Belka says they're from Ur-Taal, far to the north. Tiller says they're from Atropa in Irravence. They say they would have stayed there if it weren't for... they trail off, and forget what the conversation was about.

Back in the house once the animals are in the barn, Tiller finds everyone blankets to sleep under. Bris takes Korrin on a short walk around the farm, showing him trees and struggling to find the thing she wants to tell him. She says that although she and Aya didn't get on, she misses her; and that she is available should Korrin want to talk about her. Korrin just looks faintly embarrassed and uncertain.

Once everyone is asleep, Belka examines the house (wrapping their blanket around their horns), making a story net around the house to understand what happened here.
*Tiller arriving with another person, Alison Bract... Tiller and Alison clearing the land, building the houses and outbuildings, and planting the orchard... Alison spending days in the workshop, creating art based on both the landscape around them, and of Tiller... Alison giving Tiller a bust of themself on Tiller's birthday... Alison's sickness, minor attacks and coughing fits at first, fatigue and days in bed as the sickness spreads through their body and the house... The moment of Alison's death and Tiller's grief... Tiller's decision to go to the monks of Eulogy and give up their memories to ease their grief... Five subsequent years of faded grief and vague confusion... And finally, most recently, monks arriving at the house flanked by uniformed soldiers every month, then every week, trying to convince tiller to forget more.*

These soldiers knock on the door.

## Quotes

**Belka**: "I would love the hot flat egg."

―*Belka wants omelette*

**Tiller Bract**: "The libraries? What do you want there?"
**Venz**: "Well perhaps the monks can guide us to some information; something that can help us."
**Tiller (scoffing)**: "Hah! Ah. I wouldn't hold up much hope for that."
**Venz**: "How do you mean?"
**Tiller**: "Well... They're not really ones for sharing knowledge."
**Venz**: "How about trading knowledge?"
**Tiller**: "I wish you the best of luck, my friend, but... as far as I know, the monks... they're really only interested in taking."

―*Tiller questions the group's hopes for Eulogy*
## Game Mechanics

* Bris rolls 6 in Peaceful with Guardian to get Korrin to be careful around the big animals. Fail (mark XP)
* Venz rolls 7 in Peaceful with Read A Person to see what Tiller is holding back. *What are they feeling right now?*
* Belka rolls 4 in Joyful with Pay Attention to the World Around You to snoop around Tiller's house. Fail (mark XP)
* Bris rolls 10 in Peaceful with Pay Attention to the World Around You to snoop around Tiller's farmstead. *What is the most dangerous thing here? What, if anything, doesn't belong here? What beliefs and superstitions exist about this?*
* Challa rolls 4 in Peaceful with Read A Person to see if there is more under the surface of what Tiller is saying. Challa is Spiked in Scared, so rolls at a -2, clearing that Spike, but becoming Spiked in Peaceful instead. Fail (mark 2 XP: 1 for failing, one for spiking)
* Bris rolls 5 in Powerful with Read a Person to see what's going on with Tiller. Challa spends two Bonds on Bris to assist, bringing the roll to 7. *Are they telling the truth*
* Belka rolls 4 in Peaceful with These Objects Hold Stories to snoop around the house. Fail (Mark XP). *What is its history*

## Plot Notes

* The monks mentioned in this episode refer to those of The Revenant Chorus, and order of The Adherents of What Remains.
* The library mentioned is The Helctic Library in Eulogy

**Warning! There may be spoilers ahead!**

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