In the wake of the victory against the Protectors, Grettir has a party to celebrate his 40th birthday. Amongst the guests is Styrbjorn.
Styrbjorn is philosophical about the death of Ironbar and basically says that he met the death that he would have wanted. However, he is less philosophical about another matter. Grettir recalls noting a distinct resemblence between Styrbjorn and Valaka, the panther woman imprisoned in the Spire in the midst of a mighty river in the far South (E-2). Using the “porno-cube” he shows Styrbjorn the remembered image of the woman.
“WHO HAS IMPRISONED MY SISTER?” responds the Bear-man as soon as he sees the image. Grettir suppresses the urge to point out that they can’t have been that close if he hasn’t noticed that she hasn’t been around for the last 1900 years – but some families are like that. Paradoxides offers to transport them all to the Spire. It is a difficult teleport – there is something about Styrbjorn that he takes a lot of power to shift – beyond his already considerable bulk – but they arrive.
Paradoxides opens the magical door into the tower and a touching reunion takes place between the two ancient chthonic powers. However, Valaka is in a cage wrought of a strange metal that seems inimical to both her and to Styrbjorn and proof against the magicks of Paradoxides. They look at Grettir. He has a bad feeling about this but it is beyond doubt that he is deeply in Styrbjorn’s debt. Grettir puts forth his strength and by sheer physical effort he pulls apart the bars of the cage and frees Valaka.
Valakar had been imprisoned for 1900 years. She was once Queen of an Empire based around Basi. She intended to be so again and said so as soon as she was free. She would not be dissuaded from a return to the island in all her majesty. The best Grettir could negotiate for the hapless inhabitants of Basi was a stay of grace until the next full moon (about 26 days) and the offer of mercy to those who welcomed her on her return. She offered first Grettir and then Paradoxides the post of Satrap of Basi, or indeed anything else in her power to give. They turned down all reward in return for an extremely risky visit to Basi to break the happy tidings to the Black Company, the guardians of Basi.
The Black Company took the news really very well under the circumstances. There was a conversation something along the lines of:
Grettir: Hi, I’ve got a rather important message for you.
Black Company: Aren’t you that Grettir we expelled for dicking with forvalaka and who we forbade ever to return?
Grettir: Well, yes.
Black Company: Well what do you want?
Grettir: I’ve, freed Valaka.
Black Company: Why did you do that?
Grettir: It just seemed like a good idea at the time.
Black Company: Did you know she’s the evil witch queen of ancient legend?
Grettir: Is she?
Black Company: Did you know it took the Empire a long and bloody war to put her there?
Grettir: Err. Well not exactly.
Black Company: So what’s the message?
Grettir: Expect her back on the night of the full moon. Resistance is futile.
Black Company: We have 150,000 people on the island, boats for 5,000 and 24 days to evacuate.
Grettir: You could welcome her back.
Black Company: Do you know what the forvalaka do?
Grettir: Well I expect I can guess. But it might not be as bad as all that.
Black Company: Can you think of any good reason why we don’t put you into the pit with them?
Grettir: How would that help? Listen, I think I have an idea. I just need to speak to my friends over there, just outside the city gate.
Grettir’s swift exit was rather marred when Paradoxides’ teleport took the magician and Styrbjorn but left Grettir behind. By the time Paradoxides returned it was plain that the Black Company had come to the realisation that the only way to make themselves feel better about their impending doom was to share it with Grettir. About a score of them started to close in. One of them dodged in and blew Yellow Lotus Dust into Paradoxides’ face, causing him to fall into a deep sleep. Grettir slung him over his shoulder and ran.
There was a chap sitting near the town gate quietly eating his lunch, with his mule munching grass nearby. Grettir grabbed the mule, slung the wizard over its back and leapt up behind, kicking it to an amble. Thus they could just about stay ahead of the pursuing light infantry. The flying magician was another matter. Fortunately that was one tough mule. By the time that it had absorbed one magic missile too many they were clear of the infantry. Grettir contrived to kick Paradoxides into some semblance of consciousness. He managed to cast a fly spell and wobble to a patch of jungle where they lay low until he was able to recover sufficiently to get them home.
F-3
OE Date: mid-February 692
Characters: Grettir, Paradoxides NPCs: Styrbjorn, Valakar, The Black Company
Real World: 1st March 1999 ; Where – Surbiton?
See also Salrod’s Diaries