Starting the Rite
Circus Spectaculum 5
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Dale and Moz prepared to depart on their journey to test their maturity and mettle. Both were excited but Moz was a little disappointed that they were directed to head in the opposite direction (south and west) of the frontiers (north and east) that he dreamed of visiting.
The young men had been secretly practicing archery with makeshift bows and arrows to get a jump on one of their goals, and were eager to get their hands on some proper weapons.
Confident of their second goal, to find at least one battleaxe, they were not optimistic about a third goal of finding a shaman. Their intentions not to include the third goal was foiled by the chieftain’s decision.
The night before departure there was a celebratory feast and many tribal elders gave the young men words of advice along with their farewells. A few spare coins were also pressed into their palms just in case.
What wasn’t shared was the reason for the chieftain being very specific on the direction they should take. Rumors of castle Telius being haunted by evil spirits were told to the chieftain, and no one else, by wounded warriors passing through on their way home. Talk of the dead rising at night and attacking the castle and anything living was consistent enough for the chieftain to take precautions.
Dale and Moz headed southwest at first light and eventually parallelled the road. There were a few riders but no one they wanted to have contact with. Their first objective was to make it to the trading outpost to see what might be for sale that could help them on their trek. It was a bit of a shortcut for the traditional Rite but this was an unusual situation in an unusual time.
They arrived first thing the next morning after camping overnight in the forest. The trading post amazed Moz. It was his first trip and he didn’t know what to expect. Weapons lined on a wall of the trading post and featured some well-made bows.
Dale, more accustomed to the concepts of shops, went to speak with the proprietor. He asked about the bows first and learned they could, with the coins they had, probably afford one nice bow or two older bows. Dale next asked about a battleaxe and the proprietor gently suggested such a weapon would be too expensive for young men such as him. Undeterred, Dale asked if there was any work they could do, but was informed that business was slow.
Dale went over and explained the choice about the bows to Moz. They decided on the two older bows so they could practice together. They made their purchase and received a bundle each of arrows used for target practice. As good a deal as they could have hoped for.
As they were leaving the trading outpost, Dale asked the proprietor if there was a known shaman in the area. Dale and Moz were surprised to hear there was a shaman living somewhere in the woods but the proprietor didn’t know where.
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