Date: Friday, April 27, 2001 9:34 PM Subject: Scene at Dalmar's Hill

The party has been given two weeks off from classes and Guild duties.

At Mira's request, any interested party members may join her for a brief ceremony. The participants climb to the top of Dalmar's Hill, the place where the Couriers were ambushed by a Wraith riding a Nightmare.

Stephen is there, as is Raven and any of the other players who would like to show their support.

Mira describes what took place here, and how -- when her death was coming to take her, as she almost surrendered in a way that no warrior of her tribe ever would -- her valiant Ledi bore her away from this place.

The party says their separate prayers for the souls of the two Apprentices who lost their lives to the Wraith... a Ranger named Tolwin and an Elvish Archer named Linifar. Mira makes a loud speech and describes how the undead army was utterly destroyed, and tells the ghosts of the two therefore not to remain to seek vengence. She begs their forgiveness for not being able to save them when the wraith attacked, and asks them to bless her in her good fortune. She alternatingly admonishes and cajoles them to move on to the Afterlife, and not to haunt the living.

Afterwards, Mira and Raven say blessings for the dead horses... Mira urges them to join the Herd of the Horse Goddess, and not remain in this place.

Then Mira leads the party along the route she took fleeing the Wraith and Nightmare. Near a small copse of trees a few hundred yards from the city she stops in front of a large pile of stacked wood. In the far east the barbarian kings were once cremated in such piles, with treasures and food, wine and treasured horses and dogs arrayed around them on their pyre. This time there is no king, just a single body of a horse. Instead of wine and spices, there are bags of oats and dried apples.

Ledi's spirit has long fled this place -- returned to the Herd by the Peaceful Cut and Mira's prayers. Now her remains are made incorruptible by the purifying flames, and her ashes are drawn away by Father Wind.

It is the custom of Mira's people to acknowledge bravery, so as the fires burns and then smolders she tells the story of Ledi, how she came to receive her as a child, and all the stories of their adventures together, and how she so bravely met her end. The Stephen sings a song about the Sea of Grass, and how the wild horses there move like a great ocean wave upon the land. Raven sings an odd song in a strange language, accompanied only by the beating of her hand drum. The others tell stories of courage about animals and people. This continues long past the setting of the moon and the rising of the sun -- until the funeral pyre is nothing but steaming coals. Someone moves to smolder the ashes, but Mira stops them. The fire must be allowed to go out on its own. It is late in the day when the party finally returns to the Guild.

KtG