Sig -When we set out for Sidhe Lara weeks ago we knew that we were getting in over our heads. Just how deep we jumped in was finally made clear during our return trip from Dowery. Not only was the water of inexperience crushing deep, but we had overconfidence tied to our feet like great stones. When the orc raiding party turned on us, Raenir failed to surface and Danin was a moment’s notice away from joining him in death’s crushing grip. Luck, time, a handful of arrows and lead balls were the saving graces that kept more of us from joining them.
We were able to recover Raenir’s body after the skirmish but the thought of returning him to Hlofreden and to his family, estranged as they may be, was crushing. Somehow, I felt responsible for Raenir and what had happened to him. Everything had happened in a flash, but maybe if I had more time I would have been able to do something and save his life. I know that it would have been impossible; the wagon had moved too far, the half-orc on the wagon was holding me at bay, and the handful of orcs closing on the wagon were too much for me to overcome. I know there was nothing I could have done but I keep replaying the events trying to reason a way to save him.
The following morning at Kellas House, E'sVa'tou offered reprieve to the weight I had saddled upon my shoulders. A magic ring and few whispered words gave Raenir a chance to speak for himself from beyond the grave and when she offered him the gift of life in exchange for the price of an unnamed future favor, he accepted. I felt relief, but at the same time I can’t help but wonder if I’ve condemned him to a darker fate. Raenir seems content with his decision and seems to view E'sVa'tou as an ally but I fear she sees him as a pawn in a greater game rather than an ally. She has a string attached to the rest of us as well now, through Raenir. Hopefully she views him, and us, as pawns worth keeping and not ones to sacrifice in her game.
