The Two That Came To Ilarnek

Chapter 3

Four riders on sleek steppe horses, crossed the wide plain toward Ilarnek at a leisurely pace. Two of the riders were the tall Thuleans; tawny-haired Grimm and raven-tressed Freyja, the third was the stout bearded man Marus, the captain of Abrim the merchant's personal guard. With them also was Tulo the Silent, one of Marus's trusted men, a man of few words, but a stolid fighter, despite his youth. All four wore long woolen cloaks to conceal the swords which they carried.
Marus spoke to them reviewing the plan in detail. Marus was a forthright man of honest nature who spoke plainly and gave details that neither Abrim nor his wizard, Katemperos-Tsa, were inclined to divulge. But even honest Marus was constrained to keep certain things to himself, at least for the time being.
"The city of Ilarnek was once little more than a small hamlet built on the loop of the river Ai that sits nearest to Lake Thune, but with the ages the land changed, as land does, and Thune became part of the Scythian Sea. The men of Mnar still refer to Thune as a lake, when they speak of it, but as you well know, it is now a finger of the Scythian Sea. Ilarnek grew into a sprawling metropolis until it reached the very shores of Thune, and the Ilarnekites built a port there. With the opening of Thune to the sea there came trade and Ilarnek prospered greatly, but with trade also came occasional sea raids by pirates. Ilarnek has never been attacked by land since the time of Sarnath's storied fall, and so Illarnek's battlements face the sea where they could defend the city from occasional assault with her catapults and trebuchets," explained Marus his hand sweeping toward the city before him.
Keen-eyed Grimm shaded his eyes and peered at the distant city, spying a balustraded promontory, and the everready artillery that was perched atop. He saw also that the portions of the city nearer the river looked rundown, and were not within the city's wall. Marus seemed to know what it was Grimm was straining his eyes at, and motioned to Freyja in the direction of Ilarnek's poorer tenements.
"There are ways, known to only a few, which lead outside of the walls and into the more disreputable quarter," said Marus.
"You have been to Ilarnek before?" inquired Freyja.
"Yes, on occasion. I do not know her secret ways, but I know those who do. While you two enter the temple of Bokrug, I will be trying to contact them, and convince them to lead us to safety," replied the stocky captain.
"But who are these people, and what makes you so sure they will give up these secrets?" asked Grimm.
"They are priests of the outlawed god Lobon. I am known to them, and I believe they will have reason to do as I ask," was Marus's simple reply. Freyja raised a sharply arched eyebrow as she noted a cryptic look upon the man's face, and wondered if he was holding something back. She considered pressing him for more details, but instead, shrugged it off with the characteristic fatalism of a Thulean.
"And so we have little option but to prance right through the maingate, I suppose," remarked Grimm with a hint of glumness.
"Tonight is the Festival of Bokrug, people from all across Mnar will be riding to the city,"with that he pointed to several distant groups of pilgrims and small caravan trains just becoming visible in the distance, all of them converging upon the city. "If you keep your hoods over those lion's manes, we should have little trouble entering Ilarnek."
"Tell us more of this Festival," said Grimm.
"And of Lobon," added Freyja, quickly, a subtle taunting tone painting her husky voice. She couldn't shake the feeling Marus was not being wholly forthcoming. Marus was not entirely perturbed, and sensing her suspicions, shot her a sidelong glance and a wry crooked smile.
"The Festival of Bokrug is the chief feast day throughout Mnar. It is a three day festival and religious holiday, held only when the stars are in their proper place, and the gibbous moon falls upon the Spring Equinox. It is a time when the celestial forces are considered favorable to Bokrug.
"When Sarnath fell, the cult of Bokrug grew to prominence. Most of the other cults fell out of favor, and a few, those deemed enemies of Bokrug, were suppressed and outlawed. Chief amongst the enemies of Bokrug is Lobon, god of warriors and of youth.
"Bokrug is an Old One, one of the gods said to have come from Outside, before even the first men walked the earth. But Lobon is one of Earth's native gods, and in the ages before man, the Old Ones and Earth's gods made war upon each other. It is said that long ago powerful beings, about which little is known, came to the aid of Earth's native gods, and the Old Ones were imprisoned under the earth or beneath the waves in a deathlike slumber. One day, when the stars are right, the Old Ones will awaken. But even now, at certain times, with the aid of certain rites, the Old Ones can act in small ways upon the earth. The time of the Festival is such a day," Marus explained, turning to search the eyes of his companions.
"It is time for me to ride to the shelter of the cedars, yonder," spoke Tulo, who had been silent for most of the ride. Marus merely nodded, and three of the riders dismounted. Tulo the Silent reined his horse toward the thicket of cedar trees that rose up near the banks of the Ai, the other horses in tow.
The three remaining companions continued on foot, finalizing their plans.