…and things go surprisingly well
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Sister Bomia’s Adventure Diary #21
We Make New Friends
Foxday 1, Sun God Month, Year 25 of the Golden Emperor
Dear Diary,
Well, today was a very interesting day. Yesterday evening, we made it to as high as one can go on horseback, or probably on foot, to be honest. The high, craggy, and rocky peaks of these mountains towered only a few hundred feet above us. Looking east, we could not see much due to clouds and the rapidly dying light. There was snow everywhere and the wind was constant. We were resigned to spending the night, horses included, in a Comfy Hut that Olivia would conjure up. Note that I said Comfy, not Roomy.
But then we got visitors. Diary, I have written in the past about the Yetty of the White Peaks. Huge and horrid creatures that love to eat almost anything they can catch. They are all white furred and that makes them splendid ambush hunters in those peaks.
These new creatures somewhat resemble the Yetty, but are only about 4 feet tall and much more slender and graceful. They also did not seem vicious or carnivorous. In fact, they were very curious about us, although when Olivia spoke to them after casting a Translate spell, some of them did retreat in shock.
They are the Calanoy, and they have always lived up here in the high mountains where few predators come. They live in caves, which they offered to let us stay in if they could ask us questions. We all agreed that a nice cave would beat a Comfy Hut, so we went with them.
The cave entrance we went through was wide and tall enough for the horses, and it went back about 100 feet. At that point, it ended in a much larger cave that had a few tunnels leading off of it. There was a large fire going in the center that kept the temperature probably 10 degrees above freezing, which meant it was probably 50 degrees warmer than outside in the dark.
We tied up out horses after feeding and brushing them. I called upon the Mother Goddess to keep them warm and the air around them went up a good 50 degrees. Then we made up our beds and began getting our dinner out of our bags.
The Calanoy asked us many questions, from why we were up so high in the mountains to what exactly our horses were. The questions continued for nearly two more hours, until the Head Woman called it a night. We fell asleep quickly and our comfort enchanted bedding kept us nice and warm.
We awoke in the morning to the smell of cooking meat. The Calanoy are mostly meat eaters and hunters, so they have plenty of meat frozen for the harsher months. They also had a great many berries and starchy roots, all of which they offered us and we ate with the meat. In turn, we offered them smoked sausages and dried fruit, which they loved.
The rest of the day found us getting a guided tour of their little cavern world. The whole tribe lives together with not much care toward privacy or ownership of things. Everyone tends to the chores of daily life by doing what needs to be done, including taking care of children. It’s a lifestyle that many societies might do well to copy.
When evening came, we served up dinner to the Calanoy. I made sure to bless the food so that our food would not upset their tummies. They really enjoyed the meal. After that, they sang for us. Their voices are rather high pitched, but quite pleasant. When they were done, we sang for them. They seemed to particularly like Grettin’s Dwarvish work songs and Amella’s little ditties about people getting up to mischief. Once the singing was done, we all went to bed.
It is now about an hour after breakfast and we will be leaving soon. The Calanoy hunters will show us the way to a trail that leads down to the treeline. I must say, Diary, that I have really enjoyed our time with these little people. I will miss their gentle ways.
Sister Bomia Evarain
The Dociverse Blog 