[MAR - CH2] The Dark Mother

[Khorne]

Lorenzo opened the envelope he had been handed. The letter it contained had been intercepted by spies working for the Riverlands Trade League and was given to him by Rip Ravenclaw, seemingly as a business gesture even though Lorenzo knew the Trade League only did it as a throwaway courtesy from which they had nothing to lose. If it contained truly sensitive information, he would've never received it in the first place.

Nevertheless, it did pique his interest as it supposedly pertained to the situation in Terra Pontilla, a region south of Oléon that had been officially annexed by the kingdom in the wake of the Long War. Since Mardier held good relations with Oléon, it was a region several Mardierian entrepreneurs were keen to exploit as well - perhaps in tandem with Oléonder partners. To many however, it was a region of mystery and intrigue as very little news of the place ever reached the far-eastern shores of Mardier.

Lupito poured himself a glass of the finest Namereen wine, spun the glass in his hand and took a sip as he started to read.

"Dear Father

I hope you are doing well in our great Raven City. I write to inform you of our business venture in faraway Pontilla. I have secured contact with our clients, despite the fast deteriorating weather and traveling conditions due to the onset of winter. We have taken up camp in the region of Tenebriya and are planning sorties together with the locals, to deal with the Whitecloak infestation.

Words can hardly describe this place. Tenebriya is almost completely covered in forest, so ancient that the air is thick to breathe and its canopy filters out most sunlight, even now with many trees bare due to the cold. I can imagine some haughty Namereen or Mardierian might find this place hellish: bereft of sun and infamous for its fens and cold mountains."

Lorenzo scoffed audibly at the last sentence, despite no one being around in his quarters to hear his reaction.

"The Pontillans that live here seem to be of a somewhat different breed or stock than those I met across the mountains, closer to the sea. As the Darkwood is only sparsely populated, the people of the villages and towns form a tight-knit community and are wary of outsiders. No wonder that a strong anti-Oléonder sentiment is to be found here.

It is almost amusing, that despite the distance I almost feel some kinship to these people in a way. These Pontillans are very candid and sometimes dour, perhaps due to the lack of light or the long winters. They can even seem morbid at times. While most of the Pontillans seem to worship Taulis, the Eternal Sky and patron of their nation, in the Darkwood it is Velyka that is most worshipped. The Dark Mother as she is affectionately called here. From what I understand, she is a multi-faceted goddess with many fascinating myths told about her. It is said she guides lost travelers through the Darkwood with her lantern, just like she guides the dead to the afterlife. She is the patroness of Death, but also of magic and rivers - perhaps similar to our Wotan. Her lantern is said to contain Sky Essence, a gift by Taulis which she uses to control the winds and weather.

While the Oléonders mostly contempt the Pontillan pantheon, they vehemently loathe Velyka and everything she stands for, declaring all worshippers as witches and heretics. I believe their strong reaction veils their fear of the goddess. They have rounded up several women in the villages and claimed they were solomonari, weather-witches or necromancers who purposely changed the weather for worse in order to impede military actions and who apparently raised the dead in order to fight again.

While I believe this is nonsense, it is a fear the Pontillan rebel groups in Tenebriya make good use of. I have heard reports of Order patrols that were seemingly ambushed by ghosts or "raised dead men", which in reality are just locals who know their way around the forest better than the invaders and paint their faces with skulls in order to scare the soldiers. A great tactic I admittedly have adapted as my own, I must say.

A recent example was a typical one: a small group of Knights of Poseidon were sent out to take down one of Velyka's idols - as you tend to find a lot of in the Darkwood. As they were pulling down the wooden statue, arrows were launched at the group out of seemingly nowhere. Before the soldiers knew what happened, the attack was over and more than half of their men were dead or wounded. Not even the words of their priest was able to help them. Events as these only fuel the superstition around these parts.

I can hardly wait to help do my part come spring. I will secure the honour and interests of our family.

Best,

Menno"

Lorenzo put down the letter and wasn't sure what to think. It didn't really contain anything useful for him business-wise. On the contrary, the situation on the ground seemed a lot more volatile than he imagined or had hoped for - or even what most people in Mardier were aware of.

He would need to discuss a further course of action with his father, as a venture into Pontilla would be a lot more risky and thus more costly than anticipated, maybe not even worth the trouble.

 

-----

All in all not too complex of a build, but I think I redid the base tens of times. I just couldn't find the shape or color combination I wanted. In the end I found the color combo, but I ran out of useful dark green plates to make the shape more interesting. I was aiming for something more interesting akin to this one from @Ayrlego, but had to settle with something a bit more rectangular. I found it surpringly difficult to create an "interesting" forest floor as well. I'll have to invest in more dark green plants and pieces I think, if I want to revisit the locale in the future.

I'm very happy with the statue and the trees though . Thanks for the input there.

[NOD]

This is a very interesting, unexpected and exciting continuation of the story. Lorenzo, the son of a "merchant dynasty", who offer diving lessons in addition to their main activities. Lorenzo Luppino is an illegitimate son and the outsider in the family.

 

I read your story and see your build, it doesn't fit together. What we see has nothing to do with the letter Lorenzo read. I see that a tree is being felled at Lorezo's hip height. When the tree falls, a ghost appears in the upper half. Excellent construction and special effects. What is the story behind the build?

 

Thoughts:

By name, Lorenzo was a Luppino. But he never felt comfortable or like he belonged to the family. As I understand it, there is currently The Kingdom of Mardier, The Kingdom of Oléon, Terra Pontilla a region south of Oléon (Riverlands Trade League) and the Luppino dynasty. In my opinion, Lorenzo does not have good prospects in the Luppino dynasty. What if his father is no longer alive, will he still get a diving lesson?

The links in the story are very good; additionally, a list of links to the previous stories would be helpful. This would make the continuing story easier to understand.

 

 

Edited December 30, 2025 by NOD