Bell Digest v940828p3

From: RuneQuest-Request@Glorantha.Holland.Sun.COM (RQ Digest Maintainer)
To: RuneQuest@Glorantha.Holland.Sun.COM (Daily automated RQ-Digest)
Reply-To: RuneQuest@Glorantha.Holland.Sun.COM (RuneQuest Daily)
Subject: RuneQuest Daily, Sun, 28 Aug 1994, part 3
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From: igorlick@bnr.ca (ian i. gorlick)
Subject: Vinga and The Cloak of Snakes
Message-ID: <_28624_Sat_Aug_27_12:47:53_1994_@bnr.ca>
Date: 27 Aug 94 08:46:00 GMT
X-RQ-ID: 5910

(Alison Place here, not Ian Gorlick)

     I just received my RQ-Con Compendium today, and have read it from 
front to back.  Yes, people should definitely shell out the $15 to 
purchase one.  I only regret that I didn't ask David to put his 
autograph in it.  I did notice that sometimes a character or two at the 
end of a row would be omitted.  One of those affected was my story on 
Vinga.  With David's previously granted permission, I am sticking it in 
the Daily.  I welcome comments on it.

Vinga and the Cloak of Snakes
-----------------------------

During the Greater Darkness, while Orlanth was absent upon the 
Lightbringer's Quest, Elmal acted as steward in his stead.  Chaos had 
pressed the Air Tribe fiercely, and even untried warriors had been 
needed to fill the spaces in the ranks.  Vinga Orlanthsdottir had asked 
Elmal for a warrior's task, but had only been sent on patrols and had 
not seen battle yet.  Returning from such a patrol, Vinga came to her 
mother's tent to find Ernalda clasping Voria in her arms, and both 
weeping bitterly.

"O my mother and my sister, what is the matter?" cried Vinga, as she 
knelt to hold her sister, Voria.  Voria raised her head from her 
mother's lap, but all she could say was "Barntar", before her weeping 
began afresh.  "Yes," said Ernalda, "Thy brother Barntar was captured 
while on scout across the Black Eel River, by Ragnaglar the Cruel.  
Ragnaglar has sent word that he intends to kill Barntar in a hideous 
way, to avenge himself on thy father, Orlanth."

"If that is so," demanded Vinga, "what is being done?  For I have just 
walked through the camp, and there are none arming themselves to rescue 
my brother!"  "No," replied Ernalda, "for to attack the camp of 
Ragnaglar would serve for nothing, except perhaps to cause him to 
execute my son quickly.  That, while it would be a great mercy for 
Barntar, would be bought at the cost of many lives, and the price is too 
great.  So Elmal and I have both agreed."

"Yet, I cannot let my brother die without any attempt to save him." said 
Vinga.  "Perhaps there is another way.  Will you aid me, mother?".  
Trusting in her daughter, Ernalda assented, and asked in what way she 
could assist.  "Summon to you, my mother, thy little daughters, the 
members of the viper tribe.  Let them weave for me a cloak, that all may 
know that I am Vinga Ernaldasdottir."  

As Ernalda called, the serpents came, smooth-sliding, ground-gliding, 
glistening in the torchlight.  Vinga knelt, and they twined up her arms 
and down her back, the asp and the adder, the copperhead and 
cottonmouth, the rattlesnakes and the krait, many-banded.  Last came the 
coral snake, to clasp the cloak as a living jewel, and the cobra, who 
spread her hood for the first time, to shield the red hair of Vinga from 
the sight of all.  

Vinga stood, and received her mother's blessing.  Then the three 
embraced, and exchanged the kiss of kin. Vinga slipped quietly out of 
the camp and into the darkness.

She moved silently and swiftly towards the Black Eel river beyond which 
lay the camp of Ragnaglar.  At the shore of the river, she knelt again.  
"O daughter of our mother," whispered the serpents, "what would you have 
us do?"  "Make for me a coracle," said Vinga, "so that I may cross to 
the other side."  Quietly they slipped off her back, and wove themselves 
into a little boat.  Vinga stepped inside, and drew her sword to scull 
across.  There she dried her blade and sheathed it, and once again the 
snakes ascended her arms and cloaked her.  

As she came nigh the camp of Ragnaglar, the guards saw her, and would 
have laid hands on her, but the very air around her hissed, and they saw 
that it would be death to touch her.

"Take me to Ragnaglar," she said, "for I would speak with him regarding 
my brother."  Reluctantly they brought her to where he was holding court 
in a great tent.  His soldiers gave way before the threat of her cloak, 
and Vinga stood before him.  There the cobra folded her hood, and Vinga 
shook loose her red hair.  "Who are you, and what are you doing here?" 
demanded Ragnaglar, his lust stirring at the sight of her.  "I am Vinga 
Ernaldasdottir.  I have come to ransom my brother's life with my own." 
she replied.  "You are Vinga Orlanthsdottir, and you are both fair and 
foolish.  Why should I give back your brother, when you have come to my 
hand of your own will?  No.  I shall kill him, and keep you for my 
pleasure, and thus shall I be doubly revenged upon your father."

At this, Vinga buried her head in her hands, and sobbed.  "Oh, oh, you 
are right, I have been a fool to think that I could save my brother 
thus.  One thing only, then, do I ask of you.  Let my brother not see my 
shame and folly."  Ragnaglar the Spiteful heard this, and called for 
Barntar to be brought before him then and there.  When Barntar, bound 
with strong cords, was brought to the tent, he cried aloud with grief at 
seeing his sister there also.  Vinga ran to his side, and as she 
embraced him she whispered in his ear, "As you love our lives, make it 
your last request to see me dance one more time."

"It is time for you to die," said Ragnaglar, "and I thought that your 
sister would like to watch."  "I can do nothing to stop you," replied 
Barntar, "but if you would grant a last request, I beg you to let me see 
my sister dance one more time before I die."  At this, Ragnaglar paused, 
and thought of how exciting a woman could be when she danced.  Seeing 
that he agreed, Vinga removed her boots, and called for another sword 
beside her own to form the cross for the sword dance.  For the sword 
dance had been taught to her by her father and brother, and it was this 
dance at which she was best.  

Then she stepped to the swords, and began to dance.  She danced slowly 
at first, as if afraid that bare foot would meet bare blade, and then 
her bright blood would flow.  Gradually, the rhythm of her steps 
increased, and as she danced the rattles that fringed her cloak kept the 
beat.  As she danced, she whirled, holding the edges of her cloak in her 
hands, and the scales of the serpent cloak glinted red and silver, green 
and gold in the torchlight.  Faster and faster she danced, until her 
feet were a blur above the blades, and the rattles buzzed without 
ceasing. The cloak lifted as she spun till it was as high as her 
shoulders and her lissome body was exposed to the lustful gaze of 
Ragnaglar.  When it seemed that she could dance no faster, she cried 
out, "Fly free, little sisters!", and the cloak dissolved into a rain of 
agony and death upon the crowd.  The snakes which she had clutched she 
threw into the face of Ragnaglar, and as he screamed in pain, she swept 
up her sword and the other, and slicing her brother's bonds, thrust one 
hilt into his hand.  Holding his other hand in hers, they ran from the 
tent towards the river.  

Long had the viper clan warred with the chaos tribe and now they were 
among their enemies who were mostly unarmed and unarmoured. The serpents 
bit and stung, face and fess, heel and hand. For each foe that died of 
tooth and poison another died of terror and panic. Their deed done, the 
serpents slid into the darkness, and were lost in the night.  Amidst the 
rage and confusion of the moment, no-one saw the captives escape at 
first.  All too soon, the army boiled out of camp, hot upon revenge and 
recapture.

As they reached the banks of the Black Eel River, the pursuit was close 
indeed.  Vinga cried out, "For the sake of Heler of the Water Tribe, our 
father's bondbrother, save us from Chaos, O Spirit of the Black Eel."  
Without waiting for a reply, Vinga and Barntar leapt into the water, and 
let it close above their heads.  When the creatures of Ragnaglar came to 
the shore, there was no sign of either Vinga or Barntar, neither 
upstream nor down.  Thus they reported the two drowned in the river.  
The spirit of the river had heard their plea, however, and carried them 
safely away, hidden from the eyes of all searchers.

When they were abreast of the camp of Orlanth, the spirit brought them 
gently to shore, bidding them remember her service.  As Vinga and 
Barntar rose, wet from the water, their kin found them.  The word of 
their return flew before them, and all grief turned to joy.  Great was 
the feasting, and great was the praise from Elmal himself.  From that 
day forward, Vinga Ernaldasdottir sat in council with the greatest of 
the warriors, and led women to battle in her own way.

________________________________

The idea of the cloak of snakes I purloined from a Russian story about 
Zoulvisia, a warrior woman who was courted by the usual besotted prince.  
In this story, the snakes wove a raft for the wicked witch who sold the 
knowledge of how to grab Zoulvisia to a rival king.  I just used the 
snakes as earth creatures who would help Vinga rather than the evil 
creatures in the original.  I would obviously give Vingans the power to 
command snakes in any cult description.  Everything else was frantically 
thought up on the night before and in the long drive down to RQ-Con.

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