During this time Queen Avartha arrives to stay at Red Cow Fort. Dana Longcoat takes the adventurers aside and tells them that a situation has arisen which would allow them to get back in Brodi's good books. It seems a juror from the Two Pines clan has arrived, and is demanding substantial weregild for 4 people killed at Hoarfrost Stead by a troll, who seemed to be working with a Red Cow clansman, Corly Lightning-Touched. Corly was apparently sheep-stealing. He is a rather wild looking fellow, a little crazy in the head. He often goes about sky-clad. The lawsuit could be very costly for the clan. Corly hasn't been seen for a while and is known to spend long periods of time out in the wild.
The adventurers readily agree, and set out the next day (Dark/Movement/Sea) to Lightning Lodge, the home stead of Corly. They arrive at about midday, and are given hospitality by Welter the head of the stead. They say they haven't seen Corly for a couple of seasons, but he was talking about a mine he was working on out in the disputed lands between the Red Cow and Two Pines.
They head on and cross into the Two Pines lands. They are intercepted by two mounted patrolmen. Wando successfully orates and convinces them to take them to Hoarfrost stead.
At the stead, there is a trolls skull nailed above the door. The locals are not pleased to see them, and gruffly confirm the details of the story before demanding they leave. They pass out of the Two Pines lands into the disputed lands near dusk, and make camp.
Kerolar makes a spirit circle and enters a trance - he enters the spirit world and flies above the woods to try to locate Corly. He senses a powerful spirit nearby - an enormous red spirit deep underground, with earth affinities, and nearby a red earth foal. He attempts to bind the earth foal, but fails and is bound to the spirit.
To his companions he simply fails to wake up - they wait until the morning when he groans and stirs, and then relates what he has found - two great spirits. Kerolar is strongly motivated to find the earth spirit again, which he refers to as 'Earth Foal'.
As they reach the place, they see a low ditch and a low ruined wall, probably from before human settlement. It is a huge square shaped compound, confirming the earth affinity. Kerolar, cackling with eagerness, dashes into a low tunnel inside the compound. Harolaran and Hopi follow. Wando hangs back, fidgeting with his armour, and is taken by surprise when four animal skulls rise into the air, supported by bodies of vines and branches, and move towards him, attacking him with spirit combat.
Underground, the others come face to face with a huge underground carved rock, the spirit Idrima, which Kerolar identifies as the Earth Foal. Idrima defeats Harolaran and Hopi and soon all four are devoted to Idrima.
Kerolar asks Idrima what happened with Corly, and she explains Corly is her first new servant, and she exists to fight chaos - and Corly has told her that the Two Pines are chaos.
They retreat above ground, and Corly arrives, accompanied by a small brown aldryami. Corly greets them as fellow servants of Idrima, and suggests they slaughter a sheep as a celebration. Wando orates to Idrima and convinces her that Corly has deceived her, and that the Two Pines, while irritating, are not evil nor are they chaotic. Idrima agrees that Corly must face the Two Pines for his crime. The group, ignoring the protesting Corly, try to work out the best legal approach to minimise the exposure of the clan to a lawsuit, and decide that since Corly took this action as a personal matter, if they hand him directly to the Hoarfrost Stead for judgement...
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