As usual, we all make it: Tim (Sir Brindal Karth), April (Sister Joann), Chris (Peter Sangaree) and Nick (Brother Xavier). Because Peter is off sitting in Tuam, Chris is playing Bob Lungflook for a while.
The characters have found a reasonable anchorage in the Anquelline River, south of the delta. They spend some time debating what to do about both the natives and the Vuldrok VERTOLs flying to the north. After hearing from Captain Halfiron of the Sutter Kane that it will take about three weeks to repair the Red Syrmfish, the characters elect to get it repaired as fast as possible, then send it back to Tuam to warn Peter about the dangers of flying out to the Fennen Marsh.
In the meantime, Sister Joann, Brother Xavier, and Brindal Karth elect to try and make contact with the natives. They hope that the natives will be peaceful, or possibly violent to others but friendly to the characters. Some discussion about converting the natives also occurs, with only Brindal Karth suggesting that this might not be a good idea right away. Bob Lungflook is certain that the natives must eat excrement, live in trees, and speak only in grunts and clicks, as that's what his grandfather said.
As a precaution against possible VERTOL overflight, Brindal Karth issues instructions to the ship crews and the laborers to not use any electrical lights or large fires at night, to try and hide the camp from aerial observation. He leaves Bob Lungflook in charge of the camp, and asks Captains Halfiron and Ten bring the Red Syrmfish onto the shore to effect repairs.
Sir Brindal Karth, Brother Xavier, Sister Joann and four of the Sutter Kane crew set off down the river to make contact with the natives who had been tailing the characters' little fleet. They fail to intercept the native canoe, but do manage to get themselves lost in the delta for an hour or so.
The camp is located in a small inlet on the Anquelline River. Bob spends his time organizing latrine and guard duty, and making certain that the water purifier has been set up. He takes the precaution of running the purifier only out of water barrels set back from the river, to prevent mysterious forces from making off with the thing in the middle of the night. He also sets eight men from the Sutter Kane up with bolt-action rifles and orders them to guard points along the perimeter. He warns them to not shoot the natives arbitrarily.
A few hours after the Red Syrmfish is drawn up onto the shore, the carpenter approaches Sister Joann and explains that they'll need to have a wood-cutting expedition inland to gather materials for the repairs. He explains that the agwaro trees that form a dense canopy near the river's edge are too short and twisted to make good boat-building materials, and points out a stand of tall, straight trees visible a few kilometers inland. She agrees to go, along with the surveyor. For defense, she issues six rifles to members of the woodcutting expedition. The carpenter and thirty of the Red Syrmfish crew go to perform the actual woodcutting. Brother Xavier emphasizes to the surveyor that the group needs a better campsite, as the current one is low enough that the ground is constantly flooded. Because the surveyor's progress overland will be slowed by the need to take constant sightings, Brother Xavier elects to directly accompany the surveyor so the progress of the woodcutters is not delayed.
While the woodcutting expedition is underway, Bob gathers up the remaining six bolt-action rifles and starts training the group's twelve laborers how to shoot well.
While the rest of the group works on the ground, Sir Brindal Karth elects to spend his time in the masts of the Sutter Kane, watching for natives or signs of the Vuldrok. His vigilance is rewarded when he spots a party of 20-30 natives approaching the woodcutting party. He swiftly warns Sister Joann and Brother Xavier over their comlinks. Brother Xavier sends the surveyor back to the camp while Sister Joann sets up a defense with her riflemen. Bob and his class of six riflemen head out to meet the surveyor and make sure he gets back alive.
During these preparations, Brindal Karth makes the alarming announcement that there are 100 additional natives approaching the main camp. A brief panic ensues, then dies when Brindal Karth realizes that many of them are dummies or animals.
Bob Lungflook and his squad of six riflemen meet up with Brother Xavier fairly quickly. Brother Xavier hands over the surveyor, then rushes into the brush to intercept the natives closing on Sister Joann's position. Bob and his men head back to the main camp. Their journey is interrupted when one of the lead men steps into a cleverly-constructed bird trap. The man steps on a tripwire that releases a flock of birds into his face. Three of Bob's riflemen panic and run off in the confusion. Bob later finds one of them decapitated, his rifle missing. Another one turns up safe, but the third is never found. Hoping to avoid a reoccurrence, Bob beats the survivor about the head and shoulders.
Brother Xavier heads off into the woods and quickly encounters a single native, a ferocious specimen armed with two spears. The two of them stand and stare at each other for a while, unsure what to do. Brother Xavier starts to step back, then feels a strange chill. He looks down to realize that he had almost stepped into a wickedly-spiked foot-catcher. He gives his thanks to the Pancreator, then turns to confront the native. The two of them engage in a brief contest of shouting and posturing that ends when Brother Xavier drinks from his wineskin (filled with mint julep) and offers it to the native. The native drinks down a truly heroic draught of the liquor, then falls over. Brother Xavier picks up the unconscious native and carts him off to the woodcutting camp.
During all this, Sister Joann proceeds to fortify her little outpost and encourage the rather apprehensive woodcutters. After some time, she is also confronted with a native who challenges her in the same manner as his predecessor challenged Brother Xavier. She tries to act conciliatory, offering him rice cakes and water, but only succeeds in enraging him. She finally recognizes that he is trying to count coup, and wins the encounter by stepping up to him and taking his spear away. The native disappears into the bushes.
As a final touch to the encounter, one of the camp guards spots a native moving up along the shore and shoots him down. Brindal Karth steps out into the open to cart the wounded native back to the camp for medical care. Along the way he reprimands the guard, but not with too much enthusiasm.
Brindal Karth and Brother Xavier interrogate their captives. Brother Xavier manages to discover that the natives can write a corrupted version of Latin, though their spoken language is unintelligible. Unfortunately, he also discovers that they are worthless pagans: worship Father Swamp and Mother Earth. The one literate native writes that technology is forbidden them by Father Swamp. He also writes about the Vuldrok, though he does not refer to them by that name. Instead, he cast them as horrible sky-devils from across the seas. He warns Brother Xavier that he and his people must leave at once, or the sky-devils will come and attack them with the fires-that-burn-under-water, as they attacked his own people.
The native further writes that he is called Bristle Ears, explaining that the characters must stay out of the delta. When asked for an explanation, he writes that, "The Hazat people gave us that land long ago, until the sun no longer rises and the river no longer flows." When he hears of this, Sir Brindal Karth (now referring to himself as Sir Brindal Karth de Hazat) states bluntly, "We won't do anything with the delta." However, the characters do ask if they can arrange passage for their ships through the delta. Bristle Ears notes that "only the Elders and the Smoke-Speakers can decide."
The characters do manage to learn that Bristle Ears' people are one people, but have many clans. They also exact a promise from him to teach some of them his speech, though in return he asks to send a message back to his Elders. He consistently refers to the characters as "foreign persons with strange noses."
Later that evening, the characters' sleep is disturbed by the sounds of six aircraft whirring overhead. Brindal Karth is able to see aircraft engines heading upriver. Bristle Ears explains that those are the craft of the sky-devils, and explains that they fly along the river every few days. Sometimes there is only one craft, sometimes many, and once there was a "whale of the sky." The characters, ever slave to alarmism, conclude that the larger craft Bristle Ears describes was probably an assault lander, and that the Vuldrok most likely have a base somewhere far upriver.
On further questioning, the native explains that the Others live upriver, and that his people never go there. He does know that to reach the Others' lands, you must travel upriver until the riverbanks rise up straight into the sky.
The next morning, the group takes steps to conceal their presence from the air. Brother Xavier supervises moving the camp under the agwaro canopy while Bob has the masts of the Sutter Kane unstepped and the ship covered over with vines. Brother Xavier also starts learning the natives' language.
Sister Joann gathers up a half-dozen armed men, two burros and the surveyor and heads inland to find the airfield. It takes her four days to get there and back, but she locates the airfield and blazes a trail to it. Most (80%) of the field is covered over with about a meter of dirt with low bushes and underbrush on it. Clearing it can be done at a rate of 1m3 per man-hour. The Luftking needs an 800m by 30m runway, which will take about 20 days to clear if all of the Sutter Kane crew helps the characters' ten surviving laborers in the project. Clearing the entire airfield (a region about 1 km by 2 km) will be a much larger project.
The session ends with the characters preparing an expedition to head upriver and find the Others. They hope also to locate the Vuldrok base they suspect to be there. Each character gains five experience points. Both Brother Xavier and Brindal Karth buy a point of native language. Brindal Karth buys a point of survival as well.