Both Ray and Tim aren't here this week, but Bob (Yorden), Chris (Pawnbroker) and Mike (Messerbad) are. Because Messerbad cannot be seen in Mother's Hill, he spends the entire session in the boat's cargo hold, wrapped in the Coma Blanket. Mike plays the Veka Family representative Ihrren Veka instead.
The characters are first met by Albodee Monster-Rider, accompanied by four river dragons and their riders. The characters meet them with the safe-passage given them by the Senior Elders. Albodee looks fairly dejected upon seeing the safe-passage, apparently disappointed that he was not going to be able to slaughter the characters and take their stuff, but he does honor the safe-passage and escort them to the shore.
The characters are met by Chalbon, the drone who originally opened negotiations with them. He now wears a long feathered cloak studded with gold badges, and appears to have gained significant status. He is also accompanied by about thirty deyrey neuters who proceed to swarm all across the characters' boat.
Laerynthe and Lukar are dispatched down to the cargo hold to keep the neuters away from Messerbad. In the process, one of the neuters annoys one of the lobrun. The lobrun responds by thrashing the neuter almost to the point of death. Chalbon looks disconcerted, but has the injured neuter taken away to be healed.
Chalbon tells the characters to leave their ship. He also offers ten netuers to guard it and keep it safe. The characters agree and accompany him.
The Main Plaza of Mother's Hill is a huge stone expanse set about a half meter down. The center of the plaza is dominated by an entire river dragon being roasted on a stone rack. About 300 other drones and 3000 or so neuters are already sitting in the plaza when the characters arrive. The characters do not see any of the Senior Elders in the plaza, but they do see several apparently pre-eminent younger drones, Chalbon among them. The most important drones do not sit together. Instead each stakes of a region of the plaza for his own subordinate drones and neuters. Eveyone sits upon the ground, typically around low stone platforms upon which food is placed. Chalbon is seated quite near the characters.
The characters are served a meal in two courses. The first course of the meal is a grain mush with fruit slices floating in it. During the first course, the characters are serenaded by a miserable-looking minstrel apparently from Hegger who is hobbled with stone chains. The minstrel sings in Haggeen, explaining that he was taken by the deyrey just downslope of Hegger.
The main course is meat sliced from the river dragon, spiced from a stone platter of many different powders and sauces. During the main course, a group of neuters dances for the characters until Ihrren puts a challock in one of the neuters' costumes. The neuter becomes obsessed with the coin, and runs off into the crowd, breaking up the dance.
Yorden talks to the minstrel, determining that he is from Hegger, and was captured by deyrey. The minstrel claims that his father is a woodworker in Hegger, and that he doesn't have any wealthy or powerful friends or relatives. Privately, the characters debate what can be done for the man, but conclude that their options may be limited. They do briefly cosider trading Lukar to the deyrey, but abandon the plan before suggesting it to Chalbon.
Chalbon also gives the characters a gift, the skull of the drone Gilbey, who had been very favored of Mother (item #49). The skull's teeth are all made of gold. The skull is worth about 150 challock.
After dinner, the characters return to the boat to sleep.
A drone in a feathered ruff comes over to fetch the characters. He claims that he was sent by Chalbon. The characters remember Chalbon talking to him, but he was some distance away from where most of Chalbon's associates were sitting. The characters take some time to get ready, then accompany him. They initially fear that the drone may be a member of some other faction seeking to waylay them.
The drone leads the characters into the hive. Along the way, they see work parties of neuters heading out to the fields and taking large flightless birds to the river dragon pens. They also see a neuter fall into one of the river dragon pens. The reaction (or lack thereof) of the other neuters suggests exactly how much a neuter's life is worth to the deyrey.
The characters meet with Chalbon in his chambers in the Queen's Hive. He leads them to the Senior Drones.
The characters (including Ihrren Veka) are ushered into the Senior Drones' chamber. Prior to entry, they are relieved of their weapons by huge drones bearing metal weapons. One of the Senior Drones calls upon the minstrel the characters saw in the plaza, then uses a spell upon him to steal his knowledge of Old Youden. The drone then speaks directly to the characters.
The Senior Drones first present a gift from Mother to the characters: the Horn of Victory, a weapon against the adapoi. When it is played, the sound will sicken (per the Sickness spell) any adapoi within earshot. A successful Play (instrument) roll is necessary to make the magic work. Any Play (instrument) skill dealing with a horn- or flute-type instrument will suffice. The horn has Power-15. The Horn is carved from stone, and looks something like a bassoon. It's index number is 50.
In return for the Horn of Victory, the characters give Mother one of the lobrun (the one they know has behaviour problems) and their pascullo. The Senior Drones are extremely appreciative.
The actual trade negotiations start, but don't finish. Ihrren's initial offer is a fee of one pascullo per shipload of goods sent down Abbatine's Great River. The characters are taken off to rooms arranged by Chalbon after making their offer. The Senior Drones agree to make a counteroffer the next day.
The characters are fed bread and broth brought in by two neuters. The bread is filled with a spicy tasting liquid that turns out to be a potent herbal poison (HT-2 to resist; 3d damage and -2d DX if resistance is failed). The bread contains far more poison than necessary to kill a human. Both Yorden and Pawnbroker eat the bread before they realize it is poisonous, and become extremely sick. Ihrren manages to realize that the fluid is a poison, and evades it's effects. Pawnbroker manages to choke out instructions to call Chalbon to a passing neuter before he loses consciousness. Chalbon responds with many neuters and two healer drones who treat the characters. He leaves four with spears to guard them.
That night, Chalbon has two drones with Earth Vision (one's name is Yillwen) and five neuters to watch over the characters. Midway through the night, several neuters use Shape Stone to open a doorway in the back of the room and attack, but Pawnbroker and Yorden swiftly kill them with the help of three of Chalbon's drones. The remaining neuters flee into the depths of the hive. Moments later, an eyesnake paralyzes Yillwen, Pawnbroker and Ihrren, but Yorden is not affected by it's charm and hurts it with a knife.
The characters track the snake until Yorden can kill it with a thrown knife. He also meets six drones who throw tebbre at him. Yorden uses an illusion to make Pawnbroker look like one of the Senior Drones. Pawnbroker then gets the six neuters to surrender. He also manages to learn that the drone Meldrey was responsible for ordering the attack. Chalbon later confirms that Meldrey is a member of Hrilbey the Sailor's faction.
When Chalbon gets on the scene, he asks Pawnbroker to pick out one of the neuters involved in the attack. Chalbon kills that neuter, then goes off to find Meldrey.
Breakfast is a grain gruel with fruit, served in a common bowl. Afterwards, the characters are taken to the Senior Drones again.
The Senior Drones' counteroffer is two pascullo per boat, plus a gift of eight pascullo for the first boat. The Senior Drones also give Meldrey to the characters, gagged and bound heavily in stone chains. They say that the characters may do whatever they wish with him.
Chalbon takes the characters out to the plaza for a meal of small spiced fish (bowls full of them).
Later that day, the characters make their counteroffer: sixteen pascullo as an initial gift, then one pascullo per boat. The Senior Drones agree, but say that they want someone who knows how to breed pascullo to work for them for a year. Ihrren offers to take the minstrel and train him. The Senior Drones agree. The minstrel is incredibly grateful.
The agreed-upon arrangement is that Ihrren Veka, Pawnbroker and Yorden can all guide boats down Abbatine's Great River, and that other folk can gain this power by being introduced to the Senior Drones by one of the authorized individuals.
Chalbon takes the characters to one final feast upon the Great Plaza before they depart. After the feast is done, Yorden kills Melbrey by levitating him up as far as he can, then letting him drop.
After the characters finish with Mother's Hill, they head upriver towards Three Stones Ford, now accompanied by the minstrel. They reach Three Stones Ford after about six days' uneventful travel. The deyrey hives along the way that might otherwise have impeded the trip all honor the safe-passage from Mother's Hill.
Elfest is still waiting at Three Stones Ford, and is quite glad to see the characters and hear their (relatively) promising news. He is already ready to start heading downriver.
Pawnbroker, Yorden and Messerbad each gain three experience points. Messerbad immediately plunges thirty points into increasing his IQ to 14.