Welcome to the Heart Pyre. This is a recap of the story so far.
Our story began when Rena found herself the sole known survivor of the fire that destroyed her hometown, Oceansthrow. Searching the ruins for other survivors, she discovered her sister Maya’s ring in the mud, with drag marks leading towards the town centre. As she followed the trail, she noticed carved bird figurines arranged in a circle around the old church. Desperate for answers, Rena left the ruins and met Rodrick, a scribe of the land, and his dog, Vincent. Together, they teamed up with Logan and Asha to investigate the fire and uncover what had happened to Oceansthrow.
Rodrick revealed that similar fires had destroyed other towns across the kingdom of Kal-Hemma, yet the Royal Council had done little to find out the truth. Fearing Oceansthrow might suffer the same fate, the companions sought answers in the province’s archives. With help from Asha’s uncle, they obtained forged decrees granting them access to restricted documents, but redacted records obstructed their research, leading Rodrick to devise a riskier plan: stealing the necessary papers from a scholar from the Historical Academy. Despite Rena’s reservations, they succeeded in gaining access to the archives’ restricted sections where they discovered information about Miller’s Knee, another town destroyed by fire years prior where the same carved bird figurines had been found. Letters revealed that the authorities had chosen to erase all memory of the town rather than pursue those responsible.
Before they could investigate further, guards entered the room looking for Rena and her companions. As Asha fought them off, Logan led Rena away and through the connecting ventilation shafts to find their way to an empty room so they could escape. Their route was, however, intercepted by the captain of the guard, Finn, who surprised them by offering assistance instead of arresting them. Suspicious of the kingdom’s activities himself, he helped them escape and arranged to meet the group later.
Despite their doubts about Finn, the companions travelled together to Miller’s Knee. Little remained of the town beyond a forest clearing where the outlines of buildings were barely visible. They discovered gravestones bearing a symbol of two interlocked triangles crossed by a line and dot. Rodrick recognised it as a local variation of a symbol associated with Tavuu’Moda, the old god of chance and perseverance. Yet, before they could investigate further, the group was forced to flee.
Returning to Halvint, the companions split up. While Asha and Rodrick went back to Rancor, Rena, Logan, and Finn returned to Oceansthrow to see what remained of the town. Most of the ruins had already been cleared away by the guards, leaving only the remains of the old church. Sneaking their way into the building, the three discovered the same triangular symbol carved into the church wall, but their investigation was once more interrupted by arriving reinforcements, forcing them to flee into the forest and become separated.
Lost among the trees, Rena was unexpectedly guided to safety by a fox she had previously spotted near the archives. Back in Halvint, she followed a strangely dressed figure to a house on the town’s outskirts, where she reunited with Logan. Through a window, they spotted an makeshift altar made of red and orange fabric, displaying one of the carved bird figurines.
The pair broke into the house and discovered parchment rolls covered in a language neither could read with unusual illustrations. Their search was interrupted by a woman carrying laundry, whom Logan subdued. Among the clothes, Rena recognised a dress Maya had worn on the day of the fire but as she frantically looked through the building for her sister, a group of acolytes returned, led by a woman named Inkra.
A fight erupted, and Asha, Rodrick, and Kalani arrived to help. The companions captured Inkra, locking her in the building’s basement, and interrogated another acolyte, Michael, who agreed to show them where the mysterious organisation known as the Crow could be keeping Maya in the neighbouring province, Baedan.
But as they attempted to leave Halvint, guards attacked, accompanied by Inkra. The companions were separated once again: Rena and Asha escaped with an injured Logan, as Rodrick and Kalani being captured, still not knowing where Finn could be.
Season Two began with Rena and Asha nursing Logan back to health, whose stomach had been slashed during the attack. Darian, Halvint’s innkeeper, and his wife sheltered them before secretly transporting them to Hollowtooth, where they suspected Rodrick and Kalani were being held. During the attack, the guards had mentioned Captain Silac, the head of the guard responsible for the coastal city.
Rena managed to confirm that Rodrick and Kalani were imprisoned in Hollowtooth’s guard station but as she was about to leave, she spotted Finn, accompanied by Captain Silac and several guards. Unwilling to believe Finn had betrayed them, she followed him and arranged to meet him away from prying eyes.
Finn explained how he had ended up in Hollowtooth and that he was suspicious of Silac and his methods of running the city. He also revealed that Rodrick and Kalani were due to be transferred to the military academy the following morning. If they were to be rescued, they had to act quickly.
Despite Asha’s distrust of Finn, the companions accepted his plan. Using his position, Finn arranged for Rena, Asha, and Logan to disguise themselves as guards and together they commandeered the prisoners’ transport. During the escape, they discovered Finn’s full name and his family connection to the Royal Council, giving Asha even more reason to question his motives.
The rescue succeeded, and the companions reunited near the wreckage of Rodrick’s caravan, where Vincent had faithfully waited. Their reunion was short-lived, however, as Captain Silac appeared, they discovered his terrifying ability: he could control their bodies with his words. After a vicious fight, the companions managed to subdue him and escape.
Shaken by the discovery that such things were real, the companions crossed into Baedan and headed for Hrevim, a major maritim city, hoping to learn more about the Crow, Tavuu’Moda, and the mysterious fires.
In Hrevim, Rena accompanied Rodrick to the library to research the Crow’s motives. Soon after, she encountered Jesper, a friend of her father and another survivor of Oceansthrow, accompanied by a scholar from the Historical Academy and Deacon, a man searching for Logan after a disagreement. Jesper had believed the Academy’s claim that the fire was a tragic accident and Rena reluctantly agreed to follow them to a different location so she could secretly try to warn Jesper of the truth. At the café, the scholar attempted to recruit Rena, while Deacon pressed her for information about her companion’s whereabouts.
Returning to Rodrick, they reunited with Asha near the docks, until Rena spotted the mysterious fox once more. This time, she could hear it speaking directly into her mind. Following it through the streets, she felt as though she had crossed into another world, only to emerge in a different part of Hrevim. There, she reunited with Rodrick and Asha and encountered Kalani. To their alarm, Captain Silac and Michael were also in the city, forcing them to move cautiously.
Eventually, the companions reunited with Logan and Finn, who had visited the palace and encountered Finn’s sister, her presence clearly unsettling him. Hoping to avoid further trouble, the group attempted to leave Hrevim but ran into Deacon, who meant to confront Logan. They managed to escape and continued towards the Crow’s suspected hideout: an old monastery somewhere in the inner hills of Baedan.
Stopping overnight in a small town, Kalani, Asha, and Finn went into the surrounding hills to search for the monastery. Unable to bear the thought of being so close to Maya without reaching her, Rena convinced Logan to follow them together. The pair soon became lost, but then saw the fox again. Rena initially refused to trust it, remembering how reality had shifted when she had followed it in Hrevim, yet they eventually found their way to the monastery, where the fox revealed a hidden entrance into the ruins.
Inside, they discovered a gathering of people praying around a massive bonfire in the monastery’s courtyard. Rena and Logan reunited with their companions, and together they searched the ruins for Maya.
At last, they found her in a room beside a strange body that glowed from within. Rena and Maya were finally reunited, but their relief was short-lived: the glowing figure suddenly awoke, forcing the companions to flee as the Crow’s acolytes attacked.
They discovered that the figure was a reincarnation of Tavuu’Moda, possessing powers similar to those of Silac. After a chaotic battle, the group found themselves back at the bonfire, where Tavuu’Moda attempted to drag Maya into the flames to make her his new vessel, yet Rena and the others managed to pull her free before he could succeed.
But the danger was far from over. Rodrick arrived at the monastery with Michael, followed closely by Silac and Finn’s sister, who intended to take Finn back to the Royal Council. Amid the ensuing chaos, the monastery caught fire, giving the companions an opportunity to escape and finally get away from the Crow.
Yet even as they fled the burning ruins, their victory began to unravel. Logan’s wound reopened, and he collapsed, unable to continue on his own. Forced to carry him to safety, Rena and her companions found themselves unsure how to continue from there.
The Heart Pyre continues with season 3, starting October 28th.
As always, if you like this podcast, consider leaving a review or supporting it on Ko-Fi or Patreon. You can also get the novelization of the first and second seasons as an ebook and paperback from most major retailers.
You can find transcripts for each episode, character art, and a map of the kingdom on theheartpyre.com.
The intro music is Lonely Dusty Trail by Jon Presstone.
The Heart Pyre is written and produced by me, Audrey Martin.
Thank you for listening.
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