Part 22: Mystery Solved
Update 22: Mystery Solved
Alright, so last time it was blatantly obvious that Navon was the killer responsible for murdering Bas-Tyra's troops down in Romney, or at least for organizing it. Unfortunately, James doesn't like to murder people on a 99% certainty of guilt, but prefers to save it for when he's 100% sure, so we've still got to collect a bit more evidence.
Thankfully, we've got a lead in that we know someone's fucking around in Cavall Run and we collected the Resident Evil-esque chess piece key from the well in Kenting Rush at the end of the last update, so let's try it out.
BaK posted:
James stood to take a closer look at the mysterious hole, discovering there a chessboard. "Looks like someone was getting ready to play a match, but they were missing a...piece."
Owyn smiled. "If it doesn't occur to you you're as thick as a stump."
James nodded, collecting the knight's piece they had acquired from the well in Kenting Rush. Setting it in its missing place, he grinned with satisfaction as the door swung open.
"If that isn't an invitation, I've never seen one," James said. "Shall we?"
I think the chess piece is there in chapter 1, too, so if you buy a Virtue Key from a shop somewhere, you could get in here then. I feel like that should do some odd things to the timeline, but it doesn't.
As soon as we step in the door we're confronted by four spiders, which are so weak that even James can one-shot them at this point. It feels a bit like a missed opportunity that their bite doesn't actually poison when they hit, which would have made it some sort of actual choice whether to target them first in the battles where they're mixed with other enemies, or incentivizing spell and crossbow use to keep them at arm's length.
Spiders aside, most of the enemies in here are predictably Nighthawks and Black Slayers. The dungeon is roughly shaped like a square, and I'm taking the longest way around to our actual objective to loot as much stuff as possible before we get there.
Most of the fights in here are pretty forgettable, like this one, easily breezed through, but there's one in here that kicked my ass, and most of the fights also leave you in front of a puzzle chest to check out.
OCEAN
This one's just got a light Tsurani crossbow, a ruby and some restoratives.
For some reason there's a dead rogue in here who's left an empty corpse. Probably some poor guy the Nighthawks dragged in to interrogate or some such.
The main thing in this fight is that this Black Slayer is exceptionally buff and tanks a full-strength Bane, which delays the murdering enough that James gets dogpiled, but with his near-100% Defense rating, the Nighthawks can barely manage to land any hits.
That odd wand is actually a container of "Killian's Root Oil," which is yet another weapon modifier that adds +50% damage. I wish the weapon modifiers were a bit more creative, like maybe an accuracy boost or something, too, rather than just always damage boosts.
BaK posted:
An emerald colored fluid rippled the length of the flute-necked bottle as Owyn upended it, then righted it once more. A very light oil, it was used by soldiers to temporarily enhance the metallic qualities of their swords and of their armor.
Since I'm starting to be overburdened with Clerical Oilcloths, Killian's Root Oil and Alfathain's Icers, this is the point where I begin liberally applying them to the party's weapons constantly until I'm not carrying as many of the damn things any longer.
Probably the biggest weakness of this game is that almost any enemy who isn't a wizard is just "man with sword," even if they're reskinned like scorpions and spiders, and almost every encounter is purely one type of enemy. It means there's very rarely something to think about other than interrupting the enemy mage and preventing enemies from piling on Owyn.
DISPUTE
Again we stumble into a couple of new consumables. The weird wand is a container of "Sarigsbane," with Sarig being the dead god of magic. The effect is that if it's on your armor, anyone hitting you doesn't get the boosts from Clerical Oilclothes and Killian's Root Oil, if they have it. The black potion is Truesight Tea which buffs Crossbow Accuracy by 25 for a battle.
BaK posted:
A yellow colored ointment, the Sarig's Bane was stored in an odd-looking container; a simple cork cap suspended from the mouth of a glass tube, a large bulb made from stitched sheep gut. Commonly it was applied to armor to counteract the effects of enchanted blades.
...
The tea was darkish grey-black. Brewed by the elves from roots unique to Elvandar, the concoction had a strong herbal aroma and was often sold as a highly priced spice, though James valued more its fleeting tendency to sharpen sight, a quality which a archer friend had once demonstrated.
Of note is that you can't get to the objective inside Cavall Run without a rope, so this is one of the at minimum two places in the game where not having a rope would prevent you from progressing. Thankfully rope is relatively plentiful, but I could see it being annoying if you had discarded it all as being useless and then had to run around looking for a store containing it(stuff just dropped on the ground tends to vanish unless, and this is an interesting note, a note paper or quest item is left is the same container).
Now here we go, the fight that almost kicked my ass. Some enemies, despite not being equipped with heftier armor, appear to have a higher basic damage resistance than others, and these Black Slayers are some of them.
The fight starts out simple enough, with Owyn blasting one with a Bane cast and James and Gorath getting on the others.
They're soon whittled down to a single paralyzed Slayer that James and Gorath spend a couple of turns missing because they're idiots who can't hit the broad side of a barn sometimes. And then...
You guys hear something weird?
Goddammit, I hate having to burn corpses after fights.Now, the smart play, here, would have been to start blasting the dead ones with Final Rest, but I wanted that loot, dammit!
This starts a revolving door of Slayers going down and getting up again since apparently they can get up on the same turn as the last Black Slayer goes down, if the timing is just right for it. It wears down all of James' Stamina and Owyn is forced to chug some potions to stay on his feet, despite the Slayers doing low damage per hit, it eventually adds up and actually cinching a win on this one felt somewhat clutch. Alternately, another, smarter, thing I could have done, would have been to wait for them all to get up, hit them all with Grief, then distribute the damage rather than blazing one down at a time. It's also worth noting that re-rising Black Slayers get up with their full health and stamina.
And then of course none of them are carrying a damn thing worth my time, either.
MUSIC
This chest contains more Killian's Root Oil and a blessed Lamprey(tier 2 sword).
This marks the party having looped about halfway down the map and being almost at the two prizes for getting this far.
One room here contains a trapped chest which does not fuck around, if you come here in Chapter 1, say, with Locklear, it's an 87-difficulty chest that hands out 75 damage if you trigger it. Even with James, if he wasn't carrying an Amulet of the Upright Man, he wouldn't be able to get through it. And for what?
A tier 2 crossbow and a blessed tier 1 sword.
It feels like a prank.
A room slightly down the corridor contains two coded chests which contain actually interesting things.
BUBBLE
ROPE
The first chest just holds some spare change and another medium crossbow, but the second...
Why would someone hide a book in a locked chest...
Maybe the title is "My Crimes And How To Arrest Me" Oh, no, this is just the Abbot's Journal, that book Ugyne told us about, remember? Hm, and remember who she loaned it to?While everyone tries to remember that, let's give it a read.
BaK posted:
A translation of an ancient account of the travels of an abbot from Malac's Cross, the book was filled with stories and notes on mythology. Apparently the abbot had been looking for proof of the existence of a sword known as the Guarda Revanche, a cursed blade which was often associated with the moredhel. Shortly before the end of the journal, he related a curious tale:
".... and so came I unto the Abbey of Killian which stood unto the western fringe of the forest of the Eledhel, so named Elvandar, and there was shown a fairy chest upon whose face were the runes which are common unto the elven and moredhel kin. A certain father then did turn the strange cylinders which were on the face of the chest, forming a word unfamiliar with me, GLAMREDHEL, but one which threw open the latches which bound closed the lid of the box. From within he brought a finely jeweled hilt which he called the Gaeda. This father then told me it had come from a ruin of an ancient place and since, there was much misfortune come unto their abbey and they willed it should be returned there for its eternal rest. He also did tell me other things strange and wondrous of the legend, saying a spell had been bound into a shell that would repair the blade which had long been broke away, describing this shell as one marked with an uneven surface of ten misformed lumps ...."
So there are a couple of interesting things about this book, number one being that it's actually canon the party gets this! In the book, they meet the Count first, then Ugyne, they consider the situation, then go explore Cavall Run(stabbing a few Nighthawks in the process), find the book and return to Peter the Grey's inn. During the night, the party's ambushed by a bunch of Nighthawks, but they're ready for them and cut them to pieces(including Owyn casting Fetters of Rime for the first time). Peter the Grey is somewhat upset about all the corpses he has to remove, but the party bunkers down to wait for Navon, having figured out that he's their prey around this time...
The second interesting thing about this book is that it's a Clue towards finding the most busted, in version 1.01 of this game literally busted, weapon in the game.
Across the hall is a room with a single Nighthawk, but as soon as we approach him...
BaK posted:
A Nighthawk awaited them.
Reaching inside the black folds of his tunic, he drew out something that gleamed in the gloom. But rather than lunging forward, he snaked his hand to his mouth and bit down, acting before James could realize what he was doing.
"He's just swallowed poison," James said, holding Gorath back. "Just as well. Saved us the trouble of killing him." Crouching down to study the quavering face of the Nighthawk, a look of disgust twisting his features, James continued, "I'll wager as well he wasn't the leader and that the door beyond will be locked. We find whoever is running this ring and we'll find the key we need."
"How can you guess all that?" Owyn asked, perplexed by the statement.
"He doesn't have a key on him, and secondly, I don't believe the leader of the Guild of Death would simply commit suicide. More likely he'd try to take as many of us with him as he could when he went."
For a while in the books more Nighthawks die by stabbing themselves or by using poison rings when they're about to get captured than are actually killed by the protagonists. They really don't like the idea of getting interrogated or brought before a court of justice. In any case, he was guarding a door and a few unlocked chests containing a bit of rope(so you don't paint yourself into a corner using your last rope to get over the pits, presumably) and a single tier 2 Lamprey. The door is, unfortunately, locked with a special key and can't be picked. So for now we have to retreat. There are a couple of chests worth checking on the way out, though.
This one actually has a nastier trap than the previous trapped chest, doing 100 damage rather than 75, but it also has a completely trivial trap difficulty at 45. The main danger here is if you forget to cast Scent of Sarig and thus can't disarm it and get your dumb ass blown up.
It contains a rare elven crossbow, which is the most accurate type of crossbow(albeit third in damage, the Tsurani Heavy Crossbow and a type we've yet to see beat it out for pure damage), but shots that don't hit do zero damage, so I'd rate accuracy as more important. The odd thing is that it's stored with a completely inferior Medium Crossbow.
BaK posted:
Applying the same principles used on the famed elven longbows, the crossbow had a composite bow made of wood, bone, and sinew and the tiller was sheathed in parchment. If not elven himself, James guessed the artisan of the crossbow had at least been in close contact with the archers of Elvandar.
...
Experimentally Gorath snagged the bow back, grunted as it creaked violent complaint. It was a powerful crossbow, strong enough a bolt fired from it would likely puncture a common soldier's armor.
An interesting thing to note is that crossbows are generally portrayed as more dangerous than swords in the books. Characters survive multiple minor cuts and glancing blows from swords and knives both, but anyone who eats a crossbow bolt gets completely fucked up by a single one, in some cases in rather graphic ways like the bolt almost tearing their arm off, that sort of thing. With the right ammo they do tend to out-damage swords in BaK, too, but it's a lot harder to get practice with them and trainers are rarer than for melee combat, too.
SHOES
This one's got a ruby and yet another medium crossbow, we're really drowning in archery supplies. Anyway, that's the last thing of note in here and we can now leave Cavall Run to confront Navon about how the book Ugyne let him borrow ended up in a Nighthawk compound. But first, in another timeline...
Investigating crimes? Collecting clues? Waste of time. Let's just go join a cult to get our answers.
Behind the town of Kenting Rush, in the woods north of it, is the Prelate's house. Attempting to approach this without having talked to the head priest of the Temple of Kahooli gets you into a fight with the infinitely respawning guards but, interestingly, the respawners are the same guards who just get given one or two points of health/stamina to put them over zero, meaning they can't hit for shit, get put down with a single strike, etc., and you can use them for training if you can win the first fight and have sufficient patience. As a kid who got here in chapter 1 fucking around, or later on with worse English skills than I have now and thus failing to properly read dialogue, I got stuck here for ages thinking there had to be a way around them.
Now that we actually have talked to the priest, though...
BaK posted:
There were armed guards in front of the house.
"We are on official business," called James.
Placing a hand on his weapon, one of the guards shot back, "On whose authority?"
"On authority of the Prince of Krondor," James said, matter-of-factly. "And we were sent by the priests of the Temple of Kahooli."
Apparently satisfied with this answer, the guards moved aside and let them pass...
Best guards in the world, clearly, since they just take our fucking word for it and there's no password or anything.
Now let's talk to the Prelate.BaK posted:
There were strange markings on the door. James studied the symbols with a questioning eye, then knocked loudly. The man who came to the door introduced himself as Prelate of the Temple of Kahooli.
"I am not well liked by the plain ones," he said. "They do not understand the supreme justice of my actions. Those who break the rule of law must suffer the divine consequences of their behavior." The Prelate went on to tell them of his experiences while trying to become prelate and of the Codes of Piety, so strictly enforced by the local temple.
Nodding politely, James asked, "What can you tell us of these codes?"
Recognizing their interest, he countered the question with one of his own, "If you would care to make a donation to the temple -- say, 50 sovereigns -- I think I could be persuaded to reveal them to you. Will you pay?"
[YES]
James handed the Prelate 50 gold sovereigns.
"The Temple of Kahooli thanks you," he said. "Now, please follow me and I shall teach you of our codes of piety."
The Prelate lead them into a small room.
He stood behind a makeshift altar and spoke, sometimes ranted, about the great god Kahooli, Warrior God of Vengeance, Unraveler of Mysteries into Truth. They listened without much interest, until at last he began to speak of the pious codes...
"Subjugation of the Will," he began. "None shall be considered a true follower of Kahooli without first renouncing all ties to king and country."
James glanced about the room nervously as the Prelate continued...
"Mortification of the Flesh. None shall be allowed entry to the temple of Kahooli until they have cleansed themselves of all appetites of the flesh to purify themselves for the intervention of Kahooli's will."
"And finally, Subordination of Service. None shall do service to Kahooli without first proving their loyalty by passing the water curtain and praying to Kahooli for one full cycle of the seasons."
He continued his sermon for nearly an hour, but revealed little of interest. At last he was finished and they were allowed to leave.
Well, renouncing all my official ties would probably get my killed and also get in the way of me becoming Duke of Krondor one day. And we hardly have a year to wait, Delekhan must be almost ready to move. Mortification of the Flesh isn't going to involve any sort of weird self-flagellation, is it?
No, we're just going to have to miss lunch.So, this non-canonical approach is slightly obfuscated, but the Prelate means the appetite thing very literally. Dump out all your food on the road and rest until the party gains the Starving status.
BaK posted:
James' stomach rumbled.
Checking his bag for a packet of rations, he was dismayed as he learned he wasn't the only one that had run low on supplies. "We need to get food as soon as possible. We can't get anywhere if we're too weak to walk."
This is the cue that you've attained the status and now you should go talk to the head priest.
BaK posted:
James stumbled.
Cursing oaths that seemed far from appropriate within the hallowed temple walls, he followed the priest robed in light grey. Behind him, Owyn and Gorath seemed similarly pained, but all made it well enough to the lector's study. Pushing their way into the oak paneled room, they took their seats and waited.
In a few moments, the lector arrived, arrayed in his dark robes of office. Looking at all their faces, he nodded with a certain grim satisfaction. "You have chosen the mortification of the flesh," he said. "An admirable act of piety. It is enough."
James nodded. "Good. Then tell me about the Guild of Assassins."
"In a moment." Stepping back to the door, he whispered to the priest who waited outside. Footsteps hurried off into the distance. "Haestan will bring rations for you. You will be of little use against Navon and his band without your strength."
James sat forward in his chair. "Navon who?"
"Navon du Sandau," the lector said, emphasizing each syllable. "He lives here in Kenting Rush, poses as a travelling merchant. That gives him the excuse he needs to cover the strange visitors he has from time to time. He leads the Nighthawks, but the time has come for the end of the Guild of Assassins."
"Agreed," James said, wobbling to his feet. We appreciate your help."
"Wait." The lector leveled a stare at them. "As Kahooli has come to your aid, as protectors of the faith, you must now aid us. It is your responsibility now to slay him. He is excommunicate of the Temple of Kahooli. His life is forfeit."
"You didn't mention this in the bargain before," James said. "Shall we be expecting other demands of you later?"
The priest shook his head. "Only this. You may do as you please thereafter, though I would warn you always to tread carefully from this day forth when dealing with Kahooli. You are now, in our eyes, the arm of The Tireless Pursuer."
Frankly it's odd that James would have any issue with the worshippers of Kahooli since all he does for the next three novels is hunt down and bring justice to murderers, thieves, child slavers and cultists doing damage to the natural state of the world. But now, let's go see Navon, I'm sure he'll be excited that we're coming back to him again. Also this encounter removes our Starving condition and hands every party member two full stacks of rations, so it's pretty risk-free.
Interestingly, the party doesn't automatically confront him, you can still hassle him about his other keywords until you use either Excommunicate or Sword. Let's try Excommunicate first.
On behalf of the Temple of Kahooli, I inform you that you are now excommunicate. They formally have renounced their ties to the Guild of Assassins and will announce the identities of all who belong to it. The Nighthawks are finished, Navon. Despite their request I murder you, I will let you live if you tell me where I can find the moredhel communiques concerning the attack.
A lie, Seigneur, and you know it. You'll have my guts for killing those men in Romney whether I tell you or not. Since you first arrived looking for the Nighthawks, I' ve been watching you. For years I've heard tales about Jimmy the Hand from the men who survived your Nighthawk purges in Krondor. They told very impressive tales about you. Now it's time to see if you can match a true Nighthawk in combat.It's frankly the less interesting of the two and doesn't clear up several mysteries, it's also the less canon of the two, so let's try Sword...
Ugyne Corvalis told us she loaned you a book about the Guarda Revanche. Might I borrow it back from you? Unfortunately I don't have it on my person. I left it at home. At home. Are you certain you didn't misplace it anywhere? As it is a loan, I keep it in a very safe place where it cannot become damaged. Somewhere like Cavall Run? I have always wondered what the leader of the Nighthawks might be like and now it seems we meet face to face. Interesting conclusion. How do you arrive at it? We found the Abbot's Journal in Cavall Run...after we had a slight run in with a few of your men. You mentioned earlier that you thought that Count Corvalis might have killed his son, but as I recall the body was never found and you have displayed an unerring interest in the Corvalis family. The kind of interest that a son might display in a family from whom he has been separated? Did you kill yourself or was that your father's doing? I believe congratulations are in order. You've accomplished what my father, his men, and the King's detachment from Bas-Tyra were unable to achieve. You are a clever man. Why the Nighthawks, Navon? Or shall I call you Neville? Suppose for a moment a woman bears her husband a strong, attractive, intelligent son. As he grows, he shows every sign that he will make a fine man but somehow different. Suppose then at about age eleven, this boy's father discovers the boy is not in fact his son, but the son of another man - a bastard. Among the common folk it would be no great crime, but supposing the fooled father was noble. That would change things, wouldn't it? What if the real father had gotten the child upon the indiscreet noblesse as a means to gain power? You became a threat to the succession so the Count opted to eliminate you. He locked you in the wine cellar but you found your way into the care of the Nighthawks. Yes. They had come to Cavall to regroup following their rout by Prince Arutha and initially they thought to ransom me. When they realized the Count wouldn't pay for my return, they decided to kill me, but I convinced them I had mental powers. The spyglass? It has been useful on more than one occasion. It gave me control of the Nighthawks, and it also allowed me to predict my father's moves. He believed I was dead of course, but the appearance of Navon du Sandau years later made him nervous. He believed I might know about the scandal and would tell what I know. That wouldn't have been any fun. Far better to torture your murderer than to simply kill him, don't you think? He became most agitated when I torched the family's keep. It was a shame to lose it, but a necessary sacrifice. So you could have control of the caverns underneath the keep. A perfect hiding place for you and your men and an excellent rendezvous with the moredhel with whom you were dealing. The tunnels were extensive and relatively unknown by any outside of the family. Besides, as husband to Ugyne, I would eventually have been it's rightful master. Not that I would have conjugated the marriage, Ishap forbid. She would have died some unpleasant death on our wedding night. Tragedy seems to plague the Corvalis family. Between the family fortune and Delekhan's deposits with Isunatus in Cavall Keep, I could have run the Nighthawks indefinitely. I want the key, Navon. Hand it over. Perhaps you would like to take it from me. Since you first arrived in Romney looking for the Nighthawks, I've been watching you Seigneur James. For years I've heard tales about Jimmy the Hand from the men who survived your Nighthawk purges in Krondor. They told very impressive tales about you. Now it's time to see if you can match a true Nighthawk in combat.BaK posted:
Navon ripped off his tunic. Beneath, he wore the familiar uniform of the Guild of Death, a golden hawk emblazoned on a black gambeson.
"Ordinarily I do not dress so heavily," he said with a grin, withdrawing his weapon. "But you interrupted some business I was planning to take care of."
Be ready for anything! Surely he has a swarm of assassins ready to come to his aid!
False alarm, he's actually fighting us on his own like a moron rather than running away, Owyn? On it.
Now, by stats, Navon is quite scary, with a solid weapon and high-tier armor but... he's perfectly vulnerable to Fetters of Rime(he resists the damage, oddly enough, but not the paralysis) and the party just walks in there and cuts him down.
In the book, they wait at Peter's inn until he shows up, James engages him in a conversation and a chess game, then they reveal that they found the book and thus know who he is. Gorath is waiting outside the door in case Navon tries to flee, so instead it's just James vs Navon in the common room of the inn(Owyn hangs back with the excuse that he doesn't want to throw James off his beat and get him stabbed). Navon and James then duel for a while until James stabs him. The comedy at the end is that Owyn leaves the inn to get help and Gorath decks him by reflex, thinking it's Navon fleeing.
Also the background plot is pretty similar. Sandau the stonemason knocks up Corvallis' wife, Corvallis finds out his son Neville is illegitimate, hires the stonemason again and rigs the cellar to collapse on him while he's working, inadvertently burying Neville as well. Neville, however, survives, and escape through Cavall Run, eventually joining up with the Nighthawks and seeking revenge. They then proceed to engineer the burning down of Cavall Keep to hide their base in the Run and to generally terrify the Count so he doesn't have a chance to focus on rebuilding it, but never actually killing or hurting him.
Can we get back to what he dropped? I'm dying here.
Oh yeah, Navon is a loot pinata. Tier 2(tier 1 of purchasable) armor, tier 3(tier 1 of purchasable) sword, a diamond, tier 1 quarrels, etc. this is a score. Oh and a lore note. Also the key to the locked door in Cavall Run.
BaK posted:
It was simply the best armor ever made by human hands. An articulated breastplate with a sliding rivet arrangement, an interior quilted arming doublet to soften sharp impacts, slip catches beneath the arm gussets for quick suiting; the breastplate was a marvel both to wear and to look at.
...
Inspired by the lighter, laminated blades carried by the Tsurani during the Riftwar, the elven greatsword was a terror in battle. Double spurs jutted from the base of its flamberge-style blade and it shaft had been fitted with a heavy pommel to allow it to be thrust like a rapier.
...
Archers instantly knew it on sight. Flights misaligned on the shaft, head malformed, spine too rigid to allow level flight; it was a disgrace to any who crafted arrows. And yet the enchantment worked into the misshapen bolt by its sorcerous maker made it a peerless quarrel.
...
Owyn grinned. While there were many Keshian thieves who would slit them from throat to belly to gain the brilliant full cut diamond, he expected there were just as many ladies of the court who would attempt much the same, though using weapons of a more persuasive kind.
...
Navon,
I'm concerned by Count Corvalis' increasing patrols in the area, and I think he will soon discover the entrance behind the waterfall. I know you don't credit him with much intelligence, but his patrol may accidentally follow one of Delekhan's envoys. Please return south of Cavall Keep as soon as possible.
Now we can head back to the run and finish this mystery.
Alright, so what was with the spider and the spyglass? Hell if I know. Dibs on keeping them to hock after this is over.
DARKNESS
Opening this chest ends the chapter. Worth noting is, because I am a genius, before doing so, I sold all the party's gold for gems, gave James the lightning staff and had Navon's suit of armor and sword tier 3 blessed, then handed them to James, too. For reasons.
BaK posted:
Spiders scurried out of the opened chest.
Careful to avoid the miniature albino menaces, James snatched a fresh-looking scroll out of the box and unrolled it on the floor. As his dark eyes darted across the page, his lips moved in an incantation of places, names, figures and dates.
"Northwarden," James whispered. "The attack will come at Northwarden very soon. But this is all wrong."
"What is it?" Gorath asked, also bending to see the page.
"These figures. If Delekhan takes a force this small to Northwarden, he hasn't a hope of taking the castle. Far too few soldiers. Baron Gabot will maul him unless Delekhan can bring something serious to bear. What could the moredhel have?"
"Maybe the Nighthawks have infiltrated the castle." Owyn said. "Why else would they be so helpful to the moredhel unless their own necks were on the line too?"
Paling, James suddenly snatched an ink horn from his pack and began to scribble an addendum to the Nighthawk note.
"It is very important that this note reach Arutha. Although you were not told this, he has stationed an army outside of the Dimwood to await my word about the attack," James said, finishing his note. Fixing his gaze on Gorath, he handed it firmly over. "I want you to make sure that it gets there. I'm going to have to trust you."
Owyn gaped. "But what about..."
"I've got to go to Northwarden. If there are Nighthawks in Baron Gabot's castle, we stand a good chance of losing it in an attack. I have to ensure that doesn't happen.
"Remember, Arutha is outside the Dimwood forest near Sethanon. When you give him the note, tell him there's a party at Mother's."
"What?" Owyn sputtered.
"Just do it. I haven't got time to explain. Good luck, the both of you."
In a moment the Seigneur was gone, his shadows chasing after him down the long dark tunnel.
BaK posted:
An hour later, Owyn yawned expansively, his vision growing dim with each step taken further down the road. Next to him, Gorath trudged without complaint, his eyes fixed on the dusty cow track.
"Enough, enough." Owyn murmured. I think my legs are going to crumble. We can't reach Arutha tonight. Let's stop for a while."
"Quiet," Gorath snapped, seizing Owyn by the arm. Beneath his hood, his feral eyes glowed like blood tinged emeralds. Someone's near..."
Abruptly patches of darkness detached themselves from the woods, ambled into the pale moonlight, huddled onto the roadbed. In the shadows, arrow points gleamed, aligned in deadly sights, quivered...
This chapter change is pretty abrupt, frankly. But whuh-oh, guess we're getting captured now!
BaK posted:
The war drums had begun at dawn.
Stalking quietly the corridors of the ancient fortress, Narab carried a witchlight to illumine his way. As he approached the doors to the Great Hall, two moredhel guards dressed in full battle regalia stood away. They made no sound as he whisked past nor blinked at the sight of him.
"Greetings, Narab," a cold voice called from the throne. "It has long been since I have seen your face in Sar-Sargoth. Have you grown bolder or more the fool?"
Narab knelt at the base of the throne and kissed Delekhan's foot. "That is for you to decide. If my words are not to your liking, then my life is yours."
"It is already mine." Delekhan's wolfish eyes blazed in the darkness. "Speak," he commanded.
"I have just returned from a journey into the Kingdom. I bring a prize."
"I have no interest in valueless baubles."
"This is no bauble," Narab said, cutting off Delekhan, "and I think you will find it is of great value."
"And would it have name, this thing?"
"Yes, my lord. Its name is Gorath!" Narab sneered pridefully as he awaited his leader's praise, awaited the words that would restore his place in moredhel favor and rescind the order of death on his head. Perhaps he would even have a place among the new lords...
Delekhan lunged from his throne, his razor edged gauntlet tilling a bloody seam across Narab's face as he lashed him backwards.
"You've wrecked everything, you dog!" Delekhan bellowed.
"But...I have brought back the enemy of the Northlands!" Narab sputtered, blood dripping from his torn lips. "With Gorath captive we can proceed with our..."
"You...know...nothing!"
Narab retreated, suddenly aware that his efforts were wasted, that his oath of loyalty meant nothing to his hateful lord. Resolutely he stifled a flash of pain as the moredhel leader thundered towards the doors.
"And what of my life?" Narab whispered.
Halting, Delekhan turned and hissed, "It is forfeit!"
...
Owyn didn't want to be awake.
Perhaps it was the drugs they had given him or the endless walking that he'd done in the past month and a half. All he could think about was sleeping now, that restful non-existence that interrupted the beatings and the hauling and the exhaustion. He just wanted to sleep but that irritating jangle wouldn't let him. Where was it coming from?
"Gorath?" Owyn asked. "Are you there?"
Suddenly the jangle rattled louder, this time accompanied by a loud creak and a flood of torch light as bright as the sun. Out of that glowing corona lumbered the largest moredhel he had yet seen...
I see my assistants have been overzealous in their efforts to sedate you! It is proper to tremble when you are addresed by Delekhan, leader of the unified tribes of the Northlands! We found this among your things, Kingdom dog. Tell me where you were going with it! We weren't taking it anywhere. We just picked up everything we could and ran. We needed gold... A lie! The seal that the Nighthawks use for our messages was broken. The new writing at the bottom of the page confirms your guilt. What does Gabot's Folly mean? Who are Arthur and Jimmy the Hand? I really have no idea. Someone else must have beaten us to it and opened the scroll before we got there. We took what we found and left before we got nabbed. Do you want us to cut you in on the booty? What I want is information! Your companion Gorath damns you as certainly as your lie does. Until he betrayed his own, he was second in power only to me. He shall die for his disloyalty. Since you choose to remain silent, I shall have your tongue and feed it to my rats. Have back your message, spy. It will do you little good in your grave.
It's important to love what you do.
BaK posted:
Delekhan stalked away.
Still rattled by his interrogation, Owyn tried to collect his fuzz coated thoughts into a coherent whole. Thankfully, his wits had provided the lies as needed, but only narrowly had he avoided the impulse to tell everything he knew. It was almost as if he was being prodded, coerced, bewitched...
Magic?
Astonished he had been unaware of it at the time, the boy looked again at the bulky warrior who now stood whispering over Gorath's limp form. At first he believed Delekhan was incanting a spell, one perhaps intended to coerce the truth from his victim, but after a few moments it became clear the warlord was conversing with his barely conscious friend.
"No!" Gorath croaked, shaking his head.
"...plans...unfulfilled," Delekhan whispered finally. Abruptly he struck...
Rather than leaving this silent or recording a custom sound for Gorath getting smacked in the face, they play one of the most generic .midi kick drum SFX I've ever heard.
BaK posted:
It was too much to absorb.
Even if the events unfurling before him weren't openly damning, Owyn had seen enough to keep him swimming in a sea of doubts, all of them centering on the loyalty of his friend and traveling companion. Worse still, he had to deliver the message to Prince Arutha outside the Dimwood and he would need Gorath's help to do it. Desperately he wished he had time to sort things out, but time was the one commodity he didn't have.
"Enjoy your deaths. I know I shall." Delekhan's scratchy voice snatched Owyn out of his thoughts, directed his attention to where the moredhel stood in the doorway gesturing to someone in the dungeon corridor. From nowhere a monolithic door swung into place and once again the room was a land of shadows.
Experimentally, Owyn struck the bars of his cage, knowing full well the corroded structure was too solid to yield. But even as his fingertips came a way from the metal, the bars began a keening vibration, the iron harmonies evocative of distant temple bells.
Someone was working magic...and it wasn't him.
I love how Owyn just STANDS there, still gripping the missing bars like a fucking cartoon character.
BaK posted:
Owyn wasted no time.
Later, he could debate to his heart's content about who it was that had set them free and what their reasons for doing so might be, but at the moment he had no thought in him but finding a means to get them out of the darkened cell alive. Hurrying to Gorath, he freed him of his iron manacles and allowed the moredhel to lean against his shoulder as they limped together towards the heavy dungeon door. Again, tugging at the handle, they found that the lock was undone, another gift from their unknown benefactor.
"What about the guard?" Owyn whispered, allowing Gorath to stand once more on his own.
Gorath lifted his head and spoke, his speech still slurred by the drugs that had been administered to them. "Keep moving," he said, waving a hand at the door. "No one is there."
Pushing out the door, they found themselves confronting a wide hallway with passages leading in three other directions...
And this part is more or less 100% canon if we take the book as canon, except that Delekhan never bothers to show up and interrogate them. He just calls Narab a moron and then has them tossed into the cells to rot.
Join me next update as Owyn and Gorath wander around Moredhel territory and maybe commit a war crime or two.
Is it gonna be the profitable kind of war crime? Those are my favourite.