Waiting for Mortis
Session Fifty-Four of the Notoriety of Kings Campaign

Terday, 16 Mizzle Month 204

The doorway to the Greymere fades into nothingness. Etchen is gone and the six are left alone. They are changed and they have returned to a Norandor that is changed. The Blades of Virtue have gone. Narramac is dead. Mínaris lives and will soon be coming after them. Alessandre is dead and her soul trapped in the Great Dark. That last misfortune hangs about Elias like a heavy weight. Yet all is not despair.

Nicos has Narramac’s tabac, and he can feel Calafax again. He laughs and throws of his clothes so he can embrace Calafax fully and cover himself in flame. Raza has been partially freed from his death sentence at the hands of the Brotherhood of the Black Rose, but now he his back in Norandor he can her the moon gods once more. They are worse than ever, compelling him to journey to Mount Korvast and speak to them.

And then there is Ravenna. With her strange eyes that seem to change as one looks at her. “What is the matter with you?” asks Elias firmly. Ravenna shrugs, “I don’t know, but look what’s happened to my fingers!” She pulls off her gloves to reveal elongated fingernails that have blackened and hardened into dagger-sharp points. She demonstrates their efficiency by ramming them into a small tree. Arvan mutters to himself about people having no respect for trees. She reckons she could file them down with some sort of blacksmithing implement. In the meantime she needs to be careful how she scratches an itch. “Maybe it’s got something to do with the magical items I picked up in the Great Dark.” Elias is aghast. “You still have those!? Put them down, put them down right now!”

Ravenna puts her hand into her pouch and removes the three magical items she found while possessed by the sin of Avarice. A green gem that she knows can animate the dead, a whetstone and the black, opal-studded dagger that causes Nicos so much pain. Elias concentrates and uses his Saldarím ability to detect the presence of evil. He gazes at Ravenna. Her aura is interesting to say the least. The red that he would associate with evil overwhelms her and then is gone; appearing and disappearing like a cheap conjuring trick. The evil is small and contained, but there is always the threat that it will overwhelm her.

Then he looks at the items. The green gem is definitely dodgy. It does not radiate evil, but what it does can hardly be said to be good. There is no evil from the other items. Ravenna collects them up. She hopes that Gaston will be able to have a look at the gem and tell her what it does. As to the dagger, why did it affect Nicos. The party hand it to one another. It does not burn any of them as it burned Nicos. Not even Elias. They try to offer it to the cleric again, but he refuses to touch it. The group conclude that the dagger must affect those who follow the moon faiths.

Arvan believes that Ravenna’s condition may well owe nothing to the items she picked up while in the Great Dark. It may have every to do with the fact she touched the weave when she was there.
Ravenna swears quietly to herself. Elias begins to take her to task about her actions but she rounds on him. “I only touched the weave twice! Once to protect us from those demons and once because the Blade of Avarice forced me to.”

She asks Arvan what happens to sorcerers who touch the Weave. Arvan replies that a variety of things. Some arcanists have turned into puddles of semi-sentient goo, others become demons, go insane or simply disappear. As Ravenna has left the dark and is no longer touching it for her spells, she probably won’t get any worse. Probably. But should she ever return she could be in grave danger. Ravenna sighs and tickles the weave. It seems fine to her here on Iourn. That is something of a relief.

Nicos decides that the time has finally come to do some serious scrying. He pulls out his mirror and calls upon it to show him Ellyboodle. It fails. Elias points out that if Narramac couldn’t find her, how could he expect to, but Nicos merely says, “I’m better than him.” He then calls upon its power to show his ‘family’ from the Church of Fire. Julian Maynard. Vince Loire. Boudewijn Berdgardt. And Rio. On all his attempted scryings he gets the distinct impression that they are under the influence of some nondetection magic. That could mean that they are all in the same place.

“Maybe I should have a go,” says Arvan coolly. Since returning from the Great Dark, Arvan has many more powers at his disposal beyond Reincarnation. Now he can scry and, as he tells Nicos, flame strike. Nicos is not happy. It seems that now Arvan can do everything he can, but better. At Raza’s behest Arvan stoops down to a puddle on the damp earth, made with rain water. He casts the scrying spell and commands the puddle to show them King Yaddagon. The water ripples for a second and the party have a view of Yaddagon’s bedchamber. To their delight Arvan’s version comes with sound and in glorious technicolour. Nicos has to be restrained from stomping in the puddle.

Yaddagon is in his bed. The curtains are closed and there is a large fire in the grate. They can only see the king from the nose up, as the rest of him is buried under myriad blankets. He does not stir. There is a woman in the room. It is not Aylisha, but the king’s daughter, Princess Celestine. “At least we know he’s still alive,” says the druid.

Raza wants to leave and head into Uris immediately. He doesn’t quite no what they should be doing, but whatever it is there’s a lot of it and so they should get started. “Why?” asks Nicos. The fire cleric argues, all too logically for some, that they have done their bit. They have spread the blight in the Great Dark, lost the swords – lost much more than the swords – and now they should have a bit of a rest. When Elias tells Nicos that Mínaris is coming, Nicos says that they should “Sod Mínaris! We can’t beat Mínaris! He could wipe the floor with Grimalkin, Grimalkin wiped the floor with Narramac and Narramac could wipe the us. He’s coming, and when he gets here we’re all going to die, so we might as well try and enjoy ourselves in the mean time.”

Once more Nicos’s logic is difficult to gainsay. Nicos is smug in his position as the wisest member of the group, but that doesn’t mean anyone agrees with him. Raza wants to head back into the city to see the king. Everyone else has business there as well, although Nicos himself has no draw to take him back into Uris as far as he can see. The party pick themselves off the damp ground and heads off.

Their knowledge of the local area tells them that they need not cut across several miles of fields and woodland to reach the Hadradan road. The muddy path before them will take them down to one of the city gates in less than an hour. The lane they have chosen is ten feet wide and heavy rutted with wagon tracks. Both Brack and Arvan can tell that most of the traffic has been moving away from Uris. They can well imagine why this would be the case, although why take this path with a solid road of stone so close by.

Movement in one of the trees overhanging the road alerts the party an instant before there is a twang, and an arrow imbeds itself in the ground not three feet in front of Elias. “Oh for goodness sake!” yells Nicos. “We’ve been back two minutes and we’re all ready under attack! This is not fair! What do you want from us? And why were you watching this lane? Why weren’t you watching the docks, wouldn’t that have made more sense.” The cleric’s despairing and exasperated cries briefly confuse the archer in the tree, but he quickly recovers and shouts: “Stop where you are! You are surrounded. Lay down your weapons and your valuables and back away. No-one needs to get hurt!”

This is a simple attempt at banditry? “Do you know who we are?” asks Raza. The archer does not reply as Brack sighs deeply at the inevitability of it all and calmly takes his composite long bow from his back and begins to string it. Seeing that Brack’s actions could in no way be considered staying where he is, Nicos and Ravenna cast protection from arrows spells upon themselves. The bandits let fly with their arrows. There are ten of them in total, but the shots either go wide or rebound off magic and armour. The arrows that thud into Nicos and Ravenna are instantly slowed and strike them with force of a falling leaf. The bandits are somewhat perturbed.

Arvan sighs. They don’t have time for this. Drawing upon the power of nature he animates all the plants in the area and commands them to seize the bandits. Eight of the nine on the ground are immediately engulfed by agitated ferns and mean-spirited perennials. The archer above finds the entire tree bend toward the ground, and the branch snake back to entwine his jerkin. He falls toward and finds himself dangling from the end of the branch, a few inches above the ground like a marionette with its strings twisted. The only robber who escaped Arvan’s spell tries to flee, but Nicos catches up with him and knocks him out by hitting him on the head with a penny-filled sock. The cleric then sits on him for good measure. Brack snarls and puts his bow down.

The party have successfully defeated the ambush in a little less than five seconds, and are completely uninjured. “Who… who are you?” meeps the archer. “Don’t you know?” asks Raza. “We’re the Chosen of Narramac,” says Ravenna, beginning to enjoy herself. She feels the urge to cackle evilly, but resists it. The archer looks at them all, his eyes wide. “Oh feck,” he says.

“You’re the Chosen of Narramac?” the archer asks. He looks at each of them, recognising their faces. His fear is momentarily overwhelmed by meeting such celebrities. “You’re Arvan, you returned from the dead!” – “Actually, we all have,” says Nicos. “We’ve all been dead and come back.” – “No we didn’t,” says Arvan. “And I didn’t die, I just went to another dimension.” The archer is somewhat shocked by this, as the group have an evil five minutes and tell the poor fellow, whose name is Ogen, all about their adventures and how they are each cursed with amazing destructive powers.

Nicos bends over the lad he knocked unconscious and tugs on his eye-lids until he wakes up. “Hello!” he says in a suitably psychotic fashion. The lad is terrified. “Please don’t hurt him,” says Ogen. “He’s my brother Pogen.” – “Ogen and Pogen?” Elias mutters and then says something uncomplimentary. Then Ravenna steps forward and interrogates Ogen.

Ogen says that he, Pogen and the others, live in a camp outside the forest where they prey on the people who have been leaving Uris. There has been a outpouring of humanity from the city because there is going to be a war. Everyone knows that King Yaddagon is going to die very soon, and then Galahyde the Black will come with his army and no-one wants to be here when that happens. They only resorted to banditry in order to feed their families.

Ravenna mellows to the lad, and his plight. She gives him eight crowns (the equivalent of 80 days honest wages) and tells him the truth of Galahyde. She tells him about the evil rising in the south and that Mínaris is the real threat and manipulating the ex-duke. In her concern she succeeds in scaring him significantly more than the others did – even when Raza said he was going to summon the moon gods. Nicos has taken a liking to Pogen and gives him the contents of his sock.

At length, when they have discovered all the can from Ogen, they release him, Pogen and the others and they flee into the forest. Ravenna wants to enlist their help in fighting Mínaris, but they don’t seem willing. “Don’t come back or I’ll summon the moon gods again!”

As the terrified band of would-be cut-throats rapidly accelerate from sight, Arvan sighs and turns angrily to Raza. “Now they think we can summon the moon gods and destroy the world!” Raza shrugs. “Actually, we can,” he says. Arvan is despairing at the rest of the party. “If this experience has taught us nothing else, it’s that we can’t split up. Too many people know us.” Nicos mutters to himself and kicks a stone down the path. “So maybe we should try to stop drawing attention to ourselves,” the druid continues. “Which means not mentioning how we’ve all died and come back from the dead. You know what the Watchers think of that.” Ravenna agrees that they should stop drawing attention to themselves and they continue their journey, fireworks flashing from the end of Narramac’s wizardly staff.

From this point, it is only a short journey to Uris. The city looks smaller to the party after seeing the full extent of Hadras, Shallambor and Yalman’a’tir. It is not, as the inhabitants believe, the greatest city in the world. However, to many of them it is home. The gate to which the Chosen approach seems clogged with wagons and carts leaving the city. They seem reminiscent of rats leaving a sinking ship. It takes a little while to snake through the side gates and into the city. At this point they are about a miles form the Old City and the palace. Less from the Gutterhive.

The party fight their way through the crowds, taking in the sights and all too familiar smells of the Norandon capital. They are just making their mind up as to where to do when a small urchin walks bodily into Ravenna. The sorceress looks down at the scruffy little greasestain grinning back up at her, as the child presses a crumpled piece of parchment into her hand. It is a letter, secured with wax but with no seal upon it. Ravenna catches hold of the child’s hand. “Who told you to deliver this?” she asks suspiciously. “A nobleman, ma’am,” says the urchin. Ravenna asks for a description of the man. The boy cannot give much more than an impression of height and hair colour. This is all very suspicious. “What’s your name?” Ravenna asks. “Ken,” says the child. “Have you been paid for this?” – “Yes,” says Ken, and then thinks. “No!” he says more vociferously. Ravenna smiles. The Blade of Charity must still have its odd effects on her as she flips the lad a shilling and he scurries away into the crowd.

The other members of the Chosen of Narramac crowd around Ravenna as they move into an alleyway and she unseals the letter. Quickly reading it, she smiles to herself. “He’s good,” she murmurs, then looking up at her companions she reads the letter. It says: “Madame, Sirs. I hope this note finds you in fine health. Matters have changed at your abode since you were last in the city. Preparation now may save troubles in the future. Please meet with me immediately at the tavern where Skaz once sat. My apologies for the nature and the brevity of this note.” It is signed “L”.

“Lucien,” says Ravenna. Skaz was the alias Ravenna took when the party was tracking down the Heart of Llysallian last Suntask. Everyone remembers the name of the tavern they sat in as the elegant Fluglehorn – apart from Raza who is convinced it was called the Barfbucket. Without further ado the party head across town to the merchant district and come to the Fluglehorn. The tavern sits where they remember it, at the meeting of three roads. It’s not too far from here to Jhasik’s Jewellers.

As they enter Ravenna is saying how she is convinced that Lucien is a spymaster. She hopes that he can help them. “Help us in what?” asks Nicos stubbornly. At this time of day the Fluglehorn is practically empty. Just one of the employees pushing a broom aimlessly around the room, and another man in the corner counting out piles of gold. Nicos orders five beers (including two for Raza) and they adjourn to the table where Elias and Ravenna (disguised as O’Keef and Skaz) met with Scintila all those months ago.

After about twenty minutes the door opens and a man walks in. He is wearing a long blue cloak that is slick with rain. Throwing it back he reveals himself as Lucien. Everyone is pleased to see him. “Madame, Sirs,” he says in his usual neutral tone. Nicos offers Lucien a seat but the major-domo adds, “I hope you do think it forward sir, but I think perhaps a private room would be more conducive to the matters we have to discuss.”

A few minutes later, armed with more drinks, they are in a small back room of the Fluglehorn. The curtains are drawn and a warm fire is roaring in the grate. Lucien waits to be offered a seat by Elias before joining the Chosen around the table. Ravenna tells him to relax and assume that he is one of them – none of this master and servant business. She says that they all know that he is a spy working for the king, and he shouldn’t try to hide it. Lucien replies that he is a servant, and he is their servant.

“I am certainly glad to see you all back safely,” he says. “Not all of us,” says Elias. “My apologies.” Elias tells Lucien a little of their adventures, the fact that Alessandre has gone and that they have lost the Blades of Virtue. “A loss it would be wise to keep secret,” Lucien says, “lest your enemies hear of it and decide to take advantage.”

“So what’s been happening, Lucien?” asks Nicos. Lucien nods and begins his narrative in a businessman-like manner. “On 17th Late Harvest, King Yaddagon lost consciousness and fell into a coma. He has not awoken and grows weaker every day. Many of the other claimants for he throne have grown restless and many are acting as if he is all ready dead. Galahyde the Black has led an army of more than 15,000 men to the edge of the border of Dismallion and set up camp there. He is waiting to move north. Mínaris is said to be with him. Galahyde and Korvis of Sal’Cran have signed a pact of mutual non-aggression. Galahyde has established links with Earl Sabannion of Salmaynak. He is all ready acting as if he is king.”

This news depresses the party. They had been hoping that Korvis could be persuaded to act against Galahyde – the Salmayan possessing the only army in the country capable of doing such a thing. Lucien continues: “The other claimants for the throne are beside themselves. Jeolin of Neverton’s claim has all but disintegrated due to lack of interest. Ralyon Artusi vacillates from courting nobles to courting the churches. He continually hints of doing great things when he becomes king, but he has delivered on none of his promises to either side. Solomon Ilik publicly announced that he did not believe in the divinity of the moon gods which has somewhat destroyed his chances of rising to the throne. The mysterious Queston has a quite substantial band who believe he is the surviving son of Yaddagon XIII but it is unlikely to be enough to challenge Galahyde. The Princess Celestine has publicly announced that she will not marry and she sits by her father day and night. The King has not yet named an heir.”

“What?” questions Elias. This is both strange and dire news. When the party left Uris in Kindlesmoke, naming an heir was the one thing Yaddagon was definitely going to do. Even if he did fall into a coma in Late Harvest he still had two months or more to do so. Why didn’t he? “Maybe he did,” says Ravenna sagely. The writ of succession Yaddagon would have to produce to name an heir would have had to have been passed to the Chamberlain. Alberdark could be with-holding its publication. He could, as the sorceress says, be ‘as dodgy as feck’. “Whose side is Alberdark on?” she asks Lucien.

Lucien says that Alberdark is on the side of the Crown. He is running the country at present because it is job to do so when such responsibility falls upon him, but he believes whole-heartedly in the monarchy. He will follow the rightful monarch. If Galahyde is raised rightful king by the churches and the nobility then he will follow Galahyde. If the king names someone else, then he will follow that someone and oppose Galahyde. That is Alberdark’s way. Lucien does not believe that he would deliberately conceal a writ of succession. Ravenna is partially convinced, but she does not trust Alberdark. Nicos says that Raza should be the rightful king. After all, he’s a godspeaker. Raza shakes his head, and turns to Lucien, ignoring the cleric.

“What about Aylisha?” asks Raza. Lucien replies: “Count Kristus revealed some months ago that Lady Aylisha Allenkai was in fact an impostor.” Raza shakes his head. “When she refused to reveal who she was she was incarcerated in the palace dungeons. She has been there for two months. The revelation gave the count more kudos about the court and some authority. He successfully pushed to have the ex-count Dai Caled pardoned. Caled has reportedly fled to Dismallion, but I am certain he will return when Galahyde does.”

The news goes from bad to worse. How was all this possible? “Because the king has not named a successor everyone supposes that Galahyde will become king without any opposition. Certainly the churches and the bulk of the nobility seem ready get behind him. As a result the supporters of Galahyde have become extremely influential in the palace. The stars of Count Kristus and Baron Linley Caled are in the ascendancy. More so after this affair with Lady Aylisha.”

“This is a strange never-time in the palace. Those who can are leaving. The corridors are emptier than normal. It is as though the court, the city and the entire country are paused, everyone is holding their breath and waiting for Mortis. Until the king dies nothing will happen. When he does, everything will happen. It cannot be more than days.”

“How is my uncle, is he making any money yet?” Ravenna asks. “An important matter,” says Lucien, “my apologies for not mentioning it sooner. I am sorry to report that Jhasik Tannesh has disappeared from his apartments in the palace.” Ravenna seems more resigned than shocked. “What’s the old fool got himself into this time?” she asks. Lucien cannot furnish her with any answers. All he can say is that Jhasik was last seen by the maid, Molly two days ago. Ravenna shakes her head. As it turns out, Molly won’t be in the service of the Chosen of Narramac for much longer. Lucien says that she is with child, and no Jhasik most definitely is not the father.

Ravenna puts her uncle’s disappearance out of her mind for a moment and turns to Lucien. She tells him that they are putting a great deal of trust in him by telling him the following. “Where do your loyalties lie, Lucien?” – “I am your servant, madam. The king entrusted me with doing everything in my power to aid you, and until King Yaddagon tells me otherwise that is precisely what I intend to you. I am yours to do with as you will.”

Ravenna says that Lucien has a web of spies across Uris, but Lucien will not be drawn. He merely admits to having a number of contacts consistent with his role and long service. Eventually Ravenna gives up trying to get Lucien to reveal himself as a spymaster, and decides to trust him. They tell Lucien about their adventures and about what they have discovered. He listens attentively to tales of the Great Dark, Karatath, the elves and the Great War that was fought one thousand years ago. Elias tells him of the role that Mínaris has played in all this. How they believe that Mínaris is in complete control of Galahyde the Black, and how the dark sorcerer must be prevented from being placed in a position of authority in Norandor. Beyond anything else, it was Narramac’s last wish before he died.

Lucien takes all this in without so much as a raised eyebrow, but the party can see they are making an impression on him. “But we can’t do anything against Mínaris,” says Nicos decisively. “He’s too powerful.” Raza suggests that he contacts Rhiana. It is possible the elves might help them in stopping him, although he is not optimistic. Rhiana might be able to use her powers to enter Dream to get to the king and speak with him. Although even if she did and even if the king told her who he wanted to be heir, how could they prove it? Nicos is at his lowest ebb. He cannot see where they can go from here. What is there for him in Uris?

“There are some things, Sir,” says Lucien calmly. “I recently spoke with the Lady Drasha,” Elias’s ears prick up at this point. “She has apparently had workmen clearing away the rubble surrounding Scaldarnus. She commissioned an architect to draw up plans for a new temple, and she wanted you to look at them.” Lucien answers Nicos’s further questions by explaining that the plans are held at the Raithborne townhouse, and that Drasha seemed to be under the impression that she had all ready committed all the money that Elias had promised to the project.

Elias asks Lucien about his wife. Lucien replies that she is currently in Oldheart, where she is conducting the business of the barony. Elias feels a little relief that his confrontation with her can be delayed another few days. Brack asks after Shredder. Lucien tells him that the creature is back in Uris and is being kept by the Justician priests at the temple of St Bernice waiting for his return. Brack is keen to go and collect Shredder.

Ravenna wants to know of their other allies and acquaintances. Alys has not been seen in the palace since shortly after the party departed for Sorgar. Gaston still holds the position of archwizard, but he is preparing for his role in the new administration. Misgon is no longer in the palace. He has moved to Umbria with Drasha and has taken most of the library with him. “The White Suite is not particularly dangerous for you at present,” Lucien says, “but I thought it wiser to acquaint you with these matters before your return to the palace.”

The party thank Lucien for his help and his loyalty. They decide to return to the White Suite and rest themselves. Raza would like to see Aylisha, although Arvan says that there is no need to do so immediately. According to Lucien they should have no trouble in going to see Aylisha. They are still the Chosen of Narramac, and as long as Yaddagon lives, that continues to give them a great deal of influence in the palace.

In less than an hour they have crossed the capital and returned to the White Suite. They are able to conceal their return from servants and soon news of it is all over the palace. Their enemies know that they have returned. When they get back Lucien apologises and hands Brack a stone tablet covered in writing in the dwarvish script. “It arrived for you one week ago,” Lucien says.

Brack picks it up and reads it. It is addressed to Brack Kurast and reads: “The temple of Moradin received your letter. Your character has been vouchsafed by King Abrinthor himself. You have powerful friends, despite your tarnished family name. I am therefore travelling to the human city of Uris to meet with you. I am a Maker in the service of Moradin. I will tell if you are worthy of pursuing this path despite your roots. The journey from Kûlhazan is long and made difficult by goblin forces marshalling south of the Strait. I plan to leave within two weeks of sending this message. Expect me at that time.” It is signed Halbeara. A remarkably informal signature given the character of the letter.

But there is more. Chiselled along the side of the tablet is another missive. This one from Blaine! “Things in Kûlhazan have been dull since coronation. I’m coming to see how you fare. Maybe we can split some ogre skulls like old times!” Brack is very pleased that Blaine is coming. Finally another dwarf who holds the same things dear as he does: maiming other living creatures. Blaine’s not continues: “PS – tell that drink-of-water sorceress you have with you that we’re bringing her friend, Derriac. He wants to see her – can’t think why.”

“Derriac is coming back to Uris?” Ravenna is shocked, and very happy. It’s been a year or more since she saw her mentor. He might be able to help her track down Uncle Jhasik. She wishes she could hang on to at least some members of her family. Still there are other means. “Arvan,” says Ravenna turning to the druid. “I would like you to try and scry my uncle and my parents.” Nicos is a little put off. Why can’t he do it? Ravenna explains that she would like sound and colour. Nicos shrugs. He wants to go and have a look at these blueprints any way.

Raza asks Lucien if anyone has called for him. Lucien says that a certain gnome, going by the name of Zookie, has sent messages on a regular basis and asked to be informed when Raza returned to the palace. “Where is he?” Raza asks. Lucien informs the monk that Zookie is staying at The Bluefish Tavern within the Old City. Raza nods. Zookie wanted him to declare himself as a godspeaker and rule the world last time they met. Now he needs the monk’s help. They have very few allies and Zookie would be a powerful friend if he can be persuaded to be slightly less insane.

Inevitably, the party go their separate ways. Arvan and Ravenna head into the garden where Arvan can use the rain water to do some serious scrying. Nicos, Elias and Brack head to the Raithborne townhouse via St. Bernice so they can pick up Shredder. Raza heads down to the dungeons to see Aylisha. Before going, Ravenna asks that a message be sent to Alberdark informing him that they have returned. Ideally they would like to see the king, but Lucien says that they must get Alberdark’s permission.

In the garden, Arven spends are hour looking over a rainwater puddle searching for Ravenna’s mother. Eventually, the magic is done and Arvan peers into the waters. Suddenly the water coalesces into the form of a hand and grabs Arvan around the throat. It takes Ravenna two attempts to dispel the attack. Ravenna is mystified. Whatever magic stopped the scrying was not wizardry, sorcery, psionics, divine magic, druidic magic, bardic magic, draconic magic or sonorism – so what the hell was it? Ravenna had thought she had seen everything, but this is something quite different. What is her mother mixed up in could provoke this?

Arvan is fine and willing to try again. Another hour and the attempt to find her father is unsuccessful. Another hour and Arvan looks for Jhasik. This is more successful. As Arvan sees the image he tries to shield it from Ravenna, but she is too fast. Jhasik is naked and chained to rack. He is being tortured by a greasy-skinned cadaver that looks quite similar to the form Mínaris took in the Great Dark. He is in a natural cave and surrounded by hellish implements of torture. This is bad. Very bad. Ravenna does not know what to do.

While she considers her next move Arvan takes the time to scry for his old animal companions, Tok, Carax and the rats. He tries Tok first. He finds the badger alive and well and miraculously in the druidic grove in the Úngorn forest where the Norandon Circle hold their seasonal moot. The badger senses his old master scrying him and rises up on his hind legs to find Arvan. For a moment Arvan forgets the horror of the Great Dark and remembers the simpler times with his badger. He is proud that his badger managed to get all the way from Kerikal to Norandor and glad that he is safe. The dryad, Blossom, appears in the vision and Tok cuddles into her ample bosom. Carax and the rats Ik’int and Skreet are also in the Úngorn. Arvan hopes that he will see them again one day.

The Justician priests of Saint Bernice are more than happy for Brack to take Shredder off their hands. The bite-marks and missing fingers a testament to how hard he is to house-train. The orc hound is as glad to see its master as Brack is to see it. Brack saddles the beast and rides out into Uris atop the creature with Nicos and Brack side-by-side. Elias is anxious to be away from this place. It was in the iron-fenced garden that he fought with Joseph Leston for his honour and wound up with a barony and a wife.

The trio arrive at the Raithborne Townhouse soon after. The servants take a little while torealise who Elias is and what his being there means, but soon they are making the baron and his guests comfortable. As Lucien suspected, Drasha is currently in Umbria where she is (apparently) discussing important matters with Squire Driskal. Elias sends a servant to Umbria to inform Drasha that he has returned. Even if his wife immediately comes to Uris he cannot expect her until late on Caladay (two days from now).

Nicos is impressed by the plans for the new Scaldarnus that are found in Elias’s study. It conveys the character of the old building, but is more spacious and contains quarters where he could stay. Elias is more impressed by the price tag. The clearing of the area and the architect’s fees came to 8000 crowns. That was as much as Elias said he was prepared to give to Nicos. To his credit, Nicos does not ask for any more money, but suggests that they go directly to the Grand Conflagration to see if they can squeeze any cash out of First Flame Vina Leikey. Certainly, she is an evil fire-eye in the service of the eminently dodgy Tarrashar, but she is still a First Flame and therefore should help.

The Grand Conflagration is all abustle when the trio arrive. With the king’s death only predicted to be days away, the high priests of all the religions are arriving in Uris. Tarex, the High Holy Witness of Doom, is currently staying at the Royal Palace. It is customary for the leader of all the Watchers to administer the last rites to the King of Norandor – his status as Prophet of Uris ensures this. The Grand Conflagration is, therefore, preparing for the arrival of Firewalker Tarrashar within a few days. Nicos groans. It is like all the badness is converging on Uris just to make his life difficult.

Nicos finds two friendly faces in Minton and Crisp and arranges a meeting with Leikey, even though she is extremely busy. He sees her alone, seating behind the desk that used to belong to Julian Maynard. She has little time for Nicos, but is interested when he shows her the plans. Nicos says that he doesn’t think he should find all the money to rebuild Scaldarnus itself. Leikey looks at the plans and is surprisingly reasonable to Nicos. She nods. “We do need another temple in the Gutterhive. All right Nicos. Your request isn’t unreasonable. Leave these plans with me and I will contact you.”

Nicos cannot believe his luck. It might be that Leikey’s help in this matter comes with a price, but Nicos doesn’t dwell upon the possibility. He asks her about Tarrashar and Boudewijn, but Leikey says that she knows nothing of Boudewijn’s fate after he was freed from his death sentence. “Now go away and stop bothering me. I have much to prepare before Tarrashar returns.” Nicos returns to his friends.

In the meantime, Raza has had no problem in getting access to Aylisha. He walks down the steps and into second subterranean level of the palace dungeon, located beneath a tower in a fortified keep built behind the Hadradan palace. Two guards are at the locked doorway. One of them looks a little familiar but Raza cannot place him. Probably the incessant chattering of the moon gods in his mind. It is enough to drive a man mad.

Raza’s credentials as one of the Chosen of Narramac is enough to get him past the guards and into a narrow corridor bordered by a stone wall on one side and a series of cells on the other. Thick iron bars line with a barred door line this wall, so that every inch of the cell is visible to the observer. All the cells are empty except for the last one. It contains a wooden bed, a rusty bucket and a stool. Seated regally on the stool, looking utterly unperturbed by her predicament is Aylisha. She is not surprised to see Raza and, indeed, looks as though she has been expecting him.

“And you have returned,” she says. “And not a moment too soon.” Raza says that he has much totell her, but he doesn’t want to speak in the dungeons in case they are overheard. “None will hear you here,” Aylisha says with extreme confidence.” Raza explains where they have been and what they have accomplished in the past four months. But he wants to know about the king. Aylisha nods gravely, and retells much the same story that Lucien recounted in the Fluglehorn. Raza asks why the king did not declare an heir. Aylisha replies: “He intended to, but he seemed terribly undecided. Then he became weaker and weaker, and did not have the energy to rise from his bed. Without your sword he could not summon the will. I did what I could, but if I brought him back to consciousness the shock would surely have killed him. Then Count Kristus discovered me and had me imprisoned here.”

Aylisha doesn’t seem to think her present circumstance is too dire. She claims that she is still able to aid the king and, although she doesn’t say so directly, Raza feels that if she wanted to leave this cell could not hold her. She says that her duty is to remain by the king. “And what happens when the king dies?” asks Raza. Aylisha says that she is free of her obligation. Raza asks if Aylisha will help him and his companions when this happens. They will have to face Mínaris and no end of evil when Galahyde comes to Uris. Will she help? “I will help you if that is what you ask of me Raza, but be warned. If you ask for my help I will give it, but I can only help you once.”

“What? What do you mean once?” Aylisha smiles at the baffled monk enigmatically. She says that she cannot tell him that. Aylisha goes onto say that a crisis will soon come with the King. She might be able to give him a few lucid moments at the end, but she doubts it will be any more than a few lucid moments. Before that happens she would like very much to speak to Arvan. Raza says that he will convey that wish.

Raza leaves the dungeon and the palace grounds and heads down to the Bluefish Tavern. When he is outside he turns his head to the sky and says: “Rhiana, I need to see you!” He hopes that the elf is watching him from whatever never-dimension she dwells in. The Bluefish is the closest inn to the Palace, which is presumably why Zookie picked it. He goes in and to the barman. He asks after the gnome. The barman says that Zookie is in and that he is under instructions to send anyone asking for him up to his room. Raza thanks the innkeeper and heads up to Zookie’s room.

Raza decides to play a little trick on Zookie. He puts his hood up and walks to the door and knocks loudly. “Come in!” comes a voice that Raza knows to be Zookie’s. Raza knocks again, Zookie repeats himself. Raza knocks again. Zookie curses and opens the door, turning his back on Raza before the monk can even enter the room. Inside the bedroom, Raza notices that all the furniture has been pushed back against the walls to create a space for Zookie to practice his arts. In the room with the wizened little monk are two children, no more than eight seasons and (by the look of them) beggars. Zookie seems to be teaching them the basics of monkish martial arts.

“Hello,” says Raza in an appalling fake accent. Zookie says “Hello!” and tells him to wait until the lesson is finished. He is trying to teach these two lads how to overpower an opponent. Raza takes the cue and jumps forward tripping Zookie to the floor. The gnome is surprises and flails out knocking Raza down next to him. “My word Raza, you are improving!” Raza is a little annoyed that Zookie saw through his deception so easily. The monk leaps to his feet and recovers his magical paraphernalia that he quickly puts on. He dismisses the children and says “Same time tomorrow!” As they leave Zookie says to Raza, “They’re good kids. I prefer training them. The other humans are so tall, and children learn very fast. I have trained over two-hundred since you left.”

Raza shakes his head to clear the idea of an army of two hundred martial art street-children from his mind and turns to Zookie. The gnome is pleased to see him and quickly jumps in his old rhetoric of Raza declaring himself a godspeaker and destroying the moon faiths as Abbot Logen intended. Raza stops the old gnome in full flow and explains that there is something far more important than Logen’s vision at stake. He tells Zookie everything that happened in the quest for the seventh sword. He tells him of the Great War and Karatath and how those matters relate to the vision of the End of Days that was seen in the Cave of Fear. Zookie listens intently.

“You’re really serious?” says Zookie slowly. Raza nods and he sees that he has got through to the monk. Zookie is considering the threat of Mínaris very seriously. “This does not change the role you must play Raza. That you must play!” says Zookie, “But we have to deal with this. We have to make this right. The role of The People of the Dream has always been to save Norandor. We cannot save it from the moon gods just to have Mínaris destroy everything. I will help you.” Zookie is obviously deep in though and begins to muse aloud. “Give me a few days,” he says. “I may have something for you then.”

Raza returns to the White Suite to discover that the rest of the Chosen have returned. They compare notes, and although they are pleased that they have at least some allies, Nicos is quick to point out that they have no direction and no idea what to do next. Elias expects that waiting for Drasha to arrive will be the next thing that he’ll be doing. Ravenna is worried about her uncle and intrigued by the magic that was stopping her mother from being scried. What was it? She absent-mindedly studies Narramac’s staff to see if she can unlock its power, but only succeeds in setting fire to the curtains. As they retire to bed a message arrives from Alberdark in reply to the notice of their return. “Oh good,” it says sarcastically.

Zephday, 17 Mizzle Month 204

The Chosen arise late the following morning. Raza feels terrible. The moon gods were compelling him to journey to Mount Korvast all night and he could not sleep. He can still hear them in his head now. If this carries on it is going to drive him mad. At breakfast the party discover a letter waiting. Lucien explains that it was delivered earlier in the day by a messenger from Chapel Lane. Looking at the red wax seal fastening the scroll, Ravenna recognises the sender. Perhaps this was inevitable. The letter reads:

Well, that gets their attention. Pryde obviously means Jhasik, but what has Jhasik to do with Fenton Pryde? Ravenna takes out the list of Jhasik’s creditors that she has had Lucien slowly working through. He owed Pryde over two thousand crowns at one point, but Ravenna paid off that debt on 24 Heathaze. “Honour is imperilled?” Nicos thinks that Pryde is talking about Honour the person and not honour the abstract. They see no choice, but to visit Pryde and get to the bottom of all this.

The party depart soon after breakfast for the Palgrave Estate. They enter the up-market Chapel Lane and pass the house that used to belong to Uncle Jhasik. From there they are shown through the high iron gates that guard the gravel path to Pryde’s mansion. It is a testament to the urgency of the matter that they are kept waiting a little less than half an hour before being directly to the same study where they met with alleged-crimelord back in Suntask. Pryde is there, as enigmatic and distinguished as ever. He greets the party like an old friend, shaking them by the hand and offering them wine.

“It is a pleasure to have returned to the city, particularly at such a time,” Pryde says smoothly as he pours some wine. “But I suspect one does not develop your notoriety without a certain sense of timing.” Ravenna takes a glass of wine from Pryde, but places it untouched upon the table. “We’re very busy,” she says curtly, “what did you summon us to discuss?”

Nicos glances at Ravenna warily. Being curt with Pryde is a good way to wind up floating face-down in the Uri (allegedly), but Pryde only smiles. He looks also gratified. “Straight to business then. Good,” he places his own wine upon the table and takes a seat behind his high desk. “The matter I have summoned you to discuss occurred three weeks ago. It was my intention to avoid acting until you returned to the city, and I am pleased that you have returned before my hand was forced. You remember an individual who called himself Dellan Gant?”

They remember Dellan Gant. He was the self-confessed petty thief and smuggler who the party encountered back in Suntask while looking for Honour. Pryde continues, “Over the past few months, Mr Gant, and his erstwhile entourage have done their bests to turn over a new leaf in their dealings with others and enter a market entirely legitimate. To that end Mr Gant came to me for help in starting up his enterprise. He began a small business of renting space in a number of tenements and abandoned buildings in the Gutterhive of the city. Most laudable. One building, close to the river, was rented to a one Jhasik Tannesh on the fifteenth of Brightday of this year. In hindsight, Mr Gant should have asked more questions over just what was wanted with the space, but hindsight is seldom a welcome mistress.”

“Everything proceeded smoothly until the arrest a month later of the dwarf, Thorangrim, and the subsequent bankruptcy of Jhasik’s Tannnesh’s miniature empire. He defaulted on his payments to Mr Gant, and Mr Gant quite rightfully took steps to take his property back.” Ravenna remembers the list of Jhasik’s creditors. Her uncle owed Dellan Gant 971 crowns in rent. That debt has not yet been repaid by Lucien.

“When Mr Gant attempted to seize his property, he was repulsed by a group who had taken up residence in the building, presumably with Jhasik Tannesh’s blessing. This group included a number of powerful spell-casters. Mr Gant tried on several occasions until he had so annoyed these squatters that they kidnapped him and all of his companions.”

“He was held by them against his will between the 42nd of Late Harvest and the 44th of Autumn Colours of this year. He has managed to escape. The tale he tells of slavery and magic gone mad is fanciful. But I will allow him to elucidate on that, if you concede to interview the man. In any event, Mr Gant escaped with the aid of a samaritan and came to me. He believed that I possessed the resources necessary to restore his property to him.”

“My decision to send a small group of my employees to the address proved to have been an error. Half of them were killed in a most frightful battle, and although the arcanists who were hiding in this building have now vacated the property I fear that they have dire plans for the city. Dellan Gant overheard them talking and he was able to bring two believable facts to the table. Firstly, their leader is a man called Alastor Helm. Secondly, they are involved in some conspiracy with one of King Yaddagon’s would-be successors.”

Alastor Helm! Again that name. He is also on Jhasik’s list of creditors. Jhasik owed him money for alchemical supplies, a silver bell, a silver cage and some strong acids. And he was also the man who tried to have Ralyon Artusi summoned to a secret meeting on 22 Heathaze – a meeting Ralyon kept the following day. Ravenna overheard the conversation, but she did not tell the rest of the party about it. Now with what Gant has said about this Helm working together with one of the contenders for the Crown it’s all coming together. But can she really suspect Ralyon Artusi. She doesn’t trust him, certainly, but is he really capable of any dark conspiracy?

Ravenna voices none of these concerns as Pryde continues. “In the past three weeks I have done by best to track down Helm and the discover the identity of the nobleman, but to no avail. I am convinced that Jhasik Tannesh is the key to this matter, but he has hidden himself from his creditors in the Royal Palace and has not ventured out. Then three days ago he disappeared.” Ravenna nods. She tells Pryde of the successful scrying that was done on Jhasik. She believes that he has been kidnapped by Alastor Helm, although she is not sure why. Pryde thanks her for the information. “Information freely given is a sign of trust that will be reciprocated,” he says in his usual businessman-like manner.

“So what do you want from us?” asks Elias cautiously. Since taking his vows to the Saldarím, Elias is a little more cagey in his dealings with Pryde. Pryde says, “I want you to find Helm and put a stop to whatever he is planning. I will not have my city destabilised any more than it is. As you have a link with Jhasik Tannesh I know you have a vested interest in sorting this matter out. In addition you will be aiding the stability of the country, something you have seemed keen to do in the past. You have proved yourselves more than capable time and again. After everything you have faced I am sure that Alastor Helm will be no challenge to you.” The party glance at one another. Pryde doesn’t know that they have lost the Blades of Virtue. They think it best if it stays that way. “And,” Pryde continues, “if you do this, then I will consider the debt you owe me concerning the Heart of Llysallian to paid in full.”

Elias never considered himself in debt to Pryde in any way. However, the fact that Pryde did was quite worrying and he’s happy to have that off his back. Ravenna becomes business-like and asks Pryde what he knows. Pryde can describe Helm as a man in his middle years. Prematurely bald with a ring of white hair covering his ears. He is fit and virile, however. Pryde says that there was little opportunity to investigate the warehouse that Jhasik rented from Dellan Gant. However certain “incongruities” were discovered that he is prepared to show the party.

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