Session Twenty - January 16, 2005

[Matt]

Larane 13, 730 TR

Daybreak of Larane 13th brings some relief to Ardeth of Kerryn, who has been confined these two days past to his room at the Bridgetower Inn along with his sister Arva, both of whom have been ill with dysentery contracted since their recent arrival in the city of Golotha. While Ardeth’s fever has broken and he finds himself capable of dressing and contemplating breakfast, one glance at his sister’s form in her bed tells him all he needs to know: she remains ill and should likely be removed from the noisome environs of Golotha. He tentatively decides to give her another day or two to recover, while beginning to formulate plans for her evacuation. As he staggers uncomfortably down the stairs to join his companions in the common room for breakfast, he shakes his head ruefully. Memo to self: don’t drink the water.

His companions are pleased to find Ardeth up and about, and immediately launch into an account of the last two day’s events. Imarë and Dascomb join the table shortly, and the group learns the bizarre details of the elf’s rendezvous with the underworld kingpin midget Mogger at the Silk Hat, and hears Dascomb’s grumbled complaints about his evening in the company of Bloody Bhurt. The conversation eventually moves on to this evening’s Morgathian procession from the city temple to the hilltop graveyard to the east of Golotha, and Ardeth is particularly keen on observing the parade from as close a vantage as possible. He proposes scouting the environs of the hilltop today, but finds his companions have little taste for accompanying him on this dreary expedition. Tis to be wondered at – the opportunity to go to a creepy, enormous graveyard far from any conceivable aid where mad as hatter Morgathians conduct sick and twisted rituals for dark unknown purposes in which one may see the sheeted dead rise moldering from their very crypts while being tormented by mosquitoes – what’s not to like?

Ewen asks Ardeth about his experience on the receiving end of Deryni mind scans, given the harper’s disconcerting encounter with Rahel of Aerth the evening before. Ewen had felt a brushing sensation at his temples as he and Rahel withdrew into an alcove after dinner. The knowledgeable members of the party opine that one tends to be aware of a foreign presence in one’s head when successfully scanned by a Deryni, as occurred in their experience with Lord Morgan in Orbaal. On the other hand, Ardeth suggests, a Deryni will sometimes simply probe another person upon meeting them, but this should not be detectable, and the fact that Ewen was aware of the intrusion might suggest some latent ability of his own. Deryni powers are generally passed on to children via the mother, save in the unusual instance of a particularly powerful male. This discussion, as well as the mystery of the girl at the perfumer’s shop who closely resembles Ewen, leads the harper to say a few words about his background and parentage.

Ewen was born Ewen of Dugald, a miller’s son in the village of Cennbrook, located south of Coranan. He was an only child, his mother having died in childbirth while his father, Deroth of Dugald, a taciturn and unimaginative man, never remarried. Ewen’s mother Ylla (pronounced Eye-la) was a younger daughter of clan Ravinargh who married Deroth in rebellion against her family’s wishes, and Deroth nursed the loss of his higher-born wife for the remainder of his life. Ewen was told by his father that the clan Ravinargh hails from somewhere vaguely west or south of Coranan by some distance, but otherwise avoided discussing Ylla’s relations with the boy. Ewen was told by his father when he was ten that his mother had been a Corathar at a Halean temple prior to marrying Deroth, and had left the temple for love of the miller. Later in life, following his father’s death, Ewen traveled north and became involved in the Halean Temple in Coranan in hopes of learning of his mysterious mother’s past, having assumed that she had been affiliated there, but no one at the Temple had any memory of Ylla of Ravinargh and Ewen now doubts his father’s story, and even wonders whether his parents were married when he was born. Nonetheless, during his childhood Ewen developed an idealized, romanticized notion of the Ravinargh family he has never known, save for an uncle who briefly visited Dugald and his son when the boy was twelve. This uncle, Mallenfer of Ravinargh, made a great impression upon the youth, and in turn favored his precocious nephew by arranging for the boy to receive training at arms in the service of a local knight bachelor, Sir Halton of Crayl, for a period of almost six years, paying the boy’s upkeep in full and thus further expanding young Ewen’s notion of his maternal family’s greatness. Having made these arrangements, Mallenfer of Ravinargh disappeared from Ewen’s life for parts unknown. Ewen was left with the notion that his uncle was a wealthy adventurer, based upon the strange tales he told during his inexplicable stay at Cennbrook.

Ewen spent his early youth assisting his father in the miller’s business, but he eagerly took to the military training afforded by his munificent uncle. He returned home after five years of training and remained there until his father was killed and the mill burned during Arren I’s conquest of Kanday. The young man fled to Coranan, changing his name to Ewen of Ravinargh, where he lived briefly on the street. He soon sought shelter with the Order of the Silken Voice at the Temple of Halea, however, where his youthful good looks and ability to carry a pleasing tune assisted him in gaining some tolerant favor. After a time in the city his undoubted talent was fortuitously noted at the Harper’s Guild, where he had been persistent in his petitions to gain admittance as an apprentice.

Ewen acknowledges in telling this tale that he entertains grave doubts regarding his paternity, as he and Deroth shared very little in common. He also admits that his interest in gaining admittance to the Halean Temple in Golotha has much to do with his desire to query the priestesses there regarding possible connection to his mother. The group concurs that he should visit the perfumer today in hopes of eliciting some information from Borana about her daughter, and Bevan kindly offers to petition Parqu of Aerth, when she meets with him tomorrow in hopes of learning more about the Heptarchial Council, for some means of getting Ewen into the Halean Temple precincts.

Ewen proceeds to the perfumer’s shop, where Borana clearly responds with some surprise to his appearance, studying him more intently than one might naturally expect, although she says nothing. Ewen purchases a purportedly crystal vial of perfume at an exorbitant cost of 18d, but declines to name the intended lady. He learns a bit about Borana, who has lived her entire life in the city but travels periodically as far as Shiran and Coranan from time to time in acquiring her wares. Ewen sees no one else during his visit to the shop, being alert for the daughter or the man with the scar, and Borana takes the unusual step of inquiring as to where Ewen is staying. He tells her he can be reached at the Bridgetower.

On his way back from the perfumer, Ewen glances about and casually tosses a gold ring into the viscid waters of a canal, where it drops beneath the oily, unwholesome surface. He smiles grimly as he recollects his thorough burning of three pieces of paper in his room at the Bridgetower in the small hours of the morning. Having decided yesterday to divest himself of these articles, he is content now that the deed is done, and returns to the Bridgetower with a spring in his step. [GM: The preceding paragraph was originally only in a private version of these notes.]

Back at the inn, the harper arranges with Orsa to perform a new song there later this afternoon, inspiration having struck him on hearing Imarë’s sordid tale of her assignation with the midget Mogger. “The Midget and the Elf” is a success when he performs it in the common room later in the day.

Meanwhile, Ardeth has ventured out of town to reconnoiter the precincts of the Temple Hill where the Morgathians are to assemble this evening. The woods surrounding the hill are choked with undergrowth, but he finds a shallow ravine north of the hilltop which could afford a modicum of cover in approaching the summit. He surveys the numerous crypts and sarcophagi by daylight, finding them to be in varying states of disrepair, collapse and erosion. Some of the sarcophagi have their lids off, and discernable writing on some suggests they are hundreds of years old. He works his way toward the main temple building, which stands forty feet in height, is surmounted by a dome, and boasts architecture suggestive of the Corani Empire. Ardeth is startled by a cat which slips past him, and becomes aware that the hilltop is alive with feline activity. He circles the temple, finding the rear of the building less ornate, with a slightly canted roof. The front of the building has two large iron doors with keyholes. Ardeth then scouts the ravine, which is cut by a small spring trickling down to the canal below. Looking around him with an eerie premonition, he realized that the cats have entirely disappeared. He wisely decides that he has learned enough, and heads back down the hill in some haste, making his way back to the Smoking Meken Inn.

Around 6pm, Imarë returns to the Silk Hat, where she finds Bloody Bhurt at the door and Mogger, surrounded by his usual coterie of scrawny wenches, in conversation with the rough looking man with the scar running across his nose to his cheek, who was seen in the back room of the perfumer’s shop the other day. The common room is fairly deserted, with some thuggish looking brutes playing at dice in the corner. Mogger, clearly having boasted to the scarred man about his conquest the night before, crassly calls out and identifies Imarë as the other party in this exploit. The man with the scar, who Imarë later learns is named Slakka, wears a dark brown cloak trimmed with decorative stitching and a skull medallion around his neck. He carries a crossbow, which is a rare weapon. He has brown hair and the vacant eyes of a professional killer. Slakka briefly challenges the elf, claiming to have seen her before, and Imarë acknowledges that this occurred at the perfumer. Slakka opines that she “don’t smell that good” and takes his leave, perhaps in time to join the Morgathian procession which is to commence around 9:30 at the Temple in the city. Imarë loiters at the Silk Hat for a time before leaving.

Bevan, Ardeth, Dascomb and the hound Baya, meanwhile, are ensconced at a window seat at the Smoking Meken, the better to observe the adherents of Morgath in their grim parade. The common room here is more crowded than usual, and Ardeth’s friend Maraena is too busy seeing to customers to dally at their table. They recognize no one else in the room, and bide their time until a little after dark, when the first glow of lights from the procession appear to the west. They hear the moaning, chanting hymn of the parade, the words being in some strange unknown language, before the first cloaked figures can be discerned passing by, stepping in time with the chant, walking two by two save for the leader in front, who is cloaked in black, with a hideous mask adorned with blood red tusks. As they pass slowly by in the deserted street, others are seen to wear similar masks, although the faces on many of the adherents are unmasked and briefly visible. The group guesses that the Morgathians are at least seventy in number as they file past and on up the hill. Looking about them, Bevan and Ardeth realize that the lights in the common room have been mostly extinguished, to conceal from the eyes of the Morgathians those who would gaze upon their macabre passage.

As the brave group arises from their table to pursue their plan to spy upon the procession, Maraena whispers to Ardeth in alarm, warning him not to go outside yet, as the “shadow may yet linger.” Heedless, they leave the Smoking Meken with dispatch, following the canal up to the ravine, which they climb until they reach the tree line at a spot north of the temple which Ardeth had earlier determined afforded a line of sight to the front of the building. They can hear, and see by the moonlight, thousands of bats circling about the hilltop, and the air is thick with mosquitoes and the horrid chant of the Morgathians, which sounds even more unnerving in the torch-lit night. Before they can observe much in detail, however, Bevan realizes that Baya is missing, having disappeared in the process of their climb up the hill. At the same moment, Ardeth hears a dragging, shuffling sound to their right and, to his horror, finds himself staring aghast as a shambling, decomposed corpse looms into sight from behind a nearby crypt. As the putrefying zombie begins to shuffle in their direction, another appears behind it, jutting bones and ragged flesh white in the moonlight as the bats squeal and skirl overhead. Ardeth here turned to Bevan and laconically asked “Run?” to which Bevan calmly replied “Sure.”

Ardeth, Bevan, and Dascomb abandon their position at the tree line and tear pell-mell down the ravine. Ardeth stumbles in the dark and goes crashing down. Struggling to his feet, a quick glance over his shoulder shows a walking cadaver limned in moonlight cresting the rise above him. He hurtles all the way down to the canal where he breathlessly rejoins his friends. The walking dead do not appear to have pursued them this far, and the shaken threesome make their way back to the Smoking Meken. They reunite with a circumspect Baya about halfway back to the inn. Later, they observe the procession returning from the hilltop, and note that the number of adherents passing appears roughly the same as came through on the way up.

At the Bridgetower Inn earlier in the evening, Ewen avails himself of the party spending account and procures a bottle of the house brandy to bring as a gift to the home of Rahel of Aerth. He waits until 6:30, when an older man of about fifty enters and approaches him. His name is Harth of Hurlis, and he is gruff, well-dressed, and appears quite capable of handling the bastard sword he carries. He collects Ewen and, along with two men-at-arms waiting in the courtyard, wordlessly escorts Ewen north through the city to Rahel’s impressive compound on Nemiran Street, which appears to be larger than the Aerth home where Bevan and Ewen dined. Ewen is taken within to a large dining hall with a table set for two and a roaring fine. He is left to wait for his date, and spends the time studying a lavish tapestry depicting Arren of Melderyn’s murder of King Chafin III. The workmanship and materials are exceedingly fine, and the crowns on both Chafin and Arren are woven from what appear to be actual gold filaments. The Deryni prince is depicted standing before Chafin and his queen in their bedchamber, arms outstretched toward the monarch who clutches his throat, appearing to have been magically slain by this gesture. The queen cowers pleading before this act of assassination. Ewen is struck by the specificity of the depiction; he is unaware that any common knowledge exists of the specifics of the murder of the Rethemi royal family on the night of the coup. Chafin’s death was not in doubt – his head had adorned the castle walls for some time along with that of the Queen and the infant Prince Puril.

When the doors open and Rahel enters, wearing a black silk dress which shows her waif-like figure to advantage, Ewen queries her regarding the extraordinary tapestry. She acknowledges that it is unique, is non-committal regarding the accuracy of the depiction, but makes the curious comment that she would have expected the queen to have resisted the assassination more forcefully given her bloodline (Chafin’s queen was a member of clan Lenesque). She offers little else on this topic, and instead offers Ewen a drink of a strange liquor she calls “aquavit,” which she states is brewed somewhere to the north. The drink almost staggers Ewen at his first sip, and while he adjusts somewhat and keeps a respectable pace he remains queasy while drinking it, although this sensation ceases when he is not partaking.

The conversation turns to the nature of the party’s business in Golotha, and specifically Bevan Palliser and the Aerth family’s interest in trade. Rahel is somewhat dismissive of her family’s mercantile business and steers the conversation away from topics regarding the past, expressing interest in “tomorrows.” Rahel does indicate that her family left Golotha during the rebellion two years ago, and states that the status of the city after the uprising remained unsatisfactory. Ewen does not think she was among those who left. She parries a number of queries from Ewen but emphasizes that the city is rife with unexpected allies and enemies, discouraging the harper from drawing overly quick conclusions about who might fit within each camp. She expresses interest in the Baron of Quste’s rapid departure from the city, and Ewen does indicate that Sir Felkar was murdered prior to the Baron’s flight, and that Sir Blors Manfrungtane has expressed interest in the crime. She depicts Sir Blors as self-important, unintelligent but stolid, stating that he is “more bear than leopards,” an apparent reference to the knight’s heraldic achievement. She implies that Sir Blors may be considered to inhabit the category of unlikely ally. She also notes that Baraga the embalmer knows everyone and may be useful. She identifies Jarop of Zarainsen, the chandler, as a source of extensive information about the dynamics of the city, but cautions Ewen against directly approaching him and states that her name should not be used. While Rahel remains oblique in her remarks, she appears to be implying that Jarop, who remained in the city during the rebellion, might have been of some service to the King of Tharda in the past or present, but this is far from clear to Ewen.

When Ewen attempts to ask about Rahel’s living circumstances in such a grand home, she yields little information, but lists only servants and the considerable military muscle in her employ as living there. She also reminds Ewen that people in Golotha often have more than one occupation, and then brings the evening firmly to a close. She invites Ewen to send a message to her if he should find the need in future, and sidesteps his question about her apparent probe of him the other night at dinner. Ewen, finding himself dismissed by the beautiful young woman, takes his leave, and is returned under escort to the Bridgetower Inn without incident.

Larane 14, 730 TR

orning at the Bridgetower finds Arva remaining quite ill, and Ardeth begins to plan in earnest for her removal, probably on the morrow. The reunited group discusses Rahel’s comments about Jarop, who was named as an employer of sorts by Telus, the small grubby man whom Arva lent money for the purpose of getting his goods out of the bonding house on the party’s first day in the city. Ewen volunteers to attempt to track down this individual, who owes the actress a promised return on her investment, as a means of pursuing an oblique approach to Jarop of Zarainsen.

He goes to the bonding house across from the Golotha Pool that afternoon and inquires within about Telus. An older, stooped fellow named Chors explains that Telus is a small-time con artist who likely fled town after swindling Arva of her two shillings. He indicates that information about Telus is likely to be had at the King’s Falcon, a tavern just outside Dedergon gate south of the city in Chakta. Ewen gives Chors 3d for his troubles and heads directly to the tavern in question, where the common room is sparsely populated. Ewen drinks the house ale and questions the barkeep, who convincingly scoffs at the notion that a petty thief of Telus’ ilk has any business connections with Jarop of Zarainsen, who would likely wish nothing to do with Telus. The barkeeper does indicate that Telus might likely be found in a brothel back in town north of Kalphor Wharf, and Ewen pays the barkeep a shilling for the information and for the lending of a serving lad named Bart to show him to the brothel in question. Ewen and the boy proceed through the warrens of Southhaven to within sight of the brothel, but Ewen sends Bart back and returns to the Bridgetower, convinced for the time being that Telus is likely to be of little utility in pursuing Jarop.

Meanwhile, Ardeth remains intent upon his lurid preoccupation with the Morgathian crypts in spite of last evening’s events, and Imarë reluctantly agrees to accompany him when he indicates a desire to return to the site of the Morgathian ritual. The two leave town and proceed up to the hilltop via the ravine, where the elf detects lingering evidence of the walking dead and Ardeth collects a sample of gruesome, rotting flesh caught in the thick brambles on the hillside. At the top of the ravine the hilltop is silent in the daylight and, while no birds can be heard, a cat darts past them at one point. Imarë examines the ground for zombie tracks, which leads them to a relatively intact crypt with a single, closed door. The elf manages to open the heavy door, releasing a stench of rot and decay. Within, six shelves laden with five bodies line two of the facing walls. As the intrepid adventurers violate the sanctum of this resting place, one of the corpses sees fit to bestir itself, followed by another, and once again Ardeth of Kerryn finds himself fleeing from a pair of the dear departed, well past their prime. This time he manages to cast his torch at the zombie in the lead, successfully igniting the rags of its winding sheet. They are easily able to outrun the shambling dead man, and turn to observe the putrefying, burning corpse stagger a number of paces before collapsing into a mound of smoldering charnel-flesh. After catching their breaths and ensuring that no sign of the second animated cadaver is to be seen, Ardeth and Imarë explore another crypt farther to the west. Ill-content to rest upon their laurels, the two enter this mausoleum to find a similar configuration of shelves which are empty this time, with a ten-foot wide stairway leading down into the bowels of the crypt. They proceed down the stairs, continue past a landing and down again, and arrive in a largish square chamber. Lacking the torch, only Imarë can see anything in the inky dark. A stone slab dominates the center of the floor, with a partial skeleton lying next to it, while the walls are slotted with countless body-sized cubbyholes. The atmosphere is dank, moist, and unwholesome. As they cast about in the darkness, Imarë perceives movement from one of the slots in the wall, then another, and within seconds the chamber is filled with movement as the slumbering dead in untold numbers stir and begin to emerge, somehow having sensed the intrusion of the interlopers. Ardeth and Imarë race back up the stairs and out of the crypt, putting a safe distance between themselves and the undead. As they head back to the Smoking Meken, they reflect upon the enormity of the army of the dead which lurks beneath the Morgathian temple hill, and wonder at the power implied by the sheer quantity of potential undead warriors which might be summoned by the Morgathian priests just west of the city. The fact that Arren II seized the outlying precincts of Golotha early in his siege of the city takes on new meaning.

Near the Hall of the Mangai in town, Bevan, Dascomb and the hound arrive to meet with Parqu of Aerth at his offices. Within, a burly guard in ring hauberk with a wicked-looking mace minds the door, allowing Bevan to pass but requiring a discontented Dascomb to await his mistress in the antechamber with Baya and the guard. A female apprentice leads Bevan down a winding corridor to a small room adorned only with a table and two chairs. Left waiting for a full half hour, Bevan finally meets with Parqu, a small, bird-like man who gently chides her for being a day late. As they settle into cozy conversation, Parqu emphasizes the now-familiar theme of the need for stability in the city as a necessary precondition for trade to thrive and, by extension, for the crown and country to prosper. They discuss Vestam Palliser’s trade interests as well as the ship owned by Bevan, and Parqu has some limited news that the ship has been doing well since provisioning in Aleath. Parqu waxes on for a bit about the impact of smuggling and corruption on the vital wealth and interests of his family and the kingdom, and he likens the forces of illicit trade and rampant protection schemes to a parasite sapping the city of its strength. Laying his proverbial cards upon the table, Parqu states that the Mangai is not as strong as it should be in Golotha. His hope is for the establishment of unfettered trade and improved business opportunities in the city, and he states that he has no objection to the crown receiving its due taxes. Bevan asks about the Heptarchial Council, but Parqu indicates that his single Mangai seat on the council wields little power, with the Morgathians holding four of the seven seats and the Agrikans pooling their influence with the Morgathians in an arrangement which has stood for centuries. The seventh seat held by the Haleans is even less influential than his own. When Bevan asks whether the Agrikans might be manipulated to switch sides Parqu derides the notion, stating that these parties cannot be negotiated with. He claims that no power can overthrow this coalition, and seems to have no specific notion as to how the situation in the city can be remedied. He admits that he fled the city during the rebellion, and blames the present state of affairs on the King’s unwillingness to take up residence in Golotha following the rebellion, indicating that only a strong royal presence could keep the forces of corruption in abeyance.

Bevan queries Aerth regarding his loyalties, and the councilor formulaically responds that his affinities are to his clan, his country and his King. Bevan responds in kind on the topic of loyalty, and Parqu claims some knowledge that her father, Theron Palliser, is on the verge of accepting the high position he has previously refused in the government. Bevan denies any knowledge of her father’s intentions. Parqu pursues the issue of Bevan having ties to the Crown, and attempts to get her to disclose for whom she works, but she skillfully deflects this by insisting that she would be a poor servant of the crown who would so easily divulge information which is privy to the Crown’s interests. During the conversation Bevan attempts to learn about Parqu’s niece Rahel, but pursuit of this line of questioning leads Parqu to become increasingly angry, stating only that Rahel’s interests are her own, that she is willful and spoiled, should have been married off long ago, and that she has somehow betrayed the interests of those closest to her. He insists that Rahel is not part of the “equation” they are discussing, and Bevan is forced to abandon the topic. She asks about clan Lenesque but learns little other than the fact that the late Rethemi queen was of this clan, as was the late King’s deceased son, and that various minor members of the clan are likely scattered about the former Kingdom of Rethem. More fruitfully, she learns that Jarop of Zarainsen runs the Lia-Kavair in the city, that he has his “fingers in every pie,” and that various relatives of Jarop enjoy positions of prominence in Golotha, including his father the harbormaster, a brother who is a merchant and competitor with the Aerth clan, and another brother who is reputedly the Morgathian high priest. A clan named Lorjan would like to supplant Zarainsen’s interests in town but likely lacks the influence and power to do so. Parqu calls Jarop a very dangerous fellow indeed.

Parqu closes the interview by asking Bevan what he can expect of her, and seems content with her assurance that her purpose in Golotha is to see the city brought to order. He gives Bevan three medallions bearing the imprint of the royal arms which will allow the bearer to successfully pass through the gates. He invites her to call on him if she has need, and Bevan is shown out of Parqu’s offices.

Dinner at the Bridgetower Inn entails the usual recap among the party members of the day’s accomplishments. A company of five garrulous Agrikan soldiers enters the normally sedate inn, the obvious leader of the group being a big, bluff, bearded man with an impressive-looking sword and a skull medallion in the style of Agrik. Named Sir Zaurial Bisidril, he clasps Orsa on the shoulder, calling for ale and proclaiming the necessity of livening up the place. Mistaking this for his cue, Ewen offers to Orsa that he might play upon the lute, and when the innkeeper agrees Ewen launches into his newly minted song, The Midget and the Elf. The Agrikans like the tune exceeding well, bellowing and guffawing at the depiction of the concupiscent midget, and after the performance Sir Zaurial is moved to stagger Ewen with a hearty clout upon the shoulder and an invitation to their table. It is apparent that the Agrikans are no friends of Mogger, and take great delight in casting crude aspersions and lusty derogations upon the person of the midget. Ewen is invited to attend some entertainment the warriors have planned for later in the evening, but first must exchange a few rounds of compulsory swordplay with the knight, who unsheathes his fine sword, revealing a blade of glowing silver. Much to Orsa’s horror Sir Zaurial and Ewen fence back and forth for a time amidst the tables of the common room, and the knight seems content when Ewen succeeds in getting past his guard, touching Sir Zaurial’s hip with the flat of his blade. Ewen and the knight resume drinking at the table, and Ewen learns that Sir Zaurial’s uncle, Sir Klyrdes Bisidril, is a leader among the Agrikan guards in the city and Sir Zaurial assists him when in town. Ewen evades a question about his own religious affiliation, and is swept out of the Bridgetower by the boisterous Agrikans, intent upon further revels.

The entertainment in question turns out to involve breaking in two new servants at the Agrikan’s barracks east of Nemiran Square. Upstairs in the large common hall, Ewen reprises The Midget and the Elf for the larger audience of drunken Agrikans, who go berserk with hilarity at the song’s verses. The two new servants are brought in, naked and shackled, and to Ewen’s horrified fascination they are strapped to a table in turn and castrated in an initiation rite clearly designed to yield docile, compliant domestic help. The lurid bacchanal deteriorates further as the inebriated Agrikan warriors slake their lust upon the naked servants, both male and female alike, who wait upon them within the hall. In spite of the vicious, undisciplined chaos of the evening, Ewen’s observation of the Agrikans up close leaves him in no doubt that they would give an excellent account of themselves in combat. When most of the warriors have passed out, Ewen slips out of the hall and heads downstairs and out into the street, relieved to have escaped in intact. He returns to the Bridgetower long after his companions have taken to their beds.


Study Questions:

1. Why did the aquavit Ewen drank at Rahel of Aerth’s house make him feel queasy? Why does she have a tapestry of Arren I slaying the Rethemi royal family hanging in her dining room? What is the significance of her apparent respect for Clan Lenesque? How did she acquire her enormous home, and what does she do for a living? Who was her father?
2. By what mechanism do the Morgathians exert their undisputed influence within the city? Does the legion of undead corpses on the temple hill have any pragmatic impact on the power structure in Golotha?
3. Are the two Zarainsen brothers, Jarop and the Morgathian high priest, allied? Parqu’s concern about corruption in the city focuses on activities traditionally attributed to the Lia-Kavair (extortion, graft, protection rackets, etc.). Yet Rahel seems to imply that Jarop of Zarainsen might be operating at times in concert with the Crown’s interests. Could Jarop of Zarainsen be working at cross purposes to the Morgathian / Agrikan axis in some way? If so, how is this played out in the affairs of the city? Or does Rahel’s comment say more about her own allegiance? Have the two evil religions co-opted the traditional domain of the Lia-Kavair in Golotha, or are they partners?
4. Why do the Agrikans hate Mogger? Is Mogger affiliated with the Lia-Kavair? Was Ewen correct to dismiss Telus as a plausible link to Jarop of Zarainsen? Might Mogger be a better? Or is he his own man?