Here we go...
* * * * * * * * * *
The four Angels who had fought Emrena and Arkhandus fly back up to the deck of the Serenity, most of them looking significantly the worse for wear, especially Nameless and Korm. They find Gareth and Maddox, the latter still on his skeletal steed, along with others of the ship’s defenders, standing on a deck that is stained with blood and littered with bodies.
“Nice horse. Did any escape?” asks Nameless.
“No,” replies Maddox, dismounting and dismissing his mount with a word, causing it to fade out of existence with a burst of gray light. “It’s not uncommon for the fanatics of the Emerald Claw to fight to the death.”
“Or the unconsciousness, like these two,” says Gareth, indicating the only two survivors, both lying bloody and senseless on the deck.
The conversation is suddenly interrupted by a soft whoosh, followed by the crackling that accompanies the reappearance of the flaming ring that encircles the elemental support struts. Wash, who has remained at the helm, smiles in relief and pleasure at the sight, but the smile fades instantly as a voice squawks from the conical contraption near him, which leads to a speaking trumpet in the princess’ chamber. After a startled few seconds of listening, he shouts, “There’s been an attack in Haydith’s room!”
“Sh*t!” In unison, the Angels and Maddox rush for the hatchway leading down. Six and Korm make it through first, narrowly followed by Nameless and Gareth. None of them stop at the crunching sound and loud ursine swearing that signals Luna getting stuck, followed instantly by the angry shout of Maddox for her to get out of the way.
Around the corner the Angels find three of the Karrnathi guards standing before what was once the doorway to the antechamber before Haydith’s and the diplomats’ rooms, now mostly just a wooden framework after Nameless smashed his way through it as a warforged titan. In front of the guards lie two figures – one wearing the same livery as them, and a second, dressed as the Serenity’s crewmembers are. The latter’s body has almost been hacked in two, clearly by the bloodied swords of the guards. Which are quickly lifted in alarm as the Angels appear, and then hastily lowered.
“This man tried to enter and attacked…,” begins the leader of the guards, before realizing that none of the adventurers are slackening their speed. The guards hurriedly flatten themselves on either side of the corridor even before Gareth’s curt, “Get out of the way!”
The Angels rush past the guards and through the curtain which has now replaced the defunct door on the princess’ room, to find Haydith and her servitors backed up against the far wall. Her attendants all have daggers and short swords drawn as they form a rough half-circle between her and the doorway, and Haydith holds a rapier. Her pale but determined face momentarily hardens as the curtain is dashed aside by those entering, and then crumples with relief and joy. As her attendants relax, she breaks through their circle and meets Gareth halfway, clasping his armored arm in a half-hug. “What happened out there?”
Korm replies, “We beat up the Emerald Claw. And a lich in a little red dress, though she got away. But we killed her boyfriend.”
Haydith frowns in slight confusion and says, “I’m glad you’re all fine,” eyes lingering on Gareth’s bloodstained armor before flickering to Korm’s ashen face and Nameless’ scorched chest. “But I meant what just happened outside my room.”
“Some crewman attempted to enter here and attacked your guards, I think,” explains Gareth, “But they took him down.”
“I’ll check on it,” says Six, even as Maddox and a smaller Luna enter the chamber. He turns and strides out, his armor of shadow trailing slightly in his wake. Emerging from the chamber, he looks at the leading guard. “The princess is safe. And the Emerald Claw have been dealt with. So exactly what happened here?”
“There were two guards here, as usual, and with the attack, Sir Maddox dispatched the two of us to join them too. Only moments ago, that man,” he points at the dead crewman, “Hurried toward us and said the Captain had sent him with an urgent message to the Princess. I thought that was suspicious and said he’d have to give me the message, but he tried to rush in. When we stopped him, he drew a dagger and stabbed Razz before we cut him down. Killed the poor guy instantly. See?”
Six kneels to examine the dagger, still clutched in the killer’s hand. Half of its blade is covered in a tarry substance, evidently some fast-acting poison. Both the assassin and the guard are completely dead. The warforged proceeds to search the man, finding a handy haversack, which contains a number of scrolls, two vials of poison, and a red crystal.
By now, the others have joined Six, and Nameless looks over the items with his glowing eyes. “Interesting,” the alienist says. “That haversack’s definitely the same as our magical ones, but it doesn’t detect as such to me. Ah – it must be a magic aura spell. Very sneaky! I probably saw it when we gave the ship a going-over earlier, but that’s why I didn’t detect it as anything unusual.” He goes over the scrolls. “Undetectable alignment, misdirection – I’m guessing he didn’t have any magical ability, especially since he has no spell components, and was making do with these scrolls if needed.”
Finally, Nameless picks up the red gem and examines it carefully. He furrows his brow thoughtfully for a few seconds and then finally says, “I’ve never actually seen one of these before, but from the appearance, the faint divination aura and the fact this person was carrying it, I’ll bet a fair bit that this is part of a farspeaking amulet. It’s a magical communication device. Each amulet has four red crystals that the amulet-wearer can give to others, and he can later speak with them via the crystals, at any distance. And I’ll bet he was relaying information about our position and other things through this.”
Gareth frowns. “Can the wearer see us? Or could we get him to communicate with us and find out about him?”
“No, he can’t see us. But it’s not much of an option, since he’ll realize whom he’s speaking to immediately. And he can recall any of the gems to him with a thought.” Nameless tosses and catches the gem. “Which is why I suggest we stick it in one of our haversacks or a bag of holding. Then he – or she, if it’s the lich – can’t get it back.”
“Works for me,” says Six, taking it and stowing the crystal away accordingly.
“I think it’s time we prepared our spells,” says Korm, rubbing a hand wearily over his face, still ashen after being enervated by the lich. “I could really use a restoration, Gareth.”
“All right,” says the paladin, “But then Nameless has to prepare a sending for me. I was going to contact Lalia, and I can’t both heal you and do that as well.”
“How romantic,” says Nameless dryly. “Fine – I’ll do that.”
But it’s Nameless who receives a sending, hearing the slight pressure in his head that signals the beginning of such a communication, followed by a familiar voice. He looks away from the symbols that he has been studying, which continue to float in the air before him thanks to the magical necklace they recovered months ago on the island near Xen’drik, and says, “Message from Trillia,” and then proceeds to repeat it. “You all okay? What happened with job? And did you really sink Prince Ryger’s ships in Principalities? Read details yesterday in Chronicle and was concerned.”
“Huh?” Korm looks around. “What ships? We’ve been sinking ships?”
“Hell, no!” growls Luna. “If you bozos went sinking ships without me, you’d be sorry! And what are these Principalities?”
“They’re the island nation to the east of the Mror Holds,” says Gareth, frowning at the news. “How do you not know this stuff? Every schoolchild in the Five Nations does.”
Luna shrugs massively and opens her mouth, but is interrupted by Nameless’ response, spoken aloud, to Trillia. “We are doing fine. Just decimated Emerald Claw. Did not sink ships. Wish you were here.” He pauses and then adds, “Watch out for lich in little red dress.”
Six shakes his head. “That is really reassuring for her and not at all confusing, I’m sure.”
“I thought it’s better she at least be warned, just in case this Emrena decides to attack us through people we know. I’d venture that she’s currently quite unhappy with me. And probably Luna.”
Luna shrugs again, this time with a pleased grin, and says, “Screw the lich. Tell me more about these ships we’re supposed to have sunk.”
Between them, Gareth and Nameless proceed to explain that the Lhazaar Principalities are a loose coalition of islands forming a lawless, pirate nation to the east of the dwarven nation of the Mror Holds, which themselves border Karrnath to the east. Prince Ryger ir’Wynarn is the most powerful prince, claiming rulership of the Principalities, and the motive force behind the delegation that won the Principalities recognition as a nation at Thronehold after the Last War. His fleet is known as the Seadragons.
“So why are we supposed to have sunk this guy’s ships?”
“You know as much as I do,” points out Nameless. Gareth adds, “What I want to know is why the Chronicle printed something that’s untrue. We don’t need more people unhappy with us.”
“It’s a newspaper. What do you expect? Something like this would be news. Anyhow, let’s wait till we can get a newspaper and check the details.”
“All right,” says Gareth. “Now are you done preparing the sending?”
In a few more minutes Nameless is, and he casts the spell and delivers Gareth’s message. “Doing okay. Job is going well. Beat up Emerald Claw. Hope all fine there. Missing you. Don’t worry about the lich.” Gareth grins and points out, “Remember, she never even saw me, since she was under the airship with you guys.”
“I noticed,” says Nameless, before relaying Lalia’s response. “Lich? What lich? Happy to know you’re okay. Hope you’re back soon. Read some strange stuff about the Angels in Korranberg Chronicle. Also, what lich?!”
“I can see that ‘don’t fear the lich’ or something of the kind is going to be our byline from now on,” comments Six.
Luna chuckles and then turns to Nameless. “Can’t you just do a greater teleport back to Sharn, pick up a copy of the Chronicle for us, and come back?”
“I could, but with our luck and that being Sharn, I’ll have to throw on a series of protective spells and disguise myself just to buy a paper. Let’s just wait till we reach Korth and get one. We may be in a land currently under martial law, full of necromancers, with corpses walking around, and terrorists lurking everywhere, but it’s probably safer than Sharn.”
“Hey!” says Gareth aggrievedly, feeling moved to defend his homeland. Then, he shrugs and grins wryly. “Okay, that may all be true, but – Hey!”
* * * * *
Surprisingly, the rest of the trip passes uneventfully. The Serenity heads directly south-east, passing over the western edge of the gigantic forests that make up the Karrnwood. Eventually it flies over the space of about a hundred miles between the Karrnwood and the smaller Nightwood to the south-east, and turns south to fly along the Karrn river until it reaches the capital of Karrnath late in the afternoon.
As the walls of Korth emerge in the distance and move closer, those on deck see that it stands in stark contrast to that of Fairhaven. The Aundairan capital has a strongly aesthetic quality to it, full of lofty towers and freestanding buildings that reach for the sky, dominated by the alabaster spires of Queen Aurala’s palace, Fairhold. Korth, on the other hand, squats darkly above the King’s Bay from its perch on a series of cliffs beside the Karrn River. Everything about the city is massive and ponderous, from King Kaius’ fortress-palace of Crownhome, built like a giant wall between two towering rock spires, to the city buildings themselves, many of which take up entire city blocks on their own. Granite walls of surpassing thickness and strength guard the city, just as two island fortresses do the bay, a physical explanation of why Korth never fell to an invader during the Last War despite suffering multiple sieges.
As the Serenity heads over the wall and towards the Lyrandar docking tower, Nameless points out what seemed at a distance to be the tallest tower in the city but is now revealed to be a thirteen-storey building floating above the center of a lightly-wooded park below. “The Tower of the Twelve. That’s where the dragonmarked houses send their most skilled people and where their finest inventions are researched.”
Luna snorts. “Show-offs! Why do they get all the floating towers?”
Nobody answers, most of them probably focused on their relief that she doesn’t choose to fly off and buzz the Tower to make a point. And there are quickly things to occupy them as the airship comes into docking position. It’s time for Haydith to disembark, and the Angels and the others who are to accompany her quickly collect their possessions and make ready.
Less than fifteen minutes later, the large group is inside Lyrandar Tower, being escorted by a squad of the White Lions city guard and a few of the Conqueror’s Host, the king’s personal guard. The head of the escort is a matronly looking woman. With her gray hair in a tight bun and plainly cut clothes, she looks like a typical Karrn courtier, but the initial impression is belied by the faint blade-scars on her pallid face and the corded muscles on her forearms. Gareth quietly identifies her to the others as Moranna ir’Wynarn, aunt to King Kaius III, who ruled the nation with an iron fist while he was too young to do so, and whom he has asked to serve as his right-hand woman and retain the rank of Regent. She is well-known as possessing some necromantic powers, which she uses to give herself an undead pallor as well as some of their immunities.
The journey to the palace is a quick one. As they pass through the streets of Karrnath, the Angels note that Korth is somewhat less impressive at close quarters. Many of the buildings clearly show their age, appearing many centuries old, their partly crumbling exteriors decorated with the style and arts of a bygone age. Their sheer size also creates a lack of space and a sense of congestion, and many of the twisting streets are heavily crowded, though the path taken by their carriages has been kept completely clear by the guards. With the overhanging clouds and the coldness of the Karrnathi weather at this time of year, there is a sense of oppressiveness that was not present in Aundair or Breland.
At the palace, things are only moderately better. Haydith is quickly whisked off by Moranna, while the Angels are escorted to some comfortable, if sparsely furnished, quarters, where they are asked to wait. They note, as they go, that there seem to be soldiers or guards present in much greater quantity here in Karrnath, underlining the nation’s existence under martial law.
Once they are on their own, the Angels quickly check the previous day’s Korranberg Chronicle, which they picked up immediately after disembarking. As mentioned by Trillia and Lalia, there is an article on them, headed “Magical Attack in Regalport.” The article says that the Angels “who had magically departed Sharn on the 15th, and were seen acting as an escort for Princess Haydith ir’Wynarn when she stopped at Aundair on the 19th, evidently on the way back to Karrnath,” have been accused of an attack on part of the fleet of Prince Ryger ir’Wynarn. The article goes on to describe how four ships of the Seadragons were attacked by three flying figures even as they were docking at the Prince’s capital of Regalport on the island of Greentarn, on the 17th. After bombarding the ships with powerful evocations and summoning multiple elemental creatures, the trio proceeded to board one of the ships, slaying whoever they encountered. They emerged soon after, one carrying a large chest, and swiftly flew away, leaving their summoned creatures to continue wreaking havoc. Two ships were sunk and hundreds of people, including Seadragons and people on the docks, slain. Some watchers who have been in Sharn identified the figures, which apparently consisted of a gigantic flying bear, a big orc who flew with the aid of two large leathery wings, and a warforged wielding a spiked chain, as members of the famous Guardian Angels (namely Luna, Korm’akhan and Mithral Six of Six).
Gareth sighs. “That really does sound like you guys. On the bright side, seems I’m not involved again, just like with the lich.”
“Shut up,” growls Luna. “And keep reading, Nameless.”
The Chronicle goes on to say that Prince Ryger has sworn vengeance for this unprovoked attack and has contacted both the Brelish representative in Regalport as well as the Sentinel Marshals, asking for the Angels to be brought to justice. He has also threatened to offer a bounty on their heads if official channels do not work. The Chronicle has not discovered what is in the chest that was taken, but rumors say that the four ships had been near Trebez Sinara to the north when an unexpected rain of Siberys shards had occurred, and may have collected many, which is what was stolen.
“What’s Trebez Sinara?” asks Korm. “I’m not familiar with that name. Some island?”
“Yes,” says Nameless. “It’s one of the deserted islands of the Principalities, rumored to hide loot from thousands of years of pirate raids as well as tombs dating back to the time when humans first came to this continent. But it’s surrounded by reefs and inhabited by all sorts of terrible monsters, so it’s rarely visited.”
Luna shakes her head. “I don’t get how you’re smart enough to know this crap, but when I ask you to describe that Xoriat place you keep talking of, all you can say is it’s purple! You’re weird!”
Nameless smiles enigmatically, reaching out with his tentacled arm to stroke Edgar, perched like an arachnid rock on his knee. “I’m amazed anyone would think that of me.”
“More importantly,” says Gareth, “What do we do about this situation? I still don’t like the fact that the KC printed this, but it seems they weren’t the people who identified us as such. Either way, we need to clear our names.”
“I wonder if a visit to the Principalities to do that would be worth it,” muses Korm. “Nameless can’t transport us there, since he hasn’t been there – right?” The alienist shakes his head and the Gatekeeper continues. “But Luna and I could pick a likely type of tree and use a transport via plants, which would put us a few hundred miles off at worst.”
“Let’s save that for the future, shall we?” says Gareth. “I’d rather get our story in the paper first and do that afterwards, so that we aren’t jumped by people trying to kill us as soon as we get there.”
“Rare as it may be,” quips Six, “I’ve got to agree with Gareth.”
While the paladin gives the naturally impassive warforged a glare, Nameless points out, “I can just take us all back to Sharn whenever we’re free, so we could take care of things then.”
“Sounds like a plan,” says Luna. “Anyway, that’s long enough. I’m exploring. Anyone want to come along?”
Gareth rolls his eyes. “That is not a good idea. This isn’t Breland, or even Aundair. Things are a little more … restrictive in Karrnath.”
“Gah – then I hate it already!” Luna jumps to her feet and walks towards the door. Stepping outside, she’s confronted by one of a quartet of guards flanking the door. “Please,” says the guard, “Remain inside. You will be called for shortly.”
“I’m bored,” says Luna, as if that explains it all. “I need to stretch my legs.”
Remaining just as polite and firm as before, the guard simply reiterates, “I am sorry, but I have my orders. You are all to remain here for the time being.”
Luna growls and her shoulders hunch. “Make me!”
“LUNA!!” comes a chorus from behind her. The shifter growls again, this time in disappointment, and grumbles, “Fine, fine – I’ll go back in. Sheesh!” Then, seeing a couple of attendants with trays of refreshments approaching, she cheers up slightly. “At least that’s something.”
The Angels settle down to eat and drink, especially enjoying the selections of bread and cheeses, including the Karrn bitter cheese which is more than worth its weight in silver in foreign markets. The addition of the equally popular – and costly – Nightwood ale makes the meal good enough to distract even Luna.
Moments after they finish and wash up, a court functionary arrives to ask the Angels to accompany him, saying that Regent Moranna needs to speak with them before their audience with King Kaius.
![:]](http://www.enworld.org/forum/images/smilies/devious.png "Devious :]")
