Curse of the Witch-King, Chapter 1

[ewancummins]

1st of Mirtul, 1473 Dale Reckoning


Winter snowstorms have given way to chilly Springtide showers. In the harbor of Zhentil Keep, the once-solid icepack has disintegrated into bobbing chunks too small to threaten a fishing boat. The onset of the early shipping season has set the wharves buzzing with activity this wet, cool morning, with slaves and freemen working side by side in haste to load galleys and sailing ships with goods bound for Hillsfar and the southern countries. At one long gray stone pier a cog newly-arrived from Phlan disgorges its cargo and passengers.

Alain steps off onto the cobbles of the pier, warm and comfortable in his Cadorna Textiles cloak, holding a lead-lined box in his other arm. His investigations had pointed here, to Zhentil Keep… But only minutes ago, a Zhentish Harbormaster’s clerk gave him the heavy box and a letter from Phlan, which had somehow arrived ahead of the cog. The message from the City Council of Phlan thanks him for his service and terminated his role in the investigation. No further explanation. But the seal seems genuine and the package that came with the letter contains the items he claimed from the Harpers, his promised reward for helping the city government.

His police contract thus fulfilled with unexpected swiftness; the man has no special business in the city. He does, however possess an interesting bit of second-hand information left over from the investigation: the whereabouts of his former adventuring companion, Klokulf Blix. The priest of Bane has reportedly taken up residence at a house in Thargate, the city’s portside district, cohabitating with the lovely blonde 'maiden', Alwina.

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Klokulf sits at his desk in an upper room of the high, narrow, Thargate house he rents, his home for the last couple of months.
Before him on the desktop, a spread of papers and maps. Vaasa. His ecclesiastical patron, the High Doom Thorodus, has granted him leave to organize a private expedition to that northern country in search of artifacts left from the rule of the Zhengyid witch-kings and the subsequent domination of the Sons of Orcus.

Not much in the way of funds.

He doesn’t have a party yet. But he does have a burglar on retainer for the indefinite future, as Katrina owes him her freedom (such as it is).

Looking again at the paper with a row of Zhengyid-era inscriptions and the parallel row of (Nova) Vaasi letters in his own hand, the close resemblance in writing systems strikes him afresh. It cannot be coincidental. The links…
From downstairs comes the noise of the girlchild in his charge crying, followed by Alwina singing.
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Kat walks up the cobbled lane to the rented house at the top of the hill, her dwelling-place these past several weeks of parole.
Noises drift up from the waterfront.
A glance eastward shows the tops of sails over the roofs of downhill houses and shops, belonging to ships moored in the river mouth harbor. Ships that could carry a woman across the Moonsea to…
But she has obligations. Laws she might scoff at, but personal debts are something else.
Ducking under the awning to get out of a sudden burst of cold rain, she raps on the door.
A wreath of meadow grass still hangs there from yesterday's spring festival.
Theophilus peeks out a shutter near the entrance, and a moment later the lock rasps. The door swings in. The skinny slave waves Kat into the house, taking her cloak and hanging it on a peg in the dim hallway.

“The Master is upstairs, Mistress Katrina.”

She hears the familiar sounds of Alwina feeding her adopted daughter. "Drink your milk, dear." The young woman refuses to use a wet-nurse but feeds the little girl some concoction of Klokulf’s.
Kat never had any children of her own, but early in her serving days she worked for a family that had two sweet little things.
Memories of Richemulot well up like the Musarde surging in a spring flood…

[ewancummins]

[kintire]

Katrin pauses for a moment as the memories flood back, but not for long. She remembers her home and her friends, but she also remembers the prison, the nobles, the crumbling slums and their constant threat, and the constant struggle to survive. Not that Zhentil Keep is much better, but there are other places in this world she may yet find herself. Apparently one fairly soon...


She nods politely to Theophilus, smiling with a slight amusement as he uses the title out of habit, waiting long enough for the dripping of the spring shower that caught her on the way back to spend itself on the stone threshold rather than the floors within, then heads upstairs, quietly past the room with the baby in, then leans round the door of Klokulf's room.

"I'm back."

She pauses for a moment to see if there are any instructions or news, glancing at the maps with a sense of foreboding.

[Wolfglide of the Fraternity]

"I'm back."

She pauses for a moment to see if there are any instructions or news, glancing at the maps with a sense of foreboding.

Klokulf looks up from his papers and maps. "Ah, good. I was just deciding on a route of travel. Perhaps you have an opinion?"

He turns some of the maps and beckons her over. "I currently prefer the rim of the Moonsea," he says, tracing a finger around the edge of the water. "I don't really like passing around Thar, but there are cities periodically along the way, which means at least a few safer harbors. The longer way through the Ride looks to have less civilization, and paying tribute to nomads is less predictable than paying for room and board."

"I would also be interested to see if any trading ships along the coast have room for travelers," he continues, rubbing his temple in thought. "It would be safer, faster, and I can think of reasons to skip over Phlan at least."

[kintire]

Kat walks over to the desk and looks down at the map with a slightly jaundiced eye.

"Well, Sir, much I think depends on where exactly in Vaasa you are planning to go. I mean, do you want to go to the Bleak Steppes, the Bottomless Bogs, The Cinnabar Wastes, or the Lake of Frozen Tears?"

She pauses just long enough to make it clear the answer to that question should, in her opinion, be 'No.'

"For the Bottomless Bogs or the western end of the Bleak Steppes we might want to go round through the Ride. For the Cinnabar Wastes or the Lake of Frozen Tears, best bet looks to me to be ship to Hulburg, boat to Lake Hul and then up over that pass north east from there. Bramble's Climb, is it?"

She looks thoughtful for a moment

"Hard to tell from a map of course. I suppose I could ask around, see if there's anyone in town who has made the trip and give some advice."

[Wolfglide of the Fraternity]

"Ultimately, I would like to go here, to Castle Perilous." He points to a symbol south of the Sea of Frozen Tears. "It was the seat of the Witch-King's rule."

He raps on the table nervously. "But perhaps I am guided by impatience, rather than wisdom. There could be sites of interest---important clues---all across the land. A path through Avang, Moortown, Kond, Telos, and Maur-Eturo would provide the opportunity to hear from more people and get new ideas of where to look." He traces the path he described. "Then again, that may be a bit too ambitious, and unless I want to trek the Bleak Steppes in both directions, that means traveling the Ride."

"Yes, advice from another traveler would be useful, even if I only use the short route on the way back. That and some shipping schedules; I would know when serviceable boats are traveling the coast." He takes a compass and splays its legs between Zhentil Keep and Avang---more than 175 miles as the crow flies. "While you are up to that, I think I will ask the priests what they can tell me of flight. The time saved might be worth the expense. If not, well . . . I don't really fancy visiting a bog anyway."

[kintire]

Kat nods, and heads out again. She wraps her cloak around her against the weather, and turns towards the docks and the traveller's inns. As has become her habit she does her best to blend quietly in to the passing crowd, her clean and neat but very simple clothes typical of the lowest end of respectable society, and her red hair hidden under the cloak's hood. She stays alert, trying to avoid any guards or priests, working through potential information sources, but trying to stay unremarkable

[ewancummins]

KLOKULF

-learns that a scroll of flying magic could get him to Vaasa, but it would be difficult to use and might fail. The spell is well past his current abilities in arcanism.
And it would not help his friends. They'd be stuck travelling by much slower, mundane means.


But he could purchase another magical formula that would transport a small party there in the blink of an eye! If it works for him. Not cheap. He'd pay fifteen hundred golden glories.


Further inquires suggest priestly scrolls that might be quite helpful...

[ewancummins]

KAT's inquiries lead her into conversation with merchants' guards and sailors. Both sets of men seem more interested in 'companionship' than in Vaasa, but she does get some stories:

evil giants taller than a city wall, carved from living ice

sudden blizzards that freeze men's blood, literally, leaving them standing stiff and dead

dwarf-human hybrids who eat raw meat and drink blood, and are repulsed by green plants

a terrible Snow Queen who steals children and carries them off to her frozen castle

demon cults!

undead soldiers!

two-tailed giant boars

[kintire]

Kat returns to the house as dusk turns to darkness, and hangs her cloak up once more, shivering. She relaxes in the warmth of the house and heads upstairs again. She relates what she has heard.

"The details are probably travellers tales but the general gist is clear: go warmly clad, and loaded for bear."

[ewancummins]

ALAIN

Having secured his lodgings and made initial inquiries about certain trades and sales he wishes to make in the city, finds his way to Klokulf's doorstep...



SOON AFTERWARD


Theophilus almost trips into Kat, hastening into the upstairs room where the woman is meeting Klokulf to discuss their progress in gathering information.

"Master--excuse me, Mistress Katrin--Master, your old companion, Alain Smythe, he's downstairs."

[Wolfglide of the Fraternity]

Kat returns to the house as dusk turns to darkness, and hangs her cloak up once more, shivering. She relaxes in the warmth of the house and heads upstairs again. She relates what she has heard.

"The details are probably travellers tales but the general gist is clear: go warmly clad, and loaded for bear."

"Perhaps the matter of travel is best settled once I settle on how many are traveling, and what manner of load must be borne," Klokulf says. "I am tempted to obtain some flight magic from more powerful priests. A wanton extravagance to be sure, but to be in Avang in less than three hours! That would---"

Theophilus almost trips into Kat, hastening into the upstairs room where the woman is meeting Klokulf to discuss their progress in gathering information.

"Master--excuse me, Mistress Katrin--Master, your old companion, Alain Smythe, he's downstairs."

Klokulf's eyebrows climb a short distance. "I shall come down momentarily to receive him," he says, and waves Theophilus off.
Turning back to Kat, he says, "Shall I see what he wants before he finds out you are here?"

[kintire]

Kat's eyes widen at the news, and an expression of pleasure mingled with considerable surprise crosses her face. After just a heartbeat, a tinge of embarrassment joins it.

"Shall I see what he wants before he finds out you are here?"

She pauses and remembers the news that he was working for the investigation in Phlan, and thinks about her current situation

"Yes master Klokulf, perhaps that would be best..."

As she watches the priest head downstairs to greet his guest she speaks quietly to Theophilus

"Theo you have to stop calling me 'mistress'. Its just Kat. We're colleagues now, remember? Lets get some refreshments and hospitality ready. Alain's come a long way, and should be made welcome!"

[ewancummins]

Kat's eyes widen at the news, and an expression of pleasure mingled with considerable surprise crosses her face. After just a heartbeat, a tinge of embarrassment joins it.

"Shall I see what he wants before he finds out you are here?"

She pauses and remembers the news that he was working for the investigation in Phlan, and thinks about her current situation

"Yes master Klokulf, perhaps that would be best..."

As she watches the priest head downstairs to greet his guest she speaks quietly to Theophilus

"Theo you have to stop calling me 'mistress'. Its just Kat. We're colleagues now, remember? Lets get some refreshments and hospitality ready. Alain's come a long way, and should be made welcome!"

"Just Kat. Right. Sorry."
He cocks his head, perhaps listening to Klokulf' s footsteps descending the stairway.
Then, muttering,
"I'm doing my best. It's not always easy to remember how to act as a slave when you were born free."
A sour look flashes across the youth's pale, thin features. He shakes his head and frowns.
"I'm out of sorts. Please ignore that, Kat. Let's get to work... "

[kintire]

Kat gives him a sympathetic smile

"I know exactly how you feel Theo: and I'm newer at it than you are. Just remember, we're in this together now! If you need anyone to talk to or..."

Her voice drifts softer to a murmur.

"make any plans to... deal with the situation... I've got your back."

Her voice returns to quiet speech

"in the meantime, as you say lets get to work..."