Previously, the heroes regrouped after a fruitless meeting with High Priest Selwyn and arranged for Goodman to carry messages to James, Emma, and Réonan, warning them of Epidemius’ plans, and Esmeralda to give her the go-ahead to construct the binding circle. They then dressed for the occasion and rode to the Black Alder Farm, where Quentin’s betrothal celebration had just started, with noble houses, troubadours, peacocks, and pageantry filling the yard and fields. Inside, they were welcomed by Lord Dorian, who pressed Quentin for details about Epidemius and revealed that Highlord Gauthier’s condition had worsened severely, leaving House Morvrayne in need of the political support that finalising the betrothal would bring. When Lord Dorian asked whether Quentin’s feelings about the betrothal had changed, Quentin’s reply was telling: “I will do what I must.”
First Day, Third Ride, Autumn Twilight, 1262
(Silvermoon is waning, Bloodmoon is waxing, Darkmoon is waning)
Lord Dorian instructed Quentin that he should go and find Villem Landsdowne, the appraiser that Highlord Gauthier had invited to authenticate the Lys ancestral sword. It would give House Morvrayne an early indication of any possible consequences of the official appraisal. Quentin took a principled stance on relinquishing the blade to anyone, including the appraiser. Eventually he relented, in part because Villem Landsdowne owned and operated an auction house in Bournemouth that some of the other heroes had visited for an auction several rides before Quentin met the rest of the heroes.
Once that was settled, Lord Dorian encouraged the heroes to enjoy the day, mingle with the celebrants, and he urged them all to drink the wine that was available, as he assured them that it was from the delegation’s stock, and much better than the wine that could still be found in Kingsport. Between the stock in L’eau Celeste’s wine cellar being destroyed, and the royal wine cellars also being the target of destruction, as well as the delegation’s aggressive pursuit of any cask, barrel, or bottle of wine left for sale, Kingsport had quite simply dried up. Neamhan was the only one that decided to politely decline the wine that was offered.
Before departure, Neamhan raised a concern that she would say the wrong thing to the wrong person, and asked what she could do to avoid the embarrassment to Quentin. Lord Dorian assured her that presence at the celebration would be treated as a delightful novelty, considering she would be one of the few elves, and likely the only aen gwynt. She would be forgiven a lot of social mistakes because of that. Lord Dorian likened it to a Beauclairois political tool he referred to as “le roi mal informé”, which suggested that any bad decision or mistake made by a monarch was the result of bad advice, allowing the monarch public immunity from mistakes. Neamhan’s novelty would work much the same way.
On his way out, Quentin mentioned that Dame Pauline had taken it upon herself to arrange for a guest list. Lord Dorian was glad to hear that Pauline had done so in support of Quentin, but was disappointed in Quentin for not having realised to do so himself. Neamhan made sure to tell Dame Pauline that Lord Dorian had expressed his pride in her assertiveness, which delighted the chevalière to hear.
Dame Pauline took the heroes on a tour of the Black Alder Farm, in particular along the pond where the tents of the delegation were erected, commenting on different heraldry, noble houses, and prominent people. The farm was host to many people not part of the official delegation; people who were hired as servants, teamsters, and help while the delegation travelled to Kingsport, many of them Lyrians. Then there were people who had joined the delegation on their trip, hoping to find opportunities for employment, which were referred to as camp followers. Neamhan noticed there were a large number of peacocks at the farm, walking around, seated on roofs, and sometimes flying short distances. She also noted that all of them were male, with beautiful coloured feathers. She asked Dame Pauline why there were so many, and Pauline said that it was because they were a favourite of Highlord Gauthier.
Chakuq inquired with Dame Pauline whether there was a Beauclairois analog to a tradition practiced by his people, the takipa runakuna, of a game where bards collaborate to share tales and songs, building and expanding upon each other’s work. Dame Pauline said that no such game or competition existed, but that she liked the notion. Chakuq suggested that the competition would be a good way for bards to sing Quentin’s praises, and again Pauline agreed. She suggested to Chakuq that the introduction of the guests later that day was the Beauclairois equivalent.
After the tour of the farm, Astrid decided to break away from the group and wander the camp and the game grounds. Falka wanted to speak with and interview some of the members of the different noble houses among the delegation to establish their motives for joining, their expectations for the negotiations with the Lyrian throne, and the sentiment among them. Luca thought that a worthwhile endeavour and helped her out with the research.
Before going to find Villem Landsdowne, Quentin inquired with Dame Pauline whether she knew if there was a troubadour named Rigoletta in the employ of House Lys, and she was certain there was not. Satisfied, he bade Dame Pauline to find Master Villem.
Master Villem Landsdowne was a well-groomed and well-tailored man past his middle years, with brown, wavy hair and a moustache and beard. He was dressed in many bold colours and wore a feathered cap, and wore expensive rings on each of his fingers. It was clear from his appearance that he had made quite a fortune with his trade, which had vaulted him into the upper echelons of society, while he simultaneously held no illusions about his station, making it easy for him to traverse the social ladder and speak comfortably with people from different stations.
Emrys took the opportunity to remind Master Villem of their previous acquaintance at his auction house when they witnessed the sale of a crystal after bidding war between the dwarves of Ard Thoradun and the elves of the Worthwild. Master Villem said business had become rather dull in the wake of that auction, not because there were not plenty of antiquities and curiosities to auction, but nothing quite as rare as the crystal.
Master Villem had the habit of noticing small details of people’s attire, a brooch, an earring, a talisman, and he couldn’t help but share his admiration, or notes on the art history of the item that caught his attention. Eventually his attention focused on Róisín and Quentin unsheathed the sword from the rose-and-thorn filled scabbard. Quentin made sure to warn Master Villem to wear adequate gloves so as not to get pricked, but also made a point to show how he was handling the blade bare-handed without injury.
Master Villem inspected the blade and its scabbard, using a special monocle to check for minute details. For a moment he fell silent, before he started softly listing all the details of the blade he was expecting and hoping to find. One important element he looked for was the maker’s mark, a special symbol that the craftsman who forged the sword punched into the blade, just below where the blade was set in its hilt. The name of the swordsmith was long forgotten, but the mark was well-known.
Master Villem concluded with a high degree of certainty that the blade is of the right age, and carries many of the expected marks of the Fleur de Lys, the ancestral blade of House Lys. He could only be more certain if they could separate the blade from the hilt to uncover the maker’s mark fully, but that was not something Quentin would allow. Master Villem shared a bit about the legend of the sword, that contrary to tradition, the blade did not pass from father to son, but rather that it passed down from the line of the most capable swordsmen in the family; from champion to champion, down the generations. It was at that point that it passed down to Ser Estienne d’Epines, the Knight of Thorns. He joined the Silver Crusade after becoming disillusioned by the lack of action from the knights in Celticia, modern day Beauclair.
The story of how Quentin came into the possession of the sword had reached Master Villem, and he asked a few questions about Ser Estienne. The last question seemed like a test; which instrument did Ser Estienne play? Quentin told him that the legendary knight played a beautiful, gilded harp. This seemed to satisfy Master Villem.
After the appraisal, Neamhan was keen to find one of the peacocks to talk to. She found a regal looking bird that beneficently displayed its beautiful feathers while it sat upon a moss-covered dry brick wall. When she asked him what his name was, he said he did not have one. Together with Neamhan, they settled on the name Rí. He turned out to be quite arrogant and full of self-importance, but he appreciated being named, and offered Neamhan a boon of service or information that she could collect in the next twenty-four hours. She asked him to warn her if “the one dressed in grey”, to which she meant Monsieur Beauregard, was overheard mentioning Quentin.
On the bank of the pond, opposite to the tent village, surrounded by trees, Chakuq and Emrys went to practice a recital of the Battle at Steward’s Square. It was a combination of dance and song in the tradition of the takipa runakuna. Emrys would translate the performance in his own tradition, adding his own creative interpretation to it. Together, it would form a more complete narrative of the battle and Quentin’s role in it.
Quentin, who had joined Chakuq and Emrys, noticed a man observing them from a short distance. The man was broad of shoulder and strong of chest and limb, with jet black hair atop a square head and thick neck. He was not handsome, but had a simple charm to him. His name was Rook Ashenhand, and he was a bard in the employ of House Lys. He used to be a mercenary, which explained why he was wearing padded armour with pieces of chain mail, but he took to song and story, and found he could make better coin doing that with the added benefit of not risking his life as much. Rook said that he was a connoisseur of songs of battle and glory, which is why his interest was piqued when he saw Chakuq and Emrys’ rehearsal.
Quentin asked Rook what he had heard of him, and Rook recounted that he had heard of Quentin’s quest, of Quentin’s departure from Beauclair, of Quentin going to hell and back, that Quentin had returned with some legendary figures in his wake, and that Quentin had not fought once, but twice against evil that beset Kingsport. When Rook asked Quentin if all of it was true, Quentin put humility forward, and said that no song about him would be complete without mentioning his companions.
In light of Quentin’s modesty, Rook decided to give him his thoughts; he did not quite understand why Highlord Gauthier would align his house with House Morvrayne, and why Quentin was so important to the highlord. The rumours about Quentin had grown with every telling, and had reached ridiculous proportions, but that the truth was more modest and real. Quentin asked Rook if he was disappointed, and he said he was quite the opposite. It would provide Rook with a welcome challenge; he knew quite well how to take a common soldier’s tale and turn it into legend. When Quentin suggested that the unvarnished story deserved to be heard, Rook chose not to respond.
Before departure, Rook decided to add some advice to his thoughts, and he warned Quentin not to put too much trust in the bards and troubadours. Each of them was being paid to paint Quentin in a certain light, and Rook had decided he did not want to be a part of that, but also warned that, like the other bards, Quentin should not trust him either. Quentin subtly suggested that House Morvrayne would welcome Rook, should he decide to change tabards.
When Quentin paid attention to Chakuq and Emrys, he found them arguing over the importance of showing how the hamatula’s innards were spilled as Chakuq slew it. Emrys refused to incorporate that, and the two argued over creative differences.