It was all a bit confusing at the start but I will try to explain as best I can as I go along. I remember everything fine up until getting drunk and sleeping next to the Ogre Chungl. Most of the next day I felt like my head had shrunk a few sizes and was pretty disoriented. Apparently Zane Leopold had snatched me away from the fighting pits to help him out with some information gathering. Poor bugger didn’t realize just how hungover I was, I am sure I wasn’t much good at anything for the whole day. At one point, while being violently sick into a chamber pot, it felt like the ground had shattered under me. It wasn’t until the next day I found out that it really had! While Durak was fighting in the pits there had been an earthquake that had torn a number of buildings down. All I can say is that I was glad to be well away from it all.
Returning to the Fruit Basket Inn with Lord Leopold we found the place to be filled with sleeping bodies of revelers. Leopold wanted to speak to the Innkeeper so I went to rouse him. The man was still sleeping in his room and when he appeared he was pale and drawn. I assumed he was sick and just told him to get on with his job. Leopold then went upstairs to talk to Lord Kultzman and I decided to freshen up and went up to my room. It was filled with drunk people. Just as I was taking my clothes off I noticed that some of the drunk people had black marks on their necks and were not breathing! I took off out of there as fast as I could. I had to find Durak, he is still the only sane one in all of Kultzman’s retinue. Durak was nowhere to be found but Ada mentioned something about the Church of Shallaya and the blind priest Felix.
The priests of Shallaya were surprisingly reluctant to let me speak to my friend Durak but eventually agreed to allow a message to be given to him. Durak came out once he heard who was asking after him and came back to the Inn with me. Durak seemed a bit distracted and distant but I am sure it was just the shock of hearing the news. Back at the Fruit Basket Durak went upstairs to speak to Kultzman. Strangely for my position as Herald I have never even announced the man and in the whole time I have been in his employ I have barely ever spoken to him. I went straight into the kitchens to prepare breakfast and lose myself in the simple joy of creation. Occasionally people came into eat but mostly it was just Chungl and I. There were a few new recruits I didn’t know including some who Durak seemed to know from before I joined Kultzman’s service. One was a tall Northerner Haldor who seemed like a decent enough bloke.
According to Durak our orders from Kultzman, who had again left without speaking to me, were to rescue some kid whose dad had helped out Kultzman. I felt quite out of the loop and certainly didn’t really anticipate these kinds of antics since becoming a Herald. I am quite sure no other Lord treats their Herald in this manner. I mean I can’t see a Herald to one of the Council of Electors Lords skulking around dark alleyways looking for ways to break into places, kill people and rescue children! Yet that’s exactly what I did.
The place we had to attack was well guarded and despite my cunning plan to get the guards drunk on the poisoned festival wine they didn’t fall for it. I was only trying to avoid people dying. Had the guards just taken the wine and fallen asleep then they wouldn’t have died later that night.
We sat outside and observed for most of the day and into the night. Durak’s plan was simple enough – assault from three sides and get the boy out before he could be used as a hostage. I offered to act in my old capacity as a messenger and relay his orders. I have to be honest, my offer was more to keep me out of danger than it was to help the battle communications. Amazingly the assault went off without a hitch! Our side took minor injuries while the guards were slaughtered and the boy rescued. I even lent a hand by striking from afar with my sling! I know I normally run from battle but I felt safe enough from outside the house that I could help out a bit.
From here we are just waiting on our barge and then heading off to join with Kultzman. Hopefully a river cruise will be a safer way to travel than the roads have been. I will still be on the lookout for river trolls!
