The Kinstrife
Part
21
In
which we find that Ragnor’s party invitation comes
from the ‘Straight Man’; Bauglir urges Ragnor to go; we all attend the Underworld Annual Ball;
Brand learns more of the Mirror of Fire; Ragnor
fights three duels; the ‘Straight Man’ makes an offer; Ilvren
beats her brother; the ‘Straight Man’ accepts tribute from the Underworld; we
leave the ball; we learn of King Tarannon and his
villa in the Ethir Anduin;
Beruthiel – the legend and the woman; do we or don’t we?
May
15th to 17th 1441
Ilvren reveals that my invitation to the
underworld ball comes from a specific individual, a criminal (of course) known
by the cognomen of ‘The Straight Man’, who wants to talk to me. It seems Ilvren now works for Bauglir, the
Cor Aran customs official (though I’m not sure Ilvren is aware of Bauglir’s
connections with the Cor Aran), and has been set to
watch the activities of some criminal elements, The Straight Man included.
This puts a new light on things. Meeting
with The Straight Man may cause father problems politically. It is also
possible that The Straight Man intends to kidnap me and blackmail father in
some way. Seeking advice, Brand and I call upon Bauglir
under the pretext of introducing myself to him in my new professional capacity.
This would be expected as I will be working closely with the customs.
How Pelargir docks work: tendermen transport goods between ships and warehouses.
Customs men usually visit the goods in the warehouses but sometimes make spot
checks on the ships and may instruct goods to be retained on ship until they
arrive. It’s my job to see the goods in to my father’s warehouses and to
oversee their care until examined by a customs official and shipped elsewhere.
Bauglir is still trying to infiltrate the
criminals responsible for intercepting the Queen’s treasure in March and is
delighted to hear that The Straight Man’s interest in me. The Straight Man is
reputedly running all criminal activity in Pelargir and the customs and law
enforcement officers have no idea who he really is.
Bauglir listens to my concerns but can offer
little help with security. The law enforcement officials have all been
comprehensively bribed to look the other way and his own
customs men are too well known. In any case, it would take an army to guarantee
my safety, which he hasn’t got.
However, in Bauglir’s
opinion, The Straight Man is unlikely to attempt anything underhand as he has
little to gain by it. He already has a very significant and lucrative
operation. Kidnapping an (albeit distant) member of the Royal family would
provoke unwelcome attention without significant gain.
For his part, Bauglir
would be grateful for any information on The Straight Man, particularly a
description. I tell him I’m by no means sure how deeply involved with The
Straight Man I wish to be but I’m willing to meet with him. Regretfully, in
view of the circumstances, I will be able to do little more than report on the
colour of his mask. Bauglir ruefully agrees.
Evening
May 18th
Aerin, Brand, Pimm,
Ilvren and I all meet at Neithan’s
and make our way on foot to the ball. The girls are wearing their new frocks
bought in Minas Ithil but with new masks. I’m
sticking to something of good cut but not flashy with a simple black domino as
I don’t want to draw attention.
At
the venue I choose to be sniffy when challenged for a
name by some large individuals at the door – what is the point of coming masked
if you have to give a name? I mention that I’m about to leave and that they
should advise The Straight Man that they turned away his guest. It takes a few
minutes and some toing-and-frowing of messengers but
eventually a doorman asks if one of our party happens
to be Ragnor son of Olthador.
On our general acquiescence the farce is concluded and we all enter.
Inside,
the warehouse has been massively decorated in preparation for the ball. It’s
thronging with people, most of whom no doubt are of Pelargir’s criminal fraternity but I’m also sure I can’t be
the only gentle-born dilettante in the company.
One
feature not usually encountered in High Society is the large raised arena
cordoned with ropes, within which wrestlers are providing sport. Large
blackboards around the arena portray the current state of the betting.
Intrigued,
it seems this arena will also feature bare-knuckle fisticuffs and later weaponed bouts, which draw the most interest and money. In
fact the climax will be a ‘tournament’ though there will be many unofficial
side bouts as well. I notice several arguments between guests are encouraged to
either to put aside their dispute or to take it in to the arena but apparently
it’s also possible to put yourself forward as a protagonist and the organisers
will find an opponent.
The
fights tend to get nastier as the evening wears on and the alcohol flows; Ilvren suggests that if I’m interested I should put my name
forward now rather than later and I duly make it clear that I have no interest
in the tournament am available for private bouts under the cognomen ‘Underdog’.
When
I return, Pimm is in deep conversation about what
sounds like customs. Meanwhile, Brand is discussing Umbar with someone whom I
take to be a fellow loremaster and this seems far
more interesting. Someone called Caranor overhears
and introduces himself as someone with an interest in Near Harad
and Brand is in his element, making a good show of turning the conversation to
the Mirror of Fire.
Caranor agrees the Mirror of Fire is very famous,
though very far south. It is an area of desert where the sand was fused to
glass long ago (legend has it by the fall of one of the Lamps of Valinor, Ormal I presume – I wonder where the other fell?).
Sand is now blowing over the glass.
It
is too hot to travel over the Mirror of Fire by day and by night the area is
haunted by ‘Dust-Devils’, which I gather are some sort of malign elemental
peculiar to the area. It is vital to have a guide, usually one of the Amber
gatherers (Amber being the reason people enter the Mirror of Fire, which is an
excellent source of the precious stone). Asked by Brand how to get there, Caranor says he would take ship to the Raj and there find
an Amber-gatherer guide.
Then
Brand expresses his interest in architecture. Caranor
volunteers the interesting information that this would be why he has been
invited to the ball as The Straight Man shares his interest. Caranor says The Straight Man is an enigma as he has
reached his position by scrupulously keeping his word of honour and by ruthless
efficiency. This is reassuring; The Straight Man’s paradoxical reputation for
scrupulous honesty bodes well. If he wishes to ‘talk’ then talk is what will
happen.
At
this point, I’m advised that it is time for my first bout. My opponent barely
knows how to handle his weapon and has little grasp of
etiquette. I finish it quickly and pocket 3 crowns from having bet my last cash
on myself. Brand is happy but Pimm is disappointed as
he bet on my opponent.
As
I don my cloak again, we are told The Straight Man will see us now. We’re taken
through a door and down some stairs, eventually reaching a private room where
we meet a man dressed in silks and velvets cut in the height of fashion but all
of black. He has black hair but his mask is an elaborate construction
calculated to hide the shape of his face. I cannot place his voice and for his
part it seems clear that he does not know me by sight as his greeting of me by
my name is directionless until I make myself known. He introduces himself as
The Straight Man.
He
says he’s become interested in me as a wayward son of my father. I return that
I hope I’m not that wayward but it seems father’s disinformation is effective.
The
Straight Man remarks that the current Captain of the Ethir
(Neithan) is too keen, which it seems is bad for business. He wants a base in
the marshes from which he can circumvent Neithan’s
reach. He’s heard of an ancient villa, built by Tarannon
a king of Gondor a few centuries ago but it is now
lost in the Eithir Anduin.
The
Straight Man wants Aerin, Brand, Ilvren, Pimm and I to look for this villa. Furthermore it will
brook little interest if I request the keys from whatever royal servant
currently holds them. We will each get 200 crowns if successful but he’s
willing to pay 100 crowns even if unsuccessful, provided our search is in
earnest. He also wants to hide smuggled goods in father’s warehouses, for which
I will receive 10% of the value of the goods.
I
tell him I will consider his offer. He says I can tell Ilvren
and it will get to him. Having observed the niceties, we return to the ball.
I
get a second bout, this time against a lady called Brames.
She’s sharper than the previous chap but still sadly lacking in etiquette.
Obviously I’m too chivalrous but I attempt to disarm her instead of drawing
blood and thereby miss my opportunity. I congratulate her and Aerin binds my
wound. Pimm is again disappointed having this time
bet on me. I lose 2 crowns but I’m still up on the evening by a crown.
My
third bout follows soon after, for which I’m grateful as my wound (superficial
though it is) has no time to stiffen. My opponent is Baldor.
He looks a lot more with it, responding with the correct salute. I bet my last
2 crowns. The bout is noticeably harder. He parries my first thrust and we
trade ripostes but my superior quickness eventually tells and this time I
pocket a cool 6 crowns (thanks to my odds lengthening again after my previous
loss) after congratulating my opponent.
That’s
enough for me but then Ilvren has the next bout,
against a tall, weatherbeaten and experienced looking
man who it seems is her brother, Brandon.
And
my decision proves wise as, despite an obvious superiority, Ilvren
gets a hit, drawing blood. The fight really should have ended there but,
apparently in pique,
Pimm has yet again bet on the loser – good man with a crossbow but
never take his betting tips.
After
this the tournament is concluded, the final bout being between two young ladies
dressed in mail designed to achieve minimal protection while revealing more
flesh than a profession soldier would like. It seems these two are professional
entertainers. The first ninety seconds seem heavily choreographed but then they
start fighting for real. It certainly pleases the crowd.
The
fighting over, the arena is cleared and The Straight Man takes his place on a
seat placed for the purpose. There then follows a curious ceremony as various
underworld figures go up to pay tribute or taxes to The Straight Man. Most
merely deposit cash or kind without a word but for a few The
Straight Man makes some comment as to the lightness of the tribute. The
overall impression is that he has his finger on the pulse and it’s hard to pull
the wool over his eyes.
Tribute
over, he stands to toast the throng. He grants use of the facilities until dawn
but suggests that the Garrison will be in soon after to round up late leavers.
After
The Straight Man departs, things get rowdier and we decide to leave too.
Morning
May 19th
What
to do about Tarannon’s villa? Tarannon
was the twelth King from 830 to 913 TA, the first
‘Ship-King’, later taking the name Falastur ‘Lord of
the Coasts’. His Queen was the semi-mythical Beruthiel of the cats, who hated
the ocean, but Tarannon loved the sea and famously
built a house below Pelargir ‘upon arches whose feet stood deep in the wide
waters of the Ethir Anduin’.
Beruthiel either died in childbirth or was set adrift with her cats, to be last
seen flying past Umbar on a north wind ‘under a sickle moon, with a cat at the
masthead and another as the figure-head on the prow’ according to the nursery
tales I recall from my governess. Whatever her fate, Tarannon
died childless, the Crown passing to his nephew, Earnil
I.
Brand
and meet with Bauglir and I relate our conversation
with The Straight Man, giving what little description of him I can. (I get the
impression that The Straight Man is definitely of Numenorean descent.)
Bauglir exhorts me to find Tarannon’s
villa. He will brief the Queen and ask about the keys to the villa. I also
advise him that smuggled goods will be passing through father’s warehouses. Bauglir will want to know exactly what goods are smuggled
so he can intercept truly dangerous cargoes but I ask for his circumspection as
otherwise The Straight Man will smell a rat.
So
it seems we must plan for an early return to the Ethir.
Pity that Iriel has left for Dor-in-Ernil. I think I had best keep father advised
of Bauglir’s plans and my part in them.