The Kinstrife
Part
30
In
which Ilvirin has misgivings regarding Colfen’s religious affiliationms;
Brand locates Celebrindor’s construction site; Aerin, Pimm and Ragnor interview Rhavas in the Southron Quarter; Telemnar agrees
to a clandestine meeting with Rhavas in the Houses of
Healing; Telemnar interrogates Rhavas,
who agrees to identify his handler and testify to Daeron;
The Great Council opens and we here many speeches for and against each side; Rhavas fingers his handler.
In the
morning, Hamza sends Aerin
a message that she and two others may meet with Rhavas
at mid-day in the Southron Quarter to which she is
given tortuous directions, clearly intended to give time for us to be watched
to ensure we are not followed or accompanied by unwanted persons.
After
breakfast, Brand sets off for the Loremasters’ Hall
with the intent of resolving the location of Celebrindor’s
construction site.
Ilvirin
asks my advice about a matter weighing on her mind: she believes Colfen is a member of the Benish Armon cat-cult (she is sure members of his family are
members, which may be why Iriel was so familiar with
the Benish Armon tomb) but
she is not sure if Neithan knows this and wonders if
she should bring it to his attention.
I confess
that only in the last few days have I come to view the cat-cult as anything
other than anathema, yet we now know they are as opposed to Melkor
as Ilvirin’s own cult of Perhaladin.
What troubles me is that if Colfen’s cat-cult
connections prove to be an issue for Neithan, it
might damage their working relationship and, more importantly from our point of
view, queer our own relations with Colfen, preventing
our participation in the raid even if it does not drive a wedge between Colfen and Neithan, as Colfen is unlikely to accept participation from strangers
telling tales behind his back.
I point out
the delicacy of the situation but Ilvirin clearly
feels troubled by this. In her view, the cat-cult is anathema, with a history
of kidnapping, murder and torture. Privately I wonder whether Perhaladin is as clean as she would like (I remind her that
Colfen asked her for a written disclaimer absolving
him of responsibility for any harm received on the raid, which tells me he
thinks vengeance more likely from her family than mine) though I too have some
reservations about the cat-cult.
I advise
that if she feels she must bring the issue to Neithan’s
attention, then perhaps she should do so after the raid. Then she tells me that
when she looked in the Palantir in Minas Ithil she saw the goddess at the heart of the cat-cult and
somehow knew she was seeking Neithan. Ilvirin is afraid that Neithan
may be inveigled in to participating in the raid, to be captured by the
cat-cult as a result.
I manage to
persuade Ilvirin that little good can come of
mentioning the matter, at least until after the raid on Tol-Cirya,
but I recall how disturbing Beruthiel’s diary proved
and, now I come to think of it, we only have Colfen’s
word that the cat-cult are anti-Melkor and that he
and Ulbar are so against each other. Perhaps we need
to take a few precautions on this raid.
Despite my
advice, I suspect Ilvirin is sufficiently troubled to
speak to Neithan anyway so we shall see what becomes
of it. Ilvirin and I spend the rest of the morning in
sparring practice, to hone our skills for the raid in a few days time.
Over lunch,
Brand reports with quiet satisfaction that he has located Celebrindor’s
construction site. It’s at a well sunk on a rocky outcrop by an oasis. It’s
further away that we’d hoped, in Near Harad, so we
will visit it as part of our tour with Zimrakhil.
After an
early lunch, Aerin chooses Pimm
and I to accompany her to meet Rhavas.
The directions, as mentioned before, are tortuous, through narrow streets
between buildings high even for Umbar, and several
times I notice signs of watching from the roof tops. Pimm
suggests deliberately deviating from the given path to elicit intervention but
I feel we do not want to surprise our watchers.
Eventually
we come to a smaller two-story house, whitewashed and squarish.
At our knock we are admitted by someone in full desert robes, face covered save for the eyes, evidently to conceal his
identity. Evidently this is an unoccupied house temporarily taken over for the
meeting.
We are
shown in to a room with some chairs on which sit two men, one of whom would
appear to be Rhavas from his beaten and dejected
demeanour. There are also four men around the walls who are evidently guards.
Aerin
explains to Rhavas why we are here but it is the
other man who does most of the talking for him. Rhavas
was hired with four others to attack Menelmir in his
garden. He says he was briefed by a man in an inn. I ask if he could identify
that man and he seems sure he could.
I tell him
that we may be able to place him where he could identify that man without being
seen himself. If by his efforts we can convince the King’s representative of a
conspiracy by those that hired him, he will be granted safe passage to another
city to make a fresh start as a shoemaker and I ask him to accompany me to see
Governor Telemnar.
Rhavas
spokesman asks for 20 crowns for Rhavas to see Telemnar and another 20 to see the King’s representative. I
offer 5 crowns from my own pocket to see Telemnar
with me now, all else to be subject to negotiation after.
Rhavas’
spokesman sneers at this offer, claiming that Rhavas
would have left the city last night were it not for our request to meet him, that even now he could leave this evening and Umbar would never see him again. Rhavas
could be arrested in the Governor’s Palace; he is running a great risk.
He suggests
that Telemar, with no more than one guard, could meet
Rhavas at another secret location in the Southron Quarter tomorrow but Pimm
reminds me that Telemnar will be fully involved with
the Council tomorrow, even if he could be persuaded to such a meeting, which I
think highly unlikely. Pimm suggests meeting later
today on neutral ground, but where is neutral to both parties?
Struck by
inspiration, I ask Aerin if she could arrange a
meeting under the aegis of the Cult of Estë? She replies that she could possibly arrange something at
the Houses of Healing. I put it to Rhavas and his
spokesman that perhaps Telemnar may need to visit the
Houses of Healing at dusk today, and that if Rhavas should happen to be in an adjacent examination room,
the two men may speak.
The
spokesman says if Telemnar is at the Houses of
Healing at dusk, Rhavas will be with him within an
hour. Having been briefed as to Southron customs by Aerin, Rhavas and I spit in our
hands and shake to seal the agreement.
It is
already early afternoon so we make our way to Governor’s Palace with all
despatch. Evidently the guards have orders to admit me immediately.
Telemnar
is clearly disappointed that I was unable to adequately assess Rhavas myself. I confess he did little talking but from his
demeanour I feel he would not be a great success in a formal court but he might
be enough to convince Daeron of a conspiracy. Also,
if he can identify his handler, we may be able other evidence against the civil
servant once we know where to look.
Telemnar
allows himself to be persuaded to meet Rhavas in the
Houses of Healing, where he can spare just half-an-hour. Our next task is to
arrange matters accordingly so Aerin and I arrange
with the Healers for a private examination room to be available for the
Governor at dusk. Then we go and eat at the Drunken Southron.
Brand has
found out little more about Celebrindor’s
construction site, despite diligent searching, but he does have a map which he
feels to be accurate.
I make sure
everything is ready well before dusk. In case it proves to be a trap for Telemnar, I ask Ilvirin to stand
discrete guard outside the window to the chamber. In the event of trouble, the
shutters will open and she may need to assist an elder statesman to climb out,
whereupon I will need her to arrange his escape to safety as efficiently as she
did Morwen’s in Minas Ithil.
I ask Aerin to wait for Rhavas
by the rear entrance to the Houses of Healing.
Telemnar
arrives just before dusk. He is alone but says he has a couple of guards
stationed nearby ‘in case of trouble’. He takes a seat in the room and I remain
standing after ensuring the shutters are over the windows. We pass the time in
small talk over the Council tomorrow, Telemnar
outlining how he expects things to go.
I am
surprised to learn that, while the decision is ultimately Daeron’s,
he is expected to follow the decision of the polity should they form a
consensus. However, since they are quite unlikely to reach a consensus in just
four days, Daeron will almost certainly make his
decision, based in a large part in his instruction from the King.
Just as I
begin to think that Rhavas won’t come, Aerin ushers him and his spokesman in to the room. They
take chairs before Telemnar while I remain standing
and Aerin stands watch outside.
Telemnar
has Rhavas repeat his story in his own words, without
the spokesman’s interference. He seems satisfied with Rhavas’
account, especially when Rhavas says he was given a
piece of paper to take with him but left it in his bedroll at his lodgings as
he couldn’t see the point (may the Valar bless his
illiteracy).
Telemnar
asks for two things from Rhavas: firstly that he he stand tomorrow in the public
gallery and try to identify the man who briefed him in the inn; secondly that
he then comes before Daeron to recount his tale. If
he agrees to both, he shall be given safe passage to a city of his choice with
enough cash to purchase a ten-year lease on a small shop (at Pelargir prices). If he does just one, he will receive a
somewhat smaller, though still generous remuneration and safe passage from Umbar.
Rhavas
confers with his spokesman but it’s clear the offer has captured his
imagination. Telemnar, apparently also well-versed in
Southron customs, spits and shakes to seal the
agreement, but with the spokesman. Rhavas will meet
with a trusted scribe from Telemnar’s own office
tomorrow morning at a nearby inn. I ask Aerin to be
there as well; I think Rhavas might like to see a
familiar face and I want someone with him on the balcony when he makes his
identification. Brand and I, and Telemnar, of course,
will be in the Council, all day.
The
Council opens. As the personal representative of Queen Mûrabeth
I have a seat alongside the likes of Telemnar, Menelmir, Daeron, Gordacar, etc, etc on the raised dias for visiting dignitaries. Brand sits behind me,
taking notes. There’s also a seat for Aerin, once
she’s finished her oversight of Rhavas. The
councillors proper sit in a circle below.
There’s
the formal opening: Squire Gordacar explains how he
backed Kunbeshu’s trade expedition to beyond the Raj. He waxes lyrical about the ship, how it was built, how
many trees were felled, etc, etc, and then he gushes over the contents: silks,
spices, etc, etc. He says it is the return of Kunbeshu’s
that has caused this Council to be brought forward so that his findings can
inform the disposition of Umbar’s budget and
influence Gondorian policy for the coming year.
Finally he calls upon Kunbeshu to report on his
excursion.
To
my ear, Kunbeshu sounds like he might have a flair
for after-dinner speaking, but he is not trying to entertain and restricts
himself to a couple of humorous references. He focuses on trade contacts in
various ports and cities and their relevance to Umbar’s
mercantile community. (I can feel Gordacar licking
his lips in anticipation.)
Then
Kunbeshu moves on the Storm King’s presence in the deep south and how his armies threaten the area, especially
the army of the Southern Dragon. Kunbeshu recommends
that Gondor and Umbar
should invest heavily in naval and mercantile expansion in to the area, to
strengthen Bozicha-Dar and the smaller realms to the
south and weld them in to an effective buffer-zone against the Storm King.
All
this takes most of the morning. There’s a short break, during which Aerin reports that Rhavas has
confidently identified the man who briefed him. She didn’t get the name and Telemnar’s civil servant snootily refused to divulge it to
her but she says the man is in a distinctive purple hat and was in the
supporting seats on the top bench. We observe just such a man taking copious
notes for Menelmir.
It
occurs to me that if Rhavas convinced Daeron of the Sea Faction conspiracy, we will be raising
quite a considerable stink and I wonder if Menelmir’s
career will survive it. Of course, I’m probably being quite naïve; no doubt
everything will be resolved quietly behind the scenes but I suspect I will be
persona-non-grata among the navy here.
We
reconvene to hear speeches by Telemnar and Menelmir giving their party lines. Telemnar
is a fair speaker, matter of fact and down to earth, in my opinion, stating
simply the unparalled opportunity to resolve the Near
Harad question. Menelmir,
on the other hand, speaks in an irritating whine, conveying the impression that
the world is in some conspiracy against him. His position is is that Gondor is a a sea-faring nation whose wealth
is based on its merchant fleet and naval power. That to the south is a trading
opportunity and a considerable threat which it is Gondor’s
moral duty to counter. Ergo the moiety of funds must go to the navy.
After
lunch, everyone else get’s their pen’orth,
some to the point and some not; some reasoned and rational and some not (a few
quite hysterical, in my opinion). I notice Zimrakhil
at the far end of the High Table but, like me, he deigns not to speak. Such is
wisdom, perhaps?
To do list:
Great
Council meets June 27th-June 30th
Arrange
clandestine meeting between Rhavas and Daeron, the King’s representative June 28th+
Colfen’s
raid on Tol-Cirya at end of Great Council
Visit for Celebrindor’s construction site in Near Harad
Approach Zimrakhil over the Umbar portion of
Key of Fuinur’s Well while
touring Near Harad
Inquire
after Perhaladin – might be a cult for Ragnor
Advise
Father of that coins used to pay Khoradôr may come
from The Straight Man
Ask Granny Serni why she gave me the jewel
Who was Tevildo from the Benish Armon tomb in the Ethir Anduin?