![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
masterghandalfThis is a repost from Das_sporking2. Previous installments of this sporking may be found here.
Warning: This chapter contains violence, and some deaths.
MG: Well, everyone, it’s time to continue our journey through Ed Greenwood’s Cloak of Shadows! Last time, Sharantyr showed off her new sword and she and her companions set out for the Castle of Shadows, Elminster tried tobrainwash teach Midnight how to be Mystra, only to be interrupted by Ao, who spirited Midnight away and teleported Elminster into the middle of Thay, and Milhvar sent three more young Malaugrym to test their cloaks, this time by infiltrating Blackstaff Tower. Oh, and three other young Malaugrym apparently got themselves eaten by a wyvern via their own stupidity. Today, as the chapter title implies, we’re going to be focusing entirely on the infiltration of Blackstaff Tower. Joining us once again will be Errezha and Calassara!
Chapter Thirteen: Guests of the Blackstaff
Errezha: I think I would rather be the guest of a famous wizard than having to read this book again. We open in Blackstaff Tower, Waterdeep, Kythorn 19 to this scene:
It was a dull morning outside the windows of Blackstaff Tower. Storm clouds hung purple and heavy over Mount Waterdeep, and pearly grey sea mist rolled in under them from the harbor. The clop of hooves echoed up from the street below, but the usual cries, rumbles and other incessant noises of the City of Splendors were muffled. It sounded as if the city were half asleep. It was always quiet inside Blackstaff Tower, the velvety, waiting quiet of shielding magic that robbed footfalls of their echoes and shouts of their resonance, and gave to everything a heavy, unbroken hush. Many an apprentice had fallen asleep while studying in the tower, and many an experiment had ended explosively without disturbing the occupants of neighboring chambers.
Errezha: Speaking as someone who likes quiet and order, that does sound pleasant… though I have to wonder if possibly nearby explosions are something that people should be disturbed by, for safety’s sake. We cut to Laeral Silverhand, the lady of the tower, as she hopes an experiment that is currently running won’t be the explosive kind, as Khelben is currently away mediating a dispute between two other archmages, so she is the only one left to intervene if something goes wrong.
MG: *rolls their eyes* Oh, yes, she’s the only one, totally at a disadvantage without her husband to help her out… it’s not like she’s one of the most powerful wizards on the Sword Coast in her own right, or anything. Whatever is she to do?
Calassara: Find a better writer, perhaps (which, if what you’ve indicated before about her being one of the Seven Sisters most likely to be written by people other than Greenwood, it would seem she has, frequently). Apparently, the two apprentices conducting the ritual in question are Tath, who is careful, cautious and meticulous, and Baerista, who is impulsive and reckless, but brilliant. Laeral thinks that working together, they may accomplish more than any of her apprentices have in decades. Which is apparently why Laeral has been willing to sit up all night working with them. As the sun rises, Laeral yawns (beg pardon, but I thought the Chosen didn’t need to sleep?) and turns a critical eye on the mass of energy her apprentices are trying to bring under control, a strange, leaping… well, growth of sparks and bubbling spinsmoke was clawing and rebounding around a small sphere of swirling green-gold radiance. Oh, pretty. But does it do anything, I wonder? Apparently, Khelben usually forbids this sort of experiment when he’s here, but Laeral is more willing to make an exception. However, what she and her apprentices have called into being is very dangerous, and Laeral thinks that if she’d been merely a mortal archmage and not one of the Chosen, she’d stand no chance of controlling it. *beat* Is this really the sort of thing you want apprentices working with, then? I can see why Khelben usually forbids such research!
Errezha: *snorts* You should meet my mother, willing to take all the risks but, when things go wrong, to accept none of the blame… *she glances down at herself* Which, as someone she tends to count among the list of “things gone wrong,” I know all too well… moving on to happier topics, Laeral watches as her apprentices struggle to contain the blob of wild magic; their experiment, apparently, involves a new kind of magical shield that the wild magic can’t breach. Laeral herself barely understands it, and she doubts either of the apprentices who invented it did either. Hmm; I have to agree with Calassara. Why are we having students experiment with this, exactly? And in the middle of a heavily populated city, no less! Nonetheless, the shield appears to be holding as Baerista calls for Tath to hold steady; apparently, they’ve nearly got the wild magic under control, though Laeral is still worried it might explode at the last minute, which is why she’s here. Suddenly, the shield starts humming loudly, Tath warns Baerista she’s pushing too hard, and Laeral quickly checks to make sure the systems that will safely vent the explosion out of the tower and harmlessly into the sky are working. So, she has some safety precautions, at least; from a Greenwood character, I am surprised and impressed.
Calassara: We then cut to the basement of Blackstaff Tower, where someone named Ushard of Athkatla notices an alarm flashing, but decides it’s probably just Elminster or another of Khelben and Laeral’s colleagues popping by unannounced…
Errezha: …see, this is why the proper security protocols are important to follow! That way, when actual enemies show up, you can tell it’s them!
Calassara: …thank you for that bit of input, Errezha. Where were we? Ushard is suddenly distracted as one of his fellow apprentices, Rylarn of Neverwinter walks by and waves, accompanied by two senior mages from his home city Ushard doesn’t know. Ushard just thinks that if they’re here to see Khelben, they’re out of luck and goes back to reading a history text which he apparently finds deeply boring (I take offense at that! History is fascinating, if it’s told right!); still, he’s hoping there’s some clue to the location of a lost Netherese library buried in the text somewhere. Ushard tries to figure out what part of the text the code might he hidden in and finally says blurturt, which is apparently supposed to be a curse word and not a belch and reiterates to himself that he’s sure there’s a clue somewhere in here, if he can just find it. He goes back to his reading, hoping something interesting will reach up and grab him… and apparently is soon to get his wish, as if he’d actually paid attention to the alarm, he’d have noticed that it was the two “Neverwinter mages” who tripped it, and that they’re not what they seem to be. Hmmm; the Malaugrym are inhabiting specific characters they have created, and haven’t immediately given themselves away to the first person who noticed them… this group is already more competent than the last!
Errezha: *flatly* Don’t expect it to continue. And I’ll note the narrative blames Ushard for being lazy, and not Elminster for apparently popping in and out without warning so regularly that Ushard’s immediate assumption was that the alarm was him and not worth investigating further. The text goes on to further pile abuse on Ushard, noting that if he’d been focusing on the scroll copying he’s supposed to be doing rather than the amateur treasure hunting he’s actually doing, he’d have noticed that the dumbwaiter had been called away, taking his meal (described in far too much detail, for some reason) with it (why he’d have been less distracted working on a different task, I’m less sure on). And apparently Ushard should have also cared enough to alert Laeral to the presence of uninvited guests… even though we were given no indication he thought the guests were uninvited, or that Laeral didn’t already know of their presence (in fact, he seemed to find their presence rather unremarkable, all told). Next, however, the dumbwaiter returns, revealing the pitiful remains of Ushard’s food, and all he does is curse and blame the ghosts rather than sound the alarm. That, I fear, is indeed on him. Why can’t they go bother the girls? At least they’ll scream. *coldly* And now I’ve lost all my sympathy for you; remarkable. *she idly flexes the fingers of one hand; a keen observer might be able to pick out the points of her claws poking the inside of her gloves’ fingers* Perhaps I could give you a lesson in what makes a person scream… for research purposes, of course.
Calassara: *scolding* Be nice. Greenwood has, finally, convinced me Ushard’s an idiot, but… that isn’t a crime.
Errezha: *muttering* It should be…
Calassara: Be. Nice. And so Ushard starts humming a folk song – badly – before stopping and realizing that something might be amiss. And, at that moment, a pair of tentacles erupts out of his book and grabs him by the throat, thereby unwittingly granting his wish earlier. Also… can the Malaugrym become inanimate objects? I don’t think we knew that. Does that mean Ushard was… reading… a Malaugrym the whole time? That’s… different. Regardless, the Malaugrym hauls Ushard across the room as he waves his arms, trying – and failing – to cast spells, until finally the Malaugrym manages to tear out his throat. We briefly get his dying thoughts, which are about… frog salad? And the name of the frog in the salad? Do I even want to know? – before he expires. *she sighs* Pharasma watch over you, Ushard. You were a fool, but you didn’t deserve the… improbable chain of events that just killed you.
Errezha: The Malaugrym – it’s Balatar, as it happens – takes a moment to criticize his singing ability, before shouting a warning to Taernil, who is even now slipping out of Rylard’s shape and back into his own customary appearance. A spectral guardian has emerged from the dumbwaiter and is attacking them; Balatar manages to pin it with a spiked tentacle, but the specter turns intangible and lets it pass through, and then starts leeching Balatar’s life-force. He tries to pull himself back, but the specter has a death grip – ha – on his tentacle and he can’t get away. Apparently, Balatar has never known such pain or fear in his life; he looks up pleadingly at Taernil, who regards him with disgust and tells the third Malaugrym – Jarthree – that they need to get moving. She abandons her human disguise, and then she and Taernil abandon the shrieking and cursing Balatar to his fate. Apparently Jarthree is surprised at what happened, since she didn’t think doomguards, whatever those may be, have that kind of power, but Taernil thinks it was more like a watchghost. He also speculates that there will be more strange things ahead of them on their way to Khelben. *facepalm* You are infiltrating the home of two extremely powerful wizards, which also doubles as a school where they teach their myriad apprentices. Of course it will be full of strange things!
Calassara: One would think Malaugrym of all people, considering what they are and where they come from, might appreciate that – apparently not! But no sooner has Taernil spoken Khelben’s name than the stone pillar at the heart of the stairway they’re on breaks open, revealing a compartment in which floats a vertical black staff. It was covered with runes and gnarly protuberances studded with small glyphs and inset metal studs. Tiny lights winked here and there down its sinister length. Its power hung heavy and silent around it. The very air tingled. Jarthree excitedly calls it the Blackstaff – wait, that’s an actual staff, not just a nickname for Khelben? – and reaches for it. *facepalm* Girl, I know you’re new here, but that couldn’t be more obviously a trap if it had the word “trap” flashing above it lit by dancing lights.
MG: And yes, the Blackstaff is an actual staff Khelben wielders – or, rather, a series of similar staffs, of his own design. Based on his appearances in some other novels, it seems to be fairly common knowledge among the circles Khelben moves in that he has multiple Blackstaffs and that he sometimes makes new ones, to the point that other archmages sometimes make the staffs a point of small talk with him, but I’m not sure how much the Malaugrym would know about that.
Calassara: Well, Taernil, at least, has the sense to smack Jarthree’s tentacle away, pointing out that if she touches it without authorization, it might burn her to ash, immediately teleport Khelben himself to their location, or any number of other horrible things. Jarthree is apparently amused that human wizards are just as paranoid as Malaugrym ones (I can think of one Malaugrym who could stand to be a bit more paranoid…) and they decide not to touch the staff, though Jarthree points out they can’t be too cautious, if they’re here to kill Khelben. Taernil points out that Khelben’s traps could easily finish them off if they’re not careful and reminds her of what happened to Balatar (personally, I’d say there’s even odds Khelben is listening to every word you’re saying right now, so… perhaps be a bit more circumspect?). Jarthree can’t imagine that Khelben is as powerful as a Malaugrym wizard like Milhvar, but Taernil reminds her that it was fear of a human wizard that led Dhalgrave to restrict their access to Toril for centuries. On the one hand, an excellent point. On the other… of course it comes back to Elminster.
Errezha: And so, the two Malaugrym duck into the next room they come to, and find that it’s… a bedroom, with a pointed hat on a hook on one side of the headboard, and a silky nightgown on a hook on the other side. Taernil apparently rushed in so fast he slams into the headboard and bounces off – and now we’re in a farce, lovely – and Jarthree snarks about how he must find Laeral’s best stockings so very threatening. *blandly* I’ve known men like that. He asks if she’s mocking him – yes, yes she is – and Jarthree retorts that if Taernil is so desperate to be in charge that he’d challenge her here in the middle of Blackstaff Tower, she might as well leave now. Oh, yes, wonderful teamwork the two of you have! Taernil immediately panics at the idea and reminds her that Milhvar is probably watching them right now, and they need to make sure he sees full and effective cooperation from them, and nothing else. Jarthree agrees, so Taernil assumes the form of an umber hulk and tears open the doors on the far side of the room… which reveals only a swirling emptiness. Hmmm; portal of some kind, or trap? However, as soon as the door opens another blackstaff comes to life under the bed and starts vibrating, and Laeral senses the alert, wondering why this has to be happening now. And so, the Malaugrym have once again given themselves away without even getting a chance to test their cloaks, though Taernil and Jarthree at least made it a bit farther than Huerbara. *rolls her eyes* What a surprise. Laeral then sends a message to Khelben, asking where he is, as the scene ends.
Calassara: We cut back to the two Malaugrym, who’ve walked through the apparent portal and found themselves in a different bedroom, this one so thick with shadows it reminds them of home – so much so that they think whoever created it must have seen the Plane of Shadow. They assume it must be a trap, though Jarthree pokes around and sees nothing more threatening than a pair of cats, who sit up on the bed and regard them menacingly. Taernil isn’t taking risks and blasts one of the cats, only for some sort of ward to bounce his spell back on him. *she shakes her head* This is why you don’t mess with an archmage’s pets! Jarthree is impressed but not surprised by the magic and then points out something else hanging over the bed, which apparently fascinates her. It’s a perfect model of Faerun’s night sky; Taernil does think it’s beautiful, but thinks he’d rather have a scrying portal like Dhalgrave’s in his bedroom. Jarthree reminds him that Dhalgrave is dead (I’m… not sure how that’s relevant? It’s not like he died because his scrying portal blew up in his face or anything!); Taernil goes to open another door across the room, while Jarthree hides in the shadows nearby to watch and wait. As soon as Taernil is through the door, he immediately launches a barrage of fire bolts into the room… and all the Abyss breaks loose.
Errezha: Well, this appears to be the room where Laeral and her apprentices were experimenting. The apprentices look up in shock, and Laeral is grimly determined, as the bolts hit the ball of wild magic and go careening around the room. Laeral magically shoves her apprentices to safety and then stands facing Taernil, seeming to not see him (is he invisible?) and trying to figure out where the bolts came from; those that impact her do so harmlessly (of course…) while the ones that hit the wild magic are turning into… things. Tumbling bones and mauve bubbles… boulders and single shoes, many-eyed sea jellies and sparkling, rain-dewed flowers. *warily* That’s… nice. Taernil then prepares a fireball (because your last spell was so effective?) intending to kill everyone in the room so he can face Khelben (who he’s inexplicably decided is nearby) alone. But as he casts Jarthree gasps, watching the fireball get pulled into the wild magic; while Laeral stands unharmed, the ball of magic explodes, slamming both Malaugrym off their feet and back into their true shapes, and burning their cloaks away. So… that wasn’t very effective, was it? And suddenly Khelben himself appears beside them, commenting on how apparently the Malaugrym are sending their youths to infiltrate his home. I’m quite particular about whom I invite… and you, Taernil son of Oracla, would not have been among my first eighty thousand or so choices! *blankly* Khelben knows Taernil? Or did he cast some divination to learn his name, while we weren’t looking? He then stabs Taernil, and as a last, shattering pain exploded through him, those were the last words Taernil ever heard. And so… that’s it for Taernil, I suppose. He wasn’t a terribly interesting character, but he’s been with us for the whole book, so it’s still a bit anticlimactic for him to end in such a way, isn’t it?
Calassara: Shall we see if Jarthree fares better? Khelben asks if Laeral is going to want mercy for her; Laeral says no, since Ushard was a lazy idiot but didn’t deserve to die, and Jarthree is the most powerful and dangerous of the three Malaugrym who attacked the tower (how does she know?) and will kill again if she’s left free. Laeral doesn’t want kindness to be mistaken for weakness and thinks that the Malaugrym should learn that there are other uses for power to be put to other than cruelty. She wants Khelben to teach Jarthree that. Khelben nods and levitates Jarthree’s body as it is consumed by fire. And then, we get this:
As the awareness that was Jarthree faded, she tried to weep, for Khelben had taken his lady’s words literally, and the last moments of the Malaugrym were a whirlwind of images of love and beauty, the things wondrous and exciting, to be found in the Realms. Things she might have had, and now never could.
Calassara: …if the goal here was to push Jarthree into an epiphany and change her ways, I would appreciate that. As it is, since she is dying and has no chance to change… it seems merely cruel, taunting her with the possibility of a better life and withholding it. Khelben watches Jarthree die, and then sends her burning remains, together with the ball of wild magic, off to the heart of the Castle of Shadows (which increasingly doesn’t seem very secure – it sounds like absolutely anyone can get in! Some castle!). Laeral finishes putting the room back in order and comes to stand beside him; Khelben starts stroking her hair as she asks how his mediation went. Khelben thinks that if he’d taken some blackstaffs with him, he might just have rammed them up places in both mages they’d probably rather not have staffs be rammed (unless they’re into that, I suppose…) but since he didn’t, he had to find a more peaceful solution to the problem. Laeral thinks he’s done well enough… and immediately starts kissing Khelben and magically dragging them towards the bed. He protests that their apprentices are still watching, but Laeral says they have to learn the facts of life sometime (I consider myself rather liberal in such matters, but this is not the time and place, your apprentices did not ask to be part of this!). Khelben, at least, has enough sense to teleport the apprentices and the cats to a lower room in the tower, thinking that exposing the apprentices to “dangerous experiments” (just what are you doing in your bedroom, Lord and Lady Mages of Waterdeep?) for one night, and the chapter comes to an end.
MG: So, the good news is, there’s no Elminster in this one, or the three rangers and the ghost. That alone makes it marginally more tolerable. The bad news is… that it’s really just a retread of the infiltration of Silverymoon. Three Malaugrym sneak into a Chosen’s home (two Chosen, in this case), expose themselves by mundane means and have to fight, without even really testing their cloaks at all. Except in this case, they make it a bit farther on, and in this case, all three of them die. Including Taernil, who’s been a reasonably prominent character so far and it really does feel like he got a bridge dropped on him. And Greenwood, once again, only seems to know how to show that Khelben and Laeral are deeply in love by having them act like horny teenagers who hop in bed together at the slightest provocation, sigh (a pity, as I’m rather fond of their relationship and dynamic when it’s written by other people). And I agree with Calassara that Jarthree’s final fate feels… weirdly, needlessly cruel. But ultimately, this one just feels kind of like filler; a retread of things we already know, with characters who ultimately aren’t very important in this trilogy. That’s it for today; next time, we check up on Elminster’s misadventures in Thay, and the three rangers’ attack on the Castle of Shadows. We’ll see you then!
Warning: This chapter contains violence, and some deaths.
MG: Well, everyone, it’s time to continue our journey through Ed Greenwood’s Cloak of Shadows! Last time, Sharantyr showed off her new sword and she and her companions set out for the Castle of Shadows, Elminster tried to
Chapter Thirteen: Guests of the Blackstaff
Errezha: I think I would rather be the guest of a famous wizard than having to read this book again. We open in Blackstaff Tower, Waterdeep, Kythorn 19 to this scene:
It was a dull morning outside the windows of Blackstaff Tower. Storm clouds hung purple and heavy over Mount Waterdeep, and pearly grey sea mist rolled in under them from the harbor. The clop of hooves echoed up from the street below, but the usual cries, rumbles and other incessant noises of the City of Splendors were muffled. It sounded as if the city were half asleep. It was always quiet inside Blackstaff Tower, the velvety, waiting quiet of shielding magic that robbed footfalls of their echoes and shouts of their resonance, and gave to everything a heavy, unbroken hush. Many an apprentice had fallen asleep while studying in the tower, and many an experiment had ended explosively without disturbing the occupants of neighboring chambers.
Errezha: Speaking as someone who likes quiet and order, that does sound pleasant… though I have to wonder if possibly nearby explosions are something that people should be disturbed by, for safety’s sake. We cut to Laeral Silverhand, the lady of the tower, as she hopes an experiment that is currently running won’t be the explosive kind, as Khelben is currently away mediating a dispute between two other archmages, so she is the only one left to intervene if something goes wrong.
MG: *rolls their eyes* Oh, yes, she’s the only one, totally at a disadvantage without her husband to help her out… it’s not like she’s one of the most powerful wizards on the Sword Coast in her own right, or anything. Whatever is she to do?
Calassara: Find a better writer, perhaps (which, if what you’ve indicated before about her being one of the Seven Sisters most likely to be written by people other than Greenwood, it would seem she has, frequently). Apparently, the two apprentices conducting the ritual in question are Tath, who is careful, cautious and meticulous, and Baerista, who is impulsive and reckless, but brilliant. Laeral thinks that working together, they may accomplish more than any of her apprentices have in decades. Which is apparently why Laeral has been willing to sit up all night working with them. As the sun rises, Laeral yawns (beg pardon, but I thought the Chosen didn’t need to sleep?) and turns a critical eye on the mass of energy her apprentices are trying to bring under control, a strange, leaping… well, growth of sparks and bubbling spinsmoke was clawing and rebounding around a small sphere of swirling green-gold radiance. Oh, pretty. But does it do anything, I wonder? Apparently, Khelben usually forbids this sort of experiment when he’s here, but Laeral is more willing to make an exception. However, what she and her apprentices have called into being is very dangerous, and Laeral thinks that if she’d been merely a mortal archmage and not one of the Chosen, she’d stand no chance of controlling it. *beat* Is this really the sort of thing you want apprentices working with, then? I can see why Khelben usually forbids such research!
Errezha: *snorts* You should meet my mother, willing to take all the risks but, when things go wrong, to accept none of the blame… *she glances down at herself* Which, as someone she tends to count among the list of “things gone wrong,” I know all too well… moving on to happier topics, Laeral watches as her apprentices struggle to contain the blob of wild magic; their experiment, apparently, involves a new kind of magical shield that the wild magic can’t breach. Laeral herself barely understands it, and she doubts either of the apprentices who invented it did either. Hmm; I have to agree with Calassara. Why are we having students experiment with this, exactly? And in the middle of a heavily populated city, no less! Nonetheless, the shield appears to be holding as Baerista calls for Tath to hold steady; apparently, they’ve nearly got the wild magic under control, though Laeral is still worried it might explode at the last minute, which is why she’s here. Suddenly, the shield starts humming loudly, Tath warns Baerista she’s pushing too hard, and Laeral quickly checks to make sure the systems that will safely vent the explosion out of the tower and harmlessly into the sky are working. So, she has some safety precautions, at least; from a Greenwood character, I am surprised and impressed.
Calassara: We then cut to the basement of Blackstaff Tower, where someone named Ushard of Athkatla notices an alarm flashing, but decides it’s probably just Elminster or another of Khelben and Laeral’s colleagues popping by unannounced…
Errezha: …see, this is why the proper security protocols are important to follow! That way, when actual enemies show up, you can tell it’s them!
Calassara: …thank you for that bit of input, Errezha. Where were we? Ushard is suddenly distracted as one of his fellow apprentices, Rylarn of Neverwinter walks by and waves, accompanied by two senior mages from his home city Ushard doesn’t know. Ushard just thinks that if they’re here to see Khelben, they’re out of luck and goes back to reading a history text which he apparently finds deeply boring (I take offense at that! History is fascinating, if it’s told right!); still, he’s hoping there’s some clue to the location of a lost Netherese library buried in the text somewhere. Ushard tries to figure out what part of the text the code might he hidden in and finally says blurturt, which is apparently supposed to be a curse word and not a belch and reiterates to himself that he’s sure there’s a clue somewhere in here, if he can just find it. He goes back to his reading, hoping something interesting will reach up and grab him… and apparently is soon to get his wish, as if he’d actually paid attention to the alarm, he’d have noticed that it was the two “Neverwinter mages” who tripped it, and that they’re not what they seem to be. Hmmm; the Malaugrym are inhabiting specific characters they have created, and haven’t immediately given themselves away to the first person who noticed them… this group is already more competent than the last!
Errezha: *flatly* Don’t expect it to continue. And I’ll note the narrative blames Ushard for being lazy, and not Elminster for apparently popping in and out without warning so regularly that Ushard’s immediate assumption was that the alarm was him and not worth investigating further. The text goes on to further pile abuse on Ushard, noting that if he’d been focusing on the scroll copying he’s supposed to be doing rather than the amateur treasure hunting he’s actually doing, he’d have noticed that the dumbwaiter had been called away, taking his meal (described in far too much detail, for some reason) with it (why he’d have been less distracted working on a different task, I’m less sure on). And apparently Ushard should have also cared enough to alert Laeral to the presence of uninvited guests… even though we were given no indication he thought the guests were uninvited, or that Laeral didn’t already know of their presence (in fact, he seemed to find their presence rather unremarkable, all told). Next, however, the dumbwaiter returns, revealing the pitiful remains of Ushard’s food, and all he does is curse and blame the ghosts rather than sound the alarm. That, I fear, is indeed on him. Why can’t they go bother the girls? At least they’ll scream. *coldly* And now I’ve lost all my sympathy for you; remarkable. *she idly flexes the fingers of one hand; a keen observer might be able to pick out the points of her claws poking the inside of her gloves’ fingers* Perhaps I could give you a lesson in what makes a person scream… for research purposes, of course.
Calassara: *scolding* Be nice. Greenwood has, finally, convinced me Ushard’s an idiot, but… that isn’t a crime.
Errezha: *muttering* It should be…
Calassara: Be. Nice. And so Ushard starts humming a folk song – badly – before stopping and realizing that something might be amiss. And, at that moment, a pair of tentacles erupts out of his book and grabs him by the throat, thereby unwittingly granting his wish earlier. Also… can the Malaugrym become inanimate objects? I don’t think we knew that. Does that mean Ushard was… reading… a Malaugrym the whole time? That’s… different. Regardless, the Malaugrym hauls Ushard across the room as he waves his arms, trying – and failing – to cast spells, until finally the Malaugrym manages to tear out his throat. We briefly get his dying thoughts, which are about… frog salad? And the name of the frog in the salad? Do I even want to know? – before he expires. *she sighs* Pharasma watch over you, Ushard. You were a fool, but you didn’t deserve the… improbable chain of events that just killed you.
Errezha: The Malaugrym – it’s Balatar, as it happens – takes a moment to criticize his singing ability, before shouting a warning to Taernil, who is even now slipping out of Rylard’s shape and back into his own customary appearance. A spectral guardian has emerged from the dumbwaiter and is attacking them; Balatar manages to pin it with a spiked tentacle, but the specter turns intangible and lets it pass through, and then starts leeching Balatar’s life-force. He tries to pull himself back, but the specter has a death grip – ha – on his tentacle and he can’t get away. Apparently, Balatar has never known such pain or fear in his life; he looks up pleadingly at Taernil, who regards him with disgust and tells the third Malaugrym – Jarthree – that they need to get moving. She abandons her human disguise, and then she and Taernil abandon the shrieking and cursing Balatar to his fate. Apparently Jarthree is surprised at what happened, since she didn’t think doomguards, whatever those may be, have that kind of power, but Taernil thinks it was more like a watchghost. He also speculates that there will be more strange things ahead of them on their way to Khelben. *facepalm* You are infiltrating the home of two extremely powerful wizards, which also doubles as a school where they teach their myriad apprentices. Of course it will be full of strange things!
Calassara: One would think Malaugrym of all people, considering what they are and where they come from, might appreciate that – apparently not! But no sooner has Taernil spoken Khelben’s name than the stone pillar at the heart of the stairway they’re on breaks open, revealing a compartment in which floats a vertical black staff. It was covered with runes and gnarly protuberances studded with small glyphs and inset metal studs. Tiny lights winked here and there down its sinister length. Its power hung heavy and silent around it. The very air tingled. Jarthree excitedly calls it the Blackstaff – wait, that’s an actual staff, not just a nickname for Khelben? – and reaches for it. *facepalm* Girl, I know you’re new here, but that couldn’t be more obviously a trap if it had the word “trap” flashing above it lit by dancing lights.
MG: And yes, the Blackstaff is an actual staff Khelben wielders – or, rather, a series of similar staffs, of his own design. Based on his appearances in some other novels, it seems to be fairly common knowledge among the circles Khelben moves in that he has multiple Blackstaffs and that he sometimes makes new ones, to the point that other archmages sometimes make the staffs a point of small talk with him, but I’m not sure how much the Malaugrym would know about that.
Calassara: Well, Taernil, at least, has the sense to smack Jarthree’s tentacle away, pointing out that if she touches it without authorization, it might burn her to ash, immediately teleport Khelben himself to their location, or any number of other horrible things. Jarthree is apparently amused that human wizards are just as paranoid as Malaugrym ones (I can think of one Malaugrym who could stand to be a bit more paranoid…) and they decide not to touch the staff, though Jarthree points out they can’t be too cautious, if they’re here to kill Khelben. Taernil points out that Khelben’s traps could easily finish them off if they’re not careful and reminds her of what happened to Balatar (personally, I’d say there’s even odds Khelben is listening to every word you’re saying right now, so… perhaps be a bit more circumspect?). Jarthree can’t imagine that Khelben is as powerful as a Malaugrym wizard like Milhvar, but Taernil reminds her that it was fear of a human wizard that led Dhalgrave to restrict their access to Toril for centuries. On the one hand, an excellent point. On the other… of course it comes back to Elminster.
Errezha: And so, the two Malaugrym duck into the next room they come to, and find that it’s… a bedroom, with a pointed hat on a hook on one side of the headboard, and a silky nightgown on a hook on the other side. Taernil apparently rushed in so fast he slams into the headboard and bounces off – and now we’re in a farce, lovely – and Jarthree snarks about how he must find Laeral’s best stockings so very threatening. *blandly* I’ve known men like that. He asks if she’s mocking him – yes, yes she is – and Jarthree retorts that if Taernil is so desperate to be in charge that he’d challenge her here in the middle of Blackstaff Tower, she might as well leave now. Oh, yes, wonderful teamwork the two of you have! Taernil immediately panics at the idea and reminds her that Milhvar is probably watching them right now, and they need to make sure he sees full and effective cooperation from them, and nothing else. Jarthree agrees, so Taernil assumes the form of an umber hulk and tears open the doors on the far side of the room… which reveals only a swirling emptiness. Hmmm; portal of some kind, or trap? However, as soon as the door opens another blackstaff comes to life under the bed and starts vibrating, and Laeral senses the alert, wondering why this has to be happening now. And so, the Malaugrym have once again given themselves away without even getting a chance to test their cloaks, though Taernil and Jarthree at least made it a bit farther than Huerbara. *rolls her eyes* What a surprise. Laeral then sends a message to Khelben, asking where he is, as the scene ends.
Calassara: We cut back to the two Malaugrym, who’ve walked through the apparent portal and found themselves in a different bedroom, this one so thick with shadows it reminds them of home – so much so that they think whoever created it must have seen the Plane of Shadow. They assume it must be a trap, though Jarthree pokes around and sees nothing more threatening than a pair of cats, who sit up on the bed and regard them menacingly. Taernil isn’t taking risks and blasts one of the cats, only for some sort of ward to bounce his spell back on him. *she shakes her head* This is why you don’t mess with an archmage’s pets! Jarthree is impressed but not surprised by the magic and then points out something else hanging over the bed, which apparently fascinates her. It’s a perfect model of Faerun’s night sky; Taernil does think it’s beautiful, but thinks he’d rather have a scrying portal like Dhalgrave’s in his bedroom. Jarthree reminds him that Dhalgrave is dead (I’m… not sure how that’s relevant? It’s not like he died because his scrying portal blew up in his face or anything!); Taernil goes to open another door across the room, while Jarthree hides in the shadows nearby to watch and wait. As soon as Taernil is through the door, he immediately launches a barrage of fire bolts into the room… and all the Abyss breaks loose.
Errezha: Well, this appears to be the room where Laeral and her apprentices were experimenting. The apprentices look up in shock, and Laeral is grimly determined, as the bolts hit the ball of wild magic and go careening around the room. Laeral magically shoves her apprentices to safety and then stands facing Taernil, seeming to not see him (is he invisible?) and trying to figure out where the bolts came from; those that impact her do so harmlessly (of course…) while the ones that hit the wild magic are turning into… things. Tumbling bones and mauve bubbles… boulders and single shoes, many-eyed sea jellies and sparkling, rain-dewed flowers. *warily* That’s… nice. Taernil then prepares a fireball (because your last spell was so effective?) intending to kill everyone in the room so he can face Khelben (who he’s inexplicably decided is nearby) alone. But as he casts Jarthree gasps, watching the fireball get pulled into the wild magic; while Laeral stands unharmed, the ball of magic explodes, slamming both Malaugrym off their feet and back into their true shapes, and burning their cloaks away. So… that wasn’t very effective, was it? And suddenly Khelben himself appears beside them, commenting on how apparently the Malaugrym are sending their youths to infiltrate his home. I’m quite particular about whom I invite… and you, Taernil son of Oracla, would not have been among my first eighty thousand or so choices! *blankly* Khelben knows Taernil? Or did he cast some divination to learn his name, while we weren’t looking? He then stabs Taernil, and as a last, shattering pain exploded through him, those were the last words Taernil ever heard. And so… that’s it for Taernil, I suppose. He wasn’t a terribly interesting character, but he’s been with us for the whole book, so it’s still a bit anticlimactic for him to end in such a way, isn’t it?
Calassara: Shall we see if Jarthree fares better? Khelben asks if Laeral is going to want mercy for her; Laeral says no, since Ushard was a lazy idiot but didn’t deserve to die, and Jarthree is the most powerful and dangerous of the three Malaugrym who attacked the tower (how does she know?) and will kill again if she’s left free. Laeral doesn’t want kindness to be mistaken for weakness and thinks that the Malaugrym should learn that there are other uses for power to be put to other than cruelty. She wants Khelben to teach Jarthree that. Khelben nods and levitates Jarthree’s body as it is consumed by fire. And then, we get this:
As the awareness that was Jarthree faded, she tried to weep, for Khelben had taken his lady’s words literally, and the last moments of the Malaugrym were a whirlwind of images of love and beauty, the things wondrous and exciting, to be found in the Realms. Things she might have had, and now never could.
Calassara: …if the goal here was to push Jarthree into an epiphany and change her ways, I would appreciate that. As it is, since she is dying and has no chance to change… it seems merely cruel, taunting her with the possibility of a better life and withholding it. Khelben watches Jarthree die, and then sends her burning remains, together with the ball of wild magic, off to the heart of the Castle of Shadows (which increasingly doesn’t seem very secure – it sounds like absolutely anyone can get in! Some castle!). Laeral finishes putting the room back in order and comes to stand beside him; Khelben starts stroking her hair as she asks how his mediation went. Khelben thinks that if he’d taken some blackstaffs with him, he might just have rammed them up places in both mages they’d probably rather not have staffs be rammed (unless they’re into that, I suppose…) but since he didn’t, he had to find a more peaceful solution to the problem. Laeral thinks he’s done well enough… and immediately starts kissing Khelben and magically dragging them towards the bed. He protests that their apprentices are still watching, but Laeral says they have to learn the facts of life sometime (I consider myself rather liberal in such matters, but this is not the time and place, your apprentices did not ask to be part of this!). Khelben, at least, has enough sense to teleport the apprentices and the cats to a lower room in the tower, thinking that exposing the apprentices to “dangerous experiments” (just what are you doing in your bedroom, Lord and Lady Mages of Waterdeep?) for one night, and the chapter comes to an end.
MG: So, the good news is, there’s no Elminster in this one, or the three rangers and the ghost. That alone makes it marginally more tolerable. The bad news is… that it’s really just a retread of the infiltration of Silverymoon. Three Malaugrym sneak into a Chosen’s home (two Chosen, in this case), expose themselves by mundane means and have to fight, without even really testing their cloaks at all. Except in this case, they make it a bit farther on, and in this case, all three of them die. Including Taernil, who’s been a reasonably prominent character so far and it really does feel like he got a bridge dropped on him. And Greenwood, once again, only seems to know how to show that Khelben and Laeral are deeply in love by having them act like horny teenagers who hop in bed together at the slightest provocation, sigh (a pity, as I’m rather fond of their relationship and dynamic when it’s written by other people). And I agree with Calassara that Jarthree’s final fate feels… weirdly, needlessly cruel. But ultimately, this one just feels kind of like filler; a retread of things we already know, with characters who ultimately aren’t very important in this trilogy. That’s it for today; next time, we check up on Elminster’s misadventures in Thay, and the three rangers’ attack on the Castle of Shadows. We’ll see you then!
