Dragonstone 38

**Chapter 38**

A coach comes for Our Heroes, and we're reminded once more that Samurai Chick is *"yellow."* \~/ The innkeeper refuses payment, stating that the singing and dancing more than paid for their stay, and if they ever want to come back they can have his best rooms free of charge, and he'll cut them in for an equal share of the profits. I have to say, I find that to be the most unbelievable part of this high fantasy tale of elves, wizards, and dragons.

Our Heroes are lead into the fortress, and as they go Egil is stopped by one Baron Stieger of Duchy Rache. Did the Vikings have barons? I feel like they had jarls instead. And why would a baron be governing a duchy? \~/ Anyway, JarlBaronDuke Steiger remembers Egil's face from somewhere, but can't place him. Egil waves the encounter off, but Arin speculates that the answer might be in the memories that Doomy stole.

Our merry band is housed in *"the east tower, in a modest room."* There's a helpful (slave) boy named Dolph who infodumps briefly, and Samurai Chick is again called *"yellow."* \~/ We learn that the foreigners are allowed to wander wherever they like, except for the Queen's spire, which is the middle tower. They pass the time walking around the grounds, where there are many *"limpid pools"* full of koi.

Did the Vikings have koi ponds? I feel like they didn't . . . and indeed, Wikipedia says that koi were unknown outside of Japan until 1914. \~/

Our Heroes find a hedge maze and wander into it. In the middle is a statue of a nude woman, with a plaque identifying the subject as *"Queen Gudrun the Comely."* Amusement is had, and Alos of all people reminds the others that they're here for a specific reason: to find the *"rutting peacock."*

When they try to leave the hedge maze, Our Heroes keep winding their way back to the statue. Samurai Chick wonders whether Queen Gudrun is the *"cursed keeper of faith in the maze,"* which, if true, ought to mean they have to haul a life-size marble statue along with them.

Hey, these are the people who still have a rotten ogre's eyeball in a bag just in case.

Samurai Chick proposes to just hack her way to freedom, which I'm sure would be no trouble at all with a katana and wakizashi. Arin shoots her down, and instead . . .

*"Arin turned and looked at the maze in her special way, as if attempting to <see>. To her eyes it seemed to glow with a faint aura."* This allows her to simply lead everyone out, because *deus ex machinas* are wonderful. \~/ I wish I had one.

More wandering. They find a small granite courtyard, the stones of which are *"blackened, as if scorched repeatedly by fire,"* and scrollwork on the gate says *"Geleibter,"* which Alos translates as *"beloved man."* Next, we come to *"the mad queen's zoo,"* which contains all sorts of exotic animals in too-small cages, something our nature-loving elf doesn't bat an eye at or comment on. There are also a variety of raptors, fowl, and yes, an actual peacock.

Samurai Chick finds one of the peacock's loose tailfeathers, which is floating in a pool, and asks Arin whether it might be *"a one-eye in dark water as well?"* Alos cackles and notes that now they have three: the feather, Egil, and himself. Samurai Chick reminds him that they still have the rotten ogre eyeball.

You know, McKiernan, making fun of your own plot holes doesn't invalidate them. These idiots are still directly and knowingly violating the wording of the "rede" to *"take only these, no more, no less."* This means they **will** fail. You wrote it. If you wanted to leave some ambiguity and let Arin drag multiple people along, **you shouldn't have written it that way.** \~/

The peacock screams, Egil laughs and notes that if they try to steal it, it will give them away, and the chapter ends.

Drinks: 6

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