Deathworld 3 (The Horse Barbarians)

**Deathworld 3**, originally released as *The Horse Barbarians* was written by Harry Harrison in 1968.

## Storyline

The John & John Minerals Company had just begun a mining operation on the northern portion of the continent on the planet Felicity. The operation is overrun by a horde of barbarians and most are killed. Seventeen members managed to take off in the spaceship. Jason purchases an old transport spaceship named *Pugnacioius* and announces that he would like to go to Felicity to begin another mining operation and would like to take along up to 2,000 Pyrrans. 168 volunteer for this endeavor.

At Transfer Station 70 Ophiuchi, Jason takes delivery on an electronic library, the 427-1587 Mark IX Library.
At the first landing, they are attacked almost immediately and Jason is captured by the barbarians and is taken back to their camp. He is question by Temuchin, leader of most the tribes here, after which he is ordered killed. Jason is befriended by Oraiel, a jongleur who trades information with Jason then tries to kill him whereupon Jason escapes the village and returns to the landing site where he is rescued by Meta. The Pyrrans has set up a camp in the mountains where they are unobserved.

Jason has decided to return to the tribe with Meta as his mate and Grif as his nine-year old son, Jason posing as a jongleur from the fighting Pyrran tribe to infiltrate them and discover a means to allow the mining operation.

They meet up with the rat clan who are enroute to Temuchin's clan to join forces with him. After setting up at the main camp, one of the rat warriors gets a bit personal with Meta and she kills him with his own knife raising suspicion all around the camp. Meta and Grif are later attacked by the rat clan while Jason is in meeting with Temuchin. Temuchin sent his deputies to stop the attack and bring them back to his camach. One wounded and one unhurt warrior were returned to Temuchin. Jason, in order to prove his allegiance to Temuchin kills the healthy warrior with one hand tied behind his back and kills the warrior armed with a knife although the warrior was armed with a sword. Jason then informs Temuchin that he was cast out the the 'fighting Pyrran' tribe because he is the weakest of the members.

Temuchin, Jason, and other warriors trekked down to the cliffs dividing the upper continent from the lower continent to where the Stoat clan kept a sinch to lower them to the lowlands. They stopped at a farmhouse and killed all the family members, including a baby, except for one adult. The survivor took them to a military fort, then was killed. Temuchin, Jason, and the others attacked the fort, taking it over, and removed a number of barrels of black powder which they took back to the upper continent.

Back at the main camp, Kerk and the rest of the Eagle clan arrived later the same day.

After Jason demonstrated what black powder bombs can do, Temuchin gave orders to ride the next day to the stronghold of the Weasel clan. Attacking the clan at The Slash, a valley through which they must pass, the Weasel clan had piled up rocks on either side of the walls of the valley and secured them in such a way that during the attack, they released the rocks onto Temuchin's forces driving them back, killing and wounding many in the action.

Jason and Kerk have some hand-thrown bombs that they made, and since Jason was a skilled rock climber, gained the top of a spire on the side of the Slash then helped Kerk climb to the top, where they threw bombs onto the Weasels making it possible for Temuchin's forces to overthrow the Weasels.

After wiping out the Weasels, Temuchin's clans returned to their territory. The jonguleur Oraiel recognizes Jason as an off-worlder and gives him away to Temuchin who releases Jason to Hell's Doorway believing that he has met his end.

Jason survives the fall and ends up on the icy surface of a river. Breaking through the ice, he is swept downstream under the ice and ends up in an underground cave where he wanders until he sees some dim light under the water and swims to the surface.

## Characters

Ahankk, Temuchin's second-in-command of the Horse Barbarians.

Bardovy, commander of the John & John Minerals Company.

Clon, Pyrran junkman, one of the party travelling to Felicity.

Daei, of Temuchin's tribe.

Jason dinAlt, professional gambler, protaginist of the Deathworld series.

Grif, Pyrran junkman, an eight-year old Pyrran, accompanied Pyrrans to Felicity.

Kerk leader of the Pyrrans who accompanied Jason dinAlt to Felicity.

Meta, junkman (or is it junkwoman?), pilot of Pyrran spaceship; assumed the position as mate to Jason dinAlt while travelling with Temuchin and the Horse Barbarians.

Oraiel, jongleur of the clan of Temuchin.

Rhes, member of the Pyrrans who travelled to Felicity, went into business as a merchant in Ammh.

Riclan hired as a guard by Rhes.

Shanin, member of the rat clan on Felicity.

Talenc, Guard Lieutenant of the John & John Minerals Company expedition to Felicity.

Temuchin, undisputed leader of almost all of the clans on the highlands of Felicity.

Weiks, second officer of the John & John Minerals Company expedition to Felicity.

## Locations

Ammh, name of the lowlands continent of Felicity.

Camar, seaport of the lowlands of Felicity.

Eolasair, largest city of Ammh.

Felicity, planet to which Jason dinAlt and 168 Pyrrans travelled to open mining operations. Home of the Horse Barbarians of the highlands, and an agrarian society on the lowlands.

Porgorstorsaand, birthplace of Jason dinAlt.

University of Haribay, source of all the data loaded onto the 427-1587 Mark IX Library purchased by Jason dinAlt.