Pathfinder Tales: Lord of Runes

by Dave Gross

  The hell with him! I didn’t need to go to his stupid play. I could just go to the Drakkar and find Janneke. But no, I didn’t like that idea, either. It wouldn’t feel right fraternizing with my replacement. Besides, I was stuck with the drake.

  I’d go to his play. Maybe the boss—the count, I guessed I should call him now—didn’t understand what it was like for me to put him down. Even though I knew we had a way to bring him back, it was the hardest thing I ever did. It was about time I gave him a piece of my mind for once.

  The doorman used a lot of words to ask for my ticket. I put it in his mouth to shut him up. When he objected to that, I pushed him down and walked right up to the balcony. I was working up a good head of steam, ready to vent it all out.

  The boss had reserved one of those boxes like at the opera only not as fancy. That was good for Arni, since they let him in to sit beside the boss’s chair. As soon as he saw me, he sat up. He still didn’t trust me since the thing. I showed him my empty hands. He poked me in the belly with that big snout of his before settling down.

  Amaranthine flew off my shoulder. For a second I thought Illyria was right, and she’d come to see the play. Instead, she fluttered down to settle on Arni’s side. She folded her wings, paced a circle on his side a few times, and settled down, purring like a cat.

  Arni looked embarrassed for a second, but then he put his head down and relaxed.

  “You missed a charming singer from Molthune,” said the boss. “You would not have enjoyed the juggling. Second-rate at best.”

  “I was just talking to Janneke and Lady Illyria.”

  “I see Illyria gave you your gift. Do you mind the color? I had a feeling it might be purple.”

  “Listen, boss—Count—I got something to say.”

  “Wait, here comes Sharina. Sit down. You will enjoy this.”

  A dark-skinned beauty took the stage. By the applause, I figured everybody already loved her. She welcomed everyone to the playhouse and said, “Tonight we welcome a pair of special guests, Count Varian Jeggare and his comrade Radovan.”

  “What does she mean, ‘comrade’?”

  “Hush,” said the boss. He stood to wave to the audience. When I didn’t get up, he chucked me in the arm until I stood beside him. When the applause settled, we sat back down.

  Sharina began to sing. Her voice was the kind that made you think there was a little magic behind it. A fancy gent in the front row tugged his pointy beard and dipped his finger in time with her music, so I got the impression he was helping her along with a spell. Anyway, by herself or with help, she sang a real pretty song.

  It took a couple of verses before I realized what she was singing about. It was all stuff the boss and I had done since leaving Egorian.

  “What’s this about the prince’s wolves?” I whispered. “How does she know about the celestial pearl and the green dragon?”

  “Because I told her, of course. Now hush and listen.”

  Sharina sang about the Worldwound Crusade and how we’d had a part in the victories against the demons. She didn’t exactly spell out everything that had happened to us, but she used our names. She sang about us like we were a big deal.

  She made us sound like heroes.

  She finished the song to another round of applause. She bowed and raised an arm to point at us again. The boss made me stand. I tried to smile without making it too scary as I whispered, “What the hell is going on?”

  He smiled and made his fancy little aristocrat’s wave to the crowd. They applauded for a long time, some of them calling out, “For Iomedae!” or “Free Sarkoris!” I didn’t like it, all those people looking at us that way. Even after that song, they didn’t know us. They didn’t know what we’d really been through. I wanted to take them to a beggar’s alley and show them the stumps and scars of the war veterans. All their clapping was making me tense. After they let us sit down, a couple of clowns came out to do pranks on each other, and we were off the hook.

  “What is going on is that I am preparing our way to return to Cheliax.”

  “I thought you weren’t ready to face Queen Abrogail.”

  “Perhaps I was not ready in Korvosa,” he said. “But I am ready now. Yet I refuse to return with my head hung low. In our exile, we have accomplished great things, many of them to the benefit of the empire. It is the custom in Egorian to welcome those who return from battle as heroes.”

  “Yeah, I remember those pictures from your library.” The boss didn’t keep a lot of paintings of himself on the walls, but there were dozens in files. A lot of them showed him in a navy uniform. He said they’d sold them in the markets when the fleet returned from Sargava.

  “Perhaps you will be shocked to learn that the celebrations of returning soldiers are not entirely spontaneous.”

  “I get it. You rich guys hire bards and heralds to send word back home. Warm up the crowd, like these clowns.”

  “Exactly so,” said the boss. “The point is that you and I shall return to Egorian not as forgiven exiles but as celebrated heroes. While she may rankle that our efforts have also benefited her rivals, Queen Abrogail cannot deny that we have also served Cheliax.”

  “All right,” I said. “If you come back a hero, she can’t be too mad at you. The people wouldn’t like it.”

  “That is my design,” he said. “To make it as difficult as possible for Her Infernal Majestrix to deny my modest petition.”

  “What are you gonna ask her for?”

  He turned to me. “I will set aside a portion of my northern estates for the creation of a new barony.”

  “All right.”

  I waited for the other shoe, but he only smiled and looked back down at the clowns.

  “I don’t get it,” I said.

  “Do not make me regret telling everyone you are smarter than you look.” He poured wine into a pair of goblets and handed one to me.

  “Are you saying I’ll be the bodyguard for this new baron while Janneke looks after you?”

  “No, Radovan.” He raised his cup. “I am saying I will make you the new baron.”

  He sipped his wine while that sank in. When it did, I drained the cup and put it out for a refill. “When Janneke said you’d hired her, I figured it was because you couldn’t trust me to watch your back anymore.”

  “On the contrary, there is no one I trust more with my life or—as was necessary this one and only time and never again—with my death. But your days of watching my back are over. I want you at my side, not as an employee but as a peer. An equal.”

  He raised another toast, and we drank. I thought about how he’d looked in Old Korvosa the day after he visited his old fencing master. I worried about the state of our heads tomorrow morning.

  By the time the curtains opened on a new scene—another one I’d experienced in real life—I’d drained my fifth cup. I leaned close to the boss. “There’s just one problem making me a baron.”

  He looked surprised. “What is that?”

  “If I’m supposed to be your equal, shouldn’t I be a count?”

  Acknowledgments

  For notes on the outline, manuscript, or both, thanks to Jesse Benner, Chris A. Jackson, Howard Andrew Jones, Jen Laface, Russ Taylor, Josh Vogt, Eddy Webb, and my editor, James Sutter. For continued advice on the behaviors and misbehaviors of horses, thanks to Jaym Gates. Special thanks to Lone Wolf Development for the excellent Hero Labs program that saves me so much paperwork.

  Glossary

  All Pathfinder Tales novels are set in the rich and vibrant world of the Pathfinder campaign setting. Below are explanations of several key terms used in this book. For more information on the world of Golarion and the strange monsters, people, and deities that make it their home, see The Inner Sea World Guide, or dive into the game and begin playing your own adventures with the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Core Rulebook or the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Beginner Box, all available at paizo.com. Readers particularly interested in the runelords may want to check out P
athfinder Adventure Path: Rise of the Runelords Anniversary Edition, and more information on Korvosa and Kaer Maga can be found in the Pathfinder Campaign Setting books Guide to Korvosa and City of Strangers, respectively.

  Abadar: God of cities, wealth, merchants, and law.

  Abyss: Plane of evil and chaos ruled by demons, where many evil souls go after they die.

  Acadamae: Notorious school of magic in Korvosa.

  Alaznist: Runelord of Wrath; one of the rulers of ancient Thassilon.

  Ankar-Te: One of the Ring districts in Kaer Maga.

  Arcanamirium: Prestigious school of magic in the city of Absalom.

  Aroden: The god of humanity, who died mysteriously a hundred years ago.

  Asmodeus: Devil-god of tyranny, slavery, pride, and contracts; lord of Hell and current patron deity of Cheliax.

  Astral Plane: Plane through which the River of Souls flows.

  Avistan: The continent north of the Inner Sea, on which Varisia, Cheliax, and many other nations lie.

  Axis, the Eternal City: An urban plane of absolute order.

  Azlant: The first human empire, which sank beneath the waves long ago in the cataclysm following the fall of the Starstone.

  Azlanti: Of or pertaining to Azlant; someone from Azlant.

  Azlanti Stones: Powerful magical items that float around the user’s head, granting access to specific magical effects.

  Belimarius: Runelord of Envy; one of the rulers of ancient Thassilon.

  Belkzen: Short for Hold of Belkzen.

  Bis: One of the Ring districts in Kaer Maga.

  Blackjack: A legendary criminal in Korvosa who protects the poor and punishes the abusive rich. Often viewed as a folk hero.

  Bloatmage: A spellcaster who increases the production of blood in order to fuel spellcasting, becoming grotesquely engorged.

  Boneyard: Pharasma’s realm, where souls are judged after death.

  Bottoms: One of the Ring districts in Kaer Maga.

  Calistria: Goddess of trickery, lust, and revenge.

  Cantrip: A minor spell or magical trick cast by an arcane spellcaster (such as a wizard or sorcerer).

  Castle Overwatch: Famous castle in Vigil.

  Cavalcade: One of the Ring districts in Kaer Maga.

  Cayden Cailean: God of freedom, ale, wine, and bravery. Was once mortal, but ascended to godhood.

  Cenotaph: Massive obelisk-tower in Belkzen, with historical ties to several powerful necromancers.

  Chel: Derogatory term for a citizen of Cheliax.

  Chelaxian: Someone from Cheliax.

  Cheliax: A powerful devil-worshiping nation.

  Chelish: Of or relating to the nation of Cheliax.

  Cinderlands: Badlands in eastern Varisia.

  Cleric: A religious spellcaster whose magical powers are granted by his or her god.

  Decemvirate: Masked and anonymous ruling council of the Pathfinder Society.

  Demons: Evil denizens of the plane of the afterlife called the Abyss, who seek only to maim, ruin, and feed on mortal souls.

  Desna: Good-natured goddess of dreams, stars, travelers, and luck.

  Devil: Fiendish occupants of Hell who seek to corrupt mortals in order to claim their souls.

  Diabolist: A spellcaster who specializes in binding devils and making infernal pacts.

  Dis: A layer of Hell.

  Divination: School of magic allowing spellcasters to predict the future, find hidden things, and foil deceptive magic.

  Downmarket: One of the Core districts in Kaer Maga.

  Drake: Smaller and less intelligent cousins of true dragons. Sometimes short for “house drake,” meaning one of the smallest and best-natured breeds of drakes.

  Druid: Someone who reveres nature and draws magical power from the boundless energy of the natural world.

  Duskwarden: Subterranean rangers devoted to protecting Kaer Maga from the creatures that dwell beneath it.

  Dwarves: Short, stocky humanoids who excel at physical labor, mining, and craftsmanship.

  Earthfall: Event thousands of years ago, in which a meteorite called the Starstone fell to earth sending up a dust cloud which blocked out the sun and ushered in an age of darkness.

  Egorian: Capital of the devil-worshiping nation of Cheliax.

  Elven: Of or pertaining to elves; the language of elves.

  Elves: Long-lived, beautiful humanoids identifiable by their pointed ears, lithe bodies, and pupils so large their eyes appear to be one color.

  Familiars: Small creatures that assist certain types of spellcasters, often developing greater powers and intelligence than normal members of their kind.

  Fiends: Creatures native to the evil planes of the multiverse, such as demons, devils, and daemons, among others.

  Gallowspire: The former stronghold of the Whispering Tyrant, now turned into his prison.

  Garund: Continent south of the Inner Sea, renowned for its deserts and jungles.

  Ghouls: Undead creatures that eat corpses.

  Gnomes: Small humanoids with strange mind-sets, big eyes, and often wildly colored hair.

  Goblin Dog: Disgusting doglike rodents used as mounts by goblins.

  Goblins: Race of small and maniacal humanoids who live to burn, pillage, and sift through the refuse of more civilized races.

  Golarion: The planet on which the Pathfinder campaign setting focuses.

  Golem: A type of humanoid construct given life by a spellcaster.

  Gorum: God of battle, strength, and weapons.

  Gray Maidens: Former elite guard of the queen of Cheliax. Fell into disrepute after recent civil unrest. For more information, see the Curse of the Crimson Throne Adventure Path.

  Half-Elves: The children of unions between elves and humans. Taller, longer-lived, and generally more graceful and attractive than the average human, yet not nearly so much so as their full elven kin.

  Half-Orcs: Born from unions between humans and orcs, members of this race have green or gray skin, brutish appearances, and short tempers, and are mistrusted by many societies.

  Halflings: Race of humanoids known for their tiny stature, deft hands, and mischievous personalities.

  Hall of Whispers: College of necromancy at the Acadamae.

  Harrow Deck: Deck of illustrated cards sometimes used to divine the future. Favored by Varisians.

  Harrower: Fortune-teller who uses a harrow deck to tell the future—or pretends to.

  Hell: Plane of evil and tyrannical order ruled by devils, where many evil souls go after they die.

  Hellknights: Organization of hardened law enforcers whose tactics are often seen as harsh and intimidating, and who bind devils to their will. Based in Cheliax.

  Hellspawn: Someone with fiendish blood, such as from ancestral interbreeding with devils or demons. Often recognizable by their horns, hooves, or other devilish features. Rarely popular in civilized society.

  Hemotheurgy: The magical practices of bloatmages.

  Highside Stacks: One of the Ring districts in Kaer Maga.

  Hold of Belkzen: A region populated primarily by savage orc tribes. For more information, see Pathfinder Campaign Setting: Belkzen, Hold of the Orc Hordes.

  Horser: Derogatory Korvosan term for Shoanti.

  Hospice: One of the Core districts in Kaer Maga.

  House Drakes: Slang term for the tiny, intelligent cousins of true dragons commonly found in the rooftops of Korvosa, where they feed on lesser vermin and combat the imps that infest the city.

  House of Thrune: Current ruling house of Cheliax, which took power following Aroden’s death by making compacts with the devils of Hell. Often called the Thrice-Damned House of Thrune.

  Imp: Weakest of the true devils, resembling a tiny, winged humanoid with fiendish features. The most commonly found devil on the Material Plane. Often used as a familiar.

  Inner Sea: The vast inland sea whose northern continent, Avistan, and southern continent, Garund, as well as the seas and nearby lands, are the primary focus of the Path
finder campaign setting. Formed by the impact of the Starstone during Earthfall.

  Iomedae: Goddess of valor, rulership, justice, and honor, who in life helped lead the Shining Crusade against the Whispering Tyrant before attaining godhood.

  Janderhoff: Dwarven city in southeastern Varisia.

  Kaer Maga: Legendary city of refugees, outcasts, and criminals situated inside the walls of a giant stone monument. For more information, see Pathfinder Campaign Setting: City of Strangers.

  Karzoug: Runelord of Greed; one of the rulers of ancient Thassilon.

  Keleshite: Of or relating to the Empire of Kelesh, far to the east of the Inner Sea region.

  Kellids: Human ethnicity from the northern reaches of the Inner Sea region, traditionally characterized as violent and uncivilized by southerners.

  King Xin: The founder of the Thassilonian Empire and creator of the runelords.

  Korvosa: Largest city in Varisia and outpost of former Chelish loyalists, now self-governed. For more information, see Pathfinder Campaign Setting: Guide to Korvosa.

  Krune: Runelord of Sloth; one of the rulers of ancient Thassilon.

  Kyonin: Elven forest-kingdom largely forbidden to non-elven travelers.

  Lady Luck: Desna.

  Lady of Graves: Pharasma.

  Lastwall: Nation dedicated to keeping the Whispering Tyrant locked away beneath Gallowspire, as well as keeping the orcs of Belkzen and the monsters of Ustalav in check.

  Liches: Spellcasters who manage to extend their existence by magically transforming themselves into powerful undead creatures.

  Lissala: Mostly forgotten goddess of rune magic; popular in ancient Thassilon.

  Magnimar: Port city in southwestern Varisia, best known for its many monuments, including the enormous bridge called the Irespan.

  Mendev: Cold, northern crusader nation that provides the primary force defending the rest of the Inner Sea region from the demonic infestation of the Worldwound.

  Mendevian: Of or pertaining to Mendev.

  Necromancy: School of magic devoted to manipulating the power of life and death, as well as the creation of undead creatures.