The Halfling's Gem - Chapter 6
Dec. 6th, 2020 11:13 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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i_read_whatSo last time on the Halfling's Gem, someone returned! And I'm pretty happy about this! Hey, I'm pretty easy when it comes to this sort of thing. Imagine how happy everyone will be when they find out!
But before we can get to any heartwarming reunions, we're off to see what Entreri and Regis are up to.
So as mentioned, we're rejoining Entreri and Regis and it LOOKS like Regis's machinations have borne fruit. The sailors have mobbed up and are now chanting things like "toss 'em over."
Entreri isn't completely sure what's happening, but he suspects that Regis had something to do with it. He is correct.
The Captain of the ship comes out, and he's clearly a better class of NPCs. He thoughtfully studies Entreri with a "penetrating gaze".
I kind of love this:
"Ye should have told me, sir," the captain said at length.
"Your words are as unexpected as the actions of your crew," Entreri replied evenly.
"Indeed," the captain answered, drawing another puff.
Hah. One of the sailors gets impatient and tries to grab at Entreri, who of course, doesn't like that.
Just as the sailor started to reach out for the assassin's slender shoulders, Entreri exploded into motion, spinning and returning to his cross-armed pose so quickly that the sailors watching him tried to blink the sun out of their eyes and figure out whether he had moved at all.
The barrel-chested man slumped to his knees and fell face down on the deck, for in that blink of an eye, a heel had smashed his kneecap, and, even more insidious, a jeweled dagger had come out of its sheath, poked his heart, and returned to rest on the assassin's hip.
"Your reputation precedes you," the captain said, not flinching.
"I pray that I do it justice," Entreri replied with a sarcastic bow.
I think the Captain is my favorite character. Sometimes Salvatore really has a knack for the minor characters. He asks, politely, if the (now dead) man's friends can see to his aid.
The Captain explains that the sailors are afraid and that they've witnessed many terrible diseases. When told that his "companion" had let on to it, Entreri figures out what's going on. He grabs for Regis and catches sight of the burns.
It's a shame really, if the Captain weren't so calm and measured, Regis's ploy might have worked. The sailors are still clamoring that it's not worth the risk, but after Entreri's very effective question about how many men he needs to steer his ship and how many can he afford to lose, the Captain is willing to trust him.
However, the Captain firmly says that their deal is over. They're putting in at Baldur's Gate in two days and Entreri can find other passage there.
Entreri is a good villain, because he's not wastefully evil. (Well, maybe with Whisper, but that could have been Salvatore's growing pains.) Instead of reacting with anger, he merely says that he wants every gold piece of the payment back. The Captain knows better than to fight.
We shift scenes to a wistful Regis, thinking about fishing in Icewind Dale. He's pretty nervous about Entreri's reaction to being thwarted. He seemed composed when he locked Regis in the cabin, but Regis thinks he's a little TOO composed. Well, now he'll find out. Entreri enters the room.
And actually, he compliments Regis on a worthy and effective ploy. It could take a week to gain passage south, and that will give Regis's friends time to close the distance.
But that said...
"Of course there are consequences, little fool. I commend your attempt - I hope you will give me more excitement on this tedious journey! But I cannot belay punishment. Doing so would take the dare, and thus the excitement, out of your trickery."
He slipped up from his seat and started around the table. Regis sublimated his scream and closed his eyes; he knew that he had no escape.
The last thing he saw was the jeweled dagger turning over slowly in the assassin's hand.
Entreri's an interesting guy.
...and a murderous one. When Baldur's Gate is in sight, Entreri quietly heads through the ship, killing every single sailor. Except the Captain.
Now we're told that Entreri COULD have killed the man in his sleep. But he's going for something a bit more dramatic. He wants the Captain to fully understand the doom that befell his ship. There's an ominous reference to tools and fine wire.
He's not "wasteful", but he's also pretty fucking evil. I kind of love it.
THEN he goes to rouse Regis, warning him that if he makes a noise, he'll cut out his tongue. Aw, poor Regis:
Regis now understood what was happening. If the crew got to the docks at Baldur's Gate, they would no doubt spread the rumors of the deadly killer and his "diseased" friend, making Entreri's search for passage south impossible to fulfill.
The, assassin wouldn't allow that at any cost, and Regis could not help but feel responsible for the carnage that night.
Regis notes the absence of snores or sound of the galley. Meanwhile, Entreri breaks a barrel of oil, rolling it through the barracks. He plants Regis and a tiny pouch in a hanging rowboat and prepares a torch. He knocks on the Captain's cabin and just says "Good-bye", before running for the boat.
The Captain wakes up, hears the crackle and smells the smoke. He rushes out, clad in a nightshirt, and meets Entreri's tripwire. He goes down, onto the oiled deck, and can't get up again.
Sounds rolled eerily across the open expanse of water, especially in the empty dark of night. One sound filled the ears of Entreri and Regis as the assassin pulled the little rowboat against the currents of the Chionthar. It even cut through the din of the taverns lining the docks of Baldur's Gate, a half-mile away.
As if enhanced by the unspoken cries of protest of the dead crew and by the dying ship itself - a singular, agonized voice screamed for all of them.
Then there was only the crackle of fire.
Oh well. You were a fun dude, Captain.
So now they get to Baldur's Gate. On foot. Entreri had sank the rowboat a ways back, not wanting to be connected to the night's activities. Entreri's got a plan, catching sight of some ships from Calimport. Calimshan merchants don't take passengers, but Entreri's got someone's nifty ruby gem to persuade them.
For his part, Regis is still in shock at his own part in the deaths of twenty-six sailors. Aw, dude. You have every right to try to escape. He's also disgusted with how well Entreri's mastered the pendant. He's deathly afraid for Drizzt and Wulfgar.
He tunes back into Entreri's conversation. There's a ship leaving in a week, but Entreri wants a meeting with the captain to make it sooner. He has another "request", and has Regis turn over a pouch. He wants them to seek out two (or more) travelers, one a secretive elf and one a giant blond barbarian. It's awfully convenient that he didn't say drow, but he may have expected Drizzt to hide his face. Anyway, the "gift" is for them. (I don't actually remember this part, but ten bucks says there's a finger in the bag.)
So later, Entreri runs some "errands" (leaving a despondent Regis behind with a few taunts about it being time for Regis's second trick). He knows a wizard, allied to Enteri's boss, Pasha Pook. The wizard will be able to send word to Pook about his arrival. Entreri isn't interested in that though. He wants to know the whereabouts of his pursuers. He also manages to "persuade" the captain of the Calimport vessel to change his departure date. Now it's three days from now.
So that was pretty entertaining. And I know there's a certain level of hypocrisy in my anger about Agatha, when I'm amused by the fate of the crew. But I expect villains to be awful. Heroes should be better tha that.
But I still think Salvatore's real talent is in the minor characters. Sometimes, he really does take a one note character and make them surprisingly compelling and interesting. Like Cassius and the other town leaders in Crystal Shard, or Whisper and Morkai the ghost in Streams of Silver. The Captain here is another example. He only had a little bit of page time, but he's very vividly characterized in such a short time. Well done. But of course, the problem with Drizzt was never that he was a poorly developed character. The problem with Drizzt is that he's very well developed, he's just developed as a self-important, pompous and pedantic dick.
But before we can get to any heartwarming reunions, we're off to see what Entreri and Regis are up to.
So as mentioned, we're rejoining Entreri and Regis and it LOOKS like Regis's machinations have borne fruit. The sailors have mobbed up and are now chanting things like "toss 'em over."
Entreri isn't completely sure what's happening, but he suspects that Regis had something to do with it. He is correct.
The Captain of the ship comes out, and he's clearly a better class of NPCs. He thoughtfully studies Entreri with a "penetrating gaze".
I kind of love this:
"Ye should have told me, sir," the captain said at length.
"Your words are as unexpected as the actions of your crew," Entreri replied evenly.
"Indeed," the captain answered, drawing another puff.
Hah. One of the sailors gets impatient and tries to grab at Entreri, who of course, doesn't like that.
Just as the sailor started to reach out for the assassin's slender shoulders, Entreri exploded into motion, spinning and returning to his cross-armed pose so quickly that the sailors watching him tried to blink the sun out of their eyes and figure out whether he had moved at all.
The barrel-chested man slumped to his knees and fell face down on the deck, for in that blink of an eye, a heel had smashed his kneecap, and, even more insidious, a jeweled dagger had come out of its sheath, poked his heart, and returned to rest on the assassin's hip.
"Your reputation precedes you," the captain said, not flinching.
"I pray that I do it justice," Entreri replied with a sarcastic bow.
I think the Captain is my favorite character. Sometimes Salvatore really has a knack for the minor characters. He asks, politely, if the (now dead) man's friends can see to his aid.
The Captain explains that the sailors are afraid and that they've witnessed many terrible diseases. When told that his "companion" had let on to it, Entreri figures out what's going on. He grabs for Regis and catches sight of the burns.
It's a shame really, if the Captain weren't so calm and measured, Regis's ploy might have worked. The sailors are still clamoring that it's not worth the risk, but after Entreri's very effective question about how many men he needs to steer his ship and how many can he afford to lose, the Captain is willing to trust him.
However, the Captain firmly says that their deal is over. They're putting in at Baldur's Gate in two days and Entreri can find other passage there.
Entreri is a good villain, because he's not wastefully evil. (Well, maybe with Whisper, but that could have been Salvatore's growing pains.) Instead of reacting with anger, he merely says that he wants every gold piece of the payment back. The Captain knows better than to fight.
We shift scenes to a wistful Regis, thinking about fishing in Icewind Dale. He's pretty nervous about Entreri's reaction to being thwarted. He seemed composed when he locked Regis in the cabin, but Regis thinks he's a little TOO composed. Well, now he'll find out. Entreri enters the room.
And actually, he compliments Regis on a worthy and effective ploy. It could take a week to gain passage south, and that will give Regis's friends time to close the distance.
But that said...
"Of course there are consequences, little fool. I commend your attempt - I hope you will give me more excitement on this tedious journey! But I cannot belay punishment. Doing so would take the dare, and thus the excitement, out of your trickery."
He slipped up from his seat and started around the table. Regis sublimated his scream and closed his eyes; he knew that he had no escape.
The last thing he saw was the jeweled dagger turning over slowly in the assassin's hand.
Entreri's an interesting guy.
...and a murderous one. When Baldur's Gate is in sight, Entreri quietly heads through the ship, killing every single sailor. Except the Captain.
Now we're told that Entreri COULD have killed the man in his sleep. But he's going for something a bit more dramatic. He wants the Captain to fully understand the doom that befell his ship. There's an ominous reference to tools and fine wire.
He's not "wasteful", but he's also pretty fucking evil. I kind of love it.
THEN he goes to rouse Regis, warning him that if he makes a noise, he'll cut out his tongue. Aw, poor Regis:
Regis now understood what was happening. If the crew got to the docks at Baldur's Gate, they would no doubt spread the rumors of the deadly killer and his "diseased" friend, making Entreri's search for passage south impossible to fulfill.
The, assassin wouldn't allow that at any cost, and Regis could not help but feel responsible for the carnage that night.
Regis notes the absence of snores or sound of the galley. Meanwhile, Entreri breaks a barrel of oil, rolling it through the barracks. He plants Regis and a tiny pouch in a hanging rowboat and prepares a torch. He knocks on the Captain's cabin and just says "Good-bye", before running for the boat.
The Captain wakes up, hears the crackle and smells the smoke. He rushes out, clad in a nightshirt, and meets Entreri's tripwire. He goes down, onto the oiled deck, and can't get up again.
Sounds rolled eerily across the open expanse of water, especially in the empty dark of night. One sound filled the ears of Entreri and Regis as the assassin pulled the little rowboat against the currents of the Chionthar. It even cut through the din of the taverns lining the docks of Baldur's Gate, a half-mile away.
As if enhanced by the unspoken cries of protest of the dead crew and by the dying ship itself - a singular, agonized voice screamed for all of them.
Then there was only the crackle of fire.
Oh well. You were a fun dude, Captain.
So now they get to Baldur's Gate. On foot. Entreri had sank the rowboat a ways back, not wanting to be connected to the night's activities. Entreri's got a plan, catching sight of some ships from Calimport. Calimshan merchants don't take passengers, but Entreri's got someone's nifty ruby gem to persuade them.
For his part, Regis is still in shock at his own part in the deaths of twenty-six sailors. Aw, dude. You have every right to try to escape. He's also disgusted with how well Entreri's mastered the pendant. He's deathly afraid for Drizzt and Wulfgar.
He tunes back into Entreri's conversation. There's a ship leaving in a week, but Entreri wants a meeting with the captain to make it sooner. He has another "request", and has Regis turn over a pouch. He wants them to seek out two (or more) travelers, one a secretive elf and one a giant blond barbarian. It's awfully convenient that he didn't say drow, but he may have expected Drizzt to hide his face. Anyway, the "gift" is for them. (I don't actually remember this part, but ten bucks says there's a finger in the bag.)
So later, Entreri runs some "errands" (leaving a despondent Regis behind with a few taunts about it being time for Regis's second trick). He knows a wizard, allied to Enteri's boss, Pasha Pook. The wizard will be able to send word to Pook about his arrival. Entreri isn't interested in that though. He wants to know the whereabouts of his pursuers. He also manages to "persuade" the captain of the Calimport vessel to change his departure date. Now it's three days from now.
So that was pretty entertaining. And I know there's a certain level of hypocrisy in my anger about Agatha, when I'm amused by the fate of the crew. But I expect villains to be awful. Heroes should be better tha that.
But I still think Salvatore's real talent is in the minor characters. Sometimes, he really does take a one note character and make them surprisingly compelling and interesting. Like Cassius and the other town leaders in Crystal Shard, or Whisper and Morkai the ghost in Streams of Silver. The Captain here is another example. He only had a little bit of page time, but he's very vividly characterized in such a short time. Well done. But of course, the problem with Drizzt was never that he was a poorly developed character. The problem with Drizzt is that he's very well developed, he's just developed as a self-important, pompous and pedantic dick.