Between Seasons
Anastasz, The Salt Knight visits
the Cured Seer in the hills East of Bohat, his sanctum a labyrinth of
echoing caves, his desiccated body encrusted with salt. Anastasz
tastes the Seer's salt and is granted a vision of wars to come.
Ludmer, The Trail Seer, upon
hearing that he has incurred the wrath of the King, decides to leave
the Realm and spend winter in the war-torn Northern Crownlands.
Perilake, The Gilded Knight
teaches his Squire Zoltan the justice of Knights as a travelling
judge in the mountains of Karpat.
Heldris, The Dove Knight asks
Jakub the blacksmith to forge a prosthetic arm with a simple
mechanism that allows him to attach a shield. When the village is
visited by the siblings Lady Anastasia and Nicolai of Masur he
decides to travel with them to Karpat. They don't know yet that
Heldris had killed their brother, Prince Grigori of Masur.
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Kozamost: A view of the Temple of the River in winter |
Winter
Anastasz spends most of
winter in the library of Barow Castle studying the history of the
Realm. He learns that Zuraw, the sword he is wielding, once belonged
to Sir Zigmunt of Kranach, the grandfather of Perilake's Squire. He
also finds out that Sir Grigori, the noble whom Heldris had killed
in the bog south of Kozamost was next in line to become King of
Masur. He reveals to King Andrasz the conspiracy of the Beekeepers
and is rewarded for his loyalty by allowing him to pick any Squire he
wishes. He choses Gundhilde of Szalai for her devotion to the Realm.
He investigates the tunnels under Barow Castle and finds a spy hole
to the chamber of the King's Council. A member of the conspiracy, the
Courtier Ida of Masur, is exposed and later executed.
Heldris is invited to
Karpat Fortress by his friend Hedwig but when she shares her life
story, a sad tale of greed and betrayal, their friendship is in
peril. The Dove Knight investigates the conspiracy of the Beekeepers
and concludes that Lady Lydia of Szalai must be the mysterious Queen
L. He receives a message from an unkown Seer who reveals the location
of their sanctum North of lake Obra. Heldris spends the rest of
winter crafting a beautifully illustrated parchment that holds the
notes to a melody from his home and instructions about the unfamiliar
tuning of the instrument to play it. The Tankard Knight accepts the
present and their broken friendship is mended.
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It's always foggy in Karpat. |
Perilake spends winter
at Kranach Castle the holding of Zoltan's family. He visits the
prosperous village of Bohat to investigate the reason for their
missing sheep. In an ancient burial mound he slays an eight legged
monster and finds a magic sword. He falls in love with Lady Inga
Svensdottir the envoy of the castle and begins courting her. He then
learns that his Squire is driven to find a traitor to house Kranach.
He is seeking revenge for the death of Sir Zigmunt, his grandfather,
who died at the Battle of the Red Reeds. Perilake knows that it was
Lady Dagmar who betrayed the position of Kranach troops to the enemy
but he hasn't told his Squire.
Ludmer arrives in the Crownlands as winter begins. On his travels North he and his steed Věrný are bitten by spiders and both fall ill but they are healed by a huntsman. He carries a man who can't walk but takes the life of another: Miro a former guard of his father. He finds seven ominous standing stones, meets a magnificent fox and keeps her fangs. The Trail Knight struggles through frozen thorns to find a village in need of a hero. But his quest has just begun ...