CXXIII. The Hounds of Stahl

General Summary

"Jäger, cousin and king."
-Regen Wakerock

Regen, having been released from his service to Ordate Zofia after Durssundrr was taken back, as promised, drew his sword and laid it at Jäger's feet, swearing his service to him. Jäger seemed uncomfortable at the display and bid Regen stand again. At this point the Ring & Wren debated on what their next move should be. Their options seemed to be to return to Felstadt or to press on to the Iron Islands and take the fight to Roak with the help of the Storm Giants and Captain Callistan's fleet. The party attempted to scry on Roak to get more information, but the spell seemed to fail. Azka approached them then, having survived when the party thought him lost--the only thing lost about him proved to be his arm. Azka asked to join the party in their final fight against Dhor. Taking stock of the allies they would have in that battle, the Ring & Wren came up with Azka, an aerial unit of golden dragons lent to them by Queen Skyrvanir, and an elite unit of dwarven fighters granted to them by Queen Leona Longaxe. They realized they would need to call upon many more allies in the days to come. The group decided to continue with their original plan and go straight to the Iron Islands, hoping that they would just be able to fight Roak and not Dhor. They sent a message to Governor Gerdemaine:

"Emergency situation. Expect Festiv with a letter with more information. Also, are The Rocks okay?"
-Jäger Ironbeard

To which they received the following reply:

"You don't understand. Your fate is no longer in my hands. The Hounds have come."
-Governor Gerdemaine

This reply concerned the Ring & Wren. The Hounds presumably referred to the Hounds of Stahl. Though they didn't necessarily know what it meant for the Hounds to show up, the fact that a high-level imperial unit had arrived in Felstadt in response to the situation made them reconsider their plan. They decided to message Festiv to see if he had any more information on the situation at home.

"Hey Festiv, we heard the Hounds are there. Are you okay? What's happening? Also, are The Rocks okay?
-Jäger Ironbeard

"I haven't seen any dogs around. Jäger, I don't know if you've heard, but Garish is dead. Some kind of attack. Can't find out much more."
-Festiv Fullsprout

The party came to the decision to teleport back to Felstadt to check in with the Governor, leaving their ship behind for a short while. Regen offered to continue on to Iron Islands alone to scout. He promised a report in a week's time. When the Ring & Wren teleported back to The Ring and Wren , they found Kofi calmly perusing the library. They asked him if he knew about the Hounds being in town. He told them it must have been a recent change, since he hadn't noticed anything unusual. This did little to quell the party's unease, and they decided to visit the Governor as soon as possible. On the way to the Governor's office in Redwall, the party passed by Festiv, who had their partially-written letter in his hands. He pointed out to them that several of their projects had finished construction or were close to it. They explained the situation to him, and with the additional context, Festiv had just one thing to say:

"Oh, that's not good."
-Festiv Fullsprout

As the group walked through Redwall they noticed that it seemed the troops stationed there had been supplemented with more soldiers sent from Ivargrad. The party was stopped outside the main building, but allowed to see the Governor who was in the midst of his supper. The Governor was sitting and eating a plate of roast duck and vegetables when the party was let in. He bid them sit while they discussed their business. No one in the party took a seat. There were three hooded figures around the room, along with an older human woman with greying hair and a young gnome with a curled black mustache and a pocket watch. The Governor expressed his surprise at seeing the party so soon, and King handed him the letter. As the Governor took a moment to read it, Jäger noticed that there was a tall Drow leaning against the wall in the shadows of the room.

"Why is there a fucking Drow here?"
-Jäger Ironbeard

"Excuse me sir, the crimes of the organization associated with my birth do not define my actions."
-Valoryn Nightshade

Amari stepped in, apologizing on Jäger's behalf and explaining that he had recently been abducted and tortured by Drow. King piped in to comment that Drow had also stabbed him to death.

"The Matron Vilethorn, may Lolth keep her, was a scourge. That's over now."
-Valoryn Nightshade

"What would you say if I told you we were the ones who made that happen?"
-Jäger Ironbeard

"I'd have a lot to thank you for. Now have a seat, as your Governor bids."
-Valoryn Nightshade

The party all took seats at the long table. None of them were served food. The Governor seemed unimpressed with the party's status report. Amari presented the case logically, arguing that rather than disobeying orders, the party had taken initiative to continue the mission to strike at Dhor. The Governor dismissed his guards.

"You understand our position here. The Immortal Imperial Armada sailed out on the whims of Felstadt. We only agreed because the situation at sea threatens our trade routes. The only survivors are the six of you, who hold small allegiance--if any--to the Empire. The grand heroes return from their quest while our ships are sunk to the bottoms of the sea. It seems to me if you can't fight this god Dhor with an armada at your backs, what good are the six of you? The Princes have grown tense with the situation and the results. To continue our business, there is going to have to be a change of terms. If Felstadt wants the continued support of the Empire , it must renounce its status as a free city and join up."
-Governor Gerdemaine

At this point, Wynna stepped in.

"If I may--imagine a situation where any time an Imperial ship leaves shore, it is pulled down to the depths by massive black tentacles. This is a god of the deep. We are not asking for your assistance. We are warning you of the incoming storm."
-Wynna Cannari

"I understand. But what matters to the Princes is that Felstadt belongs to them. If you want our soldiers in this city it's going to require that long-held, tightly held freedom. You may not be her leaders, but you are her shining heroes--"
-Governor Gerdemaine

King lept across the table and got in the Governor's face.

"We are her shining heroes. If the Princes want Felstadt so badly, they can come with a better offer. The forces of Dhor are gone because of us, not you! As far as I'm concerned you haven't done a single thing to help us! Now unless you've got a better counter, I think we're done here."
-Drayton King

All of the Governor's pretenses fell at King's outburst.

"Smuggler! Rat! Your city is MINE. Or it will burn! If you walk out of this room, I'll have the guards turn this whole city into a tentpole! Now, let's sit down and speak like--"
-Governor Gerdemaine

Suddenly, the Governor went silent. He seemed to be frozen still; then very slowly, a red line appeared on his neck as an invisible blade was drawn across it. Blood spurted all over his seat and plate.

"Your term has ended, Governor."
-Arla Wolfhound

The party was shocked, but Arla left no time to lose:

"Valoryn, clean this up; we want it spotless for when our diplomat returns from their meeting. The Governor has been reassigned to a...colder post."
-Arla Wolfhound

As Valoryn set to work disposing of the Governor's remains, Arla addressed the party, who were relieved to see that someone would listen to reason.

"The Princes will do what they must. Governor Gerdemaine has been relieved of his duty. Felstadt must stand. It is a crucial location, but more importantly, Dhor wants it. If he comes, we will attack him here. You've changed Felstadt in the short time you've been here. The Imperial forces shall remain here for as long as we can maintain a relationship. You've proved yourselves formidable in gaining allies as well. So for now, you'll continue with your plans and we'll continue with our forces here in Felstadt."
-Arla Wolfhound

Just then, a knock sounded at the door--and not a moment too soon. Valoryn had just finished cleaning the Governor's mess when the Empire's new representative in Felstadt returned from her meeting with the City Council. Arla introduced the party to Lady Kohinoor of the Singing Wood.