Watching the fallen warrior, the Bremen soldiers realized that he had been in the snow for quite a while. When they pushed the packed snow and fallen branches off his body, they had first thought he was trying to struggle free. But now they could see that he was violently shaking, shivering in waves from long exposure to cold.
Several men brought forward a sled, to carry the fox-man up the hill to the Dark Keep, as he clearly would be unable to walk there. After removing the last fallen logs, their leader brought heavy furs to cover him. Hauling the fox-man forward to the sled, they heard a few mumbled words, but could not make much sense of them. Evidently his name was Misha, but they couldn't learn anything else.
As the sun rose higher, the Bremen troop struggled up the hill, dragging the sled forward across the muddy, rutted path. They had wrapped Misha in several layers of pelts, and secured him to the logs, following the pattern followed for victims of the cold in the Giantdowns. Before noon, they reached the top of the ridge, and could clearly see the black stones of the Dark Keep.
They soon saw Valaric, who had anticipated their arrival. He directed them to the entrance of the castle, and they soon brought Misha inside. They were uneasy about the draconians watching from a balcony, but Valaric insisted that the reptiles were good guards, friends to any foe of Nasoj. Finally, they placed Misha near a fire in a small room.
As most of the men from the Bremen regiment returned to their campsite, Valaric arrived to see if Misha had recovered. The Metamorian was still shaking, but was no longer delirious from the cold. Valaric decided to speak to him: "We rescued you from the lutin trap. Some of my men are bringing heated water. It has some herbs from the forest which will make you feel better."
Misha seemed to hear Valaric's words, but continued to shiver. One man placed another log on the fire to add more heat the room, while another arrived with the water. Misha was able to drink it, but seemed rather agitated. After hearing him mumble something about an axe, Valaric said: "We think the lutins stole your weapons at night. The Bremen troop found you half-buried in the snow this morning. If your head hadn't been pushed forward of the pile, you would have died from lack of air."
Some of the men were quite troubled by Misha's vulpine appearance. They remembered the stories they had heard about the bloodthirsty beasts of Metamor Keep. One of the draconian mages also seemed interested, and motioned to Valaric. Before walking up a flight of stairs to address the draconians, Valaric turned to Misha: "Drink more of it, so you can heal from your night in the cold. We will send you back to Metamor once you are able to walk. As for your weapons, some of our men are currently pursuing a group of lutins near the forest. Perhaps they will recover the axe from the thieves."
A few minutes later, Valaric reached the top of the stairs, and entered a room filled with draconians. One approached him, and said: "Lord Black Fang. Why send him back to Metamor? He could be a valuable servant for Queen Lilith. Just give him water from the Black Woods and food from the Nexus. He will soon turn to her side."
Valaric glared at the reptile. His ears abruptly grew fur and became pointed.
The draconian hissed: "Take his soul! If he doesn't cooperate. Throw him in the pit! Lilith can arrive with a gem to gain his power. Or she could kiss him. A warrior like that might make a fine vampire."
Valaric growled: "Not so loud. They can't see us here, but we don't want the humans to hear this! It's best for us to use them while they don't know the Queen's true plan. We can also use this Metamorian, to get the Keepers to fight Nasoj near Starven."
The draconian mage spoke next: "Lord Black Fang. This Metamorian has a strange enchantment. Nasoj transformed many at Hornulaq, and I myself have seen the dark magic of Klepnos, but this is spell is different. It is quite complex, and would require many days to study. If you kept him here, we might learn how it can be done." Glaring down the stairs, he added: "We could take his blood, and try it on some of those humans, to see if they might turn into foxes. Vulpine slaves could be useful to Lilith."
Resuming a fully human appearance, Valaric said: "That will not be necessary. I thought it would be difficult to lead the humans, but they seem to be ready followers. They spent many years in the service of Nasoj, and are now eager to obey another, so long as they have full stomachs. The humans are no different from the beasts of the forest. Just like wolves, they will follow the leader of the pack, as long as he remains strong. Now that Nasoj is weak, they will follow us loyally."
The first draconian said: "Nasoj still has soldiers. Our guards at Starven reported his men have been spotted to the north. The wizard has been looking for his lost army, and knows that it did not march to Starven. He will send his reserves forward."
Valaric looked out a window to the east, stretching his right arm toward the ice shining on the Sea of Souls. "When we return the Metamorian, the Keepers will arrive. As for Starven, you have your orders." Valaric's extended hand suddenly changed into a wolf's claw. "Nasoj doesn't expect resistance from villagers, but the draconians will send him a different message." Using his claw to point out the distant lake shore, he said: "See this? Nasoj's men will stop just north of the town, while their foes will arrive from the south. We can tell Misha that Nasoj's lutins have his axe, and he will rush forward into battle in Starven."
The draconians seemed to approve of this plan, although the mage was unhappy that he would not be able to examine the arcane spell on Misha. He was greatly intrigued by the threads of magic he could sense running through the fox-man, and wished he could learn more. Valaric's hand resumed human form, as he prepared to return to the bottom of the stairs.
Upon reaching the bottom level, one of the men spoke to Valaric: "Misha seems to have recovered quite rapidly. An ordinary man would have died from the cold, but his fur may have been enough to save him. But he seems to very agitated, worried about his axe. Once he became fully conscious, he kept asking us questions about us. But none of us saw it in the snow."
Entering the room, Valaric saw the fox warrior sitting near the fire. Misha was much more alert than before and only shivered slightly. Looking at him, Valaric said: "I just received news about your weapon. The soldiers from Caralore fought some lutins earlier today in the woods near Starven. The battle was brief, for the cowards fled to Nasoj's lines north of the town. Once you have fully recovered, I will tell you more." One of the man handed Misha more water, which he drank rapidly.
About an hour later, Misha walked out the gate from the Dark Keep, escorted by some of the soldiers from Bremen. They heard some of his stories of battles with lutins and greatly admired his valor, for Bremen had a long history of battling lutin raiders. Heading past the sharpened logs marking the edge of the ditch ringing the Dark Keep, they spotted Valaric in the distance, holding a bag, and talking to some draconians.
Looking at the approaching humans, Valaric rushed to finish his conversation: "At least the Long Scouts drove most of the lutins into the woods, where Lilith can capture them. They could be useful at Lik."
The draconian added: "Not all. Some headed this way, so we killed them before they could reach the human camps. We cut their ears off, as you instructed." The reptile handed Valaric a heavy bag, and hurried off down the hill, trudging through the snow.
As the draconian left, Valaric could see Misha walking slowly forward. His right shoulder was hunched over, showing his recent wound. He was wearing a heavy bear pelt, tied on by some soldiers from Bremen.
Pointing down the path to the main road, Valaric said: "The front line is not far from here. If you go down the hill to the main road, you will soon find the Long Scouts or troops from the Midlands. Some of our soldiers will walk with you, as you have not fully recovered from your injuries. None of us serve Nasoj, so you can be sure that we will send you safely home."
Misha looked at the path leading down the hill, seeing the sun shining above the Sea of Souls. He could make out the road leading from Metamor to Starven in the valley, and spot various campsites along the slope. None bore banners with Nasoj's emblem.
Valaric continued: "If you are looking for your weapons, we have not recovered them. The lutins fled back to Nasoj, and are now north of Starven. We expect Nasoj to attack the town soon, for he wants to continue his evil hold on the region. But it will not fall without a fight, for we will march from here to Starven at dawn. If you join us, you may be able to recover your axe."
Valaric then handed one of the Bremen soldiers the heavy bag: "This is a gift for Misha, collected this morning. We know of your battles against the lutins, and hate them as much as you do. This will replace the ears you should have taken last night."
"Those aren't my kills," Misha said softly.
Valaric was surprised at this response. Shouldn't Misha be eager to accept this? He drank water with magical herbs from the Dark Forest, so he should be under Lilith's spell. But these thoughts passed quickly. Misha was a natural killer, like Black Fang's wolves. He would inevitably be drawn to Lilith, sooner or later.
As the sun started to descend into the western sky, Valaric saw Misha and the Bremen troop far away, walking south on the main road toward Metamor. Soon, they would reach the Long Scouts, and tell them the story about the lutins who stole Misha's axe. They would have no idea that the axe was actually on a wagon, deep in the forest, only a day's journey from the Nexus. Then, Valaric wondered if his plans at Starven had been executed properly, worrying if the manticore had interfered with them.
Before dawn, Lowenherz landed in the woods along the shore of the Sea of Souls, not far from Starven. As a manticore, he had not hunted any lutins, for they were gathered in tight formations, so his approach would be easily spotted. Unlike the scattered lutins he had earlier seen in the Giantdowns, these bands seemed to be well organized, drawn together by a single will for one purpose.
Once he assumed human form, Lowenherz dressed quickly, and prepared to enter the village. Upon arriving on the hill above Starven's barges, he saw people looking toward the rising sun, watching the road to the east. Lowenherz spotted a man who appeared to be a trader, and decided to introduce himself: "I deal in rare goods from the desert. Valaric told me that this town was a trading center, but it took all night to get here, due to the lutins."
The other man glanced at him, and said: "They're finally gone. They all marched off when the sun rose. It's good Valaric has some control over them, because they don't serve Nasoj anymore. I'm Cnivagild of Starven. Are you from Lik?"
Lowenherz reached into his cloak, and drew out a small gem: "No. But I've heard of the town."
Cnivagild studied the gem: "It looks quite valuable. We normally don't have much to trade here except salted fish, but other goods were stored here for Nasoj's campaign. We could use them for barter."
Lowenherz pondered this for a moment, and said: "So, you no longer serve the wizard? I heard that most of his army deserted him after the great battle at Metamor. I saw the field myself several days ago. It was a great struggle."
Cnivagild said: "You actually saw it! The villagers will be glad to hear first-hand news. Come down to the barges, and we will discuss this further. Perhaps we can make a fair trade for your stone." Together, they walked down the hill. Others followed, eager to hear the story of what happened in the Metamor Valley.
Shortly after noon, two strangers clad in black appeared from the north, walking down the path to Starven. As they passed the hill, a few draconians left their post and followed them, staying a short distance away. Marcomir met the tribute-gatherers on the hill above Starven, and waited for their demands.
The first man spoke, displaying a pentagram badge showing his office: "The Great Nasoj requests that you remove all provisions from this town, and bring them north to Politzen. You will also present your taxes for the new year. All salted fish will be stored in Politzen because the wizard has a new campaign planned. You must comply immediately."
Marcomir answered: "What about the current campaign? We've heard that his army was routed. If you want to take our food away, you'll have to raise a new army to take it. We don't think you have one."
The tribute official was furious, and said: "Peasants should not question their lords. Nasoj will punish you for your insolence. He has heard that strange beasts have been brought here." As the second man pointed at the draconians, he added: "Like those lizards. They are not authorized. You must follow our orders, and tell those loathsome reptiles to get off the wizard's highway."
Some of the villagers were alarmed by this threat, and moved back. Bragamund arrived, and quickly assumed a conciliatory tone: "If we give you only the provisions stored here, perhaps you could report to Nasoj that you had achieved your mission. We could pay each of you for your services, as we have no desire for more fighting, but only want to be left alone."
The tax collector frowned: "What are you? A fourth-rate mage. How dare you try to bribe a servant of Nasoj? Don't you know what can be done to the disobedient? Perhaps we should take you to Hornulaq, and turn you into a weasel."
Lowenherz arrived from the barges, and heard the comments by Nasoj's men: "Don't listen to their idle threats! The Moranasi are all dead. Nasoj's magic cannot control people who want to fight against him. Despite his spells and treachery, the soldiers of Metamor drove back his strongest attacks. Their army will arrive here soon. If you resist now, you will gain freedom."
The black-clad men looked at Lowenherz: "Traitor! The people of Starven will be true to Nasoj. They will not believe your lies. Right now, Nasoj's enforcers are only a few days march to the north. Do you want us to tell them that this town is disloyal?"
Marcomir looked at them with contempt: "We won't pay your taxes anymore, and are all willing to risk the wrath of the wizard. Go tell him that no food will be sent from Starven. We aren't your slaves anymore."
Some of the men nearby appeared very worried. Lowenherz was glad to hear Marcomir's statement, but noticed that villagers were clearly uneasy. Lowenherz knew that towns which revolted against Nasoj before had been destroyed, so he understood their concern. But he was sure this town could be defended, as he had seen the wreckage of Nasoj's great army at Metamor Keep. Surely the wizard's strength was greatly diminished by now.
Nasoj's agents turned their backs on Starven, and headed back north. The draconians sullenly marched ahead of them, walking at a slow pace. About a mile north of town, they passed a sharp curve in the road, and discovered more draconians standing across it.
The senior tribute collector ordered: "Move, lizards! We are on a special mission from Nasoj, and cannot be delayed. Reptiles who defy the wizard are punished! We will find your eggs and smash them."
The draconian's forked tongue flicked back and forth for a moment before he answered: "We won't move until we give you our message. No human gives orders to draconians! We serve our Queen, not your inept wizard. His days are numbered, for the daedra have deserted him. Just as he was blind to Ba'al's rejection, you shall be blind as well."
The other draconians rushed forward and grabbed the two men. After other reptiles pinned the first man to a tree, the draconian leader extended his claws and said: "You are as blind as Nasoj for following him." He then thrust his arms forward, and gouged the tribute collector's eyes out with his sharp talons.
As the human crumpled to the ground, the draconians turned to Nasoj's other agent, who was quivering with fright. "Good. Now you can see that the wizard's power is over. Go back to Nasoj with your friend and inform him that no one will serve the wizard in this area. Also, tell him to abandon Politzen as well. Go quickly, or we'll put your eyes out as well."
A few minutes later, Nasoj's men left, with the blinded official staggering along the road, helped by his aide. The draconians enjoyed watching him struggle through the snow. The leader turned to his followers: "This is certain to rouse the wizard's anger. We want to make sure that he is provoked, and sends any forces he has left to attack Starven. If his remaining troops all march here, there won't be any available to help the garrison at Lik. We will stay here to watch for the advance of Nasoj's vengeance squad. Lord Black Fang promised that help will arrive soon, so Nasoj's troops will be pulled into battle near Starven. No one will guess that we are interested in seizing Lik."
As the sun set over the Sea of Souls, Lilith's caravan guided a wagon bearing a great black axe deeper into the Tauremorna. Many miles away, the Bremen regiment approached the forward lines of the Midland troops, returning Misha to Metamor Keep. After darkness descended, Lowenherz, in manticore form, flew north from the woods outside Starven. He wondered if he had given the villagers good advice, and decided to personally discover if Nasoj had an army nearby.
In the woods near the Dark Keep, a draconian officer met Black Fang, who was still playing the part of Valaric. "Lord Black Fang, we have just discovered that Misha, the prisoner you released, was a Follower. They are said to be immune to all of Lilith's spells. We should have kept him here to discover more."
Taking off the heavy platemail armor, Black Fang responded: "He wasn't a prisoner, but our guest. We have no need to fight Metamor, when we need to focus on the coming battle with Nasoj. Thus, it was best for us to immediately return Misha to his friends. Follower or not, he is a coldblooded killer, and will be drawn to Lilith, just like any predatory beast from the Black Forest. We don't have to bring him to the Queen, as he will go to her voluntarily."
The draconian continued: "Our plan is going well. In Lik, our troops blockaded all roads leading out of the town, by setting up avalanches from the hillsides. Once the people in Lik's garrison drink the water from the streams, they will fall under Lilith's spell. If they rely on their cisterns, the second part of our plan will ensure the fall of the town."
"What about Starven," said Black Fang, struggling to remove his uncomfortable clothes. He was eager to discover whether Nasoj's forces had been drawn there. Normally, the wizard would not put much value on a town as unimportant as Starven, but would send his reserve troops to defend Lik from any threat.
"We carried out your orders," answered the draconian. "But they may have not been necessary. The villagers were very defiant towards Nasoj's men. A stranger seems to have stirred them up, telling tales about the rout of Nasoj's army at Metamor."
Black Fang said: "That must have been the were-manticore, Lowenherz. He's the only one who could have traveled that fast, as he can fly at night. At least he has been somewhat useful for our cause." Black Fang then dropped to all fours and rapidly shifted into lupine form.
Tonight, he would explore the woods north of Starven as a dire wolf, searching for Nasoj's army. He didn't want to leave for Lik until he was sure the wizard had been distracted. Walking away from the Dark Keep, he could see soldiers marching down from the road from the castle to Starven, carrying torches. They were certain to be loyal to Lilith now, having lost any fealty to the wizard. If Nasoj tried to take Starven, he would have quite a battle.