(7) Severozov - A Trap for Taghai

With the package in hand, a decision had to be made regarding whom Kopek, Levi, and Cornelius would give it to. The decision, it seemed, would be an easy one, as the time had come for the party to enact their plan to depose Taghai and install Torgan as leader of the hobgoblins. As they approached the hexagonal tower, Vlad 32 and Taghai’s gilded steed were nowhere to be found, suggesting Vlad had failed his mission to steal the horse. A slight inconvenience, but nothing the trio couldn’t adapt to, and adapt they did.

Kopek rode alone across the bridge to the garrison. He saw a number of individuals surrounding the fort: Dan laughing alongside some hobgoblin mercenaries, Muz cooking over his pot, a strange gnome running some kind of game, and Belov frantically waving him over. After imploring Belov to have patience and learning that Taghai planned to ride through the city on the morrow (strong winds were predicted, reminiscent of weather on the Urgan Steppe), Kopek departed to speak with the hobgoblin warlord. First, however, he led Fluffers to the stables, placing the package under the guard helm on his horse’s head. Also at the stable were Cornelius and Levi, having flown up behind the elevated rock upon which the garrison sat. As they snuck around the stables behind the fort, Levi’s greasy feet caused him to slip and fall loudly. Luckily, as the hobgoblin guard stationed there moved to investigate, Kopek arrived with Fluffers, relieving the guard of his duties and ensuring Cornelius and Levi remained hidden.

Kopek then departed to enact the next phase of his plan: build up Torgan in the eyes of the hobgoblins. To many, dreams hold a large degree of truth, and so it was for the Urgans. Kopek spread word throughout the camp of a dream in which Torgan mounted a great gilded steed, and led his hobgoblin brethren to glory such that they had never known. Upon hearing of Kopek’s vision, Torgan’s eyes glazed over as he dreamed of what his future could hold. The stage was set. In the meantime, Cornelius and Levi had successfully transplanted Taghai’s horse into the pen with the other lesser steeds, painting brown spots on it to disguise its true nature. As Cornelius took the shape of Taghai’s horse, a hobgoblin began to approach to check on the mounts. Levi quickly resorted to invisibility to remain hidden, and initially the Urgan was unsuspecting of the situation. However, he soon became interested in the hat on Fluffers’ head, approaching the horse and forcing Levi to duck out of the way. Realizing that the package was under Fluffers’ helmet, Cornelius (in the form of Taghai’s horse) knew he would need to cause a distraction. He lept from his enclosure and ran towards the fort, causing the panicked hobgoblin to give chase. This momentary scene gave Levi the time he needed to collect the package from Fluffers and slink away, still invisible.

On his way back to Taghai, Kopek made a quick stop at the gnomish game he had seen earlier, which happened to be a marksmanship contest. After challenging the gnome, he quickly determined that the little fellow was cheating, and with the aid of his hobgoblin comrades nearby, was able to intimidate the gnome into handing over his pistol. After Kopek took some of the gnome’s shot as well, the latter became enraged and was forcibly removed to the cells within the garrison by guards. After reaching the warlord’s circle of tents, Kopek was greeted by Taghai, who informed Kopek of a prisoner the guards had caught attempting to steal his horse. The prisoner had given him a name: Nacho Belle. Realizing that the prisoner was Vlad 32, Kopek requested to interrogate him further, alone. Taghai allowed this and Kopek and Vlad made a show of sounds to convince the hobgoblins within earshot of Kopek’s brutality towards the villain. Kopek freed the wretch, and gave him another task: pick a bunch of flowers and write a nice message for Taghai in front of the hexagonal tower.

Kopek exited the tent just as Taghai’s horse (actually Cornelius) came running towards them. Playing the part of the warlord’s steed, Cornelius allowed Taghai to calm him. Kopek knowingly suggested that Torgan return the horse to the stables, and Cornelius once again played his part to perfection, allowing Torgan to lead him back without fret. The plan was progressing swimmingly.

In the meantime, invisible Levi was on a quest of his own. He entered the garrison, sneaking past the receptionist, who declared him an apparition and clumsily attacked the air near the doorway. The gnome continued into the bowels of the fort, where he encountered the prison with two occupants. Their states of incarceration were both in some way caused by Kopek, for one was the gnome game master, and the other was the hobgoblin he had first subdued upon entering the city. The two were arguing about Leviathan Rip Spinners, a topic that Levi couldn’t help but share his wealth of knowledge on. After revealing himself, the other gnome immediately expressed disgust at his use of magic, declaring it an affront to gnomish tinkerer-culture. After a brief argument, Levi learned from the hobgoblin that someone was trying to acquire a Leviathan Rip Spinner from Kasar Nicolas himself, and that someone used the initial “K.” After promising he would deliver Levi information on this “K” person before leaving the city, Levi set the hobgoblin free. He also freed the gnome, but directed his ignorant kinsman to the showers, where he would undoubtably be accosted by naked hobgoblins.

With Levi’s investigations complete and their plan in place, the trio settled down for the night. In the morning, the hobgoblins gathered at the stables, and Taghai mounted Cornelius, declaring the day to be blessed by fine steppe winds. The rest of the hobgoblins cheered and mounted their steeds as well, and the horde trotted across the bridge and into the city. After arriving at the hexagonal tower he hoped to call his new office, Taghai turned to give a rousing speech to his mercenary companions. This was not to be however, as Cornelius bucked Taghai, causing him to fall to the ground in embarrassment. While Cornelius feigned hysteria, Torgan stepped forward to calm the steed. As Taghai stared in disbelief, Kopek began to chant Torgan’s name, and soon the cry was taken up by the rest of the riders. The enraged Taghai fled, not to be seen in the city again. No doubt he began to plot some kind of revenge on the company of mercenaries that had betrayed him as he fled into the taiga.

With his friend now in command of a strong group of fighters, Kopek and his two companions were now more secure than ever in the city of Severozov. After their success, the trio returned to Belov and opened the package alongside him, only to find nothing. The package was empty, but the indent within was unmistakably designed to hold the very cylinder they had acquired upon their arrival to Severozov. Armed with the knowledge that the cylinder was more important than they initially thought, the investigators turned their attention towards the library, Kasar Nicolas, and his spinner.