Story name: A New Wardrobe
Author: Ryx
Publication date: September 24, 1999
Date: Late August, 706 CR
Location: Glen Avery (Mountain Hearth Inn, Levins's shop)
Overview
Muri and Llyn visit a sour-faced tailor and a sweet-natured hedgehog, while Dream shows Angus's recruits that speed can overcome power.
Summary
It is a few hours after Murikeer began fixing the cistern. Llyn and Dream have finished a meal of bread and poultry and are chatting when Murikeer enters. He takes a seat as Llyn pours him some cider and asks why he did that. Muri responds that he prefers to pay for himself. Dream says, with a hint of coldness, that he plays for his friends, and his friends provide for him.
Nylin and Jurmas arrive with a platter of meat and fruit, telling Muri that he is their honored guest. Muri gives him some maintenance advice, and Jurmas loudly announces the cistern is fixed and skips to the kitchen. Llyn asks if there is a tailor in town, to get herself and Muri some clothing. Dream tells them that the Glen's seamstress is one of the few humans of Glen Avery, a fact that worries Murikeer.
The woman, visibly uncomfortable, lets them in to make their selection. Dream finds nothing of interest in the drab colorless options, and quietly leaves. While Muri stares with terror at the woman, Llyn selects some clothes for herself and Muri. The woman looks up irritably at Muri, asking him to hurry up; Muri has been building up, and then releasing a powerful spell to defend himself. Seeing his discomfort, Llyn steps in and explains that Murikeer is uncomfortable around humans — a fact that does not ease the woman, who hates being a woman. Muri says humans hunted him and spits at her. Llyn steps between them, saying they won't buy anything if they don't have to. The tailor sets an exorbitant price, measures both of them, and asks them to wait in the kitchen.
There, they unexpectedly meet a hedgehog lady, who gives them some delicious blueberry torte and cheers them up with recent news about the battle near Glen Avery, and the overthrow of Lord Loriod.
Outside, Dream watches the sergeant Angus berating his troops. Two of the recruits, an ermine and a mouse, can barely lift their broadswords. With concealed disdain, Dream calls Angus and takes him behind a tree for a private discussion. Dream is surprised that, in fact, Angus is fully aware they can't use such weapons; he's waiting on them to be bold enough to ask for a different weapon, and teaching them technique and building their strength in the meanwhile. He mentions that they are new arrivals from Lorland, and Dream notes they might have trouble questioning their commander. Angus asks what he suggests, and Dream proposes a challenge; him with his slender swords, versus Angus and his broadsword.
They step out, putting on some theater to the troops: Angus haughtily claims that a broadsword is the best weapon and Dream has the gall to question it, while Dream derisively claims that any talented weapon user can counter a broadsword. After an intense battle, both land a sword on the other, ending in a draw. Dream again questions whether his weapon was truly the best, and Angus challenges the soldiers to agree with him. The mouse shakes his head, but stops when Angus glares at him. However, the other soldiers agree that some of them are better suited to smaller, faster weapons. Emboldened, both the ermine and mouse are able to stand up to Angus's fury, and directly ask for such weapons for their own survival.
As soon as they do, Angus drops his fury, quietly praising them for acknowledging their weaknesses. He suddenly snaps at them not to call him lord, shakes Dream's hand, and dismisses the class, asking them to bring their preferred weapon tomorrow.
Angus smiles; this will dramatically speed up their training. He offers a drink or two to Dream, who in response waves to the Levins house, where Llyn and Muri in their new clothes are each carrying fresh pastries with Mrs Levins at their side. Together, the five of them head off to Lars'.
Characters
Main characters:
- Murikeer: A skunk morph, a young journeyman mage. He is scared of humans. After an icy exchange from the tailor, he relaxes with Mrs Levins, and helps her carry pastries to Lars.
- He leaves the tailor's shop, wearing baggy black leather leggings with a very dark red broadcloth cuff, one hand wide, across his midshank, with a black leather strip lacing it. He wears a loose broadcloth black shirt under a dark red vest laced with black, on top of which is a dark red vest of pockets, over which lays his gray bandoleer.
- Llyn: A mink morph, a Long Scout back from several months in the north. She buys clothes for herself and Muri, and manages to keep the bitterness between him and the tailor from boiling over. She catches up on recent events from Mrs Levins, and helps her carry pastries to Lars.
- Llyn leaves the tailor's shop in cream-colored suede leggings and jerkin beneath a deep gree vest, a green braided sash on her black-leather scabbard and sword hilt.
- Llyn was not aware of the battle , being away on several errands and patrols after the spring festival.
- Dream Serpent: A pine marten morph, a minstrel. He leads Muri and Llyn to the Levins's, and while waiting outside, stages a duel with Angus to demonstrate the practicality of light weaponry, earning himself Angus's friendship.
- He wears blue and green garish minstrel's garb.
- He wields two shortswords. The blades are single-edged with a squared back, and has a uniform width with a slight curve down its length. At their tips is a distinctive sharp-angled tip. Their hilts are half as long as the blade, and are adorned at the end with a long tassel. His left sword has a red tassel, his right sword a white tassel.
- Angus's practice sword does not damage them during his fight, to Dream's relief.
- Romantically, he prefers female animal morphs, though he is also partial to male morphs. He is turned-off by female gendermorphs and their masculine mannerisms, and he is too uncomfortable with child morphs, even knowing their true ages.
- He was in a relationship with Llyn, as he found her one of few women of Metamor not too vapid or masculine for his tastes.
- He comes from an infamous family of nobles, whose recent downfall came about from their over-ambition.
- Though he may have been targetted for assassination early, it was 5 years ago that Dream had his only face-to-face encounter with one. He escaped both through luck and desperation.
- 4 years ago, he arrived in Metamor Keep, fleeing from an assassination attempt. He knows at least one assassin followed him to the Keep and became cursed as well, though his whereabouts are unknown.
- He spent the last month teaching Khardis to dance, and the ways of love. He has come away much richer, and not bothered by the leopard's loss of interest.
Supporting characters:
- Walter Levins: A female gendermorph, the tailor of Glen Avery. She is put off by Murikeer's hostility towards her, and sets an exorbitant price of 8 silver for their clothes.
- She has brown eyes, and a beautiful angular face.
- Llyn did not know of her, though Dream did, and knew she was human.
- Annette Levins: A hedgehog morph, Walter Levins's wife, a piemaker.
- She is seemingly heavyset and always cheerful.
- She has a uniquely piping voice, and despite her limited range is a decent singer to Dream's ears.
- Angus: A badger morph, sergeant of the Glen Avery guards. He pushes his recruits hard, even if they're equipped with unsuitable weapons, snarling and shouting at them, hoping to goad them with the courage to speak up. Dream points out the Lorlanders' timidity, and proposes a demonstration to show them. After a rough battle, and the Lorlanders finally speaking up, Angus dismisses the class and heads off to Lars' with Dream and his friends.
- He wears a heavy jerkin and chain mail.
- He has a massive frame, which belies a surprising swiftness. He is shorter than Dream.
- His natural voice is soft and mellow. He makes a good counterpoint, and capable of a cultured baritone, though he has bad rhythm.
- He has lived his whole life in Glen Avery. He is good friends with Annette.
- He makes a disparaging comment towards lords, that lords don't work for a living, which he is proud to do.
Minor characters:
- Jurmas: A deer morph, proprietor of Glen Avery's only inn. He is delighted that Muri has fixed his cauldron, and offers Muri free room and board for as long as he remains at the Glen.
- He was planning to buy a cauldron tomorrow if necessary.
- He rarely smiles, but he shows genuine happiness at seeing the cistern fixed so easily.
- A male ermine morph, one of Angus's students, a new arrival from Lorland.
- A male mouse morph, one of Angus's students, a new arrival from Lorland.
Cameo:
- Nylin: A deer morph, the proprietess of Glen Avery's only inn.
- Various members of Glen Avery's trainees: bears, horses, and only one human.
- Among them is a raccoon morph, one of Angus's students. He is the first, and one of only two, to speak up for the ermine and mouse.
- A horse is seen being berated by Angus; being whispered to by the ermine; and speaking up for the ermine and mouse. These may or may not be the same horse.
Important mention:
- Misha: A fox morph, armed with an axe, who helped lead the Glenners in battle.
- Charles: A rat morph, whom Llyn last heard was a pacifist writer, who helped Misha lead the Glenners in battle, and took in Garigan to teach him to fight.
- Garigan: A young ferret morph, who Annette calls grumpy, taken in by Charles as a student.
- Altera Loriod: A male gendermorph, a cruel fat lord of Metamor Valley. He forced his subjects to obey him without question, a trait that lingers in his subjects long after his death. He was killed in an assault on his castle a few months ago.
- Khardis: A leopard morph, a 16 year old noble. He had begged Dream for dancing lessons after his change, and at night would secretly bed him. After relearning how to dance, he lost interest in Dream, though Dream was perfectly satisfied with his payment.
- A possible assassin who lives in Metamor, still looking for Dream. Dream has only seen him once, 5 years ago.
Referenced:
- Gornul: A small dragon from Metamor Keep. He got shot up badly during a recent battle.
- Lars: A brewer of Glen Avery. Annette is friends with him.
- Nasoj: The enemy of Metamor Keep.
- Thomas: Ruler of Metamor Keep.
Chronology / Story Connections
- 5 years ago, Dream barely escaped an encounter with an assassin.
- 4 years ago (circa 702 CR), Dream arrived at Metamor Keep, fleeing assassins.
- Annette summarizes the events of Keeping the Lamp Lit for Llyn and Muri.
- In the version she gives, Loriod was discovered to have been a mage who turned to evil, and for that reason Thomas lead an army to Loriod's tower, where Thomas himself slew Loriod.
- Annette says that the Battle of Nuln happened a mere month ago.
- Unless she is referring to another battle, this is too short a time for Declarations of Allegiance to have happened then; it was this battle, after all, that inspired Misha to invite Charles to join the Long Scouts, which he formally did during the summer solstice.
- For the last month, Dream had been teaching a leopard morph how to dance (among other things).
- Blueberry season has just ended.
Locations
- The Mountain Hearth Inn has outdoor lavatories, or "jakes", on the other side of the building from the kitchen back door.
- Jurmas is advised to coat the inside of the cistern, except the bottom, with wax to prevent more water damage.
- Their meat is very good, tender and with a subtle spicy taste.
- The Levins's house is built in one tree, with a thatched room built out from it and adjoining another tree.
- The immediate entrance is a common room. Over half of it is a dedicated kitchen space, with two large hearths, a steel box over a charcoal pit, a cooking island and tables for preparing meals that dominate the center space, and trays of pastries and pies on a wooden rack. A simple but elegant rug divides the room. A green and brown curtain separates Annette's kitchen from Walter's tailor shop.
- Walter's shop has several racks of clothes. Most of them are drab ochre colors, with occasional splashes of deep red and green. In the corner beside these racks is a large table with drawers for tailoring supplies, and a loom with a shuttle which Walter is able to operate alone.
- Like the inn, their door closes automatically.
- Glen Avery was once a true town until it was razed in the Battle of Three Gates. Remnants of Glen Avery's walls lay among the trees. In the trees are walkways, houses, and sentry posts.
- Muri, not knowing of Burris's wood-growing abilities, assumes that Glen Avery had always been built in the woods.
- Traders don't visit Glen Avery often due to Lutin attacks and being deep in cursed lands. Most Glenners have to import their goods from other cities.
Society
- Pedophilia is a common practice in some areas of the continent — though often called fellowships, mentoring, and apprenticeships. It is this practice that allows Metamor's age regresses to have successful careers as spies and assassins.
Angus and Dream's Duel
- Angus and Dream agree to a duel, in the grassy clearing near the Levins house, with victory on contact. Angus is armed with a broadsword of inferior metal for practice, Dream with his two shortswords.
- Angus begins by testing Dream's defenses. He circles Dream with an unwavering swordpoint, and suddenly lunges. He expects Dream to step back, but instead Dream sidesteps him and, holding his shortswords against his forearms, parries Angus's attack and spins away.
- Angus is impressed; Lutins and other northland opponents never use this "swords back" technique.
- Dream launches a series of attacks on Angus. Angus defends himself, but is so used to fighting Lutins that it takes a while to realize that he is not the target; his sword is. Dream is merely stalling.
- Angus stop retreating and charges forward, swinging his sword overhead. Dream has already stepped away, breathing lightly, and gives a short quip to the students, mocking the exhausted Angus.
- Angus launches a series of heavy overhead strikes down upon Dream. Dream blocks them by crossing his blades, but by the third strike, Dream is on his knees, while Angus is breathing calmly. On Angus's next swing, Dream parries with one sword and swipes at Angus's nose with the other. Angus dodges, and with a second wind Dream attacks with his two swords parallel to each other and inches apart.
- By this point, Dream is impressed with Angus, able to maintain astonishing speed despite his bulk, and defend himself without a shield.
- Angus is impressed by Dream's fluid technique and careful strikes, as if performing a dance. He also notes the tassels, being new to him, act as a distracting.
- Several minutes pass, but Angus slips on a rock while preparing to parry. To counter this, he rushes forward with a wild swing. Dream knocks the attack aside and lunges. Just as Dream lands his tip on Angus's throat, Angus grabs Dream by the throat and lands his own tip on Dream's belly.
| The Introductions Cycle | |
|---|---|
| Stories | The Glen · Mending a Crack · A New Wardrobe · Arrival at Metamor Keep · Clearing the Courtyard · Meeting Metamor Keep · Seeking Absolution · Triumphant Return the Dogs of War · Actions and Reactions · Dissuasion · Dangerous Games · Seeking Mithril · Apologies · Llyn's Tribulations · Confrontations · Getting Away From the Party · Grave Digger · Confronting the Shrew |
| Major Characters | Murikeer · Llyn · Dream Serpent · Rickkter |
