Story name: Artificer's Gambit
Author: Jon Sleeper
Publication date: November 28, 1997 (on TSA-Talk)
Date: Late summer, 704 CR
Location: Metamor Keep, Metamor Valley
Overview
Jon's old mentor and fellow artificer Smithson is visiting Metamor Keep; Jon, Brian Coe and Bryan set out to meet him, unaware of the danger that follows them.
Summary
Brian and Jonathan search through Jon's collection of artifacts for one particular artifact: a stone tablet with two well-known ancient languages on it, and the fragment of a third. He has only translated a few words of this third language; he suspects that a letter recently arrived from his old friend and mentor Smithson will help him with the rest. He has not heard from Smithson for 6 years; 4 years ago he sent him a letter describing his change, along with pieces of his antlers and a sketch of his current form.
Taking the stone and the letter, he goes to the Mess Hall to eat while reading. He and Brian sit beside their friend Lance, and read the letter. Smithson apparently spent the past years staring at Jon's letter and articles, struggling to write, but he is finally ready to return to Metamor Keep with the other half of the stone tablet. He is travelling two weeks behind the letter itself, but Jon knows that recent events have delayed this letter by a week and a half and a few days more, and in fact Smithson will be arriving tomorrow.
The next day, he equips himself with weapons and armor, in case any hunters should show up, and sets out with Brian. Bryan is waiting for them, to their surprise, but they are happy to bring him along. The three of them shift into nonmorphic forms and set out for the Tened ruins where Smithson mentioned he'd be waiting.
As they travel, Jon and Bryan pick up the scents of three other humans who followed Smithson. Brian leaves to take care of one of them, while Jon and Bryan focus on the other two. As they reach the clearing where Smithson is sitting, the wind shifts and Jon smells one of the strangers. As he prepares to nock an arrow, another assassin sticks a knife to his back. Jon tricks him into opening the bag where Bryan is waiting. With his deadly venom, Bryan kills the man, and Jon fires an arrow at the man he'd been watching, striking him through the heart. Brian returns with the third human, hands bound and tied. Jon leaves them to interrogate him while he meets Smithson.
Smithson is astonished to see Jon in person, and warmly greets him. He presents his half of the Keystone to Jon, to his great joy. Smithson is eager to get to work translating it at the Keep, but he is unprepared for the possibility of becoming cursed. As he thinks it over, Jon learns that the three men were hired by Side Show Moe, a man looking to capture animal morphs for a circus.
Smithson finally decides to join the Keep. Over the next two weeks, in between translation work, Smithson interrogates the other Keepers to learn what possible changes he'll have to deal with. One morning, Smithson knocks on Jon's door to eagerly show off his new features growing in: a pair of goat horns, pointy ears, and the beginnings of a muzzle.
Characters
Main Characters:
- Jon: A deer morph, court writer, and quartermaster of the Keep. He collects several artifacts from ancient times, and is working on translating their inscriptions.
- In morph form, he has less fingers than a human. His antlers are larger than in his full form.
- In the mess hall, he gets acorns, honeysuckle branches, maple buds, and a bit of fruit.
- As quartermaster, he has at least a hundred keys for various rooms. He is able to acquire almost any weapon or armor without any questions asked.
- The arrows he acquires are charmed to target the heart. They are part of a quiver of "unlimited" arrows.
- His collection of artifacts spans one and a half medium-sized storerooms.
- His usual activities are writing and weapons training, and occasionally studying his own artifacts. He has had little opportunity since the curse to expand his collection.
- He is acquainted with several old languages.
- He is 33 years old (born 671 CR).
- In morph form, he has less fingers than a human. His antlers are larger than in his full form.
- Smithson: A former tutor of Jon's, whom he has not heard from in six years. Smithson is eager to continue his investigations at the Keep, even if it means accepting the Curse. He becomes a goat morph at the end.
Supporting:
- Brian: A raccoon morph, the Keep healer, and one of Jon's closest friends. He helps him find things in the storerooms, and has accompanied him on many "quests" to the point of being a "sidekick".
- In fact, Jon suspects that he would die on a quest without Brian. Brian is said to be skilled in the short sword.
- In the mess hall, he picks up a crawdad to eat.
- Bryan: The Keep mad scientist, and a cobra morph, though he prefers the term "naga".
- He is nearly 20 feet long in his morph form, with no legs, tiny arms, a cobra hood for a neck, a forked tongue, and flat unblinking eyes. His scales are mostly brown with some dark green. He does not smile, but "hood-grins".
- His venomous bite can kill a man instantly — their face turns black as they die.
- Bryan has only been on a quest with Jon and Brian once before, as a human.
- He is still pretty new to his form, and is mentioned as having a fairly unique story for a Keeper.
Minor characters:
- Lance: A moose morph, a friend of Jon's. Jon sits beside him in the mess hall.
- He has a bulbous nose, but can still smile like a human.
- He is currently trying to research water gardening, so that he can grow his favorite water plants to eat.
- In the mess hall, he eats a wide variety of plants.
- Posti: The Prime Minister of Metamor Keep, also known as Bob. He gets a report on Side Show Moe and laughs at it.
- One of Moe's goons, who sneaks up and pulls a knife on Jon, thinking Jon has gold in his backpack. He reaches in and is bitten by Bryan, and dies almost instantly.
- One of Moe's goons, an archer, the first to be spotted by Jon in the brush. He attempts to run, but is shot through the heart by Jon's magic arrows.
- One of Moe's goons, who is hit with a rock and interrogated by Brian. Afterwards, he fled northward. His ultimate fate is unknown.
- He claims he had a miserable childhood, and only took the job for the money.
Cameo:
- Jennifer Powell: A gender morph, whom Smithson visits to learn about the curse.
- Duke Thomas: Ruler of Metamor Keep.
Important Mention:
- Side Show Moe: A circus owner who is seeking animal morphs to capture for his circus. He is not good at hiring henchmen. His two sidekicks constantly foil his plans — a bald guy who laughs "nyk nyk nyk", and another man with odd hair.
Referenced:
- Nasoj: The wizard who cast the spell on the Keep.
- Fox Cutter: The Keep librarian. He is still finding some books that Jon has requested.
Locations
- The storerooms for food and weapons are tidy and well-organized; storerooms for artifacts, however, are much less so.
- There is a "secret" exit to the Keep that Jon uses to exit the Keep, where Bryan waits for him.
Chronology
- 18 years ago, at the age of 15, Jon bought the upper half of the Keystone at a town fair. It was one of the oldest artifacts he had. He would learn that it originated from near the Keep.
- Soon afterward, he moved to Metamor Keep, and lived there ever since.
- 10 years ago, Smithson and Jon discovered the ruins where the Keystone originated.
- 6 years ago was the last time Jon and Smithson talked. Nasoj's curse is said to have been laid six years ago.
- That would place the current year as 705 CR, but see below.
- 5 years ago, Smithson acquired the lower half of the Keystone, in the same town fair that Jon bought his half.
- 4 years ago, Jon mailed his letter to Smithson. Smithson was terrified
- 2 years ago, Smithson began writing back to Jon, but became too emotional and stopped.
- Bryan has somewhat recently been changed.
- This story explicitly takes place in summer. Smithson's presence in the early portions of Snips and Snails indicate this story takes place in 704 CR.
- Several weeks ago, Smithson finally finished his letter and sent it, expecting to arrive two weeks after the letter arrived.
- A few days ago, the letter arrives, delayed by weather and possibly a highwayman. Jon avoids reading it.
- On day 1, Jon searches for the Keystone with Brian. He reads Smithson's letter.
- On day 2, Jon, Brian, and Bryan find Smithson, and fight three of Moe's bandits. Smithson agrees to join the Keep.
Society
- The Tened people flourished 5000 years ago (according to Jon), and are said to be bird-like. Their artwork shows reverence to the Keep; the Keep would have been prominently visible from the ruins of their city, if not for the trees.
- One of their artifacts is the Keystone, a stone tablet written in three different languages. The first two languages are familiar to Jon; the last section is written in an unknown language. Jon believes it is the Tened's native language.
- Jon also possesses an imposing scroll, and some other scrolls, written in the same unknown language.
- The Caladonians were a civilization that lived 3000 years ago, according to Jon.
- There is supposedly nothing in the Keep library older than 500 years, although there are possibly older books in the lower storerooms.
- The armor Jon wears is changeable armor, which changes to fit its wearer shortly after shifting. Brian has armor and a sword that vanishes when he shifts.
- A telepathy spell is said to be standard in non-morphic form, though difficult to set up at first. Not everyone has one, though; Jon is surprised Bryan has one. Perhaps only scouts are presumed to have them?
Points of Interest
- This is one of many early stories that assumes a small range for the curse; Jon remarks that he isn't safe to leave the Keep during autumn, implying that there are villages nearby untouched by the curse.
