Summary
Adon Naharel, the last of his clan from the Kelmar Clanlands, is accompanying a merchant caravan into a mountain valley in the Midlands. His snow leopard soul guide senses danger ahead, and he readies his weapons. Sure enough, bandits fire a swarm of arrows upon them, but Adon avoids injury and attacks back. When it becomes clear Adon is no ordinary guard, a paladin emerges and calls for him to stand down, as he is worth more than whatever this caravan pays him. Adon refuses, and the bandits redouble their attack. Adon assists the surviving guards with the last of the bandits, but one of their biggest foes drops his battle axe on Adon's head, knocking him out.
The caravan is able to bring Adon to the Keep to recover. More than a week passes before Adon awakes. He does not wish to stay, but Coe explains that the Keep already has a place for him. Adon asks for one of his swords back; his honor demands it.
After another long sleep, Adon awakes to find stripes on his arm. He takes a robe from Coe to explore the Keep. Within minutes, he finds his new quarters, his name written in Kelmar runes, and his belongings already inside. After unpacking his weapons and arming himself, he is visited by Copernicus, who wishes to show him around the Keep.
After seeing a few of the locations, Adon washes himself in the baths before visiting the Deaf Mule. He has a drink, meets a Samoyed morph named Drift, and practices throwing his knives at a target.
That night, Adon dreams of his soul guide Oberon, who wants to help him one last time through his changes. He charges, and Adon shifts into a white tiger morph. Adon awakes to find himself in the same form.
After equipping his weapons and eating, he practices in the inner ward. A fox morph with a black axe asks if he is new. Adon introduces himself, and calls himself Oberon in honor of his soul guide. The fox introduces himself as Misha Brightleaf and invites him to a friendly spar. Misha is an equal match for Oberon, but Oberon loses due to his unfamiliar body. They complement each other's skill.
Oberon is about to practice his archery when his new claws snap his bow string. That night, he prays to his gods for guidance what to do tomorrow and for the future here at Metamor.
Cast
Main characters:
- Adon Naharel / "Oberon": A Kelmar warrior. His full name (rarely used in public) is Adòn Naharél Sahana’Haudorn of the Sundering Stone Clan.
- As a human, he had long dark hair and golden eyes. He had many scars on his torso from a long life of battle.
- As a morph, he is a foot and a half taller, and covered in thick black and white striped fur.
- He carries a massive amount of weapons and armor on his person.
- Among his armor, he wears shoulder pauldrons and a double chest plate. He wears a belt with double baldrics, some boots, and a dark grey hooded cloak. One of the baldrics has an enamelled snow tiger head that fits over the middle of his torso. His plainclothes consist of a plain black leather vest and breaches.
- He also has wide variety of swords and weapons for any kind of combat.
- For guarding the caravan, he carries a long bow on his back, six throwing knives, a half-longsword, and a short sword.
- For exploring, he carries a quiver on his right baldric, and a twin set of single-handed double-bladed straight-edged sabers on his left baldric.
- In his homeland, he was merely an adequate bowman. He is still good enough to hit every target he fires at.
- In his homeland, the Kelmar Clanlands, he was a Swordmaster of the Black. He was exiled from his homeland after the other members of the Sundering Stone Clan were eliminated by a rival clan.
- He is over 65 years old. He has had a soul guide since he was 15.
- He has spent the last 55 years fighting, and the last 28 years wandering the Midlands as a mercenary.
- As a Kelmar, he heals faster than ordinary humans.
- He carries a chest that contains all of his unused weapons and clothing. It also contains an enchanted false bottom that can access all of his other possessions.
Supporting characters:
- Oberon: Adon's soul guide, who takes the form of a snow leopard.
- As a Soul Guide, he can never be specific about his information. He is able to assess the danger of locations and people. He also acts as an intercessor to the gods if Adon displeases them.
- Sometimes he would visit Adon in his dream. There is a game they like to play where Oberon charges at Adon at full speed and Adon wrestles him as he is knocked down.
Minor characters:
- Coe: A raccoon morph, the Keep physician.
- Copernicus: A lizard morph who gives newcomers tours of the Keep.
- He is at least half a foot taller than Oberon's original height.
- Misha: A fox morph
Cameo:
- The master of the merchant caravan. He is the first one killed in the raid.
- Guy DeHarancourte: A Knight of the Holy Order. He leads the bandits and fails to convince Adon to stand down. His name is not given here.
- He is a large man wearing fine armor.
- A large bandit. He wore a rough jerkin and carried a massive battle axe. He was disemboweled by Adon, but his axe knocked Adon out, forcing him to recover in Metamor.
- Jasmine: Coe's assistant.
- A child morph serving girl at the Deaf Mule.
- Drift: A Samoyed morph. He is warned against drinking too much.
Referenced:
- Eli: The Ecclesian god.
- Kryta: A name Adon cries before battle, apparently a ruler of paradise.
- Kyia: The spirit of Metamor Keep.
- Savnator: A Kelmar god.
- Adon's father. Adon remembers his advice: "You never get anywhere by looking at what might have been."
Locations
- Adon's hometown in the Kelmar Clanlands was called Hollow Stone.
- The road to Metamor Adon uses follows a steep treacherous path, with a cliff on the west side and mountain slopes on the east. It is especially dangerous in the early spring when the snows melt and turn it muddy.
- The location of the paladin-led bandit attack was just outside of Metamor's domain.
- This story is an example of the Keep responding to thinking of a destination.
- The door to Adon's room is marked by Adon's full name in five Kelmar runes. Inside by the door are twenty pegs for Adon's weapons.
- Among the locations mentioned at the Keep are the Deaf Mule, the Baths, and the Library. In the inner keep are some military areas, such as the Arsenal Tower, the archery range, the parade grounds, and the practice grounds.
Society
- Swordmasters of the Kelmar Clanlands are ranked by color, indicating their combat level. A Swordmaster of the Black is a formidable combatant compared to most swordsmen, yet they are outranked by Swordmasters of the Bronze and even more by Swordmasters of the Silver.
- Every Kelmar warrior has a Soul Guide, invisible to those who aren't Kelmar. They take the form of an animal, indistinguishable in every way from a real animal except for the additional ability to speak in Kelmar.
- Adon compares his headache to a "Ptaen Death Spiral".
- A Kelmar warrior's soul and honor is bound to their weapons. Taking a Kelmar's sword away is akin to taking away their honor.
Chronology
- This story takes place over about one and a half weeks.
- The Deaf Mule appears fully functional, despite taking place in spring just after the Winter Assault. In fact, there is no indication that the keep is still being rebuilt.
- Drift refers to a drugged ale he had, a reference to Temper.
