Rite of Passage
Of all my friends in Kirkwall, Varric Tethras is the most visible and the most mysterious. He lives half of his life in everyone`s view at The Hanged Man tavern, and his door is open for all kind of visitors. He is a celebrated author and the heart of every good-natured party in the city`s many taverns. As for the other half of his life… When I first asked him, Varric said: "I`m not a good hero material, Hawke. I`m beardless and I write tall tales. What else do you want to know?" When I pointed out: "Well, you can grow a beard for a start", Varric just cut me off: "That`s not the point. I like it this way." I and my friends never guessed who Varric really was all those years until recently, after he was appointed Viscount. Some incredible rumors started to surface about the real extent of his merchant empire. But one thing never changed: Varric still spends a lot of time in his favorite tavern and room. The people of Kirkwall got used to treating him differently, based on location. He is "Hey, Varric!" at The Hanged Man and "Your Highness!" at the Viscount Palace. For me, he remains my best friend and constant companion.
The dragon refused to fly, despite Varric`s prolonged conjuring, cursing and even begging. Why is writing ever so painfully difficult? It`s almost easier to be an adventurer. Almost … he mumbled, looking at his last, interrupted sentence: The dragon soared followed by a long list of crossed out words: fast, slowly, happily, stupidly, gracefully, cursing, smiling. How to make a hundred feet monster to fly like, well … a dragon?
It was at this moment when a surprisingly supple object landed hard on his neck, pressing his face into the large pillow decorated with Paragon Tethras`s symbols. Something carrying a smell suspiciously close to a boot. After a very eloquent "Bmrtlmnd nmt fmnnm!" from Varric, the owner of said boots roared: "Varric, you are the biggest idiot ever born to any merchant family on the surface! It`s hard to believe you`ll reach the age of 20!".
At last, Varric was able to turn his head enough to free his mouth from the pillow: "I`ve noticed you already, Bartrand. The mirrors in my rooms are not just for appearance. Now be kind and move that stinky boot away from my nose. What do you want from me, anyway ?"
Bartrand removed the offending item from his little brother`s neck, glanced at the sheet of parchment filled with rather crossed out words than finished sentences and growled disapprovingly: "King Terric again, my little brother? How can you spend all your day by writing such nonsense instead of training or helping with the trade is beyond me ... I was much younger than you when I took charge of our family`s business. It pains me seeing you so indifferent."
Varric glanced at his brother`s serious and now expressionless face before answering: "I`m a second son, brother. You know how it is. Or rather you don`t know."
Bartrand narrowed his eyes, cleared his throat and started making some mocking sense: "I have to leave Kirkwall for an urgent business trip, so I am putting you in charge for a short time, your Majesty. Of course, if you could be bothered with …"
Bartrand never had a chance to finish his sentence. A completely surprised Varric froze for a moment, then jumped up, scribbled frantically something on the last parchment, shouted: "The dragon soared majestically!", jumped out of his bed and made a mock Orlesian reverence: "Bartrand, you are a rare gift of the Stone, a Paragon among dwarves! Now that I finally made my dragon fly I`m all yours. What kind of trip are you talking about? Is it dangerous? Is it to Orzamar or the Deep Roads? Should I go with you?
The newly named Paragon just stood there silent, with narrowed eyes locked into Varric`s and his right hand slowly moving toward his sword as if having a will of its own. "Are we spying now on our older brother, Varric? Is this what are you doing with all your free time?".
Having a notoriously bad-tempered brother for all your young life has the useful side effect of knowing how to dispel foul moods. Of course, if you are lucky to survive them long enough to answer: "So it`s about the Deep Roads then? I always wished to see an old Thaig! Maybe some of the old books survived, and …"
"I should have guessed," Bartrand said while he searched for an empty chair, found one less clustered with parchment and books, showed them to the floor with a grimace and sat down. "For you, the outside world is just a big story subject. It`s not Orzamar or the Deep Roads, but something between. A meeting with some thugs who might have an idea about how to reach an old lyrium mine. Such an opportunity is too good to pass."
"And just how did you learn about this, brother? Some new confidence men, a Carta member, or a supposed Grey Warden, like the last time?" said Varric while slightly shaking his head. "Everyone learned long ago that you are easy to catch with anything related to Orzamar, Deep Roads, and lyrium. It makes you an easy target for every swindler, even a fresh one. The usual practice is bad for business, Bartrand. You need to learn how to be more unpredictable."
"Like you, little brother? If anyone would want to end your useless life, one doesn`t even need to spy on you too much. You never leave this room much nowadays. Once an assassin learns where your room is, it`s game over for my dear brother Varric. Anyway, those stupid enough to sell me false info usually end up as fishmeal in the harbor. It`s not that I jump for every tall tale. We need new commercial deals if we want to stay in front. This one comes from Javaris. He got the scent of an old rumor about an abandoned lyrium mine. I need to go with him to meet some Deep Road scouts. If I learn anything useful about the location of such mine, it`s worth the time and effort. To own such a mine means being in the Big League, brother. No longer begging for scraps and second-hand deals."
"I know, Bartrand, as does every other dwarven merchant in Kirkwall worth its salt. It can be a scam, or worse. Not to mention that Javaris is notorious for broken deals and bad info. How he stays afloat is a miracle for me. But why all this have any connection with me? You never trusted our family`s business to me. Since you are planning just a short trip, why bother placing me in charge? You`ll be back in no time, and nobody from the Merchant Guild will know about your absence. Unless… there is something happening soon there, isn`t it?" Varric now eyed Bartrand suspiciously for the first time. "It`s something big, isn`t it? Something you cannot trust to your aides, something which requires a Tethras to be present in person. A Merchant Guild meeting is due soon, about an important issue. Am I right, brother?"
To Varric`s big surprise, Bartrand relaxed visibly and even smiled: "Say what you want, do pretend to be just a surfacer and a writer, but you`re a true dwarf to the core, brother. One who thinks first about family honor, and everything else comes as a distant second. Your mind is sharp and to the point. Yes, it`s a Guild meeting about trade with Orzamar and Tevinter. A committee of supervisors for the trade routes between Orzamar and Minrathous are due to arrive here in a few days, to discuss transport and trade concessions. Trade with Tevinter is very important for Orzamar, as it was well before the first Blight. And Kirkwall is an important station for many trade routes. Such a visit means one thing: the committee wants to appoint a new House to direct the trade which passes through Kirkwall. It`s probably the most important event for Kirkwall`s Merchant Guild in years."
"If this is the case, don`t you think that the Javaris business is just a bit too convenient, Bartrand? The perfect excuse to have you removed from Kirkwall at the right time. By the way, who is the current director for these trade routes?", asked Varric, suddenly quite worried.
Bartrand eyed his brother as if he saw him for the first time in years, or ever. Anyway, this kind of shit. "It may be so, brother. Quite possible. Torrold Meino owns the Orzamar trade through Kirkwall now, and he doesn`t want to lose it. And he`s quite capable of doing anything to secure the deal for House Meino for the future. But I have to do the trip with Javaris. If the mine is real and reachable, and House Tethras owns it, it`s like being a true Noble House again. Nobody outside Orzamar owns a lyrium mine. It`s a big risk to do this right now, but it`s worth it. Anyway, it`s also time for your rite of passage, little brother. So you see, not everything is just doom and gloom."
"The what?" a really alarmed Varric was able to say before he lost his voice for a moment.
"Your Rite of Passage, Varric. Every member of a merchant House has to pass it to become a full member. It`s like a Proving for a warrior. You need to assume the position of the House leader for a few days during an important event and deal with everything the Merchant Guild throws at you. Do it well, and you`ll become a respected member of the community. Do it wrong and you`ll become an outcast, and nobody will ever want to deal with you again. And this is a good time by my reckoning. House Tethras does not own the trade routes, so if you win the deal our House gains power and influence. If you lose, House Tethras maintains its status quo. No prestige or influence lost. Do you think I would be foolish enough to leave you to do this if we owned the routes? Now, dear brother, I`ll leave you to prepare for your first mission as a Guild member. Make House Tethras proud, First Merchant Varric." Bartrand said grinning broadly. A pleased grin, not a nasty one for a change. Then he got up and left the room, still smiling.
The room felt deserted and lifeless for several minutes. Then Varric got up and stared at the door, uttering a single-word comment: "Shit."
***
The tavern was the worst place ever for Varric, the fresh adventurer. Loud, full of smoke and soot, with plenty of vomit and garbage on the floor, and mostly vomit on every table. Everybody was talking at once, some even tried to sing several drunken songs at once, with drunken voices. In a far corner, some patrons entertained themselves with the traditional brawling and head-bashing. In a word, the usual Tavern from every story Varric has ever read or wrote.
It was called "The Hanged Man" and deep into Lowtown. The last place a Merchant Guild member will ever choose for a drink, and the main reason Varric was here this night. To experience the place, and also Lowtown. His probable new residence after the Guild meeting. Varric was absolutely convinced he will fail and will have to come here to live afterward.
After looking around one more time, Varric took a careful sip from his mug, only to spit it out in shock afterward. No wonder the tavern was so full of vomit. This beer was beyond foul. It seemed more like a carefully crafted stinky poison, attempting to kill the unlucky thirsty patron with both smell and taste. Varric would have been happy to exchange it for an Antivan brandy. Any brandy, in fact. But he figured out that soon this beer would be the only drink he`ll ever afford, so better start being used to it.
A slender non-descript waitress approached Varric`s table, took a short look at him, and stated: "You don`t look as enjoying your drink, Master dwarf. You are here for the second service, then?"
"The second service?" Varric asked, eyeing her suspiciously.
"News. Everybody is here for two and two things only: drinks and news" the woman said, looking with increased interest at her new client. "You`re here for the Orzamar committee. Just my guess."
"How do you …" Varric stopped abruptly and signed the woman to sit down. "What do you know about the committee?" asked Varric, placing casually a sovereign on the table.
The coin disappeared as by magic, and the woman`s voice became a low whisper: "A few important things. They arrived at Kirkwall less than an hour ago, before my shift started." The woman stopped abruptly and looked unblinkingly at Varric. Another sovereign appeared and disappeared the same way. "They arrived on an unmarked ship, apparently in secrecy". The same abrupt silence.
"Can you take me to the ship?" asked Varric with another gold coin.
"Yes, but not for this" answered the woman carefully.
Varric made a quick decision and placed all his remaining seven sovereigns on the table. "How about a full employment, starting this moment?"
The woman looked with an expressionless face at the coins, then at Varric. "I may be able to do that. What is the job?"
"Spymaster for House Tethras," said Varric with a suddenly very determined voice.
This time, the woman collected each coin slowly. Then asked: "What`s the first job, boss?"
"Take me to the ship right now. What`s your name?"
"Edwina."
***
They made it to the harbor at a brisk pace. Despite her height advantage, Edwina had to almost run in order to stay close to a very determined Varric. She kept glancing at her new boss, surprised by the radical change Varric went through in less than an hour.
The first time she saw him at the tavern`s table, Varric looked disoriented, lost, and on edge. Almost jumpy. Now he was acting almost like a prince or king, which was … Of course, she realized suddenly. Noble House Tethras from Orzamar. One of the exiled houses, a recent exile at that. In Orzamar her new boss would have been almost a prince at his age. Probably raised and groomed to be one. And dwarven nobles are very serious about intelligence gathering and spying – more like paranoid, in fact. Apparently, she has made a very good choice this time.
Varric stopped suddenly. "Where?" he asked.
"Third pier," came the answer.
The third pier was visible from where they were standing. There was no movement or light aboard any of the moored ships. Varric glanced briefly in the general direction of the ships, then started to move again, in the same decisive way. Away from the pier, and toward a secondary alley shrouded in darkness.
"Where are we … ?" dared to ask Edwina in a hushed voice.
"Warehouse 31," came again the brief answer.
Edwina almost stopped. What the… Oh, the safe place. She looked again curiously toward Varric. You`re much more than just a young dwarf, don`t you? This might be my best career move ever and to think I almost passed it … She kept the pace now with a new energy and goal.
If Edwina was constantly surprised by the new Varric, he was shocked inside. It was like something in his mind took control of him since he heard the words "Orzamar committee" in the tavern. Like some sort of a dwarven mind, growing slowly in the past years while accompanying Bartrand to the docks, ships, warehouses, markets and the smelly basement in Tethras mansion where his brother placed his real office. While reading business contracts and ledgers, books of Orzamar official history, dwarven symbolism and tradition. Bartrand, you bastard, cursed Varric with his own mind, you`ve always known this day will come. But you never ever warned me about this shitty Rite of Passage. You also knew I was prepared even before me, don`t you brother?
They approached the warehouse. Varric stopped and looked to the right side of it, searching for the hidden door. There, he thought and extracted the lockpick set from his pocket. Picking the lock was piece of cake for a well-practiced Varric, who "trained" constantly during nights in the family mansion. The door opened with a muffled click, and Varric followed by Edwina slipped silently through. They were in a small hall of the sort, with only one door in front of them. Varric opened it and entered. Edwina followed.
The room was relatively small but well lit. It was furnished with several beds and a large table. There were three middle-aged dwarves sitting at the table, opposite the door. They were rising slowly from their seats, their gaze fixed on Varric and Edwina.
"My Lord Dace," said Varric with a bow, looking at the dwarf in the middle. "Lord Helmi, Lord Aeducan," continued he, with slightly less pronounced bows, addressed to the other two dwarves. "Welcome to Kirkwall. I am Varric of House Tethras, at your service. I came to offer you proper accommodations during your stay in the city."
"How do you know who I am?" asked Dace surprised. "We`ve never met."
"Lord Anwer`s ceremonial Proving dagger is hard to miss, my lord," said Varric confidently. "Or the family heraldry on your tunics, gentlemen," continued he, looking also to the other two committee members. "I have expected your arrival for some time. May I escort you gentlemen to House Tethras`s mansion?"
"That`s hardly appropriate, master Varric," said Dace. "We are here for an official business, concerning Orzamar."
"This is why it would be more than appropriate, my lord. It`s unacceptable for high-ranking Orzamar officials to conduct any official business in such a place. Using House Tethras`s mansion as a residence would be bad manners only as guests of House Tethras. I am offering our mansion as a temporary residence for you, gentlemen. I will move out during your stay and negotiations with Kirkwall`s Merchant Guild."
Dace smiled and looked at his two companions. Both of them returned his smile and bowed slightly. "We accept your gracious offer, Lord Tethras. However, we have to discuss something with you in private," said Dace, looking at Edwina.
"She is my second and spymaster," answered Varric the silent question. "A former Antivan Crow, now loyal to me only. I trust her with my life."
It took Edwina all her training not to stare at Varric. But she succeeded to keep her pose.
"I see. Well then, let`s sit for a brief moment, gentlemen," said Dace. He continued, after all of them sat down, with Varric and Edwina opposite the three dwarfs: "We were dispatched at the request of Lord Anwer Dace and under the patronage of King Endrin to conduct an investigation concerning the activities of Lord Torrold Meino on our behalf. There are many rumors about misconduct, illegal appropriation of profit and changes of ownership. If what we find will prove these rumors true, we are authorized to renegotiate our concessions with the Kirkwall Merchant Guild."
"If this is the case, you gentlemen will find House Tethras`s mansion suitable in many ways," said Varric with a smile. There are several documents of great interest to you. And of course, you will have our House clerks at your disposal for any kind of investigation you wish to conduct."
"Then let`s go. It`s late, and we just finished a long journey," concluded Dace and got up. All the other participants imitated him.
***
Varric was busy stuffing everything needed in a sturdy bag, crossing his room in precise movements to retrieve vital supplies when Edwina cleared her throat and asked with a whispering voice: "Boss, how did you … ?"
"Your bargaining technique," Varric interrupted her bluntly. "It`s a standard procedure for Crows. Since you fell for it, it`s obvious that you were a Crow, escaped here for some reason and started this information selling business only recently. My offer is your best chance to survive the thing you are hiding from. Any other details can wait. Catch!" he finished, tossing a supple garment toward her. Edwina caught it using both hands. "Daggers, then," commented Varric, retrieving two broad, menacing and razor-sharp ones from a hidden wall cache and presenting them to her, hilt first. "Noble hidden cloth body armor and Legionnaire Scout daggers," answered the dwarf her raised eyebrows. You`ll need them. You can change in the closet."
"Leaving the Committee members alone in your House`s mansion seems like a dangerous move to me. They`ll be able to find your secret documents and deals," whispered Edwina. "It could mean the downfall of your House."
"Offering the mansion was my only bargaining alternative. Our House`s documents are safe and out of sight. But some very useful and incriminating ones are displayed in my brother`s office. Concerning House Meino`s recent deals, " said Varric. You were prepared in advance, don`t you brother? All those documents displayed in your office since last week, at hand for me to read them, together with a detailed schedule of Merchant Guild events for the month. Everything displayed nicely for me to peruse. Varric sighed, thinking about his bastard of a brother.
Varric pocketed, at last, the signet ring of House Tethras and turned to leave his room and the mansion. He watched Edwina emerging, with the hilts of the twin daggers just detectable under her servant outfit, and the dwarven body armor barely visible, even with his trained eyes. Edwina looked much more relaxed and confident that she appeared all evening. Varric nodded slightly: "Let`s go. We have much work to do. In the next few days, you will serve also as a messenger between me and the Committee. I need a good plan for tomorrow."
***
The next morning Varric was sitting in his new room at The Hanged Man, near the fireplace, sipping from a glass of Orzamar ale. And still smirking. The idea was outrageous, even crazy. But it could work. And if they`ll accept it …
The door opened almost silently and Edwina entered. She looked quite confused.
"Well?" asked a smiling Varric.
"They said yes. And that it`s a good plan. And they were smirking and laughing the entire time. I don`t really understand, boss. I know that dwarfs take politics very seriously. Just like Antiva. And it often involves lots of dead bodies. What was so funny in your letter that they couldn`t stop laughing?" Edwina looked at Varric, curious.
"Orzamar politics are dead serious, always. Let`s just say that my proposal was … err … a bit unconventional."
Edwina nodded still a bit uncertain and turned to leave.
"Did someone followed you?" asked suddenly Varric.
"No, boss. It`s still dark. At least an hour until sunrise," answered Edwina turning around to face him.
"We still have some time then. Time for me to know some details," said Varric pointing to an empty chair near the fireplace.
Edwina sat down a bit reluctantly, cleared her throat and started: "I was part of a team tasked with a job here in Kirkwall. My part was to scout ahead, survey the target`s house and alert the team about any mischief or countermeasures. I saw nothing suspicious. My team entered the house and was whipped out. I was the only survivor."
"And you cannot go back to your Guild because they`ll obviously think you sold them out," completed Varric. "Who was the target?"
"Paolo D`Agostini from Treviso. He is a merchant here."
"I`ve heard of him. He deals with silk and finery," said Varric, looking to his new spymaster. "He must have made some connections in Kirkwall, and these alerted him. Kirkwall is not Antiva City but it`s packed full of gangs, including the dwarven Carta. There is plenty of muscle here for hire, for any kind of job." He poured her a large glass of Antivan brandy. "All this is over for you. Since you are now part of House Tethras, no Antivan Guild will be foolish enough to target you for just a suspicion. Especially as a spymaster." And if this it`s not enough, I may be able to "persuade" them to look away.
"I know, boss. And thank you. But I want to reach my own closure," said Edwina with a very determined tone.
"I understand," said Varric looking at her. If I learn anything about your former target, you`ll be the first to know. Now, I need your spies for a surveillance mission."
"My spies?" asked Edwina suddenly alert.
"Your team of spies," answered Varric with a smile. The ones who alert you about anything interesting or suspicious happening around Kirkwall. I`m sure some of them are right now just downstairs. I need to use them since House Tethras`s own spies won`t be suitable for this job."
"Right, boss. Who is the target?" said Edwina smiling now.
"Torrold Meino. You know him?" asked Varric, then continued after she nodded: "Put your team around his mansion and your best spy to follow Meino and shadow him for the next two days. And I want constant reports about his movements. This is vital for the whole plan."
"The whole job will be over in two days?"
"Yes. And if all will end as I expect, House Tethras will be the first merchant House in Kirkwall, and you`ll have a better job than any Antivan Guildmaster. But first, we need to do everything right these two days."
***
The next day, a dashing and foolishly smiling Varric stood in front of the Merchant Guild meeting hall`s door. He wore his best official outfit and looked eager to start a new career as a Kirkwall merchant. Around him, the usual pandemonium of a very busy trade house reached its early afternoon stage. Traders shouting prices for shiploads of goods, ship captains and caravan masters writing reports, rich merchants exchanging goods, gossip or both at small business tables, while sipping expensive brandy or wine and smoking everything known in Thedas. Or so it appeared to Varric, who hated smoking. He smiled for the last time to the First Chamberlain Orrick and announced himself to the doorman.
Amidst the announce: "Varric of House Tethras!" he entered a room spread around a large marble table, with twelve throne-like chairs around it. Eleven were already filled by menacing-looking dwarfs. Nobody turned his head to notice him. Varric stepped forward and sat on the free chair. The next moment, the chair was thrown viciously by a powerful kick, with the hapless Varric ending splattered on the floor, with the face in the general direction of the table and its occupants.
"That`s more like it!" said a middle-aged very strong looking dwarf with a reddish beard. "The floor is the place for beardless kids. This table is for dwarfs only."
"Master Torrold, I`m here on behalf of Bartrand …" started Varric to explain himself. "I know. And this is your seat" said Torrold, pointing to the floor. "Take it or leave."
Varric got up, dusted himself very slowly, said "Good day, gentlemen!" and left the room. Torrold grinned broadly, looked around to the all smiling Guild members and said: "This looks like the shortest Rite of Passage in Kirkwall`s history. Let`s go celebrate."
Outside the room, Varric heard him and smiled.
***
The same evening, the returning Guild members were greeted by loud shouts and laughter coming from their meeting room. "What`s this nonsense?" growled Torrold and kicked the door open, then stood there in disbelief.
The room seemed an extension of the tavern they just left, with the table full of ale mugs and wine cups, in front of drunken dwarves all shouting and banging the table in rhythm. A somewhat less drunk dwarf was standing on top of the table, reciting some dwarvish nonsense mentioning nugs way too often.
Torrold recovered quickly, strode forward, grabbed the standing dwarf by the collar, tossed him to the floor and kicked him out of the room, helped by the immaculately polished marble floor`s innate smoothness. "Stay out, moron! And all of you, follow your friend double quick unless you want to slide after him!" growled Torrold. The room cleaned out faster than expected from a bunch of drunken dwarfs close to stupor.
"Orrick!" roared Torrold, angry beyond belief. "Who dared to let those idiots in our meeting room?"
"It was me, your lordship. They are the members of the Dwarven Poetry Club, and tonight a nug poetry meeting was scheduled. Unfortunately, so many members turned in tonight that I had no other large enough room to offer them than this one, and … " started Orrick to explain himself. He was interrupted by a serious punch in the face from the angered Torrold.
"Cut it off, man! Get out! You`re lucky to be a good servant, otherwise …". By the time he reached the threat, Orrick was nowhere to be seen.
Torrold calmed down, then sat at the top of the table, motioning the other members to occupy their seats. "Now, about the trade and transport concessions with Orzamar and Minrathous. The committee is due to arrive any day now. This is what I think we should do …"
***
The next day around noon, a very pleased Torrold sat in his high-backed chair at the head of the meeting table, smiling. The deals with the other members went smoothly, better than expected. Everyone seemed quite subdued after his recent exaggerated bursts of anger, as he anticipated. After yesterday`s display, no one dared to even interrupt him anymore. Confronting him … was perhaps as likely as daring to stand in front of an angry dragon. Torrold was pleased even with that nonsense poetry competition, which offered him the chance to display his calculated violence twice more, practically beating all the other members of the Council into submission without resorting to long speeches and tiresome negotiations. The things he really hated all his life. He would have preferred to become a warrior instead of a surface merchant. But it was a family order…
But today it was a good day to be a dwarven merchant.
That is, up to this moment. Because the meeting room opened way too soon. And in came Worthy the merchant, with an official dispatch box under his right arm. Worthy stopped a few paces in front of the table, opened the box, extracted a suspiciously short gilded parchment and said: "Lord Torrold, my lords, I was delegated to present this letter from the Orzamar Committee for your consideration."
Worthy started to read the letter: "After a short and unpleasant deliberation, the Committee decided to remove any trade and transport concession concerning Kirkwall from House Meino with immediate effect. All concessions will be transferred to House Tethras starting today at noon." Worthy paused and placed the document on the table in front of a stunned Torrold. "Below are the signatures of every committee member. Have a good day, my lords".
Worthy saluted and turned to leave. "Stop!" Roared Torrold "Do you know the reason for this nonsense?" asked him shaking with anger.
"Why do you even need to ask, Lord Meino, after what you have done with the Head member Jorrin Dace last evening? I think you should have expected this outcome," said Worthy rather politely.
"What? I never even saw …" started to argue Torrold, then stopped, with a sudden nightmarish idea emerging in his mind. "The poet I kicked out yesterday was Jorrin then."
"Yes. And Lord Dace is quite convinced you had some good reasons to do so." added a helpful Worthy. "Good day, my lords."
Torrold stood stunned for a few minutes, in a very uncomfortable silence. Then got up and stormed out.
***
About two hours later, Varric and his new spymaster were deep in conversation at a table in The Hanged Man. The table was well obscured by a pillar, so nobody entering the tavern was able to see them. And anyway, Varric was barely recognizable in his servant outfit.
"Are you sure?" was Varric saying. Edwina looked at him half amused. "As I said, he was meeting with Short Tobias. Some of Shorty`s crew were also present". Short Tobias was a giant Carta leader, the most vicious and ruthless of them. A nice piece of work. Varric nodded: "As expected. Anything else?"
"They placed several spies around Tethras mansion. No other movements." Said a very confident Edwina.
"Then it`s tonight," said an equally confident Varric. Torrold needs to do it or he`ll lose any chance to retain control over the transport concession. He has no choice now but to make House Tethras "unavailable" for the official transfer of all concessions, due tomorrow at noon. So he`ll move tonight to finish me off.
"Do you need company, boss?" asked her slightly concerned, looking at Varric`s beardless young face.
"No. You know, I think I`m starting to enjoy this charade. I don`t know why I never thought about a career as a spy agent. It looks like a lot of fun."
"Sometimes, boss. But most often is either boring or deadly" said matter-of-factly the new spymaster.
"Oh well, you can`t have everything. Now, this is what I need you to do…"
***
Varric was seated on an ornate pillow in the middle of his bed, reading a book about a very lucky Antivan Crow. The night was quite warm, but the window of his room stood closed. He just reached a very exciting episode when the door started to open quietly.
"Do come in, Torrold. You and your friends are all invited." said a cheerful Varric. Torrold and five others slowly entered the room, Shorty among them.
"Have a seat, Master Torrold" Varric gestured toward the only chair in the room, the one used by Bartrand a few days before.
Torrold sat down slowly, constantly watching Varric`s face. "Do you know why I`m here?" asked Torrold very calmly. "To apologize for your behavior, I guess," said a happy-sounding Varric. "To strangle you with your own innards, for stealing my concessions. Then I`ll impale you and leave your body at the entrance."
"I`m sorry to hear this, Torrold dear. So let`s talk business" said Varric and closed his book suddenly. Instantly, dozens of crossbow bolts filled the room from every direction, peppering everyone except Varric and Torrold.
"You`ve missed!" an angry Torrold roared, drawing his sword.
"On the contrary. You`re already dead, dear Torrold. You just don`t know it yet" said Varric, then jumped up and disappeared in a cloud of smoke.
A stunned Torrold retreated slowly toward the door, listening frantically to any sound or noise. He heard nothing except his heartbeat. When he was close enough to the door, he reached out with his armed right hand to open it, when a vicious cut severed the tendons of his forearm, then a hard kick shattered his right knee. Torrold stumbled backward, trying to catch his falling sword with the left hand when a slender blade cut the Achille`s tendon of his left leg while another almost severed his left forearm completely.
Torrold hit the ground hard on his back and his head made a sick noise. Varric`s face appeared in his field of vision, just inches in front of him. "I never understood men like you, Torrold. Always acting so sure and decisive, and always so stupidly. You never thought that something is amiss when your spies reported that I`m all alone this evening? And how can you forget about Durin, my father`s second and cousin, who incidentally was one of the greatest Proving champions in Orzamar`s history? Do you think he never taught me anything, despite being his favorite nephew? Goodbye, Torrold" said Varric and cut his throat with both blades.
***
Varric and Edwina were returning to The Hanged Man after safely escorting the Orzamar Committee members to their nondescript ship. They were quite pleased to finish the job so fast and eager to catch the morning tide.
It was a warm night and Varric was enjoying the soft breeze. "We will stay at The Hanged Man until morning, just in case. To avoid a surprise encounter with Shorty`s friends."
"Sounds good, boss. I still don`t understand several things, though. I had the impression that Orzamar`s and Antivan politics are similar. But the Committee acted very strangely. Why would they accept an offer from House Tethras - a clearly interested party? Why would Jorrin Dace and the others accept a plan which required them to be humiliated by Torrold? I know that dwarves are very proud and quick to react if insulted, so it just doesn't make any sense to me," asked Edwina confused. "And why would they accept such a crazy plan – based on a nug poetry competition? It sounds all too childish to me. No offense." she added quickly.
"It`s quite straightforward. Offering the mansion was my right, and it served to meet Dace and to learn the true intentions behind the Committee`s arrival. When Dace explained that they are searching for proof, all became clear. There is no such thing as a neutral investigation in Orzamar. When there is a search for proof, it means that the decision was already made, and the evidence is needed just to support it. It was clear to me that Orzamar wanted House Meino removed from the trade deal. This also explained why they accepted my offering of the family mansion as a temporary residence. Since I was the first representative of a Merchant House to contact them, they enlisted me for the job. More than that, they already knew that I will help them."
"How could they know that you will work with them?"
"Because it was House Meino who provided the proof against my House when we were exiled. Every dwarf in Orzamar or on the surface worth its salt knows what this means: our houses are in conflict because of this. Dace knew it and Meino also knew it. And this was also the key to the plan.
I went to the Guild meeting expecting a humiliation from Meino. It happened. Also, Meino already guessed or was informed about Orzamar`s plan to remove him from the trade deals. But he failed to notice the arrival of the Committee – this is why Dace and the others came in secrecy. Meino is a brutal man, and I expected that he will act very aggressively in the days before the Committee arrives. Just to establish some a control over the Guild Council. It`s how he acted in the past. So I proposed Dace the nug poetry gambit. Nug poetry competitions are an old Orzamar tradition. All I needed to do was to bribe Chamberlain Orrick to let the poetry contest being held at the meeting room. Dace needed to be directly offended by Torrold. And exactly this is what happened. This gave Dace the perfect motive and right to remove House Meino from the trade. All I had to do next is to prepare for Torrold`s assassination attempt against me. He must have been mad after losing the concession to a kid.
I had to be seen as alone in the mansion, so all my servants were told to leave, except my chamberlain hidden in the secret room with the three Orzamar dwarves. I waited for your signal from outside – that Torrold and the assassins are entering the mansion. At my signal, the chamberlain activated the crossbows, killing Shorty and the Carta assassins and leaving only Torrold and me alive, as planned. The crossbows were placed as to miss my bed and Torrold`s chair. I needed to kill Torrold myself since he directly offended me and House Tethras with my humiliation at the Guild meeting and the assassination attempt. And Dace served as a witness.
All this means that House Meino is finished on the surface. It`s probably what House Dace planned from the start. And I avenged my father and House Tethras."
"The famous dwarven honor. All this was about dwarven honor?" asked Edwina incredulously.
"Honor and status," noded Varric.
The next morning, an armor-clad Varric entered the Merchant Guild meeting room, carrying a golden and large dispatch box. His armor was an old Tethras relic and Durin`s favorite one. The exact one he used at the Provings.
Varric stopped in front of the table, near the front seat occupied usually by Torrold and now empty. All ten Council members watched him silently, confused by his outfit and behavior. And also by Torrold`s unusual absence.
Casually, Varric opened the box, extracted Torrold`s head, placed it on the table in front of the empty seat. "Lords, my negotiations with lord Meino are finished. Any Council member open for negotiations concerning the trade and transport deal with Orzamar is invited to do so with me personally at the Tethras mansion. This is my last visit to the Merchant Guild House. An excellent day, gentlemen." Then he turned around and left the room in stunned silence.
***
A few days later a tired Bartrand entered Tethras mansion. To his surprise, Varric was in the main hall, greeting him.
"Good day, little brother. How was your Rite of Passage?" asked Bartrand with a rather bored voice. "Nothing special, brother. I won the trade and transport concessions for our house" said calmly Varric.
"You did what?" shouted Bartrand surprised. "All concessions, you say, everything? What about House Meino and Torrold?"
"House Meino is no more, brother. They agreed to my terms and came over to House Tethras" said Varric matter-of-factly.
"And Torrold?" insisted a shocked Bartrand. "All that remained of Torrold is his head, and I left it at the Merchant Guild house. I don`t know what they did with it" explained casually Varric.
Bartrand suddenly felt an irresistible urge to sit down and digest all these incredible news. He looked to Varric`s calm face for several minutes, shaking his head.
"Anything else I should know, brother?" asked him finally.
"From now on, I`m moving out. I`ve rented a permanent room at The Hanged Man Tavern. It`s in Lowtown, you know." Varric stood up:
"Goodbye, brother. I have some business to attend. We`ll see each other tomorrow morning". Then he left.
It took a few minutes for Bartrand to realize two things: Varric was long gone, and he never asked anything about his trip.
***
That evening, Varric and Edwina were seated in the beardless dwarf`s new room, sipping some exotic-tasting Orlesian brandy.
"Boss, I`ve heard something strange today. It seems that you have kind of a strange reputation as a writer. I wonder if …"
"It`s true. I AM a writer. Or at least I`m trying to be one."
"But it doesn`t … "
"Fit too well with the recent events? It`s a bit surprising even for me. All my life I wanted to become a storyteller. I wrote many stories so far, about every nation and race from Thedas. Including Orzamar, of course. So I needed to read a lot of lore about all those places, customs, and history. And all this came together during this Rite of Passage."
"The what?" asked a surprised Edwina.
"The Rite of Passage. A ritual that every young son of a Merchant Guild family has to pass in order to become a full merchant. This was my Rite, apparently. Anyway, the funny thing is that everything I`ve read and researched for my stories helped me to pull this off."
"So why are you here then, instead of celebrating in your mansion?"
"I am celebrating" smiled Varric. "It`s less crowded here."
Edwina watched Varric for a time in silence, studying his face. Then she started smiling.
"So, how long you are planning to stay here at the Hanged Man?"
"For a while. Maybe a bit longer."
"That suits me perfectly." Edwina`s smile broadened. "I`m staying here too for a while."
"You should be more concerned about your former Guild."
"I am, boss. Waiting for them. With inviting daggers. Goodnight, boss. It was a pleasant evening."
Edwina smiled for one last time, then stood up and left.
"Good hunting, spymaster" muttered a sleepy Varric toward the closed door.
This tale has a rather awkward history. Varric told it to me after I tricked him into a drinking contest with some very old Antivan brandy, during a celebration of his latest novel. That was some time ago, but fortunately, I remained sober enough to be able to write it down in my journal. Then recently I presented the story to Varric and asked for permission to publish it in Kirkwall`s newspaper. Varric said just: "If you want to embarrass yourself, go ahead". So here it is. I don`t know how much of it is true, or how much is just Antivan brandy. Still, the fact is that Varric lived in The Hanged Man for many years, and a lot of strange people kept visiting him day and night. Also, sometimes Varric is harsher than a dwarven legionnaire. So it`s quite possible to be entirely true, and maybe the real events were even more gruesome. As for why Varric decided suddenly to leave his family mansion and move to a Lowtown tavern, my guess is that he had multiple reasons: He realized that The Hanged Man is the best place to hear any worthwhile news in Kirkwall, and thus an ideal place for a spy network, with his fantasy writing a perfect cover. Also, he felt that it`s a safer place than the Tethras mansion after he frightened the Guild Council and more importantly Bartrand. The best option for Varric was to hide until all of them have forgotten what really happened – the most dangerous dwarf in all Kirkwall just turned single-handedly the entire Merchant Guild upside down.
Of course, you can ask, all these events happened a long time ago. So why is Varric still staying at The Hanged Man? Especially since his brother Bartrand is no longer of any threat? Well, I don`t have any proven answers, only some guesses. It`s likely that the newly acquired role of a spy and intrigue-master blended too well with his old passion for writing. For both interests the tavern was by far the best place in Kirkwall. Not to mention the audience. The Hanged Man has become Varric`s personal stage for his stories, with the best audience. And he is practically the tavern`s main attraction. I`ve heard about many foreign visitors passing through Kirkwall only to sit a few evenings at The Hanged Man in the hope to hear a new, still unpublished story from the famous non-bearded dwarven storyteller.
Mutual benefits, then. And as any dwarf, Varric is also quite practical.