Travellers' Rest - James Enge

Novelette

Number of words : 8500
Percent of complex words : 9.1
Average syllables per word : 1.4
Average words per sentence : 16.5


READABILITY INDICES

Fog : 10.2
Flesch : 68.0
Flesch-Kincaid : 7.9


CHARACTERS

Morlock

A travelling master maker and swordsman. Scary legends of him abound.

Wyrth

Morlock's dwarven maker apprentice.

Sunlar

The Travellers' Rest hostetler who runs the place with his wife.

Gar Vindisc

Old woman who owns the local stream.

Raelio

The hosteller's daughter and waitress.

Kyrkylio

A lifemaker experimenting on the children of the town.

Iagiawôn the Many-Handed

Kyrkylio's swordsman enforcer, a hybrid creation with six arms and insect-like carapace protection.

Ambrosia Viviana

Morlock's sister. The dark eminence behind the imperial throne of Ontil.

Iuinoe

Raelio's sister, taken by Kyrkylio and turned into a spider-ape hybrid monstrosity.

Vikel

Iuinoe lies about him.


PLACES

Boulostreion

A small depopulated run down town south of the Dholich Khund.

Traveller's Rest

The inn at Boulostreion.


WEAPONS

Tyrfing

Morlock's magical sword that comes when he calls.


ANIMALS

Shellbacks

Cattle modified to be more beetle-like.

Crow

A messenger for Morlock, who can talk to them.


CONCEPTS

God Sustainer

Dwarven deity.

Scasp-chewing branticules

People that are likely to dine and dash.


FOOD

Thrinnel

Buttermilk.

Shellback

Cow-beetle meat in various cuts.


PLOT

Morlock and Wyrth are travelling, and find a place to hopefully stay and eat for a while in a small town. They notice strange cow-beetles while entering the town. The innkeeper lets slip he has two daughters, even though only one is present, and the town seems very deserted.

If seems another maker lives nearby, and is taking the children of the town under threat of taking the parents. He is using them in sorcerous experiments at making hybrid-human animal monsters. One of these is his enforcer, tasked with gathering children. Six-armed and beetle-like, Morlock takes a terminal view of such activity. Beating a six-armed and all weaponed competent warrior takes some work, though.

They are really just as scared of Morlock thanks to the stories about him, but he sends a message to Kyrkylio, demanding a meeting so that he can find out what has happened to the other daughter.

On being given a tour by the not wholly human lifemaker, he sees an opportunity for poetic justice, releasing a monstrous creation that soon dispatches the lifemaker.

Morlock and Wyrth then spend some time in making and surgery, returning those who can be altered back enough to make it worth it to their homes, including the severely traumatised and suicidal Iuinoe, Raelio's sister. Then they move on.


3.5 out of 5

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