Swamped

Stop her because you have to warn her about something!!!

we're all on the same side here, viper

"Hold on," you say. "Rivers, there's something real dangerous happening, and I don't know exactly how, but Marshall's involved in it."

"Are you talking about the poison, or the fever or whatever it turned out to be?" Rivers asks. "Because I take care of myself."

"No, not that... well, it might be connected, I don't know enough to say for sure. But the bigger point is, there are spies in the Marshguards. Spies who, for whatever reason, want to get ahold of Marshall."

You turn to Mudviper.

"Which is why we both need to know what the hell is going on here. We need to know just what we're up against. You're already deep in this, and that means we'll get mixed up in it too, whether you tell us or not."

"I suppose you're right," Mudviper sighs. "You've likely already made enemies, so it's best you know why they're after you."

She sits up.

"Well, let's start with Marshall's father. Since that's the whole reason you came here and got caught up in all this. I should warn you, I don't know exactly where he is - you'd have to ask Rider about that. But I imagine you still have questions that I could clear up, don't you?"

You're now Marshall. And you're incredibly nervous. You still haven't seen your father, but at last you're about to get some answers.

But what's your first question?

SpoilerShow

Feel free to suggest questions from Corvus and Rivers, too.

Why he never explains things?

is razor my dad

"Why hasn't he tried to contact me? I've spent seven long years wondering where he is, and I haven't heard anything."

"Because your father has enemies," Mudviper says. "He thought he could get away from them, but seven years ago, we found out that they'd tracked him down. They bear a deeper grudge than any of us ever suspected."

"I've got a guess as to who 'they' are," Corvus says suddenly. "Kandria, right? Razor said they're desperate to recapture rebels among our ranks."

"Correct. But we never quite figured out why. Our best guess was that they feared we'd stage another revolution from the swamp, but surely by now they'd realize how unlikely it is we'd be able to pull that off. Of course, I suppose the paranoia of the ruling class knows no bounds..."

"What does my father have to do with the revolution?" you ask.

"Well, going back about twenty or so years ago, Kandria was every bit as brutal as they are today. It was a terror to live there. Every day, you lived in fear that some noble with a petty grudge would find an excuse to lock you up for years." Mudviper pauses a bit to regain her composure. "But they also valued knowledge, and so they welcomed outside scholars. Such as your father."

"So he could work with the resistance. Smuggle things, maybe even people, in and out of the kingdom," you say. "Is that what happened?"

"You've got the basics of it. But he was more than just a smuggler; he was a link between groups that couldn't risk contacting each other directly. Our biggest operation was made possible because of Christopher Laikenne."

She looks down for a moment.

"And it was also our greatest failure. It's when everything started to go wrong."

"What happened?"

Much to your surprise, that question came from Sandra... Rivers, you correct yourself. Maybe she's not as detached as she'd like to think.

"That's a complex question. I'll need to start by explaining what we were trying to do..."

SpoilerShow

That's 366 Swamped updates, one every day for a whole year.

Thanks for reading, everyone.

"It has something to do with ducks. I know it sounds ridiculous but let me explain."

"The operation was targeted at a specific noble. Much of his family's wealth came from their duck farms - they sold eggs, down, and the meat itself. So our plan was to steal all the ducks."

"All the ducks," you say, finding this a little hard to process.

"It would cripple his finances. The point was more to demonstrate what we could do, in hopes of forcing the King and court to the negotiating table. It was large-scale, but limited in the damage it would do. If we were forced to act again, we'd do worse."

"But you said it went wrong." You're finding yourself really curious about this part.

"Well. The operation itself wasn't the issue. It didn't go well, but only about a tenth of us were caught. The rest aborted before there was too much trouble, though we did get two farms' worth. A failure, true, but in itself, not disastrous."

"So what happened?" Rivers asks. You notice Corvus is looking thoughtful.

"On that same day, the King was assassinated. He was found dead in the throne room, with the captain of the guard standing over his body. The nobles pushed the story that the farm raids were just a diversion; an excuse for the captain to order men away and claim personal responsibility for 'protecting' the king. He was found guilty, and barely tried to fight it; he said only that he had failed in his duty. The captured rebels were, of course, tried as his 'accomplices' and given even harsher sentences than they otherwise would have."

You're starting to feel a little lost.

"Weren't we talking about my father?"

Mudviper chuckles a little.

"Well. Let me say this much. The captain did have one fierce advocate at his trial - his younger brother. A man by the name of Henry Vall."

"Henry! Is this how he and my father met?"

"Not quite. Henry was already working with the rebellion - and he knew that his brother wasn't. Wherever his sympathies might lie, the captain took his duty very seriously."

"Now that sounds familiar," you hear Corvus mutter.

"He had met Christopher before. But with his brother's execution looming - and that of most of his supposed accomplices - it was necessary to take action fast. Over the course of planning the next operation, to free the prisoners, they grew closer together."

"And how did that operation go?" you ask.

"They managed to get most of the prisoners out of the capital. Many fled for the swamp afterwards. Others took their chances finding new lives in other nations. By that point, the rebellion had essentially lost, and the focus had changed to getting as many of our people out as possible."

"That's when Father and Henry..."

"When they fled to a small farm in the middle of nowhere, yes. That's where they raised you."

You're not even sure what to ask next.

SpoilerShow

Remember, Corvus and Rivers can ask questions too!

now marshall is just pissed because there was no reason not to tell him these things or not to say goodbye

You feel angry, but remembering where you are, you try to keep your voice down.

"Why didn't he tell me any of this?"

"I can't claim to know exactly what went through his head. But... he vanished seven years ago. He probably thought you weren't old enough yet."

"Henry could have said something! Or at the least, Father could have said goodbye!"

"I need to be clear on one thing. For whatever reason, Kandria took a sudden interest in Christopher seven years ago, and they started moving to track him very fast. We were lucky to catch wind of the scheme in time to get him first. We couldn't risk a crow being intercepted, so Rider rushed out. Your father didn't know until that very night, and there wasn't a lot of time to talk it over."

"But Henry could have still said something to me!"

"He didn't see it that way. His main concern was seeing to it that you grew up safely. He stayed behind to raise you, rather than fleeing with Christopher. Neither of your parents wanted you involved in this whole mess. But of course, it's too late for that now, even if I weren't telling you this."

You're still angry. And you can't even storm away in disgust, not while you're in the Marsh Fortress.

You're trying to think of what to say next when Rivers punches you hard in the shoulder.

"You think you're mad?" she shouts. "You don't know what I had to put up with. Maybe you thought you knew me three years ago, but you didn't. You just knew the face I put on for the world. I'd be glad to have parents who hid things from me because they cared, would have been a damn sight better than what I got."

Suddenly, you hear a knock at the door. Corvus groans.

"Rivers, you really need to keep it down," he sighs. "I'll go take care of whoever that is. Marshall, back in the closet for now."

You're now Corvus. Who's at the door?

rider, and he does not look good, no sir

You just about faint. It's Rider, hunched over, covered in dirt, and with his uniform badly torn. And are those teeth marks?

"Where the hell have you been," you start to ask, but he just shoves you aside.

"Viper. I don't have a lot of time. Where's my..."

He pauses as he takes in the scene.

"Marshall. I have a lot to explain, but unfortunately I can't right now. I have to get back before Long succumbs to the fever. Viper, is that my book?"

"Er. It's my father's romance novel," Marshall says.

"Yes, that's the one. I'm going to need it."

"Now just a second here," you start to say. "You can't just come back as if nothing's happened and leave us all hanging without explanation!"

"It's not really in my hands," says Rider, grabbing the book. "The gateway I used is going to fade soon, and I've got no idea when another one will emerge. And there's no way Long's going to make it through."

"What the hell are you..."

But before you can finish asking, Rider's already rushed out.

What the hell do you do now?

give chase, posthaste

Maybe you should follow...

"Wait! I have so many questions!"

Marshall rushes past you, before you're ready. Oh hells, now you've definitely got to...

"Hey! You can't run, you damn fool! You'll just get caught!"

And there goes Rivers in just as much of a hurry. Well, no sense lingering. You rush off after them, hopefully while you can still pick up Rider's trail.

That actually turns out to be fairly easy. There's a trail of dirt going down the hallway... wait, hang on a minute, that's not just dirt.

"Put your masks on, you fools!" you shout. "That sand will give you the fever!"

Wait, damn. Marshall doesn't have a mask. As if you didn't have enough problems.

Urgh. You'll just have to track everyone down first and sort it out later. You rush through the halls, following Rider's trail. You can see Marshall and Rivers just ahead of you, but Rider himself is long out of sight.

How does he move that fast?

You don't have time to think about it. Sooner or later you're going to draw someone else's attention.

"What's the rush, Corvus?"

Someone like Crosswinds. Of course.

"The world's gone mad! Rider's back, but now he's disappearing again! Marshall's chasing him! Rivers is chasing Marshall!"

"So, hang on. Who exactly are you chasing here?"

"All of them! I don't even know why! At this point, I'm just trying to keep up!"

"Well from where I'm standing, it looks like you're already lost. You make a fool of yourself chasing shadows, and then I'm stuck filling that Council seat."

"There's no vacancy if we get Rider to stick around!"

"You know every bit as well as I do how stubborn he is. Whatever mess he's gotten involved in, he's going to insist on seeing it through himself. Can't you just focus on the big picture and let this mess sort itself out one way or another?"

You give it just a moment's thought.

"My commander's running off to God-knows-where, and my squadmate's chasing down an escaped prisoner. I'm already in deep, and I'd never forgive myself if I bailed out now."

Crosswinds chuckles.

"Now that's the kind of thinking we need on the Council," they say. "All right, I'll help you out with this mess. What do you want me to do?"

the way i see it, there's two paths rider could take, and marshall already went down one, let's split up. get marshall a mask if you can

"Well, first off, Marshall needs a mask," you say. Crosswinds holds up a hand.

"Already took care of it, here's the confiscated mask. Had a hunch it might be needed."

"Great. You follow Marshall and pass it along, then. I see a bend where Rider might have gone down, so I'll take that route."

"Got it. And then what?"

"We'll work that out when we catch up to Rider. Seriously, I can't think that far ahead right now."

"Best of luck to you, then."

Crosswinds rushes off, and you turn down the hall. The trail is getting thinner; either you've taken the wrong way or Rider's shaking off a lot of sand.

You hope he hasn't caught the fever, too. That's the last thing you need.

"Rider? When the hell did you get back? Do you have any idea how much..."

That's Claws' voice. You run towards it.

"I'm not back. We'll talk when I am."

"What the... Where are you going? We've got a crisis here! We can't afford to be down a councilor!"

"Then pick Mudviper. We all know she's the best choice."

"She's not... get back here!"

The argument continues long enough for you to approach. And now you have yet another problem.

Claws has joined the chase, and you doubt you can talk her into leaving Marshall alone if the others catch up. Rider might be more persuasive, but he clearly has other things on his mind.

So how the hell do you deal with this?

just back rider's play

You've really got nothing. Well, except that you may as well use this to push for Viper taking the council seat - she'd be way better at it than you. For one thing, she knows better than to get herself mixed up in this kind of mess.

For now, you just keep running. At least up until you catch up to Claws.

"Corvus! Whatever the hell you're doing, drop it! Rider's turned up but he's just running off!"

"I know. Already ran into him. And I heard you arguing. Gotta say, he's made a good point, Viper would be an excellent councilor. You ought to go with that, it'd save everyone a lot of trouble."

"That isn't the point right now! I need you to help me catch him!"

"Sounds good. Do you know what we're doing after that? I hadn't thought that far ahead."

"Getting some goddamn answers is my main plan. And preferably convincing him to do his blasted job."

Suddenly, you hear Rivers' voice not too far off.

"Crosswinds, what the hell are you doing?"

Claws turns to you.

"Corvus, am I wrong or is that one of your squadmates? What's she doing?"

Damn! Rivers wasn't far behind Marshall, last you saw. You're not sure exactly what's happening over there, but you don't think it's a good idea to let Claws find out there's a prisoner on the loose.

Is there some way you can distract her?

no, actually

You can't think of anything. Guess you'll just have to deal with that unpleasant meeting when it happens.

Which is not too far off. Before you know it, your path catches up with Marshall's.

And in fact, you're ahead. Marshall has you and Claws on one side, Rivers on the other, and Crosswinds has done their usual vanishing act.

At least Marshall has a mask on now.

"Oh hells, of course the escapee would turn up now," Claws grumbles. "Corvus, you grab that Bogknight, I've got to catch up with Rider."

"Wait!" Marshall calls out. "I need to talk to Rider, too!"

"That's not my problem. If Rider wants to have a word with you, he can sort that out with Locks. Now get back to your cell, I don't have time to hang around."

She runs off without another word. So now you're stuck here with Marshall and Rivers.

But you know Rider's planning on leaving. This is your last chance to see him for who knows how long. And Marshall's, for that matter.

On the other hand, you'll be in big trouble for disobeying orders if you don't take Marshall back to the cell right now. And you can probably forget about having a shot at the Council.

What are you going to do?

oh fuck it, viper's better anyway. grab marshall by the arm and give chase to rider

You almost laugh.

When's the last time you gave a damn about orders?

You grab Marshall by the arm and start running.

"Hey! Where are you going, Boss?" Rivers calls out.

"After Rider!" you say with a chuckle. When you're in this much trouble, might as well dive in all the way.

You rush after Claws, and soon you hear her yelling again.

"There you are! Rider, I don't know where the hell you've been or why you're in such a rush, but..."

"Claws. I do not have time to talk about this right now. And you had best stand back, unless you want a second absence on the Council."

"Is that a threat? Are you actually threatening me, Rider? After all the times I've backed you up at council meetings?"

"No, I mean..."

He stops, because you've finally managed to catch up. Rivers isn't far behind.

"Rider," you say, gasping. "What the hell's going on?"

"This really isn't the time, Corvus," Rider groans. "But if you're here, you may as well make yourself useful and persuade Claws to get out of the gateway's range."

"Gateway?" Claws asks. "Why don't you just say what you mean instead of being so goddamn vague all the time?"

"Fine," Rider says, frustrated. "Long and I have spent the last day in the desert. We found a way back, but he was too weakened by fever to make it through. I'm going back there to rescue him and find the cause of our recent troubles with the desert creatures, as is anyone else who's standing too close in the next two minutes or so. Does that satisfy you?"

"The hell? Now I've got even more questions!"

"They'll have to wait. The gateway's about to open, quite possibly for the last time. I really don't recommend coming along, but at this stage it's too late to argue. Your choices are to stand back, or to learn firsthand just how much worse the desert is than the swamp."

"What about my father?" Marshall asks.

"Your father is safe. For now, that is all I can say."

You suddenly see a strange green glow behind Rider.

"It's opening. You should all stay back. I can't guarantee your safety if you don't."

Claws backs away, though you can see she's clearly upset.

What about the rest of you?

hey what's going on back at bogknights hq

Some time earlier...

You're Private Burgundy, and because the two top sergeants are unconscious, you're in charge of this goddamn base right now, despite your current rank.

Captain Long's disappeared, as have eight lower-ranking knights, including the newest recruit. Considering Marshall lost an arm because of your careless order, this hits especially hard for you.

Thankfully, there aren't that many wounded. Long's gambit may have had high costs, but at least it stopped the big attack.

You also just got a letter of resignation from Clancy, not that you have any way of dealing with it right now.

The vote for who's relieving you of command has been stalled, as the Postmaster wants to talk to both sergeants first before casting his deciding vote, and they're not in any state for that. So you'll probably be staying in charge of this whole mess for a few hours yet.

Might as well make the most of them. What needs to be done?

the storm wrecked shit, as well as the rats, nobody ever thinks "duhhh time for repairs" so you gotta whip them into shape