Editing Chapter 9.13

{{Infobox_episode|title=Chapter 9.13|published=September 4, 2022|link=[https://wanderinginn.com/2022/09/04/9-13/ Chapter 9.13]|previousChapter=[[Chapter 9.12]]|wordcount=30,045|nextChapter=[[Chapter 9.14 VM]]|image=Xrn throws Merdon.jpg|imagecaption=Xrn vs. Merdon by [[Fanworks/Brack|Brack]]}}

'''Chapter 9.13''' is the 18th chapter of [[Volume 9]].

== tl;dr ==

* Many people react to the antinium's presence in the north. Humans are generally scared, but the antinium queens are mostly positive.
* [[Pisces Jealnet|Pisces]] meets [[Magnolia Reinhart|Magnolia]] who pays off his debt to [[Wistram Academy|Wistram]] and [[Ama]], a [Necromancer] from his past in [[Ailendamus]].
* [[Xrn]] comes near [[Orefell]] and declares the [Crusaders] their own hive led by herself.

== Synopsis ==
This chapter is spent on the aftermath of the battle at [[Orefell]]. This mostly revolves around different forces worrying or giving their opinion on the [[antinium]]'s presence in the north. Some, like [[Calidus Reinhart]] and [[Manus]]' council, are very concerned about this, but others have more nuanced views. [[Chaldion Oliwing|Chaldion]] has a more open perspective due to his time at [[The Wandering Inn]] and therefore recognizes the [Crusaders]' actions as independent from the antinium queens. [[Ryoka Griffin|Ryoka]] is able to speak to leaders of four of the [[Five Families]] or their representatives and tell them about a less militaristic view of the antinium as well. At the battlefield itself, many are more curious than afraid at the chance to actually talk to the antinium especially given their unique faith based powers that they are willing to freely share information about.

Each of the antinium queens themselves had their own thoughts on the matter. The [[Grand Queen]] was furious that she was not informed about the [Crusaders] actions and her lack of control over the situation. She felt the loss of [[Xrn]] as the Small Queen was recovering, and felt her control slipping. She requested [[Wrymvr]] to act as her new high-level servant but he refused. With Xrn hurt and [[Klbkch]] in a lesser state due to his deaths, this left her only the option of looking outside the hives. Doing this, she found [[Roshal]] and made an inquiry into high-level slaves as a replacement. The [[Xevccha|Free Queen]] was excited that the crusade proved the worth of her leveling antinium idea. The [[Silent Queen]] also felt positively about the crusade though she was more so curious about the new antinium. She requested for her prognugator, [[Xeu]], to steal a few of the leveling antinium so that they could be studied. The [[Flying Queen]] was excited about the [Crusaders] as well though she was more interested in [[Pivr]] and how he was progressing. She was happy to see that he had made friends with some of the [[Brotherhood of Serendipitous Meetings]] and was leveling, but she wanted to call him back to see his progress with promises of finding new friends later. Pivr tried to get out of this by pretending that the speaking stone was malfunctioning whenever she brought up the idea of returning to their hive. The [[Armored Queen]] was also happy about the [Crusaders] seeing as how her armor was used by them and thus proven useful. She wanted to send more resources to help support them and set up a trade with the [[Free Hive]] to better train both hives' antinium, but the [[Armored Hive]] was poor. Luckily, she declared this to [[Anand]] who was able to make these connections as a matter of fulfilling debts for the magnanimity of the Armored Queen. The [[Twisted Queen]] was also pleased with the crusade since it showed that the antinium were changing. She decided to send them a gift after purchasing one of the scrolls from the [[Village of the Dead]] for a very large sum of gold. The last pseudo-queen was Xrn herself who was less focused on the crusade. She cared more for [[Bird]]'s [Unitasis Network]. She had captured and recaptured him for multiple days trying to get the secret of this network from him. The injury she'd taken from [[Snatcher]] was impacting her, though, as she was far less mentally stable than before. Klbkch found Xrn interrogating Bird about this Skill, and after Bird was nearly killed by Xrn, they learned that the network was a Skill that he'd gained rather than an inbuilt trait like the true antinium had.

Back at the battlegrounds outside Orefell, [[Wistram News Network]] had begun its broadcast and was interviewing the combatants. The antinium were unguarded, but [[Rags]] made sure she also appeared on the scrying orb. She pretended to be dumber than she was and completely mercenary so as not to appear as if she was as much of a threat. When asked how she learned to talk, she gave credit to [[Pyrite]] instead of [[Erin Solstice|Erin]] or other more accurate teachers. The final of the five families that wasn't present earlier talking to Ryoka, was the [[Reinhart Family]]. They were, for the most part, very concerned about the antinium and did not have Ryoka to talk them down, but they did have [[Magnolia Reinhart|Magnolia]] who had a plan in place. She knew of the Crusade's movements and had hoped that they were acting independently, so she sent [[Theofore]] over to facilitate a negotiation with them over scrying orb. She used this chance to plant the idea of further disobedience of their queens in order to drive a wedge in the unity of the antinium. They had been ordered by the Free Queen and Klbkch to return to the Free Hive for punishment, but Magnolia paid them to stay around Orefell for a little bit longer with promises of food if they did not want to return. The antinium accepted jade as payment in hopes that the Free Queen and [[Liscor]] would take this as recompense similarly to how [[Liscorian Army|Liscor's Army]] brings back payment after a successful military campaign. Magnolia also stayed around to network with the adventurers. She met the [[Horns of Hammerad]] and paid off [[Pisces Jealnet|Pisces]]' bounty with [[Wistram Academy|Wistram]] for their efforts, though his bounty with Roshal was out of her control.

Things started to calm down afterward as the dwarves left, taking little besides their dead back to [[Dwarfhalls Rest]]. They promised to take a trip down to the Wandering Inn for a free meal at some point, though, and accepted Pisces' advice about maintaining their dead for the journey back. Pisces started to think about taking some of the gargoyle bones for himself when [[Az’kerash]] started talking to him and Crowdcaller [[Merdon]] showed up at the same time. Merdon had been paid by Magnolia Reinhart to defeat the horde but he had showed up late and was now ready to attack the goblins and anyone that defended them. Magnolia told him off and Pisces went to take the bones he had been considering before. He was brought over to a large pile that the armies had been making and found manually created undead trying to take the bones as well. He tracked them back to a nearby hiding spot and found a cabal led by [[Ama|a [Necromancer] from his past]] in [[Ailendamus]]. Before they could catch up, Merdon started to kick up a second fuss. The [Necromancers] fled with Ama promising to find him again soon as Pisces prepared to fight again, but the adventurers did not end up fighting Merdon. Instead, Xrn came to the scene and launched Merdon away. She had with her a birther sac, which was the gift from the Twisted Queen, and she proclaimed this group of [Crusaders] to be the new Seventh Hive of the antinium led by herself. They would fight for just causes and live above ground.

== Characters ==
( * = First Appearance)

* [[Calidus Reinhart]]
* ? - [Assassin]
* Manus’ High Command
** Rollend *
** [[Luciva Skybreath]]
** [[Lulv]]
** [[Rafaema]]
* Pallass' council
** [[Chaldion Oliwing]]
** [[Shirka]]
** [[Edellein Blackwing]]
* [[Erin Solstice]] (''Illustration'')
* [[Ryoka Griffin]]
* [[Tyrion Veltras]]
* [[Ulva Terland]]
* [[Etril Wellfar]]
* ? - [Lady] of El *
* [[Sammial Veltras]]
* [[Jericha Synthel]]
* [[Buscrei Veltras]]
* [[Swey Veltras]]
* ? - [Lord] of Terland *
* [[Flooded Waters Tribe]]
** [[Rags]]
** [[Calescent]]
** [[Poisonbite]]
**Thunderfur - Carn Wolf
* [[Antinium Crusade]]
** [[Zimrah]]
** [[Artur]]
** Crusader 445-2 *
** [[Theogrin]]
** ? - Antinium Worker [Acolyte]
** ? - Antinium Worker [Templar]
** ? - Antinium Worker who enjoys food *
** Battalion 3
** Squad 5
*** [[Crusader 57]]
*** [[Crusader 53]]
** [[Embraim]]
* [[Gershal]]
* [[Rlint]]
* [[Peki]]
* [[Forount]]
* ? - Dwarf [Stone Magus]
* [[Ylawes Byres]]
* [[Seborn Sailwinds]]
* [[Falene Skystrall]]
* [[Dawil Ironbreaker]]
* [[Cuarte]]
* ? - [Mage]
*[[Grand Queen]]
* [[Xevccha]] / Free Queen
* [[Klbkch]]
* Deferred Sustenance - Rock Crab
* [[Garry]]
* [[First Grand Queen]] / First Queen (''Mentioned'')
* [[Bird]]
* [[Xrn]]
* [[Chesacre]]
* [[Thaina]]
* [[Wrymvr]]
* Custodium
**Custodium 1
*[[Yazdil Achakhei]]
*[[Silent Queen]]
*[[Maev]] (''Spoken To'')
*[[Xeu]] (''Mentioned'')
*[[Flying Queen]]
*[[Pivr]] (''Voice Only'')
*Flying Prognugators *
*[[Armored Queen]]
*[[Anand]]
*[[Twisted Queen]]
*[[Relz Hauscale]] / Sir Relz
*[[Drassi Tewing]]
*[[Noass]]
*[[Hekusha]] / Healer of Tenbault (''Mentioned'')
*[[Pyrite]] (''Mentioned'')
*[[Reinhart Family]] (''Scry Projection'')
**Tourois Reinhart *
**[[Regis Reinhart]]
**[[Cecille Reinhart]]
*[[Magnolia Reinhart]]
*Calte (''Scry Projection'')
*[[Ressa]]
*[[Theofore]]
*[[Pisces Jealnet]]
*[[Ksmvr]]
*[[Yvlon Byres]]
*[[Ceria Springwalker]]
*[[Jelaqua Ivirith]]
*[[Az’kerash]] (''Telepathic Voice Only'')
*[[Shield of Tenbault]]
**[[Merdon]]
*Vaunt’s [Soldiers]
**? - Male [Sergeant] *
*[Necromancer] cabal (x8)
**[[Ama]] *
**? - Female Human [Necromancer]
**? - Male Human [Necromancer]
**? - Gnoll [Necromancer]
**4 other [Necromancers] *

== Locations ==

* [[Izril]]
** Calidus' mansion
** [[Manus]]
** [[Pallass]]
** [[First Landing]]
*** Terland’s mansion
** Orefell
** [[Free Hive]]
** Hiveland
*** Grand Hive
***Silent Hive
***Flying Hive
***Armored Hive
***Twisted Hive
** [[Oteslia]]
*[[Chandrar]]
**[[Roshal]] / Lailight Scintillation

== [[Undead]] ==

* Skeletal Gargoyles (''Destroyed'')
* Skeletal Eater Goats (''Destroyed'')
* Zombie Gargoyles (''Destroyed'')
* Zombie Eater Goats (''Destroyed'')
* Giant bone housecat

== [[Golems]] ==

* Terland’s Golems
** Serving Golems
** Security Golems
** Cook Garneis - Cooking Golem (''First Time Mentioned'')
** Fencing Golem

== Creatures ==

* [[Void Goats|Void Goat]] (''Mentioned'')
*[[Gargoyles]] (''Mentioned'')
*Frost [[Wyverns]]

== Items ==

* Dragonbone mace
* Magic longsword = Has a strong gravity-grip spell, and a strength and sharpness enchantment, and for the main effect, a gravity spell that grabs and twists whatever it runs into, like a sword. Doesn’t work well on a shield, or having little effect on anyone with a good grip.
*Speaking stone
*[[Crossbow|Dwarfsteel crossbow]]
*[[The Putrid One|Putrid One]]'s Circlet
*Gravesalt = A combination of salt, ash and silver, that suppresses death magic. (''Mentioned'')
*Gargoyle bones
*[[Shatterbolt Ring]]
*Birther Sac

[[Category:Chapters]]
[[Category:Chapters with Colored Text]]
[[Category:Volume 9]]