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Fiddler's Deck of Dragons Game aboard the Froth Wolf

Page history last edited by Eloth 13 years, 8 months ago

Fiddler's Second Game : BH, UK TPB, pg 749-752

 

Fiddler's Game from The Bonehunters

 

'First rule. Wine. Everybody gets a cup. Except the dealer, he gets rum. Go to it Bottle.'

As the young soldier rose Fiddler collected the cards. 'Player on dealer's right has to serve drinks during the first hand.' He flung out a card, face-down, and it slid crookedly to halt in front of Quick Ben. 'High Mage has last card. Last card's dealt out first, but not shown until the end'.

Bottle came back with cups. He set the first one down in front of the Adjunct, then T'amber, Keneb, Quick, Kalam, Apsalar, Fiddler and finally one into the place before his empty chair. As he returned with two jugs, one of wine and the other Falari rum, Fiddler held up a hand and halted him.

In quick succession the sergeant flung out cards, matching the order Bottle had used in setting down the cards.

Suddenly, eight face-up cards marked the field, and Fiddler, gesturing Bottle over with the rum, began talking. 'Dealer gets Soldier of High House Life but it's bittersweet, meaning it's for him and him alone, given this late hour. Empty Chair (Bottle) gets Weaver of Life and she needs a bath but nobody's surprised by that. So we get two Life's to start.' Fiddler watched as Bottle poured rum unto his cup. 'And that's why Kalam's looking at an Unaligned. Obelisk, the Sleeping Godess - you're getting a reversed field, Kal, sorry but there's nothing to be done for it'. He downed his rum and held out his cup again, interrupting Bottle's efforts to fill the others with wine. 'Apsalar's got Assassin of High House Shadow, oh, isn't that a surprise. It's the only card she gets-'.

'You mean I win?' she asked, one brow lifting sardonically.

'And lose, too. Nice move, interrupting me like that,you're catching on. Now, nobody else say a damned thing unless you want to up the ante. He drank down his second cupful. 'Poor Quick Ben, he's got Lifeslayer to deal with, and that puts him in a hole, but not the hole he thinks he's in - a different hole. Now T'amber, she's opened the game with that card. Throne, and it's shifting every which way. The pivot card, then -'

'What's a pivot card/' Bottle asked, finally sitting down.

'Bastard - knew I couldn't trust you. It's the hinge, of course. Finish that wine - you got to drink rum now. You're a sharp one, ain't you? Now Fist Keneb, well, that's a curious one. Lord of Wolves, the throne card of High House War, and aren't they looking baleful - Fist, where's Grub hiding these days?'

'On Nok;s ship,' Keneb replied, bewildered and strangely frightened.

'Well, that knocks you outa the game, though you still get four more cards, since we've made a course correction and the northeast headlands rising up two pegs to starboard. In seventy heartbeats we'll be sliding closest to that rocky coast, and Nok's ship will be even closer, and Grub will dive overboard. He's got three friends living in the caves in the cliff and here are their cards -' Three more skidded out to just beyond the centre of the table. 'Crown, Sceptre, Orb. Hmm, let's ignore those for now.'

Keneb half-rose. 'Diving overboard?'

'Relax, he'll be back. So, we get to the Adjunct's card. House of War, Guardians of the Road, or the Dead - title's uncertain so take your pick.' He threw another card and it slid up beside it. 'Oponn. As I thought. Decisions yet to be made. Will it be the Push or the Pull? And what's that got to do with this one?' A skitter, ending up in the middle, opposite both Kalam and Quick Ben - 'Herald of High House Death. A distinctly inactive and out-of-date card in this field, but I see a Rusty Gauntlet -'

'A what?' demanded Kalam Mekahr.

'Right here before me. A new drink that Bottle in his inebriated state just invented. Rum and wine - half and half, soldier, fill us up - you too, that's what you get for making that face.'

Keneb rubbed at his own face. He'd taken but a single mouthful of the wine, but he felt drunk. Hot in here. He stared as four cards appeared in a row in front of the one already before him.

'Spinner of Death, Queen of Dark, Queen of Life and, ho, the King in Chains. Like hopping stones across a stream, isn't it? Expecting to see your wife any time soon, Fist? Forget it. She's set you aside for an Untan noble, and my, if it isn't Extant Hadar -I bet he kept his gaze averted back then, probably ignored you outright, that's both guilt and smugness, you know. Must have been the weak chin that stole her heart - but look at you, sir, you look damned relieved, and that's a hand that tops us all and even though you were out when it comes to winning you're back in when it comes to losing, but in this case you win when you lose, so relax.'

'Well,' muttered Bottle, 'hope I nev'win one a theez'ands.'

'No,' Fiddler said to him, 'you got it easy. She plays and she takes, and so -' A card clattered before the owl-eyed soldier. 'Deathslayer. You can sleep now, Bottle, you're done, as done for the night.'

The man's eyes promptly closed, and he slid down from his chair, the piece of furniture scraping back. Keneb heard the man's head thump onthe boards, once.

Yes, that'd be nice. Extent Hadar. Gods, woman, really!

'So how does Kalam get from Herald Death to Obelisk? Let's see. Ah, King of High House Shadows! That shifty slime bung, oh, doesn't he look smug! Despite the sweat on his upper lip - who's gone all chilled in here? Hands up, please.'

Reluctantly.. Kalam, T'amber, then Apsalar all lifted hands.

'Well, that's as ugly as ugly gets - you've got the bottles now, Apsalar, now that Bottle's corked. This one's for you T'amber. Virgin of Death, as far as you go. You're out, so relax. Kalam's cold, but he don't get another card 'cause he don't need one and now I know who gets pushed and who gets pulled and I'll add the name to the dirge to come. Now for the hot bloods. Quick Ben gets the Consort in Chains but he's from Seven Cities and he just saved his sister's life so it's not as bad as it could've been. Anyway, that's it for you. And so, who does that leave?'

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