Chapter 28: Foreign Knights
The large room was bare except for straw pallets, so Ian had Rolf pile most of them in a corner before bringing in a table and three stools from another room.
The atmosphere was rather dismal, and the smell made Ian wonder if the straw had ever been changed.
But even if it hadn't, that wouldn't be unusual. This room was intended for peasants traveling between nearby villages and castle towns. For just one copper penny a night—less than one-eighth the price of a proper private room—it was practically charity. And beggars can't be choosers.
After all, if you had coin, you'd rent a proper room yourself.
Of course, Ian hadn't chosen such quarters to save money. He simply felt safer sharing a room with two knights.
He hated to admit that the trauma from the earlier battle and massacre at the salt pans still lingered.
After they'd arranged everything, the innkeeper, Masha, appeared at Ian's door.
"My lord, your food is ready," she said, sounding thoroughly exhausted. Ian suspected she deeply resented being woken at this ungodly hour to prepare a meal.
"Enter," Ian replied. He didn't particularly care about Masha's feelings. He only cared about Masha's cooking—praised by Catelyn Tully in the books—and the ale, which Tyrion Lannister had complimented.
After all, a day's hard riding had left him famished and bone-tired.
With Ian's permission, Masha and two serving girls pushed open the door.
Soon, a modest feast of brown bread, bacon and potatoes, onion and beef soup, roasted mutton, roasted quail, and ale was laid upon Ian's table.
Ian didn't immediately dig in, but instead regarded Masha, who'd remained in the room.
"My lords—"
"We require no further service, thank you. You may retire for the night." Ian preemptively dismissed her, guessing what she was about to ask.
But Masha quickly shook her head. "That's not what I meant to ask. Forgive me, my lord."
"Easy now, take your time." Ian set down his fork and gave Masha his attention.
"Thank you, my lord," Masha nodded quickly, composing herself. "You're knights of House Lannister, aren't you?"
"We are," Ian admitted directly. He'd already eliminated everyone from Camel's company, so he didn't intend to abandon his disguise yet, and he hadn't bothered hiding his heraldic sword.
The innkeeper had likely asked because she'd spotted the lion's head pommel.
Masha brightened at Ian's confirmation, revealing teeth stained reddish-brown from years of sourleaf chewing. "So you've come from King's Landing?"
"What makes you think that?" Ian asked, tearing a leg from the roasted quail.
"Well, I've run this establishment for many years. I've seen just about every type of knight in the Seven Kingdoms," Masha gestured toward Rolf. "That knight's black armor has intricate scrollwork—a style you only see from King's Landing armorers or those in Highgarden. You're Lannister knights, and King's Landing is half-Lannister these days, so I'd wager you're from the capital."
"Sharp eye. I'm Ser Lucien Lannister, and these are my men," Ian raised an eyebrow, continuing to eat while taking another swig of soup. "So what do you need from us?"
"Well, if you're not in a terrible hurry—"
"As it happens, we've no pressing business," Ian nodded. His instincts told him Masha's words would trigger a quest.
And he'd been wanting to test the triggering mechanism for optional quests anyway.
After all, according to the organizers, they wouldn't interfere with the game after launch. This meant so-called triggered quests were likely auto-generated by the system based on preset conditions when NPCs requested player assistance.
If the quest triggering mechanism was standardized, then Ian—as a former game designer—could confidently say that with proper manipulation, it was definitely possible to exploit it.
Of course, that would come after he'd thoroughly tested the mechanism.
He was currently testing a simple premise: would quests trigger whenever a player received requests for help from NPCs?
"So," Ian continued, "how might we be of service?"
"Here's the situation, Ser Lucien. Recently, a band of outlaws has appeared in this region. They've been robbing travelers and committing all manner of atrocities. Since they operate near the ruins of old Whitewalls, we've taken to calling them the 'Whitewalls Brotherhood.'" Masha spoke after receiving Ian's encouragement.
"The Whitewalls Brotherhood," Ian repeated, searching his memory for relevant information. Unfortunately, he couldn't recall any such outlaw band, not even the name.
In other words, neither the original Ice and Fire novels nor the supplementary materials mentioned such a group.
"Have you heard of them?"
"Can't say I have," Ian shook his head. "But since they're outlaws, I assume you want our help eliminating them?"
Wandering bandits, Ian thought to himself with amusement. What medieval fantasy game would be complete without a bandit-clearing quest? The most classic trope in the book.
"No," Masha denied. "It's not me asking. It's Ser Wendel and his company."
"Company?"
"They're an alliance of the landed knights in this area, and they need assistance."
"You're saying the landed knights around here formed an alliance specifically to deal with these outlaws?" Ian was puzzled.
"No, the alliance has existed for years, but this time they've gathered specifically to deal with the Whitewalls Brotherhood."
"How many are there?"
"Seven landed knights—including Ser Wendel, Ser Willem, and Ser Kennos—plus their squires and men-at-arms, of course."
This completely surprised Ian. Since the original novels never mentioned the so-called 'Whitewalls Brotherhood,' he'd assumed they were just a handful of petty criminals.
He'd figured Masha would simply trigger a quest, and he'd hire a few sellswords on the spot to wipe them out. He hadn't expected local landed knights to form an alliance against them.
"With so many knights ready to handle them, why do you need us?" Ian was incredulous.
"Well, Ser Wendel is concerned they're short-handed, so he asked me to watch for any reliable foreign knights passing through these past few days. He hopes you might assist him."
"Foreign knights?" Ian's eyes narrowed.
The term triggered something in his mind. Foreign knights. Outsiders. People who wouldn't be missed if things went wrong. People who could be... expendable.
Or perhaps he was being paranoid.
"When does Ser Wendel want to meet?" Ian asked carefully.
"Tomorrow morning, my lord. He's gathering his forces at the old mill, about two miles west on the River Road."
Ian nodded slowly, mind already working through possibilities. This could be a legitimate quest—or it could be a trap. Either for him specifically, or for any player foolish enough to accept.
But it could also be an opportunity. If other players were in the area and also being recruited as "foreign knights," this might be his chance to identify them.
"Tell Ser Wendel we'll be there," Ian decided.
Masha beamed. "Thank you, my lord! The gods bless you for your aid."
After she departed, Ian turned to Rolf and Kevan. "What do you make of it?"
"Could be legitimate," Rolf said thoughtfully. "Outlaws grow bold when they're organized. Seven knights is a respectable force, but against a large band in fortified ruins, they might genuinely need reinforcements."
"Or," Kevan rumbled, "it's an ambush. Lure foreign knights—people no one knows—out to the ruins and kill them. Take their arms and armor."
"That's what I was thinking," Ian admitted. "But if it's an ambush, why warn us? Why not just attack us here at the inn?"
"Because innkeepers remember," Rolf suggested. "If three knights disappear from the Crossroads Inn, questions get asked. But if they die fighting outlaws out in the wilderness? That's just bad fortune."
Ian considered this. "Then we go, but we go prepared. Full armor, weapons ready. At the first sign of trouble, we fight our way out."
Both knights nodded.
Ian returned to his meal, but the food had lost some of its appeal. Tomorrow would reveal whether this was opportunity or threat.
Either way, he'd be ready.
(End of Chapter)
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