Page 9 of Fate's Wicked Oath

Oderin was well loved and respected by the knights in his stead. His countenance both confident and approachable—as likely to share an ale with you as he was to dole out orders—and while such qualities could undercut the authority of some, they only solidified him as a beloved leader. There were few who Faren respected as much as Oderin Farkept. The fact that he’d entrusted Faren with such a delicate mission was an honor. One Faren would not squander.

“There’s another reason I selected Mariana,” Oderin went on. “A second,confidentialpart of your mission. Have you heard of the Bad Blues?”

Faren’s forehead creased; he shook his head.

“There are numerous factions within the Valiant, designed to share resources and provide protection,” Oderin explained. “While single knights can often best a victim of a Morta’s bite on their own—a diseased animal, for instance—it’s rare for an individual to hunt and kill a Morta alone. These alliances act as advanced hunting parties.”

“And the Bad Blues are one of these?”

A nod. “The most notorious,” Oderin said. “Led by Heris Morvain.”

Faren stiffened. “The man who tried tomurderthe previous Lord?”

“The very same,” Oderin said. “However, his role in the attempt was never explicitly proven. His execution was decreased to a thirty-year dungeon sentence.”

“Then how did he end up in the Valiant?”

“Not long after Lord Haron ascended into power, sightings of strange creatures in the Western Wood increased, and he created the Valiant to mitigate the problem. Still angry over Heris’s reduced sentence, Lord Haron decided that hunting monsters would be a more fitting punishment and made him one of the first Knights of the Order of the Valiant.”

“A way to guarantee Heris’s death before he reached freedom,” Faren surmised.

“Yes.” Oderin scratched his jaw. “What Lord Haron did not expect was for Heris to find leverage within the Valiant. To inspire enough unity for the knights to prosper, in their limited way. Are you familiar with how the Valiant are incentivized to carry out their duty?”

“There are rewards for kills. Reduced sentences,” Faren said, unable to hide his contempt. It sickened him to think that criminals serving a sentence were effectively beingbribedsimply to carry out the sworn duty of their punishment.

“Factions are thus hierarchical,” Oderin said, “where members will actuallyholda killing blow for a superior member.”

Faren shook his head, struck by both the organization and the corruption of a system that—in his opinion—was already unearned. “How is that possible?”

“The Oath Ledger of the Valiant catalogues kills, but not the means,” Oderin said. “This allows higher members of these factions to reap more rewards than their subordinates.”

“And Lord Haron lets this happen?”

“Morta kills have increased since the formation of these factions,” Oderin explained. “Lord Haron cares not for the method, only for containing the threat.”

“Monsters are on the rise, are they not? The Lord seemed to imply that the Valiant are failing.”

Oderin went over to a small writing desk and began rifling through papers. He handed Faren a report with a series of names, kills, and locations. “The factions are effective, but not as effective as we believe theycouldbe.”

Faren looked up from the list. “You mean they’re distracted by some other charge?”

“We weren’t sure, at first,” Oderin admitted. “But Heris Morvain’s sentence ended years ago, and he remains in the Order. We initially believed his motivation was monetary, but now…”

Faren waited, alarmed by the grim look on his Major’s face.

“We have reason to believe that the Valiant are planning a rebellion.”

The idea was so preposterous, Faren barked out a laugh. “Have they forgotten they possess Oaths?”

Oderin frowned thoughtfully. “They seek to dissolve their Oaths, actually.”

“Impossible.” Faren searched Oderin’s face. “Isn’t it?”

Oderin took the paper from Faren and set it aside. “It’s not well understood, but we believe they’ve amassed resources in the ruins of Kelebraim-on-Gray, not far from the geothermal pools.”

“You think there’s a pool that can dissolve their Oaths?”

“Nothing so straightforward or disastrous as that, but…” Oderin spread his hands, leaving Faren to fill in the rest.