Contents
49. The Golem
Overview
A clay homunculus ambushes Kinch, mimicking Norrigal and then speaking with a Molrovan mage’s voice, testing Kinch through a surreal assault that ends as hot soup. The illusion dissolves into Fulvir’s hall, where Kinch, Galva, Norrigal, and Yorbez are welcomed, and Kinch and Norrigal are invited to a library.
Summary
Kinch confronts a clay figure where Norrigal had been, a smooth homunculus that speaks in Norrigal’s voice and attacks him on the mountain path. The creature smothers Kinch against the rocks; he fights back, dismembers it, and severs its head, weakening it.
The golem reanimates partially, its chest molding into Kinch’s face, then into an older man’s face that speaks in a rich Molrovan accent. The voice taunts and tests Kinch with Molrovan truth-lies, then blasts him with scalding liquid that proves to be peppered fowl soup.
The scene shifts: Kinch blinks awake at a hall table with Galva, Norrigal, and Yorbez, apparently having nodded off into his soup while Norrigal told her wolf-riding tale. An older man studies Kinch and formally identifies them, then invites Kinch and Norrigal to see a library.
Kinch, reassured that Norrigal is safe and grasping the display of power, quips refusal and rises to follow, signaling that they have reached Fulvir’s domain and that negotiations or instruction are about to begin.
Who Appears
- Kinch Na ShannackNarrator; battles a clay homunculus, resists magical testing, then awakens in Fulvir’s hall.
- Norrigal Na GalbraethTells a wolf-riding tale; later beside Kinch at table, safe after the illusion.
- GalvaPresent in the hall when Kinch awakens; part of the welcomed party.
- YorbezSits smoking at the hall table during Kinch’s awakening.
- Clay homunculusAnimated clay attacker mimicking voices; decapitated by Kinch; conduit for the mage’s voice.
- Older manUnidentified host in the hall; likely Fulvir; invites them to see a library.