HC:Pacifist | Ch. 32 - Count Crow

Roth had already traveled the entire length of the Raven's Nest several times. After careful analysis, he found the only location that matched the answers to the riddles. He was so glad that GrandpaBill110 was so good at riddles and an active member of the forums. He had replied to the riddles almost instantly.

"After a devastating fire, which trees remain in the forest more than any other type?

Ash tree

What tree may be made of stone?

Lime tree

I’m the part of a tree, not in the sky or under the ground. I can move throughout the day and change shape. What am I?

Shadow

What time of day is the same forward, backward, and upside down?

Noon."

After getting all the clues together, Roth concluded that the entrance to the hidden chamber in this dungeon was in a place with an ash tree and a lime tree. Wherever their shadows crossed at noon, that's where the secret room would be. Although there were several such trees throughout the dungeon, Roth's current location was the only one where one could find both trees together.

t was three p.m. Roth looked up at the sky and tried to see where the sun was. He then estimated where the shadows of both trees would cross at noon. After walking back and forth while looking at the sun and the shadows the tree left, he approached an unassuming branch of a third tree. He went to it and held it. He pushed and pulled, and nothing happened. He tried to twist the branch. It gave, and a secret door opened in the tree trunk.

Congratulations! You're the first one to discover the office of Count Crow.

+20.000 XP, +300 reputation with all Corvids

Yes, exclaimed Roth in his heart! One more secret he had uncovered in these woods! He was on a roll. He went in. As he entered, he squinted, his pace slowed, and he started looking up, down, and all around. He had been expecting some sort of medieval setting with naked floors and bare walls. That wasn't what he found.

This room was lavishly decorated. Different glittering objects caused the room to sparkle with blinding light. It took a few moments for Roth's eyes to adjust. The room was deceptively big, given that it was inside a tree. Roth wondered if there was any spatial distortion going on or if it was just another illusion like the one the mutated oak tree had caused to hide the Council of Badgers.

As his eyes readjusted, he finally spotted a raven. Better said; it was a crow. They were very similar but still different animals. It was the beak that gave them away. The crow was difficult to find because he wore a sparkling jacket that helped him blend in with the rest of the room. The count looked distinguished and used a monocle. It stood up to greet him.

"Greetings, Martyr. Please have a seat."

The jacket was the shiniest thing in the room. It was something that a very tacky dancer would wear, but the count made it somehow look respectful. Maybe it was a side effect of a high charisma stat? Roth hurried to greet the count.

"Greetings, Mr. Count Crow. It is an honor to meet you."

"Please, please, just call me Count Crow. We are all friends here." Was that the name of the crow? Or was it just a title? And if they were friends, shouldn't he ask him to call him Crow instead? "You have become quite the celebrity in our neck of the woods, young man. The baroness and I had tea the other day, and she went on and on about you."

"Oh? I didn't realize you were friends."

"We try to be neighborly." Roth waited to see if the crow was getting anywhere. Roth decided to probe the count because it wasn't taking the initiative.

"Is there anything I can do for you or your race?"

"Hmmm..." The crow started pacing.

"We Corvids like shiny things. We treasure wealth. We need shinier things. You seem to be someone who can open new trade channels that will get us said shiny things."

Special Quest offered: [Raven Trade]

Raven Trade (rare)

The ravens have been having trouble finding shiny things in these woods. They hope you can assist them in securing funds to buy shinier things.

Quest objectives: Trade some specialty items of the ravens' race in a human town.

Quest rewards: It depends on how much profit you make.

Do you accept? [Y/N]

"It will be my pleasure, sir. We can never have enough shiny things. What are your specialty items, sir?"

He wasn't sure why the count wasn't giving him anything he wasn't asking for. Was it just the raven's communication style? Or was he waiting for Roth to make a riddle out of the requests he had to make of him? Whatever it was, it was starting to annoy Roth. He took a deep breath and tried to calm himself down.

"Some of us ravens like to make bijou."

"Bijou? What? What's that?"

"Here. See for yourself."

Crow Count has traded you 20x [Crow Feather Tiara], 20x [Crow Feather Earring], and 20x [Crow Feather Necklace].

So that was what it meant when it said bijou. It was a fancy word for cheap trinkets. Roth could learn something from the count. Just by using a fancier word, it already made the items sound more valuable than they were. Perhaps it was a helpful trick to use a broker.

He examined the trinkets and understood that bijou might really be the proper term. The items weren't bad at all. This was amazing! Such a bounty! thought Roth. Many people would use these valuable accessories well into their level twenties. Even Roth drooled over them, but he wasn't sure if it was OK to wear one of them.

Not knowing if this would negatively impact his quest, he decided not to do so. He found it hard to resist, though. It was much better than any equipment he owned.

Crow Feather Tiara (common)

Item description: Someone has carefully put some crow feathers beautifully together and tied them with some string. If you want, you can put them in your head.

Item effects: +4 wisdom

Crow Feather Earring (common)

Item description: Someone has joined the crow feather to a tin earring. It looks pretty.

Item effects: +1 intelligence, +1 energy regeneration

20x [Crow Feather Necklace] (uncommon)

Item description: Someone has carefully put some crow feathers beautifully together and tied them with some string. If you want, you can put them on your neck.

Item effects: +1 wisdom, +2 intelligence, +5 energy

These would sell like hotcakes. After grinding them for a day or two, many players quit hunting ravens. By then, it was time to move on to higher-leveled mobs, and few chose to stay behind to grind for the equipment. He was sure it wouldn't be difficult to sell these.

"I will get the best price possible."

"I'm sure you will." Again, silence. Roth started to feel annoyed again. Such an awkward NPC thought Roth. They weren't hitting it off. It had been so easy with mice. It seemed that the more powerful a race was, the more quirks they had. The foxes were much drier and more straightforward; badgers badgered him with poetry until he bled from his ears, and ravens disliked a traditional, direct conversation. They only talked if they were talked to. Roth tried to make an effort to keep the conversation going.

"Uuuh, so... some of the others at the woods have complained of theft and robbery."

"We have stolen nothing, human!"

"I'm not saying that you did; I just wanted to ask you if you have been a victim of any crime lately." Hearing this, the count seemed to relax. Why did it think that Roth would accuse him?

"Oh, human. You don't know the grief that talking about this causes me." The count stood up and walked toward the window, staring emptily into the distance. "The greatest treasure the ravens owned in these woods has gone missing. It was a gift sent by the emperor himself when we opened this branch." Roth froze. The emperor? What did he mean? Wasn't this the king of the ravens?

"Excuse me, count; I thought you were the king of the Corvids." The count looked at him and burst out laughing. "Me? A mere count? Oh, young human, you're just a frog staring up at a well, aren't you? The majesty of the Great Crow Emperor is such that I can't even comprehend, much less explain. I'm just an ambassador sent here to safeguard the interests of this flock. My emperor lives somewhere far, far away."

The gears in Roth's mind started turning furiously. He hadn't thought much of the mice having a king, the foxes having a baroness, and the ravens having a count. But it seems like this was a significant difference! Whereas the mice's headquarters and most powerful NPCs were here, the foxes only had a baroness, and the ravens only had a count.

That meant there were other dungeons with even more powerful representatives of their races. This opened the door to many questions and possible developments in the future. The reputation he was gaining here could go a long way. He wondered if anyone else knew about this yet. He would have to look it up in the forums later.

"Anyway, the Emperor graced this humble branch with an old-world treasure. Something so shiny, beautiful, and glorious that the likes of which can not even be sung or riddled about."

"Was it a diamond? A ruby? A sapphire? Was it a precious stone?" asked Roth.

"No. Better. A disco ball!"

"A what?"

"A disco ball. You know? You hang them from the ceiling, and they trap and reflect light. They are the shiniest thing you will ever see." Roth stood dazed for a moment. He wasn't expecting a disco ball to be the treasure of the crows in these woods. "Oh yes, there are a few enigma diamonds, as well. Those are precious too."

"What is an enigma diamond?"

"Oh. Let me show you. The count opened a drawer and picked out one tiny diamond. The crow inserted it in one small contraption and lit a wicket in the machine. The light was filtered through the diamond, and burning letters lit the wall. The light hitting the diamond was also refracted in beautiful patterns.

The letters read: "What isn't, which was? What was and what won't be?" Good grief. What in the world was this?

"Is it a riddle?"

"Oh yes. When ravens find riddles particularly enigmatic and elegant, we have them engraved in diamonds like this."

"In real diamonds?"

Yes.

Roth wanted to scream. One could buy a container full of disco balls for the price of one diamond. And this count only mentioned the gemstones as an afterthought?

"Can I see the others?" The count eyed him suspiciously. "Perhaps another time." Like with the foxes, Roth still had to grind for more reputation before they would let him take a look at these.

"Anyway, how many are missing?"

"Four."

"Why had they only taken four? They could have just as easily taken more. Was there anything special or particular about these?"

"Hmmm... they were a set."

"OK... and do you know who took them?"

"I'm sorry, human. As you can imagine, our love for glitter has caused us plenty of problems in the past. It is not unheard of for ravens to take something shiny without permission. As you must understand, we extend to others the courtesy they extend to us when they engage in similar... dubious activities."

Honor among thieves, realized Roth. He avoided saying it out loud. He didn't want to lose his reputation with the Count. He already knew that the thief was Oli, the cat burglar. All he needed was a way to find him.

"Could you, without saying too much, point me in the right direction? After all, even though there is an agreement between you and the other party, they have taken your shiny things without permission." After some thought, the Crow Count came to a decision.

"I suppose I can tell you a few unrelated riddles to keep you busy while you look for the said criminal, provided that you bring our disco ball back to us."

Ch. 31 - That's It?

INDEX

Ch. 33 - Boar Fields