Ambush in the Orphan Forest

Kinch Na Shannack, a debt-ridden thief trained by the Takers Guild, joins a band of highwaymen in the Forest of Orphans. Their target: a lone, formidable Spanth woman, Galva, who exudes danger and magic. The ambush goes awry when Galva's war corvid—a giant, deadly raven—slaughters most of Kinch's companions. Kinch survives, but the encounter marks him for a new destiny. Galva's skill, her living springwood shield, and her mysterious mission set her apart. Kinch's life, already complicated by his debts and the tattoo marking him as a Guild debtor, is now entangled with a woman who is both a survivor and a killer. The failed robbery is not just a disaster; it's the catalyst that propels Kinch into a journey that will test his luck, loyalty, and cunning.

The Spanth and the War Corvid

After the ambush, Kinch helps his wounded companions, but his mind is on Galva, the Spanth. She is a knight from Ispanthia, a land famed for its horsemen and now for its corvid-riding warriors. Galva's war corvid, Dalgatha, is both weapon and companion, a living relic of the goblin wars. Kinch's skills as a thief and his knack for luck draw Galva's attention, and a wary partnership forms. The two share a mutual respect for each other's abilities, and Kinch senses that Galva's quest is more than it seems. The encounter with the war corvid is a reminder of the world's brutality and the strange magic that lingers after decades of war.

Debts and the Takers Guild

Kinch's life is defined by his debt to the Takers Guild, a shadowy organization that trains thieves, magickers, and assassins, then keeps them in perpetual servitude through debt and magical tattoos. Kinch's skills—lock-picking, cantrips, animal mimicry—are hard-won, but the price is steep. The Guild's reach is everywhere, and Kinch's tattoo marks him as a debtor, subject to public humiliation and violence. When he returns to Cadoth, he is reminded of the Guild's power and the impossibility of escape. The Guild offers him a way out: a dangerous assignment in the west, following Galva to the fallen kingdom of Oustrim, where giants have invaded and a queen is missing. The price of freedom is service, and Kinch has little choice but to accept.

A Dangerous Assignment

The Guild's assignment is shrouded in secrecy. Kinch is to follow Galva west, win her trust, and recover magical relics from the ruins of Oustrim. The true purpose is hidden, but Kinch is given a vision of giants destroying a city, a sign that the world is changing. The Guild's interest in Galva's mission is more than curiosity; it is a move in a larger game of power, magic, and politics. Kinch's luck, his only real gift, is both a blessing and a curse—he can sense when fortune is with him, but it is fickle. As he sets out with Galva, the stakes are clear: success means freedom, failure means ruin.

Fox and Raven: Unlikely Allies

Kinch and Galva, joined by a blind cat that seems to follow Kinch everywhere, become reluctant allies. Galva's quest is to find a lost princess—Mireya, the infanta of Ispanthia—while Kinch's is to serve the Guild's interests. Their journey is fraught with danger: the threat of giants, the memory of goblin wars, and the ever-present shadow of the Guild. Along the way, they encounter Norrigal, a young witch, and Deadlegs, a legendary crone. The group's dynamic is uneasy, but necessity binds them. Kinch's fox-like cunning and Galva's raven-like ferocity complement each other, and together they face threats both mundane and magical.

The Queen's Bounty and the Cat

The blind cat, Bully Boy, is more than he seems—a vessel for an Assassin-Adept sent by the Guild to watch Kinch. The cat's presence is both a comfort and a threat, a reminder that the Guild's reach is inescapable. Meanwhile, the group learns that the queen of Oustrim, Mireya, is missing, and that the Guild may have orchestrated the giant invasion as revenge for being expelled from the kingdom. The stakes are raised: finding Mireya is not just a quest for Galva, but a chance to strike at the heart of the Guild's power. The cat's secret, and the witch's warnings, foreshadow betrayals and revelations to come.

Witches, Wagers, and Warnings

The journey west is a gauntlet of trials: Kinch's luck is tested in games of Towers, a brutal card game that mirrors the world's ruthlessness. Encounters with witches—Deadlegs and her apprentice Norrigal—reveal the limits and dangers of magic. The group faces assassins, goblins, and the ever-present threat of the Guild. Kinch's unique gift as a Cipher—able to read any language—becomes crucial when they discover a book written in the Murder Alphabet, the Guild's deadliest code. The witches warn Kinch that the Guild's power is built on secrets, and that breaking their hold will require both cunning and sacrifice.

The Pull of the Guild

As the group travels through Molrova, they witness the Guild's influence everywhere: in the criminal underworld, in the politics of cities, in the very structure of society. Kinch is forced to confront his own complicity and the cost of his debt. The Guild's assassin, Sesta, inhabiting the cat, is both jailer and executioner, ready to kill Kinch or his loved ones if he strays. The group's trust is tested by betrayals, and Kinch must decide where his loyalties truly lie. The Guild's power is not just in magic or violence, but in the way it shapes the choices of everyone it touches.

Giants in the West

The group reaches the borderlands, where the devastation wrought by the giants is plain. Oustrim is a land of ruins, its people scattered or enslaved. The giants are not mindless monsters, but a people with their own codes and grievances, manipulated by the Guild's machinations. The quest to find Mireya becomes a race against time, as armies gather and the fate of kingdoms hangs in the balance. The group's encounters with giants, witches, and the remnants of the old world force them to confront the true cost of power and the meaning of loyalty.

The Witch's Tower

Seeking aid, the group visits Deadlegs in her Downward Tower, a place where magic warps reality. Here, Kinch learns more about his own gifts and the nature of magic. The tower is a place of bargains: Deadlegs offers help, but at a price. The group receives magical tools and warnings, and Kinch is marked by a new tattoo—a cat, binding the assassin's spirit to his flesh. The tower is both sanctuary and crucible, a place where the group's bonds are tested and their fates entwined.

The Downward Bargain

In the Downward Tower, Kinch is forced to make a blood sacrifice, binding himself to the fox god and to the path of mischief and rebellion. The group's alliances are solidified, but at a cost: every gift from the witch comes with a price, and every spell leaves a mark. The journey west resumes, but the group is changed—hardened, haunted, and hunted. The witch's bargain is a reminder that power is never free, and that every victory is paid for in blood.

The Charcoal Makers' Fate

The group stumbles upon the bodies of murdered charcoal makers, victims of Hornhead, a monstrous mixling created by forbidden magic. The pursuit of Hornhead is both a quest for justice and a test of the group's resolve. The battle that follows is brutal and costly, but the group prevails, claiming a reward and cementing their reputation as more than mere survivors. The encounter is a microcosm of the world's chaos: old magics, new monsters, and the thin line between justice and vengeance.

Hornhead's End

The fight with Hornhead and his band is a turning point. Kinch's cunning and Galva's skill are matched by the raw power of the mixlings. The group's victory is hard-won, and not without loss. The aftermath is a reminder that every act of violence leaves scars, and that the world is full of those who will do anything to survive. The group's unity is tested, and the cost of their quest becomes ever clearer.

The Cat's Secret

The blind cat, Bully Boy, is revealed to be the vessel for Sesta, the Guild's Assassin-Adept. Kinch and Norrigal, with the help of Deadlegs, bind Sesta's spirit into a tattoo on Kinch's arm, trapping the assassin but also binding Kinch's fate to hers. The act is both victory and curse: Kinch is now a living prison, and the Guild's vengeance is sure to follow. The cat's secret is a symbol of the hidden dangers that lurk beneath every alliance and every act of magic.

The Kraken's Price

The group's journey by sea is marked by disaster: a whale hunt gone wrong, a kraken attack, and the loss of friends and allies. Kinch's luck is both a shield and a torment, saving him from death but not from loss. The sea is a place of chaos, where the rules of the land do not apply and survival is never guaranteed. The kraken's attack is a reminder that the world is full of powers beyond human control, and that every journey is a gamble.

The Assassin in the Cat

The Guild's assassin, Sesta, breaks free in a moment of crisis, killing Norrigal and threatening the group's mission. Deadlegs, revealed to be both Norrigal's mentor and her future self, intervenes, sacrificing her own strength to save the group. The confrontation is a battle of magic, will, and luck, and its cost is high. Kinch is left with the burden of loss and the knowledge that every victory is paid for in blood and sacrifice.

The Witch-Queen's Cave

In a cave, the group finds Mireya, the witch-queen of Oustrim, and Misfa, a giantess who holds the secret to the world's lost horses. The Guild's plot is laid bare: they provoked the giant invasion to punish Oustrim for expelling them, and sought to control both Mireya and the magic of the giants. The group's quest is now clear: to restore Mireya, free the giants, and break the Guild's hold on the world. The cave is a place of revelation, where the true stakes of the journey are finally understood.

The Book of Shadows

Kinch, now the bearer of the Book of the Full Shadow—written in the deadly Murder Alphabet—holds the key to the Guild's power. With Galva at his side, and the world in chaos, he must decide how to use the knowledge he has gained. The book is both weapon and curse, a symbol of the world's hidden truths and the price of rebellion. As the group scatters—Mireya to rally the Spanths, Deadlegs to her own fate, Kinch and Galva to the giantlands—the story ends with the promise of new beginnings, and the certainty that every victory is paid for in blood, luck, and sacrifice.

Characters

Kinch Na Shannack

Kinch is a Galtish thief marked by the Takers Guild's tattoo, forever in debt for his magical training. Gifted with luck and the rare ability to read any language (Cipher), he is both a survivor and a reluctant hero. Kinch's psyche is shaped by poverty, shame, and a longing for freedom. His relationships—with Galva, Norrigal, and the Guild—are fraught with mistrust and yearning. Over the course of the story, Kinch evolves from a self-serving rogue to a man willing to risk everything for love, justice, and the hope of a world less bound by the Guild's chains. His fox-like cunning and self-deprecating humor mask a deep capacity for loyalty and sacrifice.

Galva

Galva is a knight of Ispanthia, marked by loss and the scars of war. She is a master of sword and shield, and her war corvid, Dalgatha, is both weapon and symbol of her past. Galva's psyche is shaped by trauma, duty, and a fierce sense of honor. Her relationship with Kinch is complex—she is both protector and rival, drawn to his cunning but wary of his secrets. Galva's quest to find Mireya is both personal and political, a chance to redeem her past and restore her homeland. Her development is a journey from isolation to trust, and from vengeance to hope.

Norrigal / Deadlegs

Norrigal is a young witch, apprentice to Deadlegs, gifted in magic but still learning its costs. She is clever, passionate, and fiercely independent, drawn to Kinch but unwilling to be defined by him. Deadlegs, her future self, is a figure of legend—powerful, cunning, and weary. The two are linked by magic and fate, embodying the cycle of youth and age, hope and sacrifice. Norrigal's journey is one of self-discovery, love, and loss; Deadlegs's is one of wisdom, power, and the acceptance of mortality. Together, they represent the story's deepest themes of transformation and the price of magic.

Dalgatha

Dalgatha is Galva's war corvid, a living weapon bred in the goblin wars. Fiercely loyal, intelligent, and deadly, Dalgatha is both companion and reminder of the world's violence. The bird's magical bond with Galva is a source of strength and vulnerability; when Dalgatha is wounded, so is Galva. Dalgatha's presence is a constant reminder of the cost of survival and the thin line between human and beast.

Sesta (Assassin-Adept)

Sesta is an Assassin-Adept of the Takers Guild, a living weapon covered in magical tattoos. She is ruthless, cunning, and nearly unstoppable, able to inhabit the body of a cat and later bound into Kinch's flesh. Sesta's psyche is shaped by violence, loyalty to the Guild, and a deep-seated emptiness. Her relationship with Kinch is adversarial, but also strangely intimate—she is both jailer and prisoner, a symbol of the Guild's inescapable power. Her eventual defeat is both a victory and a warning: the Guild's reach is long, and its vengeance is certain.

Mireya

Mireya is the infanta of Ispanthia and queen of Oustrim, a witch with the power to transform and heal. She is both victim and survivor, hunted by the Guild and the giants. Mireya's psyche is shaped by trauma, resilience, and a longing for justice. Her relationship with Galva is deeply personal, a bond of love and loyalty that transcends politics. Mireya's restoration is the story's central quest, a chance to break the Guild's hold and restore hope to a broken world.

Misfa

Misfa is a giantess, kidnapped and magically shrunk by the Guild, her body covered in sleeper tattoos that hold the spirits of lost horses. She is both victim and symbol—the key to restoring the world's lost magic and breaking the Guild's monopoly. Misfa's psyche is shaped by suffering, endurance, and a fierce sense of honor. Her liberation is a turning point, a reminder that even the most powerful can be enslaved, and that freedom is always worth fighting for.

Malk Na Brannyck

Malk is a Galtish Coldfoot guard, a survivor of the goblin wars, and Kinch's childhood acquaintance. He is strong, loyal, and marked by loss. Malk's psyche is shaped by trauma, pride, and a longing for meaning. His relationship with Kinch is fraught with old wounds and new loyalties. Malk's death is a reminder of the world's brutality and the cost of survival.

The Takers Guild

The Takers Guild is the story's true antagonist—a shadowy organization that controls magic, crime, and politics through debt, violence, and secrecy. The Guild's psyche is collective: it is driven by profit, control, and the suppression of dissent. Its relationship with every character is adversarial, even when it offers help. The Guild's power is built on secrets, and its greatest weapon is the belief that it cannot be defeated.

Bully Boy

Bully Boy is a blind cat who follows Kinch, serving as both companion and vessel for Sesta, the Assassin-Adept. The cat's psyche is inscrutable—sometimes animal, sometimes more. Bully Boy is a symbol of luck, fate, and the hidden dangers that lurk beneath the surface of every alliance.

Plot Devices

Debt and Indenture

The Takers Guild's system of debt is the engine that drives the plot and shapes every character's choices. Debt is both literal and metaphorical: it binds Kinch to the Guild, shapes his relationships, and defines the world's power structures. The tattoo marking debtors is a constant reminder of the Guild's reach, and the threat of violence or humiliation is ever-present. Debt is not just a plot device, but a lens through which the story explores themes of power, freedom, and the cost of survival.

Magical Tattoos and Sleeper Spells

Magical tattoos are central to the story's world-building and plot. They mark debtors, empower assassins, and bind spirits to flesh. Sleeper tattoos—like Galva's war corvid and Misfa's horses—are both weapons and vulnerabilities. The process of creating, breaking, and transferring these tattoos is a source of tension and transformation. Magic is never free; every spell has a cost, and every gift is a potential curse.

Luck and the Fox God

Kinch's unique relationship with luck—his ability to sense when fortune is with him or against him—is both a plot device and a metaphor for agency in a world ruled by fate and power. The fox god, Fothannon, is both patron and trickster, a symbol of cunning, mischief, and the unpredictable nature of survival. Luck shapes the story's structure, driving both victories and disasters.

The Murder Alphabet and the Book of Shadows

The Murder Alphabet—a magical language that kills those who read it without understanding—is the ultimate symbol of the Guild's power. The Book of the Full Shadow, written in this code, is both the key to the Guild's secrets and a deadly trap. [Kinch

Last updated: May 6, 2025