Mortari [mohr-TAR-ee],[1] an inhabitant of Farrog, was one of the six thieves who made up the group known as the Famous/Infamous 'Party of Five'. Mortari - like all the 'Party of Five' members - also belonged to the Farrog Thieves' Guild. Mortari worked closely with a partner, Le Groutt. The two partners were master burglars[2] and second story men.[3][4] Mortari was smaller than Le Groutt and was rather terrier-like with a pinched face, "manic" eyes, and a tendency to pant when the atmosphere was thick.[5]
In The Fiends of Nightmaria[]
Mortari and the rest of the 'Party of Five' gathered together at "Pink's Tavern" by their de facto leader, Plaintly Grasp. The purpose of the gathering was for the group to plan the recovery of the Head of the Thieves' Guild, Mistress Dam Loudly Heer, who had been arrested two days previously by the usurper, regicide, and necromancer, King Bauchelain the First, and imprisoned within the Royal Palace of Farrog. It was decided over ales at "Pink's" that the sextet would that very night find a way to infiltrate the Royal Palace, discover the location of the Guild Head within it, and rescue her.[6]
That night, Mortari and Le Groutt carefully studied the tall walls, surmounted by spikes, which surrounded the Royal Palace. The partners came to the conclusion that the walls were not climbable and that another method would have to be used. brawny Barunko attempted to throw Mortari and Le Groutt to the top of the wall, nearly braining Mortari against the wall's stone and impaling Le Groutt's left thigh upon one of the wall's spikes.[7] Mortari suffered a severe head injury which caused his head to swell enormously on one side.[8] Lurma Spilibus' potent healing unguent helped, but from then on he had a tendency to babble distractedly of various bits of his past: i.e., a well full of drowned cats; dogs and puppies (who he made clear did not look like him); lizard tail soup; and his Pa, his Ma, and his Granma (his Granma having been found drowned in the same well as the cats).[9][10][11]
The 'Party of Five' finally succeeded in gaining entrance into the Royal Palace via an unguarded old postern gate.[12] As the sextet moved further and further into the depths of the Royal Palace, they experienced a variety of "alarums and excursions", including an encounter with a masturbating ape-like demon possessed by the Indifferent God. [13][14] An unexpected meeting with a group of escaping prisoners--Apto Canavalian, Brash Phluster, Steck Marynd, Tulgord Vise, Tiny Chanter, Flea Chanter, and Midge Chanter guided by Seneschal Shartorial Infelance--turned into a brief brawl before the 'Party of Five' could push onwards.[15] Mortari remained more or less functional throughout.
Finally stumbling into Korbal Broach's Chamber of Collections, they encountered Bauchelain's partner in his guise as Farrog's new Grand Bishop. Broach was able to help the 'Party of Five' achieve their stated goal of rescuing the Head of the Thieves Guild by presenting them with Dam Loudly Heer's severed head. Unphased, Plaintly Grasp triumphantly pointed out to her fellow thieves, "That's how it goes on a mission like this one... Nothing seems to go as planned and then, all of a sudden, it's mission accomplished!" In the rush to escape the palace, Barunko mistakenly thought they were still trying to scale the palace walls and threw Mortari into a wall again. Barunko was forced to carry the unconscious thief as well as Lurma Spilibus and Le Groutt, who were similarly indisposed.[16]
The 'Party of Five' then managed to retrace their steps through the Royal Palace back to the postern gate by which they had originally entered. By this time Mortari was awake once more.[17] Returning to the city streets, the band unexpectedly found that chaos reigned in the streets of Farrog. Bauchelain and Korbal Broach had blindly provoked a war with neighbouring Nightmaria and that Imperial Kingdom had sent its overwhelming military forces in response. To clear their escape route to the city's gate, the two necromancers unleashed a horde of undead on their own citizens.[18][19]
Trivia[]
The names of Mortari and Le Groutt are references to mortar and grout, respectively.[20]
Notes and references[]
- ↑ (Melo)Dramatic Reading and Discussion - Fiends of Nightmaria with Steven Erikson and Philip Chase - A Critical Dragon - As pronounced by Steven Erikson at 14:43
- ↑ The Fiends of Nightmaria, Section 2
- ↑ The Fiends of Nightmaria, Section 6
- ↑ The Fiends of Nightmaria, Section 12
- ↑ The Fiends of Nightmaria, Section 2
- ↑ The Fiends of Nightmaria, Section 2
- ↑ The Fiends of Nightmaria, Section 6
- ↑ The Fiends of Nightmaria, Section 6
- ↑ The Fiends of Nightmaria, Section 8
- ↑ The Fiends of Nightmaria, Section 12
- ↑ The Fiends of Nightmaria, Section 15
- ↑ The Fiends of Nightmaria, Section 8
- ↑ The Fiends of Nightmaria, Section 12
- ↑ The Fiends of Nightmaria, Section 23
- ↑ The Fiends of Nightmaria, Section 17
- ↑ The Fiends of Nightmaria, Section 18
- ↑ The Fiends of Nightmaria, Section 22
- ↑ The Fiends of Nightmaria, Section 16
- ↑ The Fiends of Nightmaria, Section 21
- ↑ (Melo)Dramatic Reading and Discussion - Fiends of Nightmaria with Steven Erikson and Philip Chase - A Critical Dragon - See 16:10