Recap / Songs Of War S 1 E 04 Episode 4

Put the stone down, and leave.

Release Date: January 4th 2020

Synopsis: The End Stone has awoken, and it is calling. Meanwhile in the jungles of Felden, Lucan begins his investigation of the Necromancers and has a surprising encounter. Thalleous and Senn arrive at their destination to hide the Prime Song.

The episode begins with a strange dream by Abbigail. She is in a castle, located in The End, which unravels into a regular castle, and she sees a crown located on the throne. As she walks towards it, she sees Endermen appearing in the galleries above, then suddenly, Skeleton and Wither Skeleton Skulls appear all over the floor next to the throne. As she sees this, Wither Skeletons kill some of the Endermen, and a Nether Portal opens with a Netheran approaching Abbigail. Abbigail falls into the void below, and then she wakes up.

She then hears Sam barking outside, and Mr Finch warning some thieves. Jalkar and Grim have arrived, and have taken the Dragon Egg. Jalkar knocks Mr Finch out, only to be confronted by Abbigail with a sword. Jalkar dismisses her as an obstacle, but Abbigail demands they put the egg down and leave, to which Jalkar responds by threatening her with his skills with the knife. A brief fight ensues, with Jalkar easily winning, only to be surprised by a move from Abbigail, with this, he knocks her out.

Meanwhile, in the jungles of Felden, Lucan has hung some rotten flesh over a campfire, hoping to draw out the Necromancers. He is then ambushed by an unknown assailant, who thought that he was a Necromancer, Lucan thinking likewise, however both claim that they are hunting the Necromancers. A torch helps to illuminate their faces and the assailant is revealed to be a Felina named Niika, resulting in the two of them arguing:

Niika: A human... that would explain the poor eyesight.

Lucan: Oh my eyesight is bad? You attacked me first!

Niika: Only because you had all this... this stuff! (refering to the rotten flesh over the campfire) What is all this?!

Lucan: I was hoping to draw out the Necromancers.

Niika: Necromancers aren't interested in rotten flesh... you'll just attract the undead.

Lucan: I think I may have attracted both.

A horde of zombies and skeletons, lead by a Necromancer, then approach the two, Niika quickly flees, followed by Lucan. Lucan climbs up a tree that Niika is seen scurring up, and she keeps her silent while the undead are below them. Lucan explains that he needs the Felina's help with the Necromancers, and Niika has heard of Lucan's survival from the Basalt Mines, wanting to know everything that happened, though Lucan rebuffs her. He explains that he was forced into hunting the Necromancers by the officials of Felden, and that he is simply trying to get by in life. Niika is surprised that Felden acknowledged their existence, saying that she's been after them for several years. Lucan proposes a team-up, but Niika turns it down, stating that she's better working alone. She allows Lucan to stay the night, but not for much longer than that.

On the balcony of her treefort, Lucan takes out an apple he snuck from her, only to hesitate, and takes out the Wither Skeleton Skull he has. The next morning Niika calls for Lucan, not getting an answer. While looking around, she discovers that Lucan is still very much there, and he once again proposes a team-up, citing their common goal as the reason. Begrudingly, Niika agrees.

We then catch up on Thalleous and Senn, who have arrived in Oakendale, the capital city of Conchord. Thalleous instructs Senn not to make eye contact with the local Magnorites (he does so anyway), and they walk to the centre of Oakendale, towards a beacon. After they are cleared for travel, they are transported by beacon to Crown Peak, and Thalleous gives Senn a quick history lesson.

Thalleous: Back when the Enderknight used to rule Ardonia, Crown Peak was the Enderking seat of power. But the last king, Rendor, split the world into six kingdoms after the people rebelled.

Senn: (noticing the flags near the former throne) Why is one flag missing?

Thalleous: That would be K'arthen. Not so long ago, they attacked their neighbouring kingdom, Cydonia, and withdrew from the union. I can tell you all about it later - now keep up Senn! We are almost there.

Thalleous then takes Senn up to the largest house in Crown Peak, where they are due to be. They are greeted by a difficult man named Sulliman, a shady, black market potions dealer. Sulliman inquires why Thalleous is concerned about the Voltaris, since they disappeared over 150 years ago, when the mines are running dry and the undead have been increasing in numbers, though he listens to him regardless. While there, Senn is drawn to a dark room with potions in it, but Sulliman locks the door and warns him not to go poking around his house.

On the balcony of Sulliman's house, Sulliman reminisces about Ardonia's past, and Thalleous tells him that he believes "that time" (The Great War) will come again. Thalleous then tasks Sulliman with safeguarding the Mobilium Prime Song, to which Sulliman agrees to do. After they leave the house, Senn tells Thalleous that he doesn't trust Sulliman in the slightest:

Thalleous: He may seem difficult but, he is good at what he does. Nearly all his life he has run a black market potion business without being discovered, a skill which I am counting on. Come on Senn, we have another long journey back home.

Later in the day, Abbigail wakes up after being knocked out by Jalkar in the beginning of the episode. Mr Finch tells her that she's been out all day, and that Jalkar and Grim made off with the egg, though he tells her not to let the latter trouble her.

Mr Finch: You know, this is what happens when we meddle with affairs that don't concern us. We're farmers after all.

Abbigail: No!

Mr Finch: What did you just say?!

Abbigail: I'm not a farmer! I'm going after that stone. If we try to alert Etherea it will be too late, but Sam and I can track them while their trail is fresh.

Mr Finch: Abbigail, I forbid you to do this!

Abbigail: (pauses) I know you do, and I'm sorry! Come on Sam!

Sam grabs a sword and he and Abbigail venture off to track down Jalkar and Grim, Mr Finch shouting at Abbigail.

To Be Continued

Tropes:

• Animal Reaction Shot: Sam (as well as Grim) reacts with shock during Abbigail's brief fight with Jalkar, and looked worried when it seemed as if she was about to be killed.
• Book Ends: Just as it was in Episode 2, this episode begins and ends with the Dragon Stone storyline.
• Catapult Nightmare: This is Abbigail's reaction upon waking up from her Dream Sequence at the beginning of the episode, which isn't surprising since it's hinted that the Enderknights are in serious danger from the Nether Realm.
• Character Development: We begin to see this in Lucan, as he hesitates to eat an apple he swiped from Niika's stand early in their first interaction, and proposes a team up the next morning.
• Citadel City: Crown Peak, the de facto capital of Ardonia, is a walled off city with a powerful military, a remnant of when it used to be the seat of power for the Enderking. It is where the Union of the Six Kingdoms is based, and everything in the city revolves around the former throne at its centre.
• Conservation of Ninjutsu: Jalkar is leagues better a fighter than Abbigail, and their fight at the beginning of the episode mostly consisted of Jalkar merely toying with her, trying to threaten her into surrender. When she proves to be a competent fighter however, he just resorts to knocking her unconscious.
• Continuity Nod: Sulliman mentions the problems facing Ardonia, notably what's happening in the Necromancer storyline, with the titular Necromancers apparently on the rise, increasing numbers of undead, and how the mines across the supercontinent are running dry.
• Does This Remind You of Anything?: Sulliman's illegal activities as a black market potions dealer brings to mind real-world drug dealers, such as their messy habits, paranoid behaviour, secret rooms for manufacturing their products, and surrounding themselves with wealth to hide who they really are.
• Gone Horribly Right: Lucan succeeded in drawing out a Necromancer... as well as a horde of undead this Necromancer brought with him.
• Hero of Another Story: Niika has been hunting the Necromancers for years, long before the Felden authorities recognised the threat that they currently are in the previous episode. Her experience is part of the reason that Lucan proposes their team up.
• I Work Alone: Niika insists this when it comes to the Necromancers, and Lucan initially admits this of himself, until he propses the team-up (see Teeth-Clenched Teamwork below).
• In a Single Bound: Part of Niika's Establishing Character Moment involves her leaping from the top of a tall tree onto Lucan when he's at his campfire.
• In the Back: This is the fate of one unfortunate Enderman in Abbigail's Dream Sequence, getting stabbed from behind by a Wither Skeleton.
• Macguffin Escort Mission: Thalleous and Senn continue with this in their segment of the episode, taking the Mobilium Prime Song to Sulliman at Crown Peak. Senn doesn't exactly approve of this though, noting Sulliman's dodgy behaviour.
• Naïve Newcomer: Senn is absolutely enthralled at the sights he sees in Oakendale and Crown Peak, and he's completely unaware of how large and diverse Ardonia really is, initially thinking that Oakendale must be at the end of the world.
• Nerves of Steel: Mr Finch shows absolutely no fear when he's dealing with Jalkar and Grim stealing the Dragon Egg from his house. Though this may cross into Too Dumb to Live territory.
• Oh, Crap!: Two examples in this episode.
  • Jalkar Seems incredibly shocked at how Abbigail was able to parry his attack, and show herself to be a competent fighter. Though this doesn't last long.
  • Lucan is absolutely terrified when he finds out that the rotten flesh on his campfire managed to attract a horde of undead towards him, as well as a Necromancer.
• One-Hit KO: Jalkar is able to knock out Mr Finch and Abbigail with just one punch each to the chest and face, respectively.
• Pragmatic Villainy: Jalkar has no need to kill Mr Finch and Abbigail when he retrieves the Dragon Egg as he did with the guards in Etherea, he simply needs them to get out of his way, hence why he was showing off the skills he had with his knife.
• Scenery Porn: The shots we see of Oakendale and Crown Peak in this episode are just stunning.
• Screw the Rules, I'm Doing What's Right!: Abbigail, knowing that alerting Etherea about Jalkar and Grim will take too long to get by, opts to hunt the two thieves down herself, while their trail is still fresh and Sam can track them.
• Skewed Priorities: Discussed between Sulliman and Thalleous when regarding the threat of the Voltaris:
  Sulliman: The mines are running dry, the undead have been increasing in in numbers, and there's even word of a Necromancer group on the rise. Out of all this madness, you're worried about an army that disappeared over 150 years ago?
  Thalleous: Sulliman... if you fought the Voltaris as I once did, you would know that they are more dangerous than all these other threats combined.
  Sulliman: Yeah yeah, the "Great War". The war's over Thalleous.
• Sticky Fingers: Lucan swipes an apple from one of Niika's tables in her treefort. Before he eats however, he thinks about what he's doing, and decides to propose an alliance with her (see Character Development above).
• Teeth-Clenched Teamwork: Niika makes it very clear that she isn't pleased with working with Lucan, having been on her own for such a long time. As Lucan states however, they have a common enemy, and they stand a better chance of achieving their goal as a team.
• Teleportation: The Beacons allow for unlimited travel between the capital cities of the kingdoms of Ardonia, via Ride the Rainbow teleporting.
• Villain of Another Story: K'arthen attacked their neighbouring kingdom Cydonia quite a while after The Great War, and they left the Union of the Kingdoms soon after. The Magnorites, who originate from K'arthen, have to deal with Sins of the Father and Fantastic Racism because of this.