Chapter 11, Forgings Summary

At Buckkeep, word trickles in of other towns that have been raided. One town paid the ransom only to have body parts wash up on shore the next morning. Another town readies itself for the return of the hostages by shackling them and placing the returned hostages back in their homes. The hope is that the hostages will recover from the "Red Ship sickness" but after several weeks, the hostages are just as wild.

Towns begin to take matters into their own hands since King Shrewd takes no official action. The lack of a royal decree on the matter results in a division among the townships and decreased loyalty to the king. Shrewd fails in his duty to his people while Verity lacks the leadership abilities to rally the towns. Since the Queen's death, Regal has been babied by his father...