Recap / Songs Of War S 1 E 07 Episode 7

An Enderman. Don't look at it, Grim.

Release Date: March 7th 2020

Synopsis: The necromancers have set out on a dangerous mission with Lucan undercover, Senn rides away from the burning ruins of Sendaria to find help before it is too late, and the dragon egg is calling to more than just Abbigail.

At night, Xaria leads the disguised Lucan, some undead and another Necromancer towards Niika's treefort, intent on burning it to the ground. He orders Lucan to set it on fire, but Lucan's ruse as a spy is soon found out, and Xaria turns the undead against Lucan. Xaria and Lucan then fight after Xaria sets fire to the treefort, with Xaria emerging as the victor. Just as Xaria is about to deal a fatal blow to Lucan however, Niika shoots the other Necromancer dead, and leaps into action by decapitating three zombies at once. Niika and Xaria fight with equal ferocity as Lucan clears the area of the undead, with the jungle burning around them.

Lucan and Niika then bump into each other, almost causing Niika to stab Lucan before he reveals himself, with Xaria fleeing the scene. Niika's treefort continues to go up in flames, and she attempts to go up there to salvage some of the information she gathered, but Lucan grabs her and they take to river. As they surface, Lucan apologises to Niika for the loss of her treefort, though Niika is more concerned with all of the information that just went up in flames. Lucan however, is able to shed some light on the situation:

Lucan: We didn't lose all of it. That information is still with you... and with me. (Niika turns her head to Lucan) I found the Necrobase, Niika.

Niika: You were there? Where is it?

Lucan: Directly under Mount Tempus.

Niika: Of course! No miner would ever go near there because of all the lava! It's the perfect place for a hiding spot.

Lucan says that he'll need to report this information to the authorities of Felden, and remarks that the two will now part ways. Niika however, wants to accompany Lucan to Felora, noting that the authorities might want some the information she gathered as well, and that Lucan might need her help again.

Senn has been riding on Timber for hours, trying to go as far away from the blazing ruins of Sendaria as he can. He arrives at the destitute settlement of Hogtown, where he pleads with some of the locals to help him search for survivors, but they are apathetic to his cause. Senn tells Timber that they must continue to Ataraxia, since Thalleous said it would be safe for them to be there. As he finishes his sentence, a large mob of locals gathers at the outskirts of the town, trying to get a Magnorite to go away from their settlement. Senn asks why they aren't politely asking it to leave, with a local answering that it's dangerous to go near a Magnorite.

Hogtown Civilian: I don't hink you belong here either, eh? (gets up into Senn's face and lightly shoves him) Why don't you get that Magnorite to leave with you?

Senn: Fine, I will. (shoves his way through the mob)

The Magnorite in question is in fact a talkative bookworm, only trying to find a place to read. He is dismayed when Senn tells him that the locals want him to leave, stating how hard it is for him to catch up on his reading, having traveled his whole life doing so. Senn then asks him if he he happens to know where Ataraxia might be, and the Magnorite answers that he's never heard of it. He suggests that he and Senn go to Biggerton, which is nearby, in order to get a map that will lead them there, Senn agrees, and the Magnorite formally introduces himself as Igneous before they head off.

Back in Tabora Crags, Grim notices the Dragon Egg pulsing again, and Jalkar sees something teleporting near them, which turns out to be an Enderman. They hide from it, but it's not long before it smacks Grim away and attempts to retrieve the Dragon Egg. Jalkar fights it in an attempt to stop the being, but the Enderman gets the better of him before Grim throws his scythe at it, slicing off part of its right arm and teleporting away in pain.

Jalkar: This job has already become far more trouble than it was worth. (throws the scythe back to Grim) Let's hurry and get out of here.

As Grim is just about to make it out of the ravine, Abbigail hits him with an arrow, causing him to fall a great height. This setback proves to be too much for Jalkar, and he ditches Grim then and there. An infuriated Grim then leaps down to fight Abbigail, and for much of it, he has the upper hand, despite his injured state. His rage however, gets the better of his judgement, he stabs the water with his enchantment active, and the feedback from the scythe knocks him out of the fight. Though Abbigail now has Grim at her mercy, she spares him, going after Jalkar instead. As she continues on her hunt, three Endermen (including the one from earlier) teleport away, seeing that Abbigail is after the egg to protect it.

To Be Continued

Tropes:

• Absolute Xenophobe: The citizens of Hogtown, well out in the wilderness of Ardonia, are rather hostile to anyone outside of their community. This was derived from not being wanted by the nearby kingdoms of Conchord or Hydraphel, which has made the citizens bitter.
• An Arm and a Leg: The Enderman who battles Jalkar and Grim for the Dragon Egg, gets part of its arm cut off after Grim throws his scythe at it. The part that was sliced off then vanishes.
• Apathetic Citizens: The people of Hogtown have absolutely no intention on helping Senn in trying to find survivors from Sendaria.
  Senn: Help! Somebody- My village was attacked, it's not far! We need to look for survivors!
  Hogtown Bartender: Yeah, we don't sell that here. You can buy a drink or get out.
• Attack Backfire: During the fight at the end between Grim and Abbigail, Grim accidentally stabs the water next to Abbigail when the enchantment on his scythe was active, resulting in the feedback knocking him out of the fight.
• Badass Boast: After exposing Lucan as a spy, Xaria gives a potent boast about the intentions of the Necromancers, and what they'll do after burning Niika's treefort.
  Xaria: You will watch helplessly as everything you fought for is destroyed and burned. And after we're finished, we will find the Felina... and we will kill her.
• Bait-and-Switch: We are led to believe by the citizens of Hogtown that the Magnorite on the edge of town would be dangerous, confirming the attitude previously set in Episode 4. However, we're instead introduced to Igneous, a cheerful Book Worm, who hasn't harmed anybody.
• Battle Amongst the Flames: Niika and Xaria fight each other after the fire started by Xaria to burn Niika's treefort spreads to the surrounding trees.
• Blinded by Rage: Grim, after being knocked down from a cliff by Abbigail, becomes infuriated with her, which allows Abbigail to get a few good hits in before Grim accidentally stabs the water next to Abbigail, knocking him out of the fight.
• Cats Hate Water: A Cat Folk variety, where Niika (and Felinas in general) can't swim at all, and as such are afraid of water.
  Niika: Felinas hate water, Lucan, we hate- (Lucan shoves her into the river)
  (after they exit the water)
  Niika: Don't you ever, throw me in the water again!
  Lucan: Yeah, yeah.
• Character Development: We get some from both Lucan and Niika, who have grown significantly since Episode 4. This is shown perfectly as the bond between the two has clearly improved after all they've been through together.
• Complaining About Rescues They Don't Like: Subverted. While Niika is grateful that Lucan helped save her life, she doesn't appreciate being shoved into the water, when she made it clear that she can't swim.
• Continuity Nod:
  • While talking about going to Felora with him, Niika mentions that Lucan may need her help again.
  • The Dragon Egg is, once again, pulsating and glowing, even more so know as it seems to be calling for the Endermen to come and retrieve it.
• Curb Stomp Cushion:
  • Lucan puts up a decent fight against Xaria, managing to parry numerous strikes in their sword fight, before Xaria kicks him a good distance, disarming Lucan.
  • Jalkar manages to knock down the Enderman at one point, but it simply teleports too often for Jalkar to fight it properly.
  • Grim clearly has the upper hand over Abbigail, though (as explained in Blinded by Rage) she does manage to strike him a few times.
• Dressing as the Enemy: This is final episode where Lucan uses his stolen Necromancer robes to infiltrate the Necromancers. The disguise itself almost goes against him, though Xaria only manages to expose him by taking the mask off.
• Dramatic Unmask: In-Universe, the reveal of Lucan as a spy is this to the Necromancers present in the forest.
• Dynamic Entry: Niika arrives at the scene of her blazing treefort, shooting a random Necromancer dead, then leaping in and beheading three zombies in one smooth motion, before fighting Xaria.
• Friendless Background: Igneous explains that he's had very few friends recently, and as such is very receptive of Senn, who's in a very similar situation to him.
• Grievous Bottley Harm: Averted, the bottle that's thrown at Igneous' head does absolutely no harm to him at all, and he continues talking to Senn.
• Macguffin Guardian: The Endermen are this to the Dragon Egg in this universe, most likely wanting to return it to The End. At the end of the episode, when three of them see that Abbigail is after the Egg to protect it, they back away and let her carry on.
• Match Cut: We get a smooth transition from Igneous talking, panning from the leaves near Hogtown, to the leaves in Tabora Crags, where we catch up with Jalkar and Grim.
• Motor Mouth: Igneous has got a lot to say during his introduction in this episode. His voice even (briefly) transitions into the next scene of the episode.
• No-Sell: Igneous, being a Magnorite, takes no notice of the glass bottle that just shattered on the side of his head, thrown by a citizen of Hogtown.
  Senn: Did you- isn't that bothering you?
  Igneous: Oh no- I'm, used to it.
• "Ray of Hope" Ending: Niika's treefort, and all the information within it, has been burned by the Necromancers, who are now aware of the repercussions of having Lucan and Niika following them. However, Niika still remembers a good deal of information from her time hunting the Necromancers, and Lucan knows where their base is, and they will report this information to the Felden authorities.
• Red Shirt: The Necromancer that accompanies Xaria to Niika's treefort is killed off by Niika without having ever said a word during any of his appearances.
• Rock Bottom: Senn seems to have hit a tragic version of this, with Sendaria having been razed, his adoptive family either dead or missing, his mentor killed by the Voltaris, and nobody in Hogtown having any sympathy to his situation at all.
• Teleport Spam: The Enderman that attacks Jalkar and Grim over the Dragon Egg uses its teleportation ability to great effect when fighting (and then defeating) Jalkar. However, it isn't enough to stop Grim's scythe from slicing off its arm.
• The Voiceless: Abbigail, despite being very important in the last part of the episode, doesn't say a single word before or after her fight with Grim.
• Thou Shall Not Kill: As shown from her brief talk with Lucidius in the previous episode, Abbigail has absolutely no need to kill anyone, sparing Grim because of this.
• Villain: Exit, Stage Left: Xaria makes a hasty exit after Lucan and Niika bump into each other, presumably to inform the Necrolord about Lucan's spy activities.
• Villains Want Mercy: Grim is shown covering his face after he's knocked out the fight and is at the mercy of Abbigail. He gets his mercy.
• Worf Had the Flu: Grim is easily leagues better of a fighter than Abbigail, however, a combination of being attacked by the Enderman, falling from a great height and his anger clouding his judgement, leads him to lose to Abbigail during their fight.
• Wretched Hive: The community of Hogtown is a downplayed version of this, being a filthy, destitute town with a pig-based economy and being left behind by the kingdoms.
• You Have Outlived Your Usefulness: Jalkar, being tired of the shortfalls that's come from the mission due to Grim (and being hunted by Abbigail), leaves Grim at the Tabora Crags after he falls down from one of Abbigail's arrows.
  Jalkar: Sorry mate, but, I can't be slowed down any more.