Ranger's Apprentice - The Kings of Clonmel Quiz

Answer: He used one of his pursuers as a decoy

Halt did not want to abandon Abelard and knew the horse would not survive the jump into the river. One pursuer, Colly, had sneaked up after dark to try and catch him unawares. Halt caught Colly and then terrorised him into making the leap into the river the following morning, wearing Halt's hooded cloak. Halt directed the pursuers to get Colly further downstream from the river and was able to ride off on Abelard without pursuit.

Answer: Halt chose to go into exile

His parents favoured his younger brother Ferris, possibly over-compensating for the fact that Halt would succeed to the throne before him. Ferris felt cheated out of his birthright by Halt and made several attempts on Halt's life. Halt could not prove this and knew that Ferris would keep on trying, so Halt chose to go into exile to resolve the situation.

Answer: Starting a fire in Halt's room while he slept

Ferris initially tried poisoning Halt but got the amount of poison wrong. A pile of roof tiles came next, missing him by half a metre, and then they were fishing together when Ferris pushed Halt overboard and tried to keep him under by hitting him with an oar. Halt felt unable to raise any of this with his parents as he had no proof. So he decided to leave.

Answer: To pour on a sentry he knocked out

Halt sent Will to Duffy's Ford in order to pick up the tracks of the bandits and learn any information he could. After checking out the evidence at the site, he tracked them down to their camp. He needed to get into the camp in order to collect what intelligence he could. To do so he had to knock out one of the sentries. Will then poured some of the brandy on to the sentry's clothes and in his mouth.

He reckoned that the sentry would have a hard time convincing his superiors of his story when he was stinking of brandy.

Answer: The Outsiders repelled them with singing

The Outsiders' technique generally was to offer protection against raiding bandits in exchange for donations to their god. The bandits were part of the Outsiders group, so they arranged attacks around the countryside to create a climate of fear. King Ferris took no action to counter these raids.

At Mountshannon, the Outsiders arranged a demonstration of the 'power' of their god by repelling a bandit raid. The bandits played their part and retreated in disarray when confronted with the discordant singing of the Outsiders with Tennyson.

Answer: Imagine someone has put a week-old fish under your nose

The assault on Craikness was meant to demonstrate what happens when the Outsiders were not present to save them. When the bandits attacked, Halt and Will were able to disrupt the assault with their arrows. When their position was discovered and a dozen men sent to deal with them, Horace as the Sunrise Warrior dealt with most of them. He then killed the bandit leader Padraig in single combat. Halt wanted to use the Sunrise Warrior legend to counter the Outsiders and their god, so he had Horace stay out of the village after the fight looking enigmatic while Halt spun an exaggerated tale.

Answer: He took his brother's place

Halt was unable to persuade Ferris to challenge Tennyson. Horace stepped in with suggestions of a money-making solution and, when Ferris took him to his robing room, Horace knocked him out. His plan was for Halt to take his identical twin brother's place for the confrontation.

A bit of shaving, rearrangement of his hair, some soot to dye his hair black, tea and soot to darken parts of his face and a change of clothes transformed Halt into the king.

Answer: Horace had been drugged

While people were distracted by the dramatic end to the first fight, Tennyson had one of his Genovesan mercenaries adulterated the water in Horace's tent. There was an hour between the fights and Horace naturally had a drink of water while he relaxed.

The drug had the effect of blurring his vision and slowing down his reactions, effectively neutralising his ability to fight. To stop the fight without proof of tampering would have meant losing the fight. Horace felt he had to continue fight preparations while Will went to preserve the drugged water as evidence.

Answer: By challenging him to trial by combat

Will had got back to the tent as the Genovesan finished pouring the poisoned water in the jug away. He knocked him out and got help to drag the Genovesan to the field of combat. Will then accused Tennyson of breaching the trial by combat rules and, when asked for proof, attempted to have the Genovesan drink some water that Will claimed had been poisoned (but which in fact was not). The Genovesan managed to knock it away and Will then called for trial by combat. Trial by combat was considered to be the highest forum for deciding matters in Clonmel.

Answer: Sean as nephew

Halt had an undeniable claim to the throne as eldest son of the previous king; however, he made it clear that he was not interested in the Clonmel throne. Sean, the son of Halt's younger sister, was next in line and also the best candidate. Of the various barons who could have been made king, they all were self-interested and likely to challenge any other baron who became king. Sean was the one most likely to command loyalty and put the interests of the country first.

The barons endorsed Halt's proposal for Sean to become king.