The Color of Magic The Color of Magic / Chapter 17 Summary

How It All Goes Down

  • Using his phrase book, Twoflower explains the broad strokes of inner-sewer-ants to Broadman while Ymor watches the two exchange a slip of paper for a few coins.
  • Ymor asks what all that was about, and Broadman explains that it's like he's betting that the Broken Drum won't burn down, but if it does, the people of the Agatean Empire will pay for it.
  • The door smashes inward and Broadman starts to yell at the man standing in the doorway before realizing its Zlorf.
  • There's a small standoff between Zlorf's men and Withel, but it ends when Ymor and Zlorf reach an agreement: One will kill Twoflower and the other will rob him.
  • The door smashes inward again, and Broadman yells at the man until he realizes he's accompanied by a couple of trolls.
  • This man is Rerpf, head of the Guild of Merchants and Traders—newly formed that very day. He's there to protect their interests, meaning Twoflower and his coinage.
  • Thieves and assassins and trolls do battle, but that's just the start of it.