#1 what really happened in peru
Quote:
It was a sad moment in Magnus Bane's life when he was banned from Peru by the High Council of Peruvian warlocks. It was not just because the posters with a picture of him that were passed around Downworld in Peru were so unflattering. It was because Peru was one of his favourite places.
These are the first sentences you get to read and they just instantly made me smile, because that remark about the posters is such a Magnus thing to say.
The book is split in four small chapters that each give insight in one adventure Magnus had in Peru before he was banned from Peru. Strarting with 1791.
1791
In 1791 Magnus invited his friend Ragnor Fell to accompany him to Peru for a job that he had gotten there. As it is Magnus main occupation while not working seems to be getting drunk. He has seventeen drinks for breakfast alone. Magnus is living it up even more than we know of him from the Mortal Instruments.
We learn that he does not like to speak his native language as they remind him of his childhood memories and are apparently unpleasant. In 1791 he also does not like the fact that he sometimes has to speak Purgatic, Gehennic and Tartarian (demon languages) in his line of work as those remind him of his blood father and memories of him are even worse. These memories are in general too serious for his liking, he likes to be amused and amusing.
Ragnor is outraged with Magnus, because he has not settled anywhere since his last lover died, by whose side he lived and who had died in his arms. Magnus compares the memory of her with the beauty of distant stars.
The two of them go sight seeing in all of Peru and while Magnus enjoys spending the time with his friend, Ragnor is very suspicious of everything that seems a tiny bit out of place.
"I don't like the rain forest," Rangor said sadly.
"That's because you are not open to new experiences in the same way I am!"
"No, it is because it is wetter than a boar's armpit and twice as smelly here"
Magnus' job happens to take them both on a large ship which exports guano from Peru. (Guano: feces and urine of seabirds, cave-dwelling bats, and seals) The two of them are to protect the ship from Europeans who might want to steal the, uhm, very precious bird droppings. Yummy, right?
Anyway as it happenes Magnus does spot a ship that might be one of pirates and in all honesty Ragnor is not much help in the case as he is violently sea sick half the time. Also Ragnor has no idea what they are actually guarding, because he does not speak spanish and Magnus has not enlightened him.
Magnus simply sinks the questionable ship and celebrates by swinging on the ropes of the ship and encourages Ragnor to do the same. By pure chance they land directly on the cargo and Ragnor demands to finally know what they are guarding, as he is literally up to his ellbows in the mess. Ragnor gets so angry that his tantrum sinks the whole boat and Magnus got the whole blame for destroying the Peruvian property.
1885
This time Magnus came to Peru with Catarina Loss and Ragnor Fell. The latter still holds a grudge against Magnus for the last adventure they had in Peru and claims to have tried to air out his clothes for years.
Magnus claims to be over 700 years old at this point, but apparently only Catarina knows his actual age and therefore does not look impressed like their client does.
Together with their client called Nayaraq they hike to a place called Pachacamac, which must have been grand once but only ruins remained. Magnus can still feel strong magic coming off the rubble. The three of them are there to find a treasure that has been buried there by Nayaraq's ancestors hundreds of years ago. They find it and afterwards Catarina proposes that they continue the adventures Magnus and Ragnor had in Peru before. Meaning getting drunk and party a lot.
Naturally Magnus is all for it and Rangor absolutely against the idea. Arguing that Ragnor couldn't possibly leave the lady with a maniac Ragnor also stays.
As it happens they were wanted criminals for desecrating a temple after they left.
1890
1962
(I'll go on later)
