The Times

The Times
Book	The Heroes
POV	Curnden Craw
Location	Osrung The North
Chronology
Preceded by	Talins Again Chapters 5
Followed by	The Peacemaker

“	Shoglig told me the time, and the place, and the manner of my death. She whispered it, and made me swear to keep it secret, for magic shared is no magic at all. So I cannot tell you where it will be, or when, but it is not here, and it is not now. You boys, on the other hand … Shoglig didn’t say when you’d be going.	”
	— Whirrun of Bligh

The Times is the first chapter of The Heroes.¹²

Chapter Summary

Curnden Craw³, an aging veteran Named-man, trudges wearily up a steep hill towards the hilltop ringed with ancient standing stones; the Heroes. It is eight years since the end of the First Northern War, and The Union and The North are at war again⁴. Craw is the leader of a crew of Named-men, a dozen, loyal to King Black Dow of the Northmen.

Nearing the peak, Craw sees the flicker of a campfire within the circle of giant stones, and gathering his courage, he strides confidently into the camp. While the men around the fire bristle in surprise, Hardbread, the leader and another old veteran, urges them to calm; this crew is loyal to The Dogman, rebel Northmen allied with The Union.

Hardbread and Craw know each other well, having fought together and on the opposing sides down the years. After some friendly banter, an awkward standoff ensues. However, Craw has the upper hand, with his crew⁵ having already stealthily surrounded the stones, and taken their sentries prisoner. Nevertheless, Craw allows Hardbread's crew to clear out unharmed. From the hilltop, that commands a view of the valley of Osrung, Craw watches Hardbread and his crew trudge down south. Wondering what Union scouts would be doing this far north, he orders Drofd to ride to Carleon and warn Black Dow that the Union Army may be closer than they all think.

Characters

Introduced		Appeared	Mentioned
Curnden Craw	Jolly Yon	The Dogman	Black Dow
Hardbread	Brack-i-Dayn
Wonderful	Agrick
Whirrun of Bligh	Athroc
Scorry Tiptoe	Drofd

Loctions and Terms

Osrung	The North	First Northern War	Battle of the Heroes	The Union	Carleon
Union Army

References

1. In Best Served Cold we've had the futility of revenge, and now we have the futility of war.
2. The book is set in the year 584AU, so seven years after the end of the original trilogy see in 575-577AU. The skirmish at Barden occurred just before the start, which is specifically dated in Sharp Ends.
3. Curnden Craw is probably the closest thing to a central character The Heroes has. He was once Second to Rudd Threetrees, and still tries to do things the Old Way – stand by your Chief, stand by your crew, try to keep everyone alive, at least on your side.  He’s long been dreaming of retirement, going back to being a carpenter and smoking his pipe on his porch while the sun goes down, but he never quite seems to find the right moment to hang up his sword…
4. To emphasis the futility of war, the cause of it is never really explained. Mabe King Jezal desires revenge on Black Dow for usurping his friend Logen Ninefingers. Bayaz seems to want little more than to harden The Union with a sacrifice of blood in the fire of war.
5. Curnden Craw's crew are Wonderful, Whirrun of Bligh, Scorry Tiptoe, Jolly Yon, Brack-i-Dayn, Agrick, Athroc, and Drofd.

Chapters in The First Law
The Blade Itself Part 1	▪ Prologue: The End ▪ 1. The Survivors ▪ 2. Questions ▪ 3. No Choice at All ▪ 4. Playing With Knives ▪ 5. Teeth and Fingers ▪ 6. The Wide and Barren North ▪ 7. Fencing Practice ▪ 8. The Morning Ritual ▪ 9. First of the Magi ▪ 10. The Good Man ▪ 11. On the List ▪ 12. An Offer and a Gift ▪ 13. The King of the Northmen ▪ 14. A Road Between Two Dentists ▪ 15. Flatheads ▪ 16. The Course of True Love ▪ 15. How Dogs are Trained ▪ 16. Tea and Vengeance
The Blade Itself Part 2	▪ 17. What Freedom Looks Like ▪ 18. The King’s Justice ▪ 19. Means of Escape ▪ 20. Three Signs ▪ 21. The Theatrical Outfitter’s ▪ 22. Barbarians at the Gate ▪ 23. Next ▪ 24. Better than Death ▪ 25. Sore Thumb ▪ 26. Questions ▪ 27. Nobility ▪ 28. Dark Work ▪ 29. Words and Dust ▪ 30. The Remarkable Talents of Brother Longfoot ▪ 31. Her Kind Fight Everything ▪ 32. She Loves Me ... Not ▪ 33. The Seed ▪ 34. Never Bet Against a Magus ▪ 35. The Ideal Audience ▪ 36. The House of the Maker ▪ 37. Nobody’s Dog ▪ 38. Each Man Worships Himself ▪ 39. Old Friends ▪ 40. Back to the Mud ▪ 41. Misery ▪ 42. The Bloody-Nine ▪ 43. The Tools we Have
Before They Are Hanged Part 1	▪ 1. The Great Leveler ▪ 2. Best Laid Plans ▪ 3. Questions ▪ 4. The Wounds of the Past ▪ 5. The Condition of the Defences ▪ 6. The Thing About Trust ▪ 7. Allies ▪ 8. Campfire Politics ▪ 9. Small Crimes ▪ 10. Rain ▪ 11. Bloody Company ▪ 12. Long Shadows ▪ 13. And next… My Gold ▪ 14. Fear ▪ 15. One Hundred Words ▪ 16. The Blind Lead the Blind ▪ 17. Prince Ladisla’s Stratagem ▪ 18. Until Sunset ▪ 19. Long Odds ▪ 20. The Road to Victory ▪ 21. Necessary Evils ▪ 22. Among the Stones ▪ 23. The Fruits of Boldness ▪ 24. One for Dinner ▪ 25. One of Them
Before They Are Hanged Part 2	▪ 26. Heading North ▪ 27. Scant Mercy ▪ 28. So This is Pain ▪ 29. One Step at a Time ▪ 30. The Rest is Wasted Breath ▪ 31. A Matter of Time ▪ 32. Scars ▪ 33. Furious ▪ 34. To the Last Man ▪ 35. Jewel of Cities ▪ 36. Luck ▪ 37. Beneath the Ruins ▪ 38. No Good for Each Other ▪ 39. The Hero’s Welcome ▪ 40. Cold Comfort ▪ 41. The High Places ▪ 42. Coming Over ▪ 43. Cheap at the Price ▪ 44. To the Edge of the World ▪ 45. Before the Storm ▪ 46. Questions ▪ 47. Holding the Line ▪ 48. A Fitting Punishment ▪ 49. The Abode of Stones ▪ 50. Back to the Mud
Last Argument of Kings Part 1	▪ 1. The Poison Trade ▪ 2. Being Chief ▪ 3. This Noble Business ▪ 4. The New Man ▪ 5. Feeding Time ▪ 6. So Much In Common ▪ 7. Honesty ▪ 8. Ghosts ▪ 9. Bad Debts ▪ 10. A Ragged Multitude ▪ 11. Beloved Of The Moon ▪ 12. Flowers And Plaudits ▪ 13. Too Many Knives ▪ 14. Best Of Enemies ▪ 15. Fortunes Of War ▪ 16. The Kingmaker ▪ 17. The Trap ▪ 18. Horrible Old Men ▪ 19. Prepared For The Worst ▪ 20. The Habit Of Command ▪ 21. The First Day ▪ 22. Such Sweet Sorrow ▪ 23. Picked Up A Shadow ▪ 24. Questions ▪ 25. The Fourth Day ▪ 26. The Perfect Couple ▪ 27. The Seventh Day ▪ 28. Too Many Masters ▪ 29. Sweet Victory ▪ 30. Rude Awakenings
Last Argument of Kings Part 2	▪ 31. The Number Of The Dead ▪ 32. Leaves On The Water ▪ 33. Authority ▪ 34. The Circle ▪ 35. Greater Good ▪ 36. Skarling’s Chair ▪ 37. Leadership ▪ 38. A Rock And A Hard Place ▪ 39. Charity ▪ 40. Better Left Buried ▪ 41. Tomorrow’s Hero ▪ 42. Nightfall ▪ 43. Questions ▪ 44. The Day Of Judgement ▪ 45. Sacrifices ▪ 46. Open The Box ▪ 47. Dark Paths ▪ 48. Reckoning ▪ 49. After The Rains ▪ 50. Answers ▪ 51. The Wounded ▪ 52. Patriotic Duties ▪ 53. The First Law ▪ 54. Tea And Threats ▪ 55. Behind The Throne ▪ 56. Good Men, Evil Men ▪ 57. Not What You Wanted ▪ 58. Loose Ends ▪ 59. The Beginning
Best Served Cold	▪ 1. Benna Murcatto Saves a Life ▪ 2. PART I: TALINS ▪ 3. Land of Opportunity ▪ 4. The Bone-Thief ▪ 5. Fish out of Water ▪ 6. Six and One ▪ 7. Bloody Instruction ▪ 8. PART II: WESTPORT ▪ 9. Poison ▪ 10. Science and Magic ▪ 11. The Safest Place in the World ▪ 12. Evil Friends ▪ 13. Two Twos ▪ 14. Plans and Accidents▪ 15. Repaid in Full ▪ 16. PART III: SIPANI ▪ 17. Fogs and Whispers ▪ 18. The Arts of Persuasion ▪ 19. The Life of the Drinker ▪ 20. Left Out ▪ 21. A Few Bad Men ▪ 22. The Peacemakers ▪ 23. Cooking up Trouble ▪ 24. Sex and Death ▪ 25. That’s Entertainment ▪ 26. What Happened ▪ 27. PART IV: VISSERINE ▪ 28. Vengeance, Then ▪ 29. Downwards ▪ 30. Rats in a Sack ▪ 31. The Forlorn Hope ▪ 32. Mercy and Cowardice ▪ 33. The Odd Couple ▪ 34. Darkness ▪ 35. The Connoisseur ▪ 36. Vile Jelly ▪ 37. Other People’s Scores ▪ 38. The Fencing Master ▪ 39. PART V: PURANTI ▪ 40. Sixes ▪ 41. The Eye-Maker ▪ 42. Prince of Prudence ▪ 43. Neither Rich nor Poor ▪ 44. Heroic Efforts, New Beginnings ▪ 45. The Traitor ▪ 46. King of Poisons ▪ 47. No Worse ▪ 48. Harvest Time ▪ 49. The Old New Captain General ▪ 50. PART VI: OSPRIA ▪ 51. His Plan of Attack ▪ 52. Politics ▪ 53. No More Delays ▪ 54. All Business ▪ 55. The Fate of Styria ▪ 56. To the Victors … ▪ 57. So Much for Nothing ▪ 58. Shifting Sands ▪ 59. PART VII: TALINS ▪ 60. Return of the Native ▪ 61. The Lion’s Skin ▪ 62. Preparation ▪ 63. Rules of War ▪ 64. One Nation ▪ 65. All Dust ▪ 66. The Inevitable ▪ 67. Thus the Whirligig … ▪ 68. Seeds ▪ 69. All Change ▪ 70. Happy Endings
The Heroes	BEFORE THE BATTLE ▪ 1. The Times ▪ 2. The Peacemaker ▪ 3. The Best of Us ▪ 4. Black Dow ▪ 5. What War? ▪ 6. Old Hands ▪ 7. New Hands ▪ 8. Reachey ▪ 9. The Right Thing DAY ONE ▪ 10. Silence ▪ 11. Ambition ▪ 12. Give and Take ▪ 13. The Very Model ▪ 14. Scale ▪ 15. Ours Not to Reason Why ▪ 16. Cry Havoc and … ▪ 17. Devoutly to be Wished ▪ 18. Casualties ▪ 19. The Better Part of Valour ▪ 20. Paths of Glory ▪ 21. The Day’s Work ▪ 22. The Defeated ▪ 23. Fair Treatment ▪ 24. Tactics ▪ 25. Rest and Recreation DAY TWO ▪ 26. Dawn ▪ 27. Opening Remarks ▪ 28. The Infernal Contraptions ▪ 29. Reasoned Debate ▪ 30. Chains of Command ▪ 31. Closing Arguments ▪ 32. Straight Edge ▪ 33. Escape ▪ 34. The Bridge ▪ 35. Strange Bedfellows ▪ 36. Hearts and Minds ▪ 37. Good Deeds ▪ 38. One Day More ▪ 39. Bones ▪ 40. The King's Last Hero ▪ 41. My Land DAY THREE ▪ 42. The Standard Issue ▪ 43. Shadows ▪ 44. Under the Wing ▪ 45. Names ▪ 46. Still Yesterday ▪ 47. For What We Are About to Receive … ▪ 48. The Riddle of the Ground ▪ 49. Onwards and Upwards ▪ 50. More Tricks ▪ 51. The Tyranny of Distance ▪ 52. Blood ▪ 53. Pointed Metal ▪ 54. Peace in Our Time ▪ 55. The Moment of Truth ▪ 56. Spoils ▪ 57. Desperate Measures ▪ 58. Stuff Happens AFTER THE BATTLE ▪ 59. End of the Road ▪ 60. By the Sword ▪ 61. The Currents of History ▪ 62. Terms ▪ 63. Family ▪ 64. New Hands ▪ 65. Old Hands ▪ 66. Everyone Serves ▪ 67. Just Deserts ▪ 68. Black Calder ▪ 69. Retired
Red Country	PART I: TROUBLE ▪ 1. Some Kind of Coward ▪ 2. The Easy Way ▪ 3. Just Men ▪ 4. The Best Man ▪ 5. All Got a Past ▪ 6. The Stolen PART II: FELLOWSHIP ▪ 7. Conscience and the Cock-Rot ▪ 8. New Lives ▪ 9. The Rugged Outdoorsman ▪ 10. Driftwood ▪ 11. Reasons ▪ 12. Oh God, the Dust ▪ 13. Sweet’s Crossing ▪ 14. Dreams ▪ 15. The Wrath of God ▪ 16. The Practical Thinkers ▪ 17. The Fair Price PART III: CREASE ▪ 18. Hell on the Cheap ▪ 19. Plots ▪ 20. Words and Graces ▪ 21. That Simple ▪ 22. Yesterday’s News ▪ 23. Blood Coming ▪ 24. The Sleeping Partner ▪ 25. Fun ▪ 26. High Stakes ▪ 27. Old Friends ▪ 28. Nowhere to Go PART IV: DRAGONS ▪ 29. In Threes ▪ 30. Among the Barbarians ▪ 31. Bait ▪ 32. Savages ▪ 33. The Dragon’s Den ▪ 34. Greed PART V: TROUBLE ▪ 35. The Tally ▪ 36. Going Back ▪ 37. Answered Prayers ▪ 38. Sharp Ends ▪ 39. Nowhere Fast ▪ 40. Times Change ▪ 41. The Cost ▪ 42. Last Words ▪ 43. Some Kind of Coward
A Little Hatred Part 1	▪ 1. Blessings and Curses ▪ 2. Where the Fight's Hottest ▪ 3. Guilt Is a Luxury ▪ 4. Keeping Score ▪ 5. A Little Public Hanging ▪ 6. The Breakers ▪ 7. The Answer to Your Tears ▪ 8. Young Heroes ▪ 9. The Moment ▪ 10. Break What They Love ▪ 11. It Was Bad ▪ 12. A Sea of Business ▪ 13. Fencing with Father ▪ 14. Fencing with Father II ▪ 15. Promises ▪ 16. A Blow for the Common Man ▪ 17. Knowing the Arrow ▪ 18. Biding Time, Wasting Time ▪ 19. The Bigger They Are ▪ 20. Questions ALH ▪ 21. The Machinery of State ▪ 22. Sore Spots
A Little Hatred Part 2	▪ 23. Full of Sad Stories ▪ 24. Surprises ▪ 25. The Lion and the Wolf ▪ 26. No Unnecessary Sentiment ▪ 27. Friends Like These ▪ 28. Sinking Ships ▪ 29. Welcome to the Future ▪ 30. The Little People ▪ 31. Something of Ours ▪ 32. The Man of Action ▪ 33. Ugly Business ▪ 34. In the Mirror ▪ 35. A Deal ▪ 36. The New Monument ▪ 37. All Equal ▪ 38. Young Men's Folly ▪ 39. The Party's Over ▪ 40. Eating Peas with a Sword ▪ 41. The Battle of Red Hill ▪ 42. Settle This Like Men
A Little Hatred Part 3	▪ 43. Demands ▪ 44. Taking the Reins ▪ 45. A Fool's Weapon ▪ 46. Hopes and Hatreds ▪ 47. Where Names Are Made ▪ 48. The Poor Pay the Price ▪ 49. The New Woman ▪ 50. Lost Causes ▪ 51. The New Man ALH ▪ 52. Two of a Kind ▪ 53. Empty Chests ▪ 54. Like Rain ▪ 55. Drinks with Mother ▪ 56. Drinks with Mother II ▪ 57. Questions ALH2 ▪ 58. Civilisation ▪ 59. A Natural ▪ 60. Good Times ▪ 61. A Bit About Courage ▪ 62. Substitutes ▪ 63. No Expense Spared ▪ 64. My Kind of Bastard ▪ 65. Long Live the King
The Trouble With Peace Part 4	▪ 1. The World’s Wrongs ▪ 2. A Long Way from Adua ▪ 3. A Sea of Trouble ▪ 4. A Routine ▪ 5. The Art of Compromise ▪ 6. Some Things Never Heal ▪ 7. With the Wind ▪ 8. Visions ▪ 9. Man of the People ▪ 10. Safe Hands ▪ 11. An Ambush ▪ 12. Gentle Temperaments ▪ 13. Minister of Whispers ▪ 14. Late ▪ 15. An Infinite Supply ▪ 16. The Demon That Breaks All Chains ▪ 17. The King’s Justice ▪ 18. The Choice ▪ 19. Let Ring the Bells ▪ 20. Future Treasons, Past Affairs ▪ 21. The King’s Pimp ▪ 22. The Darling of the Slums ▪ 23. Dead Wood, New Shoots
The Trouble With Peace Part 5	▪ 24. The Favourite Son ▪ 25. Patriotic Contributions ▪ 26. A Little Public Hanging ▪ 27. Old Ways, Proper Ways ▪ 28. Fire with Fire ▪ 29. Half-Treason ▪ 30. A Private Language ▪ 31. Old Friends ▪ 32. New Friends ▪ 33. The Little People ▪ 34. A Fitting Welcome ▪ 35. Diplomacy ▪ 36. The Wolf’s Jaws ▪ 37. Questions ▪ 38. Tomorrow Came ▪ 39. Grown Up ▪ 40. Grown Up ▪ 41. All Tastes, No Judgements ▪ 42. No Philosopher ▪ 43. Changes at the Top ▪ 44. Into the Light ▪ 45. Some Men Can’t Help Themselves ▪ 46. A Meeting with Destiny
The Trouble With Peace Part 6	▪ 47. Storms ▪ 48. Liar, Liar ▪ 49. You Asked for Killers ▪ 50. Good Ground ▪ 51. Bad Ground ▪ 52. High Ground ▪ 53. Common Ground ▪ 54. Doubts and Desires ▪ 55. Fools’ Errands ▪ 56. The Little People ▪ 57. Cold Blood ▪ 58. Heroics ▪ 59. Just Talk ▪ 60. The New Harvest ▪ 61. The Truth ▪ 62. Those Names ▪ 63. A Footnote to History ▪ 64. Loyalties and Sympathies
The Wisdom Of Crowds Part 7	▪ 1. Like a King ▪ 2. Change ▪ 3. The Little People ▪ 4. No More Trouble ▪ 5. Bring Out the King ▪ 6. All the Cards ▪ 7. Questions ▪ 8. Citizens ▪ 9. Miracles ▪ 10. A Little Public Hanging ▪ 11. Nest of Vipers ▪ 12. Lines of Communication ▪ 13. The Politician ▪ 14. Anger ▪ 15. Opportunities ▪ 16. An Exhibit ▪ 17. Different This Time ▪ 18. Quarrels ▪ 19. Too Many Principles
The Wisdom Of Crowds Part 8	▪ 20. A Sea of Terror ▪ 21. Conspiracies ▪ 22. Worse Than Murder ▪ 23. Lessons ▪ 24. Far from Finished ▪ 25. The Only Explanation ▪ 26. Charity ▪ 27. The Good Work ▪ 28. The World a Camp ▪ 29. Better Than Carnage ▪ 30. A Matter of Time ▪ 31. Taking and Keeping ▪ 32. Thaw ▪ 33. Love, Hate, Fear ▪ 34. This Half-Arsed Conspiracy ▪ 35. A Spicy Denunciation ▪ 36. Purity ▪ 37. None of the Cards ▪ 38. Horror on Horror ▪ 39. The Dragon’s Hoard ▪ 40. None Saved ▪ 41. The Same Side ▪ 42. Break What They Love ▪ 43. The Little People ▪ 44. Satisfaction and Regret
The Wisdom Of Crowds Part 9	▪ 45. Ready for a Fight ▪ 46. We Know Who You Are ▪ 47. The Side of the Saints ▪ 48. The Sentence ▪ 49. Forging the Future ▪ 50. A Half-Baked Loaf ▪ 51. Sunrise ▪ 52. We Must Have Enemies ▪ 53. A Sea of Power ▪ 54. Not for the Prizes ▪ 55. Redemption ▪ 56. It Was Bad ▪ 57. So Many Changes ▪ 58. Good Times ▪ 59. Of Your Heart a Stone ▪ 60. Answers ▪ 61. The Only Crime ▪ 62. Great Men’s Footsteps ▪ 63. The Moment ▪ 64. A Little Private Hanging ▪ 65. The Villain ▪ 66. Curses and Blessings