Hard in Hightown (book)

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#REDIRECT [[Dragon Age: Hard in Hightown]]

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<onlyinclude>{{MediaTransformer

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|style = {{{style|}}}

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|supertitle = Novella

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|name = [[Hard in Hightown (book)|Hard in Hightown]]

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|image = Hardinhightowncover.jpg

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|px = 270px

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|authors = [[Varric Tethras]] [[Mary Kirby]]

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|illustrators = E.M. Jist (cover) Stefano Martino, Álvaro Sarraseca, Andres Ponce, Ricardo German Ponce Torres

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|pages = 72

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|publishers = [[wikipedia:Dark Horse Comics|Dark Horse Comics]]

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|release = July 31, 2018<ref name="Amazon">[https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1506704042 "Hard in Hightown"] on Amazon. Retrieved August 5, 2018.</ref>

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|isbn = 1506704042 978-1506704043

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}}</onlyinclude>

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{{Blockquote|''Twenty years of patrols have chiseled each and every stone of the [[Kirkwall]] streets into city guardsman [[Donnen Brennokovic]]. Weary and weathered, Donnen is paired with a recruit so green he might as well have leaves growing out of his armor. When the unlikely duo discovers a dead magistrate bleeding out on the flagstones, they're caught up in a clash between a shadowy organization known only as the [[Executors]] and a secretive group of [[Chantry]] agents-all over some ancient artifact.''<ref>[https://www.darkhorse.com/Books/30-282/Dragon-Age-Hard-in-Hightown-HC Hard in Hightown]</ref>}}

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'''''Hard in Hightown''''' is a novel written by [[Varric Tethras]] and [[Mary Kirby]] and published July 31, 2018 by [[wikipedia:Dark Horse Comics|Dark Horse Comics]].

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The novella is a publication of [[Varric Tethras]]'s ''noir detective'' story told in the eighteen codicies starting with [[Codex entry: Hard in Hightown: Chapter One]]. It includes cover art and 24 interior illustrations captioned by a quote from the story. It does not include [[Codex entry: Hard in Hightown: Chapter ???]]. The events of the book are set entirely in [[Kirkwall]] during the same period as the events of [[Dragon Age II]], roughly 9:30-40 [[Dragon Age (time period)|Dragon]]. The story is a ''homage satire'' of classic film noir tropes such as the [https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/PrivateDetective Private Detective] and the action film standard [https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/CowboyCop Cowboy Cop].

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In the book, the speech patterns of some of the characters mimic Dragon Age II companions, for example Belladonna uses the "sweet thing" phrase that [[Isabela]] used, Hendallen uses [[Aveline Vallen|Avaline's]] short, gruff sentences and Maysie sounds considerably like [[Merrill]]. Mary Kirby explained that this effect was because the characters in the novella were inspired and reviewed by Varric's friends and associates.<ref>[https://www.heypoorplayer.com/2018/01/10/interview-mary-kirby-hard-in-hightown/ Interview with Mary Kirby]</ref>

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== Plot ==

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{{SpoilerDAI|Two [[Kirkwall City Guard|guardsmen]], Donnen and Jevlan, discover the corpse of Magistrate Dunwald in [[Kirkwall]]'s Hightown at night. They set about gathering clues, visiting his widow, Lady Marielle, and the Comte de Favre. Donnen next attempts to get a search warrant from Captain Hendallen, but are turned down for lack of cause and is reprimanded for not following procedure. Ignoring both the lack of warrant and procedure, Donnen picks the lock to the comte's house and the duo find him dead. Their search of the house is interrupted by Captain Belladonna, a [[Rivain|Rivani sea captain]] who wants to be paid for the cargo she brought to Kirkwall for the comte.

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Donnen's next move is to visit the elf, Maysie, who interprets the seal on a letter as belonging to a supposedly fictional group called the [[Executors]]. From there, he heads to the docks to find that the crew of the Dragon's Jewels has been attacked and Belladonna wounded, though not before severing the hand of her assailant. Disgusted with the whole thing, she throws the shipment at Donnen's feet, saying he can keep it.

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Donnen goes to the Chantry to get his arm healed and encounters Lady Marielle, who suggests they talk. The go to a poncy Orlesian teahouse in Hightown called the Café d'Or where Marielle provides two leads: that she is being followed by two thugs and that a man named Wagner with a [[Lowtown]] address wanted to buy her husband's entire sword collection. Donnen heads to the Foundry and meets with Wagner, who reveals that he is looking for the Sword of [[Hessarian]], the one that killed [[Andraste]], and is prepared to pay Donnen handsomely to help him find it.

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Donnen goes to the barracks to find Jevlan missing, his bunk bloodied and a ransom note indicating that he should bring the blade to the quays at midnight. He immediately returns to Dunwald's estate to confront Marielle with evidence from the barracks and discrepancies between her and Wagner's stories. Finding out that she is a Chantry agent and suspected an Executors' plant in the guard, he leaves and lets the tailing thugs catch up to him. After a brief fight, he tells them that he has the sword and will meet Wagner at midnight in the quays.

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Donnen retires to [[The Hanged Man]] to drink ale until midnight and then heads to the quays. He stages the transfer with Wagner, getting him to admit to killing Dunwald. When Wagner realizes the sword is a fake, he threatens to kill Donnen, but the cavalry, in the form of Captain Hendallen and a dozen guards step out of the shadows to arrest Wagner.

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Just as the guards leave, Donnen is ambushed by Jevlan, who wants the Sword of Hessarian. Jevlan seriously wounds Donnen, who flees to the Chantry for healing. At the Chantry is Lady Marielle and Donnen gives her the real Sword to take to the [[Divine]]. When asked to name a reward, he simply asks that she put in a good word for him with the [[Maker]].

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}}

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== Characters ==

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* Captain Belladonna - Captain of the Dragon's Jewels

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* Captain Hendallen - Captain of the Kirkwall guard

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* [[Donnen Brennokovic]] - An experienced guardsman nearing retirement

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* Jevlan - A new recruit to the guard

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* Lady Marielle - The wife of Magistrate Dunwald

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* Maysie - An elf living in the [[Kirkwall Alienage]]

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* Seamus Dunwald - A dead magistrate

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* Wagner - A [[Starkhaven]] buyer of antiquities

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* Wael - A procurer of antiquities

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== Locations ==

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*[[Kirkwall]]

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** [[Viscount's Keep]]

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** [[Kirkwall Chantry]]

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** [[The Hanged Man]]

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** [[Kirkwall Alienage]]

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** [[The Blooming Rose]]

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== Trivia ==

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*In Chapter Nine, Varric describes Belladonna's feelings for the ''Dragon's Jewels'' as "She liked big boats." which is a reference to the first line of the song [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baby_Got_Back Baby Got Back]

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*[[Mary Kirby]], Varric's writer, is the real-world author of the book.<ref>{{Twitter|url=https://twitter.com/Mike_Laidlaw/status/945063467941216256|author=[[Mike Laidlaw]]}}</ref>

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*[http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0089141/ Brian Bloom], Varric's voice actor, did a partial reading of the book to promote it. <ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nEuh8SKLQ7k Hard in Hightown with Brian Bloom]</ref>

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*Mary Kirby also did an interview as if she were Varric.<ref>[https://www.polygon.com/2018/7/30/17630476/dragon-age-hard-in-hightown-book-dark-horse-varric-tethras Interview with Ser Varric Tethras]</ref>

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*According to Mary Kirby, the title of the story is a play on the movie ''Die Hard.''<ref>[https://www.heypoorplayer.com/2018/01/10/interview-mary-kirby-hard-in-hightown Interview with HeyPoorPlayer.com]</ref>

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==See also==

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{{Scroll box|

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{{:Codex entry: Hard in Hightown: Chapter One|style=iconmini}}

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{{:Codex entry: Hard in Hightown: Chapter Two|style=iconmini}}

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{{:Codex entry: Hard in Hightown: Chapter Three|style=iconmini}}

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{{:Codex entry: Hard in Hightown: Chapter Four|style=iconmini}}

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{{:Codex entry: Hard in Hightown: Chapter Five|style=iconmini}}

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{{:Codex entry: Hard in Hightown: Chapter Six|style=iconmini}}

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{{:Codex entry: Hard in Hightown: Chapter Seven|style=iconmini}}

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{{:Codex entry: Hard in Hightown: Chapter Eight|style=iconmini}}

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{{:Codex entry: Hard in Hightown: Chapter Nine|style=iconmini}}

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{{:Codex entry: Hard in Hightown: Chapter 10|style=iconmini}}

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{{:Codex entry: Hard in Hightown: Chapter 11|style=iconmini}}

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{{:Codex entry: Hard in Hightown: Chapter 12|style=iconmini}}

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{{:Codex entry: Hard in Hightown: Chapter 13|style=iconmini}}

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{{:Codex entry: Hard in Hightown: Chapter 14|style=iconmini}}

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{{:Codex entry: Hard in Hightown: Chapter 15|style=iconmini}}

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{{:Codex entry: Hard in Hightown: Chapter 16|style=iconmini}}

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{{:Codex entry: Hard in Hightown: Chapter 17|style=iconmini}}

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{{:Codex entry: Hard in Hightown: Chapter 18|style=iconmini}}

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{{:Codex entry: Hard in Hightown: Chapter ???|style=iconmini}}

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}}

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== References ==

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[[Category:Real world articles]]

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[[Category:Novels]]

Changes: Hard in Hightown (book)

Latest revision as of 20:46, 21 September 2018

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
+#REDIRECT [[Dragon Age: Hard in Hightown]]
-<onlyinclude>{{MediaTransformer
-|style          = {{{style|}}}
-|supertitle     = Novella
-|name           = [[Hard in Hightown (book)|Hard in Hightown]]
-|image          = Hardinhightowncover.jpg
-|px             = 270px
-|authors        = [[Varric Tethras]]<br>[[Mary Kirby]]
-|illustrators   =  E.M. Jist <small>(cover)</small> <br> Stefano Martino, Álvaro Sarraseca, Andres Ponce, Ricardo German Ponce Torres
-|pages          = 72
-|publishers     = [[wikipedia:Dark Horse Comics|Dark Horse Comics]]
-|release        = July 31, 2018<ref name="Amazon">[https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1506704042 "Hard in Hightown"] on Amazon. Retrieved August 5, 2018.</ref>
-|isbn           = 1506704042<br>978-1506704043
-}}</onlyinclude>
-{{Blockquote|''Twenty years of patrols have chiseled each and every stone of the [[Kirkwall]] streets into city guardsman [[Donnen Brennokovic]]. Weary and weathered, Donnen is paired with a recruit so green he might as well have leaves growing out of his armor. When the unlikely duo discovers a dead magistrate bleeding out on the flagstones, they're caught up in a clash between a shadowy organization known only as the [[Executors]] and a secretive group of [[Chantry]] agents-all over some ancient artifact.''<ref>[https://www.darkhorse.com/Books/30-282/Dragon-Age-Hard-in-Hightown-HC Hard in Hightown]</ref>}}
-'''''Hard in Hightown''''' is a novel written by [[Varric Tethras]] and [[Mary Kirby]] and published July 31, 2018 by [[wikipedia:Dark Horse Comics|Dark Horse Comics]].
-The novella is a publication of [[Varric Tethras]]'s ''noir detective'' story told in the eighteen codicies starting with [[Codex entry: Hard in Hightown: Chapter One]]. It includes cover art and 24 interior illustrations captioned by a quote from the story.  It does not include [[Codex entry: Hard in Hightown: Chapter ???]]. The events of the book are set entirely in [[Kirkwall]] during the same period as the events of [[Dragon Age II]], roughly 9:30-40 [[Dragon Age (time period)|Dragon]]. The story is a ''homage satire'' of classic film noir tropes such as the [https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/PrivateDetective Private Detective] and the action film standard [https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/CowboyCop Cowboy Cop].
-In the book, the speech patterns of some of the characters mimic Dragon Age II companions, for example Belladonna uses the "sweet thing" phrase that [[Isabela]] used, Hendallen uses [[Aveline Vallen|Avaline's]] short, gruff sentences and Maysie sounds considerably like [[Merrill]].  Mary Kirby explained that this effect was because the characters in the novella were inspired and reviewed by Varric's friends and associates.<ref>[https://www.heypoorplayer.com/2018/01/10/interview-mary-kirby-hard-in-hightown/ Interview with Mary Kirby]</ref>
-== Plot ==
-{{BioWare canon}}
-{{SpoilerDAI|Two [[Kirkwall City Guard|guardsmen]], Donnen and Jevlan, discover the corpse of Magistrate Dunwald in [[Kirkwall]]'s Hightown at night. They set about gathering clues, visiting his widow, Lady Marielle, and the Comte de Favre.  Donnen next attempts to get a search warrant from Captain Hendallen, but are turned down for lack of cause and is reprimanded for not following procedure.  Ignoring both the lack of warrant and procedure, Donnen picks the lock to the comte's house and the duo find him dead. Their search of the house is interrupted by Captain Belladonna, a [[Rivain|Rivani sea captain]] who wants to be paid for the cargo she brought to Kirkwall for the comte.
-Donnen's next move is to visit the elf, Maysie, who interprets the seal on a letter as belonging to a supposedly fictional group called the [[Executors]]. From there, he heads to the docks to find that the crew of the Dragon's Jewels has been attacked and Belladonna wounded, though not before severing the hand of her assailant. Disgusted with the whole thing, she throws the shipment at Donnen's feet, saying he can keep it.
-Donnen goes to the Chantry to get his arm healed and encounters Lady Marielle, who suggests they talk. The go to a poncy Orlesian teahouse in Hightown called the Café d'Or where Marielle provides two leads: that she is being followed by two thugs and that a man named Wagner with a [[Lowtown]] address wanted to buy her husband's entire sword collection.  Donnen heads to the Foundry and meets with Wagner, who reveals that he is looking for the Sword of [[Hessarian]], the one that killed [[Andraste]], and is prepared to pay Donnen handsomely to help him find it.
-Donnen goes to the barracks to find Jevlan missing, his bunk bloodied and a ransom note indicating that he should bring the blade to the quays at midnight.  He immediately returns to Dunwald's estate to confront Marielle with evidence from the barracks and discrepancies between her and Wagner's stories. Finding out that she is a Chantry agent and suspected an Executors' plant in the guard, he leaves and lets the tailing thugs catch up to him. After a brief fight, he tells them that he has the sword and will meet Wagner at midnight in the quays.
-Donnen retires to [[The Hanged Man]] to drink ale until midnight and then heads to the quays.  He stages the transfer with Wagner, getting him to admit to killing Dunwald. When Wagner realizes the sword is a fake, he threatens to kill Donnen, but the cavalry, in the form of Captain Hendallen and a dozen guards step out of the shadows to arrest Wagner.
-Just as the guards leave, Donnen is ambushed by Jevlan, who wants the Sword of Hessarian. Jevlan seriously wounds Donnen, who flees to the Chantry for healing.  At the Chantry is Lady Marielle and Donnen gives her the real Sword to take to the [[Divine]]. When asked to name a reward, he simply asks that she put in a good word for him with the [[Maker]].
-}}
-== Characters ==
-* Captain Belladonna - Captain of the Dragon's Jewels
-* Captain Hendallen - Captain of the Kirkwall guard
-* [[Donnen Brennokovic]] - An experienced guardsman nearing retirement
-* Jevlan - A new recruit to the guard
-* Lady Marielle - The wife of Magistrate Dunwald
-* Maysie - An elf living in the [[Kirkwall Alienage]]
-* Seamus Dunwald - A dead magistrate
-* Wagner - A [[Starkhaven]] buyer of antiquities
-* Wael - A procurer of antiquities
-== Locations ==
-*[[Kirkwall]]
-** [[Viscount's Keep]]
-** [[Kirkwall Chantry]]
-** [[The Hanged Man]]
-** [[Kirkwall Alienage]]
-** [[The Blooming Rose]]
-== Trivia ==
-*In Chapter Nine, Varric describes Belladonna's feelings for the ''Dragon's Jewels'' as "She liked big boats." which is a reference to the first line of the song [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baby_Got_Back Baby Got Back]
-*[[Mary Kirby]], Varric's writer, is the real-world author of the book.<ref>{{Twitter|url=https://twitter.com/Mike_Laidlaw/status/945063467941216256|author=[[Mike Laidlaw]]}}</ref>
-*[http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0089141/ Brian Bloom], Varric's voice actor, did a partial reading of the book to promote it. <ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nEuh8SKLQ7k Hard in Hightown with Brian Bloom]</ref>
-*Mary Kirby also did an interview as if she were Varric.<ref>[https://www.polygon.com/2018/7/30/17630476/dragon-age-hard-in-hightown-book-dark-horse-varric-tethras Interview with Ser Varric Tethras]</ref>
-*According to Mary Kirby, the title of the story is a play on the movie ''Die Hard.''<ref>[https://www.heypoorplayer.com/2018/01/10/interview-mary-kirby-hard-in-hightown Interview with HeyPoorPlayer.com]</ref>
-==See also==
-{{Scroll box|
-{{:Codex entry: Hard in Hightown: Chapter One|style=iconmini}}<br>
-{{:Codex entry: Hard in Hightown: Chapter Two|style=iconmini}}<br>
-{{:Codex entry: Hard in Hightown: Chapter Three|style=iconmini}}<br>
-{{:Codex entry: Hard in Hightown: Chapter Four|style=iconmini}}<br>
-{{:Codex entry: Hard in Hightown: Chapter Five|style=iconmini}}<br>
-{{:Codex entry: Hard in Hightown: Chapter Six|style=iconmini}}<br>
-{{:Codex entry: Hard in Hightown: Chapter Seven|style=iconmini}}<br>
-{{:Codex entry: Hard in Hightown: Chapter Eight|style=iconmini}}<br>
-{{:Codex entry: Hard in Hightown: Chapter Nine|style=iconmini}}<br>
-{{:Codex entry: Hard in Hightown: Chapter 10|style=iconmini}}<br>
-{{:Codex entry: Hard in Hightown: Chapter 11|style=iconmini}}<br>
-{{:Codex entry: Hard in Hightown: Chapter 12|style=iconmini}}<br>
-{{:Codex entry: Hard in Hightown: Chapter 13|style=iconmini}}<br>
-{{:Codex entry: Hard in Hightown: Chapter 14|style=iconmini}}<br>
-{{:Codex entry: Hard in Hightown: Chapter 15|style=iconmini}}<br>
-{{:Codex entry: Hard in Hightown: Chapter 16|style=iconmini}}<br>
-{{:Codex entry: Hard in Hightown: Chapter 17|style=iconmini}}<br>
-{{:Codex entry: Hard in Hightown: Chapter 18|style=iconmini}}<br>
-{{:Codex entry: Hard in Hightown: Chapter ???|style=iconmini}}<br>
-}}
-== References ==
-<references/>
-[[Category:Real world articles]]
-[[Category:Novels]]