Quiz Brigands & Breadknives Travis Baldree

Brigands & Breadknives: 20-Question Quiz

Quiz Instructions

This quiz covers the full story of Brigands & Breadknives by Travis Baldree. There are 20 questions divided into four sections: Plot & Sequence (8), Character Motivation (5), Theme & Symbol (4), and Synthesis (3). Questions mix multiple-choice and short-answer formats. After all questions, you'll find the Answer Key with brief explanations. Use the book's outline and your memory to answer.

Section 1: Plot & Sequence (Questions 1–8)

  1. (Multiple Choice) At the start of the story, Fern is traveling to Thune by carriage when the vehicle is attacked by:

    • a) Taltus's soldiers
    • b) Pescadines
    • c) Greenlings
    • d) Tullah's mercenaries

  2. (Short Answer) What is the name of the elf blademistress who rescues Fern from the carriage attack?

  3. (Multiple Choice) Fern's bookshop in Thune is named:

    • a) The Slippery Trout
    • b) Thistleburr Booksellers
    • c) Legends & Lattes
    • d) Tareben Booksellers

  4. (Multiple Choice) After drinking in an alley, Fern wakes up in a wagon belonging to Astryx. What does she find beside her?

    • a) A bound goblin prisoner
    • b) A talking breadknife
    • c) A pile of stolen cutlery
    • d) A letter from Viv

  5. (Short Answer) In Chapter 11, Fern sells a rare book at Tareben Booksellers in Bycross. What is the book's title?

  6. (Multiple Choice) Zyll reveals that she placed the bounty on herself to:

    • a) Test Astryx's skill
    • b) Secure payment and a pony-cart
    • c) Lure Tullah into a trap
    • d) Escape from the Four Fingers

  7. (Multiple Choice) During the ambush on a mountain bridge, who cuts Bucket's traces to save the horse?

    • a) Astryx
    • b) Zyll
    • c) Fern
    • d) Nigel

  8. (Short Answer) In the epilogue, Fern visits the gnomish city of Azimuth. What title does her published book bear?

Section 2: Character Motivation (Questions 9–13)

  1. (Multiple Choice) Why does Fern initially flee Thune and end up traveling with Astryx?

    • a) She is kidnapped by Tullah.
    • b) She feels empty despite the bookshop's success and avoids confronting Viv.
    • c) She wants to track down the bounty on Zyll.
    • d) She is searching for the legendary Elder Blade.

  2. (Short Answer) Astryx describes her solitary warrior life as being like a sword. What does she say about putting that sword down?

  3. (Multiple Choice) Why does Zyll join Astryx and Fern in the first place?

    • a) She is a bounty hunter hired by Taltus.
    • b) She is a prisoner being transported for a bounty.
    • c) She seeks protection from Tullah.
    • d) She wants to steal Astryx's sword.

  4. (Multiple Choice) Viv's initial anger at Fern's departure softens after she:

    • a) Hears Fern's apology in person.
    • b) Reads the stack of letters Fern wrote.
    • c) Learns that Fern refused to become a squire.
    • d) Receives the payment for the book sale.

  5. (Short Answer) At the end of the story, Fern refuses Astryx's offer to become her squire. What does Fern say that makes this refusal significant for her character arc?

Section 3: Theme & Symbol (Questions 14–17)

  1. (Multiple Choice) The sentient breadknife, once an Elder Blade named Bradelys Tertius, symbolizes:

    • a) The decline of craftsmanship in the modern age.
    • b) The idea that a tool's value is not diminished by its form.
    • c) The futility of revenge.
    • d) The importance of table manners.

  2. (Multiple Choice) Throughout the novel, Fern carries a satchel that once belonged to the necromancer Varine the Pale. This satchel primarily represents:

    • a) Fern's connection to a traumatic past she must own.
    • b) The burden of material wealth.
    • c) A magical key to hidden knowledge.
    • d) The impermanence of life.

  3. (Short Answer) In Chapter 14, Zyll tells Fern, “No rocks at the bottom, jump or no jump.” What does this metaphor convey about Fern's dilemma?

  4. (Multiple Choice) The Tarimite monks reveal that their god Tarim is appeased by constant expressions of human unworthiness to prevent him from:

    • a) Devouring the world.
    • b) Creating more undead.
    • c) Freezing the mountains.
    • d) Destroying the abbey.

Section 4: Synthesis (Questions 18–20)

  1. (Short Answer) Compare the roles of the two Elder Blades, Nigel and Breadlee (Bradlee). How do their personalities and functions complement the characters of Astryx and Fern?

  2. (Multiple Choice) Which statement best describes the central change in Fern from the beginning to the end of the novel?

    • a) She becomes a legendary warrior.
    • b) She learns to say “no” and chooses her own path.
    • c) She abandons her love of books forever.
    • d) She returns to her old bookshop unchanged.

  3. (Short Answer) In the epilogue, Fern notices that recent stories about the Oathmaiden emphasize small kindnesses rather than legendary deeds. How does this shift reflect Fern's own influence on the world?

Answer Key

Section 1: Plot & Sequence

  1. b) Pescadines – The prologue describes the carriage being attacked by pescadines (vicious cat-like monsters). Fern protects Potroast until Astryx arrives.
  2. Astryx One-Ear – The legendary elf blademistress kills the monsters and returns the horses (Prologue).
  3. b) Thistleburr Booksellers – Named after Fern's father's store (Chapter 2).
  4. a) A bound goblin prisoner – Fern wakes up in Astryx's wagon next to a bound goblin who becomes Zyll (Chapter 4).
  5. Ten Links in the Chain – Fern sells this rare volume for sixty bits using Astryx's reputation (Chapter 11).
  6. b) Secure payment and a pony-cart – Zyll admits she placed the bounty on herself as a clever plan (Chapter 42).
  7. c) Fern – Fern slashes the trace straps with Breadlee, freeing Bucket as the cart falls (Chapter 23).
  8. The Straight Road in the Dark: Travels with the Oathmaiden – Fern finds her published book in an Azimuth bookshop (Epilogue).

Section 2: Character Motivation

  1. b) She feels empty despite the bookshop's success and avoids confronting Viv – After a week, Fern experiences an existential crisis and flees rather than talk honestly (Chapter 3).
  2. “If I put it down, what other tool is there to hand?” – Astryx explains that her warrior life is the only tool she knows (Chapter 21).
  3. b) She is a prisoner being transported for a bounty – Astryx is delivering Zyll for a bounty (Chapter 5).
  4. b) Reads the stack of letters Fern wrote – Viv closes the shop and reads all of Fern's letters, which makes her anger soften (Chapter 43).
  5. “No” – Fern says “no” for the first time in her life, asserting her own choice (Chapter 42).

Section 3: Theme & Symbol

  1. b) The idea that a tool's value is not diminished by its form – Breadlee was reforged from a greatsword into a breadknife but remains an Elder Blade with power and dignity (Chapter 15).
  2. a) Fern's connection to a traumatic past she must own – The satchel is from Varine the Pale, a necromancer Fern helped defeat, and its presence forces Fern to confront her history (Chapter 11).
  3. It means Fern must decide to commit (jump) or not, because there are no safe consequences (“rocks at the bottom”) to cushion her fall – she must own her choice (Chapter 14).
  4. a) Devouring the world – Abbess Bluebriar explains that Tarim is a god of endless hunger, and the monks' penitence prevents him from consuming existence (Chapter 27).

Section 4: Synthesis

  1. Nigel is proud, formal, and devoted to Astryx, mirroring her legendary dignity; Breadlee is humorous, irreverent, and adaptable, reflecting Fern's growing confidence and unconventional strength. Nigel represents tradition and duty, while Breadlee shows that even a humble form can hold great power – much like Fern herself.
  2. b) She learns to say “no” and chooses her own path – Fern evolves from a passive, anxious person into someone who refuses the squire offer and decides to continue living her own adventures (Chapter 42, Epilogue).
  3. Fern's own book emphasizes the small, human moments of Astryx's journey – kindness, socks, patience – rather than epic battles. This shift shows that Fern's perspective (valuing connection and everyday acts) has shaped how the Oathmaiden is remembered, proving that storytelling itself can change a legacy. (Epilogue)

Want to revisit key moments? Check the book overview, questions and answers, or the ending explained.