Choice at The Raven — Belzig's Interrogation and the Medallion's Burn
Plot Beats
The narrative micro-steps within this event
Marion, emotionally conflicted, contemplates Indy's money and the medallion, making a decision to keep the money but leave the medallion on the bar.
Four Bad Men, led by Belzig, enter the saloon, interrogating Marion about the medallion, escalating the tension.
Who Was There
Characters present in this moment
Urgent, determined and protective — single-minded focus on rescuing Marion and wresting control from the attackers.
Indy bursts in at the door, cracks his bullwhip to disarm Belzig by yanking the glowing poker away, raises a .45 and opens fire to protect Marion, fights for control of his pistol with the Giant Sherpa, and helps turn the firefight against the attackers.
- • rescue Marion and stop the interrogation
- • prevent Nazis from obtaining the medallion
- • survive the firefight and create an escape opportunity
- • regain control of his personal weapon
- • Marion must be protected at all costs
- • force and surprise can disrupt Nazi plans
- • the medallion cannot fall into Nazi hands
- • quick, physical intervention is preferable to negotiation
Torn and fearful at first (tears, hesitation), then pragmatic and fierce — fear gives way to combative resolve when physically attacked.
Marion removes the medallion from its chain, pockets Indy’s cash in a small wooden box, is seized and roughly handled by Belzig’s men, grabs an axe handle and fells the Mongolian, and watches Belzig grab and be burned by the medallion.
- • protect what she values (money) to survive
- • avoid exposing the medallion’s location unless forced
- • outlast the interrogation and escape alive
- • use whatever tools at hand to defend herself
- • money is necessary for survival and bargaining
- • the medallion is dangerous or valuable enough to get her killed
- • she cannot trust the Germans to bargain fairly
- • she can physically defend herself if cornered
Cold, cruel and confident initially; then abrupt, agonized panic and desperation when burned by the medallion.
Belzig enters as the sadistic lead, taunts Marion, heats and brandishes a glowing poker as a torture instrument, orders violence, and in the chaos reaches and grabs the medallion — only to be seared and flee through the glass window in agony.
- • extract the medallion’s location by torture
- • acquire the medallion personally
- • demonstrate Nazi authority and intimidate Marion
- • return the artifact to his superiors
- • violence and torture will quickly produce results
- • the artifact is an object of strategic value
- • he is entitled to assert dominance through brutality
- • his men will follow orders without question
Obedient and alert, then fatal shock and panic when targeted and gunned down.
The Second Nazi flanks Marion, briefly exposes the medallion by drinking whiskey, takes cover during Indy’s entrance, rises with a submachine gun on Belzig’s order and is shot dead when Indy and the Giant Sherpa turn the .45 on him.
- • support Belzig’s interrogation
- • help secure the medallion
- • follow orders to suppress threats
- • obedience to command ensures survival/reward
- • violence is an acceptable tool
- • the group will succeed through coordinated force
Gleeful anticipation while torturing, then surprise and pain when shot.
The Nepalese henchman stands beside Marion watching Belzig torture her with glee, helps restrain her, later draws a Luger and fires before being shot dead by Indy’s .45.
- • intimidate and control Marion
- • assist in extracting the medallion’s location
- • demonstrate loyalty to Belzig
- • brutality is expected and rewarded
- • Marion is expendable
- • the medallion’s acquisition validates their mission
Predatory and aggressive until unexpectedly incapacitated by Marion's counterattack.
The Mongolian roughs Marion, moves to surround the bar with a submachine gun, fires blindly during the firefight and is struck unconscious when Marion bashes him over the head with the axe handle.
- • intimidate and seize control of the bar
- • help secure the medallion for Belzig
- • use superior firepower to cow resistance
- • physical force will dominate the situation
- • soft targets like Marion can be controlled easily
- • loyalty to Belzig ensures his protection
Alarmed and combative; initially aggressive but rapidly cooperative when recognizing a common threat.
The Giant Sherpa bursts in, tackles Indy and struggles for control of the .45; after realizing Belzig’s intent, he and Indy turn the gun on the Second Nazi, killing him, before being upended by Indy so they can continue fighting amid the flames.
- • survive and protect himself in the chaos
- • neutralize immediate armed threats
- • align with whoever offers survival advantage (Indy)
- • brute force is a primary means of problem-solving
- • alliances shift rapidly in combat
- • survival depends on immediate action
Focused, menacing and confident until their plan collapses under surprise and the medallion’s supernatural effect.
The Four Bad Men function as the squad that storms the saloon: Belzig leads while his three henchmen flank, restrain Marion, threaten with weapons and engage in the firefight; collectively they escalate the scene from intimidation to full-blown violence.
- • capture the medallion or extract its location
- • intimidate Marion into cooperation
- • demonstrate Nazi reach and dominance locally
- • team violence is the most efficient approach
- • their leader's commands are right
- • the mission justifies extreme measures
Objects Involved
Significant items in this scene
Indy’s .45 Automatic is raised to threaten and shoot at the attackers, used to kill the Nepalese and to try to suppress the Mongolian; it is central to the armed exchange and the struggle for control amid the Giant Sherpa’s intervention.
The fireplace is the source of the glowing poker Belzig heats and uses as a torture implement; its dying coals are referenced earlier and then become instrumental when Belzig pulls a red-hot poker from it to menace Marion.
Mahdlo’s heavy wooden axe handle—left at the bar earlier—is snatched by Marion; she uses it as an improvised club to knock the Mongolian unconscious, demonstrating her resourcefulness and converting a leftover prop into an active defensive tool.
Assorted spirits and whiskey bottles line the bar and are knocked, spilled and later ignite; one bottle is used by the Second Nazi to drink, momentarily exposing the medallion. Exploding bottles amplify the blaze into a full conflagration.
Indy’s pile of American money motivates Marion’s choices; she pockets it in a small wooden box to conceal cash and survival resources. The money functions as practical leverage and explains her hesitancy to expose either it or the medallion to the Nazis.
Marion retrieves this small wooden cash box from under the bar and uses it to conceal Indy's cash quickly — a pragmatic action that signals her priorities and sets up how she is forced to choose between money and the medallion under threat.
The sun-shaped medallion (represented here by the neck chain object) is slipped from Marion’s chain and left exposed on the bar; it becomes the focal MacGuffin. Belzig ultimately grabs it and is supernaturally seared, which turns the medallion from passive evidence into an active, dangerous force that drives the attackers into retreat.
Second Nazi’s compact submachine gun is used as part of the threatening posture and is raised during the firefight; it’s one of the automatic weapons that turns the bar into a war zone before the Second Nazi is killed.
The Nepalese henchman’s Luger is drawn during the firefight to threaten and fire at Indy; it is immediately neutralized when the Nepalese is shot by Indy’s .45.
Belzig’s glowing poker is heated in the fireplace, used as a torture tool to threaten Marion’s face, is torn from his hand by Indy’s whip and is flung into the heavy curtains where it ignites them — directly triggering the room-wide fire.
A heavy brass spittoon is seized by Indy and used as a blunt instrument to smash the Giant Sherpa’s wrist, freeing the .45 during the melee; an improvised weapon that shifts control in a critical moment.
Heavy curtains on a window catch the thrown hot poker and burst into flame, accelerating the blaze across the ceiling and creating exploding bottles; they convert a local skirmish into a life-threatening inferno.
The large stuffed raven conceals a Beretta and anchors the shelf Marion reaches toward; it is struck by gunfire and splintering as bullets smash bottles and ricochet during the firefight, adding to the room’s chaos and debris.
Wooden bar furniture and tables provide cover, are splintered in the melee, and are used as staging points for combat — Indy crouches behind them, Marion crawls along the bar, and Belzig and his men dive behind them for cover.
The Raven’s glass window becomes Belzig’s escape route after the medallion sears him; he dives through it to flee the burning room, turning the pane into the climactic exit for the antagonist in agony.
Indy’s bullwhip is the decisive tool used to disarm Belzig: it wraps around the poker and tears it from Belzig’s grip, sparking the chain of events that lead to the curtains catching fire and the subsequent firefight.
Location Details
Places and their significance in this event
The Raven Saloon is the cramped, intimate battleground where private grief and commerce collide with geopolitical violence. Marion’s personal choices play out on its bar top; the room’s layout channels the interrogation into a single, explosive set piece as fire, furniture and weapons convert the saloon into a deathtrap.
Organizations Involved
Institutional presence and influence
The Nazis manifest through Belzig and his henchmen as the organized coercive force seeking the medallion. Their presence turns a local dispute into an operational extraction — they use intimidation, torture and firearms to secure artifacts for the Reich, exposing the reach and brutality of the organization in civilian spaces.
Narrative Connections
How this event relates to others in the story
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Key Dialogue
"BELZIG: "The same thing your friend Dr. Jones wanted. Surely he told you there would be other interested parties.""
"MARION: "No. But I know where it is.""
"INDY: "Hello.""