(001) A Job Offer

[Eris]

The couple of weeks have passed without any serious events directly affecting the party of adventurers. They spent their time resting at the inn, having bathes, eating heartily, listening to the stories the townsfolk...and sisters...bring in, and getting to know one another.

As it turns out, the Ratmen greatly overplayed their hand and were quickly driven back. Between the Baron's men and their Mouseman allies the Ratmen were driven all the way out of the town. They lost control of the underground on the western side of the river and were completely expelled into the wilderness beyond. Only a few of the humans were killed, more of the Mousemen, but the Ratmen were truly decimated in the short fight.

The fires at the docks didn't do much damage as they were put out quickly, but the town did suffer a loss. During all the hubbub four of the cargo boats docked in Hurst disappeared up river. The boats had been loaded to the gills with all sorts of goods and the merchants cried into their ale over their loss. The general consensus was the "Red Caps" were behind it all.

You learned that the "Red Caps" are an organized gang of raiders operating along the river, mostly north of Hurst. They have been a thorn in the side of the merchants running boats up and down the river for years and rather than getting better things have been getting worse. You hear stories about a Goblin leading the gang, but that is debated as others say it is an Orc come down from the mountains to the north, others say it is a rogue human as only a human could organize the gang so effectively. Whoever is behind this gang, though, seems to be getting bolder if he was behind the attack on Hurst and the theft of those boats right out of the town's harbor. Everyone agrees that sooner or later something is going to have to be done about the Red Caps.

Now that the Mousemen living below the surface was an acknowledged fact...although, it had been common, though unspoken, knowledge for some time...the Baron had allowed the Mousemen to come up to the surface to trade with the townspeople openly. The mousemen, it turns out, had been clients of several of the local trademen in town already, but now with the trade acknowledged and openly done, the Baron was collecting taxes. No one was really displeased at this, yet, as the volume of trade made up for any loses...and more. It remained to be seen if the humans and the mousemen could truly co-exist in peace in the long term though.

There were changes at the inn as well.

Kate convinced her father to let her move out and open a bakery and brewery just down the street. She still came back to the inn in the evenings and provided pies, beers and breads to the inn "at cost." She was no longer talking about marrying, as it turns out she mostly wanted to get out from under her Da's thumb and run her own business and she had thought marriage was the only way to do that.

Sally, though still living at home, was now apprenticed to her Aunt Mary. Aunt Mary, her mother's sister, was the town's local midwife and healer. Sally wasn't really interested in midwifery, but she was very interested in potions and the magic that went along with them. She was very happily learning how to make potions and the rudiments of spell craft, and showed off what she learned in the evenings when she came back to the inn to "help out" and sleep.

Ruthie, the youngest, was now attending classes at the local school. Her Da had forbidden her before now as he thought the schooling was what had caused his daughters to be so willful and rebellious. Turns out it was mostly their mother's genes and he just gave in.

Helen had basically taken over operations of the inn from her father. He still ruled in the taproom, but Helen ran the kitchens and the rooms and kept the accounts. Helen had hired a trio of local girls to help in the taproom and keep the rooms clean. Helen also opened a taproom and restaurant in the room below the inn's basement serving Mousemen and the few times you ventured down there found it crowded with customers...both human and Mouseman. Her father could be heard grumbling about the added expenses, but Helen could be heard telling him to count his coins and then grumble. As he was doing better business than ever that kept him quiet.

Then early one evening,a large beefy man strolled into the inn and approached the party.

"Good evening." he says in a pleasant baritone, "My name is Merchant Ross and if you are the crew that participated in the defense of this town I have a proposition for you. After the trouble Hurst has had recently with rats and Red Caps, I've decided I need to add more security to my caravan. Up until now, the wagon drivers have been sufficient, but now I think a few guards would be prudent."

"I run a caravan from here across to the town of Elsburg on the Mere, about a weeks travel by wagon east of here." he says, "It has never been a particularly dangerous trip, as I pay a toll to a goblin village who keep the area along some of the road free of real monsters. I hear now, though, that the goblins may be turning against us and moving closer to the creatures behind the Red Cap raiders, so I don't trust them nearly as much."

"I will pay each of you 10 gold pieces to provide security for the trip from here to Elsburg." he says, "I'll provide horses for you to ride as well as meals for you to eat during the journey."

"What say you?"

[joertexas]

"I will pay each of you 10 gold pieces to provide security for the trip from here to Elsburg." he says, "I'll provide horses for you to ride as well as meals for you to eat during the journey."

"What say you?"

Elodrien sets down her eating knife, and wipes her fingers on a bit of cloth next to her plate. "I will go."

[bruce.desertrat]

Then early one evening,a large beefy man strolled into the inn and approached the party.

"Good evening." he says in a pleasant baritone, "My name is Merchant Ross and if you are the crew that participated in the defense of this town I have a proposition for you. After the trouble Hurst has had recently with rats and Red Caps, I've decided I need to add more security to my caravan. Up until now, the wagon drivers have been sufficient, but now I think a few guards would be prudent."

"I run a caravan from here across to the town of Elsburg on the Mere, about a weeks travel by wagon east of here." he says, "It has never been a particularly dangerous trip, as I pay a toll to a goblin village who keep the area along some of the road free of real monsters. I hear now, though, that the goblins may be turning against us and moving closer to the creatures behind the Red Cap raiders, so I don't trust them nearly as much."

"I will pay each of you 10 gold pieces to provide security for the trip from here to Elsburg." he says, "I'll provide horses for you to ride as well as meals for you to eat during the journey."

"What say you?"

Valerin looks up from the coin roll he's been practicing (one on each hand with an over-under pass to the other hand in the middle) and said "I am becoming very bored sitting here, and it will lead me into doing something very inadvisable. "I'll gladly join you!".

[ateno]

"I would be interested, ...um, I have never ridden a horse. Do you have a spot I could I ride on the wagon? I would carry a crossbow or use spells from there. Kazan is good and would curl by my feet."

Darrian

[terrymixon]

Des smiled and nodded. “I’m in. Thank you for thinking of us.”

[Darithe]

"Well I never look a gift horse in the mouth. And I need to come along to keep Des and Eodrien out of trouble." She feigns whispering to the man, winking at Des, "Don't tell anyone but they are both prone to find it even in harmless inns." She hadn't come this far from her mother's inn to spend her days in another one, so she will happily come along.

[terrymixon]

"Well I never look a gift horse in the mouth. And I need to come along to keep Des and Elodrien out of trouble." She feigns whispering to the man, winking at Des, "Don't tell anyone but they are both prone to find it even in harmless inns." She hadn't come this far from her mother's inn to spend her days in another one, so she will happily come along.

Des laughed at her poke and smiled.

[joertexas]

"Well I never look a gift horse in the mouth. And I need to come along to keep Des and Elodrien out of trouble." She feigns whispering to the man, winking at Des, "Don't tell anyone but they are both prone to find it even in harmless inns." She hadn't come this far from her mother's inn to spend her days in another one, so she will happily come along.

Des laughed at her poke and smiled.

Elodrien bestows one of her off-center smiles on Darithe. "We will see who keeps whom from trouble."

[Darithe]

Magdal returns Eodrien's smile (as does Darithe in front of her screen), "Why whatever do you mean?" twirling a red lock of hair between her fingers. "My momma said I was the best behaved child she ever had. Of course all the others were hellions so maybe I just looked good in comparison."

[bobk2323]

"I will pay each of you 10 gold pieces to provide security for the trip from here to Elsburg." he says, "I'll provide horses for you to ride as well as meals for you to eat during the journey."

"What say you?"

"I'll go." As usual, the flat tone of voice and the neutral look on Callista's face seem strangely deficient in discernable enthusiasm.

--
Bob K.

[joertexas]

Magdal returns Elodrien's smile (as does Darithe in front of her screen), "Why whatever do you mean?" twirling a red lock of hair between her fingers. "My momma said I was the best behaved child she ever had. Of course all the others were hellions so maybe I just looked good in comparison."

"I'm sure you're right," Eodrien deadpans.

[Darithe]

Magdal responds, "I'm glad you have such confidence in me," not quite catching the deadpan look. She says hello to Callista, "I'm glad you're going with us. But please try to contain your excitement. Men think we're overemotional as it is," she grins.

[bobk2323]

Magdal responds, "I'm glad you have such confidence in me," not quite catching the deadpan look. She says hello to Callista, "I'm glad you're going with us. But please try to contain your excitement. Men think we're overemotional as it is," she grins.

She smiles very slightly in reply, although her tone of voice is unchanged. "Okay."

--
Bob K.

[Eris]

"Okay, then!" Merchant Ross says joining the party at their table and pulling out a rolled up piece of parchment, "As you are new to this area, it might be good to show you a map of the area."

He unrolls the parchment and spreads it out on the table...



"I run a trade caravan from Hurst through Elsburg, Falkirk and Donsford and back three times a year."

"As you see much of the map is empty." he says, "We, or at least I, know very little around this land, but this we do know."

"Here we are in Hurst." he points it out of the map, "The Ribble River continues on north past Bodkinberg. My caravan will follow the Old Road east into the Don river valley to Elsburg on the Mere. The eastern half of the Mere is swamp and filled with foul creatures. We will take keelboats along the western edge of the Mere to Falkirk where we'll take The Cut around the falls and rapids onto the Don River. We will continue up the river to Donsford where the boats can't go further. Then after a period for rest and trade the caravan retraces its steps from Donsford back to Hurst."

"The Goblins of Globliton take a tribute from travellers along the Old Road. As they keep the area along the road clear of raiders and monsters it is worth it to pay. That may change if they turn into raiders themselves." he says, "The Bad Lands are hills and mountains...as far as we know...but beyond is really a mystery to all of us down here in the Civilized Lands. Those bad lands are the home of the Red Caps, Orc tribes, and who knows what other monsters and foul creatures. When we wrested this colony from the monsters the survivors when north into the Bad Lands. They have not come back down in large numbers...yet. We've dealt with raids, increasing in number and frequency over the last decade, but nothing we couldn't handle."

"By wagon it is 7 or 8 days from here in Hurst to Elsburg. Traveling up the Mere by keelboat takes another 3 or 4 days to Falkirk. The Cut is an ancient canal that has been reopened and it will take 2 days to navigate it. When we rejoin the Don River it will take another 10 to 12 days to get to Donsford. With a couple of weeks in each town for trading it will take about 8 weeks to get to Donsford and an equal time to return."

[ateno]

"You said you will pay us to Ice, Eisberb, you plan to pay us and leave us there? Whats in that town for us, just curious."

Darrian

[Eris]

"You said you will pay us to Ice, Eisberb, you plan to pay us and leave us there? Whats in that town for us, just curious."

Darrian

OOC:You meant, "...pay us to Elsburg, you plan to..."??

"No, not if you want to sign on for more of the trip and I am satisfied with your work." says Ross. "I'll pay you another 10 gp for the trip to Falkirk and another 10 gp from there to Donsburg. Same for the trip back if you are interested."

[joertexas]

"You said you will pay us to Ice, Eisberb, you plan to pay us and leave us there? Whats in that town for us, just curious."

Darrian

OOC:You meant, "...pay us to Elsburg, you plan to..."??

"No, not if you want to sign on for more of the trip and I am satisfied with your work." says Ross. "I'll pay you another 10 gp for the trip to Falkirk and another 10 gp from there to Donsburg. Same for the trip back if you are interested."

"I will go," Eodrien says again.

[ateno]

"I will go." Eodrien says again.

"As will I"

Darrian

[Darithe]

Falkirk...the name rang a bell in her memory as she puts her finger on the spot on the map where it is, "I'm definitely interested in going," thinking back to her father mentioning staying for a time in that town. "Looks like we're in for a real adventure here," smiling to the others. "And I'm glad you're going too Darrian, because I've not finished reading your book yet. There are far too many distractions here," grinning at Des, "but I'll be done reading it soon."

OOC: Mr. DM sir, I can't see a map. It is just me? I know I'm nearsighted, but it looks like there is no file attached.

[joertexas]

OOC: Mr. DM sir, I can't see a map. It is just me? I know I'm nearsighted, but it looks like there is no file attached.

It was there earlier. Odd.