-Episode 14-
-28th Great Harvest (market day)
-warm, clear skies, good wind-
-Immersion, feel a furry NPC-
(No seepage, due to yesterday morning)
Q: Did Casia come home? Very Likely-Yes Q: Is Casia hungover? Likely-Yes
Ep 14: Scene 5: Great Harvest 28th-Market Day
Chaos Factor: 4
I felt Casia come home in the wee hours of the morning, but It is Princeling who nuzzles me awake, his hair in my nose causing me to sneeze. My head hurts from drinking too much, and I’m sure Casia is in a similar state, so a few words brew up some Dog Hair, and I wake her, “Big day today,” I offer her the cup with a yawn. “I’m going to get the cart from the cellar and we can load it up.”
“Oh, my head,” Casia groans as she sits up and takes the cup. “Can’t we just sleep in?”
“And miss our chance at a space in the market? Not a chance. If you want to come along after, you can, just…bring lunch,” I urge as I dress then sip my tea.
Q: Is Casia going to sleep in? Unlikely-No
“Oh, alright,” Casia moans with a yawn as she climbs out of bed. She then joins me in getting dressed, and then she starts carrying our goods downstairs while I get the cart out. Soon, it is loaded with all of the goods we can manage. “Come along you two,” I encourage Warren and Princeling. “But stay out of trouble!”
Q: Is breakfast ready? Very Likely-Yes Q: Does anyone offer to help? Very Unlikely No
Everyone else is sitting to eat while Casia and I pass back and forth loading our cart. Aside from Defris, everyone seems hungover from either the tavern crawl or our night at the house. Mini passes us a couple of lunch bags, and we take the bread, cheese, and boiled eggs from our plates to add to the satchel and eat after we get the booth set up.
-Encounter-Beggar/Thief/Urchin hires us for a mission-
As we are heading out, Defris gets up from the table and stops me in the foyer, “You and your sister are going to the market? Be there all day?”
“Yes,” I reply, the fog in my head clearing.
Defris nods, “If someone asks if you have anything for thin walls, I’m sure you’ll give him some good advice about dealing with termites. But if he offers you a remedy, you’ll buy what he offers. I’d like to see it,” Defris passes me a purse of coins. “That should be enough.”
-Yseldra insight 9-
“Huh? Why do want termite remedies? Do we have termites?” I ask in confusion, the fog from last night slowing my wits.
Defris sighs and shakes his head, “And here I thought you were the smart one. Just buy the remedy, and bring it to me.”
-Add mission, receive stolen goods and deliver to Defris, 10 gp-
I take the purse and tuck it inside my tunic, I am halfway to the market district before I realize what’s going on. “Damn it Casia, I…” looking at my confused “sister”, I realize I can’t even talk about this on the streets.
“What’s wrong?” Casia asks.
“Nothing, but if someone asks about termites, let me talk to them,” I request.
“Well, we have rat stop and flea bane, also mosquito bane, but nothing for termites, really,” Casia muses.
-Eveline’s insight 14/3 disadvantage from Enamored status-
I nod, “I know, but someone might want to sell us a remedy, so…just let me know.” Casia shrugs and agrees with no further questions.
Q: Can we get a space? Very Likely No
Arriving at the market place, the local watch sergeant stops us, “Market’s full, ladies. You’re too late.”
Q: Are there visible spaces? 50/50 Yes
I look past him, “Can we have that space there? It looks open.”
Q: Is he holding it for someone? Likely Yes
“That spot’s reserved,” he replies
-Persuasion 22- Q: Does he accept the bribe? Very Likely Yes
“I thought it was first come first served. Isn’t that the custom?” I reply, slipping a gold crown from my purse.
“Indeed it is,” he replies, shaking my hand, taking the coin and beckoning for us to go on inside.
Out of earshot, I glance back at Eveline, “That’s going to get expensive.”
Eveline shakes her head, “Nah, he just doesn’t know us yet. I’ll see if I can’t get in his good graces later on.”
I laugh, “If anyone can, it’d be you!” She grins and gives me a wink. Soon, we have our booth set up.
Q: Did Eveline wager at the tournament? 50/50 Yes (resolve, she lost it)
As we get set up, I ask, “So…the coins I gave you to wager at the tournament…”
“I really thought that guy from Lakeside was going to win! Young, fit, and he took out his first three foes like they were nothing!” she sighs. “Anyway, money’s gone. Mine too.”
I sigh, and we eat breakfast as customer slowly begin to trickle in.
Q: Does the person who wanted this spot arrive? Likely-No (d4-1=3 empty spots remain)
As the market gets underway, I notice there are three empty spaces left in the market square, “That weasel!” I curse under my breath. Casia chuckles and shakes her head.
-Encounter-Adventurers recognize us by mistake-Generate Character (Hesta)- Event-watch inspection- Business-Generate traffic-Generate booths (a puppet show, a musician and a singer are there)
We make a brisk trade throughout the day selling a lot of Feykiss, some Willow Bark and Sage Leaf Tea, and also some Rat Stop, along with quite a few other things. A pair of musicians wander the market, a man playing his lute and his female companion singing. At one corner of the market, another performer conducts a puppet show from inside his portable booth. Many women and children gather to watch.
A pale woman young approaches our booth, wearing studded leather armor with a short blade worn on her hip, “Merida!” she scowls, approaching my booth and staring at me, “That recipe you sold me didn’t work! You said it would let me see in the dark!”
-Persuasion 24-
“Hmmm…my name’s Talia. Who are you?” I reply, confused.
Q: Is she apologetic? Very Likely-Yes
The pale woman blinks in surprise, “Oh…I’m sorry. I…had you confused for another herbalist. I was surprised to see, who I thought was Merida, here. I…um…do you have a sister in Kiddimir?”
“No, my sister, Casia, is right here,” I gesture towards Eveline who glances over, done with her customer. She smiles and waves at the confused woman. “So this woman sold you Darkwater Drops? And they didn’t work?”
“Yes, that’s right,” the woman replies. “I used them while I was exploring an old crypt…”
“Underground? No light? It helps against fog and the dead of night. But there has to be some light, just ambient light from the stars, or filtering down from the moon through the clouds or off the horizon… something,” I explain.
“Oh, ummm…I didn’t realize that,” the young woman shifts.
“Did you find anything good at least?” I ask her.
Q: Does she want to talk about it? 50/50 No
“Ummm…I made it out. No thanks to the darkwater drops,” she responds.
I shrug, “Yeah, wrong tool. Anyway, can I sell you anything?”
She looks around and purchases a jar of sunberry salve, which I explain how to administer. “I’m familiar with this one,” she replies. I nod and wish her good luck in her future endeavors.
Q: Does the watch come before Defris’ man? 50/50
There is a brief lull in the crowd when a man old enough to be my father approaches, he scowls at Warren, “Ought not have dogs in the market.”
-Insight 17 vs his deception 20-
“Keeps thieves away,” I reply.
He snorts and starts looking over our goods, “Got anything for thin walls?”
-His perception 5, my Insight 5, and Perception 6-we are collectively oblivious-
“Hmmm…well, we have some rat paste if they are getting into things, but nothing really for termites. But I hear there are some recipes out there for that,” I suggest.
“If I were to sell you a sample, for say 30 crowns, I suspect you could make quite a bit,” he suggests.
-My deception 15, Perception 17-
I nearly choke, but catch myself, and glance around the market, suddenly understanding. “Obviously, I need to take a look at the sample.”
Q: Is anyone monitoring us? 50/50 No (retail value 66.2 gp as value, 53.1 gp by weight and stones, Investigation 7, so Talia can’t tell she’s overpaying a bit)
He hands a small pouch to me and checking to ensure nobody is really watching me, I kneel down behind my cart as though about to pull something from beneath the table, and pour the contents of the pouch into my hand. A very nice gold necklace with gem inlay, a pair of electrum earrings, a gold hairclip, a nice bracelet, and a silver ring. Then I put everything back into the pouch and count out Defris’ coins, sliding the appropriate sum into an herbal bag before getting back up, “Here you go. I think I can figure out how to replicate this.” I reply, a little nervously as I hand the bag of coins to him.
He balances is in his hand, then tucks it inside his tunic, and walks away. “What was that about?” Casia asks.
“Mending fences? Repaying a favor to our neighbor, I guess,” I shrug, sliding the pouch of undoubtedly stolen jewelry inside my tunic.
-Generate the watchman-
A short time later, a watchman comes by checking scales on booths, “I sell by the dose,” I explain as he approaches, reaching his hand down to pet Warren, who eagerly accepts his attention and a good scratch behind the ears.
The neatly groomed watchman smiles at me, “Fine animal you have here. The cat too. Interesting. I suspect there are no rats where you live. Nor hares in the garden.”
I chuckle, “No friend, not a one. We’re in a boarding house anyway.”
“Whereabouts?” he raises an eyebrow.
“Quarry district. Dorak’s alehouse,” I reply.
Q: Does he know the place? Likely Yes -My Persuasion 10- (generate item)
“Ah, yes, good ale. The wench is a bit…over the top,” he grimaces, and then noticing Casia, looks away from her and focuses on me instead. He picks up a clay jar and opening it to inspect, “What’s this?”
“Mosquito balm. Smell it. Made from lemongrass,” I explain, “Rub it on you skin to be free of the pests for an evening. Or…you could have pots of lemongrass on your window sill if you don’t want them coming into your room at night.”
Q: Does he decide to buy it? Unlikely- Exceptional No
He chuckles, “I’m sure. And this?” he picks up a pouch
“Willowbark Tea, good for fevers, headaches. It provides a bit of relief for a short time. Often enough to get to sleep if that is what’s keeping you up. there are stronger remedies, of course, like Head Numb, but that’s much more expensive.”
Q: Does he move along? Likely
He nods, “And this?”
“Sage Leaf tea. It sharpens the memory briefly. Helpful for recall an concentration,” I explain as he turns his attention to another pouch, “That’s sweet breath, you chew a handful of leaves for a few minutes, and it covers bad breath for awhile, very useful if you just had raw onion or heavy garlic.”
“I’ve not seen you in the market before,” he muses, going through other items.
-Deception 20 rolled with advantage for the familiarity of the lie, His insight 10-
“I’m Talia Evenbough, that’s my sister Casia. We’re from Hamerfel by way of Farhold and Westhold. Newly arrived. Hope to stay a while, make our homes here,” I explain. He nods, taking this all in. “What’s your name? And the sergeant in charge of the market who told us…there weren’t enough spots for us to set up today.” I gesture towards the empty spots in the market.
Q: Does he tell me? Likely Yes Q: Is he sympathetic? Unlikely No
“I’m Borin. Sergeant Halpern covers the market today, and it seems you found space for your booth after all,” he smirks.
-Persuasion 17-
I roll my eyes, “I hope he doesn’t cause me difficulty in the future. I’d like to open up on Heyday and Marketday each week. We kind of need to in order to support ourselves.”
He pauses and meets my gaze. After a moment, he sets down what he was looking at, “I’ll speak to the sergeant. Let him know you plan on becoming regulars here.”
“Thank you,” I reply, though honestly unsure whether this is a good or a bad thing.
Q: Does he move on now? Very Likely Yes
He nods, and then moves on to the next booth. “Odd fellow,” Casia observes after he leaves. “Didn’t much like me.”
I nod, “He’s afraid of boobs. Doesn’t like Mini, looked away from you,” I gesture towards her blouse, the ties of which she often leaves undone at the top, “but had no problem talking to me.”
Grinning, she reaches to undo the top of my lacing, “This should keep him at bay then!”
“Stop it!” I laugh pushing her hands away, “It might be good for me to try and stay on his good side.” She relents in agreement and we get back to work as custom picks up once more.
-Afternoon Encounter- None-
After lunch, we continue selling our teas and remedies, but the customers become a bit of a blur. So many unfamiliar faces but none that really stick out at the moment. As the market day winds down, we pack up, and roll our cart back downhill towards the low district.
“On the one hand, I hated having to push a fully loaded cart of pies uphill with Mini the other day, but on the other, it’s really nice that at the end of the day, when we’re tired, we get the easier trek home downhill,” Casia confesses.
I nod in agreement, “But there’s still the alehouse. Our night isn’t done quite yet.”
“Are you going to help again?” Casia asks.
I shrug, “Yes, so long as you and Mini don’t douse me in ale again.”
Eveline laughs, “We might! No promises. She’s got it in for you after all.”
“Don’t remind me,” I roll my eyes in exasperation.
-Evening Encounter-Local Character-Garth-
“Good evening, Talia,” a vaguely familiar voice rings out.
Looking for the source, I stop my cart, “Good evening, Garth!” I reply with a grin. “This is my sister, Casia. Casia, this is Garth. He showed me the patch of mint the other day.” The two greet each other, before I ask Garth what he’s doing in town.
-Topic-Future action-
The farmer pats his purse, “Sold off one of the hogs to cover the cost of butchering and salting a second. Time to get ready for winter after all,” he grins.
“Ah, yes! Are you on your way back to the village now, or would you like to stop for a drink? Our landlord’s alehouse is just down in the quarry district if you want to come with us?” I suggest.
Q: Will he come for drinks? Likely No
“Ah, I appreciate the invitation, and were I a few years younger, I’d likely take you up on it, but as it is my son’s wife will worry if I am too long delayed, and my son doesn’t need to come searching for me to ease her mind,” he shrugs. “I appreciate the offer though.”
I nod, “Safe travels then. Don’t be a stranger.” He bid each other farewell and Casia and I continue home.
Q: Is Haggi out? 50/50
Passing through the quarry gate, I stop alongside Haggi, “Evening Haggi,” I drop a tenpiece in her bowl, “Market was kind to us at least. How was your day?”
Q: Did she have a good day? 50/50 Yes Conversation Community
“Food enough to eat. Warmth enough to sleep. Nobody troubled us, and we troubled nobody,” she shrugs. “Who is this? I’ve seen her pass through the gates before with…others.”
Q: Is Casia comfortable talking to Haggi? 50/50 Exceptional Yes
“This is my sister, Casia,” I introduce them as Eveline smiles excitedly.
-Eveline persuasion 9-
“Oh, I’m sorry! I don’t think I even noticed you. You must think I’m a terrible boor,” Eveline apologizes, adding a second tenpiece to the bowl, “Are these your daughters? They’re adorable!”
Haggi raises a skeptical eyebrow, then turns her attention back to me, “Be careful what company your sister keeps.”
-Persuasion 17 vs DC 20 to warn about Devris and Ivor-
“The same as I,” I reply, “any particular reason?”
Haggi shrugs, “Just general advice from one whose seen the best and the worst of people.”
“Duly noted,” I reply and we continue on our way.
–
Ep 14: Scene 6: Dorak’s Alehouse (28th cont) (Interrupt scene with ambiguous event-Break, Mundane)
Chaos Factor: 4
Immersion: Burning
We arrive home and quickly start unloading the cart while Dorak gets ready to open the alehouse. I hear Mini cursing from the kitchen as the smell of burnt pastries fill the air, “No! The pies!”
Casia looks at me in dismay, “Not the pies!”
-Randomly select a mundane recipe-
“Not the jars!” I exclaim as Casia lets the box of ointments she’s carrying dip a bit. A jar falls out and shatters on the ground.
“Oh, crap!” Casia exclaim as she focuses once more.
“Take those upstairs, I’ll clean up down here,” I sigh and start collecting bits of broken clay and carefully sweeping up the smelling salts.
“Fine, fine, but don’t throw any of that away,” she rolls her eyes. “Bring it up and may be we can salvage the contents or something.”
I sigh.
Soon we have our goods stored up in our room, and with a few words of magic, Eveline has repaired the jar, and cleaned up the Smelling Salt of its impurities and any crud from the floor that got mixed in. “Good as new,” she smirks.
“Alright, you’ve got to teach me that one,” I hold up the seamlessly mended jar.
“I would if I understood it,” she agrees as she changes into her tavern garb. I follow suit, then the two of us head downstairs to join Mini and Dorak.
Q: Are the usual suspects here? Likely Yes (Roll traffic, 14 guests total, plus Mini, Dorak, Talia and Casia) (Event, Ivor offering a “better” way to relax) (Discussion-Last Action)
We are soon serving drinks in the quickly overcrowded dining room, one of the patrons from the other night offers a tired smile as he takes his second drink of the night “I wasn’t sure you’d be back again after Mini and the other new girl pulled that prank on you.”
I shrug, “My sister’s a bit of a prankster, and those two together…lots of trouble.”
-Insight 8, Perception 19-
The man nods, “I would enjoy getting in trouble with those two.” His meaning goes right past me, but I notice Ivor selling small pouches to several of the quarry men present.
-Perception 17-
“Yeah, I’m sure,” I respond absent-mindedly as I move closer to Ivor to see what’s going on.
“I tell you, all worry will fade from your mind and you will sleep like a baby with just a touch from the fey,” Ivor explains, offering a small pouch to one our clients.
-Intimidation 8-
“Give me that,” I demand walking up to him.
“Pah,” Ivor scoffs, “Why should I?”
I sigh, “I just want to see what it is.”
Q: Will he just tell me? Likely Exceptional No
“None of your concern is what it is,” he sneers, “Go back to slinging drinks, or perhaps…go back up to your room if you want to be a stick in the mud.”
I give an exasperated sigh and get back to work while Ivor does whatever it is he’s doing.
Q: Does Defris pull me aside? Likely No
There is still a lot of discussion about the festival earlier in the week, but as the hours grow long, the crowd wanes. The man slowly nursing one drink after another continuously flirts with both Casia and Mini, while the man seated beside him talks about the good taste of the baroness to honor Dorak’s ale as the best in the fief. The third man at their table suggests it wasn’t the baroness’s decision, but an agreement by the various guildmaster’s who were chosen to judge the competition, and I recall these three had debated the baron’s aptitude to lead back on Heyday.
When the barrel runs out, and the guests depart, Casia and I are helping Mini clean up when Defris suggests, “Come by my room when you’re done here,” then heads upstairs.
Casia raises an eyebrow, and I shrug, “I’ll see you upstairs in a bit.” Then I go on up and knock on Defris’ door
Ep 14: Scene 7: Defris Room (28th)
Chaos Factor: 4
Immersion: Smell of Moss (Altered Scene-Delayed Obscurity)
“Come on in,” Defris replies, answering his door and stepping aside. His apartment is half a gain larger than Casia’s and mine, with two windows as well. He has a bookshelf with a few ledgers on it, and a variety of other interesting objects, and a writing desk as well!
“Nice of you to come and join me. I trust that you and your “sister” are settling in, now that your legal difficulties seem to have been settled,” Defris muses.
“Well enough,” I reply, noticing the willowmoss sitting loose in a bowl on the shelf, “You should put a lid on this, it retains its potency longer that way.”
“So tell me, Talia, how did you enjoy the market today?” Defris stalls.
I face him, and shrug, “I didn’t care for having to give the sergeant on watch a crown for the privilege of setting up shop, but otherwise, business was good.”
-Topic-my skills-
“Learn anything?” the man asks.
“Not particularly. It’s mostly just about getting settled, back on our feet, so to speak,” I reply.
“So to speak. Yet…you carefully considered studying a termite remedy, and examined the product before deciding its worth. Care to walk me through that?” Defris asks.
“You gave me some coin, told me to buy something for you and that you had enough, but the seller didn’t ask fifty crowns, so I figured it was fair to haggle down the price for you if I could,” I shrug
“But you didn’t make a counter offer, just gave him what he asked, yes?” Defris asks.
“If you are paying such close attention, why not handle your business yourself?” I smirk.
He laughs, “I’m not the one being examined.” Then his eyes narrow, “Show me what you have.”
I pull out the purse he gave me and return it less the coins spent on his behalf, and then the purse containing the jewelry.
“Lay it across the desk, and tell me what you think each piece is worth,” he instructs.
“Al…right,” I respond, hesitantly before sitting at the desk and laying the jewelry out across it. I can feel him looking down at me from over my shoulder.
-Investigation 7-His investigation 18-
“This is a gold necklace. Looks well made. It has a pair of inexpensive gems. I don’t know, but I think this is worth the thirty crowns I gave the man on its own. These earrings, electrum? Matching gems. The pair is worth at least ten crowns as a set. The bracelet, six crowns, but it looks really nice. The gold hair clip? A couple of crowns. The silver ring, worth a tenpiece or two,” I shrug as he examines each piece in turn.
“If you cannot discern the workmanship, you overpaid. Buying this lot by weight, it’s only worth a bit more than 50 crowns for the metal, and the gems. If I were buying based on weight, I’d say 25 crowns, but you paid thirty. You owe me five crowns.” Defris scowls.
-Insight 13, vs his deception 22-
“I’m not paying you for the privilege of doing you a favor,” I glare at him.
He laughs, “Repaying a debt owed is no favor.”
“No debt was owed, merely a favor returned, your discretion, for this single errand. That should be sufficient,” I explain.
Q: Does he press for ongoing favors? Likely No
He purses his lips, “Understood. My discretion to date for this favor…to date. I trust you and your “sister” will continue getting along.”
-My Insight 14-
I narrow my eyebrows, studying him, “What is it you actually want?”
“It would, perhaps, be nice if you would do additional favors of this sort for me. And perhaps, I might be able to do some favors for you in return,” he suggests.
“And if I decline, will you honor my request for discretion, or do you intend to use it as leverage against my sister and I?” I scowl.
-Defris Deception 5, vs my Insight 7-
“I’m not going to blackmail or coerce you. I want willing partners. You do for me. I do for you, favor for favor. What I know about you and what I might discover about you should never cause you worry. We are good. But if you run the occasional errand for me, my associates and I might be able to run some errands for you…make life a bit easier if you make me aware of your needs,” he offers.
I carefully consider his words, then come to a decision that leaves me feeling like I am stepping off a cliff, “Alright. You can ask the favor, and if it is something I feel comfortable with, I’ll help you out. But it’s at your own risk. I don’t appraise jewelry for a living. I won’t steal, kill or threaten anyone, but if you or your associates need treatment for an injury, or I suppose, a minor delivery like this and it isn’t out of my way or risky, I can help out. Understood?”
Q: Is he pleased with this arrangement? Very Likely Yes (Defris insight 10)
Defris smiles, then he pauses, “Why would you think I would ask you to kill someone?”
-My deception 22, his insight 9-
“Guessing these jewels must have been gained by dubious means, I don’t want to get involved in the acquisition side of things, especially if a mugging is involved,” I explain.
“But if these jewels were obtained by murder, you would still receive or deliver them for me?” he raises an eyebrow.
I shudder, “I pray you and your associates do not resort to such means.”
“If we do?” Defris raises an eyebrow.
-Intimidate 11-
“Don’t!” I retort, eyes flashing with anger.
He smirks, “I’ll be in touch, neighbor.”
As I turn to leave, he gives me three gold crowns, “By value, you did alright. It just requires a buyer who looks deeper than mere weight.”
“Keep your coin. This was a favor returned,” I respond, then retire to my room where I tell Cassia about the conversation and the exchange at the market.
Q: Is she comfortable working with the thieves guild? 50/50 No
“Oooh, I’m not sure it’s such a good idea to get involved with Defris and his friends. There’s enough trouble out there for us already,” Eveline warns.
-Persuasion 11-
“Nothing we can’t overcome together, but a few friends and favors could help out in a pinch. We just have to be careful,” I defend my actions.
Unconvinced, Eveline submits, “I guess I’ll have to trust your judgement. Let’s just…go to bed. Think things through more clearly in the morning.”
“Agreed,” I smile, and take her in my arms. Soon, the worries of the day are forgotten to each other’s embrace.
Posts From a Long Winded Gamer 
Leave a comment