You all arrive back at the Olic Haversham at about the same time. Taz introduces you to your new crewmember, Roland Greathammer. He is a stocky dwarf, carrying a small pack made of leather of some unknown creature(s) of the void. His clothes are a mismatched hide shorts and vest, thick laced boots, a broad-brimmed hat with one side tacked up, and a white skyler feather cloak. This last item makes Gardner in particular alittle uncomfortable, as white skylers are thought to be ill omens when spotted because they tend to travel with fogsharks and other dangers of the Void; killing a white skyler is taboo among most folk of the skies – its thought to leave a years long streak of terrible luck on the man who draws the blood. He sees your concern, and assures you that the cloak was made of feathers plucked from the beasts while they was alive, and is a sign of his hunting prowess and his familiarity with the habits of creatures of the Void.
He has a few spears in a bundle, and a small dolly with cloth and spars, presumably a homemade skysail.
ooc: Roland Stats, not a Wild Card:
Ag d8, Sm d6, Sp d4, St d6, Vi d8
Skills: Boating d6, Guts d6, Knowledge (Voidology) d6, Knowledge (Currents) d4, Survival d8, Fighting d4, Throwing d8, Notice d6, Climbing d4
Gear: Skysail, Throwing spears x3, rope, light pack, personal effects, hide armor.
The crew discusses their plans and events of the day. Xisco then takes his leave to spend some time with Hugo. Hugo’s mother seems glad to see him, and he get’s to know the family. He finds cards not a good game, as the ghosts cheat worse than he does, and dice is no better, as they roll them over to suit their mood. It seems that Hugo means to sail in the morning at the 4th bell. Xisco chats up Hugo’s family on a variety of subjects, trying to be oblique and get what information he can. Xisco (rolled a 14) does come across some interesting information; it seems the ghost of Hugo’s Great great Uncle knows a bit binding magic, since he thought that he could free himself – while he was living – of his dead relatives. It turned out, of course, that his relatives aren’t bound by a spell, but through the bloodline. However, while investigating the issue he was assured by a wizard on Atrium that magically binding a spirit, free of a deity’s assistance, takes a great deal of power. The most simple way to do so is, ironically, by binding a number of minor spirits, usually through a ritual of sacrifice. He recalls the wizard’s example, wherein he killed a number of woodland creatures and draining their blood on a stone carved with symbols, and then using that stone to hold the soul of a man who died while still owing him money. (Arcana roll: 16. Crazy.) While taking a few moments before bed to look over the drakin text, he finds 2 of the symbols on the stone. One is a symbol for some manner of demon or fiend. The other is a combination of two symbols: the one for a promise or a guarantee, and the other is a verb that translates as ‘running’ as in running water.
Blendin takes a long moment by himself to mediate. He’s starting to hear the language of the air elemental better and wonders if the creature is becoming stronger of he more attuned to it. Of course, perhaps it’s being here, in proximity to it’s deity that makes the translation easier. He has a long dream:
He is standing on an orange stone, adrift in a purple sea. The sea is roiling, and waves crash near his feet. Five other stones, knife-edged, crystalline and almost clear, push between him and the troubled waters. As he looks back at his feet, the orange stone is no longer a stone, but an eye of a massive black bird; it calls out, but it’s voice is silent. Blendin climbs up off of the eye, and finds himself standing on its back as it flies through the Void. He bends down to avoid the stiff wind, but is blown off anyway. As he falls, he grasps at the bird, taking away a handful of five feathers, but these are clear instead of black. He awakens feeling remarkably calm considering, and notices a new bloom in one of his flowerpots.
Tooly spends most of the evening reviewing plans to make his burrowing device, as well as some preliminary fitting for the improved musket (Gunsmithing 5). He thinks the pieces he has should suffice to begin putting it together soon.
Gardner and Fang take the evening easy, but in the morning they are greeted by Griff. He states he’s found a buyer for the pottery, a merchant captain who trades in oddities. He has a ½ cargo of honey he is willing to exchange. He has also found a buyer for the cannon, an orc galley master. His trade offer is in goblin slaves. Griff seems to have a look of distaste at this idea.
The city is in full swing as you finish eating, and its time to start your day.
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Blendin is very much against the idea of getting involved in the slave trade as I'm sure everyone can imagine.
ReplyDeleteI'm not surprised, are you guys?
ReplyDeleteIndeed, Xisco has a similar feeling, which will be expressed to Gardner if he presents the trade offer to the crew (he doesn't want to gain a reputation as a slavery; if I'm not mistaken, The Medicus shares this opinion).
ReplyDelete-----
If Gardner shares the offers, Xisco will search the island for a suitable buyer for the pottery today (are either Taz or Gardner familiar with where scholars would be found on Bridgeways? is either willing to join Xisco, or just share what they know?).
Taz informs Xisco that a number of scholarly organizations have representatives that can be found near the navigator's hall. He also reminds the crew that the navigator's hall has an extensive identification library, The Hall of Spheres. He suggests you take a gondola there, as it's quite a walk.
ReplyDeleteTooly is also against hauling slaves, but mainly because he finds goblins annoying and doesn't want a lot of them aboard. He wouldn't own a slave, and he is opposed to wildling slavery, but the "accepted fact" that goblins don't have souls (until they become glowborn) keeps him from getting too worked up about slavery in general.
ReplyDeleteTooly will take the next chance he gets to visit Bronzeye. He wants to feel him out for help getting his cage installed around the rock. Otherwise, his days will be spent building the gun. He wants to finish it before messing with the cage, since he might not have access to the forges if the cage works as he hopes.
Gardner will turn down the slavers' offer and try to find a more suitable buyer. He'll also take a trip to the navigator's hall to identify his samples. He also wants to test the mystery island sample to see if tracks to the stone now. Just a thought.
ReplyDeleteOh, I almost forgot, but Tooly still wants to get his charm identified. He'll be on the lookout for any other interesting relics while he's at it.
ReplyDeleteGardner cranes his neck to get a better look at the white skyler cloak, then frowns slightly. He clears his throat. "Roland, pleasure to have you aboard. We've still got some business to attend to in port so it may be awhile before we get underway. You can stow your things with the rest of the crew. Taz can show you around. If you're going to be away from the ship for a while just let Taz know where we can find you."
ReplyDelete“Thank ye, Captain sur.” Roland pops a dwarven salute, clasping both hands in front of his chest as if he were holding a pike or poleax. Without, it just appears like he’s having chest pains. “I’ll stow me gunney sack in the hold, ceptin’ for me skysail; I’ll have the mate help me lash ‘er down on top of the foredeck, iffen that’s fine with ye.” Not waiting for a reply, he turns to enter the vessel.
ReplyDeleteTaz returns with the case of six soil samples, as well as the sample from the Mysterious Island. “Sir, I’ll have Griff put more feelers out on the cargo in case you don’t have any luck. I take it we’ll wait on the trade for the honey until Mr. Xisco has a chance to sort things out down in the TC district. Oh, and I heard the Resilient is back in port. That means command of the sector just changed hands to Vice Admiral Brunt. Dunno if you’ve met him, Sir. He’s an old warpriest, orc. Known for being quite the conciliator. He may have need for cannon. Back to my duties sir.” Medicus grunts goodbye to the crew, and takes a long pull on a wineskin filled with something dull green.
Xisco, Gardner, Fang and Tooly choose to travel together so as to save on walking the distance. Only 3 bridges separate the navigator hall and the courier’s guild, so Blendin chooses to come along as well rather than trek all the way over on foot again. The gondola is ‘decorated’ in bits of salvaged wood and cloth of every imaginiable color, and the pilot has a little metal music box with a turnkey that he winds when you board the ship. It’s tinny music breaks up the monotony of the short trip. He takes his fee of 15 cogs for the lot of you.
The Navigator hall is one of the few structures that isn’t burrowed into a natural formation of rock, but rather a mortared building of black and grey stone. It’s only a single tall story, and its doors are tiled with a mosaic of black glass-like stone not native to this area. Since it sits almost directly under another larger island, there is a fairly large exterior square in front of the building, with stalls cut into the rock walls of the carved out trench. As expected, there are a number of representatives, but very few wares: goods are too precious to leave outside to the whimsy of the Lady. Rather than approaching you with their goods as is common near the port, or in the Nexus on Shadowhaven, the trader’s here still politely on stools, or talk quietly amongst themselves, waiting to be asked about their goods. Most have a small size or banner listing their goods or the items they wish to purchase to minimize unnecessary confusion.
Gardner and Fang enter the Hall to find a human Cartographer, bald with a thin grey mustache sitting behind a counter, with a line of captains in front of him. After answering a few questions, they are escorted past the desk into the Hall of Spheres. After a few minutes, they shuffle forward to the front. His badge identifies him as Cart. Holcombe; a young dark-haired woman with a fresh uniform stands at his elbow, and will be your escort. The man speaks as you approach. “Name and Ship? How can we help you today, Captain Drawlight?”
Xisco and Tooly travel with Blendin through the stalls. None of them see any traders or information that immediately have what they are looking for. As they walk the stalls, a scuffle breaks out nearby. Six men, all wearing an armband of long teeth on their left biceps, are chasing a boy who is running towards the group. The boy has a small bundle tucked under his arm. “You there! Stop the waterstorin’ thief!”
Tooly, annoyed at not finding what he wants and slightly bored, moves as if to get out of the way of the apparent thief (smarts trick: 7), then slides in front of him, arms spread to try to grab him in a bear hug (rolled agility and fighting, both were 4).
ReplyDeleteBlendin pulls his musket and aims it at the boy's left leg. "FREEZE! I've had enough of you thieves."
ReplyDeleteXisco will look over at the commotion, shrug, then turn to the next merchant. Holding out the piece of of pottery he begins asking the same questions he's been asking all morning, "Know any collectors? No! Not for cooking! It belongs in a museum!"
ReplyDeleteAs Blendin unlimbers his rifle and Tooly tries to look nonchalant before his daring grab, a sunburst of light appears directly above the boy’s head. Xisco, turned to greet the merchant, is unaffected, as is one of the men with the tooth armband, who had turned his head to urge forward his flagging comrades.
ReplyDeleteBy the time Tooly and Blendin shake off the surprising flash and gain their composure, the boy is some 20 meters behind them, running full tilt onto an arching bridge. The line of sight is unobstructed.
The man who continued to give chase while his comrades stumbled stops next to you and curses an oath. Two of his armbanded comrades give up the chase and join him while the others continue their pursuit.
Xisco’s chat with the merchant seems to be going well. He returns to his shipmates with news of a stall about 2 minutes walk away where they may have some luck with a buyer for his relic. One of the men with the armbands, a thin arm-long rod of silver in his hands, and a particularly dour expression, tics his head at Xisco’s pot. “Whatcha got there, friends?”
The boy is on the middle of the short bridge, 40 or so meters away, turned back to look at his pursuers, who are just reaching the bottom.
If his shot is unobstructed, Blendin will take a shot, aiming at the boy's left leg.
ReplyDelete------------------------------------------------
Shooting: 4, Benny: 5
Waste of a perfectly good Benny... =(
that was without mods.
ReplyDelete"I have several soil samples recovered from a wreck that lost their identification, I wish to have them matched against known samples so I can identify them."
ReplyDeletethe musket ball whizzes past the boy. A number of bystanders shriek, and begin to scatter. The men with the armbands back up from the wildling and his friends. "Uh, Dan, should we get goin?" says one with only 4 fingers on his left hand to the dour man. "Yeah, best be moving on. Thanks for trying, best you get goin too, wildling. doubt the TC will take kindly to you shootin' up the place when they get here." He pauses, "Say, you fellas wanna come back with us? You got some what, pots there? I can fence those for ya, mostlike, or offer a fair trade." He and his fellows begin to trot off towards the other end of the bazaar. You hear the sounds of whistles in the distance, closing.
ReplyDeleteHolcome smiles. "Excellent captain. We charge the usual 50 cogs per sample, however we will pay handsomely for a few grains of any new sample you happen to find not present in the library. It looks like the vials you have there should be more than enough to get started. This is Lt. Surveyor Jens." He indicates the pretty young woman at his shoulder, who courtesies, an odd behavior for her uniform. "She will escort you into the room if you agree to these terms, and sign here, here and initial here." He proffers a litany of paperwork, all standard affairs.
Gardner signs the forms, and looks to officer Jens. "Lead the way, Ma'am."
ReplyDeleteGardner remembers the first time he ventured into the Hall of Spheres, as purser aboard the cargo frigate Belle. He was surprised at the time with its opulence; the oiled wood floors are almost unheard of on Bridgeways, like the deck of 30 ships end to end. Three walls are cut stone, faced smooth and mortared, and the final wall a wonder even after all these years of travel.
ReplyDeleteThe eponymous ‘spheres’ are smaller than most wayspheres aboard a ship, and the work of generations of artificers to develop. They stand in neat rows half again the height of a man and stretch far into the distance, sitting gently cradled in a network of gold sockets, each clearly marked with a small, etched copper sign indicating the island, and its cardinal direction at different times of its cycle. He has heard it said that these sockets bear a bit of the earth of each island. Towards the distance, a painted rope designates an area not yet in use; some spheres remain without islands, and even more sockets remain without spheres. He has heard the spheres themselves are made here in the islands by a group of artificers called the Stewards that do little other than provide these wayspheres, and the gold is mostly from salvage paid to the guild in lieu of cogs. Some of the spheres glow brightly, and then blink out, and a few other captains are being escorted by member’s of the guild.
Jens leads you to a kiosk, one of many along the isle which has a thin gold dish with a divet for pouring, a fine comb brush, all on a leggy pedestal; it is one of many such kiosks, each bearing a bowl of a different metal. “Captain, if you’d be so good, please place a pinch of the soil from the first vial in the bowl. Gold is red, sir.” Gardner does as he’s bidden with a loamy soil, arid and orange. A nearby sphere lights a steady red. Jens walks over, stoops and calls out. “Dear me. It’s Aria, captain. Please, clean the dish carefully, returning the entire sample to its container; contamination is quite an unpleasantness to sort out. Then feel free to test the next one.”
The next sample is green gray, pungent. She smiles faintly over her shoulder as she finds the red glowing orb. “The Still, captain. It seems whomever gave you this was fond of his drink; I don’t blame him after a visit to Aria, of course.”
A black rich soil, still moist. Jen walks up and down the hall for some time before returning. “Well well, captain. It appears you have a find there. It is not in our library. I will consult with Cartographer Holcombe about the price after we are finished, but I would be most pleased to have a sample to investigate further.”
An arid soil, brown and grey silt. “Dragon’s Spine.”
A brown, smooth sand. “Frostrock, home to the unlucky glowborn of the north. Good trading there, if you like ice and zombies. Ahem, apologies, Captain. I speak too freely.”
A gritty grey sand with sparkling quartz. “The Draining Sea, captain.”
The last is the soil he collected from the flower field on the mysterious island. She spends a few moments walking along before shrugging. “Two new soils in a single day, captain. A great find! I thank you for letting me be a part of it!” She courtesies again.
Holcombe is equally pleased and offers to wave the 50 cog per sample fee for a pinch of one of the samples, and 100 cogs if you wish to give samples of both.
Tooly jumps away from Blendin, pulling out his hammer reflexively. "What in the great electrum brain are you doing? Good thing you missed, or we'd be in trouble. You'd better use that sneakiness of yours and disappear before the patrol arrives." The dwarf replaces his hammer and insinuates himself into the group of sailors, walking with them and separating himself from the wildling. "So, what ship you guys from? Never seen her, what kind of ship is she? Say, you fellas wouldn't need some first-rate cannon, would you? Made them myself, better than TC issue, even, last twice as long. Clovis Oresmith, Engineer-at-Large..."
ReplyDelete-----------------
Tooly will follow the sailors far enough away to disassociate himself from the incident, but also try to feel them out for potential trades, stressing his dwarven engineer pedigree and the fact he made the cannons. If they don't seem interested or trustworthy or something, he'll split off and watch the imminent arrival of the authorities from a safe distance. Otherwise, he'll find out how far it is to their ship and possibly follow them there to discuss trades.
Xisco is stunned at the violence; he silently opens and closes his mouth a couple times before he looks at Tooly then turns himself and begins walking towards his lead.
ReplyDeleteBlendin's scales shimmer with shame before he disappears and heads into a nearby alley. Blendin will make his way make to the meeting location and take a rest near the empty building identified earlier keeping an eye out for Moira or anyone else he may recognize (like the TC).
ReplyDeleteBlendin charges off, jingling in his armor to the abandoned hovel. He finds it as he left it, and finds a place to hunker down and wait. His meeting is not long from now, and from his view out the door, he can clearly see the tower of the courier's guild, as well as the window that Moira used to enter the building the day before.
ReplyDeleteooc: need a notice check.
One of the sailors turns to Tooly. "We're with the Silver Cane." He gestures to the man with the thin silver rod and the dour face, Dan.
You trot through the bazaar and then they run across a bridge at something akin to full speed.
gonna need a guts check, gentlemen.
Notice: 6+6+2 = 14 (without mods)
ReplyDeleteWrong direction for Xisco; he's walking towards the stall "two minutes away"
ReplyDeletefair enough. Xisco does as stated. I'll need a persuasion roll then.
ReplyDeleteGardner, still bellyaching over the ship's current meager financial state, will accept the 100 cogs. He'll make sure to label each of the containers and to collect a sample of Bridgeways on his way back to add to the collection.
ReplyDeleteApparently my phone decided not to post that last one. Guts check 7.
ReplyDeleteDoubly distracted by "casually" avoiding the TC patrols and pitching his wares, Tooly doesn't even notice that the running sailors are doing so across a bridge over nothing.
So...what's the Hall going to label the sample from Mystery Island? "Cursed Rock Home?" "Disaster Island?" Oh, I know! "Debris."
ReplyDeletePersuasion: 3 before mods, Benny: 6 before mods.
ReplyDelete“Very well, Captain. Here is a vial of Bridgeways stone.” Holcombe was more than happy to provide an unornamented tiny carved stone flask with a ground stone stopper. The flask itself is empty but would probably be large enough for another sample, were you to need to store one. “Thank you again captain.” Jens returns with a stack of cogs, counts them carefully, and then provides them to the captain to examine. As he’s finishing his count, he hears an unmistakable crack of a gunshot outside. A man charges into the room, “Some wildling is shooting at people, contact the Trade Council!”
ReplyDeleteGardner sees Tooly charging over a bridge like a local through the open door; there is no sign of Blendin or Xisco from this vantage point.
Once Tooly is across the bridge, the men turn a few times through crisscrossing narrow trenches. Tooly is able to keep up, because he can see their heads bobbing along in front of him. They arrive at a small entrance to a underground warren, marked with a painted placard of silver cane. “You say you have cannon, eh? Exactly what we are needing. C’mon in, I’ll buy you a drink.” They stoop and enter.
Xisco finds the merchant in question. He represents a ‘Hopstead Salvage and Cargo’ group and seems quite interested, studying the pot carefully. While most of their trade is in salvage for reuse, when Xisco implores with his ‘they should be in a museum’ argument, Hopstead’s rep offers to broker a deal with a client of theirs that collects antiquities for a traveling exhibit among the major isles. He says he’ll need to consult with his associate about a reasonable trade. He also asks about your next destination so he can see if they have something appropriate for that locale to trade you. He says he can bring you an offer at your ship later today.
Blendin sees Moira climb out onto a balcony, and scan the surrounding area, apparently looking for him or someone. He sees no immediate threats. He does notice that he can reach the chimney and climb to her perch (almost certainly unseen) by following a line of pilgrims that are beginning to pass through the square now.
Realizing that he may be forced to hunker down and hide in the ship for the next couple of weeks (damn thieves), Blendin decides to attend his clandestine meeting early.
ReplyDeleteTooly shrugs, adjusts the sling of his smoke gun where it was bouncing against his back, and follows the sailors in. A drink's a drink.
ReplyDeleteBlendin makes his way to the top of the tower undetected. Moira is perched on a ledge, legs dangling into the air. It's quite a ways down to the bottom. She watches you for a long moment. "'ello Blendin. You're early. Must have missed me?" Moira smiles in a friendly manner, but she can sense your uneasiness. "You seem in a hurry, so I won't mince words. I need your help.
ReplyDelete“The wizard Halcon has been arrested by the Council. The have charged him as a necromancer, but he's not, Blendin. He's a doctor, a scientist and a wizard, but no more a necromancer than you or I.
“I took him a message from Shadowhaven. A threat from the alchemist there. Halcon was angry, and scared. He gave me his papers to hide. He said they were important to his work. The next day, they came for him, and brought him here to stand trial.
“Of course, I didn’t hide the papers. I took them to a contact of mine in the boughbreakers on Dragon’s Spine. They looked them over, and told me they needed halcon to decipher them. It’s critical he is taken to them.”
She hands you a small iron key. "I stole this key, it'll open his cell, but there's no way I can get to him unseen. I believe that you can. Then you’ll need to escort him to an inn, Journey’s End. I can take him from there. Look, you and I both know that most elves can't be trusted, we've seen them torture and kill every day of our lives back before we broke free. But you trusted that big lug on your ship, didn't you?" She smiles sheepishly. "I won’t say I trust Halcon, but I believe him when he says he isn’t a necromancer. And if his work can help us, we should do everything we can to get him to the ‘Breakers.”
Tooly finds himself in a small bar with stone benches that appear to have been pillars long ago, and tables made of overturned spools for rope. The ‘bar’ itself has a fogshark, smallish at only twice the length of a man, hanging over it. It’s teeth have been scavenged, and are being worn by most of the patrons. As the men ahead of you enter, a table clears to allow them to sit. The men from the bazaar don’t bother to place an order, as a round has already arrived, including an ale for you. “Sit.”
The dour man speaks as you take a drink. “Alright dwarf. Name’s Dan. You are? And you said you had cannon for sale? How many, where, and in what condition? I can use as many as you have. What do you need from us for them?”
Tooly takes a healthy gulp from the mug and runs his eye around the table, then back to Dan. "Clovis Oresmith, Engineer-at-Large. "I can't cast a price in iron, the skipper's got final say, but I can tell ya we have four top-quality cannon. Iron banded and specially treated to be fireproof. Made 'em myself. Just two of their brethren sank a pirate on our way here, so I can vouch for their effectiveness. The four in the hold are still brand new, though. Unfired. They do need carriages. I might be able to convince the crew to trade two more unfired cannon--with carriages--if the price is right.
ReplyDelete"As for what that price is..." The dwarf pauses a moment. "We'll be heading toward the lower skies, I suppose, so a cargo of windsilk would be perfect. I suppose we'd take anything worth trading, though, or cogs."
The dwarf gives a ballpark figure, but makes it high due to the location, the exceptional quality of the cannon, and to leave room to negotiate.
OOC aside: I forget if the price in the books of 500 cogs was for banded or rope cannon. What are the median rates? Would 1000 cogs each be ridiculous?
"That may seem high, but like I said, the skipper has final say, so you'd need to talk with him, and a good cargo instead of cogs might be useful. Still, lemme remind you: good cannon save lives. On the RIGHT end of the barrel--they don't explode and kill your gunners instead of the enemy, eh? And these guns, with their fireproof treatment, they'll last much longer than TC issue, even. At least a third longer, maybe twice as long as the best banded guns, since they won't char and develop weak points.
"Now, should I get the next round?"
----------------------
Tooly will stay for at least one more round, but take his leave to find his crewmates. He'll also invite Dan to come to the bazaar meet Gardner for more negotiations. ("He's probably done in the Hall, so it's a short trip. The crazy wildling's probably disappeared already. He's good at that.") Failing that, he'll go try to get Gardner to come back to the bar with him.
I figure since we can only man two guns, it might be worth it to sell two of our in-use cannon here where we can get a good price. What does everyone think?
"Whether or not he is a necromancer, he deals in dead wildings which just doesn't sit right with me." Blendin will then explain what has been occurring on Timber regarding the hunting of wildlings by non-elves and his suspicion that this is where Halcon has been procuring his bodies for experimentation. "With his head on the chopping block, perhaps the hunting will stop. Besides, what is to stop him from disemboweling me when I set him free and explain that I will be escorting him to the boughbreakers. I'm not sure he'll take that too well."
ReplyDeleteTooly and Dan find Gardner and Fang at the bazaar a few minutes later. They walk together through a particularly crowded and noisy area. “You’re the captain?” He reaches out to shake your hand. “People call me Smilin’ Dan. I hear you have cannon for sale. The dwarf asks me for cogs, 1000 a piece for 4 or maybe as many as 6. Now, he says they don’t have carts, so I figure that reduces the price by 100 each. That’s still 3600, or 5600 if its all 6, to you. But, I’m not a sailor, and I don’t often deal much with cogs or writ.
ReplyDelete“But I do have some favors owed me, by some of the merchants. I can probably scrounge about 1500 cogs by the end of the week. On top of that, I can get you cargo, probably most anything that’s in port here, if you tell me what you want. Tooly here said you want windsilk? Well, that’s a problem. The Hatchery only sells to the end user, and I can’t much pretend to be that, what with my lack of a ship.
But I can do one better: I can get you eggs. I have a line on some, more than 20. The larvae produce silk for a year or so before you gotta put them down. After two months one well-fed worm can produce about 6 pounds a day. Figure they are all outputting like that, my guess is a dozen ship’s worth of sails in your first year; if you like the business, you can let’em breed, and you’ll have all the windsilk you want.
I can even loan you one of my men, Pierre. He worked at the hatchery for 4 years before he came to work with me. He wants off island, had alittle run in with the law; wasn’t his fault really, just a misunderstanding. He’ll show you how to tend the eggs, care for the larvae, and spin the silk. Seems to me a merchant ship connected enough to have a half dozen cannon for sale can probably set him up a shop somewhere, and start turning a profit off the silk. Pierre’s up for a year’s work for room, board, and transport to another major island after the first year– he don’t much care where he goes now as long as it ain’t here. So here’s my pitch: at least 20 eggs, Pierre and about 1500 cogs for all 6 cannon. That leaves most your hold open for another cargo, even.”
Everyone realizes that Xisco has been walking with them for the past few minutes, and has overheard the bulk of the conversation.
Moira listens intently to Blendin’s argument, but ultimately does not seem persuaded. “Blendin, you can’t believe that letting the one elf die in a Trade Council prison is going to end the persecution of our people. I know as well as you do elves cannot be trusted, but giving away our chance to learn from Halcon would be a waste. I am not suggesting he be cleared of his crimes; the boughbreakers will try him once they have extracted the information they need. Given what I know of his crimes, I imagine he will not survive.
“We need to avenge those lives lost, yes. But vengeance does not help those of us still living, Blendin. Without his help to decipher the meaning of his documents, it would all be lost forever.”
"An interesting offer, Dan. Only four of the cannon are for sale. Why does your man Pierre want off the island? I understand that we all want to keep our secrets but if I'm going to agree to this and set him up with my people somewhere, say Shadowhaven, I'd need to know what we're getting into."
ReplyDelete------------------------
As a native of Bridgeways, Gardner wants to see if this guy's story and summary of the windsilk deal checks out. Persuasion 6, Common Knowledge 4.
ooc: Gardner is reasonably sure his story is consistent with what he knows of the silkworms. He also knows that they can be somewhat dangerous to handle, so having someone 'trained' in doing so is a benefit. He doesn't know of any prohibitions on their transport, but setting up a facility to house them safely on a populated island may be hindered by local fears. Gardner estimates a gross income of about 10,000 cogs a year.
ReplyDeleteDan doesn't miss a beat. "Killed a woman. It was, as I said, an accident. They were drunk, she tripped over his foot at my bar, and fell. He thought she'd catch herself, but she didn't. Hit her head on a bench, split it like a melon. A shame. Pierre's broken up. He's sworn off both drink and women, hell, we had to sit on him to keep him from turning himself in that first night.
"Problem is, there has been alot of women of her profession ending up missing lately in the TC quarter, and my bar was full of patrons that night. I know my men won't rat him out, but there are others who might. If the TC nabs him, they'll pin these other disappearances on him in a hurry, and hang him up." Dan looks at you with his frowning, dour expression. "Four cannon is a fair trade, if you're able to help out my man."
Moira watches Blendin silently for a moment. "I don't blame you for being angry with me Blendin. I left in a hurry before, I know. And you have every right to want to kill Halcon for what he is." She sets the key on the railing in front of Blendin. "It's your choice." She turns to leave.
Tooly hides a grin at the revised deal. Four cannon for the silkworm eggs, and an extra crewman sounds good to him, even without the cash, and he gives Gardner a thumbs-up when Dan isn't looking. He's not particularly interested in starting a silk farm or waiting for a return on his cannon, but figures the eggs could be resold to someone who is, at the very least. Greenbottom might be interested...
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I'd point out, OOC, that Gardner is now aware we have a sample from another uncharted island, in addition to the one that appears to have fallen. Possibly a place to set up a long-term windsilk business without disturbing the neighbors.
Also, at this rate, we're going to have a shipful of people hiding from the TC by the end of the week.
Gardner is nervous about the riskiness of the operation, but the possible financial profit from such a deal overcomes his cautiousness. He looks to Xisco for a sign, if Xisco seems neutral or supportive, Gardner agrees. "I think we can come to a deal Dan. 4 cannons for the eggs and your man to help us set up an operation." Gardner offers his hand.
ReplyDelete"I'll do it, or at least try to do it, for you Moira. Are there any breakers on this island to whom I can deliver Falcon? What is my timeline for freeing him? I have other things that I must take care of before I can flee so I need to time this right. And finally, how can I contact you personally in the future?"
ReplyDeleteooc: Closing thread. New one opening now.
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