LWAG: The Lost Caravan - Scene One, The Story So Far...

[silverfoxdmt73]

The young man looks back and forth between the wizard and Kai Lord, noticing the presence of the ranger too, bow at the ready.

"Ah, blast it.. Alright, I yield.." He says, shoulders sagging in defeat. He steps forward slowly, hands out by his sides.

"Dandros?" Says Haldred, stepping out from behind the assembled heroes.

"Ah, lad. I knew you had fallen on hard times, but I did not think you would stoop to this." The merchant says, his voice full of disappointment. "You have had many a chance to take up decent work, but to fall to robbery... I thought you were better than this."

"Is that you Merrum?" The quartermaster asks, peering at the merchant slowly rising to his feet.

"Yes, Haldred it is..." The older man replies, wiping the dirt from his clothing as he picks up his coin purse and approaches the heroes. Meanwhile, a pair of guards finally arrive, also alerted by the shouts.

"Gentlemen, Kai Lord.." He says catching his breath. "I am in your debt my friends." He says, opening his purse and taking out some gold.

"Here." He says, offering it to Storm Oak. "Take this as a token of my gratitude."

[Vardaen]

"Explain yourself and do not lie, we Kai Lords can tell if you lie."

Storm Oak has no such power, but the little people always made up myths about his people so why not use them.

He takes the coins and hands them off to anyone else who may care about such things, he does not.

[ManWithDoor]

Kir looks with interest at Storm Oak's interaction with the man who has fallen on hard times and taken up petty theft. He is a bit naive and assumes that this is a Kai Lord ability he has not heard of before. Storm Oak must be a more accomplished Kai Lord than Kir had assumed, if he is able to mystically tell truth from fiction.

OOC

Our young wizard here might be starting new rumors about the Kai Lords the next time he hits up a tavern.

[silverfoxdmt73]

Dandros looks at Storm Oak, a look of resignation on his face.

"I have no job my lord, and children to feed... I am desperate and could see no other way... I am at your mercy." The bedraggled man says, throwing himself on the mercy of the Kai Lord.

The two guards stand either side of the man, waiting for the Kai's judgement.

Haldred and the guards follow any decision the Kai Lord gives.

The merchant Merrum also accepts and judgement Storm Oak offers, following up his offer of gold with the suggestion that the trio join him in his caravan for an evening meal and shelter for the night.

GM

For those who accept the money offered by the grateful merchant, there are 5 gold crowns to share.

The offer of hospitality would also count as a meal for the day (which would have healed lost END), as well as a comfortable night's sleep (restoring all expended WILLPOWER.)

[Vardaen]

Suddenly Storm Oak feels eyes on him, too many. He looks at his companions, but can see that the reputation of his order has over come his own experience. "Mercy. Starving children must eat." He looks between the two men, the criminal and the merchant. "Can you give this man a job? Then he may earn a wage and feed his family." Storm Oak turns to the others who have the reward coins, "Give him one of the coins, my share, to use to feed his family. We must all remember we are one people, allies, not enemies. Our enemies count on us to fall on our own, so they don't have to defeat us." It all sounds like some lesson he learned in the Monastery.

OOC

Storm Oak accepts the hospitality, food, bed, etc, but doesn't need the money

[Orvost]

Ermanaric quickly pockets one of the offered gold coins. Payment for standing by and observing an attempted robbery: a strange end to a strange situation. Blinking and shaking his head, Ermanaric turns to Haldred.

"I didn't believe it possible that bandits could abscond with a whole caravan on the king's highway. Now I see the times in which we live: where people are willing to commit robbery on Alema Mitre stone, and under the gaze of the quartermaster. One begats the other and emboldens the next."

Turning to the would-be-thief, Ermanaric gets uncomfortably close to the man's face while he continues to speak.

"A Vassagonian underlord would nail this man's severed hands to the entryway sign post."

[ManWithDoor]

As a man from a noble house, one who has never had to wonder where his next meal came from, Kir is filled with compassion for the man. He coughs uncomfortably at Ermanaric's words, as true as they may be. "Both Justice and Mercy are powerful ideas, ones which bring order and good to the world. The man is no brigand, slaying unwary travelers and merchants. One such as that would deserve to be hung from the nearest tree. The world is not perfect, and there may always be children with hungry bellies and desperate fathers. But we need not contribute to that world." He likewise offers up his gold coin.

[silverfoxdmt73]

Haldred and Merrum bow to the Kai Lord's judgement and Merrum (somewhat grudgingly) agrees to employ the man, who humbly accepts.

The guards keep a wary eye on Dandros, but back off once it is obvious the situation has been dealt with.

Merrum takes Ermanaric, Kir and Storm Oak to his tent and the group find a couple of other merchants there cooking supper over a nice, warming camp fire.

The hot broth accompanied by bread and mead are filling and as you eat your fill, the merchants talk of their recent travels through Sommerlund and beyond, though most have gone no further than the the Cloeasia and the northern nations of the Stornlands. None are aware of the fate of the missing caravan and are growing concerned for their peer, Trevis.

[ManWithDoor]

Kir listens to the merchant tales of their travels with rapt attention. Even though he is more privileged than most to have seen more than just his home town, he has been cloistered with the Brotherhood for years now. Hearing of lands he has never visited is fascinating, even with the dark overtone of the missing caravan.

[silverfoxdmt73]

The night ends with no further incident and you each settle down in the relative comfort of the merchant's caravan.

After breakfasting with the merchants at the Alema Mitre, you gather up your equipment and ascend the wide stone ramp that approaches the impressive twin stone towers and gatehouse of the Alema Bridge. This ancient bridge is a little over one mile long and comprises a series of elegant stone compression arches, interrupted at regular intervals by grand towers and huge granite piers. At the centre there stands the Durnstone. For many centuries, this wide central pier of the Alema Bridge has been used as a market place.

Merchants from Holmgard and Toran come here to buy fish, timber, and ore from the Fryelunding: the hardy Sommlending of the west who make their livelihood in the forests and foothills of the Durncrag Mountains.

Passing under the arches of the gatehouse, two Sommlending reeves nod in acknowledgement of your distinguished order. It reassures them to know that the security of Sommerlund is assured so long as they have the Kai (among others) to call upon for help and protection.