Greed is Good (IC)

[Gullara]

Cecily seems to look at him with a bit more interest upon hearing that. Interesting. "I'm sorry to hear that. I know it must have been hard for you." She tried to pat his hand. "It was a few years back that it happened to me. It took me a long time to really recover. You'll get it sorted out eventually. just give it time." She said reassuringly.

[Destro_Yersul]

"That sounds familiar." Grimfist said, nodding to himself. "People'r probably waiting upstairs. Come on." Leading the way back up, and emerging behind the bar once more, the dwarf headed for the kitchen.

"Crab won't be long," he told Alec. There were other orders waiting, too, from the rest of the caravan. It looked like things would be busy in here for a while.

Alec Only

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As the pirate neared the stairs up, Grimfist held up a hand to stop him, and lowered his voice. "Won't say more now. You want to see what's what? Come find me once the bar's closed."

[Blarghy]

Alec returns silently to pick up his plate and mug of rum. He can't say he feels too good about all this; he wonders if he's being drawn into a trap. He should progress warily from here on out, more so than he was before. Grimfist could very well want to get him alone to end a potential threat before it can blossom. If a room full of people hadn't seen him walk down to the basement with his host, he might've been attacked already. On the other hand, if Grimfist's intentions aren't murderous, Alec can think of another possibility. Something the dwarf couldn't show him while they were alone. He can't pass up the chance. Maybe, just maybe, he has more friends here than he thought...

The pirate focuses on that idea to make himself smile; frowning now would be suspicious. He takes his food and sits down, choosing a seat near Cecily. Regardless of what Grimfist plans to do with him, Alec needs to set this idea in motion anyway.

"That was a nice light show earlier," he compliments. "You've got a knack for handling crowds. I was wondering if you might like to do something similar again soon."

[Gullara]

"I'm glad you think so." Cecily turns to Alec, favouring him with a smile. "I wouldn't mind another performance. What did you have in mind?"

[Blarghy]

"Well," he says, sipping his rum with a faint grimace, "bards traditionally perform at the towns they stop at, I've heard. Seems like the people here would appreciate it; I didn't meet a local musician today. Maybe there're a few, but I doubt they can stand up to you." Alec glances around in case said local musicians are sitting near them; he doesn't like to offend people. "...Anyway, I've heard you sing. Seabreak should have the same pleasure. Tomorrow night you could set up here and spend the evening sharing your songs, maybe add in a little magic for fun. You might earn a fair bit in tips, and even if not, everyone would appreciate it. I was also thinking you could sing about our recent victory. A song like that might stay in circulation here for generations. Thorus made us heroes, but you could make us immortal." He nudges the soldier with his elbow as he mentions him.

"I'm no bard, but if you want to do something like that, I'd start with the new song while everyone's still mostly sober. They might not be able to memorize it later in the night, and besides, as the evening wears on, most people will probably want something familiar they can sing along with when they're drunk. That's usually how it goes."

If Alec can draw in as many people to this concert as he hopes, Grimfist might make an unusually large amount of money, particularly with the merchants here too. That's one reason he's interested in the idea. His other cause is more important, but still, it'd help him get in the dwarf's good graces too if Alec makes him a nice pile of gold.

[Gullara]

"If I didn't know better, I'd say you were trying to flatter me." Cecily said with a amused little smile. "I do like the idea, though. I was expecting to sing a little here and there, but a large performance sounds like a great plan."

The bard leans back against the bar a bit and crosses her legs. "And a new song." She makes a bit of a show of thinking about it. "I don't fancy myself too much of a song writer, but I can give it some thought." She looks like she already is.

[Blarghy]

"I hope you will. Seems like all the best bards have songs of their own that they're famous for. This won't be your final legacy, I'm sure, but it could be a fair start."

He shaves off some cheese slivers and eats them with his bread while he waits on his crab legs. Rum follows it down shortly. "Mister Tallhelm would love it, you know. Since the victory was largely thanks to him." Alec half-smiles. "I can talk to him about this tomorrow, get him and the other merchants to mention it to their customers. And I'll get the word out myself too. You'll have a packed house, if you want it. It'll be a nice celebration before we go back on the road."

[Gullara]

"Okay, let's make this happen." Cecily smiled a little more broadly. She is really liking this idea. "Do whatever you think is best to prepare. I'll make sure I'm ready for it."

[Blarghy]

"Good." With a pleased grin, Alec waves for either Grimfist or the woman who works here with him. "Let's get a round for my friends." He gestures to the people around him--Cecily, Thorus, Indrys, Laelaer if she's joined them by now. He almost buys a drink for everyone in the bar on a whim, but his pouch doesn't feel that heavy from the past two days of earning.

And so, the pirate laughs and enjoys his rum and enjoys the company he has more until the tavern starts to empty, when he goes upstairs as well for a bath in his new room. He comes back down again not too long after, but that's a story for another time...

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And that's that, I believe. I'm ready to move onto the next day whenever Ghar and Soph finish up their conversation. Whether Destro wants to post a certain something now or wait until we're about to leave Seabreak, so you get a surprise later on, is up to him.

Also, Destro, let me know how much Alec spends on the round he ordered and on Adrian's meal so I can take it off my sheet.

[Destro_Yersul]

The night wore on, taking a good long time to wind down, not the least because of Tallhelm insisting on loudly retelling one of his favourite stories to everyone in the bar. Eventually, however, even the merchant had wandered off to sleep. It seemed Alec had made a smart choice, getting to the rooms first; there were none left by the end of the drinking, taken up by the various members of the Caravan. Tallhelm had managed to get himself one, of course, but it looked like most people would be sleeping outside. Thankfully, with the sea-breeze coming in, it wasn't too hot out and they were able to make themselves comfortable.

The next morning dawned overcast, the fishermen muttering that it looked like it might rain later. That put a damper on things, but the wagons at least had roofs on them, and there was a small crowd in the makeshift market before the morning was really started. Adrian was amongst them, having left the inn early to help tend the horses again. Breakfast at the Dead Man's Chest consisted of fried whitefish served to order, for anyone who wanted some. Grimfist was a decent cook, and the common room was kept full all morning.

---

1

Axel the blacksmith walked into his forge in the morning to find Glaffin, still hard at work following the night's labours. The blacksmith checkled as he entered, coming over to look over the dwarf's shoulder. "Don't know how you managed it," he said. "I would have been fit to fall over by now. What've you got done so far?"

OOC:

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Two and a half gold to Alec for the round and Adrian's food. Adrian appears to have elected for water as his drink of choice, by the way.

Glaffin, of course, was working all night like a mad dwarf. I'm not sure what exact time he finishes working, but Axel comes in at mid-morning regardless.

By the way, since you appear to be out of things to sell, if you want to pick up anything to take to Stormgate you'll have to tell me what, and how much, you want to see about buying. Feel free to get anything else you might like to do done as well - conversational or otherwise.

[Slii Arhem]

Forge

Glaffin wipes his brow and sets down the tool he was working on, "Just a bit over halfway done. I've got half the tools completely finished, and the rest roughed out with a few more cooling after their first hardening. Take a look at the files if you want a good idea of the craftsmanship you're paying for. Some of my best works, those. Should be done by mid evening if I'm lucky, and then we could talk payment, unless you've got a number in mind now." Obviously, the price of the tools would be cut significantly by the deal they worked out for Glaffin's unhindered use of the forge whenever he was here, but he'd still want something material to show for his work, assuming the smith could pay it.

[Blarghy]

Alec wakes up at dawn and eagerly gets to work. He views the rain with optimism; it could cool things off a bit. He's seen enough heat over the past few days for his liking, and he's hardly afraid to get wet after spending years at sea. Although, the pirate might not be outside that much anyway; his business takes him indoors at least part of the day as he runs back and forth meeting with people.

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I've updated my sheet.

I checked with Destro, and he agreed that it'd be ok to do a few different scenes at once so I can get this stuff done faster. I don't want to keep people waiting, since not everyone has enough planned to stay occupied if I take my time.

Tallhelm

Alec's first order of business is to track down the master of the caravan. The merchant could be of great help preparing for Cecily's solo concert, among other things. Some profit may be in his future as well, depending on just what he's selling from his personal stock. Even if he doesn't have what Alec needs, he probably knows who does.

"Good morning, sir," the pirate waves. "Can I have a moment of your time, if you're not busy?"


The Forge

Shortly after, he goes to pick up the suits of armor Glaffin repaired for Captain Danvers. Alec looks around the smithy with interest; he hasn't been inside too many.

"Were you here all night?" he asks Glaffin, impressed by the dwarf's work ethic. "Don't let Mister Tallhelm catch you. He'll get the idea that you don't need sleep." With a short laugh, he adds, "I almost hate to ask, tired as you probably already are, but I was wondering if you could work a little more of your magic. I'm still aching from those arrows I took the day before yesterday."


The Jail

It probably takes him multiple trips, but eventually Alec carries the armor to Danvers. "Good as new," he says confidently. "Courtesy of our smith." Of course, he looks to see where the captain's sword is when he comes in, and has a glance at the prisoner too. Last night's incident has Alec questioning what he'll do about Danvers. His original plan seems unwise now, but still, it feels wrong to just overlook the laxness he's seen here, particularly since the problem is only likely to get worse now that the bandits are gone. The soldier looks capable too, merely wasted on this lazy town that's dulling his abilities.


The Mayor

Throughout the day, Alec keeps an eye out for Martin. Not that he feels too happy about it; if anything, he finds that his attention keeps straying towards the alchemy lab. Still, there's no hope for it. If he sees the mayor, he waves to get his attention and makes his way over to the older man. If the afternoon starts to drift by without any sign of him, Alec finally just goes knocking at his door. That's not his favorite option, but with rain coming in, there might not be any help for it. The elderly aren't known for their love of bad weather.


In Between

And when he isn't doing anything else, Alec takes up his post at the group's wagon. Someone might come by asking about the silk; he doesn't have much else left to sell. Even so, this position gives him a good view of the town square and the people passing through it and visiting other wagons. When a villager wanders nearby, Alec catches their attention and tells them about tonight's entertainment.

"Hello there! In case you haven't heard, the caravan has a bard who'll be performing this evening at The Dead Man's Chest. Maybe you saw her yesterday; she did a brief light show in the afternoon. There'll be far more than that tonight, though. You should stop by. Bring your family; tell your friends. It'll be good fun."

[Sophistemon]

Cecily seems to look at him with a bit more interest upon hearing that. Interesting. "I'm sorry to hear that. I know it must have been hard for you." She tried to pat his hand. "It was a few years back that it happened to me. It took me a long time to really recover. You'll get it sorted out eventually. Just give it time." She said reassuringly.

The touch of her hand on his is startling, but he resists the urge to pull back and offers her a shaky smile. "Yes," he says. "I just wish that it would hurry up and work itself out of my system. There are important things to be doing, and I've already proven myself to be more of a hindrance than a help to our enterprise." He lapses into silence until Alec makes his appearance and discusses with Cecily the possibility of a bardic performance. At that, he lights up. "Oh," he murmurs. And then, louder: "Oh! Fellows, I can help with that! Would you be willing to permit me to make up for my earlier failure during the recreation of our battle by providing magical accompaniment to Cecily's music?"

[Artemis97]

In the morning, Laelaer sat in the Dead Man's Chest's common room pushing the remains of her breakfast around with a fork. All of their goods had been sold, and it was much the same story with the rest of the caravan, so there was little to guard. The drowess was bored and dejected. She was growing to dislike this small fishing village. It was too quiet. Boring. Worst of all, there were few ways she could see to make a profit. Gold was something she needed desperately. Gold was power. Power was Influence. Influence would aid her in accomplishing her goals.

Right now, though, all the gold Laelaer was making was from her pittance of a salary guarding the caravan. Selling the goods taken from the bandits was small windfall, but now they had no goods at all to sell, save for the one bolt of red silk she had saved for herself, but the drowess had plans for that. They were travelling to a larger city next, which would be a welcome change, but with no goods to sell there, what was the point?

"There has to be something of value in this place." The Duskblade said aloud. She decided then to find out what that might be. The people here couldn't all be fishermen. Surely that wasn't the only worthwhile thing in this little town.

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Gather Information check to find some goods worth buying. (1d20+1)[5]

[The Orange Zergling]

That morning, Thorus ate a heaping plate of fish for breakfast. At least it was fresh and not salted, like the stuff you got on the road. He, too, grew weary of the sleepy village, feeling the itch of the trail. He wondered how long it would be until they were out of here. After he's finished his breakfast, he pays for his meal and leaves the tavern. He wanders aimlessly throughout the town, observing the goings-on to kill time.

[Gullara]

The next morning, Cecily was sitting at a table at the Chest, but she'd yet to order and breakfast. Instead she had an inkpot sitting open and a few pieces of paper spread in front of her. She nibbled at the end of her inkpen. She hadn't been lying when she had told Indrys that writing songs wasn't a skill of hers. Oh well, she had all day to work at it.

[The Paaast]

Cecily's eyes light up at that. "That's a wonderful idea, Indrys. I'd be more than happy if you did. Did you have any particular idea of what you'd want to do? Or maybe we should discuss it more tomorrow when I have a better idea of what I'd like to do for the show."

[Destro_Yersul]

Forge

"Alright." Axel picked up one of the files to look it over at about the same time as Alec walked in. "Afraid I don't have a number in mind just yet. I wanted to see what sort of thing I was going to be buying first, you see. Plus, I needed to know how much material you'd be using. I figure that ought to take a chunk off the asking price." Looking over at Alec, the local smith held out a hand.

"Morning, there. Don't think we've met."

Alec's Spoiler, to make everything easy for People who aren't Alec to find their bit

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Tallhelm

"Certainly, Alec, certainly. Good morning to you!" The rain had completely failed to dampen Tallhelm's spirits, as per the usual. Alec had yet to see much that did. Uninterested customers, maybe. "What can I do for you?"

The Jail

Today, the captain's sword was on his desk, and the captain was flipping through a dog-earred book, though he looked up when the door opened, setting it aside. Alec got a look at the title as he went to put the armour down. It was a training primer, one of the more common ones to be found around Mercadia. Instructions for drilling soldiers.

"Glad to hear it," Danvers said, getting up out of his chair to inspect the armour. "This looks fairly easy to adjust. You think our local man could take care of that, if needed? I'm not sure when we'll have a chance to get people fitted for it."

Mayor Martin

The Mayor, as luck had it, came down to the tavern for lunch. A town like this, he had to have gotten used to rain by now, and he had a good thick-weave raincoat and a wide hat to keep it off in any case. Alec was able to pull up a seat at the same table as Martin, the mayor motioning for him to sit when he came closer.

"You're the chap started off that little show yesterday, right?" Martin asked, fiddling with his bread roll. "I can't recall if we were introduced. Certainly Willam was in too much of a state to mention your name."

The Wagons

Unfortunately, in what little time Alec had to mind the wagon, not too many people came looking to buy. The rush of the first day had given way to a steadier trickle, of the latecomers who didn't like crowds and those who simply hadn't had time to look at everything yet. Nobody came looking to buy the silk, the only person in town who might have had much cause to buy it already having bought some, but he was still able to get the word out about Cecily's show to a handful of people, more than a few of whom promised to pass it along.

Laelaer

Unfortunately, there didn't seem to BE much worth buying in Seabreak. There were farming goods, sure. Vegetables and things, wool from sheep and meat from pigs, but very little in the way of processed goods. It might be possible to get something from the town smith, of course. Her search took her a good deal of the morning, trying to find people she hadn't interrogated yet and ask them for any points of interest. She learned that the Dead Man's Chest made its own rum and ale, that raw lumber could be had, if one was willing to drag it over from a nearby copse of trees, or to haul up driftwood from the beach. Most of what there was came from the sea - fish and shellfish, living or dead. Some of the sailors liked to carve, and few of them had gone out in the rain. Down by the docks was where she got her only real break, when she noticed a fat pearl one of the younger sailors was wearing set into a bone pendant.

"That?" he said, when she inquired about it, "Found it myself. Good spot to go diving for them, not too far out from here. There's some rocks they like out in the deeper water."

The Dead Man's Chest

The young woman who helped run the inn was happy to keep Cecily's cup full of fresh water all morning, and once the breakfast crowd had mostly left she came over more often. Grimfist kept to himself in the kitchen, or at the bar, but his hired help was a good deal more talkative, as it turned out.

"What's that you're working on?" She asked, coming over with a metal pitcher of fresh water once again. "Something for tonight? I heard they wanted you to write something."

Thorus

Thorus had about the same luck as Laelaer did, as it turned out. There were no monsters in town, waiting to jump out at him, no armies to fight, and the former soldier found his wanderings to be taking him in circles. Watching the people was only interesting for so long, and Thorus ended up near the docks more than once in search of something to do. He'd heard tales of true monsters, coming up from the depths of the ocean, but looking out at the water, calm even in the rain, it was hard to believe such things could happen anywhere, let alone here. On one such trip down near the water, he noticed Laelaer talking to one of the sailors. Asking questions, looked like.

[Blarghy]

The Forge

"We have not," Alec agrees, shaking his hand. "And now we have. I'm Alec." He laughs a little and looks around the shop again. "Well, I mostly came by for the armor and my health, but now that I'm here, maybe I can make a purchase. That last battle reminded me that I'm not as sturdy as some or as fast as others; I might be better off with some reach. If you make such things, I'd appreciate a longspear. A gauntlet to go with it would be nice, one with those little spikes. Can you help me?"

Tallhelm

"I was hoping to borrow some of your charisma," he explains. "Cecily's holding a little concert tonight, and I want to get the word out. If you could tell your customers and ask the other merchants to do the same, I'd appreciate it; they'll listen to you, I'm sure. On a related note, I thought this'd be a good opportunity to make some sales to the inn, where she'll be singing. If most of the town comes by, they'll go through more food and alcohol than usual. Good for the inn, and maybe good for us, if we convince the owner to buy our stock for the event. Do you have any appropriate supplies in your personal stores? Or can you let me know who might, so I can see about setting up a deal?"

The Jail

Alec shrugs a bit. "You'd have to ask your smith. Still, I'd assume it could be done. Seems like it'd just be a matter of changing the straps. Shortening them should be simple, and if you need them longer, I assume you can find the leather to replace the old ones. If you already know who you're outfitting, you could hire our dwarf priest to do the job. He'd knock it out quick, assuming he finishes with his current work in time."

The Mayor

"Strange," he replies wryly. "I've never known Mister Tallhelm to forget to mention anything. Mentioning is most of what he does."

With that little joke, he takes the offered chair. "But yes, I'm the show-starter, although it got away from me pretty quickly. Hopefully Mister Tallhelm found some amusement in it eventually. How do you two know one another, by the way? Is it because of the caravan's route, or have you traveled together before? You seem like a worldly sort. I assume you've been outside Seabreak a fair bit."

The Wagons

In that case, the pirate probably spends the rest of the afternoon in boredom. Unless something happens, that is, such as a request to go diving. He's a good swimmer, as one would hope given his profession.

[Artemis97]

"Is there any chance you might be able to take me out there, so I could try my luck?" Laelaer asks the sailor, thinking this was going to be a good way to get something of value pretty quickly. At the very least, it would keep her occupied for most of the day. "Or maybe you could find some for me? I can make it worth your while."

[Slii Arhem]

The Forge

The dwarf nods, "Thankfully, tools use up little material for their usefulness. The price is in the craftsmanship and the time I'm putting into it. If you're looking to knock a bit off the price, you could always let me use some more materials to make something of my own before we leave, but what I've used for these is hardly worth arguing over. Perhaps eight gold of good hard steel, the coal I used to keep the fire going overnight, and the chemicals I used for the slack to treat them for hardness and toughness. Since I'm already giving these to you at a discount for the use of your forge if I'm ever back here, I wouldn't bother tallying what materials you've lost from the deal. You can, of course, but the offer I made to you was to make you better tools to help your business, not buy the stock and the use of the forge only to sell the tools back to you."

When Alec walks in and says his piece, Glaffin laughs at the jest, "If he wants me to work another eight hours a day, he'll have to pay me for it. And if that means he's paying me more money, maybe I won't mind missing a few nights here and there. Still, I hope he doesn't think I'll be ready to go without a good eight hours tonight. You say you're still ailing then? I've been feeling it in my leg myself, but I thought that's just because I've been lacking in bedrest. I do have a few minor tricks I could work to ease the hurt a bit faster, and you're as worthy of my help as any for the work you put in helping out yesterday. If you pass by anyone else still hurt, just tell them to come to the forge and I'll see what I can do for them."

Glaffin reaches out and tries to put his hand against Alec's chest softly, chanting for a moment under his breath and letting the blessings of Tharius flow through him into the sailor.

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Expending a Detect Poison for a Cure Minor Wounds on Alec, which will put him up to his full 7 hitpoints on top of the 4 points of fasthealing from Thorus and the two nights of rest he's gotten since then.

[Sophistemon]

Last Night

Cecily's eyes light up at that. "That's a wonderful idea, Indrys. I'd be more than happy if you did. Did you have any particular idea of what you'd want to do? Or maybe we should discuss it more tomorrow when I have a better idea of what I'd like to do for the show."

He grins back at her. "It would be my pleasure, really. If only to finally contribute something worthwhile, I leap at the chance to participate." Following that, he begins to tic off the possibilities on his long, slender fingers. "Let me see, I can create lights of various colors and brightness, I can conjure phantom sounds - although they must be simple, and I cannot change them once they are summoned. Additionally, I could make an illusory figure... although I am not sure how that would aid your performance. And I've got other tricks that might add to the spectacle." He beams brightly. "But, er, yes, of course. We can speak of this later, if you'd like."

[Blarghy]

The Forge

If the power of the creation god makes him uncomfortable, Alec doesn't show it. He sighs, content, and relaxes his shoulders a bit.

"That's better. Thank you; I'll tell the others if I see any who're still wounded. By the way, if you're up for it tonight, come by the inn; you may not've heard, but Cecily's planning to sing. You too," he adds to Axel.

[The Orange Zergling]

Staring out over the water, Thorus half-wished that such a beast would arise in front of him. It would be a reprieve from sitting on his hands all day, at least. Besides, such myths were fascinating, and being a part of one would cement his place in the world forever. If only not for...

He snaps out of his daydreams and notices Laelaer. Even something as mundane as conversation piqued his curiosity in such a sleepy town. He walked closer, making his presence known and nodding his head in greeting to the two. "Mornin'."

[Artemis97]

"Good morning, Thorus." Laelaer greets him with a nod. "This gentleman here tells me there are pearls to be found nearby. Up for a bit of a swim?" She knew Thorus had done some sort of sailing in the past and hoped he would be interested. They could search the oyster beds faster with two, or perhaps three, if the sailor agreed to help. With luck they would turn a nice profit.

[The Orange Zergling]

Thorus mulls it over briefly, then makes up his mind. It certainly beat any of the alternatives. "I could be up fer that, yeah. Where'd we be headed?"

[Gullara]

[The Dead Man's Chest]

Cecily is always sure to thank the young woman politely every time she brings water around. She's greeted with a friendly smile when she asks her question. "That's right. It's a song I'll be singing tonight. I don't want to give to much away and spoil the show, though." She says with a chuckle.

[Last Night]

"Hm, those all could bee useful somehow I'm sure. Now just to figure out what I'll be doing." Cecily thinks for a moment. "Yes, I think we'll definitely have to talk about this tomorrow. I'll have to know for sure what I'll be doing then."

[Destro_Yersul]

Forge
"Hello, Alec. I'm Axel." The smith looked over at his stck, which was bereft of weapons, at the moment. "Glaffin and I were just discussing the price of the tools he's making for me. If you wanted to buy a couple of things, that'd help me out for sure. I don't have either of those on hand, but I could certainly make them. Take me a few hours each, at most. I'd have 'em ready some time tonight. Maybe I could bring them over when I come hear your friend sing?"

Turning back to the dwarf, he set the file back on the table with the others. "With what I've got saved, and some of the materials for your own work, I think I could scrape together thirty five, maybe forty gold for you. What would you say to that?"

Alec's Spoiler

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Tallhelm
"Hah!" The merchant laughed, clapping Alec on the back. "Wonderful, wonderful. Bit of a show, then, drum up some more business? Good plan, that, I quite like it. I think we've got a few barrels kicking around we could let go, though between you and me, the old Dwarf that runs the place takes some pride in making his own. Not sure how much we'd be able to shift, but maybe once he starts running out he'll change his tune, eh? I'll get the word out, and no worries there. With any luck, this one won't have quite so many surprises as that stunt you pulled earlier. Bit of a shock for us all, that was, but it was some good storytelling, I have to give you that."

Danvers
"Well, I'd rather it be adjustable by someone who's here a tad more permanently, in case of mishaps. Haven't had much trouble, of course, but there were those bandits you saw to." Danvers jerked his thumb at the cells, where the former bandit turned captive was languishing. "Think you're right, though. Shouldn't be that hard to change. Anything else I can do for you, just while you're here?"

Mayor Martin
The Mayor chuckled at Alec's joke. "That's certainly true. You have to learn to filter the wheat from the chaff, with that one."

Forking a mouthful of fish, Martin chewed thoughtfully. "We've never travelled together, no, but Willam's a character. Been running that caravan of his for years, and he always does the same route. Faces get to be familiar, after a while. As for me, you may have heard I'm not from here. I grew up in Stormgate, and there's enough traffic goes through that city to learn a few things without ever going anywhere. How about you? For one, I don't know your name yet."

The Docks (Laelaer and Thorus)
"Well..." The sailor looked out across the water. The rain was coming down in a steady drizzle, but the ocean looked calm enough for all that. "I suppose I could take you out. I find another of these, maybe I could sell it to that caravan of yours, aye? It's not like we're getting any fishing done today. If the weather turns worse, though, I'd have to bring you back in. Wouldn't trust my luck to a storm in naught but a rowboat."

He pointed up the coast, towards a handful of rocks that jutted out from the beach. "Those rocks continue out for a ways. Once you get out far enough for oysters they're mostly underwater, but that's where we'd be headed. Within sight of land, at the least, so don't worry about that."

The Dead Man's Chest
"That'll be fun," The woman said as she re-filled the glass. "Tharius knows we could use a little excitement around here. Trading caravans are about all the excitement we usually get. Unless you count Romnir's cooking." She smiled as she said the last, inflecting it as a joke. The dwarf's food wasn't bad by any account.

[Blarghy]

The Forge

"Fine by me." There's the minor snag that Alec wasn't planning to actually be at the concert, but this could work nicely. Someone will see him there in case he has to prove it later, and he can slip out the door with the excuse that he's off to put his new weapons in the wagon. If he takes his time getting back, who's going to notice, with Cecily's music filling the tavern?

"Do you need to take any measurements for the gauntlet?"

Tallhelm

He shrugs sheepishly. "I just thought it'd be fun. Seems like it worked out for the best. Anyway, let me know if I can help with this deal. While we're on the subject of business, is there anything you recommend buying here and reselling in Stormgate? Fish seems cheap, but I'd expect it to be in Stormgate too. What're the markets like up there?"

The Jail

"You can come by the tavern tonight and see my friend sing. Other than that, I think we're all set."

The Mayor

"Alec. I'm from up north." He decides to leave it at that unless he's asked for more details; if Martin is as clever as he's heard, he probably shouldn't give the man enough to track down any records about him, just in case.

"Stormgate, hm? We're headed there next. It'll be my first time in the city, and I'd like to get the full experience. Anything you'd recommend?"

Such as, say, a clockwork museum?

[Sophistemon]

Last Night:

"Hm, those all could be useful somehow I'm sure. Now just to figure out what I'll be doing." Cecily thinks for a moment. "Yes, I think we'll definitely have to talk about this tomorrow. I'll have to know for sure what I'll be doing then."

Indrys nods, more than pleased with the course of the conversation. "I'm sure that you'll come up with something perfect," he says, and his smile gets wider when she invites him to speak again the next day. "Excellent! I'll be sure to come around first thing." After that, the conversation trails off as he focuses on his supper. Upon finishing, he pays for the meal and excuses himself so that he can return to his wagon and prepare for bed. His sleep that night, as an equal result of the last few days' stressful events and their surprisingly peaceful denouements, is better and more restful than average. There are no dreams.

The Next Day (Present Time):

The gray elf returns to the inn the next morning well-rested, washed, and clothed in clean garments. When he sees Cecily, he makes a beeline towards her table and wishes her a hearty "Good morning!"

[Slii Arhem]

"Thirty five then, with the materials for another project I have in mind. Don't worry about me using up much, I just need a few short pieces of flat stock and some small bits of scrap I can cast into the fiddly pieces. Idea came to me while I was working overnight, and if I don't get it out of my head it's liable to crawl out and build itself while I'm sleeping tonight." He jokes lightly, then goes back to grinding the edge of the shears he was working on. Gotta keep at it if he's going to have time for this and his other idea.

"I probably won't be done here much before midnight, and after that I'll be pretty dead on my feet, but give Cecily my best and tell her I wish her luck with the song, and wish I could be there to hear it. Maybe I'll convince her to reprise it for me once I'm awake."