Travels amongst the Border Princes (WFRP 2e) IC

[Haval]

Gabriele has been distracted by the paintings. 'Well if everyone else is going. But I think I'd be more useful helping to find those bandits anyway.' She'll glance at Le Houet, 'Assuming going to Monteche isn't urgent.'

[dojango]

If Madame le Houet is disappointed, she doesn't react. She merely nods and says, "Of course, I am sure Sir Laurens will be glad of your help." Sir Denis seems to be inspecting the three of you more closely, however. Sir Laurens claps his hands and says, "Excellent. Yes, then we're agreed. Excellent, excellent. I will pay you 2 gc a week for your help. I will hire a boat to take us down, no need to tire our mounts out! Today is Marktag, 7 Nachgeheim. Meet me at the docks on the morning of 10 Nachgeheim, this Konigstag and we will depart."

Duke Bremcote nods at that and says, "Thank you for your service in this matter. Let the Lady's Justice be done. And in the name of Justice, I have decided. After speaking with Sir Denis in this matter. Any plunder is to be shared equally amongst all the soldiers. The patrols against the orcs are hard, dangerous work, and I don't want the men to feel that they are losing out by performing them. I understand my son promised you a larger share of this windfall, and I will honor that; but in the future he will need to be more careful. If you would turn over the latest proceeds to my Castellan, Luiz Faria, he will dole out your share to you and provide a receipt."

[Ionbound]

Alyssa exhales slowly at the thought of losing the gold from the temple and replies, afterwards, "Of course. I understand, Madame. I'll do so as soon as possible."

[dojango]

The quiet, soberly dressed man says, "Very good. I am Monsieur Faria. You may bring the money by my office in the castle at any time, or if you prefer, I can have one of my tax collectors visit your residence. Where are you staying at the moment? And how much should we be expecting?"

[Haval]

Gabriele wondered how much Alyssa had managed to get. 'This time I'll try and find someone who knows the area before we go.'

[Ionbound]

Alyssa nods and replies curtly, "You can expect around a hundred crowns. That's about how much the sale brought in. Is there anything else you wished to talk about, Madame?"

Spoiler: OOC

Show

Using Charm to bluff, with a +10 from Etiquette: (1d100)[49] vs 51

[dojango]

She sighed. "I had hoped that the Tilean might be willing to pay more, but at least it's better than melting it down for coin. If you are set on going with Sir Laurens, keep in mind I am always curious to know what's going on in my brother's realm. These bandits are probably just halflings making trouble, but if there's something interesting there, let me know."

When Gabrielle asks a little more about the bandits, she shrugs. "There's two down there with pretensions of being bigger than they are. They were the worst of the lot that survived the campaign. Otto the Hunter rules south of the river, while Solomon Tollares makes his seat in Southdale (J19). Make no mistake, they're nothing more than jumped-up bandits, and the Duke would see them swing. If we had time and money and men to spare. They used to know better than to bother us, but if they've forgotten..."

The Duke dismisses you with a gesture, and everyone files out. A few more supplicants are waiting outside the door as you pass. Down the stairs in the great hall, the party is getting wilder; but nothing compared to the raucous celebration going on in the keep; soldiers are drinking, fighting, puking, gambling, dancing, singing with abandon... soldiers celebrating another night of life. The three of you manage to slip out without trouble, unless you want to go looking for it...

Severin returns to the inn. It is getting quite late. Destiny has finished her set and is sitting at a table surrounded by a few admirers. Seeing Severin come in, she waves him over and has one of the other scoot over to make room for him. "So, you're going to Stralwald?" she asks after he starts talking about it. She looks around. "What do I know about them? Mostly, they're a bunch of hayseeds. Their idea of good music is a jug band and a couple of knee-slapping rubes. Most of them couldn't carry a tune with a bucket and spoon, if you asken me. And they're a proud bunch, too. Didn't like bending the knee to the Duke much. Now they come bowing and scraping for help. Stralwald is the main halfling town there, but there are homesteads and farms scattered all over the forest. Some tall folk live there too... the town of Taal's Crossing (F22) is one of their settlements. Further downriver is Appledel (I22). A nicer town, I used to play in the market there... they do appreciate good music. On occasion. There are a few fishing villages between the cataracts, very isolated. Never been there myself. I heard things have gone to the dogs down that way. Ain't been through there since before the Duke went south. Although... the some o'the pies at the inn in Stralwald are the best you'll ever have in your life."

[rax]

"I must admit, I'm a bit confused about the state of affairs down south," Severin answers Destiny. "When Sir Laurens first spoke of bandits harassing the local halflings, it sounded like it might be one gang making some noise, but Madame le Houet said that the lands beyond the river have their own lords and they're apparently survivors of an earlier campaign waged by the Duke. Everyone in the Duke's household calls them bandits, but is that really the case? I mean back in the Empire, anyone claiming a title down here is pretty much considered a petty bandit lord."

"You said that the advantage of this place is that news and stories come to you. Can you tell me more about the men who are supposed to be in charge? Madame Le Houet called them Otto the Hunter and Solomon Tollares. Are they really just jumped up bandits? How organized are the lands they rule?"

OOC: The story that the Duke once beat a larger group of bandits, including the forest-dwelling halflings, has been consistent. But Severin is wary that this might just be the party line and that we'll end up facing far more organized and dangerous foes.

[Haval]

The description of the bandits made them seem like rivals for the Duke's territory, but Gabriele will keep that opinion to herself.

Afterwards she will mingle at the party for a bit. She doesn't want to spend a lot of time drinking alone in a room full of strange men, but presumably some of these people were going with them to Stralwald. She will try to stick to the least drunk and rowdy, but if that proves impossible she'll leave. Technically she doesn't have a room yet, and needs to get on that so she doesn't have to intrude on Elodie's privacy.

Spoiler: ooc

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Gossip test to find out the name of the Sergeant or nearest equivalent in charge of the men that are going to Stralwald.
vs. Fel 32
(1d100)[60]

I figure Gabriele should see if they have someone who trains recruits. It'll justify those WS advances I'll eventually take.

Later

Assuming nothing else came up over the next few days, at some point Gabriele will leave town to check the state of the game in the surrounding countryside. However working for the Duke went, it would be nice to have the option of a side income if she needed it. Plus it was always nice to explore a little if she had the chance.

After returning the borrowed dress to Elodie, she'll also investigate getting some cleaner clothes.

Spoiler

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Not looking for anything in particular, but maybe there isn't much to hunt near town
Perception vs. Int 38
(1d100)[23]

[dojango]

At 'the Singing Pike', Destiny doesn't seem to know or care much about the bandit troubles down south. However, one of the older halflings sitting at the table sighs heavily and taps his empty mug meaningfully. He says, "Was about to head home, but if you're buying..."

Once his mug is refilled, he says, "About twenty years ago my sis married into one o' the Stralwald clans. She moved down there to be with him. I usedta visit her before things went bad. The old geezer, Sir Oliver he was called, ruled from his castle south of the town. My sis ended up being a cook for him. She was a great baker... won the pie week contest four years running. And that was without cheating like those Stralwald cooks... Anyway, she was in the castle when Sir Oliver died. His henchmen took ta fighting over who'd be next. Dunno much about what happened, but the castle was burnt down. Maybe six years ago or so. Lotta people din't make it. Din't get down for her funeral cause the bandits started popping up all over. Cut your throat as soon as rob ya. My brother-in-law... dunno what happened to him. If'n he's still alive... maybe you could take a message to him for me. See how the kids are getting on. And...'" he pauses. Wipes a tear. The rest of the table is silent. "Aye, it'd be good to hear from him again." the halfling says after a moment.


Gabrielle watches the party for a little bit, but soon realizes that these soldiers aren't in the mood for thinking about tomorrow... she also talks briefly to quartermaster Carbey, who scratches his arm where the prosthetic is, and says, "Don't think anyone's ordered supplies for a trip down to Stralwald. Sir Leclair had me hire a boat to take them downriver... but you'll have to talk to them about who's going. Suppose Sir Leclair and Sir Laurens might spar with you if you want to learn to fight like a knight. Some of the sergeants here might teach you to fight like a soldier if you're interested. But I know there's a fellow around here... named Morillo... an adventurer, a mercenary like yourself. He claims to be a fencing master of sorts... he can teach you to fight dirty or fancy if you need." She heads back to the inn to get some rest... and a room of her own.

The next morning, she sees Elodie and Jan having some breakfast in the common room. Jan says he doesn't know who else is heading down to Stralwald. He says the Duke doesn't take the matter too seriously... they've been down there hunting "bandits" in the past and it usually doesn't come to much. A few weeks getting lost in the woods, maybe dodging a few sling stones, chasing rumors... probably just the halflings trying to get us involved in their feuds or whatever... After that she heads out into the surrounding fields to hunt for some game. The area to the north of the town is partially flooded swampland, for defense, and is good for some light hunting. Waterfowl, fish, maybe some raccoons... Past that are fields of ripening grain, peasants working with scythe and flail to bring in the harvest. As they work, burrowing hares are startled, leaping up out of the way... and easy picking for a keen shot. The peasants nod appreciatively as she clears out some of the danger to their gardens... and even more appreciatively if she trades them a hare or two for some lunch... at any rate, by the end of the day, she comes back to town with a brace of hares hanging from her pack.

As far as finding better clothes are concerned, she can find some decent enough clothes in the market. Or cheap clothes from the rag-pickers. She does see that Linus and Bernice have set up a small tailor's shop off a small alley on the west edge of town. They can get you some decent clothes at cost, if you want, although they are trying to get set up and it make take some time to make them for you.

[Ionbound]

Alyssa nods to Sir Laurens as he describes the area and replies, "Alright then. I suppose we'll head out when you all are ready."

She heads back to the party, enjoying the event, but eventually heading back to the Inn before things get too wild. Over the next couple days she prepares to head south, purchasing supplies for the trip south with the money she 'forgot' to tell Madame Le Houet about.

[dojango]

One of the tax collectors come to collect 70 gc from Alyssa. He writes a receipt for it, hands it to her. "10 for you and each of your friends. The elf is back at the castle, I'll make sure he gets his share. Madame le Hoeut or Luiz will let you know when more is sold. Hopefully there will be some when you return from Stralwald."

Spoiler: Alyssa

Show

OK, so you get 110 gc from the spoils and you're supposed to turn 10 gc over to Gabrielle and Severin.

[rax]

Once his mug is refilled, he says, "About twenty years ago my sis married into one o' the Stralwald clans. She moved down there to be with him. I usedta visit her before things went bad. The old geezer, Sir Oliver he was called, ruled from his castle south of the town. My sis ended up being a cook for him. She was a great baker... won the pie week contest four years running. And that was without cheating like those Stralwald cooks... Anyway, she was in the castle when Sir Oliver died. His henchmen took ta fighting over who'd be next. Dunno much about what happened, but the castle was burnt down. Maybe six years ago or so. Lotta people din't make it. Din't get down for her funeral cause the bandits started popping up all over. Cut your throat as soon as rob ya. My brother-in-law... dunno what happened to him. If'n he's still alive... maybe you could take a message to him for me. See how the kids are getting on. And...'" he pauses. Wipes a tear. The rest of the table is silent. "Aye, it'd be good to hear from him again." the halfling says after a moment.

"Bandits that kill rather than rob? That does sound worrisome," Severin comments. "But didn't the Duke see them off a while back?" he asks. "And sure, I used to be a messenger back home. I'll take a message or a letter if you like, gaffer."

Edit - Earlier, when Alyssa turns over the cash
"You cheated the Duke?! Sigmar's balls, woman! Do you know what he'll do to us if he finds out?" Severin whispers, his worry clear. Pausing to collect himself, he continues. "Look, it's not that I don't appreciate the silver and your...entrepreneurial spirit...but in the future, try not to defraud the most powerful person in the land - especially when he's throwing work our way. Or at least ask if I'm okay with it first..."

[Ionbound]

Alyssa nods to the tax collector and replies, "Of course. Once we get back I'll let you know what we found."

Later, she heads over to see Severin and Gabriele and says to them, "So you remember when I told the old lady that I had gotten a hundred crowns for the jewelry? Well...I had already deducted our finder's fee. Here's each of your shares." She produces two small purses with 40 GC each and hands them to Gabriele and Severin.

[Haval]

To Carbey, 'Don't you need one of those big horses to fight like a knight? Seems expensive.' Gabriele is unsure how seriously either of those two would take her. She'll tell Carbey about getting slashed in the face by the mutant in the Red Temple, 'First proper fight since Esme Harden when I was 12 and I got hurt. I don't need to learn how to fight well, but maybe I can learn enough to avoid that happening again. I'll look this Morillo up.'

Gabriele looks shocked at the size of Alyssa's purse, but will take it and hide it under her cloak. 'This is more money then I know what to do with.'

Spoiler: ooc

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Will find someone to sell the hares to for whatever I can get, and will pick some basic clothes from the market as anything Gabriele wears is likely to get dirty anyway. I'll look up prices later.

She'll also throw some money to Linus and Bernice and will get them to make her something nicer for dealing with the Duke.

[dojango]

"Aye, they'd rob you too. Weren't an either or sort of thing..." "They was marking territory. Like dogs." "Stralwald boys threw em out, din't they?". "Sure, that's what they say." "No, the Duke went down there and knocked some heads together." Severin seems to have set off some argument amongst the halflings, about who was to blame and who did what to whom. The older man stays out of it and merely says, "I'll bring a message by tomorrow afore you leave. Pick it up from Destiny here?" He finishes his mug and heads out. The argument seems to sputter along for a while before people start drifting back to their homes.


It's evening in the market when Gabrielle returns. She finds a butcher that will take the hares for 1s apiece. "Looks good," he says, approvingly. "Going to have rabbit stew tomorrow." It is getting late. Carbey had told her where Morillo lived and gave fencing lessons. Probably too late to visit tonight, but in the morning she can head down there. It's in the southwest part of town, near the tanneries.


After the tax collector leaves Alyssa and she carefully counts the extra gold into purses, she heads out to meet the others. In the inn's common room she sees a sorry sight. A young man is arguing with the innkeeper. "Is this how you treat a knight! Is this how to treat a lord! I am on a great quest, in the name of the Lady, in the name of chivalry! And you... you... stoop to this... petty nonsense!" The man seems a little drunk. The innkeeper shakes her head. "Knight or not, you're cut off. No more credit. You want a room, you pay for it in advance." The man steps forward. When I have my audience, Lord Bremcote will hear of this!" he shouts back.

A short but bulky man steps out of the inn's kitchen. "That's enough out of you," he says. The young man backs off, sputtering. He runs off, showing a vulgar gesture as he leaves.

Spoiler: prices

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Immediately available:
Rags 1 p. Looks like they were taken directly off their former owners, without washing first.
Poor 10s. Scuffed up but serviceable. Good for a common tradesman or peasant.
Common. 1 gc. Clothes for everyday wear for the middle class, or servants.
Good 3 gc. Sunday best. Good for funerals and weddings (not your own, though) or an audience at court.

Can order from the tailors:
Best 10 gc. For the wealthy merchants. Or people that want to look wealthy. Like courtiers.
Noble's garb 50 gc. Bespoke tailored clothing, like what the Duke and his family wear.

[Haval]

To the innkeeper, 'Did he not pay his bill?' The man was presumably Bretonnian whatever else he was. 'Do you get a lot of people like that?'

Spoiler: ooc

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Still need to sort my money out, but let's say 3 poor sets of clothing (30s), 1 common (1 gc), and because she currently has too much money, she'll order one set of best in case there's a use for it (10 gc)

[dojango]

The innkeeper shrugs. "Said he was a knight, from Bretonnia, coming here to serve the Duke. I let him stay a few days on credit, until I found he pawned his sword and lost all the money gambling. Learned my lesson again. No credit, not even for knights. Everyone pays up front. Speaking of which, you staying for a few more nights?"

At the tailor's shop, Bernice measures Alyssa while asking her what she wants in terms of cut & dyes. "For you, eight crowns. Although we do need you to pay in advance."

[rax]

Following his companions' leads, Severin also decides that some extra clothes could come in handy. Not that there's anything wrong with his travel gear, of course, but having a clean set of everyday clothes can't hurt, he reasons. "Might as well pick up somethin' fancy while I'm at it. Don't want to be borrowing someone else's things if there's another feast in the offing," he thinks.

The following day he also spends some time at he markets, listening for rumours about the bandit activity and laying up some extra supplies for the trip south.

OOC: Severin will visit Bernice and her father and order one set each of Common Craftsmanship and Good Craftsmanship clothing.

Because he's not sure how much in the way of supplies that Sir Laurens will think to bring, he'll also top up with some rations - about one meal a day for the expected round trip (based on whatever information he can get from locals on how many days travel he's looking at) if the exact amount is important.

Also, a Gossip test for more information about the bandit troubles (1d100)[34] vs. 52 (Gossip +10)

[Haval]

Edit - Earlier, when Alyssa turns over the cash
"You cheated the Duke?! Sigmar's balls, woman! Do you know what he'll do to us if he finds out?" Severin whispers, his worry clear. Pausing to collect himself, he continues. "Look, it's not that I don't appreciate the silver and your...entrepreneurial spirit...but in the future, try not to defraud the most powerful person in the land - especially when he's throwing work our way. Or at least ask if I'm okay with it first..."

Gabriele hadn't considered that, but you could hardly trust nobles not to be possessive about their money. 'Well it's too late to worry about that now. Anyway, if you're rich how much attention are you likely to pay to something like that?'

To the innkeeper on the young knight, 'If he's that naive it's a wonder he even made it this far. Should have just gone to the Duke in the first place.' She'll hand over enough money for two nights, 'We're supposed to be heading south after that, but I'm sure I'll be back this way eventually.'

To Bernice, 'Something green, and make it so I can fade into the background with all the rich people if I have to. Other then that I trust you.' She will pay up front here as well.

Spoiler

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I think this is the 8th, so need to pay for three nights after the feast.

Will go looking for Morillo as soon as it's convenient.

Gabriele has a fishing line from way back, so will be hoping to rely on that

[dojango]

After Severin leaves the tailor's he spends a pleasant afternoon in the market, trying to find out what he can about the Stralwald bandits. Most of the local merchants give vague answers about 'troubles down south' and 'halfling feuds', but the crews of the riverboats seem to have more information. He learns that bandits have been attacking riverboats in the stretch of the river past Stralwald. Trade to the south of that is drying up, as few captains want to risk their ships, and few merchants want to risk their wares. Some say that the bandits are gangs of halflings (they stare at Severin suspiciously when they tell him that), others say that they were attacked by men. Everyone agrees that four riverboats have disappeared, along with their crews.

After a while, Severin finds the boat that Sir Laurens has hired. It's tied up at the docks, along with a few other boats. It is a large keelboat, about 40 feet long, with a cabin in the back. The crew is busy scrubbing the decks and tarring the sides, making it ready, but a young girl is idly watching the work. She still stands taller than Severin. She is happy to have someone to talk to. She's the daughter of the boat's captain. She says she wants to be a captain just like him. She recites a great deal of info about the river-trade for Severin. "It'll take two days to get to Stralwald, but 4-8 to get back depending on the winds and currents. The boat's called the New New Carissa. The first Carissa sank when I was a kid. The next one, uh, burnt a few years back. So this one's the third. Carissa was my grandmam. She uh, died during the bad years. We use those oars to push the boat upriver if the wind ain't blowing. Sometimes passengers got to help out, but I think Dad will let you slide. It's hard work! I tried once, and nearly fell out. It's not so bad if you do, just got to be able to swim. Can you swim? Where are you from?"


On the morning of the 9th, Gabrielle heads over to where Morrillo's home was supposed to be. She finds a crowd gathered in a small courtyard, watching two men dueling with training swords. One is an older man, grey hair tied back in a tail, while the other is a young man with close-cropped hair. Their swords clack as they fight. After a few minutes, they straighten up. The young man says, "Looks like a draw."
The older man shakes his head. "I'm afraid not. If this were real steel, I'd have killed you twice already." He starts to walk away.
The young man angrily throws down his training sword and grabs his rapier from a swordbelt lying on the ground. He shouts, "So let's fight with real steel then! Or are you a coward!"
"Don't throw your life away, kid" replies the older man. "It's not worth it," he says as he buckles his swordbelt back on.
The young man spits in the direction of the older man and says, "Don't run away, coward!" and advances towards the older man.
In a flash, the older man's sword is drawn, and they circle each other, sizing up their opponents. Gabrielle can tell that the older man is far more confident in his movements. The young man lunges and their blades clash a few times. And then the young man crumples to the dirt, clutching his side, blood pooling beneath him from wounds in his neck and side. In a moment, he breathes his last. The older man looks down at him and then at the silent crowd. "A free lesson for everyone. Never draw steel against someone unless you are willing to die over it."

Spoiler

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Logic check (Challenging): Success! You realize that the men that claim they were attacked by halflings were on the north bank of the river, while the ones attacked by men were on the south bank of the river.

[Haval]

Gabriele will avoid looking at the body. Maybe Stangl would find a use for it. She'll speak up, 'You not worried about someone coming after you for that? I've not been here long enough yet to know if this place has a Watch.'

[dojango]

"Worried? This man insulted my honor and drew steel on me. His fate was his own making. I am Juan Sebastian Morillo, and I have lived here many years. Once I wandered the world in search of adventure and excitement, and cut a path of glory across the world with my sword. Now I am content to rest here and teach young men the art of fencing. And women, too. And of the dangers of the world. This idiot thought he would be a great master if he bested me, but it would just mean he killed a man in cold blood."

[Haval]

'No question he was an idiot. Killing you would only have meant that he got lucky. Doesn't mean he would have learnt anything.' Not being that stupid ought to be something she could manage. 'Sergeant Carbey recommended you. I'm not much of a fencer, but if you train women could you give me some pointers?'

[rax]

Severin laughs gently at the girl's enthusiastic questioning. "I know enough to keep my head above water most of the time, though I lay no claim to being a champion swimmer by any measure," he chuckles. "Mostly I avoid needing to swim by not falling in the water to begin with. It's worked so far, at least."

"The name's Severin. I'm from a town called Streissen back in the Empire. And do you have a name, young miss?"

[dojango]

Morillo laughs. "More pointers? Never trust a left-handed swordsman or a red-haired woman. A man can rob you with a piece of paper more easily than with a blade. And most importantly, always have cabbage soup before getting drunk. You'll never have a hangover again. If you want fencing lessons, I would be happy to teach you. 2s per. We can begin..." he looks at the body. "Let us go somewhere else for a bit, until this is cleaned up."


The girl says, "I'm Nadya. Nadya Clayton. My dad's name is Toby. Sometimes he lets me go on the boat with him, but not now. Thinks it's too scary now. The Empire. Is that upriver somewhere?"

[rax]

"Sounds like a right-thinking man, your dad," Severin answers with a kind smile. "Chances are there'll be some fighting, and if I had children I wouldn't want them anywhere near either. And yes, the Empire is a ways upriver. You go all the way north to Faucon Pass, cross the deserts and mountains, and you're there. At least, at the very bottom of it. Took us about three weeks with a mule caravan to get from there to Faucon Pass."

"Have you and your dad always lived here? I understand many people come from elsewhere before setting up shop here in the Duchy?"

[Haval]

Gabriele will pretend to take Morillo seriously for a moment before breaking into a grin, 'I never did like cabbage, but the bit about the paper I can believe.' She'll go where ever Morillo suggests.

[dojango]

The girl says, "Dad's been a sailing the river as far back as I can remember. Knows the river like the back of his hand. Hope some day I'll know it too..."


Morillo takes Gabrielle over to some fallow ground at the edge of the city. Near the edge of the marsh. He first examines her grip on the sword, and makes a few corrections. Then he spars with her for an hour or two, teaching her some basic and intermediate moves, while dispensing a fair amount of advice, both in regards to swordplay and adventuring. Not all of it makes sense, but he seems to believe it. After it's done, he takes her coin and says, "Where are you staying? If the local guards bother me, I'll send for you as a witness."

Spoiler

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Anyone have anything else they want to do in town? Otherwise, we can skip to the boat ride to Stralwald.

[Haval]

'If you think anyone will take me seriously I'll back you up. Staying at the Barrel until we go down to Stralwald in a few days.'