Travels amongst the Border Princes II (WFRP 2e) IC

[dojango]

Belisarius thinks for a few moments and says, "There were a few guards, and another man. A scribe, they said. I haven't seen him around much, he went south to inspect the ruins a day or two ago and then was snooping around the granaries. They haven't been asking too much about what we need, but if I make up a list and present it to him, or better yet, ask him to present it to the Duke, maybe that will get the message across."

[rax]

"Well, Faria was of the opinion that you don't pay enough taxes to begin with, so I wouldn't put it past him to go snooping about incognito to see if you're exaggerating the trouble that Colten's attack caused," Severin says to Belisarius.

"By the way, I was wondering something - has anyone seen Myrtle Hornwood about? If you recall, she was missing after the attack and we suspected one of Colten's survivors had grabbed her and sold her to Tollares at Inselberg. Well, we found the bastard and he confirmed it before we slit his throat, but we also had a look round the mines and it's clear that at least some Halflings have found a way to escape. We couldn't find Myrtle, and we were sort o' hoping she might have been one of the lucky ones that got away."

[Haval]

'No one who was here would say that anyone was exaggerating.' Gabriele muttered. 'Where else could Myrtle have gone if not here?'

[dojango]

"We haven't seen her. I'll ask around at some of the outlying farms, see if any new faces have showed up there. Some of the farms up north weren't damaged, they might take in strangers. Only other place I could think of is Appledel. Don't know if they've had much trouble with Sol or not, haven't been able to trade with them for a few years." The room at the inn has slowly been emptying over the past few minutes. Eventually Belisarius tells you goodnight, and heads back to his rooms. Flora and the other servers finish cleaning up the common room, and head out to bed as well.

The next morning, Severin and Gabriele wake up, once again to the smell of fresh apples permeating the inn.

[Haval]

Gabriele just looks sad at that. It didn't need to be said but finding a single lost Halfling in the whole of the Border Princes seemed impossible.

In the morning she'll ask if she could have one of those apples if anyone was willing to give them to her. Then after getting cleaned up she'll go looking for Luiz Faria.

[rax]

Severin joins Gabriele when she leaves to go looking for Faria.

"Do you mind a strange question, Gabriele? While I was unconscious, did you have any weird dreams?"

[Haval]

'Think I've been too tired to dream lately. Why, you remember something?'

[rax]

"I, umm, I dreamt of a woman. An old woman. She asked me all sorts of questions about what we'd been up to and whether or not her garden was safe in the Goodchilds' hands. Except, she didn't know 'em by name, she called 'em my kin. I think...I think it might have been the Green Witch we've heard about. The one that planted the garden and the apple tree," Severin says, his words fairly tumbling out once he begins to speak.

[Haval]

'Thinks all Halflings are related does she?' Gabriele replies amused. 'Did she say where she is by any chance? And what's so important about that tree anyway?'

[dojango]

When Gabriele goes to ask Paulus for one of the 'special apples', she finds him in a nervous conversation with the tax collector. The collector is pointing to the sign that says, "Finest apple pie in the land, 1 gc." He says, "Tell me, goodman, how many of these pies do you make in a day? How many of them do you sell in a day? Apple harvest season is nearly upon us, from which orchards do you source your produce? The price is, to be frank, ridiculous. Even in the height of the famine I never saw such a thing. I think that I must try for myself such a pie, but if it is not the finest in the land..."

Paulus responds nervously, "My brother handles the money, you know, I just run the inn. It's more of a joke, you see, we only charge that to out of towners... for locals Belisarius decides who gets what... for you it's on the house..."

"Nonsense," responds the tax collector. "That would almost look like a bribe, and Mr. Faria does not approve of such things. I will pay your asking price, goodman, and I should like to see your books that show how many of these gold coins you generally collect from the sale of this 'pie'."

Paulus shouts back into the kitchen, "How we doin' on the pie?" Then he looks around nervously, sees Gabriele and asks, "How can I help you, miss?"

[rax]

'Thinks all Halflings are related does she?' Gabriele replies amused. 'Did she say where she is by any chance? And what's so important about that tree anyway?'

"Well, every right-thinking Halfling knows his ancestry. I guess if we go back far enough someone's great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-grandmother must've married someone else's great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-grandfather to get things started," Severin grins.

"She said that magic wells up from the ground and that it's especially strong here. She said she made the garden and the tree to cap the magic and to prevent evil wizards from using it for evil wizard stuff. She also asked what became of the bloodstone crown we took from the Red Temple. Do you remember - a silver circlet with red gemstones? Alyssa was well fond of it. I thought it got sold along with the rest of the loot, but I don't know for sure. Maybe she held it back?" he adds.

[Haval]

While he was talking, Gabriele will make a face about the tax collector where only Paulus could see. To Paulus, 'Those apples smell pretty good. Is there any left of them to buy?'

'Heh, in that case maybe I could go around claiming Tsarina Katerin's my distant cousin. Whose going to know any better down here' On the crown, 'Well I can't say I'm in favour of evil wizards. If Alyssa didn't hold onto that thing it should be easy enough to track if she sold it.'

[dojango]

"I think we've cooked most of them up..." He sticks his head in the kitchen and comes back with an apple. It smells wonderful. Paulus looks nervously at the tax collector looking on. "On the house," he hands the apple to Gabriele.

Spoiler

Show

WP + 10 test to hold off on eating the apple immediately.

[rax]

"Say, friend, about that apple pie?" Severin suddenly addresses the tax collector. "Like you say, the price is ridiculous, but I can attest that it really is the best I've ever eaten, and I know pie. But then, after clearing out the Red Temple with Sir Laurens, I happen to have a little coin on hand for luxuries. Who else in this neck o' the woods do you think has gold to spend on pie? If you're looking for taxable income, shouldn't you be looking for some sort of regular cash flow rather than one offs?"

[Haval]

'Thank you' Gabriele is briefly distracted by taking a bite out of the apple. 'Suppose it depends on how often they intend to collect. Can't see anyone down here having much if their village keeps getting raided.'

[dojango]

The apple tastes fantastic and Gabriele soon finds herself holding just the stem and a thin core. The tax collector responds, "If they're being raided they'll need soldiers stationed here to protect them. Those soldiers need to eat and, so it is said, like to be paid at least somewhat regularly. His lordship is happy to protect the village, but we need to know what they can contribute in exchange for that protection. I understand that the northern farms were not as badly hurt by the raiders, and we must collect what surplus we can and ship it over to Fort Besoin to feed the soldiers there. Back at Castle Bremcote his lordship has not yet instituted a 'pie tax' but if the pie is delicious as you say, and generates revenue... perhaps it might be something to consider?"

[Haval]

Gabriele looks like she's enjoying the apple. 'The pie would be cold wouldn't it? Though maybe deliveries isn't the worst idea if this fort is close enough.'

[rax]

"I'm confused, good sir. Didn't the Duke conquer this stretch o' land after the old lord died? And now he needs these people to pay extra taxes to protect them? If he doesn't want the expense, why did he declare Stralwald and the east bank part of his domain in the first place?" Severin questions the tax collector.

"As for the northern farms, they may not have been attacked by Otto's men, but they got problems of their own - Solomon Tollares' has been using a private feud to take a lot of 'em as slaves," he adds.

[dojango]

He responds, "The Duke didn't conquer this stretch of lands, he liberated it from the grip of the bandits who were using it to raid his lands. The locals here... they treated the tax collectors roughly so the Duke left them alone. I hope they've learned about the benefits of being under his protection now, and that they don't forget it by next year once the harvest is in. Now, if you'll excuse me, I am not here to debate the merits of the feudal contract. I do have work to do, so good day. Master Paulus, you can send the pie to me, I'll be down by the shore dealing with the boatmen." He heads out. Once he leaves, Paulus tells Gabriele "The apples don't keep well. Not like normal apples. If they don't get used by midnight they just kinda... fall apart."

[Haval]

Gabriele looks impressed. 'I'd say I'd like to see that but it'd be a waste of a good apple.'

[rax]

"I guess when you're at the top of the food chain there's not much difference between conquering and liberating someone," Severin mutters to Gabriele and Paulus once the tax collector has left. "Either way you're in charge and getting people to pay you for the privilege."

"He's got a point though - if you advertise selling something for a gold coin, then it's going to be hard to convince the bailiff that you haven't got bags full o' money lying around," he points out to Paulus.

[dojango]

Paulus shrugs and says, "That's the price for out of towners. Uh, Belisarius says as long as he's mayor he'll make sure the locals get their pie for free. So he keeps winning the elections."

Spoiler: OOC

Show

What would you like to do next? Your horses are stuck on the other side of the river still.

[dojango]

Paulus looks at Severin suspiciously when he asks to speak with Flora, but lets him into the kitchen. Several young halflings are busy at work; Flora is busily churning butter in a wooden churn. She looks up at Severin and smiles. "Morning! How are ya feeling?" she asks.

[rax]

"Much better, thank you," Severin replies. "Listen, Flora, when I was...sick...did I say anything strange while I was sleeping?"

[Haval]

Gabriele will accompany Severin. 'Feel like that doesn't narrow it down. People say a lot of things while they're dreaming.'

[dojango]

"Mostly you were just kinda moaning. Talked about someone named Gretchen and Myrtle and Alyssa. Girl's names. I know you're worried about Myrtle though, you asked about her."

[Haval]

"Mostly you were just kinda moaning. Talked about someone named Gretchen and Myrtle and Alyssa. Girl's names. I know you're worried about Myrtle though, you asked about her."

Gretchen made an impact did she. Gabriele will grin to herself at that. Aloud she'll say, 'Flora. I don't suppose you know anything about the people round here having weird dreams?'

[rax]

Severin coughed to cover his embarrassment at hearing that he had mostly been talking about women in his sleep. "Well...that's, ah, good to know. I suppose...I suppose what I really wanted to ask is the same as Gabriele. You see, I was having a weird dream myself. I was here in your garden, but there was an old woman there asking me lot's of questions, like, umm, if your family could be trusted to take care of her garden when she's gone. I don't suppose anyone in your family has dreamt of an old woman like that?"

[dojango]

Flora looks kind of funny and says, "You know, sometimes I have weird dreams where I'm walkin' in the garden and there's this lady who's like lecturin' me about how to take care of it. She says a lotta the things that gramma says, so I figured it was ya know, dream logic tellin' back to me what gramma said? But sometimes she asks me about how I'm doin'. I know gramma talks a lot about the Green Witch, so sometimes I think about her living here, and what she'd think of the place."

[rax]

"Thank Esmeralda! I was afraid I was losing my mind, but that sounds just like the woman from my dream!" Severin exclaims.

"Flora, I think...I think she might actually be the Green Witch," he continues in a hushed tone to keep the other Halflings in the kitchen from overhearing.