After our trip back in company with the merchant Remlo, after trying to find that Dekator Plateau where we expected to find kobolds, I was wondering what I would do for money. The tavern, called the Drunken Sailor, where I had been staying charged something like 5 gold per night, and here I was with only one gold left. Fortunately, Lifaim sold the wolf pelts and I got a share of 9gp. Even better, the tavern has dropped their rates to only 2gp per night for a room, and ale is now 10sp. It seems the place is getting some competition from some newly established towns.
Given all this, I was pretty happy. I'd survived my first adventure, and I had a little bit of money. I bought drinks and reserved a room, but didn't get anywhere with the pretty barmaid, Tali. She wasn't impressed with my singing "What do you do with a Drunken Sailor," and wasn't interested in seeing my rabbit. Oh well, I didn't have much money left anyway.
I did learn that there were some money earning opportunities afoot. A new town to the East, Kalay, needs some "engineering" help, but pays only 10gp per week, and that probably doesn't include lodging. The other sounded better. It was a bit of an errand for the local Lord, Earl Markak, who's also known as the Earl of the Northern Reaches. It seems he wanted to send a diplomatic mission to some local dwarves, but needed someone who could speak dwarvish. Seems there had been some trouble over that shrine to the Sea God, Presdy. The dwarves claimed the land from of old, and stuff like that. It really wasn't such a deal to me, but the money promised was good: 50 gold. A diplomat named Miank was going to be escorted by three fighter types, and I had the chance to be the interpreter.
So, I went to see the Earl. He made the deal, with 25 gold in advance, and tossed me the pouch. Unfortunately, I fumbled it, but was able to retrieve the coins. Embarrassing, but fortunately it didn’t break the deal. I also met the diplomat Miank and the three escorts. Grunlow is big, all muscle, and a huge two handed sword. Crakum looked pretty strong too, apparently a bow expert, and Drendum looked to be more the scout or ranger type.
As the Earl explained the situation, "The Shrine to the God of Presdy has been there for about 37 years and these dwarves have only appeared in the last few months. However, they claim that their family has resided on this land for about 100 years and they don't like having 'Delicate Human Buildings' on their land. They originally did gem dealings with Daila, however, they found the shrine, and cut off all trading with Daila."
After I’d mentioned I could also help with a possible "sleep" spell, Miank told me I should have a horse. He also said we wouldn't go for another three days.
I asked, "The Earl isn't supplying the horses? This is the first I've heard about needing a horse. I am surprised, since the place only looked like a day's travel or so from town on foot. I don't have a horse, and this advance isn't enough to cover the expense."
Fortunately, Miank then said that the Earl could supply a horse for me. I'm still not clear on why we needed horses for such a short trip.
So, I had a few days to scout around the town before we left. I decided to look for dwarves, to brush up on my dwarvish. I hoped there wasn't some odd unfamiliar dialect of the language, and it would be a good idea to practice some. I was in luck. I ran across a pair of dwarves right there at the Drunken Sailor, named Olin and Orik. They had a good laugh at my rabbit ears, and then after a few drinks, I did the rabbit in the hat trick with the pink rabbit, and that really set them off. What was really interesting was that they said that they were in Daila to talk to Earl Markak about restarting the gem trade. This was a bit puzzling. Why were we going out to negotiate if they were coming here? We'd find out later, as it turned out. I told Miank about the dwarves and their mission, and he seemed surprised.
I also noticed that a horse dealer in town was selling what he said was his last four horses cheap. He was right about the prices, from 5gp up to 40 for a light war horse. I took a look, but every one of them had some problem or another. I told the bartender, in case someone else was looking. I also found out it would cost 1 gold per night to board a horse. I certainly wasn't in condition to be paying that, especially after buying drinks for the dwarves, giving Tali a 2gp "tip" (with no obvious benefit), and paying for another couple of nights. The three fighters for the expedition were staying at the Drunken Sailor too, and Tali seems to have decided that Crackum is, oh, so entertaining. Oh well. I figured I couldn't afford competition with someone who'd be helping to protect me. I bought the three fighters a round of drinks. Stark and Logan were still about, but they had plans to go back to that "Dekator Plateau" with some others, I understood. I did see Lifaen about later with some elf or another, but didn't get a chance to talk to him, and practice my elvish.
The day finally came when we set out to see the dwarves. It was an eventful trip. Not far along, we were ambushed by 12 orcs. But, I was able to cast a "sleep" spell that got them. All of them. I think I made a positive impression. The fighters killed them and gathered up the treasure for division later. A bit farther, maybe 2 hours, six wolves attacked, and I managed to knock out two of them. Grunlow and Crakum got the others, and Miank himself pulled out a dagger and got the sleeping ones. Crakum had been hurt, though, but was able to keep going. Nobody was interested in the pelts.
We got to where we were going to camp before the diplomatic meeting the next day. The horses had tents and stuff like that. So, that was the purpose of the horses. I suppose a diplomatic mission has to look fancy. The night was interrupted when a giant weasel attacked Denrdum while he was on watch. I managed to help a bit with a dart hit (missed on the other two) before the fighters killed it. I pointed out that sometimes giant weasel pelts sell for over 1000 gold, so one of them skinned it.
The next day we rode out to meet the dwarves. We rode upward for an hour or so to a spot maybe a half mile from the shrine. There were four dwarves in robes, elders I guess, and three guards. I didn't see Orik and Orin. I did the translating. Basically, Miank offered to make a deal to allow the Earl to keep the shine there, and made a gift of a nice jeweled shortsword.
We retired to our camp for the night, and found that good cleric Stark had traveled up from Daila to join us. Apparently Miank had sent Dendrum back to town to get him, due to the wounds the fighters had suffered in the combat with the wolves.
The next day we met with the dwarves again, and completed the deal. Miank started by making a gift of a gold goblet and some casks of very good ale. That seems to have swung the deal. The dwarves are to get 3 casks of ale and 50 gold per year for the use of the shrine. We retired back to our camp. But, it wasn't going to just be a quiet night and a relaxing trip home.
Just before dinner time, here they came: wolves! Eleven of them, this time. I fired off sleep spells, all of them! Fortunately, yes, that got all the wolves. I was able to relearn one sleep spell, but couldn't concentrate enough to learn more. Well, I kept trying anyway. It must have been three hours before I finally had them all back. I figured I might need them. And, I was right, too. I heard Dendrum yell "Spider!" and slung off a spell about the time he killed it anyway.
It was soon after, right around dinner time, and wouldn't you know it! Guests dropped in: a group of dwarves, apparently from the tribe we’d been talking to. I could tell by the red dragon shaped devices on their shields. Well, it wasn't a problem for me! I wasn't paying the food and wine bill! Actually, the dwarves brought in a cask of ale on a donkey, and we all got mellow for a while, and later they left.
The real action started later that night. It was right as my watch was supposed to be ending. I heard something like marching feet getting closer. It was dwarves, a bunch of them, trying to stay quiet. I woke Mianc, then the others. I suggested that we hide and see what they were up to, so we did, just beyond the cleared area of the camp.
The dwarves, that's what they were, entered the clearing and started sneakily looking for us. These were apparently not our friends from the negotiations; they had a black spider on the shield, not a red dragon. One was Orin, he seemed to be the leader, and there was Orik, too! I was worried they might be too strong for us. Apparently Crakum was too. He waited until they'd collected stuff from our tents and some had gone to get the horses. Then Orik went into my tent, and I heard him say, "Damn, Thumper!" like he was mad. He must have seen one of my rabbits.
On that, we attacked and I cast "sleep." We got all three, including Orik, and tied them up. I wanted them alive: no sense in making blood enemies, and alive they'd be more useful. But the other four got away with our horses and most of the fighters' stuff. I was really surprised that my "friends" had planned to attack us in our sleep! As we got on the way back to Daila in the morning, I said, "I was surprised to see you, Orik! And you, Olin!" Miank and the fighters weren’t so polite to them!
But the excitement wasn't over. Four other dwarves attacked us on the way, but went down when I cast two sleep spells. We added them to our captives and kept going. Just about the time three riders from the Earl came to meet us, 12 more dwarves attacked us. I used my last "sleep" spell, but it was still touch and go. Grunlow turned to me and yelled, "You, Miank, Stark , and Drendum take the captives back to town quick; we'll finish up here!"
So, we did. But the rest of the party caught up to us and said that the dwarves killed Grunlow in the fight that continued as we left, before the battle was won. Apparently, they singled him out for most of their attacks.
We escorted the captive dwarves to the Earl's mansion. He planned to have clerics in town raise Grunlow. I was paid the remaining 25gp, and I was told "The sale of these will bring great riches to Daila, and you will all be included in the division of the sales." So, I returned to the Drunken Sailor and heard from Crackum and Dendrum about the battle, and bought drinks for them. While we were there, a servant of the Earl came over and told us that Grunlow could not be raised; he was and would remain dead. We were, of course, very saddened. Crackum told me Grunlow had no family except a fiance in Kalay.
Summary:
+25gp from the Earl
-2gp (room)
-1gp, 10sp (drinks)
-10sp (tip to the bartender)
-1gp (tip to the barmaid)
had 18gp, now have 38gp.
468x.p. for monsters and treasure
063x.p. for mission succesful
=531x.p. for adventure