As with Mica various people use the outhouse, I neglected to mention that there are various "employees" who wander between the main tavern and the various other buildings checking on horses, escorting guests to the bunkhouse and fetching things from the store. Eventually late at night one emerges to close and bar the double gates after checking if anyone is outside.

"Oh young sir, he won't come across himself. He'll send one of his fellows over in the morning to fetch you are your friends to see him. I'm sorry if I did not make that clear earlier.

Now will you and your companions be requiring a room or some bunks for the night?”

In reply to dashing (msg # 56):

Well yes, we will please. Iskalla and Mica, are you ok to share a room? Are there rooms with several beds - or are those the bunks?

In reply to Harmast Gordangarson (msg # 57):

Mica's not there to reply.

She's hidden in the shadows of the courtyard of the inn, sitting cross-legged in a Herder's Trance.  To all intents and purposes, she looks like she's asleep, but she's primed to trigger into full wakefulness the minute one of the flock occupants of the inn moves to pass  through the gate.
This message was last edited by the player at 06:51, Tue 23 Feb 2021.

In reply to Mica the Goose Dancer (msg # 58):

Well, looks like Iskalla can have a room to herself.

Ulf, can you find Mica, and check if she wants a bed - though standing guard would be a good idea if she is ok with that
This message was last edited by the player at 08:32, Wed 24 Feb 2021.

In reply to Harmast Gordangarson (msg # 59):

Ulf's not there either, sorry :) He's observing outside to report later.

You pass a more or less comfortable night. Mica remains in the courtyard which at least saves on a bunk. The rest of you hire a room and crowd in [Just as an aside the Orlanthi have a lot fewer hang ups about the sexes mixing than we do so sharing is not an issue].

In the morning you break your fast (after retrieving Mica who is slightly knackered from a night spent half awake) and the innkeeper advises that someone will be along “shortly”. Time passes and assuming that the party treats everyone with the same degree of suspicion as last night nothing much happens.

Eventually an elderly Durulz (that’s Duck to the ignorant or rude) waddles in and wanders up to the rowdy group and speaks with them for a few moments, they reach some form of agreement and then he wanders over to you introducing himself as Quackjohn:

““My master awaits you at the Pawnshop.”

He doesn’t await a response and turns around and leaves quickly. Scrambling after you see him enter the pawnshop opposite.

On the assumption that you are not nearly as paranoid as you have made yourselves out to be so far I assume you’ll head after him.

The main door is open and you enter immediately descending some 5 steps to the floor of the dingy room. It’s obviously been dug out to put occupants at a disadvantage. Opposite high on the wall (at about sitting level you’d guess for the ground outside) there are a couple of windows in the wall. You could reach up to them if you stretch.

Behind one of the windows is an elderly balding, bearded man. Presumably Gringle himself?

“If you reach up and put whatever you want me to assess on the window ledge and I will let you know how much I can lend against it”.

In reply to dashing (msg # 61):

Mica's not knackered.  She's used to it.  This is no different to keeping watch on the Goose Flock at night.

She hangs back and keeps an eye out for anything untoward from outside.  She assumes that since we were sent here to warn Gringle, he's not going to be the danger.

Hmm, so a day's ride from Old Man Village, time spent being rather alert, paranoid exploring of this little hamlet and staying up all night - I think she's tired.

In reply to dashing (msg # 61):

I will greet the gentleman and ask him if he is Gringle, Tell him I have a private message from my father,  Gordangar, if we can find a private place to talk.

In reply to dashing (msg # 63):

Versus a day gathering shrooms & mistletoe in the woods, rounding up the geese, herding them into a pen and then dozing with half an eye open all night to make sure they don't stray.

All in a day's work for a jobbing goose girl ;0)

I completely agree, it's just when you do something new(ish) like riding all day it's a lot more tiring...

“Kenstrel’s son sent you? So many years have passed. How fares the son of my old friend? You are welcome in my humble home.”

You exchange some pleasantries and a little gossip, Gringle then offers you hospitality and then he invites you up. To the right of the entrance (as you enter) are some stairs leading up to a door. He indicates you should approach it and he leaves and a short while later the door opens into what Gringle calls his fitting room. You pass out of a door to the left into a corridor turning left and immediately passing through another door into the room with the grilles looking down into the Public Room. Gringle calls this his Negotiating room, you note a couple of large crossbows (weird dangerous dwarf technology!) mounted so as to cover the public room. Plenty of trouble for unwanted guests there! You again pass out through a door to the right (the back of the Negotiating room) into another corridor, turning right again into a small hallway and then left through another door into a living room.

His home is enviously decorated with many strange devices and furnishings. Shelves with scrolls line the walls. The Living room even has a fireplace with a chimney – unheard of! Gringle invites you all to make yourselves comfortable in his living room and settles into a chair himself. The Durulz retainer, apparently called Quackjohn is asked to bring some refreshments and a little while later he brings in some exotic food and drink which you find yourselves eating hungrily.

“So why is the son of my old friend send his son to my door?”

In reply to dashing (msg # 67):

I wish I was here with better Tidings, but I have been sent by my father with a warning of danger to yourself.  What I have been told is that a Lunar witch named Erianda recently arrived from Boldhome. Half of her is blue like a corpse, the other half red like Shepelkirt . After she arrived at Clearwine, the king proclaimed that you are not under the protection of the Colymar tribe; you are, in effect, an outlaw and can be killed without consequence.

My father suspect she plans to take your silver and kill one of the last remaining friends of the House of Sartar. The king told one of his thanes, Darsten Black Oak, to aid the Lunar witch. He is expected that he will gather some mercenaries and members of his Taraling clan to drive Gringle off, take your property, and perhaps kill you.

We were sent with all possible speed to warn you of this.  We are trying to avoid issues with the Lunars but we felt that we have a duty to you to make sure you were aware of this, and are prepared if people turn up.

In reply to dashing (msg # 67):

Mica does not follow.

She wanders out into the street and settles down somewhere unobtrusive with a good view of the access routes into Gringle's shop.

As she brushes past Ulf, she whispers: "Listen out for my Goose call.  If you hear it, that means trouble."

“King Blackmoor is a vicious dog, but surely he is not so mad as to break the oath of his predecessors? Why would he permit such a thing?”

“General Fazzur already has most of my silver. That makes no sense either. Unless…”

He gestures to Quackjohn. The duck leaves the room and returns several minutes later with a small carved ivory chest. The merchant opens the chest and within are three items resting on padded silk: a gemstone that looks like a large eye, a scroll sealed with lead, and a large ball of iron.

“These are my greatest treasures: the Eye of the Halfbird; the Lead Scroll; and the Iron Cardinal’s Egg. No doubt some Lunar adventurer has learned of them and wishes to take them from me.”

He looks at you: “I would like to hire you as bodyguards to chase away whatever thugs this adventurer brings along, until I can get word to the Governor-General about this nonsense. Name your price”.

There's a backdoor as well and it's difficiult to see both at the same time. You settle down by the storehouse which keeps mostly you out of sight of the road and you can see people approaching either entrance.

Ulf is appearing relaxed but listening out in case he hears Mica's goose call and waiting for Harmast's response - thinking he'd readily agree for another breakfast like the one he just had but Harmast might want to be a bit more discerning.

Sir,  my Father suggested that we should assist you in getting away from these people as it is likely that they will come with a larger group than we would be easily able to handle.  Do you have somewhere you may be able to disappear to for a while.  We can help you with that move, and possibly travel with you if we can do this without attracting attention?  I would need to confirm with my colleagues, but I am sure they will be willing to help.

“Young man, this “shop” has held off thieves and robbers before, usually with help I grant, but you are here. This place is a temple to Issaries, and Issaries protects it. Besides, I doubt if I could go anywhere without attracting much attention, eh?”

“Now I say again, I need some time to get word to the Governor-General, are you willing to help defend my home and temple from these bandits. For pay of course?”

In reply to dashing (msg # 74):

Sir,  I am more than happy to help keep you safe, but I need to talk to my friends to confirm they are happy with this change of plan.


As an aside,  I have no idea how much is appropriate as a price so I am going to need help from the Glorantha experts

NP, feel free to discuss offline or on here.

Made event trickier by:

1 the vagueness with which the rules treat finances; and
2 It's Bronze Age: "stuff"/land/reputation is worth more than coin.

If it helps: Gringle was the richest man in Sartar until Starbrow's Rebellion when he was made to give a forced loan to the Governor General and also made the chief collector of taxes throughout Coymar, Malani and other tribal areas. Rumours vary between he is loaded to on the cusp of bankruptcy. If it makes life easier let's think in game terms: a +3 on Wealth checks for one season he can easily afford and agree to. If anything else occurs to you let me know.

In reply to dashing (msg # 76):

Free geese - for life.
But then I'm not there, so I can't suggest that ;0)

In reply to Harmast Gordangarson (msg # 75):

Maybe ask him for a flock of sheep or other livestock? Look how much glory we got from bringing back just a few from a raid. A whole new flock would really help the clan.

In reply to Ulf Skommson (msg # 78):

I am thinking that we maybe should be asking for improved weapons and armour if we are going to make a good job of this - that we get to keep afterwards

I am guessing from this, the answer is yes,  and it just price?
This message was last edited by the player at 09:50, Sun 07 Mar 2021.