CH 1 - Greatwall Caravan

[Margrave]

You sit in the Behir and Beholder, the only tavern in Greatwall, taking the chill off the autumn night.  You are thankful to not be on patrol tonight and can actually rest and enjoy a meal and mead.  Suddenly, the front dooor bangs open and three Greatwall guards enter.  You recognize them as a sergeant and two men-at-arms.  As they approach you, you see another three Greatwall guards enter through the back door and head toward your table.

As they arrive, the sergeant - a harsh looking human with a long scar on the left side of his face - turns to you with his finger pointed. 

"You. . . and you . . . and you . . ." He identifies each of you in turn, then barks a command, "Your Presence is required by the captain of the Greatwall guard.  Come with me."

[Justin Tyme]

Dra'Ziw looks at the others who were selected then stands and does as requested.

[Daos]

The laughter at Marik's table dies down at the man's command.  Sourly, Marik sets down his flagon of ale on the table, then gestures for the buxom young barmaid to climb off his lap, before standing up and dusting himself off in annoyance.  "What is this about?  Do you have a warrant?  I've done nothing wrong," he asks the sergeant.

[Margrave]

The sergeant scowls and says, "Arrest him."  The two men at arms step forward, flank Marik, and place their hands on Marik's shoulders.  The sergeant says, "Anyone else? 

[OnceUponAnAxe]

“Is this what passes for Furyondian hospitality? Do you know who I am old man? Do you know what me and my people do?” Wethun continues to sit, and sips his ale. He hardly looks up to even acknowledge the guards that demand his attention. 

[Margrave]

The sergeant looks over at the ranger who just spoke.  "Arrest him, too."  He makes eye contact and a signal by nodding his head towards the door to the guards that entered the back.  Two of them approach Wethun, flank him, and place their hands on his shoulders while the third exits.  Wethun wonders if his hounds would be able to hear his commands from their location outside of the tavern, as animals were not welcome inside.

"How about you?" the sergeant stares at the gnome.

As the gnome considers his options, the guard who had left returns with two other men-at-arms who stand at attention at the rear entrance.  That soldier then heads to the front, presumably to inform the two guards posted there that their presence is needed inside.

[OnceUponAnAxe]

Wethun growls and looks at the hands on his shoulders. He notes the other two men coming into the inn. “You’ll need two more to have enough partners for this dance...sergeant. I recommend your boys take their hands off me. I’ll come, easy leash, but if you match me out of here the wrong way...well Sam and Dean may not like that. They may not like that at all.” 

Wethun stands slowly, his hands up and away from his weapons. He stares hard at the man in charge, then laughs at the ludicrous nature of being arrested by the men of Furyondy. “Must be grand being part of the home guard.”

[Daos]

Marik bristles at this treatment, but he doesn't see much he can do about it.  He could try and fight his way out, but even if he does so, he'll be branded a criminal and have nowhere to go in the city where they won't eventually find him.  He decides to go quietly for now, and see if an opportunity to escape might present itself later on.

[Margrave]

The sergeant escorts you, under guard, into the main hall of Greatwall Keep itself - a giant pillared room containing a massive, wall-length hearth. A raging fire warms the barren marble walls and floor - illuminating a long and wide oaken table covered with parchment and maps.



After about ten minutes, the guards snap to attention as double doors at the end of the hall swing open. In strides Gillmore, captain of the Greatwall guard. He is a well-built man with a war-hardened face but has a manner more cordial than the sergeant who escorted you here.



“I must apologize for the manner in which Sergeant Krayquer has brought you here,” Gillmore begins, his deep voice resonating throughout the vast chamber, “but our time grows short. Please sit down and relax, as I have something which I need to discuss with you.” He claps his hands twice, and two servers appear with jugs of wine and begin serving you. Then he orders everyone besides you and Krayquer out of the room.



When all have left, Gillmore begins. “As you are aware, Iuz and his forces of evil continue to pressure us, despite the peace agreement. This jeopardizes Greatwall’s strategic position; we rely almost entirely on outside sources for supplies, and violence has made the journey here too unprofitable for most merchants. Even our traditional trading partners in Willip refuse to take the risk.”



“I need to prove to them they can make the trip safely and profitably. This is where you come in.”



“I wish you to escort a caravan of three merchant wagons to Willip and back. The caravan leaves tomorrow at dawn and must return as quickly as possible, before winter strikes. The wagons carry traditional trade goods, to be exchanged for the food and supplies we will need to survive the oncoming winter. Iuz’s raids have occupied my forces so completely that I must turn to capable freemen like you.”



“You must use the old Grabford-Critwall-Willip Trail to resupply the border posts and to show the Willip merchants that it can still be traveled safely. I understand this will put you along the Veng River, a stone’s throw from the land of Iuz. Fear not - border patrols guard the riverbanks from Iuz’s incursions.”



“For your heroic service to Greatwall, I will award youeach 1,000 gold crowns upon your return.” He claps his hands again and the sergeant re-enters with several sacks - one for each of you. You notice that the sack is labeled a quarter bar, or 250 gold pieces. “This additional payment should be enough to cover whatever expenses you might have before you leave.” He pauses again and looks at each of you confidently. “Well, my friends...what say you?”

[Kvard51]

Chert smiles up at the Captain.  He still wasn't sure if the sargeant had meant to point at him or the taller folk behind, but the whole situation had seemed interesting, so he had followed along.  "Captain, I believe I can be of service in this matter, so I accept your offer.  I've always felt that old Iuz needed his nose tweaked a bit anyway.  Everyone over there is far too serious, for my tastes."

[Justin Tyme]

The half-elf follows the sergeant and the men and wonders what is in store for him.  He knows that it is wise to comply now and protest later as he is sure of his skills and matron that he would be able to handle whatever may be in store for him.  When the captain speaks, Dra'Ziw relaxes as it is clear this is a man of reason.  Dra'Ziw understands the need for haste and is interested in the gold, but he wonders if the risk is high for such a large sum.  "I will do what I am able to, you may count on my help to stem the chaos."  He looks at the other three to see their responses.

[OnceUponAnAxe]

Wethun sighed and leaned back in his seat. Smiled and chuckled a bit. It wasn’t a pleasant face, or a pleasant sound. “The raids aren’t what brought me and my dogs. We were looking forward to hunting a few pig faced greenies. Guess escort duty will do just as well. They’ll come to us this we, eh? How are the border forts and towns doing? Anyone feeling more pressure than the others?” 

[Daos]

Marik leans up against the wall, only half-listening to what Gillmore was saying, as he was busy trying to come up with a pithy and clever way of telling the man where to shove his offer...at least, until he heard the party about the one thousand gold pieces.  That was quite an offer...especially for a simple escort mission.  On some level, it occurred to him that offering that much money for such a simple job suggests it was anything but...however, his lust for gold quickly shushed that part of his brain.

"Well, since you went through all the trouble of abducting us against our will," he says, still a bit bitter about that despite the generous offer, "I suppose I can assist with this little endeavor."  His eyes practically sparkle at the sight of the sacks and it takes all of his willpower to not run over to snatch it.

[Margrave]

Feb 5, 2020 16:25:35 GMT -8 OnceUponAnAxe said:

 "How are the border forts and towns doing? Anyone feeling more pressure than the others?” 

Wethun:
The Captain responds, "Most of the forces of Iuz come from Molag, the Horned Society capital.  The lands around Fort Belvor is harried daily by orcs and other humanoid forces.  That is one of the reasons we need these supply lines open and protected, for if Belvor or Greatwall are overrun, the Iuz will control the Veng River all the way to Nyr Dyv."



Marik:
"Well, since you went through all the trouble of abducting us against our will," he says, still a bit bitter about that despite the generous offer, "I suppose I can assist with this little endeavor."

The Sergeant sneers and menacingly approaches Marik growling, "I did no such thing!"  Captain Gillmore's raises his hand and clears his throat.  The sergeant stops but sends daggers from his eyes - aimed at the upstart.  Gillmore says, "Again, I was not informed that you were abducted, and I see that you all were not relieved of your weapons nor bound" he looks at the spell casters "nor gagged."  He shrugs, "You are free to decline and leave now if you wish, but the quarter bar will be used by someone else - as will the reward for a job well done.  However, please do not slander the good forces of Furyondy."

[Daos]

"As I said, I'll accept the job," Marik repeats.  "But in the future, you may find it easier to enlist good help if you don't send guards to arrest them when they ask why they are being summoned.  There were many witnesses in that tavern, and now they all think I've been convicted of some kind of crime, which may hurt my reputation as a legitimate businessman."

He leaves it at that, as he's not going to bite the hand that feeds him any more than he already has; and yet, privately, he finds himself wondering if the 'the good forces of Furyondy' were really all that much better than the Iuz.