by Allan Joyal
“I do,” Aylia said as a small puddle of water flowed uphill and entered the domain. “Based on his avatar, I’d say that the caverns around his heart stone are home to kobolds. He must have been awakened when the kobolds started fighting with some creatures they encountered while expanding their caverns.”
“So its not a usual dungeon case of human adventurers and fighters taking on a beast lair and generating the mana, but rather two different monster groups fighting?” Faestari asked.
“I’d say you should ask Wynterhold or that old dungeon,” Aylia said.
Faestari frowned as the kobold avatar stared right at her. It was unblinking as it hovered and appeared to wait for her to look back at it. “I’m not sure that old dungeon would be willing to talk to me. Or be all that helpful if I did talk to it.”
“It doesn’t hate you,” Aylia said.
The kobold avatar flew backwards until it was a spear’s throw away from the edge of Faestari’s domain. It hovered there for a moment and then rushed forward.
Faestari hardened her domain barrier. The kobold avatar crashed into the barrier causing a massive flare of light as it expended its mana in an attempt to break through. Aylia and the guard cried out in fear.
A moment later the light was gone. Faestari stood alone, staring at the edge of her domain. Of the kobold avatar there was no sign.
Chapter 13: The Council Never Rests
Coulette seemed to open up to Dared the instant she led him from the inn. Once they were outside she grabbed at his right hand. “Are you really going to get me away from him? Do you have a castle? What will you want me to do?”
“Slow down the questions,” Dared said as he tried not to laugh. “I’m sure Jerisa will bring it up while we visit the council. As for the castle. I don’t live in one, although the plans are to build a manor house next year, and I’m certain that Jerisa will be willing to set up servants’ quarters you can move in.”
“Servants quarters?” the girl asked.
“My goal is to make sure that its comfortable,” Dared said. “My mother was actually a serving girl in the castle of Rockgar. She was cleaning the hallway outside the king’s quarters and well…”
Dared’s face flushed. Coulette stopped and looked over at him. “Really?”
“He treated her very well. Gave her a place to live in the town and worked hard to keep the noble ladies from tormenting her,” Dared said.
Coulette shivered. “I’m not…”
Dared just shook his head. “I love Jerisa. I’d never do something to cause her to wonder about my love for her. Actually, I do have a question. What do you know about the council?”
Coulette kicked a rock out of her way as she slowed down her walk across the dirt street. “The council probably found out about you from Ctadlor.”
“Who?” Dared asked.
“He owns the inn,” Coulette said. “He’s doing anything he can to gain the approval of the council. I’m sure he let the council know you arrived.”
“How?” Dared asked. “I mean it was just him and his stable boy when we arrived.”
“There are a few council representatives that conduct patrols. He would have just watched for a passing patrol and then told them about your presence,” Coulette said.
Dared was thinking about that as a pair of men ran up. The men had hands on sheathed swords and wearing tabards. One held out a hand to them. “Halt, are you Dared?”
“Have I committed any crimes?” Dared asked. He looked over the two guards. Both of them were clearly alert and were standing apart so that Dared could not jump both if he decided to attack.
“The council demands to meet with you,” the lead guard said. “You must come with us.”
“I was already walking over to the council building,” Dared said as he turned to look for Coulette. The girl had run off, leaving Dared alone with the guards.
“What are you looking for?” the second guard asks.
“Nothing,” Dared said. “Just lead me to the council chamber. I want to get back to my wife.”
The guards turned around. “Follow,” the lead guard said firmly as they marched forward.
Dared said nothing and followed them quietly. The guards turned down a narrow alley. They did not look back as they headed through the alley.
The trio emerged from the alley into a courtyard. A fountain dominated the center of the area and a building made from marble rose up on the far side. Three men wearing purple robes waited on the steps of the marble building.
The two guards halted. They grabbed Dared by his shoulders and then shoved him forward. Dared stumbled into the fountain and bent forward. He managed to halt his body by throwing his hands down against the stone of the fountain. “Hey!” he shouted.
“The council didn’t tell us we needed to bring you in unharmed,” one of the guards said. The man put a hand on his sword and took a step back.
Dared glared at the man. “I’ll let the council know just how helpful you are,” he muttered as he stood back up. He walked around the fountain as two more robed figures rushed out of the building and joined the others on the steps.
One of the men, a rather portly man wearing a floppy hat crowned by a large feather took his hat off and waved it. “Greetings, greetings. I am glad you were willing to come and talk to us.”
“I did not come voluntarily,” Dared said. “Although I was walking here before your goon squad showed up and demanded that I follow them.”
“That makes little sense,” one of the other men said. “You claim you were on your way here, but then say coming was not voluntary?”
“Coming here because two of your goons demanded that I come was not in my plan. I had a guide leading me here and would have arrived without a problem,” Dared said. “And I was coming as a courtesy. I am not a citizen of Fairview.”
“Any merchant must respect the laws and council of Fairview,” the one wearing the hat said. “Otherwise we can ban you from trading within the town.”
Dared shook his head. “I’m afraid I don’t know you,” he said.
“I am Council Master and High Merchant Bertrand Wersill,” the man said proudly as if he believed everyone knew the name.
“That is a mouthful,” Dared replied. “I am Dared. To begin with, I don’t have any plans on trading. But more importantly, the only thing I’ve done is visit. So, I have no clue what laws you are implying that I might have broken.”
“You came from the west. We have heard that many of our farms in the west have been raided,” the high merchant complained.
“The raids have been occurring to your southwest,” Dared replied. “If you had received any information about me, I arrived from the west. I first entered your territory at Oersteglen.”
“Oersteglen? There is nothing out there. The land is fertile, but water is scarce. Once you are west of the forest there is nothing but desolate wastelands,” one of other other merchants said.
“Councilman Lorgan, please allow me to conduct the interview,” the High Merchant commanded.
The other merchant offered a sarcastic bow and then stepped back to the top of the stairs. The High Merchant looked directly at him, “Lorgan might have spoken out of turn, but he is right. West of Oersteglen is a wasteland with little water. No one lives out that way.”
“You call yourselves merchants?” Dared asked. “Does anyone here remember a traveling merchant named Trifect. I believe he came through three times before continuing east.”
“Trifect?” the third member of the councilors asked. “I traded with him one time. He had a dozen fresh healing potions. There was a trade caravan planning on heading northward that would visit the village outside the Wynterhold dungeon and I knew they’d want the potions. He offered a good deal and hinted that I could perhaps obtain more if I looked in the right place.”
Dared nodded. “That must have been on his last trip. He had paid his debt to me and wanted to return to the caravans that cross the Sand Wastes. But for a
short time, he was acting as my factor helping sell the potions my father-in-law was making.”
“That doesn’t explain where you come from,” Bertrand complained. “Are you wasting my time?”
“The reason that Trifect had those potions is because a dungeon was discovered. It’s about ten days travel northeast of here. I had the funds to organize a colonial caravan and we’re building a new town at the foot of the mountain, near the dungeon.”
“You can’t do that! That is within our territory!” Lorgan shouted.
“No it isn’t,” Dared said. “Oersteglen is four or five days travel for a wagon. That has always been the limit of your influence. You don’t even try to patrol outside that radius around the city into the fertile valleys to the northeast.”
“Those valleys supply their own patrols, but they still pay taxes to Fairview,” High Merchant Bertrand said with a scowl. “And so will your town.”
“Then I’ll just trade over the mountains,” Dared said. “We are already working to open up regular trade with the town near Dungeon Sea Spray.”
“Where?” Lorgan asked.
“It’s a well-known dungeon on the shores of the Phantom Sea,” Dared said. Takes about fifty days to travel there from Montgar, but the potions we make can travel that far.”
“We could conquer your village,” Lorgan stated.
Dared just stared at the man for a moment. “You do realize the cost of sending troops that far. And from what I’ve seen and heard Fairview doesn’t have a standing army. You’d have to rely on volunteers or conscripts.”
“So? We could just capture you,” High Merchant Bertrand said.
“Oh? And how would you explain that to the rest of the merchants in town? I’m not a registered merchant and there is no crime you can charge me with,” Dared said calmly.
“You had to be behind the raids,” Lorgan shouted.
“No, I don’t,” Dared said. “I have no reason to engage in raiding. There is nothing I can gain by raiding.”
“Food,” Lorgan said.
“I purchase it,” Dared said. “I had funds when I started founding the town, and I am quite happy to use them to help bring in the food I need. In fact, carters hired by me recently picked up three wagonloads of grain in Oersteglen.”
“That was you?” the third merchant asked. “I’ve been wondering who was going to pick that up. It was part of my trade with Trifect.”
“The last part of the trade,” Dared said with a nod. “And that grain will keep everyone fed over the winter.”
“What about shelter?” Lorgan asked. “The winters in those mountains can be brutal.”
“My advisors and I planned carefully. We already have buildings that can shelter all of the people living in the valley. And we have solid sources of wood and stone. We won’t have all of the space everyone will want, but next year we’ll be able to build more housing,” he said.
“Where are you getting the stone?” Lorgan asked angrily.
“I hired several good quarrymen when we organized the colonial caravan. They found a sizable deposit of granite that is perfect for cutting into building stones. It’s in a sheltered valley so they are talking about cutting stone during the break between storms while sheltering in the town,” Dared said.
“What! You are cutting stone from within those mountains. You have to pay the fees and file a deed!” Lorgan shouted.
“Once again, we haven’t seen any patrols or signs of government since we first arrived in the valley. I am only claiming land that I can defend, which means nothing more than a day’s travel from our new town and nothing on the west side of the mountain,” Dared said.
“What mountain?” Bertrand said.
“Montgar is build right at the base of the mountain containing the dungeon,” Dared said. “I specifically have ordered my guards and builder that we are to try to maintain a presence only on the southeastern side of the mountain. We do have some farms north due to the shape of the valley, but everyone stays on the eastern side of the stream that emerges from a spring on the mountain and heads northward.”
One of the merchants turned and rushed into the building. Bertrand once again waved Dared over. “Come here so we aren’t shouting across the courtyard,” the man said firmly.
Dared shook his head but complied with the request. “You make this far more difficult than it needs to be,” he said. “I’m sure you sent someone to find a map so you can prove that Fairview has some claim to the territory. But remember I had to travel for days without seeing anyone when I returned to Fairview to meet with some people.”
“For trade?” Bertrand asked eagerly.
“I know Fairview’s laws about unlicensed merchants entering the town to trade. I have no trading to conduct this trip,” Dared said. “I’m here to meet with the wives of some of the men who work with me. They plan on moving out to the town.”
“But you can conduct trade,” Bertrand said.
“I’d contract through one of the freelancers conducting business out of Cattleman’s square,” Dared said. “But I have nothing to trade. I rode in on a horse and am staying at the Boiled Turtle. I do plan on talking to the dwarven bankers, but that is not covered under your laws.”
“But,” Bertrand started to say.
One of the other merchants reached out as Bertrand’s arm started to rise. “No, he’s within the laws on that. If we even hint that we’ll start taking a share of transactions with the dwarves they would tear down our hall. They don’t like us to begin with and consider banking a security issue and not one of trade.”
“He’s stolen our land,” Bertrand said firmly.
“Not really,” the merchant said. “We don’t have the ability to defend that area or even send out tax collectors. If we try to enforce our laws out there, we’ll just anger the farmers who’ll feel like we are failing them.”
“Who cares about a bunch of scared farmers,” Bertrand said with a snarl.
“If they are anything like the ones, we met patrolling the area to the west of Oersteglen, I would be concerned. They don’t believe that Fairview can protect them now,” Dared said.
“What?” Lorgan asked shrilly.
“We were stopped by several farmers carrying spears. They were very nervous about the raids. Even when I asked them and found that the nearest farm to be raided was several day’s travel to the south,” Dared said. “And I should note that if you had any question about if I or anyone I live with is involved. We had to travel east for days to reach Oersteglen. We have nothing to do with the raids.”
“You’ve heard about the raids?” the third merchant asked.
Dared shrugged. “I know very little. We ran into a group of farmers patrolling. They said they had heard and they were making sure they were safe. It sounded like you need to send troops and start patrolling near your southwest border.”
“Why don’t you help? Since you are our neighbor,” Bertrand asked.
“The fastest route would require that I send troops to Oersteglen before they turn south. The mountains are fairly rugged. There are paths, but I can’t send supplies with them. I also only have a few troops,” Dared said angrily.
“So, we could probably conquer you,” one of the merchants said greedily.
“If you want to take on the Impaled Cats adventurers guild you can,” Dared said with a shrug.
“Who?” Lorgan said.
“I’ve heard of that guild,” Bertrand said. “They lost their main guild house recently. It burned down in a fire. Why should I fear them?”
“If that really happened, its possible that Kalacho is now the leader. They have already paid for a new chapterhouse to be built in Montgar. We received the initial payment over thirty days ago and confirmation that the bank has the remaining funds ready to release once we finish the work,” Dared said.
“Adventurers try to avoid getting involved in battles between governments,” Bertrand said.
“True, but Montgar exists to serve t
he adventurers who are entering the dungeon so I can’t see the adventurers being too interested in standing by and just allowing Fairview to conquer the place that provides the support they need,” Dared said offhand.
“We’ll do better than you can,” Bertrand said.
“No,” the third merchant said. He was now looking at a map held by the merchant who had run inside. “We can’t control the land past Oersteglen. We don’t have the troops and paying for mercenaries would bankrupt the council. Especially with the slow drain we’re having in revenues due to the raids.”
“They should pay taxes to us. We’d have more money then,” Bertrand complained.
“Are you going to invest in the building of the town? Are you going to help pay for the waystation that I’ve planned to put in at one end of the valley? Can you keep the peace between the adventurers and the farmers? So far, we haven’t had any major incidents, but do you have the respect of both parties?” Dared pointed out.
“You probably don’t have it either,” Bertrand hissed.
“Actually, he does,” a female voice called out. “I should have known that the council here was causing trouble.”
Dared looked over his shoulder and found Roquel striding towards the council. “So how did you purchase your place on the council Bertrand?” she asked.
“What are you doing here?” the high merchant hissed out.
“I am working for Dared,” Roquel replied calmly. “Let me guess you are going to try to steal Montgar from him.”
“I wouldn’t do that,” Bertrand said, he sounded like a scolded boy.
“I remember when you robbed and betrayed my grandson,” Roquel replied. “You moved far from Zathmorlu, but I haven’t forgotten.”
“You know him?” Dared asked the adventurer as she walked up.
“Bertrand Wersill,” Roquel said in a voice filled with contempt. “Yes, I know him. He was part of a caravan that somehow was wiped out just a couple miles away from Zathmorlu. I was visiting a dungeon across the Sand Wastes, but once I returned, I discovered that Bertrand had actually been in league with the bandits who wiped out the caravan. That’s part of why he survived. He knew the attack would occur and didn’t leave Zathmorlu with the others.”