A Warlock Alone, Island Empire solo game

[Scotley]

"Business before we've even ordered? Well, if that is the way you want it..." She takes the list and perches a tiny pair of gold rimmed spectacles on her nose. "Hmmm, very interesting cargo." Before she gets all the way down the list the waiter arrives to take your orders. "We have a very nice phesant this evening with a fig reduction. The grouper is also quite fresh and grilled on cedar planks and I have a marvelously buttery chardonny to go with it. We are doing a rack of lamb with a pomegranet molasses and mint sauce. The Ariva coast rose is a match made in heaven with this one, but we only have a few bottles left. If you'd perfer a red meat I have some beef tenderloins I was going to age another day or two before deciding what to do with them. I could butterfly one of the best of them and grill it and whip you up a nice bernaise. I know madame is fond of the 62' claret I have in the cellar." Michael looks up and seeing the man's toque realizes with a start that the head chef himself has come out to take your party's order.

 

[J. Alexander]

Dinner with the Gnome

Continuing to smile, Michael says "No just the list of goods Madame, nothing should distract us from appears to be an excellent dinner" with a glace towards the chef Michael adds "If it is as good a fare as i think it will be I shall have to be careful to have my wits dulled by such good food and company" When the order comes to him Michale will order the lamb and abottle of the costa rose. He will also ask that a bottel of the claret be brought to the tabel.

 

[Scotley]

Grond and the lady order the beef to go with the Claret, while Glimmerdwang chooses the lamb. The chef finishes with, "I have some very special sweets, so save a little room my dear," to Ms. Butterflake. The lady returns her attention to the list. "I can use most of this I think Captain, though I may quibble over your prices."

OOC: Just how much do you stand to profit at these prices? I may not get another chance to post until tomorrow. Work, travel, sleep is the plan for the day.

 

[J. Alexander]

Dinner

Michael will make small talk with the gnome and halfling inquiring into how long they have lived here etc....general polite consevation.

OCC: Actually about 50% on most and some few items close to 100% as you gave me a very good deal in their purchase.

 

[Scotley]

Glimmerdwang is native to the Island, while Ms. Butterflake moved here from the Shield Arm nearly 30 years ago. "We, my family I mean, had a salt mine and a sales office here. What with the plague it just wasn't practical or safe to travel a lot, so to keep a hand on the business, I emigrated. It was an adjustment at first, but I'm made some fine friends." She pats the Gnome on the hand. A soup course comes out. It is a delicate vegetable broth with perhaps a little veal as well. In it are three different varieties of mushroom neatly sliced. The leaves of a couple of different fresh herbs season the soup very mildly to allow the mushroom flavors to dominate. Grond looks dubiously at it, but his eyes light up upon tasting it. The halfling stops speaking and seems to be utterly focused on her enjoyment of the soup. Glimmerdwang is also quiet, not wanting to interrupt his friend's enjoyment and eating heartily as well. Soon the little crock is empty and Ms. Butterflake lets the spoon fall into the bowl with a clatter. "Oh that Marque just gets better and better. He's lucky I'm not in the market for a husband." The normally taciturn Grond surprises Michael by commenting. "That was...different. I never thought much about food, but that soup...It was, I don't really have the words. It had levels, layers. In my experience a given food just has one taste, but that was special, somehow it had different tastes all in the same bite." Michael does note that it was quite expertly prepared. Clearly this fellow knows his way around the kitchen. Perhaps Michael even feels a twinge of disloyal guilt. As much as he has enjoyed Gumbar's excellent cooking, this is on a different level.

 

[J. Alexander]

Dinner

Michael will continue with the polite conversation and with the disloyal thought to Grumbar gringe at the thought of what this meal will cost. Michael will keep the conversationl ight and flowing durning the meal and will wait for the lady to bring up the subject of business.

 

[Scotley]

Glimmerdwang and Ms. Butterflake are content to make small talk. It soon becomes clear that she owns a large supply house here on the island that is part of an Empire wide supplier of foodstuffs, mostly non-perishables or items with a very long shelf life like dried herbs. Mining, Farming and Shipping is all part of the her umbrella. A fish course of three small items on a long thin plate that starts with a palate-cleansing stack of triangular herbed flat-breads, then a salad of raw crab, lime juice and finely chopped onion and tomato on a little chopped cabbage, and ending with a small grilled filet of whitefish stuffed with fennel arrives with a bottle of chilled Riesling. Michael is thinking, did we order that? How much is that gonna cost. Ms. Butterflake begins eagerly spooning the salad onto a flat-bread while Glimmerdwang pours the wine and holds his glass up to the light to examine the color then inhales deeply before taking a sip of the wine and swirling it in his mouth before swallowing. "Ah, a fine Gnomish vintage, mothers milk to me." Taking a slug of the wine and looking dubiously as the little items on the plate Grond nods, "Good wine alright." He stuggles to pick up a flat-bread without smashing it between his big sausagelike-fingers.

 

[J. Alexander]

Dinner

Realizing that this is proably his best chance to make a reasonable profit and free up some long needed capatial so as to be able to take advantange of other opportunities...Michael will make a decsion to sell all that he can to her at a reasonalbe profit....the freeing up of captial being more important than huge profits if it comes to that...so he will contiune to make small talk comment on the food and wait till the conservation turns to business.

OCC; Has someone been watching the food network recently

 

[Scotley]

OCC; Has someone been watching the food network recently

OOC: Mostlikely. I really just wanted to set the stage for how important the Halfling is on the local food scene. Did you get a new toy yet?

 

[Scotley]

A quick succession of 3 vegetable courses, one fried, one grilled and one baked in sauce are next. Somewhat unexpectedly, they are served with a pilsner rather than a wine. Then the main courses you ordered come next. The lamb is perfectly cooked and the sauce rice and complex. Grond is very pleased with the massive medallions of beef tenderloin that are placed before him. Ms. Butterflake's portions are much smaller, but she is no less pleased. Glimmerdwang takes obvious satisfaction in fish as well. The wine pairings all seem to work well and Michael finds he goes through most of his bottle by himself. A salad course is next. It has a little dressing made with champagne vinegar and some citrus juice as well as oil and fresh herbs. Next a cheese course with with three cordial sized glasses, two of wine including a port and a saturne as well as a lager is presented next. As she starts on this course, Ms. Butterflake finally comes up for air. "Ah, may I change what I said earlier about a husband. I think I'm in love." She returns to the list picking it up as if she had forgotten it was at her elbow all the time. Between nibbles of cheese and sips from the small glasses she places her spectacles back on her nose and comments, "No, you'll have to do better on the larger quantities. If I'm going to be buying tons salt and pepper you're going to have to give me a good volume discount. I can get ginger and cinnamon cheaper than that with ease. Of course you are selling the lavender a little short. Bad crop this year, I've had to pay more than usual." Finishing the lager along with a cube of sharp cheddar she says, "So Captain, how bad do you want to sell the salt, pepper, peppercorns ginger and cinnimon. If you can make me a better deal there, I'll buy the rest at your asking prices." Glimmerdwang is grinning from ear to ear, Michael can't tell if it is the wine the Gnome has consumed or amusement at the lady's aggressive deal-making. Grond is quiet now, perhaps dulled by the wine and massive consumption of red meat.