[LPF]A Merchant in Need of Assistance

[sunshadow21]

OOC: You have Eldrick's attention, so further diplomacy rolls are unnecessary for now. It's all down to what to say and how you say it. Good thing for you, given your rolls thus far. Also, for clarification, Roondar was traveling on the main road you traveled on to get out here, not this old trade route.

"Hmm, not sure what you can do to help unless you can convince the council in charge of this area to actually care about more than their private estates. As to your merchant friend, I'm not sure there is much I can do; not many merchants travel this road. Some locals were saying yesterday one actually turned off the main road yesterday, but I didn't catch any details; the conversaton died pretty quickly as most conversations of that nature do. People may be hopeful, but few are willing to engage in largely useless banter that just raises hopes pointlessly."

 

[galahad0430]

Gregori quietly asks Eldrick , "Why is that dam a problem? And who is preventing you from removing it? Now that my brother has taken over the family business, Savi Furs, he is looking for new sources (all true). He has sent me out to try and open new areas (not exactly a lie, but not exactly true either ). So, I might be in a position to help."

OOC: What my brother actually said was "Father may have indulged your useless hobby of fencing, but unless you actually provide some benefit to the company, I will not! So go make yourself useful or leave me be!"

 

[sunshadow21]

"The dam itself is not a problem as much as the estate owners who insist that it not be touched so their drivers have a landmark to identify this road from every other one that branches off the main route. Apparently it's too hard to look for a big building standing less than 100 yards away from the route. It's just another example of the arrogance and blatant disregard for anything or anyone on this road other than their precious estates and getting to them as quickly as possible. I can guarantee that if I left that bridge unrepaired, I would have the authorities breathing down my neck for not doing their job for them. If you're in the fur trade, there is certainly plenty of potential up north. Most of the merchants I know of that still travel the road deal with either fur or lumber." As Eldrick talks, the door opens and a clearly local man walks in, sitting down an empty table. "If you want to get information on the wagon from yesterday, and convince the locals you aren't just another morbidly curious traveler, Manny there is one of the folks who saw it go by, and could use the help of a free meal, though he ain't going to say so out loud. I would stay away from any topic other than your fur company though; too many people around here jump at even the slightest hint of city arrogance."

 

[Vistarius]

Git git listens but says nothing. He offers nods where appropriate and allows gregori to take the.knowledge of his fur trading to the man who dislikes city arrogance. Unlike cethayn, git git was a clever and verbous speaker and was likely to meet the ire of any who disliked the well educated.
"so, the aristocracy here basically expects alot but provide nothing. Perhaps i should have a bit of a talk with one of them. Does the one primarily responsible for the dam and such have a name?"

 

[sunshadow21]

"The road and its surrounding area is supposed to be managed by a local council; only the current "local" council consists of rich nobles and merchants who only care about their own private estates, and if a crisis comes up, they expect those on the ground, like myself to take care of it so they don't have to. Their "meetings" usually revolve around a hunting trip on someone's private hunting grounds; it's shameful really, but nobody is willing to do anything about it. It might actually help if they expected a lot; as least then, people would have something to focus on. As it is, they simply don't care, except when they are directly impacted." Eldrick alternates between sad, angry, and just plain tired while discussing the local lords and their destructive apathy.

 

[Mahorfeus]

Alone at his table, Bozzago listened carefully to the conversations his allies were having with the people in the inn, which had cleared out a bit since the news of the destroyed bridge spread. He picked up a few tidbits of information that seemed relevant to Roondar's plight, though it was by no means definite. Being no good at socialization, decided to let his allies handle it for the time being. Now dry, though still caked with some mud, Bozzago stood up, heading towards the door.

"I'm gonna take a look outside..." he said to the others as he did so, if they happened to hear him. Leaving the inn he would stand outside looking towards where the bridge had collapsed. At least now he could get a breath of fresh air.

 

[galahad0430]

Gregori approaches Manny's table and gets his attention.

"The barkeep said that you might be able to help me. I am looking to open new areas for sources for my family's fur business. I am both interested in trappers and in using this route for transport. I am given to understand that you saw another merchant pass by yesterday. If you could come share a meal with my companions and me at our table, we would be very interested in any information you have."

Gregori attempts his best "innocent merchant" face

 

[sunshadow21]

When Bozzago steps outside, he sees a patio where he can sit down and watch the bridge; there is a couple of folks currently removing any remaining rotten boards as Shortbottom supervises. Assessing the damage on the dam, it looks like you knocked away about one fourth of it way on the portions over the water.

Gregori, Manny looks you over quietly for about a minute, and joins you. "I don't suppose it could hurt to talk a bit, just try to keep the volume down so it doesn't start an argument. Some people here seem to dislike optimism and dismiss it as foolish hopefulness, but my pappy raised me better than that. While I am not going to let my optimism run out of control, I am a firm believer that good things can happen if one is just patient enough." Manny carries out some light conversation about the area as he digs into his meal for a few minutes before pushing back.
"As for the fur business, you're talking to the right man; my old man was the best trapper this section of the road, and while I have focused on farming, my brothers continue the family tradition. This cloak was made from the last furs my pappy brought in and given to me on my 16th birthday. As you can see, despite the years, it still holds up, and promises to last long enough for me to give to my kid on his 16th birthday." As you examine the cloak proudly displayed, it is indeed a well made cloak that has survived the passage of time quite well. "My brothers would be more than happy to find out whatever I can about arranging some kind of deal with your family; they have been seeking ways to encourage their children to continue the tradition, and this will be a good opportunity to further their cause." Manny talks about his brothers and his family traditions with a noticable excitement in his eyes that is all the more noticable given the number of people who have lost it.
"As for the road and the merchant, I can't really tell you what lies up ahead. The merchant has stopped at the ruins of the old Johnson manor house. He should be easy to spot; the name on the side said something about Eastgate. Perhaps he can tell you more, he was certainly moving as if he knew what he was doing. He seems to be waiting for somebody or something. I'll tell you what I do know though, the road travels north, northeast a bit until you come to a port city that serves as a stopping point on the sea route between Venza and the Great Delta. From there it meanders east until you come to the hills and some mines that are probably filled with all sorts of nasty creatures by now that used to produce some good quality silver. Some fur trappers and loggers still travel the road, but otherwise it's mostly used by the estate owners to and from their country retreats. Magnificent food as always Eldrick; this area was blessed the day you and your wife bought took this place over." Over the course of the next half hour, Manny will give further details on his family's history with fur trapping, the local area (he's able to give you a good description of the place the "merchant" is staying, that you now know to be the bandits you are seeking, and whatever subject happens to cross his mind. He finally gets up, thanks you for the meal, and returns to his farm chores, eager to share with his brothers the new business opportunity he has discovered.

OOC: It is now roughly 1:30ish in the afternoon.

 

[sunshadow21]

OOC: What you learned from Manny, just to break up the text a bit: The bandits are stopped at the old manor house of what was once the major landowning family of the area, but the current heir has been slowly selling off the land to feed his vagrant and drunken lifestyle elsewhere on the continent; he apparently left before his old man died, and only returned long enough to see his father's dead body put into the ground and out of his way, letting his lawyers handle the handful of land sell offs that have occurred since than. You get the impression this man likes his family's money, but could do without its reputation of being the road's guardian and keeper, at least for this part of it. The manor is about another 3 hours up the road on foot, and currently consists of a lot of rubble and an intact stable that serves as a resting point occasionally for the rare traveler. The land slowly rises as it moves away from the sea, and you are going to find a mix of forest, farmland, abandoned farmland now turned into wild meadows, and the occasional private lane leading off to some rich person's hidden retreat. Beyond that you exchanged information about the fur business, and learned a little bit of the roads history and other odds and ends about the locals and their lives. While rough on the surface, it doesn't seem like it would take much to kick start the stalled out economy. All in all, while it took longer than you would have liked, you were successful in getting the information you needed.

[sblock=Rewards & Costs]
Experience -
The Broken Log and it's inhabitants CR 1: 400XP / 4 players = 100 xp each, GP spent - Cethyn 1 platinum, Git Git 2 gold[/sblock]

 

[sunshadow21]

I will get the next area up later today; go ahead and take your time finishing up any rping you feel like doing at the tavern.