Whirtlestaff's Wizards' Academy Revisited, IC01

[Leif]

Lord Kyle

To Capizzio, Lord Kyle says, "The thing is that I have no interest in receiving these ears, these grisly trophies of which you speak. So why would I pay to receive them? I have made an offer of compensation for the work that I find to be quite generous. If you insist upon removing the ears of the hobgoblins that have occupied the keep, then you are certainly free to do with them as you choose. Perhaps you could find a taxidermist in town who will be willing to buy them from you? I would really rather not issue such an order. My thirst for blood does not equal yours apparently. I would just as soon have the hobgoblins alive, but relocated. What concerns me is that I be placed back in possession of the keep. If you are able to accomplish this goal without actually slaying even one hobgoblin, then that will be perfectly acceptable to me and you will have earned the money that I offered."

But he continues, ""However.....I do not wish to be uncharitable to your counter-offer and your idea. If the group prefers the bounty, then I will pay a bounty of 4 gp for each hobgoblin for which you present proof is no longer troubling me. However, as the Lord here, all such proof is subject to my judgment and my say on the matter is final. The proof is only adequate if I am convinced that it is adequate. And no bounty will be paid for any other creature, yet the keep must be restored to my possession and control. Is that arrangement more to your liking? I must insist that you make your choice now. Which will it be? Do you trust my fairness and judgment for what the job is worth, or do you think that you, knowing nothing of the keep or those who now occupy it, are better able to shrewdly judge the task's worth?"

 

[KerlanRayne]

"OK, hold on here everyone." Kerlan says conciliatorily. He calls attention to himself in order to try and diffuse a possible incident. "Lord Kyle, of course you are correct that we don't know much about the situation. How many Hobgoblins would you say are at the keep? Are there any other creatures there like mounts, animals, or other creatures?"

 

[Leif]

Lord Kyle

"Look. I don't have time to answer all of these questions, even if I happened to know the answers, which I don't. You either want this job, or you don't. If you don't then maybe I can find some other band of adventurers who will do it for me, and maybe I can't. Either way, I'll be no wose off than I was before. But.... ...... I would say that there are probably other creatures present, although I have no specific proof of that."

 

[KerlanRayne]

"Look. I don't have time to answer all of these questions, even if I happened to know the answers, which I don't. You either want this job, or you don't. If you don't then maybe I can find some other band of adventurers who will do it for me, and maybe I can't. Either way, I'll be no wose off than I was before. But.... ...... I would say that there are probably other creatures present, although I have no specific proof of that."

"I'm sorry if we have offended you Lord Kyle. Of course we want the job, we just want to know what we are getting into. Asking us to get rid of a dozen Hobgoblins is a lot different than four dozen. We can't jump into an agreement without a little more detail. Surely you understand that. I hope we have not angered you, and am very sorry if we have."

 

[Maidhc O Casain]

Manny

"Oh, for pity's sake! It's not like we've got anything better to do while on holiday, and 200 gold for each of us amounts to quite a tidy sum. Honestly, if there are 50 Hobgoblins in there for each of us to kill - the number where we make 200 apiece for bounty - I'll be very surprised. And to have space set aside for us in the keep, space we can arrange to our liking for research (or whatever), is icing on the cake. I say we take the man's offer and get on with it!"

 

[Leif]

Lord Kyle

"I honestly cannot tell you the exact number of hobgoblins in the keep, but I would expect it to be somewhat less than the four dozen that you seem to indicate would be a prohibitive number."

And bending down more to Manny's level, he says, "But you forget, Sir, that there are currently two proposals for compensation on the table: my original offer of 200 gp for each of you who participates, and the alternate offer, prompted by your friend's insistance, of a bounty of 4 gp per hobgoblin proven to have been removed from the keep. Before our deal is finalized, I must know which arrangement you are selecting."

 

[Scotley]

Tylara

"As our diminutive friend has made clear, we are unlikely find enough Hobgoblins to make the bounty a profitable option. I say we take the 200 gp."

 

[Maidhc O Casain]

Manny

"I honestly cannot tell you the exact number of hobgoblins in the keep, but I would expect it to be somewhat less than the four dozen that you seem to indicate would be a prohibitive number."

And beding down more to Manny's level, he says, "But you forget, Sir, that there are currently two proposals for compensation on the table: my original offer of 200 gp for each of you who participates, and the alternate offer, prompted by your friend's insistance, of a bounty of 4 gp per hobgoblin proven to have been removed from the keep. Before our deal is finalized, I must know which arrangement you are selecting."

"My apologies for my lack of clarity, Lord Kyle. In the interest of party unity I will abide by the decision of my friends, but my suggestion to them is to accept the 200 gold per person since we would each have to supply proof of slaying 4 dozen Hobgoblins - a total of 300 of the foul creatures - to net the same amount of money."

 

[Leif]

Lord Kyle

"No, no, no, it is I who have been unclear, my Diminutive Arcanist! The bounty is 4 gp for each of you for every hobgoblin for which you present to me proof that it is no longer present in the keep."

 

[Maidhc O Casain]

Manny

"Ah. In that case, I really have no preference. I need money as much as the next Arcanist, but at this point in my career I'm more interested in adding to my practical experience than anything. As I said, I'll abide by the decision of my peers."