Set in Stone
General Summary
Adventure Introduction:
This year's Great Fair already had all the shows and spectacles that particularly interest most of the SNAFU Guild. A significant minority of the merchants are already packing up. They figure that the initial burst of big spending has been done, and -- as far as their specialized areas are concerned, anyway after this it's going to be a lot of the same thing plus politics.
Anyway, it's been raining for a day and a half. It does not look to let up soon. Best get down the road before things start to rot!
A man named John Shire is the spokesperson for one of the caravans. He has a regular route that he travels about four times a year, so he has exchanged friendly nods with the local adventurer guild before.
On odd-numbered years, or in the latter half of an even-numbered year, Shire Merchant Company normally heads north to the Geldar Republic trade city of Morodar. So many merchants head straight there from the Aquitaine Great Fair, however, that Shire's caravan instead heads east, toward Lakefell. He goes south on the Warden Road first, to get around the bulk of Sog's Lake. That gives him a mostly straight shot across wild grasslands, south of Thistletop Keep.
"Here's the problem," John Shire is lamenting: "I can't be taking some of these wagons through the Devil's Platter. I have to use the milder land of the Longgrass Plains . "Most likely, safety on the trade routes is the topic of all that bother. I got a daughter! I can't be having orcs attack my caravan. I'll be fine once I pass Quilton's Rise, but until then?"
The captain of the guard for the Shire Merchant Company, one Lawrence Smith, suggests that John hire the adventurers for security. They'll be more interested, belike, if you tell 'em about Earthshield!
This is an idea that had not occurred to John Shire. He sets out to do exactly that!
Signing On
John Shire came to the Guild House and hired all of Snafu Guild -- but not Darly Quince, who refuses to leave the guildhouse until the weather settles down -- as supplementary security for his caravan. He showed up with a "standard contract" that he uses for this kind of thing. It specified the amount of food per day that his caravan will provide each protector, plus two each of these little woolen disks that a hired guard can put in their socks and they'll keep the guard's feet dry and mud-free. He says they come with a week's worth of charges, and he'll refill them at the end of each week spent working for him and refill them again at Quilton's Rise.
He paid 20 gold to the guild coffer after Lee Chung, Marcos Galvos, Miro Teague, and Zhang Sephia signed up. Mr. Shire will pay each contracted guard 250 silver per day if all goes well, and he'll jump that up to 375 silver for any day where they have to fight attackers.
If the trip goes well, meaning that Shire Merchant Company arrives in Quilton's Rise on-schedule or before AND no danger pay was needed, then he'll pay each of the hired adventurers a bonus 250 silver.
The Road South and East
The convoy traveled for 15 days through mostly rain, which Miro loved; and mud, which Miro did NOT love. Chibi got under one of those covers and did not come out for more than fifteen minutes, the entire trip, because: THIS IS GROSS. Xifeng was a little better about it, willing to occasionally go out for purposes other than hunting dinner, but only in a LIGHT rain. Certainly not in a thunderstorm!
Small Stop on a Long Road
Shire Merchant Company does, indeed, arrive at Quilton's Rise on the sixteenth day after leaving Aquitaine. Quilton's Rise is a small town on the Yayvon Road, which partially circles Plume Lake. The adventurers could not see much of the very large lake when you arrived, due to 1) rain, and 2) dark. The town is surrounded in all directions by fields and open farmland, with the exception of a large expanse of woodland to the northeast, and of course the lake.
Members of the caravan have shared custody of two apartment buildings, where they already have homes awaiting them. Caravanmaster John Shire, content with the service he has received, pays his short-term employees as agreed. He trudges off to oversee the stabling of the company horses.
This is where the truly hinky part of the summer begins for the SNAFU Guild....
Contract signed Xerad 4, 578
Departed Aquitaine Xerad 5, 578
Arrived Quilton's Rise Xerad 20, 578
Confronted Barhvell Tillon Xerad 22, 578
Report Date
27 May 2017
Primary Location
Samakarii priestess Chaliimriia left in the first week of the Great Fair to spend time with Kavi ot'Maninga Sakir Arroweye, who is either her penpal (according to Marcos, who does not gossip about the priestess's personal life) or her sweetheart (according to Darly, who does).
Quilton's Rise is the main setting in Set in Stone, a module created by James Coleman, Timothy Southall, and John Steele, and published by Corvus Lunaris. All right reserved. No infringement is intended or implied.
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