February 16th: Ritholme, Mining & Lumber

Zeiss laughs to what Rory just said.

"Yeah, let's convince them to do shady arrangements with us. Well, I am going."

He walks toward the Mayor's office, with Fierneceal and Caladrius.

Spoiler:

"Wait up!" Snarg bounds after them.

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"personal ied say we hold off on seeing the Mayor or anyone elce till we have watched how the town is operating?"

Tabran stops Zeiss in his movement.

"We already know how it is operating. More or less, it is true. But we know the people of Ritholme work like they did before, but for someone else that don't want Holtburg to profit from their work. We just need to convince them we have a better partnership to offer them."

"so why not wait till night and see if anything happens then also you can maybe have a poke around in places that may turn up info we dont have now?"

"Fine, fine. We'll do it your way. Maybe something useful will come out of it. After all, no one is attacking the town right now..."

He looks around.

"Let's get a room at the inn."

"you dont have to wait but we arnt been pressed for time its an option but you can do what you see best"

"Well, I plan to go see the Mayor before his office closes. If anyone wants to be with me when I do, except Fierneceal and Caladrius, meet me in three hours there. During that time..."

He starts walking away from them.

"...I am going to poke around."

Spoiler:

Zeiss:
You spent the entire three hours perusing the entire city and find that no particular location is being avoided more or less then any other.

Rory spends time looking around for something a poor man can do for three hours before meeting up with Zeiss, Fierneceal and Caladrius.

"Er, alright." Snarg bounds off towards a random direction in the town.

Spoiler:

Rory:
You find a rather large building that looks a lot like a tavern or an inn, but upon entrance you find there is no alcohol for sale here, but plenty of varieties of cheap, home-cooked food, and dozens of card tables set up. There are dozens of poker games going on of various types; Holtburg Hold'em, Five-Card Stud, Five-Card Draw, Seven-Card Stud, and so on. There are tables for people betting in the copper range and silver range, but none for the gold range, as that would be insane for a city like this.

Snarg:
The town is mostly log and lumber built, very little stone or metal here, giving it a rustic feel. You actually spot several Gnolls here or there, along with a few Kobolds, Goblins, and the like. Most of them work the lumber yards or the mines, but are friendly sorts.

After he finishes exploring the town for any suspicious places, Zeiss goes to the Mayor's office. He meet some of the others of his group there.

"Okay, let's go."

He enters the building.

Baronet's Office:
The building has no receptionist to speak of, and is a rather simple and humble affair, with two offices adjacent the antechamber. One reads "Baronet Holt", the other reads "Guardian Cogspin of Fullthrottle".

"Hmm..."

Spoiler:

"Oh, fancy." Snarg looks around the office.

Spoiler:

A Guardian is a person or people, usually retired soldiers or adventurers, who keep a given town or city safe from random monsters, beasts, and other small-scale harm that usually slips through the cracks of military deployment. Most towns or cities have a Guardian at some point or another, and they are paid by the town directly or by its people, depending on the arrangement, which can be a strict salary or a 'paid by monster / beast kills' if the area is particularly dangerous.

Zeiss goes to the Baronet's office and knocks on its door.

"Sir? May I enter?"

There's a plain voice that returns in Common. "Uh certainly, enter."

Snarg shrugs at Zeiss and offers the door for him.

Zeiss enter the room with a professional smile.

"Thank you Snarg. Oh, pleased to meet you Sir. My name is Zeiss of Wintersong."

He bows in respect.

The Baronet is an elderly looking Fairy gentleman, his wings having grown silver in his old age. He is currently lounging back, feet up on his desk, with a book in his hand. He looks up at the party and gives a brief, polite smile. "Holt, Baronet of Ritholme, at your service."

"It is nice to meet you. We came to your office to discuss the matter of the lack of shipments going to Holtburg."

Zeiss observes the fairy's reaction to what he just said.

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"Well, I'm not aware of any of that," Holt admits with a smile. "Not really my business, keeping track of what the companies and traders do with their time. I just keep the city running. Now, if you have a concern about something related to city business, I'm yer Fairy!"

"Good to hear. It seems we came to the right place. Tell me Sir, could you explain why the residents of your town refuse to talk about the lack of shipments going to Holtburg?"

Zeiss still ask his questions politely. And looks if his office seems to have been used a lot.

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