tarlyn wrote:ewancummins wrote:5th DAY OF THE MONTH (THE NEXT MORNING)
TORTHUR
Having spent the night resting after getting Lora situated at the tavern, Torthur now tramps into Riverside to see his fellow dwarf, Atli.
He finds the moneylender muching rock candy in his office, reading a ledger.
Atli grins as Torthur comes into the small, dim room.
“Good job with the barge.”
He stares at Torthur a moment, golden eyes flickering in the low light.
Switching to the guttural Dwarf-speech, Atli asks,
“Something rusting your spade, cousin?”
Torthur nods, replying in dwarf tongue as well. "Yeah, somethin grinds me gears, Atli. As yer well knowin, we were successful, n now Roald has he a barge. On tha barge, I finded a las, human. In a barrel of all tha places. She been there fer days I suspectin. She hid there from Duke Carlion's brother. DUnno 'is name. APparently he liked ter beat the lass, n good. I hear stuff, sometimes. About slavers.
You shoulda seen this woman. She was in a bad state, name of Lora. Now she is workin at the tavern an I been seein only red acuz o this Duke's brother. Treatin a woman like that, ain't right. I got it in me head ter teach him a lesson he won't forget. At tha same time I kin git imprtant infermation bout Duke Carlion."
He looks at Atli. "I be meanin ta go into, Lofton and teach this Duke's brother a lesson. I am seein yer fer this reason. I needs a few things an I figger yer the one ter see. I got me cut from the barge an the other time to pay fer it. This is what I am hopin yer kin do fer me or help me with."
He stretches. "I need to git into Lofton unnoticed. With Clyde. I want a map o Lofton, someone there ter get me around an help me. A secretive type, one you trust. A plan o Duke's castle, an his brothers itinerary and where he lives in tha castle. Some kinna equipment ter climb would be good. I also wants the guard positions an when they change. This is some serious idea I got. I figger like I done said, I kin also git some infermation at tha same time an bring it back alive if'n I make it back out alive which I plans ter do. I only askin yer one favor. Keep yer eyes out fer tha tavern while I be gone. I kinna grown ter be likin the place. I invested some a me gold in it fer me ale makin an helpin out. I figger with Mons Megs gone, someone needs ter take care o tha place. Lora gonna be good there I think, she just needed a chance from someone."
Atli discusses the tavern business first; offering a drink to his fellow dwarf while he does some calculations summons and dismisses hirelings, etc.
“I think we can make a go of your newly acquired tavern. I’ll be happy to invest in it with you and Meg’s heir. He’s just a small manling, isn’t he? You’ll be the one really running the operation.”
Once the ordinary sort of business has been taken care of, Atli receives a middling size man almost as dark-skinned as Atli, with short curly hair and aquiline features. The stranger (strange to Torthur, at any rate) wears a long navy blue cloak with a lyrepipe hood. He bows before Atli.
‘‘Master Atli, how may I serve?”
Atli replies, “Petrus, I want you to get my friend here into Lofton, unrecognized.”
The dark man laughs. “That’s too easy.”
Atli laughs. “With his bear.”
The dark man frowns. “A bear? Well…hmmm…” He laughs. “I have an idea!”
…
TAXIDERMIST SHOP
The taxidermist repeats his estimate.
“Can’t have it done before the end of the next week at the very soonest, and that’s dropping my other work, which will cost you extra. But yeah, I can do it….”
He measures Torthur again.
“You are going make a cute baby bear. This is for a stage play, you said?”
…
ATLI’S OFFICE A LITTLE LATER
“I got sketches for maps, a man asking after the target’s habits, some rope and spikes and such for you. You can pay me later. “
Atli jots down charges in his ledger.
