<strong>823.IV.10</strong>(Year 823 on the Imperial Calendar, Fourthmonth, Day 10)  Morning<br/><br/>Glancing out of the blurry leaded glass in the morning shows a sunny day dawning, a pleasant change from yesterday's downpour. Boots and belts and armour are still damp, but most of the clothes hung to dry through the night are fine. Dressed, each of you head downstairs on your own schedule.<br/><br/>The various merchants and traders who shared the inn last night have left already, they would have been up before dawn. A glance out in the yard still shows Lord Grenoille's carriage, the team is not hitched yet, he is clearly not on a tight schedule.<br/><br/>For those saving coin there is a common breakfast. Fresh porridge with bits of sausage and slices of dried pear, a slice of the local crumbly mellow cheese and a clay mug of nettle-tea. For those willing to spend there are fresh eggs and bacon with a dollop of the local savory sauce on the side, dried apple slices, a chunk of the hard off-white salty cheese known as Vleris Pale, and a chunk of bread fresh from the morning oven with a pot of soft butter. Nettle-tea and watered down (but still hot) mulled wine are served to wash it down.<br/><br/>Garamor Hoost, the local representative of the Vleris Merchant's Guild and your patron  in the matter of the wet and empty tower and the bandits that were supposed to be there, stumbles over the door step as he enters the inn. Like many sedentary and wealthy men the hard fitness of his youth brought on by travel started to disappear years ago, and is long gone now. He dyes his hair black to hide the grey, he sports a neatly trimmed mustache and beard, and although the finery he wears is a few seasons out of fashion in Sasserine in this village he presents quite an impressive image.<br/><br/>"Madame Falconer, a flagon of mulled wine to chase the morning chills if you please! And don't stint on the spices!"<br/><br/>Seeing your group he rushes over. One might expect a demand for progress, or any of a dozen other matters, but it is unlikely any of you expected him to drop a pouch that clinks with coin in the centre of the table.<br/><br/>"Ah! Wonderful, wonderful! I see you have all survived." He points to the fat pouch of coin. "I think you will find your remuneration complete, to the copper bit -- but there's no copper there, I might add, no, no, just good unclipped gold!" Judging by the size of the pouch it contains over 100 coin, less than 150.<br/><br/>"You provided quite the, ah, startling example! Certainly! Shocking! I don't think any of the disgruntled locals will be taking up that profession! No! Not at all! Not until that nightmarish spectacle passes!"<br/><br/>He was always a fast talker, but there's something else here this morning.<br/><br/>[ooc]Passive Insight Check:<br/>Milli (9): No insight.<br/>Natasha (10): He's clearly nervous about something.<br/>Perrin (12) and Lily (13): He's very nervous about Lily in particular, which he wasn't when you last met him.[/ooc]<br/><br/>"Madame Lily, let me assure you that the concerns, traders, and partners of the Vleris Merchant's Guild have the, ah, the utmost! Yes, utmost respect. And admiration! Certainly admiration. For nature and all of it's ahhh... ...<span class="bbc_size" style="font-size: 8pt;">wonders</span>." His smile seems tacked on, like a notice affixed to a board. He takes the flagon offered by a server and drinks, slowly tilting it back until the entire contents are gone. He smooths bits of wine out of his mustache with his hand.<br/><br/>