The party had discovered a journal during the first adventure, something they picked up off the dead slaver they came across. At the time it was read and the party was able to make some decisions and guesses out of it. It told the story of the slavers and their recent activities by the view of a slaver mage named Krestal - and detailed from a lackey's POV the job, the party's capture, and specifically the slaver in charge named Thadar.
The same slaver they were going to try and "liberate" from the K'Tharkian's and Kuluk. And then most likely cut his throat afterwards.
No really - they were so totally going to do that. It wasn't a fine moment for the "good" aligned people of the party.
Journal included here as an addon:
Plant 3rd, 174
I don’t need this job. I really don’t. It if wasn’t for the fact that I owe the damned Burghermeister so much damned nobles, I would sit my pasty white ass down on the closest bar stool and drink till I puked.
This latest job came as they usually do, with Thadar all excited and leaping for joy. He was going on and on about the payoff and the easy money and all I knew was I was going to be tramping around the fucking wilderness again for a good fucking month or more. Hope to hell we could hire a damned ranger to come with us because I swear to Frigga and back that Ostal for all his knowledge on handling horses and shit can’t find the fucking ass end of a midden if he had turds on his shoes.
I hate this fucking job. Thank Fenris I can at least beat people.
Plant 5th, 174
Thadar was good to his word and came by with the first payment which had me grinning from ear to ear. Went to the Burghermeister and gave him his piece of the pie; piece of crap looking down his nose at me like he’s too fucking good for me. Dilabrian scum, barely better than a cut throat himself. I’m sure if someone was to dig in his wine cellar they’d find some bodies the portly bastard had buried in there.
I better go visit that miserable drunk at the apothecist and grab what reagents I could. Not much need for spell use, but it doesn’t hurt to be prepared. A few months ago some scumbag bugbears tried to snag our stock and we had to push the buggers back. Nothing reeks as bad as burnt bugbear except for Gumrid’s feet. Filthy bum must stuff his shoes with strips of dead fish.
Thadar informs us that the roustabouts are already gathering the stock which is good – the sooner we leave, the sooner we can be done with this crap.
Plant 8th, 174
Sweet Frigga’s Asscheeks, the stock we have this time is fucking ridiculous. Maybe 25, 30 of the most wild and unbroken pieces of meat you’ve ever seen. I don’t know where they gathered some of them, but frankly I think the roustabouts should have their damned heads examined. Had one frigger get his hands on some dust or sand or whatever; turns out he was a damned mage. Not a tower mage but one of them renegades that bowed knee to Cedric, sucking his boots like a 15 copper common whore. Dropped a good six or eight of the impresser team to sleep but a pair of arrows to his chest ended his spellcasting right and good.
Stuck up twit. What did he think was going to happen?
Had the usual “strip the boys and girls down” and separated them - and wouldn’t you know it – we didn’t get the half dozen wenches. So besides sleeping in the dirt and on rocks and crap, I can’t even get laid.
Some of the stock came from Northedge, Flatrock, even Huntington. We had most of their belongings tossed out and some of the fencers are going to turn the goods into coin in Dragonhole so we can at least see a bit of early profit. Thadar’s got orders that we get a delivery bonus if we beat the time table which suits me just fine. It’s not like we’ve not done the run before.
Can already see myself spending money!
Plant 9th, 174
Well, scratch any chance of extra coin. Cedric’s Dragoons are all over Dilabria like dwarves on a beer soaked harlot. We try to bring these unbroken and unpapered bastards that way and we’re just setting ourselves up for a long drop on a short rope. Things were a lot easier under Delarrin. Damn it.
So we’re going to huff it overland and bypass the watchpoints and king’s men. It means adding days to our trip and that means I get less coin in my pocket.
I took my frustrations out on a couple of the stock until I felt better.
Then I hit them some more because I WAS feeling better.
Hate the job, but at least it’s got perks.
Plant 11th, 174
Florin got knifed today. Some gutless stock got a hold on a camp knife and buried it into Florin’s breadbasket. Set the wolfkins on the piece of crap for doing that. None of the stock spoke up as to where the blade came from or acknowledged it beforehand to warn us. Head impresser wants to make an example of their cuteness so we hobbled the cattle together with anklets and yoked them down as well.
Then we marched their asses south. Hard. Try making 4 miles an hour on 2 feet of chain and your back bowed low you scumbags. Skimped on their rations too. Ostal was a bit unhappy about it but Thadar reminded him that you couldn’t look at the stock as people.
After seven years of doing this shit myself, Frigga knows it’s sometimes hard to do.
Plant 12th, 174
Lost three more today. Damned road is playing havoc on out stock. Thadar told me the promise was 14 and after today’s bullshit we’re cutting it close. Two died from the march (one of them that fucking mage with the double chest sucking arrow holes where his lungs were – hehe), and one more was sandbagging. So Thadar gave him one chance to get up before stapling the duplicitous son of a bitch to the ground with a 4’ shaft through his rib cage.
I don’t think we’ll have any more trouble from the stock since they know we mean business.
Plant 13th, 174
We’re keeping them hungry and walking them hard. No more have dropped off which makes me happy. I think I got a bad case of blueballs. I hope to hell there’s something good for me to screw at F Keep.
Hell, I’d even give thought to schtupping a K’Tharkian whore if her breath wasn’t so damned bad.
Told that joke to Thadar who let drop that the Guild has been skimming down the passage funds to the K’Tharkians. I don’t know, but I think that’s bad business.
Always have to keep the toll collectors happy.
Plant 14th, 174
I hate fucking walking. I hate my fucking job. I think I’m going to go stomp on some fucker’s back now just to make myself feel better.
Plant 15th, 174
Made it to the wagoneers which I know is making Ostal happy as a lark. Team spent the morning beating the shit out of the stock just for fun and then split them into 3 groups. Chained those fuckers to the wagon floor and had some of the boys toss in a couple of arm loads of hay. One of them got cute and tried to pull the chains but Gumrid clocked him with a SBG stick and we cracked the scum’s knee caps for a bit to remind him not to do it again.
Thadar loaded the strong boxes with foodstuffs and clothes, some trade goods, and the strongbox of coins. Other gear was stowed as well. In addition, whatever junk the fences didn’t feel comfortable pawning in Dilabria came with us. With luck we might be able to trade it at F Keep with other Guildmates or if we do encounter the K’Tharkian’s we can foist it off on them.
Ostal got us a pair of oxen which was good for me. Ponies go faster but they ain’t as strong and I’d rather have 2 oxen than 4 ponies. And then we were off. Which works for me, because I was getting tired of walking.
Makes me wonder that if I was tired of walking, how tired were the stock?
Plant 16th, 174
This trip is fucking boring.
Plant 17th, 174
Finally made it to the Dusty Mountains. Been traveling up the old stunty traderoads for the better part of today. They wind a bit but it takes us higher and away from Orihalcus. Not that we need to go there, just happy to have the caravan not make an unnecessary stop where some nosey do gooder might ask to see our paperwork before we have any for this stock.
Smuggling ain’t exactly glamorous work, but you don’t have to be a moron to understand it.
Plant 18th, 174
Fucking raining this morning. I know Thadar is getting pissed off, he’s been grumbling since breakfast. I got a funny feeling he’s going to give Ostal an ass ripping.
No comments:
Post a Comment