"The mine sir in chaos, this lathes are en revolt an' the last mule train if are was tacked by brigands!"

Rolf puts his thumb and forefinger on the bridge of his nose as he lowers his head.  In truth, hearing Bromdaeg's deep voice would be cause for celebration in nearly any other circumstance, but presently, the thick, barely discernible brogue seemed to be one more bit of confusion to add to a raging bonfire of bad news, misinformation, and awful circumstance that seemed to have engulfed him in just the past few moments.

"An new,"  Bromdaeg is shouting at Broskow now, spittle flying far from his thick beard as he stops short several paces, as if he doesn't trust himself to approach any closer.  "Hans says yew bin tech in about geld in the mine!"

Rolf and the others in the caravan had made their way into Three Corners a few days ago and mostly disbanded, although the only months-old town did not really have the infrastructure to spread out just yet.  Though new clay brick buildings were starting to rise and form a town center out on both sides of a single, main road, most of the transient workers and miners were still housed in a large, barracks style building that housed hundreds of beds and a canteen with dozens of cooks working to produce enough food for two meals a day - a breakfast just before the miners went off to work at sunrise, and a supper as the workers returned back at dusk.

Rolf had therefore found himself in transient lodging for the time being, though he had made an appointment with the new governor to discuss the caves and the skulls the caravan had found just a day's ride to the north.

It was there, at that appointment, or rather here at that appointment, that Rolf had been barraged with new information, most of which was not welcome.

Firstly, just before he had entered, he had been told that the governor was none other than Lieutenant Broskow, though it seemed he had shed all ties to the military at this point.  Rolf didn't really dislike the man, yet anyway, though he strongly suspects that having Darran in charge of their missions to find the mines deflected much of the ire that could have been sent in Broskow's direction.  Overall, Rolf had the impression the man was self-important, overconfident, and useless.  Just the sort of person that could be catastrophic in the position of a governorship... especially in a new town that was scraping by for its survival.

Secondly, as Rolf entered the door and met Giles 'J'naeth' Hind, another lieutenant from the fort that he had not had the pleasure of meeting yet, he learned not only that his entrance into the city had been monitored, but that he had already been impressed into a sort of service here as the governor's mage...  with an apprentice no less.  It seemed that Broskow had been informed of his coming and assumed that he would take the position of Three Corners mage...  enough so that he had spread the word and Giles had been sent to assist and to improve on his own magecraft.

Lastly, it seemed quite clear after a few moments conversation, that if he did accept the position (and he hadn't really thought through any other options) that the task would be quite an uphill battle.  As could have been expected, without a real leader at the helm, Three Corners had devolved into a sort of lazy anarchy where the law was written but not enforced, and settlers would do what they felt they could get away with.

And now it seemed, based on Bromdaeg's frothing beard and rage-filled eyes, there was more bad news.

"Does anyone know what he is saying?"  Broskow murmurs, apparently missing the non-verbal cues the dwarf is shooting out like lightening bolts and looking about the room to Giles, Rolf, and Cinar, his executive of sorts.  "I never know what he's saying...  Can't you learn to speak proper Anglish?"

"Something about Gold I expect, sir."  Cinar responds before anyone else can, recoiling slightly from the dwarf.  "He seems to be quite angry though."

"Ah, yes!  Possibly one of my best ideas!  I started the rumor that we had struck gold in the mines!  Greed is a powerful motivator, and workers have been flocking here..."

"Yew slag-headed ass!"  Bromdaeg's words burst out, cutting across whatever else Broskow was about to say.  "Workers may have cam bet new they thin I'm held in out on 'em!  Leaving!  Bet the brigands don't seem to mine stick en around!  Hay get five men miss en with a full lead a cupper!"

"Easy..."  Broskow's eyes narrow.  Though he seems to have difficulty cutting through the dwarf's accent, there can be no missing his hostile attitude at this point.

"Hay kin dell with the miners..."  Bromdaeg starts over again in a slightly calmer voice, though his jaw is still squared forward.  "Bet the brigands need ta be dealt with.  Han our men found if et's possible."

"Well."  Broskow's easy smile returns as he glances over at Rolf.  "Who knew you'd be so well engaged so soon then?  Who better to deal with these pesky brigands than our own mage and his apprentice?"

This is an exclusive thread for Giles and Rolf

OOC:  Ok, welcome back gents and thanks for the patience.  Giles, obviously your side of the story is slightly different.  Major Brashear was told of the mage (Rolf) in the town and attempted to work with your wishes by apprenticing you.  If you two can't manage to cut through Bromdaeg's speech, the gist is that a shipment of copper ore was attacked and the 5 workers seem to have been taken hostage along with the whole wagon load of ore and the mules.  Bromdaeg wants the brigands dealt with as well as his men rescued if at all possible.

Giles looked between the dwarf and Broskow, and then back to Rolf. This was all a new situation and it appeared that his presence had come with its own smattering of storm clouds - or at least he was sure he was able to discern thudner in the Dwarf's voice.

Overall, he was happy with the new position. Initially, he'd been dismayed at Brashear's refusal to accommodate the request Giles made, essentially to leave the fort and have a more wandering role where he could focus on other pursuits but in the end, as was Brashear's style, things had seemed to work out. So now, here he was apprenticed to a mage and essentially helping another place hold off the woes of uncivilised life.

After the words had been spoken Giles interjected with a question, unable to hold back curiosity of the situation. "Is it common for brigands to try and steal copper ores? Isn't ore heavy - and it needs to go somewhere to be smelted? he asked. Giles felt sure he knew the answer was that brigands wanted gold, not copper, but felt maybe it pertinent that this affirmation be aired in a more explicit way.

"At least it seems to me that they'll have trouble hefting a lot of rock and metal any distance in a timely fashion - and indeed they are likely to be selling it in the only nearby place that could make use of it..." he said alluding to the closest city.

"But what do I know about mining and gold" he asked rhetorically with a shrug.


Giles wasn't used to the lack of order or the chaotic nature of this new world had given more laissez-faire approach to life in recent weeks. Indeed things followed a path that was hard to predict and left him wondering on a daily basis what the next day might bring. The ill-ease was further exacerbated by his low opinion of Broskow - a sense that was seeded by Major Brashear and was becoming more apparent by the day. The roughness of dwarves also took some time to fully understand too, especially with their broken Anglish.  Perhaps this was the price of adventure, or at least the cost progress he thought fatalistically.

OOC: Out of the frying pan and into the fire eh!
This message was last edited by the player at 21:10, Sun 29 Aug 2021.

Rolf was disappointed at leaving the skull cave untouched, but it was for the best.  He needed a crew with specific skills and it didn't make sense to investigate them if he would only have had to return later with someone with mining experience.  The climb down is precarious and there's no need to have to do it twice.

After a few days decompressing in town, he had planned on speaking directly with the governor.  About his role and about his find of the new caves, but as he waits his turn, he finds the governor is none other than Lieutenant Broskow!  He groans internally.

It's not that he despises the man but he doesn't like him either.  On their venture to find the copper mine, he found him insolent, annoying and an all around pain in the ass.  But if there is one silver lining, is that he possibly can be manipulated as Rolf thinks he's not too bright.  And he owes Rolf.  The mage hasn't forgotten healing his broken arm, which coincidentally allowed him to skip the fight with the great worm.  He doesn't think Broskow cares about saving face in missing the battle, but perhaps healing his arm could be leveraged in some way.  Maybe.

Rolf's thoughts are interrupted by the mostly incoherent shouting of his former companion Bromdaeg.  Rolf listens to the heated banter back and forth.  He groans audibly this time upon hearing about the false rumor of gold, brigands and hostages.  And Broskow wants Rolf to be the town mage, whatever role that would be, and mentor another fledgling mage.  Something he's never done.

Mr. Erikson wipes his brow as he processes and thinks on what to say.

He notes the newcomer speak up and replies "Well met sir Giles."

"It would seem the highwaymen were after this phantom gold and since they didn't get any, are holding the workers hostage in return for whatever coin they can get." he says stating simplyh.

Addressing Broskow he adds "I agree with Bromdaeg that the situation with the rumor that gold is here is highly dangerous.  It may be bombastic to say, but the very existence of the Three Corners is at risk of collapse."  Pausing for effect he continues, "With every brigand for miles coming here for some quick easy gold, combined with the workers having gathered that there is in fact, no gold here, could spell doom for the entire venture."

"Workers flee while brigands attack.  It's a recipe for disaster."

Leaning forward in his chair Rolf looks directly in Broskow's eye for emphasis.  "If the Duke Bran finds out about what has happened here this could be even bigger trouble.  I'm not sure what he'd do, but I'm sure he'd be less than pleased.  He could ruin a man's career.  Quite easily I would think."

"We need a plan and we need it fast." he says hoping Broskow has some ideas on to mitigate the damage he's caused.

He sits back and contemplates the immediate.  "What to do about the hostages?  The brigands want coin.  If we don't pay and try to fight them, some on both sides will die, likely some of the hostages too, and some brigands will flee and regroup only to continue to harass us later."

"Or pay and hope the exchange goes well.  Though even if it does, they will likely continue to attack us.  And any attempt to convince them we have no gold will not be believed."

Addressing Broskow directly he says "Have they made a demand for what they want for the hostages?"

OOC:  Rolf will leave the notion of being the town mage untouched for now.  He'll wait for a direct offer to see what it entails.  He's also decided holding off on telling Broskow about the skull caves for now.  The less he knows the better.

The man nodded to Rolf's acknowledgement of his presence and returned a friendly greeting - though he was eager to see what might become of their new acquaintance and what magical lessons might be learned, Giles felt it prudent to wait until they were alone.

Giles leaned back in his chair and watched as Rolf laid the seends of doubt for Browskow - there was no direct threat but the suggestion that a Duke of all things should be unhappy and that the venture of this town would ulitmately fail because of his mistakes was an interesting method of dealing with an overzealous fool.

The way it was done seemed to be the kind of thing Giles expected of politicking courtiers  and so seeing it in a place so far removed was a refreshing refocus of the lens, so to speak. His experience thus far had called for more direct promises of force or anger - so he took the time to appreciate his new environment and re-adjust his mindset.

"Yes, perhaps."  Broskow concedes as Rolf suggests the highwaymen were holding hostages in lieu of the heavy load of gold they had hoped to take from the mule train.  "But whatever reasons these criminals have for waylaying our hard-won ore is moot.  The point is that they think they have found an area of Megalos where they can operate aside or even above the law.  Our job is to ensure that they learn quickly that is not the case."

But Rolf does not stop at the insinuation that Broskow may be the one responsible for the current dilemma, instead, he highlights the precariousness of the town and the potential repercussions should Bran become aware.

Broskow's eyes narrow as Rolf continues, his normal self-contentedness replaced with an expression of cool calculation.

He waits for several moments after Rolf is finished, glancing between Giles, Bromdaeg, Cinar, and Rolf.

"I'm afraid you're looking at this quite wrong."  Broskow starts, his voice slow and clear as he returns Rolf's look.  "It is not what to do about the hostages, but what to do about the bandits."

"They have made no attempt at ransom yet as I know, but the difference if they do is of little consequence.  If they do seek a ransom, then we will pay it for the hostages, have them returned, and then kill the bandits.  If they do not seek a ransom, we shall kill the bandits first then rescue our men.  Either way, the most important element is the dead criminals.  I assure you that Duke Bran cares far more for the damage these brigands can do  than in the continued occupation of five men who are as like as not to be captured again if these hooligans are allowed to continue to operate unabated."

"You can lead the expedition Rolf."  Browskow's expression softens somewhat with these words.  "Take Giles with you, and whatever help you can recruit from the town.  Get our men back, but more importantly, make sure that these criminals have learned not to interfere with our shipments.  Surely all new prospects will have their tests, and we shall come through this one undeterred."

"As for the mines,"  He turns to Bromdaeg.  "Take whatever measures you must to get the workers and slaves back into line.  And we'll need to increase the protection on the trains... for the time being at least.  A disruption in production could cause more problems that we don't need."

Rolf listens to Broskow plan on what to do.  He is right, the brigands must be dealt with and Rolf himself has little patience for thieves and less for those that kill to steal.  He'd love nothing more than to talk to the bandits, have them release the hostages and leave.  But he knows that is unlikely to happen.

He is happy to see his words knock a little sense into Broskow.  Playing fast and loose with the truth has put workers and the town itself in a tough spot.  But the mage is glad at least the newly minted mayor has admitted what he did, and more importantly in front of witnesses.  If there ever comes a time he tries to shift blame, Rolf knows there's others that will back up his story.

"Any idea where these brigands are?  And how many there might be?  Certainly there must be more than five that kidnapped the five miners." Rolf asks as his body language suggests he will indeed take the job.

"We'll need men too, and the more the better.  We should overwhelm them with greater numbers."

OOC:  Once the meeting finishes, I want to speak privately with Bromdaeg.  At least out of Broskow's earshot.  Giles is welcome to join.

Taking the job on, Rolf asks the room at large for more information on the bandits, though as Broskow learned of the attack no sooner than Rolf, it is Bromdaeg that ends up fielding the question.

"Ha dun neigh hew many err where."  Bromadaeg says with some resignation.  "We came eh cross where day tick the train...  err uh sand prints all ever.  Eyed guess at least a dozen... bet et sim possible ta tell."  The dwarf shakes his head.  "Ha ken have the men show yew where."

A few more moments pass, though little more of substance seems to come up.  Rolf needs more information, until which point it seems the right answers and even the right questions are out of his grasp.  Bromdaeg too, seems to be eager to get to his own problems.

Broskow seems to take note of the atmosphere and after some short time ushers the others on their way.

"I'll have Cinar work through the details with you.  We have some funds for hiring and supplies, though whatever we have comes from the town's coffers...  Best if you can keep from spending where you can."

Rolf, Giles and Bromdaeg make their way back to the front of the room, and through the door.  Rolf ensures the portal is closed though before he puts a hand on Bromdaeg's shoulder as the two walk side by side.

"Aye?  What else can nigh dew fir ye?"

OOC:  For expediency, all three of you are together as you walk out.