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Loudman is quite an odd town. On one hand it's a proper town, but quite small (except for several large inns), and on the other hand there is a large series of light-fenced enclosures where I'd have expected farmland to be. The enclosures are bustling with traders and their large carts, there is even overspill beyond the enclosures to the south. It looks like the place is packed full of people, but it isn't. All the carts and all the goods being transported make it appear as though there are more people here than there are.
Of course, it was dusk when we arrived last night, and none of this could easily be seen. We did check-into an inn immediately upon our arrival, of course, and we cannot see any of the enclosures from the inn.
We'll be having a wander round this area today, but we really want to talk to incoming caravans. It's hard to predict if any will be here - but it's been a few days since any came up the wilderness trail, so we might be in luck in the next day or so. If we can't find anyone arriving soon, we'll just set off and speak to some of the locals in the area of South Caldonacia. I've already talked to a few of the traders in our inn, but that's drawn a blank. We need to try and locate where the bandits are hiding out.
Wednesday, 14 December 2011
Monday, 12 December 2011
The Road to Loudman is Extremely Busy
I seem to have mastered riding this horse. As we're not trying to hurry to Loudman, controlling it is much easier. It generally follows the others, and if I need to adjust its route only gentle persuasion is needed. If we end up in a chase, though, I'll probably go to pieces. But half a day in the saddle has left me feeling much happier with my level of control. The ache in my backside and legs had all but gone my late yesterday afternoon. But only an hour or so into our journey this morning saw the pain return again. It doesn't seem as bad after this morning's ride - but there's plenty of time yet.
We've stopped for a break in the riding, and I tried to slip my legs back into their normal position. This is not so easy as everything has become quite stiff. I managed to sit down, though, while we ate some of the fresh food. We brought some excellent pie with us for our early journey rations - made with chicken and mushrooms. This wouldn't keep well for the long journey beyond Loudman, but this is so tasty that I don't think there is any risk of it making it past the end of today.
The freight along this road is quite heavy, it's busier here with trader's carts than I've seen it anywhere else in Caldonacia. This volume of traffic would make it difficult to press on past all the people if we'd wanted to do that. So we took it easy and just kept up with the others. This did have the advantage of giving us the chance to talk to some of the traders and cart owners, though.
For some traders this is an annual trip, once per year selling on a large order, while for others it is a monthly or even weekly expedition. There is a bewildering variety of trade goods - farming and industrial equipment, pottery and gilded or brass items are popular, as are the Caldonacian specialities - apple cider (and it's pear-based equal, perry) and a fire spirit they called whiskey.
I was intrigued by the whiskey they were bringing. I managed to scrounge a taste of this locally produced drink, as we have a similarly named spirit in the delves. Ours is nothing like this, though. Hznaman whiskey comes largely from the northern coastline of Caldonacia, and from across on the water on the island of Tenagria, of which only the southern half is populated they said. These are spirits of exceptional quality, and it seems they can fetch a high price in the south. I managed to negotiate a deal for three bottles of the stuff, I have no idea of ten Gold Crowns is a lot for each bottle, but it matters little. I'm quite surprised that the Hznaman don't export this stuff to Gora - it'd fetch a high price there too.
We've stopped for a break in the riding, and I tried to slip my legs back into their normal position. This is not so easy as everything has become quite stiff. I managed to sit down, though, while we ate some of the fresh food. We brought some excellent pie with us for our early journey rations - made with chicken and mushrooms. This wouldn't keep well for the long journey beyond Loudman, but this is so tasty that I don't think there is any risk of it making it past the end of today.
The freight along this road is quite heavy, it's busier here with trader's carts than I've seen it anywhere else in Caldonacia. This volume of traffic would make it difficult to press on past all the people if we'd wanted to do that. So we took it easy and just kept up with the others. This did have the advantage of giving us the chance to talk to some of the traders and cart owners, though.
For some traders this is an annual trip, once per year selling on a large order, while for others it is a monthly or even weekly expedition. There is a bewildering variety of trade goods - farming and industrial equipment, pottery and gilded or brass items are popular, as are the Caldonacian specialities - apple cider (and it's pear-based equal, perry) and a fire spirit they called whiskey.
I was intrigued by the whiskey they were bringing. I managed to scrounge a taste of this locally produced drink, as we have a similarly named spirit in the delves. Ours is nothing like this, though. Hznaman whiskey comes largely from the northern coastline of Caldonacia, and from across on the water on the island of Tenagria, of which only the southern half is populated they said. These are spirits of exceptional quality, and it seems they can fetch a high price in the south. I managed to negotiate a deal for three bottles of the stuff, I have no idea of ten Gold Crowns is a lot for each bottle, but it matters little. I'm quite surprised that the Hznaman don't export this stuff to Gora - it'd fetch a high price there too.
Sunday, 11 December 2011
A Little Light Shopping
We had a good talk about what these bandits could mean as we ate breakfast this morning. Daran was perhaps the most reserved about the job - and even he was keen to get started. They warned me that that fighting other Hznaman and possibly Dzarraf was nothing like fighting Gurgam. These could prove to be quite a tough enemy. Anyone who has been raiding defended settlements will be experienced, well trained and well equipped warriors. And if they've been carrying out raids on merchant caravans, then they'll be an even more formidable enemy.
Loudman, where we're headed, is the southern-most town of this northern country. Since the warring ended and one King emerged over all these Hznaman lands, trade has flourished, and huge caravans packed with trade goods pass from here in the north to the south, and back again, almost weekly. These caravans have traditionally assembled around Loudman, but the growth in population further to the south has meant that some traders are joining caravans later. It could be these smaller transports that are being targeted by the bandits - I really hope so because, from what I've learned in the last day, you'd need a small army to attack one of the big caravans.
We've been out around the city doing a bit of shopping. It was important to ensure we had enough lamp oil and trail rations for the journey. The others have been renewing bits of their equipment, but my kit is brand new. Instead of that, I've returned to the inn, I intend to spent an hour or with the stable-boys here, learning about how to look after these horses. I might need that knowledge during the journey we're going to be undertaking.
Loudman, where we're headed, is the southern-most town of this northern country. Since the warring ended and one King emerged over all these Hznaman lands, trade has flourished, and huge caravans packed with trade goods pass from here in the north to the south, and back again, almost weekly. These caravans have traditionally assembled around Loudman, but the growth in population further to the south has meant that some traders are joining caravans later. It could be these smaller transports that are being targeted by the bandits - I really hope so because, from what I've learned in the last day, you'd need a small army to attack one of the big caravans.
We've been out around the city doing a bit of shopping. It was important to ensure we had enough lamp oil and trail rations for the journey. The others have been renewing bits of their equipment, but my kit is brand new. Instead of that, I've returned to the inn, I intend to spent an hour or with the stable-boys here, learning about how to look after these horses. I might need that knowledge during the journey we're going to be undertaking.
Saturday, 10 December 2011
We Talked with Murtlley
Ennan Murtley is a quietly spoken, meek man who seems to be in complete control of the matters he's been handed. His works for the Viscount of Fornan Bay, Donal Albury, who has been working with the Earl for several years now to support the growth of population that has been expanding southwards.
I was given a quick run-down of the history by Murtley when he realised I was so new in this land I knew absolutely nothing of the history of the Hznaman here. Hundreds of years ago this land went to war against the kingdoms of the south. More than once, as it happened, but the result of the fighting, which this land (Caldonacia) did badly. The end result was a contraction of the population of Caldonacia, and an abandoning of the southern lands where the fighting was pretty heavy. But it's been many years since the wars, and people have recovered in numbers somewhat.
Over the last generation, though, there have been a slow return to the lands that were known as Southern Caldonacia. One of the things the Earl of Rhandan has been dealing with is the extension of the King's protection to this area, and he's been taking it easy as it involves both the imposition of law and order, and the imposition of taxation. It all gets a bit political from this point, and I must admit I didn't perhaps pay as much attention as I could have as it was a bit dull, but the bottom line appears to be that the arrival of the Kings Guard was resisted before, until the lawlessness became a real issue. I think he said that the larger settlements are desperate for protection, but the smaller places are still very happy slipping under the government radar.
The immediate problem that has developed is that some of the smaller settlements have suddenly become a target for bandits. In one region, south and west of Loudman, there has been a marked increase in the number of refugees arriving at Loudman. The Viscounts of Sparren Marsh and Fornan Bay have been asked to pick the matter up - the correct solution is to send in the Kings Guard, which is a solution that will be in progress when the go-ahead from Carlow (the capital of Caldonacia) is received. In the meantime, the Viscount and the Earl have been considering hiring in mercenary help to sort these bandits out.
Of course, the details of even this plan haven't been agreed yet - but Murtley was quite candid with us - it would do no harm for a group of free-spirited mercenaries to go to this region deal with any banditry and take their reward from the stash built up by the bandits themselves. I'm pretty sure Elenhugh's eyes lit up in gold at this point. We asked for a simple map showing where the bandit raids have been happening, a list of the settlements that have been raided recently, and for any pertinent information about the bandits themselves. Murtley handed over a couple of scrolls.
Later, after we'd retired to the common room in our inn, I wanted to know why Elenhugh was so keen to take on a mission like this with very little information. He told me that the region of land to the south of Loudman was a gathering point for overland caravans that were headed south to Hebria. This place was well guarded, and there was safety in numbers - but once the caravans leave their is much less protection. The guys we bumped into a day or so ago mentioned that there had been some caravans attacked. He was surprised that I, as an investigator, didn't pick up on this. I had - I recalled it quite plainly - but I didn't understand what they had meant by the term 'caravan' in relation to this land south of Loudman.
Anyway, it looks like these bandits could be well off. And they're probably well hidden. We could do very well, financially, by finding out where some of them live and where they keep their treasure and helping the locals to deal with both of these matters. We need to spend tomorrow preparing for this journey - this is the last city we'll be in before we go to Loudman, and we might not be able to get all we need once we're there.
I was given a quick run-down of the history by Murtley when he realised I was so new in this land I knew absolutely nothing of the history of the Hznaman here. Hundreds of years ago this land went to war against the kingdoms of the south. More than once, as it happened, but the result of the fighting, which this land (Caldonacia) did badly. The end result was a contraction of the population of Caldonacia, and an abandoning of the southern lands where the fighting was pretty heavy. But it's been many years since the wars, and people have recovered in numbers somewhat.
Over the last generation, though, there have been a slow return to the lands that were known as Southern Caldonacia. One of the things the Earl of Rhandan has been dealing with is the extension of the King's protection to this area, and he's been taking it easy as it involves both the imposition of law and order, and the imposition of taxation. It all gets a bit political from this point, and I must admit I didn't perhaps pay as much attention as I could have as it was a bit dull, but the bottom line appears to be that the arrival of the Kings Guard was resisted before, until the lawlessness became a real issue. I think he said that the larger settlements are desperate for protection, but the smaller places are still very happy slipping under the government radar.
The immediate problem that has developed is that some of the smaller settlements have suddenly become a target for bandits. In one region, south and west of Loudman, there has been a marked increase in the number of refugees arriving at Loudman. The Viscounts of Sparren Marsh and Fornan Bay have been asked to pick the matter up - the correct solution is to send in the Kings Guard, which is a solution that will be in progress when the go-ahead from Carlow (the capital of Caldonacia) is received. In the meantime, the Viscount and the Earl have been considering hiring in mercenary help to sort these bandits out.
Of course, the details of even this plan haven't been agreed yet - but Murtley was quite candid with us - it would do no harm for a group of free-spirited mercenaries to go to this region deal with any banditry and take their reward from the stash built up by the bandits themselves. I'm pretty sure Elenhugh's eyes lit up in gold at this point. We asked for a simple map showing where the bandit raids have been happening, a list of the settlements that have been raided recently, and for any pertinent information about the bandits themselves. Murtley handed over a couple of scrolls.
Later, after we'd retired to the common room in our inn, I wanted to know why Elenhugh was so keen to take on a mission like this with very little information. He told me that the region of land to the south of Loudman was a gathering point for overland caravans that were headed south to Hebria. This place was well guarded, and there was safety in numbers - but once the caravans leave their is much less protection. The guys we bumped into a day or so ago mentioned that there had been some caravans attacked. He was surprised that I, as an investigator, didn't pick up on this. I had - I recalled it quite plainly - but I didn't understand what they had meant by the term 'caravan' in relation to this land south of Loudman.
Anyway, it looks like these bandits could be well off. And they're probably well hidden. We could do very well, financially, by finding out where some of them live and where they keep their treasure and helping the locals to deal with both of these matters. We need to spend tomorrow preparing for this journey - this is the last city we'll be in before we go to Loudman, and we might not be able to get all we need once we're there.
Fornan Bay is a City
With all the fun we had getting here, I never noticed that I'd arrived in a Hznaman city for the first time. It was dark last night when we rode in through the city gate, and I didn't really see - but this morning, as we went to get breakfast at yet another grill house aimed at the market traders, I finally got a look at the place we are in. The scale is much larger, and there are many stone buildings here, it's quite a contrast to the towns we've been through.
We dropped by the Viscount's office this morning, Elenhugh dropped a note in to his friend Murtley to let him know we're in town, that we've heard of the bandit problem he's been facing, and that we're available to help. The others know little more than that, and I know far less.
We've let him know that we'll be around at lunchtime. We also let him know where we're staying, just in case we would be of no use solving the current problem.
We dropped by the Viscount's office this morning, Elenhugh dropped a note in to his friend Murtley to let him know we're in town, that we've heard of the bandit problem he's been facing, and that we're available to help. The others know little more than that, and I know far less.
We've let him know that we'll be around at lunchtime. We also let him know where we're staying, just in case we would be of no use solving the current problem.
Friday, 9 December 2011
Too Damn Slow No Wonder We're Late
It was truly embarrassing. At first, I'd never been so frightened - I'm sure they gave me the tallest horse just for the fun of it. I'm a little shorter than the Hznaman, as you've probably gathered, but I'm broader set across the shoulders which makes up for the lack of height. But it's completely useless on horseback. They pulled up the straps with the foot rests on them as high as they could and then helped me on board.
I cannot honestly say I was 'riding' the horse. It was more like I was just 'sitting on' it. I tried to steer, I really did, but it wouldn't obey my instructions. Mullory, who was patiently teaching me, pointed out that normally they respond to movement from your legs, but as mine don't reach as far down the horse's flanks as theirs do, I was struggling to get my message across to the animal.
Fortunately, their natural environment is to live in herds, so mine naturally followed the others as we moved out. As the morning passed by, so did the wilderness, but not as quickly as Elenhugh wanted. It took me a while to gather the courage to allow my horse to pick up pace, it reached a canter at one stage, and the wind whistling through my beard was quite alarming. But it wasn't quick enough for the others, who were insisting that we gallop the beasts for stints throughout the day. When I really pushed the speed out the inevitable happened. I fell off. I went over the back of the animal and landed on my back in the mud and dirt of the roadway.
We had to slow down after that. I was making it look like I was a slow learner, but really I was struggling to become comfortable with the speed and control of it. I was just starting to get the knack when we broke for lunch later than normal, as we'd reached the small town mid way between Sparren Marsh and Fornan Bay.
We picked the pace up this afternoon. I was finally getting a bit of speed out of my animal for periods, but we still weren't covering the distance we'd have liked. We did get some galloping done towards evening, but the others were clearly frustrated. We had to stop for an evening break too. We did this as dusk rolled in, and the temperatures dropped. We fed and watered the horses, and took some food ourselves. I had to suffer the indignity of being the butt of the jokes (I'm starting to understand their humour a little, now), and it was all good natured.
We resumed our journey with lanterns and it was soon dark. We'd probably have stopped and camped if we'd been anywhere else, but Elenhugh and Mullory are very familiar with Fornan Bay, and knew exactly where to take us to find lodgings at this time of night. We've hired some rooms at the Woodleigh Inn, which is a quite an up-market place. We don't have a suite as we'd normally choose, but we had to take what rooms were available. They've stabled the horses and they've served some supper, mostly cold meats, bread and some cold meat pie. There's also a couple of flagons of beer, which are very welcome.
We have no chance of visiting Elenhugh's friend at the Viscount's office tonight - we'll be heading there in the morning. But not particularly early - we've had a long day in the saddle, and it has left me quite stiff in some unmentionable places. I hope I'm still capable of moving in the morning.
I cannot honestly say I was 'riding' the horse. It was more like I was just 'sitting on' it. I tried to steer, I really did, but it wouldn't obey my instructions. Mullory, who was patiently teaching me, pointed out that normally they respond to movement from your legs, but as mine don't reach as far down the horse's flanks as theirs do, I was struggling to get my message across to the animal.
Fortunately, their natural environment is to live in herds, so mine naturally followed the others as we moved out. As the morning passed by, so did the wilderness, but not as quickly as Elenhugh wanted. It took me a while to gather the courage to allow my horse to pick up pace, it reached a canter at one stage, and the wind whistling through my beard was quite alarming. But it wasn't quick enough for the others, who were insisting that we gallop the beasts for stints throughout the day. When I really pushed the speed out the inevitable happened. I fell off. I went over the back of the animal and landed on my back in the mud and dirt of the roadway.
We had to slow down after that. I was making it look like I was a slow learner, but really I was struggling to become comfortable with the speed and control of it. I was just starting to get the knack when we broke for lunch later than normal, as we'd reached the small town mid way between Sparren Marsh and Fornan Bay.
We picked the pace up this afternoon. I was finally getting a bit of speed out of my animal for periods, but we still weren't covering the distance we'd have liked. We did get some galloping done towards evening, but the others were clearly frustrated. We had to stop for an evening break too. We did this as dusk rolled in, and the temperatures dropped. We fed and watered the horses, and took some food ourselves. I had to suffer the indignity of being the butt of the jokes (I'm starting to understand their humour a little, now), and it was all good natured.
We resumed our journey with lanterns and it was soon dark. We'd probably have stopped and camped if we'd been anywhere else, but Elenhugh and Mullory are very familiar with Fornan Bay, and knew exactly where to take us to find lodgings at this time of night. We've hired some rooms at the Woodleigh Inn, which is a quite an up-market place. We don't have a suite as we'd normally choose, but we had to take what rooms were available. They've stabled the horses and they've served some supper, mostly cold meats, bread and some cold meat pie. There's also a couple of flagons of beer, which are very welcome.
We have no chance of visiting Elenhugh's friend at the Viscount's office tonight - we'll be heading there in the morning. But not particularly early - we've had a long day in the saddle, and it has left me quite stiff in some unmentionable places. I hope I'm still capable of moving in the morning.
Preparing to Leave, a first Horse Ride
We rose from our beds early - this time of year the sun rises late anyway, but it was still dark when we began our breakfast. Elenhugh is keen for us to make the journey to Fornan Bay in one day - which is possible if we don't take the mule and we go by horse. He's already picked up the smell of money and the chance to sort out a few bandits. The others are keen, but he's really focussed on the income. That's not a bad thing.
Mullory and Kenner went out and bought horses yesterday afternoon, before our visit to the bath house, and we've had those made ready by the friendly staff in the inn. The others seem to have already sold on some of the gear we'd been given as gifts, and the mule has gone too.
I've never ridden on a full size Hznaman horse before, so this will be interesting. We don't have to run the horses all the way to Fornan, which is a good thing as I have much to learn about controlling it. We're leaving in just a few minutes, when we finish eating.
Mullory and Kenner went out and bought horses yesterday afternoon, before our visit to the bath house, and we've had those made ready by the friendly staff in the inn. The others seem to have already sold on some of the gear we'd been given as gifts, and the mule has gone too.
I've never ridden on a full size Hznaman horse before, so this will be interesting. We don't have to run the horses all the way to Fornan, which is a good thing as I have much to learn about controlling it. We're leaving in just a few minutes, when we finish eating.
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