Date: Wed, 17 Feb 1993 09:12:07 EST From: The Dreamer Message-ID: <93048.091207ASG102@psuvm.psu.edu> Newsgroups: alt.pub.dragons-inn Subject: [L&S] Party! (Part 3: Hired Help) Sometime before noon, the main door of the Dragon's Inn opened, letting in the cold, bright winter sun. A man in a blue cloak entered and scanned the thin crowd. Apparently not finding who or what he was looking for, he went to the bar and waited for Littlefair's attention. Soon Littlefair came to him, and after a brief discussion, the barkeep called for his cook. Those watching closely noticed that when the Short Ogre Cook came to the bar, the man in blue stiffened slightly, and his hand dropped to where his sword would be carried. But nothing more than another discussion followed, and the cook went back to his kitchen. Those closest to the bar would have heard the man's deep, full voice, with a trace of foriegn accent and a hint of a speech impediment. Nothing distracting, yet he seemed to slightly drop his n's. (His order sounded like "'ut Brown Ale, a Garda' Burger, a'd a side of fries.") After explaning to the cook exactly what a GardenBurger was, and receiving his pint of Nut Brown from Littlefair, the man went to a small table along the side of the main room and waited for his lunch. Most took no notice of the man eating, but those who did could sense a military barring: ram-rod straight back, efficient, crisp movements, close-cropped hair and neatly trimmed beard (both shot with gray). He was just under 6' tall and had a trim build. Some, perhaps those with a less than perfect past, might guess he was a city guard officer, but the falcon-in-flight insignia on his cloak implied he was not from Generica. None-the- less some conversations were toned down, and Rodney the Fence got up and left. It was now nearly noon. When his dishes were cleared from the table, he ordered another pint of Nut Brown, pushed his chair back, and waited for a man in a BLACK cloak. A dark shadow crossed his face. He looked up at the person who cast it. It was the man in BLACK, a Half-Elf with a golden tint to his skin wearing a cloak that made the night of a new moon look bright. He had a friendly smile on his face and a relaxed manner that intended no threat. With him was a lovely woman with a child in a harness across her chest. She was wearing a gray cloak and otherwise simple clothes. A flash of light reflected off a platinum band on her right ring finger. "I am Lord Luthor Anside, the Anside Clan of Eveningstar, First Shade to King Permus. This is my companion Lady Serene Uhtsong of the Fog and her child Mista. I presume that you are 'Captain'." Luthor made a formal Elven bow of greeting. "Lord Anside, Ladies," said the man, "I am Lord Captain of Gelran. It is a pleasure to make your aquaintance." The captain returns a short, stiff bow to the ladies first, then to Luthor. "Please, I would like you to call us 'Luthor' and 'Serene'. Sometimes it is better if you are not known as a noble...it tends to attract criminals," he said with a smile, but there was also genuine concern on his face. A brief glance toward Serene and Mista told all. Luthor and Serene took their seats at the table and settled in. Without asking, Mary brought over a glass of water for Luthor and a pitcher of milk for Serene. The captain only nods and smiles. "Now, Lets get down to business. We have a few questions to ask you. You must understand my caution, I still have a few enemies left. "Luthor, Serene, I fully understand. We all have our enemies; I am lucky to be so far away from mine that they have likely fogotten about me." Serene's name is the only word that the captain has spoken that was not immediately obvious what it was. It came out sounding like 'Sa-ree-ah'. "First of all, have you ever been to Cormyr or anywhere else in the Realms?" Luthor was concerned that he might have alliances with an old enemy. It was unlikely, but he had to ask. "To the best of my knowledge, no. I have never heard of 'Cormyr' or the 'Realms'. I have been on only two worlds besides my home of Gelran. The first was a few hours in an unknown land that I hope I never find again. The second is here in Generica. I have been here for a few weeks." "Do you have any experience with children?" Serene asked, concerned with his reactions to Mista. "I never married or had children of my own, but I have delt with my nieces and nephews. More appropriately though, my men have had, at times, the responsibility of guarding the children of our Lord Mayor and Lords of the Council. Protecting children both from without and within is very important to me. I wish I had had time to have children of my own, to carry on my line." "Have you ever worked near the shore or on a ship?" Serene was curious as to his previous experience in the Fog. Surely he would have to deal with it now if he hadn't before. "My city was a port and trading center." With a smile on his lips, the captain continued, "I and my men spent too much of our time down by the docks and near coasts watching for smugglers. I never 'worked' on a ship, and only rarely have I been on one. Our alies controlled the sea lanes by agreement, so there was no need for us to support a navy." "Have you ever been arrested for a crime?" Luthor asked. It was a standard question, but suddenly he felt that it was out of place. His smile was gone. Where before he had included both Luthor and Serene his answers, now he turned directly to Luthor and locked eyes. Pulling himself even more upright in the chair, and with a look of cold determination in his face, the captain said, "Never." At that moment, Luthor felt a surge of emotions mixed together: suprise, honor, pride all coming from Captain. Luthor looked at this man in a new light. Before, he doubted whether this man could be trusted, but now that doubt was gone...it was so utterly destroyed that Luthor was a bit ashamed for asking the question of such a noble man. "I apologise, I meant no offense. You understand that I must ask these questions to be sure. Your answer has told me much though, perhaps more than you know." Then he tried to leave the subject behind, where it belonged. "Do you have any previous employers that we could contact?" Visably relaxing, he said "I wish that I did. For if that was the case, I would go back home myself." After a brief pause, he continued. "You are welcome to contact my Lord Mayor or any of my Lord Councilors if you have the means to travel to Gelran. Since I have been in Generica I have spent my time regaining my strength, learning the lanugage, and searching for a way home - my only employeer has been myself. I would offer my Aide as a personal reference, but since I intend to keep him under your employ, I doubt he would be suitable." A small smile returns to the captain's lips. "Would you take a Holy Oath of Tyr?" Some of the guards from his previous home had taken the oath...a spiritually binding contract, but Luthor didn't think it was necessary. "Perhaps. I have given binding oaths to my City in the past. "What gods, if any, do you worship?" Serene asked out of curiosity. "Where I come from, it is best if you don't worship the gods. Rather you should placate them so they won't take notice of you." He had a full smile on his lips and in his eyes now. "I respect the gods for their power, and I respect the places of the gods for their value to believers. In the last two years I have seen may religions and have paid homage to those that were not harmful. I will never slight another's beliefs, for I lost when once I tried to show my 'superiority'. The Captain continued, "Don't worry, I do not pay heed to any of the gods of war, strife, or carnage. As a matter of fact, I have never knowingly allowed such men in any of my units. They are far too disruptive for the little extra value they provide." "Are you involved in any organizations in the city?" Luthor was curious about this man's other interests. "No I am not. I would like to gain admitance to the City Library, but I have not had the time." Both Luthor and Serene had asked all the questions that they could think of and were satisfied with Captain's answers. Considerate as usual, Serene asked if he had any questions for them. "Your reputation proceds you, so I have no questions about YOU at this time. My only real questions about the position concern the scope of duties you intend me to take on. Do you wish me to only guard your home, or will I also need to provide body guards for in town. And do you desire to use your guards as men-at-arms while adventuring in the wilderness? Finally, do you expect to need and operations team to handle "tasks" you don't wish to do? "How do you expect my men to operate? Out-of-sight and out-of- mind? Around just enough to be noticed? Or as large, heavy goons? (I doubt the later is quite your style.) In a similar vein, what will our relationship be? Will I be given a free hand, or will you involve yourself with the day-to-day guard operations? Or, most likely, what middle ground between these extreams do you desire? How much of the household management task do you expect me to take on? None? Interview all proposed staff? Or as your "second-in-command" if I may use that term? "Finally, how big of a guard team do you expect, and what type of budget do you envision? "All of these duties I can assist you with, but each has its own special requirements and pit-falls. It would be best to set our shared expectations up front. "And besides, the way you answer these questions tells me more about the you I will have to deal with than any personal question I could come up with." Luthor took a drink of water to clear his throat, "On my old estate, we have a person known as the 'Team Leader', roughly translated. This person acts as a right hand, an advisor, a trainer, and a friend. You will be responsible to ensure the protection of my family. The way that you achieve this goal is up to you, but I will expect to be notified of any major changes in the personnel or duties of the people who work under you. "Keep in mind that I have always been one who favored stealth and diplomacy over brute force. I also find the unnecessary waste of life contrary to my beliefs, so hire people who will take prisoners. I don't need a garrison of soldiers, just 8 to 10 men that you can trust without question. Age is not a matter of consideration. The young have energy and the old have experience, either could save a life. "You are an educated man, that I admire. You may have free access to my library as long as none of the books leave that room. Some are thousands of years old and it would not due to have them ruined by an accident. I would be happy to teach you the written language of the Golden Elves if you wish, or I will translate when I have spare time. "Both Serene and I have fighting skills which you will help us practice. Perhaps we will teach you something as well. Personally, I would like to learn to use a rapier, but we can discuss that later. "Since we are trained in the skills of fighting, we will not need an escort in the city during our regular travels, but all of that could change pending the fickle winds of politics. "Finally, I will be asking you to act as a friend with whom I can share confidential information without having to worry about treachery. Captain, already I trust you. I am an excellent judge of character and every fiber of my being tells me that you are a man with a noble and honest spirit. I trust you with my life as indeed I will need to in the furure." Finished, Luthor took a drink from his cup. He could tell that he had struck a chord with Captain. "Before we agree to hire you, I would like you to meet someone who is very close to me. Come to the house at dawn. If he likes you, you may have the job for as long as you want it." Serene thought of the test ahead and smiled. She knew another who was a good judge of character. (more to come...) Love and Peace and Tests of Character, -The Dreamer-