From Westaven

[edit] A Tale of Two Merchants

The campaign sequence focusing upon two merchants begins in two strands, both occurring immediately after the "Battle of the Merchants' Guildhall"; both are complexly intertwined, and both continue throughout other events of the campaign.

[edit] I. Yule & Eaidig Confront Shimtalk

The first strand follows Eaidig and Yule a mere hour or so after the death of Davlin Hargold. With their injured comrade Heron safely tucked in Yule's boarding house, the two remaining active heroes steal into the night, searching for the home of Shimtalk. Their reasoning is as muddled as the situation, for they half want answers, half feel the ambush in the Guildhall was his fault. Regardless, in the last hours of October 7, 985 they head into the eastern buroughs of Eneini, the affluent district of the city known as "King's Keep," where a merchant such as Shimtalk would live. After some investigation, they found the home, but not until the following evening do they subdue some Eneini Merchants Guild guards and discover the Merchant Guild has Shimtalk under house arrest--for his own protection--until the men who killed Wovsy are found and invited to the guildhall. Apparently their safety was garunteed (although many angry guards vowed to disobey this directive), that Marnor merely wanted to talk, and that the City Watch had not (yet) been notified.

Eaidig and Yule persist on their mission. They steal into Shimtalk's home, defeat the guards, and find the merchant himself in his private rooms, guarded by a huge man. Yule confronts him angrily, but Shimtalk is unmoved. He claims his new bodyguard, Deek, is a match for Yule—-he was hired just for that purpose, although he hopes no fight will break out. With a calm voice and wry grin he tells the men:

• He is sorry they were attacked (and feels terrible about Davlin, who was his friend)
• His hiring the party was not sanctioned by his entire Guild, and therefore upon his return he was arrested and could do nothing to stop the battle in the Guildhall; it was work of one of the other head selectmen of the Merchant’s Guild.
• Marnor has kept the fight a secret, and has no hard feelings to anyone involved; in fact, he wants to see them.
• They should hurry away, since Bailiff Jack will be coming there soon. Shimtalk will cover up the fights at his home somehow.

How much of this information is true, who can know? Afterwards Yule and Eaidig returned to Heron, who had actually already been visited by a Merchant's Guild physician (Lyntannic). (see Heron's log.)

[edit] II. James Meets Marnor

The second strand of this sequence involves James's recovery in a Eneini Merchants' Guildhall cell after the great battle, on October 8. While at forst he appeared to be a prisoner there, he was in fact healed by the physician Lyntannic and apologized to by the head of the Guild, Marnor--the latter because it was believed James was a carpenter who was in the wrong place at the wrong time; as Marnor states, "I do apologize for that misunderstanding [ie, James being attacked], my friend, but you understand 'the company you keep pays your wages'--and the wages you drew were nearly fatal." Marnor also explained the reason for James being held in a basement prison cell:

"With the death of our beloved Marshall, Wovsy, many of the less refined guardsmen here are out for blood, so to speak. Thus, for your own protection I must insist that we keep you under key and guard. You are no prisoner...but allowing you free access to the entire hall--or, more accurately, allowing others free access to your person--will likely result in further need of the [healing] "Elixir". Do you understand? I am sorry about this, but I must insist on becoming your lord protector until two days hence, when you are free to go. And even then we may wish to discreetly move you from under our roof.

Marnor also brought James's belongings, and he asked many questions about a certain scroll (see below).

Oddly, an unexplained note was later left for James to find :

Dear Master James: I am truly sorry for your having been caught in the unfortunate misunderstanding in my Guild’s hall, perhaps even more so than the rest of my friends for you are hardly a fighting man. Please accept my apology and if you see any of the others once you leave the hall, please tell them the same. Hoping your injuries are quick-healed, your friend, --SHIMTALK

The following morning James was released--escorted by an armed guard who advised him to leave the city ASAP. Instead he decided to visit the physician, Lyntannic, who had mentioned needing some carpentry work. Coincidentally, on his way there he reunited with his comrades.

[edit] III. Inter-Merchant Intrigue...Inconclusive

On October 9, 985, the entire party was back together, standing in the street before Shimtalk's home. First, they sent him a notification that they are still owed money, then they went to Lyntannic's home--mainly to understand why he had healed Heron. Instead they were given a scroll by a house servant--which lead to another sequence of events (see "The Scroll, the Oracle, and the Holy Isle".)

After a ten days' journey to and from Hadrian to inform Davlin Hargold's mother of her son's death (and to gain a newcomer, Gereth Hargold), the party (excluding James) finally meets Marnor face-to-face. The reason for setting this meeting was the aforementioned scroll, but also for information about him--as well as Shimtalk's role in the "Battle of the Merchants' Guildhall".

On Oct. 20, 885, the meeting occurs. During this, Marnor explains:

• He is an "admirer" of Yule (& the others): "You came into my Guild's hall and caused unprecedented devastation! With such swiftness, one of the survivors has claimed, did you cut down our Marshall Wovsy, that the very air surrounding your person was wounded! Very, very impressive."
• Wovsy was known for his "bellicose nature" (implying the bloody battle was the marshal's doing)
• The Eneini Merchants Guild "holds no spite" against Yule & co.
• The Guild had been planning to send Wovsy to stop the Piercy bandits--but Shimtalk, of his own accord, hired Yule & co. to do the same, and completed this task before the Guild guardsmen departed. "He took a gamble...and both won and lost. In the end, I believe, his wager broke even."
• Marnor professed wishes to ensure justice for the death of Davlin be enforced--plus any other wrongdoings. --but not now.

In the end, Marnor claimed he needed to "reconsider" events before making any decisions, so he asked all discussion of Shimtalk be "shelved" for the time being. Therefore, anticlimactically, no conclusion was reached in "The Tale of Two Merchants." Instead, the party was hired by Marnor to investigate "The Scroll, the Oracle, and the Holy Isle".

[edit] IV. More Truths and Half-Truths

It was not until the following summer--nine months after their initial meeting with Shimtalk & Marnor--that the heroes once more united in Eneini in an attempt to answer lingering questions about Shimtalk's role in the Guildhall battle and the justice brought to bear for it.

First Yule, Eaidig, and Gereth met in the city on 7 June 986 to meet Marnor, both to discuss Shimtalk as well as the events of the unsuccessful trip that is the "The Scroll, the Oracle, and the Holy Isle". Marnor explains that "Master Shimtalk has not been punished as you had hoped" and that he had "underestimated the man":

"He is now one of the Selectmen of the Guild, and in position to manipulate his way closer to my chair [of First Selectman of the guild]. As I attempted to bring Shimtalk to the post, figuratively speaking, for taking Guild actions into his own hands with the Piercy highwaymen incident, he had already laid the groundwork to purchase friends and influence enough to swing favor in his direction. He used his newfound wealth from that excursion to supplement investments with important persons, with whom I myself have both beneficial and other relations, and thereby he was able to gain the votes to oust a lesser Selectman and take his place. In short, Shimtalk has perhaps doubled in power, coin, and influence since you last left Eneini."

Shimtalk accomplished this by approaching the men whose goods had initially been stolen by the bandits "and, from what I gather, convinced them their lost profits were actually better served as an investment than to be returned immediately. An investment in he himself, for once he attained a position on the Council by using their money he could use his influence over routes, rates, and wares to grant them better opportunities. They would make more money later, he said, by allowing him to use their money now. A clever, shrewd move. A gamble, too, and it worked."

Seething at this news, later that night, Gereth uses his sorcery to turn himself invisible and (with Yule on lookout) he then sets Shimtlak's home and warehouse afire.

On 20 July 986, almost two months later, Lothar, posing as a emissary from his merchant father (Lathelie Xiphias), met with Shimtalk who told for the first time his version of the events of the Battle of Guildhall:

"One year ago I was but another merchant... But the worst tragedy occurred last fall--early in the fall... It was at that time that my former business partner and guard, a good man as well, was viciously murdered by bandits. Of course, every merchant must deal with those types in what way they best may, and I have had my fair share of crossbows pointed my way, I can tell you, yes, yes! But these men murdered my man in cold blood, for no reason; bashed his poor bald head with a mace, then stole all my goods. So I did what all would do: I first mourned the loss, then took action. Decisive action. I hired men to end this threat, remove these bloodthirsty villains from the roads of our fair Pollexia, and ensure justice was swiftly served. By chance--and I never cease to marvel at this chance..in fact it has made me wonder at the potency of the gods themselves, for only divinity could ordain our initial meeting--As I say, I came across men of the utmost caliber and honor. ... I and this small group of men did hunt down and apprehend these blood-handed bandits, and they were executed in Piercy by the rightful officers. And I returned to this fair city a happier and wealthier man, due to fortune in business on that same trip.

So all seemed well, yes? But no, for some of my Guild were...well...how to put it.... some do not play by rules, breaking them at will to further their own ends, to promote their careers and such... Not all men of any sort are honest, and when money enters some men's lives it can become like gore in a cup of mead, yes? Well, this is true in my Guild as well. When I returned from my trip I was arrested in my own home---ironic is it not? My comfort became my confinement! Held in my own home! Not arrested by the city officials, of course, but by the Guild itself, under the order of our Head Selectman, who with some few other selectmen have been trying to--well, no need to defame others, I suspect... The selectmen behind this decreed that because I had not received permission from each and every one of the men holding chairs on the council, that I had acted rashly and outside our charter! They declared my action illegitimate and illegal! Well, I was outraged, but what could I do?"

"And it gets worse..." [his eyes round with sadness & he drops what little joviality he had left from his voice] "The men I had hired were arranged to meet me for their payment--at the guildhall--the very place where these selectmen had arranged an armed force to greet them! Oh---if only I had been more perceptive I would have realized this plan and not--to my shame I admit this--I inadvertently and gullibly told my captors of this group of men's planned arrival at the guildhall." [stops & rubs his eyes for a moment] If only I had known why they were asking where I was heading that night! If only I had been quicker on my feet, so to speak! It could all have been avoided! For you see, these good men, these strong men...they walked into a bear trap, and the iron jaws snapped on them, right on the very cobblestones where I myself had told them to go! The selectmen who apprehended me also planned to apprehend these men--who they deemed as mercenaries, and our guild guards hold mercenaries in deep disdain. Hence I am sure they were overly rough in their attempt to capture the men, and... I'm sure you can surmise what occurred. It was a bloodbath. In fact, [a] good man died in that battle. 'Tragedy' cannot encompass the situation. No word can."

On the one hand, this story was convincing and heartfelt, but on the other hand some of the men (including Nak'hat, who is skilled in detecting falsehood) sensed some half-truths and untruths in this story. Additionally, Ves later that same night knocked on the men's door to inform them that he had seen Shimtalk dealing with an unruly sort of "big men dressed in merchants' guard uniforms"--two of whom the next day the men chased back to Shimtalk's home. Finally, at that time Shimtalk made it clear he had known the men's ruse the entire time. All of these factors may insert doubt into the verity of his story.

At the end of his tale to Lothar, Shimtalk also explained how he had ascended in his Guild to the rank of Selectman, which is quite different than the explanation offered by Marnor (see above):

"Well, of course, the situation with my guild soon cleared--within a mere two days or so--and I was acquitted of the trumped up charges. It could not bring my friend back to life, and although I attempted to contact the surviving adventurers, I could not, and I'll freely admit I now am sure they wish me dead. And I cannot blame them. But to make matters worse, I benefited from the tragedy, yes, yes. You see, as I'm sure you know, people are fickle, swinging with the wind of the moment; after my vindication and the acceptance of my actions against the bandits as genuine, sanctioned, and beneficial to all, favor on the council swung my way. To make matters short, despite my protestations, and despite my vigorous censure of the council itself for its having allowing the head selectmen and others to unleash out guardsmen on myself and my compatriots, they voted me onto the council. I know, I know, an odd occurrence, but I accepted despite my misgivings. Why, you might ask? To end corruption within that body, so business may flow like a river undammed, and all can be assured of that. That has become my mission. I suppose I have become an idealist over the past winter. I would never have suspected that of myself before that night, nine months ago."

The men, while mixed on their reactions to the developments in Shimtalk's fortunes as well as his explanation of innocence--and even to the apparently more believable Marnor, decided to let all this alone, for as Yule aptly put it, "Its hard to get water from a muddy stream; Shimtalk is the mud."