Jammers Summary: Chapter 2, Turn 6

----------- = Meanwhile, elsewhere...
*********** = Later...

Entering the harbormaster's office, Holland introduces himself and Deigatt to the official, "Good morning. My name is Holland and this is Deigatt. We would like to pay the docking fee for our ship, the Silent STAR, the eelship at the dock."

A smarmy, weasily man with a thin greasy mustache and dun brown clothing says, "I am Bradlie Targart," his words sound sickly-sweet, "the fee is 20sp a day, in advance."

Holland takes an instant disliking to the man and with extreme politeness hands over two gold pieces and bids him a good day.

Upon leaving the building, Holland rubs his hand on his pants in an effort to cleanse them.

"Comrade Holland," Deigatt says as the two walk away from the harbormaster's office. "Did that payment pay for hus to stay huntil noon tomorrow hor just huntil midnight tonight?"

Holland replies, "It should be until noon of the next day, that is the standard everywhere I have docked in the past. However, I wouldn't put it past that slippery Targart to try something. There is something about him that just rubs me the wrong way."

Upon reaching the Mage Guild's Chapterhouse, Holland pauses and takes the building in. Holland frowns and says to Deigatt, "This is a much smaller building than I expected." Shrugging his shoulders Holland enters the building.

Upon entering, Holland looks around the interior appraising it as a short human female, in an apprentice robe, "Good day Sirs, what may we help you with?"

Holland nods in greeting and then says, "Practitioners Holland and Deigatt," in introduction and then continues, "We would like to see the Guild representative please."

The apprentice looks over to a closed door and then nods her head, "He is not busy at the moment, if you would follow me, I will take you to the sitting room." Holland's eyes follow the apprentices and notice that next to the door is a sconce with an long unlit candle.

The sitting room is a small comfortable room with several chairs of various sizes, for different races. Along the walls of the room are shelves upon shelves of books. Holland says quietly to Deigatt as the apprentice leaves the room, "The candle is a long practiced signal. If it was lit, it would mean that the Mage was busy and did not wish to be disturbed. It will burn for roughly 8 hours."

Holland admires the books on the wall when a human male, dressed in a mage's robe, enters. Holland stands and motions for Deigatt to do the same. The Mage says, "Greetings! Welcome to Wrighters. Mage Grype, Chapterhouse manager," seating himself he says, "What can I do for you gentlemen?"

Holland sits down again and says, "We represent an adventuring company, The Silent Star Company, and are looking for the lost Chalice of Storms. Would you happen to know anything of its whereabouts?"

Grype frowns and says, "You are the second group to come by and ask me that. I can tell you what I told them; which is basically nothing," Holland nods his head, indicating for Grype to continue, "Well, I have heard that the Shipwrecker's Fellows, our own little band of pirates, had something to do with it. The 'Fellows supposedly have a base somewhere here on Shipwrecker. They have not interfered with Guild business so we haven't really bothered ourselves with them."

Grype furrows his eyebrows and says, "Oh, I have heard that the 'Fellows are in league with the goblin tribes in the mountains here on Shipwrecker, and that the 'Fellows are mostly goblins themselves. Also there has been some activity lately of goblin attacks on prospectors, maybe the two are related, maybe not."

Grype smiles and says, "Anything else I can do for you two?"

Holland smiles as well and says, "No, thank you for the information and your time. We can see ourselves out."

Outside, Holland asks Deigatt as they head back to the STAR, "Well Deigatt, what do you think about us taking the STAR and investigating the mountain tribes?"

"Wouldn't that be dangerous, Comrade Holland," Deigatt responds. "The winds haround this planet har so strong that they disrupted my weapon practice this morning. Flying the Silent STAR so close to the mountains hin these gales could prove to be a one-way trip. Har these mountains close enough that we might travel by land?"

Holland taps his chin in thought looking at the mountains in the distance, "I think that the mountains are too far to go by land. The winds are pretty fierce in the upper atmosphere but shouldn't be that bad at the distance we will be sailing. We need to be able to look down and find the goblin tribe settlements."

"We must be careful, then," Deigatt replies. "But we have strong helms hoperators, so the danger his lessened. Agent Ferric has said that trade with the goblin tribes his forbidden by Prince Handru. We should tell the harbormaster hof hour hintentions before we leave so that we har not mistakenly haccused hof trading with the goblins hif we land hat one hof their settlements."

Holland nods in agreement, "It wouldn't do for them to get the wrong impression. What we should probably do, if the group agrees to the endeavor, is to sail out the way we came and then do a wide turn to take us where we want to go. That way the other ships in port will not know the exact direction that we are going. I am very leery of their presence."

Upon returning to the STAR, Holland tells Grigree, "I won't be able to join you and Raken to go out foraging for herbs," Holland yawns again, "I am extremely tired and need to rest. Please give Raken my apologies."

Holland heads down to his bunk and falls asleep.

While Holland and Deigatt explored:

"Ok guys, shall we be off?" Raken says to his fellow tavern-hoppers. "Given we have no knowledge of this town, I suggest we make a complete tour, hitting the taverns as we go. Not only will we visit the taverns, but we will also get a general knowledge of the whole town. That knowledge will undoubtedly come in handy later, when we want to look for individual shops. I say we start down that street," he says, pointing down the street closest to the ship. "We'll head south into that cluster of tents," he points to the tent city as he begins walking towards it, #4, "and head around and visit those two taverns there," he says, pointing at the Fouled Anchor and the Grey Cat. "Hopefully, we'll be able to talk to some people as we go. With luck, we will be able to find out some good information. My reason for hitting the market is two fold; one, to see if we can find some interesting merchants, and two, find someone who can direct us to the best taverns."

"Good idea Raken," Kain says as he dons his overcloak. "Get to.. ah.. know the area a bit, listen to a little gossip..."

Raken sets a fairly slow pace so that Billy can keep up. As the four shipmates approach the tent market, the traffic increases. Compared to the markets of Bral, that of Wrighters is tiny, but no less crowded. Several dozens of people crowd around the tents, buying, trading, and selling wares from a half dozen worlds. Raken keeps his on hand resting comfortably on his scimitar's hilt, the other to his side.

As they walk through the small town, Billy stops at a vendor's stand. "Excuse me, sir" he says, trying to look over the counter at the proprietor. "I was wondering if you would happen to know the whereabouts of the Chalice of Storms?"

"Why this is your lucky day good and devilishly handsome sir! I happen to have it right here!" The proprietor proceeds to plop a wonderfully crafted chalice on the counter. "And it's on special, too! Just 3 gp!"

Billy looks at the Chalice and picks it up, hefting it. A sudden look of suspicion crosses his face and he flips the chalice upside-down. Billy sighs with relief as he reads aloud the inscription on the underside: "This is the original Chalice of Storms crafted by the Priesthood of Ptah. Hmmm Looks genuine to me! I'll take it...." Billy slaps 3 gp onto the counter. "Now if we could only find this Laocoon character..."

The others laugh good naturedly at Billy's silly purchase and continue on. They pass through the market fairly quickly, making quick surveys of what is being offered. Raken notes a couple of herb merchants (a elderly halfling with a small tent and a big blanket covered with herbs and a stout hadozee loudly proclaiming the quality of his large selection of medical plants and herbs). Without warning, he shouts out "Wildflow!" as he begins to move quickly through the crowd to a middle aged woman in deep blue clothing. She turns and smiles at the druid.

"Raken old friend! What brings you to this side of the Flow? I thought you were still under the tutorship of old Storn," she says as she grabs Raken's forearm in greeting.

"Travelling. Seeing the Flow. I joined a newly formed company, the Silent Star. These," he indicates the trio following him, "are members of that company, and my friends. This is Billy, Kain, and Talus," he says as he motions each one of them. "Guys, this is Wildflow, an old friend from my earliest days as a star druid. She taught me much, especially the particulars and variations of the religion of Celestrian."

"How long have you been here?" Raken asks as the move away from the market and into a quieter part of the town.

"About two months. I came to beard some of Ptah's folk." her eyes sparkle mischievously," However, it seems that someone beat me to it because of the theft of the Chalice. You've heard?"

Raken nods. "Aye, that's part of the reason we're here; to look for it. Any information you could give us?"

"Not really," she responds, "just that you're not the only ones looking for it. I personally know of at least two other groups searching for it. One went into the hills to investigate rumors of the goblins holding it. They have not returned. You might try the barkeeps; they always know more than they let on. Be wary, though. There are so many false rumors flying about that finding reliable information is nearly impossible. I recommend the Fouled Anchor and the Siren Song; stay clear of the Grey Cat, it's a pretty rough place. I nearly got knifed when I told a sailor to take his advances elsewhere; barely got away with my life."

"Thanks Wildflow. We need to go. I'll be in port on and off for a few days if you want to meet and discuss old times. Look me up at the Silent Star," Raken says as he departs, heading for the Fouled Anchor.

"Pleased to meet you," Kain adds quietly as the four leave for the Anchor.

Billy looks at Kain and Raken, rubbing his belly in apparent anticipation.. "Let's go! I sure can use something to whet my appetite. All this talking has made my hungry for a snack..."

The Fouled Anchor is a typical Wrighter's building, with but a single story and built of wood. There is a bustling afternoon crowd, drinking little, most sitting down for some kind of lunch. The barkeep is a tall, thin man, with dirty blonde hair and a neatly trimmed beard.

Kain leans against the bar, and after attracting the 'keeps attention, says, "We're.. ah.. looking for information 'bout the Chalice."

Looking irritated, the bartender gestures for Kain to speak up.

"The Chalice!" Kain says a little more loudly, "know anything about it? We're looking for it."

"Ha!" the man behind the bar snorts. "You'n about half a dozen other groups too. Nobody knows where it is, an' th' rumors are flying. The goblins have it... no, the Prince has it, he just wants to get some adventurous people to go after the goblins... there never was a Chalice... which one'd ya rather hear. Now what'll you have," he says shortly.

"Ah... just water and whatever's cooking, thanks," Kain replies slowly after looking to his companions.

"I'll have the same," Raken says. He politely waits for everyone else to make their orders and the waitress to leave before relaxing.

Once the bartender is out of earshot, Talus comments, "Instead of trying to find the chalice ourselves through all the false rumors that will be flying around, we could make even more money by selling maps to its location. Kain, could you draw up a map vague enough to point to anywhere? We could then sell them to gullible adventurers for 50 gold pieces apiece."

"Hmm.. well.. if we were to take the _Star_ up so I could get a look at the area, I think so," Kain says after a few moments. "Do you.. ah.. think it'll work Talus?" he asks. "I mean, with all the rumors, would anyone believe that we know where the Chalice is?"

Talus grins, "You would be surprised at how gullible some people are, but I was not all that serious. This place is a little small for that scam to work for long."

"It is as I feared. We've arrived too late to get reliable information," he says. "The Chalice has been missing too long, and rumors are flying. In all likelihood, we'll hear so many rumors that the truth will be impossible to find. Everyone will have their own spin on the story, and many people will lie outright. What we need is to find some original sources. The people that found the crashed ship would be a very good place to start." His voice lowers considerably, "Another might be the goblins themselves. If we could capture and interrogate a couple, they might provide a lead. If such an artifact were held among them, then they would have their own rumors about it. If not, then they will know less. Instead, they will know that several ships have passed over their territory, looking for something, and they will imagine wild stories about it. If they do have it, or their allies have it, their chiefs will loudly proclaim it to their people as an act of strength and defiance against their 'enemies'."

When the food arrives, he thanks the bartender and proceeds to chow down. He pays for his meal and gives the bartender a silver piece as a tip before leaving.

"We could hit some other bars before we return to the Star," he says as he walks out, "but I doubt that would provide us with any more information. More rumors, perhaps, but nothing concrete. I'm going to go buy some herbs from the merchants we passed earlier, and maybe find some other merchants with a better selection. I'll be back in an hour or two, if anyone wants to tag along. After that, I suggest we return to the Star to plan out a little 'expedition' into the woods."

Raken gives his farewells to those heading back to the Star and proceeds back to the marketplace. He heads for the bombastic hadozee he saw earlier. As he approaches, he sees the big ape arguing with an elf woman. Though only five feet tall, she stands her ground against the shouting hadozee, her arms crossed across her chest.

"Do you know how much trouble it is to properly collect and prepare caraway?" the hadozee asks in a near shout. "It can take days to...."

"Five coppers, no more," the elf woman says sternly. "If you throw in that bottle of cabbage juice and that bundle of cloves for an extra eight, we'll call it a deal. Otherwise, you can let it rot with the rest of your wares."

"Done. Damned women," he growls as he takes her money and hands her the requested wares.

"How much for this herbal bag?" Raken asks when the transaction is done. He holds up a cloth bag half full of objects.

"Twelve gold," the Hadozee growls.

"For this?" Raken asks as he carefully pulls out the contents. He lays out a stone mortar and pestle, a small scale with several small, heavy weights, some odd tools, and roughly eight various bundles of leaves. "I've seen better leaves off an infinity vine. Two gold, no more."

The hadozee snaps back in utter shock. "Your insane! Eleven gold, and not a copper less."

Raken examines the leaves. "Hmmm, the leaves are old. Not in the best of shape. Did someone trim these from the plant or just hacked them off with a sword? Four gold is more than fair for this collection of crabgrass."

"On what bizarre world did you grow up on? In the civilized universe, eleven is far less than you'll find anywhere," the hadozee responds, folding his arms across his shoulders.

"These scales seem a little off. They haven't been calibrated right," Raken says as he plays with the small iron scale. "six for the whole set."

"Ha, you are the king of the insane. I'll throw in a bottle of beet juice and a bundle of oak leaves for ten, but that's my final offer," the hadozee says, lifting the items from a self.

"Done," Raken says, handing the hadozee the money. He carefully wraps the items in cloth before returning them to the bag. He thanks the big ape before heading back towards the Star.

"Not bad," the elf woman says as he exits the market. "That guy is a hard buy." She is standing in the comfortable shade of a large tree. "Zenthia, huntress of Solonor. Pleased to meet you."

"Raken, of Celestrian." he replies.

"I was. That is, until the Chalice was stolen. I hear you intend to look for it. I say, I've heard nearly every possible rumor concerning it. I've even gone hunting for it myself. Got this," she indicates a long scar on her left forearm, "from a goblin spearman. Their nasty. If you go hunting for it, be cautious. I've learned that lessen."

"Thanks for the warning, Zenthia? I've heard that name before, somewhere... you're not related to Captain Linden Leafbower, are you?" Raken says with a puzzled look on his face.

"Nice line," she says smiling, "but in 200 years I'm afraid I've heard it before"

"I gotta try, yes? Even if only with a silly line like that..." Raken says, barely containing a laugh.

"I've got to go," Zenthia says with a sigh. "See around, merchantslayer," she says, kissing the druid on the cheek. Raken's face turns red for a short time. He stands under the tree for a few minutes before heading back to the Star.

As the tavern Crawl continues....

As Seguld, Italapate and Ferric all depart the ship together. "C'mon guys, we don't have all day." calls out Seguld as he dances ahead with his pick axe over his shoulder and his mace hanging from his waist. The arquebus has been left behind on the ship so as to not draw a lot of extra attention. Ferric and Italapate both shake their heads at his merriment, but their steps do pick up the pace somewhat to keep up. Seguld seems to wave hello, and smile at every passerby, most of whom just respond with confused stares or no acknowledgement at all - but there are a few who smile back and seem to know him. Seguld's lead over Italapate and Ferric is dissolved quickly as his movement while carrying the axe is quickly impeded by those who are either working or shopping in the market.

Ferric smiles in amusement at Seguld's antics.

When the crowd separates Seguld spies a barrel standing on end nearby. He races towards it and uses the pick axe to vault himself on top. Standing there he is still only about five and a half feet tall and the crowd in general obstructs his view. Ferric and Italapate soon reach his side at the barrel and inquire as to what he's doing.

"Well friends. You wanted to see what kind of offer you can get on those axes on your own, didn't you?" Seguld then jumps and uses the pick axe handle for added boost to see over the top of the crowd. "There it is. I knew it was here someplace." He leaps down and grab Italapate by the hand and begins to pull (as if dragging him along). "Come on. Cutter's Corner is just over there. He is about the only one in the market who would be interested in your axeheads." Seguld then stops and points. "The place is run by a guy who came here as part of a merchant team and he decided to stay because this place was going to make him filthy rich. Well I doubt he managed to get rich, but filthy he sure did, and he drinks quite a bit as well. I wouldn't doubt he was drunk now, but go ahead and see what he'll offer. I'll be sitting back on the barrel awaiting news of your impending sale."

'Pate heads down and speaks briefly with this "Cutter", then rejoins Ferric and Seguld at the barrel. As he arrives Seguld leaps down. "So... how much did he offer?"

"250" 'Pate snorts.

"OK. Well enough of that, we have a buyer waiting for these picks of mine." Seguld then reaches for Italapate's hand but Italapate pulls it away and Seguld almost goes flying as he pulls at nothing.

Seguld leads them through the last section of market stands and quickly finds himself just behind the stables. He cuts through heading between the stables and the landing field. "Hey look guys! A Wasp and a Dragonfly! Neat looking ships but I doubt they can carry much in the way of trade. We'll have to remember to tell Holland about those. I am sure he'll be wanting to know."

"Yes, as the captain you should inform him." Ferric chuckles.

Seguld smiles back at Ferric. "Don't look like they carry a lot of cargo, but what do you think about people? They could be competition for you."

As the threesome reach the path on the far side of the stable Seguld leads them to Picks and Pans the back way. As they approach the doorway they see an outer door tied open and an inner set of swinging doors starting about 3 feet off the ground. Seguld leads the way in by walking under the doors without even ducking, and as his axe follows he lowers it at just the right time to avoid hitting the doors. Ferric and Italapate follow him in and open the doors. They squeak awfully as they are opened and suddenly a loud crashing noise is heard from the back corner followed by a string of curses.

"Gaud dang!!" a rather thin man comes forward rubbing his head and neck as if he just fell backwards while sleeping in his chair (because he did). Looking out over the counter he sees Ferric and Italapate. "What do you want?" he asks in a nasty tone.

The two men respond, "Nothing."

The man glares back at them, "Then get the heck out of here and let me sleep. What are you wasting my time for?"

Italapate then responds, "But my friend wants to sell you some stuff."

"I don't buy nothing from no strangers. Now go peddle your wares in the market and leave us honest businessmen alone." responds the grumpy man as he turns to return to his chair.

Seguld then clears his throat loudly. "Hey Kal! I told you I would be back." The man turns around and looks for the source of the voice. Seguld continues. "I got 6 crates of these beauties. Any interest?" He tosses the pickaxe up onto the counter and struggles to pull himself up after it.

Kal looks at Seguld, but his eyes are almost immediately drawn to the axe. "Nice quality Seguld. I wouldn't think a runt like you could get stuff this good."

"Well I do." responds Seguld. "And if your not offering a good price I can always take my chances with the diggers as they come out of their hole. Of course it wouldn't take much prodding to set up another vendor as your competition."

"OK. OK. I'm interested. What do you want for them?" asks Kal clearly not pleased with the leverage Seguld is wielding. The terms are soon ironed out without much other ruckus. Kal then asks, "When are you delivering them?"

Seguld laughs, "For the price your giving me.... you want me to deliver them to? I don't think so. Send a few boys over in about 3 hours to meet our ship at the dock. You can pick up the goods there - and don't forget the money either." Seguld then jumps off the counter and begins to march towards the door leaving his sample pick axe behind. "Come on guys. Mandy's probably cleaning up from lunch now, and we can get the leftovers cheap."

Seguld leads them through the Tent City but ignores most of the women and children that are there. The men are all generally either sleeping or at work. He leads them past the butcher but stays on the opposite side of the street so that he can walk past the Purse of the Gold Inn. "That's where I stay when I am here for a while." comments Seguld as he strides by and waves at one of the servants who are cleaning the front porch area.

The path Seguld takes hugs the right side of the street as they cross Fishers area and soon are in Guild Town. "See.. over beyond the sheds there. That's Mandy's place." He leads the others over and to the door. Just as he is turns the corner to the front of the shop a friendly looking dwarf exits and begins to head off in the other direction. "Well, no time for food now. There goes Gundar Granitebite. He's the guy we need to see."

Seguld chases after him calling out, "Gundar! Gundar!"

The dwarf stops and turns. "Gundar. It is me Seguld." The dwarf looks at him for a moment as if trying to recognize him. Seguld continues. "Remember? I was the one who bought the black ash lumber from you about a month ago."

Suddenly Gundar smiles with recollection. "Yes, yes, my friend. Seguld, what can I do for you?"

Seguld responds, "These are my associates, Ferric and Italapate, and we were wondering what the going price on axe head might be."

"Depends on the quality and the dealer. Who's got them and what do they look like?" responds Gundar.

Italapate offers a sample forward and presents them as being sold by him.

Gundar looks them over and nods. "Good quality, but I don't know you so I would suggest you try the market."

"Actually Gundar, they are with me." comments Seguld. "These guys just watch my back and stuff. You see I was looking for some rope cord to take with me, and I thought we might be able to make a deal."

Ferric bows his head trying to conceal the smile on his face at Seguld's continuing performances.

"Let me see that again." says Gundar as he again handles the axehead. "How many of these have you got?" asks the dwarf. Seguld thinks a moment and then looks to Italapate. Italapate mouths to him "Two Hundred" and Seguld repeats it aloud. "If they are all this good we can work a deal. How much cord do you want for them?"

Seguld responds hesitantly, "Well I need to keep my transactions separate because of my investors. Why don't you give me the price on these and I'll get your price on some rope and we can handle paying out the balance."

"I'll give you 340 for them." offers Gundar as he eyes Seguld.

Seguld smiles innocently, and then looks to Italapate and Ferric, and upon their apparent pleasure at the offer Seguld tells him that the offer is acceptable. He then requests some rope cord and receives a price from Gundar which is quickly accepted.

After a hearty handshake Seguld asks, "When can I get delivery of the rope?"

Gundar responds, "Delivery, eh? I guess you'll be looking for my boys to pick up the axe heads as well."

"Well, since you offered, sounds great to me!" responds Seguld. "Give me three hours to prep everything on the dock and you can pick up then.

Gundar agrees and soon Seguld is leading the others back to the ship.

On the way back to the ship Ferric compliments Seguld, "You seem to know how to bend people to your will pretty well. You're not a psionicist like Kain or Billy are you? I would like to learn how you do all this wheeling and dealing. I am sure it would come in handy for my position in House Moune if you would care to tutor me in the fine arts of haggling and making contacts."

"Psionicist? Nope not me. Just pure charm." responds Seguld as he struts along very impressed with his own dealing that day. "As for training you - well most of it is knowing people and more importantly knowing your product. If you know the product and it's value, and you know something about the behind the scenes action at the port, and you have a few contacts- then you make money. If you are missing any of that stuff then you are out of luck. Of course, a general knowledge of planets has always helped me to open virgin ports. It doesn't take a genius to look at a generally developed rock to know that they need raw goods, and the place covered with vegetation needs skilled tools. I don't generally share the secrets of my trade, but if you hang around me long enough then I am sure you will learn from my examples."

By the time dinner rolls around the entire company has returned to the Silent STAR. Enjoying one of Holland's excellent meals everyone relates the information they discovered throughout the day.

As the talk winds down, Holland addresses the group, "There is another matter that I would like to bring to the Company's attention."

Holland continues, "It is a proposal for Company vote. What I propose is a business relationship between the Company and Seguld. The particulars are that Seguld will receive free passage aboard the STAR as well as free storage space to transport his trading goods. Members of the Silent Star Company will be able to initially invest in Seguld's Merchant Store, if they wish, at a rate of 10gps for 1% of the stock. Only 49% of the stock will be available for sale. Seguld will retain 51%, and control, of the Merchant Store. Seguld would provide, after leaving each port, an accounting to the silent share holders detailing the profits and how their shares are doing."

Holland pauses to make sure that he hasn't lost anyone and then continues, "In exchange, Seguld will run the Silent Star Merchant Fund purchases. This will provide the Company with an experienced merchant who has the needed connections and ties. Kain would remain the treasurer and scribe. All interested individuals who want to invest in the Merchant Fund would give their monies to Kain. Kain would then coordinate with Seguld, as he has been doing with Italapate, to let him know the amounts of monies available for purchases. In turn, Seguld would inform Kain of what was purchased for the records and accountability. This proposal would benefit both Seguld and the Silent Star Company."

"So it's... ah... pretty much the same as it was, except it's Seguld taking over the purchasing and trading from Italapate," Kain nods. "I.. hmm.. don't have any problem with that."

Holland pauses again and says, "Seguld would not become an official member of the Silent Star. I offered membership, contingent on approval of a majority of the Company, but he declined. He would rather not have to pay half of his earnings to Lady Moune. It also bears mentioning that those who invest in Seguld's Merchant Store will not have to share their earnings with Lady Moune. Instead, he will become a permanent passenger."

Kain nods again. "It's your choice, of course," he says to Seguld, "but either way I... ah... think it'll be fine."

Holland concludes, "I vote in favor of this proposal and would be willing to purchase at least 15% of the stock."

"Me too," Kain in agreement. "Not about.. ah.. purchasing fifteen percent of the stock, but the proposal. I don't have that much money," he smiles. "I.. um.. might be able to buy perhaps five percent, but.. ah.. I'll have to check."

"Hif Comrade Holland recommends this proposal, then I support hit has well," Deigatt says flatly.

"I will agree to this proposal," Raken says with a shrug.

Italapate shrugs as well, turning to look out over the harbor. "Whatever....." he says. "I agree."

"If it means I'll make some money, then awya, I'm in..." pipes in Jamilla, but then with a big grin "But if we don't, then I never agreed in the first place." Nice harbor, ain't it Italapate. Small but nice."

Talus shrugs, "It sounds alright to me. I never liked that side of the business anyway."

After the discussion about trade and money, Holland says, "Deigatt and I have learned that a local pirate group, that has connections with some mountain goblin tribes, may be responsible for the hijacking of the Chalice. I propose that we take the STAR and investigate these tribes in search for the pirate's base."

Date/time: 7:00 pm 30th day of the 4th Month, 5049 OC