10 votes for 1), 5 for 3), one each for 2) and 4). The foreign merchant it is.
21 – Of faraway lands and old booksellers
You decide to try asking the foreign merchant about his nation. You greet him, and politely ask what he sells for a living. He shows you his merchandise, mostly cheap jewelry, but also quite a few strange fruits. They are dried, and he assures you they are still good to eat even though they traveled for such a long time.
You use the opportunity to steer the conversation to his home country, trying to get as much information as possible. He actually seems happy about your question. He tells you that he hails from the Kingdom of Dabil, far in the south beyond the Sea of Broken Reefs. It is a coastal Kingdom with a hot climate, the land scorched by the unforgiving sun. However, it's still a rather fertile lands due to the numerous rives that flow from the nearby mountains, and thanks to the sea which brings cold, moist air in the morning and evening.
You ask him how long does it take to reach it by sea. He answers you that a competent ship captain can reach it in a couple of weeks, considering the unruly winds and of course the reefs to avoid. He also volunteers the information that Dabil is a kingdom much more advanced than Eskal, and that control of the sea is one of the pillars of its power. After all, Dabil trades with all the nations that border the Sea of Broken Reefs, and even has smaller commercial routes to the nations on the other side of the continent!
You then ask a bit about the people that inhabit his nation. He explains to you that the most important activities in his kingdom are trade, shipbuilding, paid transport to and from the other nations on the Sea of Broken Reefs and crafting of raw goods imported from somewhere else. Being a land with few natural resources, Dabil imports raw goods and then craft them into items sold at a higher price in the other nations. As such, Dabil is a rich kingdom, and one with excellent relationships with all its neighbours. After all, war is bad for trade.
Along the way, he convinces you to try some of the dried fruits, and you must agree that they are indeed excellent. You thank him for his tale, pay him for the fruit and leave.
(You have spent 10 coppers)
You look around but both the fortuneteller and the man who was watching the plaza are gone. After all it's almost lunch time. You decide to go back to the tavern to get your lunch, and make a mental note to come back to the market again at a later date if you want to talk to them.
In the early afternoon, rested and well fed, you make your way to the store that sells books and maps. You enter and stop there, impressed by the amount of books and the soft smell of paper and ink. A very old man sits behind a counter, and looks at you quite surprised. Immediately you realize that you are still dressed like a villager, and the old man is likely thinking you entered by mistake.
You address him using all of your natural charisma, explaining that you are indeed a young man on his first journey, but quite capable of reading. You are looking for possibly useful books of all kinds, and maybe a few maps as well.
The old man introduces himself as Thomas, an old man who sold books all his life. He assures you that though Bitak is a fringe village, he has extensive contacts in the other villages and cities of the Kingdom, and some even beyond that. In his youth, he traveled far and wide in his search for books.
You strike up a conversation with Thomas, asking for his counsel in what kind of books could be useful to you in your journey. After all, you know very little the of the world outside your village.
After about a hour of conversation, you and Thomas are beginning to form a list of possible books for you to buy. The old man seems very impressed with your proficiency at reading, especially considering your young age. Then he talks, and what he says stops you dead in your tracks.
"Young Kyoss, you truly are accomplished at reading. This is so uncommon here in Eskal, and even more so considering how young you are. This is an extraordinary ability in a world where few can read and write! It must have been at least 20 years since I met such a young literate person. Yes, the last one I met must have been 21 years ago to be precise. It was when that young, genius healer passed through Bitak. Hrm, was her name Larina? Larine? Oh sorry, forgive the ramblings of an old man. Now, let's keep talking about this, I will make sure I suggest you the best books I have. It's such a rare pleasure, selling books to a young literate man!"
It is your mother the old man is talking about, you're sure of it!
Should you ask anything to the old man?
A) Tell him that you are Larine's son, and ask him if he can tell you anything about her.
B) Do not tell him you are her son, but show curiosity and ask more about her.
C) Do not say anything. Just go on with buying some books and maps.
D) Other. Make a proposal and put a letter on it.
Also, in the next update I will give you a wide selection of books to buy if you want. If you want to suggest a specific book for the list, feel free to do so! I will think about it while writing tomorrow's update. Please no metagaming requests.
