WOT Adv 47

-- The Wheel Turns ---
"I am the servant of the lady here, but . . . I am willing to aid the clan, with the consent of the Wise One, if we could get an extra pie or two, and a fifth portion of whatever we reclaim from those raiders."

The mayor nods. "That sounds reasonable."

"Wait a moment, Maer," Maesyn comes forward and curties politely to the mayor. "Sir, we would gladly like to help you, but we are here on an important mission and I will need to measure the importance of this other mission before determining a course of action."

The towns people murmur and someone shouts out, "What could be more important than helping young Issa's family!"

"Yeah!" someone else calls out.

Maeslyn cooly looks over at them and stares each of them down and then continues to address the mayor. "We were told that Nadira Sedai was staying here. Have you any news of her."

Hobbs visibly brightes with the connection and stands. "My friends, there was an Aes Sedai here for some days," Hobbs says. "She said someone was coming to meet her, and had me hold four rooms. I gather that's for you. She left two days ago, but said she would be back soon to meet you. Until she does, perhaps you could do this little thing for us."

Maeslyn nods at him. "We will happily help until Nadira returns then, doing what we can to aid your village."

You hear the villagers give an audible sigh of relief and they busily crowd around all of you offering their services along with words of thanks and praise.

A collection is taken up and the people spare what coin they can and soon a good sized some is gathered on a table in the Inn. The mayor smiles and talks with you and Maeslyn, "We will give you 50 marks now and the rest when Issa's family is returned and any other prisoners you find. We are most grateful for your service!"

Your loud voice booms out. "We will need your help. Your eyes and your ears. Those who know anything about these raiders come forward!"

Gideon steps foward as does Jasin, a local farmer. The farmer is a simple middle aged man.

"What can you tell me?"

"After the heroes set upon me they set out across country. It's possible there are tracks there that we can follow. That's the only information I have."

"And you?" you turn to Jasin.

"I don't know much. But I did hear the neighing of horses north of my field, two miles north of town a couple of nights back. There may be some tracks there?"

"My thanks," you nod to the men. "Now who among you will defend your sept! Who can wield spear and bow?"

The crowd looks at you soberly and then shake their heads. "We ain't good at fighten' friend. Unless it's a weed you need hoein'."

You continue to try to enlist their aid, but it is fruitless. There don't appear to be any with combat experience. "I would like to help," Hobbs says, "But Issa is going to need me. If I should fail and both her father and I are slain, then who would look after her?"

You look at these weak wetlanders and shake there head. It's a wonder they're still alive, you think to yourself. Living in the Three-Fold land makes one strong. But these... these wetlanders? They are a fruit ripe for the picking. But then you remind yourself. These are but commoners, not the soldiers you have fought earlier. The soldiers before were well trained and would give any invasion at least some sort of a fight.

You pull Maeslyn aside and speak with here quietly in a corner while Therlin looks sternly at any little child who comes close enough to try to touch his sword, nearly curling his upper lip, while Keb smiles easily, laughing and mingling with the crowd.

"What do you think about these Taraboners?" You ask Maeslyn quietly in the corner of the inn.

"I don't know. I know in their politics they have often warred over the Toman Head region. Other than that, these seem like Taraboners trying to stir up trouble. Perhaps this is a precursor to some sort of war."

You nod. "Perhaps. But I wouldn't be surprised if these are Domani pretending to be Taraboners to get the people to rebel against their clan leaders, the Taraboners."

"Interesting," Maeslyn says with a facinated look. "There's more to you than meets the eye, Maer."

"But perhaps they're simply mercenaries, or they're servants of some other sept leader trying to gain power for himself."

"We won't know until we have more information," Maeslyn says. "Do you have any plans?"

"Well, first we need to find their encampment. I want to find their camp, sneak up on them, and bluff them into surrendering, but should that fial, we need to capture their leader and find out why he's raiding if these people are really paying their taxes."

Maeslyn muses at the proposition. "It might work. But there aren't any warriors here. Also, our main mission shouldn't be trying to get an entire contingent of soldiers to surrender. Perhaps we should just get the prisoners back and then consult with Nadira when she returns. But I'll leave this up to your judgement."

You, Maeslyn and Keb all scour the crowd and try to come up with any other information you can and then you meet in one of the plesant, roomy, and clean upper rooms of the inn that Nadira had reserved for you a few hours later.

"Any other news?" Maeslyn asks you.

"Rumors," you nod. "Nothing more."

"Go on. Sometimes there is some truth in rumors." Maelsyn responds.

"Wise One," you continue. "It seems that unreast reigns throughout the entire Almoth Plain. One villager said, that both Tarabon and Domani soldiers have been raiding villages and harrying travellers."

"Keb?"

"Sorry, I haven't found out anything more than what we've already heard."

"Thenlir?"

Thenlir scowls. "Look. I don't like talking much. But some things you can't help over hear. I don't know what these people have been eating, but whatever it is, it ain't helpin' their thinkin'. They say that they've heard stories about strange monsters that fly with other beast atop them. And other monsters have been seen prowling about the Toman Head region."

"Monsters?" Keb says. "Are you sure you haven't had too much to drink, Thenlir?"

She stares coldy at her. She stares right back and you can feel the tension start to mount.

"Enough. Is there anything to these stories?" Maeslyn asks.

"Just a rumor from someone who heard someone say that someone's 1st cousin had an aunt who saw--" Thenlir trails off in disgust. "They're just rumors. Townsfolk like to talk."

"What about you, Maeslyn?" Keb asks. "Did you find out anything?"

"Well, I heard something that I simply do not believe. Again, this is pure rumor. But its been said that Aes Sedai attacked villages on Toman Head with their strange powers. Hobbs said that when Nadira heard this she denied it when she was in town. But... rumors are rumors. And who knows what the truth is?"

"So what are we gonna do?" Thenlir asks.

"Maer?" Maeslyn turns to you. "What do you have in mind?"