Apparently I''m not needed for the actual negotiations which the old man and Wiktor conduct in private, only accompanied by a bottle of the local liquor. Am I really only along to break the ice? Or to keep the others, which are now paying a little more attention than I''m comfortable with, occupied so they wouldn''t crowd Jerzy''s good man during the negotiations?


    Or am I just being shown off to other members of the guild? Well, that wouldn''t be the worst option to be perfectly honest. It gives me a chance to get to know the others in turn too.


    Should I try to break the ice with the others? It probably won''t have any immediate influence on the negotiations of the two men that have left us behind, so I might as well give it a try. I''m loathe to wonder what might happen at worst, because bad things most certainly can happen, but it is rather unlikely that anything really bad will come to pass. I decide to take a casual, low risk approach anyway.


    “So, what do you do around here? I mean, other than work? Is there any fun to be had around town?”


    Some of them stare at me funny, almost like I have just grown a second head. The rest look at each other as if they are uncertain what to make of my question. Finally one of the few women among the group of armed individuals speaks up.


    “We don''t get out a lot. There is a lot of work to be done at a farm of this size.”


    Then one of the men takes over.


    “And the work hasn''t gotten any less ever since we started distilling our own liquor.”


    The others nod in confirmation. Finally the one who used an identification skill on me adds his own conclusion.


    “That the damn greedy pigs from town raise a stink about it now doesn''t make it any better either. They have tried to raid our place twice now and might try again, although we always sent them home with bloody noses so far. Its just, we don''t really have time off from work as things are right now. If we don''t work the farm, we haul barrels. And if we don''t do that, we are on patrol.”


    There is another round of nods. Some solemn. Others serious. The current state of affairs apparently doesn''t sit well with them.


    [*Ding!* Your skill Gather Information has leveled up to level 4!]


    I take a moment to process the information provided. This divine whisper certainly seems to suggest that it might be relevant in one way or another.


    At the same time I''m not willing to give up on this line of inquiry completely yet. I mean sure, they are really busy right now, but their words suggest that the circumstances can''t have been dire like this all the time. There has to be something! Anything! Thus I decide to keep digging.


    “Sure, you are all quite busy right now, but there has to be something? Right? Which inn or tavern would you recommend? Are there any hosting bards worth listening to? Any traveling performers I could look forward to? Anything? I''m not from around here, you know. I could really use some help!”


    Again they look at each other, uncertainty plainly evident on their faces. Finally one works up the courage to answer.


    “Well there are a few things. Not a whole lot though. So don''t expect too much.”


    I nod happily to prompt the guy to go on.


    “First we don''t usually go to town to drink, since we pretty much sit at the source here. On most evenings we''ll just break out whatever instruments we have, make some music ourselves and have a drink or maybe two.”


    Some of the others nod. That sounds surprisingly sensible. It sounds a little boring too though. Thankfully that isn''t all. Once again one of the others takes over.


    “We have some festivals. Nothing fancy, you know. Just the usual, you know. The midsummer dance is the most fun, but we celebrate the new year at midwinter too.”


    The one who used [Identify] on me pipes up again at this point.


    “The harvest festival is pretty nice as well. Honestly, it might be the one I like best. It comes with fresh beer and all the best food.”


    There are some murmurs among the armed farmhands. Some seem to disagree, but just as many share this sentiment. I can''t fault the guy either. While some might enjoy the dances more, good food certainly is an argument in favor of the harvest festival.


    Finally the woman who answered me first adds her own take on things.


    “Beyond that its pretty situational. Weddings can be fun, but you better not show up to one without an invitation and a proper gift.”Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.


    Now that gets a laugh out of just about everyone. I can just see this rowdy bunch roughing up uninvited or otherwise unwelcome guests at a wedding.


    All this talking has another benevolent effect. It earns me another partial increase for my [Syld] language skill, as my understanding of the language deepens a little.


    It seems Wiktor and the elder are still not done with their negotiations. I sharpen my ears best I can, in an attempt to catch some of the conversation that is going on behind closed doors, but to no avail.


    Well, not to no avail at all. I can feel [Perception] getting closer to another level up. It isn''t quite there yet though. And of course I can''t pick up any details of the negotiations. The best I can tell is, that they are still talking. And they aren''t shouting at each other either, which has to count for something.


    I''m not yet ready to give up on my line of inquiry. There are some points the crowd keeping me company has not addressed yet after all.


    “That''s good to know. No suggestions regarding any taverns though? No bards or other performers worth mentioning?”


    A round of head shakes is my only answer at first. By now it doesn''t take long for one of the crowd to elaborate a little. Maybe they are warming up to me?


    “Can''t really help you with the taverns. Like we said, we do what little drinking we do here and the inn keepers aren''t terribly fond of guests that don''t drink for some reason.”


    That comment earns some laughter. I can''t help but grin too. Yes, tavern owners and serving personnel probably don''t have a particularly high opinion of that kind of customer. The one talking isn''t quite done yet. Once the laughter dies back down he continues.


    “As for bards … well, most of those are adventurers. Very few of them stick around town for any length of time. They usually only perform at the inns and taverns in between their forays out into the wild. You''ll be much more likely to find some locals with wildly varying skills performing at these places.”


    He pauses briefly and taps his chin for a moment. Then another thought seems to come to his mind.


    “There is one notable exception though. We tend to get a band of traveling performers once a year around here. Usually around the harvest festival. That is more of a suggestion than a firm rule though, as they usually make a stop in Riverrun only on their way to their winter quarters at the coastal cities up north. Depending on the roads and the weather they might be a week early or late too.”


    Another decides to add a little more detail.


    “You can''t really miss them though, when they are in town. They set up camp with all their wagons just outside of town. They build a pretty nice stage for their plays too. Dramas. Comedies. Both tend to be worth the penny they charge for admittance. They even have some real stage magicians that add to the experience.”


    My [Gather Information] skill improves a little further as the conversation carries on. These might only seem like small tidbits of information with little worth, but they all add to the picture of the town of Riverrun. Every little bit of information can come in handy one of these days, no matter how insignificant it might seem right now.


    Eventually our conversation comes to an end though, as the negotiation between the elder and Wiktor comes to a conclusion too. Plenty of heads turn and I''m no exception either in that regard, as the closed door opens again and the two emerge, demonstratively shaking hands in the process. It seems they have found an agreement.


    Some of the farmhands seem a little confused. All of them are brimming with barely held in check curiosity. The elder seems not to be willing to share the details yet though. His gaze darkens as he takes in all the man and women sitting or standing around.


    “What''s up with you lazy lot! It''s still daylight! There is work to be done! Get to it already, you lazy bums!”


    There is some grumbling, but no one dares to actually protest. The crowd disperses quickly instead. It seems everyone knows what they are actually supposed to do. It is either that or they know how to look busy enough not to draw the elder''s ire.


    Wiktor and the elder shake hands one more time, then the other rogue rejoins me with a playful grin. He continues down the path upon which we came, to return to town, without ever looking back to make sure I follow.


    “Got to know the locals a little, yes?”


    I snort in amusement. My answer is short and to the point.


    “Yes.”


    He doesn''t seem to mind. No, quite the opposite is true.


    “Good, good. You''ll be seeing them every once in a while. It''s best not to involve anyone they are not yet familiar with in our dealings.”


    Now this piques my curiosity. I hasten my steps a little to catch up with him, so we can talk face to face as we walk.


    “What is this about? Which dealings? Anything I should know?”


    He looks over without stopping and starts to explain.


    “The old man agreed to join the guild of brewers and distillers. He''ll pay the guild tariffs in addition to the lord''s tithe.”


    My brows furrow a little.


    “That doesn''t sound like a good deal for him? Or am I mistaken? And how does that involve me?”


    Now he flashes me a grin. The grin of the fox that just made of with one of the chicken.


    “Indeed, but that is just the official deal with the brewers and distillers. The peace the lord wants. We on the other hand have a little side deal with him. One that will earn us a few pennies while sweetening the other deal for him too.”


    I just raise an eyebrow and let him continue.


    “You notice how his place is upstream of Riverrun, yes? And all the destinations of any trade routes worth mentioning are downstream of the city?”


    Now I get what he is getting at!


    “And you can''t just bypass the city on the river, right? You have to unload everything at the upstream waterfront. It has to be put in storage and offered at the markets, before anything left can be moved to the downstream waterfront from where it can then be shipped to the coastal cities? And all that involves a lot of time, paperwork and of course all the manpower necessary to move the goods?”


    His grin widens even more although that should be almost impossible.


    “Exactly! Very astute! And we''ll help him avoid all that hassle with some of his shipments, while still making sure they will come with all the necessary paperwork.”


    I nod as comprehension settles in.


    “And that will allow him to turn a decent profit with these shipments at the coastal cities, or even just the ones further downriver, offsetting the expenses caused by the guild tariffs. And we earn a little on the side too?”


    He hums a happy little tune and nods.


    “Right! And you''ll be the face of this little operation. We''ll let you know in advance when you need to take a night off for this from whatever other obligations you might have.”