The Tolerian Capital.
The Tolerian Capital is the same as ever before. People are still frequently leaving and entering the Kingdom’s capital. Whether they be merchants, peasants selling their wares, or noblemen; it's clear that the capital draws many people from all over the Kingdom. However, none of these people are truly the most important. Yes, even the nobles themselves would not exist if it were not for these people. The people of most importance are the information brokers that have networks that stretches far and wide, even moving outside the human realm to some extent.
Although no singular network reaches all parts of the human realm; for every significant region, village, or town, there will always be people who make a living by selling information. As people living in the 21st century, many take for granted the availability of information that's available for free. On top of that, the Internet makes it easier to access it almost instantly. Heck, before the invention of the telephone and telegraph, the only way of communicating could take weeks. Even at the height of the Roman empire, sending a message from one end to another could take weeks. This is with the Roman Empire’s road network and relatively safer paths to get from point A to B. Post-Roman Europe would see longer travel times. To say the least, unless one is part of a crucial military regiment in a Kingdom’s army, communicating and accessing information is a really difficult, tiring, and slow process. This is because the only communication method that acts similarly to a phone is the Maezer Ball, named after the person who made the Mana tool.
The Maezer ball has been frequently used in military operations across the human realm. Like a phone, a Mana user can use it to send information to another Maezer Ball at another location. However, the downsides are that it's very expensive to make, and it can only be used by people who are trained to use it. The training could take months to years, so it's not uncommon for armies to search for both the operator and the Maezer Ball. Although, the Maezer ball itself is worth a castle, so it's not a really big deal if they only lose the operator.
Anyways, the fact of the matter is that communicating and learning about current events is very difficult. This is especially true since the printing press has not been invented yet. Meaning all books or letters must be handwritten and copied. And even if it were the case, many in the human realm are not literate. Meaning they cannot read at all. Even some nobles don’t know how to read. It wouldn’t be the end of the world if they just get someone to read it for them. So the literacy rate is abysmally low in many Human nations.
This goes back to the importance of an information broker. As the sole means of obtaining relevant news and information, many nobles, Mana users, merchants, and other important people depend on their services. One particular information broker is of interest right now. This person has just finished receiving information pertaining to the war that the Tolerian Kingdom and the Tasermain Kingdom is currently conducting. In order for him to make back his money which he gave to his informant, he must now sell this information for a higher price, or must find more people to sell it to. Fortunately for him, he has been making quite a decent profit since the war has started. Requests for his information have been increasing since the outbreak of the war. Many nations and nobles are interested in the current state of the war, especially when it pertains to a war that is related to the overall strength of the Tillerian Empire.
It is not unknown that the two Kingdoms have formed an alliance between their houses with the recent marriage of the Tasermain princess and the Tolerian Prince. Since the marriage, the balance of power in the Empire has changed quite dramatically. The weakening health of the Emperor has not helped the situation. Since the war broke out with the Peninsular regions, many have wanted to keep tabs on the situation. If the two Kingdoms prove their worth and are able to take the Throne of the empire, then the politics of the Human realm could change dramatically for some. This is why our broker here is a wealthy man. Information on this war will sell for quite an amount. However, the broker is still thinking over the shocking intelligence he has received from his associate.
Garron has been working as an information broker for many years now, but even with that experience, he can still be shocked. As a person dealing with this trade for over 15 years, controlling his emotions and facial expressions are a given. Confirming nor denying information for free is simply a waste. However, even with such experience, even Garron feels like he won’t be able to control his facial expressions.
As an information broker, he hears about the varying opinions of higher ups sometimes by accident. From what he can tell, many nobles, merchants, and other officials anticipate a victory over the Peninsular Kingdoms. It's simple arithmetic really. One side has a vast amount of Mana users, soldiers, and money, while the other side has been deprived of such since becoming a vassal state under the emperor, but still maintains some autonomy since the balance of power in the Empire has been thrown into a problematic situation for the Imperial family. The Emperor could have directly put into power his relatives to control those vassal Kingdoms, however, it could have alienated other vassal Kingdoms toward the Tolerian and Tasermain Kingdoms faction. The emperor does not want to move the neutral vassals towards the opposing faction if possible. All of this is important for other Kingdoms that remain independent, for it could spell opportunity or time to prepare for the future wars or politics which may occur.
Of course, Garron obviously knows this, but the information he received is very different from what most of the people he talked to expected. He passes through the streets towards one of his usual meeting places. As an information broker, he makes sure not to be too consistent with where he stays to sell his information. Many who don’t practice caution will live short lives.
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Garron then heads towards a pub. It's decently filled with regulars who head here to forget about the harsh realities of living. Whether it's working in the blacksmith all day, drying leather, or processing string, all are tired and head to a pub to spend what little they earn. With regular people around, information brokers often use them as cover.
Garron heads towards the designated meeting spot with one of his regulars who are interested in the war. The spot is in a quieter area of the pub where empty tables and chairs could be seen sloppily put together. The warm but somewhat old feeling to the place always made it a proper environment for people to get drunk. Garron starts to contemplate about his clientele again. These patrons in particular pay handsomely for the information he provides, so he has always been curious about who they were. However, it wasn’t his job to figure that out. He knew that if clients wanted to keep a secret, they would do so at all costs. Even if it means killing the information broker. He knew some associates who found that out the hard way.
As he calls over a waitress for a beer, he drops down his leather hood. His brown hair and brown eyes don’t make him stand out in any particular way. His features look similar to that of a European back on Earth. Other regular patrons also have a variety of dark to brown hair, with the occasional dirty blond in the pub. As he received his drink, he just focused on that drink as he quietly waited for his clients.
Soon, two people found their seats in front of him and settled in. Only one called for a beer while the other abstained. Both wore casual attire known for the average blacksmith or shoe maker. A loose cotton top with some leather pants on the bottom. The nice shoes indicate that at least one of them must know a shoe maker. Those types of shoes would be too expensive for the average person. However, although the clothing looked normal, the person who is normally silent is quite tall. He had similar features to Garron. Brown hair, brown eyes, however, his skin seemed to shine health, while his features were more kept than the average worker. Garron deduced that he must be disguising himself as a lower person to fit in.
His partner on the other hand seems quite average. The only discerning characteristic is his accent when he speaks Tillerian. Garron has found that the accent is quite thick, so Tillerian must not be his original language in the first place. However, Garron has not been able to deduce his native language as he only speaks Tillerian. He has mostly set up his information network in the Tillerian Empire, so language has not been a problem. He also guessed the peninsular or Astra tongue, but he had no way of confirming that.
The average looking person begins to speak in Tillerian with his accent. “Today is a fine day for beer isn’t it? Almost wants me to go hunt a Bear.”
Garron responds. “Indeed, it also makes me want to buy some geese.”
The average looking person nods. He leans forward a bit to drop a couple of silver coins before speaking his next words. “What's the border front like?” He has a small grin.
Garron rubbed his chin as he relayed his information. “My guy has told me that there seems to be weird activity up front near the border. Normally, messengers glorifying their noble victories would have been put through, but nothing of the sort has occurred.” The average looking guy has a weird look of confusion. He tries to address this confusion. “Why would they send messengers? Would they not use the Maezer Ball to communicate?” Garron responds. “Only the larger regiments have access to those. For smaller armies deployed, they would need messengers. The fact that there has not been much activity implies that the war for the Tolerian Kingdom is not doing so well.” He gestures with his hands up. “Although, that's a wild guess on my part. It's possible that the Tolerian armies have just been unusually quieter than the past wars.”
The average looking client nods, but looks a bit disappointed. Garron tries to guess his clients' meaning, but gives up before the average looking client speaks again.
“Has there been any more interesting news you came across?” He asks with a slight bit of hope and anticipation. Garron shrugs as he comes up with various pieces of obscure information. “I came across a lady who claims to have seen a wraith or demon. There are also rumors of artifacts being frequently seen around the Tolerian and Tasermain border. There are also claims of seeing a lord’s soldiers taking people away from a village near the border.” He takes a sip of his beer. “Scary times we are living in.” Garron takes his time as the average looking client speaks quietly to the tall man next to him. The tall man squints for a moment before saying something back quietly to the average looking client. The client makes a direct inquiry again.
“Do you happen to know the name of the village where the lord's men took people away?”
Garron contemplates a bit before speaking. “I believe it was the village of lord Howard. He is part of his majesty’s council.” Garron contemplates a bit more before adding more. “ Ah, there was something else along with that. The people were rumored to be rich folks. It's rumored that the people who were taken away were rich folk since they had nice apparel, but uncommon around that area. If I remember correctly, the folks who were taken away were not originally part of that village. They were apparently new folks who came to the village, looking for shelter and food and all that. And it hasn’t been long since they joined.”
The average looking man inquired more on the duration. However, Garron didn’t quite know for sure. “All I know is that they have been there for some time already. Definitely no longer than a year though.”
The tall man nods before saying something to the average looking man. The average man speaks in Tillerian with his accent. “That is all we want. Here is an extra compensation.” He throws half a small bag of silver to the man. He could tell it's much more than just a couple in the bag. He thanks his clients and they begin to part ways.
Garron just continues to think about the two as he looks inside the coin pouch they handed over. He knew not of their origins, but he knew they were wealthy. But if there is one thing he wanted to know, it would be figuring out what ‘bear’ or ‘geese’ means.