The next morning, as Isa and Joth had breakfast, she told him about the overheard conversation and Mery’s surprise appearance.
“You could have gotten hurt or killed. Don’t do that again. Come find me.”
“Yeah, you are handy in a fight. Thanks.”
“I meant so I could talk you out of it!”
“You didn’t hear them, Joth. They were talking about children, and they were acting like it was normal to enslave them.” She paused. “That’s not normal, right? Mery was following them too. So she didn’t like them.”
“Did she say why though?”
Isa furrowed her brow. They hadn’t talked about the men’s conversation. Isa had just assumed that they had both overheard and both acted on impulse.
Joth said, “Mery Braydon, well I don’t know her -- except by reputation I guess you’d say. She’s not stupid. She’s not someone who takes risks. So--”
“You’re saying she followed the men to The Silver Buckle. What is she some sort of undercover cop?”
“She is most certainly not lawful,” said Joth.
“That word,” said Isa. “I’ve heard it before. Lawful. What’s it mean exactly?”
“When you played, did you hear the word ‘alignment’? It’s a way to gauge your character’s actions. You can be good or evil, lawful or chaotic. Or neutral.” Joth made a plus sign with his hands. “It’s a grid really. So you can be lawful good or lawful evil, for example.”
Isa nodded. “But they are both lawful. OK.” She paused. “What are you?”
Joth coughed on his tea.
“Is that,” Isa asked, “another one of those things you don’t ask?”
He gestured at the room although they were the only people currently in it. “People here, they don’t think of themselves as having an alignment, so asking them - I dunno it would be like asking someone back home if they would - I don’t know - trade sex for money. You’re asking them to make a moral declaration, a line in the sand, and they haven’t thought of it that way.”
“So if someone for instance uses the word lawful or uses the word neutral, I’ll know they’re one of us?”
“Don’t get obsessed with sussing out people. It’s not worth it. It doesn’t really matter.”
“But you did. You found me and-- How did you find me? How did you know that I was--”
“Your clothes, your shoes. Everything about you said ‘20th Century American.’”
“You make me sound like a painting.” She smiled. “And I guess technically 21st Century.”
“Right.” Joth said. “Obviously. So you can look at someone’s actions to guess their philosophy, I guess.”
“And what have you seen of Mery’s actions to deduce that she’s a law-breaker?”
“I didn’t say that. I don’t have any proof that she’s broken any laws. I think, though, that she might disregard laws that don’t align with her goals.”
“That is just a fancy way of saying law-breaker.”
Joth sighed. “You ever speed? Run a red light?”
“That's different.”
“No,” Joth countered, “it's not. And in this reality, that would make you chaotic good.”
“I haven't broken any laws here,” Isa said.
“What I’m saying is that you don’t know those guys. Maybe they pay the kids.”
“Child labor--”
“Helps families survive, Isa. Think Charles Dickens’ England.” He held up a hand as he drained his mug of tea. “I’m not saying it’s right, and I’m not saying that you can’t take a running leap at the problem. I’m saying that you might as well try to fight the weather, fight this table. Kids get hurt. Adults get hurt.”
He stood. “Let’s see about buying some feldspice and then we can go to Beggar’s Lane and you can sell that scimitar, and I can unload the tiger eye. Won’t it feel nice to have a few coins in your pouch?”
“I’m not done talking about those kids, Joth. Maybe I can’t do anything right now--”
“Is this the same woman who wanted to head back to Bywater today?”
“Well, you said yourself - we have a few days to spare. And I can’t believe that people would let children be snatched off the street. It’s not right.”
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He looked down. “You’re right, but that might not matter, you know.”
“But I have to try. People shouldn’t be able to do this. There are consequences.”
“And Mery, she has a plan?”
Isa shrugged. “I don’t know. I guess I find out tonight.”
“Fair enough.” Joth spread his arms. “If I am free, I’ll join in.”
***
Joth led her down the main street to the market square. Women hurried by with steaming loaves of bread stacked high in baskets; children chased chickens across the road, and Isa even saw a toothless old woman tugging at a rope looped around a stubborn goat’s neck. Isa felt like she’d stepped into the opening of Beauty & The Beast, and she found herself humming under her breath.
The market seemed to have layers of tents and merchants, and Joth zig-zagged his way to near center of the throng. Ahead Isa saw a giant tent with the word Feldspicer’s painted across the top. “Going right to the source, huh?” She had to raise her voice to be heard above the noise of the crowd.
“They deal in volume.” Joth leaned toward her and spoke in her ear. “I figured we’ll get the freshest bundles at the best price here.”
“Is this a quest everyone gets?” Isa asked. “I mean, did you have to do this quest when you first got here?”
He frowned and shook his head. “This isn’t a video game.”
“You didn’t answer my question!”
But Joth had moved forward to the tent, so Isa’s words were lost in the noise.
When she joined him, she saw that the tent covered a square of tables. Behind the tables, one at each side, stood a short person. Joth turned as Isa stepped to the table. “Here she is,” he said to the man.
But the person that beamed up at Isa wasn’t a human man. He looked very like a human, only shorter and happier with a wide, open face and a ready smile. This, Isa was certain, was a halfling. He put his hands on his hips and seemed to assess Isa. “Yes, indeed. Here she is.” He held out his hand. “Jabo Feldspicer at your service.”
She had the oddest urge to curtsey, but instead she inclined her head and shook his hand. “Isa Chamberlin, at yours.”
“Your husband says you are in need of feld--”
“He’s not my husband,” Isa interrupted.
“Ah. Your servant then. He says--”
“We’re friends,” said Joth. “Travelling companions, really.”
The halfling gave a quick bow. “Indeed. And you seek - one of you, no doubt - seeks feldspice?” A pained look flashed across his face.
“I do,” Isa said quickly. “I need 5 bundles of feldspice. I have a letter….” She fumbled with the clasp on her small bag. She’d forgotten to ask Joth about letters of credit, but now she’d get an education from the source, as it were.
“I’m sorry?” Jabo looked intently at first Isa and then Joth.
“About what?” Isa held the letter in her hand.
“How much, ah, herb did you say you need?”
“5 bundles.” Isa craned her neck to look at the middle of the tent. Big bundles of dried flowers and leaves and barrels of who knows what took up the entire middle of the tent. “You haven’t sold out, surely.”
“5 bundles.” Jabo held up his hand with fingers and thumb splayed. “5.” He gave a little laugh. “We’re a volume dealer. Libraries, granaries, candlemakers, potions masters….”
“When I was last here,” Joth said, “it was for a library. The quality of the plant was superb.” Jabo bowed. “And,” Joth continued, “when my friend said she needed some, I thought of your family immediately.”
The halfling laughed. “The name does say it all, doesn’t it?” He turned solemn. “I am afraid, though, that I cannot sell you any feldspice.” He gestured at the mass of bundles behind him. “Each one of those is a bushel. A bushel is 50 bundles. I can’t break a bushel.”
Isa threw up her hands. “Well, great. I mean, it’s not your fault, but really, where should we go instead? Where do regular people get their feldspice?”
“May I see that letter?” Jabo held out his hand.
Isa handed it to him and after a moment the halfling said, “Come back tomorrow. I’ll have your 5 bundles. The finest, freshest feldspice of the season.”
“Well, that’s great, but Ealda only authorized 5 gold a bundle. 25 gold for 5 bundles. Not a penny, uh copper more.”
“Fazarians are precise, to be sure, but they are also very good customers to have.” He folded the letter of credit and returned it to Isa. “Tomorrow. You shall have your feldspice at 5 gold a bundle.”
Spoiler: Character Sheet
Name: Isa Chamberlin
Race: Human
Height & Weight: 5ft 6inches / 120 lbs
Class: Fighter Level: 3
Alignment: Good
Background: Stranger in a Strange Land
Hit Points: 20 AC: 13
Current Hit Points: 20
Combat: +4 to Hit
Weapons: Rapier (left hand) 1d8 +2 (piercing) / Quarterstaff (right hand) 1d6 +2 (bludgeoning)
STR
11
0
DEX
14
+2
CON
11
0
INT
13
+1
WIS
13
+1
CHA
12
+1
Saving Throws: Str and Con +2
4
Acrobatics* (Dex)
1
Medicine (Wis)
1
Animal Handling (Wis)
1
Nature (Int)
1
Arcana (Int)
3
Perception* (Wis)
0
Athletics (Str)
1
Performance (Cha)
1
Deception (Cha)
1
Persuasion (Cha)
3
History* (Int)
1
Religion (Int)
3
Insight* (Wis)
2
Sleight of Hand (Dex)
1
Intimidation (Cha)
2
Stealth (Dex)
1
Investigation (Int)
1
Survival (Wis)
Special Attack: Two weapon fighting. When you engage in two-weapon fighting, you can add your ability modifier to the damage of the second attack.
Class Features:
Second Wind - On your turn, you can use a Bonus Action to regain hit points equal to 5 + your fighter level. Short or Long Rest before you can use it again.
Action Surge - On your turn, you can take one additional action on top of your regular action and a possible Bonus Action. You must finish a short or Long Rest before using it again.
Martial Archetype: Surgical Fighter
3rd level - Clinical Eye: Spend 1 round studying your enemy and learn one of the following: if the enemy is equal to or stronger than you in strength, dexterity, or constitution. Can spend up to 3 rounds to discern all 3. Can be used outside of combat as a free action - spend 1 minute to learn all three.