THE PARLAY (Part 1)

*A small note: Rheulgard is a tripart state, ruled by the Triumvirate of the Meister of Poden, Meister of Unbrau, and Baron of Stille Wachter. Each of these brave men are assisted by Guildmasters, Wizards, and other Lieutenants and Allies throughout their respective nations. Rheulgard would later be unified, but that is a tale in and of itself, surely for another day. As well, The Bannalach also connects to the Asarwe river, all the way to the Harrowmarsh and the sea, to the Gulf of Coeranys. It is said rivers that lead from the Bannelach are between 20-30', sometimes even 100' in places.

Once everyone has filed into the longhall and taken a seat, the Meister's face calms, and he stands. The room quiets, and his booming voice fills the hall. "Welcome to the Hall of Perrigwyn! Modest, but I find it will serve our needs. I am Gundehar Kluggman, Meister of Poden, as you know. A hunt is in order my good men, and the other Masters of Rheulgard, I'm sure, love a chase as much as I. At the behest of the Knight of Unbrau, I have gathered ye in my hall, for the purpose of ridding the Bannelach of the Pike, and retrieving the Blade of the Stille Watcher. Eat, drink, but do not dilute your strength or focus. May the *finest* Rheulgardian ale give you courage, and the *finest* breads give you the stamina to hunt this beast. Anshwegh are no normal hunt, and no normal beast. Caution, Cooperation, and Bravery will win this our day."

The knight hiccups, and looks around the room as his title is mentioned, unsure if he can take the word. "I suppose an explanation is in order..." he mumbles. Eventually, he gathers courage. "I can provide some ships to carry whoever wants to partake in our hunt. However, as you eat, I would like to hear some pieces of ingenuity from you fine men. On the coasts of Muden and further, ships carry harpoons to slay great sea beasts, but we have no such implements." "We'll have to make do with our wits. The prize is great - the Blade of Stille Wachter, aside of being a great sword, is Rheulgard's own heritage. It is how the country could be built. It means friendship with the fair folk. From the west or from the southeast, we should be able to calm any hostilities once we retrieve it."

The priest Rhulad leans over the table "Perhaps the fishing boats have nets that we may... requisition for our efforts? If any are meant to dredge the bottom of the lake, they may be able to ensnare the beast for a moment to pull it within the reach of our spears" With that, he slaps the base of his spear against the floor as a point of finality.

The merchant Dajjal, seated and with a full platter of food at his place, speaks up: “We’ve no harpoons, so we could get a fast rover to bait the damn fish to surface, at which point we could pelt it with projectiles. A net is unlikely to pull the damnable thing. It’ll gnaw through.”

Otto continues, "Until the pike is dealt with, even the fishermen fear venturing too far off the shore. It is terrible for trade, to say the least." "Trade from which you, my lords, recieve taxes." "I thought this would be more of a state matter, due to the blade's history. Alas, Meister Kluggman seems to have a different idea - it is in the interest of all." Otto bows, and sits down to eat, letting others think.

Gundehar’s face curls into a half smile at the remark. “I would think our organizer, the Good Knight of Unbrau would’ve come prepared in his own venture, with harpoons and otherwise, alas, you are all welcome to my hall if we need a few more days for a plan and procurement, lest the good knight would like to prod at the Pike with forks, which my hospitality has afforded aplenty.”

Otto replies, "There are other siege implements we could use, but I am less confident in those." "Those would be more likely available to you, than a simple merchant."

"It seems that we have no better plan than tying a rope to a cow and fishing the beast out with the help of a giant" Rhulad says with a wry tone

“Do find me a giant who is up for a fishing trip, your eminance” Tariq rebuffs with a hint of sarcasm.

The Meister chuckles and turns from the guard to his left “Knight, my cousin Leonhard does wonder which castle the Pike resides in that we may siege. Aye, and my good men have bought many of these fish before you from a simple merchant much the same. “ “Perhaps we may find another simple merchant to fish the pike from the bannelach and smoke him... however our giant fisherman have been on holiday as of late”

"Thus far my efforts have focused on locating its lair, to not much success, Meister." the knight says seriously. "I would obviously not presume to hunt the pike as to claim the sword, which does not belong to me." "You, however, are a hunter and a warrior, with many strong men on your pay." "If it was entirely up to me, I would perhaps do so, to deliver it to sir Rhulad's predecessor, who, as you may remember, knighted me. Alas, that is no longer possible, and so it should go to one of you." He sighs. "If you insist on using proper harpoons, they may take months to construct, and Rheulgard already does not have much metal to work with. In that time, the situation may grow more dire. The pike has been around for years, but recently it has become ferocious. It is a matter of time before it claims an important life." "Well, I've said all I wanted to say. When you discuss trade agreements, consider that Bannalach is not as safe a route as it used to be, until this matter is resolved." Otto bites into a duck leg.

“I do not mind feasts, no, but frankly I’ve been lead to believe that this little gathering of ours could’ve been conductive to finding solutions to the fish problem we have in the Bannalach. Unfortunately, all we’ve managed to discuss so far is how incapable we are at solving this issue. Perhaps somebody else could quip with a potential way to end the monster. Even if it is not a good idea - it could serve as scrap to build better ones” says Tariq, then he takes a drink of ale from his chalice.

(A long pause follows.)

Gundehar squares his shoulders and stretches his neck. He slinks lower into his chair impatiently, “Surely, Master Al-Dajjal had a very calloused saddle on his ride.”

The Baron eyes up everyone, then follows: "I have come to join the fray and find that accursed aquatic, and also to tell you of a very strange happenstance! I was hoping the priestly and scholarly-inclined amongst us might clarify one omen that befell me on my last journey: I was riding back home in the early morning from a grand adventure when the sun rose as if in ambush, and in its light through the branches I saw the sword. A being of pure radiant light whose silhouette I could only squint at talked but all I could hear were the words: fate, and great danger. I grasped at the sword as if in a trance and saw before me a monster like which I had never seen before, and in one fell sweep, struck it down. Then the forest turned to a burning field of battle and on my chest was a bloodied wound. All of you were there too. The air in the morning smelled of iron, and victory." He takes a moment to ponder while watching the horizon. "I believe I was given a heavenly mission to recover the sword, as the heir to Rheulgard, and assemble a great council of heroes - the Council of Deep Thought. Blood will not stop brave and pure hearts and minds to sit at this table, and so that all have their say, this table shall be round in form, and leather in fabric. What do you say to that? Will you and your houses heed what the skies have foretold and burdened me with?"

Otto bows. "My ships are at your disposal, Excellence."

The mage politely waits his turn to speak, steepling his fingers on the tabletop. "It is good that you have called persons like myself, even if we have not met in the waking world. I am temporarily Rheulan's representative... As he is away on private business, and bid me to undertake such matters on his... Behalf. I am Salim... al-Rigel, al-Malik... al-Weketoj, his apprentice. Your dream, I could investigate further to it..." He chews uncertainly on a parched lip. "I will help you in the capacity my mentor would have."

"Yes, that was indeed an interesting reverie, milord" the merchant cuts in "but regardless, this sounds like a good venture, if only to unclog the trade routes of Rheulgard from the corruption of that fish. I will be helping. Consider this an investment from me into Rheulgard's future."

Gundehar stands from his chair, "It is good to see the House Waldemar represented at this fine meeting. I do insist you partake in this supper, however, tell us more of this council" He stretches his shoulders and arms, quizzical look upon his face, "In Rheulgard we have our tri-house meetings, would this seek to replace or subvert our three-part rule?"

The Baron continues, "Matters of politics would stay in the careful balance of the tri-house meetings, but the Council of Deep Thought would ensure a place where all of our voices would be heard, not just that of lords such as myself. It would be a symbol of our unity as kinsmen to the outer realm, and its focus would be to prepare and defend against that terrible omen I have been warned about. For now I ask nothing more of you than your trust, and to be ready, whatever comes."

The Meister laughs, “shall my hunting hounds get a voice on this council? Surely a demand of more bones to chew will not be too much for our humble ‘council’ to fulfil”

"I would jump on such an opportunity, a bone not chewed rots away." Otto seems not to have gotten the joke. "Today, however, I came unprepared for any thoughts deeper than the lake's surface."

“I believe that we should debate this council further in our victory feast against the pike.” He seats himself, taking up a goblet.

"Fair enough, Meister. When shall we depart?"

"Immediately, but we need to devise an actual plan for catching and or dispatching the pike, in some sort of sound or inlet, where it will not have space to strike, or it will have space to strike, but not to retreat" "Being an oversized pike, it will be at least five feet in length, but it could be even larger. Have our scouts said anything?"

The wizard, looking bored, pipes in, "I will come if desired; otherwise, I will have a private word with the Baron and be off."

As Meister Klugman asks, one of his foresters, garbed in brown and green, approaches, bearing a report. The pike is believed to be anywhere from 8 to 15' long. It is noted as being extremely swift, and targeting lone fishing vessels that have taken a large catch for the day already. Sometimes, the fishers themselves are allowed to escape, for they are sure it could catch them if it cared to. The creature is seen most often on the northern half of the Bannalach, but has been seen as far south as the Asarwe river. Reports from Sendoure are sparse - it may even appear in the Harrowmarsh.

"We should ready ambush in the Bannalach run, the narrow strait between the lake and its southern counterpart. We should employ small rowboats packed with chum, and we be prepared in the shallows with boar spears. eight or fifteen feet is a sizeable catch, but nothing a good spear couldn't take, in lieu of harpoons." "Have we any Apothecary, or damn, Fisherman present who may know of what we can use in the chum to poison and stun the Pike?"

"It is an unnatural creature, so perhaps a mage is what we need instead?" the knight wonders out loud. "Unlike a beast in the wild, water might not carry the stench of whatever infernal talc the bait boat will be stuffed with."

Gundehar scratches his chin "Then why does the pike eat the fish and not the fisherman most the time?"

"The fisherman who brought this to my attention said his ship was sixteen feet from stem to stern. That's quite a lot of catch." "But it might just dislike the boats themselves." Otto says

Gundehar replies,"We have less resources and time to plan than should be, lest a wizard come forth. We must try all options we have if poisoning, stabbing, and wizardry are the methods, one is bound to work."

"The fish is smart. Why eat the people who bring it such an enormous amount of food? There is nothing to dislike about the boats - it's just food for it wrapped in wood." Tariq adds,

the Meister smiles "Precisely. At least smarter than our average Knight of Unbrau I'd say"

Otto ignores the insult. "Trapping the strait is a good idea. It might take several days, but it should eventually come by, from either side of the stream." "Until then, we might look into what fishermen consider truly attractive bait, and try to procure it."

"I may think my scout wasn't deceitful when he'd mentioned a boat full of fish was what had attracted the Pike" Gundehar adds.

Otto replies, "We most likely have one chance at the bait tactic. It'll learn to avoid such ships as quickly as it learned to hunt down fishing boats to expedite it's hunting."

Tariq smiles, "As our ancient kin did. We should affix ropes to our boar spears to gain leverage on the beast as well to further keep from its escape."

"Well, we have to make sure our rope holders are strong enough to stay on the ship and not be dragged into a watery doom. I only worry that it will take notice of the ships nearby, with us on them." Otto adds

Gundehar says, "If it doesn't mind the fishermen in the boat it hunts most the time, I think the chum boats will be the prime target"

"Excuse me for a bit, then. I'll go tell my men outside to sail back to Podenstahl, and bring back a keelboat. The fish should probably be gotten from a nearby village, we'll have to freshen them several times. The poison, and the huntsmen themselves, are up to you, sirs." Otto says

Gundehar points up, "Look no further than the bannalach shore to your north, there lies all the fishmongers we may need."

Otto nods. "Hopefully we won't starve them." He bows, and exits the hall momentarily. After a while, it is all taken care of. When he returns, the Guildmaster deigns to mention this: "The keelboat will be here swiftly, and I'd better prepare the Cog to carry us all nearby." "My men tell me sailing to north of Bannalach and back daily won't be a problem, as you said. I had my doubts, if you forgive me." "The larger ship that you can already see, can carry an entire unit of soldiers, if need be. The strait is not far from here, though."

FIN