Before the Storm: Act 9, Chapter 6
Chapter 6
Much to everyone’s relief, Liam’s read on Pierre Ulenieu proved to be accurate. The Merchant asked no questions, made no comments, and most importantly of all, he paid in coin. Negotiations were straightforward, with Ulenieu simply offering them a price that he claimed was fair considering their circumstances.
Liam’s appraisal abilities as a Rogue similarly gave him a sense of what was fair, but most with those abilities understood that it was relative to some unknown scale of value that did not directly reflect real prices. It took familiarity with local markets to figure that part out and, while a Merchant could be quite quick at it, Liam hadn’t had remotely enough time in the city. The best he could do was keep Ulenieu from cheating them outright. Intimidation might have been an option, but Liam wasn’t sure whether the Merchant would complain to the Adventurer Guild in retaliation.
At the end of their bargaining, partially to distract him from the sight of Claire awkwardly fumbling bags of coin into their iron-bound strongbox, Liam went to speak with Ulenieu.
“Would you like us to help deliver these goods to your accommodations?” Liam asked, “We just arrived in the city yesterday and I’d like to hear more about what’s been going on.”
“Would you be so kind?” Ulenieu said, “It would save us the trouble of hiring a wagon and the Mercenaries required to guard it.”
“Just to be clear,” Liam said, “I didn’t mean to say that House Beaumont was offering security forces for the duration of your stay.”
“Yes, of course. I will be leaving the city as soon as possible, preferably by way of the harbour. The gods permitting, I’ll be in Re-Uroval in less than a week.”
“Do you need to stop anywhere in the city along the way?” Liam asked.