The purchase of land
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_After contacting the Peltarch City Hall regarding the purchase of the land outside the walls the Herald set up a meeting between Mystic and the owner, Lloyd Lemke. The owner, a disheveled old man, arrives to the meeting almost an hour late. He greets her by poorly aiming a crossbow at her and shooting. The bolt flies 20 meters wide, nowhere near hitting her.
He starts yelling._
"OY YOU STUPID SHITE KIDS! THIS IS THE LAST BLAGGIN' TIME YOU TRY YOUR FARKIN' PRANKS ON OLD LLOYD!"
He begins to reload, though it looks like his frail hands will take quite a while to wind the contraption
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Most days, Z can be found working on the structure along with various members/apprentices of the Union and hired hands.
Thank ya, Miss Mystic, we appreciate that.
He steps back and wipes the sweat from his forehead with a well used rag and explains…
///PM sent.
Z
Edit:
///Moon wanted me to post it...
He steps back and wipes the sweat from his forehead with a well used rag and explains...
We used earth elementals ta move the earth from up the hill down to your land. By doin' so, we will be above the water line and the ground won't be marshy. It'll be perfect fer growin' crops n such. Praise to the Earthmother, Chauntea.
We also used 'em ta dig a trench at the base of the hill, around your land, and to the pond. This'll divert any runoff from storms n such. Along with the trees n bushes we will plant on this side of the trench, yer land should stay dry.
We build a foundation outta rock and the framin' is strong oak. We'll be usin' pine n maple fer the walls.
I also found some redwood, recently. We kin use that for some of the furniture if we come in under budget and you want somethin' fancy.
It's comin along nicely, I'd say...
Z
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Mystic passes through the construction site from the west and pins a note on one of the logs
" Master Z, I cleared the area west from orcs, they shouldnt be bothering your workmen for a week or so I hope"
She looks around with a content grin
"Coming along fine it is " she whispers
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Mystic frequently visits the building site with a basket full of refreshments, she usually leaves the basket with the men, then continues west to clear the area nearby from any stray orcs
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Grobble watches
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Gralin can be seen in his free time digging out the foundation, shaping the stones, and setting them in place, a stream of dwarven curses issuing forth at any setback.
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After the arrival of building supplies, construction begins. Union crafters from Norwick and the Dwarven Hold seem to be in charge of the project.
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After shaking her hand the old-man dances his way back to Peltarch.
"Hoo-eee! No more three-legged snaggle-toothed tramps for me! I'm gonna rent me one who's got all straight teeth and all her limbs too! Weeeee!"
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I shook his hand firmly, being mindful to stay away from the buisness end of the crossbow.
"My name is Mystic River, and I'll see you in a week."
As I walked away I couldn't help but wonder if I shouldn't have gotten him to sign something. His memory might not last a week… or his health either
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"Hee hee! Hoo hoo! Oh, don't worry about me! I'm spry as a spider! See?"
He hops and barely manages to click his heels together, lands clumsily, then does a pirouette.
"Gimme yer name and I'll see ya in a week!"
He holds out a bony hand to shake in agreement.
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I cant help it, but his limping little dance of enthusiasm gets me and I am smiling too. Although he looks too fragile
"Oh please do be careful so you dont fall into a mud hole and hurt yourself!"
Hmm.. Oh well the poor old geezer may as well die happy at least. Isnt that how we all want to go, I thought.
"Now, lets meet within a week in the city hall to sign the contract and I will also make the payment. Dont exhaust yourself, can you make it alright back to your house?
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_You see the gears turning in his head. He takes a closer look at your exquisite clothes and well kept hair. His eyes dart around as he squints at the muddy weeds puzzling out why such a high-class woman would come out here just to play a jest.
You can see it on his face when he realizes you're being serious. His eyes bulge._
"I'M RICH!"
He spins in circles dancing a jig.
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Before I knew it, I had already blurted it out
"5000 coins?"
My eagerness almost giving me away, I quickly added to smooth things over:
"The place got potential, however, we need to drain the land, I did have the master from the Union visiting here, he had some concerns about making a proper base which the lodge will be built upon."
"If you would accept my offer I will have the proper documents drawn up for you and me to sign with a city official as witness. How does that sound?"
Anticipating his response I could see three things happen, he would accept the offer relieved getting rid of the mud hole, or… he would finally shoot me with the cross bow I helped him load ..or he would drop dead in a heart attack. I cleared my throat waiting...
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He appears to be getting angry again…
"I told ya! It ain't worth shite! Now tell me how much ya got!"
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I wasn’t sure if he was going to drop to the ground in some sort of fit. The last thing I needed to do was give him a heart attack and have to deal with some relative who thinks they just came into a big inheritance. Unless of course his price was too high. I stroked his arm soothingly and gave him a reassuring smile.
“I don’t carry that much gold on me, but let me ask you… How much do you think it’s worth?”
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The old man has the look of utter confusion as the crossbow is handed to him.
"Y-… I'll-... Show me the gold!"
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He's still trying to load the crossbow, and I do so hate waiting around for people to kill me…
"If you're going to murder me, can you be a little quicker about it? I still have to talk to a carpenter today."
I broke from cover and closed the distance with a brisk walk, stopping next to him, my hand reassuringly brushing across the back of his as he fumbled with the bolt. "Please, allow me." I gently lifted the bow from his hands and finished cocking it, then slipped a bolt into it before handing it back. "Here, all ready to go."
I flashed him a smile and my best innocent look.
"It's been my dream since I was a little girl to own my own house… I kind of like this "cesspool of swamp" as you call it. Would you consider parting with it to fulfill a little girl's wish?"
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He continues trying to muscle the bolt into place.
"Like fark! Who would want ta buy this worthless cesspool of swamp land!"
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The crossbow bolt missed me by a wide margin, but the old instincts were tough to resist. I dove for cover behind a tree as the old man started cranking the windlass on the crossbow. Six spells leapt into my head. Five would turn the old coot into a smoldering piece of scorched shoe leather, and the last one would help him reset the crossbow faster.
"Better options Mystic… better options…"
_I could flash him some leg, but I doubt the old geezer could even remember what it was like to be interested in something like that. His manhood probably shriveled up and fell off eons ago.
I could rush him before he reloaded, but with my luck he most likely had a stone age knife tucked away in his back pocket that he’s been using to geld sheep. Hmmm, something better…
I hoped he could still hear at his age. He certainly couldn’t see well. Worth a try._
“HOLD YOUR FIRE!! I’ve come from City Hall to talk about purchasing your land! We have no quarrel…”
I peeked around the tree, even as I cringed at my bad choice of words. I hoped it didn’t give him any more ideas
“Can we discuss this over a bottle of wine maybe? Like civilized people?”
