4-28 Yarthmont - Interlude

 The return to Auriga was uneventful, for which Broneslav was grateful. The mage was very pleased at the havoc Broneslav had caused and let Broneslav stay long enough to heal all his wounds. As a reward for his heroics, Auriga identified the various items Broneslav had found along the way. After five days, Broneslav was fully healed and ready to leave. The Cynidiceans filled his pack with food and water for him, and he left the pyramid with instructions on how to find his way back to settlements where he could get further aid.

For two blazing hot days, and two freezing cold nights, Broneslav followed the directions given by Auriga. On the third day, he caught sight of a small dot in the distance moving at speed in his direction. Soon it was close enough to identify that it was a person on what appeared to be a carpet. He was not going to outrun it, so Broneslav drew his sword and readied himself.

Soon the carpet and its rider were upon him. Its rider hailed Broneslav and he relaxed. It was Arnulf who appeared to have bought a very expensive carpet from his share of the profits on the last trading caravan. The two caught up as they travelled together. By the end of the day they were at Selenica and Arnulf had persuaded Broneslav to return to Specularum with him, where he was going to meet Sindar. Broneslav begged Arnulf to let him rest a day in Selenica before they travelled on. He needed time to buy some new clothes. Arnulf agreed.

Broneslav went shopping. He did not have time to get properly tailored clothes, but he dressed himself as well as he could and soon he looked like the scion of a major trading family should look, though rather more battered than the average pampered 16 year old of those families. Arnulf approved of the change, and especially of the bath that Broneslav took.

The next day was a very early start and a late finish as they pushed hard to reach the fortified town of Penhaligon. Another long day and they were at Specularum. Arnulf set Broneslav down outside the gates and then headed to his own country house a short distance outside the city. Broneslav was familiar with the routine here. He approached the gates, bound his weapons as the guards dictated and paid the 8 Crona tax to enter the city. The streets were bustling and noisy, as Broneslav remembered, but he ignored the temptations of the taverns and returned home.

His family were pleased to see him, especially as he was obviously making something of himself. He had passed the test of the Shearing Ceremony and had clearly matured in just the few months he had been away. He was no longer quite so taken with Milka's rose red lips or pale skin either. Suddenly she seemed soft by comparison with the life he was now leading.

He reflected on the Shearing Ceremony too. Many families paid only lip service to the tradition. They sent their children away to camp out for the night, and then to return in the morning as if they had achieved something great. He knew that poorer Traladaran families often relied on those children to work alongside the adults, so a full quest was not an option. His own family could have done the same, and many wealthier families did. He was quite glad that his family had sent him off in this manner though. It had been painful but he had learned. He had a better idea of what he wanted to do now, and it did not involve sitting around the fire drinking ale and telling tall stories.

The next day, he banked much of his wealth and called for the tailors to measure him properly for new clothes. He would need them to fit in with those around him. Then he set about finding buyers for some of the more exotic items he had found. A week later, he had sold all the items he wanted to sell. It turned out that mercenaries and adventurers had a lot of use for this type of thing, although he did not get great prices for the scrolls. Even with the cut that the Duke's tax collectors would take, he was quite wealthy in his own right now.

With his shopping done, Broneslav decided to wait until after the Festival of Lucor before he rode out again. It would be a chance to relax, and he needed the time to chase up some leads. There were opportunities within the family, which traded all over Karameikos and beyond, but there might be something more exciting available too. Anything that would help him be financially independent. He loved his immediate family, but the politics of the wider Torenescu family and its rivals was a snake pit that he did not wish to enter, so any amount of independence was to be valued. But first he would help out with the business in town and then the Festival of Lucor.