Medievia - Do You Dare Enter?

Trading

The Day of Valor, 26th day of the month of Winter Night, year 533

Ferinoi, the Clan Leader, has taught me the ways and means of trading, yet all I have is knowledge and little money. There are no high level clan members available to take me on a run for training, and they suggest that I should wait until they are making a run themselves. I am rather eager to profit, however, and am more than willing to learn by deed and by my own mistakes. Ferinoi suggests a run to Karlisna as he was recently there, and asked about the values of trade goods at their trading post.

You feel Ferinoi say, 'I think wagons of Fish from Mystara would be your best option'.

100% feel you say, 'Thanks, we'll try that'.

I travel on dragonback to Mystara with my faithful companions, Andyll and Lindra, and we obtain riding horses from the stables there as advised for speed. We venture to the trade post and load up some wagons with many barrels of fish and then set off.

We had just arrived at the junction for Riverton when disaster struck...

Indescribable fear grips you. You struggle just to breathe.

Andyll tells the formation, 'A demonlord...."

We could hear the baying of bloodthirsty hounds approaching, but I convinced my companions to stand and fight - had we fled our freight would have been lost. Lindra cast her shielding spell to prevent the enemy from coming close enough to attack us, but the spectral hounds smashed against it until it broke and attacked us viciously.

We fought them off, and slew them all without serious injury, but no sooner had we killed them than we heard another pack approaching! We rested as best we could before they were upon us again, then we were fighting for our lives once more.

Time and again we fought fresh packs of spectral hounds, and time and again the demonlord sent more. Just as we felt we could fight no more, the demonlord's time in the realm expired and the rift collapsed, sending him back to his dark underworld.

A tough battle! You're drenched with blood, but much more experienced.

We were more wary for the remainder of the journey, which proved to be a blessing. We were alert enough to notice the warnings signs of another attack.

You spy a multitude of tiny footprints in the dust near the road.

This time we were prepared, and after concealing our wagons we crept quietly along the side of the road. We soon came across kobolds, waiting to ambush unsuspecting traders. Time to turn the tables! In packs, kobolds are fearsome fighters, but we easily picked them off one by one. Their leaders stood no chance without the support of their minions, and soon we were on our way.

Lindra tells the formation, "We need to wait here a while. A firestorm is approaching."

I looked around and checked the weather and indeed she was right - a firestorm would be encroaching on our route should we continue. Harmless to everyone, a firestorm prevented magical spells from being cast - this would render two- thirds of our group useless! We waited impatiently and watched the skies carefully - as soon as it had travelled far enough away we set off again.

The rest of the journey was uneventful and we made good time. The trade post was reasonably quiet as we sold our loads and we made a handsome profit. Andyll had been to this city before and gave me directions to the bank where we deposited our hard-earned gold. He also lead us to the Post Office where he recieved a ring the Clan Leader had obtained on his adventures. Smiling broadly he displays his new prize before slipping it onto his finger.

I mourn the opportunity I lost - I could have worked out what a run back to Mystara would have gained us before we left there. Lindra, ever the optimist, persuades us to try it anyway. Finding our horses, we brave the roads one more time...