OOC: A Strange Meeting

[Geoffrey]

I didn't want to fill the IC board with OOC stuff.

It's Intrigue I need to roll to determine the trustworthiness or whatever of the man right?

Do I know about this sword or the deed that was performed to get it?

[GM Craig]

First you heard of it. And yes, it's Intrigue.

[Geoffrey]

Rolled a 13 vs a 3 so it's a failure.  As I understand the skill it just means if I don't gain any insight into the man or his story, it doesn't dictate whether I actually believe him or not correct?

[GM Craig]

Correct.

[Geoffrey]

Just wanted to check something, how much exactly is the old man asking for using today's dollars?  How long could one live off 2 pounds?

[GM Craig]

From "The Book of the Manor"

?1 pays one year of support for:
   One squire and his horses, or
   8 rich commoners, or
   24 commoners, or
   48 poor commoners

or, in the short term, it could feed 7,000 commoners or 15,000 poor people for a day.

?1 = 240 d.

1 d. pays for:
   25 commoners for a day, or
   50 poor people for a day (i.e. 10 d. feeds an entire village).

So, with two pounds, he could live like a squire for two years. If he were free with the money, he could live very well for 16 years (8 if he has a family and treated them as he was treated). If he were frugal with the money, this would set him up with a comfortable living for the rest of his life and leave some inheritance for any children.

[Geoffrey]

I don't see anything that would qualify for using to bargain.  Would it be a straight opposing roll, highest roller wins?

[GM Craig]

Intrigue or Courtesy would apply if you were bargaining with an equal. Perhaps Stewardship fits better. We can use any of those here, but this probably isn't a roll situation. No passions or virtues above 16 are involved, so you're free to do as you wish.

He's obviously a peasant - perhaps a yeoman, but still well below you in the social scale, and is displaying significant cheek to bargain like this. You would be within your rights to have your squire run him through for his impertinence. You could also clap him in irons and haul him away to Fault for questioning. Either option would be well within your rights. Some among the nobility would say that doing so is actually your duty, to keep the peasants in their place.

Knightly virtues may urge you to another course of action, of course. Mercy, charity, etc.

Knights and nobles generally assume peasants will display base conduct given the chance, and consider knightly virtues to be rare among the peasants, so there's no reason to assume he's telling the truth. You'll have to make up your own mind on that, though you can give me an intrigue roll to see if you can suss out something.

He is offering a significant carrot. It is up to you if it is worth the risk/cost, and how far your patience and charity will go.

[Geoffrey]

So did he just give up the information without expecting payment?

[GM Craig]

No, you offered him a Libram, and reminded him of his precarious position. Rather than withhold his information and risk your wrath, he spilled it, expecting you to keep your word.

[GM Craig]

Given your stations, you could, of course, refuse to pay him.

[Geoffrey]

One last question before posting.

Given how much 1 pound is to Rodric, would he necessarily have that much on him or would it be kept locked up in his tent?

[GM Craig]

I'll leave that to you. You were coming into Sarum for the expressed purpose of doing some shopping before you returned to your manor after the summer campaign. Likely Suger would have carried a bunch of coin for you for that purpose. Between the two of you, it's entirely likely you would have a libram's worth of smaller coins.

[Geoffrey]

The quest for the sword, I assume that would take place during the winter phase.

What happens to the manor when Rodric is gone, do the servants etc just run it as per usual?  How long would the journey take?

[GM Craig]

This is something you'd have to prepare for, definitely. The closet ports are in Saxon hands, so you'd have to finance an expedition, acquire transport, find a guide. The ports across the channel are also in Saxon hands, so you're need to find someone willing and able to put you ashore without a seaport.

You're looking at a month, minimum, to pull all this off.

In your absence, your steward would run things on your behalf. Without a wife, your steward is an older non-knightly relative from among the 8 other relatives on your family list.

Meta-game-wise, quests in Pendragon do not necessarily happen in the same season as the hook drops, or necessarily in the same generation as when the hook drops. This may be something for future generations to do. I'm not saying it is, but you may not have the resources to do it just yet.

Survival Guide applies - make your own choices, but keep an eye on the future.