[written by me for Najm, regarding the recent expedition into Medina al Taht for 100 xp per level, as well as terms for hiring Najm's ship for short-term journeys--the terms below the (pre)ambling account]
The Preamble
I write here a draft of terms for the hire of my company and crew, the Confraternity of Saint Iskameen and my dhow, the Saint Iskameen, by those who frequent the harbor town of Cothon, or Mother-City Gadeed, with those barbarian-vagabonds with whom I am in frequent company most especially in mind.
It has been almost a month now since my jaunt up the coast, northeast, to see to my uncles and cousins in al Agadrein, and to show them the success I have come by (and my failures there, 'Issa knows); and even longer since I hired the ship to Sesel of the Survivors, to carry him to his new lands and the survey of his iqta'. And these things contributed to my thoughts now, but it was in conversation with Arngeir of the Green Gleam on a recent excursion into Medina al Taht that this conception really began to ferment.
Now, I was one of those who voiced interest in returning to the city-below when I fell in with the rowdy company at the Gatehouse, with the shouts and smells of the Souk al Samak mixing with the scents and conversation inside the tavern. I had--have--certain unfinished business "below", business that now necessitates my hire of sword-arms to protect my person and my ship, and which I would gladly have put behind me. Hence my vote to descend, and to present swords point-first to certain rough men who dwell in the forgotten vaults below the city-streets.
I suggested also to Durham of the Ringing Anvil, who is followed by a loyal renyu-servant, that we might negotiate common cause with the free renyu with whom I have had friendly run ins before--I have heard that Durham is a patron of some kind of enclave of renyu, and wondered if those below might fare better with that group than their current situation.
Anyway, we did all eventually descend into the city below; myself and hired-help Hry-Haya (an Alkari sage), Durham and Pako, the half-handed Gan ad-Din, uncanny sorceress Avin, and the quiet fighting-man Arngeir of the Green Gleam, in fine zortrium plate armor.
Despite my initial role in the direction of the expedition, I confess that I became distracted in the final clinch. The bandits whom I had hoped to see chastised--the gang of the crossed-swords--turned out to be more difficult a group than I had expected, associated as they were with certain monsters of men, veritable giants whose wounds healed miraculously. I, a humble fisherman, had little hope to stand against them toe-to-toe, and so I let Gan and Durham, experienced fighting-men both, take the lead.
Indeed, as those two led the main foray against the encampment of the crossed-swords, Arngeir and I stood watch at our party's escape route, ready to rush in if need be, or help clear the way in an emergency, and we fell to discussing the possibility of future joint ventures. You see, he is now the master of his own sailing vessel, and like me, is a scion of a clan of fishermen! Though he is far more learned than I, and too a doughty warrior, whereas I remain but a humble fisher.
Unfortunately, so excited was I in the prospects of expanding the Confraternity to a second ship so soon--if Arngeir is amenable, of course!--that I was quite surprised when a horrid abomination came shambling out of the darkness toward us, stinking of rotted flesh, feet slapping wetly as it came toward us. A tsoggu! I warned Arngeir to avoid its gaze, and we set to fight it, when a second appeared out of the shadows. Hry-Haya's quick thinking and magical talents created an illusion of us fleeing into the main encampment area, but only one of the wretched tsoggu followed after; and it was only after the arrival of our comrades out of the commotion that caused that we were able to dispatch the monster that had initially attacked us.
And what strange successes our comrades had made! Gan and Avin had distracted the entire gang with a swaggering performance by Gan, and the sorcerous strength of Avin--equally marvelous as the hulking giants of the bandit-gang; and while Avin arm-wrestled a giant, Durham and Pako had sneaked around and discovered a hidden entrance to some lower court of infamy--which will require another day of adventure to investigate. We also took a prisoner of one of the brutes, and retrieved an additional dose of some drug used by this gang, and which the alchemists of the Survivors of the Tel are already researching for me.
But as to the original purpose of this preamble, the terms for the hire of my ship:
The Saint Iskameen is a dhow, a small single-masted sailing ship with a hold that can carry 10,000# of goods--rather more capacity than I have yet had the good fortune to require!
As this is only a first draft (to be posted at Fara's Hole-in-the-Wall for perusal by those interested) I have not yet determined prices for much, but I much intend to expand the services offered by the Confraternity of Saint Iskameen as our possibilities expand.
For a short jaunt up the coast of no more than three days' travel (i.e. to Sesel's Iqta', or to the Roads)
25 dinars flat, or
5 dinars per head for parties numbering more than five
For a week's travel or more
5 dinars per day, or
1 dinar per day per head for parties numbering more than five
Calculated for all travel days in bad weather, running before a storm, or encountering pirates or hostile sea-creatures
double the normal rate, calculated on a day-by-day basis
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