I make it to the cartographer without
any more trouble. The shop is a bit stuffy, but it's well maintained.
In the large room, an older fellow sits at a slanted table near other
similar tables and desks covered in paper, bottles of ink, pens and
other tools that I don't recognize. He doesn't react to my entry.
“Hello, I'm looking for a map.”
He continues
working, “Well, I'd hope so. If you weren't, I'd sell you one
anyway. Coming here for anything else is a clear sign of being lost.
Please, wait just a moment, I can't stop quite yet.” His pen dances
along the parchment for a short while before he sets it down and
turns to me, he looks a little haggard. “So a map you say, could
you perhaps be a bit more specific? Map of the city, of the duchy, of
the kingdom, the world?”
I
hadn't really thought of that so much yet, how far this journey might
take me. “The kingdom.”
I can always buy another if I leave the borders.
“Which one?”
He shakes his head and pinches the bridge of his nose. “Sorry, this
is exactly why I don't deal with customers when I can avoid it. I get
testy when I'm tired, and I'm always tired, and that's because I have
to do extra work, because of certain WORTHLESS APPRENTICES THAT DON'T
SHOW UP AT DAWN LIKE THEY ARE SUPPOSED TO!” With that, his hand
quickly grabs a small straight piece of wood from one of the nearby
desks and hurls it like a dart over my shoulder. I hear a grunt of
pain followed by some grumbling. He looks past me, “Now sit down
and get to work! Quit your grumbling, it was just a straight edge. It
didn't draw blood, next time it'll be a pen, and that will!” The
only young man that doesn't stop grumbling as they all sit down and
begin working at the empty desks is rubbing at a small welt on his
forehead.
“That
was a good shot, you do that often?”
“Often enough that the smartest ones were using you as cover. Now
you, of course, mean this kingdom. Build says fighting man, age says
leader position, clothes and sword at your back say otherwise.
Sellsword? I'm guessing you probably want one emphasizing trade
routes and hubs, but then again all I know about mercenary work is
guarding caravans...”
“Actually,
I'd like to know where I can find the larger temples and shrines.”
“Really now? Well you're in luck, then. Fellow the other day
wanted a map drawn up for a religious pilgrimage he was going to
undertake, after it was done and he came to pick it up and pay for it
he decided that I should lower the price for a devout such as him.
Got rather flustered when I told him that he should have tried
negotiating a better price when he ordered the thing, ended up
leaving without paying and without the map. Here take a look.”
He rummages through a shelf full of rolled up parchment, and pulls
one out. At a glance, it seems easy enough to read, some of the
cities are further labeled with a temple name, and many shrines are
just out on their own. The nearest is a Church of The Scythe, about
three daymarches away. I think I'll pass on that one, even though I'm
sure the death worshipers would love me. Looks like a good enough map
to me, overall.
We
negotiate a price, in the end it's very expensive for a piece of
parchment. As I head towards Dartac's to see how long the armor will
be, I check the map more thoroughly. It looks like I'll be heading
northeast though, through the town of Timberfell. Not sure which way
I'll go from there yet, probably further north toward the nearest
Shrine of the Traveler. Just over a daymarch to Timberfell. I suppose
I'll buy five days of rations though, when the time comes. One thing
I agree with The Captain on is bringing much more food than you plan
on needing, especially if it keeps well. With that in mind I can
place that as an order with one of the merchants once I find out when
my armor will be ready.
After regaining my bearing of where I am in town, (I can almost hear
The Captain, “Getting lost in town because you were too busy
reading a map. Good job, Leo, good job.”) I make it to Dartac's
smithy once again.
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