The Travels of a Hairy Hermit

The surrendered charcoal workers lead Nilsar, Kazej, Teren, Sella, and Beran through dense woodland. Beneath a split birch, they reach a wagon-sized hollow hidden under old ash.

Rusk, Jorin, and Varric rake away the ash with their hands. Damp flattened grass, broken twigs, and a broad wagon rut show that a load recently rested beneath the tree.

Two notched wooden pieces emerge from the ash, each cut to fit the other. One bears a dark smear and a shallow black-hook mark; the second has a fresh notch near its end.

Kazej gathers Rusk, Jorin, and Varric and leads them back along the track. Nilsar waits until their voices fade, then turns alone toward the coastward path.

Nilsar settles the Northern Helmet over his hair and moves low through the trees. Gravam’s concealed Chainmail Armour lies beneath his clothes, protecting him without catching on branches, while his longsword stays secured close to his hip.

His craftsman’s eye reads the lime shed’s warped boards, loose stones, and old loading gap. He chooses the soundest approach, placing each boot where leaf mould will hide its weight.

The shed appears beyond the coastward path, its doors shut and its roofline broken against the trees. Nilsar circles beneath the shadowed wall, finds the rear loading gap, and slips inside unseen.

Inside, dim light reveals smaller cart tracks, fresh straw, and stacked bundles bearing the black-hook mark. Nilsar has entered the lime shed without alerting anyone, with his armour and sword ready for whatever the cargo conceals.

Nilsar searches the bundles methodically. His Skilled Craftsman eye identifies packed iron fittings, lamp oil, dyed wool, and sealed packets of station forms beneath the straw.

He keeps his concealed Chainmail Armour close beneath his clothes as he shifts a crate with a splintered edge, its links guarding him from the exposed nails.

His longsword’s sturdy guard helps lever up a nailed inner board without tearing the cargo. Beneath it rests a thin oilskin ledger bearing the black-hook mark.

Records Research matches the cargo numbers, dates, and hook marks to the Storehouse Issue Books. The ledger states that Merchant Hessa Vale of Coastmere is to receive the shipment.

A second entry gives Nilsar an unasked-for advantage: the next transfer is scheduled for tomorrow night at the old lime kiln, with a wagon bearing a red wheel hub.

Nilsar has the recipient, the cargo contents, and a precise future handoff recorded. The oilskin ledger slips securely beneath his clothes as the shed remains quiet around him.

Nilsar surveys the visible cargo and chooses the costly iron fittings and tightly packed dyed wool, leaving the lamp oil and ordinary forms behind.

His Skilled Craftsman eye selects sound bundles that will carry value without spilling or tearing. He binds the fittings and wool into one manageable load.

When a nailed crate resists, Nilsar uses the sturdy guard of his longsword to lever the board free. The blade bends the wood without cutting the cargo.

A splintered edge catches his sleeve as he lifts the bundle, but Gravam’s concealed chainmail turns the hazard aside, its links protecting him from the exposed nails.

He secures the selected goods beneath his outer clothes and across his shoulder, keeping the oilskin ledger hidden with them. The remaining cargo stays stacked and undisturbed.

Nilsar slips back through the loading gap with the most valuable portable goods in his possession. The lime shed remains quiet, and the red-hub wagon’s appointment is still recorded for tomorrow night.

Nilsar returns through the forest, using his Skilled Craftsman’s eye to choose firm footing and the Longsword’s sturdy guard to ease branches aside. His concealed Chainmail Armour turns stray thorns and splintered wood without slowing him.

He reaches the patrol safely with the fittings, dyed wool, and Oilskin Ledger secured. Kazej, Teren, Sella, and Beran turn toward him as he steps from the trees.

Nilsar hands the Oilskin Ledger to Kazej. The veteran checks its black-hook entries against the recovered pieces, while the other patrol members gather around the selected iron fittings and dyed wool.

Kazej records the distribution: the iron fittings are split evenly among Kazej, Teren, Sella, and Beran, while Nilsar keeps the tightly packed dyed wool. The ledger remains secured for the baron.

Rusk leads Nilsar and the patrol along the hidden track. Nilsar opens the Damp Map, matching its bends to the ground while his Skilled Craftsman’s eye chooses firm footing and the safest route for the prisoners and cargo.

They reach the abandoned kiln before midday. Its cracked stone mouth overlooks a narrow clearing, where a red wheel hub lies beside fresh ruts and crushed grass.

Nilsar searches the clearing methodically. His Skilled Craftsman’s eye finds scrape marks beneath the hub and a concealed stone shelf inside the kiln, while the Damp Map confirms this is the marked transfer point.

Beneath the stone shelf, Nilsar finds a folded scrap listing tomorrow’s hour and the red-hub wagon mark. He secures it with the ledger, and the patrol has searched the next site successfully.

Nilsar binds clean cloth across Rusk, Jorin, and Varric’s mouths, securing each gag firmly without harming them. Kazej records the restraint and watches their hands.

The patrol hides the prisoners beneath the kiln’s lee while Nilsar settles his Northern Helmet and checks the concealed Chainmail Armour beneath his clothes. Its links guard him as he crawls over sharp stone.

Nilsar places the Gilded Round Shield toward the track, its green and brown face, partial gold rim, and painted donkey masking the patrol’s position. His Longsword lies ready at his hip.

Hours pass beneath cold cloud. Teren watches the eastern trees, Sella the western verge, and Beran the rear track, while Nilsar reads every tremor through the shield and earth.

A red-hub wagon rolls into the clearing, drawn by two tired horses. A lean middle-aged driver, a weathered man with a narrow face, short gray hair, and a crooked nose, in a dark cap and patched blue coat peers toward the kiln, unaware of the hidden patrol. Kazej gives the signal, and the defenders close the track from every side.

Nilsar steps before the wagon with his two-handed axe drawn. His green-and-brown round shield, gold-rimmed and painted with a donkey, presents a guarded front, while his longsword remains secured at his hip and concealed chainmail protects him beneath his clothes.

The driver's hands rise clear of the reins. Kazej holds the wagon's flank, while Teren, Sella, and Beran keep the surrounding track closed without advancing on the horses.

His answer places the wagon on the ledger's route and confirms the lime kiln as the collection point. Kazej records the driver's service and destination while Nilsar's drawn axe keeps the stop lawful and unmistakable.

Nilsar Yarb leaves abandoned lime kiln behind and arrives at Coastmere.

Coastmere rises around a salt-bright harbor, its stone warehouses crowded between gull-haunted piers and the gray sea. The wagon driver leads Nilsar toward a broad storehouse marked with Hessa Vale’s merchant seal.

The driver halts beneath the storehouse awning. Nilsar’s patrol has taken the prisoners, oilskin ledger, and marked tally pieces toward the baron, while the driver raises a hand toward the office door.

A young adult woman steps from the office, lean and sharp-featured, with black hair braided beneath a blue wool cap and a dark green merchant’s coat fastened by brass buttons. A silver seal hangs at her belt.

The sea wind snaps the wagon cloth behind Nilsar. Hessa’s office door remains open, and a clerk inside pauses over a ledger, ready to witness whatever account follows.

Nilsar stands before the wagon with his two-handed axe drawn and his round shield forward, its green, brown, and partial gold rim framing the painted donkey. His concealed chainmail guards beneath his clothes.

Nilsar keeps the wagon’s numbers, marks, and route ordered in his memory through Keeps Reliable Accounts. Reads Legal Records separates Hessa’s company from the station office that issued the unlawful instructions.

Hessa lowers her gaze to the axe, then meets Nilsar’s eyes again. The driver remains silent beside the reins, while her admission places the marked cargo and her company in one accountable chain.