Butram falls away behind Arnold as the crew climbs the last rise into a wind-swept Hurter trading post. Wool bales snap in the breeze, salt tang cuts the air, and long lines of disciplined dogs move like a practiced drill.
Hurter formations spread across the square, not quite a threat and not quite a welcome. Their rubber-shot cannons gleam in the sun, pointed with neat, almost polite precision toward the harbor road.
Captain Arnold Runner steps into the open with his cutlass at his side. The nearest Hurter Scout watches him closely, ears forward, as if measuring whether this is a bargaining party or a problem.
The Hurter Scout
You are the coyote with the recent bargain. That rumor reaches here ahead of the tide.
A local representative emerges from behind stacked crates and a ledger board, wary but clearly intrigued. He keeps one eye on Arnold and the other on the crew, as though expecting either a fair trade or a wonderfully brief disaster.
The Local Representative
If you mean to trade, speak plain. If you mean trouble, do it with some efficiency.
The trading post holds its breath around them, all wool, salt, and carefully loaded shot. Every face in the square turns toward Arnold, waiting for him to set the terms.
✓ Quest Accepted
Secure a lucrative trade partnership with the Hurters
✓ Quest Accepted
Keep the Hurters at ease
“"I come in peace. Two deals, actually. The first one is the most boring, we're simply topping off our rum and rations before heading off to Wor."”
SUCCESS (Superb Communication: Command, rolled +0)
Arnold’s words land cleanly. The Local Representative’s ears twitch, and he snaps his ledger board open with brisk relief.
The Local Representative
Rum and rations, then. Stable stores, fair tally, no delays.
He gestures sharply. Two Hurter hands break from the line and wheel out a crate cart toward the square’s center.
The Hurter Scout
That is sensible. Wor is a hungry road if you leave half-fed.
A clerk hauls up a sealed list of provisions, already marked with weights and coastal rates. No argument follows, only the scratch of quills and the creak of wheels.
The Local Representative
Your first deal stands. If the second is as plain, we may finish this without shouting.
Captain Arnold Runner
They are taking the bargain seriously.
The cart stops between them, waiting to be inspected, counted, or claimed. The Hurter Scout watches Arnold’s next move, patient as a gun laid on a rail.
Quest Complete
Keep the Hurters at ease
“Arnold turns to the Boatswain. "Our men deserve the best, spare no expense but don't get taken."”
SUCCESS (Superb Communication: Command, rolled -1)
Arnold turns toward the Boatswain, and the whole square seems to pause for the order.
Captain Arnold Runner
Our men deserve the best, spare no expense, but do not get taken.
The Boatswain gives a short nod and steps to the provision cart, already eyeing the sacks, casks, and measured bundles with a trader’s cruelty.
The Local Representative
Good. Quality first, then count the cost.
The Hurter Scout
Wise talk. A hard road runs better on honest grain than on cheap promises.
The Local Representative taps the open ration list, then flips it around so Arnold can see the stamped rates and coastal weights. No trick sits in the page, only math.
The Boatswain hooks a claw under one crate lid, checks the dried stores inside, and signals for the better casks to be set aside. The Hurters do not object, they simply begin tallying in earnest.
By the time the cart settles, the bargain has a new shape, firm enough to bind both sides. The Scout watches Arnold for the next term, while the Representative waits with ledger raised and no smile wasted.
Quest Complete
Secure a lucrative trade partnership with the Hurters
Skill Upgrade: Communication: Command Superb→Legendary
“"The second deal is a bit more interesting. Some men on my ship have enough gold that it's no longer motivating. You, meanwhile, encounter ships on the regular with sad, sorry sailors that would appreciate our superior care and adventure. If you were to facilitate their exit from such ships, some of my men would happily pay you a fee for your help as well as pay their replacement a handsome starting bonus. I get lean, hungry sailors eager to do their best, the new crew get a starting bonus, a life of adventure, and a captain that cares about them. Port administration like yourself gets to make a bit of money just for asking a few questions."”
SUCCESS (Legendary Communication: Command, rolled -3)
Captain Arnold Runner
The second deal is this, your poor souls leave hard ships for mine, and my men pay a fee and a bonus for the switch. You get coin for making the introductions.
The ledger stills in the Local Representative’s hands. The Hurter Scout’s ears tip forward, and the Boatswain’s grin sharpens at the shape of the profit.
The Local Representative
That is a bold little dockside custom. Risky, but not impossible, if the men are willing and the numbers are clean.
The Hurter Scout
Ships are full of grumbling hands. Give them a fair hook, and some will bite faster than a pike in chum.
The Representative scratches a note beside the tally, then turns the page so Arnold can see the figures taking shape. The Boatswain taps the crate lid once, pleased to let the bargain grow teeth.
The Local Representative
If I put my name to this, I ask questions, I point the right crews toward your deck, and I take a tidy cut from each successful transfer.
A dry gust lifts dust across the boards. Somewhere behind the post, a mule snorts, and the Scout lets out a low, approving breath.
The Hurter Scout
Say the word, captain, and I can name two harbors where unhappy sailors already look half gone from their captains.
✓ Quest Accepted
Finalize the Hurter recruitment partnership
“"I like the sound of that." Arnold puts a generous quantity of gold on the table. "We'll start with that, but we'll also drop by from time to time and see if you've convinced similar types to stick around the taverns here."”
SUCCESS (Legendary Communication: Command, rolled +0)
Arnold’s gold lands with a bright clink beside the ledger, and the table seems to settle around the weight of it. The Local Representative’s paw hovers, then moves to draw a clean line under the partnership figures.
The Local Representative
That buys confidence well enough. I will have the right ears at the right taverns, and I will keep the cut honest.
The Hurter Scout
Good. A captain who pays in advance gets straighter talk from me than a captain who only boasts.
The Boatswain lets out a low, pleased laugh as the Scout reaches for the coin. Outside, a mule brays, and the post’s boards rattle in the draft.
Captain Arnold Runner
I like the sound of that.
The Representative nods once, then turns the page and marks the arrangement as an ongoing commission, not a one-off bargain. The Scout adds two harbor names in quick strokes, then taps the ink dry with two fingers.
The Hurter Scout
Return from time to time, and I will have fresh hands waiting to hear about your deck.
The gold stays on the table, the names are set in the ledger, and the Hurters wait for Arnold’s next visit to make the new arrangement real.
Quest Complete
Finalize the Hurter recruitment partnership