Campaign 15: First Frolic Scenario 00: First Frolic Dawning Episode 13: Aberintaa's Adventure in Brokeristics
	Date: 12562-02-10, Time: 1230 Location: Desert Port, Lewawan, The Gorvij Lands Default Language: Gorvij

Player Characters Present

Character	Player	Sex	Species/Race	Description
Alijar Ilarik	Weston	M	Hyuumin/Waujak	Thief
Arberiks Kroonit	Christine	F	Hyuumin/Gorvij	Sharpster
Bernee Spam	Kevin	M	Dargaolhuun/Vordin	Thaumaturge
"Cat"	Melissa	F	Dargaolhuun/Vordin	Fighter
Kootayu Ranshee	Wood	M	Hyuumin/Nildrer	Thaumaturge
Laeris Seelfaroo	Don	M	Hyuumin/Relt	Sharpster
Liraan	Corinna	F	Fl;ajessav/Challit	Scrapper
Markuutril	Cassidy	M	Hyuumin/Gorvij	Hieruirge
Niijel Buzelstumper	Bob	M	Dargaolhuun/Vordin	Sharpster
Waun Chuu	Brad	M	Hyuumin/Nildrer	Thaumaturge
Wilnachet	Dennis	M	Hyuumin/Rinker	Fighter

Local Characters

Character	Sex	Species/Race	Description
Ankarev	M	Gorvij	Constable
Arminet	M	Gorvij	Brokeristics Booster
Ashdor	M	Waujak	Alchemist
Braatrin	F	Gorvij	Public Witness
Bronderet	F	Gorvij	Weaver
Fergus Urkhart	M	Vordin	Baker
Frotheringhaa Urkhart	M	Shougild	Carter
Galeger Throkmorton	M	Vordin	Head Vordin
Ghravnokh	F	Braksont	Tinkerer/Cook
Gremaan Artrening	M	Gorvij	Chief Constable
Kleris	F	Gorvij	Constable
Norang	F	Gorvij	Farmer
Plimsool Urkhart	F	Shougild	Carter
Reridav	F	Gorvij	Tavern Owner
Tiireen	F	Gorvij	Entertainer

Cat heads for the bath house first. Liraan quickly catches up with
her. Liraan has picked up the paper cube and the cootie catcher that
Cat made and wants to know what they are. Cat explains that the cube
is just a cube and the other item is sometimes used as a silly
fortune telling type device but it can also be used as a temporary
holder for small items such as nuts or buttons. There's no
significance to her choice of shapes, she was mostly trying to--
demonstrate her general opinion of the pamphlet. And oh yes, Liraan
is welcome to keep them.

Arberaks follows a bit later. Just behind her are Niijel and Laeris.
A little further back is Kootayu. He's trailing to keep a little
distance from Laeris.

Markuutril comes running past them.

Alijar and Bernee are still at the tavern; they haven't decided if
they're going to the bath house or not. Waun has decided to wait
until the baths are less crowded.

Wilnachet is out for a stroll again.

As Arberaks crosses a side street, she passes the small chapel of
the Helpers. She and Niijel are discussing the prospects of the
meeting. Suddenly, Norang rushes up. She approaches Arberaks,
perhaps because she's a fellow gorvij. "Are you really going to
visit that den of thieves?" she demands in a rush. Arberaks is
relieved to see that Norang has not retrieved her pickax.

Norang continues, words tumbling out in a rush. "Please, when you're
there, try to find my boy Arberintaa. I'm afraid something awful has
happened to him! Ever since he got involved in that fraud he's
changed. He used to be such a level headed boy. Then they filled his
head with nonsense and he became so unreasonable. He kept saying
that he was like a knight errant, fighting monsters so the people
would be free. He said to get big results it was necessary to take
big risks. But it wasn't him saying that-- it was them! And he kept
saying he was going to make a lot of money, but he wasn't making
money, he was spending money-- giving it to them! And then he said
it wasn't real money, it was just coins-- he gave them all our
coins! But they wouldn't leave him alone, they kept sending those
horrid letters, kept stringing him along. And now he's gone! And
nobody cares enough to help!"

Arberaks tells Norang that she will see what she can do. This sounds
like the sort of situation that people in the stories she grew up on
often got into, except it lacked a single main villain who could be
opposed directly.

Niijel says, "Yes, Sen. We will be happy to look for your son. If we
can't talk him into coming home in person, we will at least send you
word of how he is doing."

"Thank you. I hope it is just a matter of persuading him to come
home and not... something else. Look, i can't give you anything in
return for helping me. But i can see you are tagged; that means you
have leave tomorrow. Well, our farm is in the Fringe so it's not in
the borders of Lewawan, i could let you stay there if you wanted.
It's the second path on the left past the junction. There's a green
gate. It says `Smiling Stars' on it. I have plenty of room."

Niijel says "that is a very generous offer. I pray that The Prisilu
helps us find your son safe and sound."

Arberaks asks "Do you have one of these letters? I'd be interested
to see what they said. Maybe they can offer a clue."

Norang says "I have one, somewhere in here..."

She rummages at her waist, removing tightly wrapped bundles. She
continues to speak as she sorts through them.

"It started last fall. Aberintaa was feeling frustrated over his
pottery. Oh i didn't tell you. Our farm has a ceramics factory.

It was Efaret's idea. He was my husband. He was always dreaming of
bigger things than were sensible from our situation. And i loved
that about him while i worried he'd get hurt. We had a nice little
farm just outside of town. We grew the usual crops, raised a few
animals, just like everyone else. Then he got this idea to go for a
homestead out in the Fringe. I was against it but i wanted him to be
happy, so i went along with it.

We sold our farm and bought out an existing claim that had all the
workings, including a huge kiln and a gigantic pile of pressed
charcoal.

The old owners had gone broke but Efaret thought he could make it
work. And he might have, if he hadn't gotten so sick. Even on the
last day, in between coughs, he was still sketching out his plans.

Aberintaa had always had a talent for working clay, made some decent
dishes for me. And he had started doing porcelain. I hoped he would
find an apprenticeship somewhere but he always complained it would
take too long. I told him that was short sighted because as good as
he was, if he had more training, he could sell to merchants. But he
said his work was good it just wasn't appreciated.

Then he started talking-- crazy things. He said he had found out
that the merchants wouldn't buy from him because of `the system',
although he didn't seem very clear on what that meant.

And then he started going to those meetings. He got all excited and
said we were going to be rich. He said they had fairs where everyone
could do business freely with no one holding them back.

He dragged me to one of them. We have fairs in the Fringe, this
wasn't one of them, it was more like a rummage sale with people
trying to trade off stuff that was half made or worn out. He would
trade some of his porcelain and earthenware for some carelessly made
clothing. He said everyone loved his work, he was making a living
now without wasting time as an apprentice.

He didn't seem to understand that attracting the interest of a few
neighbors too dirt poor to buy better was not a sign of success. I
was still trying to tell him that he needed to develop his skills.
But he never listened.

And then he came back from one of the meetings just bubbling over
with joy. He said he was ready for freedom. All he had to do was
file a paper at the town hall. I didn't know what it was then, but
later i got a copy. Here it is."

One of the bundles turns out to be a scroll. She opens it up and
reveals a sheet of high quality paper with a ribbon and a wax seal.

............................................................
----> [This is a true copy. Charets Krim, Public Witness] <----

ASSERVATION OF PERSONAL SOVEREIGNTY

I Aberintaa Arshalon, an adult of sound mind, hereby make this
Asservation. I was born in a district of the territory known as the
County of Iklering in the larger territory known as the Realm of
Lewawan. My birth was recorded in the registrar of Shalonikit Chapel
in Iklering on Greening 5th in 12542.

I repudiate any and all connections with the "country" known as
Lewawan. I am not a citizen, a dependent or a tenant of the "Crown"
of Lewawan. I am not a party to any contract making me a chattel of
any "ruler" or "country". I do not acknowledge any such contracts
made by anyone else. I alone have the right to determine my own
status.

I am the autarch of my own person. I have no liege but myself. I
recognize no obligations but those i freely enter into. I accept no
constraints on what i can or cannot do, other than my own proven
honor and conscience. I will speak the truth and i will fulfill my
agreements.

Now, from the position of my own sovereignty, i extend an invitation
for all who love liberty to come and do business. Let us work
together for our mutual prosperity.

As for those who remain bound to the false system of rulers and
coins, i have no quarrel with you. I pray that the example i set
will inspire you to achieve freedom as i have. If not, then i wish
you the best of your limited horizons.

Signed, by my own authority, Suum Aberintaa Arshalon.
............................................................

Norang rolls up the paper and ties it. She continues.

"By then the year was closed. Aberintaa continued making dishes for
the next season. That's one nice thing about ceramics, cold weather
doesn't hamper you. At the same time, he kept going into town twice
a week if it was at all possible. There was nothing going on, of
course, he said he was just getting the mail. I figured he was
meeting Reridav, they'd been sort of flirting before, but there
really was mail. Almost every time, he'd come back with a letter
from his brokeristic buddies.

At first all he would talk about was how he was going to do more
trading. Then he started taking about how Brokeristics needed him
because of his special qualities. It seems that the letters had been
filling his head with all kinds of nonsense about how he was so good
at working with people, communicating, getting in tune with their
feelings, exploring their needs and whatnot.

As soon as the snow started to clear, the meetings started again. It
was still too cold, he'd come back with his face raw and his fingers
blue. But he was happier than ever. He said that he had learned that
he could do more than just trade for himself and it would be a shame
if he were to waste his potential.

He had convinced himself he wanted to become a broker.

Soon he was spending even more time at those meetings or rather at
the meetings after the meetings that were only for the brokers and
people like him who were of `proven worth'. And one day he took his
money and some he borrowed from me and when he came back he had this
little pink metal bracelet. Like the one that man had but much
thinner. I've seen the metal before, they call it trade alloy and
it's supposed to be better than money, although i've never met a
shopkeeper who'll take it unless they were in the cheap jewelry
business. But he was so happy, he said he finally had some *real*
money and he was on his way to bigger things. My heart sank when i
heard him say that word. `Bigger', just the way his dad used to say
it.

Then he got a mentor. Her name was Kaadrii. His age, but there was
nothing for Reridav to be jealous of, this one was about as cuddly
as a starving wolf. She wore a lot of those trade alloy bracelets
and some more in beads around her throat.

She taught him to do this exercise every morning where he'd stand in
front of a mirror and ask himself questions about his character and
answer them all with yes. And they'd study some papers together and
he'd get very excited and say he was ready. She only came around for
a few days then he said she was taking care of her clients the way a
real broker should, but she'd keep up his training by letter.

After that, whenever he got a letter, he'd read it several times and
then he'd burn it. He said he was learning the "techniques of
advanced brokeristics" and they were confidential. I said it was
outrageous that had only known these people a short time and already
he was keeping secrets for them. He just said i didn't understand,
he was a broker now and those were *his* secrets too.

His first assignment was to get some of our neighbors to agree to
sell him their earliest snowberries. But not for money, he was going
to get them whatever they needed, like shoes and windows and a new
wellhouse. And since they all liked him and his enthusiasm was so
contagious several of them did agree.

He took the early snowberries and came back with 3 more bracelets. I
don't know what the true value of those things are but i do know
something about early snowberries and when they're shipped to the
big cities, well even if the bracelets were solid gold, they'd be a
pitiful fraction of what the snowberries sell for.

And then he went around to all those sad so called fairs and got the
items he'd promised everybody. He was so proud when he told me about
how he had gotten it all worked out. For instance, he traded a rug
for two parakeets, traded the parakeets for a barrel of cider,
traded the cider for a bolt of flannel, and finally gave the flannel
to a carpenter who had a new baby. Then the carpenter built and
installed the wellhouse for one of the people he'd gotten
snowberries from.

The whole process took him 6 days. He didn't mention his bracelets
but they were gone, the 3 new ones and the one he'd had already. I
can only guess that he had to use them to make up a shortfall in his
trades. And he caught a chill and was in bed for 2 more days. So
that was 8 days he could have been doing some real work or even just
practiced his pottery. Instead of making money he had lost whatever
the bracelets had cost. All he would say was it was an investment in
good will for future As soon as he could stand, he went into town
and came back with 2 more of those letters.

The next week he sold some more pottery. Of course he didn't get
much but, and i didn't find this out until later, he also borrowed
some money from friends. He used the total to buy himself another
pink bracelet. And he got another letter, burned it, and said he had
a new assignment. He was going to "lock up the market" for leather
fittings for the trading season. He said that people would be
traveling out of town soon and they'd all have last minute needs for
extra straps and pouches and they'd have to come to him. It was just
too bad he'd probably have to take payment in coins although Kaadrii
would help him change them into trade alloy.

He was whistling as he went out. This time he was gone 12 days. He
came back without his bracelet again but he had a big bag of leather
straps. I'm afraid they weren't the best. And he was in a bad mood.
I asked how it went and he said that the outfitters didn't seem to
understand the advantages of brokeristics, but they'd have to come
to him eventually. Then he went straight to bed.

The next day he got another letter, this one was delivered here by
one of our neighbors who'd gone to town early to deliver milk. When
he read this letter he started ranting. He said we had to think
bigger, take bigger risks. Suddenly he was including me in his
plans. He asked me point blank to mortgage the farm! And when i
refused he broke into tears and said i was just like the rest of the
puff pigeons, stuck on the ground forgetting how to fly. He was gone
the rest of the day and the next, but i heard from various people
that he'd been heard arguing somewhat hysterically with several of
our neighbors.

After that he went out every day. He was trying to arrange more
trades. But the snowberries had been a fluke, it was still way too
early in the year for business. And nobody wanted any more pottery.
Then one day i got a visit from a neighbor who said that people
really didn't want Aberintaa to come around anymore, and by the way,
when was he going to pay back what he'd borrowed. This was the first
i'd heard that he had been borrowing.

I tried to talk to him about it that evening. He got angry and said
some very horrid things about our neighbors he said they were greedy
and petty minded and after all, it was just coins, they'd get so
much more back once he could do a little more brokering.

The day after that, there was one more letter. It was delivered
directly to our door by a shougild who handed it to Aberintaa and
left without a word.

Aberintaa started trembling, he was having trouble opening the
letter. I offered to help and he just yelled to leave him alone. A
bracelet fell out. He stared at it for a couple of seconds before
picking it up. He read the letter twice, then he crumpled it up and
threw it at the fireplace. It bounced out. I was closer so i reached
down and knocked it in for him. Except that i didn't. I knew he
couldn't see the floor right in front of the fire that well for the
flicker and i happened to have a shopping list in my pocket. I
burned the list and slipped the letter into my sleeve. Here it is."

............................................................
Suum Kaadrii, a Broker, sends this message from the heart.

Suum Aberintaa, we understand you have had a few setbacks. Don't
worry about them, you can and will do better. I have confidence in
you. I do not regret becoming your mentor, nor do i fear for my
standing in the eyes of the other brokers for being associated with
you. On the contrary, i am proud of what you have accomplished so
far and i believe in your potential.

I know that you have it in you to work through this and make the
right decisions. More importantly, Suum Arminet knows it too, and he
is the best judge of character i know. He, more than anyone else,
can see your true worth, that's why he vouched for you without
hesitation when others seemed to doubt that you could ever be a
broker.

Here is a bracelet for you. You might not think you've have earned
one at this time, but i know you will soon. And a broker should
always have some alloy.

Furthermore, Arminet and i, along with others, are ready to help
you. We've decided to prove our faith in you by inviting you to the
next executive session. It will be held 5 evenings before First
Frolic. We will discuss new prospects and share new contacts.
Arminet says he has a couple in mind that would be perfect for you.
Since this is an executive session, we must collect a broker
consulting fee of 3 cylinders.

Now is the time to be strong; do not let negative feelings make you
lose your purpose.

I'll see you at the meeting!
............................................................

"The next morning he was gone. And so was my grandmother's gold
chain with the star sapphire. There was a short note that said he
would be back the next day and we would all be ashamed to have
doubted him.

I waited 3 days but he didn't return. I've been asking around and no
one has seen or heard anything. And believe me, they're looking too,
because of the money he borrowed. Several of my neighbors have
threatened to sue!

I have gone to the police, but, well that's when they showed me that
wretched paper he'd filed. They said it means he's given up his
citizenship. They said with the activity happening outside Lewawan,
and no lewawanian citizens involved, it means they don't have
jurisdiction.

That's the whole story. My son is missing. I'm afraid. Please help
me."

She breaks out into fresh sobs.