Ironwood

The Safe House

Behind the warehouse was a courtyard containing a small garden, a stable, a well, and an outhouse, all walled in from the rest of the city. It was truly a formidable outpost for Ironwood. It was also, in Talyk style, made impressive by its fine craftsmanship and efficiency to purpose.

In the front of the warehouse was a small but well-furnished office where business was conducted. There also was a generous amount of storage space to each side of the main hallway. In the rear left corner, there was a kitchen with a chimney against the back wall, and in the right corner, a large dining hall for the entertainment of guests. There was also a stair to the second floor, where there were three bedrooms, a small storeroom, and a barracks full of bunks on either side of the hall. A fine building in a district of both commerce and mansions, it had been ideal for conversion to Ironwood's cause both as a place of business, and as an outpost: a home away from home.

There were currently fourteen people residing in the building, including one Captain Daron of Ironwood's Mercantile Company. He and and his two assistants maintained a permanent residence, though arrangements would change soon when Daron married. The rest of the men present were part of the caravan from Ironwood. Erik and the Captain each occupied one of the private rooms, while the other two were shared by the permanents assistants. Even so, there were bunks available, for there were eight in each barracks.

Within the dining hall, multiple tables were pushed together to provide a common eating space. Here there was some deference to beauty over function, for there were several eye-catching tapestries involving scenes of both Ironwood and Talyk, and the seating was crafted from gorgeously polished ironwood. While there was a small hearth in the room, it was not currently lit. Instead, several lamps and candles gave the room a cheery glow. Jacob sat on one of the benches, catching up with some of the guards from Ironwood. They appeared to be taken with Laranna, who had changed out of riding gear, and brushed her hair to a fine sheen. Jacob kept the conversation away from the most weighty news until his brother returned, but Laranna's presence at least had to be explained.

Ceann, who had sullenly begun avoiding the members of Jacob's small group, was visibly relieved to be back among his own, and his voice was warm as he gave hints of what would be revealed once Erik joined them. Francis, meanwhile, had gone to help in the kitchen, and the aroma of the stew was tantalizing as it wafted from its immense pot. Daniel and Athena were currently in the midst of filling their mugs from one of two large casks of ale standing at the side of the room.

It was into this happy scene that Lord Erik entered, with Captain Darron close behind. Erik was a tall man, dark haired, dark-eyed, and broader than his brother. "Jacob!" the heir to Ironwood's Barony called out, and took Jacob into his embrace. "It's good to see you, but whatever has brought you all the way out here?"

Jacob clapped his older brother on the back. "Right to business, then. I suppose I better start from the beginning. I'm sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but a couple weeks ago, the shield of St. Thomas was stolen, and Father Gerrold and Timothy were both killed during the theft. The killers were clearly dangerous men, and they used noseburn to cover their escape."

He paused a moment, watching his brother's eyes widen and expression harden before continuing, "With Ceann's help, I led a team out of Ironwood to try to find the Shield and hopefully some justice. After a few false starts, Daniel and Athena traced the murderers to a village near the city of Sarronen. We lost the trail for a while, but an enterprising Clansman named Thane pointed us towards the city itself.

We had hoped, once there, that the King of Sarronen might help us look for the thieves among his city. Unfortunately, he wasn't much use to us, for reasons that became clear later. In the meantime, we attended the annual Spring Tournament in Sarronen. Daniel, you see, had caught sight of the assassins during the theft of the Shield, and we had some indications that they might be in the competition. We were right. Late in the competition, Daniel recognized one of the killers."