When Edwin approaches, the gate is wide open and nobody pretends to be restricting access. A lonely man-at-arms just barely turns to look when he walks through, and yawns. The question seems to catch him off-guard, and he stutters a non-committing, «off course». The road is open.
Edwin beckons the cart driver to come forward, and makes sure the goats stay close.
"Thank you kindly, we'll make our way through", he says to the lone guard.
As the group moves in and through the town, Thom pays particular attention to the goat-riding nisse in case mischief is a foot. The Merinita is also not shy about using Second Sight to stay aware of what may be lingering or malingering around as they move through the town.
The faerie hides in the goat's wool as you pass through the gate. The man-at-arms yawns without any attention to you.
Once you enter the highstreet though, everybody's eyes are on you, or rather on the goats. «'ey, how much do you take for one of 'em goats,» they shout. A fine gentleman up to Edwin, «I'll give you ¾ pound for the five goats.»
You see little food trade around you. There are blacksmiths working their trade, and lots of peasants selling simple woodwork, charms, and both first and second hand clothes.
(For reference [Cov] has 20 sheep for a pound, I reckon a goat is slightly less than a sheep, so you are talking at least three times pre-war prices.)
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"These old stringy goats?" comments Thom loud enough to be heard by the fellow trying talk a bargain to Edwin. "Ain't worth a dung flap, these old things. Your coin is better off saved for somethin' better. Barely get a squeezin' off the teats outa this old doe." The blond young man nods his head toward the herd.
The young man seems to be doing what he can to move the group along the high street.
Half a dozen faces turn to Thomas, initially surprised, and the suspicious. «Nah. These are good goats,» says one. «He must be kidding us,» says another. «He just tries to cheat us,» says the third. «Maybe he has stolen them,» says a teenage lass with a long braid.
On the other side, behind the fine gentleman, the chattering crowd has not taken notice of the magus. «Three quarters pound!» says one. «How much is that?» asks his wife. «Must be hundreds of pence,» he answers. «More than a hundred pence for one goat,» says their neighbour. «Outrageous!» they shout together.
The fine gentleman glances at the crowd. He remains calm. «Look. Three quarters of a pound. What do you say? It is a good price,» he says to Edwin, dangling a purse in front of you. «Make it 14 ounces, but we had better be quick, before the crowd is upset.»
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"Good sir, I think you misunderstand. We are not taking these goats to market, we are taking them back home from a farm. We are taking these goats back to our village, so we can have milk and cheese and maybe a little wool. We have been having the same troubles getting livestock that everyone else has."
«Oh, really? Did you buy them at this farm?» The gentleman stops short and lowers his voice before he continues. «Where is this farm? Do they have more to sell?»
Behind him, the chattering continues. «Hundreds of pence and they don't sell,» they say with surprise. «It's the war. It is insane,» says one. And a smart-arse adds, «it wasn't at hundred pence for one goat; only about two hundred for the five,» but nobody really listens to him.
On the other side, the suspicious lot is equally surprised. «The goats are not for sell!?» «He said they were skinny, but he just wants them for themselves. He is lying,» shout some, pointng at Thomas. A bold man steps forward. He cannot be more than twenty, but he is broad over the shoulders and surely weighs twice as much as Thomas. «What's your business in the market then?» he asks, looking squarely at Thomas.
"We're just passing through," says Thomas with a simple shrug of his shoulders, nudging a goat to keep on moving. "Didn't quite know we were heading into your market."
The young magus looks over at Edwin with a hint of desperation in his eyes as he pulls at the rope on another goat, trying to move the group along.
"Don't want any trouble. Just trying to get through your village."
«Right,» he grumbles. «Why don't you move on then? Stopping to haggle with nothing to sell. playing us for fools. We have no need for the likes of you,»
The crowd is now surrounding you, and it is slow to respond, but the bold, young man shouts, «get the fake traders out of our town», to the cheering response of «Yes!» and «intruders go home». The townsfolk give just enough room for you to pass, while they shout and mock, and feels very much like the Road to Conossa.
The fine gentleman is calmly hoping for an answer before you are chased out of town, seemingly unaffected by the bullies.
Edwin does his best to try and calm people down, but it appears the townsfolk are both irritable and even more easily affected by The Gift than he is. He ushers the goats along as they try to get out of town without any more aggravation.
Thomas moves away from the villagers, his easy smile turning to a grim frown as he moves behind the goats, tapping their flanks and backsides with a switch to encourage them to move along quickly and out of the village.
As they get a little distance from the most vocal, the Merinita speaks to Edwin.
"Are they this angry at us everywhere? I haven't been out much," says Thomas quietly. "But I didn't think folks would be that hostile."
"I haven't been with the magi into a town of any size, they've let me do the shopping. It seems they were right to, as people are reacting more strongly than ever. Perhaps they associate the strange...presence of magi with the evil acts of the enemy during the war?"
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You get the wagon moving again. The townsfolk give it room to pass, but just barely, shouting all the way to get the goat abusers out of town. However, not that many people take active part in the mocking. Most just watch in apathy.
As you leave the main market square in the centre, Thomas notices a couple of tall figures at the back, quickly turning their heads when they see you, pulling their hoods up, and hurrying out of sight. From the opposite side, Edwin notices a raven which, oddly enough, seems to fly out from a stall where a young boy sells feathers and charms. Maybe it came from the roof, but it looked as if it came from under it. Anyway, the raven flies up and over you, and then disappears swiftly ahead of you, when you continue your slow walk through the crowd.
The second half of high street is very much like the first, and you get to the town gate. The man-at-arms look hungrily at your livestock, and a (the?) raven watches you, perched on top of the gatepost. The gate is open and nobody stops you.
Thomas steps over near Edwin as they move further toward the gate.
"Don't like the look of those two fellows with the hoods back there. They slipped into the shadows but I have a bad feeling."
The magus looks up at the raven, letting his Second Sight take a gander at the creature. He steps up to the goat where the nisse rides and speaks to it quietly.
"Keep your eyes out for trouble, friend. Especially that raven. Need to get clear of this smelly place."
The Second Sight reveals nothing. The Nisse looks anxious, and hides in the wool.
The town does indeed smell. Thomas may have completely forgotten the smell of sewer in the streets, after years stowed away in a regio with a properly designed Roman latrine. Edwin probably knows the smell well, but it still serves to highlight the delight of a little hillside hamlet.
"Once we're outside the fence, we'll be in the open and our friends" - Edwin nods towards the grogs - "will be able to deal with any hooded fellows following us. More worrying is if someone is guiding the raven, or it's something else in disguise, as they can follow us from a great height and we might not notice."
«Aye,» says the grog and draws a deep breath as you make the last couple of steps through the gate. The road lies almost empty ahead of you. Only a farmer surveying the croplands which seem to be growing well on both sides of the road; it is still early in the year though, and a long time before it is ripe for harvest.
The Roman made good roads, and you are able to speed up as soon as you escape the crowd. You should be able to make 10-12 miles per day if the road is this good all the way. The raven turns around on the gatepost so that it can watch your back ...
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Luciu is tense while they are in town. Unaware of what's being said, he can read the hostile body language, and the formation of a mob is disturbing. He looks after the two dark figures, wishing they were closer so he could interrogate their minds. Perhaps they'll show up again. It's a relief to leave the town, and he watches the raven behind them, saying, "I don't remember towns being so dangerous, back in Sicily. I suppose it's the war." He shakes his head, making mental note of another unfortunate repercussion of this Tremere folly.
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"Let's keep moving, this is a sound road and we can get a safe distance from this town. Keep looking out for anyone or thing following us."
Edwin is usually cheerier than this, but the town has made him more cautious than usual.