"Ah, we have not seen Tacitus recently either, but his apprentice still lives at Ungulus. Allies of the magi of Ungulus went looking for Tacitus north of Hadrian's wall, but did not find any proof he survived. We are waiting to see if he returns, in the mean time his role has been taken by another. I am helping Ungulus as my former employers in Mercia were raided to destruction. As you may gather if you look south of this village, we just went to hire more staff and ended up attracting a large crowd desperate for pay.
May I ask how long ago you settled this village? It seems to be doing very well."
«not any proof he survived,» repeats Hagard, «you imply that you have reason to think that he succumbed? No surprise, maybe, I know he had enemies ...»
«Yes, I noticed the crowd passing through, and thought you were one of them,» he nods.,
«My father was a toddler when they settled, grandfather with his family, so it is a lifetime ago.»
"Well, given the rampant raiding by warlocks Tacitus went on an expedition to punish his enemies, and hasn't returned yet. As with any matter of inheritance, no-one wants to be accused of rushing to take the man's place if he's not proven dead but he may well have succumbed.
It is good to speak to you. I will return when Ungulus has produced more things to trade, but for now I must be shepherding our new staff to their new employer."
Edwin thanks Hagard and takes his leave.
«Sure. If you have cattle to sell, we can supply a good deal of fish. Give it a thought. Safe journey to you.»
The rain is not bad, but enough to keep you wet and cold, and you need to spend another night outdoors, since the recruits are not used to walking and not that well fed either. The breakfast on the third day is a slim one, and many are starving and the moral is low when you arrive back at Ungulus after midday. The dinner is very welcome. The best the new recruits have seen in a year or two at least.
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Everybody gets one confidence point for an informative excursion.
Finn has one extra for effort and success on the servant recruitment.
Leofric gets one for his selfless petition for a miracle.
Nominations for more are welcome (#moments-of-fame).
Source quality waits until we see the end of the season.