>>5714735When you do not rise to his bait, he sighs, and shrugs.
“In the spring, perhaps—”
“No,” you say. “My people need food and furs now, to sssee usss through the winter.”
“Then your negotiating position is rather weak, hm?”
You resist the urge to hiss. It tends to unsettle humanoids when you do it, regardless of your outward appearance—no, perhaps ESPECIALLY in human form, when the unnatural sound makes a lie of your disguise.
“I am not a monster,” the Baron notes, perhaps sensing your simmering irritation. “No offence meant to monsters, naturally. I do not wish to extort you or your… People. But you are asking me to send MY people into the lion’s den—no, the dragon’s!—loaded with valuable trade goods, in exchange for gold, jewels, ore, and more which MIGHT be there… And which we MIGHT see arrive, IF they return and this isn’t a trap.”
“I will sssend my retinue with them, ssave for my persssonal retainers who shall come with me” you tell him, “with insstructionsss to ssee that you are paid. I did not go to all thisss trouble, sspend all thisss time with you and your wife, ssimply to engineer an ambush. You musst realize that by now. PEACCCE, and lasting trade, iss our objective.”
The man nods readily, accepting your logic and seemingly your intentions.
“Very well,” he says, and steps forward. You are on guard for only a moment, but then he extends his hand.
“Here are my terms… We can let the bookworms and abacus-fondlers knock out the particulars later, but we’re both men, or man-shaped things of our word, yeah? I will send you the goods you request: meat, vegetables, fur, livestock, perhaps some other trade goods if you have something in mind and it’s reasonable or your people want to pay more, personally. We will bring back goods—of our choosing, from among those you have offered—of equivalent weight. We will do this once per season, four times a year, for the next five years.”
