Banmir

Beneath his mask, Eion was grinning from ear to ear as he read the document in his hand again. It had been a few days since he met his new good friend Snake the merchant. He was such a nice man, one of the nicest Eion had ever met. As a favor to Eion, Snake had arranged to get a proper Merchant's license for Eion. Then using his shiny rock as a down payment he had negotiated the purchase of an official merchant's cart with a draft horse even! After the down payment, he had managed to negotiate just an additional six hundred gold owed at the good friend's interest rate of just forty percent. Snake assured Eion that normally it was at least eighty percent, so it was definitely a very good deal.

Eion rolled up the merchant's license carefully and slid it into one of the pockets in his robe. He was sitting on the settee of his very own merchant's wagon. Once again he eyed all the attention to detail it had. At first, he had thought it was just an old broken-down cart but Snake shared the secret with him. The very best of merchants never used a fancy-looking wagon. That would only attract bandits. So, a proper merchant's wagon of course would look like a broken-down cart.

Snake had shown Eion how it was just made to "look" broken down. Pulling a hanging board free of the wagon's side before shoving it back in place. Obviously, if it was really broken it would have fallen off. Eion was so enthralled with it all he never noticed the sneaky thief's hand holding it in place until he wasn't looking. Snake also enlightened Eion that of course, a proper merchant's draft horse would look like a boney donkey with a bad case of mange. Again, it was all in the subtle manipulation of expectations and perceptions that only the best of merchants knew. Snake asked if Eion really understood, as if he didn't he wouldn't be able to keep his new Merchant's License. Eion of course understood!

Snake had considered just robbing the child, but after seeing what he did to half the toughest thugs in town alone, he thought better of it. There was also something unnerving about the child. Snake had never met a more trusting and naive person in his life. Yet, several times when he thought to drop the act and just shank him in the back. A cold sense of dread would creep down his spine. In the end, he decided to use the boy. He would report to his superiors that he had recruited the boy as a potential spy and courier. After all, who would suspect such an innocent dope as working for the Zhentarim? Plus the forged Merchant's License was a real masterpiece no one would ever realize it was fake.

Snake's plan was perfect with one small mistake. When the boy had asked him how he would find them to make his payments, Snake had given him one of the iron coins and told him just to seek out the Zhentarim. That was his merchant group. If he had known the future trouble he had caused himself with that small action he would have done anything else. But alas, he could not see the future and was currently only interested in the obscene profit he was making. The shiny rock turned out to be a diamond, rough and uncut, but still worth more than he could ever imagine. The only problem was try as he might the boy wouldn't tell him where he got it. Snake again considered using force but changed his mind. Greed was the number one killer of those in his profession. That was one folly he planned not to make.

So he put on a friendly mask and sent the boy on his way, riding that rickety old cart pulled by the half-dead mange-infested donkey. An old worn long sword now strapped to the boy's hip was the only other thing they had bartered for. Having spotted it in the corner of Snake's room Eion suddenly realized he needed some way to protect his new cart. It wasn't even Snake's but something he had "liberated" from someone who happened to turn up dead. It had added another hundred gold to the cost of the boy's loan, bringing the total to seven hundred.

Heading back to his room Snake was whistling at his good luck. He didn't feel the least bit bad for swindling the boy, considering it just a lesson in life. Also, as far as he was concerned playing along with the child's fantasy was more than he deserved. But mostly the fact that he was certain he would never see the boy again. After all, he would be leaving that very day in the opposite direction. He had sent the boy to the town of Nightstone. At the very least it would get them moving north and away from them. Snake thought Baulder's Gate would be nice this time of year, especially for someone with lots of gold to spend.

**********

Banmir stopped to stretch, walking on land was a pain. He missed the rolling of the deck beneath his feet. Walking on something that didn't sway was bad on his back. As a dwarf he wasn't bothered much by the weight of his heavy chainmail, nor did the shield strapped to his back hinder him. But that damned unmoving land was tough to adjust too. While he paused there on the side of the road as he considered the new emblem on his shield. Again, he wondered if he was making the right decision. Maybe others from the crew had survived? Not that he had any way of checking, he still wasn't sure how he had ended up so far up river. The good folk of Daggerford had found him dripping salt water all over their docks.

But when Banmir had awoken the first thing he remembered was his prayer. There clinging to the mast of the shattered ship as it rocked within that mighty storm, he had prayed. Prayed for help and promised to serve whichever God saved him. The last images he remembered were those towering green tentacles rising from the rough sea outlined by the searing brilliance of lightning against the darkness. When he woke up it was with an emblem of a god in his hand. Banmir wasn't one to go back on his word, he knew what he had promised and that his prayer had been answered. That was weeks ago. There was no church in Daggerford, it was a small town after all. So he traded the pearl earring meant to fund his burial should he be found dead for a set of chaimmail and a shield. Then set out on the road for Waterdeep. He was certain he would find a temple there. He had a debt to pay.

A creaking sound drew his attention and he turned to see a cart rolling out of the woods, seeming to follow a narrow game trail down to the main road. One of the wheels wobbled and he was shocked it was still attached. A piece of wood on the side fell off, seeming unnoticed by the driver. Banmir just watched as it rolled up the road towards him until the most pathetic donkey he had ever seen was right in front of him. The driver wearing a set of patched up robes and a strange blank mask pulled the brake lever. There was the sound of something breaking and the top of the handle snapped off with dry rot. But enough remained for them to bring the slow-moving cart to a stop.

"Hi! I'm Eion. I'm a merchant! Do you want to buy something!" Banmir stared up at the blank mask in confusion. "Oh no! I forgot I don't have anything to sell. No, wait!" The short figure turned and flopped over the backrest of the settee to dig in the back of the cart before coming up. "I have a potato! I found a patch of them on my way down."

Banmir stood there frozen with confusion. He was just about to politely tell the stranger he wasn't interested when shield rattled gently on his back. It felt almost as if a hand pushed him forward slightly. "Uh, well ya know a potato does sound good. Very good even."

"Yay my second sell. Um lets see… One hundred gold!" The strange masked figure seemed to almost be vibrating on the settee of the cart with excitement. "No wait! Two hundred gold. No… That's more than a sword. Five gold?" Banmir blinked up and started to take a step back only to feel that gentle push forward again. "Well, I did get them for free. So I guess it isn't right to charge for it." The odd figure slumped their shoulders in seeming defeat.

"Uh, how about two copper. For the potato and a ride?" Banmir whispered a prayer to his new god, not sure he was doing the right thing.

"One copper!" The figure was definitely bouncing in their seat with excitement. He was negotiating! Finally, a chance to haggle

"Uh. Sure. Sounds fair." The masked figure jumped up spinning where he stood before doing a backflip in apparent excitement. The sound of cracking wood made Banmir wince, but nothing seemed to fully break.

"Come on come on climb in!" Banmir slowly clambered into the cart, worried it would fall apart under him but seemed perhaps more stable than it appeared. At least he didn't fall through the floor.

"Wow. This is great. I've never given anyone a ride before. This will be so fun. I can't wait to get to Nightstone. It will be great. I bet you will have fun there too. They said they have lots of things they need to be sold there. We can be merchants together!" They sucked in a huge breath of excitement. "You can be my assistant! I never had an assistant before." Banmir started to stand up, thinking maybe he should go ahead and get out here. But his shield rattled and he felt a gentle push back into the seat. With a deep sigh, he wondered if this was a test from his new god. Was this his first test of faith? What else could it be?

"Oh! Name. Hi! My name is Eion. What's your name?" The masked figure turned around in their seat, the cart starting to drift off the road as they did.

"Uh, Banmir… shouldn't you keep your eyes on the road?" He stated as the ride grew rougher as they moved off the road.

"Oops! Sorry. I never drove a wagon before!" Banmir whispered a prayer.