Adventures and Gold (dead topic)

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So today was the day. Balgoth sat in the carriage with his eyes closed and his mind on the task ahead. In front of him were three other men all armored form head to toe. In their hands were no swords or spears ,but rather books and utilities for writing. They were Tax Collectors, the bravest men in all of Lycia.

If one thought staring down zombies was brave then they should try gathering money from humans. There was a hatred for Tax Collectors that ran through all classes. Even the government that employed them seemed to dislike them. Still it was a job that had to be done. The government needed coin to operate and operations were needed in these troubled times. The presence of monsters have everyone scrambling around trying to put up defenses and ward off the beast. In order to do this they needed coin and thus they needed tax collectors.

The carriage came to a stop. "It is time", spoke Balgoth. The other three men took a gulp as the driver opened the door. Quickly Balgoth rushed out and stabbed a sign into the dirt. The sign read "No entrance or exit, this place is locked down by the Lycian League and is under investigation of tax fraud." Soon a contingency of soldiers surrounded building making sure nobody was trying to sneak out the back way.

"The White Stallion Tavern", spoke one of the tax collectors as he looked in his book. "This place has been falsifying its records for more than a year now."

"Not only the business, but the people who drink here", spoke another.

"Stop your winning and lets get to work", spoke Balgoth as he walked up and kicked open the door. "Hold the merry making and hold the liquor", he shouted. "By the name of the united marquess of Lycia and our great nation of the Lycian League I Balgoth Rathma, senior tax collector, hereby place this facility and all of its patrons under a official audit! You all have the right to remain silent till you are question. Any violence used against me and my fellow tax collectors will be seen as violence against all the marquess of Lycia!"

This is what Balgoth lived for. The thrill of taking other peoples coin in the name of a higher power.

[Aeos]

The first pub, in a series of pubs that served an ale imported from Nabata. Aeos was ecstatic at the thought of ordering a old fashioned beer from his home country. He had been out of the desert for a few months, and he admit he missed some certain charms of home.

He paid the bar keep the coin for the mug and took a sip. And it's expired. He could immediately tell. The taste and color was way off. Instead of the sun kissed sweet taste of the fermented remains of desert aloe, he was greeted with the sour milky texture of rotted sap. He quietly put the mug down. His spirits slightly dampened.

Instead he exchanged his mug for some water instead. The bar keep made a joke about it being bad, which Aeos in turn responded that the batch was past it's prime. And if consumed while expired it leads to illness. It was just as a word of caution. But he seemed to have offended the sir with his strange speech. The man behind the counter grabbed the Aeos' collar and pulled him in for a punch.

"Ah.. a thousand pardons my good barkeep!" The dragon spoke. Remembering his parents words not to use violence upon others unless it's an emergency. Well This doth count as an emergency. Mayhaps a blocking technique and a tap on the chest to loosen his grip. But before he could move there was a sound out from the entrance. Two no three men had entered the establishment.

The man in the middle spoke his name, his profession, and what he was here for.I can understand the owner bein' audited for thy property. But why the patrons? He wondered. Well whatever the case the bar keep released his grip and seemed to focus his rage and anger at the other guy. The air in the tavern was tense. The dragon did not need to read the air to guess what was to happen next. Chaos.

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Taking it upon himself to walk amongst the patrons Balgoth ignored the tension that was filling the air. He did not care how they felt or how angry people were at him. He knew the power that rode behind his name and he knew the power that his own muscles carried. Balgoth was ready for anything these drunken brawlers could throw at him.

"I know a lot of you are probably wondering why you all are under audit rather than the simple barkeep. Well I am going to answer that question for you with another few question. When was the last time any of you payed taxes? When was the last time you walked a Lycian road or received help from a lycian guard? When was the last time you earned coin thin this nation and did not pay any taxes on it? We have been watching this establishment for more than a year. Every night money flows in and out without the government getting their fair cut, and unfortunate for you lot they sent me to make sure that they get it."

Balgoth then pulled out a chair from a nearby table and sat in front of a man. "So sir when is the last time you worked in Bern", he spoke looking into the man's eyes.

There were three things in this world that gave Balgoth true pleasure. The first was killing monsters. The second was watching little children play without a care in the world, and the last? The last was seeing fear in another man's eyes. Balgoth brought the book down on the poor man and within a minute he had liberated him off all his coin.

[Aeos]

Aeos silently wondered if the dark skinned man clad in red was some sort of mind reader. Because just as Aeos thought about the why, the man had answered. And the poor Dragon witnessed exactly what the tax collector meant when he spoke to the fellow who sat next to him. The sir looked paler then sun bleached bones poking out the desert sands.

Fortunately Aeos did not have much coin. He made a living traveling and traded labor with farmers or the church for his meals and shelter. Doth he audit for charity? He wondered.

He prayed to every spirit he knew that Balgoth wouldn't take anything of value off of him. He did not really have much except the clothes on his back, and a map of the area. I'm fine with losing either or. He thought before remembering he had something of high value. The plain silver pendant which housed his dragonstone. Which he kept hidden from view thanks to his clothes. Well that would be problematic.

He closed his eyes momentarily and calmed down. Balgoth had asked the man a series of questions before taking his coins. Perhaps if he answered them correctly he would be skipped. Or at the very least, Balgoth would be happy with his pitiful sum of coin and avoid losing his stone. Though if he tries... Violence may be the only solution. Aeos hoped for a peaceful resolution. By now Balgoth had finished his business with the man in front of him. And he assumed he was next.

[Amelinde Forss]

"Drink! Drink!"

The rowdy bar patrons were chanting the mantra in a boisterous, ale-slurred manner as Amelinde downed her third pint in as many minutes. She grinned a cocky grin at the ruffian sitting across from her, never letting her eyes leave his as she wiped the residual foam from her lips and cheek. If there was one thing that was nice about being such a slim girl who gives off the appearance of a lightweight, it was the ease with which she could goad brickheaded bar rats like this fellow into throwing down a good sum of coin in a guzzling contest any day. Neither contestant was showing signs of being affected just yet, but she could see the surprise in her opponent's eyes at her unwaivering bravado. She twirled the mug in her fingers before slamming it down on the table - a little showmanship never hurt anyone!

All of this was interrupted, of course, by the sudden intrusion of the three very unfriendly-looking men. The crowd stopped its chanting as every eye turned towards these newcomers, conspicuous in their fancy clothing. Once the place had grown quiet and still, one of the men, a dark-skinned man with a very serious expression on his face, announced their intentions.

Tax collectors? What kind of rubbish is this? Who ever heard of a surprise tavern audit? And what's this about interrogating the patrons? Amelinde could feel her blood begin to boil. If there was one thing she didn't like, it was people threatening to take her money. Actually, it was being interrupted, especially when she was about to take some other poor fool's money. And both of things happening at once - well, that was absolutely unacceptable.

Fuming, she eyed the dark-skinned man, who appeared to be the leader, as he began questioning a man sitting at the bar. If I had my spear in my hands right now, ooh, I'd have half a mind to - no, a whole mind to show him and his goons just what I think of his type! Of course, such a rash action would be suicide - or at least good enough reason for quite a lengthy stay at the old prison hotel - but still, it was a nice little thought.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the voice of one of the other tax collectors, who had approached her table without her noticing. "All right, you lot, which of you has a little gift for the marquess first?"

Against all wisdom, Amelinde decided to speak up. "I've got a gift for ya, all right, but I think I left it in my other scabbard!"

How odd. Nobody laughed at her little "joke." Especially not the tax collector, who was less than amused. "All right then, blondie, looks like your up. Name, city of residence, and reportable income this year to date. And try not to fudge the numbers; I know you've probably had a few too many already."

Ugh. This guy is the worst! Amelinde cast a quick glance at the crowd around her, looking for someone to take her side, but most of them had averted their eyes, probably in hopes that they wouldn't be next on the chopping block. She scowled furiously at the man, internally restraining herself from punching him square in the jaw then and there. "Fine!" she finally responded. "I give. Amelinde Forss. Araphen. And damned if I know, I'm not from around here, ya dope! I don't pay nothin to Lycia!"

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Great a loud mouth, thought Balgoth to himself. Here he and his colleges were doing their civil duty and these adventures and mercenaries were getting angry because they had to pay a little bit of taxes. Here they were traveling through lycia and using up Lycian resources and they did not want to cough up any gold. Right now Lycia was in turmoil. Monsters are running a muck and the city states need coin to bolster their defenses. Every coin counted and Balgoth was going to get his coins.

"Surprisingly enough I actually have no idea who you are", spoke Balgoth to Aeos as he sat in front of the man. Unknown to the willy tax collector he was speaking to a dragon. From his perspective he was just another man, and another person he needed to collect some taxes from. However with the fact that Balgoth did not know who he was already cleared the man from being taxed. Most of the people in the tavern were under an investigation before hand. Balgoth and the others had prepared records and logs in order to squeeze the coin out of them. However the few others they did not know, the sudden customers and travelers, were truly in no threat of being taxed. Many of them did not truly owe the government anything. However that did not stop the tax collectors from trying to get coin out of them. Every extra coin they gathered for the government was another project completed. If they could trick you into paying a extra fifty gold to the great state then they were more than willing to do so.

"Well since I have very little knowledge about you and your current state I am going to ask you three questions. Depending on your answer and how you answer them you may or may not owe the nation money. How long have you been in lycia? Have you worked in Lycia, and if so what job and employer. The last would be how you entered lycia?"

[Aeos]

He turned his head to see who was shouting. It seemed to be a woman who until just a moment ago was entertaining a few fellows with her drinking skills. Twas a common sight at any pub to see. But what was important was that she too was an outsider of Lycia. He hoped that she would not cause trouble. The dragon would intervene if these fellows got rough with a woman. He heard Balgoth's voice ask him some questions, and he returned his attention to him. Aeos stared at the man for a moment, carefully thinking of a proper reply.

"Came'th Lycia about three weeks ago. Traded labor at church or inn's for rest and food. But not for coin. How I came'th to Lycia, through Badon. I be'th from Nabata, to Lycia on ship. Paid for my passage with sailor work." And that was all too it. He hoped that with this information it would satisfy the man's curiosity and leave the dragon alone at least for now. Whether the tax collector believed his tale was another story all together. Aeos learned that people as well as dragons lie. Although he would do his best to keep an honest tongue he knew there be situations where a little lie is needed to avoid suffering.

"If thou need proof I am afraid I cannot offer it. The merchant ship hast probably set sail already. Thou would have to trust me at my words. Though I know how people are prone to lie when it come to relinquishing their coin. And understand if thou dost not believe me." He knew not that the man had done research before hand. And has probably accounted for travelers. It was impossible for him to know that. All that he knew is that this place does not serve proper Nabatan drink.