The Measure of a Man

Writers: Yvonne
Date Posted: 25th January 2015

Characters: Taril
Description: Taril tries to decide what he thinks of Sunstone Seahold's new Steward
Location: Sunstone Seahold
Date: month 10, day 17 of Turn 7
Notes: Follows Testing the Waters; Mentioned: Eirock, Bryvin

So. That was Eirock.

Taril sat back in his chair as Dodger flew from his perch on the shelf to land on his shoulder. The brown flit curled its tail around his neck and crooned softly as Taril scratched his little head. "What do you think of our new Steward, then?" he asked the flit.

The gift of news of fabric rotting in a warehouse at Sawtooth Hold was neighborly, although Taril did wonder when that particular debt would be called in. News was currency as much as marks were. Still, it was a good way to start a working relationship.

The whiskey from Trygve was more interesting. Trygve's debt was a minor thing, a few marks over a card game from a long time ago. The whiskey was worth more than that plus interest, which meant that Trygve had both interest and faith in his kinsman to do the right thing. Trygve was trustworthy, and had moved several shipments of stolen goods through Taril's hands over the turns. It boded well for Eirock's Stewardship.

But then there was that business at Echo Ridge Hold, where Eirock had been before moving to Sawtooth. The Holder had been caught with a shipment of stolen gemstones and had taken his own life rather than face the consequences. Strange that he'd been caught at all, or attempted something so risky. Rumor had it that Eirock wasn't too upset by the old Holder's passing, and some even said that he'd been the one to tip off the Sunstone guard to the crime-- either him, the Lady Holder herself, or a guard who hadn't been paid as well as he ought. Speculation and stories... but every story had a grain of truth in it somewhere. What was the grain and what was the pearl?

Eirock certainly seemed like the sort of man Taril liked to do business with. Intelligent, canny, and not entirely honest-- judging by the whiskey. He was certainly the sort of man Bryvin would do business with, since he'd hired him on sight. Or so the gossip went. Which was curious in and of itself. Perhaps they knew each other... Bryvin's history was almost as shrouded as Morin's had been. Where did Eirock fit in?

Morin had been as crafty at surrounding himself with men who owed him a debt and Bryvin was walking in his predecessor's footprints. He was starting to amass a collection of loyal people around him and that merited watching. Too many men who couldn't be bought wasn't good for business, and as much as Bryvin was a man after his own heart, loyalty like that was dangerous. But was Eirock loyal the way Bryvin had been loyal to Morin? Or was the whiskey from Trygve assurance that he was his own man after all?

"I suppose only time will tell," Taril muttered. Eirock would bear watching, although Taril found himself cautiously optimistic about the man. He opened a drawer and withdrew a small, light bit of hide thin enough from use to see light through. Dipping a quill into his inkwell, he wrote, 'Dear Trygve, Thank you for the whiskey, although it's far too much. I had the pleasure of meeting your nephew...'

Last updated on the February 10th 2015

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The Measure of a Man