Three Days' Grace

Astra (as Black Zari) told Granny that she started her trip from Foggy Island on the Bloated Seal on Breaking Day, the first ice-free day of Foggy Harbour. After a stormy beginning, the journey was uneventful up to docking at Corona. They rounded Parae Promintory, where the Hespan coastline changes from a north-south to a ENE- WSW direction. At that point came the fire, Astra's flight, and her struggles against the tide, gnats, and tar. (The last three events were not made up by Astra.)

Granny remained silent, taking Astra's measure. Astra suspected that Granny is trying to unnerve her, and maintained silence as well, but she eventually gave in and broke the uneasy silence by asking sheepishly for a place to spend the night. Granny then declared that Astra will spend three days in Golabi, and that she will have a choice of housing "before heading back to Corona, or Polabi Courthouse, whichever she may prefer." Granny also states that Zari will be quite popular, as strangers rarely come to Golabi, and news from the outside world will be welcomed. She can decide who she wants to stay with while dining with the leading citizens of the hamlet that night. She regrets that "a previous engagement" will keep her engaged that night, but that she can accompany Bella on her errands until then. Astra then took her leave, wondering why Granny seemed to exclude the option of Astra going West.

Astra did not know that Granny has two forces outside Golabi that she has to watch. A reeve from Polabi Courthouse rode through two or three times a year in making his circuit, to collect taxes, administer justice, and observe. In practice, Granny handled the collection and payment of taxes, and was the de facto judge in all cases that do not involve the world outside of Golabi. As long as the hamlet of Golabi was not causing the King or Satrap any problems, the reeves of Polabi did not probe too deeply, as they had enough to do elsewhere on the circuit.

The other group that Granny had to take into account were the alchemists to the west. These were a shadowy collection of men who were attracted to the wilds of southwest Hespan and the lower Eastern Kingdoms by its isolation, and the presence of the tar, which could be distilled or transmuted to many substances, both banal and supposedly magical. There was some skepticism about the latter. The exact means of this transmutation, of course, was as shadowy as the alchemists themselves. The alchemists never appeared in the hamlet, but Granny had dealings with them, by nature of her position in the town.

The alchemists were wary of two things. First, they wanted to avoid the attention of the royal authorities. They were concerned the the authorities of Hespan might start paying attention to their activities, and then regulate, tax, and otherwise limit them. Second, they wanted to eliminate as much competition as possible. Strangers wandering through the tar pits were not welcome news to them.

1. After Astra and Bella leave, Granny makes some arrangements.

Add New Option

Go Back

View Forward Story Tree
View Back Story Tree