The Mercenary

The man's response made sense. Aqualaria was out of the way, and the man must have made a special effort to come to Hespan. Further conversation yielded the following facts.

The man's name was Ferratus. He was born of an Aqualarian father and Aquantuline mother. The Aquantulines were a nomadic tribe that lived to the northwest of Aqualaria proper, and closely related to the Aqualarians. Bored with life on an Aqualarian farm, in this teen years Ferratus crossed the Shreken Mountains to join one of the mercenary companies fighting in the Trans-Hespanic Wars. Ferratus had good skill in many of the military arts, and was reknown for his skill as a mounted archer, as were many Aqualarian warriors. After twenty years as a mercenary soldier, wandering throughout various parts of the Havnheim, Ferratus understood that most mercenaries end up being dead or destitute. He found himself in the Duchy of Franken at the time he made this decision, and had heard from a former comrade that there was money to be made in the Tenge province of Hespan. Ferratus was a man who was not looking for trouble, but if it came, he was ready for it. This had served him well for several services that he performed for the alchemists.

Ferratus also provided the Davar with a very helpful piece of information. While he did not know Astra personally, or even by sight, he knew Aqualarian ways, especially Aqualarian martial culture, quite well.

Ferratus explained to the Davar that there was one sure way to distinguish an Aqualarian of noble birth from the peasants or artisan. All one had to do was give her a fencing foil, and challenge her to a duel.

A peasant or an artisan might know the basics of handling a sabre as part of the calvary reserve. The sabre was the weapon of choice for the reserves, as it was a more practical weapon for a mounted warrior. However, lighter short swords were often worn by Aqualarian nobles in town, in part as a mark of status. The nobility had the time and the inclination to develop their skill in this martial art, and in fact it had evolved from a military discipline into an activity that had elements of both sport and art. And there were times when two Aqualarians would use a foil duel as a form of trial by combat in settling disputes.

Ferratus said, "If this woman is an base-born Aqualarian, her lack of skill will show. If she is noble, then she will be tough to beat."

The Davar nodded, raised his eyebrows, and said, "Sadly, she was injured in an attack, strangely enough, while engaged in a sword fight. I could not understand why she would initiate a challenge, until now. Could we test her skill some way, despite her injury? Or would we need to wait?"

Ferratus replied,

1. "Actually, there are some ways. If you could see fit to smooth over the misunderstanding with customs, I would be glad to accompany you to the White Hospital."
2. "With cracked ribs, she will not be able to do much until they heal."
3. "She will be reluctant to accept a challenge from me, as I am a man, and not of noble birth."

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