The Thief of Alvera
You go up to Andon's room first thing in the morning. You had a tiring night and you wake up late. The whores won't be coming back for a day or two so the brothel is still all yours.
You put on a clean tunic and stuff your street rags in a bag. It's a hot day but it's not the heat that is uncomfortable but the humidity. Everyone is sweaty, sticky and irritated. You don't mind the weather though, you're used to it.
On your way to Andon's room you notice that all signs of last night's incident have been removed and you wonder what happened to the men. You find Andon lounging on a divan smoking tobacco from a coconut shell hookah, a multi stemmed water pipe device for smoking of Kandar origin. You have noticed since you first met him that his tastes in furniture, garments, entertainment and lifestyle have a lot of Kandar influence.
He looks up at you as you enter the room, letting out clouds of choking smoke.
"Had a good sleep young man?", he asks. You nod silently and sit down beside him, coughing slightly. The tobacco smoke doesn't suit you well. Andon puts away the pipe and brings out the map you saw last night.
"I told you about the conventional route to Tyranop, yesterday. There is also a smuggler's route which is longer but safer for travel in secrecy. Smuggling along the Galatio-Areg border ceased after the war due to tighter security but it's increasing again now as the authorities grow complacent. The route is same till you reach Tulon, a small town along the border. The mountains running along that region have a large number of caves. The smugglers travel through the deepest caves in the system and get back to the road a few leagues from Prera.", he explains.
"But I dont know the way through these caves", you point out.
"That's why I shall send a guide with you. He won't have to know much about the true purpose of the visit. I'll make sure I send a loyal guide" Andon replies.
Which route do you take now, the shorter but more dangerous direct route or the longer but safer smuggler's route?
You put on a clean tunic and stuff your street rags in a bag. It's a hot day but it's not the heat that is uncomfortable but the humidity. Everyone is sweaty, sticky and irritated. You don't mind the weather though, you're used to it.
On your way to Andon's room you notice that all signs of last night's incident have been removed and you wonder what happened to the men. You find Andon lounging on a divan smoking tobacco from a coconut shell hookah, a multi stemmed water pipe device for smoking of Kandar origin. You have noticed since you first met him that his tastes in furniture, garments, entertainment and lifestyle have a lot of Kandar influence.
He looks up at you as you enter the room, letting out clouds of choking smoke.
"Had a good sleep young man?", he asks. You nod silently and sit down beside him, coughing slightly. The tobacco smoke doesn't suit you well. Andon puts away the pipe and brings out the map you saw last night.
"I told you about the conventional route to Tyranop, yesterday. There is also a smuggler's route which is longer but safer for travel in secrecy. Smuggling along the Galatio-Areg border ceased after the war due to tighter security but it's increasing again now as the authorities grow complacent. The route is same till you reach Tulon, a small town along the border. The mountains running along that region have a large number of caves. The smugglers travel through the deepest caves in the system and get back to the road a few leagues from Prera.", he explains.
"But I dont know the way through these caves", you point out.
"That's why I shall send a guide with you. He won't have to know much about the true purpose of the visit. I'll make sure I send a loyal guide" Andon replies.
Which route do you take now, the shorter but more dangerous direct route or the longer but safer smuggler's route?