It is about three of the clock in the afternoon of Boldursdae, the fifth of Ploh-Monath in the Holy Year Nine Hundred and Ninety Seven, the ninth year of the reign of King Hadric of Ongus and you are all in the Dandy Lion Inn.
Why are you here? That’s up to you. It may be a regular haunt or you may have just come inside seeking refuge from the heavy rain that is falling outside at the moment. Being a Boldursdae (Saturday) afternoon, you have no work to do right now – by longstanding tradition, Boldursdae afternoons are the one period each week that all the children and youth of Ongus are free to do whatever they want within the limits of the law and morality, no matter how hard they are driven at other times – even the harshest taskmaster tends to go along with this because of pressure from outside – “You can work them ragged from dusk to dawn or dawn to dusk five and a half days a week, but half a day is theirs, and the other day is Gods.” And the area near the Dandy Lion in the ward of Gracefields has a number of open parks where young people often gather. It’s a fairly prosperous area of the city but not so much so that the poor are expected to keep away from it.
The Dandy Lion is a large establishment, homely, comfortable. It practices the tradition of stone soup – that is, a large cauldron of a thick soup – almost a stew – is kept cooking constantly on a fire and all may share in it. Those who can afford it are expected to pay for a bowl based on their means – a copper penny will do, but if you can afford more, even two pennies is viewed with kindness. It is understood – and sanctioned – by the Church, that paying more than a penny is a penance that will buy off some of your time in purgatory. And it doesn’t have to be money – putting something in the pot – a carrot or a turnip, or some ham, or some mutton… in fact any wholesome food – is just as good as money. If you cannot pay, no person is denied a bowl – in essence, the stone soup tradition is part of the way that Ongus makes some effort to ensure that nobody ever goes hungry. Not all taverns and inns participate but many do. And the Dandy Lion takes it seriously – the owner and landlord, Brydal Ranmere, a former crusader is a God fearing man who takes his duty to the saviour seriously.
So… you’re in the Dandy Lion, a rather crowded place. You look around. Maybe you see somebody you know…
It’s up to you, among yourselves, to decide whether you know each other already – and how well you do. I would assume you at least recognise each other well enough to be willing to share a table – and tables are starting to fill up. There’s one in the corner you might want to join up at. You may have already bought a drink at the bar – Ranmere’s people will not serve spirits or strong ale to those who can’t at least pass as having reached their late teens, but milder beer, and even ginger beer is available, as well as cider and perry… you can even get a mug of milk… and the water is free and known to come from a good well.
_________________ Life and Death Are Only a Dice Roll Away!
Shaun Hately co-author A Weak Pleasure co-author Friends or Foes co-author Dragon Warriors Players Guide
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