Lore Drop, September 2025 - A transaction

Leaves are rustling beneath Gurtan's leather wraps, which were once boots worth enough to feed a big family for a month. Evening air is cold this time of year, as his breath steams in front of him and wind chills parts of his skin through his tattered jacket. Gurtan takes a deep breath. "Stay calm, he's just a goblin like me," he tries to reassure himself as he approaches a hooded figure sitting at the end of a pier, in Smuggler's Den.

Gurtan: “Uh… hey. You’re the one they said to talk to, right?”

Smuggler: “Depends who ‘they’ is. And depends what you’re carrying.”

Gurtan: “Right, right. Look, I… I’ve got something, couple interesting pieces. Family stuff, heirlooms, simple trinkets. Old, shiny… valuable. Maybe too valuable.”

Smuggler: “‘Heirlooms’, you say. Family missing them yet?”

Gurtan: “Yeah... haha... I just need them out of my hands, fast. For the right price.”

Smuggler: “Everyone thinks their junk is worth gold. I’ll believe it when I see it.”

Gurtan: “Exactly! I'll… I'll show you. Here. Look at this silver locket. Not one scratch on it. What about this necklace, see how the emerald catches the light? And lastly this decorated chalice, very rare. Shiny, yes? What do you say?”

Smuggler: “Hmm... trinkets indeed. 20 gold pieces.”

Gurtan: “20? That's worth at least 100! This is a plunder!”

Smuggler: “Oh... hahaha... Don't mistake me with a bandit. And why don't you keep your voice down, or you'll be an heirloom... buried. Do you want to get rid of the items or not? You think I was a smuggler if I did business with lawful prices? Actually, I changed my mind... 15 gold pieces.”

Gurtan: “Okay, okay! Fine... Just... Here's the stuff.”

Smuggler: “Good. And here is your gold. Pleasure doing business with you.”

Gurtan: “Likewise... So… a handshake?”

Smuggler : “Shaking hands means remembering faces. You don’t want mine in your memory... This transaction never happened.”

Gurtan left the scene shaking from nervousness and 15 gold pieces richer. Who knows what he'll spend it on. Maybe on food or other necessities in order to survive the life in Wrack's End, the cesspit of Taival, his new hometown. Perhaps he'll spend it on a ship ride to leave that wretched place.

Thanks for reading! Hope you enjoyed that short story about Gurtan and his transaction with a smuggler. Not everyone has a good and comfortable life in the land of Taival. See you soon again!

-Eerik, designer and content conjurer