Strange. First she arrests him and mistreats him and then she goes around babbling incoherently. What a weird woman. But sometimes magic makes people a little crazy... hehehe.
Since he knew that he had her out of his hair and that the books could be aquired if he helped out with finding the replacement weeds or something he decided to do just that.
Inquire what help is needed to obtain the books from the herbalist.
[5] The herbalist has special needs for several species of plant that simply don't grow natively this far south. There are some forests on the edge of the mountains. She doesn't want samples, she wants whole transplants. She's willing to accompany you to gather them, as it'll go quicker than simply assuming you're not an idiot and know
how to gather transplants as well as what she's looking for simply by description. She'll need about a week to finish up current orders and make arrangements, she's willing to even bring the materials you're looking to borrow along to give you something to do.
Get to know the apprentice, and begin training him
((Also shouldn't I get paid for taking on an apprentice? Hrm? Hrrrm?))
((Realistically? sure Though this also isn't real life - but instead i'd planned to shadow roll his own progress and after X you'd end up with a free engineer. As it's also been discussed numerous times, this being a -game- means that nothing (worth anything) is free. So long as he stays working, and alive, you'll get something from him))
[26,?] You come to learn that your apprentice seems a little off. He really likes to tinker in the oddest of ways. You learn that prior to his arrival in the area, his idea of engineering was attempting to improve almost anything with gears - with more gears. Some worked out, better efficiency of some windmills for example. Others? Well there's a reason he moved - apparently some things without gears, don't need some added.
"Very well Hyte. I shall meet with Cain after I've started on some treatment for my wounds."
Hire the doctor and begin treatment, then attend the meeting with Cain.
You're treated and the Doctor gives you a shawl to hide your face in public along with a convincing lie of some sort of repulsive contact contagion should anyone ask. Outbreaks have been reported lately, so it should work out fine. Just don't push your luck...
"Long time no see Hyte! Rumors of your kidnap and/or death have obviously been exaggerated!" He winks at you both and ushers the guards out of the room.
"So, how have you both been? I assume dear Eshir was a gracious host for you both?""I learned a fair bit in Galam, My Lord" Hyte bows and smiles. He takes a deep breath through his nose,
"It's good to be home again, Galam's interests make the Citadel smell of horse manure..."Nodding, Cain appears happy to hear Hyte's response,
"I'll be happy to read your reports of your time in Galam then"-Have the spy head to Ligoria. Ian, who was present in Terryn's meeting with Gavin, will go there to meet him with another Thornbred soldier. They are to find a man who looks similar to Gavin, and is preferably homeless or otherwise will not be missed, (and potentially from Terryn's parcel of land, though this is not a requirement) and abduct him. Ian and the Thornbred will return to Polca, with the captive in tow, separately from the Spy.
-Several days after this, the Spy is to travel to Polca as well. He will play the role of a Polcan citizen who has been travelling abroad, perhaps a distant relative of one of the families that was wiped out during the massacre (so nobody is around to say he isn't), and infiltrate and ingratiate himself with the dissenters. If possible, his cover story should involve spending time at an institute of learning somewhere.
[262] The man your men find looks enough like Gavin provided no one looks too hard at him. He's sorta fatter and drunker than you remember Gavin being. He should probably do what you want. He's not off your land but he is certainly not going to be missed by anyone but the rats he was feeding.
[645] The cover story of the Spy seems to work out well. No one is overly suspicious of his 'origins' but simply why he chose to come to Polca only after his relatives are all dead. He concocts an assinine story about being pissed off that his family was essentially murdered over bullshit reasoning - which leads him to being contacted several nights later by some of the dissenting population who fill him in on what's been happening (all of which he already knew). They wonder if he'd like to have some payback for what happened...
Form up my regiment into a defensive position or a perimeter around the Mines in a preferably secluded location, if possible.
Inquire about operation.
"Illegal? Naw, there just simply aren't a large number of Iron Mines in the coast. Despite the mountains we have, most are filled with rather low grade metals or none at all. A few precious gemstone locations, marble, et cetera. Iron is sometimes worth more than gold around here, especially given a lot of civil tensions in areas. Can't win a war without a steady supply of weapons. Why buy when you can manufacture your own?" He pauses for a moment,
"Secrecy? A lot of nations would overrun this mine and claim they found it themselves"