( Been following the entire thing since the first post. Unfortunatley I wasn't able to join mainly because of personal time constraint. Now that I'm free however, I hope that you won't mind my merchant character. Don't worry, I won't be doing just trading...)
A small trading ship slowly made its way in the direction of Miring. Apart from a meagre cargo destined for the market there it had a passanger. Well, more of a barrel-shaped creature than a real passanger, but it paid the captain sufficently to get him there. Hans van der Vries, for that was this barrel's name, stood out in any crowd, least because of his red, shiny cheeks and unmistakable moustache with a small beard. Where one saw a typical merchant, a clever person saw a shrewd, calculating man, hidden beneath a big, disarming smile and shiny, blue eyes. But one did not have to be smart to know where every merchant was going; for every coin there is a merchant, destined to have his hand on it, sooner or later.
The Elbrethian intervention in the matters of its neighbours spelled a great opportunity. Hans, being a person of a big format (both figuratively and literally), couldn't pass up the opportunity like that. Everyone knows that war always means shortages and poor people. And lot of open markets, just waiting to be seized and exploited. Yes, Hans just could see the gold and the bright future ahead of him.
The guild back home did not apprecieate of his schemes though, so they gave him the task of exploring the Elbreth as a potential market, just to get rid of him. Or so they thought....
For now though, he had to disembark in Miring and find an appropriate quarters. You can't make money wihtout a warm bed and a warm meal to keep you going.
"Do you know of any good place in this frosaken town that I could stay in ?" he asked the captain of the ship.
"Well, I heard of a place called Red Lion near the market, You might want to go there."
Disembark in(or near, don't know exact geography) Miring and head for the inn. On the way there, observe the the place and the people.