[WFRP2e] The Power of One - Part 2 - "Transire Benefaciendo"

[BananaPhone]

Taalia Giovanni

To be in a small town again where she was visible outsider - the sense of deja vu was great!

But where last time in Bella Collina she had been a malnourished, escaped slave, both curious and frightened and awake in a new world, now she had matured under years of her own initiative and the warmth of a communities embrace. And so when the villagers popped out of their houses and gathered around with curiosity alive in their eyes and chatter upon their tongues, Taalia felt reassured and perfectly comfortable being the centre of attention. After all, with her striking image she was used to it where-ever she went, and that was without the remembrance of her trial and gladiatorial excursions.

Looking over her shoulder, the girl smirked at Bella's growing trepidation at the onrush of inspection, her previously amusing imitation of a lady upon her destrier eroding slightly beneath the innocent curiosity of the villagers - particularly at the mention that she was 'a wife for Lord Donallo'.

Comfortable with the crowds attention, Taalia formed the main point of communication between herself and Bella and the hamlet's inhabitants, and she visited particular affection on Fanette, allowing her to take temporary ownership of Milo the kitten and kissing her warmly upon the forehead before standing up to receive the attention of the rapidly expanding crowd of adults.

Though the questions came fast, Taalia tried her best, noting that she was almost a head above the tallest present, though they all seemed to be the women, children and elders of the hamlet.

"We flew!" she answered with a bright smile, drawing her gloved hands to her side and mimicking a birds wings.

"A Chevalier - Sir Briant"

"She is a wife for someone, but not Lord Donallo," Taalia answered this one while sneaking a cheeky smile over her shoulder at her friend, giving her a teasing expression.

"Yes - munga? Si!" she made gestures as if holding a spoon and drawing it to her lips.

"Non, non, burning house fell on my face when I was a child," Taalia's answer was bashful, her hand drawing to that prominent scar that run down her face, as if only half comfortable with it drawing attention.

"The gods have a sense of humor?" she shrugged and laughed gently, her left hand moving up her figure to the crown of her helm to gesture to her height.

"Most - it is still not safe yet. We flew over some - I shot two!" Taalia motioned to the rifle slung over her shoulder.

As to what was needed?

Lots.

Feeding sixteen humans and three ogres was no minor feat, and Taalia doubted that Bella and her had ever prepared such a vast quantity of food to be served at once. Nevertheless, after conversing with her friend over the matter, they came to the conclusion that simplicity would be best: the fewer ingredients, the shortest amount of time, the easiest to parse out etc Though these logistical problems were solved by military baggage chains, Taalia and Bella would need to improvise and take their first steps into the balancing world of culinary preparation for a unit of men, so that would mean...

"Si, si, five pounds of butter?"

"Ahhh, non, ten dozen eggs, madame..."

"Fifteen chickens - do you have twenty, monsieur?"

"Four sheep, five - two pigs?"

For the next few hours Taalia was mentally transported back to the streets of Verazzo and Paula de Silo where she had fostered an innate talent for bartering. Her personal key was never to be too greedy as to sour the pot, so to speak, and to ensure the other felt as if they had been treated fairly. After all, by estimating the condition of this village, she didn't want to trade poorly with them. Myrmidia would not look kindly upon her if she ripped off the peasantry.

Naturally, she left mead or spirits off the menu, as much as she desired to acquire some. The men needed to keep their senses sharp, and Verena knew how one could apprehend a drunken ogre if he became rowdy.

Spoiler

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So, I went through originally to try and mark out the precise ingredients they'd need. However, that was too much and a little too silly, with prices not making sense if you're trying to collect them in such a manner. So I decided to simplify it:

16 humans x2 good meals each = 576 p = 48 silver
- This'll be a mix of gnocci, ragu, mostly chicken based with good quality vegetables, with bread as asides. With 20 chickens that's a chicken per person which is already itself a meal for a day.

20 sets of wooden cutlery (100s) - 100 silver
Butcher tools (13gc) = 260 silver (these can double as cooking tools under the circumstances)
50 yards of rope (50s) - 50 silver (to leash together all the animals)
20 chickens (100p) = 8.3 silver

8 sheep (16gc) = 320 silver - 2.5 sheep each is about 110 - 280kgs worth of sheep per ogre.

= 786.3 silver

= 39.315 gold