Pagan the Knight is still too busy to meet with Edmund 'n me. Hoban tells us that he's entertaining another guest, somebody of great importance. He wouldn't tell me who, though - just said it was a person "more important than a bunch of land-hugging bums". That sounds dirty, and highlights just how little I like Hoban.
On the plus side, he DID let us outta that stone room this morning, 'cause we were deemed 'harmless' by the lord. Dunno how he KNOWS we're harmless… I mean, I could be hiding great power in these fists of mine. Who's he to judge? If he's as small as the sculptures of himself all over his property, then he should know BETTER than to assume somebody's weak. True, he probably ISN'T the size of a goblin, but I'm not going to JUDGE before I meet him. See what I did there? Avoided his terrible logic trap.
Uh. Where was I? Oh, yeah, he let us out. That was it.
The manor is pretty cool. There's not much to do, not in the parts we're allowed to visit (mainly the grounds), but there's a lot to see. We wandered around the fields for a couple hours, taking notes and asking the labourers how best to set up fields 'n till 'n prep for winter 'n that sorta thing. Once they warmed up to us they had some good tips.
One thing I should go back on, though. They're not labourers. They're slaves. Pagan the Knight is a slave owner.
Don't get me wrong! I am, again, not judging. I will never be accused of being a judge. If a man wants to live his life owning slaves, then he can live his life owning slaves. They're a ragged, scrawny lot, but they all seem to like Pagan well enough, and they insist they're well-fed and get proper clothing when the weather is chill. Their little cabins also look decent, considering they're used to house slaves.
Still. Slavery. Didn't think any humans bothered with it anymore. Ain't illegal - lords make their own laws out here, y'know - but it's frowned upon. Unenlightened 'n all that. Only goblins still bother with slaves. Guess Pagan's an old soul in more ways than one. They're not abused, though, and I have no stake in 'em, so I can't say a thing 'bout the slaves. I wanna make Pagan a friend, not piss him off by insulting his lifestyle.
What we saw of the manor itself, primarily the main hall and our little room, is… decorative. There are paintings hanging everywhere. And all of them have eyes! Eyes everywhere! It's danged unsettling, 'cause you have the constant impression that somebody's watching you. Same goes for all the little statues on the outside of the manor. Not everything is an image of Pagan, but way too many of them are.
I think the man has a compulsive need to be seen. That's unhealthy. Edmund just seems to believe that it lends him a heroic air. Not from where I'm sitting, dude.
Anyway. When we weren't touring and asking questions that USUALLY weren't answered (Pagan's slaves are pretty tight-lipped when it comes to details of their master), we were in a little serving area, partaking of simple foods and singing songs with the slaves. Edmund knows how to put on a show regardless of the crowd, and the slaves are really warming up to him. See, I KNEW it was a good idea to bring a bard along!
Tonight doesn't look like it's gonna be much different from today. Lotsa waiting. I have little else to add to this entry, so I'm signing off. All I'll add before I close shop is one final question to chew on…
… where the hell is Barrel? Did he leave AGAIN? There aren't MORE rats to shuttle to Pubton, are there? Or is he just being a jerk and doing his own thing while we sit around with our thumbs up our butts?
Sincerely,
Dragomir the Tourist
