Once you are all seated and comfortable, Baron Gilbert signals for Nevil to kick off the meal.  At the seneschal's command, servants move in from all directions bearing silver platters with a small but delicious looking course.  Roasted pigeon in an orange jus, with pickled radish on the side.  It's small and not filling but utterly delicious to the taste buds.  Along side this they bring in crystal goblets which are placed in front of each of you.  Servants bring crystal decanters filled with a deep burgundy liquid which they proceed to fill your goblets with.

"Pembrose Red," Baron Gilbert informs you all, proudly, lifting his own goblet and swilling it around the glass expertly.  "See the legs?  An exquisite vintage.  Shipped here directly from distant north east Manabas.  I use the same wine merchant as does the new First Consul, Lord Ferrand," he says, positively beaming.  

"Now," he prompts, "Tell me a little about yourselves.  Where are you from and what brings you to my humble abode?"

Between mouthfuls of pigeon and gulps of wine: 

“Louis Dustpike! I’m a bit of a handyman for lots of problems. And I know the lands outside of town like the back of my hand, why I bet I’ve wandered more hills and forests than anyone in 100 miles! And I’m here because I heard you needed a handyman of a special sort. And I need money of a special amount. We both could have something for the other.”

Baron Gilbert nods at Louis.  He is either truly interested in your history and background or is a master of diplomacy and good at making people feel interesting.  Perhaps a bit of both.

"And you?" he turns to the next of you and asks, as he takes a long draw of his Pembrose Red.

The wine is full bodied and delights the tongue.  It slips down well and generally encourages you to open up.  The Baron's servants are not in any way forceful but anyone whose goblet is half empty instantly finds it full, and there appears no end to the decanters they have to bring to the table.

Nos Heliwr will only sip from his glass.

”Smith.” Nos Heliwr says. “I am given to understand you have a ‘delicate’ you need help in resolving. I am somewhat of a specialist in this area.”

"I was a Jeweler before I came out here.  I ran my own business for a time, until it seems that life had other plans for me.  I became suddenly very interested in travelling, and ended up here.  Seems a lovely place.  Much quieter, though I miss the bustle of the cities."

"Handyman and wanderer," the Baron says with a nod to Louis, "Smith," he continues inclining his head to Nos Heliwr, "and Jeweller," as he turns to smile at Salazar.  He looks across at Claire and Vaclav raising an eyebrow as if inviting them to speak up next.

Vaclav looks up from where he was silently assessing the placement of the forks. "Benjamin Halvey. I imagine my praticular accent gives away where I'm from. I have a curious mind and handy talents, so when we saw your job posting I figured the lot of us might be some help. Minus the wanderer, he came here of his own volition." 

"Ah, so the four of you," the Baron says indicating Vaclav, Claire, Nos and Salazar with the wave of a wine goblet, "are all part of one group?  A mercenary band perhaps?  But Louis here is a loner and not part of the group?  How interesting."

The starter is taken away and quickly replaced with the main course.  Roast venison supplemented with an overwhelming array of seasonal vegetables on a bed of creamy mashed potato, all covered with a rich, thick gravy.  More Pembrose Red flows for those happy to partake.

"So," the Baron prompts once the main course has been started, "Tell me of some of your adventures..."

"Ah," Claire mumbles, self-consciously tucking away some of her hair, which she had absolutely no hope of hiding in formal wear at a dinner.  At the very least, though, she could remember her manners, as she grabbed the proper forks in the proper order, and sipped at the wine delicately. 

She coughs a little when the Baron directs some attention towards her, and swallows before carefully placing the glass on the table.  Folding her hands in her lap, she smiles politely.  "Well... as you can tell, with such a diverse group of skilled artisans, there's a need for protection as well.  You could as well call me the muscle, I suppose," she says, dipping her head politely.

"As for my adventures..."  She trails off, not entirely certain what to say.  The best lies are always couched in the truth?   "I've always wanted to defy my parents' expectations."  And be allowed to explore and understand my powers.  "I suppose you could say I'm making this sojourn into the mercenary life to see if it suits me, or if I should... ah... settle down, as one might say," she explains, purposefully omitting that 'settling down' in her family's view would be swearing fealty to serve someone just like this Baron in a martial capacity.  "I'm not ready to marry myself to any one-" ... noble house ... "- just yet, so I have trained and set out on my own to... err... test myself."  She gestures at her companions.  "It's fortunate that I met up with this group of artisans requiring some assistance, for I admit I would likely be lost without their aid.  They are much more experienced than I in matters of travel and negotiation, and so I'm hoping through association with them to broaden my horizons," she says pleasantly.

That last part is mostly lies, and Claire isn't convinced that she pulled that one off, as she's not entirely certain what sort of 'horizons' the others have in mind as their end goals.  Still, it's close enough to the truth that she feels content to have spoken her part, and studiously applies herself to her meal, trying to avoid any further damning conversation.

"Indeed," nods the noble, around a mouthful of venison.  He looks about the table, as if expecting to hear more.  The insightful among you suspect he is waiting to hear something which will make him think you capable of dealing with the Delicate Matter he advertised about.

Vaclav sighs. "I see you will need a demonstration of our abilities. Very well." He snaps his fingers and Chernobog appears on his shoulder out of thin air. He then holds up a hand to stop any guards from overreacting. "Rest assured, we are not ordinary people. We can handle whatever you need." 

The baron does a good job of not spitting a mouthful of Pembrose Red across the table at Vaclav's impressive demonstration of arcane arts.  He wipes his mouth with his napkin and nods in approval.  "Ah, good, good, yes," he says smiling.   "Forgive me, but it is important to me to ensure I am not wasting my time and that I am dealing with reputable and reliable folk.   I can see you fit the bill completely.  Now, enjoy the rest of the meal.  I never like to mix business with pleasure and this evening is all about getting to know one another and relaxing.   We will discuss business more formally tomorrow.   For now, kick back, relax and enjoy my hospitality."

The main course is delicious as the starter and is soon cleared away.  Finally a trolley of deserts is wheeled out and you are all able to select from a great array of puddings, cakes and sweets.

The baron will not be pressed into divulging any more about the Delicate Matter that brought you here but is happy to discuss the lands around here, the local history and any other general questions you have.  You do note, however, that he deftly avoids answering questions to do with the political landscape in Northern Ibini at this time.  Perhaps that may give a clue as to what the Delicate Matter is about.

"Are there any questions you have of me?" 

"In the course of our travels along the shores Ibini, I have heard on many a tongue the word 'pirate', so often in fact it has roused my curiosity. Normally staying above the fray is wisdom in practice, but the persistence struck me.  Do such problems after your demesne, Baron?" Nos Heliwr's left eyebrow cocks up in a fairly universal expression of interest.

"Pirates?   Hmmm," responds the Baron.  "Not especially in this part of the world, no.  That said, as you'll know, Lucarcia has long suffered from having no military naval force.  So the ships of the Guild and any private merchants in the old Empire and now the new Republic are constantly under threat.  Mind you they have always had to look after themselves.  The Guild tends to solve this problem by heavily arming their ships with marines and heavy-duty weaponry.  The private merchants get along as best they can; perhaps even running Guild flags on occasion to deter would-be pirates into thinking they are Guild ships and so likely well defended.   

"But as to the notion that piracy is ripe or even on the increase in our waters, I would say not.  In fact, just yesterday a Guild ship put in to the nearby village of Zaneth.  It experienced no issues with pirates on its long trip here from Manabas."

(feel free to make Insight checks if wished)

Insight   6

Nos Heliwr nods his head a bit and says, "Hmmmm."

Insight: 2

Vaclav snaps Chernobog away again so the bird doesn't get any ideas of disrupting dinner. "What about other portions of the continent? Any news of major happenings? Having traveled for so long we find ourselves a bit cut off from any outside world." 

"Well, what can I tell you?" muses the Baron.  "Things seem to have stabilized for the most part.  Obviously dear Ibini is in a bit of turmoil seeing as our gracious queen has not been heard of in months, but that is not so unusual.  She was always quite a recluse.  Beyond our island, I think Lord Ferrand, new First Consul of the Republic, is working hard to establish peace and prosperity.  I suspect he has his work cut out though.  As I hear it, he is close to getting the noble houses of the island of Ursum to come to heel but I doubt the Ice King will take much part in any future republic.  King Agamedes always was insular in his remote palace in Stoneheart.  He sees no benefit to him and his lands in being part of any new political scheme.  He was never really a committed member of the Empire.  Now I suspect he will move towards making Manabas even more independent.   But this is all speculation really.  I don't know anything for certain.

"Regarding news from afar, as I said, just yesterday a Guild ship docked in port.  As it happens I sent my Overseer, Varnell, down there to meet with them.  He will have picked up any news of interest from the rest of the continent when he spoke to them.  And I planned for Varnell to take you for a quick tour of my lands tomorrow morning, to show you what is what.  Perhaps you could ask him, then?

"I offer you the hospitality of my house for the night, tonight.  Feel free to use the chambers you already chose and to make full use of my facilities and comforts.  Tomorrow, after breakfast, Varnell will take you on a tour and then we will meet back here for a business lunch, where we will formally discuss the situation at hand."

Claire manages to keep a straight face at the mention of the ship that docked.

Insight: 13

Her eye twitches a bit at the mention of Varnell.  The man gives her pause, if just because of the enormous scar on his face.  She wonders if he'll comment on having seen the group before in town, and is somehow glad that Louis has joined their odd company.  More faces - and a local to boot - should ensure that there'd be less for him to be suspicious of.

"The queen..." Claire says hesitantly.  "When was her last public appearance?  She really gave no warning back then that she was going to disappear for so long?  Nature abhors a vacuum, and I fear what might become of Ibini if things are left as they are, as you've said."

Claire gets the impression that the baron is being up front with you all.  And his claims about a lack of navy and merchants having to protect themselves are certainly true, you know.  You also know from first hand experience that Guild ships are manned with marines and competent fighters.

"The queen..." the baron answers, "... has always been an enigma.  I can tell from your accent that you're not from Ibini.  Perhaps not even from Lucarcia, milady?  Anyway, let me tell you a little about our island.  The northern part, which is everything north of the mountain range, is the only fertile land on the island and is where the vast majority of the population live.  There are three baronies in northern Ibini, surrounding the only three towns.  There are no cities on this island at all.  South of the mountains the entire island is covered with thick jungle.  Much of it is impassable and very few people live there. Rumours tell of terrible giant lizards who roam those lands and no farmer could make a living there so the south is mostly wilderness.   But the south is where House Jade has its roots.  The Verdant Palace, home of the queen and the Jade House, is in the south, hidden in a deep jungle valley, virtually impossible to find.  So no one from Ibini really ever goes there.

"It has been years since the queen came north of the mountains.  Sometimes she would send her daughter, Kululu Jade.  Other times different ambassadors would appear.  They would tell us they were from the queen and held the royal seal, so we usually believed them.  They didn't ever want much, just a report on the lay of the lands and promise that the three barons all still held fealty to her majesty.  No one in their right minds would cross the Jade Assassins, the personal bodyguard of the queen, so of course we all stay loyal."

"Nature abhors a vacuum as you say, and now things are a little instable around here, so who knows what will happen next.  That is as much as I wish to say on this subject today, however.  Perhaps we will talk more about this tomorrow, over our business lunch?"

"Is there anything else I can answer before we retire for the night?"

"You're correct," Claire says with a slight smile, "I'm new to these lands, and so still feeling out my way through these parts.  I've no more questions for the moment, though I do look forward to our luncheon tomorrow."

As she sits back and sips her drink, she thinks on what she learned of the continent.  The Verdant Palace sounds like an intriguing place to Claire.  A powerful, reclusive, and mysterious queen, cut off from the rest of society?  An unknown land where women held on to the precarious balance of power?  Or perhaps it wasn't even so precarious, if the Queen and her daughter were voices of authority there.  It excited her; somehow, despite being in a foreign land, it was the jungles of the south that seemed truly exotic to Claire.

I wonder if I'll be able to visit there someday, she thought fleetingly.