At the Crossroads, another merchant caravan is ahead of them, grumbling to the three rangers of the watch about being rerouted to Opal instead of their original destination of Beryl. But the weather is dry yet overcast and the travelling is easy for the remaining two days to Opal.
Along the way, with some consideration and calculations, Mar’Khabazza determines that it will cost 540 pieces of silver for the troupe and its livestock to live and live well through the upcoming nine months of winter. He decides to exploit the market opportunity in the strange dearth of iron in Beryl to make a quick profit, so troupe decides to make a run there with a load of iron tools and implements.
June 13, 7761
Upon arriving in Opal, the troupe heads to the Postmaster’s tower to give an update on their sudaar raid. They bid farewell to the soldiers and rangers while singing their praises and promising full shares of loot to all.
Magnus, Ravenna and Mar’Khabazza spend the next 48 hours in a frenzy of activity, acquiring a loan from Felagunne to subsidize the expedition (at a very reasonable 5% fee), purchasing another house “Schist” to haul six hundred pounds of iron to Opal with Feldspar. Merchant Felagunne helpfully provides the name of Mordant Grimsby, quartermaster of the garrison at Beryl, as someone with whom they should contact about unloading their iron.
June 15, 7761
With their sturdy cart laden with iron tools and drawn by Schist and Feldspar, the troupe leaves Opal and reaches the crossroads two days later, giving the crossroad guards a wave as they head north…
…to immediately be halted by a small avalanche that blocks the road. Backtracking to the crossroads, they are told by the rangers to wait until the snow blocking the road settles and firms up and then to make their own path over the blockage.
The rest of the trip is uneventful and five days later they arrive in Beryl.