Of Guards and Vintners (1 of 2)

Writers: Anika, Avery
Date Posted: 23rd December 2014

Characters: Corran, Gautrek
Description: Corran seeks out Gautrek for a drink and some conversation.
Location: Vintner Hall
Date: month 10, day 7 of Turn 7
Notes: Mentioned: Puwul
Notes: 1 of 2

Gautrek

Corran was a man of his word, so when he had some free time on a restday,
he headed over to the Tavern at the Vintner Hall. He'd seek out Gautrek,
have a good drink, maybe get something to give to his brother.

Exiting one of the buildings above the wine cellar Gautrek noticed the
guard and called out to get his attention, lengthening his stride.
"Corran,"

Corran turned and waved. "I was looking for you," he said with a grin.
"How are you today?"

"Very well, thank you! And yourself? Are you ready for that drink?"

"I am indeed," Corran said.

Offering a broad smile and slapping Corran on the shoulder, Gautrek
headed in the direction of the tavern. "That's good to hear as I've
been incredibly busy settling back into the Hall. Just came from
working on a special project, actually. My mind doesn't always grasp
the concept of a restday, you see and I might as well follow through
once an idea has taken hold because I'll get no peace until I have.
How have things been at the Hold? Quiet I hope."

"Mostly quiet. People have been decently behaved since all the
nastiness earlier. Sometimes there's minor trouble with youth, but
usually not too bad." He shrugged.

"What's your project?"

Gautrek laughed. "You're going to think I sound incredibly boring,
but malolactic fermentation. It's a process that helps certain wines
to taste less tart and more buttery. It's used most commonly in reds,
but I think there might be some value in using it with certain of the
drier whites as well. But don't get me started in on wine making or
you are sure to fall asleep before I've had a chance to buy you that
drink," the vintner warned as he opened the door of the tavern and
motioned the guard forward.

"You should explain it to me sometime, at least in a brief overview. I
must confess I know little about your craft, just about the types of
wine and spirits I enjoy drinking. You focus on winemaking then?" he
asked as he was ushered in.

There were several tables open for use and he picked a smaller one,
figuring no one else would join them.

Taking a seat, the vintner, nodded. "Yes wine making is my specialty
and I would be happy to go over the basics with you, but be warned, I
tend to get carried away when speaking about my craft. What is your
pleasure today? Wine, ale, or spirits?"

"I think ale. Do you have a recommendation?"

"Certainly! Do you like a sweeter or more bitter brew? Or do you prefer
something more evenly balanced?"

"Generally something sweeter," Corran said. "I take a sweet ale and
wine, but spirits with a kick. Odd, that."

"It's not uncommon to favor such contrasts," Gautrek said waving a
serving maid over. "I think I know just drink for you - it was a
special reserve from last autumn and I know Puwul still has a few kegs
so he might be pouring it." The vintner ordered a light bodied red,
with a nice fruit-forward character for himself and the ale for
Corran. "So you really must tell me more about the work of a Hold
Guard Corran," Gautrek urged settling back into his seat to await
their drinks.

He appreciated the advice from the expert. Surely a Vintner would
understand the best picks. And it was nice to be asked about his own
work.

"The job has its quirks. Sometimes it's quiet, especially when
it's winter and it's harder for young kids to get up to mischief. Then
again, there's risk of poaching around that time. A lot of patrolling
the same routes, looking at the same walls or the same part of the
grounds. It can get boring. Then there's physical training and
fighting practice."

Their drinks arrived and after taking a sip of his wine Gautrek commented,
"The sea Hold where I was last place struggled with pirates. Do you see
much trouble with inland bandits?"

"Sometimes. Occasionally you'll hear about animals being killed, or small
fringe cotholds being ransacked." There were a few he had a particular fear
of that happening to. "Again, it's common in the winter - holdless don't
have a lot of food or methods of survival, so they pilfer."

Brow furrowing at the sad truth, Gautrek nodded. "Not an uncommon
story I'm afraid." He sipped his wine, considering what led certain
people to live on the fringes of society.

"I always feel bad for them when it happens. A lot of those people didn't
ask to be hungry."

"There are a few miscreants that prefer to cheat and steal, but I agree
that many seem to be victims of unfortunate circumstance and then left with
no resource. I'm glad the area does not seem overly put upon, by such
incidents, though." Hoping to turn the conversation to happier territory he
asked, "What do you think of the ale?"

Corran took a deep sip and considered it. "Is this done in a different
kind of barrel? I'm not very good at notes, but it's got a pleasant, mild
sweet taste."

"You've described the mouthfeel perfectly, but it isn't the barrel
that brings about that effect. Three different malts were used, one
was fairly unique which is why this was a special reserve, difficult
to duplicate. Hops are used to balance the sweetness but in this case
just small quantities because they were meant to play a background
role and leave the focus on the sweeter malts. Very low alcohol in
that brew, but it tends to be refreshing, perhaps not as complex as
some instead more mild and sweet, like you said."

Corran nodded, following most of that. "So reserve brews happen when
there's a limited quality of something that makes it special?"

"Most commonly, yes. Though there might be some other circumstances
as well. Some brews are seasonal or more time intensive to process.
You hav to be careful though because mercants will sometimes market
something at special reserve just to inflate the price when the ale is
quite run of the mill."

"That must be frustrating. At least here at the Hall such things don't
happen. I do recall a special seasonal cider we used to have at
Amethyst Cliff," Corran mused. "It was a spiced one with nutmeg and
some other warm spices."

"That's a favorite in the winter months. Mulled wine becomes popular too.
So you were originally from Amethyst Cliff?"

"Mulled wine is good. And yes, came over with the rest of the refugees,"
Corran confirmed. "My folks had a cothold on the border lands, so they
didn't move. I came here because there's less call for a guard out on the
edges."

"That makes sense. Any other family other than your parents?"

"A twin brother. Currently a Wingleader at Dragonsfall," he added with a
pleased grin.

"Oh, Ho! A dragonrider in the family is always a boon. I only wish one of
my brothers would have been Searched."

"Would you hope for that for any of your family, or do you hope they
follow you into a Craft?"

"I'd be pleased either way so long as they are productive and happy.
Geirolf just turned twelve and has been considering crafts, but if he were
Searched and ended up Impressing that would be wonderful. I'd worry of
course, but I'd be very proud," Gautrek replied, taking another drink of
his wine.

"They'll probably come on Search soon enough, so I suppose you'll know
them. Does Geirolf have any ideas what he might want to do?"

Gautrek chuckled. "He's considering becoming a Harper like his father
or a Vintner like myself right now. I suppose that's fairly normal,
to want to follow after the men in your family. We've discussed the
various crafts but I want him to take his time and not make a hasty
decision."

"There's also the Woodcrafters in this area. And if he doesn't Craft, then
he could pick out a job he likes at the Hold. Let him know if he's curious
about the guards I'd be happy to talk." It might not be the most
prestigious job, but it wasn't a bad one.

"I'll certainly let him know. So long as he finds something
fulfilling to himself and helpful to society in general I'll be
content."

Last updated on the December 23rd 2014

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Of Guards and Vintners (1 of 2)