Travellers
Travellers walk the roads like carts. They are peaceful: bandits fall on them and they run from bandits and raiders. Met on the road, any of them can be talked to for their news, or robbed.
| Traveller | Who | Where they go |
|---|---|---|
| Pilgrims | 2 to 6, from a town | To crossroads shrines, high temples and world trees; stay 12 hours |
| Preacher | 1, from a village leaning to the old way | Village to village, then home |
| Minstrels | 1 to 3, from a town | Town to town and hall to hall |
| Messenger | 1 rider, from a town or castle | To the town or castle that lacks the most of its news |
| Drovers | 2, from a village | The village’s beasts to market in autumn |
Pilgrims
Section titled “Pilgrims”Pilgrims set out three times as often in the 4 days before a feast. They carry 48 silver from their town and leave half of it at a high temple’s town. At a shrine or world tree they kneel round it through their vigil.
Preachers
Section titled “Preachers”Each village a preacher visits leans further to the old way. In hard times, when a village has risen or been branded or is going hungry, a preacher who comes to the Temple’s land or a high temple’s town may be taken. See Religion.
Minstrels
Section titled “Minstrels”Minstrels sing of the lords’ deeds. Each town they visit pays them 12 silver, learns their songs and teaches them its own. Songs last a year.
Your renown is known where your songs have been sung. Winning a fight raises it, and losing, killing folk or robbing travellers lowers it. Where you are well sung of, a band’s captain at an inn asks less of you, down to three quarters of his price. Where you are sung of ill, he asks up to a quarter more. An inn’s News tab tells you what is sung of you nearby. Minstrels go to a town with a fair or tournament near four times as often.
Messengers
Section titled “Messengers”News goes only with people. A town’s messengers ride its news to the towns about, and carters, caravans, pilgrims, preachers, minstrels and drovers carry the word of where they set out. Catch a messenger and his news never arrives. Your realm hears what is known where your armies stand, at your own towns, and from parties you talk to. What happens within 3 km of one of your armies is seen at once.
Drovers
Section titled “Drovers”In autumn, after the reaping, a village with its herds whole may send some of them to market with two drovers. The town’s butchers pay 17 silver a sheep, 30 silver a pig and 1 gold 13 silver a cow.
Robbing them
Section titled “Robbing them”Rob them takes their coin, goods and herd, and reads a messenger’s letters so his news never arrives. It costs 5 renown (10 for pilgrims or a preacher), and goodwill at their village or the villages within 2 km. Robbing pilgrims or a preacher also costs your realm the Temple’s favour.