Re: The Spare's Empire
Posted: Tue Sep 22, 2026 8:38 am
The confirmed guest list was longer than either of them expected.
Names filled several pages. Older noble families. Younger noble families. Military officers, guild representatives, foreign ambassadors, merchants…
“This is much more work than I expected,” Rupert said, slightly discouraged about his earlier idea.
“I suppose, but how are we going to handle this?”
Rupert sighed. “I suppose I can read them out loud, one at a time.”
“Aren’t there names we can skip?”
“You already wish to reject certain people from your list? Even before we got started?”
“To narrow down the search…”
Rupert seemed thoughtful, meanwhile squinting at the pages.
“You know what? Lets start with scratching the people you remembered seeing. So we can shorten the list with those you already know.”
Scott nodded. “I’ll do my best.”
Two hours later the list had been reduced, slightly. Rupert looked at his friend.
“So, you are certain she isn’t among any of these people?”
“Absolutely certain.”
Rupert stared at the list, wishing it would have reduced much more significantly.
“Alright then. Lets start with the first name, and as we go through the list we’ll figure out which might be the most plausible candidates for your quest.”
“My… quest?”
Rupert grinned.
Scott rolled his eyes. “Alright, let me fetch my books to identify these. So we can narrow down the list of plausible candidates… for my quest.”
Three hours and five pages later. And still about ten pages to go.
“How many names we already got to look into?”
Scott looked at the filtered list and nearly threw it into the fire.
“Too many?”
Scott nodded as he waved with the list. “That’s a whole bunch of people I don’t know. And if I have to pay each a visit to see if one of them is the young lady…” he groaned, “... I’ll be out for months. This isn’t working.”
Rupert quickly took the list from his friend before he could actually throw it into the fire.
“Don’t. This is actually already a first good filter.”
“... I wasn’t going to.”
“You sure?” Rupert asked while glancing at the fireplace.
“I was considering my options. But there simply is too many.”
“Yes…” Rupert looked down at the remaining pages, “... although…”
Scott looked at him.
“Although what?”
“Maybe we don’t actually need to visit them all.”
Scott stared at him.
Rupert tapped the papers.
“We need to find someone who knows these people.”
Scott frowned. “Someone? Someone who knows all of nobility?”
“Yeah, preferably someone who knows the daughters of nobility.”
Scott leaned back.
“That… feels even more difficult. And it’s not just nobility. What if she was the daughter of a diplomat?”
“You have any idea on her native tongue?”
Scott shook his head. “She sounded rather local. But she also mentioned speaking more languages.”
Rupert scratched his neck. “Not much to go with there. I suppose we’ll just have to find the right person.”
Scott saw how his friend began thinking.
“Who would know which families have daughters around your age? Someone who attends to many parties, who knows who is courting whom, who knows whose daughter is studying abroad and whose daughter has returned to Waterdeep.”
Scott watched how his friend’s expression slowly changed.
“You know someone.”
Rupert smiled.
“I know many people.”
“It sounds like you also know dangerous people.”
“Perhaps I do.”
But then Rupert shook his head.
“Just start with the people who organized this last party. Ask the Hawkwinters.”
“... I don’t want to look stupid…”
Rupert leaned forward. “Then, not necessarily the family themselves. We can look at the household staff, or perhaps their steward, or secretary. Anyone who goes over these invitations.”
“And you think they’ll cooperate?”
“No… unless we come up with a good reason. A reason that is serious enough for them to cast a light on this list for us.”
Rupert tapped the edge of the papers against the desk.
“So,” he said, “what do you know about her that could give us a reason to ask?”
Scott thought for a moment.
“Perhaps something with the globe she was interested in.”
Rupert frowned. “That doesn’t sound like a reason to me.”
“She noticed it was inaccurate.”
“That is even less of a reason.”
“She knew something about the world, and about ships and goods.”
Rupert paused.
“That actually may help.”
Scott looked over.
“How exactly?”
“Well, the Hawkwinters have ships, military connections, merchants and foreign guests they work with…” Rupert said as he gestured vaguely at the enormous stack of names. “Perhaps she was there because of a business connection.”
Scott considered it for a moment, then shook his head.
“I think this is a stretch too far. She didn’t seem particularly interested in business.”
“Well, I’m not the one who talked for an hour with her.”
“Nearly an hour…”
Rupert smiled. “Alright then, just let us add she is a young lady who likes maps.”
Scott offered his friend a flat look.
“That will sound ridiculous when we ask someone.”
“Yeah, I suppose you are right.”
Scott leaned backwards. “I might as well ask whether anyone of their staff remembers her.”
Rupert blinked.
“That… would be the obvious thing.”
“Meaning?”
Rupert shrugged. “Obvious things tend to be suspicious when you don't have a good reason for asking them.”
Scott looked down at the feather resting beside the paperwork.
He picked it up carefully.
“I’ll just go ask whether anyone remembers a young woman wearing a dark-blue hat with a silver ribbon and a feather like this.”
Rupert hesitated.
“It… sounds less strange.”
Scott lifted a shoulder and motioned at the papers. “What are we going to do with these?”
Rupert gathered them in a pile.
“You should hold on to them.”
“For… my quest, I assume?”
Rupert grinned.
“Aye. To become -Sir- Scott,... Sincere Seeker of the Blue Feather.”
Scott reached for the nearest book.
Rupert laughed and ducked out of reach.
Names filled several pages. Older noble families. Younger noble families. Military officers, guild representatives, foreign ambassadors, merchants…
“This is much more work than I expected,” Rupert said, slightly discouraged about his earlier idea.
“I suppose, but how are we going to handle this?”
Rupert sighed. “I suppose I can read them out loud, one at a time.”
“Aren’t there names we can skip?”
“You already wish to reject certain people from your list? Even before we got started?”
“To narrow down the search…”
Rupert seemed thoughtful, meanwhile squinting at the pages.
“You know what? Lets start with scratching the people you remembered seeing. So we can shorten the list with those you already know.”
Scott nodded. “I’ll do my best.”
Two hours later the list had been reduced, slightly. Rupert looked at his friend.
“So, you are certain she isn’t among any of these people?”
“Absolutely certain.”
Rupert stared at the list, wishing it would have reduced much more significantly.
“Alright then. Lets start with the first name, and as we go through the list we’ll figure out which might be the most plausible candidates for your quest.”
“My… quest?”
Rupert grinned.
Scott rolled his eyes. “Alright, let me fetch my books to identify these. So we can narrow down the list of plausible candidates… for my quest.”
Three hours and five pages later. And still about ten pages to go.
“How many names we already got to look into?”
Scott looked at the filtered list and nearly threw it into the fire.
“Too many?”
Scott nodded as he waved with the list. “That’s a whole bunch of people I don’t know. And if I have to pay each a visit to see if one of them is the young lady…” he groaned, “... I’ll be out for months. This isn’t working.”
Rupert quickly took the list from his friend before he could actually throw it into the fire.
“Don’t. This is actually already a first good filter.”
“... I wasn’t going to.”
“You sure?” Rupert asked while glancing at the fireplace.
“I was considering my options. But there simply is too many.”
“Yes…” Rupert looked down at the remaining pages, “... although…”
Scott looked at him.
“Although what?”
“Maybe we don’t actually need to visit them all.”
Scott stared at him.
Rupert tapped the papers.
“We need to find someone who knows these people.”
Scott frowned. “Someone? Someone who knows all of nobility?”
“Yeah, preferably someone who knows the daughters of nobility.”
Scott leaned back.
“That… feels even more difficult. And it’s not just nobility. What if she was the daughter of a diplomat?”
“You have any idea on her native tongue?”
Scott shook his head. “She sounded rather local. But she also mentioned speaking more languages.”
Rupert scratched his neck. “Not much to go with there. I suppose we’ll just have to find the right person.”
Scott saw how his friend began thinking.
“Who would know which families have daughters around your age? Someone who attends to many parties, who knows who is courting whom, who knows whose daughter is studying abroad and whose daughter has returned to Waterdeep.”
Scott watched how his friend’s expression slowly changed.
“You know someone.”
Rupert smiled.
“I know many people.”
“It sounds like you also know dangerous people.”
“Perhaps I do.”
But then Rupert shook his head.
“Just start with the people who organized this last party. Ask the Hawkwinters.”
“... I don’t want to look stupid…”
Rupert leaned forward. “Then, not necessarily the family themselves. We can look at the household staff, or perhaps their steward, or secretary. Anyone who goes over these invitations.”
“And you think they’ll cooperate?”
“No… unless we come up with a good reason. A reason that is serious enough for them to cast a light on this list for us.”
Rupert tapped the edge of the papers against the desk.
“So,” he said, “what do you know about her that could give us a reason to ask?”
Scott thought for a moment.
“Perhaps something with the globe she was interested in.”
Rupert frowned. “That doesn’t sound like a reason to me.”
“She noticed it was inaccurate.”
“That is even less of a reason.”
“She knew something about the world, and about ships and goods.”
Rupert paused.
“That actually may help.”
Scott looked over.
“How exactly?”
“Well, the Hawkwinters have ships, military connections, merchants and foreign guests they work with…” Rupert said as he gestured vaguely at the enormous stack of names. “Perhaps she was there because of a business connection.”
Scott considered it for a moment, then shook his head.
“I think this is a stretch too far. She didn’t seem particularly interested in business.”
“Well, I’m not the one who talked for an hour with her.”
“Nearly an hour…”
Rupert smiled. “Alright then, just let us add she is a young lady who likes maps.”
Scott offered his friend a flat look.
“That will sound ridiculous when we ask someone.”
“Yeah, I suppose you are right.”
Scott leaned backwards. “I might as well ask whether anyone of their staff remembers her.”
Rupert blinked.
“That… would be the obvious thing.”
“Meaning?”
Rupert shrugged. “Obvious things tend to be suspicious when you don't have a good reason for asking them.”
Scott looked down at the feather resting beside the paperwork.
He picked it up carefully.
“I’ll just go ask whether anyone remembers a young woman wearing a dark-blue hat with a silver ribbon and a feather like this.”
Rupert hesitated.
“It… sounds less strange.”
Scott lifted a shoulder and motioned at the papers. “What are we going to do with these?”
Rupert gathered them in a pile.
“You should hold on to them.”
“For… my quest, I assume?”
Rupert grinned.
“Aye. To become -Sir- Scott,... Sincere Seeker of the Blue Feather.”
Scott reached for the nearest book.
Rupert laughed and ducked out of reach.