Might As Well See the Place

Sir Piero is trying to set a meeting between you and the Duchess. In the meantime you and your men have some free time in your hands. "Otto, gather the men." You command, "We might as well see what Toscana has to offer while we're here."

You leave your crown behind and dress not as fancy and as notable as one would expect from a King. It would make you stand out a lot less and make you less of a target for a potential robbery. The soldiers leave their swords behind but bring with them their daggers. It'd be downright foolish to explore unfamiliar territory without some form of protection. You hand your men a few coins. They can do what they want... provided it is within reason and they behave themselves. You strongly emphasize that you'll have them executed if they do anything heinous. You further add, "Go have a talk with the locals. Maybe you'll learn something."

You take with you a few good men for added protection. Now it's off to explore and inspect Toscana. You inform Piero not to worry about you for the rest of the day and leave before the man could say anything more.

Some of the men head for the nearest brothel. Others head for the beaches. You and those few with you inspect the ports. They are busy with business and trade and you like what you see. Ostgrenze has a fairly sizable coastline but it's war fleet was

By day's end, you and your group end up in a tavern. You've had your companions call you by your name under your order the whole day. The tavern was loud, particularly one section occupied by some men from Iberian. They didn't look like merchants or locals descendant from Iberian migrants. These were men in armor and the most conspicuous of them is presumably their leader.

The golden cross on a red background is a dead giveaway of the man who bore the crest. "Greetings, gentlemen," You approach the laughing men. You have their attention, "How about I offer you boys a drink? I'm paying."

Their leader snickers and signals for one of his men to offer you a seat. "Take a seat, stranger." The Iberian says, "if you're paying, who are we to decline such an act of generosity." You look around you and your sly nod informs your men to keep watch but remain seated.

You tell the Iberians your name. It's no big deal. Your name is a fairly common name for male Almains. "Almain name, Almain looks, you are not a Toscana local." It helps that you leave out the part where you are a King. You shake your head, "No." you say simply.

The leader in return offers to tell you his name. But you cut him off politely, "I know who you are, good sir. You are a skilled fighter born from humble peasant folk. A defender of the faith and a skilled soldier for the Kingdom of Asturias. You've earned quite a reputation... Senor Miguel de Tarnossa. But to most folk, you are the Moorslayer."

The tavern girl then delivers the ordered ale.