Dealings with Restov Merchants (3rd and 4th Gozran 4710)

Conversation with Jonah Renton (the merchant attacked by Trolls)

Jonah is open to the development ideas of the characters. He explained them the following:

1.- Davik's bridge is very important for the merchants to be able to reach Galt, and Taldor further to the south, both of them rich lands with demand for northern goods (although Galt is now in the middle of a rebellion/civil war). Not having the bridge means dangerous and costly detours, so its reconstruction would be a high priority project for the merchants, for which they would risk investment if you are able to keep the area secure and promise low fees to cross the bridge.

Without the bridge (even with it), the merchants have to cross the Kamelands hills, and here there are 3 problems at the moment that need to be solved before the merchants are able to fully use this route: bandit raids from the Stag Lord (already diminished thanks to your actions in the past weeks), Kobold raids (there are still reports of merchants being robbed by the Kobolds), Mite raids (same thing as with the kobolds).

2.- Another important area is the Narlmarches (the forest in your area of influence). It would be important to have a nice road and several safe places to stop. Oleg's Trading Post is one. Another one could be the Temple of Erastil (now starting to be developed by the priest Jhod Kavken). The problem here at the moment is that west of the Temple there is not much you know, so you would need to explore the west a bit... specially important would be finding a good place to ford or cross the Thorn River. Jonah tells you that there was an old bridge to the south of the area you have already explored (south of the Bandit camp you assaulted) but that it is at the moment too near to the Stag Lord's fort to be used safely.

This is an important area to reach Pitax from which it is easy to take barges to Lake Encarthan and other exotic lands to the west. At the moment, Pitax has a new leader, Lord Castruccio Irovetti, who is intent in developing the "bandit kingdom". He has funded an Academy of Arts and there is great demand for some products: musical instruments, paper, fine cloth for costumes, etc.

3. As for natural resources, the Greenbelt has been a wilderness area for a long time, so there are many untapped resources, although many trappers and merchants complain that most developments have been harashed not only by bandits, kobolds and mites, but also by strange accidents and mishaps attributed to the "forest spirits"... In order to develop these resources, these spirits should be taken care of somehow.

4. As for the Troll assault, they are a very rare sight in the northern Narlmarches, and that's the reason Jonah's team was taken by surprise. He thinks they might be a small roaming band from a big tribe that must be much more to the south... He asks you to keep an eye, although he doubts you'll see any of them... You also talk with other merchants and trappers at Oleg's and only a third of them report sightings of Trolls, and mostly lone Trolls.