September, week 4, 412
Merchants Quarter
Bright and early one morning
Smiling Ben heads to the market to buy foodstuffs. He easily finds access to all of the food he wants, and more than enough camels, cows, horses and mules for sale.
Afterwards, he enquires about where he can find some men-at-arms for hire. He is directed to the Merchants Quarter city gates, where caravan guards sell themselves, and a nearby tavern or two service the more disreputable men for hire.
As he approaches the gate, a group of thirteen burly men come strutting into the courtyard, juggling their swords and and playing at wrestling games. Their leader stands around hopefully, calling out.
"Joachim's erg raiders for hire! Thirteen of the best swordsmen in all of Hikuptah! We have our own donkeys, and armor! The lot of our band, for only 32 mina per week!"
Seeing that no one is yet coming to their call, Ben wanders into one of the nearby taverns and immediately spots a group of four men he recognizes from the week before. They look much the same, but one or two of them show evidence of scratches and nicks across their shoulders and face, and one has a puffed right eye. They seem to be eating some sort of breakfast gruel, and minding their own business. A quick conversations determines that they are sellswords, tribal warriors from the southern wastelands near Minaa.
"I am Hikkuk," says the leader,
"We came here with a caravan some weeks ago, and are waiting until something worthwhile comes. We will take the normal rates." (As light footmen, they would each cost 1 mina per week, for an agreed upon amount of time.)
The proprietor, overhearing Ben's bartering, directs him to a fattened and crusty man lies in a stupor on some yellow pillows over in the corner. Half-awake, he picks his teeth with a chicken bone and introduces himself as Gish, a magician extraordinaire. The sequins of his turban jangle as he coughs himself up to a full posture.
"You are in luck, my stunted companion! I normally would charge no less than a talent a week for my services, but as you can sympathize I have run into disfavor at the Caliph's court, by means of a vice I shall not divulge, and very few people within the lower rungs of society are willing to pay my premium. Until I can reach some more forgiving palace, I am at the mercy of your robe and will take… 3 mina per week, shall we say? I can conjure up terrific winds, and have full knowledge of whatever protective auras you might want."
Remember that to feed mercenaries, you'll need to feed them on the road: count up the number of pack animals and men you're taking with you, and every 4 will require 1 mina of foodstuffs per week (it's 6 shekels a week for food, but you only pay for half of the expedition's duration, and they'll forage or provide for themselves the rest of the time). A single pack animal can carry up to 50 weeks of food for one person.
Once the initial expedition is over, you can always renegotiate for more permanent service.
