I found the turn reports and have composed a story of Jordan's first encounter with the Stone Knights. The lines are accurate but I've taken the liberty of fixing some typos and grammatical errors.
1426, hour 5. Jordan enters Blojt forest east, coming from Wanderer's Waystation III and says: "Could I hear some introductions here? I'm Jordan, one of the Wanderers, in case someone missed that."
Brooke Moonwhisper says something to Metrian and gives him some coal. Gives smoked meat to some other Stone Knight (Qafkat), talks to him and talks to Metrian again. Jordan observes this in silence but the level of frustration is slowly rising. The woman is silent now - no, she's not going to bother replying. It's time to speak up.
"Hey, crowbar chick, are you deaf or just ignoring me? Show some respect, you may have some better equipment but I'm still your elder. I asked for names, and I don't know yours, so please share."
"Oh my, are you speaking to me?", says the woman.
She looks highly offended, and says frostily: "You may address me as Stone Knight Brooke Moonwhisper and as for respect, I suggest you treat me with some."
"As you wish, milady." Jordan bows gracefully, but there's something sly in his smile that makes it smell like a parody.
Metrian looks at the man in amazement. "Do you know people died of the disrespectful sickness?""
He walks to Jordan, points at the man's chest touching it. "You better learn to behave quick, or the forest will teach you to behave." He puts one hand on his broadsword, then turns to Brooke, asking "Are you offended by this man, Brooke?" The rest of his words are to her alone.
After a moment he turns back to Jordan, inquiring "Are all Wanderers like that?"
"Now now everyone", says Tanner Frost, head of the local car shop. "Lets have everyone calm down."
"Oh, I'm perfectly calm, Mr Frost", says Jordan, keeping his voice down. "But you probably know how children tend to have too much hot blood. That's probably why those Stone Knights tend to hit each other. So... I understood that the only way to get coal around here is to work for you?"
Metrian looks the man in the eyes and says "You might just be right, Tanner, as long as people show some respect."
Stone Knight Brooke Moonwhisper says: "I see no need for violence, I merely wish to be treated with respect." She points at Jordan. "You, sir, never specifically asked me who I was. You walked outside and demanded introductions, and no one had even woken up yet to answer you. There was no call to single me out of all the people here and call me some rude name... You may apologize to me at your leisure and I won't have my friend Metrian teach you a lesson." She smiles frostily having seen the man's sarcastic smile.
She turns to Metrian. "Yes, I was offended but as long as he apologizes to me, I will be satisfied."
Hummer the Wanderer walks over to Brooke and Metrian, saying "Greetings Stone Knights Moonwhisper and Collarian. I am Hummer the Wanderer, Second in Command as the chain of Authority goes and I assure you that no Wanderers are not like that. and I do not know why Jordan was..." He looks over to Jordan as he speaks. "I am sure Jordan will apologize- " he looks back at the Stone Knights "- but I wish to apologize on the behalf of Wanderers."
"Hummer, don't." Jordan says to him in a low voice, annoyed by such groveling.
His face is serious now. "And would you have bothered with an introduction had I remained silent? I dare to question that. I waited, and you were silent, ignoring me. Would I not make a point on the first active person I see, the others would likely follow to ignore me." The smile returns on his face, slowly. "So if you believe this thing can be solved with violence, then by all means, I'll take that."
He pulls the cotton tunic over his head, dropping it along with his spear, and turns his back. "Strike away. Wounds can always be healed, but to apologize when I don't feel the least bit sorry, now that would be a lie. Go on Metrian, there's room for one more scar."
Rocky the Wanderer says something to Brooke, most likely to calm her down, then approaches Jordan in his usual silent manner. "Easy, Jordan. Reinier has gone to speak with the leader of the Stone Knights to get us permission to gather coal freely. We don't need to do anything to jeopardize that. Coal is worth far more than pride."
"I respect their leader alright, but these are mere children, cocky little bastards. I know what I'm doing", Jordan replies silently.
Hummer speaks up again. "Jordan, are you sure you're a Wanderer..? I have never seen such defiance from a fellow Wanderer... I wish to stand by you as a Wanderer but you are walking on ground I wish not to wander across."
He turns back to the Stone Knights. "Again I apologize, please do not hold his actions against the Wanderers. I really feel he is having a mental spell and he does not know what he is saying."
He walks over to Jordan, placing a hand on his back. "Are you OK...?"
"I've always been a Wanderer, even before there was any organization." Although Jordan's words are nominally directed at Hummer, he's talking loud and clear enough to make sure nobody could miss it. "But here I stand alone. You don't have to defend me, brother. I stand by my word, now we'll see if these kids stand by theirs. I will give my respect to who deserves it, no more, no less. One strike, to that I agree. I'll even drop my shield if needed."
Now the show's over and he lowers his voice, directing his words to Hummer alone "I know what I'm doing. They can't kill me with one blow. But if they strike more than once, you can witness that they broke against their word. She told Metrian to attack me but didn't say that she herself would."
"Jordan please reconsider", says Hummer, talking rather quickly and with emphasis, "your thinking is not logical, do you not see the comparison between the Stone Knights and us as Wanderers. Normally what is done to one Wanderer is done to all. We stand together. Your logic of them saying only one Knight would strike you is flawed. One Knight could still include every Knight here and then some that just may show up... If you were not doing this to yourself I would stand with you to the death but this appears more of a suicide than a point."
Rocky nods in agreement.
Next thing we know a newspawn thief is picking up everything not nailed to the ground, including Jordan's tunic and spear. The rest of the stuff is hardly worth anything.
"You goddamn f*cker, put those things down at once!" Jordan shouts at the kid, enraged. He glares at the others briefly. "You see what happens when things are not handled like they should be? You should've just taken that hit and gotten on with it, now we have a newspawn with my spear and he's going to run anyway."
The thief tries to hit Jordan with the spear but Jordan manages to parry with his iron shield that he fortunately hadn't dropped. Then the kid hits Free Willy, who just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, and darts down a road without saying a word.
Jordan shakes his head and sighs. "This is a farce... Now I will have to kill a newspawn thief with a shovel? And naturally there are no guards awake. If you'd like things not to be stolen then how about not leaving them lying around? This town is a disgrace."
He runs after the knife and stabs him with a knife. (That is a bit more efficient than a shovel but hardly much.) With no one else on the road he can spill his aggression on the child even though it is likely that this mindless creature would not understand nor care.
"You are one stupid c*nt. Why did you have to do that? Couldn't you just lie down and wait for some damn goat to have you for lunch? Or I have a better idea, go open your head at those kids with crowbars, they seem happy enough to bash anyone who doesn't have a big sword to defend themselves with."
"If those guards won't bother to come help, it will take me ten days to take you down, half a year of my life wasted on nonsense, saving some bits and pieces for a town that hates me, that dirty old tunic and a good-for-nothing bone spear."
Free Willy has followed them on the road and hits the thief with a sabre, apparently dealing a great deal more damage.
"Now, son, I despise violence... turn back and return what you stole, and make up for your pathetic attacks, and if the others agree then maybe it can be considered dealt with. But if you chose to continue, as much as I despise violence, I will not hesitate to hunt you down and slay you if need be."
"No bother, he has no soul", mutters Jordan. "Even if no one else runs after, you should be able to handle him tomorrow. I'll go back."
He turns around and returns to the Waystation right after reaching the town. There he is greeted by a a young female Wanderer who seems to know him although he doesn't know her. (Later she is identified as Marley)
Jordan heaves a deep sigh. "I wish there was a cot in here... If they come for me, don't fight for me, this is my battle." He slumps down in the corner and seems to fall asleep instantly.
Skreed the Wanderer looks from Jordan to Marley. "What's happening?"
"I don't know..." she says, equally puzzled. "Jordan... wake up... what is going on?"
But he is either asleep or too exhausted to answer so she goes out, perhaps looking for answers.
Soon after, a Stone Knight walks in. Marley follows on his heel, asking "Is there a problem?"
"You need to come out and formally apologize to the lady that you insulted", says the Stone Knight. "And if you appear sincere, I might not chase your worthless body out of this town."
"What happened?" asks Marley.
"This is between me and Jordan", says the knight. "I am Stone Knight Qafkat Tarblan." (So there he was identified but Jordan failed to hear it due to being asleep.)
"He is a Wanderer as I am..." Marley says. "Now what happened?"
"And he gravely insulted another Stone Knight in town, and a lady at that", says Qafkat. "I will be waiting outside."
"How so...? details please", Marley is asking but it's too late, the Knight has already left the building. She sighs. "Jordan, tell us what happened?"
Hummer enters the building and pops into the storage room.
"Hummer?" says Marley.
"Hello Marley, there is my account of what happened as you requested", he says, handing her a note.
"I don't want to lose my spot gathering wood so I am going to step back outside... I just wanted to drop off the wood I was holding and give you your answer. I will be outside."
He stops to glance at Jordan on his way out. "I do hope you get to feeling better."
"What are you doing, Jordan..." Marley says, handing the note to Skreed. "Trying to get us all killed?"
Then she goes out and so does Skreed. Later Tanner Frost comes in.
"Jordan, while the Wanderers have been allowed to stay here, let me remind you that you are a guest here in Blojt Forest east. I witnessed the dispute from the beginning and while you were ignored, your response was highly unneeded. And the things the theif took from the town were useless, bones and dung. Do not insult my town or my law enforcement because of your poor decisions. An apology to your fellow wanderers would seem in order, but I will not tell you how to act. But continue your belligerence in public and you may spend a day in jail to cool off."
After saying this he goes out.
Jordan opens his eyes and sits up but doesn't say a thing and makes no effort to get on his feet. He just huddles there with a sullen look on his face. (It's possible that there was no one around to witness this.)
He spends a while writing notes since he's not going to speak anything more in that town. His words have already caused enough grief. Maybe it was Marley's words that had awakened him, he does not want his friends to get killed over what he'd done.
After waking up properly he goes out and hands a note to Brooke Moonwhisper, one that says I'm sorry. Then he hands a key to Hummer, along with a note saying it's for Reinier. After this he leaves town in silence.
please?
