The journey is a slow one by riverboat, down the Sharpwater and into the heart of Ricker. You are not brought to Sharping, however, but left at a jetty several miles upriver: Cormorant House, a summer home of the Rickers. Now that it's late autumn, the vast mansion is mostly abandoned; the servants (a cook, a groundskeeper, two maids) are attentive and diligent, but wary. Library, boathouse, stables have all been emptied; the kitchen remains well-stocked, however, and the private rooms you're assigned in the Lady's wing are comfortable, if a little cold. The armoury has also been left in good shape, and you are invited to take your pick from it.

You are not forbidden to go into town, exactly, but no transport is provided. The road to Sharping is an unpaved, treacherous morass of mud and ice, and there's no farmland nearby - just light, swampy forest. On the fourth day, a messenger arrives; he brings the obligatory green cloak and vulpine pin that mark you as Ricker Houseguards, but stresses that you are under no obligation to acquire the rest of the customary formal attire, or indeed to bother wearing the cloaks at all, except on formal occasions. His tone suggests that formal occasions may be a little thin on the ground, as far as you are concerned. He departs quickly, assuring you that Lady Ricker will arrive for the swearing-in ceremony before the end of the week. (If people want to do anything before Lady Ricker shows up, tell me at the start of the session.)