[center][img=http://i.imgur.com/vep7O5u.png][/center]

[b]”And give us some bonus pay for signing the contract,”[/b] Ernst kindly supplemented Kat after she had spoken. [b]”Just to let us know you’re trustworthy, and so we can buy extra provisions for the journey. Long way from here to the Spine, see. I think our swords could use a good whetstone, our quivers a few more arrows.”[/b]

Contracts in the North -- or at least where Ernst lived -- were the ultimate binding agreement. Ernst was requesting that the dwarf follow the customs of the lords there: when a soldier or mercenary is pledged to one’s service, he or she is given a bonus at enlistment. In steady work, the soldier is paid 2 gold coins (or the equivalent thereof in other kinds of coin) per month, and would get yet another bonus at retirement in addition to his or her fair share of loot after combat actions. As the ducal demesne boasted good silver mines, the lords could afford such expenditures. This was the reason Norse troops rarely mutinied or deserted their armies, contrary to the stereotype of the Northerner being more loyal and stout of heart than most peoples.