Mitchel Waylander

Mitchel Waylander is the local Chief Reeve of the Glazer's Guild in Betrayal at Krondor. He can first be encountered in Chapter 1.

History[]

Waylander lives in a small house in Sloop next to Gallowlees' Jewels.

When the Riverpullers Guild blockaded Romney over a conflict with the craft guilds, Waylander was caught on the wrong side of the blockade. Unsuccessful in negotiating with the leader of the Riverpullers, whom he termed "a hard old crat," Waylander was forced to deal with the upstart Guild of the Romney for the shipping of goods after the Riverpullers' unreasonable price increase. Arlie Steelsoul of the Ironmonger's Guild later judged that the Riverpullers' unreasonable demands had made this move inevitable.

Supporters of the Riverpullers consider Waylander a "snake" for dealing with the Guild of the Romney, which undercut their prices.

Waylander has a business arrangement with a partner from Silden whose name he does not know, collecting items which vanish from the possession of people who approach the Prank's Stone so that the other man can sell them for profit.

He is not one of James's favorite people.

Sumani, with whom he had a long conversation over the price of Tsurani pots while visiting LaMut, recommends Waylander to the party as skilled haggler from whom they might be able to learn more about the art of persuasion.

Chapter 1[]

Waylander can be found watching the bridge to Romney, preparing to leave for a meeting with associates in Sloop. He warns the party how seriously the guilds are taking the siege and explains its background politics, mentioning that only skilled hagglers have been able to stay in business during the price hike. Seigneur Locklear agrees with him that the Riverpullers' actions threaten Romney's rights as an independent Kingdom town, but Waylander notes that the Duke has been unable to act against the labor guild as yet.

If the party returns later in the chapter, Waylander is pleased to find that the Riverpullers have not harmed them. He reports that he has found some support among Glazer's Guild members in Sloop, but is unsure when or how much help they will send and hope it becomes unnecessary to count on them.

Haggling[]

The party may ask Waylander for negotiation tips. To offset the monetary losses of a delayed arrival in Sloop, he charges 50 sovereigns for the lesson; if they refuse, he offers again after his trip southward. Agreeing provides a one-time boost to the party's Haggling stat. Waylander's advice includes:

Avoid appearing lordly or aggressive while haggling, leaving arms loose rather than folding them, and feign uncertainty to humanize oneself and encourage generosity;
Maintain eye contact to suggest shared interests and disarm others by inviting them to feel authoritative;
Never interrupt the other person;
Insults and factual arguments disrupt the bargaining atmosphere, which relies on a tacit agreement that both parties are acting in good faith; appearing less interested in a high price or low offer is more likely to encourage a change for the better.

Chapter 2-3[]

With the guild feud still simmering, Waylander has blocked the bridge to Romney to prevent undesirable arrivals from touching off a full-scale guild war. They permit residents free passage, but restrict strangers from entering without a Glazer's Guild Seal as proof that they have been vouched for.

Waylander explains the situation and confirms that the King's men have arrived from Bas-Tyra, but has no reliable way to contact their leader, mentioning that they are elusive and untrusting. He tells the party that the Guild seal they need to enter the city is hard to come by, mentioning an unruly group of would-be Guild members unable to find a sponsor due to their behavior, but confirms that possession of a seal would grant them entry. As the party departs to find one, James asks Waylander to tell the King's men that "three men" will shortly consult them about "a nocturnal bird that kills at night". When they return with the seal, Waylander allows them into the city.

Chapter 3[]

After being told that Mitchel Waylander paid for a special delivery of tainted Keshian Ale from the Upturned Keg to overpower the King's men at the Black Sheep Tavern, the party can visit his house, only to be ambushed by five Nighthawks.

After the Nighthawks are defeated, Waylander emerges from his house, relieved to see them but protesting that as a merchant, he knows nothing about the Guild of Assassins or why they would target him. He is shocked at their news of the assassination of the King's men from Bas-Tyra, crediting them with breaking the Riverpullers' siege. James confronts him about the tainted ale, and he protests that he had been in Romney at the time and could not have made the order. James had realized this as well, and asks what Waylander has done to cause the Nighthawks to go to the trouble of framing and attempting to murder him.

Waylander is horrified when James mentions the Brass Spyglass, disbelieving that the regal-looking man who had once owned it was affiliated with the Nighthawks. He explains that he and a person from the Silden area, whose name he does not know, discovered the destination of items that disappear near the Prank's Stone, and that they have a business arrangement in which he collects whatever gathers there for the other man to sell. One night, drinking in a tavern in Prank's Stone, he saw a man with a marvelous spyglass. Being low on cash, he arranged a note indicating that a barmaid to whom the man was particularly attentive wished to meet him near the Prank's Stone, and thus obtained the spyglass. James theorizes that this incident would have been sufficient to incur the Nighthawks' wrath, and advises Waylander to lay low while they investigate the matter in Silden.

Chapter 6[]

Abbot Graves asks the party to locate Waylander, an old friend, for help escaping from Malac's Cross. Waylander gives them a Note to take to him.