Well, scavenging may be boring and frustrating but it can also be quite lucrative without much risk. After 6 more encounters with militia and peasants, Damian found a small diamond in a heap of discarded scraps in a decaying jewelry shop. Worth a couple of gold on the open market so not a bad days work. If only there was some way to distract the peasants. Maybe a fire would do the trick, but where to set one without risking burning down the whole town?
