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Myth: A New Age CYOA

archaen

Cipher
Patron
Joined
Mar 10, 2014
Messages
633
After we heal them it may be good to suggest to the King he parade them around the city to show people the carrot now that he just hit with the nuclear stick.
Why would Derryth do that, have them paraded like some kind of wierd animals?

I meant parade in the political sense, not the actual menagerie and drum bands sense. Things like having them at social functions so they can be seen or being made the heads of a charity foundation funded by the King. Make them a visible reminder of the King's compassion and mercy.

So basically:
I wanted to make a proposal to the King to take care of them - offer them a stipend, or a position, or something like that. It would alleviate our guilt somewhat to see their futures settled, and it is of use to Albrecht to keep them around, as those two will serve as a constant reminder to people about just why the Eberhardts were purged. It is a good publicity for the King to help the victims that suffered at the hands of the 'servants of the Dark', and it makes his actions against his rivals appear more legitimate. Don't get me wrong, there is no one who would go against him openly right now, but just a few months ago the Royal House was on a verge of collapse. Gestures like that soothe people's hearts and solidify the King's position.

So there is no disagreement.
 

Fangshi

Arcane
Joined
Jan 9, 2014
Messages
1,997
Chapter 33: The Cost of Doing Business

It has to be three, maybe four, in the morning and you are still just sitting here, again.

Perched on the edge of your bed you can not shake the image of Trakk's granddaughter. During the day you can push it away but it comes back at night, every night.

You have tried everything short of nepenthe, that wonderfully addictive opioid, to fall asleep and none of it is working.

In frustration you get up, if you can not sleep then you will go for a walk.

Quietly you dress; you slip out into the lit hallway. As you carefully close your door the door to Thaïs' room opens and your friend slips out. She spots you immediately and you exchange a nod as you come together.

"Can't sleep?" she whispers.

You nod, "You either?"

She nods, "Trakk's granddaughter-"

"-Brenna, yeah, I know..." you slip into silence as you hold one another's gaze.

"Going for a walk?" she breaks the silence.

"Yes, want to come?" you reply.

She does not answer but extends an arm. You take it as the pair of you drift through the quiet halls of the palace.

She tries to direct you to the gardens but you have another destination in mind, "The roof?" you suggest.

"Sure," she shrugs.

The two of you pass dozens of guards on your way to the roof, a few of them are even real military. The King is not taking any chances and has tripled the security at the palace since the attack by the Watcher's minions. They do not stop you as you wind your way to the top of the palace, they all know who you are now and they all know that the two of you are free to go anywhere but the royal chambers without permission or pass. They merely nod as you pass the last of them and exit to the roof.

The night air is refreshing, it helps clear your head and it seems to be doing wonders for your friend as well. She begins to speak as the two of you lazily stroll along the inner walkways of the buildings exterior, "I just... The image will not remove itself from my mind."

You know exactly how she feels, "I keep seeing my, ah, your-" you shake your head.

"Our," she helps you along.

You nod, "Our memory of that doll, it was so much like her."

"It is horrid, Derryth. She will have to go through her whole life like that, and her father!" your friend speaks, anger rising in her voice.

You calm her with a hand on her shoulder, "I know, I know. If only we could do something for-" you stop and she stops with you. An idea hits you and runs down your spine like a bolt from the heavens. You grin as you turn to your friend, "Maybe she does not have to."

She gives you your favourite look, "You have that look again. What are you plotting now?"

"I think I can fix them Thaïs!" you exclaim triumphantly, "I have the theory needed, a more powerful version of the Heal spell, we could restore their bodies."

She leaps at you, hugs you, and does her best to squeeze the life out of you, "That is magnificent, Derryth! You are magnificent! How do we do it?"

As she releases you, you begin to construct a plan, "Well I will need help casting it, you and Lyssa at the very least. You will both have to master Heal first. We'll also need a lot of energy, mandrake roots maybe or something else entirely," you frown, "Then there are the risks to consider, this spell could easily kill us if we are not careful and I have never actually tried to cast it before. If there are any flaws in it..."

"If there are any flaws in it we will figure them out!" she has snatched up your idea and is running with it, "We can get the King to supply us with mandrake roots! It will be great for his image and he has the money now! I will go locate Lyssa and we can get started right away!"

She turns to run back inside, as you grab her arm you laugh, "It is the middle of the night don't you think we should let her sleep?"

"Too late for that!" a voice calls out from the dark, "Do you two have any idea how much noise you are making?

Lyssa rubs her eyes and picks straw out of her hair as she approaches the two of you.

You trade an amused glance with your friend, "You sleep up here Lyssa?"

"Ah, sometimes," she stretches, "My hut was not always the most relaxing place to rest so I would often sleep under the stars next to my tree. After a while you just sort of get used to it and it is difficult to sleep inside," she shrugs, "So what is this about needing me?"

"We need your help to restore a child and her father," Thaïs answers.

Lyssa smiles, "That sounds like a good cause if ever I heard one. Count me in."

You spend the better part of the night and much of the morning fleshing out your plan. You will increase the time the three of you spend together to properly teach them the spells necessary to perform the ritual. On top of your enchanting practice and supervising the girls this will leave you precious little time to attend to your own affairs but it feels right. You want to help that child and her father, you will help them and by Wyrd you will succeed!

-------------------------------------------------

The next few days are spent in meetings, meetings and yet more meetings slipped in between your practice and other duties. Albrecht's people have sent over a small mountain of paperwork along with an army of clerks to help you sort through the assets on offer. It took a while but you finally settled upon your reward, or at least part of it.

Mayer arrived soon after with a smaller but still daunting report about his activates in your name.

In fact the banker is just finishing his presentation, "So as you can see ladies, my efforts are already beginning to bear fruit. I can secure a substantial amount of the assets available but I need more funds to do it."

"Well we are considering our options on that front Mayer," your friend replies.

You draw out three folders from the stack nearest you, "Yes, we have arranged a number of financing options, we just need to decide how much risk we want to take on here."

The three of you spend the rest of the day discussing how you are going to finance your attempt to secure the assets on offer. You also lay out a few conditions for Mayer to follow as he proceeds with your plan.

As the sun begins to set and the banker leaves your wing of the palace you feel quite confident.

Thaïs organizes papers behind you as you watch the banker go, "I think we are finally making progress here, this might just work out after all."

A dry voice chimes in with undercurrents of mirth and resignation, "I am sure it will work out great and we won't get attacked by psychotic mages, or crazy wives, or undead dwarves or-"

"Alright, I get it! A bit harsh though don't you think," you reply as you turn to face your friend.

She stares at you in shock, "I did not say anything Derryth, but I definitely heard something."

"Wait, you two can hear now?" the voice responds cautiously.

"Caoilainn? Is that you?" you match the voice's caution

The voice screams and cheers, "It worked! Yesssss! It fucking worked! Finally! Oh Wyrd! They can hear me! They can hear me! Ye gods and little fucking fishies, THEY CAN HEAR ME!!!"

Thaïs claps her hands to her ears, "We can hear you! We can hear you shouting in our ears as well!"

"Oh, fuck. Sorry," Caoilainn responds quietly.

"Well then, I guess congratulations are in order, you finally did it," you reply laughing.

You can feel the relief and the joy in her 'voice', "You have no idea, no idea, how lonely it was to be trapped in there. To see and hear everything but not be able to communicate at all."

"We thought as much," you friend answers, "Did our lessons help at all?"

She radiates gratitude, "Yes. Oh, definitely. I mean, I have never touched a spell book in my life. Without your help I have no idea how long it would have taken to figure out how to use these things. Thank you, thank you both. Um, also, thank you for saving my life in the Dreaming. It would have been so easy to just let me die."

"Well, your welcome," you and Thaïs grin at one another while Caoilainn hums a happy tune. It occurs to you that now that you can communicate you should be able to test out the bracelets with a little more freedom than the Faceless allowed you.

You decide to take advantage of Caoilainn's good mood, "Caoilainn?"

"Yes," she answers as she hums.

"Do you think we could test out a few thing now that we can properly communicate?" you do not want to startle her with what you plan to do next.

"Ah, sure. Why not!" she replies still ecstatic over her success.

"Okay," you nod to Thaïs, "The first thing I want to try is to take of the bracelets for a few seconds. We need to know what happens if they are not active."

"Um, that won't kill me will it?" fear begins to bleed into her words.

"No it should not," Thaïs replies, "The original occupant of these bracelets spent quite some time in them in their deactivated state. We do not yet understand how they work though."

"We would really appreciate it," you add.

"Well, ah, yeah, alright. I mean I would be dead or demon food without you so why not," she is trying to be casual about it but it is clear that she is still quite uneasy about this.

"Alright, here we go," You slip your bracelet off and the magic in Thaïs' goes dormant. You count to ten and slip the bracelet back on.

It clamps down on your wrist as your friend yelps, hers must be doing the same. It is squeezing so tightly that you begin to lose feeling in your hand, "Caoilainn, stop! Stop!" you shout.

The bracelets relax again as Caoilainn wheezes in your mind, "Don't... don't ever do that again please."

"What happened?" Thaïs asks.

She calms herself enough to answer, "Everything died. All my senses. I was completely cut off from everything and time just sort of stretched out into eternity. If you told me I was trapped for hundreds of years I would believe it and... and I think there is something else in here with me. It felt like I was being watched and that whatever was watching me was enjoying my fear."

"Could it have been some sort of hallucination?" you ask.

She laughs a little, trying to calm herself, "Yeah, that is probably what it was. Just my mind playing tricks on me, but, ah, don't do it to me again please."

Thaïs, trying to help her, changes subjects, "Well Caoilainn, now that we can properly communicate we would like to offer you a proper position in our organization."

"I suppose, not like I have anywhere else to go. But are you two actually offering me a job?" she laughs.

"Yes," you add, "For now we could use another set of eyes and in time perhaps we will find a way to retrieve your body or get you a new one."

"Well then I guess it is settled," she begins to hum again, "Where do I sign up?"

-----------------------------------------

Your plan to heal Trakk's family has run into minor difficulties. Your incomplete knowledge of the ritual involved is an obstacle that can not be easily overcome. Really there are only three ways to solve the problem that faces you. You could attempt to puzzle through it on your own though that would take time. You could enlist the aid of the fellows at the Academy but you already have them working on the Oneiroi spells for Meletē and you would prefer they focus on one task at a time. It is difficult enough to get them to focus as is.

Finally you could pursue the one person you are certain can help you cast this spell. The Heron Guard you helped during the attack on the palace, Six Winds Soaring Eagle.

It is for this reason that you are visiting the Imperial Embassy this afternoon. It is not a pretty building, there are no overt signs of wealth here. It is simple, unassuming, if you had not been told where to find it you doubt you would have, at least on most days. Today a string of large men hurry in and out of the building, they are carrying boxes out of the embassy and loading them into a number of wagons lined up in the courtyard.

Despite the high security you gained admittance quickly enough, perhaps it was you reputation or your twenty dwarf escort. Either way you were immediately granted access to Six Winds Soaring Eagle's offices. Though naturally your guards had to wait outside.

They are simple, utilitarian. Clean white walls, cold hardwood floors. A desk, three chairs, a bookshelf or two and that is all. It is cool in his office, a welcome reprieve from the heat of the city. The air tastes fresh and smells of pine. For a moment you feel like you are back in the northern empire, it passes quickly as you return your attention to the man you have come to see.

The Heron Guard sits behind his desk, he is dressed in a simple brown tunic and trousers. His hair hangs loose behind him. Even without his armour and blades he maintains his martial air yet merely looking at him instils in you a feeling of peace and serenity.

"I did not thank you for your aid against that creature at the palace," he begins solemnly.

"Don't worry about it," you reply.

"No thanks are required," Thaïs adds in agreement.

"All the same," he bows slightly in his chair, "You have my thanks, if there is something I can do in recompense."

"Well now that you mention it, yes," you respond with enthusiasm, "We could use an expert in healing magic to help some friends of ours, perhaps you could help us?"

"Perhaps," he answers, "Please go on."

Thaïs makes your case, "A pair of dwarves, father and daughter, were recovered from Eberhardt's prisons, they suffered greatly-"

He nods and raises a hand to stop her, "Yes, I was present at the trial. I know who you speak of. It is with deep regret that I must inform you that I do not have the necessary skills to repair them. You see there are many different types of healing spells and the sort of restoration spells necessary to make them whole again are simply beyond my abilities. You would need to take them to Muirthemne and the masters of my order to receive the aid you require."

"Well actually," you correct him, "We think we have the spell needed to restore them but we lack experience in this field of magic. We do not yet have full control over it and we hoped-" you stop as you catch the scent of something coming from outside the room, you think it is alcohol.

Thaïs kindly finishes your thought, "-that someone such as yourself would have the requisite experience to aid us in completing the ritual in question."

You both stare at him cautiously.

He frowns, "Where did you learn this spell?"

You tell him the truth, well most of it, "I devised it myself from the theory behind a simpler spell and with knowledge taken from other fields of magic."

His frown grows deeper, "Where did you learn this 'simpler' spell."

"Does it matter," you reply instantly.

"Perhaps," he holds your gaze, when you do not back down he shrugs, "Perhaps not. I merely ask as it is forbidden for members of my order to teach spells to outsiders. If you learnt this spell from a Heron Guard I am honour bound to find out who."

Your response comes freely and easily, "Then rest assured that I have not received training from any Heron Guard in this matter. My knowledge of healing magic did not have its origins with your order."

He scrutinizes you, attempting to pry answers from you with his eyes alone. You do not flinch, you have nothing to fear, so far you have told him the truth. The odour grows stronger.

He seems satisfied, "Very well, I will help you. Give me a moment to gather my things and we can be off-"

"You will do nothing of the sort!" an older 'gentleman' reeking of alcohol shouts as he barges into the room, "You will remain at the embassy with the rest of the staff until we are ready to leave!"

He is a large man, probably a fighter in his youth given the way he carries himself. Even now, though ringed round in fat, he could probably pose a serious threat to many men half his age. You examine him further, certain that something about him is familiar. His grey hair is trimmed close, his great moustache hangs halfway down his chest. He is dressed in the best that money can buy, from his shoes to his hat. Twenty years ago he was probably quite charming and as he stands there fuming you finally realize who he reminds you of, that young cavalry officer from the palace. This man must be his father.

"Damh, what are you doing in my office?" Eagle responds, calm but clearly annoyed.

"I will go where I damn well please! And you have no right to be that familiar with me Eagle. Address me as Mr. Brannon or not at all!" your ears perk up at the mention of his clan name. This man is your enemy though he thankfully does not realize it yet.

Eagle lets out a weary sigh, you get the feeling that this is not the first time he has had this conversation, "Very well, Mr. Brannon, but what I do on my own time is none of your concern. I fully understand that you are distraught over the death of young Colin but marching around the embassy terrorizing the staff is hardly the way to go about things."

Damh Brannon looks every bit a volcano ready to erupt, he sputters, "You are not leaving Eagle! We have work to do before the embassy closes and you will not dodge this responsibility as well!"

Eagle chokes back his response, instead he turns back to you, "I am afraid I will not be able to help you ladies."

It is clear that Eagle is willing to help but he can not or will not go directly against Damh Brannon's instructions. You could give up and try something else or you could push on and try to get Eagle's help instead.


1. Eagle and the Brannon - How do you want to play this?

A) Try something else (All A options are counted together):

i. You will attempt to puzzle out the spell on your own.

ii. You will get help from the Academy

B) Push on:

i. You will try to convince Eagle to defy Damh's instructions and come with you anyway.

ii. You will try to convince Damh that he should let Eagle come with you immediately though he does seem awfully upset.

iii. Damh seems to enjoy a drink, or at least is drinking to cope with his grief. You offer to escort him to a nearby pub and buy him a drink (or a few dozen) in memory of his son. Perhaps you can convince him to let Eagle help you that way.

iii. freeform


2. Your Reward - Albrecht's men presented you with a list of assents that he could reasonably transfer to you without causing too much of a stir. (You can chose one or two as you see fit. Only choosing one would make Derryth seem less threatening than choosing two but she thinks she could get away with either. Each combination will be counted separately, AB will be counted separately from A or B votes for example.)

A) Mines - Three mines north of Myrgard, two gold and one copper, they belonged to House Eberhardt and when functional produce one tenth of the ore for the kingdom.

B) Warehouses - Four warehouses on the south side of the city. They are currently full of goods but there has not yet been time to catalogue what is in them.

C) The Factory - A new building in which textiles were to be produced. It has not been finished though much of the machinery is in place.

D) The Farms - A substantial stretch of farmland between Myrgard and Stoneheim. These lands produce one third of the food for the kingdom.

E) Blackrock Securities - One of the largest private security forces in the Kingdom. Most of its management are now dead but the organization limps on seeking new financing.

F) Caravan Contracts - The Eberhardt's held a number of trade contracts between Myrgard and Stoneheim which have all been seized. If you can keep the merchants loyal and protected they could make you a fair bit of money.

G) Gold - You will take your reward in confiscated funds (500 WPs) (This can be chosen twice)


3. Mayer's Activities - You gave him a few instructions on how to go about acquiring properties, what were they?

A) Get as much as possible however he can.

B) Secure as much as he can without doing anything legally questionable.

C) Play nice, only pursue properties that are not contested by powerful individuals or houses. You do not want to step on anyone's toes.

D) freeform


4. Financing - How much do you give Mayer to work with? And where do you get it from?

A) From your own pocket, you give him ________. (Include how many WPs you want to give him, the value can not be higher than what you have on hand.)

B) You take out a loan from Mayer of 300 WPs at 15% monthly interest.

C) You take out a loan from the Goldsmith Guild of 1000 WPs at 20% monthly interest

D) freeform
 
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Fangshi

Arcane
Joined
Jan 9, 2014
Messages
1,997
Party/Organization Changes:

Party Changes:

Derryth:

Gains the Following Items:

Magical Items:

1. 12 Energon Cubes

2. One nice, silver ring

3. One nice, gold necklace

Learnt the following spells:

1.The Path of Tongues

2. The Path of Memory

3. Confusing Riddle

4.Consuming Riddle

5. Distracting Riddle


Thaïs:

Gains the Following Items:

Magical Items:

1. 12 Energon Cubes

2. One nice, silver ring

3. One nice, silver brooch

Learnt the following spells:

1. Heal

2. Confusing Riddle

3. Distracting Riddle

4.Consuming Riddle

Lyssa:

Gains the Following Items:

Magical Items:


1. 12 Energon Cubes

2. One nice, silver ring

Learnt the Following Spells:

1. Heal

2. The Path of Tongues

3. The Path of Memory

4. The Path of Intellect

5. The Path of Clarity


Pet status changes:

1. One Eagle on route to Muirthemne with a letter

Biliku:

Gains the Following Items:

Magical Items:


1. One nice, silver ring

Uttu:

Gains the Following Items:

Magical Items:


1. One nice, silver ring

Weapons:

1. Two Quivers of Regular Arrows

Caoilainn:

Gained Skills:

1. Magical Training

Status changed to Provisional Member

Organizational Changes:

Lost WPs

1. Lost 25 WPs on supplies

Rolls:

Given the nature of this update, (filler! booo!! hisss!! Derryth did not almost die even once!) there were not many rolls and even fewer of them were of note.

The biggest roll of the update was that Caoilainn finally managed to succeed at seizing control of the basic secondary functions of the bracelets. Now she can send you images and talk to you. Other than that nothing of note was rolled for that Derryth would know about.
 
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Azira

Arcane
Patron
Joined
Nov 3, 2004
Messages
8,519
Location
Copenhagen, Denmark
Codex 2012
Gut voting:

1Biii
2EG
3C
4A, 500wp


Reasoning: Derryth has good drinking skills and Thaïs is a clever diplomat. That combination should work well with Mr Brannon.
Taking over the mercenary company just reeks of awesome, and is analogous with what we're doing back in Muirthemne. We need the wealth too. I suspect this combo is less threatening, than if we choose the mines and wealth combo..
Since we're a bit greedy in option #2, and we're not safely set up yet, I'd want Mayer to not antagonize too many people here.
And so I want him to push forward with the wealth we can afford from our own pockets, after choosing wealth in option #2.


Am willing to listen to the discussion. Might even be convinced to flop.
 

Nevill

Arcane
Joined
Jun 6, 2009
Messages
11,211
Shadorwun: Hong Kong
Oh, so that was Colin Brannon. That explains why he was so useless.

I have to say, outdrinking Damh to the point he passes out right at the inn sounds like a great plan.

I agree with taking over the security company, but do we even have people to manage it?

I'd like to take a loan from Goldsmiths and instruct Mayer to put it to good use. How much do people know about our involvement with him?

The biggest roll of the update was that Caoilainn finally managed to succeed at seizing control of the basic secondary functions of the bracelets. Now she can send you images and talk to you. Other than that nothing of note was rolled for that Derryth would know about.
Was she making rolls every update and just succeeded now?

Were any enchantments put in place already, or does it happen behind the scenes?
 
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Smashing Axe

Arcane
Patron
Joined
Dec 29, 2011
Messages
2,835
Divinity: Original Sin
1.
Biii) - A good way to perhaps turn an enemy into a friend. Who knows. Maybe if we do some subtle mindfuckery he'll come around.

2.
E) Securities
F) Caravan Contracts
The synergy of this is astounding. Perfect combination. It keeps us mobile, assets on a move that can't be easily targeted, so being seen as a threat isn't as risky as owning a bigass factory that can easily be burnt down. I don't see how we could vote for anything else. Plus these guys are in need of work and good financing, which the caravan contracts just happen to provide. Also when we start finally making money in the dwarven kingdom, transporting it back home won't be too difficult at all. Come on guys, vote for this, please!

We'd be getting a mercenary company, and work for them at the same time. How is that not awesome? It's much better than getting a big ass mercenary company with no contracts. That's just a money sink.

3.
A>B)
There's no need to burn bridges here. Do what he can but don't get greedy and go outside the law. It isn't worth the risk, and the people we piss off inadvertently in 2. will jump on it. MARKET RAIDER!!!

But, please, let's not be big whimpy push overs with C either. That will invite no respect at all.

4.
C)
If the return is what we believe it will be, we will be able to pay this off fairly quickly. (Although 20% monthly interest is extravagent. If someone wants to do a breakdown that'd be appreciated). At worse this will probably be a zero-sum transaction for us for a few years, then suddenly, we'd be up massively.
 
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Fangshi

Arcane
Joined
Jan 9, 2014
Messages
1,997
Nevill said:
Was she making rolls every update and just succeeded now?

Yes. Every update since you began giving her lessons. But she did not immediately get the magical training skill, that took time and made the checks easier.

Nevill said:
Were any enchantments put in place already, or does it happen behind the scenes?

They are enchanted I just have not gotten around to writing them down yet. Probably when I have a moment in the next twenty four hours or so.
 

Nevill

Arcane
Joined
Jun 6, 2009
Messages
11,211
Shadorwun: Hong Kong
Smashing Axe pretty much nailed it.

The only thing I am worried about and why I am not voting yet is that taking Caravan Contracts provides a nice big target for anyone who has an axe to grind with our group, and there is not a lot a security company can do against organised military some of the greater houses employ. Maybe we don't want to take that big of a committment here.
 
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Smashing Axe

Arcane
Patron
Joined
Dec 29, 2011
Messages
2,835
Divinity: Original Sin
Smashing Axe pretty much nailed it.

The only thing I am worried about and why I am not voting yet is that taking Caravan Contracts provides a nice big target for anyone who has an axe to grind with our group, and there is not a lot a security company can do against organised military some of the greater houses employ. Maybe we don't want to take that big of a committment here.
We're solid with the dwarven army though, and I think we're capable enough to handle the reprisal against anyone who moves against us. Pathfinder contacts make finding out who and retiliating a lot easier. I wouldn't worry too much about it, honestly. Yes, we may be seen as a threat, but we're also a scary threat that brings chaos to anyone who steps on our toes. We're Xu Jing, if his bad luck was externalised to the world around us.

Also we have a guerilla general under our employ. He'd be pretty creative with caravan defense, probably utilise the men well against any noble faction military raid.
 

asxetos

Augur
Joined
Feb 11, 2009
Messages
820
Location
Greece
hmmmm now that i think of it, the caravan will be a nice combo with a portal to Muirthemne (if we pull it off), but i do think the mines will be more profitable.
 

Nevill

Arcane
Joined
Jun 6, 2009
Messages
11,211
Shadorwun: Hong Kong
Biii AE>EF C C

I am firmly set on taking a loan from the Goldsmiths, as the money we can get from Mayer are a pittance compared to them. Go big, or go home!

We're solid with the dwarven army though, and I think we're capable enough to handle the reprisal against anyone who moves against us. Pathfinder contacts make finding out who and retiliating a lot easier.
If we happen to come to blows with another house, we can't involve the King in that. That would give him a reputation he would not want.
 
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Smashing Axe

Arcane
Patron
Joined
Dec 29, 2011
Messages
2,835
Divinity: Original Sin
Biii AE>EF B C

I am firmly set on taking a loan from the Goldsmiths, as the money we can get from Mayer are a pittance compared to them. Go big, or go home!

We're solid with the dwarven army though, and I think we're capable enough to handle the reprisal against anyone who moves against us. Pathfinder contacts make finding out who and retiliating a lot easier.
If we happen to come to blows with another house, we can't involve the King in that. That would give him a reputation he would not want.
The Pathfinders are secret operatives who'd provide information. In action it would be us directly. Or the army intervening against "raiders". Neither of those involve any direct proclamation from the king.
 

Kipeci

Arcane
Joined
May 22, 2012
Messages
3,027
Location
Vicksburg
1 Biii It'd be nice to kill the guy's liver while we're at it.
2 EF Good synergy! Merchants need security, security needs a job to do. It'll be a good gig. Maybe a bit aggressive to go for both, but I think it's worth it.
3 B Don't want people too upset with this, it's just poking the ant hill to go with A on top of the other option.
4 C Smashing Axe went for this too and he's been fairly correct-ish in this cyoa, may as well go with it. I don't really care much about this choice, but our guy here seems that he can use a large amount of money rather well in investments with his wide experience and contacts.
 

Smashing Axe

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Divinity: Original Sin
Really, 3C isn't the way to go here. We're going to have rivals regardless and we want to put ourselves in the best possible position we can. Once we have it, we have it, and it will only settle down from there. There's no reason we shouldn't go for the best possible legal business ventures, especially if we're going to be providing Mayer with borrowed money, because we want to ensure that the return is higher than the interest we're paying. I don't think we have that guarantee if we're being cowardly friendship is magic ponies who avoid the best opportunities because people might not like us.

I still don't fully trust Mayer but we've decided to go with him over easier to control business interests, so I'm prepared to take the risk of betrayal for more gain.
 
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archaen

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633
1. Biii
2. EF > EL
3. A > B
4. BC

We should grab as much as we can as fast as we can and finance as much as we can get. Opportunities like this don't come often and we want to be sitting pretty when the dust clears. For 3 I doubt the major houses will handicap themselves in such a manner and we will lose out on the 30% interest type properties which makes taking out loans worth it. This may hurt our relationships immediately but once we are rich and powerful we can curry favor from a position of strength. It may be worth it to have Mayer as a silent partner in all our properties so any legal challenge can be faced by a dwarf instead of a human outsiders. Give him a free x% stake in our holdings for his trouble.
 

Smashing Axe

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You've convinced me to put in A as a conditional archaen. Legally questionable isn't the same as outright illegal, after all. Hell, doing anything involving taxation in most countries is legally questionable because no one knows what the laws are in their entirety. Let's go full on, MARKET RAIDER
marketraiderwithSP.png
 

Nevill

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Shadorwun: Hong Kong
3 B Don't want people too upset with this, it's just poking the ant hill to go with A on top of the other option.
Well, I am pretty sure that between taking a loan of 1000 WPs (which already reeks of favoritism to anyone who is not stupid), gaining control over the trading routes, and clashing with the major houses for property we are going to have not only rivals, but outright enemies. If we are going to make life that much difficult to Albrecht, he'll just let us sink. It's not as if he does not like us, but he likes his country more, as any good ruler should.

Smashing Axe just wants to conquer nations with necromancy, so the sooner the second civil war breaks out, the better for him.

Myself, I think it might be a good idea to lay low and grab the power without alerting everyone in a 1000 mile radius about our ambitions. I am tempted to go 3C for that end.

We didn't win over the Eberhardts by ourselves. It was the King that destroyed them with our help. Without him, we are just two easily disposable bodies before the great houses. Let's not forget that, ok?

Ah, who am I kidding. It is going to be Melete's workshop again. :lol:
 
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Nevill

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Shadorwun: Hong Kong
For 3 I doubt the major houses will handicap themselves in such a manner and we will lose out on the 30% interest type properties which makes taking out loans worth it.
I am afraid greed have blinded people to basic math.

Apparently, anything below 30% interest rate 'is not worth it'.

Let me come up with a highly hypothetical example. Suppose we only get deals with 20% interest rate. It is so shitty that we can't even pay off the loan, right?

Well, wrong. For a loan of 1000 WPs we pay 200 WPs monthly and acquire the same 200 WPs from the property we bought. But we also have acquired two other sources of income. Suppose they make us 100 WPs monthly (i.e. they are only half as good as that 'shitty' deal Mayer could procure). They pay off the loan in 10 months, and then we get an income of 300 WPs monthly, earning us a ridiculous amount of money legally.

Now, if we didn't take the loan, we would only have 100 WPs of monthly income. Apparently, tripling your income rate 'is not worth it' if it does not happen overnight.

This is oversimplifying things, but it also showcases nicely why the logic "NOT GOOD ENOUGH, I WANT MORE" is not applicable here. It is not dictated by any business sense, it is just pure greed. How much do we want? 300WPs a month? 500 WPs a month? 1000 WPs a day?

If you are going to make in a month more than the royal treasury receives in a year, they will just dispose of you, silently or not.

Taking a loan of that magnitude to make a profit out of it is an extremely bold move which promises sky-high rewards, and we should be careful with how we are going to spend that kind of money.

I think I'll move to 3C.
 
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archaen

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I will admit I am being greedy, but now is the time to do so. Everything is in an uproar, opportunity abounds, and we have the support of the throne and one of the better businessmen in the city. We can play nice now and strengthen our future competitors who will dislike us on principal because we aren't Dwarven or put ourselves into a fiscally unassailable position with the possibility of coming into a cold war with some of the houses.

I don't see Albercht leaving us to the sharks unless we do something incredibly stupid like get him into a war with the empire or act against him directly. We have saved his life, his family, and his throne. We have perjured ourselves and helped him to destroy the last vestiges of any threat to his rule. Now we are taking a bunch of property off his hands and putting money into use that he does not have the personnel to utilize properly.
 

Nevill

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Shadorwun: Hong Kong
I don't see Albercht leaving us to the sharks unless we do something incredibly stupid like get him into a war with the empire or act against him directly.
Purposefully alienating the great houses is incredibly stupid.

They are not our 'competition', as if they are some peddlers from the street. These people rule the country together with Albrecht. They can even depose him if it comes to it, and that nearly happened with the Eberhardts. Thankfully, Albrecht had enough supporters on his side to shut them down, but the thing about having someone support you is that you need to keep them happy as well.

Let me remind you of this quote:
If you request a loan as large as 1000 WPs you will not get such a generous rate of interest since you will be competing against the other royalist noble houses.

If he gave you that much money with that low an interest rate it would be clear to everyone with eyes to see it that he is trying to use you to seize absolute control of the kingdom. It would completely alienate the remaining houses (most of which are great houses) and could push things towards a civil war if the remaining nobles feel threatened enough by the advantage he would give you.

As such he can not give you a loan for those purposes. If you want that sort of loan you are looking at the standard 20% monthly interest rate and it will have to be from the Goldsmith Guild (they would be used as an intermediary to ensure everything looks above board) and even then it would seem a little like favouritism.
This quote refers to a situation where we gain too many favors too quickly, and to what is going to happen if we let the greed control us yet again. Counting on the King to protect us while we dig the grave both for ourselves and his country is... less than wise.

Third rule of dungeon delving, guys. It does not only apply to dungeons.
 
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Jester

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Mar 24, 2013
Messages
1,493
1) BIII - this will be funny i guess. Course if something will go bad mind rape is possible solution.
2)FG >FE - we have personnel already so its not top priority for me.
in C can we somehow use that magical spider thing to make it better?

3)B
4)if 2 FG will win) A 500wp
if not B

Ps 2F is between capitals of Empire and Dwarf kingdom y?
 

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