As Renart looked over the lands near Northwatch keep, he knew that summer was drawing near, and if there was any changes to be done in the new reign of King Albert, it had to start when the year was young.
He asked his steward to voice out the state of affairs in Northwatch, including an open court to the common people and their concerns.
Reparations would be made, and if his dream of a Golden Age for the Adranic people would be met, it would start from it's foundations - the peasants.
The Marshes[2] The marshes are nowhere near as prolific in their variety and quantity of beasts to hunt for pelts as the Ironwood, so local trappers have only ever made a modest living here. The new trade route will place additional demands upon the fens and this has made some people concerned for their livelihoods - foreign trappers might move in and drive them out.
[6] A group of elders from the villages by the marsh meet you, seeking your counsel. They fear that with the new trade route other trappers will arrive and hunt the local beasts, putting them in competition they do not care to afford. The elders make you an offer; if you promise to hold off establishing the trade route for another year so they can prepare, they will train up to three of your regiments how to use cover and terrain to their advantage (Ambusher special) for a mere twenty crowns each rather than the usual hundred crown fee.
Steward's Comments: Overall you get a saving if you wanted to upgrade those troops anyway, but delaying the trade route might have bigger impacts on your economy. If you go ahead with the trade route, though, the trappers will not like it.The Haegar[2] Relations with the Haegar are cold, as ever. Though the Haegar do not venture over the border to slave, occasional an enterprising trapper might venture too close to Adderkeep and never come back. There is a long-lasting hatred in these parts for the northerners which is unlikely to fade any time soon.
[3] Which is why you are surprised and appalled to see a Haegar warrior walk into your throne room with a local girl by his side. Your guards are held back by the many scars on his bare chest, which he openly displays - the Haegar is clearly a very capable fighter, and keeps a small handaxe at his belt. The Haegar pleads with you to consent that this woman might marry him, for her family will not. The woman adds that she loves the Haegar and wishes that he could have consent also to live amongst the people at the Keep. [3] The woman's family are influential commoners, though thankfully not actually amongst your own immediate vassals.
Steward's Comments: This man is an ungodly foreigner and allowing him to marry this woman, let alone stay, will be very unpopular. He is clearly a capable fighter, though, and likely knows much about his people, and there is always the risk he might kidnap the woman anyway. No doubt her family would much prefer him dead.Horse Trader[-] Horses are not native to Windheath and never have been, so negotiating to buy horses even for your own personal guard has been prohibitively expensive.
[1] The merchant you have been dealing with, a piece of Selenid scum whose mouth could do with being scoured with soap, has charged you heavily for the horses you have already arranged, but he presents another offer to you. He is willing to go to the great expense of shipping in a second herd of horses at the same price, but wants a special favour in return. He wants a house in Northwatch and free access through the gates in order to store special items of his own keeping - privately. He wants the house to remain for the next year if you want this second deal to go through. He seems unwilling to accept negotiation, mentioning that he could always take his offer to the Haegar.
Steward's Comments: This does not actually cost us anything, except having to put up with that Selenid for a moment longer and the cost of actually buying the horses. It would let us get around the limited supply of horses, since Windheath does not have a reliable supply. On the other hand, this merchant is almost certainly smuggling to avoid paying customs duties and we would be a part of that. Take that how you will.Gather detailed information on Drachengrab's current situation, focusing on problems afflicting the populace and economic opportunities (+1 from Spymaster I).
Farms[6] Drachengrab's farms have done exceedingly well in the recent year, with stocks of cattle, pigs and sheep swelling to great numbers. Unfortunately, the butchers will have to slaughter a very large number of them as well, otherwise the land is very quickly going to be over-grazed. Unless a committed market for at least one of these can be found, a great deal of potential wealth will be wasted. [1+1] You are unable to find out more about the inside details of the farms, probably because you have no spies in the agrarian community. You realise this was an oversight, but such was the penalty of establishing a spy network practically everywhere else.
Trade[3] Part of the problem is Drachengrab's lack of a committed market in Lorvese. For as long as you remember, a travelling Sheep Fair (and cattle fair, and swine fair) has ventured around your county when the young beasts are ready for sale and done business with each individual village and hamlet. Without a centralised market, trade is dominated by a few influential fair-goers who drive their new chattel all over selling it rather than taking it to the capital for trade. [5+1] You might not have spies amongst the farmers, but you do amongst the merchants and you know well who is behind these tactics. Baron Brendal, a lord with a very minor fief amongst your possessions, has long had the support of a coalition of wealthy staple merchants. By keeping the purchases of livestock distributed, his cronies are able to charge higher prices and divide the market amongst themselves than if they had to compete at one large central fair. [4+1] Brendal has worked hard to stymie attempts by various smaller merchants to set up a larger central fair in Lorvese, [2+1] which has been simple enough due to his ownership of much of the property bordering the square. Despite his minor fief, he holds undue influence in your own seat of power.
Either way, you will not be able to set up a trade route until you can convince the merchants to sell their wares direct to Lorvese or Stormstead rather than (ahem) fleecing the country weavers and butchers.
TollsFinally, there is the question of the bridges across river that span Drachengrab. [5] The bridges are in excellent condition, maintained for generations by you and yours and even repaired after the ravages of the War of Hounds on Queen Kathryn's explicit orders. They serve trade excellently and are high enough to let small ships pass through if need be. Historically, you have never extracted tolls at the bridge because tolls are extracted further downstream at Stormstead, but any ships or barges trying to get further up the Arendal have no choice but to pass. [3+1] Or so you thought. Enterprising members of the local guard have taken to putting an additional 'toll' on smaller barges and more vulnerable cargoes. This does not seem to have had a major effect on trade upriver just yet, but if it continues it might actually discourage trade to the neighbouring kingdoms.
[3+1] You had a spy watching the docks for other reasons when everything went down. He followed the killer into the alleyways some way - caught sight of the Ralkarian rapier he used and his leather amrmour, but not his face. He also saw the killer stopped by a large man in black clothes who gave him some sort of message before the killer turned a corner and ran off before your spy could follow him home.
[6+1] The spy managed to track the big man all the way into the most dangerous part of the city, where he was mugged. He spits out a loose tooth as he gives you this information.
[2+1] You can't be sure which one, but you infer from this that the big man probably works for one of the underground crime guilds in the city.
2. Peruse information on the lords of Harald's Demise and Harald's Pride.
3. Look out for unsanctioned espionage around the realm at large.
[2+1, 2+1] The lords of Demise and Pride are the appropriately enough named Lady Amiris Demise and Lord Gunther Pride. You know what they look like, when they hold court and that they own small amounts of land and are technically your vassals. Beyond that, you also know that their bodyguards are very good and finding and killing spies.
[5+1] Your spies mention some moron wandering around town openly asking about rumours at every tavern in Stormstead and promise to keep tabs on him in the future. More alarmingly, your more thorough search reveals a much more alarming revelation - members of your own spy network have been observed by other members meeting outsiders and taking payments. Your intelligence network is compromised, but the only clue you have is that it links into the criminal underworld of Stormstead.
You have [6] 6 spymasters who report to you directly, as well as dozens of lesser spies and many informants who are not part of the direct network but simply sell you information for wolves and drakes. Each spymaster covers one of the following regions:
- Stormstead - James Boot
- War's End and Dergard's Victory - Mark Arrow
- Dechire, Spiritusaer and Northwatch - Selina Meen
- Westwatch and Altaregia - "Crutches" Jones
- Arborvent and Adran's Landing - William Flute
- The Pact and Oathbreaker - Marna Pail
Footsoldier spies report to you directly in Drachengrab, including the spies who reveal information regarding footsoldiers compromised in Stormstead.
Nobody except you, the Iron Queen and whoever has infiltrated your damned spy network knows the full details of your reach.
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Topic: You are King III: Spring 938 AAL (Read 131380 times)