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[Tomcost]

The idea of meeting them in chains is a great one. We can intimidate them, call bullshit on the "Imports", call bullshit on their huge prices, and even justify killing them if we desire to do so.

But let's first intimidate them and see how they react. We can decide who to execute later when we see their reactions and how loyal they are.

[VoidSlayer]

Oh yeah, hexes.

Lets hex the mayor and his two children with Hex of the Demon Yaas so we can blind them when we want.  We can activate the curse at a later time if need be.

Yaas Talcutta and Gungor seem best for curse hexes.

We should look to use an imp to send a message to Farquad to stay away, send a message or come back.

Bring the potion guild in chains. 

Offer a deal, we establish an official (exclusive) alchemy guild; they give us a cut of their profits, we get access to their equipment for our own business, we share our knowledge and power so they can make more powerful (and hallucinogenic drug) potions and we do not slice off their heads for deceiving us and the people.   

If they want the hard sell we can execute one of them or hex them in person, but I would rather not use magic for something mundane like this.

Question: We can put a weak-medium hex with personal items and hair, if we have extended physical contact and/or consent can we place even stronger hexes?

[Tomcost]

Hexes can be detected. I'd rather not do that, we can Hex them whenever we want. We seem more just if we just don't Hex them now, but keep the means to do so.

By the way, why would we want to blind them? Killing them is easy enough. I'd rather make them easier to deceive.


EDIT:

Question to GM: What do we pay in exchange of souls?

[IronyOwl]

Regarding the potioner's guild, we could halve the prices. We still make more money than true price, and we'll appear to be a decent person to the customers.

Well, a better person. People will still know potions cost 5x as much in that damned Potioner's Guild as they do anywhere else in the Duchy or beyound.

Custom undead: What about a bird of some kind? It'll be intelligent/controlled enough to actually reach the destination, and not look too suspicious or threatening for guards to be concerned. Unless we want our messenger to do the persuading, we'll only be sending letters, and Harry Potter has taught us that random birds work best for that.

I like it, but it'd still need a way to declare itself to avoid being shot by crossbow guards fearing an avian assassin. Maybe a raven-ish thing with a full soul in it? It could even record and deliver messages by voice rather than parchment!

Though then we'd have to make sure it got a personal audience with the Count himself, unlike a sealed missive which we can just drop off on anyone loyal.

The idea of meeting them in chains is a great one. We can intimidate them, call bullshit on the "Imports", call bullshit on their huge prices, and even justify killing them if we desire to do so.

But let's first intimidate them and see how they react. We can decide who to execute later when we see their reactions and how loyal they are.

I don't see the need for any of this. They know they're bullshitters, at least one of them knows we're way over their heads, and all three are about to find out we more or less own this town now. Can't imagine they'd need any more intimidation than that.

I mean, we can still talk to them in a scary voice if we want to. The humans probably don't need much encouragement, the orc might benefit from being reminded that we can do or have anything we want done to him at any time with zero repercussions by ourselves or any of our innumerable allies and vassals. And that that doesn't necessarily stop when he dies, seeing as we're a black mage from a noble family of black mages.

I'm liking this speech more and more.

Oh yeah, hexes.

Lets hex the mayor and his two children with Hex of the Demon Yaas so we can blind them when we want.  We can activate the curse at a later time if need be.

Can we do something that subtle/controllable?

We can also just hex them at a later time, though. Might be nice to keep it more open-ended, too; "we can blind you and your children" is way less scary than "I'm a ranking Hexweaver with mystical access to your children. Have a nice day!"

[Weirdsound]

Hexes can be detected. I'd rather not do that, we can Hex them whenever we want. We seem more just if we just don't Hex them now, but keep the means to do so.

By the way, why would we want to blind them? Killing them is easy enough. I'd rather make them easier to deceive.


EDIT:

Question to GM: What do we pay in exchange of souls?

Typically other souls, which can be sent to Tiv by killing somebody under the effect of his curse, or to any demon by killing somebody as part of a proper ritual at a summoning circle. Prices change a bit per the law of supply and demand, but Tiv gives you a good deal. You can generally get a scrap soul for two uncleaned souls, a soul prepared for a common state of undeath for three, and a soul prepared for a more advanced state of undeath for five or six. You have generally avoided murder in the past, and would slowly acquire souls by putting Tiv's curse on the people your husband would execute.

In general most demons will sell their goods and services in exchange for souls or the spreading of their curses, but some demons are interested in other forms of payment; Tiv (and most other demons with a minion related somehow to combat or crafting) will take precious metals and metals with magical qualities, which they can use to make demonic gear. Pogpugrooog likes godly gossip, and will typically accept the newly published (or stolen private) writing of priests and religious scholars, especially when they relate to the deep pantheon.

Hexes can be detected. I'd rather not do that, we can Hex them whenever we want. We seem more just if we just don't Hex them now, but keep the means to do so.

The more hexes you have, the more detectable you are. A single weak to medium hex is nearly undetectable, and once woven, a Hex can be activated without any sort of contact with a person or his/her possessions.

[Tomcost]

Plan to get souls: we hex criminals to be executed in the city, and get their souls. Gregory will let us do that.

[IronyOwl]

I'm not sure Gregory's in a position to "let" us do anything, but yes. We should let him know about this arrangement while we've got him here. And to remind him how nasty hexes can be.

We could also try going into battle, though our combat skills are... well, other than black magic we don't have any.

[VoidSlayer]

We could offer to mass hex 'bless' a unit of Charlies elite soldiers.  Give them the Tiv soul curse so if they die he gets their souls and father's swordsmanship or fire blessing so they are total bad asses in combat.  Either way we win.

War is a profitable business, even if it is regrettable.

[Weirdsound]

2334th Year of Man, 4th Month, 18th Day:

Charlie drags the mayor away for a private discussion, and he returns to you alone. There is a look of utter fear now in Gregory's eyes as he reguards you, but he does a pretty good job of masking the terror in his voice. "So, my Duchess, shall I arrange for the potion cartel to meet you at the guardhouse?"

"Yes," you answer the mayor smugly, "I believe you should."

"Very well," The mayor answers with a slight bow, "meet me at the Headquarters of the City Guard around sundown. I am going to pull them in and take a few hours to read my files on them so I can give you a proper report on the group."

He turns to leave, but you call him back, "Oh, one more thing Gregory, if you intend to execute somebody, do give me proper notice so that I can lay the proper hex and see that their soul goes to one of my extraplanar business partners. Understood?"

The mayor blinks as the horror in his eyes is briefly magnified. "Y-you can do that?"

"Quite easily," you smirk, "all I'd need is something that the condemned has had regular physical contact with, like say a piece of clothing... or I don't know, a lock of hair."

The mayor inhales sharply. "R-r-right. W-well I don't actually have anybody e-exectued around here. By longstanding duchy law, anybody I schedule to meet with the headsman has the right to appeal to the Kinkaids, and they have told me in no uncertain terms they don't want to deal with appeals. If I need somebody gone, I either sell them to the Orcs across the river as slaves or arrange for them to die while 'resisting arrest'."

"Well then let me know when you plan on getting rid of somebody through either of those methods," you respond sharply "I may want to play a hand in the disposal process."

---

Once the hall is completely clear of outsiders, you call Wednesday over. "Hey, thanks for watching out for me during that meeting with Charlie. It is appreciated."

The Ghoul nods. "Not a problem. I exist to serve. I'm just glad I wasn't needed, that bitch looks tough as nails, and I'm not positive I could have taken her even with the element of surprise."

You offer a worried smile. "Well the good news is you can take more risks now, as I have been granted access to an animation table."

"Great!" Wednesday almost glows with excitement, "I'll pass that along to Fortune. It sucks not being able to help to the best of my ability in your hour of need, Mistress. Just tell me where you need my eyes and my blade, and I'll be there."

---

Unlike Gregory's office, City Guard headquarters is tightly defended; The guard is housed in a well built tower of ancient Orcish construction that sits at the highest point in town and swarms with officers. At the gate you meet Captain Angie Pence, a young lady who, although clearly a trained member of the Inquisitorial Order, seems absolutely thrilled to meet you. As she leads you to the dungeon she admits that she got into the inquisition in hopes of learning the secrets of Dark Magic through hunting its practitioners, and that although she understands the basics, she lacks the equipment and demonic contacts to actually practice.

You note that you could easily help the girl by putting a Hex on her; Once one is bound to her soul, the young lady could weave it herself and at least spread some curses.

In the dungeon you find Gregory standing by the three key members of the potion cartel. Each brewer is stripped naked and chained to the wall; A stern looking guard holding a nasty whip stands nearby at the ready. "Ah, My Duchess, I see you already met Angie, one of my guard captains. I figured she would make a good contact for you within the guard as she shares some of your interests. This here," he says gesturing to the man with the whip, "is my lasher, Topman, I can't actually make him a captain as he is lowborn, but he more or less has the same authority. Also a whip. My eldest son also holds the title of captain around here, but he is out in the field with Count Phineas at the present time."

He then turns to the prisoners, "Alright you monopolistic shitheads, I had you all hauled in here so you can meet you new boss. This is Duchess Maeris Riverland. All she wanted was to get into the potion business in town, but because you three were so rude to her, she will be taking over instead. Do as she says, or at best you answer to me, and at worst you answer to her dark magic, understood?"

The three answer in the affirmative, and the mayor continues. "Now then, because I don't trust you shits not to withhold assets or information from the Duchess, I'm going to handle introductions for you, okay?"

Without waiting for an answer Gregory marches up to Syzzik and places his hand on the forigen man's shoulder. "This is Syzzik, the closest thing in this lot to a legitimate business man. He claims to import his entire stock, but most of his common potions are brewed in town; He does ship in some pretty neat brews from his hometown of Gearport in Titan Rock though. He also imports illegal powder weapons, ammo for said contraband, and artifact gear blessed by the priests of the Bronze Titan Roshsteam."

He then turns his attention to the Orc. "This here is Peat. He claims to be clanless, but I know you are well studied in Orcish lore, so I wont insult you by explaining why that is a lie."

The Orc's entire chest is covered by a tattoo of a gorilla. You didn't notice it at your previous meeting, as Peat was wearing a shirt then, but you know exactly what it means. "He belongs to Clan Ape, one of the mighty clans my husband drove out and banned from the region. I can even tell, by the fact that the gorilla is depicted in a state of arousal, that this Orc here is actually close kin to the Chieftain."

Peat's scowl breaks, and you can tell your knowledge has impressed him. "Wow, ummm, I didn't know that last part," Gregory admits, "but you are correct. Peat is Clan Ape's eyes and ears in town. He keeps a small swarm of 25 Orcs in the Meadhall belonging to Clan Python behind his shop; He mainly uses them to keep competition out of town. He of course practices the Orcish school of potion brewing, which includes animal meats and extracts as well as plants, and knows several secret recipes that are closely guarded by his clan."

Mayor Rothwell then turns his attention to Zeph. "Zeph here has the least power and seniority in this group, but the largest operation. He habitually practices that one trick I'm sure you know of where a brewer waters down their stock with booze. Fun fact: Zeph's sister and his brother-in-law are responsible for the Jade Lady Burglaries, and his entire business exists so that they can launder their ill-gotten gains."

Your eyes widen. The Jade Lady Housebreakers have cost the highborn population of Redleaf Duchy hundreds of thousands of gold sovereigns over the last decade, breaking into even the most impenetrable vaults and leaving only a small jade figurine of a woman as their calling card. And Gregory has known their identity for some time? No wonder the Kinkaids keep him around, you think, this guy has dirt on, and control over all sorts of lowlifes.

"And lastly for the numbers," Gregory announces, "Syzzik earns around thirty thousand silver a month in potion sales, and another highly variable five to thirty five thousand a month in other imports; Looking at potions alone, he makes the least amount of money, but he has the highest profit margin. Peat earns around fifty thousand a month, but my auditor notes he could break seventy easy if were to run his business with any sort of efficiency. Zeph earns fifty five to sixty thousand silver monthly, but he pays large cuts to Syzzik, Peat, myself, and his... investors, so my files indicate he is really only making ten thousand silver or so after all that."     

The Mayor then saunters up to you, and offers you a confusing gesture; His bow is respectful, his eyes frightened, but his smirk arrogant. "I hope you found my briefing useful, Duchess. As the sole legitimate ruler of Redleaf Duchy, it is your right to try these criminals and punish them as you see fit, and as mayor of the city in which these proceedings are to take place, I declare this a secret tribunal. No records are to be taken."

"The keys to their bindings are on the ring next to the stairs, and their clothes are folded on that table" he says as he points said items out to you, "shall I take my leave, or would you rather myself and my lasher be present for these proceedings?"

The potion cartel is at your mercy. What terms do you seek to impose upon them? What judgement do you seek to pass?
 
Duchess Maeris Bonedust Riverland:

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Status -

Age: 46
Health: Fine

Hexes and Aura:
An aura detector of average skill could tell you are the practitioner or victim of dark magic...
Hex of the Demon Tivavarav (Weak, Curse [Your soul goes to Tivavarav upon death], Self Inflicted, Grants knowledge of several demon hexes)
Hex of the Demon Pogpugrooog (Weak, Inactive, Self Inflicted, Grants knowledge of several demon hexes)
Human Soul Prepped for Scrap (Weak, Self Inflicted, Necromancy Materials bound to your own soul for lack of better storage)
Dwarven Soul Prepped for Wighthood (Weak, Self Inflicted, Necromancy Materials bound to your own soul for lack of better storage)

Mundane Skills:

Excellent: Demon Lore, Lore of Goblin History
Great: Herbalism, Deception, Goblin Manners, All Other Non-Exotic Lore
Good: Demonic Manners, Courtly Manners, Intimidation

Magical Skills:
Your parents arranged for you to be 'captured' by Goblins when you were young, so that you could learn their arts. When you grew older, you returned home on several occasions so that your relatives could teach you the Dark Arts that Goblins don't teach to women. The result is that when it comes to goblin magic, you are the jack of all trades...

Hex Weaving: The base upon which the Dark Arts are built. Every being has its own Hex (also called a True Name or a Hex Sign) that describes it perfectly, and by binding one being's hex (usually that of a demon) to another being's soul the Hex Weaver can work wonders. A Hex is, sadly, too complex for a carbon based mortal mind to retain, so to know a Hex one must have it bound to their soul, or held in some other sort of supernatural storage. Typically important demons include knowledge of their key minions hexes as part of their own hex, so a prospective Hex Weaver can get 2-4 for the price of 1. A Hex Weaver can bind any Hex they know to a being so long as they have phyiscal or emotional contact with that being, or physical contact with an object that being has been in extended physical or emotional contact with. Once a Hex is woven, it can be activated as a curse at any time; Hex Weavers who also have the means to negotiate with demons may also arrange to activate a hex as a blessing. When activating a blessing or a curse, you can give it any non-lethal effect reasonably related to the Hex you are using to place it. You presently know the following useful Hexes...

Hex of the Demon Tivavarav: Bound to soul. Relates to Control and Ownership of one's soul, memory loss, the cold, and entrepreneurship (This Hex Supports 7 Active Curses - The souls of yourself, your children, and your son-in-law Redding fall into Tivavarav's possession should that person die while effected by the curse)
Hex of the Demon Gungor: Granted by Bound Hex. Relates to servitude to the demon Tivavarav, Water, Nightmares, Torture, and Ill Health
Hex of the Demon Talcutta: Granted by Bound Hex. Relates to servitude to the demon Tivavarav, Aquatic Creatures, Scavenging, Fear, and Tool Use
Hex of the Demon Yaugur: Granted by Bound Hex. Relates to servitude to the demon Tivavrav, Fire, Aggression, Swordsmanship, and Warfare
Hex of the Demon Pogpugrooog: Bound to Soul. Relates to Lore of the Deep Pantheon, Divine Magic of the Deep Pantheon, and the Unshaped Realm of the Abyss
Hex of the Demon Kanisswo: Granted by Bound Hex. Relates to servitude to the demon Pogpugroog, Influence over the deep races, Caves, and Fungus
Hex of the Demon Yaas: Granted by Bound Hex. Relates to servitude to the demon Pogpugroog, Darkness, Perception, Deception, and The Act of Espionage.

Necromancy: The trick of animating the dead isn't terribly complicated, but to grant a walking corpse intelligence and longevity, Necromancy must be practiced in conjunction with the other dark arts. A Necromancer typically purchases the souls required to support useful undead from a soul cleaner, a demon who specializes in prepping souls to be either torn apart to fuel a hoard of undead with animalistic intelligence, or raised into a specific state of advanced undeath. You can raise any suitable corpse you find without any special equipment, but you need access to an Animation Table to make undead out of multiple corpses, or to add new parts to existing undead. You know it is possible to raise incorporeal undead and to put souls you purchase into inorganic animated constructs, but you would need training under a specialist to learn how to do either of those things.

Summoning: Summoning is most simple of the Dark Arts in Theory, but the most complicated in practice. Moving matter, information, and energy between realms is easy with the right equipment, but unless such a move is part of a negotiated deal with a demon or other extraplanar being, the consequences can be nasty. You need a projection stage to easily communicate with beings off realm, and a summoning circle to move most objects; Until you can acquire those the best you can hope to accomplish is to call imps (lesser demons made to move between the universes) loyal to a demon whose hex is bound to your soul. There are two ways a summoner can move beyond the basics; A Binder is a Summoner who knows her own Hex Sign and uses it to influence or control powerful demons without negotiation. A Manifestation is a Summoner who permanently defiles her own humanity to summon demonic aspects directly into her own body - a Manifestation who lives long enough will usually transcend mortality and become a true demon themselves. The following are your demonic contacts, and the deals and arrangements you have with them.

Tivavarav The Soul Dealer:
-Tivavarav will support one blessing through his hex or the hex of one of his minions for each two curses supported through his hex or the hex of one of his minions
-Tivavarav keeps ten sets of powerful demonic armor that he loans out to members of the Bonedust family on an as needed basis
-If Tivavarav gets a hold of the soul of somebody related to the Bonedust Family through blood or marriage, he will prepare it for useful undeath in the least intrusive way possible, and will not sell it to non-family members
-Tivavarav allows you to contact his minions directly

Gungor The Soul Cleaner:
-Gungor will unconditionally support up to two blessings through his hex
-Gungor will give you a birthday gift each year on the 23rd Day of the 6th Month

Pogpugrooog, Scourge of the Deep Gods:
-Pogpugrooog will support one blessing through her hex or the hex of one of her minions for every three curses supported through her hex or the hex of one of her minions
-So long as you have placed at least three active curses supported by Pogpugrooog or one of her minions, not counting those used to pay the support of a blessing per the above agreement, Pogpugrooog will tell you what she knows reguarding your daughter Fortune's relationship to the Goddess Tetha. This agreement does not include the exact details of the early death Fortune predicts for herself - If Pogpugrooog discovers this information, she will tell you so, and then it must be negotiated separately.

Potion Brewing: Potion Brewing is the art of exploiting the chemical and magical properties of plants by combining them with other ingredients to yield potions and salves. Most Potion Brewing can be done with the common kitchen equipment and still that is available at Groghall, but some more concentrated potions will require a specialized Potion Still. Some Potions are dangerous or lose their effects when exposed to air, and will require a Sealing Station and Flasks to safely produce and store. Many human commoners dabble in this craft, but the goblin tradition as you have been taught includes the trick of changing a plant's useful properties by using Hex Weaving to place a blessing upon said plant while it grows. The ability to identify useful properties in plants is tied to your Herbalism skill. Useful plants for Potion Brewing will be listed with your assets.

Household:

Joy Strongcurrent, Daughter - (Fighter/Divine Caster/Lorekeeper, Deeply Loyal, Pregnant/Cursed [Soul goes to Tivavarav])
Redding Strongcurrent, Son-in-Law - (Nature Mage/Socialite, Ulterior Motives [Desires Power], Crippled [Hand]/Cursed [Soul goes to Tivavarav])
Dean Riverland, Son - (Dark Mage/Fighter, Deeply Loyal, Strong Dark Magic Aura/Cursed [Soul goes to Tivavarav])
Fortune Riverland, Daughter - (Herbalist/Scholar, Deeply Loyal, Child/Touched by a God/Crippled [Blind]/Cursed [Soul goes to Tivavarav])
Caddor, 'Prisoner' - (Fighter/Merchant, Loyal)
Mason Greenplanes, Studies your Daughter - (Scholar/Socialite, Ulterior Motives [Curious about Fortune])
'Mackie', Lowborn Servant - (Laborer, Loyal)
Wednesday, Undead Creation - (Thief/Spy, Loyalty Compelled, Offensive to Polite Society/Maintenance [Drinks Living Blood])
Tuft of Clan Gruel, Minion - (Fighter/Archer/Orcish Socialite, Loyalty Tied to Site, Ageing)
Tempest of Clan Gruel, Minion - (Fighter/Divine Caster/Nature Mage, Loyalty Tied to Site)

Assets:

Home:
Dining Hall (Suitable for Formal Meetings)
Kitchen (Roomy and Well Stocked enough to perform basic potion brewing on a small scale without interrupting meal preparations)
Master's Quarters [1/2] (Luxurious Space, Comfort, and Decoration for you and whoever you choose to share your bed with. Could fit a single private workstation)
Noble Quarters [9/15] (Ample Space, Suitable for members of your household who are Highborn, Wealthy, or Military Leaders)
Servant Quarters [22/30] (Suitable for the commoners in your household, and for non-combat hirelings)
Barracks [60/200] (Suitable for common soldiers)
Basement (Currently Storing enough grain to feed the hall's current population for two years, and has space for 4 Workstations)
Yard (Contains a bathing pool. Has space for 10 Workstations, but the hot, rainy, tropical climate makes the yard a poor location for most labor)

Personnel:
Mackie's Children [6] (The two older girls help you and your daughters dress. The others maintained your family quarters back home and may be redundant here. Lead by Mackie)
Groghall Staff [15] (Orcs who perform the cooking and cleaning at Groghall)
Caiman Swarm [30] (12 Veteran Orcs of Clan Gruel and 18 Assorted Mercenaries. No standard uniform. Lead by Tuft)
Typhoon Swarm [30] (30 young and possibly green Orcs of Clan Gruel. Leather Armor, Obsidian Tipped Swords, Copper Tipped Ammo. Lead by Tempest)

Magical Goods:
Gregory Rothwell's Underpants (Can be used to place a weak-medium powered hex on the previous owner)
Locket of Rothwell Childrens' Hair (Can be used to place a weak-medium powered hex on Greg's kids)

Income and Tribute:
5% Share in Rivertower Knifehouse (Yeilds Aprox 300 Silver a Month)
Access to Magical Workstations under Rivertower Knifehouse
Regular Reports from the Goblin Spy Ring

Geopolitical Situation:

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

(Map goes here when I get around to making one)

Redleaf Duchy:
The Kingdom's Southernmost Duchy east of the Ironheart Mountains. Its Northern border, shared with the wealthy Tradewind Duchy, is an imaginary line drawn from the lighthouse at Gulf City west to the Ironheart Mountains. To the east lies the Gulf of Monsters, a stretch of ocean famous for inhospitable currents and many species of fierce sea life capable of capsizing small boats. The Western border is considered the treeline of the Ironheart Range, mountains home to several several dwarven cities: Some independent, some vassals to the human kingdoms, and some vassals to the goblins. The Southern border of the Duchy, and the Kingdom, is the Roe River, which is formed by streams that come out of the Mountains and flows east and slightly south to reach the gulf; The jungles beyond the river are infested with Orcs, but the most dangerous clans have been driven far from the border.

The other major river in the duchy is the Silver River, which starts in the mountains of the west central Silver County and passes through Nymphgrass, a mirthful tropical marsh, before splitting into two forks in Port County. The northern fork makes the short journey east straight on to the gulf, while the southern fork dips south into Southjungle County and fills Basin Lake before veering east again to meat the gulf.

The main biome is tropical Savannah, with thick jungles near the Southern Border and splotches of desert to the north. Thin bands of temperate and alpine forest exist in the extreme western reaches of the Duchy where the elevation is higher.

The Counties:
Southjungle County [Friendly]: The Southeastern most county. Home to good fishing in Basin Lake, good farming in land cleared along the rivers, and for producing skilled rangers. Ruled by Count Glen Horton.
Roe River County [Friendly] [You are Here]: The Southwestern most county. Home to good farming in land cleared around the rivers, some silver mines in the northwest, the duchy's only crossing into Orcish lands, and the major mercenary market of North Bank City. Ruled by Count Phineas Kinkaid.
Silver County [Hostile]: The western central county. Home to many silver mines in the Southwest, the duchy's only crossing into Dwarven lands, and the Duchy's only Nature Mages Guild in the town of Balloon Point. Ruled by Count Horace Marlowe.
King's Road County[Hostile]: The Northwestern most county. Home to many farms, as well as the Major intersection of the Ancient King's Road and the more contemporary Royal Highway. Ruled by Countess Charlotte Marlowe.
Gulf County[Hostile]: The Northeastern most county. Home to many roads connecting to the ports of Tradewind Duchy to the North, some farming, and the Ruins of Gulf City, the ancient capital of the second dynasty. Ruled by Count Virgil Gulf III.
Port County[Hostile]: The eastern central county. Home to good farming along the river, and the only port of trade in the Duchy. Ruled by Count Ernie Strongcurrent.
Cleanriver County[Hostile]: The central county. Home to great farming along the river, and the capital of the Duchy at Cleanriver Castle. Ruled by Prince Rubricon Emmit.

Your Dependable Contacts:

Local -
Fugitap Bloodwalls [Old Friend]: A Goblin who grew up in Bloodwalls fortress where you were imprisoned. He is now part of a discrete Goblin delegation to North Bank City that hires mercenaries to fight Orcs and Subterranean peoples. You wouldn't be surprised if he knew where to find Workstations where one can perform Dark Magic in town.
Chieftain Foot [Old Mentor]: A Bankrupt small-time Orc warlord who lives in a small apartment in town. He is the Kingdom's leading expert on lore regarding the Orcish Pantheon, and will train anybody who has the coin in Orcish Divine Magic.

Duchywide -
Miri Horton [Best Friend]: A sheltered girl in her mid twenties who knew nothing but the highborn circles of the Royal Capital until she was married off to Glen at age 14. You bonded first as mentor and student (demon lore fascinates her), and latter as shoulders for each other to cry on when the relationship between your husbands came to light. She has the desire to do something wicked, such as learn Dark Magic or cheat on her husband, but can't seem to find the guts to follow through.
Lady Jane Gulf [Old Mentor]: A landless highborn who owns a small trading caravan that operates in the north of the Duchy. She is the best regional historian you know, especially when it comes to the Second Dynasty, when her ancestors ruled the Kingdom from the Banks of Monster Gulf.
Watcher [Undead Creation]: A wight you made with the soul of a skilled inquisitor and the biggest Orc Corpse you could find. This loyal servant roams the duchy, keeping tabs on and enforcing your will among the other dark mages of your land.

Worldwide -
Farquad Riverland [Eldest Son]: You arranged for Farquad to work in elf lands so that he could study nature magic from the absolute best, and by extension gain a better grasp of dark magic. He ended up falling in love with his tutor, and teaching her his family's craft in return. He is far more interested in his partner, children, and studies than politics, but you are sure you could get him to come home if you could get in touch.
Lindwal Bonedust [Mother]: Since dad ascended, your mother has been tasked with keeping the catacomb at Bleaksoil, the ancestral home of the bloodline. Her main duties involve buying the souls of fallen family members and adding them to the thousands strong family army of sentient undead that waits below their castle for such a time desperate enough to see their use.
Maerii Alleye [Twin Sister]: Not a practitioner of Dark Magic herself, your sister serves as the head of intelligence for the family. Her main job is to keep an eye on the inquisition, which is easy seeing as she is married to its leader, High Inquisitor Righteous Alleye. She is also responsible for seeing that captured goblin highborns are held by 'understanding' households.
Truman Bonedust [Uncle]: A powerful manifestation who has lead the Bonedust family since your father ascended. By his own estimation, Trueman is most skilled dark mage among humans, and 3rd or 4th among mortals overall. Most of his men are caught up on the Western Front, but you are sure he could send you some support. You are sure he would prefer you to name somebody other than Dean heir.
Rizza Bonedust [Niece]: At only 27, Rizza is already in charge of the families interests in nearby Tradewind Duchy. She is a powerful binder who can enslave mighty demons to do her bidding. Uncle made it clear that you are ultimately in charge of all family activity on the East Coast, so she technically answers to you, but you have never actually tried to pull rank and boss her around before.
Haggen Bloodwalls [Old Friend]: Fort Bloodwalls, where you were imprisoned, is the closest Goblin Fortress to your land. Its current leader, Haggen, was nothing but a trouble-making prince who became your best friend during your time there. Haggen has lots of available troops, and might even be willing to send them to your aid, but openly fielding Goblin forces would be a high treason from which there would be no going back.
Voxxy Taffers [Old Friend]: A girl of mixed dwarven and goblin descent you befriended at Fort Bloodwalls. Voxxy now runs a whorehouse at Chaingreaves, a Dwarven City in the Ironheart Mountains with heavy Goblin sympathies. She has dirt on many important dwarves and goblins, and is good at arranging meetings between important humans and goblins at the neutral ground of her establishment.
Omegiz Irongag [Old Mentor]: The lorekeeper at Fort Bloodwalls who taught you more about demon lore and goblin history than most human libraries will ever contain. He has since been promoted several times, and is now the personal lorekeeper to the Goblin Pharaoh, who leads the loose goblin coalition against the Kingdom and is easily the strongest dark mage in the mortal realm.

Extraplanar -
Tivavarav [Trusted Business Partner]: A small time soul dealer who partnered with your family generations ago. He offers fair prices to the Bonedust Bloodline, and even allows them to contract the service of his Balrog servant Yaugur, the sort of demon that under most circumstances only a skilled Binder could hope to control.
Gungor [Father]: Formerly Gunner Bonedust, your father ascended to proper demonhood on the eve of 70th birthday. Gungor quickly found employment and protection under long time business partner Tivavarav, for whom he preps souls for sale to Necromancers. Although it is bad form to do business with him directly while you know his master’s Hex, he still looks after you in his own way.
Pogpugrooog [Busniess Partner]: A demoness who serves as a consort and midwife to the Deep Pantheon, and trades their secrets to other beings as a side business. You sought out contact with her on account of the Deep Pantheon’s involvement with your daughter Fortune, and for a price she has thrown you a few useful tidbits of knowledge over the years.

[Tomcost]

Let's talk to them in private. No need for the Whipman to be here.

How about these new terms:
-They give us 50% of their income from potion brewing.
-We help and organize their bussiness. We may want to send them the goblin hexers from the knifehouse to make more potent potions and organize stuff, increasing their profit (and giving the goblins a share of the profits). Dean could help in this too.
-Zeph now only pays to us, and his investors.
-They tell us of any news: orcish news, anything regarding those famous thieves, and everything they consider important.
-We can issue production orders from them. And they will have to deliver us potions from the best quality they can get. So no watering down any with booze.

After that, we can hex them where they stand with Talcutta's fear hex, so that they fear us and don't even talk about this to anyone. We can also mention that we are in charge of the dark mages of the whole Duchy, so don't even think about escaping.

And after all the conversation, we want private meetings with them:

With Peat, we inform him that the old clans are coming back for the war, and that the Countess wants to use them as fodder. We demand that he tells us later about the posture of his clan about the Countess.

With Syzzik, we ask a couple of his powder weapons as courtesy, with a reasonable amount of ammo. We want to test them.

With Zeph, we tell him that there may be the opportunity for us to be bussiness partners with his "investors", and that we may be able to provide "distractions" and have some "contacts" that may help them.

[Weirdsound]

We could offer to mass hex 'bless' a unit of Charlies elite soldiers.  Give them the Tiv soul curse so if they die he gets their souls and father's swordsmanship or fire blessing so they are total bad asses in combat.  Either way we win.

War is a profitable business, even if it is regrettable.

Just noticed this. Your father is Water, Nightmares, Torture, and Ill Health. You are thinking of a different demon on the list. Still one of Tiv's minions, so the old soul-grabber curse counts towards those blessings.

[VoidSlayer]

If we want to work with Zeph's investors, taking their cut seems a very very bad idea.

Also dropping Zeph's income to 5000 seems quite low.

If we want a long term business relationship 50% seems too high.

[Tomcost]

We won't get the part that goes to Zeph's investors, they will still get the same.

And he will not pay tribute to the rest. So, it could be said that Zeph will end up earning even more than before.

Also, we are providing some help and directions with the goblin hexers, and the orc is in need of that. The only one that is definitely going to end up straightly worse is Syzzik, who is the least dangerous of the three.

Also, we are cursing the three so that they become afraid of us. They won't do much to us.

But maybe 50% is too much. Zeph was willing to give us 30% of his earnings if we gave him a title and arranged a marriage with Fortune. Maybe with 40% it would be enough. We own these guys, anyway, so there is not much point in giving them a bigger cut.

[StrawBarrel]

Unchain them and give them back their clothes.

[Tomcost]

Unchain them and give them back their clothes.

Maybe for the private talks. Otherwise, it is better for intimidation to leave them as they are.