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[MonkeyMarkMario]

Hmm.

B, C, D, in that order.

That's valid, right? I hope.

Add F to that as well.

[NRDL]

B lets get info first

[ZBridges]

B

[Iituem]

"What are you trading here, and what do you seek to gain?" you ask.

"We bring wares from the principalities of the western plains, mostly; iron and tin tools and utensils, cotton or woollen cloth, wine, honey, some ceramics.  A few steel arms, although those are headed west to the port of Jarm; the kobolds around here don't usually have things worth trading for them.  A handful of other sundry supplies, some dried food and such.  Mostly the swamps are just a route through to Jarm, but we trade what we can along the way.  The kobolds tend to want tools they can't get hold of; usually they trade lizard skins, dried meat, sometimes sake.  We pick up herbs and decoctions from, ah, how do you pronounce it again?  Bomugil?  That's the one.  They sometimes fetch a fair price in Jarm.  Then we usually go north from there to the hills and trade with the dwarves."

"Do you trade in slaves as well?"

"Ah, not us," says Jenassa, looking a little wary, "but the eastern sealords bring slaves to Jarm, and the dwarves sometimes sell captured goblins there.  We could always make enquiries."

"Well, I am looking for more of a long term trading relationship, in any case.  Certain wares, food in particular but also perhaps some of your other items, in exchange for valuables."

"What sort of -"

"Skins, pelts and feathers, in part, but also... these."  You reach into your leather sling and remove a handful of the finer silver and jade trinkets you took from the catacombs.  Jenassa keeps a straight face, but you see Vela's eyes widen at the sight of them.  "I thought you might be interested.  Speaking of valuables, there is also the matter of the toll."  Again, you display a sharp-toothed grin.  "As you say, these are my lands."

3

"O-of course, milord," says Jenassa.  "Were we travelling through one of the principalities, a toll of 100 silver coins would be usual.  We would be happy to pay that."

"Seems a little short," you point out.

"Well, this has been a difficult trip, milord.  We need to keep some of our coin to make purchases in Jarm.  The kobolds here usually trade in goods, but Jarmish merchants prefer silver.  We could offer you 150 coins?"

That seems reasonable?  You guess?  "Two hundred," you say, because you're still a dragon.

"Of course, milord," says Jenassa, looking relieved at your offer.  Vela hurriedly counts out a number of silver coins (some thicker and of larger denominations, rather than just 200 small coins) and separately bags them before holding the bag out to you.  You daintily pick it up in your claws and stash it (200 silver coins!).

"So, milord," continues Jenassa, "what sort of permanent trade are you looking to arrange?  We can make sure to bring what you need on our next pass through the swamps."

What permanent arrangement would you like to negotiate here and now?  Select up to 3 options.

A) Food for trinkets or pelts.
B) Luxuries (wine, honey, rare foods) for trinkets.
C) Steel arms for silver coin.  (You could equip mortal minions with these.)
D) Iron tools and utensils for trinkets and pelts.  (Not much immediate use for you, but you could gift them to subjects as a show of largesse or equip workers engaging in industry on your behalf.)
E) Silver coin for trinkets and pelts.
F) Slaves for silver coin.
G) Human art objects for silver coin.


Additionally, would you like to make any trades here and now?  (Select up to 3.)

A) Food for trinkets or pelts.
B) Luxuries for trinkets.
C) Steel arms for silver coin.
D) Iron tools and utensils for trinkets and pelts.
E) Silver coin for trinkets and pelts.
F) Medical supplies, if they have any, for silver coin.

[NRDL]

1. AEF

2. AEF

[helmacon]

1. AEF

2. AEF

+1

[PaPaj]

1. AEF

2. AEF

+1

+1

[Iituem]

2, 2, 4

You set to the process of haggling.  Irritatingly, it seems that Jenassa's mercantile acumen overpowers even the implicit threat of a nearby dragon.   She claims that most of her wares are spoken for, and points out that she does strongly prefer to trade tools for skins, as she can get a better rate in Jarm that way, although it's hard to tell how much she's exaggerating.  Still, she at least seems to fear and respect you enough not to completely take you to the cleaners, and her price for medical supplies seems reasonable.

You eventually agree to purchase the majority of her food stock, as well as brokering a regular stop at an anonymous point not too far from your lair for her to bring more (you make a note to inform Gugujib or any other minions you might have to attend said stop to trade the goods in future).  It seems that she or another allied caravan will be able to make stops here once every three months to conduct trade.  You end up agreeing to trade 1000 silver coins' worth of pelts per season for a hearty stockpile of food, enough to support at least two more growth spurts on your part.  You end up trading for the worth of the trinkets and jewellery in silver coins, both as a lump sum now and again each season, which will convert 3000 silver coins' worth of trinkets into silver coinage.  You don't gain value from the exchange, but silver coins are at least very fungible and you might be able to use those to get goods you couldn't otherwise trade trinkets or pelts for.

Jenassa does have some medical supplies, most of which she is willing to trade.  Most of them aren't of too much use to you, being too small or of limited effect to help you, but there is one particular item of value.  Jenassa does possess a single healing potion for emergencies, which you convince her to sell.  She agrees to let this go for 500 silver coins, which seems a fair price.


Healing potions, your ancestral memories inform you, are very useful but share the limitations of all healing magic in that there is only so much they can do.  Healing potions and spells allow you to recover injuries and received wounds instantly, but they also build up in the body, creating a degree of healing resistance.  Unless a healing potion is of sufficient strength to overcome the resistance, it will have no effect on the body.  This buildup is purged during sleep, but for a dragon sleep can last days, weeks or months, resulting in one of the surprisingly numerous situations in which spells and potions are more useful to mortals than dragons, who only need to sleep a night at a time.

Mechanics:  Healing potions have a given strength, equal to the number of hitpoints they heal.  Each consumed potion increases your Heal Resistance by 1 until you next sleep.  Every point of Heal Resistance decreases further consumed healing potions' strength by the same amount.  e.g. Consuming a Strength 1 Healing Potion will heal you 1 hp and give you Heal Resistance 1.  Drinking another will have no effect, as it is unable to overcome your resistance.  Drinking a Strength 2 Healing Potion will only heal you 1 hp, then bring your HR up to 2.  It is therefore advantageous to ration healing potion use.  The same limitation applies to healing spells.

[3] This is a pretty weak healing potion by draconic standards, able to heal 1hp of damage.  You could use it now or save it for after you've slept.  [6] As lagniappe, however, Jenassa also throws in an antitoxin potion.  When drunk, it will reduce poison damage taken by 1 for the next hour, making it an ideal proof before going into combat with venomous foes.

Jenassa doesn't trade in slaves, but she promises to send a slave trader from Jarm to enquire as to an arrangement.  Your business concluded for now, you thank the traders and graciously allow them to continue along their trade route.  How will you proceed from here?

A) Head back to your lair and get a few weeks' sleep in to restore yourself before you get back to your current quest.
B) Drink the healing potion and head back to challenge Tulumata, going in broad daylight along the kobold path to the shrine.
C) Drink the healing potion and head back to challenge Tulumata by night, continuing along the path you already 'de-trapped' for the most part and hoping to avoid and further traps.
D) Something else entirely?

[10ebbor10]

We're not very good at Capitalism, are we...

[Iituem]

Particularly for an entity with a literal sense of the True Value of material items (because fuck you, Publilius Syrus).

[Prophet]

B

[10ebbor10]

Anyway, we grow if we have more money. So, does spending it all mean we shrink, or does it have worse effects.

B

[Kashyyk]

B

[omada]

Oh thanks, we decided for a slave market

how will we maintain them while we sleep? and not blow our cover? Give them semi-freedom hoping they stay as our subjects?

[Iituem]

You down the healing potion, feeling the power locked in it release and course through your flesh, healing your spit lizard burns, though only partially restoring some of the ongoing fatigue from oxygen starvation.  You then head straight back to the Bloat King's shrine, this time passing directly along the path the kobolds use instead of trying to sneak in through the flanks.

The road is, to your great irritation, entirely untrapped.

It is, however, an open path leading to the shrine, so Tulumata and her minions will definitely know you are coming.  Having already decided to head straight in rather than issuing a challenge, you decide to waste no time and get straight to it.  You neck the antitoxin on the approach, anticipating the use of poison in the fight ahead.

3, 0, 7

By the time you stride into view of the clearing, over half of the spit lizards nesting in the area have already emerged from their burrows, with more clawing up from the muck.  There is no sign of Tulumata, but you are able to pick out the tripwires, snares and hidden sandpit traps in the clearing by spotting where spit lizards are not emerging from, and make mental note to avoid stepping on those areas.

Rather than issuing any challenges, you breathe fire at the spit lizards and close in for the slaughter.

Dragon: 3/4hp, 1 armour, 1 resistance.  Melee (PC +4 [6dam], MC +5 [3dam]), Ranged (PC +3 [1dam], MC +4 [3 dam])
Spit Lizard Army: 30hp, +3 Melee/Ranged, 2 damage.
Tulumata: 6hp, 2 armour, 2 stealth.  Melee +2, 2 damage + 2 poison.  Ranged +2, 1 damage + 3 poison. [Range: 2]

6, 1, -1, 4
2, 1, 8

You roast a blast of spit lizards and leap onto them, taking down about as many with fire and claw as emerge from the ground.  An arrow flies out of the mangrove trees around the clearing, you have no idea where from, and manages to lodge in between two scales.  The physical damage is nothing worth mentioning, but even with the antitoxin you can feel poison draining your strength where the arrow has bitten!  You tear up the remainder of the spit lizards emerging from the ground, leaving around thirty left still standing, but another arrow comes from the trees and strikes again!

The poison is building up in your system, and you can feel it getting close to bringing you down if this battle continues this way.  The problem is, you can't actually see your enemy to attack her!

A) Kill off the spit lizards first, then worry about seeking her out.
B) Duck into the treeline yourself and use the shade of the trees for cover - seek her out while attempting to stealth yourself.
C) Set fire to the treeline to see if you can flush her out.
D) Set fire to the shrine's standing wooden poles to try and bait her out.  (This will damage the shrine and many valuable items of loot.)
E) Retreat, try again another time and a different way.
F) Try and bait her out through a glorious challenge!  !
G) Something else?