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Post by Mercia(andreas) on Nov 11, 2018 22:28:42 GMT
By summer solstice everyone was reminded that winter was coming, and the northern garrison had to be reinforced once more to keep the horror of the death walkers at bay.
While Mercian troops could gain passage through Bayard, it would hardly warrant for the question to be raised if the troops of the Eastern Traders or those of Tir Moreth could be offered passage on similar terms.
As such passage by sea were the only option, and Mercian officers who were organizing the northern defense went north, to the ports of Bernicia where independent sidhe captains had long been known to call their home harbor. Here the officers could surely purchase transport for the remaining forces in the south, but hardly did they arrive before it became clear that many a captain were already hired to help getting supplies and word between the isles of the dwarven kingdom, which were in unusual high demand with the damaged tunnel in the dwarven kingdom. Many of the remaining captains seemed reluctant to risk future luctrative contracts with the Northern Traders, who like the South Western Traders had a known grudge or two with the Eastern traders.
But with gold and the support of the Sidhe King there might just be a way to hire enough ships.
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Post by SouthWestern Traders on Nov 12, 2018 18:44:48 GMT
Captain Seren was enjoying a nice meal together with a Mercian quartermaster in the typically quiet fishing village of hogshill. Granted that most of the Mercian officers had traveled north to find ships there, but there remained a few independent merchants scattered throughout the land. Captains who owed allegiance to none and made their living in a multitude of ways, be it piracy, smuggling or trade. The advantage of a free trader was as seen by Captain Seren that they could largely accept any work that might come their way. The disadvantage was that people such as the Mercian quartermaster insisted on their allegiance in exchange for gold and always questioned their loyalty and reliability. Still, the quartermaster hadn't shown up here by chance. Captain Seren was a well-known merchant captain and she could only do so much to evade the authorities. Evasion was something she did naturally as a means of self-preservation, rather than for any nefarious reasons.
"Why are you so nervous?" She asked the quartermaster, "You've got a job for me, and the pay seems good, so I don't really the problem."
"Well, you see..." The quartermaster fiddled with his fingers at various objects. The table. His clothes. His chin. "...it's just that... you know. Asking you to do this, there's going to be a lot of questions from a lot of people. Questions like 'will the supplies show up or will she run away with them to strike a blow against the Eastern Traders?'. Questions I don't wanna deal with."
"I'm not a Southwestern Trader. Haven't been for quite some time. Yeah I've got a lot of friends there, and I suspect I'll have a lot of friends there after this too. Doesn't mean I can't do my job. You came to me, didn't you? Even went so far as avoided a trip to Bernicia so you could get home to your wife faster than everyone else. So if you came to me, why are you second-guessing yourself?" Seren asked, slightly annoyed at the quartermaster's hesitation.
"Alright, alright," the quartermaster relented, "but listen, I need some sort of guarantee."
Seren interrupted him, "No, you don't. I need a guarantee. There's far too many parties in this who can punt the issue of payment for services rendered. When I've made the deliveries, what then? Will you waver as you do now? Will your colleagues even recognize that you hired me? Will they punt the issue to the Sidhe King of Umbria, to the protector of Tir Moreth, to the Eastern Traders? And will they pay? I've got a ship to maintain and crew to feed. I've already offered for you to pay me after the task is complete - a generous offer, I would say. But I need a guarantee, because I'm the only captain here you've approached, and as far as I've heard, you're supposed to be far further north. You're industrious, I'll give you that, and I'm sure your court will recognize you for it, but all the same. Guarantees."
The discussion continued for some time. In the end, an agreement was reached. The quartermaster's task was to ship war supplies to accompany the men traveling north, and so she was not in charge of transporting passengers. Thus, she would purchase the supplies at a favorable price, such that she would be the rightful owner of them. Then, when she reached Bernicia, she would sell them at an agreed upon rate. The difference between her purchase price and the sale price would be the original payment agreed upon. If she was not paid upon arrival, the supplies would be hers to keep and, given their value, she should be able to sell them easily to some other buyer. However, Captain Seren was well aware that demand for the war supplies up north was great. She had already transported many companies, mercenaries and men north, thus knowing just how many were up there thirsting for good steel to fight against the undead. Yes, she had to do her part as well, but just as mercenaries needed payment to keep their bellies fed, she needed payment to keep her crew fed and her ship afloat. She was certain the Mercian quartermaster was good for his word that there would be a buyer at the end, for at the very least, she would knew of a few companies of ambitious mercenaries who could buy them, if her intended recipient refused.
Once more, the advantage of being a free trader, with friends and associates scattered throughout the land, unburdened by direct affiliation to any one guild.
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