[Location] The Three Suns Trading House

[Gossamer]

-=| Three Suns Trading House |=-

Description:

White marble glittered with veins of gold, cut from the mountains north of Primus Gaudeo, and marked the offices and warehouses of the powerful Three Suns Trading House. Red tiles, imported like the marble glowed in the light of the suns on the roof. All in all, it was a very dwarfen building for the only openings cut into the clean, smooth sides of the building were two arched entrances. The larger was clearly for the passage of wagons for it was both tall and wide, but it was also closed by heavy wooden gates, reinforced by intricately cast ironwork. Above the smaller entrance was the name of the Trading House, inset with a black marble, also shot through with a gold veining.

The building was designed both to impress and to remind all who passed by of the wealth and power of the Trading Company which was based in the Dwarfen Province of Centripax. Those who entered the smaller of the entrances would find themselves in a room that had two desks, one larger centrally placed and another smaller one off to the left. There were a number of chairs and low placed around the outside of the room for those who needed to wait or have private discussions. Those who came with regard caravan guards were soon directed over to the smaller desk and the dwarf that occupied it.


Goods & Services:

The Trading House ran caravans from Primus Gaudeo to Aelyria Prime via Daltina and Midpoint. Cargoes could be shipped them, travellers could travel safely with them and of course caravan guards were employed.

Two notices were hung near the door where they would catch the eye of those entering:

Caravans
Caravans leave on the first brightening of every cycle. (Moderated caravans leave on the first brightening of the month)
Prices

• Passage per person (walking)
  • Daltina - 15 crowns, 45 crowns including food, 50 crowns including tentage
  • Midpoint - 23 crowns, 65 crowns includig food, 70 crowns including tentage
  • Primus Gaudeo - 26 crowns, 75 crowns including food, 80 crowns including tentage.
• Freight
  • Daltina - 150 crowns per wagon load
  • Midpoint - 230 crowns per wagon load
  • Primus Gaudeo - 260 crowns per wagon load

Adventurers Guild - Primus Gaudeo
Caravan gaurds - training and employment offered:

• Newcomer:
  • Weapon and basic training provided as per
    • Blades: Longsword, shortsword, two handed sword
    • Bow: Longbow, shortbow, crossbow
    • Polearms: Axe, spear
  • Pay: 20 crowns per cycle including food and tentage
  • Apprentice membership of Adventurers Guild (PG) for one era.
• Level 1:
  • Training to professional level as per weapon list above
  • Pay 50 crowns per cycle including food and tentage
  • Associate Membership of Adventurers Guild (PG) [one era] on completion of professional training.
• Professional:
  • Training to elite level as per weapon list above
  • Pay 100 crowns per cycle including food and tentage
  • Full Membership of Adventurers Guild (PG) [one era] on completion of elite training.

Arms training is only available on moderated journeys and more advanced levels may require multiple journeys.


NPCs:

Wiliam Brockenhurst (Three Suns Trading House - clerk)

Secrets : Name: Wiliam Brockenhurst Race & Gender: Human, male Age: 36 Physical Description & behavior: A medium set man in his mid thirties, with shoulder length mousey coloured hair. His green eyes were attentive and his hands clearly those of one who did little physical work. He wore the blue tabard with three golden suns logo that marked him as an employee of the House. Although still relatively young, he is experienced with merchants and bargaining. He will bargain well are rarely deviates away from the set prices since the House provides a good service. History: Has worked in AP for many patterns and is very familiar with the city Skills: Negotiating Level 2 Items or Property Of Note: N/a Can this NPC be used by players in self-moderation or training situations?: Yes

Bardon Copperhand (Adventurers Guild - PG)

Secrets : Name: Bardon Copperhand Race & Gender: Dwarf, male Age: 150 Physical Description & behavior: A brusque dwarf with no special liking for the other races, but happy to take their money. Only those who hire as caravan guards catch his real interest. Long auburn beard, elaborately plaited, matches his hair. Wears dark but simple clothes, but with a large and elaborate silver belt buckle History: Has worked in AP for many patterns and is very familiar with the city Skills: Battle axe, level 2 Items or Property Of Note: N/a Can this NPC be used by players in self-moderation or training situations?: Yes

Factoid:

Secrets : Distrinct: Merchant Parish: Ioannes Type of Location: Merchant Notability of Location: Common Knowledge Training/Employment Opportunities: Hiring for caravan guards Can This Location Be Self Moderated?: Yes Credits: Adder

[Carly Jr'ana]

Beginning of summer, Era II, Celestine Mandata, Era XIV PF.

Carly came striding through the smaller door of the Three Suns Trading House, after poking her head into the larger door, and came to the table of Wiliam Brockenhurst. Her eyes passed over him, examining him, before she took the empty seat and starred at him across the table. A quick exchange of pleasantries before the inevitable subject of Carly's visit came to light.

"I understand the Three Suns Trading House is based in Primus Gaudeo, I would like to propose that I sell my product to the house directly, whereby the House onsells the product to the Centripax cities."

William looked on reprovingly, his mind instantly jumping at the opportunity of negotiations for a profit. He nodded, indicating for the little elf to continue with her explanations.

"I deal in fish, I deal in an uninterruptable supply of fish. I currently have operations in Taralon and deal quite well with the local trading company there. I intend to set up in Prime Province and sell to both the province and hopefully to more inland cities. This is where the Three Suns comes in, I can provide smoked, pickled, and salted fish for transport. A dozen and more barrels a cycle, you can sell these in the inner cities for a large province. Fish being rare in such places. The issue lies in how much the trading house would take in the profits, providing you accept my offer."

Carly sat opposite William, fingers steepled, eyebrow arched as she waited for an answer. If she could get an initial interest then the deal was practically done.

[Carly Jr'ana]

William, always a shrewd businessman even where his own money was not involved, sat for a moment considering the offer. Soon his mind was whirring as were his fingers, seeking out various lists and summaries of the goods the trading house moved between it's sister cities. Fish, as he had already known, were a difficult commodity of which to procure a steady supply. More importantly, he thought, was the price landlocked citizens would pay for a fish from the ocean.

He asked the young telera to sit for the moment while he calculated figures out in his head, taking notations from the various papers laid before him. Fish in a city like Primus Gaudeo would sell for up to twice the price of fish in a port city, while a continuous stream of fish would lower the rarity and the price. To cover the cost of the caravans and make a nice little profit...

William looked up from his notes, the hint of a smile crossing his face. "I think we might be happy to enter into an arrangement with you for a twenty percent share in your profits. Subject to change depending on the amount of product, too much and the price goes down, too little and it might not be worth us absorbing the costs of the caravan. If you will return in a few brightenings I will have another clerk draw up a rough contract."

[Carly Jr'ana]

Carly's slight grin widened at the initial acceptance of her trade proposal, shaking the clerks hand warmly and leaving him her details if she needed to be contacted in the meantime. Sure in the knowledge that there would be some sort of deal between them, the young ikomancer took her leave to return to her office in the forum.

She returned to the no longer aptly named trading house half a cycle later, this time she came armed with more notes and figures from her already established business with some projections for any future growth of the Prime paddock. She took a seat by the wall to wait whilst the head clerk, William, was busy in discussions with a robe wearing man. He was either a merchant from the sandy province of arakmat, beyond, or an eccentric mage.

Tapping her foot to a silent melody she waited for her turn, soon the trader or whatever he was left and Carly took up his seat. She felt she would not need her papers, but in the event she did she placed them carefully on the edge of the desk between the two of them.
William looked up at Carly as he was already sliding the rough contract across the desk to her. He motioned with his head for her to read it, so she did. The contract was simple, the company would transport and arrange to sell the fish in various inner cities beginning with Primus Gaudeo as a trial city. They would take twenty percent of the profits and pay the rest on to Carly's company, a penalty fee would be incurred if the supply of fish was at any time stopped as the company would likely lose customer confidence if it's supply was intermittent. The company would only except a certain amount of fish every cycle, a value that was below the amount of fish she was selling from Taralon. An increase in the amount of fish would need to be renegotiated, and the percent the company took was likely to reduce if this happened. In the event of Carly selling her company, or no longer being majority owner, she would need to assure the continued trade between her company and the trading company.

Carly looked all this over, finding nothing to disagree with. William sent off the rough contract to be drafted into a properly legally recognised one with duplicates for himself and the sea elf to sign, in the meantime Carly began to explain her business model and the useful ability to expand, with less and less costs with each paddock added.

[Kargis Bullhammer]

TIMESTAMP:7th Brightening, Imperos, in the Season of Autumn, Era II of the Celestine Mandate, Era XIV Post Fractum.

As Kargis walked up to the entrance of the Three Suns Trading House, he re-read the posted bulletin that had caught his eye when last he saw it. There was nothing on it about training for the mace, but he wasn't about to let little details like facts break his momentum.

He saw a dwarf sitting at the smaller of the room's two desks. Perhaps out of a simple sense of racial camaraderie, he decided to approach him first. He did his best to cut an impressive figure as he walked over, trying hard not to look like the newly-reforming drunk that he was. He straightened his casque and hoped the clatter of his scale mail would cover some of his nerves.

"Serale, kinsman," he began good-naturedly. "I was hopin' teh find out more about tha' notice fer caravan guards. Do I understan' that ye'll train newcomers while they work? An' is there anythin' leavin' soon?"

[Mikhail Vashael]

Early Brightening. The Twentieth of Imperos in the Season of Fall, Era XIV Post Fractum

Stepping through the wide doors of the Three Suns Trading House, a tall straightforward human gazed around at his new surroundings. He was clean shaven with shortly cropped dirty blonde hair, a dark suit sporting a forest green vest complimented by a burgundy velvet sash tucked under a rich pinstriped dress shirt. It was a stately attire, but the cut was spartan which suggested the presence of an individual who could utilize the means to his success rather than grow supine and mired in extravagance. Walking to the counter with succinct purpose pushing over a calm and stark awareness, this young merchant's crystal blue eyes flashed as if the viewer were staring at a distant landscape; the breadth from the iris to pupil covering over nine hundred square kilometers.

Reaching the counter, any clerk would easily notice the man's features were strong and distinctly Vagaran, yet held a poise and restraint exhibited rarely and only by Thains and great Chieftains. A Nobility. Preparing his speech by waiting the appropriate time limit between entrance to opening remark, the human spoke.

"Serale. My name is Egil Corvus. I require audience with the proprietor of this house of Trade concerning matters of position. Primarily that of Trade Negotiator."

The man did not smile yet stood politely on firm ground.

[Adder]

The clerk listened to the visitor and gave a short bow, barely more than a nod of acknowledgement.

"Serale and welcome to the Three Suns Trading House. Please take a seat and someone will be with you shortly." He ushered the visitor in the direction of some chairs that were set along the wall where discussions could be held in some privacy.

He then disappeared through a door and was gone for a short while. He returned accompanied by a dwarf, one of middle age whose dark brown beard was held in a complex sixteen part braid. He paused in the doorway while the clerk whispered in his ear, his thumbs tucked behind the broad leather belt with it's large and ornate silver buckle.

He approached. "Serale, Irfon Ironfist at yer service. I understand that ye are interested in offering yer services to us?" His eyes were sharp and blue and they inspected Mikhail closely.

[Mikhail Vashael]

The tall figure's vision remained calm while his body poised. Looking down with a vague notion of respect and the air of inner conviction, Egil Corvus kept his body language subtle and to a bare minimum. The voice who's refrain carried gently over the timbers was succinct yet baritone.

"I seek position as Trade Negotiator for a recent weapons contract and trade route between Primus Gaudeo and the local harbor township of Portshire."

The Vagaran blinked once as he drew in light breath.

"I am fully qualified as both a mediator and prudent businessman, with the client's top priorities in mind. My portfolio includes the acquisition of Blackhold mines in the sodality of Carmelyn for the New Trysvale Trade Company and the closure of the Ebberfield merger in Port Alyxandrya which you may have gained knowledge of due to it's high profile."

Neither swaying his head nor hands, Mikhail could feel the business end of a dagger dig into the small of his back. Come prepared for the worst.. lie till they think your the Best.

"On top of this, consider my vast experience as a man of travel and pragmatic direction. There shall be none safer then beneath my authority."

Remaining stone cold, Vashael finished off his opening claim.

"I have been privy to a great deal of praise for this house of trade in particular sire, and find only mutal benifit to be gained from an initial arrangement. My fee is prudent but accessable given the means established by this company. In exchange, I wish to aquire a full shipment of weapons, two hundred blades strong plus arrangements made for future endeavours purchased solely at cost."

The man blinked again, his pupils dilating ever so softly.

[Adder]

The dwarf listened carefully, but if he was impressed he didn't show it for the dwarf represented one of the major dwarf clans as well as a powerful trading house.

"That is an impressive claim," he answered, his words belying his impassive appearance. "We hadn't formally used the route via Portshire before so we have a number of things that we need to set up." His eyes measured the man who stood before him.

"I'll assume that ye can back up your claims, and if they hold up then we have something that would meet your abilities. The weapons shipment is important, but it's only part of a bigger picture." It wasn't common practice to discuss business practices with a stranger, but as a race the dwarfes tended to shy away from being devious and instead relied upon force and tenacity. Long lifespans gave a quite different perspective on strategies, and those of the shorter lived races who crossed them could find their grandchildren still suffering.

"We want a monopoly of the transport into and out of Portshire. To do that we need membership of the Merchants Guild in Portshire, and then to replace whoever is currently running caravans."

His eyes watched carefully for a response as he spoke. "Are you up to that challenge? If so then I'd like to hear your thoughts on what you'd propose. If you are successful then I think that we can meet your price, and if the monopoly can be maintained then an ongoing relationship would be possible."

[Mikhail Vashael]

Vashael nodded briefly in response to the words, his face smoothly shaven and fresh from aftershave.

"I propose a dual approach. Enter the city quietly, analyis the main caravan competitors.. back the lesser power against the fight to weaken the primary established conglomerate then sweep through with an oiled and efficient machine.
Yet, at the same time gain favor with the Merchant Guild by providing them with a perceived gain. Enter without the initial threat of hostile takeover. Let them warm up before widening your stance. Creating a monopoly will infringe on a great deal of entrenched territory. We will need allies. Powerful merchants in the city whom this company will provide a low transportation cost over several Era considering they back our efforts to take both reins."

The man's eyes moved slightly to the left as these strategies breeched from his mind without forced effort due to the climate of forethought.

"Portshire is a harbor city. A great deal of it's transportation moves through the docks. If ever you wish to strike in that direction, taking control of the caravan trade routes will be a dominant first step. There is a heavy amount of corruption and crime entrenched in these avenues.. I will need an initial cash allowance in order to provide the posture of prosperity, create dissention and misinformation throughout our competitors, and win over the Merchant Guild. Any action deemed drastic taken to unseat these elements cannot reflect upon the Three Suns name. Discression will become paramount, but I am more then poised to succeed in this task."

Vashael blinked then wet his lips.

"If victorious, this mercantile establishment will become very wealthy.. As a show of good faith, in writing design the contract to reflect my terms with one added condition. I wish to become a junior partner.. shareholdings in the House will bind our providence together closer then any blood pact. It will create incentive for a lucrative man of business like myself to continue to work with Three Suns towards a larger.. grander goal and will provide you with the knowledge of trust in my actions. Of course one thing at a time... upon signing the writ I will be within Portshire in under a cycle. You will hear news sooner then two."

The Vagaran stopped and restrained the urge to restraighten his burgundy knecktie while letting the breadth of his words simmer to a calculated and structured boil. The echo of his own voice felt reassuring, as the pitch was straightforward and delivered with true tacturn reserve.

[Adder]

The dwarf was pleased with what he'd heard and even behind the beard that hid much of his features a small smile had grown.

"We favour an active approach," he commented, leaning forwards. "You rightly note that it is a port city, but a port is of no use to anyone if there is nothing to ship in and out of the sea, it relies on the caravan trade to supply what is going on to the ships as well as what is coming off them."

He sat back again and considered shrewdly. "You offer opportunities that we hadn't hoped for when we placed the advertisement, and it's a venture that I'm minded to support. What sort of advance did you have in mind?"

[Mikhail Vashael]

Giving the dwarf time to complete his sentence, Vashael had the answer quickly at hand. He refrained from abusing social protocol and held course.

"One thousand gold crowns provided you send a trusted man who will carry the weight as a means of future communication and insurance. I'll leave a courier within shouting distance who will counter the offer and provide equal enterprise."

With a small breach of predisposed emotion, Vashael faked a light touch of humanity and goodwill.

"It bodes well to see you favor this approach Irfon, although I am fully aware your generosity is based upon results. Let us come to an agreement, binded to contract and Pecunia's grace. Money after all, never sleeps.."

The Vagaran's features broadened then smoothed in their firmament. He stood as a citadel of stone, solid and patient as time it's self.

[Adder]

"A thousand gold crowns?" The dwarf smiled, "you value your service highly, though you are right that to establish what we wish will require the easing of certain minds."

He paused for the briefest moment. "We will of course provide you with the expert services of one of our own, you can't be expected to know what terms will be agreeable to us, so I will provide that along with an advance of five hundred crowns. If you require more then your companion will be able to provide it to you, in return," he smiled wolfishly and with more than a trace of the predator in his expression, of course for appropriate evidence of expenditure."

[Mikhail Vashael]

Vashael blinked, dominant in forethought and adaptation. "Done."

He held his hand out as a snake would rise from it's nest to feast. This would be a lucrative deal indeed, could his web of lies and connections catch a fly of truth. Fingers poised outward to shake the Trader's palm, as Mikhail had several plans to discuss with his advisor before questing towards the seabed Shire. "Introduce your man, as mine stands just adjacent to us."

Vashael heralded in a youth of upcoming age and fashion wearing a dark silken suit, oiled coal hair and a turned, broken nose. "Master Irfon meet Quenton Durantis, a noted barrister, broker and manager of my Firm... He shall become intermediary between our endeavors.." Patting his Underboss on the shoulder, the Butcher almost smiled politely and curtly. Eramo played his part with a simple nod and exchange of amicable congeniality. As the air cleared and pandered, the Vagaran spoke once more.

"Is there anything of final priority that needs discussion, or shall we seal our ordinances into the communion of ink and quill?"