The first advantage you possess that Amandine identifies is the unusual situation in your lands. The sudden, unexpected return of heirs to the Betony family means that you have more leeway when sorting out tax payments to the count. You would be in your rights to demand that Giado wait while you sort out the proper portions for yourselves, the count, and the locals. This could provide the time needed to contact the Night Swan and persuade her to join your scheme.
Unfortunately, there would be no special considerations for what you're sending to Jambis. You would be expected to take such donations from either your own share of the harvest or from the people's.
Having purchased a license from the count, Giado is legally a representative of Count Lotheed. Attacking him openly, while it would not invite immediate reprisal from the count, would definitely earn his ire and suspicion, and your position in the county would be jeopardized.
If you resist the tax collection, Giado would be legally permitted to use force to collect what is "due" to the count.
As for Amandine's role in the harvest and tax collection, as Lady Betony she has the legal right to oversee the process and confirm that the proper amounts are apportioned for the count's taxes. Most nobles delegate this tedious, low-class work to a tribune, like Onora, or some other representative. Any dispute regarding how much is collected would need to be arbitrated by the count's own court; thus, most nobles and commoners alike see it as a futile effort.
"If there's going be some negotiating with the collector, my appearance should match my station. I'll return soon."
Amandine takes the coach to the manor and changes into something more impressive.
It is not long before you can see Giado Eta and his band coming down the old road. The private tax collector is accompanied by four men who, even from a distance, look quite strong. They ride upon a pair of wagons pulled by mules. The vehicles, rumbling down the rough road, are currently empty, but no doubt the men hope to ride away from Stachys with the wagon beds full of produce wrested from the locals.
Dro'gan prepares his message and dispatches it via magic. The feather token-summoned bird takes flight and slips away from sight beneath the afternoon sun, just a few minutes before Giado and his entourage drive their wagons into the market square. He purses his lips and looks around curiously at the newly renovated heart of the village before calling out to the locals.
"Tax collector!" he bellows, smacking his lips wetly. "In the name of your liege, Count Bartleby Lotheed, each family must bring forth and pay half of their harvest for the good of the...county."
This last word elicits some chuckles from Giado's goons.
After a change to more formal clothing to better reflect her station at the manor, Amandine has returned to wait for the tax collector's arrival. With her entourage, namely Lydia, Meraki, and Greenly, Amandine walks out to greet Giado and his men.
"Good evening to you Giado, and welcome to Stachys. I am Amandine, Lady Betony. There are a number of things related to the tax levy we must discuss. I invite you to join me at Madame Onora's inn for a conversation before any assessments commence."
Dro’gan prowls around the area during the tax collection keeping an eye out for trouble, but remains hidden among the crowd unless things escalate or if he is needed suddenly.
Dressed much as she did on the day she arrived in Stachys, Meraki follows closely behind Lady Betony, standing behind and to the side when the noble addresses Giado. Though it doesn't come naturally to her, she does her best to look disapproving.
Amandine's introduction catches the tax collectors off guard. The hired mercenaries swap dully confused glances. As for Giado himself, his face registers something between bafflement and irritation.
Giado tilts his head back and looks down his nose at Amandine.
"It was my understanding that the Betonys had all died out," he says, slowly blinking his dark eyes. "Count Lotheed certainly made no mention of a new Lady Betony."
A smile, thin as a stiletto blade, plays across Giado's face, confident that he has countered with a subtle insult of his own.
"I'll humor you, m'lady. Let us away to the public house, and I can hear all about your credentials while your...ahem...vassals collect their crops for their due payments."
"Surprise."
Amandine smiles cooly back at Giado.
"As a matter of fact, Count Lotheed made no mention of you to me either."
As she turns to start toward the inn, she says to Giado over her shoulder.
"Yes, you certainly will humor me."
As she walks, Amandine makes a number of requests.
"Sir Greenly, will you spread the word among the citizens that all work should be suspended immediately unless it is vital to preserve the harvest. No collections will be made at this time. By anyone."
"Sir Lidia, could you go to the manor and summon Festo? Tell him he is needed at the inn as soon as possible."
Amandine doesn't try to hide her speech from Giado's hearing.
Greenly moves from home to home and farm to farm explaining that the tax collectors are here, to comply, and that the good Lady won't let them leave with everything.
Giado raises his hand, preparing to countermand Amandine's instructions to the villagers. It's clear that he doesn't want them to stop their work, eager to claim his share and hit the road as soon as possible. However, Amandine's commanding presence, backed up by Greenly's unique charisma, silences the tax collector.
Thus, Giado allows himself to be hustled off to the Wolf's Whisker, probably hoping to better negotiate in private.
Greenly is well received by the Stachys residents. They trust the warrior woman's word that Lady Betony and her coterie have matters well in hand, and they believe that, for the first time in many seasons, the greedy tax collector will be bested.
...
"I hardly see why this is necessary," Giado groans whilst grimacing at the bare walls and dirt floor of the pub.
"I can simply write down the figures that have been paid previously and they can be portioned out. You are literate, correct? Such a talent is rare around here," he asks Amandine pointedly.
"You may write down the figures, yes. I am most curious to see them. Please provide me a record for the past five years."
When they are seated at a table, Amandine calls for refreshments. She takes out a journal and neatly slices a page free from it. Handing the paper over to Giado along with pen and ink, she tells him "either Taldane, Elven, Kelish, Halfling, or Draconic will do, your choice."
Meraki watches Giado and his goons intently, watching their hands, eyes, and general body language for anything that may warn of impending violence.
Amandine enumerates her fluent languages, earning a sour expression from Giado. He grabs the proffered sheet of paper like a spoiled child claiming a piece of candy.
However, Giado is definitely growing frustrated. He is clearly unaccustomed to meeting any sort of resistance to his collection runs.
You also make note of the fact that he has not made use of his magic, of which the locals had spoken with awe. You grow to suspect that he is a charlatan, or at least only a magic user of middling ability, and that he recognizes superior magic users among the Betony party.
Perhaps the reason why Giado has not resorted to fighting is because he does not want his ruse uncovered, thus losing the fear of the villagers he relies upon fleecing?
Giado writes a consistent figure upon the piece of paper, having collected the same amount of produce and grain over the past several seasons. This would account for a little more than half of the entire village's harvest right now. Considering the scarcer harvests Stachys has produced prior to your intervention and reforms, this means in some seasons, Giado practically bled the villagers dry.
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Amandine looks at the numbers with a frown and furrowed brow.
"These are correct? Exactly the same amount regardless of harvest totals? There is no proportional formula for determining the size of the collection?"
Amandine folds the paper and puts it away.
"How exactly is this amount determined? Don't spare me any details. I also want to know how the total is divided among receivers afterward. In other words, what is your percentage?"
Amandine does want to know these things, but she is also stalling for Festo's arrival.
Meraki does her best to remain impassive in the face of such a volatile situation, but her tail betrays her agitation. To calm herself, she reaches up to hold the amulet around her neck and takes a deep breath, focusing on the sensation of the cool metal between her fingers. When Giado's patience ran out, as she knew it would, she needed to be ready.
"Oh, well it's all very complicated..." Giado says, tenting his fingers upon the wooden table. "You can't expect the rather...simple folk of this hamlet to understand, so I never felt the need to attempt the impossible by explaining."
An awkward silence lingers as Giado seems to also stall for time, clearly uncomfortable trying to answer questions regarding the "receivers" of what he collects. Without a doubt, he's trying to avoid admitting that he keeps almost everything.
Finally, the silence is broken as the door groans open and Festo is escorted inside to join the negotiations. Giado's already pale face loses what little color it possesses when he sees an Abadaran clergyman getting involved.
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"I see." Amandine says icily. "Well, that won't do anymore Master Giado will it?"
When she sees Festo enter the inn, Amandine raises her hand to signal him over.
"Master Giado, this is Festo Mise, Priest of Abadar. Festo, thank you for coming on such sudden notice. This is Master Gaido. He is here on behalf of Count Lotheed to collect the yearly tax."
Amandine takes out the paper with the previous years' collections and hands it over to Festo.
"As you can see, the tax amount does not vary from year to year, though of course the size of the harvest does. This would mean Stachys, and presumably other townships and villages in Merrat, are taxed at arbitrary rates from year to year. Could you work with Madame Onora to compare this number to the harvests over the last five years? I would like to know what the tax percentage has been in each of those years."
Turning to Giado, Amandine sighs in impatience.
"It seems you are unprepared to explain how tax assessments are conducted at this time, which is disappointing. You may instead prepare a document for me explaining the process. We will discuss collection after I have it in hand."
"It grows late. You and your men are welcome to dine and drink here at my expense, as a courtesy for your service to the Count. I will return in the morning when you are readied adequately to resume our discussion."
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Immediately upon hearing the discussion move to taxes over the last 5 years, Dro'gan turns and moves away from the group.
Greenly tries to look tough beside the door as Miss Betony's bodyguard but continually forgets not to smile at the other toughs and warriors that Giado is traveling with, recognizing one from a "lecture" she gave on local gossip a month prior.
Giado's frustration evolves into outright anger that bubbles just beneath his thin veneer of propriety. His men, however, grumble openly about how much this delay irritates them. Staying overnight in Stachys clearly displeases them, but only slightly less than the prospect of leaving empty-handed.
Dro'gan can find absolutely no written financial records of any kind for Stachys, not even prior tax records. Even Onora sheepishly admits she does not keep written records of the pub's business, relying on memory as best she can. Thus, Dro'gan and Festo turn to oral records from the locals to gauge as much of the past decade's taxation as possible.
It soon becomes apparent that Giado Eta uses no formula at all when dictating how much tax payment is owed by the locals. As best as you can tell, he simply takes as much as he can get away with. Based upon accounts from the past handful of seasons, even the amount collected from two given farms with the same yield can vary wildly depending on Giado's whims - and how much he feels he can press a given farmer. The private tax collector relies on the lack of education in Stachys - most of the population remains illiterate, after all - and threats of his magic power to keep anyone from asking questions and discovering the gross discrepancies.
Back at the manor, Amandine pour herself a very large brandy to steady her nerves.
"How close did we come to violence?" she asks the others.
"We need to avoid it at this point. While I am delaying and prodding, I am not refusing to pay, only asking for clear and just methods be applied. Giado has none of course, but that is no fault of ours, and he has given over some interesting information that will be useful later when speaking with the Count and the other nobles."
"I do intend to let Giado and his men collect some tax unless he behaves very badly badly and refuses my requests outright. I will offer to let him collect twenty percent as a good faith gesture, with any remaining amount beyond that to be negotiated between the Count and us and collected at a later date. Doing so will show us to be the reasonable and accommodating party in the dispute, still loyal and cooperative while the details are worked out. It will also look like a small victory to those here in Stachys and diffuse tension and uncertainty. It will also give the Night Swan her target if she chooses to act."
"If Giado refuses to accept a partial tax collection, his alternative will be no collection until all is resolved. I hope he will take my offer, but if he insists on a full collection by his own figures, he will have to be stopped. It is important we are not the ones who use violence first."
"Tomorrow will be a point of no return. To some lesser or greater degree we will openly be in conflict with Count Lotheed. If you think this plan for going forward is poorly conceived, or you have alternatives you want to suggest, tonight is the time to do it, tomorrow will probably be too late."
"Closer than we'd like," Meraki answers, dropping into a nearby chair. Her hands fidget in her lap as she speaks. "I think his men would have tried to slay us then and there, if he'd given the word. He's not used to having anyone push back like you have, especially not from someone he can simply bully into submission. I don't think he knows how to deal with it. He's angry and frustrated, and more than a little bit intimidated by you.
"I also noticed that, despite his reputation as a formidable spellcaster, he's not used any since arriving. It's possible he's a fake, or maybe feels overmatched by the magic users in your entourage.
"He comes across as a man with a fragile ego, which he tries to make up for by bullying and threatening people that he has power over. If you make your offer and refuse to budge, I suspect he will either buckle in the face of your resolve or resort to violence out of frustration and a wounded pride. If we are in private, I think he is more likely to submit to your will, but if there is an audience, he will feel the sting to his pride all the more."
Meraki's gaze slips past Amandine, focused on nothing in particular. "Were it up to me, Lady Betony, I'd see he and his men humiliated in the town square, stripped of their armaments, and sent back to the Count as a lesson on a ruler's obligations not just to her liege lord, but also to her subjects."
"And if it were simply up to me, I would go a step further and hang Giado for theft. But we have two constituencies we must keep happy, and they don't sit comfortably beside each other."
Amandine pours herself another brandy.
"Here in Stachys the people want protection from Giado and his ilk, ultimately that means protection from Count Lotheed. Across Meratt the nobility will only tolerate the change they feel comfortable with. Withholding most of the tax collection is a victory for Stachys right now."
"Conspicuously exhausting all peaceful, partial means of reform within the law before doing anything more drastic assures the nobility our interests and theirs are aligned. They remain winners in the long term."
"If we give both constituencies some, but not so much as to worry the other, we may be able to hold them all together. We can't lose either. The people of Stachys need our protection more, and we need the nobility's support more. It's all such a delicate mess."
Staying silent and out of view from their guests for as long as possible, Dro'gan finally makes an appearance at group's conference table and gestures casually to the nearest window.
"Don't forget our secondary plan. Even if Giado makes off with his ill-gotten gains, and assuming our elusive vigilante takes the bait, we may also get some 'taxes' back in the aftermath of their meeting. That's also assuming the woman bothers at all and Giado is not the major arcanist he claims to be."
Smirking, Dro'gan then tilts his chair back and balances easily his arms across his chest.
"Even if we face some back-lash for our resistance to the taxation process, the possible results of Giado and the Swan meeting and disagreeing should be...How do you say it?...'Rewarding?'...Either way. Two birds...one stone. I love natural efficiency."
He then nods toward the window again, and sighs.
"Disguised and hidden, I will pace Giado's group after they leave, and try to make sure they make the coordinated destination around the time we placed in the note for the Swan. Gods help me figure that part out..."
Morning comes, and the harvest resumes.
If the Night Swan received Dro'gan's message, she has not yet arrived, for you find Giado and his men unharmed and waiting for you. The tax collector taps his foot impatiently, eager to receive his payment and leave.
Amandine prefers to do things the mundane way whenever possible, but what's coming is very important and she's not entirely sure she's up to the task. Before she goes to speak with Giado she puts some insurance in place.
Unlike the previous evening, Amandine is wearing breeches and doublet today, dressed for outdoor business. She strides over to Giado and his men confidently and with purpose, Amandine must look the part even if she doesn't entirely feel it. She also makes sure she speaks first by starting before she's finished walking.
"Good Morning Master Giado. I'll take the document explaining how you carry out assessments and arrive at collection amounts now."
When Amandine comes to a stop in front of him, she extends her hand.
Giado presents the document with trepidation. Amandine anticipates that whatever is written within will have been pulled out of thin air by the tax collector, trying to salvage some semblance of legitimacy.
"You would do well to remember that I am officially licensed by the count himself," the lean, tall tax collector says with a wolfish smile. "My authority comes directly from him. Delaying payment any longer is tantamount to defying your liege lord."
Reading over the "formula" that Giado has presented, erudite members of the party discover that all he has cobbled together is an incredibly convoluted series of numbers and stipulations that equate to still demanding half of each family's harvest.
As the nerds do math, Greenly sidles up beside the taxman. "Hey Giado,I heard you're some sorcerer or wizard or something. It's like, uh, so boring right now. Back in the capital, magic folks do whole big like, salons and stuff, fireballs in the sky, real powerful stuff. Show off, pass the time. My mom made me go to like, try and learn like wands and stuff but it didn't never really take. Like I can do tricks but nothing fancy. Could you like, showcase some of your magic? You seem adequately powerful. Why not enjoy ourselves while they like, grab a abacus or whatever."
Greenly's demeanor elicits a grin from the tax collector. Giado clearly finds her to be a relief from both the rustic common folk and the annoyingly adroit Lady Betony.
"Why certainly," he agrees, his eyes quickly roving across Greenly's body before focusing to cast a spell.
Once the gestures and brief incantation are finished, Giado reaches out his hand towards a barrel of apples. One by one, three of the fruit slowly float over. He then directs them to hover in a circle, as though juggling them without touching them.
His hired men nod their heads and applaud softly. Whether actually impressed or merely feigning it for their boss remains to be seen.
Greenly's eyes widen as she recognizes the spell she knows best. "Oh! Oh! I can do this one too!"
She imitates his actions, trying to add a carrot and potato to the mix before dropping them amateurly.
"That was the first one I ever learned, it's, like, so easy!" She laughs and snorts, amused with herself. "Surely, a real, like, sorcerer like you can do better though."
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While Greenly plays with Giado, Amandine reads through the document. When she's finished it, she tucks it away.
"There are are number of points about the procedure and calculations that I want to discuss with Count Lotheed directly. I will be traveling to Birdsong Palace immediately after we've concluded things here."
"Because the collection total may vary from your figures after I meet with Count Lotheed, it makes no sense to collect the total amount now if some portion of it would subsequently be returned."
"As a show of good faith, and so your journey here is not wasted, I will let a collection of twenty percent proceed at this time with myself or my retainers present to confirm the amounts. I believe it is safe to assume any final total Count Lotheed and I agree upon will not be less than that. Any portion of the collection that remains uncollected after we have negotiated the total amount may be collected subsequently."
"Your alternative is to delay the collection wholly until after Count Lotheed and I have spoken."
A sour look crosses Giado's face as he watches the tall, gangly woman mimicking his spell.
Furthermore, it appears that Greenly's goading is almost successful. Giado prepares to cast another, more impressive spell, but he is interrupted as Amandine intercedes with her pronouncement about his collection methods.
The Lady Betony's rhetoric proves superior to the tax collector's greed and pride. He accepts her compromise, willing to cut his losses and take what he can get.
"Very well. The tex collection may commence. I will assign a partner to each of your men so to speed the task along and double tally amounts collected."
Meraki hides a smile behind a sleeve of her sari, amused both by Greenly's antics and the man's brittle pride.
Two lines of labor proceed in Stachys this day.
The villagers descend upon one farm at a time, helping the owners to bring in their crops all at once. Once their fields and garden rows are harvested, the friends and neighbors move on to the next farmstead.
Meanwhile, Lady Betony and her coterie supervise the tally and parceling of each household's harvest. You double check each amount to ensure that Giado takes no more than the proscribed twenty percent. When the amounts are confirmed, his men load the sacks and barrels into their wagons.
When the long day's work is done, Giado offers his parting with a glower. His pale face has grown red, even though he did not a whit of manual labor.
"Expect to see me again before the season is through," he says, struggling to keep his voice even despite his bitterness. "Once I have spoken with Count Lotheed, we shall see how your taxation is...reassessed."
"Safe travels!" Meraki calls after them as they depart, waving in an unusual display of exuberance.
Already a mile ahead on the road in his disguise as a mild-mannered cat-burgler again, Dro'gan brings his borrowed horse up into a ground eating canter.
"Can't let the buffoons catch up now can we! Onward...a Swan awaits my call Mr. Horse!
Dro'gan follows Giado's wagons at a distance, staying out of sight without losing sight of them, until the men stop for the night. This does not take very long at all; thanks to the party's stratagem, the taxmen were kept in Stachys quite late into the day as the tallies were confirmed and their cut of the produce was packed.
Dro'gan spots the Night Swan lurking among the lengthening shadows cast by the dense stands of trees lining the road. Giado and his men do not seem to notice her presence as she prepares to pounce.
Dro'gan pulls out a dagger, having had left his magical spear at home, in case he needs to intervene on the Swan's behalf. He then awaits his moment to be of help or harm as needed...
Before Dro'gan leaves to shadow Giado and see what, if anything, happens with the Night Swan, she asks him not to inform her about what she finds until after she has returned from meeting with Count Lotheed.
"If news of something happens while I'm at Birdsong Palace, I need to be surprised by it. I don't know how well he reads people, and it's safer if my reaction is genuine."
She adds "I will send a courier to the manor if I'm delayed there for more than one night. If I am come to Birdsong Palace, your particular skills might be needed."
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
As soon as Giado and his people have been ushered on down the road out of Stachys, Amandine finds Onora and informs her that she will be leaving for Birdsong Palace to speak with Count Lotheed about Giado and the tax collection immediately after returning to the Betony Estate to pack a travel trunk.
Amandine asks Lidia to come along with her, while asking Meraki and Greenly to remain in Stachys. Someone dangerous needs to be on hand just in case Giado tries to make an unexpected return to take more than he already has. Also there is a need to begin purchasing food for shipment to Jambis. The Giado came at an inconvenient time, forcing them to change their focus away from the relief promised there. The wagons need to roll as soon as they can. If Beggerwood residents can be hired to drive and guard the shipment so much the better.
Amandine is on the road to Birdsong Palace within a couple of hours.
Though she internally balks at the idea of anyone considering her to be "dangerous," Meraki quickly nods in acknowledgment.
"I'm sure Sir Greenly will keep us safe, and I will do my best to support her. I will pray for your swift and safe return."
Greenly eagerly bounces near Meraki, excited. "We can, like, get to know each other! We can have a picnic, sing and dance, ooh, I bet I can get, like, drugs if you want! I bet the Butterwood guys have them!"
Meraki's serious demeanor slips a bit in the face of Greenly's enthusiasm, and she barely suppresses a giggle at the thought of Greenly singing and dancing.
A few hours east of Stachys, Amandine and Olivia find a most peculiar sight.
From a distance, it first looks like a pair of bonfires burning just off the road. As they draw closer, however, they discover that the source of the dancing flames lighting up the Taldan twilight are a pair of wagons set alight. There is no sign of whatever animals once pulled these wagons.
On the other side of the road, among the woods that line the northern edge of the route, Olivia points out a line of bodies hanging upside down from the tree branches, swaying in the night air, suspended by ropes wrapped around their legs and ankles.
She did not kill any of them, but several of the hired men were badly injured in the one-sided fight. Curiously, Giado unleashed no spells of note as he struggled to defend himself and his ill-gotten gains.
The Night Swan set the mules to run free then lit the wagons alight without unloading them.
If you made no move to stop or accost her, she ran off after "liberating" any actual money or valuables Giado and his men carried.