Venture-Captain Brackett's page

"It went well, Venture-Captain." Jon grins. "About as good as expected, I think. Myrosope was left with a single district, so her time and money will be spent managing that while having little real influence."

"Yes, I do believe that is the best possible outcome we could have hoped for. Politics in Isger continue to look favorable to increasing trade with Druma. Alabastrine will become much more important. I'm sure Myrospye will be engrossed in those changes. But without having the control she desired, she will instead need to dedicate resources, and more importantly time, to protecting her investment there. Well done Pathfinders. I don't think I have anything further at this time."

"Oh! Some letters arrived for some of you...let me see what we have here..." He hands you a summons...perhaps your next mission? (just to be clear: you are all free to start a new scenario if you haven't already.)

Eventually you return to Almas with Cyran.

"You're back sooner than expected. I hope that's a good thing. How did it go?"

Brackett interrupts before Aaqir can continue...

"Well it sounds ominous enough to me. There's no harm in extra caution. Inspect whatever transportation you use. If you have to cover any repair costs please let us know. We will indeed reimburse any necessary expenses."

I can think of nothing else to add unless there are further questions. You'll leave from the docks in the morn. If you think of any supplies you need, here in Almas we have vendors of every description. There won't be much else in that regard until you arrive in Kerse.

"Ahem? Druma is not necessarily 'the wealthiest nation in the known world'. Qadira is no slouch. It is difficult to tally the coppers when BOTH nations are built upon mountains of gold."

Yes, of course. '...one of the wealthiest nations...' etcetera."

"It sounds like we'll have at least a short journey to reach our destination. How long might we expect to be on the road, and will we need to rough it or will there be inns and other civilized accommodations along our route?"

"You'll be crossing some fairly undeveloped territory. Roads are a rare commodity, but the Andoshen, Cornerica, and Profit's Flow Rivers connect most of the dots. I believe you have one overnight stay in Dustpawn, but otherwise whatever caravan or boat you're on will provide shelter. Aaqir has kindly made all the arrangements for you. It should be a fairly relaxing trip, albeit slow. It's not everyday I get to assign agents to a vacation in the wealthiest nation in the known world! The auction is in Kerse and begins in ten days. You'll actually need to leave early tomorrow morn if you want time enough to meet up with Temel first."

GM, you seem to have Graves' sense motive wrong...

...
"Is there some benefit to owning control of a majority of the districts? Should we be trying to ensure they don't have a majority, just certain districts, or that they be completely skunked?"

fixed. thx

"We don't know what Myrosype's grand plan is. It just seems safe to assume it's bad for us. I have no doubt she'll grab the whole city if it can be had 'cheap enough'. whatever that is. That would allow her, and by-extension the Consortium, to do as they please in near total secrecy. But most importantly, is even just a majority. The city's council runs on One District equals One Vote. So even with just 3 districts she could strongarm the council on any matter. While there would theoretically be 'witnesses' vis-a-vis the 2 other districts, the Consortium is not known to worry much about that. So this is unacceptable."

"You are correct that letting her win 1 or 2 districts would in many ways be the 'ideal' situation. Tying up both her financial resources and her time having to play politics in a council she can't just hand-wave. However, I will caution you against playing that game. Like most Aspis, Myrosype is a slippery snake with many tricks up her sleeves. I wouldn't put it past her to 'play dead' and then pull a rabbit out of her hat last minute. I advise that you leave no stone unturned and not take any chances. If you accidently 'skunk' her that's far less problematic than if you accidentally underestimate her."

Jon scratches his chin briefly, trying to understand the scope of their task. "So we're not to bid for control of the city ourselves, just ensure that another bidder wins enough districts so that this Myrosype doesn't gain control?"

Dear Aroden, no! Please don't make any bids in the Society's name. I honestly have no idea what an entire city goes for at auction, but I have no doubt we'd be hard pressed to cover that check. Even if we could afford it, tying up so much resources just to thwart one Aspis would leave us strapped to deal with every other front."

"Also, remember the Drumans take these things VERY seriously. Be careful what you agree to. While they tend to favor clearly written contracts whenever feasible, and oral agreement can still be held binding."

“Yes, the trade prince has seen to your travel, and for that the Society is appreciative. Your mission involves entering the nation of Druma, specifically its capital city of Kerse. There, you’ll meet up with an acquaintance of the Society who has offered to assist us in executing this unique mission. As you may be aware, terrorists from the Aspis Consortium attacked the Society’s annual Convocation. An anonymous but reliable informant within the Consortium that we’ve taken to calling Three Rings has pointed us in the direction of the financier for this dastardly attack—a Consortium silver agent named Myrosype.”

“The city of Alabastrine is the epitome of Drumish wealth. It was built to accommodate an influx of refugees that never came to Druma in the wake of Aroden’s death. The resident Kalistocrats maintain the city in perfect condition, even its empty properties. Even Alabastrine’s method of selecting leaders revolves around wealth. Every five years, Druma sets up an auction for control of each of the city’s five districts. The latest cycle of bidding is about to commence, and Myrosype has positioned herself to claim a majority of Alabastrine’s districts. She may very well have the resources to claim the entire city for herself.”

"Haha, no worries. You're not late, just less early than the others.

That leaves one more...a 'Katswiri'. Anyone seen her wandering the halls?"

Brackett grabs a clipboard off his desk. He scans the room, then glances back at the clipboard.

"I was expecting a couple more agents. Perhaps they are waiting for the appointed time?"

"Mysteries are all around my friend. There is much that you do not...yet...know. Miss Kukai was selected for the team by Aaqir."