Chronicle of the Scavenger Lands (Exalted 3E) - IC

[Red Shadow Claws]

"Of course, it would be more suited to such a talk, and might encourage your bodyguard to relax a bit." Quill knew he was stretching the limits here, but he knew he had to get things going, and maybe unsettle the balance here a bit to better gauge them.

 

[Rykon]

Ryan hesitated as he made eye contact with Lyla. His spirit soared like the frantic, uncaged energy of a puppy meeting a new friend. He noticed that his face felt warm and flushed before a sharp pound of his heart jolted him back from his brief stupor of admiration. "Thank you for such kind words. I am deeply flattered my lady, but I must say, the complement feels wholly undeserved before such a magnificent beauty." He knelt in courtly manner as a knight would before a lady of regal origins and gave a polite kiss upon her hand in respect. "In all my days as a knight, I can say none of my countrymen could have dreamed to behold such radiance as yours."

He stood slowly, already noting that Attimus was on edge of foul play. At the offer to attend her meeting room, he gave a deferential nod and offered his arm to escort Lyla with a bright smile. "Of course. After you, my lady." Ryan added with his own seductive tone. He could not deny his attraction lent a certain thrill to her proximity. Much of his effort was suppressing his own instincts in favor of following his training.

OOC: Taking the intimacy and rolling a stunted appearance based instill with a full presence excellency.

6 successes thanks to the willpower, assuming a 1 point stunt.

 

[Sherwood]

The injured bandit and the other two head inside, while Loran looks at Ailera. "Want me to take you straight to the boss's tent?" he asks.

Ailera does her best to take in as much of the camp as possible as they walk in, committing as much to memory as possible. When she is asked about being brought to 'the boss', she says, "Sure. Its why I'm here, after all."

 

[jaydude]

With Quill and Ryan...
"Why aren't the two of you just charming?" replies Lyla with a chuckle as she takes Ryan's arm, finding herself won over by the Dawn caste's seductive measures. The four of them - Ryan, Quill, Lyla and Attimus - walk through the doorway left of the main entrance, entering a short hallway before taking the first door on the right, which leads into a large room containing four comfortable divans arranged around a single low table, all on top of a masterfully weaved carpet that looks like it cost more than five times what Ryan would charge for a month's mercenary work. Letting go of Ryan's arm, Lyla sits down on one of the divans and invites Ryan and Quill to sit down opposite her. Attimus goes to stand in a corner of the room, from where he continues to watch Ryan and Quill.

Two servant girls - or perhaps slaves - in ankle-length sleeveless dresses of pink silk enter the room. The first has a large bowl of grapes and other such fruits, which she places on the table while giving Ryan an admiring, yet nervous smile. The second pours wine from a bottle into three golden goblets, which she then offers to Lyla, Ryan and Quill. Lyla takes one, and sips from it.

"Wine imported from Grey Falls itself." says Lyla to Ryan and Quill. "The Scarlet Empire may have been an enemy of the Scavenger Lands in ages past, but one cannot deny that House Cynis knows how to produce fine alcohol."

After the two men have time to reply, she then clears her throat. "So. To business. I heard that the two of you had something you wished to discuss with me. I must admit I was surprised to learn that you came from Feren Mine, but that you were not affiliated with its owner."

Spoiler: OOC

Lyla now has a Minor Tie of Attraction towards Ryan.

With Ailera...
Loran nods, and leads the Night caste into the camp. Ailera sees a few dozen or so bandits, though after looking around at her surroundings, she gets the feeling that the camp could support around one hundred of them. All of the bandits she does see - both men and women, around one woman for every two men - are dressed and armed similarly to the ones who accosted her, and all of them are giving her looks of either suspicion or curiosity, plainly wondering what this unbound outsider is doing in their camp.

Ailera and Loran soon come to a tent larger than the others, into which Loran pokes his head and informs whoever's inside about Ailera's presence. In response to this, Ailera hears the voice of a young and cocky-sounding man.

"Wants to join us, does she? Send her in."

Loran withdraws his head from the tent, and signals to Ailera that she should enter.

 

[Sherwood]

Ailera ducks her head down and slips into the tent, keeping her wits about her just in case there is a sudden attempt to clonk her upside the head. Once inside, she looks about to see how many people are in there, and where they are in relation to her, trying to identify which person is this leader she is about to speak to.

 

[jaydude]

There's only one other person in the tent with Ailera; a young man with short, reddish-brown hair who wears orange trousers and various scraps of red leather but no shirt, exposing his tattooed and muscled torso, shoulders and arms. (Appearance 4). He is currently sitting down in a wooden chair, against which rests a large guandao of Red Jade, but as he sees Ailera, he leans forward in his seat and looks her over with an expression of amused curiosity.



"I was told that you fought off four of my men on the valley road south of Feren Mine, and that you came here seeking to join my gang." he says to Ailera, sounding friendly, if a bit intrigued about her. "I have to admit, that's unusual for us. Not often that we get people like you wishing to join us out of the blue."

Having spoken, he leans back in his chair. "You claimed to Loran that you could help us improve our profit margins. Care to explain what you were thinking of?"

 

[Rykon]

Ryan takes enough of a drink to wet his throat but nothing more for a moment, taking care to mind his manners before a lady of privilege.

"Ah, let's begin then. Without trying to pry into your personal matters I will simply establish our understanding based on the intelligence at hand, feel free to correct us if you wish."

"To start, I had a need for additional funds and recruits for a rather ambitious venture for a client. With the help of good merchant Quill here we had acquired knowledge of what we came to know as Feren Mine and sought to make profits of our own. It so happens that when we arrived it was occupied by it's namesake and his crew. Naturally, our scout took her liberty of examining the place, peerless talent that she is. We learned that Feren was beset by bandits robbing his shipments, a little God raising hells for his laborers who were vocally at wits end at the whole mess, topped off by efforts to purchase the property from your lovely self. By all accounts, he made you out to be a demon made flesh by how aggravated the tone of those documents were, and naturally was certain you were the architect of the life of misery he was currently embroiled in."

Ryan paused to let those assumptions sink in. "Whether or not such claims as those are accurate, the problem as I see it is thus. He is determined never to sell until his dying breath. You aren't one to let profit go unclaimed either. If I am to assume his hang up is his vendetta with you and his desire to control the property, here is my proposal. Let us make a contract with him for him to exclusively sell to one supplier who will accept goods on site of the mine so that his risk of losses diminishes greatly. We will settle matters with this little spirit, fickle thing it likely is, and agree to purchase his raw materials for resale or use at discounted wholesale prices. We then flip that contract to you for a modest fee, and more modest royalty on the profit margin. You gain exclusive access to all material mined from the property to do with as you wish. Your risk of loss is also reduced as you only pay for already excavated Jade. Additionally what capital that would have been spent can be widely invested elsewhere, as I'm sure you are no doubt capable of doing."

Ryan stopped again before adding a further note. "In his gratitude at our solutions to his woes he will agree to more favorable prices than he otherwise might. Assuming you and Quill can negotiate favorable rates that let you make your intended profit and more, I see no reason as to why we can't all come out as winners here. He already has the place staffed and operating, gains would be near instant. How does this sound to you, my lady?"

 

[Esbilon]

Ysandre

It would be a lie to call the queen-in-exile of Nalia a skilled rider. Like most noble children she has spent time on horseback and learnt how to sit straight on one of man's ancient four-legged friends, but that is where her education ended. For the most part, she would be transported around the capital in a carriage, something she has cause to regret in her new and distinctly carriage-less life. The white mare she found for herself in Marita is a placid beast and for this she is thankful as it carries her towards Ferren's village. It would not do, she thought, for a queen to arrive on foot like a beggar. Even if she would not bring up her status with Ferren, these things still matter.

"Hail, my good man," she addresses the guard when she and her companion come close enough to carry a conversation. "May we enter?"

 

[Sherwood]

"I was told that you fought off four of my men on the valley road south of Feren Mine, and that you came here seeking to join my gang." he says to Ailera, sounding friendly, if a bit intrigued about her. "I have to admit, that's unusual for us. Not often that we get people like you wishing to join us out of the blue."

Having spoken, he leans back in his chair. "You claimed to Loran that you could help us improve our profit margins. Care to explain what you were thinking of?"

Ailera starts to relax a bit when she sees that it is just the two of them in the tent, even if he is some sort of Essence user. Probably a Dragon Blood. I'd best be careful with what I say and do. "Well, I have some info that might be of interest to you, information that I can't act on alone. I would need a group of people willing to play a little rough to pull off what I have in mind, but I'm not planning on sharing any details until I have some assurances that I will get a substantial finders fee for brining this to your attention."

 

[jaydude]

With Ryan and Quill...
Lyla smiles. "I wouldn't have described the disagreements between Juyou Feren and myself as a vendetta on his part, but I suppose that might be one way to describe it." she says. "I have tried to buy the mine in the past, and Juyou's always blamed me for everything that's gone wrong there. With his pride, he'd much rather believe that I'm trying to sabotage him and drive him into bankruptcy, rather than admit that he simply can't turn a profit from his mine."

She takes another sip of wine before speaking again. "You present me with an interesting offer, Ryan. That said, assuming that the bandits and recalcitrant spirit can be dealt with, would it not be cheaper for me in the long term to extract the Jade myself, rather than pay Juyou for what he digs up? He will be charging me more than what he paid to extract the Jade, after all, to ensure that he can make a profit, and that will in turn reduce my own profit margins when I sell the Jade on. Furthermore, from what I have learned through my interactions with him, Juyou would likely not be content with merely selling his Jade to another, and then watching as they in turn sold it to others for more than they paid for it. Why would he be, when he could sell it to those other people for the same price I would charge?"

She leans back on the divan. "You see the problem? With the arrangement that you have suggested, the mine's profits would ultimately end up split between myself, Juyou, and you. Neither he nor I would be content with that."

Spoiler: OOC

You will need a successful Bargain action to make Lyla accept your offer.

With Ysandre and Catseye...
The guard blinks twice, looking surprised to see such a regal woman here, but he soon recovers his composure. "O...of course." he says, stepping aside. "What brings the two of you to Feren Mine, if I may ask?"

With Ailera...
The bandit chief lets out a little chuckle. "You're standing in the middle of my camp, surrounded by dozens of my men. And let me tell you, I didn't become their leader by being weak. I hardly think you're in any position to dictate terms to me. Besides, how do I know that the information you're offering actually has value? I say you tell me it now, without any payment from me, and then I'll decide what to do with it."

Spoiler: OOC

The bandit chief is using a Threaten action (7 dice), while spending four motes of Essence to use Glowing Coal Radiance and gain two automatic successes, and an extra die for each 10 rolled. 5 successes.

 

[Rykon]

Ryan smiled, "For you? Of course it wouldn't be a long term gain to buy the mine. With this offer, you get the profit stream from the mine and one or two additional income streams with other purchases or investments that you can now make because you didn't spend the raw cash or debt on a mine that may dry up. Think of it... having the good grace to save Feren from utter annihilation while preserving his dignity will make you a very appealing option as a business partner and distributor to many other merchants. The assets you could afford to acquire now would help you wrest new opportunities from markets further and further away. Don't lock up that capital for the next five to ten years waiting on that mine to pay for itself."

"You have the ambition to strive for truly legendary results, so I suppose if the prospect of immediate return on investment is insufficient for your goals, are there other services I could offer in addition to the contract that would bridge this gap for you? The business relationship, among other things, is worth the effort." Ryan said, adding somewhat of a suggestive tone toward the end of his offer. "Surely someone of such regal elegance aspires to control more than just the mine alone."

OOC: Going to roll for a Charisma + Presence based bargain counting 2 die for a stunt and assuming another 2 from the minor intimacy. I don't know her resolve, but I'm assuming 5 for the moment given the tenacious resolve she seems known for. Full excellency and a willpower for 5 dice and 1 success. This depletes Ryan's personal motes.

6 successes.

 

[jaydude]

Having heard Ryan's words, Lyla takes a few seconds to consider them, before giving him a smile and a nod of acceptance. "It would seem that my desire to purchase the mine was a short-sighted one. I accept your offer, Ryan. And if Juyou Feren can be persuaded to do the same, I will happily do business with him."

"As for additional services..." she says, before looking up at the ceiling absentmindedly, "...as an entrepreneur and a merchant, I could certainly make use of a band of mercenaries. Tell me, is your group currently free for work?"

 

[Red Shadow Claws]

Quill gained newfound respect to the mercenary. He wasn't just a leader and warrior, but a skilled negotiator. But knowing Ryan's company might need to engage the bandits, when they find them, he decided to offer a twist.
"M'lady, would you be so kind as to tell me, where do you purchase such fine jewelry? I would offer that jeweller an apprenticeship.."

 

[jaydude]

Lyla lets out a small laugh at Quill's question, but smiles as she answers. "I buy my jewelry, and many other things, in Nexus. But I'm afraid the jeweler in question completed his apprenticeship thirty years ago. I buy from the best at their trades."

 

[Red Shadow Claws]

Quill laughs with her, a rumbling laught, from deep in his stomach. "Ah, Nexus, the place where you can buy anything, for the right price, or if you know the right person." And his hands raise in a gesture of 'oh well, I tried', only to pull a single amethyst of bright pink from one of his many hidden pockets. "I don't suppose you've got some silver and gold, for me to try my hand at fashioning a simple piece containing this gem, one that will shine, and yet pale in comparison to your own beauty?" And he phrased it almost like a challenge to her.

 

[jaydude]

Lyla gives Quill a smile and a chuckle at his compliment. "I certainly have gold and silver on me, but how would you craft such a piece? I have no equipment for creating jewelry here, I'm afraid."

 

[Red Shadow Claws]

"As a jeweller, it would be neglectful of me to not bring my own tools with me." Quill tells her, with a playful wink.

 

[Rykon]

In response to Lyla's question, Ryan stated, "That depends on the scope of the job. I have a very large operation to undertake in what I expect to be roughly a season or so from now given anticipated preparations. This deal counts as part of that though. If the job is fairly large, however, it may take some time to get my supplies in order."

At Quill's line of questioning Ryan merely chuckles. "Quill here is the apex of his art. I'm sure whatever he has in mind will be worth seeing."

 

[jaydude]

"I will take your word for that." replies Lyla with a look of intrigue, with regards to Ryan's statement on Quill's abilities as a jeweler, before she stands up. "If the two of you will excuse me, I will get some gold for Quill to work his magic. I keep it in a very sturdy safe, and only I know the combination to it."

She leaves the room, and returns a few minutes later with an ingot of gold, which she presents to Quill before sitting herself down on the side divans, positioning herself close to Ryan and looking at him with an acquisitive eye. "This large operation that you are planning to undertake, Ryan. Would you care to tell me more about it? With my resources and connections, I may well be able to help you with it."

 

[Red Shadow Claws]

Quill thanks her for the ingot of gold, and asks for someone to bring his tools from the package left with Ryan's soldiers.
Once it arrives, he envisions a golden necklace with the Amethyst as it's center piece, and sets to work.
He makes use of his tools, but it seems like his hands are a blur as he works them, creating the jewelry.

Spending 4m on Craftsman Needs No Tools, due to use of tools, spending 6m on Flawless Handiwork Method, gaining reroll 10s until they no longer appear, and spending 7 motes to add 7 dice.

For a total of 12 suxxes on the roll.

 

[Rykon]

Ryan gives a warm smile to the guild princess, taking her hand in his. "Such a generous offer Lady Lyla. I don't want to compromise the trust of my client, just as I would not with yours. I can say it is a matter of conquest for a worthy ruler with a just claim. Afterwards, Quill and I intended to help extract previously untapped resources from the surrounding territories for a handsome share of the bounty as we had all agreed was fair. Ordinarily I would be loathe to divulge more, however, it sounds to me as if you would like to be my sponsor or partner in a more intimate sense. Is this so, my lady?"

 

[jaydude]

Lyla's mouth opens slightly in wonder as she watches Quill craft the necklace, doing so faster than she would have believed possible. Her expression remains the same even after he's completed the necklace, which despite its swift creation is exquisite in its detail and fit for a Dynast, or even the Scarlet Empress.

Dumbstruck as she is, she has to shake her head to try and clear what she just saw when Ryan takes her hand and speaks to her. By the time he's done speaking, she's settled down and put a smile on her face. "At the end of the day, Ryan, my chief motivation for many of the things I do is to maintain or increase my wealth. If I believed that helping you would do the latter, I would do so." she says. "And I wouldn't complain about any other benefits either." she adds in a sultry voice.

Then she gently pulls her hand out of his grip, and looks at both of the two men. "But that aside, I have to ask the two of you something. Quill, you crafted a piece of jewelry fit for a queen or Guild factor within seconds. That's a feat that not even a Dragon-blood from the Realm or Lookshy can pull off, at least as far as I know."

She leans back on the divan, an amused smirk appearing on her face. "Would one of you care to explain?" she asks.

Spoiler: OOC

For crafting the necklace for Ysandre, Quill gets 8 silver xp (3 for upholding his Intimacy of Adoration towards Ysandre, and 5 for using a Craft ability rated at 5 or above)

 

[Rykon]

Ryan knew what that kind of suspicion may lead to and hoped he could spare any direct scrutiny from his friend. "Your men saw my daiklave did they not? Tell us, Attimus, what crossed your mind when you saw it?"

 

[jaydude]

It's Lyla who responds to Ryan's question. "I was told that you had a daiklave with you. A sword that looked like it had been crafted from orichalcum." she says. "In the past few years, I've heard stories about men and women said to have been chosen by the Unconquered Sun. Formidable warriors, stalwart leaders, ingenious savants, cunning criminals and eloquent brokers. Though of course, the Realm, Lookshy and the Immaculate Order consider them kin to demons."

She rolls her eyes as she speaks this last sentence, and looks back towards Ryan. "When I heard about you and your daiklave, I wondered if you were perhaps a God-blood, a Dragon-blood, or one of those they call 'Solars'. Attimus had similar suspicions, which he voiced to me before letting you inside. And now I have seen Quill create such a beautiful necklace in but a few moments."

Then a smile appears on her face. "I do not follow the Immaculate Philosophy, Ryan and Quill. If I did, I would have to kiss the boots and backside of every Dragon-blood I met, because they were supposedly more 'enlightened' than me and the rest of the lowly mortals. We have just agreed on a deal, the three of us. Surely we can be more honest with one another?"

 

[Rykon]

"As you wish." Ryan said with a nod, the mark of the Dawn appeared upon his forehead as it rose. "It is as you say. I am a chosen of the highest war god in the cosmos. My goal is merely to purge the invaders from my homeland, Alsein. I want my people, my soldiers, to have a home to return to. This job I spoke of not the same cause, but it is a stepping stone for me to build my forces up."

Ryan gave a somewhat fatigued smile and took a heavier drink this time. "Truly, it is comforting to be done with such subtleties. I understand your motivations regarding wealth building. Does my agenda pose an obstacle to you?"