The Liber Quaestus

The holy book of Lucrumis-Aurur available for purchase in the gift shop at any of his temples.
The Great River is the main spiritual concept that drives worshipers of Lucrumis-Aurur.
Lucrumis-Aurur saw the world as having millions of people, all with too much of one, and not enough of the other, with the Great River flowing through them all, from have to want and back again. As such, it was the force that bound the world together. To get everything you desire in life, you had to have your ship navigate the river with entrepreneurial skill and grace. In practice, this meant that material taken from one area had to be replaced or paid for through another means, while avoiding obstacles and pitfalls. If one region had a shortage of one type of good, but a surfeit of another, while another region had too much of the former good and a shortage of the latter, then the Great River would carry the excess of the one region to ease the dearth in the other. Lucrumis-Aurur noted that the river could be very treacherous.
The River formed the moral center for trading society. By successfully navigating the River, a great businessman could ensure that people everywhere benefited from his own self-interest by each receiving what he or she wanted. The Grand Broker in particular was responsible for standing "at the bow of the economy's ship of state", navigating the waters of the Great River, avoiding the shoals of bankruptcy and seeking the strong winds of prosperity. Should a devout trader chart a profitable course through the great river upon their death their soul may buy their way into The Aurate Bazaar and exist in the luxury infinite wealth can buy forever.
The latter section of the book is a list of laws set down by Lucrumis-Aurur to guide his followers down The River. Though it is rumoured that the naming choice of The Laws of Investment was a marketing ploy as nobody would buy a book entitled The Suggestions of Investment.
Many of the original laws have been lost to time but contained within is a copy of the current list.

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The Liber Quaestus

1 Once you have their money... you never give it back.
2 The best deal is the one that brings the most profit.
2 Money is everything.
3 Never spend more for an acquisition than you have to.
5 Always exaggerate your estimates.
6 Never allow family to stand in the way of opportunity.
7 Keep your ears open.
8 Small print leads to large risk.
9 Opportunity plus instinct equals profit.
10 Greed is eternal.
13 Anything worth doing is worth doing for money.
14 Sometimes the quickest way to find profits is to let them find you.
15 Dead men close no deals.
16 A deal is a deal... until a better one comes along.
17 A contract is a contract is a contract... but only between Traders
18 A trader without profit is no trader at all.
19 Satisfaction never guaranteed
20 He who dives under the table today lives to profit tomorrow.
21 Never place friendship above profit.
22 A wise man can hear profit in the wind.
23 Nothing is more important than your health... except for your money.
27 There's nothing more dangerous than an honest businessman.
29 What's in it for me?
30 Confidentiality equals profit.
31 Never make fun of a traders family. Insult something he cares about instead.
33 It never hurts to suck up to the boss.
34 War is good for business.
35 Peace is good for business.
37 The early investor reaps the most interest.
39 Don't tell customers more than they need to know.
40 She can touch your heart but never your gold.
41 Profit is its own reward.
43 Feed your greed, but not enough to choke it.
44 Never confuse wisdom with luck.
45 Expand or die.
47 Don't trust a man wearing a better robe than your own.
48 The bigger the smile, the sharper the knife.
52 Never ask when you can take.
53 Never trust anybody taller than you.
54 Rate divided by time equals profit. The velocity of profit.
55 Take joy from profit, and profit from joy.
57 Good customers are as rare as gold—treasure them.
58 There is no substitute for success.
59 Free advice is seldom cheap.
60 Keep your lies consistent.
62 The riskier the road, the greater the profit.
63 Work is the best therapy-at least for your employees.
65 Win or lose, there's always spice.
66 Someone's always better.
68 Risk doesn't always equal reward.
69 Traders are not responsible for the stupidity of other people.
74 Knowledge equals profit.
75 Home is where the heart is... but the horizon are made of gold.
76 Every once in a while, declare peace. It confuses the hell out of your enemies.
77 If you break it, I'll charge you for it!
79 Beware of the Mage's greed for knowledge.
82 The flimsier the product, the higher the price.
85 Never let the competition know what you're thinking.
87 Learn the customer's weaknesses, so that you can better take advantage of him.
88 It ain't over 'til its over.
88 Vengeance will cost you everything
89 Ask not what your profits can do for you, but what you can do for your profits.
89 It is better to lose some profit and live than lose all profit and die.
92 There are many paths to profit.
94 Lovers and finance don't mix
95 Expand or die.
97 Enough... is never enough.
98 Every man has his price.
98 If you can't take it with you, don't go.
99 Trust is the biggest liability of all.
100 When it's good for business, tell the truth.
101 Profit trumps emotion.
102 Nature decays, but gold lasts forever.
104 Faith moves mountains... of inventory.
106 There is no honor in poverty.
108 Hope doesn't pay the bills.
109 Dignity and an empty sack is worth the sack.
110 Exploitation begins at home.
111 Treat people in your debt like family... exploit them.
112 Never sleep with the boss' sister.
113 Always sleep with the boss.
117 You can't free a fish from water.
121 Everything is for sale, even friendship.
123 Even a blind man can recognize the glow of gold.
125 You can't make a deal if you're dead.
135 Listen to secrets, but never repeat them.
139 Spouses serve, siblings inherit.
141 Only fools pay retail.
144 There's nothing wrong with charity... as long as it winds up in your pocket.
147 People love the tavern keeper
151 Even when you're a customer, sell yourself.
153 Sell the sizzle, not the steak.
162 Even in the worst of times someone turns a profit.
168 Whisper your way to success.
177 Know your enemies... but do business with them always.
181 Not even dishonesty can tarnish the shine of profit.
183 When life hands you sour grapes, make vinegar.
184 A good trader waits to bid until his opponents have exhausted themselves.
188 Not even dishonesty can tarnish the shine of profit.
189 Let others keep their reputation. You keep their money.
190 Hear all, trust nothing.
192 Never cheat a warrior... unless you're sure you can get away with it.
193 Trouble comes in threes.
193 It's never too late to fire the staff.
194 It's always good business to know about new customers before they walk in your door.
199 Location, location, location.
200 A trader chooses no side but his own
202 The justification for profit is profit.
203 New customers are like sugar snakes. They can be succulent, but sometimes they bite back.
208 Sometimes, the only thing more dangerous than a question is an answer.
211 Employees are the rungs on the ladder of success. Don't hesitate to step on them.
212 A good lie is easier to believe than the truth.
214 Never begin a (business) negotiation on an empty stomach.
216 Never gamble with a Psion.
217 You can't free a fish from water.
218 Always know what you're buying.
218 Sometimes what you get free costs entirely too much.
219 Possession is eleven-tenths of the law!
223 Beware the man who doesn't take time for pleasure.
227 If that's what's written, then that's what's written.
229 Gold lasts longer than lust.
235 Duck; death is tall.
236 You can't buy fate.
239 Never be afraid to mislabel a product.
240 Time, like gold, is a highly limited commodity.
242 More is good... all is better.
243 Always leave yourself an out.
255 A wife is luxury... a smart accountant a neccessity.
257 When the messenger comes to appropriate your profits, kill the messenger.
261 A wealthy man can afford anything except a conscience.
263 Never allow doubt to tarnish your greed for gold
266 When in doubt, lie.
267 If you believe it, they believe it.
272 Always inspect the merchandise before making a deal.
280 If it ain't broke, don't fix it.
284 Deep down, everyone's a trader.
285 No good deed ever goes unpunished.
431 When the fighting starts, let the mercenaries handle it!
not given Always get somebody else to do the lifting.
not given Never get into anything that you can't get out of
not given A man is only worth the sum of his possessions.
not given An angry man is an enemy, and a satisfied man is an ally.
not given The less employees know about the cash flow, the smaller the share they can demand.
not given Only a fool passes up a business opportunity.
not given The more time they take deciding, the more money they will spend. not given A bargain usually isn't.

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Type

Text, Religious

Medium

Metal

Authors

• Lucrumis-Aurur