Session 20230209 Kajeth City Fraud
General Summary
Same day 3, Calendar
While Lyris was selling the loud hailer (see last session) Bertrum Blumenthal and Nightshade got the same guide as last time and went looking for a bookseller who might have esoetric texts. The guide took them to one who would probably offer a bargain - their platform (Nendir 17) is difficult to reach as it requires climbing a temporary rope ladder after both walkways connecting to the platform were condemned by the Arborists of the Department of Religious and Natural Affairs.
Sun Dappled Stone was eating fried nut bread with Nrelim Naki but got up to show Bertrum around while Nightshade chatted with Naki (who took her over to see Hollow Sendis after she expressed an interest in bird training).
Bertrum's Journal
Dear Journal,
Today's session was a mix of exciting business opportunities and annoying disagreements. Lyris went off on his own to auction off the loud hailer from the previous session, while Nightshade and I (Bertrum) climbed high into the tree city of Kajeth to find a likely bookshop. Our guide told us that the bookshop would be keen to sell and we would likely get a bargain because some of the branches of the huge tree the shop's platform was on had died and many of the paths to the platform were condemned.
Upon arriving at the platform, we found all the businesses there were struggling. Nightshade immediately began speculating on the causes of the tree branches, suspecting foul play, while I focused on finding some books. I managed to find four great books, one on medicine, optics, enchantment, and "The Secrets of Sal Maneth." I bought all the books, which delighted the bookshop owner. He told us that business had been terrible since the paths to the platform were condemned.
Afterward, Nightshade and I were conversing with a baker and a trainer of intelligent herons on the platform, discussing the possibility of using the herons for local parcel delivery. A wealthy noble walked in and became curious about our business discussions. He was inquiring about the repayment of a loan he had made to the merchants. After he left, we politely inquired about the merchants' financial situation and offered to pay off their loan for a 50% share in the new courier business. However, this is where things started to become annoying. Nightshade suspected that the noble had arranged for the paths to the platform to be condemned, and she believed that I should confront the arborist and try to get to the bottom of the conspiracy. I told her that there was very little we could do as outsiders and that our interference with a noble would bring nothing but trouble. Nightshade brought my morality into question, which I strongly objected to. I explained to her that I was getting the merchants out of a bind by paying off their debt and working on a plan for them to start a new business that would both be profitable and help their failing businesses. Her attitude annoyed me, and I felt like she was trying to give me lessons on morality, which I took offense to. I am confident in my own moral compass and did not appreciate her questioning it.
That night I spoke to Fruitful Scrupulence from our caravan over dinner at the inn. We discussed the courier business opportunity and he helped me develop a business plan. He also asked me if I could redesign the structures on the back of the Yedim, so that the whole caravan could ride them. I said I could do this, but we would need to stay in town a bit longer while I and a crew of craftsmen built them. The noble was obviously not happy about us paying off the loan, which lends credence to Nightshade's conspiracy theory, but hopefully, with the new business up and running, the merchants will be able to keep their stores and outlast him. It seems he was trying to acquire their property at a bargain price by driving them into debt and out of business, but our intervention has put a stop to his plan.
Best regards,
Bertrum
Afterward, Nightshade and I were conversing with a baker and a trainer of intelligent herons on the platform, discussing the possibility of using the herons for local parcel delivery. A wealthy noble walked in and became curious about our business discussions. He was inquiring about the repayment of a loan he had made to the merchants. After he left, we politely inquired about the merchants' financial situation and offered to pay off their loan for a 50% share in the new courier business. However, this is where things started to become annoying. Nightshade suspected that the noble had arranged for the paths to the platform to be condemned, and she believed that I should confront the arborist and try to get to the bottom of the conspiracy. I told her that there was very little we could do as outsiders and that our interference with a noble would bring nothing but trouble. Nightshade brought my morality into question, which I strongly objected to. I explained to her that I was getting the merchants out of a bind by paying off their debt and working on a plan for them to start a new business that would both be profitable and help their failing businesses. Her attitude annoyed me, and I felt like she was trying to give me lessons on morality, which I took offense to. I am confident in my own moral compass and did not appreciate her questioning it.
That night I spoke to Fruitful Scrupulence from our caravan over dinner at the inn. We discussed the courier business opportunity and he helped me develop a business plan. He also asked me if I could redesign the structures on the back of the Yedim, so that the whole caravan could ride them. I said I could do this, but we would need to stay in town a bit longer while I and a crew of craftsmen built them. The noble was obviously not happy about us paying off the loan, which lends credence to Nightshade's conspiracy theory, but hopefully, with the new business up and running, the merchants will be able to keep their stores and outlast him. It seems he was trying to acquire their property at a bargain price by driving them into debt and out of business, but our intervention has put a stop to his plan.
Best regards,
Bertrum
Missions/Quests Completed
Started a delivery business where people on the ground buy from a single stall or wandering seller (starting with the latter, Sun Dappled Stone) but the goods are then brought down by a diving heron trained by Nrelim Naki. Bertrum Blumenthal bought in (using the proceeds of Lyris selling a loud hailer) by paying off the loans owed by the other three partners to Lahgren Drolos
Report Date
09 Feb 2023
Primary Location
Secondary Location
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