"Do you find yourself needing a horse, but unsure where to get one? Is your Aunt Mathilda tired of lending you her donkey? Are you trying to figure out the logistics of your cross-Kingdom journey? For all these troubles and more, come visit your local Stable Association today!"
This advertisement is not an indication of availability and is subject to terms and conditions, including your Aunt Mathilda's.
The
Spring Kingdom Stable Association (SKSA) is an organization that maintains a network of stables across the Spring Kingdom. Travelers and locals alike can rent and stable their mounts at each location. Some locations are also willing to negotiate sales of livestock between other parties, such as you and your Aunt Mathilda.
Operations
Each Stable Association is run by a Stable Master who reports to the original Stable in
Vivaria. Each stable must adhere to a set of guidelines, mostly to do with base costs and services rendered. However, beyond those rules, Stable Masters have free reign to run their businesses a they see fit as long as they stick to the general norms of
Springish hospitality.
Services
Renting
By far the most popular service the SKSA offers. Many a tourist will rent a horse for their use throughout their time in the Spring Kingdom and return the creature to the same stable from which they rented it. More serious travelers may pay to switch out tired horses for fresh ones at a stable mid-journey in order to maintain their speed. Locals will often rent sturdy work horses to help with a tough job rather than shelling out the significantly higher cost to obtain and maintain their own. And if you find that you are highly attached to the animal you've rented, you can always inquire about purchasing them at the nearest location!
Simply pay a 50gp deposit up front and get a slip with the date inscribed on it, then return the slip when turning the animal back in. A cost of 1gp per day plus wear and tear will be removed from the 50gp and the rest will be returned.
How convenient!
Stabling
Slightly less popular a service, but important nonetheless. Travelers will pay for short-term stabling while in town to give their mount a solid place to rest. Locals will pay for long-term stabling in order to not have to deal with building accomodations on their own land or taking up valuable space in the Weave. Some locations will also offer other luxury services with their lodging, such as grooming, enchanted feed, and coat-dyeing!
The standard rate for short-term stabling is 2gp per half-day, which includes food and water. The standard rate for long-term stabling is 2gp per day for a minimum of fifteen days. Long-term customers are required to provide a form of collateral in the form of a cash deposit or valuable in order to get the long-term rate.
So reasonable!
Negotiation
Okay, we'll be honest. Only one location runs into this enough to consistently offer the service. We don't know what's up with
Tippercow that means that so many livestock sales happen so contentiously that they need to pay a third party to mediate. We assume it has to do with somebody's aunt.
History
In 838 A.D., Nathanyell Stone had an idea.
Nathanyell was a dirt salesman in Vivaria. One day, he overheard his boss complaining that a family member wouldn't lend him a mount to get to Herselton. Nathanyell's boss often traveled to Herselton to visit his mistress, and therefore thought it prudent not to purchase himself a horse in case that tipped off his husband that he was having an affair. Nathanyell, who had to be a good salesman in order to sell dirt in the Spring Kingdom, offered to lend his boss the use of his horse. For a price. An exorbitant one.
After a highly successful year of charging his boss to use his horse (and after his boss got caught and therefore moved to Herselton to be with his mistress), Nathanyell decided to make it a business. Nathanyell officially opened the first location of the Spring Kingdom Stable Association in 839. Nathanyell's former boss headed up the opening of the second location in Herselton shortly thereafter.
Locations
Chippinshire
Herselton
Tippercow
Vivaria (HQ)
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