Warden-Director Cuepidity

"Blue eyes, you old rogue, what brings you over to these docks? I thought you were forbidden to be seen with the likes of me?"

"I got dispensation, from the council. I bring you over the proposals from the negotiations with the teal-and-gold, and the black-and-steel."

"Are we really negotiating with the teal-and-gold, those upstarts?"

"Better to negotiate at a table, and get the price you want, than negotiate at swordpoint, and get a price you cannot afford, so said the council."

"Are they really such fools? We've ten times their numbers!"

"Aye, but they have chosen, and in numbers, and in quality, if you count the Peaches."

"Bah!" He spat. "Foolishness! Your father would not have stooped so low!"

"He tried to negotiate to my swordpoint, your point?"

"Ah, quite."

"I've proven, to the council's satisfaction, at least, that angering them serves us no purpose, and brings us no profit. I never said we would be under their boot forever. But, as I told my father, dead guildsmen make no trades!"

"Quite!" I read the proposals. "But they will hold more territory within the city than we do!"

"So has every other factor I've shown these proposals said."

"Why?" i sputtered indignantly.

"How easy is it, to defend territory in Nighthammer Pool, or Nighthammer District, or heavens forfend, Nexus District, pray tell?"

"Difficult, difficult and costly, almost unprofitable..."

"And so we give them more territory they can defend, and take it back, within the rules, and come out the wiser..."

"Not as easy as you make it."

"No, but if anything tampers the powers of their exalts is that they each can only be in one place at a time..."

"How many do they have?"

"Two dozens, at least, from our count."

"Do we have any files on them?"

— Director Blue Eyes' diary.