Part 19: Wherein we get bored stiff by merchants

: Northward bound! On to Neverwinter!



: Hold up, our boss asked us to set up a trade post in a Sword Coast town as soon as we could. She wants to get her merchant company back on their feet.
: Didn't realize we'd signed on for adventures in accounting.
: It should only take a moment…



: Is that all? I thought commerce was at least a little more complicated than asking.
: We're not done yet. Next we need to set up a caravan to take goods to Crossroad Keep, hire a trader to man the post, find a market for our goods - we have a contact in West Harbour who can sell us some good mead…
: Commercial venture management! _Woooo…

Editor's Note:

For the sake of brevity, I have streamlined those parts of the chronicle dealing with the economic activities of Sa'Sani's Merchant Company carried out by Pick, Agda, and the other six members of our party of interest. Though no doubt of interest to an economic history of the Sword Coast, their contributions to society remain firmly rooted in the realm of adventure, politics, and battle than they do in trade. Suffice it to say that I will mention those detours and trading missions of most historical relevance to our purpose and leave out the day-to-day minutia where possible.

Should one be interested in said minutia, consider as a companion reader the works of Variel, the majordomo of Sa'Sani's house. Though her commitment to the fine details of ore processing, caravan hiring, and lumber grading likely made her a less than desirable dinner guest in life, posterity sees her memoirs of working to rebuild the shattered economy of the sword coast as a harrowing adventure along the careening peaks and valleys of financial ruin. At least, that is what my economics degree bearing fellows tell me of her work, for the layperson six hundred pages of spreadsheet records is somewhat less revealing.



: I'm gonna be so glad to be back! Neverwinter's my favourite city.
: It does have its charms, we found our best work there certainly.
: Yeah, that town crier job was the best.
: I preferred the three weeks we spent as rat-catchers. You two ever been to Neverwinter?



: All the time! When Agda lived on the Sword Coast it was adventure-central!
: I wasn't a fan… maybe it was just me, but for some reason every time I visited they'd completely changed the layout.
: It does have a certain tendency to get wiped offa the face of the world then get rebuilt every few years.
: That's the best part! It's like visiting a new city every time.



: Glad we helped pay the city defense!
: Please. The only defense that money's going to is protecting the guard's pocket from cold.



: Ahhhh, good to be back. Quick! Race to the Wailing Wench! Last one there pays!
: Not so fast. We're on business - we've got to get Sa'Sani affiliated with a Sword Coast merchant company and find clues about her missing associates.
: Whenever I went missing in Neverwinter, the Wailing Wench was always a good place to start looking.



: Um… is this all of the city we get to see? I kind of wanted to go see the docks again…
: At least we're up above the city noise and dirty air.
: We must have caught them between devastations.



: That is one seriously swanky temple!
: Is that… real gold finish?
: Heel, boy!
: It is the temple of Waukeen, goddess of the coin. Not one of my favourite deities, but a good place to start looking both for clues and business partners.



: And even spacious on the inside. Velvet cushions on the pews… this goddess sure knows how to run an operation.
: And that is the bother with Waukeen. It's easy to be loved when your portfolio is literally profit.



: Come on, let's go - I smell a scam brewing
: Why? Tam-tam lady seemed nice!
: Yeah maybe, but she's got that look like she's ready to spring a timeshare pitch on us.



: If Agda were a temple-looting kind of girl, Agda'd remember to hit up some Waukeen shrines in the future.
: A wise move, if you can overcome the safeguards. All this gold pays for a lot of security.
: Aye, I'd think twice afore trying to throw out any money-lenders from this temple. They'd probably have burly men with cushions ready to catch 'em.



: Right, this here's the Circle of Friends. Good lot, if I recall.



: Did anybody get all that?
: Circle of friends: friendly.
: Oh. Good for them!
: Yeah, but they don't know much about our missing associates. Let's keep asking around.



: Forgotten Lords. Don't know much about 'em to be honest.
: The forgotten lords? How perfectly generic. Did they pull that name from a hat?



: More like the forgotten bores.
: Still nothing. That leaves us one more merchant company.



: That's red paint on the columns, right?
: Don't worry, from what I remember the Fated Winds are too cheap for real blood.



: Dang, I thought I had him. He probably doesn't take me seriously because he's so much taller than us. Wish Cornelius was still here to make me bigger.
: Same here!





: So… totally above-board if you ask me.
: Not sure about it, but I think these guys might be up to something!



: Well we didn't learn anything about those missing associates, but we did learn about the merchant companies. Sa'Sani left it up to us to pick one for her merchant company to join.
: Right, well Calanire, you're probably in favour of the fated winds, right?
: What, just because the word wind is in their name? Do you think me that simple?
: Cool off, Calanire, nobody thinks you're an… air head! *snrk!*
: Nice.
: This is what I put up with. Akadi lend me strength.
: Hey, remember when Volo asked us to ask merchants about being merchants for a new book?
: Wait, you two know Volothamp-
: Not as exciting as you'd think. Good point though, Agda. Maybe finding out more about each company would help us decide.



: Helpful, if a bit sappy.
: I'm confused… are they a merchant company, or a knitting circle?



: Bet she's fun at parties.
: To hear this anecdote again, please deposit two gold coins. Beep boop, I am a golem.



: Five hundred gold? Pick paid that?
: Already planning on stealing it back, don't worry. Right, so now we know a little more about each of them.
: I like the circle of friends. Something about the idea… better friends to watch your back and purse than a bunch of back-stabbing profit-mongers.
: We've never had a purse to watch until now, unless someone was terribly interested in the dead beetles Haalgrad found in his beard.
: Um… right. Circle of friends it is then.





: So the big jerk from earlier knows something, huh? Agda says we give him the once-over 'till he talks!



: What are we doing now? Do you want me to head-butt him?
: No! No. I'll just try to interrogate him.



: I think he's my least favourite old man.
: Never thought Agda'd say this, but if Heronius were here we'd have gotten what we needed out of the bastard.
: Send a bastard to get a bastard I guess. We should head back and talk to Sa'Sani, get some direction.



: This commute's a killer. See about talking to your boss lady and getting some public transport put in, would you?
: At least rush-hour traffic is over. Being stuck nose-to-backside in mules makes it hard to breath.
: It ain't any better at this height, princess.



: She doesn't look very impressed with us.
: It' nothing personal. It's just her old muscle used to be a lot more…
: Muscle-y.



: Better give her the full story, even if she's not gonna like it.



: Looks like we're heading back. Let's take the night here and return in the morning.



: It's a bright new day! Let's go exploring!
: Later, maybe. Come on, we have to get to Neverwinter as early as we can.
: If Agda loses another day doing business with business people Agda's gonna let the morning star do the talking.





: Just a bit of friendly insurrection, huh?
: I admit, I hadn't expected the circle of friends to make us paramilitary commandos.
: Wooo! Finally some kinda merchant work Agda can get in on! Hostile takeovers!



: Port Llast is far north of Neverwinter. We must move quickly to get there before it gets dark.



: Looks like a storm's brewin'.
: A very, unnaturally localized storm. I sense a divine hand in this, but not my own patron's.



: Charming. I suppose you get used to the rain?
: I don't think I've been here before.
: What are you talking about? We met in Port Llast!
: Really? Can't remember it that clearly. There was a pretty big bar brawl that night, had a whole lot of head-butting to do.



: Weren't we supposed to invade the port?
: Uh… seems kind of sudden, doesn't it? I mean what do we do, just shout "this is an invasion!" and start attacking the guards?
: Have you never invaded a town before? You don't write up a formal letter of inquiry, you just start swinging!
: Sounds sort of rude.



: Maybe we should see the man in charge, explain our position.
: Oooh, good idea. Excuse me, Mr. Captain, but we're here to throw you out on your backside. Just thought you should know.
: We may need to take a number. It appears his hands are already full.



: Two gold says whatever it is we gotta deal with it.

: No bet.



: There he is! Quick, run him through!
: Keep your voice down! Listen, maybe we should hear his position.



: See? He's not defenceless, look at that vicious counter-attack of words!
: This town is truly plagued with miseries. At least for once we won't want for work.



: Maybe take a night and think about it, huh? Agda's tired from the walk and invading on an empty stomach sucks.
: Ahhhh, now you're talking sense! Taverns! Real revolutionary material.



: Now that's a bit more like it! I've started a few revolts in my day at the side of a keg.
: Don't sell yourself short, Haalgrad, you're revolting wherever you go.



: Bartenders always know what's up.



: Wow, that guy was seriously well-informed.
: Can we go to bed now? I'm tired of trying to keep track of everything.
: Assuming we can find a safe place to sleep, it's probably time toIAK!



: That drunk put his hand on me!



: Don't be so hasty, Calanire! Drunks, now they know what's going on. This man's probably a wellspring of information.
: A wellspring of urine and roving hands, perhaps.



: You know any other time that story would be nothing but drunk talk, but since we're adventurers there's like a 90% chance of that being totally true and really important.
: Now Pick's getting the hang of it!





Meanwhile



: Well, this is the place. I suppose that makes you… Mr. Al'Mohammed?



: Please, call me Moe.