[Business] - The Skylance Pirates

[Tio Silver]

THE SKYLANCE PIRATES

• Character Name: Tio Silver
• Current Wage: 10gn per day
• Profession's Main Skill: Tactics (30)
• Business Management Skill: 30
• Business Name: The Skylance Pirates
• Business Location: Port Diablo, Almund, Scalvoris
• Type of Business: Pirate Crew
• Business Description: One of thenewest pirate crews operating around Scalvoris, the Skylance Pirates prey on the merchant ships between Scalvoris, Viden and Rynmere, and have been steadily gaining quite a bit of notoriety due to their long string of sucsesses. The most notable feature about this crew is that all members, from captain to cabin boy, wear masks to conceal their faces during raids, both as a means of intimidating their targets and protecting their true identities from reprisals.
  
  The vast majority of the crew's income comes from raiding merchant ships and stealing their trade goods, then selling them in bulk on the black market back on Scalvoris for roughly half their value. The low price ensures that they can sell all their cargo very quickly, and that the buyers won't ask too many questions about how they got them. Occasionally however they resort to other activities such a mercenary work, smuggling, and hunting for buried treasure.
• Loan Amount: 5000gn (Paid off)
• Number of Employees: 1 PC, 2 Business NPCs, 10 City NPCs, 40 Faceless NPCs.
• Shop Details:

  The King of Imps

  The King of Imps: The ship of the Skylance Pirates and Tio's pride and joy; the King of Imps is a galleon class vessel outfitted to be fast and powerful during raids, but able to transport a large amount of cargo afterwards. It has the firepower and durability to outmatch anything short of a tallship in a head on battle, and can handle travel across all the oceans of Idalos. It is distinctive for the reddish hue of the wood it is made out of and the golden figure head of an imp with a crown and sceptre. Because his Tarouz familiar, the peacock Diva, remains in her nest built at the top of the tallest mast and spies on the world down below for him Tio knows pretty much everything that happens on or around its deck. Details: A galleon class vessel. Price: 20,000gn

  Windwing Stables

  Windwing Stables: A large stables, previously successfully run, before it was bought by Tio to serve as a secret storehouse for the loot plundered by the Skylance Pirates. On the outside it appears to be a small, semi-retired stable run by Tio's three wards (Wren, Deliliah and Emma) and it is possible to purchase horses from the place. However if anyone was to properly investigate the place they might find the stacks of crates filling empty rooms and the frequent visits by members of io's crew suspicious. Details: 2 bedrooms, 2 receptions, 1 x business property. Price:10,000gn

• Inventory:

Item	Price	Description
Barrel of Wheat Flour	250gn	A barrel containing 100 pounds of wheat flour.
Barrel of Sugar	200gn	A barrel containing 100 pounds of sugar.
Barrel of Mint	50gn	A small barrel containing 100 ounces of mint.
Barrel of Paprika	200gn	A small barrel containing 100 ounces of paprika.
Barrel of Peppercorns	100gn	A small barrel containing 100 ounces of peppercorns.
Crate of Iron	100gn	A crate containing 100 ingots of iron.
Crate of Linen	150gn	A crate containing 100 yards of linen.
Crate of Leather	400gn	A crate containing 100 yards of leather.

[Tio Silver]

Crew List

Business NPCs

Grace Gallilago

Name: Grace Gallilago
Race: Eidisi
Date of Birth: 45th Zi'da, 696
Skills: Mathematics (30), Logistics (40), Forgery (30), Linguistics (30).
Personality: Logical and sensible, Grace is very much in touch with her Eidisi heritage and wants missions to be done as efficiently and cost effectively as possible. As quartermaster Grace is the second most powerful person on the crew, lesser only to the captain, as when out of combat she has the power to veto any decision if she deems it not in the crews best interests. It is her job to provide the crew with food and payment, make sure they perform their day-to-day tasks, keep the ship running smoothly, keep track of all the supplies and loot, deal with lesser problems and make sure that the will of the crew is heard by the captain. However her position is one she was democratically elected into by the rest of the crew, and as such her power depends on her staying in their good graces.

Grace tends to be rather sarcastic and quick to criticize, and so strictly devoted to efficiency that she comes across as a bit of a killjoy. However nobody can deny that she has a quick, keen mind, nor that she knows how to be charming when she wants to be. The perfect balance she strikes between being compassionate and tough is what keeps the crew orderly and hardworking without feeling taken advantage of, and without her around the Skylance Pirates would fall apart very quickly.
Job Role: Quartermaster
Thread List:
Birth of the Skylance Pirates
Flight of the Hearty Salmon
Stalemate
Yet The Resolute Never Give In To Darkness
Training Camp
High Sea Kidnapping
A Hostage Situation
Skill Ledger:

Skill Name	Increase	Total
Mathematics	+25	25
Linguistics	+25	25
Logistics	+25	25
Forgery	+25	25
Mathematics	+5	30
Logistics	+5	30
Linguistics	+5	30
Forgery	+5	30
Logistics	+10	40

Teddie Wrathbone

Name: Teddie Wrathbone
Race: Human
Date of Birth: 20th Ymiden, 693
Skills: Strength (40), Endurance (30), Discipline (30), Brawling (30).
Personality: Loyal and courageous, but fairly blunt and simple. Teddie is Tio's best buddy and follows his orders, even if he doesn't quite understand the entire plan. As first mate Teddie acts as Tio's right hand, enforcing his authority among the crew and protecting him from danger. During combat he tends to either take charge of defending the ship or leading the raiding party, whichever one the captain is not heading himself, and out of combat is responsible for organising guards to protect the ship and weeding out mutineers.

Teddie is not a smart man, but his simplistic view on life gives him a straightforward and honest personality rarely found in criminals. His strength and loyalty are great assets, though his susceptibility to manipulation makes it possible for them to be turned against him without someone to guide him. Occasionally his bluntness reveals a form of intelligence in itself, for when other members of the crew overthink simple problems it is his advice that sets them straight.
Job Role: First Mate
Thread List:
Birth of the Skylance Pirates
Flight of the Hearty Salmon
Stalemate
Yet The Resolute Never Give In To Darkness
Training Camp
High Sea Kidnapping
A Hostage Situation
Skill Ledger:

Skill Name	Increase	Total
Strength	+25	25
Endurance	+25	25
Discipline	+25	25
Brawling	+25	25
Strength	+5	30
Endurance	+5	30
Discipline	+5	30
Brawling	+5	30
Strength	+10	40

Rhea

Name: Rhea
Race: Human
Date of Birth: 4th of Zi'da, 692
Skills: Acrobatics (25), Blades - Dagger (25), Poisons (25), Stealth (25).
Personality: The textbook definition of an Ice Queen, Rhea rarely speaks a word to anyone, preferring instead to scowl at everyone with her frosty glare. Rhea never talks about her past or where she picked up the skills that she possesses, and sends anyone who tries to inquire about her scurrying with their tails between their legs. Although she works with the rest of the crew Rhea deliberately keeps herself socially withdrawn from them; she sits alone in a dark corner and watches, but never joins in.
Job Role: Assassin
Thread List:
Nothing yet.
Skill Ledger:

Skill Name	Increase	Total
Acrobatics	+25	25
Stealth	+25	25
Poison	+25	25
Blades: Dagger	+25	25

Lunacy Jack

Name: Lunacy Jack
Race: Mixed-race (human+sev'ryn)
Date of Birth: Unknown
Skills: Alchemy (25), Chemistry (25), Gardening (25), Meditation (25).
Personality: Nobody knows precisely what Lunacy Jack's real name is, but a hundred different theories exist as to what made him the undoubtedly insane man that he is today. Some say that he was raised on Desnid among the Sev'ryn, but was exiled after he broke an ancient tradition and trapped a malicious spirit inside of himself in an attempt to see the future. Some say that he shared a bed with Kata herself, which was such a singularly euphoric and terrifying experience that it shattered his mind. And some simply claim that all the drugs he likes to cook up in his spare time have altered his mind into that of a monster. Whatever the truth though nobody can deny that the substances he cooks up give the crew a mindless fury that provides them with the edge they need in combat.
Job Role: Second Mate
Thread List:
Nothing yet.
Skill Ledger:

Skill Name	Increase	Total
Alchemy	+25	25
Chemistry	+25	25
Gardening	+25	25
Meditation	+25	25

City NPCs

Roger Banders

Name: Roger Banders
Race: Human
Date of Birth: 24th Saun, 690
Skills: Seafaring (40), Blades - Cutlass (30), Ranged Combat - Pistol Crossbow (20), Swimming (10).
Personality: Outspoken and arrogant, Roger is the kind of person who can only see outside his own interests if it's clearly pointed out to him. Fortunately he came to terms with his nature long ago and wears it with pride, which gives him a certain charm that makes his selfishness strangely appealing.
Job Role: Sailor

Harvald Plume

Name: Harvald Plume
Race: Human
Date of Birth: 3rd Zi’da, 690
Skills: Seafaring (40), Ranged Combat - Pistol Crossbow (30), Blades - Dagger (20), Swimming (10).
Personality: Harvald likes to play the tough guy, and puts a lot of effort into keeping up the front of a rugged and vicious buccaneer around the rest of the crew. In truth however Harvald is a big softie at heart, the kind that can't turn away a stray kitten that looks a little hungry, and tries to help people wherever he can even if he says he doesn't want to.
Job Role: Sailor

Kai'ran

Name: Kai’ran
Race: Sev’ryn
Date of Birth: 1st Saun, 687
Skills: Seafaring (40), Ranged Combat - Bow (30), Linguistics (20), Swimming (10).
Personality: Reserved and brooding, Kai’ran is the kind of man who prefers his own company and only speaks when he has something worth saying. His advice, when given, usually betrays a wisdom in him very uncommon is his profession, but often seems to conveniently offer justification for whatever crime the crew is about to commit.
Job Role: Sailor

Mila Benns

Name: Mila Benns
Race: Human
Date of Birth: 31st Ashan, 691
Skills: Seafaring (40), Blades - Cutlass (30), Ranged Combat - Pistol Crossbow (20), Swimming (10).
Personality: Mila’s personality can be quite nicely summed up in a series of kicks. Piss her off, she'll kick you. Embarrass her, she'll kick you. Serve her food she doesn't like and, you guessed it, she'll kick you. It's not that she's a particular angry or moody woman, it's just that she's a firm believer that actions speak louder than words and prefers to express her emotions in a medium people won't be forgetting anytime soon.
Job Role: Sailor

Michael Turnin

Name: Michael Turnin
Race: Human
Date of Birth: 17th Saun, 679
Skills: Seafaring (40), Blades - Greatsword (30), Strength (20), Fishing (10).
Personality: Nobody is quite sure if the reason why Michael never says a word about his life outside the crew is because there's nothing interesting to say, or because it's so interesting that he needs to hide it. Whatever the case Michael is certainly the most diligent and hardworking member of the crew, and takes it upon himself to handle the odd little tasks that the crew faces from time to time.
Job Role: Sailor

Luca Condor

Name: Luca Condor
Race: Human
Date of Birth: 32nd Cylus, 680
Skills: Cooking (40), Baking (30), Blades - Cutlass (20), Strength (10).
Personality: Luca lives by the philosophy that what doesn't kill you makes you stronger, and it shows in the meals he creates for the rest of the crew to consume. While undeniable nutritious and healthy, the taste leaves much to be desired, and all too often his habit of blending cooking styles from various cultures leaves people questioning if he was actually trained as a proper chef or not.
Job Role: Chef

Garozz the Hairy

Name: Garozz the Hairy
Race: Lotharro
Date of Birth: 8th Cylus, 690
Skills: Medicine (40), Surgery (30), Poisons (20), Blades - Knife (10).
Personality: So named because an experimental potion caused every inch of his skin, except upon his head, to grow a thick layer of hair. Garozz became a back alley doctor when he was deemed too unsanitary to work in a professional hospital any more. Despite no longer being a real doctor Garozz follows the doctors tenants to do now harm, and refuses to take part in raids or abandon a patient in need of his aid.
Job Role: Doctor

Big Jack

Name: Big Jack
Race: Mer
Date of Birth: ?
Skills: Navigation (40), Cartography (30), Drawing (20), Mertamorphesis (10).
Personality: Big Jack’s real name and history are unknown to the crew, because Jack doesn't speak any languages and refused to tell anyone his backstory. All that is known about him is that he joined the crew with Lily Capadona and refuses to speak with anyone but her unless about navigation, and that he knows the layout of the oceans around Scalvoris better than anyone.
Job Role: Navigator

Xaio Dan-Huei

Name: Xiao Dan-Huei
Race: Human
Date of Birth: 2nd Saun, 684
Skills: Ship Building (40), Carpentry (30), Painting (20), Polearms - Staff (10).
Personality: Xiao treats the ships he builds like own children, and thinks nothing of disobeying orders and taking whatever he needs to keep it in top shape without asking permission. Without work to do he shows a boisterous and carefree side of himself and is normally found completely drunk or sleeping off a hangover, but when there’s a job to do he shows a single minded focus on the task.
Job Role: Boatswane

Lily Capadona

Name: Lily Capadona
Race: Mixed Race (Human -Biqaj)
Date of Birth: 14th Ymiden, 691
Skills: Siege Weapons (40), Chemistry (30), Ranged Combat - Pistol Crossbow (20), Smithing (10).
Personality: Eccentric. Hyperactive. Downright insane. All these words have been used to describe Lily before, but none of them quite do justice in describing the maelstrom of stray ideas that make up this lady’s mind. Lily has been obsessed with explosions of every form for as long as she can remember, and firmly sticks to her theory that every problem on Idalos can be solved with some quantity of explosives. Naturally her ideas are very popular with the rest of the crew.
Job Role: Chief Gunner

Faceless NPCs

These NPC's form the bulk of Tio's crew. They are the pirates running the ships according to his orders and fighting in the background, but are not important enough to threads to have their own names and faces. They have no extraordinary skills, magic or blessing, nor can they develop them through practice.

Current Amount: 40

[Pegasus]

Hi Tio

Thank you for submitting this business plan! I'm really interested in it and I'm excited about the prospect.

However (of course!) I have a few questions.

1. Considering the location of Scalvoris - it really doesn't seem likely that there'll be a lot of traffic around it. How far afield etc will you be going?

2. Considering the weather and the location - is this a seasonal business?

3. You've talked about buying a schooner - but how will you actually "pirate"? What weapons / tactics etc will you use?

Really excited as I said, just want to make sure that we've pinned down the details.

[Tio Silver]

1. Well considering that they'll be targeting trade ships I was thinking that they'd haunt the green trade route around the top left corner of the trade routes map. Since the schooner isn't ideal for long distance travel then they could stick to the part that's near the shoreline between Nekhet, Scalvoris, Avaern, Viden and Andaris, so that if they encounter any unexpected problems they won't have to go too far to land. This may change if I expand the business and get a bigger ship though.

2. No I was intending the business to run all year around. I would however show that it becomes harder during the stormier seasons in my job threads.

3. Again this is something that will vary from thread to thread, and may change if I expand to a bigger ship, but for now the tactics will make heavy use of speed, deception, stealth and intimidation. For other schooners and similarly small ships the standard tactics will be to pretend to be another merchant ship in need of assistance, and then chase them down when they get close enough and subdue the crew. Occasionally they may attempt to take larger ships like cog ships, and this would be done by approaching and boarding silently under cover of night, then taking important crew members like the captain hostage. At the moment the weapons will just be standard hand-held weaponry, no heavy cannons or such yet.

[Pegasus]

1. Well considering that they'll be targeting trade ships I was thinking that they'd haunt the green trade route around the top left corner of the trade routes map. Since the schooner isn't ideal for long distance travel then they could stick to the part that's near the shoreline between Nekhet, Scalvoris, Avaern, Viden and Andaris, so that if they encounter any unexpected problems they won't have to go too far to land. This may change if I expand the business and get a bigger ship though.

I'm fine with that, but be aware of the travel times
Viden -> Scalvoris = 30 days by boat.
Avaern -> Scalvoris = 8 days
Nekhet -> Scalvoris = 15 days
Andaris -> Scalvoris = 52 days
So you'll need to really take into account what boats would be carrying considering the journey (that's one way, btw...... we are the back end of nowhere!)

2. No I was intending the business to run all year around. I would however show that it becomes harder during the stormier seasons in my job threads.

okie.

3. Again this is something that will vary from thread to thread, and may change if I expand to a bigger ship, but for now the tactics will make heavy use of speed, deception, stealth and intimidation. For other schooners and similarly small ships the standard tactics will be to pretend to be another merchant ship in need of assistance, and then chase them down when they get close enough and subdue the crew. Occasionally they may attempt to take larger ships like cog ships, and this would be done by approaching and boarding silently under cover of night, then taking important crew members like the captain hostage. At the moment the weapons will just be standard hand-held weaponry, no heavy cannons or such yet.

Ok - that's all fine - but. It's only fair that I say to you that, if you do this then there may well be repercussions in terms of the authorities etc. Now, I know you and have written with you long enough to believe that your response will be "great story, bring it on" - and that's fab. But, yeah - need to point out that this highly illegal (but fun - much fun) business is going to be a big risk to you. Potentially big rewards too, mind you!

That seem fair?

[Tio Silver]

Yeah that is all absolutely fine with me. I'm happy to keep the travel times in consideration during jobs threads, and with facing the consequences of being a crime lord. In fact you're absolutely right that I'm kinda looking forward to it.

[Pegasus]

Ok great! Then, lets get down to the nitty gritty.

Your loan amount is currently @ 5,000. According to this A Schooner has 2 - 6 crew and costs 5K on it's own. So -

1) Who are the crew here? You've got a lot of NPCs for one boat - you're currently only allowed 2 on the guide to business, but I wonder whether you might consider this a little more? For example:
~ since the schooner can be crewed by 2 - 6, and with Tio's low Business Management skill and lack of pirating experience - might it make more sense to build up the business from him and 2 others? Then, as the number of business NPCs you're allowed goes up, so too does his number of crew? Or even, use some of the city npcs, also. This seems to be more of a venture / opportunity that Tio has, but might be more fun as a "fledgling" business, rather than this complete one? I don't know - literally just throwing ideas at you. It just seems to me the building up of it with small raids at first and then investment threads where he sells the stuff he's stolen, might be more up your street - and give more of a sense of achievement. As I said, though, totally up to you.

2) If the 5K for the schooner is the loan - is Tio self funding the inventory?

To be clear, I don't want you to think I'm being picky - I think this is a great, fun business and I want it happening! I just want it to be the best it can be and for you to have the most fun possible with it!

[Tio Silver]

1. Yeah I've already discussed the NPCs with Whisper in the prophet support section. Even if it would technically be possible for Tio and 2 business NPCs to sail a Schooner the chances of the three of the being able to pull of raids with such small numbers is highly unlikely, so I've been given permission to use the additional city NPCs bound to my ship on the understanding that, like all city NPCs, these crewmembers will be free for all other players to make use of if they wish. All the City NPCs in the crew list have been approved for use already.

2. Yes Tio will be self funding the rest of the inventory. With the ship covered I think the rest of the equipment (weapons, rigging, etc) are all things he can afford.

[Pegasus]

Fabulous on both counts!

!	Message from: Pegasus
	[img]/gallery/image ... ge_id=5575[/img] Thank you so much for your contribution to Idalos! I look forward to reading the job threads! Please add this business to your CS, etc etc. You know the drill. ANY questions, shoot me a pm and let me know if I can help out with moderation.

[Tio Silver]

This business has now been sold.