Hard bargains!
Noted for Mods
I have vetted the use of the NPC Daphne Lightsong with the City Mod here.
Pigs has also advised that the agreement reached here is acceptable based on Winston's Socialisation skill.
His bar is detailed here.
Pigs has also advised that the agreement reached here is acceptable based on Winston's Socialisation skill.
His bar is detailed here.
Winston the ferret, Grandmaster Chef, Alchemist, leader of Isonomia, and purveyor of rainbow-hued ships that defied the laws of nautical physics, was coming to join their ranks. The news had spread faster than a rumor about tax cuts, causing what was a very swift discussion about who would take the meeting before rank was pulled and the Trade Master herself claimed the opportunity.
As Winston approached the guild, he couldn't help but feel a tad gigliouse. This was a term that Kelpie had introduced him to that described a state somewhere between anticipation, giggly and nervous. He'd faced down monster eels, giant slimes, crafted miraculous devices, and even survived the Immortals themselves, but the Merchants' Guild of Rharne was a different kettle of fish entirely. These were people who could sell sand to desert nomads and make a profit. Winston had made a fair few very persuasive deals in his time, but he lacked the understanding of the political motivations that hid beneath such dealings. This occasionally led to him giving away things he should not... But today was going to be different. He was determined to start on the right foot, which Alex had pointed out quite clearly, was as the holder of a world shatteringly appealing portalling device.
The
ferret adjusted his hat
, smoothed down his fur, and stepped into the guild's cavernous entrance hall. The ceiling soared overhead, supported by columns that looked suspiciously like giant abacuses. Clerks scurried about like ants in an economic anthill, carrying scrolls and talking the language of commerce."Ah, you must be Winston," came a melodious voice that somehow cut through the din. Daphne Lightsong, the Trade Master of Rharne, gilded towards him with the grace of a ship cutting through calm waters. Her beauty was well renowned, surpassed only by her shrewdness in matters of trade.
"Yup, de one an' only," Winston replied, waving enthusiastically. "Pleasure tuh meet yuh, Trade Master Lightsong."
Daphne's smile was dazzling enough to make a diamond merchant weep
. "The pleasure is all mine. Shall we retire to my office? I believe we have much to discuss." The woman was eager to remove their meeting from prying eyes and ears as she gestured in the direction of her office. She had heard much of this Cadouri. He was no simple business man. As soon as the surface had been scratch but an inch, stories of his skills, escapades and position as leader of Isonomia and a very powerful, if a little small, fleet of ships
had grabbed her attention with the hold of a vice.As they walked, Winston couldn't help but notice the various merchant symbols adorning the doors they passed. Hatchets for Wood Merchants, anvils for Iron, and diamonds for the elite. He wondered idly what symbol they'd give him. Perhaps a rainbow-colored question mark..? Oh how that would be splendid! His very own mark... He shook the distraction from his mind as they reached the woman's plush office.
Daphne's office was a testament to opulence and organization. Maps covered one wall, detailing trade routes that spanned the known world. The other walls were lined with bookshelves groaning under the weight of ledgers and tomes. At the center stood a desk that looked like it had been carved from a single massive tree, probably one that had been convinced to fall of its own accord after some skillful negotiation.
"Now then," She said, settling into her chair with the air of a monarch ascending her throne, "let's talk business. I understand you're looking to open a... food and drinks bar?"
Winston nodded eagerly. "Yeh, me tink et wud be a great idea! Sumting diffrent, yuh know? Not jus' anudda tavern, bot a tarvern connected to odda places, odda quizeens, a place where people can get fancy drinks an' nibbles fram all walks af life."
Daphne's eyebrow arched so perfectly it could have been used as a standard unit of measurement for skepticism. "I see. And how does this... establishment... relate to your other ventures? Your rainbow ships, for instance?"
"Ah, dem ships be sumting else, eh?" Winston's eyes lit up. "Dey cun sail widout wind, move faster dan anyting else on de water. Great for trade, dey are. Bot dem are Isonomia's sheps, strictly speaking."
"Indeed, so I have heard." Daphne murmured, her eyes gleaming with interest. "And I understand you have some sort of... portal? To Scalvoris?"
Winston nodded, his whiskers twitching with excitement. "Oh yeh, dat es a real piece af work. Et cun move people an' goods between here an' Scalvoris in de blink of an eye. An DAT one es all mine tuh work wid." He proclaimed proudly.
The Trade Master leaned forward, her voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. "Now that, my furry friend, is truly intriguing. But surely you understand the... concerns such a device might raise? Security, for instance?"
Winston smiled brightly, pleased with his own preparedness on the account. "Oh, don't yuh worry 'bout dat. Me got et all sarted. De Lightening Knights alreday spoken tuh me about dat an' me gat Balthazar Black an' his Black Cats keepin' an eye on tings dis end an' Vega, the Militent af Scalvaris assistin' at de Scalvaris end. Dey're de best in de business, dey are."
Daphne sat back, her fingers steepled in thought. The shoulders with which this particular ferret rubbed were something else, truly. Had any other business own came in making such claimed, it would have seemed ludicrous, but if her research has concluded anything, it was that this ferret was not the be underestimated. "Balthazar Black, you say? Interesting choice... But let's get back to your application. You understand, of course, that the Merchants' Guild has certain standards?"
"Oh, for sure," Winston nodded vigorously. "Me can meet dem standards, noh prablem. Me a masterful chef an 'ave a masterful staff far me establishment tuh boot."
"Yes, yes," She interjected, waving her hand impatiently. "Your credentials are impressive, I'll grant you that. But running a business, especially in Rharne, requires more than just skill. It requires... finesse."
Winston's whiskers drooped slightly. "Finesse? Me can do finesse. Just de udda day, me was adjustin' de flam an me bey tuh improve de rise. Dat's pretty finesse, eh?" He was not quite so naive to think she was not alluding to the business acumen he was lacking, but it was his way to play the colourful child.
Daphne's laugh was like the tinkling of coins in a wealthy merchant's pocket. "Oh, my dear Winston. I'm not talking about mechanical finesse. I'm talking about the art of the deal. The subtle dance of negotiation. The ability to squeeze every last drop of profit from a transaction while leaving your partner feeling like they've won the lottery."
Winston's brow furrowed in concentration. "Dat sounds... camplicated."
"It is," Daphne agreed. "But it's also the lifeblood of our guild. Now, let's talk about your portal and those marvelous ships of yours. I'm sure we could come to some sort of... arrangement."
Winston blinked, smiling firmly. "De ships as nat en play, nat yet. Dem belang tuh Isonomia."
Daphne regarded him for a long moment, her expression unreadable. Then she nodded, as if coming to a decision. “Very well, Master Winston. The Guild is prepared to offer you Wood Merchant status, under certain conditions, of course.”
Winston’s ears twitched with interest. Having recently persuaded a room full of immortal beings and unparalleled heros to 'have a chat' with an Immortal on a murdering spree, he was pretty confident of his own persuasiveness. “And what might dose condishuns be?”
“First, the Guild will have exclusive rights to the use of your portal for trade purposes. Second, the Guild will require a ten percent share of your profits from the bar and any other ventures you undertake in Rharne. Finally, we will have a say in the security measures surrounding the portal, to ensure that our interests are fully protected.”
The ferret gave a sound of impressed surprise. It was perhaps not usual to show such emotion in negotiations? But this was the tiny creatures approach to all things. "Wow! Yuh cun definitely ron classes in Saoire's Dream an opening negotiations strang." He laughed, managing to make the statement avery clear and genuine compliment. "Bot far a wood tire membarshep yuh wud be expecting an exclusive cantroling interest an a partal tuh Sclavaris?" He sucked air in through his teeth in a playful recognition that this was a tall ask. "Me might be new tuh de guild, but me share we cun come op with a friendlier introducshun den dis? Me gat tuh 'old an tuh sometin' tuh work wid."
The woman smiled pleasantly. "You have a counter offer I'm sure."
He smiled. "Me would be willing tuh allow de guild free access to the partal far transpartashun af goods and peepal, unda a strictly limited fair trade policy. Me don't deal en exclusivities an' de security would be managed by myself, wid total and independent transparency far yuh an' de Lightening Knights."
The woman shook her head, rejecting the proposal in her body language ahead of her words. "I'm sure you can appreciate, the opportunity to have access to a portalling device of this nature is of great interest to the Guild and we would need some assurances that other deals would not be made to undermine our own interests, Mr Miller. We simply would have to have some form of guarantee that business via the portal would benefit the guild if it was to be an avenue for trade."
"An me gat tuh protect de interests af me own Facshun, wid needs tuh make trade via dis unparalleled apatunity also." He nodded, there was clearly movement to be made there, but it was important to establish what they were bargaining with. If the guild had anything of actual worth to offer in return. Winston nodded slowly. "Right, right. So en return far dis. Wat es de Guild affering a man wid such a ting far a membarship a local Butcher could gain in a heartbeat?" His words were frank and polite, conversational in tone.
He played with his cards on the table, he navigated the needs and desires of people as a reflexive practice most trials
... He didn't come up against people as competent as the Trade Master on a very regular basis however."In return, my dear Winston, you get the full backing of the Merchants' Guild of Rharne. Your little food and drinks bar will have our seal of approval, which I assure you is worth its weight in gold. Plus, you'll have access to our network of suppliers, our legal team, and our... shall we say, problem-solving resources."
Winston's ears perked up. "Problem-solvin' resources?"
Daphne's smile was enigmatic. The rumors of the ferret spoke of an innocent adherence to what was fair and just. The only accounts she had of him receiving threats well were far from fruitful for the issuer and so without making it a 'threat', she outlined the less tangible benefit of having an 'insiders understanding' of the markets in Rharne. "Let's just say that in Rharne, problems have a way of... disappearing when the guild takes an interest. There are powers out there, not us of course, that would see a lone trader as a target and it would be our great pleasure to assure them that you do not stand alone."
Winston tilted his head slightly, considering her words. Threats were boring and left a bad taste in his mouth, but her words were carefully chosen and his political nounce far to limited to pick at those threads without things unraveling. “Yuh drive a hard bargain, Miss Lightsong.”
“I drive a fair bargain, Mr Millar.” Daphne corrected, though the glint in her eyes suggested she knew exactly how hard her terms were. “One that will benefit both of us. Of course, you’re free to refuse.”
Winston chuckled, a light, rumbling sound that seemed to chase around the room. “Yuh remind me af someone me once knew. Very determined, very clever. Always got wat dey wanted, too.”
Daphne’s smile returned, this time with a touch of genuine amusement. “I’ll take that as a compliment.”
"Ef yuh want me Partal? Me need sometin' a little mar den a simple membaship, open tuh any business-ferret dat walks in de dar." He smiled disarmingly. "Me want first rights tuh all caterin' provided inside de Guild Hall an' at all Guild associated events."
The woman chuckled, a hearty and almost choking laugh as her most genuine surprise and delight at such a hard offer came forth. "Oh Mr Miller, you do your reputation credit! You'd be beside me in that class on negotiation." She was amused, greatly amused as not only was it a demanding move, it was potentially an achievable one... His talents as a Chef were well deserved and boasting them to be on hand would be no bad thing for the Guild. If this was the boon he wanted for access to instantaneous trade to Scalvaris, well then that suited her. "This is indeed far above and beyond the remit of your standard membership negotiation..." She began as the ferret opposite her nodded knowingly. "But I'm sure with the appropriate conditions in place surrounding the portal, this could be arranged." Now was time for the final boot. She already had a very clear picture of where the Guild's bottom line was in this affair, and she was not there yet and would, if her negotiating skills were worth anything at all, not be forced to go there either. "We would absolutely insist that the Guild have guaranteed access to the portal and complete rights to trade agreements made, via the guild, moving through the portal, as we see fit."
The ferret smiled. "Yuh cun 'ave open access tuh de partal far a break, far five trials en ten ova a seasan."
"Two breaks for seven trials."
"Six an we take a fifteen percent administration fee from profitable contracts involvin' de partal."
"Ten percent and we can have free use of the portals, any time they are open for our staff to use for their personal 'Guild Business' comings and goings."
"DEAL!" He cried and thrust out his tiny little hand.
The women's adrenaline was rushing and she grabbed the Cadouri's paw and shook it. In truth, for membership to the guild, they had taken far less, in fact, as long as you owned a business, that was usually right enough to join. This was a success she would greatly enjoy profiting from. "Most agreeable Mr Miller. Most agreeable indeed."
He giggled. "Hehe. Dat wus fon!" He admitted with gusto and a broad grin as they began to conclude the meeting.
"Yes, it was rather. Welcome to the guild Mr Miller. You certainly don't disappoint. I very much look forward to dealing with you again."
Wondering from the Guild Hall, a spring in his step, the sun shone over Rharne, painting the sky in colors that would have made Winston's rainbow ships jealous. There was a buzz in the air, a sense of anticipation. Something new was coming to Rharne, something that promised to shake up the established order.
Winston's Water Hole was about to open its doors, and Rharne would never be the same again. Whether that was a good thing or not remained to be seen. But one thing was certain - it was going to be interesting. And in Rharne, interesting was always good for business.
All template credit, love and admiration goes to Pyrre Ej'qy
