Evermark Underground: RPG Brothel Management

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Rose 1903
  • Threadmarks
    • "So, Holly, what did you find searching the underground again?"

    "A transmuter. Yes, as in 'Lead into gold.' They're working as a counterfeiter and duplicator. Highly illegal of course…"

    "... but since when have we cared about that?"

    Holly nods.

    "Good work. I'll probably visit them soon; there's just so much work to be done."


    You watch proudly from afar as the new hotel's sign is hoisted into place, settling in nicely on the second floor of the newly renovated building. The workmen take down their ladders, and you're left to take in the legend, reading:

    [ ] Harbour Tea
    [ ] Hoteliér Harbour
    [ ] Hotel Estellé
    [ ] The Gilded Rose
    [ ] Hotel Variety
    [ ] Write in a name!



    The redcaps report back to you on the general area.

    "So, south and west of us are the Rats. They're a street gang of gutter children, homeless people and angry youths. They're getting squeezed out by us and mostly own some townhouses; further south from them is Mob territory. The Mob owns all the fine silk and jewellery stores, but not the piers or the warehouses; they belong to the Sharks, a sailor and dockhand gang that requires all its members to have a tattoo of a shark. The Sharks own the Port Authority, too."

    You nod along. "So it's just you, the Sharks, the Rats and the Mob?"

    "Just the four of us around here. There used to be a bunch of smaller gangs, but the Mob squeezed them out."

    "Have you considered allying with the Rats or the Sharks against the Mob?"

    "Sure, but they don't have our training and discipline. We might've started like them, but we're a cut above now, Mistress."

    "Mmmhm," you say. "Well, thank you for the tactical overview."


    The magical girl contract magicians sit you down, and have you go through the basic breathing exercises you already know. Then they have a second set that's unfamiliar to you; then a sequence of completely exotic katas: and finally they give you a pungent-smelling potion and tell you to drink it.

    You drink. It tastes like metal and fish, and burns like starlight on the way down, like a thousand little pinpricks all across your body. Afterwards, your senses seem clearer and brighter, and when you call on your aura you're able to give it a shape as concrete as a rock. You could call up a Tone Sphere now, if you wanted to. Or swear on a set of principles you cared about to uphold the right…

    Aura Cultivation II 10/10
    Aura Cultivation III 1/25
    Broken Fang Way III 20/25

    [ ] Class Up to Magical Girl.
    [ ] Remain a Mistress.


    "Ah," says the Kalinsha. "So you're beginning to discover your own style. And at such a young age, too! I knew there was something special about you. Yes, I'll dance with this Leah if it'll help you to develop it."

    His dances with Leah are formal, controlled, with just a glimmer of passion in the low dips and close turns. Even watching from the sidelines, there are things here you can learn; both about Steamborne, and about your own style.

    Broken Fang Way III 21/25
    The Steamborne Revolution 2/10


    The Dojo is quiet as you step into it again.
    Your Redcaps salute you with clenched fists over their hearts.

    Even though there's only 14 of them, and half-trained as of yet, you're beginning to feel an inkling of real power from your authority over these men and women. They look at you with real respect now, and you have no doubt they'd fight and die for you, especially after everything you've done for them.

    It's your job to tame that enthusiasm. And you do. Quietly, you bring them the sea to match the raging flames of their passionate hearts. It's not enough, not quite, but it's something. And so you give it to them. In return, they give you a bit of their fire. A bit more courage, a bit more life. A bit more you for you to be.

    Broken Fang Way III 23/25
    The Steamborne Revolution 3/10


    After basic interviews with all your staff, you've compiled This Spreadsheet regarding them.

    Upgrades:
    Tier 3 Wards
    Tier 3 Silken Wonderland
    Tier 2 Warded Strongboxes
    Tier 2 Signage
    Tier 2 Escort Beauty
    Tier 2 Steamy Atmosphere
    Tier 1 Landscaping
    Tier 1 Renovated
    Tier 1 Exclusive

    Treasury:
    40 Discretion
    1 Scandal
    85 Clean Æther
    765 Dirty Æther
    1 Silvermist Consecration
    5 Libertine Favours
    4 Ostmarkian Tea
    3 Blackroot Tea
    3 Fine Spices
    30 Libertine Pamphlets
    30 All Faiths Pamphlets
    30 Suffragist Pamphlets
    7 Repeating Rifles

    Current Monthly Income:
    35 Clean Æther from Tea
    200 Dirty Æther from Sex
    5 Clean Æther from Cooked Books
    5 Clean Æther from Fine Cuisine
    20 Clean Æther from Harbour Laundry
    10 Clean Æther from Ostmarkian Tea
    25 Clean Æther from Hotelry
    40 Clean Æther from The Band
    5 Clean Æther from Blackroot Tea
    10 Clean Æther from Fine Spices
    175 Dirty Æther from VIP
    75 Clean Æther from VIP
    100 Dirty Æther Enchantress

    Current Monthly Expenses:
    -15 Clean Æther Maid Service
    -5 Clean Æther Weekly Checkups
    -5 Dirty Æther Cooked Books
    -10 Clean Æther Bouncers
    -20 Dirty Æther Harbour Laundry
    -60 Dirty Æther Gang Sponsorship
    -10 Clean Æther Chef
    -15 Clean Æther Gardeners
    -1 Ostmarkian Tea (Served)
    -1 Blackroot Tea (Served)
    -1 Fine Spices (Expended)
    -10 Clean Æther Exclusivity
    -10 Dirty Æther Exclusivity
    -5 Clean Aether Cosmetics
    -25 Clean Aether Etiquette Teacher

    Current Monthly Net:
    125 Clean Aether
    380 Dirty Aether
    -1 Ostmarkian Tea
    -1 Blackroot Tea
    -1 Fine Spices


    Control under Holly:
    [ ][Control] Build another back of house room, at a cost of 75 Clean Æther.
    [ ][Control] Call in a favour with the Libertines and have a room built on the cheap. Cost: 30 Clean Æ, 1 Libertine Favour
    [ ][Control] Search for more contacts who sell goods & services under the table. (IE, that you can pay in dirty money.)
    [-][Control] Upgrade a business room into a VIP room. 3 Bolts Silk, 30 Clean Æther.
    [-][Control] Upgrade the entire second floor to a silken wonderland. 20 Bolts Silk, 200 Clean Æther.
    [ ][Control] Hire more escorts to put the empty business rooms on the second floor to use.
    [ ][Control] Build a large back-of-house lounge for "Private dining" and other such hedonistic pursuits. 200 Clean Æther.
    [ ][Control] Distribute your leaflets covering revolutionary topics. (Opens menu for where to send leaflets.)
    [ ][Control] The Suffragists' Union is dedicated to political and mercantile equality. Go see what they're doing.
    [ ][Control] Invest in a Bay Run. 500 Clean Æther; returns 600 Clean Aether in 2 months, with a small chance of disaster.

    Charm under Edie:
    [ ][Charm] Search for contacts among the Ceverra.
    [ ][Charm] Search for contacts in the city.
    [ ][Charm] Start targeting and looking for noble clients.
    [ ][Charm] Upgrade the landscaped courtyard with a water feature, like a pond or a stream. 250 Clean Æther.
    [-][Charm] Buy out the fishmarket next door so that the smell of fish won't disturb the customers. 1000 Clean Æther.
    [ ][Charm] Make a public donation to charity to improve the business' good name. 100 Clean Æther.
    [ ] Buy up the vacant lot down the road so that you have a second property to develop. Cost: 500 Clean Æther.

    Intrigue under Filia:
    [ ][Intrigue] Continue Filia's education in Markish and Tradecraft.
    [ ][Intrigue] Batons won't be nearly enough if your Redcaps get in a Mob war. Buy the lot of them pistols, and throw in a pair of repeating rifles for the leaders. 500 Dirty Æther.
    [ ][Intrigue] Alternately, you could simply hand over your case of seven repeating rifles to the Redcaps. -7 Repeating Rifles.
    [ ][Intrigue] Try to absorb the hard-pressed Rats into the Redcaps by offering them batons, uniforms and training. 300 Dirty Æther.
    [ ][Intrigue] Talk to the Sharks and get a better idea of what the gang is doing.
    [ ][Intrigue] You've grown accustomed to the underworld here, but more contacts are always a good thing. Cultivate more criminal contacts.
    [ ][Intrigue] Continue cultivating contacts along the local waterfront. Surely there's something more interesting than the fish market next door?
    [ ][Intrigue] The Succubus Liberation Front claims that the succubi are badly mischaracterized. Attend a monthly meeting and keep your ear to the ground.
    [ ][Intrigue] Make an anonymous donation to charity. 100 Dirty Æther.
    [ ][Intrigue] Make an under-the-table donation to the cause. 100 Dirty Æ becomes 1 Libertine Favour.
    [ ][Intrigue] Make a major under-the-table donation to the cause. 500 Dirty Æ becomes 5 Libertine Favours.
    [ ][Intrigue] Make a further "donation" to the struggling House Galero. 250 Dirty Æ becomes one House Galero favour.
    [ ][Intrigue] Buy another tenth-share of House Galero's debt. 1,250 Dirty Æ, +5 House Galero favours.
    [-][Intrigue] Ask that you be introduced to Court. Costs 10 House Galero favours and requires that you both have appropriate attire for Court and know the proper etiquette.

    Lore under Varielle:
    [ ][Lore] Expand the front of house to add storefront for a magic shop. 250 clean Æ.
    [ ][Lore] Having witches and wizards on your side can only ever help. Try to make more contacts in the magical community.
    [ ][Lore] Innumerable Aspect seeks to promote freedom of Orbite, encouraging the unbanning of proscribed Aspects. Go to their monthly meeting and keep an ear to the ground.
    [ ][Lore] The Progressivists' Guild advocates for the free development of new magic and technology, and the reversal of laws that ban specific technologies. Contact them and stay in touch.
    [ ][Lore] Purchase a smuggled load of succubus artifacts in order to research them. 100 Dirty Æther, success has a chance at unique items.
    [ ][Lore] Talk to the magical girl contract magicians and see what they have to say.
    [ ][Lore] Have Varielle brew some healing potions, just in case. 100 Dirty Æther should suffice for a batch for six.

    Faith under Leah:
    [ ][Faith] Send Leah to attend this month's meeting of All Faiths Harmonious and keep her ear to the ground.
    [ ][Faith] Reach out and try to connect with the local preachers, temples and shrines.
    [ ][Faith] Idols, Magical Girls, and the radio broadcasters who make them famous can all be found here in Gradentine. Try to get closer to that brilliant glamour.
    [ ][Faith] Dance with Leah and practice its use as a channel for Steamborne power.
    [ ][Faith] Try to find a high-ranking Vansaga practitioner to dance with you.
    [ ][Faith] Try to find a Caducite priest to dance with you.

    Personal:
    [ ][Personal] Take more time alone to cultivate your Aura and Orbite.
    [ ][Personal] Personally teach your Redcaps some more Broken Fang Way.
    [ ][Personal] Spend time overseeing one of the major business areas. (Write in a stat; Control, Charm, etc.)
    [ ][Personal] Take some time to get to know one of the staff. (Write in a name.)
    [ ][Personal] Spend some time relaxing and unwinding in the gardens.
    [ ][Personal] Experiencing your own business from time to time can generate real insights. Take tea at Harbour Tea.
    [ ][Personal] Take time out of your schedule to go on a date with Leah.
    [ ][Personal] Take Edie aside and try to talk her out of succubus liberation. It's just a bad move.
    [ ][Personal] Go to the adventuring store and purchase supplies or weaponry from them.
    [ ][Personal] Go to the local jeweller's and see if they have anything that strikes your fancy. (Opens jewellery store event; likely to cost a few hundred Clean Æ.)
    [ ][Personal] Go to the local magic shop and see what trinkets and doodads they have on sale. Perhaps they'll have a radio or a record player? (Opens magic store event; likely to cost a few hundred Clean Æ.)
    [ ][Personal] Go to the proscribed apothecary and haggle over lines on spices, teas, medicines and potions. (Opens apothecary event; likely to cost a few hundred dirty Æ)
    [ ][Personal] Try to find somebody selling silk, so that you can renovate the back rooms with it as well. (Opens silk merchant event; likely to cost a few hundred clean Æ)
    [ ][Personal] Go down to the docks and purchase "lost" or confiscated cargoes from the Port Authority on the sly.
    [ ][Personal] Go to the underground printer's and have some leaflets commissioned.
    [ ][Personal] Go to the transmuter to have something duplicated.
     
  • Threadmarks
    • To the extent you're willing to disclose, what would the broad implications of classing up to MG be, in terms of (a) running the business (b) ability to further our cause (c) pressurizing ourselves to act more sharply in furtherance of our cause?
     
    grommile said:
    To the extent you're willing to disclose, what would the broad implications of classing up to MG be, in terms of (a) running the business (b) ability to further our cause (c) pressurizing ourselves to act more sharply in furtherance of our cause?
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...
    a: Less specialized towards it, more specialized towards magic.
    b: Probably stronger if you swore a magical girl oath towards it.
    c: See B.
     
    [X] Plan To Become the Harbor Queen
    -[X] Hoteliér Harbour
    -[X] Class Up to Magical Girl.
    -[X][Control] Invest in a Bay Run. 500 Clean Æther; returns 600 Clean Aether in 2 months, with a small chance of disaster.
    -[X][Charm] Make a public donation to charity to improve the business' good name. 100 Clean Æther.
    -[X][Intrigue] Talk to the Sharks and get a better idea of what the gang is doing.
    -[X][Lore] The Progressivists' Guild advocates for the free development of new magic and technology, and the reversal of laws that ban specific technologies. Contact them and stay in touch.
    -[X][Faith] Dance with Leah and practice its use as a channel for Steamborne power.
    -[X][Personal] Personally teach your Redcaps some more Broken Fang Way.

    Okay, so I want us to take control of the harbor, with some actions being connected to the fish market or harbor in some way. That Sharks are in the way of that. My idea is to first is to get to know The Sharks, absorb them into us and gain control over the harbor, probably giving us a lot of power in the city.

    Now there are some of the same things as usual, but I do want to take a risk by trying to invest in a Bay Run. I don't know what it is, I don't know if we can afford it or actually do it (even if it didn't say that we can't do it) but I still want to try it.

    With the Progressivists' Guild I want to meet because I just want to meet with one of those groups to see what they have to offer for us and what we can offer them. As simple as that.

    Now I don't know how good this plan is, but this is just my idea for a plan.
     
    Hmm.

    Then I guess the question becomes: is it more important to run the business well, or lead the coming revolution?

    Having Estellé stay a Mistress means we continue on our current path. Run the business, manage people, build connections, set up for the coming revolution.

    Swapping to MG means ... well, to me seems like it means changing gears. Getting ready for loud leadership; proselytizing, inspiring, and recruiting; and generally being a revolutionary.

    What is to be Estellé's role in all this? Is she the stealthy go-between in the background, who arranges meetings and brokers alliances and makes the revolution tick, unseen? Or is she to be the figurehead, the standard the revolution rallies behind?

    Because we can go on as we have. Because it has worked, and maybe it will continue to work, to slowly and carefully build up alliances between the, what, half-dozen movements we've found? Find common ground between like causes, and use that to find common ground between the unlike ones, with Harbor Tea as the linchpin that holds the entire edifice together.

    Or, and I think an equally valid approach ... Estellé has this whole syncretic thing going on as it is. The new religion she is building in her spare time is, like, literally a harmony-of-disparate-elements sort of thing: Ceverra and Avela, Fire and Water, etc, etc.

    A Mahou who fights for ... oh, let's say "Unity" and "Liberation," who already has literal divine favor in this particular sphere, who has spent years doing a huge amount of work to help the downtrodden and the marginalized, who all the revolutionary elements know and trust to varying degrees ... that is a tremendously powerful symbol. Perhaps even a powerful enough symbol for a revolution to rally around.
     
    @Evenstar Is there any chance of finding someone to launder our dirty money, even if the commission is very high (maybe a third or third or half of the dirty money)? And what would we need to do to find him?
     
    [X] Plan Prep for Underworld Takeover
    -[X] Hoteliér Harbour
    -[X] Remain a Mistress.
    -[X][Control] Distribute your leaflets covering revolutionary topics. (Opens menu for where to send leaflets.)
    -[X][Charm] Search for contacts in the city.
    -[X][Intrigue] Talk to the Sharks and get a better idea of what the gang is doing.
    -[X][Lore] Have Varielle brew some healing potions, just in case. 100 Dirty Æther should suffice for a batch for six.
    -[X][Faith] Try to find a high-ranking Vansaga practitioner to dance with you.
    -[X][Personal] Personally teach your Redcaps some more Broken Fang Way.

    I don't think we're in a position to go loud yet, half of the causes don't even know the others exist, let alone are ready to work together with them. Our militant force. the Redcaps, are only 14 people strong, and haven't been educated on the causes they'll be fighting for.

    While I would like to absorb the Rats into the Redcaps, we haven't educated the Redcaps about the cause, and I think we should do that before we expand our ranks. The current Redcaps respect us, and will listen to what we have to say, but we haven't earned that respect with the Rats (yet). We should also prepare for the possibility that they refuse, train the Redcaps up a little more and prepare some healing potions in case they get injured. (That we might rank up our own Broken Fang way at the same time is just a bonus.)

    Speaking of the nearby gangs, knowing how the Sharks would react to the Rats being taken out of the picture will be important to how we go forward. We need to know if they'd be willing to work with us against the mob, or if they would attack us the moment our back was turned. Their connections to the Port Authority mean that they also aren't going to be a group we can recruit to the cause.

    Other than that, I still want to save up money to buy the vacant lot. Create a separate location so we don't over diversify our brothel/hotel. And a Vansaga practitioner should help us better understand the Steamborne religion.
     
    I can't believe no one is going for Hotel Variety. It's a valid descriptor, a pun, and resonates with our freedom-loving tendencies. This plan is otherwise identical to @Doctor Elsewhere 's.
    [X] Plan VarieTEA
    -[X] Hotel Variety
    -[X] Remain a Mistress.
    -[X][Control] Distribute your leaflets covering revolutionary topics. (Opens menu for where to send leaflets.)
    -[X][Charm] Search for contacts in the city.
    -[X][Intrigue] Talk to the Sharks and get a better idea of what the gang is doing.
    -[X][Lore] Have Varielle brew some healing potions, just in case. 100 Dirty Æther should suffice for a batch for six.
    -[X][Faith] Try to find a high-ranking Vansaga practitioner to dance with you.
    -[X][Personal] Personally teach your Redcaps some more Broken Fang Way.
     
    [X] Plan Transformation Sequence
    -[X] Hotel Variety
    -[X] Class Up to Magical Girl.
    -[X][Control] Distribute your leaflets covering revolutionary topics. (Opens menu for where to send leaflets.)
    -[X][Charm] Search for contacts in the city.
    -[X][Intrigue] Talk to the Sharks and get a better idea of what the gang is doing.
    -[X][Lore] Have Varielle brew some healing potions, just in case. 100 Dirty Æther should suffice for a batch for six.
    -[X][Faith] Try to find a high-ranking Vansaga practitioner to dance with you.
    -[X][Personal] Personally teach your Redcaps some more Broken Fang Way.

    If this is a one-time opportunity to switch classes, we should take it. Yes, we're still in the build-up phase, but we're within sight of the point where the revolution starts gaining momentum rapidly. In fact, my guess is that expanding the gang will be the spark that starts that fuse going. Mme. Estelle is the perfect class for her current position, but at some point she'll need to either be a public figurehead or find one, and I don't know that there's a better class for that except something nobility-based. Further, switching now won't prevent us from building up in the shadows, it'll just make it a little less efficient. I think that's a good trade-off.

    The goal of this plan is to start laying the foundation for an actual revolution. Groundwork, not start the thing off. Also to save Clean Aether for buying more property.
     
    Farthing 1903
  • Threadmarks
    • "Welcome, everyone. It's been a new year for a while now, but now we have a new name too. Hotel Variety."

    "I must say that I like the hotel front better than the restaurant one," says Holly. "It's more convincing."

    Edie nods. "But now that we're a hotel full-time, we're going to have to build things out a little more to keep the illusion running smoothly."

    You nod along. "That's well enough, but I'd like to get into the meat of the meeting."

    "What's with you always wanting to hurry these things along?" asks Holly.

    "I just like having some time to relax for once."

    Holly smiles. "In that case. Just as you asked, I've distributed your leaflets to…"

    (Select up to three, while supplies last)
    [ ][Leaflets] Hotel Variety's staff (-20 each type)
    [ ][Leaflets] The Redcaps (-10 each type)
    [ ][Leaflets] The Progessivist's Guild (-10 each type)
    [ ][Leaflets] The Succubus Liberation Front (-10 each type)
    [ ][Leaflets] Innumerable Aspect (-10 each type)
    [ ][Leaflets] The Sharks (-10 each type)
    [ ][Leaflets] The Rats (-10 each type)
    [ ][Leaflets] The Public (-10 each type)

    You smile. "Glad to hear that's been taken care of. Edie, what have you found in the city?"

    "There you go hurrying things along again."

    You roll your eyes. "Edie?"

    She looks up from a sheaf of notes. "Oh! Uh, I've gotten in contact with a revolutionary supporter in the Merchant's guild. He's with the Suffragists' Union, and he says the merchant's guild is actually very friendly to the ideas and ideals of the revolution. He wants to make it a major revolutionary power; he just doesn't have the leverage to do so."

    "Intriguing," you say. "That feels like it could be a valuable opportunity, if only we had the resources to make a difference. It's like we're trying to pull ourselves up by our bootstraps."

    Edie nods. "In any case, it's probably worth looking at the merchant's guild more. They could be a good recruiting ground."

    "In any case. Varielle, did you brew your potions?"

    "Yes, Mistress," she reports, a smile tugging at the corner of her mouth.

    "Good. Filia, what about the Sharks?"

    "I reached out and felt around a bit, and words on the street is this: Sharks are a new gang. They're an alliance between the sailors' gang, the dockworker's union, and the less savoury elements of the Port Authority, who all want one thing in common; no more Mob in the harbour. So far they're in a stalemate, but…"

    "If the Redcaps take the north from the Rats, we might be able to build an alliance."

    "Yep. Strength respects strength. Right now the Sharks have no reason to talk to us, we're too small. Get some real territory and we're worth it."

    You nod. "Leah. Were you able to bring in your boss?"

    She shakes her head. "I asked around, but last I heard they were out in Aurica. It would be weeks for them to get back here, even if I sent them a message and they accepted."

    "That's too bad. I was looking forward to an opportunity. Still, we can dance, can't we?"

    "We can."

    "And after that, I have a class to teach."


    You return to the Dojo, and take the time to instruct your students further in Broken Fang Way, as well as some of the more syncretic skills you've gained over time. In return, they teach you how to use a baton properly. You dance together on the mats, and when you clash you make something stronger and more beautiful for it.

    One of the Ceverra students drops her baton when she sees you in action. Raising her hand, she points at you.

    "Kalinsha!"

    A muddled whisper goes through the hall at that. Even the Avela know about the Kalinsha. And as they turn to you, you can sense their need, their desire, like a smouldering coal in their hearts.

    [ ] "Yes, what of it?" ((Class Up to Kalinsha))
    [ ] "You're mistaken." ((Remain a Mistress.))

    Broken Fang Way III 25/25

    After basic interviews with all your staff, you've compiled This Spreadsheet regarding them.

    Upgrades:
    Tier 3 Wards
    Tier 3 Silken Wonderland
    Tier 2 Warded Strongboxes
    Tier 2 Signage
    Tier 2 Escort Beauty
    Tier 2 Steamy Atmosphere
    Tier 1 Landscaping
    Tier 1 Renovated
    Tier 1 Exclusive

    Treasury:
    40 Discretion
    1 Scandal
    210 Clean Æther
    1,045 Dirty Æther
    1 Silvermist Consecration
    6 Healing Potions
    5 Libertine Favours
    3 Ostmarkian Tea
    2 Blackroot Tea
    2 Fine Spices
    30 Libertine Pamphlets
    30 All Faiths Pamphlets
    30 Suffragist Pamphlets
    7 Repeating Rifles

    Current Monthly Income:
    35 Clean Æther from Tea
    200 Dirty Æther from Sex
    5 Clean Æther from Cooked Books
    5 Clean Æther from Fine Cuisine
    20 Clean Æther from Harbour Laundry
    10 Clean Æther from Ostmarkian Tea
    25 Clean Æther from Hotelry
    40 Clean Æther from The Band
    5 Clean Æther from Blackroot Tea
    10 Clean Æther from Fine Spices
    175 Dirty Æther from VIP
    75 Clean Æther from VIP
    100 Dirty Æther Enchantress

    Current Monthly Expenses:
    -15 Clean Æther Maid Service
    -5 Clean Æther Weekly Checkups
    -5 Dirty Æther Cooked Books
    -10 Clean Æther Bouncers
    -20 Dirty Æther Harbour Laundry
    -60 Dirty Æther Gang Sponsorship
    -10 Clean Æther Chef
    -15 Clean Æther Gardeners
    -1 Ostmarkian Tea (Served)
    -1 Blackroot Tea (Served)
    -1 Fine Spices (Expended)
    -10 Clean Æther Exclusivity
    -10 Dirty Æther Exclusivity
    -5 Clean Aether Cosmetics
    -25 Clean Aether Etiquette Teacher

    Current Monthly Net:
    125 Clean Aether
    380 Dirty Aether
    -1 Ostmarkian Tea
    -1 Blackroot Tea
    -1 Fine Spices


    Control under Holly:
    [ ][Control] Build another back of house room, at a cost of 75 Clean Æther.
    [ ][Control] Call in a favour with the Libertines and have a room built on the cheap. Cost: 30 Clean Æ, 1 Libertine Favour
    [ ][Control] Search for more contacts who sell goods & services under the table. (IE, that you can pay in dirty money.)
    [-][Control] Upgrade a business room into a VIP room. 3 Bolts Silk, 30 Clean Æther.
    [-][Control] Upgrade the entire second floor to a silken wonderland. 20 Bolts Silk, 200 Clean Æther.
    [ ][Control] Hire more escorts to put the empty business rooms on the second floor to use.
    [ ][Control] Build a large back-of-house lounge for "Private dining" and other such hedonistic pursuits. 200 Clean Æther.
    [ ][Control] Distribute your leaflets covering revolutionary topics. (Opens menu for where to send leaflets.)
    [ ][Control] The Suffragists' Union is dedicated to political and mercantile equality. Go see what they're doing.
    [ ][Control] Invest in a Bay Run. 500 Clean Æther; returns 600 Clean Aether in 2 months, with a small chance of disaster.
    [ ][Control] The Merchant's Guild is reportedly a hotbed of revolutionary sentiment. Purchase a yearly membership for 100 Clean Æther so you can attend their balls and events.
    [ ][Control] Purchase a laundry machine and a dryer so you can handle laundry more efficiently. 50 Æther, +5 Clean Æther per month.

    Charm under Edie:
    [ ][Charm] Search for contacts among the Ceverra.
    [ ][Charm] Search for contacts in the city.
    [ ][Charm] Start targeting and looking for noble clients.
    [ ][Charm] Upgrade the landscaped courtyard with a water feature, like a pond or a stream. 250 Clean Æther.
    [-][Charm] Buy out the fishmarket next door so that the smell of fish won't disturb the customers. 1000 Clean Æther.
    [ ][Charm] Make a public donation to charity to improve the business' good name. 100 Clean Æther.
    [ ][Charm] Buy up the vacant lot down the road so that you have a second property to develop. Cost: 500 Clean Æther.
    [ ][Charm] Install a front desk with a receptionist to greet and guide clients. 100 Clean Æther, -10 Æ/month.
    [ ][Charm] Hire a bellhop to take guests' luggage to their rooms. -5 Æ/month.


    Intrigue under Filia:
    [ ][Intrigue] Continue Filia's education in Markish and Tradecraft.
    [ ][Intrigue] Batons won't be nearly enough if your Redcaps get in a Mob war. Buy the lot of them pistols, and throw in a pair of repeating rifles for the leaders. 500 Dirty Æther.
    [ ][Intrigue] Alternately, you could simply hand over your case of seven repeating rifles to the Redcaps. -7 Repeating Rifles.
    [ ][Intrigue] Try to absorb the hard-pressed Rats into the Redcaps by offering them batons, uniforms and training. 300 Dirty Æther.
    [ ][Intrigue] Talk to the Sharks and get a better idea of what the gang is doing.
    [ ][Intrigue] You've grown accustomed to the underworld here, but more contacts are always a good thing. Cultivate more criminal contacts.
    [ ][Intrigue] Continue cultivating contacts along the local waterfront. Surely there's something more interesting than the fish market next door?
    [ ][Intrigue] The Succubus Liberation Front claims that the succubi are badly mischaracterized. Attend a monthly meeting and keep your ear to the ground.
    [ ][Intrigue] Make an anonymous donation to charity. 100 Dirty Æther.
    [ ][Intrigue] Make an under-the-table donation to the cause. 100 Dirty Æ becomes 1 Libertine Favour.
    [ ][Intrigue] Make a major under-the-table donation to the cause. 500 Dirty Æ becomes 5 Libertine Favours.
    [ ][Intrigue] Make a further "donation" to the struggling House Galero. 250 Dirty Æ becomes one House Galero favour.
    [ ][Intrigue] Buy another tenth-share of House Galero's debt. 1,250 Dirty Æ, +5 House Galero favours.
    [-][Intrigue] Ask that you be introduced to Court. Costs 10 House Galero favours and requires that you both have appropriate attire for Court and know the proper etiquette.

    Lore under Varielle:
    [ ][Lore] Expand the front of house to add storefront for a magic shop. 250 clean Æ.
    [ ][Lore] Having witches and wizards on your side can only ever help. Try to make more contacts in the magical community.
    [ ][Lore] Innumerable Aspect seeks to promote freedom of Orbite, encouraging the unbanning of proscribed Aspects. Go to their monthly meeting and keep an ear to the ground.
    [ ][Lore] The Progressivists' Guild advocates for the free development of new magic and technology, and the reversal of laws that ban specific technologies. Contact them and stay in touch.
    [ ][Lore] Purchase a smuggled load of succubus artifacts in order to research them. 100 Dirty Æther, success has a chance at unique items.
    [ ][Lore] Talk to the magical girl contract magicians and see what they have to say.
    [ ][Lore] Have Varielle brew some healing potions, just in case. 100 Dirty Æther should suffice for a batch for six.

    Faith under Leah:
    [ ][Faith] Send Leah to attend this month's meeting of All Faiths Harmonious and keep her ear to the ground.
    [ ][Faith] Reach out and try to connect with the local preachers, temples and shrines.
    [ ][Faith] Idols, Magical Girls, and the radio broadcasters who make them famous can all be found here in Gradentine. Try to get closer to that brilliant glamour.
    [ ][Faith] Dance with Leah and practice its use as a channel for Steamborne power.
    [ ][Faith] Try to find a high-ranking Vansaga practitioner to dance with you.
    [ ][Faith] Try to find a Caducite priest to dance with you.

    Personal:
    [ ][Personal] Take more time alone to cultivate your Aura and Orbite.
    [ ][Personal] Take one of your rifles outside the city in a violin case and do some target practice with it.
    [ ][Personal] Personally teach your Redcaps some more Broken Fang Way.
    [ ][Personal] Spend time overseeing one of the major business areas. (Write in a stat; Control, Charm, etc.)
    [ ][Personal] Take some time to get to know one of the staff. (Write in a name.)
    [ ][Personal] Spend some time relaxing and unwinding in the gardens.
    [ ][Personal] Experiencing your own business from time to time can generate real insights. Take tea at Harbour Tea.
    [ ][Personal] Take time out of your schedule to go on a date with Leah.
    [ ][Personal] Take Edie aside and try to talk her out of succubus liberation. It's just a bad move.
    [ ][Personal] Go to the adventuring store and purchase supplies or weaponry from them.
    [ ][Personal] Go to the local jeweller's and see if they have anything that strikes your fancy. (Opens jewellery store event; likely to cost a few hundred Clean Æ.)
    [ ][Personal] Go to the local magic shop and see what trinkets and doodads they have on sale. Perhaps they'll have a radio or a record player? (Opens magic store event; likely to cost a few hundred Clean Æ.)
    [ ][Personal] Go to the proscribed apothecary and haggle over lines on spices, teas, medicines and potions. (Opens apothecary event; likely to cost a few hundred dirty Æ)
    [ ][Personal] Try to find somebody selling silk, so that you can renovate the back rooms with it as well. (Opens silk merchant event; likely to cost a few hundred clean Æ)
    [ ][Personal] Go down to the docks and purchase "lost" or confiscated cargoes from the Port Authority on the sly.
    [ ][Personal] Go to the underground printer's and have some leaflets commissioned.
    [ ][Personal] Go to the transmuter to have something duplicated.
     
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  • Threadmarks
    • [X] Plan Teaching Virtue and Skill
    - [X] [Leaflets] The Redcaps (-10 each type)
    - [X] [Class Up] "Yes, what of it?" ((Class Up to Kalinsha))
    - [X] [Control] Purchase a laundry machine and a dryer so you can handle laundry more efficiently. 50 Æther, +5 Clean Æther per month.
    - [X] [Charm] Upgrade the landscaped courtyard with a water feature, like a pond or a stream. 250 Clean Æther.
    - [X] [Intrigue] Buy another tenth-share of House Galero's debt. 1,250 Dirty Æ, +5 House Galero favours.
    - [X] [Lore] Having witches and wizards on your side can only ever help. Try to make more contacts in the magical community.
    - [X] [Faith] Dance with Leah and practice its use as a channel for Steamborne power.
    - [X] [Personal] Personally teach your Redcaps some more Broken Fang Way.
    Basically, I want to invest in our teaching stuff - we can always switch back to a Mistress-path Class once we develop more court stuff, but more now I think the Steamborne stuff and the Redcaps are more relevant to what we are doing.
    Otherwise, I think it's a good idea to buy those large shares of debt when we can, and invest more in our core buisnesses, and continue learning and getting contacts.
     
    I think you have a good plan, but I feel like it's more important to get a front desk or bellhop (I prefer front desk), then add a water feature. The staff is already talking about how the business has to lean into being a hotel harder. Also, Clean Æther remains a bottleneck for further expansion, so reining in bigger purchases until able to buy up additional property, or for a warchest to take immediate advantage of being given patronage.

    I'm conflicted about focusing in more on training, versus trying to look for more opportunities to expand influence in the community.

    Evenstar, do we have any idea how skilled the Redcaps currently are in the Broken Fang way?
     
    carterhall said:
    Evenstar, do we have any idea how skilled the Redcaps currently are in the Broken Fang way?
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...

    All of them are at least novices. One or two of them are Kashava rank and can actually threaten you in a duel. All of them are more practiced at the baton than you are. Though you're unsure exactly what personal weapons they have, you know at least one of them must own a gun for them to have had a firefight with the Mob earlier instead of just getting mowed down.
     
    Evenstar said:
    "Welcome, everyone. It's been a new year for a while now, but now we have a new name too. Hotel Variety."
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...
    Woo!

    [X] Underworld Takeover
    - [X] [Leaflets] The Redcaps (-10 each type)
    - [X] [Class Up] "Yes, what of it?" ((Class Up to Kalinsha))
    - [X] [Control] Purchase a laundry machine and a dryer so you can handle laundry more efficiently. 50 Æther, +5 Clean Æther per month.
    - [X] [Charm] Hire a bellhop to take guests' luggage to their rooms. -5 Æ/month.
    - [X] [Intrigue] Try to absorb the hard-pressed Rats into the Redcaps by offering them batons, uniforms and training. 300 Dirty Æther.
    - [X] [Lore] Innumerable Aspect seeks to promote freedom of Orbite, encouraging the unbanning of proscribed Aspects. Go to their monthly meeting and keep an ear to the ground.
    - [X] [Faith] Send Leah to attend this month's meeting of All Faiths Harmonious and keep her ear to the ground.
    - [X] [Personal] Spend time overseeing one of the major business areas. (Intrigue)

    Okay, so this plan builds on the preparation work we did last turn. Going all out on expanding our gang by absorbing the Rats; buying a few upgrades to help with the hotel business; and sending Leah to All Faiths Harmonious because I want to see what they think about our Steamborne stuff.
     
    I like the Underworld Takeover plan. What are peoples' feelings on when M. Estellé should get her introduction to the noble court? The funds are there, she has fancy clothes and has been receiving elocution lessons, so it's basically at our desire for when it happens. That would mean minimizing expenditure of Dirty Æther.

    I also remembered that there are mercenaries training the Redcaps, so it's not as important to have M. Estellé personally train them, except to earn respect and loyalty.
     
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