Gold and Treachery - A Trade Magnate Quest

Gold and Treachery - A Trade Magnate Quest
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Over time, many cities had claimed to be the axis upon which the world turns. For just a few, it had a ring of truth. Alumahi was such a city. Founded in time immemorial, many empires had flown their banners from its walls, but the City of Markets had endured them all. For you though, this city is home. Foreigners might see its strange customs and people and be bewildered, but you never knew differently then to hear five different tongues spoken on your way to the market, and five yet again different ones on the way back. Your family is one of many who had carved out their own place here. By far not one of the great houses, but large enough for its name to be known.
Prologue - House Selection
Location
Germany
Over time, many cities had claimed to be the axis upon which the world turns. Place where great conqueror, emperors and sorcerers built their palaces, or those who believed themselves to be such. For most, it was empty bluster. For a few though? For a few, it had a ring of truth. Alumahi was such a city. Founded in time immemorial, many empires had flown their banners from its walls, but the City of Markets had endured them all.

To this day, the city sits on the periphery of many great realms, growing fat off the trade ships and caravans meeting in the one place where the quarrels and wars of great empires are a far away concern. Since the great Metuan Empire fell, no one managed to claim Alumahi as their own, leaving the city to be ruled by the whims of the great trade houses instead. But it is not by their blood that they rule and even the fortunes of the eldest dynasty can turn to ashes in an instant. Coin and treachery is what rules the city called the Whore of the Seas.

For you though, this city is home. Foreigners might see its strange customs and people and be bewildered, but you never knew differently then to hear five different tongues spoken on your way to the market, and five yet again different ones on the way back. Your family is one of many who had carved out their own place here. By far not one of the great houses, but large enough for its name to be known.

Your family is:

[] House Sarraqu
The Atawan Coast to the west has been infested with pirates since the days of the Metuan Empires fall, raiding both shipping and the coasts around them for plunder and slaves . Most traders would rather not travel these waters at all, preferring the longer, northern routes, but the city of Firaspur, trading in purple dye and gold brought from the far south, still beckons many to try. Your family has been braving these waters for a long time and made a fortune from it despite the risk. This could not have happened without finding some arrangements with the pirate fleets though, and while no one could ever prove that a galley flying the green eagle of the Sarraqu has engaged in piracy itself, the rumours are still persistent. But you know that it does not have to be this way. Respect can be earned, even if it will be hard. Or it can be compelled with the power bought with gold and purple.

Advantages:
  • Pirate Connections – Your family had cordial relationships with various pirate groups of the Atawan Coast for centuries, making the western trade routes far safer for you as long as you keep to those agreements and pay a few bribes.
    Trade routes to the Atawan Coast are more costly in upkeep, but also significantly safer.
  • Skilled Commanders – Through the long history of sailing the most dangerous trade routes, House Sarraqu had always need of skilled commanders that could keep a clear head and bring their galley out of a dangerous situation when needed. As a result, they have always made sure to train young officers on their ships to have a steady pool of talent to recruit from.
    When spending an action to recruit commanders, you will have more skilled candidates and there will always be at least one commander available for recruitment .
Disadvantages:
  • Known Pirate Associate – Being known to have relations with pirates means that more then a few people accuse your house of being pirates themselves. Sometimes they even claim you trade in slaves. While these rumors are usually not paid much attention to, they are as old as your house and can always be relied on to flare up whenever your house gains negative attention for some reason.
    Lose additional reputation due to vicious rumours whenever losing reputation for any reason.
  • Distrust – The other problem brought by your reputation is that people tend to second-guess themselves before they trust you. After all, what if you truly are making common cause with pirates and slavers?
    Diplomacy penalty when trying to gain peoples trust for military related actions (forming convoys, mercenary contracts, city defense, etc.).

[] House Qardu
Just as no one can recall when Alumahi has been founded, so can no one remember when the Apnagu Islands just north of it have not been fought over. Small and barren, they are of little value, but they offered shelter to many people from all over the White and Blue Seas. Cults and pirates had their hideouts here, always trailed by fleet of one state or another, who just as often fought each other. On one of those small islands, a small mercenary fleet had been founded and its leader would decades later found the House Qardu after settling in Alumahi. Unlike many other houses, your family is mostly renowned for their skill as warriors, not traders and though it brought renown and riches, it also brought many enemies. Yours is a legacy that, had your ancestors not taken coin for their deeds, would be fit for any conqueror. You can write the next pages in that history, or maybe it is time to start a different chapter.

Advantages:
  • Military Tradition – Your family has a long history of warfare and is, sometimes grudgingly, respected for their skill at training men and leading them into battle. As such, your name carries a lot of weight in such matters.
    Bonus to reputation for military actions and to diplomacy checks related to military related actions (forming convoys, mercenary contracts, city defense, etc.).
  • Nautical Maps – While traders can stick mostly to the same safe route as everyone else, a war fleet can hardly afford to be so predictable. As such, your house has maintained a large collection of nautical maps, especially of the treacherous waters of the Apnagu Islands in which many campaigns are fought.
    Start with a high quality collection of nautical maps for the White and Blue Seas.
Disadvantages:
  • No Trade – Your house is, as far as the gentry of Alumahi is concerned, an aberration. Besides a few abortive attempts to enter the pearl trade in the Apnagu Islands, the Qardu never were merchants and while in times of war, their coffers would swell, they could drain just as fast in times of peace.
    Start only with war galleys and no stable source of income.
  • Grudges – There are more then a few cities on the coasts of the seas that remember the blue, winged lion of the Qardu on a sail. Not all of those memories are fond. Your family has fought many campaign and there are thus a lot of nobles and cities that carry a grudge for having been defeated by your ancestors.
    Some foreign cities and noble houses start with a hostile opinion. You might not always be immediately aware of that fact.

[] House Senwet
South of Alumahi, beyond the mountains, lay the lands of the Demadi and there your family has made its meager fortunes. Trading solely by caravans is an oddity in a city ruled fleets and the riches they bring, even worse is that your family rarely trades in things more exiting then chick peas and lentils. However, a city the size of Alumahi needs to feed its people somehow and the barren coast leaves little room for farmland. So while you can only dream of the hauls of gold and spices other merchants expect, your ties to the fertile lands of Wat Xetyw meant that your house had always a steady income and even the Persum of Alumahi has a vested interested in keeping it that way, lest he face starving beggars dragging him from his palace. Humble your status may be now, but even the great houses once started thus and maybe you will find the power and respect you crave outside the walls of Alumahi.

Advantages:
  • Too Important to Fall – Your house is one of many that use the caravan routes to the Demadi to import food into the city and whenever that line of supply had been cut in the past, it spelled grim tidings for the rulers of Alumahi. Thus, banditry, capricious tolls or high taxes are something your house never had to deal with.
    Trade routes to the region of Wat Xetyw are extremely safe and cheap to maintain.
  • Noble Ties – The region of Wat Xetyw has been split into small, quarrelling states for centuries the trade routes to the north are one of the most important things to secure for a ruler there. Thus, your family has married local nobility multiple times and has good relations to a few houses of importance.
    Good relations to a few noble houses in Wat Xetyw.
Disadvantages:
  • Poor – While your income is steady, it is also rather small. It is very unlikely that you will face economic hardships, neither will you be able to easily save up enough money to expand.
    Start with small income and minimal cash reserves.
  • Shunned – The name Senwet is old enough to be well known, despite your houses low station, but that also means that said low station has become a fixed part of your reputation. Foreign nobility sees you as barely more then a peasant and the great houses of Alumahi are not much better.
    Diplomacy penalty when interacting with the rich of Alumahi and foreign nobility, except for Demadi nobility.

[] House Lipern
When the Metuan Empire began to decline, the Deucallian people began to dream of the ancient times in which they were, at least in their own opinion, the sole beacon of civilization in a dark world of barbarism. So they rebelled and built the city of Panike as a symbol of their new empire. In these times though, it is only known as the Panike Protectorate, for its grip on its territory is ever weakening, corruption and civil war gnawing on the foundations of the once great nation. In these lands, your house was founded and for many generations, it ruled vast lands in the Deucallian heartland. Through treachery, your ancestors were exiled, their titles revoked, and they fled to Alumahi with only a tiny fraction of their once vast wealth. Today, this legacy is all but forgotten, the lands of your family having changed hands dozens of times and the name Lipern becoming just another house of traders in Alumahi. But it does not have to be this way. You still remember and you can make others remember it too.

Advantages:
  • Old Nobility – Your ancestors were nothing if not skilled at the games of courtly intrigue and they made sure to make connections in their new home. As your houses fortunes dwindled and the weight of old claims lessened, so did these connections, but you still maintain decent ties to many people of some import.
    Start with good relationships to other trade houses.
  • Classical Education – Most members of your house had a good education in all branches of philosophy, as it was custom in Panike, and attended the Kassarium in Alumahi for their studies. Some even went so far as to learn sorcery there. Thus, the Kassarium, normally trying to keep its distance from the trade houses and their politics, has some fondness for the members of your house and the wider public has accepted that some Liperns learn the arcana arts.
    Start with a good relationship to the Kassarium. No reputation penalty for family members learning non-divine magic.
Disadvantages:
  • Reviled – The slander of your family's name in Panike has been of epic proportions and had ample time to seep in. By now, the name Lipern is basically synonymous with traitor for people of the Deucallian world and it would take some truly massive effort to ever change that.
    All people of Panike and its protectorates have a extremely negative opinion of your house. People of Deucallian culture living elsewhere have a negative opinion of your house.
  • Suspected Bankruptcy – Your family has been living above its means for decades, but lately, it has become so bad that others haven taken notice. Rumour is that House Lipern owes multiple small moneylenders quite appreciable sums that, when put together, make some suspect that the family should be bankrupt.
    Start in debt and with a reputation malus for suspected bankruptcy.
 
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Character and Spreadsheets

Patriarch Oreipolos Lipern
Born: 439 Enos Epei Eleuqeria

Traits:
Classical Education – You have been brought up with the teachings and insights of the ancient thinkers, which has left a mark on how you speak and act. Gain +1 Persuasion and Leadership against scholars and people sharing this trait.
Engineer – You received a full and practical education in natural philosophy, giving you the skills needed to plan buildings, ships and machines. Discount to the cost of buildings, ships and certain actions.
Diligent – You take joy from your work and will gladly put in extra effort to make sure it is perfect. Gain +1 AP per turn.

Vices:
Vainglory – You like to live in the glorious past of your house and act in accordance with that legacy. Some think you are overdoing it a bit.

Martial
Combat - 2​
Command - 2​
Diplomatic
Persuasion - 4​
Leadership - 3​
Mercantile
Negotiation - 3​
Administration - 4​
Intrigue
Subterfuge - 2​
Espionage - 3​
Learning
Moral Philosophy - 4​
Natural Philosophy - 5​
Metaphysical Philosophy - 4​



Menodora bint Ghaliya Lipern
Born: 438 Enos Epei Eleuqeria

Traits:
Street Rat - You have lived in the streets for a while and learned a lot in that time. Mostly how to acquire your next meal and how to stay out of trouble. Gain +1 to Persuasion, Negotiation and Subterfuge when dealing with commoners.
Seafarer - You have, either trough study or experience, learned much about navigation, naval combat and how to run a ship. Once per naval journey, you can roll a Command check twice and take the better result.

Vices:
Wanderlust – Staying at the same place for too long can quickly bore you and whenever life gets too much, you like nothing more than to travel for a while.

Martial
Combat - 4​
Command - 5​
Diplomatic
Persuasion - 2​
Leadership - 4​
Mercantile
Negotiation - 3​
Administration - 4​
Intrigue
Subterfuge - 3​
Espionage - 2​
Learning
Moral Philosophy - 1​
Natural Philosophy - 2​
Metaphysical Philosophy - 1​
Mathaqaf Philosophy - 3​



Outstanding Loans
- 5 Wealth owed to a mix of various small-time lenders – 1 Wealth interest per turn
- 6 Wealth owed to a group of lenders from small houses – 1 Wealth interest per turn

Properties
Seat of House Lipern / Large Mansion (Azure District)
Base Upkeep – 1 Wealth​
Accommodations III – 1 Wealth​
Wine Cellar – 1 Wealth​
Library IV – 1 Wealth​
Total Upkeep – 4 Wealth​
Dilapidated Tenements (Small Harbour)
Estimated Value: 2 Wealth​
No Upkeep / Profit​
Ledgers
  • ExpectedActual
    Current Wealth00
    Income
    Trade Route - Iotian Republics55
    Trade Route - Dameriso (Spices)78
    Loan Taken6
    Recovered from Sarruk1
    Expenses
    Trade Routes-3-3
    Household-4-4
    Court Fines Payment-2-2
    Loan Paid (Qaypanu)-8
    Interest-4-2
    Total-11

  • ExpectedActual
    Current Wealth00
    Income
    Trade Route - Iotian Republics55
    Trade Route - Dameriso (Spices)78
    Loan Taken6
    Recovered from Sarruk1
    Expenses
    Trade Routes-3-3
    Household-4-4
    Court Fines Payment-2-2
    Loan Paid (Qaypanu)-8
    Interest-4-2
    Total-11
  • TypeNameCargo SpaceMilitary ScoreUpkeep
    Small Trade GalleyDararu101
    Small Trade GalleyAshar101
    Small Trade GalleyIssur Tanty101
    Small Trade GalleyKhiar Albahr101
    Medium Trade GalleyHinsu202
  • DestinationGoodsMaximum CargoUpkeep
    per Ship
    Upkeep
    per Cargo
    Bound Funds
    per Cargo
    Expected Income
    per Cargo
    Risk
    Iotian RepublicsMixed70173Low
    DamerisoSpices102227Low
  • RouteShips AssignedTotal
    Cargo Moved
    Total
    Military Score
    Total
    Upkeep
    Total
    Bound Funds
    Expected
    Total Income
    Iotian Republics3x Small Trade Galley (Dararu, Ashar, Issur Tanty)
    1x Medium Trade Galley (Hinsu)
    50103515
    Dameriso (Spices)Small Trade Galley 'Khiar Albahr'103227
  • Current Wealth1
    Income
    Trade Route - Iotian Republics15
    Trade Route - Dameriso (Spices)7
    Expenses
    Trade Route - Iotian Republics-10
    Trade Route - Dameriso (Spices)-3
    Household-4
    Interest-2
    Total4
 
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World and Diplomacy
Diplomacy

Relationships
None of note.

Reputation
Alumahi – Public - -3
Between the Deucallians whispering about your house being traitors and the natives of Alumahi agreeing on account of your marriage, your reputation was already rather tarnished. Now though, the commoners have even begun laughing at your misfortune. Some even say Sarrut did the right thing by stealing from you.
-1 from Lipern Legacy​
-1 from Ealim Marriage​
-1 from the Sarrut Scandal​

Alumahi – Trade Houses - 0
The scandal of Sarruts betrayal has done heavy damage to your reputation among the other trade houses, wiping away all the progress you had made to restore your houses good standing in Alumahi.
+4 from Lipern Legacy​
-1 from Ealim Marriage​
-3 from the Sarrut Scandal​

Alumahi – Great Houses / Sibu – -4
While the Great Houses have largely shown indifference to House Lipern in years past, they now are actively cutting your out of their social circles. What they think of you, you can only guess from second hand accounts, but apparently the Sibu of Deucallian descend have begun whispering about potential treason from your house, if not by design, then by incompetence.
+2 from Lipern Legacy​
-2 from Ealim Marriage​
-4 from the Sarrut Scandal​

Alumahi – Ealim – +3
You still remain popular among the cities Ealim, even though recent events have slightly tarnished your name among them.
+2 known at the Madrasa​
+2 allied with House Hasna​
-1 from the Sarrut Scandal​

Deucallian Region / Panike –Everyone - -10
The scholars all agree: It is your family's fault that the Imperium Panikes golden age ended and that it was plunged into centuries of slow rot and decay. That is bad and you should feel bad.
-20 from Lipern Legacy​

Alumahi – Kassarium - +4
While the Kassarium tries to stay out of the politics of Alumahi, your family has brought forth so many scholars and philosophers that some ties have developed over the years and your own years of studying in its halls cotinued this.
+2 from Lipern Legacy​
+2 from having studied there in your youth​

World
TBD
 
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Background Information and Mechanics
Background Information
None yet.


Mechanics

Skills
Each character possesses skills, ranked from 0 to 10. Most skills start with a rank 1 with the exception of skills in the Learning group, which start at 0 and can't be used until at least one rank in it has been gained. When a skill check is made, roll four six-sided dice or a number equal to the ranks you have in the skill, whichever is higher. To the rank in your skill, subtract one for each 1 or 2 rolled, and add one for each 5 or 6 rolled. If the final result is equal or greater then the difficulty (DC) of a task, it is a success. Rolling significantly above or below the target number may have additional effects beside basic success and failure, depending on the task in question. If two characters act in opposition to each other, such as when negotiating with each other, both roll the applicable skill and compare the result, with the character with the higher result emerging victories. Should both characters be tied, neither side has gained any advantage and usually the characters will simply try again.

An average amount of capability in a given skill equals the rank of 3, with 5 representing an expert. Higher values are rare and usually the result of much hard work and dedication of a character. Skills can also be modified by traits, which raise or lower their values, usually under specific circumstances.

Martial
Combat - The skill for personal combat, covering armed and unarmed fighting, archery, hunting and similar tasks.​
Command - Needed for commanding ships and soldiers on a tactical and strategic scale.​
Diplomatic
Persuasion - Used whenever characters try to convince each other of something.​
Leadership - Leading and organizing large groups of people, be it a religious group, the workers in a business or a military unit.​
Mercantile
Negotiation - Making deals and haggling about things, usually in an opposed check with another character.​
Administration - Performing the clerical tasks, accounting and organizing of a business, a government or similar institutions.​
Intrigue
Subterfuge - The art of lying through your teeth.​
Espionage - Gathering information on your enemies and hiding your own secrets.​
Learning
Moral Philosophy - The study of morality, ethics and how man should behave.​
Natural Philosophy - The study of nature and it's phenomena.​
Metaphysical Philosophy - The study of logic, causality, reason and the nature of the divine.​
Religion - The religious lore of a specific faith.​

Turns and Actions
During a turn, you gain a number of Action Points (AP) that can be spent on actions. There are two types of actions, regular actions and prolonged actions.

Regular actions require a fixed number of AP and Resources (see below) to be taken and have one or more skills and DCs associated with it. When taken, the associated checks are made and the actions succeeds or fails depending on the rolls. So, for example, a regular action might cost 1 AP and 1 Wealth to take and require a DC 4 Negotiation check. Some actions might be repeatable and can be taken again in later turns. Some actions can also have the chance to over-invest. In that case, a second price of AP and Resources is given and if spent, checks of the action will be rolled twice and the better result is taken.

Prolonged actions have no fixed AP cost and instead specify a cost of Resources per AP spent. Every time an AP is spent on a prolonged action, you roll the associated skills and add the result of that check to the progress of the action. Once the progress is equal or grater to the DC, the action concludes successfully. A prolonged action can not fail, but each turn in which it is actively worked on or has at least one progress, a random event might occur that can help or hinder the action. So, for example, a prolonged action might specify a cost of 1 Wealth per AP spent and a Administration DC of 20. If you decide to spend 2 AP on it, you have to expend 2 Wealth and can roll your Administration skill twice, adding the results together. If the total result is less then twenty, then a random event can occur for this action and you can spend further AP on it next turn to complete it then.

Resources
There are three kinds of Resources: Wealth, Goodwill and Secrets

Of the three, Wealth is the easiest to acquire and most universal. Wealth simply represents money, gold, trade goods or other forms of stored value and is used to pay for everything from the upkeep of your mansion to the bribes sent to an Emperor. More Wealth tends to be easy to acquire when you already have a lot of it and fairly difficult when you don't, so it is always advisable to keep a healthy reserve of it to weather unexpected problems. Bankruptcy is one way of losing the quest and occurs when you end a turn without any Wealth or assets that can be forcefully liquidated to generate the Wealth needed to pay for your expenses.

Goodwill and Secrets are tied to a specific person, group or institution, representing that they are willing to do you favors or that you can compel them to do so by extortion. You can gain Goodwill by dealing fairly with other people or doing them favors, while Secrets can be gained through espionage. Goodwill, once spent, tends to be gone for good, though having good relations to a group or person means that you might be passively generating Goodwill with them over time. Secrets on the other hand can be used as often as you like, but obviously the other party will greatly resent you for continuously extorting them. You can use Secrets instead of Goodwill for any action that requires it, but you should always be aware that doing so means that whatever you compelled the other party to do is done under duress, which means they will likely try to sabotage or hurt you in some fashion.

Relationships and Reputation
Every time you interact with other people or groups, it will be impacted by and impact in turn the relationship between you. This is tracked on a scale from -10 to +10, with positive values giving you bonuses when interacting with that party, while negative values giving penalties. Reputation is working in the same way, but tracks the opinion of large groups, such as the upper class of an entire city, or that of the population of a realm. When interacting with a person for the first time, your reputation in groups to which that person belongs influences their starting relationship to you.
 
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[X] House Lipern

Magic and old decadent nobility, what's not to like? It's even the best of magics, one not dependent on fickle gods and their supposed morals. My second choice would probably be House Senwet going for the entirely opposite playstyle, but why be a peasant when you can be a high noble?
 
[X] House Lipern
Poor reputation AND lack of cash? That sounds terrible! But magic is so appealing... Argh, I just can't resist.
I was tempted by Senwet for basic safety and Sarraqu because having competent underlings is fantastic, but having access to more kinds of magic is extremely appealing. I don't know if this is a big deal in this setting (can other houses just hire wizards?) but I'm willing to roll those dice anyway.

@Azel, is this going to be a dynasty or grand strategy sort of quest, or will it be more immediately focused on a single character's and their personal life?
 
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[X] House Lipern

Poor reputation AND lack of cash? That sounds terrible! But magic is so appealing... Argh, I just can't resist.

@Azel, is this going to be a dynasty or grand strategy sort of quest, or will it be more immediately focused on a single character's and their personal life?
Dynasty oriented with year-long turns, but that still means a lot of focus on the current head of house (who will be designed in the next vote). I always felt that this rythm had worked rather well in Strange Tides, so I wanted to try my hand at this format again.

Edit: Also, mind that this start doesn't automatically grant you magic. That will still take a lot of work to achieve. It just means you don't get the wary reactions for being a sorcerer.
 
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[X] House Senwet

Magic isn't guaranteed, and lack of wealth can be worked around.
With the political connections, there will be a backlog of "good faith" to throw around if we're caught in less-than-reputable dealings.
And as far as I'm concerned, taking over the competition by Megacorp style is the only reasonable way to play :V
 
[X] House Qardu

Is there any more useful and versatile skill than the talent for organized violence? We may not be spice-traders ourselves, but this setup seems perfect for raising a fleet, carving out a dominion over some important trade-lane, and making bank off a small toll from everyone who sails through.
 
Is there any more useful and versatile skill than the talent for organized violence? We may not be spice-traders ourselves, but this setup seems perfect for raising a fleet, carving out a dominion over some important trade-lane, and making bank off a small toll from everyone who sails through.
Mind you that pinching some money from passing trade ships might not make you all that many friends with the people you are servicing. It's basically what some of the more successful pirate fleets on the Atawan Coast are doing.

Then again, if you do the pinching in the name of some big nation...
 
[X] House Lipern

Wealth is a means to an end, and that end is sailing into Panike at the head of a battle fleet to restore civilized rule.
 
Mind you that pinching some money from passing trade ships might not make you all that many friends with the people you are servicing. It's basically what some of the more successful pirate fleets on the Atawan Coast are doing.

Then again, if you do the pinching in the name of some big nation...
Nobody ever wants to pay their taxes, but the key difference between that and extortion is providing some sort of incentive beyond implied threat. Owning a trade lane means we're also keeping it safe and providing harbor - and, of course, dear and filial friends of our mighty House will be provided appropriate discounts.

It just seems like an appropriately mercantile and maritime usage of our military assets - we could hypothetically just keep being glorified mercenaries or try to conquer someplace traditionally, but that doesn't seem fitting with the tone of the quest.
 
[X] House Lipern

@Azel hey, if you don't mind me asking, how often do you intend to release new chapters?. I ask in the sense of is there even a schedule?
edit: clarified.
 
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[X] House Lipern

We have the legacy. Let's see if we will build the power to enforce them.
 
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