- Location
- Spain
- Pronouns
- He/Him
[X] Labor
Money and Power: A Xianxia Merchant Quest
- Thread starter Mr. Prokosch
- Start date
The Supplier
Zhezhurani nodded to her proposal, "We'll need to make sure it's a fair exchange of labor, but this sounds like a strong deal in principal. We'll send a negotiator to your compound by the next sunrise to hammer out specifics."
I've already alerted our team. We'll be ready for them. Good work.
Chachi perfectly matched his bowing salute. Outside the Court, he would bow lower, as she was the Matriarch of an equal-status Clan. Here, all were equal.
That business done, she wandered the halls with an eye out for more allies. She quickly passed a round lounge that smelled of intoxicant, and skirted some steaming pools. She needed to maintain her sobriety, and her dignity. She decided to stop at a dining room with plates of food lining the walls, defying gravity with imbuements and kept warm with tiny flecks of fire crystal. She saddled up behind a mortal man who stared at the meals with warring desire and fear.
"Just take one, they're free for all guests," she advised gently.
He jumped at her voice, started to throw himself to the floor, then jumped back straight with a strangled yelp. From his clothes, he was a poor laborer of some kind. Chachi wasn't sure where they got the mortals from. Maybe the house servants just grabbed them off the streets?
"Here," she took a pair that looked inoffensive and flipped them the right way, she handed one to him and took the other for herself. He bowed and with a grin she matched it perfectly, which made him turn red and retreat. She shrugged and scanned the room for a less flustered dining companion. Her eyes lit on Okichiltekitki, just the kind of woman she wanted to meet. Chachi plopped herself down on a simple wooden stool next to the head of the Special Farmer's Union and found, to her delight, that her body was cushioned by an ingenious air imbuement hidden in the wood grain.
Okichiltekitki arched an eyebrow at her. From her elaborate hair-do down to her invisible sandals (a fashionable imbued toe-ring that let her bare feet seemingly float just off the floor) she was the height of elegance. Everything about her screamed the opposite of "farmer," but that was the point. The farmers, even ones growing essence rich products for clans and sects, had long been the bottom of society. A "farming clan" or even a "farming cultivator" was like an oxymoron, or the start to a rude joke. The best they could hope for was the patronage of a real clan. By organizing into a "union," which Chachi understood to be a kind of weak clan structure without a core family to lead them, the disparate farming villages were able to acquire some semblance of respectability and bargaining power. It was important that their representative be seen as a cultivator, a business woman, and not a simple farmer like the cowed mortal Chachi had just condescended to. Thus, Okichiltekitki, a woman who spoke for farmers yet literally never touched the earth.
"Good time to chat?" Chachi smiled at the older woman.
"Well… If it isn't my worst customer," Okichiltekitki sneered at her.
Chachi blinked slowly. What?
What? Teo sounded baffled. Is she teasing? I can't see her face.
She didn't look like she was teasing, "excuse me?"
"You know how long it takes to grow 1000-year-cinnamon?"
"1000 years?" Chachi answered slowly, still shocked by the tone of her business partner.
"You got it!" Her voice dripped with scorn, "Essence farming takes centuries of careful cultivation of the earth. We can't just mix up a new recipe every quarter like you. We need assurances if we plant 1000-year-cinnamon that it will sell in a 1000 years. Your father has been fighting the union for a century. Every year you found a dozen new ways to mix your fancy water so you can bypass our farmers, and where you couldn't do that you've tried to buy up our lands and pouch our members. Anything to avoid working with the Union. Now, you're finally forced to pay a fair price for your cure-all and you come crawling back, as if we had somehow anticipated your need for twice as much cinnamon this year 1000 years ago!"
Chachi frowned at her, "is this some kind of tactic?" she asked Teo as much as Okichiltekitki.
"Tactic? I'm just telling you the facts. We cannot fulfill your latest orders. Sorry. We serve our more reliable customers first. We can give you the scraps after their orders are fulfilled."
The woman stabbed with irritation at her food. Chachi had completely ignored her own dish at this baffling turn of events. No doubt they'd put in an order with the Farmer's Union recently. It was larger than normal so they could stretch their reserves of Heavenspan Water. Shouldn't they be celebrating? They were literally paying the Union more money. She didn't even want to talk to her about this, she wanted to discuss a transportation partnership, and Okichiltekitki just dove in with a mad attack.
Something is wrong. Even if her Union is frustrated with us, or she doesn't have the product we need, you never talk to a customer like this. She should be apologizing. Even if we weren't a customer, you're a Matriarch for Light's sake! You'd be in your rights to duel her for this, and the Union has no one in Transforming to match you. She's playing some kind of game. I'm… I'm not sure what. I'll look into it. Someone must be paying her, or leaning on her.
What is your approach?
[] Duel
You'll have blood for this!
[] Aggressive
No one talks to you like that. She wants trouble, she just got it... Short of an outright duel, of course.
[] Conciliatory
You're sorry she feels that way. How can you make it up to the Farmer's Union?
[] Charming
Come on, don't be like that. We're friends.
[] Direct
Something is wrong here. She's not acting normal, at all. Address the Lion-Turtle in the room.
[] Strictly Business
Completely ignore her tone, make your real proposal as if she'd said just greeted you and everything was normal.
[] Write-in
Keep it to a very general approach.
I've already alerted our team. We'll be ready for them. Good work.
Chachi perfectly matched his bowing salute. Outside the Court, he would bow lower, as she was the Matriarch of an equal-status Clan. Here, all were equal.
That business done, she wandered the halls with an eye out for more allies. She quickly passed a round lounge that smelled of intoxicant, and skirted some steaming pools. She needed to maintain her sobriety, and her dignity. She decided to stop at a dining room with plates of food lining the walls, defying gravity with imbuements and kept warm with tiny flecks of fire crystal. She saddled up behind a mortal man who stared at the meals with warring desire and fear.
"Just take one, they're free for all guests," she advised gently.
He jumped at her voice, started to throw himself to the floor, then jumped back straight with a strangled yelp. From his clothes, he was a poor laborer of some kind. Chachi wasn't sure where they got the mortals from. Maybe the house servants just grabbed them off the streets?
"Here," she took a pair that looked inoffensive and flipped them the right way, she handed one to him and took the other for herself. He bowed and with a grin she matched it perfectly, which made him turn red and retreat. She shrugged and scanned the room for a less flustered dining companion. Her eyes lit on Okichiltekitki, just the kind of woman she wanted to meet. Chachi plopped herself down on a simple wooden stool next to the head of the Special Farmer's Union and found, to her delight, that her body was cushioned by an ingenious air imbuement hidden in the wood grain.
Okichiltekitki arched an eyebrow at her. From her elaborate hair-do down to her invisible sandals (a fashionable imbued toe-ring that let her bare feet seemingly float just off the floor) she was the height of elegance. Everything about her screamed the opposite of "farmer," but that was the point. The farmers, even ones growing essence rich products for clans and sects, had long been the bottom of society. A "farming clan" or even a "farming cultivator" was like an oxymoron, or the start to a rude joke. The best they could hope for was the patronage of a real clan. By organizing into a "union," which Chachi understood to be a kind of weak clan structure without a core family to lead them, the disparate farming villages were able to acquire some semblance of respectability and bargaining power. It was important that their representative be seen as a cultivator, a business woman, and not a simple farmer like the cowed mortal Chachi had just condescended to. Thus, Okichiltekitki, a woman who spoke for farmers yet literally never touched the earth.
"Good time to chat?" Chachi smiled at the older woman.
"Well… If it isn't my worst customer," Okichiltekitki sneered at her.
Chachi blinked slowly. What?
What? Teo sounded baffled. Is she teasing? I can't see her face.
She didn't look like she was teasing, "excuse me?"
"You know how long it takes to grow 1000-year-cinnamon?"
"1000 years?" Chachi answered slowly, still shocked by the tone of her business partner.
"You got it!" Her voice dripped with scorn, "Essence farming takes centuries of careful cultivation of the earth. We can't just mix up a new recipe every quarter like you. We need assurances if we plant 1000-year-cinnamon that it will sell in a 1000 years. Your father has been fighting the union for a century. Every year you found a dozen new ways to mix your fancy water so you can bypass our farmers, and where you couldn't do that you've tried to buy up our lands and pouch our members. Anything to avoid working with the Union. Now, you're finally forced to pay a fair price for your cure-all and you come crawling back, as if we had somehow anticipated your need for twice as much cinnamon this year 1000 years ago!"
Chachi frowned at her, "is this some kind of tactic?" she asked Teo as much as Okichiltekitki.
"Tactic? I'm just telling you the facts. We cannot fulfill your latest orders. Sorry. We serve our more reliable customers first. We can give you the scraps after their orders are fulfilled."
The woman stabbed with irritation at her food. Chachi had completely ignored her own dish at this baffling turn of events. No doubt they'd put in an order with the Farmer's Union recently. It was larger than normal so they could stretch their reserves of Heavenspan Water. Shouldn't they be celebrating? They were literally paying the Union more money. She didn't even want to talk to her about this, she wanted to discuss a transportation partnership, and Okichiltekitki just dove in with a mad attack.
Something is wrong. Even if her Union is frustrated with us, or she doesn't have the product we need, you never talk to a customer like this. She should be apologizing. Even if we weren't a customer, you're a Matriarch for Light's sake! You'd be in your rights to duel her for this, and the Union has no one in Transforming to match you. She's playing some kind of game. I'm… I'm not sure what. I'll look into it. Someone must be paying her, or leaning on her.
What is your approach?
[] Duel
You'll have blood for this!
[] Aggressive
No one talks to you like that. She wants trouble, she just got it... Short of an outright duel, of course.
[] Conciliatory
You're sorry she feels that way. How can you make it up to the Farmer's Union?
[] Charming
Come on, don't be like that. We're friends.
[] Direct
Something is wrong here. She's not acting normal, at all. Address the Lion-Turtle in the room.
[] Strictly Business
Completely ignore her tone, make your real proposal as if she'd said just greeted you and everything was normal.
[] Write-in
Keep it to a very general approach.
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DangerKitty
shoddy writter
- Location
- lala land
[X] Watch your tone
You consider the two of you to be allies, but you will not allow her to disparage you in public. Offer to help her with whatever her real problem is, but warn her that if she doesnt pay you the respect your station deserves you will respond with a duel.
Take no shit.
You consider the two of you to be allies, but you will not allow her to disparage you in public. Offer to help her with whatever her real problem is, but warn her that if she doesnt pay you the respect your station deserves you will respond with a duel.
Take no shit.
You did, and they are up to shit that you're in a need to know basis on. If you had gone with mom she might have been better informed about whatever is happening here, but she doesn't keep Teo in the loop either.
This is not a confirmation that whatever is going on involves your mom at all.
J.I.M.S
BookWyrm
- Location
- Latveria
My first instinct is to say that this a test to see who Chachi is. If she's gonna be like her old man skirting around the union then her business isn't all that appealing. So dueling and aggressive I think would be the worst options in trying to show we ain't like the Patriarch.
Ideally it's a test. Worst outcome is that she is being payed or leaned on to take that sort of bitter attitude towards us. Means we're up against someone with enough soft and or hard power that it's be better to (in her mind) 100% offend us than maybe offend the one offering the deal or that the deal presented is too juicy to pass up.
The middling scenario is that our old man was playing a real mean game of hard ball with the union for a hundred years. Hard but mom hid it so Teo didn't know so probably more mean than anything. And Okichi is taking advantage of the Tlaloc's house rules to spit in our clan's face.
I disinclined to pick charming or direct. Direct I feel was already tried with
And I feel you'd have to be godly at charming when up against so much spite or carrot and stick is behind her. If those things are indeed the case with her.
Conciliatory I feel falls within the spirit of Tlaloc's court rules which he might look favorably on if this was set up by him or if he has an eye and or ear on this conversation. While I'm not a fan, as it might make the clan look weak (who apologizes to dirty mortal farmers lol /s) I think it could honestly work. Sometimes all the salt of the earth wants is an apology from a big guy regardless of reparation offered. But we'd be saying sorry and offering something. A shipping deal ideally but even if it takes it bit more than that, we need them without our fancy water as she put it. She better not take an arm where a hand is offered otherwise it's walk away or dueling time.
Strictly Business is a one and done in which her greed is put up on the scale of her other motivations and we get a quick yes or no in a lot or few words.
Dueling could honestly work but I feel we'd start of with real sour relations. It's also possibly a trap in which she calls up a substitute or where the duel isn't martial in nature. I forget the duel rule specifics like who chooses the nature of the duel or if she can elect a champion. The cone head is here though.
Aggressive is narratively boring for me and I see it as having a billion percent chance of not panning out mechanically, rules protect her and she could then demand a duel.
[X] Conciliatory
I wouldn't be opposed to Strictly Business winning.
Ideally it's a test. Worst outcome is that she is being payed or leaned on to take that sort of bitter attitude towards us. Means we're up against someone with enough soft and or hard power that it's be better to (in her mind) 100% offend us than maybe offend the one offering the deal or that the deal presented is too juicy to pass up.
The middling scenario is that our old man was playing a real mean game of hard ball with the union for a hundred years. Hard but mom hid it so Teo didn't know so probably more mean than anything. And Okichi is taking advantage of the Tlaloc's house rules to spit in our clan's face.
I disinclined to pick charming or direct. Direct I feel was already tried with
And I feel you'd have to be godly at charming when up against so much spite or carrot and stick is behind her. If those things are indeed the case with her.
Conciliatory I feel falls within the spirit of Tlaloc's court rules which he might look favorably on if this was set up by him or if he has an eye and or ear on this conversation. While I'm not a fan, as it might make the clan look weak (who apologizes to dirty mortal farmers lol /s) I think it could honestly work. Sometimes all the salt of the earth wants is an apology from a big guy regardless of reparation offered. But we'd be saying sorry and offering something. A shipping deal ideally but even if it takes it bit more than that, we need them without our fancy water as she put it. She better not take an arm where a hand is offered otherwise it's walk away or dueling time.
Strictly Business is a one and done in which her greed is put up on the scale of her other motivations and we get a quick yes or no in a lot or few words.
Dueling could honestly work but I feel we'd start of with real sour relations. It's also possibly a trap in which she calls up a substitute or where the duel isn't martial in nature. I forget the duel rule specifics like who chooses the nature of the duel or if she can elect a champion. The cone head is here though.
Aggressive is narratively boring for me and I see it as having a billion percent chance of not panning out mechanically, rules protect her and she could then demand a duel.
[X] Conciliatory
I wouldn't be opposed to Strictly Business winning.
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- Location
- Ostren
[X] Watch your tone
- Location
- Canada
I don't think it's a test, the risks outweigh the benefits to her.
I could see one of our enemies encouraging her to mess with us.
I can totally see our mom messing with the Union and making them very angry.
Could even be both.
Agreed, we have some charm but are not amazing at it or anything.
Yes a duel seems like a bad idea for all sorts of reasons. Even if we win, if they don't want to do business with us, a duel isn't likely to help that.
It seems 1000-year cinnamon has a short shelf life?
We could offer to build a granary for the Union that increases shelf life in exchange for a certain amount of 1000-year-cinnamnon per year? Or we build the granary for ourselves and then offer a contract to buy up to x amount of cinnamon per year at a lower price, then resell it in lean years?
If they have a lasting stockpile they can control, the Union can better manipulate the price, as long as we carve out an exception for ourselves, what do we care about how it affects others, so long as the Union takes the blame?
Of course all this depends of being able to make a granary, @Mr. Prokosch Does this seem feasible to Chachi?
If that fails, I'm inclined to point out how we have a lot more options than she does.
We are opening up new markets and they might soon no longer be the only supplier. If we fail both to secure a new supplier and to secure the rights to Heavenspan water, we can sell the knowledge to replace 1000-year-cinnamon. We can harm their thousand year long investment and make a lesser profit if pushed to the limit.
Maybe we find a way to work with 950 year old cinnamon instead and undercut her? What mortal is going to want to wait 50 years when they could get paid now?
For now let's go with
[X] Conciliatory
@Mr. Prokosch I appreciate how every character is different and has their own unique goals, methods and voice, the characterization really shines.
[X] Direct
There is no reason to be Conciliatory. Since they are a Union, she was most likely elected to her position and just being mean to long time customers shouldn't be something somebody like that does, no matter how they actually feel about it. Whatever is going on, its deliberate. We have no way of finding out what's going on so we might as well cut the bullshit and ask her directly, showing her that we are not to be played.
There is no reason to be Conciliatory. Since they are a Union, she was most likely elected to her position and just being mean to long time customers shouldn't be something somebody like that does, no matter how they actually feel about it. Whatever is going on, its deliberate. We have no way of finding out what's going on so we might as well cut the bullshit and ask her directly, showing her that we are not to be played.
She's not complaining about shelf life. What she's saying is that her clan is putting massive amounts of time and effort into their product, only for buyers to try to swindle them at the point of sale instead of getting a reliable prearranged selling price. Imagine if a dozen generations of your family put their blood, sweat, and tears into making that cinnamon only for it to sell at half the market rate because some powerful clan felt like exerting pressure for a discount.
I think it's likely that she's being honest with us. Our old patriarch or another member of the family severely harmed relations with the farming union while Chachi and Teo were kept out of the loop. Though she wouldn't say as much to our face if she didn't have a backer.
Regardless we should repair relations as we don't have a thousand years to grow our own cinnamon. Even if we could cut that time in half it doesn't help us now.
Also I'm assuming everything we do here is known by the lord of this place given their strong connection to their domain and its populace. We've already caused this lord business troubles recently and they're powerful enough to crush our clan if they feel like it. I'd rather this lord see us as someone who can make nice and build bridges than as a troublemaker who'd continue causing them headaches.
[X] Conciliatory
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- Location
- Spain
- Pronouns
- He/Him
[X] Direct
Something is wrong here. She's not acting normal, at all. Address the Lion-Turtle in the room.
Btw, I really like the Special Farmer's Union!
Something is wrong here. She's not acting normal, at all. Address the Lion-Turtle in the room.
Btw, I really like the Special Farmer's Union!
- Location
- Canada
Her complaints are understandable, so long as she doesn't want too much to normalize relations, let's go for it and impress (or at least not further annoy) the local Lord.
[X] Conciliatory
DangerKitty
shoddy writter
- Location
- lala land
Come on yall, play into our matriarch role lol. We demand respect!
Chachi can probably build a granary. She's very good at making things. A Granary is a large building, and in the past she's found it's much easier to make small things in the Forge, so she'd want to contract with a construction clan like the one she just talked to for most of the labor. She could design some object that preserves things near it, but preservation isn't too hard of a trick, so the construction clan could do that without her help.
They don't really need a granary though. They are mostly mortals so you're looking at a mortal preservation methods, but the Union as a collective can afford imbued granaries shared by the collective for goods that need it. 1000-year-cinnamon is just an example of their grievance (if you take that at face value) which as a poster above said isn't really about shelf-life.
That being said, 1000-year-cinnamon is probably the most hyperbolic example given the growing time, and it does have a short shelf life that even a magical granary won't solve. 1000-year-cinnamon is only potent for one year. 999-year-cinnamon and 1001-year-cinnamon are useless for making elixirs. Certain numbers have power: 3, 7, 13, 1000 and also combinations such as 21 (3 7s) and 777 (3 7s again). Only the Saints really 'get' why that is, but regular people can work around it.
Chachi could actually use 950-year cinnamon or even 1 year cinnamon in the Forge. The Forge breaks everything down to Essence and Teotle, the building blocks of the universe, and then builds them back up from there. So there's a tiny bit of cinnamon essence in the weaker cinnamon that she can collect into the Forge and with enough of it make an Elixir. Her clan just can't do that, they don't currently have the means to extract that tiny speck of essence out of a pile of cinnamon and then concentrate it all together again, they need to start with the highest essence product available. You gave them some tools that might help them with that process but they just started using them.
If they did discover a way to make do with 950 year cinnamon, or more likely 777 year cinnamon, the Union would probably see that as an attack. The mortal farmers with partially grown cinnamon would of course want to harvest now and sell this year instead of in the next generation or two, but that undermines the farmers with mature cinnamon and drives down prices for the whole collective. Doing stuff like that is the heart of the grievance (if the grievance is legitimate).
- Location
- Canada
I see, it's literally 1000-year-cinnamon. That explains a lot. Looks like we can't Forge our way around this issue. Oh well.
Maybe we can make a contract to buy a certain amount of cinnamon a year for a decade or something.
J.I.M.S
BookWyrm
- Location
- Latveria
Why though? Why play a matriarch when we could play as Chachi? I vaguely recall her being a cinnamon bun. Also why demand respect from someone either honestly ticked off or acting that way for some other purpose? Personally my first instinct was confusion then a sense of understanding once she mentioned our old man. Your vote has the threat of a duel, what is the end goal of a duel in this situation?
Incorrect the forge can solve our need for 1000 yr cinnamon, it'd need an action of ours and it'd probably piss off the Union.
Okichiltekitki told us she can't fulfill our orders. Ignoring how there's other items than 1000 yr cinnamon wouldn't that mean at worst waiting 1000 years and at best a couple of years to solely see cinnamon? Or maybe the best would be getting scraps. Not a fan even if the idea is to get the cinnamon Essence out of less/more than 1000 yes cinnamon.
- Location
- USA
...we have enough room in our trains we could buy things with much less of a profit margin and much shorter time investment on their part. Their farmers would probably like being able to sell some product that they actually see some benefit from personally rather than generations down the line.
Economy of scale means that we don't need to make a lot on each item. In fact, we could probably take a loss on some items so that we get access to other things that make us a profit. Hell, because of the shear scale we're going for, we're gonna be driving up prices by increased demand. Even if we crack how to do something like crack 777 year cinnamon in place of 1000 year, the price of 1000 year won't be hurt too dramatically. In fact, by harvesting 777 year cinnamon, it would lead to a future rise in the price of 1000 year cinnamon by the scarcity of supply since customers would have to pay even more to get the farmers to not harvest at 777 years.
Although this also gets to the mutually beneficial idea of subscription contracts. Rather than just lump sum payments for the end product that has a massive time horizon, there's an ongoing payment for goods as they grow to maturity. Farmers get reliable income that they get to enjoy instead of infrequent paydays that can be fucked over by the whims of the market.
Economy of scale means that we don't need to make a lot on each item. In fact, we could probably take a loss on some items so that we get access to other things that make us a profit. Hell, because of the shear scale we're going for, we're gonna be driving up prices by increased demand. Even if we crack how to do something like crack 777 year cinnamon in place of 1000 year, the price of 1000 year won't be hurt too dramatically. In fact, by harvesting 777 year cinnamon, it would lead to a future rise in the price of 1000 year cinnamon by the scarcity of supply since customers would have to pay even more to get the farmers to not harvest at 777 years.
Although this also gets to the mutually beneficial idea of subscription contracts. Rather than just lump sum payments for the end product that has a massive time horizon, there's an ongoing payment for goods as they grow to maturity. Farmers get reliable income that they get to enjoy instead of infrequent paydays that can be fucked over by the whims of the market.
DangerKitty
shoddy writter
- Location
- lala land
To flex
Our clan may not be in the position where being conciliatory is a good PR look, i.e. being run over by mortals vs being nice to mortals
[X] Direct
DangerKitty
shoddy writter
- Location
- lala land
yall are boring 
[X] Direct
consolidating
[X] Direct
consolidating
J.I.M.S
BookWyrm
- Location
- Latveria
You have a very good point about not looking like we're being run over by mortals. Okichiltekitki as a representative of the Farmers Union acts, looks, and feels nothing like a mortal. A representative, cultivator, business woman, elegant, what have you. I'd like to think that as a merchant clan it isn't too unusual that we offer apologies unlike martial focused clans, sects, guilds, etc.
If someone did trumpet that our clan was apologizing to the Farmer's Union like it's a bad thing they might rack up a bit of ill will with said Farmer's Union.
Gossiper: "Ew look the Atlahau clan is apologizing to dirty mortal farmers."
Special Farmer's Union: "Why is apologizing to me so bad?! Upcharge them right now! And half of their order was lost in transit!"
Gossiper:
Lord Cuāpitzīniā
Chachi set her jaw. She could whether the insults, and perhaps the farmers even had a reasonable grievance from their limited point of view, her father valued flexibility and innovation, which seemed anathema to the union. What she could not stand, what something deep in her spirit rebelled against, was this woman lying to her face. She let a bit of her aura spill out, and touched the lesser cultivator with a whisper of Diamond, clarity that shattered deception, truth that cleansed impurity.
Okichiltekitki winced and sucked in air through her teeth, some of her elegant veneer cracking, "what are…?"
"Who is your backer?" Chachi barked, "you would never speak to me like this without one."
The representative rallied, her shoulder's squaring, "we are equals in the court!"
Chachi dismissed the protest with a wave, even as the entire dining room turned to watch the exciting clash, "equals treat each other with respect, lest things devolve to a duel. Yet you dare insult me in this court. It's foolish. You're not a foolish woman, the Union choose you for your political acumen, and your self-control. Are you speaking for them now? Is it in their interests to insult one of their largest customers? Or have you been bought? Who told you to do it? What did they offer?"
Okichiltekitki held Chachi's eyes, but she shrunk down with every moment the stare held, Diamond resisted deceit and insult both, and whatever internal weapons the other cultivator had, they could not withstand the pressure.
Finally she broke, "nothing I said was a lie. You think we are natural allies, because we need each other to profit. We are also natural enemies. You want to exploit us, we do not want to be exploited. Your father was desperate to break us and make slaves of us. You are a poisonous costumer. We could do nothing but tolerate your father's provocations because he was strong in ways you are not."
Chachi continued to stare her down, "that isn't what I asked."
"Not here!" she hissed, her eyes flicked up above Chachi's shoulder, and there was a flash of genuine fear. Then, a blank mask.
"We will not meet your orders for any product which might be used as a substitute for Heavenspan Water. If you wish to discuss other arrangements, we can do so at our compound," She stood up with a jerk and walked away at speed.
Chachi sighed, she quickly downed a shrimp from her plate, then she stood and turned to face her new opponent. He was a long-faced man with empty eyes and a regal bearing, wearing unadorned robes in the Lord's gold and green. There was a weight to him, spiritually, like the world bowed just a little in his direction.
"Greetings to Clan Atlahau. I am lord Cuāpitzīniā. Would you kindly follow me so we may converse in private?
Not a good sign. Lord Cuāpitzīniā is a favored grandson of Lord Tlaloc and a Transcendent cultivator in his own right. He's often called upon to enforce the Lord's will in complicated matters. Some call him the Lord's Left Hand. If this was a friendly meeting, he would have sent someone else.
Chachi shrugged and followed. He strolled with confidence down a pair of corridors, into a lounge, and then with a touch opened what seemed to be sheer wall, which revealed a small, plain room that contained only a pair of old-fashioned leather chairs.
Lord Cuāpitzīniā took a seat and gestured for Chachi to do the same. His voice was low and droning, like a disinterested official repeating a memorized lecture for the thousandth time, "I'm sure you were hoping to meet with our Lord, and you will shortly. However, I'm sure you know that our Lord's preferences towards the behavior of his guests do not extend towards his own person. Our Lord does not negotiate with his subjects, and he certainly does not accede to their demands. Our Lord will proclaim what is just. However, he is not unreasonable. He wants all his subjects to thrive, and to, as much as is possible, be pleased with their Lord. What, precisely, he proclaims can be influenced by events that occur before he makes his will public. They will be influenced by the conversation between equals we are having now."
He studied her face, "I see you understand. I will begin by making what I know of Our Lord's mind, which I know well but do not speak for in any official capacity, clear. It is his will that the Heavenspan water will flow into his people, that they be nourished with its power and thrive beneath his benevolence. It is his will that the public institutions which are an apparatus of his will be enriched by this flow, that he might continue to insure the prosperity and security of his people. It is not his concern if others are also enriched by it, or if one party is enriched above another. Our Lord, in keeping with the Will of Light, may its benevolence guide us for all eternity, finds slavery abhorrent and would never engage in the Abyssal Practice, in any form. Therefore, he will never force anyone to extract the Heavenspan water. Our Lord, in keeping with the River Duke's policies, may his wisdom bless us, will not take anyone's secrets either directly or through coercion.
He cleared his throat, "I would like to bring your attention to an unrelated matter at this moment. A Patriarch in good standing within this court recently spoke out in complaint against you to Our Lord. Our Lord could choose to hear this complaint formally, to allow you two to resolve it between yourselves according to the norms of the Empire, or to advise the Patriarch that you are in his good graces and he will hear no word said against you. This decision depends entirely on his opinion of you, which may be influenced by this conversation."
"Finally, I would like to advise you as a friend," absolutely nothing about his manner was friendly, "that our Lord's Good Grace is more valuable than any coin. It can be difficult to thrive in the Thousand Rivers without it. Now, is there anything you would like to express to me about your intentions regarding the distillation and sale of Heavenspan water in the near future?"
Chachi considered, "first, I have a question, since you are more familiar with our Lord. I was under the impression that he and my father were… Friendly? They often met in private in the palace, not like this. I thought the Heavenspan water rights were a reflection of that fondness. Does he still care for my father's clan?"
He frowned, "you are correct that they would occasionally meet. I will not speak to Our Lord's affections. I will say that he is friendly with many subjects, that he is a naturally generous and gregarious man. This is his preferred manner unless he must sit in judgement. I believe your father performed confidential services for Our Lord, as all loyal subjects should, and received his access to the Heavenspan water as a reward for his loyalty and discretion. I was not privy to their discussions, or to the services he rendered. I do not know if the Lord would like you to continue those confidential services. I doubt he trusts you as he did your father, but you may wish to express your willingness to continue that relationship at this moment."
I have no idea what our father would have done for them. I'm sure our father would have performed any reasonable task if it was a personal request from the Lord, what really confuses me is what use the Great Lord Tlaloc would have for a merchant clan.
Lord Cuāpitzīniā is no Lord Tlaloc, but he seems to have his grandfather's ear. What you say here will certainly set the tone for your meeting with the True Lord himself. What is your stance?
[] Hard-Line
There was always the chance that Tlaloc would put on some pressure before he lowered his unreasonable taxes. This is that pressure. Propose a more profitable tax scheme, something your clan can live with, and stick to it no matter his threats. He can't force you to extract the water when it is not profitable for your clan to do so.
[] Offer your services
You can continue the arrangements he had with your father… Whatever those were. You wish to extract the Heavenspan water free of charge in exchange for services you will render. You will prove your loyalty and discretion, like your father before you.
[] Relent
He's right, operating under the Lord's Good Grace is better than a bit of coin. You will continue to extract Heavenspan Water at your old rates and pay a premium for it. This will mean a massive hit to your profits. That's the cost of doing business in the 1000-Rivers, you will make up the profits somewhere else.
[] Compromise
Propose a painfully high tax scheme, but one that will allow your clan to make a miniscule profit on the Heavenspan Water. It might be more profitable in other regions. This will mean a substantial hit to your overall profits.
[] Propose
Actually, you hope the Lord has more important things on his mind than a bit of water, you care so much for his good graces you wish to marry into his Great House. The Heavenspan Water will resolve itself once enriching your family is the same as enriching his.
[] Trade
The Lord wants the water to flow, and he wants to be enriched. Does that enrichment need to come from Heavenspan Water? Your father lost his life pursuing a trade deal for animal products in the beast lands. You are sure they will be very profitable. You promise to give him all the males of the herd as a gift, so you will both be enriched by this new trade. You hope that this will restore his good grace and he will look more favorably on your use of Heavenspan Water.
(Some of these choices are re-litigating an earlier talk you had with Teo. I don't want to normally do that, but it's been a long time and arguably Teo's plan was merely to get Lord Tlaloc to the negotiating table, and now he is)
[] Write-in
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Can we get the SparkNotes of what we discussed with Teo? Specifically looking at the marriage option and if the calculus changed from knowing about the herd deal.
And is it possible to take a mixed bag approach? We can look into continuing some of the services our Father handled for the Lord, some level of compromise on taxation, and some level of benefit from the herd.
I'd consider the political marriage, but I don't remember why we didn't go for it originally.
I added a write in option, I don't mean to imply you can't write something in if you have some combo you want to propose.
The main hurdle to a political marriage is the only person they'd accept from your clan is... You.
The herd was the thread's most viable idea, but it wasn't Teo's idea and you voted to follow his lead. Teo's idea was to show the Lord that his taxes were unreasonable by just abandoning your extraction plant, and then expand to new regions so you're less reliant on his good will. Sticking to his plan is Hard-Line though he wouldn't bat an eye on services or compromise.