BoSPaladin
The Paladin
OOOH. We have Options.
Well this changes a bunch.Is this pensions? I think this is pensions. 😌Blessed.
Well. This completely upends my entire plan for paying off debts. Alright. Fine. I want that mine for the metals for coinage. Let's fucking go.
Reread the update with the original negotiations. And, here's the thing, we couldn't afford all of the initial demands with the amount of debts. Guess what? The budget now has more breathing room. So. An initial investment from us into their injury fund. The crown personally subsidizes their wage increase going forwards so they know that this is from us personally. They get the bonus to make up for lost wages.
As they said, they've been underpaid and overworked for years. Time to put our money where our mouth is. They get a Very generous offer, direct from Queen Vanessa. They get the repairs and maintenance. They get the crown fund for injured workers direct from our own pocket. They get a decrease to Quota's so they can mine safely with less risk. They get higher wages from us personally, (which I would strongly recommend they save at least in part to help top up their injury fund but how they spend their money is their business) AND They get the bonus, paid in newly minted coins with her face on.
The leaseholders? Have *nothing* to complain about. This, is personally being paid for from the crown itself. We're footing the bill. reducing their taxes even. If they can't profit from gold mines then they are more than welcome to sell their leases. Beyond that. There was talk about expanding the mines, once repairs are complete. Great. Because fundamentally, we don't need to maximise quarterly profit. We are (or should be) okay with long term, stable dividends. We're a monarch, this isn't a labour dispute. This is paying, to keep our citizens in work, healthy, happy, and economically productive. So, yeah. We're paying a lot, and we're reducing the income? But with investment into the mines their returns should improve as they get repaired and hopefully later expanded. And beyond that, the increase in wages diversifies the local economy, it means miners are paying to buy goods and services from other townspeople and craftsmen. And, short term, even if the mines output drops? We're a kingdom, we can afford to reduce income this term in exchange for long term raw metals, especially if the southmarch economy improves over time. Lastly, it's the right thing to do. Numbers on a spreadsheet, sure, but we're directly improving their lives. And for all that Vanessa is Greedy. This gets them back to work now, keeps them working, and paves the way for future expansion in the mines and the southmarch.
[ ]Plan It is literally a gold mine (plural even!)
[ ][TAX ASSESSMENTS] Port Lest Land Tax
[ ][TAX ASSESSMENTS] Befost County Land Tax
[ ][CORRESPONDENCE] Gather Reports On Banditry (Improves Base Chance of future Anti-Banditry Tasks) (Base Chance 65% + Stewardship)
[ ][ROYAL VAULTS] Acquire Raw Materials To Mint New Gold and Silver Coins (Progress towards resolving Currency Contraction, Advances Royal Propaganda) (No Roll Required)
-[ ] <10 Dureks>
[ ][HIGH MARSHALL] Survey Border Defenses (Opens Options for Future Improvement of Border Defenses) (Base Chance: 75% + Martial)*
-[ ]Eaglecrest
[ ][SECRETS] Rebuild Internal Spy Network (Phase 3 of ?) (No roll required. Each phase opens more [SECRETS] options down the line and improves chances of success of internal spy operations, as well as giving increased chance for intelligence to be 'passively' received)
-[ ]Provide Funds to Speed up/Improve Process. Write-in amount. 5 Dureks
[ ][SHERIFFS AND REEVES] Negotiate With the Striking Southmarch Miners
-[ ]Offer them an additional concession
--[ ][MINER DEMANDS] Decrease Quotas
---[ ]Reduce Southmarch Mining Taxes income by .5 Dureks to cover the leaseholder's expenses
--[ ][MINER DEMANDS] Increase Wages
---[ ]Add a .5 Durek line item to the Expenses that will cover the increased wages.
--[ ][MINER DEMANDS] Create the Fund for Severely Injured Miners/The Immediate Family of Dead Miners
---[ ]Create the Fund from Crown Resources with 10 Dureks to start with and having Rucdorn Relcred find someone trustworthy to manage the investments. (-10 Dureks)
--[ ][MINER DEMANDS] Offer all the miners a substantive bonus (to be distributed to all the miners) (-5 Dureks)
[ ][JUSTICE] Investigate charges as yet unproven against former rebels (Base Chance 68% + Intrigue + 1/2 Learning)*
[ ][ENVOYS] Begin Talks With All the Suitors and/or their Ambassadors About Treaty Terms (Gets a formal list of offer/demands from each suitor. Miss means you start in a very bad negotiating position, Weak success is a not ideal but not terrible position, Strong success means very good position. The better the position, the better the starting point for negotiations) (Base Chance 45% + Diplomacy)
[ ][QUEEN] Take Some time to investigate the magical gems that Rienne recovered from the Necrotic Temple (Base Chance 70% + Magic)
[ ][QUEEN] Suggest additional task, subject to QM Veto (Base Chance Will be Set by QM If Approved)
-[ ] Sit in on the negotiations with the suitors and Ambassadors about treaty terms to have direct input on the negotiations and streamline the process.
[ ][BANDITRY GENERAL] Send General Trins (Rolls will use his Martial and Trait)
[ ][BANDITRY PLAN] Disperse to Cover Major Trade Caravans (Get Merchants to travel in caravan convoys, and disperse to guard them directly) (Medium Casualties at Most) (Base Chance: 65% + Martial)*
[ ][BANDITRY TARGET] The Trade Towns (Locked, Must continue what you started)
[ ] Debt payments
Treasury/debt calculations
11+250.5=261.5
261-122 = 139.5
-5 from spy network = 134.5
-5 from miners bonus = 129.5
-10 from injury fund
-10 dureks from minting new coins =109.5
Previous Debts Owed By Syrokis: 41.25 Dureks (12% Monthly Interest) (5 Dureks interest) Pay 5 more for total of 10, syrokis debts reduced to 36.25 dureks. 99.5 Dureks remaining in treasury
Owed to the Axecavern Bank (Lortan Dwarves): 241.75 Dureks (10% Interest) (24.25 Dureks)* Pay 27 Dureks total, amount owed reduced to 239 dureks. 72.5 dureks remaining in treasury
Owed to the Redhammer Bank (Lortan Dwarves): 126.5 Dureks (11% Interest) (14 Dureks) Pay 17 dureks, amount owed reduced to 123.5 dureks, 55.5 dureks remaining in treasury
Owed to Assorted Individual Weathy Merchants Based in Zedarsh or Selissa: 168.5 Dureks (11% Interest) (18.5 Dureks) Pay 20 dureks, amount owed reduced to 167 dureks. 35.5 dureks remaining in treasury.
Debts Incurred By the Crown: 109.5 Dureks (9.5% Interest)
Owed To The Goldaxe Bank: 109.5 Dureks (9.5% Interest) (10.5 Dureks) Pay 12 dureks, amount owed reduced to 108 dureks, 23.5 dureks remaining
Owed to Assorted Individual Wealthy Merchants/Etc based in Eaglecrest, Port Lest and Westcrown: 110.25 Dureks (8% Interest) (8.75 Dureks) Pay 11 dureks, amount owed reduced to 109 dureks. 12.5 Dureks remaining in treasury.
Other stuff. Some of you might be wondering why I'm surveying eaglecrest in the north rather than the border with Morvak. But here's the thing. Morvak may or may not attack us soon. But I actually suspect they'll attack others. And, in that scenario. I would actually prefer to have secured our northern border so we can go on the offensive against Morvak. Even if we end up marrying Regara and secure an alliance a war to put/keep her on the throne is likely. As much as possible I'd like that war to be fought on Morvak soil. Which means fortifying elsewhere and preparing to invade. Beyond that Morvak is expansionist/revanchist and has feuds and ongoing skirmishes with multiple neighbours. I'd like to keep military adventurism to a minimum. But frankly, if we let Morvak invade its neighbours and consolidate they're likely to come for us eventually.
The core of this plan, the very heart of it. Is not just in getting the mines open. But in getting our people back to work, fair work for fair pay, safer, happier, with a security net so that they and their families will be taken care of. And yes, the amount we've sunk into the mine will take a while to pay back. But in addressing absolutely everything it means that the mines production should be stable and regular and it should have knock on effects to the broader economy. At least in Southcrest, and on a longer term the precious metals will allow for the treasury to mint coins. To be blunt, the costs of ongoing repairs and maintenance should have been met by the leaseholders. The leaseholders should have paid fair wages and the work should have been safe. Ultimately, the leaseholders, in their greed turned profitable mines into death traps. But fine, we're setting an example, the crown can take less income, and it's still or will be a plus on our balance once the mines are back to work. I have my doubts that the leaseholders are truly struggling, but, the crown is in a position where it can afford the costs and the reduced income. Some is better than none. Because we're not a paperclip maximizer and our peoples welfare is actually important. Hopefully long term the mining income improves. If not.. Eh, the 4 dureks per turn is still signficant and adds up.
Beyond that, this is a fully costed budget. It assesses at least one port for taxes and the county along the route to it. The dues from such should be significant. It puts funds towards addressing the currency contraction and puts our face in the hands of every citizen of the realm. It plans for military defences when there are goblins growing in the north. Maybe we'll be able to negotiate and trade with the redspear, maybe not. But there's the other goblin tribes. And regardless of what happens, we take steps to ensure our northern border is hopefully secure.
The plan improves our spy network and also focuses on handling the banditry. It handles internal issues with former rebels.And it chips away at absolutely every major debt and leaves more dureks in our treasury at the end of the turn than we started with.
It's not much, but it signals to creditors and other nations that we are stable, able to pay our debts, deal in good faith, are recovering from the civil war, and have matters in hand and under control.
