Charles sat in his office overlooking the market. People came and went, going about their daily business, purchasing their daily needs, and filling the pockets of Merchants like himself. He spied the odd “freelance” merchant in the crowds here and there. They were mostly planeswalkers and adventurers, selling what they pilfered from the bodies of those they hunted down and slaughtered (at this point he chuckled slightly to himself… and they called him a bad guy…). Others were enchanters or crafters selling to the very merchants they competed with… but at least they honed a craft. Either way, the Consortium had chosen to pull away from the independent merchants for the most part. The salvagers and enchanters marketplace was flooded with goods and services… to the point that it was a great effort to make a decent profit.
So the Consortium had turned its attention to the commodities markets. Selling enchanted blades to a few was profitableÂ… selling the livelihood to an entire population was extremely so but unlike minor rivalries from adventurer to adventurerÂ… it came with a risk.
Charles had drawn the attention of a supposed Merchant Prince. Jaque was his name. A Teifling by blood and very wealthy. Jaque, and whatever house he represented, had attempted to talk Charles into selling his interests in the Consortium to him for a pittanceÂ… a deal Charles would not consider at this point. SoÂ… then it was time for them to apply pressure in an attempt to get the Consortium to buckle.
Jaque had promised to buy up all of the Consortiums pending contracts and unsigned employees in an effort to starve the merchant house of suitable workers. Charles didnÂ’t blink. The Consortium has enough emergency workers to carry the load for some time. A bit of extra profit tossed at the Iron Tusk and suddenly there would be many strong backs to haul goods aboutÂ… but it would only be a short term solution. Orcs are hard to controlÂ… and short of attention. TheyÂ’re better suited for making life difficult for othersÂ… namely opposing merchant houses.
SoÂ… Charles reached out to those he knew in the city and beyond. He contacted Factotums in the Fated (a few were simple to reach as they were on the Consortiums Payroll), he called out favors owed in the Fraternity and reached out to his friends in Tradegate. For what it was worth, he even reached out to some of his contacts within the Revolutionary league. Who knows how many ears they had to the current issue. He reached out to the members of the Syndicate and their information lines. He needed to know everything there was to know about this man and his merchant house. If he was going to have any chance of coming out of this still earning a profit, he needed information.
He also sent his heavies into the properties of the Consortium. They had orders to keep unknown personnel out of the compounds and warehouses. Security was increased everywhere as required.
He also took a walk back to old places he used to haunt, places remnants of the Cartel still frequent. While no longer a member, he did still have some connections and knew of a few people who might help him for a few coinsÂ…
((This is something EM Blackwind started but anyone is welcome to join as they please. You'll simply have to talk to the EM for information that isn't posted here or interact here and IG))
Merchant House Rivalries...
-
*Midnight
- Posts: 870
- Joined: Thu Jan 01, 1970 12:00 am
As word went through the factions and thoughs considered friends of the consortium Annia takes note. She heads into the mortuary and begin scouring the records of the dead. Anyone who has died who is linked to Jacque. She looks for a business partner or rival who has died under suspicious circumstance. Anyone the powerful merchant prince has stepped on, on his way to power. A name or better yet a personal affect to summon the spirit of someone who knew Jacque and would have reason to resent him.
-
*Black Wind
- Posts: 2
- Joined: Thu Jan 01, 1970 12:00 am
-
Many of the off-Sigil merchants and suppliers of the Consortium woke up to a shock, they found their merchandise undelivered and supplies interrupted. While the emergency methods were rolled into place within a day or two, it would take longer for the merchants to reacquire their merchandise from suddenly bought out warehouses and courier services.
For the time being the Consortium as a whole was restricted to their people, ironclad contracts, and the Irontusk for all holding and delivery needs. Those under contract have also made it clear they expect matching raises to those bought out by the ‘Jacque’ house when their contracts are renewed.
Nothing has changed yet, but Charles is already hearing mutterings of worry among the more mundane producers of his organization. TheyÂ’re the ones who rely on the ConsortiumÂ’s cheap distribution network the most and would be the first affected if the an increase in shipping costs were pushed onto the members.
No member of the Consortium have been directly approached to sell out their business or to join a competing group.
-
As of knowledge of the house itself, whatÂ’s turned up on cursory investigation isnÂ’t much. The houseÂ’s appearance in the world of Sigilian trade came suddenly less than a decade ago. The group surfaced with enough gold, precious metals, gems, and goods to buy a couple of primes. To announce their arrival they flooded the market with goods, briefly collapsing the economy of several markets and businesses before reducing their output to more reasonable levels. Bitter feelings still exist.
While few heard of them prior, the group had full trade routes and legal agreements from the moment they exploded onto the Sigilian scene. None of it made sense on scrutiny but it seemed most cutters were reluctant to ask the hard questions.
With time and effort more substantial evidence should crop up; assuming the poor sods digging around arenÂ’t found out first. Charles would need to decide how to balance the urgency of the investigation against keeping his informants and efforts hidden.
-
Annia finds nothing in her attempts; largely due to the fact that she knows nothing about Jacque, his business, or those who he could have stepped on. She realizes until she has more to go on than a first name and race that digging through the mortuary records would be a futile effort.
Many of the off-Sigil merchants and suppliers of the Consortium woke up to a shock, they found their merchandise undelivered and supplies interrupted. While the emergency methods were rolled into place within a day or two, it would take longer for the merchants to reacquire their merchandise from suddenly bought out warehouses and courier services.
For the time being the Consortium as a whole was restricted to their people, ironclad contracts, and the Irontusk for all holding and delivery needs. Those under contract have also made it clear they expect matching raises to those bought out by the ‘Jacque’ house when their contracts are renewed.
Nothing has changed yet, but Charles is already hearing mutterings of worry among the more mundane producers of his organization. TheyÂ’re the ones who rely on the ConsortiumÂ’s cheap distribution network the most and would be the first affected if the an increase in shipping costs were pushed onto the members.
No member of the Consortium have been directly approached to sell out their business or to join a competing group.
-
As of knowledge of the house itself, whatÂ’s turned up on cursory investigation isnÂ’t much. The houseÂ’s appearance in the world of Sigilian trade came suddenly less than a decade ago. The group surfaced with enough gold, precious metals, gems, and goods to buy a couple of primes. To announce their arrival they flooded the market with goods, briefly collapsing the economy of several markets and businesses before reducing their output to more reasonable levels. Bitter feelings still exist.
While few heard of them prior, the group had full trade routes and legal agreements from the moment they exploded onto the Sigilian scene. None of it made sense on scrutiny but it seemed most cutters were reluctant to ask the hard questions.
With time and effort more substantial evidence should crop up; assuming the poor sods digging around arenÂ’t found out first. Charles would need to decide how to balance the urgency of the investigation against keeping his informants and efforts hidden.
-
Annia finds nothing in her attempts; largely due to the fact that she knows nothing about Jacque, his business, or those who he could have stepped on. She realizes until she has more to go on than a first name and race that digging through the mortuary records would be a futile effort.
-
*Midnight
- Posts: 870
- Joined: Thu Jan 01, 1970 12:00 am
In that case she would try again looking for those who are buried with Jacques family name members of his merchant house which given its meteoric rise and the dynamic way it announced itself in the cage not so long ago might be easier to uncover. Should she draw a further blank she would make her way from the Mortuary through the hive, to the bazaar and Charles' office.
-
*Black Wind
- Posts: 2
- Joined: Thu Jan 01, 1970 12:00 am
So far Charles' sleuthing has uncovered the terribly boring normal lists of legal workers, a few of the members, importers, exports, several shipping dates (but not on the cargo within) and the address of Jaque's Sigil Office. All of this information was readily available, if not suspiciously easy to uncover. More detailed (and useful) information will take more work.
If he chooses to share this information with Annia, she would be able to comb the death records for him and discover that none of the individuals in question have ever been reported as dead. Passport and travel logs show they either took a 'vacation' or left to 'oversee extraplanar business ventures' and never returned.
And while there are plenty of deaths in these families prior to the appearance of Jaque's venture,the level of wealth means most of the departed would never have been turned over to the mortuary and those that had would be over a decade old. Barring one of them signing away the rights of their body after-death (to work as an undead servant to the dustmen), it's a very difficult task to track down corpses that are over a decade old.
Beyond his own doings, he has a choice how to proceed from this point on. He knows haphazardly digging into a merkant's business would likely end in all out war, but taking too much time would end up harming the Consortium's own finances and connections.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Again, Annia finds herself lacking the basic information required to even start in the right place. Knowing only the first name of the supposed leader of a merchant group doesn't get her far. ]
However, assuming Charles divulges the most recent results of his own people's investigation she could actually find out something interesting. There is no record of any deaths from Jaque's group, even of those individuals a full decade past venerable age. This extends to those who have worked with his family or sold his goods. It seems rather than 'die', the workers and suppliers simply leave Sigil on a business matter and never return. The mortuary never received any of their corpses nor is there any record of them. Going back prior to Jaque's appearance, Annia finds lifespans and deaths recovered as expected including the mortuary receiving a small handful of their departed. It's been over a decade for all of them however, finding where they are now would pose challenging.
In any case, Annia notices something odd with her dwelling when she returns home. Nothing was missing, broken, nor vandalized; just that some things were clearly not where she recalls putting them (including a spoon under her pillow).
If he chooses to share this information with Annia, she would be able to comb the death records for him and discover that none of the individuals in question have ever been reported as dead. Passport and travel logs show they either took a 'vacation' or left to 'oversee extraplanar business ventures' and never returned.
And while there are plenty of deaths in these families prior to the appearance of Jaque's venture,the level of wealth means most of the departed would never have been turned over to the mortuary and those that had would be over a decade old. Barring one of them signing away the rights of their body after-death (to work as an undead servant to the dustmen), it's a very difficult task to track down corpses that are over a decade old.
Beyond his own doings, he has a choice how to proceed from this point on. He knows haphazardly digging into a merkant's business would likely end in all out war, but taking too much time would end up harming the Consortium's own finances and connections.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Again, Annia finds herself lacking the basic information required to even start in the right place. Knowing only the first name of the supposed leader of a merchant group doesn't get her far. ]
However, assuming Charles divulges the most recent results of his own people's investigation she could actually find out something interesting. There is no record of any deaths from Jaque's group, even of those individuals a full decade past venerable age. This extends to those who have worked with his family or sold his goods. It seems rather than 'die', the workers and suppliers simply leave Sigil on a business matter and never return. The mortuary never received any of their corpses nor is there any record of them. Going back prior to Jaque's appearance, Annia finds lifespans and deaths recovered as expected including the mortuary receiving a small handful of their departed. It's been over a decade for all of them however, finding where they are now would pose challenging.
In any case, Annia notices something odd with her dwelling when she returns home. Nothing was missing, broken, nor vandalized; just that some things were clearly not where she recalls putting them (including a spoon under her pillow).
-
*Darkrob
- Posts: 1097
- Joined: Thu Jan 01, 1970 12:00 am
Charles would happily sit and discuss the situation with any of his allies and friends. Nothing bad can come from the sharing of information. He ensure people like Annia are given direct access to him in the Consortium offices as they wish.
((As for his digging, he'll take the legal route slow but use his darker connections a little more aggressively. He wouldn't want to show his cards in the open but would want to learn as much as possible from those who make a living out of the shadows. This would include the Syndicate channels and all others available to him))
((As for his digging, he'll take the legal route slow but use his darker connections a little more aggressively. He wouldn't want to show his cards in the open but would want to learn as much as possible from those who make a living out of the shadows. This would include the Syndicate channels and all others available to him))
-
*Midnight
- Posts: 870
- Joined: Thu Jan 01, 1970 12:00 am
Upon returning home Annia would curse and begin the long process of putting everything back exactly as it is, almost as if she were acting under some kind of compulsion. She does not rest until everything is as immaculately neat as it once was.
Once finished she would call upon her skill with necromancy to summon and bind a wraith to watch over the house in her absence, a spirit malevolent enough to prove a nasty surprise for any other intruders.
When that is finished she would go and speak with Charles. She would inform him of the lack of any recorded death's in the family and suggest if not the Mortuary then the families elderly relatives must b going somewhere when they disappear. Once she has finished with what she has found she would add;
"Oh and you mentioned a possible labour problem. I may be able to offer a slightly longer term solution than the iron tusk. Although it might not sit well with all of the syndicate."
Once finished she would call upon her skill with necromancy to summon and bind a wraith to watch over the house in her absence, a spirit malevolent enough to prove a nasty surprise for any other intruders.
When that is finished she would go and speak with Charles. She would inform him of the lack of any recorded death's in the family and suggest if not the Mortuary then the families elderly relatives must b going somewhere when they disappear. Once she has finished with what she has found she would add;
"Oh and you mentioned a possible labour problem. I may be able to offer a slightly longer term solution than the iron tusk. Although it might not sit well with all of the syndicate."
-
*Selebius
- Posts: 1073
- Joined: Thu Jan 01, 1970 12:00 am
Some of Issanthis' Thralls and free willed agents would shadow suspected allies of this new potential source of troubles descreetly and the Illithid would not hesitate to use his 'natural talents' to 'interrogate' a suspect. Should he find something of interest it will be shared with his allies of course.
Should Reshar find out that someone intruded the house he shares with his wife he will strenghten Annia's defenses with an Unhallow Spell to increase the Wraith's resistances and tie a Bestow Curse to the Area that triggers whenever someone not of the Jasidin faith enters their house.
((edit: The part about Resh is optional should Annia not be able to hide the traces completely. ))
Should Reshar find out that someone intruded the house he shares with his wife he will strenghten Annia's defenses with an Unhallow Spell to increase the Wraith's resistances and tie a Bestow Curse to the Area that triggers whenever someone not of the Jasidin faith enters their house.
((edit: The part about Resh is optional should Annia not be able to hide the traces completely. ))
-
*Darkrob
- Posts: 1097
- Joined: Thu Jan 01, 1970 12:00 am
Charles speaks with Annia about her offer;
“Your idea has merit but must be used on a limited basis. If you were to offer mindless workers, they would have to adhere to the following conditions.
First youÂ’ll need to ensure they have proper supervisors. IÂ’d like to know that they are being controlled properly and by someone adept at doing so. I donÂ’t expect this person to be youÂ… but I will allow your experience to find the right people and accept your decisions on the matter.
SecondÂ… they must be limited to the type that is quiet and emits no odor. To have such scents cling to the goods would be detrimental to the business.
Thirdly, they must be limited to the warehouses and loading yards. They cannot be used in public access areas. Any employees that will interact with them must be suitably trained and conditioned first.
So I’ll leave you to coordinate with the foremen of the yards and warehouses to facilitate this. I appreciate your help, Mrs. Kendt, and you will be compensated for your assistance.”
Charles also sends his regards and thanks to Issanthis for his efforts in this matter. He, as well, would be compensated for any informations gained.
“Your idea has merit but must be used on a limited basis. If you were to offer mindless workers, they would have to adhere to the following conditions.
First youÂ’ll need to ensure they have proper supervisors. IÂ’d like to know that they are being controlled properly and by someone adept at doing so. I donÂ’t expect this person to be youÂ… but I will allow your experience to find the right people and accept your decisions on the matter.
SecondÂ… they must be limited to the type that is quiet and emits no odor. To have such scents cling to the goods would be detrimental to the business.
Thirdly, they must be limited to the warehouses and loading yards. They cannot be used in public access areas. Any employees that will interact with them must be suitably trained and conditioned first.
So I’ll leave you to coordinate with the foremen of the yards and warehouses to facilitate this. I appreciate your help, Mrs. Kendt, and you will be compensated for your assistance.”
Charles also sends his regards and thanks to Issanthis for his efforts in this matter. He, as well, would be compensated for any informations gained.
-
*Black Wind
- Posts: 2
- Joined: Thu Jan 01, 1970 12:00 am
Nothing intrudes upon Annia and ResharÂ’s space in the coming days, it seems whatever steps theyÂ’ve taken have been sufficient in keeping away any annoyances.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
While IssanthisÂ’ does have a list of business partners of several business associates of Jaque, his free willed agents find a terribly boring time observing shop owners, merkants, and trading partners. For the most part they work through middlemen and previously acquired contracts so there is not much to report. However one observing a storefront in the LadyÂ’s Ward does attest of seeing a tiefling matching JacqueÂ’s description frequenting the LadyÂ’s Ward, often sharing a meal with a young woman. Following this woman reveals she lives in an upscale apartment in the LadyÂ’s Ward with several animals and a room-mate. She also works at a small dress shop (also in the LadyÂ’s Ward) tagged RelinaÂ’s Fabrics. What he does with this information is up to him.
On the other side of success, his mentally broken thralls quickly arouse suspicion in those they attempt to ‘shadow’. Their vacant gaze and odd mannerisms gave them away quite handily around Jacque’s perceptive clients, with the guards called at least once. No doubt this put the lot of them on edge, but at least Issanthis knows now that Jacque’s business partners are more perceptive than most.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
CharlesÂ’ friends in the Fated have started copying pieces of JaqueÂ’s taxes and trade receipts. ItÂ’s slow going, considering they must do it during their own shift without leaving the records in disarray. Most of his funds and trading is with several of SigilÂ’s largest raw material processors and buyers. Several specialize in gold, rare metals, and gems. Other suppliers specialize in building supplies such as wood and stone. He also does some trade with SigilÂ’s largest supplier of fresh water.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
While IssanthisÂ’ does have a list of business partners of several business associates of Jaque, his free willed agents find a terribly boring time observing shop owners, merkants, and trading partners. For the most part they work through middlemen and previously acquired contracts so there is not much to report. However one observing a storefront in the LadyÂ’s Ward does attest of seeing a tiefling matching JacqueÂ’s description frequenting the LadyÂ’s Ward, often sharing a meal with a young woman. Following this woman reveals she lives in an upscale apartment in the LadyÂ’s Ward with several animals and a room-mate. She also works at a small dress shop (also in the LadyÂ’s Ward) tagged RelinaÂ’s Fabrics. What he does with this information is up to him.
On the other side of success, his mentally broken thralls quickly arouse suspicion in those they attempt to ‘shadow’. Their vacant gaze and odd mannerisms gave them away quite handily around Jacque’s perceptive clients, with the guards called at least once. No doubt this put the lot of them on edge, but at least Issanthis knows now that Jacque’s business partners are more perceptive than most.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
CharlesÂ’ friends in the Fated have started copying pieces of JaqueÂ’s taxes and trade receipts. ItÂ’s slow going, considering they must do it during their own shift without leaving the records in disarray. Most of his funds and trading is with several of SigilÂ’s largest raw material processors and buyers. Several specialize in gold, rare metals, and gems. Other suppliers specialize in building supplies such as wood and stone. He also does some trade with SigilÂ’s largest supplier of fresh water.