Towl Jiarg: a new frontier for the Jiargs quest to become more sinking rich and have more deeper hands into the political structure of Baase
as well as giving a testing ground for a off continent settlement for Baasen society. Set on the native continent of the Baltic Towl Jiarg was hoped by the Jiarg family as an increase in their power. Alas Eonnory Meoir has beaten Ardveoir Jiarg in the mayor election: the Jiarg family had estimated to have conducted electoral fraud in Ardveoir Jiargs favour but it seemed that another force had set policy to either counter the fraud or to freud in Meoirs favour. The force is perhaps Regale Morte, Furvus Rhinoceros, Cronaghey Ghlass or maybe even Aquilus Regina herself. Perhapes Moidyn Jiarg had simply attempted to make it appear her control of Towl Jiarg was lessened or maybe there was no fraud at all, only the consideration of such due to the bribe loving nature of the Jiarg family.
Whatever the case the city in construction was chaotic in nature.
The airport was among the first things to be (nearly) constructed, the dark wooden piers etched above the bottomless clouds. From ghost ships came passengers and crews. Personnel, wagons and other methods of transported were carrying trunks, sacks, lumber, (light) stone, cloths, chests, musical instruments, coffins and other items of consideration. Some carts simply carried bones that were covered by dry fur. Organs, both the musical and biological kind, were transported on steel carts. Heavy stone was kept on a strong, iron enforce pier. Books were set off on their very on pier that was the first of the piers to be walled with wooden protective barriers. The containers of knowledge were bought with parade like organisation, from a group of skeletons individually carrying texts of a necromancer to a copy of the infamous massive Tome of Nergüi the Shade of Diucdaght carried on its own steel cart with skeleton riflemen, commanded by a death in full dark skulled armour, marching alongside for its safety. The airport itself was set with the primal developments of some barriers.
The airport was separated from the rest of the port town by the development of a wooden wall in a attempt to ensure further safety of both the airport from possible assault. The settlement was being set in the stone but priorities were set for the primal structures of Towl Jiarg, such as the academies, the temples, the merchant guild halls, the government office and, of course, the local manor for the Jiarg family in the settlement. Stone crypts and other residential buildings were being set up. However simple wooden structures and even tents had dominated the Towl Jiarg landscape, the settler rush having naturally been overdue in setting.
Grandmaster Ardvasoonagh Scaagh of the Halbey Mason Guild stood outside the first stone structure to be completed in Towl Jiarg: the local hall of his guild. The ghoulish guild master compared his completed hall to the still incomplete hall of the Jiarg Merchant Guild. Smiling the ghoul look around to see the crowds commuting through the street of guild halls
including two dark hooded figures on skeletal horses approaching. Scaagh slowly walked up the steps of his guilds hall in Towl Jiarg backwards, with caution as he watched the two horse riders approach him. As he reach the doors into the hall the hooded figures got off their horses and walked up the stairs. Without words the ghoul guild master and the two diplomatic envoys for hire he had summoned walked in the simple entry hall. The hall had no paintings or statues, simple and plain. The symmetry of the rooms however was perfection: squares were set out as squares, the stairways were set evenly as the stones that made them. Scaagh went up one of the side stairs, followed by the two figures. Scaagh went through simple stone corridors and turned to a door of steel which he opened.
Scaagh went to sit at the desk of his office, it as stone as the room itself, his stone throne like seat was covered in dry silk. The last of the two figures to enter closed the door behind him and went to sit down on two simple stone seats in front of the alter like desk. The loops behind Scaagh gave light to the otherwise lightless room, not that it dominated the darkness of the room. The hooded figures took down their hoods, the dark red scales of the jiolgans glittering from what light entered the room. Scaagh, his dark stone grey skin covered in dark green spots and his eyes as red as the blood red silk robe he was wore, placed a sharp grin. Time passed in what was reality two minutes but it naturally felt longer.
The silence was broken from the large shout of pair of merchants on the street accusing each other of deliberately crashing their cart of goods. It was from this that one of the twin jiolgan necromancers, Aalkab Meyah, that the talk began:
We have taken consideration of your offer Grandmaster Ardvasoonagh Scaagh and have wonder of the nature of your business plots.
Still smilng Scaagh spoke the words a matter of wonder is a needed consideration in advancing ones position which resulted in the other jiolgan, Seeb Meyah, to speak:
Our services are hired for diplomacy between states, merchant guilds, religious orders, mercenary corps, privateer associations, necromancer academies, regel families and other institutional considerations. Well it is a nice note to have the most famous mason guild in Baase to be among our customers we are never less considering the problems of taking notes of a figure with such
peculiar customs like wait till now to talk.
Still smiling Scaagh laughed. Both the jiolgan diplomats for hires looked at each other in a blank stare and then back to the ghoul that was sitting before them.
Perhaps Aalkab spoke we can begin by asking why you hired us instead of setting one of your merchants strait to the Empire and setting one of your merchants to the Baltic?
Because I want to take advantage of the times went Ardvasoonagh. Stone demand rises with the push to expand and I do not think Baase can do without more stone. Yet I need to ensure I have the creditable influence in masonry, especially when it comes to heavy stone.
Then why you need us? spoke Seeb.
Because I want to give a good impression and we masons of Beinndoo are best diplomatic to each other went Scaagh. I want you to impress the Empire and the Baltic query guilds so that they would see the Halbey Mason Guild as grand customers, eager for the stones to help Baase expand her dark veil over the land. We Baasens love our crypts, temples and academies: the kind of places we like to use stone for.
That and your fear that the alteratives to your personel diplomats and us are somehow able to be peak by the Jiargs? went Aalkab. After all we noticed how, after your diplomatically unskilled diplomats speak to the stone merchents, you manage to gain more construction stones than the bribe happy Jiargs who have, less I be mistaken, taken many messures to keep the settlement they named after themselves as of themselves.
The Jiargs are skilled economists, good diplomats, bad trust earners went Scaagh happily. A drunk priest of the light from the GMR has more chance to buy a tome of necromancy from a vampire lich with deep memories of the ills of drink than the chance a Jiarg buying from said lich. It is not the Jairgs failure to speak nor did a failure to bribe that get this city a mayor outside the Jiarg family: it is the fact that Baase is a game of cheaters, many caught. The Jiargs have been caught too epically for them to be trusted among the members of the Bingdoo, the den of cheaters! If you cannot be trusted to cheat by cheaters then how can you be trusted? The Jiargs are getting to the stage where all their wealth will face a blockade of mistrust.
Still does not answer how you note and the Jiargs have maintained notable power spoke Seeb. Anyway: there is still the issue of our objective.
Yes: our directive, what you summoned us for went Aalkeb. I myself will not question on your motives for hiring us but I can commence what you desire.
Of course went Seeb. We will attempt to contact queries in the Batlic and stone cutters in the Empire to see if they can see you as a perfect customer.
Yes went Aalkeb. We will even consider meeting the government of the Empire to talk about your desires to increase stone trade for the sake of the construction industry, while we hope to convince as many leaders in the Batlic as possible to consider friendship with Baasen merchants.
Good went Ardvasoonagh with his hands clapped together. I entrust this will help ease the burden the construction industry of Baase currently suffers from due to the high demand for stone with the expansion, as well as hopefully allowing our queries to be used in less pressured ways. Our geologists will do their best to locate additional queries in our new claiments areas in the meantime while our stone trade increase in considerations.
Still: we will need prove of our safety on the mission went Seeb. Akab Dios of the Bingdoo has been hiring us to much to forgive our demise. We trust the Empire but the Baltic will pose my brother, who has agreed to head to meet the Batlic peoples, a challenge.
Yes went Aalkeb. I am hopeful they will
not be threatened by my presence.
I have arranged for a few living mercenaries to serve as your bodyguards Aalkeb went Ardvasoonagh. If anything happens Baase herself will respond with utter anger and a angry Baase is not good for the survival of nations.
Then with our first shipment of payments sealed we are sealed on your directive went Seeb, getting up with his brother. We will report on our situation by raven and my brother will inform you how well treated he currently be.
Good went Ardvasoonagh, getting up as the diplomats for hire went for the door. Enjoy your objective gentlemen! By the way
before you go I has one extra question.
Will it be one that costs? spoke Aalkeb. We are trusted to hold information you know.
It is just about family spoke Ardvasoonagh. I have heard of how it is the norm for siblings in the jiolgan family: twins are uncommon but single children from a hatchlet of eggs are rare. Is Dios a rare case?
That is a private matter went Seeb. We will not disclose that information.
Not even for a extra sack of gold? went Ardvasoonagh.
Trust is at times more vital than gold went Aalkeb. Did you not tell us this in your lecture on the sins of the Jiarg family?
You stabbed me there went Ardvasoonagh smiling. Anyway I know that Dios was a sad sibling, the last. Sad case.
You seem to enjoy intelligence gathering went Aalkeb. Are you considering a business within the game that is Baasen politics? We can give some diplomatic advice for a fee.
Nay! went Ardvasoonagh. I just love commenting on the side. Anyway you better enjoy yourselves and march forward!
If we do not enjoy we will set a complaint went Seeb. In the meantime hope your gold keeps us please.
and the brothers left to conduct their operations. The grandmaster simply stood in the room in deep thought, with a grin.