Personal Fuzzy thread for Marik

Lutz and Valguard sit in comfortable chairs alongside another dwarf.  They quaff from tankards, presumably ale from a small keg on the side board and nibble at large flat biscuits spread with something that looks like peanut butter.

After wiping some leftover ale from his mouth, Valgard turns to Lutz, "So, how is the mine at New Dawn going? Are they starting to extract any gold yet, or still stabilizing the shafts?"

"They haven't had to dig too far in yet.  There looks to be a fairly good seam just below the surface."  He shrugs, "But who knows how big the seam is going to be, when they get dug in a bit more.  Findral," he indicates the third Dwarf, "has said he'll come over with me to have a look before he heads back to Brundeston."

Valgard shakes his head knowingly as Lutz explains and then turns and nods to Findral, "Ah, that's good the hear then. Another set of eyes never hurts, especially when they're dwarven," he says with a hearty laugh as he takes another long drink from his tankard.

At just that moment Marik walks into the hall with a glass of red wine in his hand. "Gentlemen, it's good to see you. It's been too long since I've had a chance to see Iron Keep. Valgard, I must say you've done a great job here, and the new smithy looks great. Lutz, I'm happy to see your congregation growing here, we are happy to have Torag watching over our endeavors here."

He takes a seat in one of the vacant ones across from Lutz, "I understand you wanted to chat while I was here, what I can help you with?"

Lutz nods a greeting as Marik comes into the room, "Thank you. Can I introduce my cousin, Findral, from Brunderton  He came down to visit and brought a few delicacies for us."  He indicates the open bag of hard biscuits  and pot of paste on the table.  "Dwarf Bread and Nubbe.  Something that every Dwarf misses when they are away from home.  And some proper ale ... help yourself", Lutz offers waving at the delicacies on the table "The Nubbe is particularly good."

"Anyway, Findas is the leader of a group of Dwarven prospectors.  He is going to have a look around the mine in New Dawn before he goes back, and I thought you might like to meet him."

"Findral?" Marik says in a slightly questioning tone to make sure he understood the name correctly. "It is a pleasure to meet any cousin of Lutz's." He glanced over at the bag of biscuits, "I can't say as I've ever had Dwarf bread, but I am always open to try new delicacies," he says as he reaches over and grabs a biscuit and spreads some of the past onto it.

After taking a bite and offering an appreciative nod for the food, he turns to Findral, "So you're a prospector, huh? I definitely won't turn down a trained eye helping us improve our operation. With Valgard so busy here, we're not really able to free him up to help with the New Dawn mine."

Findal nods a greeting to Marik, "Me and the boys work for a small prospecting business up  by Brundeston.  We spend a lot of our time looking around mines, or wandering around the countryside looking for prospective mines.  So I don't mind having a look around yours and giving you a considered opinion on them.  Lutz tell me that you have been good with him, so I won't charge you for it."  However, there is a glint of humour in his eye as he says that.  After all, every good dwarf has to look after his gold supply.
This message was last edited by the GM at 22:38, Mon 09 Nov 2020.

Marik nodded at Findal's words as a small smile crept across his face, "Brundeston you say? Well, it's always good to have friends from Brundeston so I'm happy to have you take a look. And while I appreciate your generosity, I'm sure it would be appropriate for you to take a few samples of our ore, for research purposes of course," he adds with a glint in his eye.

"Findal has been looking for an opportunity to set up o n his own for a while.  But he's never quite found the right place and time.  And of course the finances are always hard to come by.  But I think I have found a way that the Church of Torag might be able to help him.

Although we still have to find the right partner to work with."

Lutz pauses, there waiting for Marik's reaction.

"This is good stuff." He says to Findal, indicating the Nubbe.  "Nice and crunchy.  Not that fine ground stuff they send out to the 'speciality' stores.  It's good to get a bit of chitin in your teeth occasionally."

Marik leans back into his seat, getting comfortable as talk turns towards business pursuits. "And exactly what sort of partner would you be looking for?" Marik asked Lutz and then turned to Findal as well. "I'm always interested in helping a fellow entrepreneur, and as you know, I'm always on the lookout for new mining opportunities. Being in business with a prospector would I'm sure be beneficial."

"Well … that's the rub." Lutz says slowly.  "You noticed that Findas said he and the boys spend some of their time prospecting?  Well, the rest of it they spend as caravan and shipment guards.  After all, ores  and worked metals are valuable.  That means they need a licence to work in most places, and you can't set up as an armed business without the right licences.  And those only go to members of The Order, except for a big fee.  If we have to pay the extra, we won't be able to afford it.  We aren't a wealthy clan."

He stands, and walks across to the keg to refill his tankard.

"And then there is the church.  We can't get the loan from them without, the right licences and permissions.   That all leaves us with bit of a problem.  But the church also want some sort of guarantees that their loan will also help the faith ...   So I wondered if we ... well you and me, as a representative of Clan Stigmar ... might be able to come to some sort of arrangement?"

Lutz finishes on a higher note, as he poses the question, as if he is unsure of the answer he will get.

As Lutz starts to lay out their proposition, Finlas goes quiet and takes a healthy swig of his ale.

OOC:  Damn, I'll get his name sorted out one day!

Marik smiles, "There are always opportunities to make arrangements." He takes a sip of wine, pondering for a moment, "So as I understand it, you are looking for the...patronage of an Officer of the Order of the Brevic Knights in order to obtain a license to operate as an armed business within these lands, correct? And if such patronage is procured and guarantees of support to the faith of Torag are made, then the Church of Torag would provide the loan for this venture?"

He took another sip, waiting to make sure he understood the gist of the discussion, "If that is in fact the situation, then I would consider offering my patronage for such a venture, depending on what I might receive in return."

"Well, we could draw up a contract of allegiance that gave you control of the prospectors  as troops. It could also include a clause that requires us Stigmar to build some sort of religious building, dedicated to Torag, in each of your holdings.  That should give you a bit more clout in the order and keep the Church fathers happy."

Lutz settles back in his seat before hurriedly adding, "And spreading the word of Torag is indeed an important objective ...  However, we Stigmar would expect to keep the income from the religious buildings and the mundane income that the prospectors will generate.  If only to help us spread Torag's word ..."
This message was last edited by the GM at 22:39, Mon 09 Nov 2020.

Marik took another sip of wine as he leaned back into his chair, pondering the offer, "I would consider agreeing to this offer, but before any construction takes place, I would have to know exactly what 'religious building' you are intending to build. As you know, every holding is a sensitive ecosystem to itself, and a religious building of the proper size and grandeur must be planned for each individually. So I can agree to a religious building in each holding, but I reserve the right to define what the specific building will be.

Moreover, I would have two additional stipulations. The first is that any new mineral deposits Finlas and his prospectors find within Midmarch be reported to me fist, and I am given the first opportunity to claim it. The second is that you, Lutz, serve on my stewardship committee, advising me on all religious matters throughout my holdings."

"I can't do that with honour." Findal says looking somewhat embarrassed. "If a client comes to us and asks us to survey an area, the report needs to go to them.  If, for example, one of your fellow lairds commissions us to survey land adjacent to their holdings, to see if it is worth settling, it would be wrong of me to tell you about it, before I told them."

Findal takes another mouthful of his ale before continuing.

"And a dwarf's honour is important to him ... and to Torag."

Lutz nods in agreement as Findal speaks, then adds to the conversation.  "I would be honoured to serve as Moderator for your holdings.  As for building, I would hope to build a Holy House in each of your villages and hamlets which, as you know, can produce minor magical items such as scrolls.  However, as New Dawn grows to be a town, I would like to build a priory which will act as a focus for the faith in these new lands.  That will contain a forge capable of beating magic into metal items such as swords and shields.  That would, I believe, make New Dawn the only town in Midmarch capable of creating such items.  Although Rikka, who is based in Tusk, provides the same service."

He taps the table with his dwarf bread, perhaps to soften a corner, leaving a few crumbs behind.

"Eventually, I would like to build an Abbey, but that is a long way down the road ..."
This message was last edited by the GM at 22:39, Mon 09 Nov 2020.

Marik nods at Findal's words, "Of course, I would never ask you to compromise your integrity if you have been commissioned for your services. I was referring to situations where you might be freelancing and find a deposit of note."

He takes another sip of wine and turns to Lutz, "All of that sounds agreeable."

"I'll get the contacts drawn up by the priests of Abadar in Tusk." He grins broadly, "They can have the fun of sorting out all the legal stuff.  That bends my brain ..."
This message was last edited by the GM at 22:39, Mon 09 Nov 2020.

Marik chuckles, "Yes, they do seem to enjoy those sorts of things." He raises his glass, "To a fruitful partnership."