Soul Bound

1        Soul Bound

1.3      Making a Splash

1.3.1    An Obligated Noble

1.3.1.6  Rejected advice

Bungo: “If autumn is the season of trading ships, why’s Mabon associated with Lun rather than Mor who is wealth, water and crafting?”

Tori: “Because Mor is also mountains. He’s stationary. Lun is abstract unemotional thought and travel, because she’s air and lonely unpopulated places. So in Torello, where most trade happens in the early to mid autumn when the prevailing winds are strong and pointing in a useful direction, before the big storms arrive, trade gets associated with Lun. In other regions they celebrate things differently.”

Herberto: “Mabon marks the end of the financial year, when bonds mature and the big hiring fairs take place. It is an auspicious time to start as a journeyman or move to a new city.”

They headed out of the watchtower and back into the gardens, heading towards the pond.

Tori: “It’s also when each Etruscan city sends their Marquis to Pentapolis for the regional Moot. The Seafarers Guild holds a regatta for each class of ship, and members of the Merchant Tailors hold shows promoting their winter fashion collections.”

Herberto: “The competition between them is savage. And I’m talking about the tailors not the sailors. The most the captains do is try to get their rivals drunk the night before. The tailors have been known to hire assassins in response to being given a slighting review.”

Tori: “You’re thinking of the time Captain Lavinia almost wrecked the Abbondanza after spending the previous evening with Suonacorno?”

Herberto: “Yep! Captain Suonacorno is a good sailor, but he’s also crafty and bold enough to seize an opportunity when it presents itself. The Donzella might have won first place in the carrack division anyway, but betting Lavinia five platinum zecchi that she couldn’t out-drink his bosun was a killer move. She won the bet but lost the race. They say Lavinia hasn’t touched a drop since.”

Wellington: “House Landi has quite a few income streams, doesn’t it? The Titulos, rents, products from the lands and businesses it owns, and trading in its own name. Which is most important, what’s your core competence?”

Tori: “You sound like a broker, trying to decide the risk of our House not paying back a loan on time.”

Tori treated it like a joke, but Herberto looked thoughtful and gave a serious answer as they entered the central building through an elegant entrance by the formal gardens and started heading upwards.

Herberto: “Good judgement. Each of the six house primus has a unique advantage that others can’t copy. For Bruno, it is the advantage of being the oldest and first, the social arbiter who rules the area where most of the nobles live. For Trinci it’s their political skill and the way they are interwoven with the governance of the city - they believe in serving the city. For Zeno, it is the loyalty the mages and university have towards them; they know Zeno is one of them and will effectively stand up for their interests. Pazzi, I don’t know about Pazzi, I don’t know how they’ve survived this long which is strange when I think about it. Perhaps nobody really wants the Basso district so they don’t fight that hard for it? I would say House Ruffo keeps control of the Arsenal through being ruthless, but there are plenty of ruthless people out there and that wouldn’t last generation after generation.”

Tori: “I’ve heard rumours that the real secret behind Ruffo keeping long term control is possession of one particular magic item that helps them gather vast amounts of information.”

Bungo: “How does House Landi turn out Counts who have good judgement, generation after generation? It can’t be genetic.”

Tori looked puzzled: “Genetic?”

Bungo: “Oh sorry. An inherited characteristic, like the ability to travel home over long distances being bred into your gyrfalcons.”

As they entered the second floor, a long gallery encircling the courtyard of sculptures stretched before them, hung with large formal portraits spaced evenly along its length, that alternated with doorways leading into residential apartments. Herberto pointed to a portrait of a one legged man wearing the uniform of a naval admiral, labelled “Lord Azephus Landi, 1st Count Mercato.”

Herberto: “Our house was founded by Azephus the Clear-eyed, who was raised to the nobility by the King of Torello after leading the city’s fleet to victory in a war against invading crusaders from Savada. The King had borrowed heavily in order to build the fleet, and when he defaulted upon the loans, it caused massive problems. Azephus had been hit by a cursed sword during the fighting and his leg couldn’t be regenerated, but it didn’t stop him from becoming a trader whose legendary exploits are still referred to. He had a predilection for long term solutions - for addressing causes as well as the immediate problem, and he applied that same thinking to founding a dynasty.”

Bulgaria: “What was the solution he came up with, to great men having not-so-great heirs?”

Tori: “Azephus wanted to found a dynasty that took advantage of continuity over multiple generations to build a reputation for being a good and reliable ally, and thereby secure alliances with those who shared that value and who would become increasingly strong over time. An investor’s approach. The attribute he wanted to pass onto his heirs wasn’t just general good judgement - it was the ability to be prudent, long termist and to pick good allies.”

Tomsk: “Ambitious. So how did he do it? Picking marriage partners for his children? Magic? Blessings from the deities?”

Herberto: “Books. He wrote a diary entry every day, recording his decisions, the thinking behind them, and honest appraisals of every mistake he made. He set all his children to reading them, had them tutored without mercy, and selected his heir based upon aptitude and sincere adherence to the values he considered most essential, even if it wasn’t the one likely to be strongest or bring in the biggest profits.”

Tori: “Rumour has it that there’s more to it than that. A special memory sharing artifact hidden in the Cor Focis shrine you saw earlier, next to the children’s wing, where each Count carries out a secret ceremony binding their heir with an unbreakable geis before formally appointing them.”

[Quest “Bloody Bones” available. Satisfy Tori Landi’s curiosity by entering the Cor Focis in order to determine the truth of the rumour. Warning: If you violate your guest oath, you will be cursed by Cov. Difficulty rank F]

Wellington: {I’d vote “no” on that one. The reward is too low to justify the risk.}

Tomsk: {It would be interesting if it were similar to Rac’s Library, but “no”, it wouldn’t be honourable.}

Bulgaria: {As much as I enjoy sneaking around learning secrets, especially those connected to necromancy, it wouldn’t be a good thing to do. No.}

Bungo: {We could just ask Count Landi about the rumour. Kafana would know if his reply were true or not.}

Alderney: {Assuming he gave a straight answer. You don’t get to be Count without learning how to conceal information when surrounded by magicians. The quest text implied entering the shrine is a requirement. He might permit that, reluctantly, if Wellington requested that as his boon, but it would probably harm our reputation. Certainly sounds like a fool’s errand to me. No.}

Kafana: {No. And we need to warn the Landis that other Adventurers might try it after having learned of the quest by watching us.}

[Quest “Bloody Bones “ rejected.]

Herberto: “Tori, You gave up reading them after the 14th Count. There’s some really good advice in there. You should read the rest of them.”

She pointed at the portrait of a tight-faced man, her face screwed up in a scowl.

Tori: “His diary filled a dozen volumes with thoughts on vital subjects such as precisely how to clip his toenails. And Claudio is the 19th Count. It would take months to read the rest of them. I’d go blind and need my eyes healing.”

Kafana felt a mischievous impulse.

Kafana: “That’s no problem. I’ll heal you for free.”

Tori sped up, whizzing past the remaining portraits and was soon out of sight.

Herberto solemnly held out a hand to Kafana, then his expression changed and he winked at her.

Herberto: “I believe you call it a ‘high five’?”

Bulgaria burst out laughing, the first to twig to it.

Bulgaria: “Herberto, you’re a wretch. You’ve been acting incredibly dutifully and lecturing at length, purely to wind up your sister?”

Herberto grinned, and let out a little giggle. “It’s been years, and she still falls for it. Really, doesn’t she understand what it takes to be a trader?”

Alderney’s jaw dropped open.

Tomsk gave him a look of respect: “My man!”

Bungo: “Well, you sure had me fooled. I almost fell asleep once or twice.”

Kafana put on a prim voice: “I believe we now have a solemn duty to help Tori achieve a satisfying revenge upon you. To balance the books, you understand, and not at all because I grew up with two brothers.”

Herberto gave her a worried look, which she loftily ignored as they finally arrived at the door to the library.