“Hm.” Skree said, tapping a knuckle on the table and running the numbers in his head. “Won’t do it for that price. I can give you 1,200 gold for it right now. It's as much as I can offer without going broke and having no way to support my fledgling settlement. If I go any higher, I cannot afford a boat to take us there. No sir, I am afraid 1,200 is about all I can offer you.” He finished, sounding confident in his offer.
There was a moment of silence before the Admiral erupted in laughter. When Skree didn’t laugh, the Admiral gathered his composure quickly. “You're are serious, aren’t you?”
Skree nodded and gently patted his Nearly Bottomless Bag. “I can only offer what I have and what I think is fair.”
“Fair? You don’t get how negotiating works at all. I make an offer, you make a reasonable counter offer and we work our way to the middle. You jumped straight to the bottom of the mineshaft!” he said, smiling widely. “And you didn’t even flap your arms on the way down.”
“It’s not that low.” Skree said, somewhat annoyed. 1,200 gold was a fortune, and it was fortune he doubted he would ever see again. “I don’t have that much gold, and 2,100 is excessive from what I learned when asking around.”
The Admiral shrugged. “I have the land, and you, the coin. Which one do you value more?”
“I would have to say both Admiral.” Skree said evenly, “Without both, I won't be able to care for my people. I am sure you understand my predicament.” He tapped his finger on the deed to Carver’s bay, “This is the place. You said yourself that fewer people want this land because of the unfortunate special feature. I will overlook the danger for a fair price.”
“I understand your predicament, more than you might realize, but this is a business deal. I have to make my money back on this deal.” He walked around the desk, opened a drawer and rifled through some papers until he pulled out a single official-looking document. It slid easily across the table with a small shove from the Admiral.
“What is this?” Skree asked, picking up the document.
"That’s the original bill of sale from five years ago. At the bottom, you will see the purchase price when I bought it from the explorer’s guild."
Skree scanned the finely written script until he identified the correct line.
Total cost of sale: 1,475 Gold pieces with an upkeep of eight gold a month.
With a sudden realization he realized that he really had low balled the Admiral. “I honestly did not understand this piece of land would cost that much.” He said dejectedly. “I am afraid I can’t afford it.” He wanted to kick himself, knowing he had failed. “We can’t afford it.”
“Can you do 1,700?” the Admiral asked hopefully.
“I can, but that leaves me with nearly nothing.” He said, feeling the perfect home for his clan slipping through his fingers.
The Admiral placed a firm hand on his shoulder. “Skree, this is an unusually poor business decision but I owe you something. You saved my daughter’s life, not once, but twice. I make a razor thin margin, but I can do 1,600. I know it still leaves you blowing the cobwebs from your purse but you strike me as a man who can get things done. I have no doubts you can make it work.”
He knew it was a good deal, the best one he would get. Fenna’s advice rang in his mind. “Never take the first deal, but never miss the last.” He had to take it.
“Admiral, you are a generous man. I can’t thank you enough for this. It’s a deal.” He said, extending his hand. The Admiral stood, reaching his hand across the large table and shook it vigorously.
“Excellent! This calls for a toast.” He moved across the room and pulled a crystal decanter from the shelf, along with three glasses. He set them in a neat row on the table and filled them with a golden brown liquid that smelled of clove and cinnamon. The Admiral handed them each a glass and held his out before him. “To a profitable business deal.”
“To a profitable deal.” Skree said, clinking his glass.
The Admiral lowered his glass and clinked Priestesses glass. “To your new home.”
“To our new home.” She said, her toothy grin only making the Admiral smile wider.
Chapter 20
They drank their glasses in amicable silence as the Admiral went to work scribbling up a new bill of sale. The leader of Theseldora cleared his throat and waved them over.
“Here is the paperwork. To take ownership of the Deed, it requires us both to imprint the bill with a drop of blood.” He pulled a thin needle from a small brass case and pricked his finger, pressing the bright red blood onto the document. When he withdrew his finger, a nearly perfect fingerprint remained. He pulled a fresh needle from the small case and handed it to Skree. He pricked his thumb just like he had seen the Admiral do and placed his thumb on the parchment, feeling a small surge of mana that triggered his Detect Magic skill.
Magic Detected - Deed Transfer: This spell changes the ownership of a Deed from one owner to another. This spell is harmless and can only affect willing participants.
A prompt appeared in his vision that sent his heart racing.
Congratulations, You are now the owner of Carver’s Bay Deed, a large island 1,217 miles from the shores of the Central Kingdom. This deed allows you to claim the island and place your settlement marker, setting the boundaries for your protected buildings and settlement area. As a settlement owner, you can access the power reserves of the settlement to cast protective spells and enchantments to bolster the safety of your citizens. New spells are unlocked by increasing the level of your Deed or finding Deed Gems in the world.
He had done it. He had finally found a new home for the Kobolds and himself. A new tab appeared in his character sheet titled Settlement Management. He opened it and reviewed the information available. It showed the current power rating, the settlement’s mana pool along with the spells he could use when the settlement was established.
Carver’s Bay
Power: 1,800 Mana available
Reserved: 0/1,800
Regeneration rate: 75 mana per hour
Current Deed Spells available:
Minor Safe Zone - This enchantment creates a barrier that prevents low level monsters from entering the radius of your borders, but does not stop high level monsters (30+) or sentient hostiles from entering your domain. Cost: 2,200 Mana, Upkeep: 500 Mana per day.
Weak Storm Shield - During harsh weather, this spell creates a protective dome that lasts four hours and limits the danger to buildings and settlers from wind, rain, lightning and other weather anomalies, though stronger weather can still penetrate your protective barrier. Cost: 1,500 Mana, Duration: 24 hours.
Weak Gentle Rain - This spell creates a gentle, steady rain to sustain crops or tofill rain barrels for later us. Cost: 150 mana, Duration: 1 hour
Minor Growth Enhancement - This Enchantment increased the growth rate of plants in your domain, including all edible and nonedible plants. Increases speed of plant growth by twenty-five percent. Cost: 500 Mana, Reserves: 250 mana per day
Minor Boon of Understanding - This Enchantment increases the amount of experience and skills earned by settlers while in the borders of your domain by 25 percent. Leaving the border immediately cancels this bonus. Cost: 1,500 mana. Reserves: 500 mana per day.
Minor Hygiene Boost - This enchantment reduces the chance of illness and disease for your settlers and can prevent outbreaks of deadly diseases. Cost: 250 Mana, Reserves: 250 Mana per day.
Minor Morale Boost - This Enchantment increases the morale of all settlers by 25 percent. Cost: 750 Mana, Upkeep: 250 Mana per day
After reading each of the spells and getting a basic understanding of how the system worked, Skree checked the next section. Labeled Administration, it contained everything a new settlement owner might need to know at a simple glance.
Carver’s Bay Administration
Population: N/A - not established
Tax Rate: Not Set
Tax Income: 0
Upkeep: 8 Gold per month
>
Settlement Mayor: Not Selected
Settlement Morale: N/A
Settlement Health: N/A
The information was easy enough to understand, but there were some questions he couldn’t answer on his own. “Admiral, can I ask you a few questions about running a settlement?”
"It would be my pleasure. I spent months reading books on the subject before I left the CK to establish Theseldora. There is a lot to learn." The Admiral said with a warm smile. He stood and moved to the group of chairs and motioned for them to sit. The Admiral leaned back in his chair and crossed his legs casually. "Ask away."
Skree and Priestess sat opposite the Admiral, holding the glasses of fine brown liquor. They settled into the cushioned chairs with a sigh of relief.
"First thing, I noticed there are spells specific to the settlement, each with a cost and upkeep. Some of them seem to be of dire importance while others are very nice to have. Based on the math, I can’t cast all of them in a single day but I can keep most of them active every day, though it will only leave 50 Mana available." He reread the spells quickly, "But then I lose the ability to cast Storm Shield if there is a bad storm. How do you decide on what to keep running and how much Mana to leave in reserve for rapid deployment?"
The Admiral drank deeply from his cup, finishing the liquid with an appreciative smacking of his lips. “That’s good stuff.” He set the cup down gently, re-situating himself. “Honestly? It's something that will always remain in flux. Weather is always changing, and sometimes seasonal. Sometimes you will have a ship sailing in that warns of an approaching storm with enough time to regenerate your mana stores.” He held his hands before him, moving them up and down like a pair of scales.
“Balance is something you find through trial and error. Personally, I almost always kept Morale Boost, Hygiene Boost and Boon of Understanding up every day. Morale and Hygiene are fairly obvious as a clean and happy settlement is always better than the alternative. Boon of Understanding is critical for drawing settlers to your new town. Craftsman become better faster, training goes smoothly and the entire settlement will improve as its people do.”
Priestess was nodding along, listening carefully, when a question came to mind. “Do you have Boon of Understanding active in Theseldora now?” she asked.
“Without question, though Theseldora has earned the spell Greater Boon of Understanding, increasing the buff from twenty-five percent to seventy-five percent.” He explained, clarifying it was an important aspect of life in Theseldora. “My people flourish under the effects of the boon and I would not cancel its effects unless in the most dire of circumstances.”
“That must explain how Fenna has so many combat skills at such a high level!” Skree said.
Nodding slowly, the Admiral continued, “She revealed her skill levels to you did she? Let me tell you, that was not quick nor easy, even with the enhancements to experience and skill gain. Despite what you might think about Fenna, she has a fire burning inside her, a fire that drives her. She may seem flippant, even careless, but nothing could be further from the truth. She is ruthlessly hard on herself for failures and works harder than any man at improving herself.” He smiled ruefully, shaking his head at some memory he wasn’t interested in sharing.
“She is quite a woman.” Priestess said, nodding in agreement. “I owe her my life and the lives of my family.”
The Admiral chuckled, taking a moment to consider his daughter. “She is just like her mother.” The Admiral met her gaze, his pride easy to read in his eyes, “She is a better person than most, better than me by half, especially at her age.”
Trying to steer the conversation back to settlements, Skree asked, “What about tax rate? How does it work?”
“Every settlement or city has a standing tax rate. Anyone who claims a home in your settlement must pay taxes based on the rate you have set. Many towns have tax rates as high as thirty-five percent, though for a brand new settlement I would not recommend setting it that high. Maybe ten percent at most.” The
Admiral explained.
Skree recalled what Fenna had told him about Deeds and settlement taxation. They had not gone into great detail but if there was ever someone to ask; the Admiral was that someone. "Can you explain the tax situation? Fenna said the magic of the deed would track everything and collect the taxes automatically in the settlement."
“Thankfully, that isn't really a problem. Once you establish your settlement and someone establishes their residence, they become listed in your census tab. The magic of the Deed records every bit of copper they earn, whether hunting at sea or selling wares in the CK. Whatever they earn, it creates and sends a tax bill to your census tab. At the end of every month, everybody has as much time as you agree to let them pay, otherwise you can revoke their citizenship and send them away.” The Admiral explained, purely business like in his cold-hearted explanation.
“Just like that, you kick them out?” Skree asked, abhorrent of the idea. Sure, it happened to people all the time in the old world but there were social safety nets and other resources for those who couldn’t pay. Raiya was a harsh world to live in and being homeless hundreds or thousands of miles from the nearest settlement was beyond cruel.
Without missing a beat, the Admiral said flatly, “Without question.”
“It seems…” he wracked his mind for the right words, “unnecessarily harsh. What if they refuse to leave?”
The Admiral sat forward in his chair, weaving his fingers together. His eyes were hard as stone as he stared at the young man sitting across from him. “Then you remove them by force. Everyone who moves to your settlement agrees to pay the taxes. Taxes are not just to enrich the landowner, there are expenses, upkeep and maintenance, emergencies and growth that all come from the city's coffers. Taxes are necessary for the very survival of your new enterprise and every missed payment increases the risk of catastrophic failure for everyone who lives there.”
The words landed with the weight of anvil, driving home the point; Responsibility required hard choices. He knew the Admiral was undoubtedly right, but it still didn’t feel good to think about. Noticing his hesitation, the Admiral sighed.
“Skree, once you lay claim to a settlement and bring people to your home, you better make sure they are the right people. Most folk won't give you a problem, but some, and trust me, there are always some, will push you to the edge of reason. Do what is necessary to keep your people and your home safe.” He gestured at Priestess. “You did what needed done and from the story Fenna told me, it took killing. And lots. Did you hesitate to end the threat to your friends?”
Skree shook his head, feeling hot anger flare deep in his stomach. The Admiral continued, “When danger came for your friends, you did what was necessary. As a leader, it will require you to make some hard choices. You will be responsible for dozens, maybe hundreds of lives. Are you willing to let one bad apple ruin your whole bushel? If one person gets a free ride, then others will follow, and the whole thing comes tumbling down around you.”
The Admiral relaxed back into his chair, his piece said. Skree stared at his hands, fingers aching from gripping his glass so tightly. The memories of his battles on the island along with the lecture he had just received had him both tense and agitated. He had been alone on the island, facing the threats alone, filled with fear and hesitation. Finding the Kobolds had been one of the best moments of his short life on Raiya. If anybody put his new settlement at risk, he would do anything to stop them, the memory of his failure to protect the Blue Stone Clan burning in his chest.
“I will keep my people safe. I won’t let anything put them at risk. Or anyone.” He said, steeling his resolve. No matter the threat whether it was the servants of Abrenacht or tax evaders.
Priestess rested a consoling hand on his leg. “Lord Skree, I will bear this burden with you. We are a team, remember? Whatever decisions we have to make, we make them together.” She gave him a playful grin, “Besides, I have it on good authority I c
an be scary when I want to be.”
He chuckled, knowing just how scary she really could be. “We do this together, every step of the way.” He turned to face the Admiral, “What about a Mayor? Wouldn’t I be the mayor?” he asked.
“You could be, but it isn’t a role you need to fill yourself. You can if needed, but a mayor is your primary leader when you are away. I doubt you will stay all cooped up and cozy in your house, am I right? I imagine you want to be out there, exploring the island, battling dangerous foes, and searching those Cavernous Depths.” Skree nodded, excited at the prospect of the adventures they would find on their new island.
“A mayor is a person you trust to run things while you're away. They can manage nearly every aspect of the settlement, so choose carefully.” The Admiral said emphatically. “Selecting a mayor is something that all Settlement owners struggle with.”
Skree could understand that. Giving a personaccess to your life savings and the power reserves of a settlement could have catastrophic consequences in the wrong hands, but Skree already had an idea who he would ask. “Thank you Admiral, for everything.” He stood and extended his hand and the Admiral stood and shook it firmly.
“You’re welcome.” The Admiral replied. “One more thing I forgot to mention.”
Skree raised an eyebrow. “What’s that?”
“Carver’s Bay is positively infested with Trolls.” The Admiral said as if it were no big deal.
“What!” He nearly shouted as a sudden wave of anger washed over him.
Holding his hands up defensively the Admiral said, “Relax, every island that remains unsettled is usually overrun by wildlife and monsters pretty quickly. It’s just how the world works. I didn’t want you to set foot on that island thinking it would be safe as a church.”
“It’s definitely something you could have mentioned earlier!” he exclaimed, fighting to keep his anger in check.
“Would you have bought it knowing about the infestation?”
“Of course not!”
Raiya- Early Game Page 15