A Warlock Alone, Island Empire solo game

[J. Alexander]

Setting Sail

Before setting sail, Michael will post all his letters and make arrangements with the Merchants and Planters Trust....yes you did name it earlier and is it the same as the Farmers and Miner's tRust in axioplis, you just said Farmer's Trust. If it is, I will just open a construction account using the Axiopolis branch as a reference...

Assuming the party goes well and the crew is happy we will concetrate on shaking down the ship and assigning sailing/battle stations.

We will head into the area of the Shark Man villiage, hoping to attract their attention. Once there, we will let the underwater rangers (That was a very cool concept on your part, I may steal it for future use in my campagin, but it makes perfect sense) scout the area in the hopes of determing our next course of action.

As it seems that stone is going to be cheap, we will build out of stone and save the tile for latter. In fact, given the dyes here, we could proably develope a thriving tile market given time.

Michael hopes that by slowly building his base here, he can gain an area to base his goods out of as wll as his light industry. The 8 acres should be perfect allowing for the eventual constrution of a small blast furnace for his metal schem and other idea. Also it never hurts to have a passell of toad men and lizardmen on call to defend their workplace if it gets attacked

 

[J. Alexander]

Letter to Durren Wilburn

5th day of Sun's Time in the 2nd year of the 2nd year of the reign of Xenieda the First
Morning
Port of Tergere

Mr. Durrin Wilburn
Manger
Farmer's and Miner's Trust
Axiopolis

Dear Mr. Wilburn,

I once again need to impose upon your good offices and ask that you post a notice for me in regards to the hiring of several local stone masons and the purchase of a large quantiy of stone from a local Axiopolis quarry. I have deposited funds in the Tergere Branch of your bank in a seperate account and hereby authorize you to debit said account when invoices are presented for payment to you by the local quarry. Should in the event of unforseen expenses, I ask that you honor any slight overages up to 100 gp and the debit my account for the overage from my regular montly deposit into the account which will commence in two months. A gentlemen by the name of Padar'Losin will be heading up the supervison of my construction project here on Tergere and will be the one authorized to present invoices to your instution for payment.

I await you reply at "Name of Northern Port"

Respectfully

M. Storm

OCC: I had to go back and change the dates as there are only 28 days in your Months

 

[Scotley]

Details

OOC: Yes there are only 28 days in the months. You have an extra 2nd year of in your dates too. The current date should be:

5th day of Sun's Time in the 2nd year of the reign of Xenieda the First

The northern port who's name I should have long since given you is Adrilin in the Crosscroft Isles. That is pretty much the last major stop before the long ocean voyage to Icewatch. Indeed it is well outside the inner sea and about a third of the way from the Empire proper to Icewatch. Typically, the last stop on the inner sea is the Northern Capital of Bronhelm. Thus, if you want to get your messages before getting way out you should have replies sent to Bronhelm. If you want the last stop before Icewatch you want Adrilin. Hope that helps. Do you have campaign cartographer on your machine so I can send you a map?

The tile idea might well have merit. I hadn't considered it. Most of the tile in the Empire comes from the Western Reach which is all the way across the Inner Sea. A closer source might be cheaper. I agree that 8 acres will give you room to do a lot. I'm glad you like the underwater rangers. I think they could be very useful.

 

[J. Alexander]

Course of the Retribution

Michael will indeed set a course for Bornhelm then trade his way to Adrlin and finally to icewatch. It all really depends on the time factor and what developes. Is Bornholm on the way to Adrlin?

Yes i do have Cartographer thanks to Patterson.

Before getting into the Shark man area, if necessary I will activate the shark figurine and have it do a lot of the premlinary scouting so they dont go in blind. Care to tell me what the shark sees? Then what the rangers find out? Perhaps we can base our course of action then when we have more information.

 

[J. Alexander]

Letter to Matthew Stormwarden

5th day of Sun's Time in the 2nd year of the reign of Xenieda the First
Port of Tergere
Morning

Dearest Uncle,

I am about to set sail from Tergere to complete my errand in Mermaid's Rest then I shall be off northward. All is well and I have acquired several items with which i hope to turn a modest profit. Further I have made an investment here in Tergere in the form of a small shipyard that i am having remade as it has been abadoned. So if within a year you know of anyone needing a ship, please refer them to me. Additionaly, I need to be a favor of you. Should you have an commercial contacts in the Western Reaches, please ask them to recruit several master tile makers and their apprecenices as well as a master tile maker who can oversee the construction of a kline and have them transported to Tergere. This would be a one year contract in which they would oversee the construion of a kline and teach the locals how to make tile. For passage monies etc, please contact Padar'Losin in Tergere, who is my general construcion foreman, and he will make all necessary arrangements.

I hope this letter finds you and the family well. Take care and I shall write again soon.

Respectfully

M. Storm

 

[Scotley]

OOC: I will try and send you the map this evening and we'll get started on the shark lair. I don't have all the info I need here. The figurine will produce a large shark, but you'll need some way to communicate with it in order to use it as an effective scout. It will attack whatever is in front of it if you summon it for battle, but for anything more refined you'll need a means of communication.

 

[J. Alexander]

Compund

The Compound Michael has in mind will be be surronded by the earthwork as described earlier but he will add to this a 10 wide by 10 foot deep (easier to calculate cost like that) surronding the permmiter and will use the earth to build the earthwork as well as to raise the level of the ground(build it up). Also i think it will be important for the building to have stone basements and flooring with the extra deep foooting. for some reason, I get the impression that the place is very likely to flood or have problems otherwise. Also it will lend an air of stabiliity and will perhaps draw merchants into warehousing their goods there while awaiting shipment, kinda thinking of a distrubiton warehouse as this island appears to be in an ideal location to service three major island groups.

Anyway back to the compound, as this will be a time consuming project but not all that costly thanks to the poor economy in the region, Michael will have french drains put throuout the compound that will drain into the stone filled ditch. It should be noticed that the ditch will drain away from the ocean and towards the interior, so as to prevent any rise in the seawater to flood the compound by backing up the drains. This will serve ideall for keeping the soil drained and stable and allow for less wear and tear on the buildings as the water, as it bubbles up from the watertable or from rain, is drained away for the compound.

This should keep the crew busy right up until it is time for the drydock and principal building to be completed. If necessary, Michael will have construted a series of row houses to house his employees/workers if they want to pay rent for it......or he could just include it in part of the job benefits package and pay a slightly lower wage.

OCC:What are the principal building material used here and is there a difference bewteen those used by local folk and humans. On a provisional basis, temp structers can be built using the local's typical materials.

 

[J. Alexander]

Magic Items

Was the priestess every able to identiy the ruby earings, the pearl necklace and pearls, and the dagger?

 

[Scotley]

OOC: Sorry, busy night no chance to post. Did you ever get a reply from Rook?

 

[J. Alexander]

Random Thought

OCC: Was just really looking at your posts and the prices we have been discussing and I am getting the impressin Michael has been wasting money etc and that a little cash goes a hell of a long way right now. That makes it so much better for those treasure troves that have actual specie. If I am not mistaken, it seems that because of the plague etc, that there has been a semi reversion back to a barter economy as with so many deaths etc a lot of the excess earning power and daily cash flow dried up. As this seems to be the case, if Michael can gather some cash thru treasure hordes, he might be better off batering his wares at a substantial markup for other raw goods and or trade items. Currently as it stands, Michael would be in deep had it not been for all the extra cash his cohorts brought to the cause as I could not spend all their money on equipment i liked and the cash influex of Captain Marin. That is why his interest in the Shark Men lair has been so peaked, he needs the cash if he is going to do anything but trade his way north from now on. The ship expenses are going to take a bit out of him at some 150gp a month in salary and proably 200gp a month in food stuffs not to mention other little incidentails. I know it does not sound like a lot but over six omnths your looking at some 2000gp which is a hell of a dent in his remaing liquid funds. Figure another 500 to 1000 in unforseen expenses and he is at the 3000 mark which is dam near half of his remaing funds. Either way he will win even with just trade goods, but it does as i see it make him more keen and wiling to take risks for a cash infusion so I will porably play him that way.....oh welll....more later