<br><font size=2 face="sans-serif">We do have an agreement for healing and magical training with the University of Mittlemarkhauptstadt, and the idea of having a charter house further west is a good idea. &nbsp;But a lot of investigation would need to be done. &nbsp;We would need both the local lord and the local populace to be supportive or we would find our members and staff constantly being thrown in jail for sneezing. &nbsp;Carzalan folk are generally helpful and friendly towards the Guild, they don't mind the shadow wings over head, the armed people in town, and only quietly complain about the collateral damage. &nbsp;Even places that appreciate magic don't actually like to see the results constantly.</font>
<br>
<br><font size=2 face="sans-serif">During the aftermath of the fire and money crisis a few years ago a number of people offered the Guild a new home - but the terms and conditions sucked compared to the deal we have with Duke Leto.</font>
<br>
<br><font size=2 face="sans-serif">What about taxes and guild rights? &nbsp;We have a charter in Carzala to protect our rights and privileges but are the who is the local lord in Freetown and what are the local laws towards mercenaries?</font>
<br><font size=2 face="sans-serif">How much are the local taxes? &nbsp;Both Aladar and Brandenburg usually charge around 40 - 50%</font>
<br><font size=2 face="sans-serif">Is there already a local healers guild? And why wouldn't they fight us for taking their business?</font>
<br>
<br><font size=2 face="sans-serif">You suggest moving entities mages. &nbsp;But you don't have any idea if they would fare any better in Freetown. &nbsp;Many folk think ALL magic is evil not just entities mages.</font>
<br>
<br><font size=2 face="Courier New">Armand ...</font>
<br><font size=2 face="Courier New">Its central location in the kingdom would allow</font>
<br><font size=2 face="sans-serif">Hmmm, and I thought that Aladar was the western edge of the Kingdom.</font>
<br>
<br><font size=2 face="Courier New">Armand ...</font>
<br><font size=2 face="Courier New">however the suggested auxiliary guild quarters there would only require a mid sized townhouse as the main bureaucracy of the guild would stay in Seagate, this would also be very inexpensive to setup and leverage gained could well have it pay for itself.</font>
<br><font size=2 face="sans-serif">And what happens when you go racing to Freetown for protection and healing, and someone with a grudge chases you back and burns down the townhouse with you in it. &nbsp;The protections provided in the Guild grounds were expensive to set up and are constantly backed by Guild Security. Do you know how to build a casting chamber? &nbsp;And have you actually looked at the cost of running a ship?</font>
<br>
<br><font size=2 face="Courier New">Armand ...</font>
<br><font size=2 face="Courier New">Actually since the quite brilliant decision to waste all the seed grain in plantings in Barastor, which<br>
deepened the food crisis, the duke will have been making unheard of profits from the crops on his lands<br>
and also have been able to pauperise many a freeman (including refugees ) and make them bondsmen. Any<br>
claims of poverty you hear from that quarter are quite false.<br>
</font><font size=2 face="sans-serif">You are obviously quite an 'expert' on farming. &nbsp;Where the hell did you expect them to plant grain? &nbsp;In the forest north of Carzala? &nbsp;Or do you think that wheat will grow on the sand dunes along the coast? &nbsp;That's not going to feed anyone this winter. &nbsp; I think the reality is that &nbsp;starvation is going to be common this winter. so why would the Duke want more bondsmen - he would have to feed them.</font>
<br>
<br><font size=2 face="sans-serif">Amelia Pendragon</font>

In summary a good idea for some of the right reasons and many of the wrong
ones.  The suggested solution is seriously flawed but it may be worth us
investigating a more secure and independent base of operations for us to
fall back to.

More comments below...

Braegon.


> -----Original Message-----
> From:	Noel Livingston [SMTP:arnauddemontfort@yahoo.com]
> Sent:	Saturday, 19 May 2001 16:49
> 
> I would like to propose the construction of an
> auxillary branch of the adventurers guild in FreeTown.
> This would initially involve casting chambers and
> curse removals with either of the guild curse removal
> experts being transferred, training in weapons and
> skills by third parties as in seagate and a hospital
> with possibly healing to rank 7 initially. A library
> could also be constructed. A ship could travel to the
> main guild in a day with magical assistance.
> 
> There would be no residential services or teaching of
> new spells provided nor would there be a guild hall to
> lower setup costs considerably.
> 
> Why...
> 1) This would give adventurers freedom to live
> elsewhere other than Cazarla and continue training. 
	[Stephen Martin]  Guild members already have this option and many do
live away from Carzala.  They either organise their own training locally,
arrange rapid transport to Carzala or bunk at the guild during training
sessions and return home in the breaks.

> 2) This would give the guild leaverage over the duke
> in negotiations
	[Stephen Martin]  The guild already has quite a lot of leverage and
history with the current Duke.  He is a Duke of an independant Duchy and not
a count of a small portion of someone elses Duchy/Kingdom mainly due to
guild members.  There is also other leverage which is not common knowledge
and never will be as long as relations are amicable.
	Not that the benefits are all one-way.  The Duke also gives us some
protection from groups like the united church and the western kingdom who
would prefer to see our activities curtailed and under their control.

> 3) Its central location in the kingdom would allow
> parties access to healing and curse removal closer
> than cazarla when adventuring in the kingdom and quick
> access to most anywhere with a single cast of wings.
> Employers would also benefit with less distance to
> travel.
	[Stephen Martin]  It would also be vulnerable to kingdom and church
officials.  An isolated tower that contained a secure portal to Seagate
would be a better option if your only concern is distance and transport.

> 4) Colleges which are finding themselves out of favour
> could move, most notably the necromancer college and
> if the rumors have any truth the slippery rock covern,
> that is if the duke donates the land between the
> darkwall and the Rithe Regar to the bishop of Mordeaux
> in return for fighting the dark circle.
	[Stephen Martin]  The Necromancers in the guild are some of the only
openly declared Necromancers within 5,000 miles that are not actively hunted
and persecuted.  Anywhere within the Kingdom or the other duchies would be
worse for them.
	The slippery rock coven is not part of the guild.  They are an
independent group with whom we have an agreement to train our members.  That
they are still there despite the undead incursions probably indicates that
they have a very good reason for being based there.
	As for this donation of land, why would the Duke give away land that
would effectively make his duchy enclosed within Ranke???  The Bishop of
Mordeaux has sent in his chruch knights because this is an army of evil and
undead.  And if he wasn't fighting it here then he could be fighting it on
his own doorstep very soon - and that might endanger his powerbase.
	Or we could give him credit and believe that he sent in his troops
because it's the right thing to do...

> 5) This would provide a fall back position at a low
> cost, rather than having all our eggs in one basket as
> is now the case.
	[Stephen Martin]  Having a planned fall back base is a good idea.
However it should be somewhere well clear of major political and religious
powers.  This means somewhere isolated from major populations centres and
probably somewhere fairly in-acessable.  Possible options: The northern
wastes, a few thousand miles south east of the Lunar empire, off-plane...
	A portal could then be set up for transport to seagate or a similar
location for our "front office". 1,000,000sp for a permanent portal is
fairly cheap compared to some of the costs which will be incurred.
	Of course this will require raising the guild taxes by 20-30% for a
few years to raise the funds to establish and protect the new base.  And
some significant time spent scouting out possible locations.

> 6) Entity mages can move from Seagate where they are
> under theat from the increasingly erratic leadership
> in seagate with attempts to force oaths of allegance
> and such.
	[Stephen Martin]  What are you talking about????

> 7) Guild members with families can move them to a
> safer place rather than Seagate which is very close to
> the dark circle and is a less than safe place.
	[Stephen Martin]  Most of those with families in the area have
already done so or have set up protections sufficient to keep them safe.
Those few that are unable to move or protect their families should ask for
assistance from their fellow guildmembers.

> I have suggested Freetown as a site as it is centrally
> located and I liked its name, this suggestion being
> primarily conserned with preserving freedom for guild
> members, however other better sites may suggest
> themselves upon further investigation.
> 
> Arnaud De Montfort, Adventurer
> 
>


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> [Braegon]  The slippery rock coven is not part of the guild.  They are an
> independent group with whom we have an agreement to train our members.  That
> they are still there despite the undead incursions probably indicates that
> they have a very good reason for being based there.

Despite attempts by outsiders to stir up trouble, the Slippery Rock coven has an
excellent relationship with the burghers of that town and the rural folk in the
surrounding area.  I would certainly not characterize all of the members of the
coven as "nice" -- like many mages some of them are quite egotistical and
self-centred -- but they do understand the basic political realities of the
situation.  The coven provides blessings on land, livestock and babies in the
Slippery Rock area, along with the potions and philtres for which their college
is famed, and has assisted ducal guards during periods of emergency even to the
point of placing themselves firmly in harm's way, which has resulting in the
death of coven members.

> The Bishop of Mordeaux has sent in his chruch knights because this is an army
> of evil and undead.  And if he wasn't fighting it here then he could be
> fighting it on his own doorstep very soon - and that might endanger his
> powerbase.

And indeed as was found to the advantage of the Western Kingdom during their
conflict with the Northern Confederacy; in warfare it is always better to play
an "away game".

> [Arnaud De Montfort] 6) Entity mages can move from Seagate where they are
> > under theat from the increasingly erratic leadership
> > in seagate with attempts to force oaths of allegance
> > and such.
>         [Braegon]  What are you talking about????

I believe that De Montfort is referring to the announcement reported in issue 27
of the Seagate Times that in "addition to the Call-to-Arms, Duke Leto has
ordered all Entity mages, including Guild Members, to appear and re-swear
allegiance to him immediately. Warrants will be issued for the arrest of any
that fail to comply by the 7th" [of Meadow 800].

In the same issue the editors were kind enough to publish my open letter in
response:

"To the Editors -
I am writing this to publicly protest in the strongest possible terms the recent
and outrageous demand of an oath of personal fealty to His Grace, Duke Leto of
Carzala by all Adepts of those colleges categorized by philosophers as the
“Entities”.

Much though it pains me to refuse His Grace's command, refuse it I must. For the
first I am a knight of the Elven Queen and will not  forswear my oath of
allegiance to Her Majesty. For the second, His Grace's demand impugns my honour.
I have been a member in good standing of the Adventurer's guild of Seagate for
over fifteen years. I have been a lawful and law-abiding citizen of Carzala for
this same period; I own land, and keep a goodly house. I have contributed both
funds and skill to civic improvement projects in New Seagate and have overseen
the construction of the new walls and siege defences. If this be insufficient to
prove my fidelity then how would mere words ensure it?

If His Grace wishes to pursue this course then I will be forced to conclude that
he holds my loyalty cheap and I will regretfully seek a new residence. However,
I find it difficult to believe that His Grace would countenance such malicious
bigotry and hope yet to discover that this decree is the work of a misguided and
over-zealous underling.

Respectfully,
Sir Mortimer Graves".

I have heard no more on this matter since then and can only conclude that either
the Times report was in error with regards to his Grace's intent, or that
decisions were altered.

> [Arnaud De Montfort] I have suggested Freetown as a site as it is centrally
> located...

I agree with Baroness von Jotenburg that a seaport between Aladar and
Brandenberg can hardly be correctly referred to as "centrally located".  Perhaps
Lady Amelia would consent to providing monsieur De Montfort with some training
in geography and map reading.

- Mortimer

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>
>         Or we could give him credit and believe that he sent in his troops
> because it's the right thing to do...
>

This is definitely giving him too much credit

Rothgar


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