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>>46350270
>6th of August, early afternoon.

You took William’s hand and shook it. “It’s good to have you, Admiral William.” You put a little emphasis on the admiral. Your dreams of a trade empire were slowly becoming reality. You currently have four ships, and two captains. That leaves you with two crewless ships. Michèl, William’s former quartermaster, raised his voice to speak. “What are your first orders, Master Particino?”

>Find a crew for the remaining ships.
>Sail out and sell the grain.
>Take them back to the store to discuss a business plan.

>>46350286
>>Find a crew for the remaining ships.
We need more men.

>>46350286
>>Find a crew for the remaining ships.

>>46350385
>Find a crew for the remaining ships.

You stroke your trimmed beard in thought, looking at the remaining two ships in your fleet; the Regem in Mare and Neptune’s Stride. To make the most profit, you’d need to get crews for them as well. The only problem was finding proper, loyal captains. You’ve heard stories of captains being bought by another family, along with their cargo. It hadn’t dawned on you that you might’ve done the same with William. Could you have made a powerful enemy?

You quickly shake the thought; William would’ve said something. “Find crews worthy of the remaining two ships. I assure that you know men who could be capable captains, William?” You tried to sound as confident as possible, which was quite hard given the situation. You had absolutely no idea how to run a fleet. The Englishman’s response came in the shape of a single, stern nod.

“Good. I’ll let the port know that the Indomitable will be docking here, from this point onwards. Now, if you gentlemen will excuse me, I’ve some business to attend to back in the store.” You incline your head and walk back down the plank. Desiderius was already waiting, a wide grin on his face. “So? Are we in business?”

You only returned the grin, before slapping him on the back. “We’re striking it rich, old friend. Come, we should go back to the shop. There might be a Bavarian visiting us today.” As the two of you leave the docks, content with the knowledge that you’ve hired a capable admiral, Desiderius suddenly speaks up.

“What will we do with the Bavarian, then? We’ve just given half of our stores over to William.”

>We’ll give him the crossbows.
>We’ll send him to the competition, after all.

Slow start.

>>46350286
"If you think one of you can find enough to crew the other boats then have the other set sail to sell the grain."

>>46350515
>We'll send him go the competition, after all.

>>46350515
It is morning.
>We’ll send him to the competition, after all

>>46350515
>We’ll send him to the competition, after all.

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>>46350672
>We’ll send him to the competition, after all.

As the two of you pass through the warehouse, you realize that you’ll need a new pair of guards as well. That’ll bring you up to a total of six men guarding this place in shifts. In relative silence, you head back to the store. You unlock the front door and head inside, moving over to retrieve the heavy ledger from its strongbox. With your left hand, you pick up the quill and begin to write.

Hired admiral – William of Essex – 45 ducats per month, 15 if shipments arrive in mint condition.
Hired captain – Michèl – Paid by Admiral William of Essex, 5 ducats if his shipments arrive in mint condition.
Sold supplies – Two crates of grain, five barrels of salted meat and fish – 25 ducats.
Goods sent – Fifty crates of grain - William of Essex, to trade in next location – 120 ducats
Goods received – Five crates of crossbows – William of Essex – Estimated value of 700 ducats.

Satisfied, you close the book. All in all, you’d made a decent start. Desiderius puts your mug of water down in front of you as you put the ledger back. “To our future.” He raised his mug, and you follow suit.

Your moment of celebration is interrupted by the arrival of a tall, blonde-haired man. Otto of Bavaria.

“I’m not interrupting you two, am I?” He didn’t wait for the answer, continuing. “I’m here for your answer. Will you supply my liege’s armies?”

>Send him to the competition. Last chance.
>Supply his liege’s armies.
>Ask about the smuggler rumors.

>>46350728
>Ask about the smuggler rumors.
If he's a smuggler, we should report him to the Doge.

>>46350804
Good point, support this...if he is not the smuggler I quess we can support his liege. Crossbows and rest of grain is still up for sale?

>>46350914
>Ask about the smuggler rumors.

You narrow your eyes, wondering what you should do with the situation. Otto might be a dangerous individual, but he wasn’t armed. You contemplated grabbing the knife behind you, but that’d only cause more trouble.

“We’re not doing anything until you tell me what you’re really doing here.” You look him straight in the eyes. He smirked, holding his hands in front of him. He took a somewhat intimidating stance, before replying. “I’m here to trade, isn’t that obvious?”

You exchange looks with Desiderius, before he takes over. “We’ve heard rumours that you’re looking for smugglers. Are they true?” Without so much as a flinch, Otto shrugs his shoulders. “They might be. What if they were? What if they weren’t? Would you honestly risk a fortune on the grounds of some rumours?”

>Yes.
>No.

>>46351053
>Yes.
He's keeping something from us.

>>46351053
>Yes.
What good is that wealth if it ruins our reputation and future deals?

>>46351053
>Yes.

>>46351206
>Yes.

You chuckle mockingly, before nodding. “Absolutely. But I’d just like to risk it on rumours that tend favour me. I’m not even sure who it is you’re working for.” Another reason why you wouldn’t go through with it. You weren’t even sure if he was who he said he was. For all you know, he could be working for the rebels inside the Empire. If you were supplying the wrong side, you could forget about your Tuscan contacts, and any chance of expanding would be gone before you’d notice.

The Bavarian folded his arms across his chest, his brows hinting at signs of irritation. “Very well. I’ll have to look for business elsewhere.” He turned to leave, before looking over his shoulder. While you couldn’t see his mood, Desiderius could. After Otto left, he turned to you and came with a very simple suggestion.

“We’re gonna need guards. I feel like we made an enemy by turning him down.” For the first time, you could see that Desiderius was somewhat afraid of something. You sigh, running a hand through your hair. “I’ll ask William if he can get some of his sailors to keep an eye on this place.”

The Otto encounter would remain in your head, even as you moved onto other business. You sat down at the table and took a sip from your mug of water. “We’re going to need to find some blacksmiths in the town. We’ll need to buy some weapons and get them in on the shipments.” You mention after a few minutes of silence.

“My father’s bakery is near some smithies, I’ll ask him about them.” Desiderius replied. “Besides, you still have some books to go through, don’t you?”

That’s when you remembered; you still had to choose which family you would try and overtake. If you succeeded in that, you’d be set for life. Perhaps you’d even become Doge at some point. As you look through the window, you notice that it’s about 4 o’clock already. You only had enough time to do one thing, before closing shop.

>>46351389
>Look at the books now.
>Find the smithies instead of letting Desiderius handle it.
>Visit Mauricio for information.
>Visit the church for advice

>>46351423
>Look at the books now.

It's never too early to start planning.

>>46351423
>Visit the church for advice

Take the books with us and ask about the families, which ones are contributing to the church and which are not, etc

>>46351527
Supporting

>>46351527
Backing

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>>46351568
>Visit the church for advice, taking the books with you.

You get up from the comfiest chair in your entire store, walking over to the counter. “Didn’t you leave them up on the counter this morning?” You look over to Desiderius, who was snacking on the remains of the cheese wedge. He pointed towards the bookcase behind the counter, where you quickly found the thick books. “I’m going over to the church, see which family supports the Bishop.” That caused Desiderius to look confused, as he spoke with the cheese still in his mouth. “Why would you do that? You know Father Federico doesn’t take bribes or penance payments.” You shrug your shoulders, grabbing the books.

“Information doesn’t require a bribe, Desi.” You replied, quickly trying out the nickname you thought would fit him. He didn’t say anything in return, just continuing to eat the cheese. “You’re locking up tonight, right? And don’t forget to ask your father!” He dutifully nods. Opening the door to the busy streets, you’re overwhelmed by stench of something rotting nearby. You shrug it off and head over to the church. As you approach an arch, you notice the smell getting stronger.

The legless beggar lay there, rotting in the afternoon sun. It surprised you that it’d gone so fast. His corpse would probably be gone by the morning, burned with masses of other corpses. There would be no grave for the beggar, no one to remember him. No one but you. You continue on your way, eventually opening the doors to the church. As you step inside, you see Father Federico talking with a brown-haired maiden, wearing a very sober, light blue dress. Whatever it is they were talking about, you decide to wait for a while. Taking your seat on one of the pews near the doors, you try to listen in.

>>46351716
“Are you s…” You couldn’t hear the following part, save for the word “normal?”. You raise an eyebrow, wondering what it’s about. You can only see the old man nodding with a smile. The woman lightly curtsies for the priest, and then moves towards the door. You catch a glimpse of her face before she passes you by. You vaguely recognize her.

You get up and approach the family’s friend.

>Make small talk with the priest.
>Straight to business.

>>46351730
>Make small talk with the priest.
Butter him up with some religious babble then move to business.

>>46351730
Make small talk with the priest that leads to business
The Father might not be comfortable with this

>>46351730
Make small talk maybe ask who that was since she looke familiar

>>46351843
>Make small talk with the priest.

You incline your head somewhat, holding the books under your arms. “My apologies for the sudden visit, Father. I’ve been wondering how Edward has been doing today.” You look back up at the man, smiling. You see him light up at the mention of Edward, his old voice coming to life. “He has been wonderful, he’s really making progress. Sentences are still difficult for him, but he’s a quick learner.”

Knowing that Edward was making good progress eased your mind somewhat. It still felt quite strange, and you couldn’t help but ask while you were here. It apparently showed as well, because the Father put his hand on your shoulder. “Tell me what’s bothering you, my son.” You looked him in his honest eyes, before speaking. “I can’t seem to put a name to the woman’s face. The one that just left.” You decided that the other question was best left for another time.

Federico lets out a low laugh, patting your shoulder. He slowly sat down on one of the pews, as he began to talk. “Her name is Francesca Boboni. She’s about your age.” He glances up at you. “Unwed, as well.” You couldn’t help but feel like he was judging you somewhat.

>Change the topic to the books.
>Ask about Francesca.
>Ask the priest’s thoughts about adopting Edward.

>>46351929
>>Ask the priest’s thoughts about adopting Edward.

>>46351929
>>Change the topic to the books.
As much as it's sweet to adopt Edward, what would happen if we got wife and had kids?

>>46351929
Ask about Francesca

>>46352025
It's not uncommon for Patricians to have multiple children. And remember, it's only been 500 years or so since the Roman Empire died out. Adoption was a big thing there too.

And then there's the case of selecting an heir, and grooming that one. Shouldn't be a problem I think.

>>46352002
>>46352025
>>46352057
Whoah, big division on this one! Breaking the tie in 5 minutes.

Darn, missed a few treads and no idea what what we are going on about.

>>46352002
Backing.

>>46352215
The old threads are archived.
http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive.html?tags=MedievalQuest

Long story short? We got some shit done. Made some deals and got rid of a shady person. We also have an admiral now.

Also writing for the adoption question.

>Ask the priest’s thoughts about adopting Edward.

You sat down next to the old man, discreetly placing the books between you two. You subtly tried to change the subject back to Edward. “Father, what does the scripture say about adopting someone as your son? I have heard that the old Emperors used to adopt heirs, but… I’m unsure of the church’s position on it.” You lean back on the pew, relaxing somewhat.

The man considered your question for some moments, before speaking. “Have you forgotten the story of Esther? She had neither father nor mother. Her cousin Mordecai raised her as his own.” He paused, stroking his beard in thought. It was a Hebrew story, but you remember it well. Federico continued, “To take a lonely soul into your home, and to raise him as your own is an act that the Lord would look kindly upon. If you seek to adopt young Edward, then you have my backing.”

You couldn’t help but feel humbled at the old priest’s blessing.

>Shift the topic to rival families.
>Shift the topic to marriage and starting a family.
>Leave with Edward.

>>46352388

>>Shift the topic to rival families.
This is why we came here, just have to remember that Federico will most likely want to stay clear from those business..so treat lightly.

>>46352388
>>Shift the topic to rival families.
>>Shift the topic to marriage and starting a family.
A bit of this and a bit of that.

>>46352388
>>Shift the topic to rival families.

>>46352473
Backing

>>46352522
>Shift the topic to rival families.
>Shift the topic to marriage and starting a family.

After some time spent in silence, you quietly speak again. “I’ve reached my twentieth year, Father. I feel like I should marry and have a family, but there is much to be done before that.” You pause, choosing your next words carefully. “I wish to become a patrician.” You figured that would be enough. Father Federico had always been a family friend, and that couldn’t be stressed enough. He taught you how to write, while your father taught you how to do mathematics.

The Father simply nodded, leaning on his wooden cane with both hands. “I see.” After another few moments of silence, he spoke again. “Your father had the same ambitions. As did you grandfather, I’m told.” He looked up at the intricate stained glass, through which the sun’s light faintly shone. “But you have something that they didn’t. You’re determined, confident.” His last words sounded especially strong, hammering the point home. “You seek a wife, and you seek nobility. Have you ever thought of combining the two?”

You’ve thought of it in the past, but to give up your family name would be a disgrace. You’d rather die alone than give up your name. “I have, but I will not take a woman’s name, nor will I leech from her father’s coffers.” You finally get to your point. “I want to take over another patrician’s business, and then marry a noblewoman to solidify my position.”

To your surprise, Federico laughed. It was a low, weak laugh, one you’d come to expect from the old man. “And whose business do you intend to take over?”

>Orsani, specializing in arms & tools.
>Vingiro, specializing in ships
>Denicimo, specializing in fabrics & armour

>>46352637
>>Vingiro, specializing in ships

>>46352637
>Denicimo, specializing in fabrics & armour

>>46352637
Orsani, gotta get rid of direct competitors

Mhh, we could get in good books with Doge, if we warned him of shady Bavarian, and we could sleep our night better with Otto out of city.

Only problem is that we would need some hard evidence against Otto.

Also, what republic should I play in CK2?

>>46352797
Venice. Make the Particino dynasty.

So it's currently tied. Then consider and discuss the following:
- The Doge is rumoured to be near death. If we can prove our worth now, we could get another trade permit from him. We currently have lifestock, food and general supplies, along with arms & tools.

>>46352637
>>Orsani, specializing in arms & tools.

Gotta get rid of that competition, plus the trading license was for those goods only as far as I can remember

Rolled 2 (1d2)

>>46352637
Hard choice, I understood that we are building navy...but we are also in arms & tools trade.

Coin toss
>1 Orsani
>2 Vingiro

>>46352844
>>46352732
This is mine but lets also turn in otto to the doge after setting him up to go to the orsani

>>46352876
We already turned Otto away. He's looking for a lifestock, good and general supplies trader / smuggler. We've got no idea what he's doing, or where he currently is.

It's currently tied Orsani 2 - Vingiro 2.

my vote was here >>46352864

>>46352844
Specializing to the ships, would give us much larger trade zone..we could sent our products over the sea with our own ships.

And be the only one with that big navy if we take over Vingiro?

>>46352953
I took your vote in account. As it currently stands, we have 2 ships with captains, 2 without. 4 is a decent number of ships to start with.

And remember what I said earlier, about bribes being extremely viable.

I'll break the tie in 10 minutes. Get your heads together and decide on the best course of action.

Also, remember: These are the families we can currently overtake. They're small fry.

>>46352637
>Orsani, specializing in arms & tools.

>>46352932
We can send one of our men to track him down and say we have reconsidered and offer him a good deal and when he comes to accept the deal the doge's men capture him

>Orsani, specializing in arms & tools

From the top of your head, you remember the Orsani family currently struggling with business. If you could overtake them before the year would be over, you’d be set. After some deliberation, you spoke quietly. “The Orsani family. They trade in weapons and other equipment.” You weren’t sure how the old priest would take it, as he remained awfully quiet.

You looked over, to see him leaning forwards a little. After an uneasy period of silence, he spoke up. “You’ll need to bribe his guards, steal his contacts, and entice his captains to join your fleet. Perhaps, you may need to set his warehouse on fire.” The fact that a man of the cloth even said those words caught you off-guard. There was definitely a lot more to the old monk than he let on. Now it was your turn to feel quite uneasy.

“I can help you gather information, Domenico.”

You were stunned.

>Accept the priest’s offer.
>Decline the priest’s offer.

>>46353214
Why Father you've stayed out of these things since I have known you?
>>Accept the priest’s offer. But cautiously.

Remember anons the crusades are coming soon so if we want money we need to be selling arms and armor, we xan also try to get a contract woth some holy orders if we have the father put in a food wors for us

>>46353214
>Accept the priest's offer.

>>46353214
>Accept the priest’s offer.

>>46353264
Support for this

>>46353485
>Accept the priest’s offer.

You stammered the words at first, trying to keep your voice low. “Fa… Father, you never told me that you’ve dealt in information.” Your mouth was slightly agape, still looking at the man. He slowly rose from the pew. “I haven’t. I’ve gathered information, but I’ve never given it to others.” He paused, stroking his grey beard. “My time on this world is nearly over, Domenico. I can feel it. I shall be at the Lord’s side before the year is over.” He gave a sad smile, finishing. “As a last, great deed, I want to help a new family rise to power.”

You honestly didn’t know what to say. You rose from the pew, bowing your head lowly to him. “I accept your offer, Father. But I do not know if I have enough money for the information.” The old man quickly held up his hand, speaking. “I have no need for money, my son.” Dramatic pause. “I have no need for earthly possessions. All I can ask of you is that you remain loyal to the Lord. For if you do, he shall remain loyal to you.”

The two of you were interrupted by the door opening. Edward walked over to the two of you, holding his books. Seems like the sun had set during your conversation, and he figured it was time to go home. You glanced between Edward and the priest, quietly asking if the two of you could leave. The old man simply nodded.

>Go home.
>Go to the warehouse & docks.
>Send Edward home and go to the tavern.

>>46353556
>>Go to the warehouse & docks.

>>46353556
>>Go to the warehouse & docks.

>>46353556
>Go to the warehouse & docks.

>Send Edward home and go to the tavern.

CHUG, CHUG, CHUG!

>>46353556
>Go to the warehouse & docks.

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>>46353784
>Go to the warehouse & docks.

You look down at Edward, the two of you standing outside the church. “Let’s go look at our ships, hm?” You give a pleasant smile, to which Edward responds with an enthusiastic nod. As the two of you walk to the warehouse. On the way, you try to start a conversation with Edward, which goes practically nowhere.

Crossing bridge after bridge, you finally begin to notice the setting sun’s effects on the canals. For some reason, it completely caught you off-guard. Something so simple, yet so beautiful. You wondered what was wrong with you for not noticing it earlier. You try and shake the thought. Perhaps Father Federico’s words about remaining pious and loyal changed something in you.

After another ten minutes, you arrive at the warehouse, which hasn’t been this busy since your great-grandfather’s days. Sailors were coming and going, loading crates of grain on the two ships, with William overseeing it all. You couldn’t help but feel proud. You could see Michèl directing the men on the pier itself, pointing towards the ships. Your admiral moved to stand next to you, smiling broadly. “A well-oiled system, is it not?”

You couldn’t help but agree. “Have you found suitable men for the remaining ships?” You carefully ask. It was met with a loud chuckle, and a firm hand patting your back. “What do you think? We’ve got four ships, ready to sail out whenever you want.” William seemed a lot less stern once you got to know him a bit.

“So, when can we sail out?”

>Discuss possible destinations.
>Keep them in Venice.

>>46354025
>Keep them in Venice.
We're gonna need more stuff to ship first.

>>46354211
Aye. Seconded.

Seems a bit slow today. Debating on stopping early.

>>46354025
>Keep them in Venice.

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>>46354692
>Keep them in Venice.

You put a reassuring hand on your admiral’s shoulder. “Soon. I’ll have to secure some more wares to sell. I take it you put the crossbows in the warehouse?” Those crossbows had cost you quite a small fortune, and if they weren’t of proper quality… Well, you’d be in financial trouble. More so than you are now.

“Ofcourse. After I docked the Indomitable, I had to make room for the grain somehow. Come.” You followed your admiral into the warehouse, where the crates were still being moved out onto the boats. If the count was right, you’d be left with twenty-three boxes at the end of the day. As you approached the shipment of crossbows, Edward noticed the coat of arms on William’s surcoat. Within moments, Edward was speaking in English with William, who looked somewhat overwhelmed. He didn’t answer Edward at all, simply turning to you. “I take it this is the orphan Desiderius told me about?”

You gave a single nod, before William spoke again. “He’s English.” There was a hint of surprise in his voice, as he continued. “Should I translate some things for the two of you?”

>Ask about Edward’s origins.
>Ask how Edward got to Venice.
>Ask if Edward would rather study under William.

Can we have both William and the father teach Edward?

>>46354905
Father Federico teaches him on weekdays. You could technically have William teach him as well, but it wouldn't be as effective as Federico's teachings.

>>46354926
Could I have William teach him about sailing comanding and fighting specifically?

>>46355015
Technically? Yes. Is it smart? Debatable. He'd be overwhelmed with information (3 languages, how to sail, how to lead), and that tends to get a kid down. He needs downtime too.

>>46354811
>>Ask about Edward’s origins.

>>46355082

>>46354811
>Ask about Edward's origins.

>>46354811
>>Ask about Edward’s origins.

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>>46355154
>Ask about Edward’s origins.

“I don’t see why not. Can you ask him where he’s from?” William gives you a ‘I just told you’-look. You ignore it. He conveys the message, causing Edward to look from him to you. As soon as the question was done, he’d reply. Once he was done, William began to translate. “He says that he was born at the King’s court. I assume that would be the Conqueror’s court, considering his age.” He paused to let you process it, before continuing. “He says that his father took care of the King’s horse. After the King died and the rebellion broke out, he fled with his family.”

So, you had the son of a possibly deceased courtier of King William the Conqueror. “He was the only one to survive.” You had the son of a deceased courtier of King William the Conqueror. You sigh, running a hand through your hair. “I see. Do you think you can help him with speaking Italian? He has problems forming sentences, and I think that having a native speaker around would help with that.”

William simply nodded, before one of the ships’ bells sounded. They were done for the day. But, there was still the crate of crossbows to inspect. With some help from William and Edward, you manage to pull off the cover. Inside were five pristine crossbows. A better shape than you expected, which meant more profit than you expected.

“These look fine. We’ll try them tomorrow.” You look around the docks, noticing most of the sailors are heading towards the nearest inn. The growth of your trade post also called for an increase of guards. Apparently, William read your mind. “We’re going to need protection here. More than the four guards you currently have.” He pulled his gloves back on. “I’ll keep some of my men here, to guard the warehouse and ships.”

>Go home. [END DAY]
>Go to the tavern, without Edward.

>>46355386
>>Go home. [END DAY]

>>46355386
>>Go home. [END DAY]

>>46355386
>Go home. [END DAY]

>>46355668
>Go home. [END DAY]

“I assume they have weapons of their own?” William nodded. “Good. I’ll need you and Michèl at the shop tomorrow. I’ve got an announcement to make.” By now, Michèl had locked the doors to the pier, leaving the four of you inside. He raised an eyebrow, looking between you two. “Something wrong?” You shake your head and pat him on the shoulder. “Be at the shop tomorrow.” Michèl nodded. You all bade eachother farewell and went your own ways.

You couldn’t help but wonder what happened to Edward’s parents. Knowing that his father held an esteemed position at court, what could have driven them to flee? From what you gathered, the rebellion of 1088 wasn’t that big, mostly a couple of Barons rising up. Could his father have been a Baron? You wouldn’t know for a while. Not until he spoke Italian fluently, at least.

When you arrive home, you decide to skip dinner and head straight to bed. You’ve had a long day, and you find it easy to lay your head down for some rest.

Should I stop right here and continue on Friday, or go on right now? Thread seems a bit slow today.

>>46355747
Friday is definitely a better choice to do this quest. We also need some more players.

>>46355747
That's up to you but I keep getting pulled away to do stuff.