Gerard is flat on his back, mostly asleep, for about a week, maybe 10 days. After that, he wants to start seeing paperwork and talking to people about what they are doing. When the doctors tell him he is overexerting himself, he explains patiently that he is a physician and he knows his own tolerances perfectly well.
He is more than willing to see some of the nobles, but he insists that several of you carry him to somewhere other than a bedchamber to do it. He does not want to show any weakness.
[Solange]
Propped in a big chair behind a big desk, that sort of thing?
The doctors want Gerard to begin physical therapy as soon as possible, and argue that if he's well enough to argue with them, he's well enough to worry about therapy. He ignores them. They explain their concerns to Solange and Vere.
Solange points out to her father that she needed to work on building up weakened leg muscles after a mere three weeks in a cast after a skiing accident (when the doctors had said six-to-eight weeks, of course), and if she could notice effects after such a simple, minor little thing, how much more should he expect when he had large parts of a CASTLE fall on him? Look, Dad, I know it's boring, but if you don't put the effort in, you won't get better.
"You know, Solange, I don't recall you mentioning that skiing accident to me." Uh-oh.
"I said it was a minor thing, didn't I? I took a wrong turn and wound up on a black-diamond slope when I meant to be on an easier one. By the next time I was supposed to call you, I was already out of the cast, so why fret you with it?" Solange says. She doesn't seem to concern herself with the implied "uh-oh."
[Gerard]
"I'll do the doctors' damned exercises when I have some time. Now, tell me
about this idea of yours for homesteading and land grants in Garnath ..."
And she does.
Vialle takes over the duties of chatelaine of Castle Amber. If pressed, she says she is glad to have something to do, and since she has lived here for a few years, she has had time to make friends with the servants anyway. And everyone else is so busy with important projects.
Not so busy however to ignore one of his friends...so Jerod always makes sure to see her at least once every day...its nice having someone to talk to from Rebma.
Solange asks Vialle to keep her informed in a general sense about this stuff, just in case there's a need to have some sort of formal function where she ought to at least pretend to be the hostess, seeing as she's Gerard's daughter and all. She makes it clear that she's happy and grateful to have Vialle actually be in charge of castle things, but feels she ought to take an interest since some people would say it ought to be her duty.
First and foremost, I suggest that everyone read the essays under "Natural History" on the web page. Not all of them are there yet, but the ones that are will be very useful, especially the one titled "Politics".
As I understand the matter from weeding through a couple of nights of posts, people have allotted themselves the following duties. Please add anything you think I have missed.
Folly: Organizing the charity brigade to rebuild the warehouse district and to create "Habitat for Amberity" for the homes of the poor.
Jerod: Dealing with the upper nobility and the Ambassadors. Handling Court life.
Lucas: Checking outlying areas (Arden & Garnath) and then taking charge of trade negotiations.
Ossian: Assisting Solange, Paige, and Vere. Acting as an architect.
Paige: Taking charge of insurance, rebuilding claims, the judicial system, etc. Stopping hoarding and price gouging of food and building materials. (Note that insurance and banking operate at a medieval/Renaissance level here, which means there's not much more "insurance" than limitation of liability, it's private and mostly unregulated, and it will apply more to the lost ships out of port than anything in Amber -- but more on that last in subsequent posts.)
Solange: Taking charge of Arden -- leading hunts and establishing soup kitchens. Assisting Paige with business law.
Vere: Taking charge of the harbor and the navy. (this will include the fishing fleet.)
[Jerod]
To Vere we will say, consider very carefully the use of full scale
impressment of the merchant fleets...the current crisis may or may
not fall into a category sufficient to warrant this...however, should
that be the case, don't be afraid to do it...:)
"I am sincerely hoping that it will not be necessary. Our current isolation should prove an effective barrier against most threats. However, should the situation warrant I will not hesitate to follow your suggestion."
To which we will add the following:
Cambina: Taking charge of civil engineering and public works, e.g., aqueducts, including rebuilding the castle. Overseeing related sanitation and public health issues.
Once immediate and obvious public health concerns are dealt with, Cambina concentrates on the castle.
At dinner one evening she comments that she could use more unskilled laborers to break rocks and asks Paige if she can send some prisoners to her for this. She believes that criminals should be put to work for the good of Amber. She thinks the crown needs the workers more than it needs the income from selling the indentures. "As Solange reminds us, we can't eat gold..."
Jerod would wonder what class of prisoners are being considered for this. If those being sold into indentured servitude are the only ones, he'd probably have no problem with that - as to whether this would count more seriously towards elimination of their "debt" is something that could be worked out.
As for more serious offenders - Jerod would wonder if this might not pose a risk. He just wants to be sure as to who is being included in this idea.
Paige is fine with this, but wants to ensure that the prisoners are being treated fairly and that such labor is accounted as a fair wage toward their indebtedness, subtracting such fees as their shelter and food, of course. No way anyone's living free off the Crown for breaking her laws while Paige has to work, but if they literally pay off their debt to society, she's in favor of moving them back into society. They have to ahve the same opportunities to become freemen and possibly citizens as other indentured servants, but of course, no more...
Vere cocks his head to one side. "Are there prisoners who are currently being fed at the city's expense without contributing anything to the city during this emergency? That certainly cannot be allowed to continue."
Sometimes the obvious is a bit too much to notice. If Amber has money that Lucas can use for trade, he'll ask for some. Also, I imagine there's some ships with cargo in them that are going to no good. He'll likely offer to sell off non-essentials. Stuff that won't help Amber immediately. Like maybe art or silks or something like that.
Martin: Assisting with Arden and Garnath as needed, including coordinating supplies: stone that needs to be quarried, trees that need to be cut, etc. Doing a lot of errand running between various parties.
Shadow-shifting proves to be possible much further in than it used to be, just as conjuration is. There are no problems that you all can ascertain in the early stages of disaster recovery.
The shadow paths are (as Jeremy predicted) wiped out. This explains why there are no ships coming into the harbor.
It also presents a problem, as the only person in Amber with any experience at laying *permanent* paths is Gerard, and he's not in any position to be laying new ones. For the time being, until you work out the techniques of laying permanent paths, Amber traders will of necessity be accompanied by a Pattern-wielding Royal.
[Jerod]
Which begs the question who can be spared and who has naval
experience?
Lucas will of course be volunteering for some of this work. He doesn't have much experience as a sailor, but he does enjoy riding on boats. =)
For the record, Jerod has naval experience and is reasonably good travelling through Shadow (though I suspect there might be others who are a tad better). Whether his position in Court permits long stints travelling is another matter - although it would explain travel to and from various shadows for diplomatic/ambassadorial reasons - at least some of those trips.
For the record, Solange does not have naval experience per se, but does know the basics of sailing, and does not suffer from seasickness.
She has only limited experience in travelling through Shadow, but has done it before and is willing to do it again.
Ossian has no naval experience, luckily. Jerod *might* want to send him away anyway, of course.
Jerod's perspective on this is that everyone should go and try it. Of course, he's also aware that not everyone would be suited for it, mostly from the perspective of liking it. He's sure everyone can do it, but a person who enjoys the work is more likely to do it better.
Besides...having only one or two people available to do the work limits flexibility and places the kingdom at risk if these people are away for a long voyage or get killed.
You could always send Ossian together with someone who can handle the sailors (including the captain) and the trade. Ossian might be able to guide a ship through shadow, I guess.
Vere will take Jerod aside for a talk about this topic.
"As you know, Father brought me to Amber for the first time just before the 'Sundering' occurred. While he has escorted me through Shadow on a few occasion, and explained the theory, I have not yet actually walked the Pattern. I fear I can be of no assistance with this matter, at least not until we have had a chance to excavate the Pattern chamber or re-established a connection with Rebma or Tir-na Nog-th."
Jerod collects his thoughts for a moment on hearing this. It is possible from his expression to determine that he figured that Gerard would have had Vere walk the Pattern - this is not something he had anticipated.
"Lucas is handling the trade work. Since you've got the fleets, during trade missions he can be your guide." Jerod says after a moment. "I know he's done some travelling in shadow. We'll see just how good he is at it. And it will help disperse a few things. You'll be busy enough handling operations without having to worry about shadow travel, and vice versa for him."
"When any of the diplomatic missions are going forward, I can help. I've done a lot of travel in Shadow and that can spare up Lucas for his trade work. Martin's done some travelling, as has Cambina. Though I'm not sure if she'll be readily available. As for the others, we'll have to see how much they've done. My understanding is that Folly is in the same situation as you. I'm not sure about Paige or Ossian's ability. I suppose we'll find out."
Then, it takes no genius to see that Ossian is not the ideal leader or diplomat.
[Jerod]
Question to the GMs...you had mentioned that the time for round
trip ship travel is somewhere around three weeks...is that correct?
That will give everyone an idea of how much time they'd be away
from their duties.
[GMs]
Hmm. I think we have confused you.
At 9:05 PM -0500 8/2/01, House of Cards GM wrote:
[Reference information: average port call in Amber is about 3 weeks, which
is about 10 arrivals and 10 departures daily.]
This is how long a ship that calls stays in port, on average. Travel time varies by ship, season, distance to destination, etc. Because of the value of trading with Amber, ships will travel for significantly longer than 3 weeks to get there, depending on shadow knowledge and custom. In at least one shadow, control on the entry to the shadow path has been the subject of acts of war.
Some of the trading ships travel for more than two years (ask Jovian if you need to know exactly, but be prepared to deal with more precision than you expected), although those tend to be Marco Polo types rather than regular traders. For some traders from far shadows, a single successful trip to Amber can provide for a lifetime of ease. Or lonely death in foreign parts. Traders are gamblers.
Of course, travel time when laying shadow paths or without shadow paths is not something that is known by the present company.
How do each of you attack your problems? You may respond privately if necessary.
Given the new situation in Amber, everyone is angling for an advantage. The nobles want to reassert their primacy over the merchant princes; the merchant princes want to assert their primacy over the nobles. There is a shortage of labor, especially skilled labor. Job desertion is rife.
For those who are new to Amber, Jerod makes sure they have an idea concerning the political structure of Amber and its Court environment, as well as the practices that currently exist today in regards to our parents/uncles/aunts and their way of garnering influence - those amongst the nobility and merchant houses will be operating the same way as before...just watch out for the ones who decide to go "outside" the rules.
Burning questions of the day include...
...the possibility of abolishing slavery and indentured servitude...
[Solange]
Technically speaking, Amber doesn't have slavery, so what are we
talking about, shortening the duration by which a former slave
residing in Amber becomes free? Indentured servitude is not ideal,
but is perhaps a more humane solution to the travails of debt than
others might be. Apprenticeships also have their merits. Rather
than abolish, tinker with terms and enforcement so that humane
treatment is ensured.
[GMs]
...the status of non-resident foreigners...
[Solange]
Right now there isn't much advantage to citizenship, in a practical
sense, is there? Even so, it's about all we have to offer. Since the
routes home are disrupted for these folks, there ought to be some
leniency we can offer "displaced persons."
[GMs]
...the nationalization of the fleet...
Solange says "I am so glad this one's not MY problem..."
[GMs]
...the relaxation of the religious laws, and
how, when, and where to rebuild many of the damaged buildings.
During this period of crisis, Jerod's going to be listening to the others in Council to see if there's anyone that comes to mind for outstanding efforts amongst the citizenry, and those striving to achieve citizenship. In addition to the efforts to rebuild, it will be important to maintain morale - and one of the better ways to do that is to show recognition of those who are worthy of consideration.
So anyone who comes to mind (royalty is not included, nor will really senior members of the nobility), then a bit of investigation will be in order to determine if they are *really* deserving of it, or they just look good. If they deserve it, he'll be recommending to Gerard that a couple of rewards be divvied out. Certainly citizenship will be something that can be a good motivator (as Solange indicated I do believe).
[GMs]
The downfall of the city has exacerbated the urban-rural divide.
[Solange]
no sh*t, Sherlock... it might be a good time to consider reforming
the status of serfs before we get a Wat Tyler on our hands.
Everyone wants to talk to Gerard: Nobles, merchants, ambassadors, religious leaders, etc. You brats are not really good enough to deal with everyone's important problem. How do you keep people out of Gerard's hair?
[Solange]
Listen to their concerns, then tell them we need more research and
more detailed proposals with them, with lots of legal precedents
and stuff, and then instruct Nestor to give them MOUNDS of
documents when they come to the library? That ought to keep
them occupied and out of Gerard's hair, right? Anyone got a better
suggestion?
For the first little while, Jerod would say that major power brokers get one immediate chance to see Gerard (subject to him being conscious of course) so they know he's alive, not in the dungeon and not deposed. They do *not* get to monopolize his time or that sort of thing, and anyone who actually tries to defy that restriction would get physically tossed around (Jerod's willing to be the bad guy on that count).
Once they know he's alive and that we are his council, then *everything* goes through the Council. Its made clear matters are discussed within the group - that should help cut out some of the bribery and such, at least for minor stuff. And for anything big, if someone's going to try to influence half of the council, that by itself would be a good indicator that they're real serious about getting this done, and that we need to consider what's going on (either to approve it or to find a way to stop it).
Vere has an advantage here, which he will use ruthlessly. Whenever someone he is dealing with makes it clear that Vere is not sufficiently important to handle their particular problem Vere will hear them out patiently, then say, "I completely understand and sympathize with your concerns in this matter. Could I ask you to write out your exact concerns, and your reasons why you feel that I am not able to handle them? I will be happy to give this message to my Father, and ask him exactly what he thinks I should do to assist you." All said with a sincere expression and a concerned tone of voice.
Most people should be smart enough to back peddle after this, those who don't have demonstrated their lack of perception to Vere (a valuable piece of information in itself.) If anyone gives him such a letter Vere will of course not bother Gerard with it, though he might read it aloud to his cousins at dinner that night purely for its amusement value.
After the first time he does this, Solange will pick up on what a good tactic her brother has, and employ it as well. Although since she's spending her days in the forest, mostly, she's probably not getting as many petitioners.
Jerod will be keeping an ear open for this...while keeping the petitioners out of Gerard's presence to let him heal is essential, it is also crucial not to piss off the wrong people. We might be Princes, but that doesn't guarantee cooperation...:)
Folly: There is no such thing as a 501c3 corporation in Amber. Charity is arranged by the wives and daughters of wealthy nobles and merchant princes; it's factional and class-conscious. Grassroots efforts are a new concept. How do you start yours? Solange's Aunt Felicity thinks you need to clean up (e.g., get rid of purple hair streaks) before you approach any of these women. She also warns you that there are political divisions in the causes the ladies support and that, with their husbands and sons gone, the ladies will be difficult to corral. How do you approach these women and how do you reconcile this with your grassroots work?
Paige always has her ear to the ground and many walls in Amber. Scandlous blackmail is always available and appropriate in most circumstances. Hell, with this crowd all you need is the hint of impropriety to kill some of the right old birds with the unseen stone, as it were...
Jerod might suggest that you run some of the names by him first before scandalous blackmail material is "suggested" to the targets in question...he's not interested in the material, just who is being targeted. Twould be very bad if the very "minor" lady that is being targeted turns out to be an extremely close friend of the Duchess of Feldane (as an example)...:)
Solange thinks that starting a trend for purple hair streaks would be more fun, but admits the sense of Aunt Felicity's position.
Folly attacks the problem on two fronts. For community/labor support, she seeks out contacts among the working class who will help her spread the idea of sharing talents and resources for the good of the community. The spin she will give to the ideas for this audience is all about self-sustenance and keeping "outside" interference to a minimum. She will be on the lookout for likeminded individuals who are energetic and charismatic to help rally popular support. She will pay particular attention to the attitudes of the teenagers and young adults in the community and try to appeal to them, since in her experience that age group is most enthusiastic about social change. She will try to come across as "one of them" -- in particular, someone who listens to, understands, and sympathizes with their problems and will help them find solutions. And of course any meetings she holds will include lots of motivational music.
Jerod will be very curious as to Folly's efforts on this front. Any kind of social reform is likely to make the nobility and merchant princes *very nervous*...so long as he's got warning about what's happening, then tensions of that nature can be diffused properly without things getting to a head.
For material/financial support, Folly will approach the organizers of charity activity individually, trying to use her intuition (and her childhood experience interacting with the wealthy and self-important) to figure out what spin would make them most enthusiastic about supporting the cause. She knows how to put on a good show: if she *is* able to corral many of the ladies all in one place, her tactics will include finding a couple of adorable homeless kids (perhaps children of some of her working-class contacts), teaching them to sing the "rebuilding Amber" songs, and then presenting them to the ladies (while playing along on her mandolin, of course) as "just some of the defenseless victims for whom your donations will provide hope for a better tomorrow...." (Taking care of innocent children is always a good way to cut across political boundaries....) Oh, and she'll make sure that any purple streaks that remain in her hair are well-hidden when she wears her hair pinned up....
Jerod: The Ambassador from Bellum was killed in the wine cellar with Gerard. What are you going to do about this? The Ambassadors from the Golden Circle shadows are demanding that you arrange their transportation home. How do you deal with their demands? The remaining major nobles demand that you nationalize the fleet. This may potentially ruin many of the existing merchant houses and companies, but it might also be a significant advantage in rebuilding trade. How do you deal with this demand?
The next person in line for Bellum will be taken as Ambassador...I believe that would be the charge d'affaire (if I remember my diplomatic training properly). He or she will be permitted to offer credentials to the Court (and this will be used as one of the first reasons for the re-establishment of Court, to get things rolling there). If there is not one available (ie: the Ambassador was the only member of a diplomatic delegation who knows anything), then a canvassing of the more important people from Bellum will occur, to see if there is anyone available who can act on their behalf. This would be more limited but given the emergency would suffice.
For the remaining Ambassadors, given what Jerod has been advised from Martin about shadow and such, he will inform them that transportation will not be immediately forthcoming. He will explain, to each privately, that their safety and security is of importance to Amber and the dangers due to the war as well as local travel conditions from the crisis do not permit their departure in all good conscious. He will then remind them of their duty to Amber, the treaties and alliances that have been put together and the continued benefit of good relations with her (both economically and politically).
For the nobility and the merchant houses, this one is going to be fun. The demand to nationalize the fleet certainly is tempting, however, Amber's long term economic infrastructure could be severely threatened. Therefore, each group (noble and merchant) will be given the option of presenting a plan for dealing with the current economic crisis to Jerod. While they are preparing that, Jerod will also seek out the most moderate of each group and have them meet privately to consider an alternative working arrangement - basically, to put their heads together and figure out something. In each case (there would be three groups here - nobles, merchant and the noble-merchant pair) they would be advised to consider the following - short term economic success is essential to get through the next year or two, but long term success cannot be sacrificed for it. If the merchant houses are damaged irreparably to the benefit of the nobility, then the council would find it necessary to balance the situation, and that could mean the dissolution of some or a majority of the nobility - Jerod's sure they wouldn't want that - the resulting downgrade of citizenship alone would be most uncomfortable.
In every case of meeting with someone, Jerod remains very much open to the normal "rules" of conducting business in Amber - ie: if someone wants to try to bribe him, or to try to garner his support, he'll consider it. He's not going to change all the ground rules on people all of a sudden. He can use this to garner support in other areas for other plans - while he's sure its likely to offend some of the more "democratically" minded, if he accepts gifts or support from one of the nobles/merchants in exchange for a good plan, that means he can then summon that support again for good plans that might not be as appealing later on. Its a give & take and he'll play that game.
Lastly, where there is significant resistance from any one group or house, and there's certain to be at least one group that will try to extend itself against the "children", Jerod will make it very clear (to everyone) that anything of that sort will be dealt with - permanently. Everyone of the groups either noble or merchant house have rivals, and Jerod is quite willing to suppress or eliminate one house or group and divvy up their holdings amongst the others in exchange for their support in eliminating the rogue group. While this isn't particularly nice behaviour, its a sign that Jerod will not accept any manuevering that will cause damage to Amber as a whole. Jerod will make sure that he's familiar with the historical precedents set by Oberon before heading into these waters.
Lucas: First, the men of the country don't have any use for a citified fop like you when you go to take stock of things in the outlying areas. How do you get accurate reports when the locals are convinced you're there to tax their stuff? Second, since you will be the first shadow trader out of the harbor, how do you crew and provision your ship? Where do you get a cargo?
Lucas will of course assure people that in this time of crisis, with the kingdom seeking to recover from that *horrible* earthquake and trade horribly disrupted by the afair, they are more concerned about being able to feed the people of the city than taxes. He'll seek out the most sympathetic and tenderhearted and fill their minds with images of tumbled buildings, men and women crushed and children left orphaned. Men, women and children starving because for some reason ships are no longer coming to Amber. He'll also seek out the more influential people, the sensible and more "citified" of the people there, those who are not necessarily greedy but would certainly enjoy getting a bit ahead, and convince them of the importance to help out in this time of need. Those who are willing to help out will find themselves well favored during the restructure. When the restoration is farther along and trade has resumed, there will be benefits for those who are generous in this difficult time. Lucas' message to those in power will carry an undertone of "Those who don't help may face dire problems." If called on it, he will assure the countryfolk that no such thing exists.
In short, Lucas will seek out the people of influence, find their weakness, and play on it horribly. He'll also adapt his attire to more local fashions. He'll go for that more "rural gentleman" look rather than "dandified fop" that he often maintains in Amber. Since he's not as familiar with the culture out in the boonies of Amber, this may take a bit of effort, but he'll gradually adapt his attire in such a way that just as he becomes more liked and respected in the outlying areas, his clothing shifts into a more favorable form as well.
During his time touring through the outlying areas as well as his time spent in Amber, Lucas will also be seeking out his crew. His core crew he'll want to have some serious naval types, but he'll also want some men that are intelligent and resourcefull, could adapt well to the rigors of shadow travel, and could fit in with foreign cultures as need be.
Next, he'll get a ship. If they can't spare one from the harbor, he'll find one in shadow, bringing his posse aboard. He's certain he can find a ship in shadow that's just a bit off shore, possibly the victim of a mutiny so it's crew is very small, they sent a landing party ashore and all met with horrible accidents. Or something similar. But here's the row boat. And off they go rowing to the ship, climb aboard, it's empty, has some food that's still fresh on board, and no one's going to miss it. Or if they are, Lucas doesn't give a shit. Hell, if he can find a ship packed to the gills with food, then he'll just nab that and drop the food off in Amber.
Somewhere around here Lucas will try to seek out the shadow he grew up in, or one reasonably similar to it when he last visited mother dear (ie: New York or some similar shadow), seek out a book store or library, and get a ton of books on economic theory. I imagine he knows some based off of his lessons in history, and general ownership of shops that suited his fancy, but he's going to have to bone up to make this whole expedition expedient as all fuck.
[GMs]
Lucas can slip off into Shadow to do this during a trip to Garnath. The
reading is hard work, and Lucas realizes that some of the constants in
intra-shadow trading become variables in inter-shadow trading, but it does
help.
[Lucas]
If Lucas can handle French fashion, he can handle economic theory! Ha!
Next up: cargo. Lucas will find a handy port off in shadow, find out what is in need there, and then go off into shadow and find a place where that's easy to obtain. Lucas will ideally start out trying to trade with what few shadows he was familiar with when Amber still traded.
[GMs]
It's on the fourth stop that Lucas hits the jackpot and is able to quickly
return home with three ships stuffed with grain and food. There is much
rejoicing when he returns.
Although some of the shadows he encounters are analogous to old Golden Circle shadows of Lucas' acquaintance, none of them are actual old Golden Circle shadows.
[Lucas]
Failing that, he'll just find convenient shadows of the proper
technology level. He'll also likely have to start with something easy to
find. Like diamonds in the rough on the beach. A treasure chest that
someone was just about to bury before having a heart attack. Or one that
was placed in an easy to identify cave. If there's something easily
found in Amber proper that's easily marketable, he'll sell some of that
too.
[GMs]
Amber is primarily a trade center, and creates very little itself beyond
supplies needed internally.
[Lucas]
He'll see what he can encourage. At least try and set up a fund for
artists or something.
Using a bit of manipulative marketing, plus cheating on the supply and demand angle, he'll generate enough revenue to buy a shit load of food, with money left over, and begin using his profits to transport food and other necessities back to Amber.
[GMs]
This will work on subsequent voyages.
[Lucas]
Since he doesn't have to spend
insane amounts of time traveling between ports, courtesy of
shadowshifting, he'll likely be making a pretty quick turn around.
Possibly even developing a nice trade network to make up for time that
should be spent traveling.
Lucas starts with cargo purchased by the Crown from its former owners. He knows of a Golden Circle shadow that might have purchased such goods, and tries to find it. He quickly decides he can't quite match it, but finds a similar shadow where he is able to offload the first cargo at a moderate profit. He gets some non-perishable food but mostly trade goods in return.
During his travels, he'll also see what he can do about making "permanent" paths. If later on in their food generating scheme they have some time, that will be prime time for experimentation. What I and Lucas are both hoping is that frequent travel along shadowlanes will strengthen shadow paths and properly trained seamen will be able to navigate these paths. Hell, add to my to-do list the grilling of those sailors stranded in Amber. Finding out how *they* follow the damn paths will be very helpful in figuring out how to make your own.
[GMs]
After talking with the sailors and navigators, Lucas determines that there
are essentially navigational landmarks (seamarks, in this case) that allow
Amber ships to find the sea lanes.
Gerard explains as best he can how to lay down paths, but Lucas isn't really sure he understands. What the family discovers over the next several years is that any of you can figure out how to lay down a path that the rest of you can follow, but permanent sea lanes are beyond your current level of strength and skill.
[Jerod]
Prior to the "invention" of longtitude and latitude, pilots used detailed
logs called rutters to lay down the courses that were used for
travelling out of sight of land. Detailed rutters for areas unexplored
by enemy nations were as valuable as gold in some cases.
As a player I'm not sure if this would have occurred to anyone, but for those who are doing the sailing part of the pre-gaming, especially for Vere, since he's had considerable experience in doing so, I'd figure that he would have an idea of the value of such documents, and more importantly that such documents would probably exist amongst the pilots of those ships stranded in Amber. If said documents could be "acquired" and copied, they could provide valuable references for future exploration. Even if the shadows that they point to do not exist anymore, they could be used to identify suitable "similar" shadows (subject to GM approval). Equally importantly, Lucas and Vere should have expert pilots with them taking detailed notations for their own logs for exactly the same reasons.
[Vere]
While rutters are often considered secret and proprietary information,
there is precedent in Earth's history for crowns insisting on having copies
of the rutters of pilots of ships under their authority. For a maritime
power such as Amber, I'd be very surprised if Oberon has not made similar
demands.
[GMs]
Count on it. Remember, your (elder) uncles originally laid the shadowpaths
for many of the Golden Circle shadows; their logs should be in the archives
if they have survived.
[Vere]
Vere will consult with Nestor on any that are currently within
the Library, and we'll also begin speaking with captains and pilots of
foreign ships currently in the harbor about getting a look at theirs. Make
it clear that while there will be no retribution against anyone who doesn't
want to allow it, the amount of cooperation we receive is being noted for
future reference.
[GMs]
All duly noted. This information will mostly prove useful to Jerod and
anyone else who is looking for old Golden Circle shadows.
[Lucas]
Also, Lucas will be setting up pseudo-embassies in each shadow he
visits. Basically an instillation with some men under his pay, likely
drawing income from a regular stipend arranged through a local financial
institution. Their job will begin as simply men who are paid to keep an
eye on local market trends and report to Lucas. As time passes, and
profits grow, Lucas will build them up into full fledged merchants,
trading in goods and generating additional local revenue for Lucas to
use in his food-purchasing.
[GMs]
Gerard approves of this plan, but it will take the Regency years to come to
fruition and probably then some.
[Lucas]
I wasn't planning on seeking Gerard's permission on this. They are more
for Lucas' convenience than anything else.
Lucas will also try to build up a merchant fleet. As he gets more money, he'll take on more crew and find other ships. He could probably buy ships, but fuck: He'll just steal them. And so they'll be able to carry more cargo, and hence generate more revenue. =)
Also during my sailing on the ocean blue, I'm certain Lucas will try to shift cargo *into* his ship. Neither he nor I have any clue if it will work in this cosmology, but shit, if he can just sail out into shadow a ways, find that the cargo is filled with food, and then sail back, then he may do that before the trade route shit.
Ossian: In what ways do you make yourself useful to Paige, Solange, and Vere?
On the beautification project: Ossian will present sketches of new designs for some of the most damaged areas. His architecture is simple and beautiful and delicate rather than heavy. A few of the designs are probably very hard to build.
Solange, upon seeing these, will want to speak to Ossian about designing a memorial for everyone who died in the earthquake (or Sundering, as Cambina is calling it, which sounds SO much more poetic). It'd make a nice gesture of acknowledgment after we had to resort to mass burnings.
Oh, yes, Ossian would very much like to design the memorial.
Assuming this memorial is designed and accepted for construction, Jerod will "politely" put the screws to the various noble houses and merchant groups to raise some funds for this endeavour, with said funds NOT being counted towards anyone's contributions towards general restoration of the city, etc. Done properly, the nobility and merchants will no doubt wish to be quite generous in their largesse to honor those lost during the Sundering, and of course the ones who donate the most are for sure the most respected and most deserving in Amber (and of course, thus worthy of royal favor and consideration), while those not so generous are most certainly to be of less than "acceptable character".
If Ossian has significant architectural experience, Jerod will suggest that he work with Cambina to develop some kind of civil development standard, so that future construction projects can be set to a minimum standard for safety (fire, earthquake, flood, storm damage, etc).
Ossian _has_ drawn house designs before, yes. He has no engineering skills, so if he gets the right kind of help (read: someone who tells him what is impossible to build and what is not)
Then Jerod's reasonably sure that one of the engineers is probably going to put the kybosh on anything that won't work, especially if Cambina is running over the standards for civil engineering and such. If its "do-able", that's another matter.
Ossian will help P, S and V with adressing complaints (if they have no better idea). His main idea is to take care of some of the most stubborn ones that refuse to be sent away, even when the case is clearly finished. "Oh, so your warehouse was damaged in the quake? Where was it located? What is in it?" "Ah. Cloth." scribble, scribble. "So you want funding to rebuild it?" "Exactly how is it damaged?" ...
"You know, we still try find a way to help you, and others. The problem is that we need more funding. But we are looking into that. Of course we will have to raise the taxes, then. Probably we will spot tax wine, spice and cloth trade. If we tax those heavy enough we should be able to refund you for instance."
"So your record is filed here in my special folder. I recommend you to start rebuilding without our help, and we will refund you if possible."
Ossian will not give any promises, but always turn the situation into a lose-lose situation for the complainer, where a change of the ruling will do more damage to the complainer than keeping the ruling will.
[GMs]
An agent of someone disappointed in a ruling of Paige's comes to you
with the offer of a bribe to circumvent her or change her ruling. How do
you handle this?
Can I identify who "someone" is?
Otherwise: "Oh. You know, Folly's charity fund need that gold better. I have a suggestion; donate your money to the fund instead, it will do more good there than here." he dismisses the agent, and then tells Paige about the whole thing. "You might want to keep an eye on that case."
[GMs]
You hear a rumor that Gerard is dead, and another that
there has been a coup and he is in the dungeon. What do you do?
I guess Ossian is updated on the latest news of Greard from the family meetings. When hearing those rumours he immedeatly call on Solange (assuming he works for her that day, of course), and ask her if she has a good idea on what to do about it. "We cannot allow those rumours to spread. We could have a revolution in a few hours if we do nothing about it. Can we get some 'representatives' for the people, and let them visit Gerard?"
"A few hours? You think it's that bad?" Solange asks. "I know Vere and Jerod were already talking with the doctors about letting some merchant guild leaders in to see Dad briefly each day, to forestall exactly those sorts of rumors. Do you think it can wait until tomorrow? I want to find out what the others have been hearing, and who's already seen Dad. If the doctors think he's up for it, maybe he can make a brief appearance on a balcony in a few days, say a few words, let everyone see him -- but only if the doctors think it's all right!"
[Ossian]
"I said we _could_ have a revolution soon, you never know how fast
those rumours has spread. It is not very likely though. Perhaps I
should go into town and check the rumours out.
"Nevertheless we surely have to do something about this rumourspreading soon."
[Jerod]
(sifting through the notes)...if I remember the description correctly,
Gerard had some very severe damage to his pelvic region. Under
those conditions, he'd be bed-ridden for a good period of time
(weeks)...the GM's can correct me if the time factor would be
reduced due to his constitution.
Paige: You could easily be overwhelmed by the work of dealing with the bureaucracy and the judiciary. How do you allot the work in a general sense?
Paige isn't trying to take away from the current judiciary, but to supplement it. Think of her as an appeals court. I'll assume Uncle Gerard's signature on a royal appointment would give her the paper background of a judge, and her own studies will have to give her the rest. She'll need a small staff to help her, a bailiff, prolly former army that due to injury didn't go off to Chaos, a recorder, perhaps one who has been around a bit and who's ear Paige can bend on small points, and a clerk who knows the city a bit. Laim will serve as her runner, unless he's been accepted by the Head Steward at the Castle, and then he can stay on there, or even go back at the Retreat if he wishes...
How do you make sure your decisions are just when you are really a novice at the law?
9 out of 10, she'll base off precedents, if available. If not, she'll lean toward common sense and neccessity. Paige should be able to read people well enough that she can get the unspoken arguments as well as the spoken. Hopefully that will help lead her toward the right decisions also. If she really seems stuck, she'll look for help, but always show a professional demeanor to those in her court. She'll be more than willing to approach other judges for their opinions. Let them know that their years of opinion are valued. That she's not looking to take their job, but to ease it. To be a focal point for the unrest that's going to certainly occur in these hard times.
How do you make sure your judges and officials are honest?
The same way Amber always did. By rotating them, prolly more frequently during the crisis, and ensuring that they're still paid well for their services. She'll also try to keep an ear to the ground on bribery attempts and such. Any judge caught accepting such, either bribes, favors, or even food will be persecuted to the full extent of the law. A capital offense, I believe. Paige takes Jerod's suggestion of making an example to heart if needs be. She'll also ensure that he's aware of it, as many of them are minor nobles. She'll keep an eye to ensuring that there's no conflicts of interest, well at least as much as possible. Perhaps someone from the castle who's schooled in the current political situation, an assisstant chamberlain, or something to keep an eye on the dockets and keep family from ruling for family.
Jerod would definitely like to be kept up to date on that situation...I'm sure he'd find it quite disagreeable to get blind-sided in Court if a member of the nobility were suddenly arrested, charged, etc...:)
Jerod would also recommend that any staff that Paige uses for her activities be those who are either near to retirement or have very solid political connections - all should be volunteers. Despite her best efforts, while some of the judiciary may accept her quickly, there are sure to be a few who will be extremely resistant to Paige's efforts (especially if said jurists have been doing their able 20-30-40 years, compared to her inexperience). It may not be that they're corrupt - they just might not like intrusion into their domain. While they probably cannot retaliate against her directly, her subordinates are another matter. Anyone with a promising law career who finds themselves working for her could be facing some serious problems later, after the crisis is over and Paige has gone on her way...when her former employees are no longer under her protection (nobles, especially minor ones in Amber tend to have a very long memory). And its very bad form in Amber to let allies, even "former" allies, suffer at the hands others when an unspoken agreement for their protection has been offered...:)
Jerod would definitely agree with the idea of getting some feedback from others before setting precedents. The nasty part about precedents is that once they are set, its very hard to take them back and sometimes they have long term impact...unless maintaining the illusion of fairness and impartiality is unimportant...:)
Which brings up a question to the GMs...how long does the average Amberite (non-royal) live?
How do you deal with it when your customers at the Retreat come before you in your official capacity?
Like they're anyone else. Perhaps she'll buy them a drink on the house off- hours, but in her court, they're no better than anybody else, of course, no worse either. Again, here she's going to rely on precents and her ability to read a situation. She's also willing to set precendents once she gets some book knowledge under her hat and a real feel for someplace where someone's abusing a law or previous ruling. Before changing it, she'll bring it up at the family dinners.
Solange: The small force of rangers remaining in Arden is sullen and has little trust in the city. They resent the mere surveying Martin is doing with an eye to supplying timber to repair ships and they definitely resent hunting in the forest to feed layabout city slickers. The men you are able to recruit from the city are mostly not woodwise and don't much like the rangers either. How do you integrate the two groups and get the food and supplies you need?
There has got to be a tactful way of reminding the Rangers that those are the King's Deer and he (or his Regent) can do as he pleases with them... Solange will not bring that up until she finds the tactful way.
She probably will indulge in a certain amount of waving-the-bloody- shirt, since her foster-brother died while serving in the Rangers, and with luck this will serve to build rapport.
It may also be necessary to point out that if the city folk starve, they may well come pouring into Arden anyway, trying to live wild in the forest, and that would be even more of a nuisance for the Rangers.
Obviously, letting the Rangers know that their service will be rewarded after the troubles are over could be a useful tactic. Supplementing their half-pay retirement with modest land grants couldn't hurt.
As for integrating the city men with the rangers, Solange is mainly going to need to encourage the rangers to act as mentors to the city men instead of thwarting them. It may be necessary to remind them that their comrades-in-arms may not come back, and in that case they'll HAVE to get their new recruits from the city, and wouldn't it be good to have at least a few of them trained and competent already?
If it looks like it will help gain recruits to offer citizenship in return for service, then offer it. If it is possible to negotiate with those holding indentured servants to release them for this duty, try that too. Buy out contracts if need be. We can't eat gold.
Reassure the Rangers that I can speak for the concerns of forest folk to those more focused on the sea -- "I was raised in Garnath, I know what that loss means," all that. Pay attention to the rangers' concerns about over-logging and over-hunting, and convey those concerns to my cousins, while keeping in mind that we DO need timber and meat, even if the rangers want to leave everything untouched. It IS a valid concern -- it took something like SIX THOUSAND full-grown trees to make a ship of the line in Napoleonic days.
Since we're going to be competing with the natural predators this winter in a way that we rarely have before, we might need to institute a bounty on predator skins. We're not aiming for eradication, but for reduction, so make the bounty reflect that. Perhaps the rangers have advice about the right numbers to maintain a balance. I don't want to wipe out the deer and boar in Arden any more than they do.
With luck, Solange's skill at riding and forest-reared ways will impress the rangers, and inspire the city men, and cooperation can be achieved.
Vere: The fleet is a mess and, while craftsmen are available, in some cases you and Cambina are competing for the services of the same men. Which takes priority for repairs: fishing vessels, Amber Navy ships, or Lucas' trading vessel? How do you deal with the question of the nationalization of the fleet? Merchants are straining to get out of the harbor -- how do you deal with them?
First priority is getting Lucas' trading vessel ready, Vere strongly believes that information is our most important need right now.
[GMs]
The smaller of a trading vessel you give Lucas, the easier it will be to
get it repaired. There were fewer bigger vessels and given the situation
at the docks, they were more likely to be crowded than the little vessels,
and hence suffered more damage (taking longer to repair). Also, since
there are more smaller vessels, it's easier to find one in better shape.
Of course, the smaller the vessel you repair, the smaller the cargo Lucas can take and bring back.
[Vere]
However,
there's a limited number of men who can work on it one ship at one time,
and the majority of the crews are working on getting the fishing fleet
operating again. Amber needs the food they can bring in.
Vere is sending two of the smaller naval vessels that are in the best shape out on reconnaissance, to verify 1) that they can't actually follow the normal Shadow paths and 2) that there's no sign of anyone else out there. Any other information they can discover will be useful, of course. They should also sail over the area of Rebma during the night and see if there's any signs of light from the city beneath the sea.
Once the fishing fleet is back up to full strength we will turn our attention to the naval ships. While Vere considers it unlikely in the extreme that anyone could possibly attack us, if there *is* someone out there who can travel in Shadow, and they *do* attack by sea, Amber is a defenseless target right now. We need as many ships functioning as we can. Naval crews will be consolidated and shuffled, and the best of the men from the merchant fleet offered positions aboard naval ships. As soon as we have a clear idea of how many ships we have men for we will work on getting that many ships seaworthy.
Merchant captains will no doubt complain at being relegated to a distant last place. Vere will point out that 1) for the duration of the emergency they're not being allowed to leave the port anyway, so there's no hurry on doing repairs, and 2) the question of nationalizing their ships has not yet been resolved. If we *do* repair their ships at this point then that ship *will* be nationalized. If they're offering that, then we shall gratefully accept their donation for the good of Amber, and allow then to remain as captain on *our* new ship.
Captains who insist that the be allowed to leave the harbour will be handled on a progressive level, as their insistence becomes greater. First, they'll simply be told that for the duration of the emergency no one is being allowed to leave Amber. When that doesn't work any longer Vere will take the captain aside privately and inform him that we are concerned that the earthquake had far-reaching consequences, and until we are certain that their trading partners came through unscathed we can't allow them to expose themselves and their crews to the potential dangers of going somewhere that was harder hit than Amber was. Why, such a place would be certain to nationalize their ships and cargo when they arrived, and might be suffering from famine or plague. No, it's much safer for them to stay here until we can get reports back from our reconnaissance ships.
Representatives of the large merchant houses who become insistent will politely be informed that they might be better served by taking their issues to Jerod, who is better equipped to explain the political reality of the situation.
[Jerod]
Vere might also wish to make the "offer" that any captain who feels
that nationalization of their crew is a bad thing should consider that
it usually means that such persons either become citizens, or
receive preferential treatment in becoming citizens. Further, ships
and crews that are more amenable to serving Amber are certain to
be given preferential treatment in assignment of valuable cargo and
perhaps even references to the various merchant houses (an
extremely important bit of influence). Jerod is certain that
something can be worked out for those who are agreeable...:)
Hmm. An excellent suggestion. Vere will pass this on to the merchant captains, with the unstated implication that if they wait until a possible future forced nationalization that may (or may not) occur later, the terms will not be as advantageous.
Last modified: 30 Jul 2001