Lucas & Paris.
[S: I decided to give Paris an INT roll to remember that the current team has new members who are unfamiliar with our ways. :-) As she made the perception roll by several, I think that she would take the time to speak to Lucas and Alexis -- individually, not together, as soon as she can after the audience with the Duke.
"May I speak to you privately for a few moments, Friend Lucas?" Paris continued. "I want you to know that amongst ourselves -- that is, the group that adventures with me which now includes you -- we have made it a practise to split evenly the silver cards we find adventuring or which are given to us in reward by the Duke, no matter who found the cards or who was tasked with the duty of seeing the quest accomplished."
Lucas asked, "What about other stuff we find? Does that get split evenly too?"
Paris paused. "We haven't found all that much other stuff, I think. Calais keeps the money and hands it out as needed; one merely asks him what we can afford. You could ask him what sort of accounting he does with that. I don't actually know."
Lucas: "What is "needed", re: money? The Duke provides food and lodging for everyone. There are many uses for money, but that isn't 'needing' it."
Paris smiled. "You may be right about that. But I recall Calais using the funds once to buy Hobbes a cow. It rather seemed like the right thing to do at the time -- even if, strictly speaking, that didn't count as a 'need'. Mostly I think the monies have been used for supplies when we've been out on long adventures and the monies given us by Duke or Prince ran out. Again, Calais would know better than I."
Lucas: "OK, I'll go ask Calais."
Paris nodded at Lucas. "It's hard to split things like swords. Generally, I guess the person who finds such keeps it unless he or she thinks someone else within the Party can better use it to help the group -- or it gets offered to the Duke or Prince for the betterment of the realm. That is, after all, why we were gifted with our powers, I think; to be used for the betterment of all. Heretofore we've discussed amongst ourselves which of us would best use an item. That is how Calais comes to wield the elven sword we found. When you said that the shaman sword was of magic focus quality, I think most of us decided to ourselves that -- as a fire mage and a swordsman -- you were perfectly qualified to wield it -- assuming it is weapon-quality as well -- and so no discussion happened."
Lucas glazed over somewhere in here. [It should also be noted that Lucas has never been seen using a sword, and was only seen carrying one on his horse. i.e. it is obvious that he owns one, but doesn't wear one. Also, every mage that Paris has associated with has carried a sword as their melee weapon except Lucas.] Lucas unglazed for a moment, to tell Paris that most good swords are "focus quality" for fire spells. Paris' sword probably is.
Interested, Paris said, "I did not know that. I had rather assumed that fire spells might need special swords. If you like, I can try out the shaman's sword for you and give you my professional opinion on its quality as a weapon. I know very little about spells and depend on you and the others to tell me about your needs in that field." Paris unsheathed her sword and Lucas looked at it. "No, that's just an ordinary sword. Not focus quality."
Paris: "If you find out something more about the shaman sword, perhaps you yourself will want to open that discussion." Paris shrugged lightly. It should be clear that she puts responsibility for such things on the honour of each individual Party member.
Lucas: "It looks like a sword. I didn't think it was anything particularly special as a sword when we found it. It is a broadsword (not a bastard sword) so it is kind of small... Not every sword could be used as a focus for fire spells; a trashy orc sword wouldn't work."
Paris returned to the subject of Party treasure. "Sometimes it's obvious that such things actually belong elsewhere. We've returned items to the elves of Forest Kellie, for instance. And all books come back here to the Duke. Church things go to the appropriate church, of course, or into custody of the ruler -- duke, baron, or prince. Whatever seems appropriate at the time. I do try to use my knowledge of law and courtesy to inform us all as best I can, to guide us away from totally inappropriate appropriation. To the best of my knowledge, there are no evil effects associated with the gift or loan of things, like there is with the silver cards."
"There are a couple more things about this that are of some significance. One is that any of us may, if he or she chooses, lend or give any of his cards to someone else who participated in their earning. Sometimes we have found it necessary to do so -- to increase a mage's power or a fighter's endurance at a critical point. Heretofore we have always tried to pay back such loans amongst ourselves as opportunity presents. It is, however, extremely important that you understand that you must not give away cards to those who have not earned them. Doing so can create evil cards which are valued by the orcs and -- I am guessing this -- the Black Church. Cards may be safely sold to other adventurers and there is a ready market for them; but I suspect that anything much less than fair market value might generate an evil card. So I ask that you be very careful if you choose not to use your cards yourself."
"The second thing is something that is a bit hard to talk about for me," Paris blushed a little, "although everyone who came originally from Jouet thinks nothing about it by now. The reason that we let my brother Calais keep the cards and do the accounting for us is two-fold. He has never broken an oath and so we know him to be trust-worthy in this matter. And... well, he has a tendency to simply pick things up and keep them without realizing that he has done so. He does not mean to steal, and returns such things once he is aware of them. But, knowing this, we simply found it easier to let him hang on to our valuables from the start -- rather than wonder if we'd lost them ourselves. It has, in general, proved a safe choice -- and I do believe that his current employment with the Duke's artificer is helping to teach him to be more aware of his, um, 'sticky fingers.'" She smiled wryly. "Feel free to ask him, if something of yours goes missing. Or ask me, and I will check with Calais."
Lucas: "How about trading cards for things? Instead of selling them?"
Paris: "Again, I suppose that as long as the trade is equitable and made amongst proven adventurers, barter is as good as selling. Calais has, I think, a better understanding of what the current value of cards are than I do. I only warn you to be wary of mis-using the cards. Just as the silver cards can grant greater powers for good, so do black cards strengthen the forces of evil."
Lucas: "But what about to non-adventures? If I want to trade one to someone for training? For a set of armor? For a war-horse? As examples."
Paris shakes her head. "No, I don't think that that sort of trading is good. It is probably better to sell the card in the Adventurer's Quarter and use the monies to then buy training or armor or whatever. Actually, you can probably find such things in the Adventurer's Quarter as well. However, would you not be able to ask for military training, at least, from the Duke's people? As Rhori and I do? We also borrow armor and horses from the Duke at need, albeit I only requisition such when I have been assigned to take us questing. It is not something that I want to do casually, given the more pressing needs of the army-at-war."
Lucas: "Sure I can ask for training. Sort of. But I work for the Padre, I'm not in training with Lord duGryphon or anyone. I go to "magic classes" when they are available, like the other mages in the castle, etc."
Paris nodded, the talk of training reminded her of another point. "I think that Calais has sometimes used the money we've found to help finance study, but I am not sure. My training has been mostly at the Prince's orders and we haven't had much say in that. And that also means that I don't get to see the others much when we are in town. But the others have had more freedom in their studies -- at least that's been my impression. This is another thing that we sometimes discuss as a group; sometimes it's simply clear that somebody needs more cards in order to speed up training and better function within our group. I've loaned cards to Rhori and Anton for such purposes; Brillig's loaned cards to me. That sort of thing. Talking about who needs to do what and when helps a lot so that we can come to an understanding on how to help each other. Let's try to get with the others and talk about what you need."
"Treasury" copyright 1999 S.Goodman & S.Knowles. The contents of this site are copyright 2004 Sheryl A. Knowles unless otherwise specified. All rights reserved.