Meet the... Marchioness?

    It is just a bit before noon and the skies are blue, save for the occasional puff of white cloud, ready to provide a spell of sweet shade in the mountains. Wake has sent out word to her friends with skills and interests that align with her current issue and objectives to gather in support. She has a simple problem to solve.

    " I think you for coming, my friends. I appreciate your ongoing support of my dreams. As you are aware, my request to boarden my realm have been answered by the Dukes. Their conditions are that I must pay a great weight in taxes to compensate them for their expected losses in commerce and port traffic. Today, I need help answering two great questions. First, how do I not only take on the great weight, but ensure that my people can thrive while we bear it together? And for that matter, how shall I address the issue of having expanding lands with so few citizens to populate them?"

    In this opening, the entire goal of this meeting is laid out. Elly has arranged to hold this meeting in a small clearing near the theater, right at the edge of the waters. All her guests have comfortable chairs and there are tables setup to provide both food and drink. Tae has clearly been hard at work. A large central table lays out the map of the new territory to be gained. It includes lands to the south and east, all the way to the shore. Directly south the claim will include all of the lake at the foot of the falls. All of this land is populated by dire beasts that must be cleared.

Yeowang has arrived here, and has recently menu-cleaned so she looks pretty fresh, but with telltale bags under her eyes and a MISSING SLEEP debuff. She's working on several projects on top of her heavy training schedule. But she's here for Eas, and as Wake's benefactor. And pocketbook.

But as to expanding the lands and how to pay for it, she says, "The most obvious solution is a Bond Issue. The Landers don't have much experience with interest or loans, so it may have to be pitched to them. And the Dukes will be against it because it helps Wake to leverage into their club. But the dukes' competitors will eat it up. And players, who understand interest, will jump in willingly, I expect."

She ahems and says with a smile, "The Ninetails Bank will of course lead the way with a substantial bond purchase, as a demonstration of faith. As a loan-based institution, the first in Yamato, we can provide a bit of confidence. 'If we're into it, it must be safe' sort of feeling."

The chairs are nice and the drinks are appreciated but no one should be surprised that Shiruba has almost immeadiately gravitated towards the map that's been laid out. She leans on her elbows to look it over while Elly is explaining the what and whys of the gathering.

"Not everywhere has to be turned into population points," she points out once the basic rundown is finished. Taps the map with a finger, though it's just a general gesture and not picking out any specific locations just yet. "You're going to want to maintain wooded areas for lumber and for game habitat, rock areas for quarry, and so on. For building. For potential trade. And so on... Really if you provide work and stable living conditions of relatively safety the population will come to you."

A fleeting expression of disappointment had appeared on Uta's features when she realized that the map was already nicely laid out on the table. She was kind of hoping for a dramatic sweep of a series of random items onto the floor, and the scroll being slammed and unrolled.

But that was just a moment. The Musical Kung-Fu Nurse is already at work rubbing her chin in concentration. "I think there will be a number of Adventurers from the Palace Lands looking into defecting to Yamato, especially the Uncrowned. Maybe we can reach out to the resistance camps. Respawning in a safe Kingdom could be a great attraction. We could further promote the Adventurer-friendly environment, and how we would gladly support their endeavours..."

She trails off, and looks into the distance. "Thank to the Goddesses we don't have any more Spriggan refugees to relocate. That may have exhausted our primary source of population, but it means they no longer have to fear." And then, she taps her chin. "Apart from population, the way I see it, we need a lot of money. So, either we attract a lot of people who bring in a little bit of money each, or we bring in a bunch of people who raise a lot of money. Hm."

She scratches her head. "Maybe we could start promoting and supporting high-income professions through an appropriate infrastructure?"

Some silence. "Or we could start a massive PR campaign. I've once read that Woodstock was... pretty much built out of nothing thanks to a PR campaign that kinda bootstrapped the whole huge thing by itself. We could start posting posters all over Yamato. 'Come to scenic Eas! Vistas! Business! Friendly people! Kaiju Slimes!'"
Sheome silence.

"Wait, no, that one is not yet there. Scrap that, let's not get into lawsuits."

All of a sudden, she grimaces. Scratching her head, she grumbles, "Oh right. And then there's the part where most non-Spriggan Landers... well, aren't really going to -like- being neighbours with a bunch of Spriggans."

    The idea of a bond issue is something that Elly really wishes she thought of. But she's never actually been involved in major finance. "That... is such a great way to raise money." She pauses, looking at Yeowang and laughing suddenly, "I trust you will also be willing to help me invest it? We need to pay off taxes and pay off a fair interest rate, as well. Every bit of it has to be placed wisely. Most of it conservatively, I imagine, but some promising longshots might be wise, as well."

    She finds her attention drawn to the map as Shiruba approaches it. Well, a stand-up kind of meeting is what she figured this would be. The map helps layout the raw materials to solve the overall problem. There is still territory to the south that Elly will not hold. Yet. But much she will be responsible for.

    "And you are right, Shiruba. I was hoping we could focus on getting sustainability right from the get-go. We have finite resources. I have the beginnings of a merchant fleet, as you have likely noticed as Eas supported the work in Seeker's Landing with them. I understand we need to start with the simplest ways to make a profit. In time, though, perhaps we can do more. Lumber is going to be crucial."

    Uta's observations draw a nod from Wake, as well. "Money is of the essence. However it comes initially, the returns are what matters. Expectations must be managed. And we do have my children at the Links. Any who wish for an inheritance of land or opportunity will have it. As soon as I can afford to give it them. What kind of mother would I be were I to fail to provide?"

    The racism of Landers draws a sigh from Elly. "We shall have to work our way through all the possible flavors of bigotry. The best approach, in my experience, is to lift burdens together. To put names to faces. And to move past Spriggans and Undine and Cait Sith and Humans.. past all of it. To be citizens of... Hm. Some as yet unnamed nation."

    Elly frowns, adds that to her personal to-do list. Eas is a castle city. It is not meant to be the name of a nation.

Yeowang nods at what Shiruba says, but points out, "We do need at least a core of workers to do things. There are only so many refugees, even in light of the Palace Lands' attacks. At this tech level, building is much more labor-intensive than it is in the real world, so we will need to marshall our resources, including people-resources," she avoid saying human resources, "very carefully. An eye to automating what can be automated is important in this, and we must continually ask ourselves how can we do this more simply. And listen to the answers."

Yeowang nods to Uta about Palace Lands defectors. "I think those expatriate Palace Landers will be first and foremost among your workforce, Lady Wake, and one with your talents should be very well suited to recruiting, as you have proven with your other recruiting efforts. Providing them a place in Yamato to respawn will definitely be a major deciding factor for the players."

She's avoided specifics so far. But she says, "We do need a concrete plan for what we hope to accomplish, and in what stages and with what resources. Oh, of course I will help put together your Bond Issue. Figuring the interest rate will be quite complicated, but we can probably fudge that a bit, as none of the Landers know enough to really understand compound interest." She smirks.

Gwen is here, she's wearing her heavy blade gear. She doesn't seem bothered by any reaction to it as she'll make her way int and call out.

"Sorry i'm late I had to jot down an idea for some casino related clothing. Also dodge Morri who was trying to get me into something." She appears behind Shiruba leaning over to see what she's looking at over the map.

"Not sure how much help I'll be but I'm here."

She then waves to Wak.

"Money that I can help with I'm not Yeowang but I always been in the black with my shop!"

"There are names that need to be Remembered," Uta mentions to Elly. "Bith, Lilith, Magi. Did you know that the Fourty-Two songs were born in remembrance of them, and their ancient struggle? And yet, they seem to be forgotten." More somber, she adds, "I wish we could name the kingdom after at least one of them, but..." With a shrug, she has to admit, "I have no idea of what they did, exactly."

"Right, Land. That could be something to consider. Ancient Rome used to reward their military with land after completing a number of years of service. Maybe we could use it as a payment for services. Get skilled workers from elsewhere, get them to work, and once they've completed their work at the port or whatever, hand them land in payment. Solves three problems at once -- making someone a landowner, increasing the population of Eas, and ensuring that only those who -do- finish their job properly get to stay, thus establishing a standard of professionality and reliability for the population."

Uta is startled by Gwen's entrance. "C-casino clothing? Gwen, that is -not- what I meant when I mentioned a PR campaign!"

Although, to be fair, that one would likely go great in Kallamore.

Shiruba rolls her eyes a little. When ever Gwen is trying to hide from her mother you know it has to be a crazy idea. Then focuses back on the map. Yeowang can handle the merchant side of things, she knows that more thoroughly than Shiruba does. She just knows a bit from racial skills and that there's an entire market for the trade goods she can aquire from hunting.

"Right. Let's start with building materials then. They're the most useful to us directly, to build the infrastructure for population and tradework." She leans over the map again. "So you're going to want access within reach of where goods are going to be used, or deployed for trade." She traces her finger along thoughtfully. "Lumber isn't complicated, just time consuming to gather, process, and ship." Her knowledge of woodworking pays a little help in that regard. They need to figure out where to establish these resource gathering locations and how to move the products around efficiently. "So the less it has to travel, the better. Plus the area needs to be sustainable. Just because we have earth and nature magic that can help trees grow faster doesn't mean we can just forget other conversation efforts."

    "Gambling is not something I would wish to see in my lands," Elly says simply. "It poisons the soul to achieve or aspire to achieve without effort. I wish my people to be hardworking, ambitious, and to want to do good work for their livelihood." Not a Vegas fan, apparently!

    "Yeowang, I would like to formally approve your plan for bonds. I would like to know roughly how long it will take to do the difficult groundwork. I understand this will be an estimate as this has never been done in this world. Further, I am ready to promote this however you deem best. Playboy bunny suits will hopefully not be required, but as a priestess dedicated to fertility and family, I not opposed to inspiring the consummation of healthy relationships with, shall we say, a bit of inspiration." Best not to ask. Elly sure knows how to throw a party, though.

    Her attention drifts across the map, following Shiruba's eyes. "There is considerable detail here. Perhaps you might be able to find a way to connect the dots? Or, more appropriately, place them. We have Eas, which is our current base and has some tools and resources. We have this land, which I hope will prove favorable for the generation of timber. And we have the shoreline, which I am assured contains at least one place for an ideal port. Maybe you can tell me what you think about each possible site? I believe the first investment of the bond money is likely to the road and timber. That will provide us a boost in materials to help develop the dock. We have stone and metal in the Olympus mines, which will be of great aid in this effort."

    Turning her mind to Uta's suggestion, Elly nods. "A broadening of the concept of a homestead. I like it. I would like to include this in our efforts, as well. I wonder how many people would come for this shot at proving their mettle. It sounds rather like the gold rush to me. I would add that it's important to me that we setup people to succeed and prevent fools from ending up penniless on some bad gamble for easy riches. We are to be a land of dedicated, hard-working people."

Yeowang nods to Uta about land for homesteaders. "That is a very good point, and has been used famously in the US to successfully expand into the territories of aboriginal inhabitants. Luckily, we have no one like that to displace, so we are more like those aboriginal inhabitants expanding into unclaimed lands."

As far as building materials go, she points out, "Lumber is not /nearly/ as abundant here in Fourland as it is in Eastal. Interestingly, I have recently prevailed on the Guild to put a bounty on monsters along what may one day be a road to Shibuya. But there will be a tremendous logging that must be done as well to clear the path and permanently oust monsters. This means lumber from Eastal will be /cheap/. Probably cheaper than local lumber, and fewer contentious dukes who don't want you deforesting their land." She side-eyes Wake. "Stone's easy, this is mountain, you've got stone coming out your ears. You probably have a monopoly on stone in Fourland. Speaking of which, how much are you making, taxing the quarriers from the other dukedoms?"

She nods to Wake about going forward with the plan, and snorts. "Old men always love to see pretty young girls who will serve drinks and smile to them, even when their wives would crucify them for doing more than looking. But it may gain their favor. Bankers and rich people are almost always old men, so that may be a useful thing." Not that she will be participating.

"I don't really see this as a gamble where one would end up penniless. We'd ensure they aren't coming here recklessly, say, selling their house to bet everything on this. And craftsmen would of course still receive a regular salary," Uta explains looking down at the map of unused terrain. "A salary on the low acceptable end for what someone of their skill level normally gets. But it still would be within market parameters," Tapping the map, she looks up at Wake and adds, "The Land would be the final performance bonus that kicks the payoff of the whole gig into 'highly desirable' territory, makes the whole deal ever-the-sweeter." She gestures around. "If they turn out to be massively sub-par, or anything happens that forces the workers to drop everything and leave? Well, they aren't penniless. They just left a not-so-greatly-paying job. But if they deliver and stick to us to the end?" Big grin. "Bingo."

"o/~ Eeee! The land of eas, is the eas-y land to beeeee! o/~", she begins singing as if it was a radio jingle. Then, after a short pause, she sings a final, "...At!"

"Hmmmm." She scratches her chin. "I think we're onto something there. I should contact Kauchemar so we can work on it together."

Shiruba raises a finger to waggle it towards Yeowang. "I recall seeing that, yes. Just haven't been able to personally participate yet, between Palace Land ventures and hosting the tournament. That's a great idea though, taking advantage of that resource to put to work here."

After a few more moments of consideration she takes one of her cartography marking tools from her belt, and reachs over to mark a couple of places along the coast. "There will need to be physical surveys done, but from the map information alone these are the most likely spots to suit a port. Much farther up or down the coastline would negate usefullness with how long goods will have to traverse." She starts drawing out a connection between Eas and the coast. "A straight trip isn't possible with the lay of the land in a mountainous region like this, but we want it to be as direct as possible. More efficient travel times, less hassle in maintenance. People who prefer combat over labor crafts can be hired and posted as guards against wildlife or potential highwaymen."

On some level Jennifer may know she's in overher head oh goddesses is she ever, but she's not about to let friend march on alone she can at worst help them look the parts they need to be right? Gwen shake he head for a moment and thinks.

"mmm I do have some idea but yes we need to get our own resource production going. We do not want to have to depend on SEA or possibly the People of the land should poltical reations sour. So a home steading bit like America did back in the early 1900s to get more people to come on over and develop the west? So lumber mining and the like right?" She pauses. "We should find some durids to figure out how to speed up tree growth so we can harvest without making it look like the surface of the moon, right?"

She grins.

"If you need someone to do the serving I'm sure you can count on Me and Morri."

There is a predatory grin that's indical to her mothers on her face, for the love of the goddeses don't tell her that.

    "So we will develop at least enough of a lumber processing to use what we have, but also think about a time soon when we seek to go beyond the raw material matters and take imported lumber and make it into something far more valuable. A skill-based value add is always more sustainable than, as you put it, Gwen, decimating the land. I know I am unusual in this, but I wish to despoil the land as little as possible, and to calculate in all costs what it would take to return it to a pristine state."

    Elly looks thoughtful as she gestures to what appears to be a maid, based on her outfit. More of Gwen's handiwork. French maid outfits of a relatively tasteful form but that offer great freedom of motion. Any who think the former assassin's servants are only hired for their cleaning skills are very silly, indeed. But in this case, the woman draws out a pen and paper.

    "Please record these notes for me, my dear," Elly instructs. "Accepted is Yeowang's bond proposal. We expect to have more details on its execution in the next 30 days. Further, accepted are the proposed locations on the map. As Shiruba has indicate..."

    Elly pauses as she feels that strange tug. She's grown so familiar with it. That pull of destiny. The scale is presented to her and the goddess has once again entrusted her in deciding what shall be. With a thrill up her spine, the priestess extends her right hand. "FEHU!" Somehow, ever so subtly, the placement of one of those locations shifts, and with it all are tugged just slightly. Shiruba no longer is having an off day, but has indicated exactly the best places to focus on.

    Elly is disoriented for a moment. It has a high demand, these powers. "Apologies. As I was saying, we shall perform more details surveys in these areas on the map and within 30 days shall decide which is accepted for our work."

    She attends to other things, next. "Accepted is the proposal of marketing this new territory as a way for people to accelerate their careers. We will support the worthy with the money the bonds and other fees present and lay down clear requirements of production to win the land. We will provide protections and a fair and transparent set of rules for how this is to be assessed to ensure there is no corruption when making these decisions."

    She rests a hand on the table, her eyes turning to the lake itself.

    "I wish to make a proposal for others. No one should be without a proper home. The Undine, as I understand it, once lived under the waves. I propose to gain the help of divers to begin looking for a place to build a new home for the Undine. This lake is vast and much of it quite deep. Why should there be no home for these people who have long been exiled to the land?"

Yeowang brightens as Uta comes up with a catchy come to Eas jingle. "You've got a good start," she agrees. "Just maybe a biiiit more work to polish it." She nods gravely. The details of where exactly to make the port are not critical to her plannning, other than that they get done, but Shiruba seems to have a good handle on that.

To Wake and Gwen, she says, "Lumber will be better from Eastal, druids or otherwise, because of who owns the woods in Fourland, and Eastal's got enough forests to choke a goat, they won't miss it. And we can send it by ship from the coast of Eastal, and sail directly to where we'll use it here in Fourland, and if we build the pier here first, then that works perfectly to connect things up. You can then build from the Landing -to- Eas."

She nods as Wake agrees to he bond proposal, and says, "I will make it happen."

There's a split second where Shiruba feels like she made a mistake... but then realizes this is a better option and leaves it at that. "Oh, that would be a much easier spot to clear a travel path through."

The bit of a nudge also gives her reason to consider taking a break for a moment, stepping away from the map to get a drink from the provided water. Finally claims one of the chairs so she can recoup and refocus. Sip.

But as usual with helping her friends breaks don't last for very long. "Is there anything else of particularly you need my input for, Elly?"

Gwen says "Gotcha on the lumber Yeowang, it's funny almost none of us would have met outside of ETO isn't it?"

She smirks a bit and will look over the map.

"we should look into food as well. Good storag.... my god Canning! We could do proper canning!" It's like a switch just went on in Gwen's head.

"Yes, we can!", Uta confirms to Gwen.

"The Undines are a bit of a mystery to me. There is some investigation I need to follow about historical Undine settlements, but to make a long story short: they were driven out of their original domain. What they do now is a bit of a mystery to me. Do they live on land? Do they have underwater cities on the coast? Haven't really looked into that. That said- I think I am done here as well," Uta says. "Please let me know if there is anything else I can do for you."

    Satisfied that the main plans are now declared, and that further additions would likely be too much to achieve yet, Elly steps away from the map as well. "Thank you, Yeowang. You have been a great friend, always. I hope that this work helps you achieve your own aspirations, as well. If not, well, when you are ready, I will be there to assist you on the way."

    With business done, Elly will settle herself next to Shiruba. She considers the question from her friend and she says, "Not your input exactly. I would like to know what you are working on next, and how I might help. I am proud that my people were able to help with Seeker's Landing. It is important work and that we played a role in it feels good. It is something that my people can be proud of. But it leaves me wondering. What is next? Is there something you are looking to achieve? Or something that I can help with in Shibuya?"

    She looks up and waves to Uta. "See you later, my dear. If you have time, perhaps we can eat the evening meal together? It would be fun to hear about your adventures."

Yeowang shrugs to Gwen, and says, "It's hard to predict who will meet who in any circumstance. We might have met, or it my never have happened." She will bow to Wake, and she says, "Lady Wake, I am glad I could be of assistance. I will come seeking elocution lessons for this world soon, but I will depart now. I have considerable business left to conduct." Because she's been crazy busy with projects of her own, plus special training, and meeting up with her boyfriend. After the bow, because you don't curtsey with trousers on, she will depart.

When Wake queries of her current ventures Shiruba gives a brief shake of her head. "I just finished that safari in the Palace Lands to learn how to better hunt it's.. unusual type of beasts, and what kind of drops they have for crafting or trade. With aiding the rebels and the Crownless tournament I haven't gotten into another personal project just yet." She pauses for a drink of water, then a brief smirk. "But I know one of the first people to call when I do."

Gwen Waves to Uta as she heads out and keeps thinking for a moment.

"You ahve a point, and I hope I can be some small amount of help in this."

She mutters about canning however, man she'll have to hit up Hifumi and a few others on this...

"Oh i have some new maid outfit ideas as well..."

"It will be a pleasure to partake in the evening meal together," Uta smiles. "And you know far too well that I will end up rambling about adventures for hours."

She takes a sip of water, that is promptly coughed out at the mention of maid outfits. "Wake, my knowledge of Cooking may be limited, but I can assure you that maid outfits are -not- a necessary part of the canning process!"

    "Hmm, it has been a while since I've looked at outfits for the maids. Hm. Three months, perhaps, Gwen? I would like more proposals. This time please incorporate the symbol of the raven and the rose. Hm. I wonder what the symbol of this new nation shall include that is new and not just of Eas?" It's another matter to consider for her.

    She turns back to Shiruba, "And I hope you will! That hunting sounds exciting. You must have seen remarkable things! Did you see many hybrid creatures? Oh, and as you know, I prefer to stay busy. I am available for most things, though I promised I would do my best to avoid dangerous missions." Which she has stretched from time to time! "This reminds me, at some point I want to show you the piano with a proper concert. I'm so pleased with it! Truly a lovely thing and the crown jewel of our musical achievements in Eas."

Shiruba nods as she settles back in the chair. "I am glad I was able to provide some of the woodcarving you needed for that."