4th of Frost 4622
In the afternoon of a mild day of frost, a single person was glancing out of the windows in an expensive and statuesque-looking building. The figure in the building was that of a well-built-looking young man with darker skin, though if a person were to see him now they would see him looking quite tired. The man in question was one Hugo Abreo, a Veir of Daravin, a member of the Entente, yet a man who had little wealth to his name. A man who had been through great trials and great rewards, yet in the end was left looking for a purpose. Though that final purpose was not yet clear, one thing was clear, to achieve any of his aims the young Hugo would need wealth and renown. Something that would not be achieved if he kept focusing on simple business opportunities and regular trading on the market or with suppliers. If he wished to achieve his goals he would need greater wealth, which meant greater risk.
Then at the most opportune of time, young Hugo had gotten word of a most fascinating discovery in the land of not so far away Dagrun. A new mineral was discovered, one that held magical properties but whose exact effects were unknown. Thus amongst the elite circles of Daravin curiosity was abound, if perhaps this mineral could be another way for the Entente to gain power and maintain their hold on society or to gain an advantage against their rivals. Yet the supply of this 'Neo-Duranium' was non-existent as of this moment and there was no consensus amongst the elites of the nation on what to do about this yet. Either none of them wished to upset the balance of power, or they had no interest in this new novelty. Regardless, this lack of immediate action left a vacuum, an opportunity that was still lying in the air. And though Hugo was not a greatly experienced businessman, he could recognize an opportunity when he saw one. Thus he acted.
Soon after receiving the news Hugo had gone to the market to find more reliable sources of information. He had spoken to traders and travellers who had been to Dagrun, as well as tracking some of the original information about this Neo-Duranium. As he got more and more information about what was happening an image started to form in Hugo's mind. An idea that could potentially lead to him getting some of the tools for whatever his eventual goals would be. However, if this was done horribly it could also lead to disaster and the success of all his prospects. But as Hugo had learned, your life and prospects could be taken away from any person at any time if someone with enough influence wished for that to happen. As such one had to both take risks and enjoy life whilst one could, as well as get enough power and influence that your life could not be as easily controlled by others. Thus Hugo had talked with one of his friendly acquaintances, the guild master of the shipbuilding guild and had rented this room from him. Something that had cost him a pretty penny but which would also provide a venue suitable for the kind of contacts that should come here.
All of this had led to Hugo standing in this meeting room and preparing himself for a meeting with a large number of notables who he had to convince to invest in this project. It should be a very attractive offer for the gentlemen and so it would make them unlikely to refuse, but it was also critical for his reputation and success. Something which caused Hugo to begin sweating and feeling tension raise in his gut. He took out a handchekrief from his pocket and wiped away the sweat. Then as an afterthought, he added a few additional logs to a nearby hearth that a servant had lit so as to keep the room warm. He then stood somewhat near the doorway, waiting for the first guests to arrive. Something which should happen around noon.
So Hugo waited a few minutes and after a short wait, he heard the first hard footsteps echoing through a nearby hallway. Then the first potential investor entered the room. What came through the room was a man in his 60s with greying hair, yet who walked with pride and wore somewhat practical clothing. Hugo gave a polite smile and then spoke. "Ah Sir Blounae, it is a pleasure to have you here. I hope the journey was without trouble?" Sir Blounae gave a short and curt nod. The independent Valran, and successful businessman, was probably the most important person to convince at this meeting. Though many interests were represented here, Blounae would be the person present with the most direct assets controlled and influence held. Sure there were going to be several representatives of Viers who would attend, but none of those representatives had the same influence as Blounae or the effective capital to spend. Also, the fact that Blounae had managed to be successful despite having no patron meant many would follow the example of this shrewd and skilled businessman. Thus the most important part of this evening would be to convince Blounae.
Thus Hugo attempted to continue his conversation with Blounae. However, before another sentence could be uttered a slow but steady stream of guests started to come in. Thus Hugo was forced to politely greet all of the important guests as they arrived, lest he gain the ire of any of the potential investors that were assembled there. In the end, excluding Hugo, 9 people (and potential investors) were present. As each of them entered Hugo made a note on a mental list of their attendance and their expertise. It had taken a decent amount of information and influence to get these people to meet with him at this hour so it was important that he did not embarrass himself. The list of investors was mentally arranged in order of name, age, their expertise/profession and finally their affiliation/superior.
- Anton Blounae, 60 years old, an Influential businessman specializing in the production of war material, has no immediate superior.
- Mathieu Delfafosse, 28 years old, with a small amount of business expertise and a great interest in new things, subordinate to the Delafosse family who are land-owning Veir in the proximity of Genteven
- Lorielle Beaumond, 35 years old, seduction as well as serving as overseer for several businesses, Valran and mistress of Jaque Degrand
- Fabien Haillet, 42 years old, Lawyer with several business contacts/interests, Valran subordinate to the Marlet family
- Violette Delcroix, 20 years old, specializes in logistics and the shipping of goods, 'spare' heir of the Delcroix family
- Ludovic Boulet, 36 years old, Necromancer with curiosity and desire to invest, not in service to any particular family but has a prominent (unknown) patron
- Tristan Chauveau, 29 years old, Spymaster who normally engages in corporate espionage, the third child of the Cheauveau family
- Norbert Allais, 45 years old, Famous Valran Musician who wants to invest his money, has a patron but holds no direct allegiance to any families
- Samuel Besette, 52 years old, Businessman and shipowner who is suspected to engage in some minor smuggling, unaffiliated Valran
All of these individuals entered the room one by one and were politely greeted by Hugo, taking care to address them properly according to their status and standing. As he did so he ignored the faint rumbling in his stomach which could come from either a certain degree of nervousness or the mageblight acting up again. After everyone was assembled Hugo took the time to sit at the head of a long dark oaken table. He took the time to briefly make eye contact with all of the assembled delegates before taking a small breath and beginning his spiel.
"Ladies and Gentlemen. Thank you for gathering here on this Ulen-blessed day. As you have all heard, recently a new mineral has been found underground near the Gnomish city of Dagrun. This mineral is Neo-Duranium, an offshoot of regular Dunarium that has been exposed to a large amount of Ether over many hundreds of years. This has led to the mineral gaining as of yet unknown magical and physical properties. Though there are claims that the material is more ductile and able to be forged into different tools and components."
"As of this moment large pockets of this ore can be found roughly 3 to 5 day's marching from Dagrun. No company, nation or other entity has as of yet claimed possession of this resource or undertaken steps to begin large scale extraction. News of Neo-Duranium is spreading and it's demand is growing by the day, yet as of this moment there is no entity that is able to supply this ore in sufficient amounts for large scale experimentation and for industrial use."
"In order to take advantage of this gap in the market I have gathered you here to discuss the following proposal. All of us gathered here today will invest 4000 denari florents in a join-stock company. This means that each of us will possess a 10% share of the company. When the company's profits begin exceeding it's expenses each person assembled here will gain 10% of the profits. The gathered funds will be used in order to hire, supply and equip several expeditions which will set forth to mine large amounts of Neo-Dunarium. In the following two documents you can read the proposed charter of the company and the investment plan for establishing the company in Dagrun." As he said those words Hugo shared two official looking documents around the table, with most of those in attendance taking the time to read the contents of the document.
Whilst most people were reading thee document Hugo would give some minor explanations regarding any confusion about the previously used terms or about the contents of the documents that had just been read. Luckily it seemed that this part of the presentation was quickly accepted and no issues had as of yet arisen. Then Sir Blounae spoke up. "In the charter it says that you, Sir Abreo, will be the acting representative of the company and will act on it's behalf whilst in Dagrun. Is this correct ? " Hugo would give a nod. "Indeed this is correct." At these words Sir Blounae slowly and clearly tapped his finger against the table before speaking up. "And what qualifications do you have for acting as the company's acting representative ?" Hugo felt the tension rise in his throat and felt his gut growing more upset, but he calmed himself. He had prepared for these questions and knew how to answer.
"Thank you for the question SIr Blounae. I have participated in several commercial endeavours and have been running a warehouse with large scale goods distribution to several entities. In case you wish to contact any of these entities for verification I can have a list prepared ?" Blounae gave a short shake of the head, indicating that such was not necessary. And yet his eyes still gazed deeply into Hugo's. Feeling this piercing gaze Hugo could feel his stomach growing as tight as a knot whilst sweat began to gather on his face.
"Your qualifications are.... sufficient Sir Abreo. However, what guarentees are there that you will not take your leave to some place outside of Daravin and use the funds for your own ends ?" As Blounae said this there were some soft gasps amongst those less self-controlling members of the board. Sure this was an issue that should be worried about but to say something such as this out loud ? That was audacious, challenging and extremely rude. Especially as Hugo was technically of a superior social status to Blounae, though in practice this was not the case.
As the words were uttered Hugo's eyes went wide in surprise to the almost outright accusation, keeping his fists clenched and face blank so that he did not react impulsively.
Under the piercing gaze of Blounae and the curious but also suspicious looks of the other potential investors Hugo spoke. "These are valid concerns Mr. Blounae, since a not insignificant amount of money will be invested into this company. However, there are many reasons that to do so would not be in my best interest."
"Firstly, to do such a thing would be to throw away the duties and privileges that have been granted unto me as a member of the Entente. I would be forsaken in the eyes of Ulen and would in such an event rightly be despised within any Daravinian lands. For any individual to act in such a way would be to make their character akin to that of a peasant."
"Secondly, to do so would be to invite great reprisal. It would be to gain the ire of the esteemed individuals gathered here as well as other members of the intent. I do not doubt that actions would be undertaken to reacquire the lost currency and to make an example of any who would denegrate the status of the Entente and Ulen's chosen."
After stating these things Hugo's gaze swept around the room once more, a confidence that he did not actually feel present in those eyes that finally matches those of Sir Blounae. "Are these answers to your satisfaction ?"
Anton Blounae took his time formulating an answer. He did not move a muscle until he slowly began tapping the table again and spoke. "Yes, you have sufficiently assuaged me of any doubts that I might posses Sir Abreo. You seem to be a man of good character who will represent the interests of those assembled here well. The exact details of this arrangement have to be discussed further , but you have my support in this endeavour. " At this answer Hugo had to visibly restrain himself from letting out a sigh of relief.
Following the statement of sir Blounae the other assembled investors quickly voiced their own support for the Venture proposed by Hugo. The meeting continued for another hour to work out the exact details, but the dam had been broken and after this time 10 signatures had been placed on the charter of the North Daravin Trading Company.
