A sealed letter for Condottiera Rosseau

[Anthee]

Esteemed Condottiera Rosseau,

I hope this letter finds you in good health.

My sincere condolences for the losses la Banda Rossa suffered during the Battle of Arslan; good men and women are surely hard to replace. I hope the new Reclutas will soon earn their places among your ranks.

I write to you to discuss business. As our schedules often seem to conflict, it is perhaps easier to communicate in writing. There are two matters I wish to bring to the table.

Firstly, the late Balestriere Danebluff approached me regarding the protection services offered by la Banda. He gave me a rough idea of the various tiers of protection, and after considering them and discussing the matter with lady Shabani – who sees no obstacle with Reclutas guarding the Hall of Trade on long-term basis, as long as they get along with the janissary stationed there – I would like a quote from you on continuous protection within the Hall whenever I have it open for business. How much would it cost per month to have an available Recluta stationed there whenever needed?

The second matter is as follows. I have been thinking of ways to minimise the risk of customers defaulting on debts, and I think there would be one very simple way for that: the threat of banning them from the Krak des Roses in case they do not pay me their debts. I would like to know if a contract like this were possible – banning defaulters upon my request – and if so, how much it would cost. The price may be either on a per-person or per-month basis, as you see fit.

I might add that while I realise the ban is a harsh measure which would cost you money in most cases, I do not expect that it would actually need to be used often. The mere threat would likely ensure that most every caravaneer in Ephia's Well would pay their debts dutifully.

I hope we can reach an agreement on both these counts. Please send your reply to the Hall of Trade where I spend most of my time nowadays.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Yours sincerely
Zina Zizzo
Merchant
Master Starmith
Voiced Citizen of the Well

[Moonlighter]

Received...

[Moonlighter]

Mademoiselle Zizzo,

Apologies.

Good help is awful to find, these days. Make a Bellow for me in the next day or two, and I will come and we will get this hashed out.

Condottiera Mirielle Rosseau
BANDA ROSSA