Blue was sitting in his office in Curaw, his desk covered in coins all stacked up while he flipped an abucus under the wiltering light of a single tallow candle. He was grinning at the thought of the profits he had projected in his calculations, and, to be honest, the glinting of the reflected light in the stacks of gold was very soothing.
Therefore, when Vex stomped through the door he found himself quite annoyed that his reverie was disturbed.
"What is it now, Vex," he asked icily, "Did you interrupt me because of variances of the New Shariz trade market?"
"A lot worse than that, Guild Master," Vex replied, "Bryggan sent a message. Apparently he was robbed!"
"Bloody hell!" Blue exclaimed, looking at his abacus and wondering how this would change his profit margins. "Ok, what was stolen?"
"None of your beeswax, sir," Vex replied.
"What?" Blue asked.
"No, all the beeswax is safe," Vex continued, "as are the fox furs and coloured sands."
"Thanks chadz," Blue replied, "the demand for coloured sand is especially high right now. In the west, children are crying for more and more coloured sand. The children, Vex. THE CHILDREN! It's too awful to contemplate should the children be denied coloured sand.
"Still. Bryggan sent you a message. It must be important if he bothered getting a scribe to write it for him, plus paying the expense of a rider. What did he lose? A keg of beer? A prized prostitute?"
"No, a little more important than that. He says all his armour and weapons were taken. He claims he has no idea who took it, but I venture the Starks did it. They defended a castle that was loaded with good gear. Plate and heavy kuyaks... the sort of thing Bryggan likes to use."
"Damn," Blue said, "i thought a man with Bryggan's battle experience should be able to hang on to his weapons. Plus there is the concern that the Legionaires may suspect him of supporting the Starks in this time of crisis. And we, of course, are completely neutral in this war, as all pursuers of profit should be."
"True dat," Vex said, in an odd moment of gangsta speak
"Still," Blue said thoughtfully, "this war is not in our best interests. I hear S and D is down, mainly because people are rushing about trying to make money for battles. And that, of course, is not good for business. We have investors, we have customers and we have producers. Our main concern is with them."
"And you feel this war is messing with that?" Vex asked.
"Yes," Blue answered, "and I feel, as a man of peace, we should do something to end it... in the name of trade, of course."
"In the name of trade," Vex replied, "of course."
"Oh, and profit margins of course," Blue added, "must not forget profit margins."
