Post by Asa Khan on Jul 17, 2010 18:19:57 GMT
Apologies for the length, but if I do something I'm going to do it properly!
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Due to the city of Lu Jiang being thrown into minor chaos by the declaration of leadership by the pirate Rui Takiri, the merchants of the city found themselves prey to a new breed of scum. In the usual circumstances these villains would be too cautious of the city guard to commit any felonies, but with a civil conflict they had been posted to more important locations, leaving a handful of guards in scant formation around the streets of the city.
Asa Khan had vowed to make up for the lack of security for the merchants, for the time being at least, and post his own guards around the docks and marketplace. There had been initial resistance from the city watch out of concern that he may charge for the protection he offered, though this had been quelled quite effectively after his forces had been seen in action. It was not a perfect solution, but he required his troops for other causes; the city was not his only priority. The guards he had posted possessed superior training and equipment in comparison to those posted prior to the conflict; many of the merchants and townsfolk were grateful of this, as they deterred crimes with greater efficiency. It saddened Asa that he would eventually have to withdraw them and place the city back the shaking hands of the city watch. Regretably, it was inevitable.
It had been days since Asa had heard a chaotic alarum of a merchant being preyed upon by a thug in the marketplace. There had been minor thefts of sorts, but nothing major enough to warrant the abundance of guardians he had posted throughout the area. He stood at his usual spot next to the stall of one the most affluent merchants in the area. The man was not very fair, in fact he was virtually the opposite. There was not a single item he would not overprice if he could get away with it. Asa, of course was of the understanding that he still had no power to act, as it was not outwith the law of the city to overcharge customers, regardless of how deep a hatred burned inside him.
The day had been relatively busy, with several ships drawing into the port with new imports and scores of sailors who required food and drink. These men were often the sort who would ram a broken bottle in the face of an unfair merchant, so it was good for him that they mostly kept to the taverns and alleyways. The merchant he was watching had great deal of customers that day, most of them leaving satisfied with the purchase due to the rarity of their items, though paying a ludicrous sum to acquire them.
Asa watched as the people bustled noisily through the streets, going about their business in a completely ordinary way. One of the people among these stood out from the rest: his clothes were brightly colored; his hair well-groomed and an aloof smirk plastered onto his face. Overall, it was the kind of face you knew immediately you would punch if you got into a conversation with the owner; something Asa had no intention of doing.
As he approached the charlatan's store, a feeling of unease rose up inside him. This would not end well.
Placing his hands lightly on the counter, he spoke, "You there, merchant. That Urn in the corner, how much would I pay for such an item?" pointing at an ornate thing which Asa could only presume was an urn with his complete lack knowledge with regards to pottery.
As he predicted, the merchant immediately retaliated with his deceitful wit, obviously hoping to squeeze as much money as possible out of his target, "Of course sir, how could you not desire such a wonderful item. Fashioned by a master, passed between collectors for decades before finally falling to me. Rumor has it that this urn used to belong the ruler of a european country before it was stolen away in the dead of night. With such a rich history I'd be a fool to let the item go for a petty sum, so how about... 100 coins?"
The flamboyantly dressed man looked upon him with an extremely critical gaze. "I can guarantee, sir, that it is not worth that much. I would not even pay that much for master-crafted jewellery! Perhaps you ought to rethink."
"I'm afraid that I can't drop the price any lower. It's been a hard year," the merchant said with a charismatic grin. A total lie, as Asa had seen many customers walk away with blatantly expensive items earlier in the day.
"Very well... perhaps 80 would suffice for it?" the man said pleadingly with a handful of coins extended.
"Ah! Of course sir. Done!" he almost yelled. The coins had been snatched from the man's hand and replaced by a fancy piece of pottery with inhuman speed, startling the customer, for more reason than one.
"But... I thought you wouldn't go any lower than 100!" he barked at the merchant and his deviousness.
"True sir... but times are hard and I must accept what I can." The grin which appeared on the merchant's face was intolerable, partly mocking and partly smug, causing the buyer to walk hurriedly away, back into the horde of people, cursing loudly as he went.
This was not the first event of this nature that Asa had witnessed during the day. Several more customers came and went, each angered by the purchases they had made for them by a greedy merchant. He had to be stopped.
As the sun began to go down, along with most of the stalls, Asa approached several of his guards and ordered them to tail the corrupted vendor back to his residence. He approached another, noticably larger group and ordered them to follow his goods to wherever they were being stored and to seize them, and to 'take care' of any guards in the process, though trouble was not anticipated in the matter if they told them that their employer was dead. These orders soon spread quickly the rest of the men he had stationed there; the few city watch remaining were persuaded not to interfere, mostly through disgust of the particular merchant.
All went roughly to plan, with the stall looted and disposed of within an hour of the merchant's departure and the information of his location arriving at about the same time. Asa ordered his men to store and guard the items where the stall used to be, along with those which would arrive from wherever his stock was stored, until morning, when they would distribute the stock amongst the local merchants for no charge.
Upon giving his final order, Asa set off to the merchant's place of rest, which conveniently happened to be a tavern, and one which was often quite empty at that. Moving through the streets he occasionally encountered groups of his own men moving to the marketplace, though none of them were the group carrying the excess merchandise. He would have to wait until his task was over to see whether or not they had succeeded.
The tavern, from the outside, appeared quite well made and not a place where local ruffians and sailors would gather at night. The wood had barely decayed and no boisterous laughter or fighting could be heard from inside, so he assumed it could be a place where he might have no hindrance in his mission. As he pushed open the door, he could see an almost barren room with a lone man standing behind the the counter of the bar, looking bored and glancing irritably at a single man in the corner who was surrounded by empty tankards and bottles. Evidently, the man didn't want him here, but that was nothing he was willing to help with at the moment.
The barkeep welcomed him as he entered, closing the door behind him and striding confidently up to the bar. The location of the merchant was not easily given, but after pleading and insistence that he was here on Urgent business, Asa finally got him to divulge the information he needed. The barkeep pointed to a staircase, obscured by barrels and crates piled to the ceiling, with the words, "Up there," to which he promptly nodded with a courteous smile and made his way up the stairs.
The corridor was very simple, with a single door at the end and one at the side, lit by a single candle. There was a small amount of light filtering a small gap beneath the door at the side of the corridor, giving the impression that somebody was in there. That or there was a fire. He moved silently toward the door - as silently as he could in the leather armour he was wearing - and gently opened it. Looking through the gap, he saw a man sat at a desk with his head turned around to face him. He could see that it was the merchant he had intended to find.
As the man stood up, looking confusedly at him, Asa announced, "Good evening, sir. I'm afraid I must keep my business here brief. Due to your greed and attitude toward your customers, you are no longer welcome in the market of this town," before quickly pivoting and walking out of the room, not giving the stunned man time to react. He turned around once again before turning the corner and said, "Also, we've taken your stuff. Leave this city or you'll regret ever coming here," grinning menacingly. The merchant forced himself to restrain an outburst of a thousand different questions and emotions, instead moving his hand forward, though too late to be seen by Asa who had made his way down the stairs, grinning to himself as he went through the inn, then the streets, finally wiping it away just before reaching the marketplace.
"That went well. The fool really should have kept guards with him."
The pile of goods was larger than it had been initially, as was the number of his men there. He was unsure as to whether there had been any resistance to the seizure of his goods, though his men were highly trained and it was unlikely, he thought, that any would have been killed by any resistance put up by those guarding the excess stock.
Asa remained there with his guards throughout the night, just in case the merchant chose to come back. Fortunately, he didn't and the night passed uneventfully with only the occasional peasant wandering through, staring bewilderdly at a large group of heavily armed men standing around a pile of stuff.
When morning came, and the traders returned to their place of work, Asa assisted his soldiers in distributing the seized goods amongst the more honorable merchants, without charge of course, satisfied that he had thwarted the evil schemes of a complete dick.
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Due to the city of Lu Jiang being thrown into minor chaos by the declaration of leadership by the pirate Rui Takiri, the merchants of the city found themselves prey to a new breed of scum. In the usual circumstances these villains would be too cautious of the city guard to commit any felonies, but with a civil conflict they had been posted to more important locations, leaving a handful of guards in scant formation around the streets of the city.
Asa Khan had vowed to make up for the lack of security for the merchants, for the time being at least, and post his own guards around the docks and marketplace. There had been initial resistance from the city watch out of concern that he may charge for the protection he offered, though this had been quelled quite effectively after his forces had been seen in action. It was not a perfect solution, but he required his troops for other causes; the city was not his only priority. The guards he had posted possessed superior training and equipment in comparison to those posted prior to the conflict; many of the merchants and townsfolk were grateful of this, as they deterred crimes with greater efficiency. It saddened Asa that he would eventually have to withdraw them and place the city back the shaking hands of the city watch. Regretably, it was inevitable.
It had been days since Asa had heard a chaotic alarum of a merchant being preyed upon by a thug in the marketplace. There had been minor thefts of sorts, but nothing major enough to warrant the abundance of guardians he had posted throughout the area. He stood at his usual spot next to the stall of one the most affluent merchants in the area. The man was not very fair, in fact he was virtually the opposite. There was not a single item he would not overprice if he could get away with it. Asa, of course was of the understanding that he still had no power to act, as it was not outwith the law of the city to overcharge customers, regardless of how deep a hatred burned inside him.
The day had been relatively busy, with several ships drawing into the port with new imports and scores of sailors who required food and drink. These men were often the sort who would ram a broken bottle in the face of an unfair merchant, so it was good for him that they mostly kept to the taverns and alleyways. The merchant he was watching had great deal of customers that day, most of them leaving satisfied with the purchase due to the rarity of their items, though paying a ludicrous sum to acquire them.
Asa watched as the people bustled noisily through the streets, going about their business in a completely ordinary way. One of the people among these stood out from the rest: his clothes were brightly colored; his hair well-groomed and an aloof smirk plastered onto his face. Overall, it was the kind of face you knew immediately you would punch if you got into a conversation with the owner; something Asa had no intention of doing.
As he approached the charlatan's store, a feeling of unease rose up inside him. This would not end well.
Placing his hands lightly on the counter, he spoke, "You there, merchant. That Urn in the corner, how much would I pay for such an item?" pointing at an ornate thing which Asa could only presume was an urn with his complete lack knowledge with regards to pottery.
As he predicted, the merchant immediately retaliated with his deceitful wit, obviously hoping to squeeze as much money as possible out of his target, "Of course sir, how could you not desire such a wonderful item. Fashioned by a master, passed between collectors for decades before finally falling to me. Rumor has it that this urn used to belong the ruler of a european country before it was stolen away in the dead of night. With such a rich history I'd be a fool to let the item go for a petty sum, so how about... 100 coins?"
The flamboyantly dressed man looked upon him with an extremely critical gaze. "I can guarantee, sir, that it is not worth that much. I would not even pay that much for master-crafted jewellery! Perhaps you ought to rethink."
"I'm afraid that I can't drop the price any lower. It's been a hard year," the merchant said with a charismatic grin. A total lie, as Asa had seen many customers walk away with blatantly expensive items earlier in the day.
"Very well... perhaps 80 would suffice for it?" the man said pleadingly with a handful of coins extended.
"Ah! Of course sir. Done!" he almost yelled. The coins had been snatched from the man's hand and replaced by a fancy piece of pottery with inhuman speed, startling the customer, for more reason than one.
"But... I thought you wouldn't go any lower than 100!" he barked at the merchant and his deviousness.
"True sir... but times are hard and I must accept what I can." The grin which appeared on the merchant's face was intolerable, partly mocking and partly smug, causing the buyer to walk hurriedly away, back into the horde of people, cursing loudly as he went.
This was not the first event of this nature that Asa had witnessed during the day. Several more customers came and went, each angered by the purchases they had made for them by a greedy merchant. He had to be stopped.
As the sun began to go down, along with most of the stalls, Asa approached several of his guards and ordered them to tail the corrupted vendor back to his residence. He approached another, noticably larger group and ordered them to follow his goods to wherever they were being stored and to seize them, and to 'take care' of any guards in the process, though trouble was not anticipated in the matter if they told them that their employer was dead. These orders soon spread quickly the rest of the men he had stationed there; the few city watch remaining were persuaded not to interfere, mostly through disgust of the particular merchant.
All went roughly to plan, with the stall looted and disposed of within an hour of the merchant's departure and the information of his location arriving at about the same time. Asa ordered his men to store and guard the items where the stall used to be, along with those which would arrive from wherever his stock was stored, until morning, when they would distribute the stock amongst the local merchants for no charge.
Upon giving his final order, Asa set off to the merchant's place of rest, which conveniently happened to be a tavern, and one which was often quite empty at that. Moving through the streets he occasionally encountered groups of his own men moving to the marketplace, though none of them were the group carrying the excess merchandise. He would have to wait until his task was over to see whether or not they had succeeded.
The tavern, from the outside, appeared quite well made and not a place where local ruffians and sailors would gather at night. The wood had barely decayed and no boisterous laughter or fighting could be heard from inside, so he assumed it could be a place where he might have no hindrance in his mission. As he pushed open the door, he could see an almost barren room with a lone man standing behind the the counter of the bar, looking bored and glancing irritably at a single man in the corner who was surrounded by empty tankards and bottles. Evidently, the man didn't want him here, but that was nothing he was willing to help with at the moment.
The barkeep welcomed him as he entered, closing the door behind him and striding confidently up to the bar. The location of the merchant was not easily given, but after pleading and insistence that he was here on Urgent business, Asa finally got him to divulge the information he needed. The barkeep pointed to a staircase, obscured by barrels and crates piled to the ceiling, with the words, "Up there," to which he promptly nodded with a courteous smile and made his way up the stairs.
The corridor was very simple, with a single door at the end and one at the side, lit by a single candle. There was a small amount of light filtering a small gap beneath the door at the side of the corridor, giving the impression that somebody was in there. That or there was a fire. He moved silently toward the door - as silently as he could in the leather armour he was wearing - and gently opened it. Looking through the gap, he saw a man sat at a desk with his head turned around to face him. He could see that it was the merchant he had intended to find.
As the man stood up, looking confusedly at him, Asa announced, "Good evening, sir. I'm afraid I must keep my business here brief. Due to your greed and attitude toward your customers, you are no longer welcome in the market of this town," before quickly pivoting and walking out of the room, not giving the stunned man time to react. He turned around once again before turning the corner and said, "Also, we've taken your stuff. Leave this city or you'll regret ever coming here," grinning menacingly. The merchant forced himself to restrain an outburst of a thousand different questions and emotions, instead moving his hand forward, though too late to be seen by Asa who had made his way down the stairs, grinning to himself as he went through the inn, then the streets, finally wiping it away just before reaching the marketplace.
"That went well. The fool really should have kept guards with him."
The pile of goods was larger than it had been initially, as was the number of his men there. He was unsure as to whether there had been any resistance to the seizure of his goods, though his men were highly trained and it was unlikely, he thought, that any would have been killed by any resistance put up by those guarding the excess stock.
Asa remained there with his guards throughout the night, just in case the merchant chose to come back. Fortunately, he didn't and the night passed uneventfully with only the occasional peasant wandering through, staring bewilderdly at a large group of heavily armed men standing around a pile of stuff.
When morning came, and the traders returned to their place of work, Asa assisted his soldiers in distributing the seized goods amongst the more honorable merchants, without charge of course, satisfied that he had thwarted the evil schemes of a complete dick.
