Merc Guild: High profile work|Haven, Ilyamen

[sparepart11]

Antonia knew she was short on options, so perhaps she could make money talk. Perhaps enough could not only buy a job well done, but silence of those doing it. The guild is reputable enough, and without national loyalties they could pull off a job like this without large scale problems. She only worries about possible loyalties to other guilds.

She dressed in some casual clothes, not that they wouldn't recognize her, but you seem less threatening when you aren't carrying an ancestral blade around at your hip. She entered the guild with a knock and waited to be received.

[Kender Bard]

At the front desk sat Sashi, book in hand. It was her time for desk duty; she never really minded so long as she could keep occupied. Hearing the door open, she glanced up. Seeing Antonia, she removed her feet from her desk and set her book aside. "Good day," she greeted. "How can I help you?"

[sparepart11]

Antonia approaches Sashi with a bit of hesitation, it wasn't embarrassment as much as she knew she had to choose her words very carefully. That was frustratingly difficult to do for her and that results in awkwardness.

"You probably aren't going to believe what I want to ask you, or perhaps you were waiting for a day like this to come..."

She sighed heavily, this is far too difficult. Things are easy when you can just swing a sword at problems. But, bad things could happen to her city if she did this wrong.

"First, a hypothetical. Say your best friend, not saying they would, committed a crime and I could offer evidence. I come here and ask your help in arresting them, no blood necessary just an arrest and trial, would you for proper price take the task?"

[Kender Bard]

Sashi raised a brow, wondering where this was going. She shrugged a little. If her friends were stupid enough to commit a crime, well...

"Of course," Sashi answered. "Especially seeing as you're not asking me to put the sword through their neck myself. My men know better than to fool around on the other side of the law while under my roof or on a job."

[sparepart11]

Perhaps Sashi wanted the money and was prepared to say all the right things, she didn't know the woman well enough to know what the truth was. Beating around the bush wouldn't do any good though, Antonia got the answer she wanted despite not being able to pick up on the motive.

"Well, I suppose I have no choice but to ask or else I'd be totally wasting your time. I require a couple of your most capable mercenaries to work alongside some Ilyamen guardsmen to catch the biggest fish of all," She leaned over and in a hushed voice, to not tell everyone in the guild hall what she was there for, "The lord of thieves. Not just I, but all of Ilyamen would be grateful for the efforts of the guild if you pulled this off successfully."

She wasn't lying, if this all goes down successfully the Mercenary guild could probably get a section of the city dedicated to them if they asked. Move up from a barracks to a cathedral at the very least.

"I'm sure you can imagine the benefits of taking this job. And I'm sure you are a smart enough woman to understand why I come to you, with our mark on another nation's soil. As for the hypothetical I started this diatribe with, the leader of the Ilyamen guard is not deaf to rumors."

[Kender Bard]

Sashi's brow raised considerably at that and she leaned back in her chair a little. "I'm interested. But do understand this; this isn't the first time that we've been contacted by Ilyamen guards to go after thieves. In the past, Ilyamen has found themselves outbet once or twice. Of course, times have been that they didn't as well and we did our job as agreed upon. But name your offer and be prepared to possibly meet a counter-offer. How many men were you thinking, by the by?"

[sparepart11]

What could she promise, she had quite a bit of funds put away for purposes of upgrading armaments and hiring contractors to erect a new barracks, the will do well as a down payment. Hopefully the new lady won't mind too much, but it isn't like Antonia will be fired after becoming a hero of Ilyamen.

"I can give you several silver pieces for listening to me and keeping this whole thing on a need to know basis, many more for signing on the dotted line. All added together a gold to the guild and all you will have done at that point is listen and agree. Lady Evanlyn is clearing a large section of the city out soon, imagine having first choice for a sizable plot of land to relocate to, and enough materials to construct your dream of a guild hall. You know how important this particular mark is to the entire city of Ilyamen, success will reap you benefits I can't even imagine to offer you."

She paused for a minute, sank back in her chair. All these hushed whispers get her excited for some reason. She raises her hand to her lips as she clears her throat.

"You are a smart woman, you know why I come to your guild rather then make this an official Ilyamen operation on foreign soil. That said I'd also like to keep the party small enough to get into and out of the city without creating too great a ruckus. I was thinking three of yours and three of mine, whomever you choose will lead the operation."

[Kender Bard]

Sashi made a dismissive gesture at the mention of land. She'd already relocated the guild once, when Amaro made his donation, and she was content with where they were now. But a gold as upfront payment for doing, relatively, nothing with the hint of more to come, was much more enticing.

"We've done small teams for similar things already," she said, thinking of the most recent foray into Ekaitz. "That part isn't a problem. How long do I have to think about this?" She'd need to reach someone in the thieves' guild; preferably Acqua but if time was short then she'd figure out some other way.

[sparepart11]

She was hoping to seal the deal now, any time wasted could result into the Thieves guild catching on that someone is after their leader. Or the unfortunate demise of their client. She doesn't particularly care for the man in general, but if he is providing the truth he deserves to know at the very least his life isn't in danger.

"That all depends, how much would it take for you to buy on impulse?" She thinks for a moment, the woman thinks with money, if there were a way to guarantee her a constant supply, "What if you were made an 'official' part of the Ilyamen military upon success? Let me explain, as the... the... Sashi Irregulars you would always have a piece of the Ilyamen budget devoted to your guild. And since each unit is governed differently you would in all likelihood be able to continue business as usual, it would certainly piss off Alexandros but he is enough of a tamed dog to listen to superiors."

Lady Evanlyn probably might have an objection or two, increasing the military budget by a few percent will definitely ruin her plans for expansion of the merchant district, but it would be a small price to pay to have the leader of the thieves guild finally dealt with.

[Kender Bard]

"Well that's a horrible name," Sashi muttered wryly but she was intrigued. "But then that would mean we belong to Ilyamen and we wouldn't be a mercenary guild any longer. Our effective, relative neutrality--which is what attracted you to us in the first place--would no longer exist. I hate to do things on impulse. People who leap before they look inevitably wind up ass deep in magma."

But she didn't look repulsed by the idea of a buyout. She tugged at her lower lip with her fingertips and considered the last time that this came up. "Two gold, fifty silver," she announced softly, "And we're yours."

And it would save the hassle of a run-around. Plus, with how badly Antonia wanted to keep things hush-hush, it'd be easier to make sure that she used members who wouldn't be easily tied back to her own guild. It could all work out well after all.

Except for the Thief Lord. But, then, that was the risk you took when you decided to steal from others for a living.

[sparepart11]

At one point Antonia was at the edge of her seat waiting for an answer, but after the price was made a long sigh escaped her lips and she sank back. It isn't a small price for a single person to pay, but for a nation she is sure she can front a bit. If nothing else Lady Evanlyn might fund it from her personal trust, success in this mission would ensure safer trade.

"That can be arranged, and that price won't even include the signing bonus I already told you about." Antonia dropped a plain brown backpack on the table in front of Sashi, "Inside is sixty silver pieces scattered amongst various pieces of paper, the parchment all worthless, simply for listening to me and staying silent until I return with proof of your payment, two gold and fifty silver pieces. Upon my return you will sign the contract and receive one gold piece, forty silver of my own to complete that and sixty from the state. The remaining... one gold ninty silver will be withheld until a successful mission is reported. Are the terms of payment agreed?"

The pause was simply so she could do some swift math. It is only just now striking Antonia that she is putting a lot of faith in what could be another crackpot scheme. Something inside her just wishes this to be true so badly, she is willing to put her future and her families name on the line.

[Kender Bard]

"Perfectly," Sashi replied. "Just bear in mind that I have absolutely no desire to agree to a long-standing contract with the state. We'll do this job and that will be the end of things until Ilyamen has need of us again. Of course you're welcome to approach any men I pick for this mission individually and offer them whatever you want on the side. I think you'll be most satisfied with our work. We've managed to get in and out of tight places before. Just recently, we were hired to free a few slaves from Ekaitz and it went beautifully."

[sparepart11]

Antonia rose from her chair and left with a bow. She hoped the negotiations with her leader would go smoothly, especially convincing her why she should pay for action based off the word of a man they could hardly trust.

------------------

Antonia returned some time later, looking a bit flustered but not pained as the negotiations did go well. However, she has been charged with sitting at an inn and watching a bunch of nobles trip over their skirts. It wasn't hard to hear her growling to herself about how she will probably have to be at Evanlyn's feet like a dog for the next three years for this. No time was taken with formalities like the first time she entered, the guard master dropped a gold piece and a piece of parchment on the table Sashi was sitting at earlier.

"You get both of these, the note is nothing more then a very important signature. She is only paying me the price I asked for. What I do with it is beyond her knowledge, if you catch my drift. Shall I draw up the terms or shall you? I will relay the details to whoever you choose to help me on this assignment."

[Kender Bard]

Sashi disdained paperwork. "You can do the writing," she answered. "I'm going to select my men. I've already got two in mind. I'm sure I'll think of a third before long. As to which men you take; I trust you know what to look for in a mission like this."

[sparepart11]

"I have already selected the couple of my men that will be joining yours. They have skills in the proper areas I assure you."

Antonia then rolled her neck so it popped a few times and set to the task of writing the terms of the contract. The orders will be oral so that will be easy enough, make sure to include that point. Also near the top are the terms of payment, as discussed earlier, and the number of people that would be providing the service.

The contract itself is very straightforward, Antonia had no reason to try to trick these people. The only one that might be tricked is the guard captain herself. Hopefully hiring Sashi's mercenaries might have some added benefits stealth wise...