Rolled 3, 15, 7, 17 = 42 (4d20)
>>5714888You both look at her in surprise, and she blushes.
“I might, um, well, the exact figures are… it isn’t my SPECIFIC interest, but it was in a report on trade with the Southlands that also had, um, ethnographic elements which I…”
You could kiss her, the strange little monkey-woman that she is, with her idiosyncratic mind and uncanny memory.
“That isss less than 100 poundss of gold, yess? For four hundred THOUSSSAND poundss of meat?”
“Well…” the Baron pauses, a little flushes as well. You can see he mind racing, and you wonder if he even knew how bad a deal he was offering—he has a certain disdain for crunching numbers, evidently. “The transport costs, and feeding, and…”
“Feel free to double-check Eka—Queen Ekaterine—on her numbersss,” you say smugly, “but she isss rarely wrong on a fact or figure, in my experience.”
You place your arm around her, and she glows with pride at your praise, and your confidence in her.
“I will offer you eight timesss the going rate,” you say. “Five hundred poundsss of food, furs, and livestock for one pound of gold, with ssilver, copper, and orichalcum to be negotiated independently, and any other trade goodss haggled ass our ‘abacusss-fondlerss’ see fit.”
“I—” the Baron begins.
“And ANNUAL renegotiationsss, whereby our representatives will dissscuss our ongoing relationship, and reaffirm our commitmentsss. All your other termsss are amenable to me—including, of coursse, nonaggressssion.”
The Baron scowls, but you can see uncertainty in his eyes. He looks to his own wife, whose expression only he can read, and back to you.
[DC lowered to 10/12/14 from 15/18/20, for a good write-in and research.]
