NOVPUBLayla looked at Diego and said deferentially, "As loyal nobles who take their responsibilities to the Empire seriously, of course, we are open to considering requests from His Imperial Highness." Billy nodded his head, eyes downcast, a pious look on his face.
Smyth wondered if he had approached his mission in the wrong way. With such cooperation a possibility, perhaps he should have...
"For the right price, of course." The Baron and Baroness sipped their wine, leaned back in their chairs, and smiled, showing slightly pointed teeth.
Diego sighed, "You almost had me. That is an amazing skill, whatever you used."
Layla rolled her eyes, "We learned it the hard way, sitting in long board meetings, learning to anticipate the whims of our superiors, agreeing to whatever project they tossed us, and pretending we were happy."
Billy looked from the Inquisitor to the Procurator. "We aren't adverse at all to working with the Emperor. Supplying the Legion benefits of both. Tell us about this new job, and we can haggle over whether it can be done and what the price is."
The bluntness of the statement angered Smythe: "I find it a little distasteful to reduce the Emperor's desires to a transaction."
Billy gave the smallest of shrugs, "Why not? So far, the Empire has made all of our interactions transactional. Taxes, penalties, bills of sale, and now more taxes, which you hope to use as pressure to get what you want. We tried working with the Empire to build a fortress, and half of you worked against us. We build resources and production, and people get mad. We built the teleport stone you wanted to be built, and people got mad. Hell, we built a road south and got complaints. Loyalty seems to have some odd rules, similar to an ACME boardroom."
Layla looked at the two imperial servants, "And, I notice that instead of sending a diplomat, we have the Tax Office and the Inquisition here. Why is that?"
Smythe wasn't sure how to answer the question, and Diego just laughed. "Because Gustavus is in a hurry and wants to get things done. It would take the diplomatic corps a month just to decide who was making the trip."
Billy said, "Huh, that bad?"
"You have no idea. Gustavus has been working to make the Imperial Bureaucracy more efficient, continuing the work his grandfather started. It's a long, slow project. The diplomatic corps he is leaving as a project for his grandson."
"Fine, let's hear about this job then, and my Baroness and I will try to scrounge up a bit of loyalty while we consider it."
Diego asked for another table and then brought out a map of the Barony and the surrounding areas. "I'm sure this is familiar to you, but I would like to be as clear as possible during this discussion. You have already generously constructed a fine road going due south from Rowan Keep to the town of Hurlsford. Technically, this is in the lands traditionally claimed by the Barony of Northguard. Hurlsford is Baron Pinchpenny's northernmost settlement on record. Moving westward, we come to Daylesford and a string of small villages along the road heading eventually to Thunderhead. All of these lands lie along the northern border of Northguard, but recently, you've taken an interest in Daylesford and the neighboring villages."
Billy pointed to four spots on the map, "ACME has land in these areas, under the same contract that let me build in Sedgewick. The land has been mismanaged for some time, and I'm making changes to the operations. I take it you want to collect taxes on those lands? For what they are worth, I will gladly pay you a few buckets of groats." 𝑛𝑜𝑣𝑝𝑢𝘣.𝘤𝑜𝘮
Smythe had examined the records for those areas already. "You would be overpaying. Traditionally we collect a dozen eggs or one chicken every ten years. A token amount to remind the peasants whose lands they live in."
Diego pointed to Thunderhead, "And you also have a small piece of land here along with the mines, do you not?"
"Yeah, won that from Famco. Worthless according to the locals. Mined out and haunted. The timber in the area might have some worth, but not to us. It's a long way off through bandit-infested wilderness, on bad roads. There's no teleporter in Thunderhead, so other than some pretty waterfalls, of little value."
"Gustavus feels differently. It's a substantial town, and while isolated now, it will grow as the trade routes south and west carry more traffic. He has much faith in what you and other corporations will be doing in the coming decades. According to Imperial records dating back a few centuries, there were surveys done of the lower mines that showed rich veins of ore, but in monster-infested areas. And the town does have a teleport stone, just inactive. It's been on the list for repairs for sixty-seven years. It was finally scheduled for repair this year, but with so many other stones in need of repair, it might be a century until the mage's guild gets to it."
Layla pointed to each place, one by one. "So, you have a potential gem in the rough, with plenty of flaws that make it unprofitable for anyone to pay attention to it. Famco abandoned it, we haven't had time to care much, and the Empire itself pays little attention to it. Then several villages that are just wide spots on a road to nowhere, some with no names, and there hasn't been a tax collector or military presence in years. Finally, a decent village across the border from us with an absentee pain-in-the-ass Baron who tears up roads and burns out peasants. Does he pay taxes?"
That brought a sigh from Smythe, "Not per se. His taxes go for rent on the Legion Outpost that takes up half his castle. A traditional arrangement for the last few centuries."
Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.
"So that's a no on the taxes. And based on the soldiers he has at that keep, they don't get out much and aren't 'Guarding the North'. Am I misrepresenting any of this?"
Diego smiled, enjoying working with nobles who actually understood money and logistics. "Not at all. Let us also add that Hurlsfurd is in a bad position when Winter makes its next assault. It's too close to Rowan Keep to be ignored, and Winter will certainly come for it. It has little in the way of defenses, normally only having to worry about bandits and wolves. The Emperor worries for their safety and the welfare of the other villages. And that is where the Barony of Gadobhra becomes involved."
Smythe took a deep breath, "We are prepared to alleviate much of your tax burden over a period of years in exchange for your aid in protecting Hurslford and supplying it with food. In the extreme case, moving refugees westward to safer areas and building fortifications to slow down the forces of Winter. If need be, Thunderhead has natural protection from the mountainous terrain and a Monastery maintained by the order of Paladins."
Billy nodded, "Which is why you were so anxious to remind me of my tax burden. And I certainly do hate paying taxes."
Smythe beamed, "Excellent, then we can draw up contracts, and...
"Too bad for all those people that the deal sucks. Sorry, gentlemen, I'd rather pay taxes."
Smythe's mouth fell open in exasperation. "But, but...why?"
"Because it will be more of the same crap. Gustavus might mean well, but I don't trust all his flunkies. They'd be interfering constantly and looking for ways to profit. Pinchpenny will get involved, cause trouble, and any work I do will benefit him in the long run. Oh, sure, I get some gold out of it, but I have to put forth a large amount of resources that I could be using to improve my own Barony and we have to deal with all sorts of political bullshit and shenanigans. Sorry, no deal."
Smythe looked crestfallen, Diego refilled his glass for round two, "I suspected as much, and Gustavus did as well. But always worth a try. It indeed would be very difficult for you to do all of this in lands that traditionally belong to another Baron. That said, the villages west of Hursford have always had a nebulous relationship with Northguard, and to the east is an area of untamed plains and swamps. They are home to refugee peasants, bandits, and are never patrolled. Frankly, the people of the area need a better Baron and Baroness. And before you think that's a compliment, remember that the bar in this case is quite low."
The inquisitor took a pen and drew a line across the map below Hurlsford, then brought out a small scroll and read from it.
"Emperor Charles Gustavus Viconis, the 9th of his name, with the blessings of Duke Carl Greywolf, and Duchess Claudia Greywolf, wishes to extend their thanks, and well wishes the Baron William and Baroness Layla of Gadobhra. We entrust you with the care of our northernmost lands and wish you much profit and enjoyment in ruling over them. To show our appreciation for your aid against Winter, we give to William and Layla all lands north of Hurlsburg, eastward for a distance of fifty miles, and westward to fifty miles past the town of Thunderhead. We look forward to watching your careful stewardship of this gift."
Diego's voice dropped to a normal tone, "For practical purposes, the line is actually ten miles south of Hurlsburg to include its farmlands."
Layla looked at the map, "My, that puts things in a much different light. I notice that there are no strings attached to this gift. Call me curious."
Smythe looked uneasy, but Diego chuckled. "Your difficulties in building Rowan Keep did not go unnoticed. Gustavus doesn't want to place any conditions on his little gift, as it might encourage certain people to try and make you fail, and that would work against his goal of seeing the people in those lands get the protection they need. He's counting on the idea that you will vigorously defend your lands, old and new."
Layla nodded. "He's got that right.
Billy nodded in agreement, "Sure does. And one certainly doesn't turn down a gift from the Emperor." He stood up, "A toast to generous Emperors." After the toast, he remained standing, "There's some daylight left, please enjoy dinner, and we'll talk later and firm up some plans. Right now, I need to get things moving." He and Layla strode towards the door, yelling for people as soon as they were outside.
Diego said, "Well, that went well."
Smythe looked at the map. There were certainly people who were going to be upset with this. Luckily, that wasn't his problem. "What now?"
Diego swirled the wine in his glass, "Now, I'm going to have another bowl of soup. Eat while you can, Procurator. Things are going to be very busy for the foreseeable future. The two of us need to be in Hurlsford tomorrow to meet with the Mayor and their Council to explain the changes and smooth the road for Baron William. They are used to neglect and having a free hand. Some will rejoice at having an active Baron, others will cause problems."
"You expect me to be a diplomat?"
Diego laughed at the idea, "No, I'm not going to burden you with that. I need you to do what you do best: Use that team of yours to dig up interesting details about the town, and investigate who owes back taxes."
"So you can smooth the road?"
"Exactly. So, eat well tonight, and we'll be on the road at sunset."
