Age of Decadence - Gerardus Mercator - Merchant by Excellence! - SPOILERS

[Pladio]

This is the story of a trader, fresh from his travels around some distant villages. Gerardus has been part of the Commercium for a while now. He had always thought of making it big. Fortunately for him, he managed to become part of the vast network of traders in this new world.

Gerardus starts his story in Teron.

He has quite a bit of skill in persuasion and has managed to learn a lot about trading while in Teron. Having had to work with the nobility, he has also learned how to walk the walk and speak the talk - or something like that.

Growing up in Teron, he had to learn how to stand up for himself, but ultimately, he got picked on for being the smartest kid in the room all the time. That has made him quite resistant to punches. Unfortunately, he never learned to throw any himself.

Back in Teron, Gerardus met with Linos, the guildmaster of the town and one of the most powerful men around.
Apparently Linos needed something taken care of in a shady way, but Gerardus wouldn't cross the Commercium on his first day back now. Would he ?
Of course not.

Gerardus was asked to deal with a pesky trader. For a merchant, "dealing" with someone meant paying someone else to actually deal with that person. In this case Gerardus went to Neleos, head administrator of the Assassins' Guild. Neleos wanted to charge 200 whole imperials to kill the trader. Of course, Gerardus managed to take 50 back from that.

The next morning, Linos gives Gerardus a map, previously owned by the now-deceased Gracius.
Linos wants to know what it says and asks Gerardus to see Feng, the local loremaster.

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From now on, I will not be delving into every detail of the story, unless people ask for it.
I am likely going to be writing like before. Explaining the big parts of the story and what I have done after a few hours of playing.

 

[Pladio]

Feng helped Gerardus identify the map and he even sold him the Eye of Thor-Agoth. Apparently this Eye, which is an amulet, will guide Gerardus to important places.

Feng also told Gerardus he should go and speak to Antidas the lord of Teron. While trying to enter the palace, this old guard, called Dellar, stopped Gerardus and said he could not enter unless he helped the guard with some issues.

There were two options:
1. Gerardus goes to a mining outpost and destroys it, somehow.
2. A minor noble was taken ransom and Gerardus finds a way to release him.

Gerardus decided that his negotiation skills would be more inclined towards getting back the noble. So he went to speak to Esbenus, a strong-looking man who leads the group of kidnappers. Whilst speaking to him Gerardus manages to convince him to let go the noble for 500 imperials instead of a thousand.

Back at the Palace, Gerardus manages to fleece Dellar out of 500 imperials by telling the "whole truth and nothing but the truth". The raiders want 1,000 imperials. Dellar wanted to launch an attack on the raider camp, but Gerardus convinced him it wasn't worth the effort.

Merchant by Excellence indeed.

Gerardus is contemplating moving with the big boys now and seeks the audience with Antidas. He realises Antidas is nothing more than an over-obsessed lord trying to find some long-lost temple.

Gerardus gets asked to go to Maadoran and will likely go in the near-future, but for the moment, he is trying to find out what else he can do before this happens.