Naras' Vignette

[JadedDM]

"How much does it cost to keep this place open?" Naras continues. "And apart from tithes, were there any other sources of income previously?"

[JadedDM]

"Each acolyte is paid 3 gold a month," Leena says. "The kohen, of course, would earn twice that much. So three acolytes and a kohen would come to 15 gold a month. I suppose that would be the bare minimum, but it wouldn't take into account emergencies, festivals and maintenance. Aside from tithes, there was also offering spellcasting services. Although without a kohen, we're rather limited in what spells we can sell."

[JadedDM]

The dwarf nods. "I see. We will get this under control. So, are either you or the other acolytes owed any money? Does the temple have any unpaid debtors or creditors? And is there any outstanding maintenance? When is the next festivity that we are committed to and would you know roughly what level of cost is likely to be involved? What spells have sold well in the past and at what rates?" This was work, and Naras committed to resolving these issues even if she didn't accept the temple vacancy long term.

[JadedDM]

"So, are either you or the other acolytes owed any money?"

"Not yet," answers Leena. "We still have a bit of gold in the coffers, but it won't last much longer at this rate."

"Does the temple have any unpaid debtors or creditors?"

Leena sighs. "Just one, but she's a big one, I'm afraid. The last kohen took out a loan from one of the Merchant Lords of Paradise City. Lady Nemka, I think it was. It was for four hundred gold pieces. As the kohen has never returned, he cannot pay it back. So far, we haven't received word from Lady Nemka yet. Eventually, though, I imagine she'll start to get impatient..."

"And is there any outstanding maintenance?"

"Not currently, aside from two bodies needing glyphs of warding in the tomb, as I said before."

"When is the next festivity that we are committed to and would you know roughly what level of cost is likely to be involved?"

"The Day of Tragedy, in just under three months," Leena answers. The Day of Tragedy is a day of mourning common to the islands; it commemorates the Carnage War and all the lives lost, although in more recent times it is used to mourn any who have died in the past year, as well. There's fasting and lots of wearing black. It's a very solemn holiday. "We usually get quite a few visitors that day to the tomb, and can make a decent amount of coin selling grace." Selling grace, a common practice among followers of Gonto, is the idea that by donating extra coin to the church, the living can speed up the process of the dead getting to the next life.

"What spells have sold well in the past and at what rates?"

"Naturally, healing spells are always popular. We charge about 10 gold for a cure light wounds spell. Curing disease is much more profitable, though, usually raking in 500 gold coins. Ships will sometimes pay for us to inspect their cargo with detection spells, which we charge about 100 gold per casting. Likewise, the kohen would charge around 300 gold for a glyph of warding or to speak with the dead."

[JadedDM]

"Leena, as Gonto is my witness, we will get through this. Now, are there any financial or contractual issues that you have yet to tell me about? Or should we proceed with the tour?"

[JadedDM]

Leena shakes her head. "No, there's nothing more." With that, she leads Naras to the library. It's a decent sized, well lit room with shelves on every wall full of books and scrolls. There are also four desks with chairs in the center of the room, making a small square. Each desk has a ink well and quill on it and are covered with parchment.

"This was the kohen's pride and joy, before he vanished," Leena explains. "A great number of these were written by him or the acolytes--in fact, he made it mandatory to write a book before being allowed to become an acolyte. Most are on history, but there are other subjects, as well. This room is open to the public, although I try and keep an eye on anyone coming in to make sure nobody steals any tomes."

[JadedDM]

Naras nods again, "Thank you, Leena, you seem very diligent. Gonto appreciates you. I think we can arrange a Glyph over the doorway to paralyze anyone not authorized to carry a book through it. I'd like you and the others to think of ways to get around that. I will pay a 3g bonus for the most novel way. 2g and 1 g for 2nd and 3rd place. And this will not come from the temple treasury, such as it is." Although the delivery is lighthearted, this still sounds rather somber, with no hint of a smile. After all, business is a serious thing.
She continues, "Now, what do we have here on crafting? And mines? And on Spell Research? And on this island where the last kohen went to? (Including any details on his preparations)."

[JadedDM]

Leena simply nods politely at the complement and leads Naras to the kohen's office. It's a fairly small room with a desk and chair covered in old books, maps and scrolls. There are two shelves on the wall, opposite of each other. One has books on it, the other has some potted plants.

"The old kohen wasn't much for crafting, although he did dabble in herbalism a bit," she says, gesturing to the plants. "We don't have any mines and if the kohen did any spell research, he never mentioned it to us.

She points to one of the maps on the desk. It's of the Octhanian Islands. "Here it is," she says, pointing to a small dot about 300 miles off the coast of Vaneil. "He left his notes here, too, about the island and his findings. He said it was populated by some mad, primitive humans who worshiped some strange three-eyed god. They hated all non-humans and killed them on sight. So it's pretty likely the kohen, a dwarf, was killed. He said something about a giant gem--a heart or something. He was obsessed with finding it. But the first group of mercenaries he hired chickened out on him before they got very far on the island and they were forced to return." She shrugs. "Actually, the mercenaries came back a few weeks ago. I told them what happened to the kohen, but they didn't seem terribly broken up about it. One of them was an uncouth Crizzite who couldn't make up his mind whether he wanted to flirt with me or insult my faith." She shakes her head.

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(OOC: Narin is on the western coast of Vaneil. Each hex is about 25 miles wide.)

[JadedDM]

Naras appears unphased, but pores over the map for a few minutes. "How long would it take to make a good copy of this?"
Then, refocusing, she adds, "Well, if he comes back and the two of you want to flirt, that's fine. But if he gives you sh*t or seriously insults Gonto then I want you to tell me. Then he and I can have a nice little talk. Right, Is there anything else in here you should show me? Or else, where next?"

[JadedDM]

"I can have an acolyte draw up a copy in an hour or so," Leena says. "The only other thing I can think of is to introduce you to the other acolytes." She looks Naras up and down. "Am I to assume then, with all of these promises you are making, that you intend to take the job?"

[JadedDM]

Turning to give Leena a stare, Naras replied, "You can make whatever assumptions you wish. I was trying to reassure you but I'm not so good with people. Let me put it more clearly, this House of Gonto needs work. I am good at work. And I will rectify the current situation. I have not committed to taking this position as a long term appointment. But Gonto needs me here, now, and I answer that call. If this is clear enough, let us go and find the others."

[JadedDM]

Leena nods, then goes to retrieve the other two acolytes. Both are human women. The first is quite elderly, probably in her 80s at least. She has fair skin and blue eyes, but her short-cropped hair has long since turned completely grey. She stands straight and proudly, but Naras notices she is shaking slightly--whether from nerves or perhaps just old age. "This is Agnas, and she's been the one looking after the dead," Leena introduces.

"Pleasure to meet you, Kohen," Agnas says with a polite nod.

The second woman is middle-aged, being much younger than Agnas but with at least a decade or more on Leena. She has long, braided brown hair, grey eyes and brown skin. She smiles broadly, her eyes twinkling. "This is Otaya and she's been our bookkeeper," Leena explains.

"Hi there, great to meet you," Otaya says, thrusting her hand at Naras.

[JadedDM]

Reaching a hand forwards, Naras greets Otaya, "Morning! And the same to you, Otaya." After shaking, she retracts her hand and nods back to Agnas, "The pleasure is mine too, Agnas."
Addressing all three of the temple staff, Naras offers, "Unless you have other plans, I would share Gonto's bounty with you." {3.Create Food & Water}

[JadedDM]

The three acolytes look to each other, confused. "We are usually paid on Rockday, actually," Leena explains, misunderstanding.

Once the confusion is cleared up, Naras casts Create Food and Water, which creates a feast of food and pure water that completely covers the desk of the office, and indeed, some dishes appear on the shelves or floor where there is room. It's far more food than the four of them can eat, but as Naras missed breakfast this morning, this isn't really a bad thing.

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(OOC: You may remember, I mentioned that the phrase "Gonto's Bounty" actually refers to gold. You just offered to share your money with them. )

[JadedDM]

OOC: oops. Was just trying to think of an alternative to citing the spell name. The response was entertaining though; ty.

During the meal, Naras recaps the plight of the temple's finances, adding, as appropriate points:
"So, who do we know around here is ill or injured and, preferably, can pay to have their illness or injury fixed? I guess we could accept payment as work in lieu."
"Same question for any individuals or stores that might require a Glyph."
"And why precisely have the populace decided that they do not need to pay tithes any longer?"
"Do any of you have other specific ideas as to how we can legitimately get more funding into the temple?"