6. Gosterwick

Ellagel listened to the two fighting men’s exchange on financial matters. She chipped in gently: "Though coins do not rot, the codex would. And it is far too valuable to be left to feed worms."
The elf then accompanies the other party members in their visit of the three Factors.

Gosterwick
To keep things moving, let me try to summarise your progress in Gosterwick …

- Grim, Thrud and Zach have all completed their training and levelled up.

- You have recruited two hirelings - Eric, a Wiskin labourer, and Hector, an Archontean linkboy. You have equipped both with leather armour, a dagger and a backpack. In addition, Eric has two large sacks, and Hector has a lantern, 5 flasks of oil and 2 torches. The up-front costs to equip them come to 28 gold pieces in total (someone please update the party finances), and you will pay them a daily wage of 1 silver piece each.

- Grim has purchased some new banded armour. If anyone else wants to buy anything, just go ahead. Most goods listed in the OSRIC rulebook are available at 110% of their list price. Plate armour is not available. Similarly, some of the more exotic weapons may not be.

- The plan is to deposit your spare gold with one of the factors. I don’t have much more information beyond what I provided previously. So, unless you have any specific questions about any of them, you just need to pick a factor. Thrud’s plan to bury the gold is also viable, sacrificing security for cost-effectiveness (I’ll say there’s a 10% chance that your stash is found and looted).

- If you want to store the codex somewhere rather than carry it, Astableon the bookseller would offer to look after it for free (he promises only to examine it, not to sell it!).

Once we’ve got the above all wrapped up, we can return to dungeoneering!

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Ellagel, Elven Fighter/Magic User 1/1: 6/6, 60’
Grimidek, Dwarven Cleric 2: 13/13, 60’
Jacky, Halfling Fighter/Thief 1/1: 6/6, 60’
Thrudmarr, Wiskin Fighter 2: 7/7, 60’ (Lantern)
Zacharias, Archontean Fighter 2: 14/14, 60’
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Billie, Mule: 120’

Link to Jacky’s maps …

Jacky inquires about the different rates between the three services. After all, there must be a reason the Silent and Prosperity factors charge more and have a higher minimum deposit.

The Rarities Factor is the newest factor. Perhaps they are trying to gain market share, or balance transfers, from the other more established factors, by offering discounted rates.

With the Silent Factor, you're paying extra for the anonymity.
Yes, you have your rope back. I assumed you untied it at the top of the climb.

Prosperity Factor
You settle on the Prosperity Factor as the lucky custodians of your newfound wealth, a large house facing Imperial Way (location 24 on the town map). The building is stone for the ground and first floors, and wooden for the second floor. The ground floor holds the public Transaction Hall, where citizens can meet with one of the associates to negotiate business. The Chief Associate is Beryl Gneiss, one of the very rare dwarfs to abandon dwarven society for the human world. He invites you to take a seat to discuss your requirements.

Please provide me with the details of how you would like to deposit your coin. Are you going to take a single party account or individual accounts? And how much are you going to deposit? Remember, the minimum deposit per account is 250 gold pieces.

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Ellagel, Elven Fighter/Magic User 1/1: 6/6, 60’
Grimidek, Dwarven Cleric 2: 13/13, 60’
Jacky, Halfling Fighter/Thief 1/1: 6/6, 60’
Thrudmarr, Wiskin Fighter 2: 7/7, 60’
Zacharias, Archontean Fighter 2: 14/14, 60’
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Eric, Labourer, 120’
Hector, Linkboy, 120’
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Billie, Mule: 120’

Link to Jacky’s maps …

Jacky puts up 700 gold pieces to deposit in a personal account, leaving him 18 and change for odds and ends.

Having converted most of her coins into higher denominations, she will deposit 125pp in a personal or common account. I assume the party stash will also be deposited here once common expenses are taken care of.

Zach deposits 100 pp.