To: James Frazer

[Fuzziebunny]

A letter that smells of orange blossoms with a large wax seal at the bottom bearing the symbol of Sune is addressed to Artifax James Frazer at his office in Skullcleaver Bunker

James,

The Church of the Lady of Love would like to rent space at your facility for the purpose of tanning leather and dyeing both bolts of cloth as well as the various types of leather. You and I have discussed this briefly but of course there has yet to be a solid agreement in place that suits either of us. I know how much you adore your contracts. And I have never had a head for such legal matters so I will simply tell you what we require and if you desire, you can place it into a contract format. Should the Church of the Lady of Love agree to all the terms you impose, I see no reason not to sign a mutually profitable agreement.


The first thing that should be discussed is space I believe. I will need perhaps enough room to tan maybe two or three hides at a time. The racks needed to dry them adequately as well as room for at least five large vats for dyeing cloth and leather.Do add in the storage space for the correct amount of supplies for both the dye and the tanning. I will keep each chest or locker you supply well stocked so that there is never a delay in production.

This leads me to questions on access and security. Once the Church rents the space I should like to have full access to it at all times. Do please let me know what can be managed with this. I am somewhat leery of having asserts of the Church out there, that the Church cannot fully control. Please let me know as well what sort of security arrangement we will need to be put in place to insure everything is kept secure. The dyes and chemicals needed for this sort of work can be very expensive and I want to make sure we are protecting our investments in addition to keeping such dangerous things in a safe manner that prevents injury.

The last is transportation and storage. With the Church still new I think it might be wise to speak to your establishment about the storage of excess leather as well as transportation from the place of production to the Church of the Lady. Please let me know what you find an agreeable arrangement and I will check on the funding and see if we can come to an agreement.

I look forward to speaking with you and the most delightful Master Stouthammer soon.You may send your reply directly to me at Sundren City addressed to the Legion Barracks or to Aquor in care of the Church of the Lady of Love. I will answer a missive sent to either location with as much haste as I am able.

Lady light your path with her winsome beauty,

Heartwarder Chime Mynick

[Fuzziebunny]

A sealed letter addressed to Artifax Frazer, is sent to Schild.

James,

I pray this letter finds you well and in high standing with the Golden Lady. You have always been fair in your bargains and shrew in your business dealings. And I have no doubts that you will continue in this manner for as long as you choose to stay here in Sundren. Though I have only the fondest wishes for the success of your Collective, I should like to ask you for something other than your skill with crafting beautiful and interesting things.

As you know, the Aquor elections are coming up. And while I have no reason to believe anyone would attempt to influence the vote here in Aquor . I would like to make sure that such a thing, if attempted, is very, very difficult. Would you be willing to speak with me about wards? I have some small skill in the arcane as you know. If you are willing to assist me, I think we might be able to come up with something in the event that there is a disturbance.

Chime

[Kitsunestume]

A missive, rather delayed, is eventually returned to the Temple of Sune in Aquor bearing a minor illusion against casual interference.

Miss Mynick,

While I greatly appreciate the trust and confidence in my abilities as you have made evident in your correspondence, I am afraid I must inform you that I shall be unlikely to meet with you personally before the primary election. However, as I would most certainly prefer to share knowledge in a timely manner such that it may be used I shall instead attempt to share some concerns and considerations in this response. I would appreciate if you could see that appropriate advice is disseminated to the candidates and their security personnel, as you see fit.

Politics, and an election in particular, is not significantly different from any other market transaction. In market situations there are three parties involved: one or more merchants in possession of a good or service, one or more customers in possession of a finite amount of currency, and nought or more dissident elements acting with the intent to relieve either former party of their possessions. In the situation of an election, the services being provided are leadership capacity and traits, the currency is votes, and the dissidents are concerned with the manipulation of power - either through twisting the votes or by undermining the quality of the leadership.

However, the principles of managing dissidents are much the same as with any other mercantile. It is a fine balance that must be maintained between security and return.

On one hand, the more stringent protections one applies, the greater the certainty that a dissident will be unable to rob from a storefront: check everyone's weapons at the door, restrict each customer to viewing items one at a time from behind a bared case, and require that each turn-out their pockets before they may leave. Clearly, in such a scenario, the storekeeper is unlikely to be robbed, but will likely suffer a decrease in clients due to the unfavorable treatment.

On the other, the more accessible a place of trade is to a customer, the more accessible it is to the dissident. An open trade-room, where all the goods are easily within reach, and a single attendant towards the back is a statement of trust and appreciation in the customer, but becomes easy pickings for any snitch or filtcher with a loose tunic. While the customers may be interested, product loss may be high.

These same principles apply to the defense and appearance of vulnerability in regards to the political arena. The more blatant or obvious the cautionary measures taken by a candidate - such as remaining out of sight, maintaining a cohort of merciless bodyguards, never appearing in public without being fully armed and armored, or wreathing themselves in a nimbus of abjuration - the more alienated their constituents and voting-base are likely to be. After all, if the candidate requires such measures before being given a position of authority, they are likely only to become a higher priority target afterwards. On the counterpoint, the candidate who makes themselves willingly vulnerable may greatly acquire the favor of their subjects by shaking each hand and thanking each individually, at the significant risk that one carries a simple blade and the strength to drive a metal sliver through a brocade vest. As with all matters of trade, the end result is no different from every other simple investment: the potential return is proportional to the risk one is willing to take.

Your inquiry is regarding wards in particular. Arcane preparations and divine blessings are indeed a significant means to alter the variables of the risk-return exchange favorably, but certain considerations must be made. Many abjurations are defensive in nature, and of those, a great portion are designed to lie dormant and unseen until the force against which it defends becomes known. As such, deflective fields such as those produced by Mage Armor or Spell Resistance may be used to offer greatly advanced protection to those appearing to otherwise wear naught more than simple linens and silks. Precognitive or revealing divination such as Premonition, True-Sight, or a simple See-Invisibility may be used to greatly increase the perception and reactionary capacity of either the candidate or their security detail.

However, care must be taken when dealing with the Court of Public Opinion that one's preparations are not overbearing. While a small handful of defensive preparations may be prudent, too many will arouse the suspicions and distrust of spell-weaving specialists even as the common-folk see nothing amiss. Likewise, should a dissident appear the best defenses protect least against ridicule, and garner no favors when an unguarded candidate makes a triumphant return from the disruptive attempt that was simply ignored by the other.

While I would be most interested to discuss a more complete measure of security considerations, I am afraid that my time for such correspondences is likely to be limited until greatly after the conclusion of the events for which you intend. As such, I wish you the best of luck with managing the risks inherrent in the scenario, and look forwards to hearing of its conclusion.

Sincerely,

J. Frazer
Proprietor; Frazer Enterprises FCCC, Et. Al.
Artifax, Grade B; Exigo Corporation Associate Vice President