Ten Days Ago:
While the dispersal of the bandit camp by Sers Val and Corinthus was undoubtedly a boon for the already dangerous region of Mor Dhona, it had the unfortunate side-effect of leaving Verad at a dead end. His goods had not been recovered, nor was he any closer to understanding the advice they had been given to investigate an apparently unrelated mining company. For one instant, even a man as resolute as he was brought close to despair that neither his goods nor the missing vendor would be found.
He was nudged in the right direction by an unlikely source. Over the past few weeks, he had made the acquaintance of a one Burning Edge, a retired gladiatorial great. Over time, she revealed to Verad that she was in the business of debt-trading, of purchasing debts from creditors at a reduced value and selling the debtor's labor to outside parties in exchange for their wages until the debt was paid. It was all a perfectly legal practice in the Ul'dahn economy thanks to the careful manipulation of the Monetarists - so long as the workers gave their consent and were adequately cared for.
The very notion of it rankled Verad, but what was legal was legal whether he deemed it wise or not. However, Burning had gone on to tell him, there was somebody in the business who was rumored to be cutting corners, forcing laborers to work without consent. Such an action would normally be found very quickly, but they were covering their tracks well.
The possibility raised other questions in Verad's mind. If Gliding Bone had been attacked by thugs in the street, why had he been told to investigate a mining company? Why had the assets in Verad's strongbox been seized as debt reduction, and if that were the case, how had goods seized in such a plan been found in the hand of bandits?Â
It was possible, he supposed, that the trader, whomever it was, had hired extralegal assistance in securing newly-purchased debtors, but that would mean very little without the strength of paper and parchment, of ink and quill, to forestall accusations of kidnapping.
Feeling the matter bore fruit, Verad entreated his comrades in the Harbingers to investigate further. Miss Lakshmi was the first, and her task had been simple to relocate Godrich, one of Gliding Bone's attackers, amidst the Ala Mihgan refugees in order to press him for further information.
Finding Godrich amidst the refugee camps was simple enough for her, as he had been polite enough to give the company his address, believing Ser Val, from their encounter at the Peiste, to be a fellow cactuar enthusiast. Presenting herself as a friend of Val, Godrich was eager to talk, even going so far as to provide a forged document authorizing prohibited medicines to help the "injured plant." Godrich, it seemed, was an accomplished forgery artist, with a variety of different documents intended to provide extra food and supplies for the refugees. How simple would it be, thought Verad when she reported this, for him to forge consent to debt-trading as well?
He would never have the chance to ask the man, as an intruder appeared, and Godrich urged Lakshmi to hide. She was forced to listen as someone, an Agid, informed him that they had a new forger, less prone to errors on other jobs, less prone to, ironically, providing sensitive information to rats snooping around. She heard the man's throat open, and heard the wet, whimpering sound of his death. And then she heard him call to her; he had known she was there all along.
After a brief confrontation, she was able to escape, distracting Agid by using her skills as an arcanist to start a fire in the tent, but not before surrendering her linkpearl, and not before Agid was able to reclaim Godrich's stash of forged papers. That evening, they had received a threat that, however lightly the members of the company had taken it, that nearly left Verad's marvelous skin in a state of deathly pallor: "Stay out of my business, or you will become its product." Lakshmi had unwittingly come upon one of the operation's ringleaders, and had only barely escaped. Cursing his foolishness for sending out a member alone, he resolved to make sure nobody went unaccompanied.
Ser Val's second excursion to the Tangle fared better. Aided by Lan Darklyn, they were able to examine the remains of the dispersed camp and recover Verad's now-abandoned and mostly-reeking-of-morbol goods. This came at a price, however, as they soon found themselves ambushed by a group of the same, seeking to use the place as a waystation.
Ah, if only Verad could have seen the battle! From their report they were able to easily overpower the larger force, only defeating their leader with some difficulty. And how rare is it that one can say one was hit in the face with a Lalafell? A strange injury, but one Val should have counted among his proudest, for it was in being struck with one that he had, however unknowingly, found the key to the matter.
Once they had defeated the bandits - and, unfortunately but understandably, killed their leader before getting him to reveal more information - the pair discovered that the group had a captive, a young Lalafell woman who had been kept in a sack, one incidentally used to strike Val in the face. The woman identified herself as an innocent victim of the bandit's machinations, a claim that, again understandably, the pair took at face value. She gave them her name, and, along with the goods recovered from the camp, they escorted her home to Ul'dah.
It wasn't until the next day, when Miss Covington investigated the mining camp itself, that the meaning of the name would become clear . . .Â
Now:
Verad didn't wait to be caught alone once he was off-shift, finding Bone and treating him to an extra ziz, extra time be damned. The two sat very far away from the rest of the workers tonight, the genial atmosphere of last night's supper having vanished once they received notices saying how many more days they owed for indulging. There had been no trouble beyond the occasional sullen glare in his direction, but he decided to take no chances and isolate himself. Not only did this guard him from future savage beatings, but it gave him the opportunity to explain his investigation to Bone in full.
He had listened patiently while Verad spoke, and, for once, he was willing to respond with a prompt. "Well, what did it mean?"
Verad shrugged, all gravitas having left him once the matter had gone from mono- to dialogue. "Reresu Resu," he said, and left it at that. Bone nearly spat out a half-chewed piece of meat.
"Resu?! Like Jeresu."
"The same. Brother and sister. You can see their portrait in his office if you ever happen to visit."
"Well, how can - I mean, he doesn't know, does he? How could he be working with them if - " Bone trailed off in confused silence.
"I was confused about it myself," said Verad, in-between picking at his meal. "If Agid is working with him, then why kidnap his sister? Leverage? It doesn't seem like he needs it - business is booming. And a few other things. Who was the new forger he mentioned when my comrade saw him murder Godrich, his old one? I only have some suppositions, but, if you will? They may help us escape this place."
Bone nodded his head in an overly genial fashion. "By all means, Inspector Hildibrand, tell us."
Verad's grin lit up the table. "You flatter me too much. But to begin. Here's the operation as I see it: Jeresu and the company have an understanding. A trader would normally pay the original creditor, sell the debtor into labor, and take part or most or all of his wages, the contract depending. Eventually, the debtor works for at least long enough to pay off the debt and make a profit for the trader. Simple. What Jeresu is doing is avoiding paying the creditors at all."
"Huh. He kidnaps the debtor, fakes a contract to make it look like a legitimate trade. That way he hasn't had to pay anything to anyone. Any wages he receives are immediately profits. Correct?"
"Correct. Because it's all profits, he can accept less of their wages than he would otherwise. An attractive proposition to a company that needs to cut - " There was a crack and Verad felt his stool's leg lurch from underneath him before bolting upright to avoid the inevitable crash. Â " -costs. That takes us to the last of the investigations, the one Miss Covington conducted herself."
"Mm, hold on." Bone pulled another stool aside. "And what did she find?"
"Here? She found the office itself, spoke with Palmer under the pretense of investing, for which I am told Palmer was very eager. But she mentioned a few things - most specifically, that the company has only been turning a heavy profit within the past six months or so, shortly after Palmer's appointment as new company head. I'm willing to wager, as well, that this was around when Agid was first hired."
"Wouldn't know; it's not as if I have access to the personnel files."
"Just follow along. Miss Covington also learned the name of the company's debt-trader - our friend Ser Resu. And the company established their relationship with him as their chief supplier of debt-laborers around the same time they started turning profits." Despite the seriousness of the topic, Verad bounced in his seat, making the give an ominous creak. "So, suppose Jeresu is tired of paying creditors. He finds a struggling company in need of cheap labor, cheaper than even debt-trading would provide. He speaks with the head, who's agreeable, and makes an arrangement with the security chief, who's also agreeable - "Â
"Where did he come from though? How likely is it that somebody who's running the security of the company is also ordering around bandits in Mor Dhona?"
Verad rubbed the side of his cheek. "I don't know. I've thought and thought but I don't know. Maybe he was a bandit hired on by Palmer or suggested by Jeresu. Perhaps he was the chief, and had these old contacts he could rely on? It would explain Godrich. It's he who is the real key."
"A dead cactuar enthusiast?" Bone scoffed into his meal.
"And a forger. A good one, from Lakshmi's appraisal. Without a forger there's no way to make this all appear legal. Agid seemed to have a personal connection to him - at least before he slit his throat, but that's neither here nor there." Verad could feel sides of his brain pulling apart as he tried to sort out the details. The occasional sip of beer only provided temporary relief. "Jeresu gets Palmer to agree, they bring Agid into the scheme, he brings Godrich and the bandits into the scheme, and they have a starting point. Jeresu gets their signatures, Godrich forges them, Agid and the bandits kidnap them and bring them here, and Palmer creates a debt system to keep them locked down as long as possible. Jeresu gets a cut of the wages that's all-profit, Palmer keeps her costs down, Agid and his crew get a small percentage. A working system."
"There's holes, but it's a start. So where does the sister into this?"
Verad sat facing forward in his table, and took a deep sigh. "The first part of this was theory supported by fact. Now, the next part - this is the truly dubious part, and I cannot say I am correct. But - " He held up a finger. "What happens next is that you get kidnapped, and Godrich takes a direct hand in it, and ruins my rug."
Bone laughed into his beer, short and sharp. "You think he died because they were afraid of you?"
"And why shouldn't anyone be afraid of me, when my fangs are bared?" Verad's smile was beatific. "Whether they were afraid or not, Godrich exposed the operation to somebody, and people started snooping - admittedly, we could have done better at the Peiste. But it gives Agid an opportunity."
"How so?"
"As I see it, he does the most dangerous work and profits the least. Keeping workers in line, kidnapping people, paying Godrich and the bandits, that's quite a lot of effort for doing most of the actual business. And then Jeresu's sister enters the picture. . . "
Bone waited a minute before giving a prompt. "You're trailing again."
"Oh! Yes, right. I suspect Reresu Resu also has a knack for forgery. Agid killed Godrich because he had a new forger; Godrich was expendable. Sers Val and Darklyn rescue a Lalafell from the bandits the very next day. I suspect that we stumbled into a double-cross. On the one hand, Jeresu having his own forgery artist means less pay for Agid and his crew. But if Agid has the forgery artist, and it's Jeresu's sister - "
Bone picked up the thread. "He can take a much larger cut, both for his own work and as leverage. Of course!"
"You see? It all fits!" He started laughing in the mad cackle of a genius, and Bone joined in.
"It does, it does! You've cracked it, Bellveil! So how do we prove it?"Â
"I have no idea!" he responded, his laughter continuing as Bone's died a quick death.
"What d'you mean you have no idea?!" He seemed halfway to lunging across the table, to which Verad could only throw up both hands in defense.
"Now, now, you're right that I don't have proof, but I never said I had no plan! I have proof enough for curiosity's sake, but I'd need to prove any number of forgeries to indicate Jeresu's guilt, and that Palmer knew about them to prove hers. Agid is the easy part, by comparison, so long as he doesn't do something awful to my vital organs before I can bring that about. As for how to prove those things?" He shrugged. "The documents are under guard, or don't exist here, and our movements are watched quite closely. A more dubious man than I could break into the offices, I am sure, but I? I am far too honest a man to rob!"
"That doesn't exactly help us, though. Any of us." Bone looked over his shoulder at the workers. If anything, they seemed worse after their night of revelry than before. "Honesty won't do much good if it keeps us stuck here."
"True." Verad finished the last of his beer and stood. "While I may not have proof, though, I have a number of levers, the first of which I pulled earlier this morning. And I have Miss Covington, who will be coming here to tour the facility in the hopes of investing in a few days' time. Has that happened before?"
"Mm-mm, not since I've been here. I heard some workers speaking, though, and it happened once before. The place will be cleaned up a day or so before they come, to make it look presentable."
Verad's hands clasped together with a sharp clap. "Wonderful! Then that is all we need. I must say I agree with the management. We have to put on our best possible face for the investors, wouldn't you agree?"
Confused by his enthusiasm, Bone's nod was slow and hesitant. "I . . . suppose so?"
"Good! Then I suppose we should see about fetching some firesand!"
While the dispersal of the bandit camp by Sers Val and Corinthus was undoubtedly a boon for the already dangerous region of Mor Dhona, it had the unfortunate side-effect of leaving Verad at a dead end. His goods had not been recovered, nor was he any closer to understanding the advice they had been given to investigate an apparently unrelated mining company. For one instant, even a man as resolute as he was brought close to despair that neither his goods nor the missing vendor would be found.
He was nudged in the right direction by an unlikely source. Over the past few weeks, he had made the acquaintance of a one Burning Edge, a retired gladiatorial great. Over time, she revealed to Verad that she was in the business of debt-trading, of purchasing debts from creditors at a reduced value and selling the debtor's labor to outside parties in exchange for their wages until the debt was paid. It was all a perfectly legal practice in the Ul'dahn economy thanks to the careful manipulation of the Monetarists - so long as the workers gave their consent and were adequately cared for.
The very notion of it rankled Verad, but what was legal was legal whether he deemed it wise or not. However, Burning had gone on to tell him, there was somebody in the business who was rumored to be cutting corners, forcing laborers to work without consent. Such an action would normally be found very quickly, but they were covering their tracks well.
The possibility raised other questions in Verad's mind. If Gliding Bone had been attacked by thugs in the street, why had he been told to investigate a mining company? Why had the assets in Verad's strongbox been seized as debt reduction, and if that were the case, how had goods seized in such a plan been found in the hand of bandits?Â
It was possible, he supposed, that the trader, whomever it was, had hired extralegal assistance in securing newly-purchased debtors, but that would mean very little without the strength of paper and parchment, of ink and quill, to forestall accusations of kidnapping.
Feeling the matter bore fruit, Verad entreated his comrades in the Harbingers to investigate further. Miss Lakshmi was the first, and her task had been simple to relocate Godrich, one of Gliding Bone's attackers, amidst the Ala Mihgan refugees in order to press him for further information.
Finding Godrich amidst the refugee camps was simple enough for her, as he had been polite enough to give the company his address, believing Ser Val, from their encounter at the Peiste, to be a fellow cactuar enthusiast. Presenting herself as a friend of Val, Godrich was eager to talk, even going so far as to provide a forged document authorizing prohibited medicines to help the "injured plant." Godrich, it seemed, was an accomplished forgery artist, with a variety of different documents intended to provide extra food and supplies for the refugees. How simple would it be, thought Verad when she reported this, for him to forge consent to debt-trading as well?
He would never have the chance to ask the man, as an intruder appeared, and Godrich urged Lakshmi to hide. She was forced to listen as someone, an Agid, informed him that they had a new forger, less prone to errors on other jobs, less prone to, ironically, providing sensitive information to rats snooping around. She heard the man's throat open, and heard the wet, whimpering sound of his death. And then she heard him call to her; he had known she was there all along.
After a brief confrontation, she was able to escape, distracting Agid by using her skills as an arcanist to start a fire in the tent, but not before surrendering her linkpearl, and not before Agid was able to reclaim Godrich's stash of forged papers. That evening, they had received a threat that, however lightly the members of the company had taken it, that nearly left Verad's marvelous skin in a state of deathly pallor: "Stay out of my business, or you will become its product." Lakshmi had unwittingly come upon one of the operation's ringleaders, and had only barely escaped. Cursing his foolishness for sending out a member alone, he resolved to make sure nobody went unaccompanied.
Ser Val's second excursion to the Tangle fared better. Aided by Lan Darklyn, they were able to examine the remains of the dispersed camp and recover Verad's now-abandoned and mostly-reeking-of-morbol goods. This came at a price, however, as they soon found themselves ambushed by a group of the same, seeking to use the place as a waystation.
Ah, if only Verad could have seen the battle! From their report they were able to easily overpower the larger force, only defeating their leader with some difficulty. And how rare is it that one can say one was hit in the face with a Lalafell? A strange injury, but one Val should have counted among his proudest, for it was in being struck with one that he had, however unknowingly, found the key to the matter.
Once they had defeated the bandits - and, unfortunately but understandably, killed their leader before getting him to reveal more information - the pair discovered that the group had a captive, a young Lalafell woman who had been kept in a sack, one incidentally used to strike Val in the face. The woman identified herself as an innocent victim of the bandit's machinations, a claim that, again understandably, the pair took at face value. She gave them her name, and, along with the goods recovered from the camp, they escorted her home to Ul'dah.
It wasn't until the next day, when Miss Covington investigated the mining camp itself, that the meaning of the name would become clear . . .Â
Now:
Verad didn't wait to be caught alone once he was off-shift, finding Bone and treating him to an extra ziz, extra time be damned. The two sat very far away from the rest of the workers tonight, the genial atmosphere of last night's supper having vanished once they received notices saying how many more days they owed for indulging. There had been no trouble beyond the occasional sullen glare in his direction, but he decided to take no chances and isolate himself. Not only did this guard him from future savage beatings, but it gave him the opportunity to explain his investigation to Bone in full.
He had listened patiently while Verad spoke, and, for once, he was willing to respond with a prompt. "Well, what did it mean?"
Verad shrugged, all gravitas having left him once the matter had gone from mono- to dialogue. "Reresu Resu," he said, and left it at that. Bone nearly spat out a half-chewed piece of meat.
"Resu?! Like Jeresu."
"The same. Brother and sister. You can see their portrait in his office if you ever happen to visit."
"Well, how can - I mean, he doesn't know, does he? How could he be working with them if - " Bone trailed off in confused silence.
"I was confused about it myself," said Verad, in-between picking at his meal. "If Agid is working with him, then why kidnap his sister? Leverage? It doesn't seem like he needs it - business is booming. And a few other things. Who was the new forger he mentioned when my comrade saw him murder Godrich, his old one? I only have some suppositions, but, if you will? They may help us escape this place."
Bone nodded his head in an overly genial fashion. "By all means, Inspector Hildibrand, tell us."
Verad's grin lit up the table. "You flatter me too much. But to begin. Here's the operation as I see it: Jeresu and the company have an understanding. A trader would normally pay the original creditor, sell the debtor into labor, and take part or most or all of his wages, the contract depending. Eventually, the debtor works for at least long enough to pay off the debt and make a profit for the trader. Simple. What Jeresu is doing is avoiding paying the creditors at all."
"Huh. He kidnaps the debtor, fakes a contract to make it look like a legitimate trade. That way he hasn't had to pay anything to anyone. Any wages he receives are immediately profits. Correct?"
"Correct. Because it's all profits, he can accept less of their wages than he would otherwise. An attractive proposition to a company that needs to cut - " There was a crack and Verad felt his stool's leg lurch from underneath him before bolting upright to avoid the inevitable crash. Â " -costs. That takes us to the last of the investigations, the one Miss Covington conducted herself."
"Mm, hold on." Bone pulled another stool aside. "And what did she find?"
"Here? She found the office itself, spoke with Palmer under the pretense of investing, for which I am told Palmer was very eager. But she mentioned a few things - most specifically, that the company has only been turning a heavy profit within the past six months or so, shortly after Palmer's appointment as new company head. I'm willing to wager, as well, that this was around when Agid was first hired."
"Wouldn't know; it's not as if I have access to the personnel files."
"Just follow along. Miss Covington also learned the name of the company's debt-trader - our friend Ser Resu. And the company established their relationship with him as their chief supplier of debt-laborers around the same time they started turning profits." Despite the seriousness of the topic, Verad bounced in his seat, making the give an ominous creak. "So, suppose Jeresu is tired of paying creditors. He finds a struggling company in need of cheap labor, cheaper than even debt-trading would provide. He speaks with the head, who's agreeable, and makes an arrangement with the security chief, who's also agreeable - "Â
"Where did he come from though? How likely is it that somebody who's running the security of the company is also ordering around bandits in Mor Dhona?"
Verad rubbed the side of his cheek. "I don't know. I've thought and thought but I don't know. Maybe he was a bandit hired on by Palmer or suggested by Jeresu. Perhaps he was the chief, and had these old contacts he could rely on? It would explain Godrich. It's he who is the real key."
"A dead cactuar enthusiast?" Bone scoffed into his meal.
"And a forger. A good one, from Lakshmi's appraisal. Without a forger there's no way to make this all appear legal. Agid seemed to have a personal connection to him - at least before he slit his throat, but that's neither here nor there." Verad could feel sides of his brain pulling apart as he tried to sort out the details. The occasional sip of beer only provided temporary relief. "Jeresu gets Palmer to agree, they bring Agid into the scheme, he brings Godrich and the bandits into the scheme, and they have a starting point. Jeresu gets their signatures, Godrich forges them, Agid and the bandits kidnap them and bring them here, and Palmer creates a debt system to keep them locked down as long as possible. Jeresu gets a cut of the wages that's all-profit, Palmer keeps her costs down, Agid and his crew get a small percentage. A working system."
"There's holes, but it's a start. So where does the sister into this?"
Verad sat facing forward in his table, and took a deep sigh. "The first part of this was theory supported by fact. Now, the next part - this is the truly dubious part, and I cannot say I am correct. But - " He held up a finger. "What happens next is that you get kidnapped, and Godrich takes a direct hand in it, and ruins my rug."
Bone laughed into his beer, short and sharp. "You think he died because they were afraid of you?"
"And why shouldn't anyone be afraid of me, when my fangs are bared?" Verad's smile was beatific. "Whether they were afraid or not, Godrich exposed the operation to somebody, and people started snooping - admittedly, we could have done better at the Peiste. But it gives Agid an opportunity."
"How so?"
"As I see it, he does the most dangerous work and profits the least. Keeping workers in line, kidnapping people, paying Godrich and the bandits, that's quite a lot of effort for doing most of the actual business. And then Jeresu's sister enters the picture. . . "
Bone waited a minute before giving a prompt. "You're trailing again."
"Oh! Yes, right. I suspect Reresu Resu also has a knack for forgery. Agid killed Godrich because he had a new forger; Godrich was expendable. Sers Val and Darklyn rescue a Lalafell from the bandits the very next day. I suspect that we stumbled into a double-cross. On the one hand, Jeresu having his own forgery artist means less pay for Agid and his crew. But if Agid has the forgery artist, and it's Jeresu's sister - "
Bone picked up the thread. "He can take a much larger cut, both for his own work and as leverage. Of course!"
"You see? It all fits!" He started laughing in the mad cackle of a genius, and Bone joined in.
"It does, it does! You've cracked it, Bellveil! So how do we prove it?"Â
"I have no idea!" he responded, his laughter continuing as Bone's died a quick death.
"What d'you mean you have no idea?!" He seemed halfway to lunging across the table, to which Verad could only throw up both hands in defense.
"Now, now, you're right that I don't have proof, but I never said I had no plan! I have proof enough for curiosity's sake, but I'd need to prove any number of forgeries to indicate Jeresu's guilt, and that Palmer knew about them to prove hers. Agid is the easy part, by comparison, so long as he doesn't do something awful to my vital organs before I can bring that about. As for how to prove those things?" He shrugged. "The documents are under guard, or don't exist here, and our movements are watched quite closely. A more dubious man than I could break into the offices, I am sure, but I? I am far too honest a man to rob!"
"That doesn't exactly help us, though. Any of us." Bone looked over his shoulder at the workers. If anything, they seemed worse after their night of revelry than before. "Honesty won't do much good if it keeps us stuck here."
"True." Verad finished the last of his beer and stood. "While I may not have proof, though, I have a number of levers, the first of which I pulled earlier this morning. And I have Miss Covington, who will be coming here to tour the facility in the hopes of investing in a few days' time. Has that happened before?"
"Mm-mm, not since I've been here. I heard some workers speaking, though, and it happened once before. The place will be cleaned up a day or so before they come, to make it look presentable."
Verad's hands clasped together with a sharp clap. "Wonderful! Then that is all we need. I must say I agree with the management. We have to put on our best possible face for the investors, wouldn't you agree?"
Confused by his enthusiasm, Bone's nod was slow and hesitant. "I . . . suppose so?"
"Good! Then I suppose we should see about fetching some firesand!"
Verad Bellveil's Profile | The Case of the Ransacked Rug | Verad's Fate Sheet
Current Fate-14 Storyline:Â Merchant, Marine
Current Fate-14 Storyline:Â Merchant, Marine
