Esteemed Condottiera Rosseau,
I hope this letter finds you in good health.
My sincere condolences for the losses la Banda Rossa suffered during the Battle of Arslan; good men and women are surely hard to replace. I hope the new Reclutas will soon earn their places among your ranks.
I write to you to discuss business. As our schedules often seem to conflict, it is perhaps easier to communicate in writing. There are two matters I wish to bring to the table.
Firstly, the late Balestriere Danebluff approached me regarding the protection services offered by la Banda. He gave me a rough idea of the various tiers of protection, and after considering them and discussing the matter with lady Shabani – who sees no obstacle with Reclutas guarding the Hall of Trade on long-term basis, as long as they get along with the janissary stationed there – I would like a quote from you on continuous protection within the Hall whenever I have it open for business. How much would it cost per month to have an available Recluta stationed there whenever needed?
The second matter is as follows. I have been thinking of ways to minimise the risk of customers defaulting on debts, and I think there would be one very simple way for that: the threat of banning them from the Krak des Roses in case they do not pay me their debts. I would like to know if a contract like this were possible – banning defaulters upon my request – and if so, how much it would cost. The price may be either on a per-person or per-month basis, as you see fit.
I might add that while I realise the ban is a harsh measure which would cost you money in most cases, I do not expect that it would actually need to be used often. The mere threat would likely ensure that most every caravaneer in Ephia's Well would pay their debts dutifully.
I hope we can reach an agreement on both these counts. Please send your reply to the Hall of Trade where I spend most of my time nowadays.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Yours sincerely
Zina Zizzo
Merchant
Master Starmith
Voiced Citizen of the Well
Received...
Mademoiselle Zizzo,
Apologies.
Good help is awful to find, these days. Make a Bellow for me in the next day or two, and I will come and we will get this hashed out.
Condottiera Mirielle Rosseau
BANDA ROSSA