Peek: Earl if'Gofnar

Earl Paulte Heindarl Bulifinor Magnamtir if'Gofnar smiles from one of the balconies of his lavish estate as he watches the trades ships come in at the docks. He doesn't need to be there to inspect the cargo to know he'll be making a lot of money. The simple number of ships tells him all he needs to know.

And soon, his informants should deliver him what else he needs to know. For the most part, his plans have done well over the winter. On this side of the Gofnar, his children are running their cities well, skimming the appropriate amount to swell his coffers without taking so much as to cause an audit. The only one he hasn't heard from yet is Rezlar, but the lad is so timid and out of the way, he can't imagine him being capable of gaining that sort of attention from the Crown.

Up the Gofnar, his companies and shells among the dwarves continue to bring him a portion of the riches buried under the holds. If he continues to play it slowly, he should be able to corner a majority of the mythril imports! He might be able to spend his dotage as a Count, possibly even a Duke if his other plans pan out!

Across the Gofnar, his contacts among the orcs funnel through his holdings more and more of the exotic monster and herbal components that so many crafters hold dear. He can't hope to get a majority on everything, but a few vital pieces might be up for grabs, if certain competitors have... unforeseen misfortunes.

He's still years away from being in a proper position to profit from such things yet, but it still pays to get ahead and insert operatives early. Said operatives seem to be doing well, as no news is good news. He doesn't need to hear updates from them regularly. No, that'd just be a good way to get caught.

And past the orcs, his agents in the Principalities do their best to guide the chaotic nation as he wishes. Steering the nation as a whole is well beyond his means, but subtle little nudges aren't beyond him. He can still quietly stoke tensions between the boarkin and the birdkin while encouraging them to buy more and more weapons and armor from him.

He should be able to turn one of them into a staunch ally by the next Conference of Princes. Tensions always flare up as it approaches, and his mythril shipments should be ready just in time to supply both sides of the conflict. No matter who wins, he'll have an ally.

He idly plots as he returns inside, enjoying his day and entertaining a few noble guests. The evening sees him in his private office, receiving reports from his informants. Most confirm everything is going smoothly, but one sticks out.

Fourdock. The informant had trouble getting anything out over the winter, but now he can finally see how his youngest fared over the colder months. Reading the report, however, causes him to frown and eventually scowl as he takes in all that has happened.

He was vaguely aware of the new dungeon, but didn't pay it too much mind. Even when it subsumed the murderous one, it didn't seem like it'd be a big deal in the grand scheme of things. Vassalizing the sea dungeon didn't even catch his attention. It's not like it would open up the sea routes, right?

Wrong, says the report. Even worse, the growth of the dungeon is putting several of his plans in jeopardy. It's already outputting enough herbs to impact the profitability of his ventures with the orcs, and if it is able to do the same with its new orichalcum and mythril nodes, his careful cornering with the dwarves could fall apart, and so to tear asunder his plans for the Principalities!

Even worse, the Crown is auditing the Fourdock books to ensure nothing untoward is happening. He takes a breath and clams himself. No, that might not be the worst thing, now that he thinks about it. While he's very poor at dealing with the rabble, the lad has a natural head for numbers, and is still too young to understand how easy it is to get those numbers to lie for you. Even the informant agrees that the Crown is unlikely to find anything scandalous. He might even be able to use that as leverage for his other children and himself, build a reputation of honesty that will allow them all to take a larger cut, especially himself.

Still, something needs to be done about that dungeon. Attacking it directly would be folly, but monopolizing the output shouldn't be too difficult. He may even be able to use it to pressure his foreign holdings into giving him even more favorable rates.

He sits and considers, his scowl slowly shifting to a smile. Little Rezlar won't oppose him if he comes to deal with this personally. In fact, he'd probably appreciate it! It's no matter that he seems to be taking a more active role in leading, a father knows his son. It shouldn't take much pressure at all to make him fold, and then his wider plans will enjoy the benefits.

Now he just needs to decide when will be the best time to visit his son.