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>>34138871
Taking them down you hand the spice collection off to tai, who takes it gratefully and stows it behind him for inspection later. Heading out to the pasture, you call Marie down from the skies. Handing the knifes of to Marie, you flinch as she twirls them through her fingers with a disquieting oiliness. All in all the gifts seem to have gone over well and after accepting their thanks, food is almost ready.

You set the table, clearing a spot for your guest, you sound the dinner bell. After your hands sit down, you watch Tatiana hesitantly enter and go for the vacant spot, folding her legs under her as she lowers herself to sit even with the table.

>Anything in particular you want to discuss over dinner?

>>34138899
Well, cattle were new to her. Ask if she's seen our horses, and what she thinks.

Then let's fill her in on how things work around here. We're a sort of small time rancher right now, not an actual institution like the nomad clans she had back at home. The closest government would be the nearby fort, and then the towns.

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Leaving Marie, Tai, and McCain to enjoy their meal you let Tatiana dig in before you ask her questions.

[How's it taste?] You open with, for lack of any other opener.

[It is delicious. Is this from those 'cattle' creatures outside?] She says, after setting her fork down.

[Yeah, we lost a pair to a mountain lion but managed to shoot it before it did any appreciable damage.]

[Killing one of those beasts with a bow is no mean feat. Who was the archer that slew it?]

[Well, me technically, but I used my rifle not a bow.] You say gesturing to the lever action resting against the wall. She raises her eyebrow at this.

[Anyway, you've seen our cattle, but your thoughts on our horses? We use them extensively and well, I was worried of well...] you gesture towards her lower half.

[That I might perchance be offended? They are a curiosity at best. The fact that you and yours use them to do what we can do ourselves is quaint. No offence.]

You respond with a smile, [None taken.]

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>>34139905
You spend the rest of the dinner filling her in on how things work, and how despite being one of the largest landowners, you are one of the smaller ranching operations. You also outline your government, the function of the nitor, and how your towns work. For her part, she listens politely, chewing slowly and thoughtfully and waiting for a pause before asking you to fill in certain aspects. All in all, she says it seems not dissimilar to her own, but that the concept of farms not under domain of the cities is alien to her. With that settled, you bid everyone goodnight as Marie pulls dishwasher duty. Watching the others file out, you head upstairs.

>Go right to bed
>Draft that letter to Serrak (Specify what you wish to tell him in the letter)
>Work on finding another buyer for the colt.

>>34139932
>Work on finding another buyer for the colt.
I don't know what to tell Serrak right now that wouldn't seem premature.

>>34139932
Well, we already told the government about the pass, right? And we've gotten land ownership agreements down?

Then I think we're free to tell serrak about the pass. There's a whole 'nother nation beyond those mountains. He'll have to work with the government, of course, but custom and trade can probably start happening now.

>>34139985
Hm. I can't think of any real reason not to tell him any more. Other than like, giving the government even more of a head-start on organizing things.

>>34139985
>>34140049
Well, we seem to be at an impasse.
I'd like to tell serrak myself, but I'm also not opposed to looking for more buyers, I guess. Just, you know, we have to tell serrak eventually, and sooner would probably be better than later. We've been dicking him around a fair bit.

>>34140131
Agree with
>>34140049
Should tell him

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Slithering past the door to your bedroom, you move to your study and push aside the files on potential buyers. taking out a fresh pad and your pen, you begin draft a letter to Serrak. Starting off with the usual business type pleasantries, you outline the facts of what you know. The existence of a pass through the mountains, the fact that a nation untouched by anyone exists beyond, and the fact that the government has just been informed. You request a meeting with him at his earliest convenience to discuss the possibility of immediate trade with them citing your acquisitions and requesting his expertise on examining their worth. Finishing it with an extremely rough overview of their culture, you sign and seal the letter. Placing it in an envelope, you head back downstairs and place it in the bin for Marie to take next time she goes into town.

Heading back upstairs, you change into your bedclothes and crawl into bed. Laying back, you stare upwards at the ceiling after getting comfortable. An hour later you are still staring at the ceiling. Despite being comfortable and home at last sleep is something that just won't come.

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>>34141321
You think back, and you remember a trick your father mentioned from when your mother worked late hours in the schola. Focusing on a point directly above you, you let go of things in your mind. Plans for your land, dealing with the colt, worrying about your new guest, you just focus on the silence. It wasn't sleep, and it'd take its toll if used repeatedly, but at the very least by the next morning you don't look quite like death warmed over.

Dawn light breaks through your window snapping you from the dormancy. Getting ready and heading downstairs, you put on a pot of coffee and begin to plan out the day.

>Action?

>>34141355
Welp, we've sent off letters and told the military men. All that's left is to finish breaking/training/finding a buyer for that colt, and waiting nervously.

Maybe start fantasizing about getting a road built, and that inn on the hotspring.

Also, as always, enjoy the company of your hands while you're here. Maybe get that centaur up and working on farm duties, maybe being with the other hands will help her learn the language faster.

>>34141355
Let's put Tatiana to work then try to fix her communication problem. We can probably tutor Marie in the language first since she seems so eager.

>>34141553
That sounds good. Perhaps letting both of them sink or swim with teething to communicate might be an interesting exercise

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Rolled 7 (1d20)

Nursing your cup like it were an elixir of life, you begin thinking back to your plans for the hot spring, and how it might be changed by the fact traders will likely pass through. Hospitality is likely to be big business, and a high end resort might not be ideal. That said, you could always set something up nearer to the tunnel, since with the rule of four, not to mention the language barrier, will likely put a damper on high volume trade. For that matter, the road itself is a quandary, how long will it take to set up, where it will go, the works. The shortest distance between here and the pass is right through your land, and while that's fine for efficiencies sake, you'd rather not have your property bisected. The eastern hills would work, but that's the long way around, however the western ridgeline seems a safer bet, though you'll likely need to invest in a proper bridge across the river.

Considering these things, you almost don't notice Tai enter the kitchen and begin cooking, artfully moving around you as your lost in thought. Apologizing, you head outside and wait for him to finish. Looking into the corral, you're impressed with the turnaround in attitude on the colt. Whatever Tai did while you were away seems to have worked, the animal even deigning to eat some grass out of your hand now. That said the animal still appears skittish, but given you've been away and you consist of several feet of snake tail its not unexpected.

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>>34142695
You catch McCain out in the barn, working before breakfast is even ready, but the smell of cooking eggs draws you back inside. Over breakfast, the contents of which Tatiana recognizes and digs in with some gusto, you outline your plan of breaking the language barrier between your guest and your help. You ultimately elect Marie to be the spearhead of this endeavour and after she finishes her duties, namely delivering your letter to the courier office in South Fork.

You give the two of them a primer on the basics of the language and set her to show Tatiana around the ranch. You busy yourself in the meantime with creating a primer on the Casimiran tongue. Using a childhood primer on the phoenix language as a basis, you begin replacing the phoenix words with the phonetic representations of the Casimiran script. It takes a bit, and your aptitude with that language is a bit rusty, but with a few pointers from Tai, you at the very least get the basics down. Its a rush job, but it is better than nothing. Pausing for a late lunch you decide on what to spend the rest off the day doing.

>Action?

>>34142740
Get to looking for a buyer for the colt. It's the only important thing I can think of for right now.

Rolled 4 (1d20)

>>34142788
ditto

>>34142788
Have we not found a good buyer yet? You'd think we would have.
>>34142740
Finding a buyer is important, we could also patrol around the ranch, on the lookout for whatever wanders by. We could also show off the silk to our hands, if we're feeling bored.

You guys want to try learning magic again? We could bother Veles about it this afternoon if we're not needed.

Alternately, on our next expedition perhaps he can try to teach us during downtime.

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>>34142883
You've narrowed down the list of possible buyers from the dossiers Serrak has given you by about 2/3rds of their original amount.

Also I'm going to need a d20 roll if you are going to go through them, as you've not quite got a complete handle on Serrak's clinical style of reporting.

Apologies if it was unclear.

>>34142927
This is also a possibility.

Rolled 20 (1d20)

>>34142960
oh, crap. Sorry, rolls.

>>34142927
Oh, yeah, that's a thing to bother veles about next time we visit him.

Rolled 18 (1d20)

>>34142960
I almost don't want to roll, but that'd be cheating right?

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>Check for buyers
>20

Seizing the momentum you got in creating the language primer, you retire from watching the harpy and centaur pour through it in an attempt to gain some insight and head to your study. Pourng through the dispassionate critical files on potential buyers you manage to isolate three very promising possibilities. The first is a one E. Pendleton, a gambling man and womaniser with some influence in the horse racing scene on the mainland. Apparently he will go to great lengths for any perceived edge. The second is a Lord Francis Newgate, the name gives you some pause, as the Newgate family is the official ruling monarchy, despite diminishing its role in the actual governance of the UFK. From what this file tells you, the man is a bit of a fop despite being very far down in line to the throne, but also has a taste for finery and exclusivity and prone to action on a whim, you might be able to pique his interest. The last is a V. Vance, another big name in the horse racing scene, but his real money is involved in banking. The name makes strikes a chord in your memory, if you aren't mistaken, this is the same person as the one who delivered your fathers will. You look at the three dossiers in front of you...

>Action?

>>34143792
I normally give first refusals to people I know already, but that V. Vance guy will just make us depressed.
It'd be good to get in with the nobility, but I think the gambling man would want the horse more.

So, write E. Pendleton first. Him winning a bunch of races will get word about our horses spread around, and he'll be willing to pay top dollar.

>>34143792
Pendleton sounds like an incredible opportunity. If we get him excited I bet we could squeeze a whole lot more money out of him then the others. That said though, I'd rather contact V. Vance first. We've met, he seemed like a good fellow, and having it good with a huge banker would probably pay off down the road.

So, I vote for Vance.

>>34144080
Well, if we can keep it from being a downer, vance would be my first instinct.

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Your first instinct is to go for what you know, and while you may not know much about Mr. Vance, you do know you met him before. Pendleton may be a better shot in terms of publicity, and Newgate might be better in terms of money, but you've gotten this far by using every advantage you have, and you aren't going to stop now. Drafting up the letter, you outline the fact that this is a new venture, and that he would be the frontrunner for your quality over quantity approach. Putting the final touches on it, along with consuming another page of your fancy stationary, you place it in the bin for Marie to take care of.

A noise outside causes you to look, and you are greeted by the sight of what looks to be a full compliment of Nitor soldiers approaching the ranch on horseback. Heading outside, you can see an older gentlemen in a colonel's uniform flanked by Captain Keel and an officer you don't recognize. Upon entering the ranch, the trio of officers break off from the main body of soldiers in the center of the compound. Keel points you out and they approach.

"Ms. Masterson?" The colonel says from atop his horse.

"Yes?" You answer, shooting McCain a hard look to keep his cool.

"I'm Colonel Braun. And there are some things we'd like to discuss." You'd almost be intimidated, but then you see Keel roll his eyes.

This should be interesting.

>Pausing for now, as always, no pressure to keep the thread alive, but I'll try and keep going tomorrow if it is still about. Thanks again.

>>34145542
Well, see you next time, canid. We'll talk to some government men.

>>34145542
Thanks for running.

>>34145650
>>34145605
Also, apologies if the thread was a bit boring, I'm trying to keep things flowing a bit realistically and given you guys have been smart and lucky with rolls I've not had many opportunities to throw combat encounters at you without hamfisting it in there.

Not sure if it is a concern or not, but I worry about that sort of thing. Always looking to improve.

>>34145853
Eh, not a huge deal.
We don't need combat so much as things to do.

>>34145853
I like how it's going. I don't find myself missing combat but I'm looking forward to fighting some centaurs when the time comes to fend off bandits or something.

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>>34145542
You know I never would have thought that finding swf lamia pics would be difficult.