Free money from the Redcaps: would your magi accept it?

Voted Accept.

Sorry to be late to the discussion. I am playing a Redcap(mage), and my advise to the elders of the family is that the price for aid is too low. Lesser income sources might be awarded on request, typical sources for a low value trade, and greater sources for a middling value trade. Otherwise it raises questions and quaesitorial interest. There are paranoids running around out there.

However, this is a lovely idea, and goes toward counterbalancing the creeping and soon to be overwhelming undue and authoritarian domination by House Tremere, which must be opposed. Already they have made inroads into the traditional roles of House Mercere, in trade, administration, and presented utterly false messengers in Transylvania, messengers without any relation to the Family and lacking in fundamental House training.

ahem

Seriously, having House Mercere handing out grants of income sources, with some stipulation, and with the understanding that of course they are gaining benefits, including a cut of the income, promotion of stability, and a reasonable say in the economy of covenants and Tribunals, makes good and great sense. The House is also gaining information on covenant activities and extending their entwining root system, but this is par for the course.

Voted Reject.

The Covenant in my game has already run into issues with House Mercere due to inventing a (much) harder to produce but more effective Portal. Although we got something out of it, it was only due to our threat to release our design after a few years of having our messages basically being blackballed (they still got through, just very slowly).

We gave them a copy of the Lab Text and two of the Portals, along with allowing a Mercere Magus to join our Covenant and having a Mercere House in the village we built as cover for our Covenant, and an oath to never release the Lab Text (with the stipulation that if House Mercere takes action against use the oath is void). In exchange we got free free access through the Mercere Portal network for personal travel (no trade).

Overall we feel that we came out on the low end of the deal. Though House Mercere has been acting very nice and friendly since then. But we feel that is because they are trying hard not to take any action that will release us from our Oath. And you better believe we will release the Lab Text if they take such an action, since we see their leadership as a bunch of greedy power grubbers.

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