Malta, the long run

Was it only the 125p Creo in the statues that we needed to keep?

Taking about six rooks seems ok, but I should probably only spend half of it, unless there is a particularly good opportunity at hand. I got the wisklist from Archimedes (but you said to avoid duplicates? I was looking for overlapping wishlists, to buy shared interests first...) What does Taliha need the most?

  1. @silveroak Will the trip to Naples be a roleplayed story?
  2. @silveroak How long would I expect the trip to take? And how much is left of Winter?

Taliha's wishlist.
-Most important: Terram Summa in the 12+ level range.
-Less important: summae of similar level minimum in no particular order: Im/Mu/Pe/An/or any other technique.
-Roots, anything but Im/Te/Mu/Pe/An/Aq but, of course I'm sure some of you want those roots, that's just what's useless to me.
-Tractatus on Te/Im/An or any technique

125p Creo in the statues, and 15 of everything just to have a stock. I think you should take the rest, 60 An, 35 Aq, 35 Au, and give it to Guccio along with our complete book list, and let him gradually buy the books over the next couple of years.

The duplicate book wish I didn't add to my list was Creo.

We should probably buy the three Tractatus that Marcus wrote since he didn't buy a copy when he sold them to House Mercere. Obviously not useful to him but decent quality.

I'm not a big fan of spending lots on tractatus until we have all the summae we need.

OK. Seems like a plan.

Then my list is this

  1. Roots: Au, He, Ig, Im, In, Vi (each of which interests at least two of us) (~5pvf)
  2. Sound SummĂŠ: Cr, Te, Re (45-60pvf)
  3. Equipment for three labs (ÂŁ15)
  4. ÂŁ100 in coin (1pvf? leaving change in drafts? or gold?). If the ship passes via Palermo, we will try to sell the vis there.
  5. 3-4 shield grogs with good language skills (Norman mercenaries)
  6. 3-4 servants
  7. a mason if we can.
  8. A lab text on seven league stride, but that may be on Marcus' own expense.

Items 1-3 need not be delivered immediately or in one delivery.

I am not sure if we can recruit the corsair in this round. Might the redcaps in Naples happen to know him, and put us in contact? Or maybe we just happen to buy passage on his ship.

Sounds good for the short term. Are you going to leave more with Guccio and have him buy more books over time? And/or invest the vis for income?

I think it is best to leave the remaining vis with him. The terms depends a bit on the logistics. Whether we can get him to visit us and bring the books. I reckon we will not use more books for three years or more. We can afford about twice as many books.

I’m not really sure why we’re doing all our recruiting in Naples. The mercenaries, sure, we need guards for traveling with that much silver but couldn’t we find servants locally and, considering they build almost everything with stone here, wouldn’t there be a perfectly fine mason on the islands?

We are not doing all the recruiting in Naples. I didn't mention labourers, did I? :slight_smile:

It is a question about language though. If we can recruit a mason and/or servants who speak our language, we go for it. If not, we can just as well recruit on Malta. You have a point, mainly because none of us speak Sicilian, and North Italian and Sardinian (or Arabic) servants may not be so common in Naples.

Naples is a good place to recruit multi-lingual Norman mercenaries, though. Then they can help us with the rest of the recruiting, in Malta.

Sure. That's Plan B. Marcus wants a Genoese maid if he can find one. Although he probably does not want to go out of his way to find one on this journey.

We need to learn the local language though, that’s the important thing rather than short term communication until we do. We should hire an educated Maltese man who speaks latin.

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«Brilliant idea. You do that, while I go to Naples. Thank you» Marcus says, and adds «I still want a Genoese maid.»

“Didn’t I already say I would? That we can probably hire most of the help we need locally?”

I think you said so based on an assumption that Maltese is an Arabic dialect, making you communication easy. I never saw the answer to the question of what happens when they are not even the same group. Anyway, the loose end was not tied up.

Even at 2 I think I could find and hire a translator. In fact the locals might even be more helpful in that case.

OK. That's settled then. I shall only try to find mercenaries and Italian-speaking maids for Archimedes and Marcus.

@silveroak
Taliha goes into Mdina asking around for a local who speaks Latin to hire as translator and, for more long-term employment, as a language instructor in Maltese and, if possible, Sicilian as well though Maltese is the more important language.

Once she finds one she would begin trying to hire the necessary masons, builders, and laborers we would need to build the primary building, manor house, whatever.

the trip to Naples does not need to be played.
You find a local priest who is willing to work as a translator and instructor in Maltese. He will ask that he be able to teach at his church in case a parishioner has sudden need of him.
Local masons are easy enough to hire for construction- whether they become long term residents of the covenant is a different question...
I'll look over the plans in greater depth and post more...