Jackal Among Snakes

How does one profit from war? That was a question that Elenore had asked a lot throughout her life. Her father, King Felipe III, warred throughout most of his reign, expanding the already significant holdings of the kingdom of Vasquer to a level beyond what it had ever been before. She had learned how to profit from the large industry in that generous allotment of time.

Those doing the warring received some of the profit, of course. Looting was commonplace in war, but that was a crude thing, and difficult to control or moderate. In terms of appeasing the patricians of Relize and elevating their faction’s reputation simultaneously… it was of no help to her. Above all, it was bad for the future of the realm. If Relizeans soldiers looted Atrus in the process of restoring order, Argrave’s faction effectively spent lives and money to gain a wasteland. The short-term benefits vastly paled before the profit lost in the future. The older patricians had an intrinsic grasp of that concept.

Those of the fractured kingdom of Atrus would naturally be opposed to looting, too. If Relize’s army had a reputation of incontrovertibly damaging the lands they marched across, resistance from the lords of Atrus would be fiercer the deeper they pressed. On the contrary, if more merciful options were presented consistently, resistance might lessen as they proceeded. Acquiescence would become a common alternative to battle, better both for the realm, the people, and Argrave’s future prospects.

Altogether, looting was an unideal form of war profiteering for the future.

The way that Elenore profited from war in the past was rather simple: she bought industries the war needed. Metalworking and criminal enchanting—namely, non-Order enchanting—formed the core of her profits. Land—agriculturally developed land, that is—was also another core component, but her status as the Bat had limited her ability to own said land.

Now, land was falling into Elenore’s hands day by day as the army advanced.

The lords of Atrus wanted two things: to maintain control of their land, and to keep its value. The patricians in Relize wanted a return on their investment of bodies and ships. Both wanted a future, even at the detriment of the other. Yet Elenore believed the two weren’t necessarily mutually exclusive. With her agents in Atrus and her position of power as Argrave’s regent, the two could be all but forced to cooperate.

To that end, Elenore developed a system that was partly based off anecdotes she had wrested from Argrave about the difficulties of the financial system in the world he came from. It was a concept that had technically existed for a long time. Elenore merely formalized it and distributed it according to merit, with ample explanation to pitch the benefits.

Upon surrender, the lands of the lords of Atrus remained theirs. It was, however, deemed a debt owed to the crown. This debt—Elenore had named it a resistance debt—could be owned by anyone, regardless of status. Consequently, Elenore distributed them as rewards. This resistance debt was to be paid off in increments twice a year. Failure to meet payments meant that whoever owned the debt could seize the allotted land lawfully with the permission—and even aid—of the crown.

It was not in favor of the nobility of Atrus. But then, such was the power of leverage. The theory behind it was that the people in Atrus would be willing to enter into this resistance debt that potentially stripped their lands, as the alternative was resisting mindlessly and definitely losing their lands. And in the time since Argrave’s absence… she had been proven right.

On the other end of things, many patricians realized the implications of such a debt. It bound each and every recipient of such a reward to the crown almost absolutely—this debt of theirs was secured by the crown, so all had a vested interest in keeping Argrave and his successors in power. And yet that didn’t matter. A biannual payment of significant quantity, with the potential of turning into real land should their debtor default… and that wasn’t even mentioning the fact this debt could be sold to others freely. It was undeniably appealing.

Elenore was certain it would work because the people she was dealing with were business-minded. The patricians, near one and all, were traders: the title of ‘patrician’ came only from the Grand Council of Relize. Outside of it, they were nothing. The promise of either great wealth or land was acceptable to them. Land was hard to acquire as a commoner, and wealth formed the cornerstone of Relizean power. That was why she had taken this path. Had the makeup of their army been nobility, such a resolution would never have sufficed.

That isn’t to say the resistance debt hadn’t come without its problems. The administration and codification of the matter was a tremendous burden—calculating debt, dividing land, and negotiations alone were monumental duties, not to mention the thousands of other minutiae. The number of people that Elenore employed seemed to be increasing exponentially—in turn, the strain on her pre-existing financing had to bear that weight.

And yet Argrave still asks me to send money to that god-forsaken northern wasteland while he plays dress-up, Elenore reflected as she travelled in a carriage, some of Argrave’s royal knights escorting her just outside. To say the least, Argrave was not one to hesitate in asking for more of people. In time… we need a far more centralized army, Elenore noted. If we’re to tie people to the crown, there has to be a way of enforcing that tie beyond the armies lent to us by our vassals.

All that said, her handling of the matter had worked thus far. The complaints lessened. People started to heed Elenore as Argrave’s regent, seeking her out as they had him in the past. It was war, and people would never be fully content… but Elenore knew enough of the situation to deem dissatisfaction a non-imminent issue. Elenore, herself, was not dissatisfied with things. She merely viewed her financial losses as the transition between a business and a government.

very well… but the initial push was always the strongest point. Their numbers swelled slightly from surrendering lords, but enthusiasm and unity both suffered as a consequence. And as they headed further, their most striking weakness would be put plainly on display: their lack

slowed steadily until it stopped. Outside, someone new entered her field of perception—it took her only a heartbeat to recognize the dark hair, tan

offering his hand

hand, alighting as gracefully as she could. “Is the opposition as we feared from Castle Cookpot?” Elenore asked at once, sparing her own

a matter of fact… I’m getting a rather bad feeling about

sighed as they walked along a well-worn road that had been trampled down by a

suggest this isn’t a headless organization. Indeed, they’re rather well-headed and unified in purpose, despite the lack

a little tighter. “It seems like things are finally

#####

were somewhat awed glances at the presence of three people as large as the snow elves. No words were exchanged between any as they were led to a private room with only two

to his right. Pavel Drawnwater sat across, scrutinizing. He had eyes as green as freshly printed dollar bills. Once the niceties had passed he spoke with the principle that time was precious: namely, briefly. He had no guards with him. Even Bran Livermore, their initial point of contact, had left along the

arrogance? Argrave didn’t think so. Maybe Pavel was merely sensible enough to realize not much could be done in the face of a Magister if they wanted him dead.

to hear what exactly this business opportunity of yours offers, Magister Vasilisa,” he said, respectfully though insistently. “Even now, I

because it demands secrecy,” Argrave spoke for her. Only then did Pavel’s eyes

forward to the edge of his couch. “Yes… I’m told you’ve been speaking for Magister Vasilisa.

side of things for

that

in the same. And she needs

What does concern me is a need for secrecy. I don’t break

in short order. I am convinced Ivan prefers to have

Pavel nodded, wrapping his hands together. “I think I’m obligated to inform you my

of the

like your cousin’s

confused. “Is this

Argrave nodded. “So… your

blessing to my house,”

coughed. It was a premeditated signal—she felt

Argrave pressed. “Everyone wants to