Merchant

Merchant "I am the economy."						Faction: Ashwood Syndicate						Access Rune: Ashwood						Faction Boss: Bagman Herod						Difficulty: Complicated

The merchant runs the economy of the entire safe zone, the only man who direct access to the supply warehouse and access runes directly to the supply depot. Unlike other faction bosses, you have a substantial stipend of money that you want to trade for materials and supplies so it can be stored, refined, or later dispersed.

Stat Requirement

• Robustness: 10
• Toughness: 10
• Vigilance: 10
• Biology: 10
• Mechanical: 10
• Cognition: 10

Purpose

The purpose of the merchant is one of economy, your main goal is to oversee the processing of looted goods or refined materials at the processor and ensuring people are aware of the deals available at the supply depot terminals. Thankfully, you have underlings and automation that has simplified this process. In your main lobby you will find a loot processor, a special vendor that valuable items can be placed inside of to redeem of Ashwood coin. This is mainly used by dungeon delvers to earn extra funds to delver deeper. Coin can be spent right across from the processor on the supply depot terminals, magical teleporters supplied by the Ascendant which can both buy and sell specific items that fixers in the upper levels deem worthy of sale. This complex network of stores, caches, and warehouse rooms are generally random, what is needed upstairs or available for sale down here is often random. The greatest value can be made by selling items directly to the depot rather than using the processor but few want to wait around for a sale, that is where you stand to make the most value by announcing items you need so people will come and sell them. Since the depot terminal always offers a better pay out, customers benefit more and a nice hefty thirty percent commission ensures your own account makes a profit on the side.

Your secondary consideration is ensuring that fixers and beast masters are covering every task they need to be performing. This ranges from giving fixers the correct supply to keep the kitchens and bar running to buying materials at a slight mark up so they can use their crafting talents to make bigger sales. Though most of your work is supportive, you are well within your right to make side deals, such as offering potential dungeon divers ammunition and supplies in return for a commission after they come back with packs laden with loot. Beyond your personal deals, announcing generous sales at the depot terminal, and keeping your underlings supplied, your syndicate practical runs itself.

Tips

• Announcing lucrative sales on your terminal can be a profitable venture for yourself and your customers.
• Your fixers and beast masters generally need supplies and your agents will usually need ammo. Try to let your surplus profit benefit them to keep them working smoothly.
• Your hospitality ventures in the tavern, garden, and kitchen are amazing ways to make money without much risk.

Unique Equipment

• Mana Comet - A unique pistol for your defense and protection, a magical weapon with a self charging mana battery that can switch between non-lethal electrical shocks and moderately lethal fireballs.
• Mangeki Mow - A strange statue you feel like you need to protect at all times. It was given by Herod, but its purpose is unclear.
• Ashwood Listener - A radio that, when upgraded with enchantment oddities, can give you communications across all comm runes. Be very careful taking this anywhere, as it is technically illegal and can easily get your legs broken for having it.

Advanced Tips

• Consider buying loot hauls with your own money to sell them as individual items or at the depot terminals yourself.
• Only the supply depot can supply premium ammunition, this monopoly means you can charge a premium cost.
• Fixers can craft scrap ammo, which deals half the damage premium does but requires only metal, gunpowder, and the tools to make it. Consider buying metal from prospectors and gunpowder from the Ascendant Rosaria so your fixers can craft cheaper munitions.
• The only place to find proper quality guns is within the supply depot. Keep track of rifles for sale on the terminal and consider purchasing them yourself for resale at a profit later. Keep in mind, every purchase adds thirty percent of its sale to your account directly, meaning you can buy at a discount.
• On the reverse, every sale to the depot earns you a thirty percent commission, which is generally more than what the processor offers on individual items.