“Of course, I would be happy to answer your questions.”
“The lands to his south, and to mine, have been embroiled in turmoil since the disappearance of House Rogarvia, may their souls find peace, and many of those quarreling over those lands see the Stetven River as particularly desirable territory. It seems that very recently the situation in the south has started to become more violent — just today, I’ve heard reports of southerners fleeing their homes and turning to banditry within my lands. I would guess the same is true of Baron Dalin, perhaps exacerbated by the weakness of the man who rules much of the territory to his south, Basil Tagaris.”
“Maintaining the roads is the responsibility of whoever holds the territory, though of course in most cases one would delegate oversight of the actual project.”
“It depends on the situation. If a baron is struggling due to some temporary crisis, he might seek a loan from the Church of Abadar and repay it with the taxes and dues he collects over the next few years. Otherwise… I would advise him to first ensure that his tax collectors are adequately skilled with figuring, and always collecting the correct sum.” (This is two different euphemisms — it could mean ‘make sure the tax collectors aren’t embezzling money for their own use,’ or it could mean ‘make sure the tax collectors are extracting as much revenue from the populace as they can.’)
“If that is not sufficient, he may need to cut his expenses, but a prudent baron ought to put the needs of his people above his own extravagant luxuries. Of course, a truly desperate man may turn to even more desperate measures, such as selling off his valuables or arranging a marriage with a wealthy family of no title, but I have heard nothing to suggest that Baron Dalin is that desperate.”
