Reforge

You spend some time reviewing the information.

2 is Four Corners the type of organization to make sure something bad happens when you don't pay for it to not happen?

You don’t know, but it won’t matter. Ogorath kind of annexed a swath of Derexi land- a tiny amount, honestly, get over it- several decades ago, and they’ve been itching for an opportunity to take it back. You always thought that the risk was from your other mundane enemies weakening you, but then you suppose nobody expects to stumble on a secret, extra high god. Anyway. If Derexes isn’t being stopped by something? It’s only a question of how quickly they can sharpen their pitchforks.

4 What, at the same time? No limitations? Without cost?

Seems that way, yes. Apparently the founder deemed her other costs sufficient. Not that giving you her adventurers is entirely without benefit to her, given the power she wants for them.

6 How does Aeon tech compare? Would it likely be possible to reverse engineer any of their experimental stuff? If so, giving up trade secrets is much more palatable.

Aeon Co. develops tools for large-scale projects: diagnostics, construction, surveillance, infrastructure, and the sort. Most Four Corners products are personal conveniences and adventuring gear, excepting the bizarre ~cutting-edge~ nonsense they’re working on behind the scenes. Because they don’t overlap much with your own field, you’ll have a difficult time reverse-engineering it. But that won’t stop you trying! Or at least, won’t stop your research team, you won’t be directly responsible for most of that.

Costs: it's very strange that they do not request information on the Prism Beast in return. Do they not feel threatened by a spirit of that power?

It is strange that they don’t explicitly ask for reciprocation. If you were more charitable you’d take that as a sign of some kind of ‘trust’, but you get the suspicion they just assume they’ll already know everything you do.

3. A few questions:
- How are adventures currently treated?
- Are they allowed to enter by default?

You don’t know that much about it, frankly. Adventurers are tolerated in Edison despite the guard’s effectiveness rendering them redundant near civilized areas; you believe they have more business out in the rustic regions, but, needless to say, it’s never been a high-class vocation. They are certainly free to attempt to find work within the walls so long as they don’t cause trouble- which they usually do.

4. What is the public level of access?

Generally, only to one’s own history. You alone hold full access, without the usual request processing time, as well as the power to grant that access to others. Yeah. They want a power reserved to the governor. It’d be inappropriate no matter the specifics. Needless to say, these specific specifics make it more than doubly so. The archives are the… beating heart of Ogorathean culture made manifest. It’s an intrusion of privacy, all but a violation of sovereignty… it’s difficult to explain. But it would not be a good look.

7. Are you meeting the founder at the same time? That sounds much safer.

Yes, she wants to meet you both at once.


Then you move into a revision process. Between the stack of papers and exchanges with The Sword-bearer, it seems that the founder had contingencies for most anything you ask.

6. Get some scope on the favors. Establish a few things they can't be, such as unlimited duration.

First, you work out some restrictions on those favors. They are limited to performing singular tasks for Four Corners. In addition, they cannot force you to cede land or titles, nor to strain your relationships with your godly patrons. These terms are standard enough to pass without disturbance.

2. I'd like to negotiate this away

Then you see about denying her your optics secrets entirely. It seems that the founder is looking at that as a way to expand her business and recoup her losses for helping you; without giving away your techniques, you’ll be stuck paying full price for any Four Corners gear you want to get your hands on.

- Is there any amount of authority that could be granted to adventurers which is more than nothing but less than ranking noble?

i'm thinking the process ought to slow down. The adventures ought to be vetted first. Also see if you can get a duration on this one.

You hash out some of the details of the authority for adventurers. You can agree that it would last only the duration of the conflict with the Beast, and be a position lower than your titled nobility. The founder also provided plans for a vetting system, but it is primarily designed to prevent you from finding arbitrary reasons each of them can’t receive that authority, which, to be fair, was exactly what you were going to do. You know that even this limited power will still ruffle some noble feathers. Of course, you could refuse them any special position; the founder appears fairly accepting of the possibility, so long as you at least agree to listen to their years of experience in the field. She would demand another price in return, however; one of the other Ogorathean houses responsible for the aforementioned annexation of Derexi land is deeply indebted to Edison. The founder asks that you force them to begin withdrawing from that territory.

5. How about a warrant type system where the founder needs to show that it is likely that the individual knows something about a crime (as defined by Edison law) that was committed. Also get a duration here.

The Sword-bearer explains the terms in more detail; the interviewees would be people marked for recruitment based on ‘esoteric proprietary methods that he is, alas, unable to divulge’, and yeah, he does say alas. The person would be observed at their work for several days, followed by a single interview with Morgan, during which Four Corners would have the option to offer employment. Basically Four Corners just wants you to stay off their case when they start randomly spying on your citizens. If you don’t accept those terms, you’ll either receive no support from Four Corners’ adventurers, or have to surrender two of those godly favors. Why that's an option you haven't the faintest idea, but you’d have to choose only one of the three spirits to gain a debt on: Behemoth, which would raise fortresses and render cities impenetrable, Nihmin, which would bring to bear not only the knowledge but the devastating magic of a legion of ghosts, or Gravebaar, which would provide nigh-limitless versatility through the objects, locations, and people that have become lost- and taken by it- over the centuries.

Finally, as far as archival access, if you do decide not to let Four Corners snoop, the Order of the Crystal Sea won’t come to save you. Simple enough, if weird.

So. Which costs are you willing to pay? Which benefits to you want enough to accept the price of?

ANShow

Sorry this took a while for what it is, had some moving to do! :o
Anyway, here's textwall