02 - Iron Kingdoms W.. - Captain Spud Is Amazing

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Drotuhn. This last venture has pushed Ghordson
Arms into the circles of some of the wealthiest clans
in Ghord.
Although most of their equipment stays in Rhul,
they make occasional sales to human customers. This
requires deep pockets and patience, but Ghordson
Arms delivers the best, and their equipment is built
to last. A number of Ghordson-stamped cannons,
mining ‘jacks, and a few steam-powered heavy drills
have found their way to both Cygnar and Khador.
For an additional 10 to 25 percent (depending on
the destination) they guarantee delivery and send
their own armed and armored workers to protect the
purchase on its journey.
Ousel of Ghrd
Wealth has a tendency to attract unwanted
attention from many circles, especially from those
eager to relieve an individual of the burden of his
purse, and hired guards tend to be far too interested in
self-preservation and personal gain and fall asleep all
too conveniently—or inconveniently as the case may
be. Ousel of Ghrd is an establishment that specializes
in discouraging that sort of unwanted attention. Run
by Ousel Earthborn (male dwarf Clr8/Rog10), this
banking house is well known among the rich and
famous as the most secure place to store valuables and
wealth. For a nominal annual fee, the banking house
will insure the secure storage and handling of fortunes.
Ousel is a cleric of the Great Fathers who seems
particularly attached to Great Father Ghrd, patron of
wealth and jewels. It seems that Ousel has made it his
life quest to increase the wealth of Immoren. He is
honest and handles all of the wealth in his vaults with
reverence and care and his reputation as a guardian
of wealth in the name of Ghrd is legendary among
dwarves. A master engineer and trapmaker, he lends
his craft out to those who need to build vaults and
secret chambers with the utmost discretion.
The banking house of Ousel is based in a small
sector of Ghord known as the Gildheim. Ousel’s
stronghold is a stone building with few windows.
Underneath this squat, sturdy stone fortress over
a hundred vaults are dug deep into the earth. The
workings of the vault halls and shafts are maintained by
trusted mechaniks and guarded by dwarven warriors.
Each vault is trapped in a manner so intricate and
deadly that none have ever been breached, but several
attempts have been foiled—lethally. It is said that the
halls and deep shafts of the complex are patrolled
by mechagargoyles (see MN1) and other mechanika
designed to discourage intruders from thinking they
can use enchantments to get past the guards.
Those who do not require the use of a vault can
secure goods in various safes and strongboxes stored in
the stronghold and kept in a series of larger vaults on
the upper levels. Small amounts of wealth, precious
jewels, magic items, and books are typically stored
at the Ousel, and they also handle the exchange of
goods from one party to another. Ousel’s clientele
includes powerful Cygnaran merchant houses,
wealthy privateers, prominent nobles from every
kingdom, and even the Mercarian League. When a
transaction between parties occurs, Ousel personally
manages the transfer for a small fee. In matters of
commerce, Ousel’s establishment is a rare thing
indeed—neutral ground.
Transactions with the south have become difficult
of late, since the routes between Rhul and Cygnar are
under Khadoran control. According to the dwarf,
Ousel has developed several ingenious contingencies
around this much-foreseen problem. He has many
agents abroad as well as other ways to secure the
remote wealth of his patrons, yet he is in a peculiar
position of fielding inquiries by many of his clients.
He assures them, of course, that their wealth is just
as protected as ever. Nevertheless, he is forced to deal
with some strained relationships of late, but he never
loses control of his ever-friendly demeanor.
Just before the hostilities began in earnest,
Ousel had begun building a second complex in the
southern city of Caspia. It is rumored that he was
building a complex for a trade exchange or possibly
a bank vault for the Mercarian League. Whatever
the result, the banker and trap-maker has been
spending a great deal of time within the City of
Walls. Construction has been delayed somewhat as
the Crown’s attentions have been diverted by the war,
but Ousel has been a welcome envoy in Cygnaran
courts, passing the time by humbly imparting his own
advice upon members of the Royal Assembly—some
of whom he has befriended over the years.
World Guide 87