House Inika

Over three centuries ago, in the year of the Desert’s Fury, in the city of Gulg, Taro Inika, a trusted agent of House Riben, broke his merchant’s oath and left his employers, starting his own house. Only the good will of Biria Riben, the house’s matriarch who had once been Inika’s lover, prevented the new house from being crushed within a year. In Gulg, rivalries between trade houses are kept to a minimum to maintain the peace and tranquility of the city. This proved a rich environment for the new concern. Within a few years, the house assumed its current form: a streamlined business dealing in small but valuable cargoes. House Vordon, ever on the lookout for weak rivals to exploit or destroy, immediately dispatched raiders to disrupt the silk routes between Urik and Raam. Surprisingly, House Inika gave in immediately, abandoning the routes, effectively ceding them to its wealthier competitor. Unfortunately for Vordon, they soon found that the resources that Inika had withdrawn from the silk route had been rerouted into the spice trade between Tyr and Gulg, where Vordon was extremely vulnerable. Within a few months, Vordon was on the ropes, losing money on the spice route and regretting the day that it ever heard of House Inika. Such incidents underline two of House Inikas major philosophies: that force is to be used only as a last resort, and that strategic withdrawal to a superior position is often the best route.

Inika’s favored trade goods – kola nuts, spices, gems, feathers, and other small but valuable items, help make Inika caravans small and fast. Gulg’s relative tranquility and the regularity of its production provides House Inika with a regular income. Wise investment and conservative spending combine to keep Inika on a solid financial footing

Inika’s caravans are small and fast. Elven scouts provide advance warning of ambushes or attacks, which are usually avoided rather than confronted. Cargo is carried almost exclusively on kanks, although inix are sometimes used for larger cargoes. Mekillots and wagons are almost never found in Inika caravans. Average caravans include about a dozen elven scouts with up to 20 kanks and (rarely) four to six inix. Due to the caravans’ small size, House Inika can afford to maintain many more than other merchant houses. At any one time, Inika can have 50 to 75 caravans carrying cargo across the region. Inika caravans’ tactics are, first and foremost, to avoid any enemy forces. Should this fail, they scatter to break up pursuit. The scouts are expected to seek out the dispersed kank riders and bring them back together after the attack has ended.

House Inika maintains very few permanent installations, preferring to temporarily rent or lease space in villages, forts, or cities. The house maintains a few trade villages and fortresses, such as Fort Adros. Permanent facilities, such as the house’s headquarters in Gulg, are masterpieces of understated luxury. This structure is deceptively calm, with few guards and little in the way of obvious defenses. As would-be intruders have discovered, however, Inika’s guards are deadly fighters, and the mansion itself teems with traps and hazards throughout its hundred or more rooms. Major facilities and their resources are listed below.

Fort Adros: 75 employees, 150 slaves. Supply point along the gold route between Walis and Altaruk. Often a target of attacks by elves and gith. Fort Harbeth: 50 employees, 100 slaves. Supply and storage point in the foothills to the southwest of the Mekillot Mountains, equidistant from Gulg, Salt View, and North Ledopolus. A major trading post for the slaves of Salt View and a place to purchase dwarven items from Ledopolus.

Fort Skonz: 50 employees, 75 slaves. Supply point at junction of three roads between Tyr, Altaruk, and Silver Spring. An increasingly important position as trade links between Tyr and other cities begin to be re-established. Fort Skonz was threatened with occupation by Urik forces during the recent conflict between Tyr and Urik, but the threat failed to materialize.

Shazlim: Trade village, 500 citizens. Located along the southern edge of Dragon’s Bowl between Raam and Silver Spring, Shazlin represents an important stopover and trade point in the area.

As may be guessed, House Inika shuns large numbers of troops. Those household forces that are permanently maintained are of elite quality, while less-skilled troops are hired only when absolutely necessary, and then on only a short-time basis. Inika permanently employs perhaps 500 individuals whose duties are solely military. These individuals are of 5th level or higher. All are skilled in many different weapons and tactics and can serve as scouts, cavalry, infantry, or elite raiding forces.

Inika is far from a generous employer, preferring to lavish its wealth on trusted agents. Hirelings can expect to work for average pay or less, and they should not anticipate long-term employment unless their performance is exemplary. Should a hireling rise through the ranks to become a valued employee, however, House Inika may offer the ultimate honor – a permanent position as an agent. Particularly successful agents may be invited to join the family itself, but this is very rare. Agents are well cared for, due in part to their small numbers. Inika is reluctant to share its prosperity with too many house members, so its agents are few but highly skilled. Inika cares for its agents and their families from the cradle to the grave, on the wise thought that such a major investment is not lightly set aside. Scouts, spies, kank riders, and lightly armed, fast-moving fighters are favored as hirelings. Mages and psionicists are very high priced and are employed only in dire need. House Inika owns over 2,000 slaves of various races. Inika has a reputation for treating its slaves well, although slackers and individuals who do not swiftly obey orders find themselves sold to work in mines or for other unpleasant work.

House Inika stays out of trouble. This is not to say that Inika never engages in intrigue or double dealing; it’s just very difficult to catch Inika at it. Such conduct is usually directed only at those who have done wrong by Inika. House Inika does not get mad, but it does get even. In dealing with other houses and the sorcerer-kings, Inika takes a non confrontational approach. If challenged for control of an important route or commodity, Inika resists strongly to persuade its opponents to commit time and resources to the conflict. Inika then withdraws suddenly, changes tactics, and ends up putting pressure on the opponents in a totally unexpected quarter. Inika rarely employs large numbers of mercenaries, preferring the services of small, elite groups of raiders to harry their enemies or agents to gather information. Inika is far more likely to engage in intrigue and backroom dealings than to openly attack an enemy with soldiers or magic. Cordial relations are maintained at all times, even during the most intense rivalries. The patriarch of a house that had incurred Inika’s wrath once commented that Inika was highly skilled at smiling at a rival while it twisted a knife in his back. Despite this, Inika tries to stay on friendly terms with other houses. House Wavir in Balic is counted as an ally by House Inika. Most others at least have nothing against House Inika, though trade rivalries are common. House Tsalaxa harbors bad feelings toward Inika, but Inika’s reputation prevents Tsalaxa from taking overt action. Because Inika controls virtually all trade in kola nuts, pepper, and saffron, it can manipulate prices in these commodities almost at will. It sometimes draws rivals into the spice trade with low prices, then increases costs overnight, causing severe financial strain. Such tactics are reserved for particularly bitter rivals, as Inika prefers good relations with its competitors. Inika deals well with the oba, the sorcerer-queen of Gulg. Her templars negotiate with trade houses in the name of the people of Gulg. Despite occasional minor disputes and bad feelings between the houses and the templars, this system is generally successful in keeping the city and its merchants prosperous.